Ian and Nikki

At The Park

2010-09-26T21:35:00.002-05:00

Minute Maid Park - Astros vs. Reds Septemeber 18, 2010. Alasdair's first baseball game.

It looks like 3rd base man Chris Johnson moved while I was snapping the shots that I combined into the panorama, the Astros weren't playing with 10 men. Though given how badly they got stuffed that night, it might have helped

Alasdair's Second Birthday

2010-08-08T13:58:00.001-05:00

Saturday was Alasdair's Second birthday. We decided to have a fun day with all of his favourite foods. In the afternoon, when he took his new present outside, all the neighour kids came over to try it out. There wasn't too much fighting and crying, and luckily Nikki had baked some cupcakes which distracted them. There are some photos from the day below, or follow this link for larger size.

Holiday snaps

2010-07-08T22:34:00.002-05:00

We got back from the UK last night. Thanks to continuous shooting mode, which seems to be the best way to capture my extremely mobile son, I had about 1800, but I'm down 750 already. They should be at a number where I can pass them to Nikki for final editorial approval soon. Meanwhile, here's one I had to share now.

On The Beach

2010-06-29T14:20:00.002-05:00

Just another beautiful sunny day on the clean white sands of the beaches of the Isle of Lewis.

This is George Burley's Fault

2010-06-12T13:22:00.002-05:00

If Burley had navigated Scotland through the easiest qualifying group we've seen in years, I would have had a leg to stand on when arguing against this sort of child abuse

Fruit and Flowers (and Blocks)

2010-06-09T18:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Number 4

Spot The Bunny

2010-06-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

If you're stuck, Alasdair is here to give you a clue:

A Busy Day

2010-05-31T15:39:00.003-05:00

Alasdair had a very busy day yesterday. He started in the morning at William's birthday party. Things needed to be dug:

Then in the afternoon a little bit of swinging was in order, all, of course, while looking super cool:

Then it was time to jump into the pool:

And of course, put all that swimming training to good use:

And of course, there's always time to beat Daddy up:

Ahhhhhhhhh!

2010-05-29T09:06:00.001-05:00

I bought a new camera in preparation for our holiday. It's a complicated beast, luckily I have a willing model who works for snacks.

Catching Up

2010-05-10T09:39:00.006-05:00

Those of you who are on facebook may already have seen these pics. This is a catch up post for the people who are wise enough to have not joined there yet.

Let's start with Fireman Al, enjoying some yogurt. Everyone knows Firemen need to eat lots of yogurt to give them energy:

Next up, here's Prince Alasdair off to woo the Princesses at his daycare's Prince and Princess day:

Getting ready to go swimming. The lessons are going great and he loves being in the pool:

On Saturday he decided to climb from the back seat into the front, I better start being more careful about where I leave my keys or he'll be off: Finally, Nikki made a delicious rack of lamb on Sunday. Alasdair, as you can see, was in complete agreement:

Happy St. Paddy's Day

2010-03-17T20:02:00.000-05:00

Alasdair had a busy day at school.

They even dyed his milk green. (I wish I was kidding)

And, of course, Happy Birthday Mr. Shanks

February Update

2010-02-26T18:00:00.002-06:00

Howdy folks. I know it's been a while since we posted any pictures of Alasdair here, but today is Go Texan day, which seemed like a good time for Cowboy Al to put in a reappearance

He's also recently been trying, and failing, to kick the dummy habit. Here he is warning Mummy to step off!:

Spaceman Al had a few more adventures exploring Outer Space:

And Alasdair has taken to, uh, helping out, in the kitchen:

At the park

2010-02-20T11:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas Trip

2010-01-10T20:49:00.002-06:00

Here are some pics from our wee trip back to the UK over Christmas and New Year.

The Great Blizzard of '09

2009-12-04T12:34:00.001-06:00

It's been snowing for a few hours and will continue into the evening before melting away tomorrow. Here's the front of the house:

The pool is at 50f/10c, not recommended for swimming. Plantain trees with snow on their leaves is just wrong:

At least I don't need to mow the lawn this weekend:

Hermann Park

2009-11-29T08:10:00.005-06:00

Hermann Park is an 8 mile bike ride from our house. Apart from a short stretch that is being rebuilt near the park, the Brays Bayou trail takes us all the way there without having to get on roads, so it was perfect for Alasdair's trailer. Alasdair doesn't mind the trailer, though he's not keen on his crash helmet and keeps trying to pull it off. Still, he managed to sleep most of the way there, ehich gave him plenty of energy for charging around the play park.

