Recent Bang Up Events!

Saturday, July 1, 2006
We all got bundled up and drove out to the JDFPG (Joint Defence Facility
Pine Gap) Base July 4 Independence day celebration (just outside the
base fence as even family members aren't allowed inside). At the event
we had several firsts. Delenn got to hobnob, 'walk' around, and mingle
with others, albeit she was still primarily too shy to allow others to
hold her. Logan got his first taste of funnel cake and he got to take
his first camel ride. For the camel ride Dad sat on a separate rear
seat from Logan's front seat. The cameleer told Dad to hold on himself
as it is the kids that do better than the adults at holding on when the
camel stands up or gets down. Dad was still nervous in letting Logan
hold on completely by himself, and while the camel did have a bumpy time
getting up, Logan was magnificent in keeping himself on without a hint
of worry. Other activities at the celebration was the magic show, more
food, games with prizes, etc... None of this mattered to Logan of
course as all he wanted to do was to ride and re-ride the
merry-go-round. Over and over and over and over again. Except for
food, nothing would stop him from getting off it (except of course to
get back in line so that he could get back on it).
Directly after the JDFPG celebration we headed home as it was actually
July 1, which is Territory Day in the Northern Territory of Australia.
It is the one and only day of the year that we are legally allowed to
launch fireworks, from 6 PM to 10 PM (they were bought the previous day,
the only day you are allowed to buy fireworks). Dad and Logan had
bought about $60 worth of fireworks and we were raring to go to launch
them off. Out Mom, Delenn, Logan, and Dad went up the hill behind the
house. Up there we could see fireworks being fired off from neighbors
around the town, so there was never a dull moment in between Daddy
launching our own fireworks. We all had a blast, but no one got hurt,
and then Mom and Delenn went back home to go to sleep while Dad and
Logan went off to see the big fireworks show in the center of town
(Anzac Oval). At the big fireworks show Dad and Logan got up right
next to the boundary line to watch them being launched and could easily
see the fire trails they left behind. Logan loved this as it made him
feel as if they were little rockets blasting off. With only about 15
minutes of showtime, it was just perfect for a worn out little boy and
we were satisfied with the day's events.

Friday and Saturday, July 7 and 8, 2006
It was time for the annual Alice Springs Show Days! This is very
similar to a County Fair in the U.S., along with show animals,
exhibitions, and carnival rides. Upon entry, Logan saw that they were
offering actual helicopter rides ($25/person). From that moment on and
through both days he wouldn't give up wanting to ride it. However,
there were too many other things to do and so luckily we evaded that
one. After all, he's got to have *something* to do that's new when he
gets older! Instead, our first ride was to get on the Dodgem Cars (in
Australia they're Dodgem cars, but it's the same thing as Bumper Cars in
the States). Logan was putting up with the bumping quite well
throughout as Daddy drove us around (letting Logan hold on to the
wheel). Towards the very last second before the ride ended we got a
surprise attack and were bashed head on. Logan's head whammed into the
steering wheel and he immediately started crying his little head off.
Dad checked him out and saw an immediate and large blue bump start
blowing up just below and to the side of his left eye. The music from
the ride was so loud that no one, not even Mom, realized what had
happened. Dad picked Logan up and carried out of the area to check him
out further, with an expectation for a lot more crying. Instead, with
a still hefty protruding blue ball forming into a small second 'head',
Logan pointed over at another ride and excitedly wanted to move along to
that, completely forgetting about the event that just transpired (the
next day the massive bump started to recede and instead left him with a
nice black eye).

There were so many rides and games that Logan enjoyed that it would
difficult to include everything. Highlights include going up and down
large slides completely by himself, to include one slide called the
'Titanic' that was at least one story high! The attendant didn't think
there was any chance Logan would go down the thing once he climbed to
the top (just climbing it was a feat) based on his experience with other
kids Logan's age. Mom and Dad felt the same way (just looking at the
slide scared us). It seemed to us to be a good practice slide for an emergency evacuation from an airplane! Lo and behold, Logan surprised us and went down it
three times! On a side note, that same attendant proceeded to tell us that he also enjoys going to visit the U.S. every two to three years where he gets to compete in machine-gun competitions. He said his fellow lame Australians made it illegal to shoot machine guns here. Yeesh! Another super slide, requiring a long series of steps and burlap bags, was a winner
for Logan too. He went down that six times. Throughout the event Logan
also wanted to get a gun, primarily because so many kids there were
dressed up as cowboys and had all sorts of guns. One gun he saw at a
stall he just 'had' to have and it was a massive over-the-top looking
machine gun. We told him that we don't do that in our house and at the
very end of the first day got Logan a 'bubble gun' as we called it, in
the shape of a frog (yes, that spits out a lot of bubbles) He was
mighty happy to get his gun.

