Dana Daily

A little six year old girl was killed in a driveway when she was struck by a drunk driver in a Mustang this past Saturday evening. She was leaving a play date and holding her mom's hand. The driver admitted to police that he was driving like a stupid idiot, and a witness heard him call his mom and tell her that he ruined his life. The child's father had to be restrained by two police officers. I imagine tragic stories such as this happen everywhere. As it happens, this little girl was killed just around the corner from our house, on a street where the girls and I have walked many times. It's heartbreaking.

Seth has an obsession with tags. I mentioned it in his 7 month birthday post . I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, but the girls had a "taggie blanket." Neither one of them were all that into it, but I thought it would be perfect for Seth. His eyes lit on all those tags, and you could just see him thinking that he hit the jackpot. I love that the ribbons are different textures, widths, and covers. It makes it more interesting to little hands as well. This taggie was purchased on etsy , and I would recommend the seller. She shipped fast, and the blanket is made well. The stitching is zigzag and reinforced so the tags won't separate from the rest of the blanket. The back is lime green minky fabric. She recommends washing on gentle and hanging to dry. Our car seat cover is made out of this same fabric. There's just something about those little giraffes that get me every time. The car seat cover was ordered from a different shop . I'd recommend...

Seth's sitting. At 7 months, 1 week, and 1 day he is finally able to play while sitting independently. Since he's not at all wobbly, I have to wonder if he hasn't been practicing this trick at daycare for at least a few days. As wistful as I feel about him growing up so fast, I have to admit, having a sitter makes life more exciting in many ways. It's easier to play, easier to give baths, and he can use a high chair at a restaurant among other things. It's hard to get a good look in his mouth without holding him down, which I refuse to do just to see if he has teeth coming in, but I think his gum looks a little swollen where the bottom, front right tooth will one day pop. I'll have to keep an eye on that. So many exciting milestones.

An email was sent out to employees asking for volunteers to help out at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank . On a whim I signed up. Others in my area at work had volunteered in the past, and from the sounds of things it was pretty similar to a Food Share program my grandparents used to volunteer with. From time-to-time they would take a few of us grandkids with them for extra hands. As a kid I didn't pay much to the particulars, but I remember sorting different items into boxes or bags for distribution. That's pretty much what this was on a much larger scale. The food bank's warehouse is a huge facility, and in the repack room a long conveyor belt takes up much of the space. Pallets line each side at regular intervals, and food is stacked on them for volunteers to put into boxes. We were packing government-subsidized, purchased food into boxes which would then be distributed to senior citizens in need in Lawrence County. The box had a retail value of approxima...

Today was school picture day at daycare. I found a cute little cap  at Gymboree for Seth to wear. I am so stinking excited about these pictures. How can he not be totally adorable. However, those pictures won't be in for a couple more weeks so in the meantime, we took a few pictures ourselves this evening. Without further adieu. . .milestones! Can sit independently, but he prefers to play on his stomach or back.  Mobile. He hasn't gone long distances, but he rolls and pulls wherever he wants to go. Up on all fours, just rocking though. No attempt to crawl yet, but it's coming. Loves tags. He loves chewing and sucking on tags. My brother was the same way as a baby. Eating three solid meals a day. He is such a good eater. Prefers to have a blankie with him in the crib. Once he's a sleep, I remove it. Lots of babbling and a whole range of sounds. No mama or dada yet though. Loves to bounce, standing up, on our laps. Loves books and listening to stories. ...

Yes, I know, Seth is almost seven months and just now had his six month well visit. We saw a new doctor since our beloved Dr. Bhat is only located at the Natrona Heights office. We'll continue to see her, I think, when illnesses are involved or if I have any concerns. Seth weighs 18.3lbs (50th percentile) and is 28.5" (94th percentile). His head circumference is 17". I felt like he should have gained more weight between his last appointment and this one, but both the resident and the doctor said he's doing fine. The doctor did recommend he have fruits/veggies three times a day, whereas we had only been feeding those once a day at dinner. Seth is on track with all of his milestones too. He can sit for a few seconds unassisted, but the doctor thinks it's less about his ability to sit and more about him simply not wanting to. He'd rather be down on the floor where he can move around and explore, both the environment and his toys. He's just not intereste...

I don't know if we picked something up on our trip, or if Sarah had been harboring a virus that she later shared with us, but Sarah got sick at school on Tuesday. Then Emily and I got hit with it that night. Sal was sick by that afternoon, in Steubenville. He did make it home to recover. Fortunately, it seems as though Seth was spared. Oh, and I don't mean to pick on Sarah, but a classmate was sick with the same thing earlier in the week. I'm just relieved that 1) I lost 6lbs and 2) none of us were sick while staying in hotels. I haven't thrown up in 7.5 years. That ended that streak. I went for a massage Tuesday evening, and when I came home my stomach hurt. I wasn't necessarily feeling sick though so I was surprised to be throwing up at 12:45am. Fortunately, I felt a lot better 12 hours later. Thank goodness for short-lived bugs.

