Road Trippin'

Hey there new-found friends and loyal followers, it is Azja again with another action-packed blogstravaganza! It has been a while, hasn't it? Many things have changed since our last palaver. For one, OSU is now #16, and OU is now back in the top 10. Oh well. The Cowboys won the last game against Rice, however, so the loss column is still only a "one". If this can be maintained we'll eventually see OSU back in the top 10. As I said in a previous entry, the season is still young.

So, what else has changed? Well, I've started smiling on purpose now! Dad is still working on getting a picture of what he says is the most beautiful smile in the world (I think he's a little biased). I'm not quite consistent with smiling, so it makes a captured photo a bit of a challenge. I know what I'm doing, however, it's just that I can't always get it to work the way I want. Don't worry, soon I'll be smiling all the time, and you will see picture after picture of my smiling mug. You'll say, "Okay Erik, enough with the Azja smiling pics, we get it already!" He's a proud dad, what can I say? I've actually been working on targeting my smiles at him lately as a test to see how easily I can wrap him around my little fingers. Conclusion: he is gonna be a sucker! Mom is going to have to create a buffer so that Dad doesn't end up caving in all the time and spoiling me - not that I really have a problem with him spoiling me : ) Anyway, that is the latest development news from my end. Mom and Dad actually say I'm changing almost daily - getting a stronger neck, edging closer to some form of mobility, getting better at focusing on things and concentrating on them longer. I don't really notice these things as much as they do, but what do I know, I'm a baby.

Other than that, Dad has been practicing more and more for the Halloween party, where he will debut his alter ego: DJ Hazbro. He has some slipmats now that he says will make the job much easier as well as give him a little more professional cred. He has a pretty fancy setup now, and I love listening to him practice his sets. There's this one mix he does with Lady Gaga and the Goblin "Tenebre" theme song that sends shivers down my spine and makes me want to dance all at the same time. He's starting to get pretty good. I have a feeling my birthday parties will be pretty sweet affairs! How many girls get to grow up with an in-house turntable DJ for celebrations? I can't wait for DJ Dadbro to spin me a sweet Portishead mix for my first birthday bash!

Mom has been busy preparing for the road trip. Oh, I didn't tell you about the road trip? Well, considering I am now writing this from Oklahoma, I guess I'd better divulge the deets. Mom's friend Shanna is getting married on Saturday the 26th. Mom is one of the bride's maids. So we set up a road trip that would get us to Oklahoma in time for the wedding and also allow for my baptism the following day. Remember how I was all excited about Okarche weddings and curious about baptisms when I experienced both from the womb? Well now I get to experience both first-hand in one weekend! Holy ticker-tape parade, Batman! But how to get to Oklahoma, this is the question. Mom and Dad's answer was to load the car up to maximum capacity, install a dog guard (or as the instruction manual mistakenly called it, a "god guard"), and drive the 1400 mile distance with me locked in a car-seat and Eddy the Dog locked in the back. Sounds like quite an adventure, huh? Well, the plan was to spread this out over 3 days. Wednesday Dad started his vacation. We would leave at around 7:30 Wednesday morning, rolling into Knoxvillle that evening and checking into a hotel for the first night. We would then spend the next day crawling across Tennessee until reaching Arkansas and spending the night in Little Rock. This would have left about 3 1/2 hours of travel time for Friday, bringing us into Okarche on Friday afternoon sometime. This was the plan. But things don't always go according to plan, do they?

What really happened is that on Tuesday, Mom started packing and thought she might have enough energy to drive through part of the night. Dad thought it would be nice to get an early start (as long as he got to sleep first - he had a long day at work). So they got everything packed into the car (about twice as much as what Dad thought would actually fit) and hit the road at around 2:15 Wednesday morning. It seemed that things may work out well until they hit Chambersburg, PA 2 hours later and had a bit of an accident. A big truck must have lost its wheel because a truck in front of us ran over it, and Mom then had to navigate away from a steel truck wheel careening towards us at an incredible speed and throwing off sparks like a broken dynamo. She couldn't avoid it. It hit the front of the car, and we had to pull over to investigate. The truck in front of us also pulled over. They hadn't fared well - there was a softball-sized hole in one of their tires. We got lucky - we only busted the plastic cover over the bottom of the engine. We had to pull off into a shopping center where Dad completely ripped off the dangling cover. While there, they gave me my first bio break, which went well. Dad was also able to go shopping at the Giant for some things they had forgotten. So all worked out well anyway. And we were soon off again down interstate 81.

