Hilarious Website

For those of you who need a smile, please feel free to check out http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Very cute and funny pictures with even cuter and funnier captions. Here are a few samples of my favorites:

More Funnies

Even More Funnies...

And More...

A Thursday Morning Funny...

I couldn't resist:

Faux-Hawk

Never let it be said that Justin is not up with the times. Even though he is only five months old, he can still sport the latest hair-styles. Check out his Faux-Hawk:

Is my kid rad, or what?

At any rate, J-Man is feeling a little better everyday. However, today, he is still coughing quite a bit. His cough is more productive today and I am hoping that the yuckies are on their way out. J is sleeping a lot during the day, but he is eating well (bananas are his new fave) and he is still a happy boy. Even when he is sick, he is still a smiley boy. He definately gets that from Jeff. Justin slept through the night last night, which, hopefully, means this cold is almost outta here.

First Cold

Well, the J-Man is sick. He has his first cold. A phone call to the triage nurse confirms that this is just a cold - coughing and congestion. She did not seem too concerned - just stated that we need to keep him hydrated and elevated. She also says to take him into the bathroom while we shower to get the steam working on his lungs. The nurse did not recommend taking him into see his MD, but, if he is still not well tomorrow, I think I may take him just to sure. A five month old hacking on mucus is a sad sound indeed.



At any rate, J is just a bit cranky and off his feed, but, otherwise, smiley and talkative.



In other Justin news, he has been exploring the new frontier of solid foods. He is a big fan of peas and green beans. He liked carrots and squash a lot until he tasted the green veggies and now, while he will tolerate the yellow ones, he much prefers the greens. He was also not a fan of rice cereal until I mixed it with applesauce and now I have to cut him off.



Here are pictures of J's first meal of carrots:





It's a messy venture, but oh, so cute!

Racehorse Soapbox

I'll admit it...I have been just about a life-long Thoroughbred race fan. I love the stats, the bloodline research, the training aspects, and, of course, the beautiful equine athletes. In recent years, however, I have become somewhat ambivilent about the "Sport of Kings".

I will never forget the Breeder's Cup Distaff race in 1990 where a mare named Go For Wand fell, went down, flipped over, got up, and tried to finish the race while her broken leg clung to her by a thin flap of skin. And who can forget Barbaro, the amazing colt who broke his hind leg while running in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, only to succumb to complications from laminitis months later?

I was reminded of how fragile a young Thoroughbred racehorse's life is this past Saturday when the three year old filly, Eight Belles (pictured above), ran the race of her life, placing second in the Kentucky Derby (and beating 18 colts in the process), only to shatter both front ankles after crossing the wire. She could not be saved.

In watching the post-race interviews, it seems everyone has an opinion. Was the footing off? Was the filly unsound? What role did bloodlines play? (Eight Belles' sire, Unbridled's Song is notorious for fathering highly unsound foals)

Not once, however, have I heard questions about running such young stock in hardcore races. I have yet to hear anyone question the training techniques of big-time trainers, who start their horses under saddle at 18 months old. Could it be that the footing cannot be blamed? Could it be that putting such stress on such young legs could be a factor? These horses are beefed up with feed and steroids, exercised into firm muscle, and trained hard. All on legs that will not be done growing until that horse is five (or more) years old. It is not surprising to me that horses go down on the track all of the time. We just get to see the big name horses in the media.

The ironic part of all of this is, if a young horse breaks down on the track and can be saved, is often retired to the breeding shed, to be bred and to pass on conformation faults to hundreds of babies. It's the horses who start their careers as older colts and fillies and race until they are ten (or older) who are the sound ones - the ones who should be passing their stamina and soundness on to future generations.

I'll get off my soapbox now, but not before addressing Eight Belles' trainer's comment on the Today Show this morning. Mr. Larry Jones defended his sport by stating that horses have a bigger risk of hurting themselves in the pasture than they do on the racetrack. This may be true, but I see a major difference in a horse hurting himself while running, bucking, and playing versus being whipped across the finish line after running his (or her) heart out for over a mile against 19 other horses on ankles just a few inches in diameter.

Justin Update

Justin had his four month well-child visit yesterday. He met with the NP, Crystal, and wooed her with his cuteness. Here are the stats:

20 pounds, 14 ounces. 27.75 inches long. Above the 97th percentile in both height and weight.