He started in the area aimed at kids 2-5, had a lot of fun climbing and sliding:

Then he went wandering off, looking for trouble:

And found the area aimed at kids younger than 2:

He pretty much had it to himself, so he flung himself around for ages:

Thoroughly worn out, he enjoyed a well earned cheeseburger slider at Little Bigs:

Then managed to somehow lie himself down in the trailer and slept all the way home.

Halloween

2009-11-08T16:55:00.003-06:00

Alasdair got good value from his Halloween costume this year. Starting with an event at The Little Gym the Saturday before, we had the Willow Park parade on the Wednesday, his daycare concert on the Thursday and the annual Bromley/Cruse Halloween party on the day itself. Here's a selection of pics.

Look Out Michael Phelps

2009-10-31T11:22:00.006-05:00

For the last 6 weeks Alasdair has been taking survival swimming lessons every day with Infant Swim Resource. Thursday was the last big test...floating in clothes and shoes.

He has cried for every lesson but mostly because he can't see what's going on while floating on his back and he likes to be nosy.

So here's a video of the result of getting up every morning for the last 6 weeks to take him to his 7am lesson. With the pool in the back garden this gives us another layer of safety, on top of the fence, alarmed doors, etc.

The training is one child at a time, for a 10 minute lesson, 5 days a week and the transformation has been amazing. Many thanks to the poor old ladies at the JCC who had their morning swim disrupted by Alasdair and 11 other screaming children. The peace of mind is worth it.

Commencing Countdown Engines On

2009-10-24T11:22:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone, I know it's been a while since my last update, but I've been very busy. First I got a new pair of wellies, which is just what I need for exploring the far reaches of the garden. They make me very happy:

After exploring the garden I decided I wanted to venture further afield, luckily I found this handy space helmet in Mummy's cupboard:

To infinity, and beyond!

Alasdair's First Haircut

2009-09-12T18:45:00.001-05:00

Alasdair had his first haircut today. The infinitely patient Miss Lucy at the Bellaire Barber Shop did the job. Alasdair was a little dubious at first:

But by the time she was done, he was very happy with the results:

Alasdair's Birthday Party

2009-08-22T16:25:00.001-05:00

It took a week, but we've all recovered enough from the Sugar overload to post pictures of Alasdair's birthday party last weekend.

Alasdair's New Wheels

2009-08-11T20:16:00.003-05:00

On Friday Alasdair turned 1. I know, we can't believe it either. For his birthday he got a cool new trike.

It was quite a hit, even though it was about 800 degrees outside we had lots of fun speeding up and down the street.

Alasdair managed to stay cool thanks to the handy sun shield.

Though Daddy's steering did cause a few nervous moments.

For once, the best present wasn't the box it came in, but it was a pretty close second.

Nearly There

2009-07-18T15:00:00.004-05:00

The walking is coming along nicely. If he could stand up without using walls or furniture there would be no stopping him:

San Diego Slideshow

2009-07-04T12:02:00.004-05:00

Here's a slideshow of our pics from San Diego. As ever, there are bigger versions over at the Picasa site:

Grandparents (or others), let me know if you want a copy of any of them and I'll be happy to oblige with the full size version.

Auntie Sam

2009-07-04T12:01:00.001-05:00

While Daddy sorts out the San Diego photos, here's a picture of me with my Auntie Sam, taken when she came to visit me last month.

We're Back

2009-07-03T20:16:00.002-05:00

San Diego was great fun, perfect weather and, for once, we didn't try to cram too much sight-seeing in. Alasdair had a good time too, we'll post more pictures when we've sorted through them, but I think whizzing about in this Surrey was a highlight for him.

Don't Look Down

2009-06-30T23:04:00.000-05:00

Vacation is hard work

2009-06-28T15:25:00.000-05:00

Summertime

2009-06-25T22:36:00.001-05:00

It's too hot here, so I'm taking Mum and Dad to the coast, catch you all in a week.

Free Wheeling

2009-06-14T18:23:00.003-05:00

I've got myself a cool car now. Still trying to figure out going straight, but at least I don't need to hitch a ride with Mummy or Daddy any more if there's no furniture to use on my way.

Wheeeeeee!

Now They're 6000 miles away...

2009-06-02T20:32:00.003-05:00

...it's safe to post this:

A good time was had by all, despite a little stay at the Kemah jail.

Turned Out Nice Again

2009-05-25T12:11:00.008-05:00

80f/26c. Clear blue skies, though we may get a thunderstorm or two later. As long as the weather's nice though, the gang's making the most of it.