The rest of the day things went well. Eddy the Dog slept peacefully in the back of the car, and I slept peacefully in my car seat. I slept through Maryland and West Virginia. We had another bio break in Virginia, and by the afternoon we had hit Knoxville! It was there that Dad learned about Knoxville's significance as the great golden spike (punctuated by the golden sun-sphere, made famous in a Simpsons episode) uniting the beer distribution of two parts of the country. See, Yuengling is only sold on the East Coast. Fat Tire, a New Belgium beer from Colorado, is mostly distributed in the mid-west. But here in a gas station in Knoxville (where there was also a Subway, allowing Mom and Dad to 'eat fresh' for lunch) Yuengling and Fat Tire sat on a cooler shelf side by side! There were even several varieties of Yuengling, including Black and Tan - one of Dad's favorites. But since Mom and Dad can always get Yuengling, the choice was easy. They would enjoy some Fat Tire with lunch to celebrate their accomplishment of reaching their first major checkpoint almost half a day earlier than anticipated. Feeling refreshed, we pressed on. We rolled through Nashville and had the energy to press on. Mom and Dad took turns sleeping while the other drove. We crossed the great bridge that separated Memphis from Arkansas sometime around 10 PM on Wednesday. We pressed on. We rolled through Little Rock but started to run out of steam around Fort Smith. Two-hour shifts became 45-minute shifts, and finally even Azja was ready to stop. So about an hour outside Oklahoma City, the Dunham Express took a break for some Denny's. It was just what the doctor ordered. We were all ready to roll again and pulled into Okarche at around 6:30 Thursday morning (7:30 Eastern time - making the entire trip about 29 hours, quite an adventure to have after a full day of working on Tuesday and very little sleep Monday night, my bad). I'll be honest with you - I slept most of the way. But I'm proud of my parents, as they made the whole trip while never sleeping for more than 3 hours at a time. What gave them the motivation? Corndogs! The Oklahoma State fair ends this weekend, and their original trip schedule would not have given them time to visit it. But arriving a day and a half early will allow Mom and Dad the time they need to visit the fair for at least a couple hours. That means that for the first time since leaving Oklahoma, they will get one of the best corndogs on the face of the planet. Oh, also they were excited about seeing everyone. That was the true motivation. Also, they figured I would stay up all night in a hotel anyway so why not just keep rolling. Whatever the motivation, we all made it, and Eddy the Dog got to set his paws on Oklahoma's red soil for the first time in 5 years. And oh how many stars in the sky! I didn't know so many existed. This is going to be a fun trip.

Well, I guess that's it for now. That was actually quite a lot. I really just ramble on sometimes. Oh well, at least there were pictures to break up the monotony of such a story. And if those weren't enough, here are some we took before the road trip. Gotta go for now. In accordance with the wishes of Dad, we're going to Eischen's for lunch (chicken, okra, and chicken....and milk for me, thank you).

Catch you later,
Azja

OMG! I'm Two......Weeks Old!

Hey gang! I'm Azja! Ah, but you already knew that. Well did you also know that I'm two weeks old now? Knew that, too? Sorry, didn't know I was blogging to the CNN newsroom. Do you know the average airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? Didn't think so! Okay, I must admit - neither do I (neither African nor European), but I'm 2 weeks old, what's your excuse? Anyway, I thought maybe you'd want an update since my last victorious post after the OSU defeat of Georgia. That put OSU at #5 in the AP poll, BTW! Number 5! In comparison to this, OU is now number, um, hmm. I'm not sure, I only have the top ten in front of me, and I'm not seeing them. Wait - there's BYU in the top ten, so OU must be here somewhere....no, I'm still not seeing them. Oh well, the season's young.

So the guard has changed. We drove Grandma and Grandpa Vogt to the airport on Monday (Labor Day), and Grandma and Grandpa Dunham arrived at the house Thursday afternoon. Mom, Dad, and I had a little alone time in the middle of the week, so we tried to take it a little easy. You know, just kickin' it around the house. Eddy the Dog thought that would mean he'd get more attention, but poor guy is still kind of on the back-burner while Mom and Dad get the hang of taking care of me. Don't worry Eddy, things will change soon. I'm growing up quickly - I am already starting to hold my head up by myself from time to time!

