Aithne Veronica Lisonbee

04/30/2006-06/30/2006 *** MY TIME-LAPSE EXCUSE DISCLAIMER: Well I must confess I fell off the webpage bandwagon, though in my defense I will claim a series of family trips, weaning and other life changes as part of the diversion from this webpage. Thanks to my sister Eliza for getting me back on track. END OF TIME-LAPSE EXCUSE DISCLAIMER. ***

Highlight #1: In the time spanning from my last entry in April until now, Friday June 30th, I will summarize for you a few highlights in Aithne's life. On May 18th Aithne weaned herself, though I must admit it was a gradual transition and not cold-turkey for her. I'd say over the course of the previous month and a half to two months she slowly decreased her times a day nursing. Finally, I thought I'd let her tell me when she wanted to nurse, as it had become mostly an emotional thing for her. Then the day came that she didn't motion to nurse. Simple as that. The end.

Highlight #2: As for the month of June, she finally decided to wow us with her ability to walk on Saturday, June 10th. For the last two months she would tease us as she stood on her own, possibly taking a furtive step or two before she quickly dropped to the comfort of her knees and crawling. So, this is how it happened. On Wednesday the 7th James left to Salt Lake on a business trip. He works for a company known as Chrysalis-Utah, Inc., which provides 24-7 supervision and care for special needs adult males (known as 'clients'). James works in a home-setting where three men live together and the staff supervises them in the home and also takes them on errands and social outings. So, two of James' special needs clients were scheduled to participate in the Special Olympics and James was selected to accompany them, along with the other clients and staff from the other Chrysalis houses in Cedar City. James was gone from Wednesday afternoon until Saturday evening--about five minutes after Aithne took her first steps! (I'm glad he was able to participate in her first experience walking) *** So, my mom and I were sitting in Aithne's bedroom at about 7:45 that Saturday evening. My mother was reading to Aithne and I from my Brother's Grimm Fairytale book while I laid on the floor playing with Aithne. Suddenly, Aithne stood up and walked across the bedroom, much to the amazement of her grandmother and mother! My mom asked me if I just saw her walk, which I did. We quickly applauded her effort and encouraged her to walk some more. She walked back and forth between us for a few minutes--at which point we thought we should take her downstairs so her grandpa and Aunt Eimile could see her walk. I knew that James would be home shortly because a few minutes before she took her first steps he had called to say he was on his way home. So, for the next few minutes Aithne practiced walking around the basement family room. When I heard James come into the upstairs kitchen I quickly ran upstairs and told him to hurry down--that Aithne was walking. He ran downstairs and when Aithne saw her daddy she yelled out loud "DAD!!!! After she got her hugs and kisses she showed off for her daddy by walking around the family room. *** Since then she's been quite the little motor-scooter. There is no slowing her down. It's pretty cute to watch her walk too. She has the funniest little waddle.

Highlight #3: The third week of June James, Aithne and I went to Lake Powell with several of the Lisonbees. We stayed from Wednesday the 21st until Saturday the 24th. We had a blast and Aithne loved to play in the kiddie wading pool her Grandma Lisonbee bought for the babies. While we were at the lake James noticed that Aithne is teething again. This time it is on the bottom, the tooth next to her bottom left front tooth. It hasn't pushed through all the way yet, but it's coming!

Highlight #4: This week, June 25th through today the 30th, Aithne has shown an increase in her cognitive abilities. She seems to understand more of what I say to her and she's also trying to talk on her own more. She definitely has her own opinion and she isn't afraid to share it! She will chat your ear off--and it's hilarious because thought I can't understand what she's trying to say, I just know that she knows what she's saying. She will use body language, facial expressions and hand gestures like a pro! She also has a play cell phone (it was James' but after he got it wet and it no longer works, we let Aithne play with it). She will hold her cell phone to her ear and walk around the house 'chatting' on the phone! It's just about the cutest thing you'll ever see! *** Another cute story for you: On Tuesday thereabouts, James and I went to Wal-mart to buy a few things. As we left the store I asked him to stop by Sally's Beauty Supply so that I could give my sister Rebecca's mission email to her friend Jodi that still works at Sally's. (Beck worked there before her mission) As I was inside the store talking to Jodi, James waited in the car with Aithne. Suddenly, she called out to him and when he looked back to see what she wanted she folded her arms and motioned for him to do likewise. About two months or so ago, James and I began teaching Aithne how to pray and say regular prayers with her at mealtimes and at bedtime. When we say 'Aithne let's pray' she will fold her arms and sometimes bow her head. She hasn't caught on to the whole 'close your eyes when you pray' but hey, she's only fifteen months! So, James realized that she wanted to pray, so he folded his arms. James said that she then said something that sounded very close to 'Dear Heavenly Father...' and then some other baby talk. She ended her prayer in her typical way, which is to do the hand sign for 'all done'. I have learned a few signs from my sister-in-law Natalie, which I have in turn taught to Aithne. They mostly involve how to communicate intent-- how to say 'please' 'more' 'food' 'thank-you' 'all done', that sort of thing. So, when I have tried to teach Aithne how to pray I say 'Amen' but sign 'all done' so that she knows we're finished. *** So, James was surprised and pleased that Aithne wanted to pray with him. After she finished her brief prayer she then motioned that it was his turn, so he said a small prayer. They continue back and forth until I returned to the car about three minutes later. Then it was my turn to say a prayer. She cut my prayer short though by saying 'All done'. She's funny like that. I just keep praying though. ***