The dude lounged around for a bit:

But then decided it would be a good day to break out the boat:

Waterboy

2009-05-18T18:49:00.001-05:00

Alasdair goes swimming with Nikki every Thursday morning. I haven't been able to attend, but we got him in the pool at home over the weekend. It's mildly astonishing how comfortable this kid is in the water. Nikki says 'blow bubbles' puts his head all the way under and zooms him towards me and he comes up blinking and smiling.

Caught

2009-05-11T20:35:00.002-05:00

At last it's safe to walk the streets again.

And Now...This

2009-05-02T11:18:00.001-05:00

We dropped Alasdair's matress about 3 weeks ago when he started sitting up, looks like it's going to have to go down again already.

He's pulling himself up on pretty much everything. Attempts to cruise around furniture are so far being defeated by his feet refusing to follow his hands, resulting in about 700 falls per day, but there's a very determined look to this kid's mouth at the moment and we fear he's going to be off shortly.

Bookworm

2009-04-25T14:14:00.002-05:00

Alasdair is starting to show quite an interest in the Scottish history section of our library. The fact that it's easier to reach than the Terry Pratchett section may be related

All that reading needs a lot of fuel. The sensible thing to do, as we all know, is to store bits of food above your eyes, so that when you get tired from reading you can grab a chunk when you go to rub them.

Not Napping!

2009-04-14T22:01:00.001-05:00

I can sit myself up now, so good luck getting me down for a nap!

And...we're off!

2009-04-05T17:58:00.002-05:00

The Best Defence

2009-03-30T21:47:00.001-05:00

You know what they say...if you're trying to prevent a small child from falling in your pool, the best defence is a good old fence.

Rodeo Time

2009-02-27T09:43:00.005-06:00

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kicked off last night, with the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, which the 3 of us will visit tomorrow. Cowboy Al is looking forward to it:

6 Months

2009-02-13T11:37:00.000-06:00

27.5 inches
15.5 lbs

Japanese Garden

2009-02-01T09:19:00.001-06:00

Recently the 3 of us went for a walk round Houston's Hermann Park. We'd being intending to visit the Body Works exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science, but it was rammed with people. We took a stroll around the reflecting pool instead and came across the Japanese Garden. I knew it existed, and had even been in before, but could never remember where it was exactly. I had wandered around the park looking for it before (because using Google would be cheating), and was beginning to think I'd imagined the place. Anyway, now we know. It's a lovely, peaceful place and I look forward to going back in the summer when everything's in bloom.

Advanced Peekaboo Techniques

2009-01-25T11:18:00.002-06:00

Geek Overload

2009-01-11T12:14:00.002-06:00

Hmm...I might be getting out of control

Solid Food Update

2009-01-06T21:46:00.003-06:00

Now going down rather well...

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T20:40:00.001-06:00

Hope you all had a good one. Nikki and I hosted a Hogmanay party for friends and neighbours. Being busy hosting, we managed to take about 4 photos all night. Here's me with Ches up the road, shortly after the single malts came out around 11.

And here's some of the evidence of the evening. Mothers, please note the large amount of water bottles and fizzy water cans.

Thirsty Boy

2008-12-28T15:15:00.003-06:00

Hmm, that milk was okay, but I'm still thirsty...

What's Daddy drinking? That looks gooooood...

Come on, give me a little sip!

First Food

2008-12-26T13:25:00.002-06:00

Alasdair attempted to eat his first solid food on Christmas Day. It was not entirely successful:

Click here to go to a slideshow with bigger pictures.

The Empire Strikes Back

2008-12-25T14:32:00.003-06:00

The Southern branch of Alasdair's family are officially in the game.

What a lovely pair of shoes. It would be such a shame if he went splashing through puddles in them.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T09:51:00.002-06:00

Hope your presents were every bit as exciting as your wrapping paper.

Finally Christmasy

2008-12-16T18:46:00.003-06:00

Having spent our first weekend back from our holidays avoiding the subject, Nikki and I finally got our decorations up this past weekend. One good thing about delaying was that all trees were 50% off. Our 7 foot Noble Fir cost $17. Woohoo!

Also reduced in price were plastic snowmen with lights that flash on and off. This certainly beats my idea of putting Santa hats on the light up skulls from Halloween.

I think tinsel may also have been reduced, judging by the amount we now have. Nikki, who, for a normally classy girl, has a suspicious fondness for the stuff, insisted on having one tacky room. At least we got the pink stuff up here so that Tim won't mistake it for edible vegetation. He's already been sniffing round the tree a lot.