Mom and Dad have been helping me learn a little about the world. They have a nice little green easy chair for me to use when relaxing in the living room while they keep up with their vampire friends Bill and Eric, their Hollywood friends Ari, Eric, and Vince, and their Secret Service friends at the Warehouse. I also have a sweet doughnut thing called a Boppi that puts bean-bag chairs to shame. I can find some comfy sleep positions in that thing. They also try to give me time on my stomach each day to work out my neck and arm muscles. I also have some toys that light up and play music so that I have something to occupy my mind while my eyes feast on my surroundings. And if that's not enough, Dad is still trying to read to me (or at least make up stories about wharf-cats and purple-haired princesses) on a regular basis. He used to read to me for his enjoyment and my betterment. Now he's starting to read to me to get me back to sleep in the middle of the night. I've gotten in the habit of sleeping during the day and staying awake more at night. I try to be quiet about it, just lying in bed looking around, and occassionally making my hooting noises. But every once in a while I get bored and cry out for Mom and Dad. I used to sleep for about 4 hours between feedings, but I've been getting hungrier lately and now want to eat about every two. Mom and Dad try to keep the room nice and tranquil for me all night, with soft lighting, candles, and music. But sometimes after I eat I just want to party. They talked about me being a vampire for Halloween, I thought I'd try to get in character. I'm a method actress : ) So from time to time, Mom has to take cat-naps during the day, as I make her pretty tired at night. Then when she wakes up, she is ready to make me look my best. Check out this sweet cherry outfit she found for me with the cherries on the rear. Are you looking at my bum? Bum-looker! Cheeky-monkey!

So let's talk about the excitement of today. First of all, a whole day with Mom, Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa Dunham. Grandma Dunham is cooking some gameday specialties - ham and lentil soup and cornbread - one of Dad's favorites. Plus Dad and Grandpa have some Don Julio Tequila to enjoy that Dad said blows his mind. Then there's my bath and lotion massage. Mom got me nice and clean (which I hated at the time but rather enjoy after the fact) and then moisturized my skin with a lotion massage (which I actually really enjoyed at the time and after the fact). Dad included some pictures of me in my warm and comfy robe/towel after my bath. I was in a pretty awesome mood, which is a great way to start the third exciting part of the day: OSU football! Once again, we got to watch the Cowboys in HiDef as they battle Houston today. If you notice in the picture of me with Grandma Dunham, I have my OSU orange on today - go Pokes! Oh - I just woke up and have been informed that Houston actually won the game. I don't know how this is possible, and I still think it might be a bad dream. I mean, look at my OSU orange! It is adorable! How could we lose? Well - at least I'm clean and get the spend the day with Mom, Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa Dunham. That's still awesome. Just too bad we can't celebrate tonight. I guess this is a good night to play the game Mom and Dad picked up recently - Sorry!

Well, that's all I have for you right now. I have to go console Dad. He is very sad about the game, and he is trying to console friends who are sad about Michigan State beating Notre Dame. I think I might be a sadder OSU fan than him, but I won't tell him that.

Azja Kathleen, the saddest Cowboy fan on the planet (our secret), over and out.

Orange You Glad I'm a Cowboy?

Hey there followers, friends, family, familiars, fans, and found-by-mistakers! It's Azja again with another installment of my weblog. Since Pennsylvania is far away from most of you, Dad has been pushing me to keep the blog up to date on a more regular basis. He says the public awaits, and I have an obligation to supply them with pictures and info. No paparazzi needed, just an enthusiastic family always ready for their next opportunity to capture my various poses and expressions as a set of zeroes and ones and ship them off to the rest of the world via a series of tubes called the internets. So we have a bit of a feast for you this time around.

It is Labor Day weekend, and it is also the last weekend Grandma and Grandpa Vogt get to spend with me until the end of the month (when we road-trip it to the land of the Red Earth). Also, Dad gets Monday off, so he gets to spend more time with me, as well before going back to work for four long Azja-less days. Also, and this is the big one, college football season started! And what an exciting day it was yesterday. Oklahoma State had a big game against Georgia, and everyone had their orange shirts extra orangey for the occassion. I personally went with the white and orange style, as I heard something about not wearing white after Labor Day and wanted to take advantage. But before getting my game colors on, I had to try on Mom's favorite summer outfit before the embers of summer were extinguished under the vibrant leaves of fall (which are already all over our yard due to the summer being extra cool and confusing the local folliage).