A final cute vignette for you. On Wednesday the 28th I had my Primary Activity Day Group over. They are the eleven-year-old girls in my ward. Most the girls had left but one. Her family didn't communicate who was responsible for picking her up after the activity so she was on the house phone trying to get a hold of someone to pick her up. She couldn't get a hold of anyone so I told her I'd take her home but that I needed to call James first because he had taken my car to work. I then began to look around for my cell phone but didn't see it. I said out loud several times 'Where is my phone?' Aithne caught my attention by calling out to me. She was seated on the floor and looking up at my held my cell phone out for me to take. She had been playing with it. I was surprised that she understood my question, which wasn't directed at her specifically and it wasn't simplified as I often speak to her in shorter sentences. I thanked her for the phone and she just smiled. She's one smart kid!

-- Renée Lisonbee

04/23/2006-04/29/2006 Highlight#1: Monday April 24th marked the beginning of what has become known as 'The Week Aithne Asserted Her Strong Will" or "Attack of the Stubborn Personality" or "My Daughter Really is One-Year-Old". For starters, Monday morning Aithne was visiting with her Grandpa Galyean, who likes to share his treats with her. The treat that morning was chocolate-covered raisins. After Aithne had a few, Mom stepped in and said 'No more' and took the box away. No sooner had I the box in my hand and turned to walk into the kitchen then little Aithne slid down off her Grandpa's lap, grabbed both of his hands for support, and walked--no, CHARGED after me as fast as her little legs could carry her, yelling at me the whole way in to the kitchen. What did this prove? 1. I don't want Aithne to eat chocolate 2. She really knows her own mind 3. She CAN walk when her mind is set on it, but even then she felt the need for support. Aithne is a funny kid. She is hesitant to try new things and will resist for a long time, but when she finally figures out how to do something new she has it mastered just as fast. It was like when she finally learned to crawl. She was almost eleven months old! I think she didn't like the feeling of her weight on her knees or something. . . I know she'll walk when she's ready. No hurry. I actually enjoy the time that I have NOT chasing her down. When she finally walks my lazy peace is over.

Highlight#2: Wednesday morning (April 26th), as I got ready for my class, Aithne and James did their usual "mom's going to school" routine--eat their breakfast on the couch, watching their favorite TV show, "Super Pets". As I put my shoes on the show cut to a commercial break. The commercial advertised an upcoming digitally animated Barbie video--ooohhh aaahhh. It sure caught Aithne's attention. Her eyes lit up and she frantically smacked James' leg, first pointing at the TV and then jabbing her index finger at her chest in a frenzied motion. She repeated this throughout the entire commercial--smacking James, pointing at the TV and then jabbing herself in the chest. I laughed hysterically of course. . . yet, after it was over, I was afraid. "Oh no!" I thought. "My one-year-old has responded to the push to consume!!! Just wait till she gets older." Watch out!

Highlight#3: This afternoon, Thursday the 27th, Aithne and I practiced walking around the house while she held only one of my hands. She's a very cautious child, so this was a step in the right direction. She's slowly gaining more confidence in herself as she grows more comfortable with her body. As of yet, she hasn't tried to walk on her own. She shimmies along furniture or holds our hands when she wishes to walk. Let me tell you, though, she sure can crawl fast when she wants to get away from me!