We also took a spontaneous drive around the other night snapping shots of various displays for inspiration. I definitely need an inflatable santa and/or a 6 foot lit snowman next year...we'll go out again and have a fully charged camera next time., but here are a few we liked:

Brrr

2008-12-10T19:12:00.003-06:00

Some of you will be particularly unimpressed with our little flurry, but it's snowing in Houston this evening and temperatures are close to freezing. The 8 white streaks in his picture are actual, genuine, proper snowflakes:

This wouldn't bother us in the slightest if our sodding heating was working. Having replaced the ignitor and control board in March we were a little surprised to find that either the ignitor or the control board are knackered and we can't get the parts until tomorrow. We are not alone, as evidenced by the scrum around the space heaters in Lowe's when I went to pick one up for Alasdair's room. The technician reckons all the power surges during Ike did a load of damage as they've been flat out busy all day.

The little man is not bothered...

...but he is easily distracted by gadgets.

Debut Tour

2008-12-07T18:06:00.002-06:00

Here are the rest of the photos from Alasdair's debut tour of the UK. As ever, click through to Picasa to see them bigger.

Let me know in the comments if you want full size versions of any for printing.

Claimed

2008-12-03T22:52:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, I said "early next week" and it's now Wednesday and you've had no photos. Sorry. They're downloaded. I'll get them captioned and stuff soon. Meanwhile, here's a photo of Alasdair in his lovely new rugby top that his uncle Alex and auntie Fi bought him.

This means football and rugby are now claimed for Scotland. Sorry. I believe cricket is still up for grabs.

Normal Service Will Resume Shortly

2008-11-28T03:44:00.001-06:00

Sorry, I've been having too much fun with my Auntie Angela and my Granny to update the blog. We're back home on Sunday though, so expect more photos early next week.

Alasdair's blog

2008-11-08T11:36:00.008-06:00

Dad is going to have to change the name of this blog to Alasdair's blog so I can tell everyone about my first trip to the UK. I arrived at Grandma and Granddad's on Tuesday. Apparently I was perfectly behaved on the flight over but I wouldn't know because I slept all the way. Travelling is very tiring, I even fell asleep on my new playmat I was so tired.

Grandma has a nice big bath for me to play in. It's a great improvement on the kitchen sink at home, I can swim around in this one.

I'm just about getting over the jet lag. I'm sleeping through the night again so I've got more energy in the day to play. This new playmat is so comfy, I hope it fits in the suitcase to take back to Houston. And take note of all my new outfits that I finally get to wear. (Mum wouldn't let me wear them until we got here in case I messed them up)

We went to Bath on Friday for a look at the shops. There was a photo of me outside the Roman Baths but I'm so bundled up in blankets that you can't actually see me so I didn't blog it. We had a nice lunch, all of Mum's food looked really good, can't wait until I get old enough to try some.

And of course I've been into Chepstow a few times. Here's me posing outside the Castle. Maybe next time I visit I'll be awake to see it.

Next week I've got a busy schedule of appointments - cousins, uncles and aunts, Mum's friends - so keep checking back for more updates.

love

Alasdair

Renaissance

2008-11-02T11:01:00.004-06:00

We went up to the Renaissance Festival last weekend, it was a lot of fun. Alasdair was so cute and charming that he attracted lots of attention.

In the end we had to disguise him with some cool shades. The day was really sunny and he found it hilarious every time I put these on him. I'll have to get him a pair of his own so I don't lose mine forever.

I also got to have a go on a bungee trampoline thing. It was great, despite the large amounts of greasy deep fried food consumed earlier in the day.

Friday night a couple of the families on the street hosted their annual Halloween party. Here's a bonus photo of two very scary characters...

Boo!

2008-11-01T13:03:00.001-05:00

New Clothes

2008-10-19T22:16:00.006-05:00

Alasdair is now big enough to fit into some of the cool clothes various nice people sent. First up there's this cracker from Stephen and Louisa:

Mine too buddy, mine too.

Then there's this fantastic exercise in territory claiming by Innes and Susie, as exhibited at Kelly's first birthday party today:

Yep, that's a full Scotland strip. Nice. Let's see that in close up:

Mummy claims she doesn't mind, but she's also telling me she's buying an England rugby shirt when she's at home in November...let the arms race begin. Speaking of Mummy, apart from the fly away hair, she's happy enough with this pic to let me post it:

Alasdair's First Photo Shoot

2008-09-30T20:22:00.004-05:00

We needed some pictures of Alasdair on a white background for his U.S. and U.K. passports. Nikki got it done yesterday. Alasdair is stuck with this picture for 5 years! Should be interesting getting him through immigration in 2013. Here are the ones we had to choose from.

Here's a link to view them bigger and, should you need a full size version of any for printing and sticking on fridges, let us know.

