A matter of perspective

My niece, Kaya, is getting into photography. The Steamboat clan was visiting this weekend, and while I got no real pics somehow, Kaya got some great ones. I'm stealing a few here. I like her different perspective.
Eyelashes!
 Hi, Dad!
This is the best shot anyone has gotten lately of Eamon's eyes. Does this explain why I can't say what color they are?

All photos thanks to (and copyright by) Kaya Baumgartner.

The big blue chair

I've heard about it, so I know some of you have noticed - we take pictures in the big blue chair to have an easy record of E growing up. Some showed up here, here, and here.

Now that E is moving, this is getting more interesting. This time? He was well behaved for a few solo shots.
Hung out with Dad just fine. However, getting this shot took a bit... By the time I sat down, he was ready to continue his thesis on the effects of gravity on babies and objects near babies. If that concept didn't make sense, maybe these will help.
 For those of you who have noted it in the past - he still has not figured out how to tuck his head on the way down. Note that awkward position!
All okay!

8 months

Eamon is eight months old today.

His appearance hasn't changed much in the last month, but he's suddenly a mobile human. His play has taken on a whole new aspect.
He is, however, still working on levitating objects with his mind.
His treatise on random syllables is expanding, with the addition of m's and some interesting s-related sounds. Excitement is expressed with a whole-body arm flapping motion that can be hazardous to those nearby.

He's eating nectarines, pears, zucchini (sort of), and carrots now. He also discovered Cheerios this weekend, which has led to a whole new chapter in his thesis on the effects of gravity on babies and objects near babies. I am rethinking our decision not to have a dog. (Well, sort of... dust busters are lower maintenance.)

He still laughs readily, particularly for Ray. Smiles, those are for everyone, although he's getting shyer about it and will hide his face with strangers. The backpack, obviously, is a close friend.
Speaking of friends - those bottom two teeth are about to gain some - the top FOUR are working their way out.

Everything is still something to put in his mouth (except pureed zucchini, not so sure about that). We're babyproofing. Constantly. It just keeps getting more interesting!

TGIF

It's been a long, busy week. We're ready for the weekend around here.
Is it Friday? Can I come out yet?

Preppy Boy

Jen tried to reform my urges, but yet again, Eamon is a little preppy boy.

'Allo, Mate.

[Edited to Add: We went to a charity event at Waterloo Icehouse in Louisville yesterday evening. Buy a flight of Avery beer, donation goes to humane society. A guy from Avery was pouring and it was quite fun to get all of the info from him. Eamon, however, thought the menus were a great time. This cameraphone picture cracked me up. Somehow, blurry is just right sometimes. Oh, and that bottle? That's my choice for winner - Old Jubilation Ale. Ray liked the Purgatoire Piggy, which of course they don't actually sell outside the brewery. He'll have to settle for the single-brewed version, Hog Heaven, which we have gifted to one of my family members, I believe.]

Pictures in need of a caption...

Sometimes I sits and thinks to myself.
I thinks things like:
Why are there so many donkeys in Scandia?
Why are this one's legs on fire? Can't those firemen back there do something about it?
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And... are Mom and Dad going to make me pose on all of them?

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I'm thinking the answer to that one is "Yes".

Combat Crawl?

As I think I noted before, on Monday Eamon discovered forward propulsion. Ray calls it the zombie crawl. Perhaps that's because kiddo chose the week when we both have the flu to become more mobile. (So far, we're both doing better today. Yay!)

Here is some much more enjoyable video than what I've been offering of late. Note a) the look he gives Ray and b) I cut it off, but he ends with a big "sigh" at me. Parents are such a trial to our boy.

Anyone interested in helping us baby proof?

Today...

Update- Leah and I just filmed footage for the Today Show, to air tomorrow morning (9-16). I am now amazed how well Norm has handled some of the interviews - doing an filmed interview while talking to a speakerphone (not a person) was harder than I would have expected. Our old shower head makes yet another TV appearance as well.

Re-updated:
I make a cameo- after about 2 hours of filming, they used about 20 seconds of what they filmed and then used a lot of the stock footage that CU sent out. But they did a decent job covering it, I think.
The Today Show

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

"Showerheads Loaded With Bacteria, Could Be Harmful"

Every day, whether at home or far away, Ray clicks on the little link on his web browser that says "News" with all of the RSS feeds. Yesterday, I actually got to be part of that link.

And I have to point out, although he's not getting the attention (although CBS almost used him for "man on the street"), Ray took some of the shower head samples, and he is named in the acknowledgements of the study.

Hopefully the dust is settling. I'm home sick, for the sake of my coworkers (both Ray and I are kind of pathetic)... my coauthor ran away from the lab. Norm is left alone with the phones, although I'm still taking calls at home. Our press guy at the University is trying to decide between running away to Vegas and just taking a job running a forklift at Home Depot. It has been fun, but literally exhausting!

For the most part, the press didn't go overboard with the scare factor, although if you want to know where the crazies live, you can check out some of the comments online. The various uses of Psycho  references have been amusing, although I'm waiting for the story from The Economist - the columnist was very witty. Anyway.. the press blitz is continuing, but here's the highlights. Ray would like to point out that that is our showerhead in the videos (the horrid, low-flow one that we just replaced in the guest bathroom).

Denver Fox (I got airtime!)