-- Renée Lisonbee

04/16/2006-04/22/2006 Highlight#1: Sunday April 16th was Aithne's first Easter! We went to Las Vegas to visit some of my extended family and Aithne had fun exploring the items she received in her Easter basket. The day before, James and I attempted a small egg-hunt for Aithne, but she didn't grasp the vision. She'd find one thing and then sit there and play with it. However, Aithne did discover (on her own) how to peel a boiled Easter egg. I have a video clip of Aithne peeling Easter eggs, which I'll have to link to this page. . . it's quite funny.

Highlight#2: Monday the 17th I noticed Aithne's left front top tooth had erupted through the gum line. Now that both front teeth has pushed through Aithne isn't as grumpy as before and her appetite is much better. Now for the other teeth (can't wait for those molars)!

-- Renée Lisonbee

04/09/2006-04/15/2006: Highlight #1: Today, the 11th, after dinner I gave Aithne a bath. She happily splashed in her tub while I washed her hair. When it was time to rinse the shampoo from her scalp I asked her to look up, so as to keep the soapy water from running in her eyes. To my surprise she actually looked up! Thinking maybe it was a coincidence, I waited a few seconds and then asked her again. She did it a second time! She looked up five separate times when I asked her to, without any other prompting, just my words. I was so surprised! It's easy for me to assume she doesn't understand me based on the fact that she can't really talk yet. I guess she understands more than I realize.

Highlight #2: 04/11/2006 -- Aithne did the cutest thing today. James, my dad, Aithne and I sat out front of the house this afternoon, enjoying the fresh spring air while we waited for James' boss to pick him up (they were taking their clients to St. George for an evening outing). Aithne was wearing her cute pink jumper that she got for her birthday and she wasn't wearing socks or shoes. James set her down in the grass and that is when she did the funniest thing! She didn't like the texture of the grass so she lifted her legs up and balanced on her rear! James stood her up and still she didn't want to touch the grass, so she balanced gingerly on one foot to maintain minimal contact. After a minute, James sat in the grass, holding Aithne on his lap. From that safe position she explored the grass, pulling at random strands and wincing at the feel of the grass between her fingers. She is a funny kid. She has time and again displayed a peculiar sensitivity to touch. She is quite tactile. In fact, for the longest time she refused to crawl because she didn't like the pressure she felt in her knees from crawling on the hard wood floors. She got over that hang up and now she's a motor scooter and crawls quite fast! For pictures and a video clip of Aithne's grass encounter, look to the left column.

Highlight #3: Aithne's upper right front tooth has finally erupted. Back in February her upper four front teeth dropped down and were visible beneath her gums without breaking through her gums. Well, tonight (the 13th) while our family was eating dinner, Aithne began to show signs that she wasn't feeling well. She even refused to eat her mandarin oranges (which she absolutely loves)! I felt her forehead, and sure enough she had a fever. I peeked at her mouth and there it was -- the culprit in the form of a little tiny edge of tooth poking through her gum. After a dose of Tylenol, Aithne began to cheer up, but still she went to bed early. Poor thing. . . it's no fun teething.

-- Renée Lisonbee

04/02/2006-04/08/2006: Highlight #1: Aithne is one year old! Her birthday was on Monday April 3, 2006. She celebrated her first birthday with a large, combined family birthday party while in Salt Lake City during General Conference Weekend. As there are several April birthdays in the Galyean family, and the Galyean and Lisonbee families were in Salt Lake together that weekend, it was decided to celebrate together. Aithne received some wonderful gifts -- each her two favorite types of things: clothing and books! Thanks to all family members who kindly gave Aithne a present.

Highlight #2: As previously mentioned, Aithne turned one year on Monday. Accordingly, today (Wednesday the 5th) James and I took Aithne to the doctors to have her 12 month check-up, complete with immunizations for chicken pox, polio, and pneumococcal disease (caused by a form of streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria which can lead to meningitis, blood infections, and ear problems). Aithne, ever the flirt, had fun talking with the doctor until it came time for her physical exam. She just doesn't want to be messed with! She did well, all things considered, when she received her shots. She cried (who wouldn't) but calmed down quickly afterwards. Plus, when the nurse pricked her finger to check her blood iron content she didn't cry. She just glared at the nurse, somewhat puzzled. She's quite entertaining. (She's become quite adept at giving 'crusties' -- harsh looks. James says it's her 'thinking' face... whatever it may be, she's good at giving dirty looks :)