Rough life

2008-09-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

His Lordship found the weekend accommodations spacious enough for his needs:

The swimming pool area was very relaxing:

Though attracting a passing waiter was not always easy:

The crib, however, proved very comfortable:

Ahhhhhhhh

2008-09-28T18:58:00.001-05:00

Sod It!

2008-09-25T22:55:00.002-05:00

Still no flipping power. I really shouldn't have got my hopes up. We've had enough, and, rather than sit around and get more and more wound up about it we've booked a suite at The Woodlands Resort for the weekend. The power may well come back on tomorrow, but we won't care, because we'll be pushing Alasdair around some of the 145 miles of hiking trails, or enjoying the Forest Oasis Waterscape, whatever that is. All I know is they have poolside bar service for me and Alasdair and Nikki's booked in for a well deserved pedicure. With any luck the power will be back when we return on Sunday afternoon, but, if it's not, at least one third of us will have wonderfully sculpted toes to kick Centerpoint's arses with.

Random Pics

2008-09-25T10:06:00.003-05:00

Someone's happy to be 7 weeks old today:

One good thing about Hurricanes: You get the swings to yourself. Morven and Andy's son Sean is on the right.

Another good thing about Hurricanes:
You discover that Alasdair's Baba Bing changing mat may just be his favourite place to lie down in the whole world.

One of the many, many terrible things about Hurricanes:
Traffic lights are out all over so the traffic is horrendous. These big tree trimming trucks were heading towards my neighbourhood but, sadly, drove on past.

We are still without power, but the street 3 roads to the south of us now has power, so I am hopeful about getting it sometime today.

11 Days

2008-09-22T13:42:00.004-05:00

Eleven! 11 fricking days since our power went off last Friday. I reserve the right to include Friday as one of those days and you really don't want to start a semantic argument with me right now. 34% of Centerpoint's customers are still without power and the three of us are part of that 767,000. No one has power in our area, so hopefully they'll turn up one day and blitz the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Kyle may form South of Puerto Rico in the next day or so. SciGuy says it's going North, which is usually good enough for me, but right now I'm feeling a little twitchy, so I'm keeping a close eye on it.

There's a sustained wind graph on that page that makes interesting reading. Nikki and I live at 29.66, -95.45, which puts us in or around the orange blob to the left of the eye's track. That may explain the 11 flipping days.

More Ike Pictures

2008-09-19T11:03:00.002-05:00

I've got some more pictures uploaded. Click through to the album for larger versions.

Nikki, Alasdair and I are still without power and staying with Morven and Andy. Our house is in Zip code 77035, which, on this link, is slated to be restored sometime after Monday. Mustafa and Salimah have their power back despite also being on the Monday list, so there's hope. We're in the same boat as half the rest of the city, so there's nothing we can do except be patient. CenterPoint are doing an astonishing job, having restored power to over 800,000 people in the last 7 days, only 1.2 million more to go.

Before and After

2008-09-17T13:41:00.004-05:00

Up and down our street from the bottom of the driveway. It's hard to pick up the details on some of these pics, since I've resized them.

September 12, 2008. 1:32pm:
September 13, 2008. 10:49am: The little tree on our front lawn leans precariously. Two doors down, the entire front yard is now tree and across the road from them the top of a pine tree leans on a house.
September 12, 2008. 1:32pm
September 13, 2008. 10:49am: Trees stripped bare and the ground is covered in leaves. The street drains towards Cliffwood this way, so everyone got out early and cleared their gutters. At the top of the street the people in the corner houses lifted the drain covers off and removed tonnes of leaves in order to let the street drain.

Some Pics

2008-09-16T12:34:00.004-05:00

I've just dumped the pics off my phone. These first 3 were taken at about 7:30am on Saturday while the storm was dying down. I was still a bit nervous about standing in front of a big pane of glass looking out at the backyard, so this one was taken from near the indestructible safety of the ugly sofa: No bananas for us this year. The oleanders hiding the pool equipment got destroyed too and I've no idea where the tree hanging over the fence came from, but a huge branch was standing up out of the recycle bin at the back:
The guttering I spent a hot day putting up stood up pretty well, except for the bendy connector from here to the downspout, which was lying on the ground and is now back in place:
Finally, some photographic evidence that the little man was unperturbed by the whole thing. Sound asleep in Morven and Andy's spare room last night:
There are loads more pics on the other camera, I'll dump them later. For now I have to go repay my generous hosts by beating up their 5 year old son.

Air Conditioned Bliss

2008-09-15T16:31:00.003-05:00

We spent last night in comfort at our friends, Morven and Andy's place. They even have internet access! Still no power down where we live, I went back today to grab some more clothes and open some windows. No-one in our area seems to have power yet. 7 miles away my office got power back last night and my team and I got all services back up for folks to come to work tomorrow. If they can make it. Nikki, the now thoroughly spoiled Alasdair, and I, will spend tonight here and then, not wishing to wear out our welcome, find a hotel to check into if we still have no power tomorrow.