Mom and Dad set the chair up like a little photo studio prop and tried to get some pretty pictures of me. Unfortunately I was hungry at the time and was a little less than cooperative. The pictures you see are the best of the bunch. I personally like the one where I'm playing with my feet. See, I forget they are there from time to time. You may think that is weird, but when you haven't ever used something, how is it really that meaningful to you? I don't walk around on my feet, and about the only time I ever see them is when I'm getting my diaper changed and have to keep them out of the way. Then I remember I have these things down there that have short little fingers on them that I can't control as well as my hands. So it's fun for me to see a picture where I'm in the middle of appreciating these mysterious appendages. By the way, I am now getting better at controlling my hands. I've recently discovered that I can use them to interact with my environment. I haven't quite figured out how to time my movements correctly to actually make this realization useful, but I have learned that if I see something near me and bring my hands close enough, I can actually touch it or even grab it (if my fingers cooperate). Just today I actually grabbed my pacifier while it was in my mouth. I consider this a major breakthrough in what gamers call "hand-eye coordination". In this case, I guess it would be hand-mouth coordination.

After the photo session, Mom cleaned me up and put me in my Cowboy colors. Everyone was pretty excited about me being the newest initiate to Cowboy football, but once the game started I quickly realized I had no idea what was going on. For one thing, I can't focus far enough yet to make sense of what was on the television. Dad would probably be upset if he knew this, as he was very excited about seeing an Oklahoma State in beautiful high-definition and might take it as an affront to his technological alter at the head of the living room. What can I say, I'm a baby. I wasn't designed to watch TV. I was designed to sleep, eat, go to the bathroom, cry, stare, cuddle, and generally just try to process the world around me. And I could not process football. I could hear the announcers talking about the action of the game, but none of it made any sense to me. Flags, downs, turnovers, field goals, receivers, special teams, pass interference, and rushing. What does it all mean? I tried to get excited when everyone else did, but in the end I just decided a nap made a lot more sense. When I woke up I learned that the Pokes had indeed won the game and that this was an important win for them. It was also apparently an important win for my family, too, as they were very happy. Mom might have mostly been happy to finally drink a couple beers, but everyone else seemed to be ecstatic about the fact that OSU seems to now have a defense. And there was much rejoicing and passing around of the little lucky charm (me) for post-game pictures. I've attached the pictures I took with everyone as well as the picture of me trying to make some sense of this crazy game and the picture of the nap I took right after I gave up trying to figure it out.

I was awake for the next game and was even more perplexed by the fact that everyone seemed to be cheering against Oklahoma this time. Maybe it was a different Oklahoma. Anyway, this was a loss for Oklahoma against BYU, and everyone pointed out how this was an important loss, as an undefeated season was already out of their grasp. So apparently losses can be just as important as wins, and consequently just as celebrated. Hmm. I have a lot to learn about this world.

Today, Dad stayed at home with me while Mom, Grandma and Grandpa Vogt all went to church. I'll go there someday, but today it might have been a little much, with me being so young. I'm interested to see what it is all about. It must really be something important, as everyone was dressed up to go. Dad took care of me and read me a Grimm Fairy Tale. It put me to sleep. It was something about a poor farmer who was smarter than everyone else and kept tricking them in order to get the things he and his family wanted. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to try to be like that or try not to be like that. This Grimm guy doesn't really tell you if things are good or bad, so you have to reason it out for yourself. But I'm too young to reason, so I'll just wait until Dad tells me one way or the other. In the meantime, back to sleep. When everyone got home, they finished the game of Mexican Train Dominos they started the night before. This time I got to join in. I can't say I was a lot of help, as I once again had no idea what was going on. I liked the pretty colors of all the dots, but that's about as far as my understanding went. Dad felt I was lucky, though, as he won several rounds in a row, and eventually the game, with me sitting at the table. I'm not lucky, I just rigged it (although I'm not even sure how I did it). Anyway, I'd better get going. They all want to cook some steaks pretty soon. We've been enjoying the day outside, and grilling steaks seems like the logical way to prepare dinner in such an environment. I can't wait to smell the steaks (I've already gotten used to the fact that it will be a long time before I actually get to taste such wonderful smelling food). Until next time, Dad will keep the camera handy.