Highlight #3: New words that Aithne has recently added to her vocabulary: hat, shoe and book (though Aithne hasn't yet figured out how to make the 'b' sound. In spite of my urging, she pronounces 'book' as 'gook'). Funny how the first two words are names of articles of clothing.... hmmm... could this be an indication of a future love of clothes/shopping? I have previously mentioned how she understands the meaning of the word cute and knows when to use it. She enjoys looking through her closet and rating her clothes as 'cute' 'ccuuttee' and 'CCCCCUUUUUTTTTEEEE' (emphasis added for, well, emphasis :) The louder the pitch, the longer the syllable and the more frantic the facial expression, the more Aithne loves something -- and she L-O-V-E-S cute clothing. Especially hats. Why? I'm not sure...

-- Renée Lisonbee

03/26/2006-04/01/2006: Highlight #1: Sunday the 26th was a great day. Various members of the Galyean extended family came to Cedar City to hear my sister, Rebecca, speak in sacrament meeting. There we were, James, Aithne and I, seated on the far left end of the second pew from the front of the chapel, quietly awaiting the sacramental water to be passed to us. James was to my left, Aithne sat on my lap, and my eldest sibling, Rachel, was seated on my right. Next to Rachel was my baby sister, Eimile, and next to her was our sister Eliza. Rachel and Eliza live together in Salt Lake City, and as they don't live close enough to see Aithne often, they were surprised when she next pulled an unexpected stunt.

A little background info: Months ago, when Aithne was about four months old, James decided to play a sort of 'peek-a-boo' game with her, where he would quietly peer over her as she lay on her back and then, in a low, throaty pirate's growl, say "Arrrrr!". He would accompany his growl with an upraised index finger, bent in the shape of a hook. Oftentimes, when James did this Aithne would smile. Sometimes, caught off guard, she would break in to tears. Well, James' game lasted a few weeks and then faded away as we pursued new avenues of stimulation for Aithne. Flash forward about six months, to when Aithne was about nine to ten months old. One day, while sitting in her highchair, she surprised us all with a low, throaty pirate's growl, replete with hooked finger. 'AAARRRRRR!' Of course, once we recovered from our shock (she actually remembered James' game), my family and I broke in to laughter for a good five minutes or more. This brought encouragement to Aithne, and now her pirate's growl is one of her prized tricks that she pulls from her little hat at opportune moments. If you haven't heard it yet, you should. It's hilarious. As I mentioned, sometimes she sounds like a pirate, and other times she sounds like a monster or a gremlin.

Well, this last Sunday, as we sat in the 'quiet' of our jam-packed chapel, and the sacrament was passed to me, Aithne realized that it was one of those opportune moments. She came to this realization in a moment of frustration, as I would not give her a cup of water of her own to play with. As she reached to grab the entire tray of water I used my swift mommy reflexes and safely handed the tray to James so as to avoid an accident. Aithne eyed me with contempt, dramatically hooking her little index finger, as she (quite loudly) let out the lowest, throatiest, most threatening 'AAARRRR!' I had yet heard come from her tiny (otherwise 100% girly-girl) body. I, of course, accustomed to such outbursts (Aithne uses her growl for moments of silliness as well as moments of frustration -- she finds it an excellent way to get her point across) was not fazed in the least. Rachel and Eliza, however, were quite stunned -- their eyes bulging and jaws lax in amazement. After they recovered from shock, they quickly began to laugh (at which point they remembered where they were and tried to suppress their laughter, which only made them laugh harder).

Later that day, as my family visited at home, Rebecca asked: 'While I was sitting on the stand, during the administration of the sacrament, I thought I heard Aithne's gremlin-growl. Was I imagining it?' 'No. You weren't dreaming,' I replied. Great -- the whole ward has now experienced the dreaded Captain Aithne the Terrible, a.k.a Gunk-gunk the Gremlin (just a few pet names for Aithne). She has quite the personality :)

Highlight #2: Today, Tuesday the 28th, Aithne enthusiastically practiced her latest word hat, which she learned over the weekend. I read an article about infants and toddlers which suggested the best way to increase your child's vocabulary is to teach them a new word as their attention is fixed on an object. I was wearing a ball cap, which Aithne likes to grab at and play with. So, I let her hold the hat and repeated it's name five or six times. At which point she quietly said, "hat." I was so excited! I praised her, and encouraged her to continue. She said it a few times, each time quietly. Today, however, any trace of uncertainty disappeared. She gleefully chattered away as I let her play with my various hats, repeatedly exclaiming: 'hat, hat, hat, hat . . .' Soon James entered the room and was able to hear her talk. They then spent a few minutes playing together and practicing her newest word.