Our plan was to spend the morning at Mount Vernon and then head home via Cumberland, Maryland so that we could stop at the Queen City Creamery. Although we woke up a little later than I had anticipated, we followed through with our plans. It was hot so we didn't do as much walking at Mount Vernon as we could have. The estate is spread out, but there was plenty to see on the grounds closer to the house. The gardens were beautiful and the girls found some of the outbuildings, like the kitchen, pretty interesting. Again, Seth slept. I picked up a bottle of raspberry wine because I liked the label, and Sal found a 3-pack of t'shirts to take home as a souvenir. I let the girls choose a couple token items as well. I knew after a roadtrip like this the wine would taste really good. We left Mount Vernon early in the afternoon and headed home via Cumberland, Maryland. There's a little ice cream shop with an old-fashioned soda fountain that I'd been to in the past and wan...

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY Visiting Arlington was a high priority on this visit and I only wish we could have been there longer. We went to the Tomb of the Unknown where Sal, Sarah, and Emmy got to see the changing of the guard. I stayed behind with Seth. I didn't want to risk him making any noises and disturbing the peace. When the three of them were finished, we switched places so I could spend some time at the tomb as well. It's a moving experience, whether you see the guards change or not. Note: I had seen this ceremony on a previous trip to Arlington, in 2006, perhaps. From there we went to President Kennedy's grave where Sarah proceeded to sprinkle water on her head. I put her in time-out. What was she thinking, you ask? She was hot. Oh my child. I would like to come back and visit the Lee House in Arlington, and just have more time to explore and reflect in the cemetery. It really is beautiful, and thought-provoking. ST. VINCENT DE PAUL There was some di...

After a good night's sleep, we were ready to get back on the road. We had a surprisingly good breakfast at the hotel where Sarah declared the hot chocolate the best she's ever had. I gave her Dramamine so as to not have a repeat of the previous night's adventure in the car, and we headed on down the turnpike. We arrived in Washington DC around Noon and figured we had plenty of time until the White House tour at 1:30. However, I did not anticipate parking being so difficult to find so we made it through security with just minutes to spare before our tour. Poor Emmy had to go potty so badly, but she made it through the tour without any problems. THE WHITE HOUSE The girls received Junior Ranger booklets prior to the tour and were quite impressed that not one, but two dogs, live in the White House. They also liked the Green Room, Red Room, and Blue Room. While the rooms are large, they were still smaller than I had expected. I was excited to see some of the china used by ...

We left for Washington DC right on time at 11:30pm, after Sal got home from the Steubenville football game. I had the car packed and was all set to go. He showered and away we went. We planned to drive to Bedford , about 1.5 hours from home, and leave for DC Saturday morning. I had assumed that the kids would sleep in the car on the way, but alas, they did not. Sarah ended up getting car sick about 20 minutes from the hotel, but she felt better by the time we arrived. There was a crib waiting in our room when we arrived, which was very much appreciated. It would have been better had it been already assembled, but we figured it out and soon everyone was sound asleep.

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. This time Seth actually seemed to enjoy swinging. I just love that big ol' smile. I think the second picture is darling. His little hand waving, or perhaps he was just reaching for the chain to hold on, and his little feet all monkey-toed curled up in the seat. I folded a receiving blanket over the edge of the swing when he decided he was going to taste it. Yuck. I'd say that he certainly had a blast at the playground tonite. Emmy and Sal were shooting hoops, and she is improving. She was happy to report that she made five baskets. Sarah had told me her homework was finished, and I found out later that she still had a story to read. We brought her book to the playground and she sat on the steps of the equipment and read to me.

I've been resisting participation in this program simply because I'm not sure I can stick with documenting every new book we read to Seth, but here goes. We'll see how well I keep up with this, but like my mom says, it's not about keeping track of every single book, it's about doing the activity. 1. All Day Long with Jesus, by Matt Anderson 2. On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman 3. A Big Guy Took My Ball, by Mo Willems 4. Me and My Mom, by Alison Ritchie 5. Spot Goes to the Beach, by Eric Hill 6. One More Swim, by Caroline Pitcher and Jenny Jones 7. How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends, by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague 8. Oh, the Places You'll Go, by Dr. Seuss 9. Hic-Hic-Hiccup, by Warner Brothers Looney Tunes 10. Sid the Squid, Underwater Adventures, by N/A 11. Elmo Loves You, by Sarah Albee 12. Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods that Make My Day, by Jamie Lee Curtis 13. Baby Animals, Gyo Fujikawa 14. Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise B...