See you next time,
Azja

Making Myself at Home

So I found out that I really like to sleep. It is currently my favorite hobby. But Mom and Dad want me to eat every 2-3 hours, so they have to wake me up all the time. If it were up to me, I'd probably sleep through about half the meals, but then once I wake up I realize I actually am hungry. So I guess as much as I hate to admit it Mom and Dad know best. Anyway, Dad thinks it's really cute how long it takes me to wake up and wanted to show everyone. Last night while waking me up for my 3:30 AM meal, Dad shot some video he's been trying to post. I'm really embarrassed about it, as I really don't think my wake-up routine is anybody's business but mine, but there's nothing I can do about it - I'm a baby. I tried telling him not to post it, but he didn't seem to understand what I was saying. He just thought I was crying. Maybe I'll luck out and the video will never actually be posted, but if he does manage to make it work bear in mind that I did not approve. The Fresh Prince was right, parents just don't understand. And no, that reference is not too old for me to know - Dad played the song on the record player for me before I was born, so it is new to me. Oh, sorry - Dad said it is a turntable, not a record player. Excuuuuuse meee Dad, it's not like I'm less than a week old or anything.

So Mom, Dad, and I are settling in nicely at home. We've developed something of a routine, especially at night. I sleep. Then they wake me up at regular intervals to change me (if needed), feed me, burp me, and then rock me back to sleep. Then the cycle repeats. Sometimes I spit up at random times or go to the bathroom while my diaper's off, just to make things interesting. It really messes with Dad, since he likes things to be all neat and orderly. Time to cross that one off your list of favorite things, Dad, because I'm guessing you won't see neat and orderly again for at least 15-20 years. Neat and Orderly left town with Jack. Sometimes they try to keep me awake after the burping so that they can talk to me or read to me or just let me look around at things for a while. All of these things eventually make me tired, however, and I fall back into blissful slumber.

Dad also took some pictures to show how settled we are. There's a picture of Mom feeding me in their bedroom. I like the neat candles on the wall and my fun little baskety bed. Eddy the Dog sleeps under my bed to protect me. Also, there's a picture of Dad relaxing outdoors with Eddy the Dog yesterday. Eddy was sad about getting no attention lately, so Dad let him swing in the hammock for a while. I got some sun with Grandma and Grandpa Vogt and Mom, who all wanted to enjoy the beautiful afternoon outside. Then, last night Grandpa made some pork chops that smelled really good, but I couldn't eat them because I'm not old enough. I can't wait until I'm able to eat food that smells that good. I hope they'll find a way to serve it in a bottle by then. I don't know why more people don't eat from bottles. You don't have to use silverware, spend time cutting things, waste energy scooping and chewing, or even look at what you're eating. You can just sit back and take in all the sights and sounds around you. Just try eating a steak while watching a Samurai movie with subtitles. You'll miss a quarter of what is being said while you look down at your steak to cut it. With a bottle, I can keep my eyes on one thing the whole time. Mostly I'm just looking at whoever is feeding me, but if I wanted to watch a Samurai movie, I could do that too. Of course, I can't read yet, so that would present a bit of a hurdle to me actually understanding the movie. I thought reading would be easy, but there are like 26 different letters, and they can be arranged in a billion different combinations, so it is rather complex. And then their - I mean there - are a bunch of crazy words that sound the same but are spelled different or are spelled almost the same but pronounced differently, and they really throw a kink in the works. And if that wasn't bad enough, there are people everywhere that don't actually now - I mean know - the correct rules of grammar or pronunciation, so they confuse people who are actually trying to learn these things, especially when they make up words like "you's" and "nucular". Maybe I'll just learn French or Spanish or Cantonese instead, it might be easier.

Anyway, I got off the subject. What was the subject? I guess I was just saying that I'm getting pretty comfortable now in my new home, and I'm really excited about actually seeing my parents rather than just hearing them. Like last night when Dad read me to sleep with the mythological stories of Persius and Andromeda, and I got to watch his facial expressions and see the book containing the stories. Or when Mom rocked me back to sleep later in the night and I got to see her smile at me and feel her kiss my forehead. It's better than I could have ever dreamed (and I dreamed - or is it dreamt? - a lot, just ask Mom). I've been getting closer lately to this "smiling" thing, and I expect any day now I'll be able to actually do it on purpose so I can show Mom and Dad how happy I am. Knowing my dad, he'll get a picture of it, so when I actually start smiling on purpose, you'll know about it, too. Until then, I'll keep working on it. It is currently on my "to do" list with "learn how my hands work" and "try to keep more of my food inside me". One thing at a time.

Until next time,

Azja

Home...and Home Again!