Oh, and her other new word is 'poo'. (Not that I tried to teach her that. She just picked it up from listening to me speak to her. It's funny because the other day, while we played together in her bedroom, which is next to the bathroom and is connected to the bathroom by a door, James used the restroom. Since Aithne could hear her daddy in the bathroom, she looked at me and said: 'Daddy poo.' Never mind that 'poo' wasn't what he was doing. She knew he was in the bathroom and made the connection between the bathroom and relieving oneself. Yep. She's a bright one :)

-- Renée Lisonbee

03/19/2006-03/25/2006: Highlight #1: On Tuesday, the 21st, while feeding Aithne her lunch, she surprised me for a few different reasons. She said 'Thank-you' twice when I gave her some food and drank water from a cup (with no lid!) with minimal spillage. She has also made the connection between waving to people as a form of greeting or farewell. This morning (Wednesday the 22nd) when Aithne's Grandma Galyean entered the kitchen while Aithne was eating her breakfast, Aithne waved 'hello' to her with a big smile. Maybe it's just me, but I'm always surprised to see Aithne reach out and communicate with others. I guess it surprises me because she's still eleven months old. It wasn't long ago that she was a tiny newborn. . . . (P.S. -- Aithne will celebrate her first birthday on Monday, April 3, 2006!!!)

-- Renée Lisonbee

03/12/2006-03/18/2006: Highlight #1: This week was Spring Break for SUU, and as James and I had the week off we decided to enjoy our time as best we could on our tight budget. We decided that Thursday the 16th we would take a day trip to St. George to window shop, go to dinner and attend a movie at the Dollar Theatre. Before we left Cedar City James mentioned it might be fun to visit his cousin, Ryan Day. He made a call to her, at which point she invited us to stop by. Her second son, Tate, is a month older than Aithne so it was fun to watch the two of them play together. Aithne loves other children and enjoys playing with others, regardless of gender or age (Today in Church she wanted to play with the four-year-old girl sitting next to us in sacrament).

Highlight #2: Recently Aithne has learned a few phrases and words, one of which is: 'What is it/that?' The other word she has taken to saying with frequency is 'CUTE!' She hears me say this often to her, so she picked it up. At first I thought she may just be mimicking me, without really knowing what she's saying, but she proved me wrong. It was also on Thursday the 16th, when we went to St. George. James and I wanted to check out the new Kohl's Store that just opened across from the Washington Wal-mart. While we were there I took Aithne to the baby section to look at Easter dresses. Aithne was sitting in a baby cart which put her at eye-level with the clothing on the lower racks. She would randomly grab a dress from the rack and exclaim: 'CUTE!!!!" I thought maybe I would test her to see how she'd react. I picked up a random item that I knew she had grabbed and asked: 'Is this cute?' She nodded and said: 'CUTE!' Then I grabbed different dresses and asked the same question. She'd respond in the positive at times and at others she'd shake her head and smack at the dress as if to say, "I don't like it. Get it out of here.' It was obvious to me that not only does Aithne know what 'cute' means but she also has her own taste preferences. Aithne will use this new addition to her vocabulary at all the right times and with the right connotation. She'll refer to objects and people as 'cute'. She is pretty cute if you ask me.

-- Renée Lisonbee

03/05/2006-03/11/2006: Highlight #1: Tonight, Sunday the 5th, I had a funny moment with Aithne. She has a thing for hair (I don't know why and I don't know where she gets it from). Earlier today I pulled a hairball from her mouth... so, tonight I was in her bedroom with her while she played on the floor. I heard her chomping on something, so playfully and in a deep, gruff voice I said: 'Hey! What you got there!' Quickly, Aithne pulled a 'oh no! Mom's on to me' face and made for the bedroom door as fast as her little knees could crawl. I, of course, beat her to it and promptly removed another wad of hair and some green lint from her mouth. Foiled again by Mom's super quick skills! I guess what was so funny to me was the expression on her face and how she frantically dashed for the door (and fell on her face too). I love that little girl!

-- Renée Lisonbee

02/26/2006-03/04/2006: Highlight #1: Tuesday the 28th, bright and early, Aithne awoke with a fever of 102.6ºF thanks to the four upper teeth that are working their way down! As of today (Friday the 3rd) her teeth haven't broken through her gums yet, but fortunately she didn't have a fever today.