There are long queues at all open gas stations, but navigating around the city was pretty easy and we still have enough petrol for another day or two. We also have my rental car back in the garage at home with a full tank, though with the Mazda out for repair I have a slightly smaller car that the baby seat won't fit in very well. The supermarkets nearby don't have a lot of food in them, but I did see an open McDonald's on my way back out here. Even though I haven't had a Big Mac in years, I was very, very, tempted to stop and get 5. Andy is grilling a delicious chicken concoction instead though, so I'm glad I resisted.

Thank you all for your kind comments and thoughts below. I suspected the news was showing footage of Galveston and claiming it was Houston so I'm glad we managed to keep you updated. Technology, eh? Funnily enough, all the old low tech stuff fared pretty well. The cell phone service was poor, texts were about all that worked for a couple of days, but our house phone never went out. Might have to start giving out the number and get a laptop with a modem.

In the dark.

2008-09-14T09:52:00.000-05:00

Still no power here. I saw one power company truck yesterday, but despite my encouraging salute he didn't stop and hook us up. The temperature is okay and because we have gas we've got the stove and the hot water boiler working. Being able to shower and have a cup of tea make this much easier. My mobile blogger thing still won't let me send pics. We have load of photos from the area and will post them as soon as we have power. I can't read the blog myself, but Jen assured me, through the magic of text, that my post yesterday made it. Our home phone is working fine, but my laptop doesn't have a modem. I'm sure everyone out there knows a lot more about the situation than we do, but if they're only showing you bad stuff then don't worry, our area is in good shape. Doesn't seem like anyone took any real damage.

Still here

2008-09-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

Powers out. It came on for about 30 seconds so hopefully it'll be back today. Can't get a cell phone signal long enough to show pics, but we're okay

IMG00092.jpg

2008-09-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

Staying Frosty

2008-09-12T10:33:00.004-05:00

Hurricane Ike is heading for our region and some of you have expressed concern for our well being. Living on the gulf coast has turned us into weather nerds so we're probably much less worried than those of you living elsewhere. The two concerns with these events are water and wind.

Water: Our house is 50-odd miles inland and therefore not at risk from storm surge and, though we live near a bayou, our street is slightly higher than those surrounding it and according to our long-time resident neighbours did not flood during Carla, Alicia or Allison. With the speed Ike is moving at, it won't drop anywhere near as much water as Allison did on our area.

Wind: The house is also a good solid home that's stood up to a lot of wind in it's 50-odd years. As far inland as we are, the winds from Ike will probably be beneath Hurricane strength by the time it reaches us. Winds in the 60's or 70's are no picnic of course, but will not do any real damage to building structures. Trees in our neighbourhood are mature and our neighbours have done a great job of securing any loose debris.

All in all, we're pretty confident. We've set the nursery up as our shelter, it's in the middle of the house, we've boarded the window and we're ready to go. We've got loads of food, plenty of booze (and water) and the cars are full of gas. If the power goes out and looks like it's going to stay out for a while then for Alasdair's sake, we're evacuating to Jen's house after the storm passes, but until then, we're here and we're in good shape.

Sadly, Nikki's drinking ability has not returned and she needs to feed Alasdair, so we won't be playing the Hurricane reporter drinking game this time around. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her though as I suspect she's planning on putting the patio window in so that the ugly sofa gets trashed.

I'll keep the blog updated as long as we have power and comms, but I'm not expecting to have much to report.

The best source for information on tropical weather in our area is the Houston Chronicle's SciGuy. You might also want to check out the pretty cool StormPulse and of course, the source for all of the info everyone else uses, the National Hurricane Center. All the information from NHC is good, but the discussion is where you'll get the most info about what it's doing and where it's going.

Most of all, remember that reporters on the telly have been sitting around watching not much happening for hours on end. They get bored and tired of repeating the same stuff too and sometimes fill the hours with outrageous statements. Don't let them stress you out. We'll catch you all on the other side.

Could Have Been Worse

2008-09-08T21:48:00.003-05:00

Lost tourist looking for the Galleria. He's in the left turn only lane, here. Nikki, Alasdair and I are in the lane to his right, which is left turn or straight. He goes straight, I go left. He's in a big SUV I'm in my Mazda 6. He wins. It was a low speed collision. Everyone was fine. Alasdair barely even work up.I am resisting the urge to buy a new car. So far.

