Chloe Goofs Off at Monkey Business

Updated on 9/28/2009 at 11:12PM EST

Gwen and I took Chloe to the local inflatable playground called "Monkey Business". She loves the place, and is having her 3rd birthday party there.

But like love, every time is like the first time, and as soon as she gets in the door, it's a stare-fest, then she runs around like a maniac pushing kids out of the way if she can't get her turn fast enough. We discipline her appropriately, let her play some more, and then she finds her way into the corner where they have some tables and a play kitchen. She plays there until she's staring at the floor in pure exhaustion, and then we take her home, kicking and screaming.

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Chloe Has Her Cast Removed

Updated on 5/23/2008 at 11:16PM EST

Well, three weeks have passed since Chloe had her "pink girly-cast" put on, and it was time to have it removed.

The saw that was used to remove her cast was loud and reminded one of a Clive Barker pin-head extremity. It was the most traumatic part of the entire process, but thankfully, Chloe remained still and the cast was off in no time. She really is a great baby; really well-behaved, other than being very curious.

She'll be walking as if she still had the cast on, for a week to ten days, since her leg muscles are a bit weaker, and she's favoring her other leg. But we've been walking her around and encouraging her to use it as much as possible, to get her back to "normal" and to speed along the recovery. At first, she would cry, afraid to use the leg. But after a nap and a few hours, she's walking around on it, albeit, on her toes without bending the knee. But as time goes by, she seems to be coming along and using the leg more and more.

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Chloe and the Buckle Fracture

Updated on 5/23/2008 at 11:04PM EST

What happens when a 1½ year-old tries to jump on a trampoline with an 11-year-old? It's pictured below.

Chloe got a buckle fracture on the top of her tibia, just under her left knee. A buckle fracture is loosely categorized as a fracture, since it's not really a fracture in the literal sense. Since toddlers' bones are so flexible, the impact compressed her tibia so that the top of the bone bowed outward slightly.

In the pictures you'll see her temporary splint, and then her pink "girly-cast", which she had to wear for 3 weeks.

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Visit with Cliff, Lori and Kyle

Updated on 5/23/2008 at 10:54PM EST

So off went the Argentini-mobile, on a road-trip to Limmerick, PA, to see the Jurkiewicz family and their new home.

Their new house is a beautiful, new home big enough for two families, situated on a golf course, and a stone's throw from the local airport where they keep their plane. Yes, the skies are no longer safe. There was a time I would say that if the sky had a sidewalk, Cliff would find a way to hit people on it. And now that anecdote has become a reality.

Actually, he's a terrific pilot, and even flies sick children to and from appointments who would normally not be able to get to their doctors any other way. Nice job, Cliff.

Anyway, they had their parents, Lori's parents, and the Darrow family over and we had a great time. Who would have guessed that Phoenixville had fantastic sushi? If you ever get to eat lemon peel on your "rolls", DO IT.

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Wendy and Sydney Visit Gwen on Her 33rd Birthday

Updated on 3/22/2008 at 11:24PM EST

As every husband knows, as the years pass, it becomes increasingly difficult to get your wife great gifts for her birthday. Now, luckily, Gwen and I have only been together for about 5 years now, but being a man, my handicap is obvious and untenable, regardless of the amount of time elapsed.

Gwen's birthday was approaching in a few months, and I had nothing. Gwen had recently made contact with her childhood best friend Wendy, whom she hadn't seen in decades. Wendy lives in northern Texas, and they send e-mail and chat via instant messenger every day. Besides their own childhood, they both have recently given birth to new members of their respective families, and had that to share as well.

So even with my inherent genetic gender gift-choosing disability, it hit me: fly Wendy and Sydney up here for Gwen's birthday! We had a great time. Wendy was more fun than we could have ever hoped, and Sydney more adorable than any picture could show. Check out the pictures from their visit. We hope to see them again soon.

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Christmas Comes Early... Again.

Updated on 12/24/2007 at 10:20AM EST

Christmas came early again this year, as the kids had alot of travelling to do. But they didn't mind getting their gifts a day early, as hard as that is to believe.

Among the favorites were Hope's fancy, new-fangled cell phone, complete with unlimited text messaging, Brianna's sweet new iPod Touch, and Zachary's two tickets to his first rock concert; the Foo Fighters (which I get to see too!). Gwen got loaded with clothes and goodies, and I got an iPhone. Chloe got her first red wagon, for some neighborhood walks this summer, toys, books, and the usual fare. It was her first real Christmas, since last year she was only two months old and chair-bound. Lucky for us, she didn't pull the tree down or electrocute herself by ornament sucking (though, I got zapped twice from ornament licking, which apparently is just as dangerous - go figure).

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Hope Reads a Book to Chloe

Updated on 12/17/2007 at 8:59PM EST

T'was the week before Christmas, and our room was overtaken by children who think it's their play area. And then, out of the blue, they all site quietly, and Hope reads a book to Chloe. Of course, we have to ruin the moment by trying desperately to get Chloe to repeat various animal sounds and simple words.

Chloe Learns a Few More Words

Updated on 11/19/2007 at 9:08PM EST

Gwen gives Chloe (13 months old) a clinic on some first words.

Chloe Turns One!

Updated on 9/27/2009 at 10:17PM EST

The little dinker-doo turned one today! There have been lots of milestones lately, which I suppose is normal for a child this young. It first began with sitting up, then getting off the bed, walking (around 11 months), and then her first birthday. Time flies.

She's also been playing games with us, like hide and seek, which has been fun. Her speech is really improving too. She can say all of our names, except Zachary (whose name she dare not speak, much like the dreaded Voldemort from the Harry Potter series of books). She says "button", "bye bye" (and waves), "bottle", "ball", and a few other unintelligible words that I'm convinced are profanity.

Happy Birthday Chloe!

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Chloe's Early Birthday Present; Hide and Seek

Updated on 10/5/2007 at 12:00AM EST

Gwen's friend Wendy, who always sends us *way* too much cool stuff, sent Chloe this great sit-down toy for her birthday. It's an electronic zebra that plays music, zebra sounds, and lights up when she bounces on it. She really loves it. The video below shows Chloe using it for the first time. She's a bit confused at first, but finally figures it out.

The second part of the video shows Chloe playing an impromptu game of hide and seek with me. We didn't get the real meat of it on video, when she would hide behind the bookshelf for 10 seconds or more, peek, and then come running out to get a hug. But we did get video of one of the last times she did it, and she was still pretty excited about the whole thing.

She's a real character!