Highlight #2: On Friday the 3rd Aithne turned eleven months! One month to her first birthday!

-- Renée Lisonbee

02/19/2006-02/25/2006: Highlight #1: On Tuesday the 21st James and I celebrated our second anniversary by attending the St. George Temple and then going out to dinner at Golden Corral. We were gone about six hours and while we were away, Aithne stayed with her Auntie Becky and her Grandparents. Apparently she didn't miss us too much, until the last half hour before we returned home (at 9:45 PM). She's gaining her independence and growing up fast!

Highlight #2: She's a big fan of Mother Goose this week. She has a Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme book that has accompanying songs for each rhyme (you know the kind -- push the button and it plays a tune). Aithne has conned her Auntie Becky into reading her this book umpteen times this week (a dozen or so of those times while James and I were in St. George). She loves to read and loves to listen to music.

Highlight #3: Aithne is gaining confidence in herself and is less hesitant to try and crawl and stand on her own. She is quite cheerful and a joy to have around. As long as you don't try to make her take a nap when she doesn't want to, she'll be your good friend. :)

Highlight #4: Aithne is crawling! I felt she might skip crawling altogether and go straight to walking, but she proved me wrong. On Friday the 24th, my sister Becky and I moved Aithne into what was Becky's bedroom. As Becky will be leaving at the end of March to serve a mission in the Iowa Des Moines Mission (Spanish speaking), she decided to pack up her unnecessary belongings and share a bedroom with Eimile for her remaining month at home. This freed up her bedroom for Aithne! Perhaps it was the soft carpet (my bedroom has wood floors), but whatever it was, Aithne began crawling on her hands and knees right away! Previously she would low crawl on her belly, Army-style, when she REALLY wanted to go somewhere. Mostly she would just cry or turn on her charms until someone carried her. (A downfall of being the only infant in a house of adults who adore you). Not any more! Now she is completely mobile and we're thrilled!

Highlight #5: On Saturday, while feeding Aithne her dinner, she surprised me with an impromptu game of 'Peek-a-boo'! Of course, we've played this game before, but never where she initiated it and then would respond with 'Boo'! I was so excited that I yelled for James and my parents to come and see. Aithne then played 'Peek-a-boo' with them for a few minutes. What is truly cute is the way she says 'Boo'. She calmly, softly says it and then smiles.

-- Renée Lisonbee

02/12/2006-02/18/2006: Highlight #1: This month Aithne turned ten months and rapidly began to make progress with her language and motor skills. At the beginning of this week Aithne discovered her voice. She began to experiment with voice modulation and vocabulary. Something new to Aithne (and where she got this, I don't know) is that she would look around and say: "Wow! Wow-wowoowowowowo!) Quite hilarious. Another speech development for Aithne is that she began pointing to objects and would then ask: "What is it?" -- Of course her diction isn't very clear, but we're impressed nonetheless.

Highlight #2: A funny story you may enjoy. On Saturday evening, while James was working, I put Aithne to bed. As she shares a room with James and I, we cover her crib with a blanket while she goes to sleep, so that lights and sounds will not be as distracting to her. (We can't wait for Aithne to have her own bedroom!) She lay quietly in her crib for about thirty minutes and I thought she was asleep. I was working on the computer, while listening to music. As the theme to 'Space Odyssey 2001' began to play, I suddenly was startled by a jubilant Aithne shouting for joy, fist raised in victory. She had succeeded in not only pulling herself to a standing position, but she had managed to work her head free of the blanket, so that her little face could be seen peering over the top of her crib. Two amazing feats in one! Up until that evening, Aithne had yet to pull herself to standing in her crib. This accomplishment was impressive in and of itself, but what was truly hilarious was Aithne's timing with the music. The theme for 'Spaced Odyssey 2001', as you may recall, opens with trumpets, which crescendo to a climax: 'DA DA!' And then the drums: "Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun...'. It was at this climax in the opening of the song that Aithne broke free of her restraints, screaming in exhilaration, fist waving in the air: 'Yeah!!!!!!". I laughed so hard and was so thoroughly entertained that I agreed to pull her out of bed and let her play for another twenty minutes. Oh, what a softie I am!

-- Renée Lisonbee

Hint * To view a photo in greater detail, click once on image to enlarge * Hint Page Updated: 07/01/06