Hail to the Victors

Michigan - 38, Notre Dame - 34.

It was a good day.

So Big!

Jack had his one-year well visit with the doctor today. Despite having four shots, two in each thigh, he seems to be in good spirits. I've heard though that the effects of the shots are often not felt until a few days after the injections, so we'll see. I did not do well during the shots, after being scolded by the nurse for not doing more to restrain him: "Mrs Collins, he's pulling at my needles!" and having her yank his leg back onto the table while muttering "my gosh is he strong." He cried big, fat tears (I swallowed my tears) but a cuddle with me after the band-aids went on and all was forgotten.

He's right where he should be developmentally and is sleeping right about the average for this age (11 hours at night, 2.5 hours during the day). In terms of size, he's around the 65th percentile for weight -- 23 lbs, 7 oz -- and is off the charts for height! The nurse actually measured his length twice because she was so sure she'd gotten in wrong the first time. But her measurements came out pretty similar: he's somewhere between 32 5/8" long and 32 7/8" long.

His walking is getting better every day - though he doesn't want anything to do with walking once I put his shoes on. I've heard that the walking often stops completely for a few days after the shots in the legs, so we'll see. I took this video yesterday (I never have the camera ready when he does one of his long stretches of walking) but it at least gives a sense that he can do more than 2 or 3 steps now.

School Days

It was a big day in Fremont this morning as Marcus prepared for his first day of Kindergarten! Sarah was kind enough to build in a few minutes this morning so Marcus could Skype with us and we could wish him well on his first day of school. He looked so grown up... and very smart, dressed in his yellow polo shirt. Andy & Sarah have got to be so proud of their little (big!) guy. I know I'm swelling with pride & I'm just his aunt!

Speaking of the start of the school year, I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the uproar created by some conservatives around why they won't let their kids listen to President Obama's speech about education. Apparently, these parents fear that Obama is trying to "indoctrinate" their children. (Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, the Florida GOP chairman who last week quipped that Obama was trying to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda" has now reversed his stance (after reading text of the speech) and has said he'd let his children watch as it's a "good speech" that "encourages kids to stay in school.")

Aside from thinking it's ludicrous to shield kids from a speech about education and its importance, I think it's equally foolish to keep young minds completely sheltered from viewpoints that may differ from their parents' views.

I truly hope that Mick and I are the kind of parents who encourage debate/discourse/discussion in our home about politics (and other topics). I want to be able to watch the President (whomever he or she may be) address the nation and then to discuss with my child(ren) what we think about the President's remarks. That's part of the beauty of living in a free county - that we can agree to disagree. But at least let's be educated about that upon which we disagree - which means watching/listening to these kinds of speeches instead of writing them off as having a certain agenda before we have an opportunity to make up our minds on our own.

Front Page News

OK, so it's not the Washington Post and it's not even the Big Rapids Pioneer (which featured a front-page story about my mom in January as she was out here during Obama's inauguration), but Shergar and I are the featured story for the summer publication of the Fairfax Pets on Wheels (where we volunteer) newsletter!

Here's the text of the story:

Collins Pays It Forward

FPOW volunteer Kelly Collins considers her visits to the Powhatan Nursing Center to be her form of "paying it forward." Kelly explains, "There have always been people around to support my family and me when we've gone through tough times. I have often wondered how I could adequately thank those people for their acts of kindness. I realized that the best possible thing I could do was to pay it forward... and I think volunteering with FPOW allows me to do that."

Kelly and her chocolate lab mixed breed, Shergar, try to visit Powhatan at least once per week. But Kelly is a new mom (to one-year-old Jack), so trying to find time to volunteer can be a challenge. "Even on nights when I'm tired and think of not going, I still go. And on every single night that happens, I drive home after our visit with a smile on my face - and I'm thankful I decided to go."

Oftentimes, Kelly finds herself on the phone with her mom after her visits, "telling her about an especially rewarding experience or conversation I had. The residents who remind me of my grandma have a particularly special effect on me."

Kelly was very close to her grandmother, who died at the age of 91, and "considered her a friend. So part of my desire to volunteer was selfish because I wanted to spend time with people who could make me smile, lend their wisdom, and share their experiences."

"I also knew of the benefits of pet therapy, especially as related to people with Alzheimer's. I knew Shergar had a great temperament and loved being loved, so I figured the pairing with the nursing home would be a perfect match."

Kelly has volunteered since 2006 and has served on the Speaker's Bureau as well as the FPOW Board of Directors.

"When I first started visiting, I wondered if it would last. Shergar was a bit scared and seemed to enjoy visiting the other dogs more than visiting the residents. But after one extended period when we couldn't visit because we were out of town, Shergar whined in the car as soon as she figured out we were going back to Powhatan. She couldn't wait to get out of the car and into the activities room to visit the residents... and no doubt to look for dinner leftovers on the floor. That was a wonderful turning point."

Kelly says "the best part of volunteering is, hands down, the look on the residents' faces when they realize it's Tuesday night and 'the dogs are here!'". I love fulfilling their requests when they ask me to send in certain dogs to see them. To know that we've brightened their day is priceless."

Little House on the Prairie

Some pretty momentous news to report this week....Kelly, Jack, and I are in the process of buying a house in Ann Arbor, MI! Shergar wanted to be part of it, but spent all of her savings on rawhides - she'll be a non-contributing guest.

After a neighborhood scouting trip earlier this year, we took some time last week to drive around the town and look at specific properties. All told, we saw about 12 places and found a house (above) that we both really like. Kelly will tell you that she convinced me that we should look at it (despite my reservations), and she's right.

It's a 4-bedroom house in northwest Ann Arbor, not far from Wines Elementary School (how appropriate) and the Maple/Miller thoroughfares. The property is only 9 years old, with one prior owner, and is move-in ready, with a finished basement, 2-car garage, patio out back, and within walking distance of nature trails, parks, schools, and the river.

We're thrilled at the prospect of moving there, not only to take advantage of the extra living space we need, but also to have Jack grow up in a fun college enviroment (international, liberal town) that puts us closer to family.

We had our offer accepted yesterday and are now working on inspections, appraisals, and paperwork. Fingers crossed that we will move before the end of October.

Happy First Birthday, Happy First Steps!

I'm a bit late in posting Jack's first birthday pictures, but that's because I ended up with the cold that landed Jack in the Petoskey Urgent Care center on his birthday.

Sadly, Jack came down with a cold the day before his birthday, while we were on vacation at Torch Lake (thanks for the cottage, Uncle Bob & Aunt Janie!). I had a feeling he had a sore throat and, after 24 hours of not being able to bring his low-grade fever down, I decided to get him in to see a doctor. What would have been a beautiful drive along Lake Michigan to Petoskey was instead a bit somber as I felt so awful to see my little guy in pain. He had a strep test done (negative) and his ears looked as if they were on their way to infection. So, we started him on some antibiotics and 24 hours later (the day after his bday) he started showing major signs of improvement.

We made some adjustments to our schedule (gifts the day after his birthday, cake two days after his birthday... on cousin Deagan's first!) and ended up having a really lovely time on vacation. Jack was able to spend the week with my entire family, including his two cousins, Marcus and Deagan, and his Grannie from England!

Jack took his first two steps four days before he turned one and, though he's capable of four steps or so without falling down, he seems to have decided crawling is the way to go for now (despite some horrid looking bruises all over his legs).

I have a bunch of fantastic photos of our vacation and will work to upload those this week. For now, Jack's birthday as a pictorial story.

In lieu of birthday cake, Jack received a popsicle to ease his sore throat on his birthday...

Which created brain freeze:

One day post birthday, we opened presents & Jack received the boy baby doll I had made it my mission to find:

He also received Elmo Live! which he thinks is a hoot.

Two days post birthday, Jack was well enough for his cake:

Deagan had cake too as it was his first birthday!

Jack started slowly at first...

And then he really dug in!

Until he was about to blow.

All Around the World

It's been a couple of fun weeks....Kelly, Jack, Shergar, and I drove to Michigan in early August for a week's vacation at Torch Lake. We were joined by the Klimek family, their entourage, and my mother, for a few days of sun, sand, swimming....and sickness. Poor Jack caught a cold, got a sore throat, and generally spent most nights coughing and crying. Not the best way to celebrate his 1st birthday, although he attacked his fantastic birthday cake with aplomb. Since then, Kelly, Mary, and I have all had colds, without the benefit of birthday cake.

Otherwise, the highlight of the week was watching Jack take his formative steps. He frequently stood up from a seated position and, on just a couple of occasions, took a step forward before tumbling over. It's amazing to see him grow up like this; next thing we know, he'll be kicking a soccer ball and cheering for Oldham.

On the following Sunday, I flew to Australia to join my colleagues at our annual conference. Sadly, my suitcase decided to spend an extra 2 nights in San Francisco, finally joining me 48 hours after I arrived. You forget how important clothes are until you dont have any.

The conference went well and I'll shortly be flying back to Michigan to meet up with the family. Attached is a photo of the beach and Pacific Ocean at 5:45am one morning (the jet-lag throws off your sleep like nobody's business).