Four Weeks

2008-09-06T10:21:00.002-05:00

Alasdair was four weeks old on Thursday. Over the last few days he's started smiling when we ask for "Big Smiles?"...though it could still be wind. Here's some photographic evidence along with a couple of other snaps taken over the last few days.

Grandparents: If you want the full size version of the one of me, or, you know, any of the others, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you.

Awwww

2008-08-31T12:13:00.002-05:00

Test

2008-08-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

This is a test. If this was a real post you'd be seeing a cute pic of Nikki, Alasdair or even me from somewhere outside. As it's a test I'm afraid its a photo of Tim from inside. Sorry mum. You're welcome Bruno.

MMS

2008-08-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

Another Two Pictures

2008-08-24T15:39:00.001-05:00

As I'm feeling somewhat prodded to step up the photo pace after a phone call with Alasdair's Granny, you get a double update today. Here's one with Mum:

And here's Alasdair waking up from a little nap in Mummy and Daddy's bed:

Waking Up

2008-08-24T10:19:00.003-05:00

There's usually a nice quiet period between waking up and realising he's hungry. This is prime photo time.
Sorry for not editing out the bear's bum...

Quiet Dignity

2008-08-23T11:02:00.004-05:00

I know you've all been worrying about how Tim is coping with not being the center of attention any more. He's accepted the situation and, although he sometimes dashes into his cage when Alasdair is screaming, he still seems to be managing to get his naps in. He's now back to charging around the house like a lunatic every morning, but for the first few days this was the sight that greeted me when I came out to boil the kettle...quietly watching the world go by.

Chin Up!

2008-08-17T19:24:00.002-05:00

Granny wants a photo of Alasdair with his chin up...we tried.

Rough Day

2008-08-15T17:22:00.002-05:00

If our little man looks tired it's because he's had a tough day. Today was our one week check up with the pediatrician. He was poked, prodded, weighed, measured, turned all over, had torches shone in his eyes and then, for good measure, had a heel stick so they could get 5 drops of blood for the second round of the Texas Newborn Screening Program. He cried briefly when the stick went in, but was back asleep by the time the lab tech had got her 5th sample. Little tough guy.

His weight was back up to 6lbs 15oz, which is 4oz up from his discharge weight on Sunday. He measured 21", an entire 0.5" up from Thursday. The pediatrician says he's in the 77th percentile for height and 17th percentile for weight, so he's tall and thin at the moment, though we can't read much into that for now. We got a prescription for him for some antibiotics for his eye. His right tear duct is blocked, leaving his eye a bit gooey sometimes. It sticks closed a little longer than the other. He often has his fists clenched in front of his face when he wakes up, so the effect is kind of like a boxer who's not having a good night. I'll try to capture this on camera, as it never fails to make me laugh.

Not Alasdair

2008-08-12T21:06:00.001-05:00

Okay, so we've been a little heavy on the photos of Alasdair around here the last few days, so here's something a little different...First up, spot the badge of honour under the VM of Nikki's favourite t-shirt (she really loves the increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness of a virtualised IT environment). Yes, that is what you think it is...

Next up, a frankly intimidating fruit, uh, arrangement, received from Nikki's work...the chocolate covered strawberries won't last long, then I reckon it'll be grapes, non-chocolate strawberries, pineapples and watermelon. The orange and green melon bits will probably rot.

Oh, okay...just the one of the little man...

Peaceful Looking, Isn't He?

2008-08-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

Sound asleep. Just as Daddy has to get up and go to work...
I don't think beanie caps are really his thing.

Going Home

2008-08-10T17:40:00.002-05:00

All dressed up, ready to get out of here:

The mittens didn't make it past the door, never mind to the car, but we're at home now.

Day 2

2008-08-09T09:48:00.004-05:00

I've been playing around with mirrorboard for a while, but never really had a use for it before. Basically it mirrors the right hand side of your keyboard to the left hand keys when you press the caps lock key. When holding a baby in one arm, this turns out to be very useful for quickly updating your blog...okay, you didn't come here to listen to me going all geeky...

What's that smell?
Is that Daddy?
It is Daddy!
Anyone would think he hasn't showered in days!

Vikki, the second one's about as good as I have right now. Will grab a close up of his hair when he gets back from being stuck with needles. Again. Poor kid.

First Footage

2008-08-08T11:02:00.004-05:00

Thank you all for your kind wishes below...All three of us have managed to get some sleep. Nikki's just gone for a little walk and I'm testing my swaddling skills. So far he keeps managing to wriggle his hands free, so I've given up for a bit while he dozes.

Here are some edited highlights.

And yes bruv, I think you might have to get the beers in on both his 18th and his 21st.