Logan did play some games, such as throwing a bean bag at a monster's
teeth and knocking them out... and he won some race cars and a Nemo
Clown Fish. We also got him a 'show bag' which are a popular item here
in which a bag contains lots of goodies and surprises related to a
certain theme. In our case, we bought a 'Cars' the Movie Show Bag which
included a 'Cars' backpack and other essentials :-)

As for Delenn, she got her first taste at a Dagwood Dog. A Dagwood Dog
is just like a corn dog, except instead of a hot dog, it is a plain
sausage (Aussies call them snags) and it is dipped halfway in ketchup.
Hah, gotcha! None of us ate a Dagwood Dog. After all these years,
we're still afraid to get one! Nope, Delenn mostly enjoyed getting to
see all the animals on display. The cats, birds, cows, horses... but
not the chickens. For some reason she saw them and definitely got
scared and began to cry.

On Saturday only Logan and Dad went back to Show Days for more fun. We
spent another 4 hours there and didn't do anything the same as the day
before (except amazingly enough Logan wanted to go on the Dodgem Cars
again, even with the black eye)! We went on the ferris wheel for a
while as well as a super fast spinning ride that made Daddy sick. Logan
even said it was a bit too fast for him, but he still wanted to go on
everything and anything, from the haunted house ride to the mirror maze
and beyond... nothing phased this kid!

Sunday, July 9, 2006
Going out for Mom and Dad's soccer game, Dad took Delenn and Logan over
to the adjacent playground to play while Mom played the first half of
the game. As long as Mom is not visible or within hearing range, Delenn
lets Dad handle her, but she's still primarily a Momma's Girl. Delenn
loves to kick the soccer ball and yes, she still has Mom and Dad help
her walk everywhere as she refuses to crawl, but we've gotten down to
the point where we can hold just one of her hands and she can walk
fairly well. Once or twice we've gotten away with everyone laying down
on the ground to show Delenn that it's okay to do so and that you don't
always have to be standing. She seemed to allow for this, for about 20
minutes, but then UP she wants again. Anyway, back at the playground,
Delenn reached down to pick up a rock and try to stuff it in her mouth,
so Dad quickly stopped her as usual. Then Dad looked up, and saw Logan
stuffing a stick and feather in his mouth! That boy sometimes defies
logic! It seems Logan has partially reverted and does this partially
because Delenn does, even though Dad has repeatedly chided him for it.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Mom took Logan and Delenn to the Community Health Clinic. It was time
for Delenn's hearing test and a wellness visit. Logan will be turning
three, so we also did a developmental milestone check over for him.
First off was Logan--the nurse asked a series of questions, all of which
Logan passed with flying colors. He had to answer "What's your name?"
"Are you a boy or a girl?" and also had to do things like hop on one
foot and draw a circle. She asked if he ate well (he does) and if we
felt all was going well (we do). He was weighed and measured -- and is
in the 20-25 percentile for both height and weight. He weighs 28.5 lbs
now and is 93 cm.

Then it was Delenn's turn. The nurse said it was pretty unusual for
kids not to crawl -- and said that Delenn needs plenty of time on the
floor (she always has had a lot of floor time). But, there's no
'teaching' a child how to crawl. She wasn't particularly concerned
especially seeing how Delenn was a busy body, 'walking' all around the
room checking everything out. Delenn also is on target for her age --
eating finger foods, using a pincher grasp, looking for lost/dropped
toys, and so forth. Another nurse came in and they did the hearing
test. One nurse sat in front and waved a rattle to get Delenn's
attention. The other (behind and out of view) would then shake a
rattle. Delenn turned to look for the source of the sound. She did the
same thing on the other side and then repeated the process saying 'num
num num' in a low voice. Delenn's hearing tested just fine. Since this
is a test that can be done anywhere between 7 and 9 months, most Moms
bring their babies in at 7 months. The nurses kept commenting on how
smart and observant older babies are since Delenn looked around quickly
and easily for the source of the noise. Delenn is in the 50th percentile
for height, but is now in the 25th percentile for weight (she had been
in the 50th percentile for weight a few months ago). Again, the nurse
wasn't concerned since Delenn looks fine and is obviously an active
baby. She weighs 17.2 lbs. On an interesting note, Logan at (both 8 and)
9 months was 20 pounds. In fact, looking at his baby book he was heavier
at 6 months than she is now! Delenn is 72 cm (where Logan was 73 cm at
this age).

Often lately Logan wants to play with his race cars and has his police
cars chase them down to get thrown into jail. Or he wants to shoot his
'gun' at pretend Indians, thieves, monsters, ghosts... you name it. If
it moves, SHOOT IT!