10/31/09

Monsters

So I have a new favorite band, Monsters of Folk. When I hear one of their songs I bust out my best dance moves. There is some video of this, but Mom doesn't know how to get the video on to the computer (big surprise, I know), maybe Dad will help out later......

Anyway, I am very jealous because my parents went to see M.O.F. a few weeks ago in Portland. They left me with Grandma and went on their merry way. I was so crazed to have missed the show that I couldn't go to sleep. I spent hours running back and forth between Grandma and Grandpa Jim's places, eating yogurt and watching the tube with Grandma. When I finally fell asleep I slept so soundly that when I woke up the next morning, at home and in my crib, I had no idea how I had gotten there!

Speaking of monsters- today is Halloween! Here is a photo of me last year, Mom dressed me up as a bear, or monkey or something.



This year I am going to be a scary spider! Here is another photo of me and a pumpkin last year, what a baby I was!



And here is my super funny daddy, he is still just as funny as he was last year.


10/25/09

Eliana

This is my best friend Eliana.



Here she is with a new hairstyle, and broccoli, she loves to eat broccoli- how healthy is she?!




I try my hardest to impress her. I do many awesome things, like eat with my shirt off.......





Climb up on things, like this chair that is super high... "yohoo Eliana! over here!"



And then I show off how straight I can sit....



Or sometimes, and this is the best one, I run around with my eyes closed, I know this is irresistible....




Once we took a bath together, but then I started to splash and that pretty much ended our bathtime relationship. Apparently women hate to be splashed.





Eliana was born one day before me! Isn't that crazy? She also knows about a zillion words. She knows words for everything, and this is really helpful to me because I get to pick up from her extremely large vocabulary. My parents think she is a genius... I think she's a genius and is also cute!


10/20/09

My Ears and Other Events

So Dad has been super busy with school and homework and does not have as much time to keep up with helping me write my blog. Anyway, I have asked Mom to help me with some of my day-to-day updates until Dad has a little more free time. She told me that she will do her best in staying true to my "voice"...........

Since my second implant was activated, I have been trying VERY hard to use new words. My accomplishments so far include:

 "uh-oh"= uh-oh
"moooww"= meow
"uh-uh"= up-up
"aahh-uhhhhhn"= all done
"eeyyyee"= bye
"eye"= both eye (as in face) and hi
"owwwnnn"= down
"un"= on
"aaahhhhhh"= airplane

I also am able to stick my implant magnets back on my head when they fall off, well not all of the time but I sure do try hard. My parents and I always clap after I do this, clapping is so fun. So is eating apple pancakes and jam.....



Here I am at the beach house with the awesome garbage truck that Grandma gave me and Dad being funny, as usual.....



 Steinbeck, my kitty, is pretty patient with all of my antics.

10/13/09

Beach Trip Part 3

The last part of my Journey ends at the Rogue Brewery. Now I know what you're thinking, "what business does Isaac have at a brewery?", and you would be right... Except the Rogue Brewery (the one near the aquarium not the hotel one on the other side of the bridge) is totally kid friendly. In fact, they had coloring books, and cool stuff to play with. Not to mention some yummy food.

A picture of the bridge near the Brewery.

















While there, I was begged by the patrons to tell one of my famous sea adventure stories. It took me by complete surprise to be approached like this as the stories aren't all that well known, and if by chance you do know them, I can't imagine how you would figure that I was the creator. The stories are told through the eyes of a rugged old sea captain named "Ripley Stalwart". There were about ten of them that I recorded in my basement on cassette and sold around town. In fact, I had completely forgotten about them until that moment in the Rogue.

I was nervous but I felt compelled to give my fans what they wanted.... here is the story:



"I remember that day at sea like it was yesterday......"

















"The sun was just setting on the horizon, as our ship trekked through the dark murky waters. A tiny island off of the starboard side could be seen silhouetted against the dying suns rays."

















"As I looked at the passing vegetation, I wondered what type of beasts (if any) called the tiny island home. I made a mental note to come back someday and explore the island more thoroughly for I felt a strange aura surrounding the tiny tropical oasis that beckoned to me. But the creatures, and auras of that Island were not of my main concern. My main concern was the dying sun, and the creatures that lurked in those inky waters below our floating vessel. It was at sundown that the monstrosities tended to be the hungriest."