Crystal reports that Justin is doing very well - very healthy and beautiful. She felt no resistence in his right hip and the ultrasound report came back with normal results.

Justin is growing so fast. He is grasping onto toys with both hands and is working on his coordination on getting said toys into his mouth. He is smiling and laughing more and more. He loves bath time. He is sleeping through the night from about 8:00 pm to about 6:00 am. He will even go to bed awake and soothe himself to sleep. We are spoiled to have such an amazing kid.

Behold! The Winkle Toy!

Our friends from NYC, The Mohneys, sent Justin a huge box packed with fun stuff this week. The Winkle Toy was included and, let me tell you, it has been a huge hit with J-Man. Not only can he grab onto it with both hands, he can chew on it at the same time. I highly recommend this toy for any baby just learning to grasp onto things.

90 Degrees

J-Man is getting quite mobile. Check him out:


Start of play:


Five minutes later:

My 3.75 month old turned a full 90 degrees under his Jungle Gym in under five minutes. My sense of direction isn't even close to being this good...and I'm almost 376 months old! My kid is a genius.

Justin has also learned (thanks to Daddy) that, if he hits the purple parrot hanging over his head on the Jungle Gym, the music starts to play. I hope this is teaching Justin simple cause and effect and not to be abusive to animals so that he can hear "Lou, Lou, Skip to My Lou" play approximately 1400 times.

In related news, if I hear "Lou, Lou, Skip to My Lou" one more time, I may shoot myself.

Big Man

Is it wrong that my 13 week old child wears nine month old-sized clothing? We will never be accused of starving him, that's for sure.

Grandma DeBadts took J on a shopping spree at Old Navy last Friday. Justin is now the coolest kid on the block in his new gear. We bought clothing sized for a six month to 12 month old and they fit J-Man just fine. All of his jammies are sized for a nine month old and the only alteration that I have had to make is rolling up the cuffs - not becuase the sleeves are too long, but so Justin can suck on his wrist, which, by the way, looks like a pink muffin top. I love fat baby wrists.

Grandma and Grandpa Simpson gave Justin a wonderful Easter basket filled with goodies and (hooray!) nine month-sized jammies! The family had a wonderful Easter weekend with the grandparents and extended family. Justin celebrated his first Easter surrounded by his loving family. We are all very grateful for that gift.

Doggie Regrets

Tyson here.



Certain decisions seem like good ideas at the time. I had fleeting thoughts when I agreed to this picture, like, "What if this gets into the wrong hands?" and "I'll bet embarrassing photos like this wind up on the Internet all the time."



Did I listen to my gut? No. And that decision failed me. Big time. Mom found this photo stashed away from a year ago, laughed hysterically, and promply uploaded it onto her computer.



This will be the last time I agree to any questionable photos. And if I ever see that purple sweater again, I will tear it to bits.

Happy Baby

Justin's daily smile amounts have grown by leaps and bounds over the last few days. We went to Strong Hospital today to have an ultrasound of his right hip, as Dr. Tomek felt a little resistance in it at Justin's last check-up. The radiologist thinks everything is fine...she just has to check the measurements on the films to let us know for sure. Other than that, J-Man is still lovin' life...he is sleeping at night more consistently...from about 10:00 pm to 5:00 am. Of course, now that I've told you all this, he'll be up all night tonight, just to make a liar out of me. Oh, well. The kid's job is to keep me on my toes.

In other news, I am back to riding regualrly now, and, boy, have I missed it. Chester is doing well and we're beginning preparation for the 2008 show season.

The Simpson clan is off to Great-Grandma Auble's house again this Saturday, this time to meet cousins Michael, Lynn, Karmen, and Matthew for the first time. J-Man will then spend most of Sunday with Grandma and Grandpa DeBadts, as Mommy and Daddy will be out interacting with other adults. Whoo Hoo!

Cutest Baby Ever

I may be biased, but I think Justin is the cutest baby that ever existed. Ever.

Best. Invention. Ever.