Hey everybody! It's Azja again! I've been letting Dad write the last few posts, but I just came home from an ordeal that I wanted to tell you about personally so you didn't get too worried about me. Spoiler alert: it wasn't really a big deal and I'm okay now : ) But first I have to update you with all that's happened since Dad last posted. The last posts were from the hospital. I'm not there anymore! Yay! I passed all my tests on Sunday, and the nurses and doctors let us all go home. But first I got all dressed up so the hospital could take a picture of me. That's me in the polkadot dress and green sweater. I was sleeping, which made it really hard to take the picture, but they never said anything about staying awake. I didn't know that was part of the picture-taking process. I'm new to the visual world, remember? So then Mom gave me one last meal before dressing me up to leave, and Dad snapped this picture of my "monkey" feet sticking out from under Mom's arm. Finally, Mom and Dad got me dressed, put on my socks and mittens to keep me warm outside, and bundled me into my car seat for the first time. I like riding in the car seat, even though I hate getting bundled into it. And we were off to my new home. The car ride seemed really short even though Dad said our house was 8 whole blocks away!

When we got home, Mom and I saw that our friends Jay and Hallie had prepared a 'Welcome Home' sign. They've been waiting for me for a while, so they've been excited about coming over and seeing me now that I'm born. They came over Sunday evening, and we all chatted with Dad's parents through something called a video-conference. It involved a lot of cables, a computer, a camcorder, the TV, and some frustration getting it all set up. Dad found a way to get it working, though, as he seems to have an aptitude for technological devices. It's his aptitude for all things baby-related that he's having to significantly improve this week. He's getting better, but I still think he's terribly afraid of breaking me. I'm a baby, Dad, not a Ming Dynasty vase. He'll learn.

Sunday night Mom and Dad were glad to have me in their bedroom through the night rather than a cold hospital room. Mom attended to my every need throughout the night, and Dad tried to stay awake enough to help. He's not as good with sleep deprivation as Mom, but this he will also learn. Despite Mom's many attempts, I was not really in the mood to eat as much as I should have. I was really a bigger fan of sleeping. Monday morning I had a doctor's appointment and some lab testing that tested my patience. How many times do I have to get poked and prodded? I was about to find out this was just the beginning. The doctor told us that because I wasn't eating as much as I should be I might be lacking in electric lights. He said I was strong and had good muscle-tone overall, but that I might need more to eat that what I was getting and recommended some formula to supplement my diet. He also recommended another test, which led to another needle - ouch! Mom then worked with a nurse who specialized in nursing - seems like a pretty natural thing for a nurse to specialize in. She helped Mom try to get the most out of our feeding sessions. So we went home and tried applying some things we learned as well as some formula. But then the doctor called and said the last test showed I was dehydrated slightly. He recommended I go to the hospital for overnight hydration through an IV or maybe "ivy", I'm not sure which, whichever one is a long viney thing that attaches to limbs and carries water and other nutrients.

Mom and Dad were sad and a little scared about having to leave me at the hospital overnight for this, but then they found out they got to stay, too, and they were then glad we were going to get me healthy as soon as possible. So once again, on Monday night, I stayed the night in a hospital room. Grandma and Grandpa Vogt stayed with me until the end of visiting hours, and then they left Mom, Dad, and I alone to bring me back to 100% hydrated. It was a long night for everyone involved. At first Mom was waking me up to eat, and I wasn't very happy about it. Then Dad read to me, and I liked the way he told stories. Then, as the hydration progressed, I was awake longer and longer and wanted to eat more and more. I came into the hospital Monday night at 7 lbs, and this morning I weight 7 lbs 8 ounces. I gained half a pound overnight! The doctor was happy with my progress, and he said the new test results showed that I was now the picture of health! They let me go from the hospital this morning, and I'm now back at home happier, healthier, and with a much better appetite. I hated the nurses at first for poking me with needles, putting the ivy in my arm, and strapping the club-like contraption to my arm to hold it. But now that I feel so much better I'm glad they put me through all that. Dad says that now that everything is okay, he can share the news of my ordeal with the world and let them know how good I was going through it. He also wanted to share some pictures, as well. My arm looks pretty upsetting in the pictures, but once they put the bandages on it didn't hurt, and I actually learned to start swinging it around like a club and holding it up when I slept (Mom and Dad said that was really cute). The last picture is one Dad finally got of me being a "wiggle worm". When I'm sleeping and bundled up, apparently I like to raise my legs, which causes the swaddling to lift up and make me look like, well, a wiggle worm. I can't explain it, I guess it's just how I like to sleep.

Well, anyway, I guess I'd better get back to eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom, and taking in my surroundings with wide-eyed fascination. What can I say? I'm a baby. That's what we do.

So long for now,
Azja