Meet Alasdair

2008-08-07T21:38:00.006-05:00

Alasdair Murdo Morrison arrived on August 7th, 2008 at 13 minutes past 7 in the evening. Weighing in at 7lbs and 6oz. Mother and baby are doing well. Dad, well, he could do with a shave and a shower. But that's almost always the case anyway.

More photos to follow when Nikki and Alasdair are both a little more presentable....

UPDATE...I have permission to display the obligatory 'knackered mother' photo now:

This Is A Test

2008-08-07T12:28:00.003-05:00

If this were the real thing you'd be seeing a photo of a baby. Meanwhile, here's a photo of the huge room they've moved us into:

The wi-fi still works. Nikki's watching soaps on the telly...they might never get us out of here.

The Trouble With Inns

2008-08-06T19:33:00.000-05:00

There's never any bloody room at them when you need them. No stable out the back was on offer, so it seems we are spending the night in our own beds. Nothing further to report at this time. We'll let you know as soon as there is.

Big! Exciting! News!*

2008-08-05T15:27:00.004-05:00

*There's no big exciting news yet.

Okay, that was unfair, but is kind of a slice of what waiting for this sprog to turn up feels like. Still nothing. Neither pineapple, raspberry tea, hot curry, sudden drops in pressure due to Tropical Storms nor other remedies (that some of you best not think about), can shift this kid. The doc has a plan though and he's swinging into action tomorrow evening, which means that, as Alex feared, the sprog is probably going to show up on his birthday. He may yet be saved from a lifetime of everyone in the family forgetting his birthday by labour spontaneously starting tonight or going long and giving us an 08/08/08 kid, but the 7th looks favourite. Sorry bruv. Have a good one on Thursday and I hope to speak to you at some point during the day.

Still Waiting

2008-07-31T09:05:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, our debut child was due out yesterday. So far, s/he has chosen not to put in an appearance. We are at the doctor now demanding some answers and can only apologize to you all for this delay.

Geeky Bunny

2008-07-27T14:37:00.001-05:00

Now, it could be that Tim has decided that my laptop bag is a comfortable place for his early morning nap...

...but doesn't this look like the face of a bunny with big plans?

I think he might be planning on using the computer to figure out how to get into the big, cold, silver thing that stores the lettuce.

Tasty?

2008-07-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

I got a new phone this week. I like it a lot, it's got a few more megapixels in the camera; a much improved, though frighteningly bright, flash; a very useful metric-imperial converter built in to the calculator; GPS positioning and a built-in video camera. Tim only has one question though:

"Can I eat it?"

Two Weeks Ago

2008-07-09T22:17:00.001-05:00

Sorry, I didn't get around to uploading it until now.

There should be a shot of the bump as of tonight here as well, but I took it on our sofa. Nikki has now decidecd that sofa is too ugly to be on the Internet. Sorry sofa.

Embedded Comments

2008-06-27T14:17:00.000-05:00

Ooh nice. Much better, don't you think?

Waiting

2008-06-25T07:30:00.003-05:00

Preparations are pretty much complete. We're all just sitting and waiting. Tim lost his favourite spot under the sofa bed to a storage box, but appears to have found a suitable replacement.

For Fig's Sake!

2008-06-22T08:26:00.001-05:00

I love a lazy Sunday and, after a hard day of working in the garden yesterday, was looking forward to a nice lie-in today. Unfortunately, mother nature, like all mothers everywhere, declared that I was wasting the best part of the day and should get out of that smelly pit and into the sunshine. Just to make sure I did, she blew a big old storm through Houston and took out our lovely big fig tree last night:

This is the scene that greeted us this morning. The big bit of the tree came down on most of the rest of it and knackered all that too.

Looks like it had a bit of wear and tear, so something was wrong with it anyway. Wish it would have told me. It was sprouting fruit like mad and looking very healthy.

You can see a little black spot in the trunk. This is more pronounced in some of the other parts, so it was rotting from the inside. I wonder if it could be termites? It could also be damage to the root system from when we had a drain put in right past it earlier this year. Whatever it is, we're a little bummed out. The tree threw lots of shade over our bedroom windows. Might have to invest in curtains now. If anyone needs me, I'll be outside for the rest of the morning I guess.

Summertime...

2008-06-02T21:38:00.005-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since we blogged at you, but we've been busy:

Been working in the yard. A lot of sweat in the Texas sun for one flipping strawberry that a bird pecked half of before I picked it. Doesn't the other half look pretty though?

Been painting too, a delicious shade of Lemon Ice. Mmmm. Now where did I put the lid of the paint tin?

We've also been trying to figure out what keeps killing Nikki's plants...no ideas so far.