As you can see, Justin absolutely LOVES his swing. I know that not every baby likes them, but I am one of the lucky moms that has a kid that can be entertained and comforted by his Fisher Price Cradle Swing. Justin loves to both play and nap in his swing, which allows me to get some things done around the house. The only thing is...it's so hard not to just sit and watch J-Man having a grand ole time in his swing.
We had Justin's two month check up with Dr. Tomek yesterday. Bottom line - the kid is off the charts in height and weight. At ten weeks old, he weighs in at 16 pounds, 15 ounces and is 25 inches long. He had his first round of vaccines and it was a toss up on who took it worse - me or Justin. He wanted to be snuggled all day yesterday, which was definately fine with me, and, after a dose of Infant Tylenol and a good night's sleep, Justin is feeling just fine today.
In conclusion, I have to mention yet another awesome gift of motherhood. Recently, Justin began to greet me in the morning when I came into his room to get him up for the day. As soon as he sees me, he smiles this huge grin and begins kicking and swinging his arms around. I have never been a morning person, but Justin is changing that condition quickly.

Dog Days

Wassup, ya'll? Tyson here...also known as Ty, Ty-Ty, or Dammit (as in, "Come here, Dammit!"). My mom sometimes calls me "Tinkles" or "Boo Boo", but don't you try it.

I thought it was time for a post by yours truly. I've been a bit over-shadowed by my boy, Justin, and, while I love the kid, I deserve some of the spotlight, too.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a Toy Fox Terrier, or TFT. I like to think that "TFT" stands for "Tough Freakin' Terrier". My mom tells me that I am a "little guy", but I could take on any German Shepherd or Great Dane any day of the week with three paws tied behind my back. My likes include: Snausages, harrassing Riley, quality time with my bear, and the sound of my own bark. I also like to play tug-of-war with Cal, fetch with Jenny, and Crazy Eight with Callie.

My dislikes include: peeing outside when it's cold, having my nails trimmed, baths, and when Mom leaves in the truck without me. I also do not like getting neutered, but Mom tells me that's a one-time deal.

I am one talented canine. I have many gifts that I choose to share with my humans, such as starting the neighborhood dog chorus at 5:00 in the morning (Mom especially likes the sound of the beagle down the street), keeping the cats in line, and guarding my boy, Justin. When the spirit moves me, I can also sit, shake, and lay down. Between me and you, though, those parlor tricks are pretty lame.

Justin Update

At the request of Justin's Grandma and Grandpa Simpson, here is a recent picture of our favorite little man. Looks like he knows something we don't, doesn't he?

We're off to Great Grandma Auble's house today for a visit with family. Justin will be meeting some of his extended family for the first time. He's all rested up and ready to go!

Adventures in Pregnancy and Childbirth

Over the last eight plus weeks, I have enjoyed being a new mom. Our son, Justin Reid, born on December 26th, 2007, has already brought a lifetime of joy into our home. I don't think that there has ever been a child who is more cherished and loved.
Now that I have produced a child from my womb, I thought that I would share what I have learned about pregnancy and childbirth with my readers. These are invaluable lessons, so, take notes...

1. Be careful what you Google while pregnant.
You really can know too much in life. Please do not Google the following while pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant, or while in labor: "17 Pound Russian Baby", "episiotomy", or "meconium". You will freak out. I promise.

2. Epidurals can (and do) wear off.
Please do not count on the epidural to take care of the pain. No one shared with me that they can wear off. I was in pain-free heaven for two hours, but just before it was time to push, the epidural wore off...completely. The evil, sadistic nurse told me that I could not have any more painkillers because I would be pushing soon and she wanted me to feel some pressure. Oh...I felt some pressure alright...in fact, I felt everything. This nurse was not allowed back into my room.

3. Be ready for anything.
I did not want a C-Section, but it was the only option for us when all was said and done. It turned out fine and I was ready to do anything to insure the safety of my child (see #6). Plus, now I have a really cool scar.

4. You can vomit from excessive pain.
Yeah. Trust me.

5. Newborn babies are purple and covered in cheese.
But cute and loud, nonetheless.

6. You cannot possibly know the level of extreme love of which you are capable until you have a child.
I know. Everyone says this. But it is so true. Children rearrange your priorities. No person or thing can or will ever come before your child. Ever. I don't think the word 'love' is strong enough to describe the feelings one has for their own child. Every time I look at my son, my heart swells.

So. There are just a few of the lessons I have learned. I gain more and more knowledge everyday and I am learning to see the world through a child's eyes. Everything is new and exciting and there is more and more to discover everyday. This is the greatest gift of all.

BLOG RESURRECTION!!

I know. You are all in shock, but, at the request of our loyal followers, I have decided to breathe new life into our blog. After a hiatus of almost three years, I will attempt to keep the posts coming and keep everyone updated on the Simpson Family adventures. Stay tuned for more...