CBS Denver (pipetting AND colored liquids - WHEE)

CBS Early Morning Show (National - Leah did the pipetting on this one) (and don't get me started on Norm in a lab coat, showing how we sampled, without gloves)

I did a radio interview for New Zealand radio last night. When I was really stuffed up and out of it. Hence phrases like "preganacy doesn't last that long". Eek. I'm sure that got some poor pregnant woman riled up.

The AP did one of the better write ups.

I'll link other highlights if I find them. In the meantime, if you google "showerhead" and click the first news link, you'll get way more than you want (currently 492 articles dereplicated to 176).

Herding Cats

It's been chaos, these last few days. Things are calming down, and I'll try to have a more informative post tomorrow. But Ann sent me an email today with pics from the Rockies game, titled "Herding Cats". That title and this picture both fit my week:

(If that doesn't say it all.. I had to break in the middle of writing this post to talk to Radio New Zealand. Thank you, Eamon, for sleeping through that!)

Happy Grandparent's Day (go Vikings!)

Eamon (and his parents) send love to all the grandparents.

(a good use of our 100th post, no)?

Because at least one set of grandparents will appreciate this. (Mom, Dad, if you want him to see blue and orange, you're going to have to help him. I have no pull here.)



Go, Vikings!

Press Storm

Work currently resembles a press office. A project I've been working on with students and my tech is getting published Tuesday morning. The journal sent out press releases. The press is calling. I can't technically say who or what because we're all under embargo, other than the paper is about pathogens in showerheads. So, if you happen to see/hear anything about showers on Monday night or Tuesday.... it could be us! (And odds are... the press will inflate how scary everything is (not).... because that's how the media gets you to listen...right? )

If you care, the article is:
Opportunistic pathogens enriched in showerhead biofilms
Feazel LM, Baumgartner LK,Peterson KL, Frank DN, Harris JK, and Pace NR. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (published online Tuesday, September 15)

(If you do see or hear anything, let me know!  We know who is calling us, but you never know if they'll even publish it in the end...)
Mom isn't quite sure how to take this... but I'm ready for my close up!
How's this for a publicity shot?

Photobombed

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I'm tempted to leave this captionless. We were leaving IKEA via the escalator/ramp thingy (note that Eamon is helping carry his own high chair). I didn't pay attention to the background.

(I don't have the digital version handy, but there is a similar photo of the ladies at our wedding with a random baby floating over my shoulder. Baby photobombed, that's us).

ps- Steve G, what's the caption?

Meanwhile, back off the farm..

I *still* have some fun from the MN trip to share, but I do want to keep a bit up-to-date. Kiddo is getting closer to eating like a human (although no signs of real crawling yet). Ray shares his peaches now, which is a bit of an act of love, since 1) Eamon really just sucks all the juice out and leaves Ray the pulp and 2) it's... messy. Very. As in, I finally gave up and hosed down the high chair after this:




And a side note for my mom - the actual outfit for which these shorts were procured:

Much better, don't you think? (Okay, perhaps Eamon wouldn't dress himself as a little preppy boy, either - again, until he learns to dress himself, these things will happen to him.)

Last Shots of the Fair

A last few notes from the State Fair. (For prior installments, see here, here, and here)

Eamon didn't get his tractor ride, but he didn't exactly have to walk, either. His dad carried him for a while, but mostly he rode with grandpa.

Eamon loved that cup. He actually went through a couple. Who needs toys?

There was a really nice exhibit on green energy and building - the "Eco Experience". This, however, amused me.

The wind turbine blade was pretty amazing, though. That is big.

Finally: Where but Minnesota would you find this?

Until next year!

Kicking Tires on Machinery Hill

Ohh, this is a nice ride....
How much, Dad?
Can I do it in installments?
Whoah! Never mind..out of my league.
Ahh, it's more fine to ride with great-grandma anyway!
I've got the hat, can I ride along?

A full day

The fair posts will be continuing, but I offer a short interlude because we managed a full day yesterday.

We convinced Alli and Jana to hike with us again, along with Angela. Alli convinced me to give up the trail I was thinking of (3 mile round trip, 500 foot net gain) for Gregory canyon/Saddle Rock trails (one section is 1200 foot loss in 0.8 miles - scrambling). We found a used kelty pack, so this was a pretty substantial trial. Turns out, that's a *lot* of exercise. Alli took E for a lot of the trip up, Ray got him for the trip down. I wussed out after about a mile of up).

Eamon, Alli, and Jana

After we got some burritos and a shower (both much needed), we headed down to Denver to meet Ann, Mike, and Ava for the Rockies vs. Diamondbacks. While Ann and I enjoyed lots of game food, the boys and kids seemed to enjoy the game.

Apparently we didn't feed Ray enough, as he is licking E's head...

Maybe they know what the score is...

Eamon and Ava did appear to enjoy watching.

I had to chuckle when I was trying find appropriate fanwear for Eamon - Jen made the rock, paper, scissors onesies for the three kids and gave Eamon "rock" because he was taking it back to Colorado. It seemed particularly fitting for the game. Well chosen, Jen!

All in all, a good day!

State Fair 09-Traditions

Ray and his family have been going to the fair for a long time, so there are some traditional photos and things to do (ew, pronto pup). The big one has to be the tire, but there were a few we tried to replicate from our trip in 2005.

The motorcycle tents, 2005:

2009:

The John Deere tire, 2005:

Sadly, this year they chained off the really big tractor. So Ray made do (although, in retrospect, he actually got the same size again). 2009:


And we just didn't make it to the Oink Booth this year. This may be a quest for next time. 2005: