Shameless Reader Roll Call

So I've been wondering lately, "Does anyone read this thing?"

I know we get a few comments here and there but we really have no idea who is all reading our blog. The easy way to determine this would be to add a ticker to the bottom of the page, but I'm scared that it would just confirm that mainly Viv and I check out our blog all day. What I'm proposing is a roll call via comments. This way, we can get a count, and if that count sucks, we will just blame it on poor participation by all of you readers.

So when you all get a chance, submit a quick comment. If you want tell us what you think of our little log thus far, and feel free to give us suggestions on what else you guys might want to hear about, etc.

For the uninitiated, commenting is easy and you don't have to sell your soul (or email address) to blogger.com in order to participate. Just do the following:

1) Simply click on the "comments" link below any given posting
2) Type your comment in the main field
3) Select "other" in the Choose Identity section and enter your name (you can leave the webpage field blank, and if you're really paranoid, choose "anonymous" instead of "other")
4) Click "Publish Your Comment"

Now, get to it!

Daddy's Girl

Just as a single Venti Caramel Machiatto costs as much as a half pound of ground coffee, at Starbucks, a kid-sized whole milk costs as much as a half gallon of milk. That, however, has not stopped me from enjoying a Starbucks' beverage with my daughter on some occasions. On Friday, I took Marielle to get some lab work done. I was in awe of how much blood they had to draw. The technicians were a bit shocked as well. On the whole, Marielle took it about as well as a toddler could be expected, and it helped that the technician was a total pro. Afterwards, we stopped at Starbucks for drinks and a cookie.

Feel the Beat

Tonight Marielle and I were sitting together in a chair, looking out the window. We were pointing out things that were outside through the window. It was part of our wind down before bed.

While we were sitting together, I got the idea to listen to her heart beating. It was mainly because she had been running around like a wild child most of the evening and I was curious as to how fast it might be pounding. She stood very still on my lap while I listened. I think she was thoroughly confused about what I was doing. Sure enough, it was racing. I then asked her if she wanted to listen to my heart beat. She answered yes although I don't think she knew to what she was saying yes (she's in this stage where she says yes to most anything). I pressed her ear against my chest, and she instantly understood! I couldn't believe it. As soon as her ear picked up the thumping, she just laid there, listening.

I called for Viv and my parents to come see. At this point, she started understanding that I had been listening to her heart and that we all had this sound coming from our chests. She kept laying her head against my chest and then wanted to do the same with Mom. We asked her what she heard, and she answered, "doo, doo, ...doo, doo."

Out and About in the Snow

My parents bought Marielle the cutest little snowsuit. Last weekend we tested it out. At first it looked like it was going to be huge on her, but it actually fit pretty well. She looked a little like the colored marshmallows that you can buy near Easter. She got a chance to cruise around in a sled as well. Opa ran up and down the sidewalk with her in tow.

After playing around in my parents yard, we cruised over to my Grandfather's house. He lives a little ways up the road, so we decided to walk. It was a bit more slow going than I thought it would be. You'd think that pulling a twenty pound toddler through the snow would be easy, but after the snow's melted and re-frozen a few times, it's not as accommodating. I also chose to wear a pair of Vans instead of a shoe that was even remotely water resistant. By the time we got there, I was drenched in sweat despite the fact that is was in the 30's that day. The best part was that as she bumped along in the sled on the way to Great Grandpa's house, she fell asleep. It was hilarious. One minute she was looking around and enjoying the ride, the next, she was doubled over and completely out! Sadly we didn't have the camera at that point.

T Minus 2 Years to 30

I'm now 28. Marielle helped me open birthday presents.