"I knew the horror stories about traversing these waters at night, I had frequented enough pubs filled with drunken sailors to have heard every version of every story, and each was more fantastic than the previous. I prayed that they were just stories, and if they weren't I prayed that the gods let my ship safely pass."

"That night I found out that those drunk sailors weren't just spouting off at the mouth, and that no ship is free from the food chain when it comes to a monsters hunger."

















"My prayers were interrupted by a high pitch squeal off in the distance, it seemed the creatures from the deep were awake and hungry. The sound turned my blood to ice. My crew was scared, and so was I, but I knew I couldn't show a moment of weakness or fear. No better way to create a mutiny and get yourself tossed over the side of your own ship then to show weakness to the cut throats that you hired for a mission that no sane man would do, and I for one had no desire to be a tasty treat for one of those slimy scaly horrors."





"Mutiny however was not in store for me or my crew of delinquents. Something far worse was upon us and it happened quickly and with almost no warning. Off the port side a horrific devilish ear splitting scream issued forth, and then four or five more came in quick answer. The creatures were all around us."
















I ordered my crew to arm the cannons, but it was too late, something giant and big slipped a slimy tentacle over the port side of the boat. Followed by another tentacle, and another, and another. The men ran toward it with their axes and muskets and whatever else they could find. One man, went at the tentacle with a bottle of rum. He was the first to be taken, and the rest went in an order in which I did not see, for the events that happened next happened fast.





















The man with the bottle ran to club a tentacle, just as I saw more tentacles slipping up and over the sides of the boat. I quickly glanced around... they were coming up from every side. There were shouts. Then the creature that had first latched on pulled itself up out of the water, tipping the boat in the process, and sending the man with the bottle straight into the creatures teeth filled maw.


 


















The boat rolled and suddenly the icy water had its grips on me... I grabbed onto a floating piece of wood, climbed up onto it, and held on for dear life. Making no movements. I could hear screams from the crew, but they slowly died out with the remaining light of day...

I was alone in the dark with the creatures... I hoped they had had their fill.

I awoke in the morning, somehow I had kept my grip onto the piece of wood through the night. I was completely numb. The sun was starting to light the day... the creatures were gone, so was my crew, and the boat... well all except the shreds of the disaster that still floated with me on the tide.

I lifted my head and saw an island off in the distance. A strange aura filled me, and called me closer.


10/11/09

Assimilation Complete!

So Thursday was a big day- I got my second implant activated and also got to try out my new Nucleus 5 processor! The day started out great, my dad was home in the morning and we went for a walk to the park. Then, on our way to OHSU my mom took me to play at the NW Kids Club (my new favorite place), where I ran around, went up and down a slide and pushed around a little pink doll stroller- how cool am I?!?

Anyway, I napped in the car and when we got to OHSU, Grandma, Grandpa Jim and Angie were all there to greet me. We went to Don's office where he explained a bunch of technical stuff to my mom (I ignored this and hung out with my grandparents) and then they put my new ear on my left ear. I was fine with this, interested, and maybe a bit impatient, until something spooked me. I can't really tell you what it was but I was unhappy about the whole situation. Everyone was great, trying to keep me calm and entertained but I had had it, I was finished. I mean why mess with a good thing- right? I have been doing so well with my first ear (my Freedom processor) and I really don't like change. I can't even use a different sippy cup for my milk, how can they expect me to accept a NEW ear?!!!

So we get home and see my dad and I am still HATING that new ear. I was like "get that evil thing away from me!!!!!!!!". I felt  kind of bad because I know that my parents, especially my mom (she can be a little emotional at times, I guess I don't blame her), were pretty upset because I had reacted so well to my first implant. I guess that when I went to bed my mom messed with the implant to help make the sound a little less overwhelming, hoping that, in the morning I would be better with it. I wasn't. I cried and cried and ripped it off over and over. My dad had to leave at 7 a.m. and seemed very upset about how I was carrying on. Mom decided to take me out to his car to warm it up and, hopefully, distract me. It worked. We sat there and I slowly stopped touching the magnet attached to my head. By the time Dad drove off, I waved at him like I always do. I spent the morning leaving my new implant alone, like a big boy, and being my normal happy self......

Since then I have been wearing my new Nucleus 5 processor every waking moment. It even has a neat camo print cover, I guess my Grandma ordered some more covers so that Mom can help me match them to my outfits- how cool! Also, I get to wear my other Nucleus 5 on my right ear after my appointment at OHSU next Wednesday, now my right ear won't be jealous! Sometimes it just takes a little time to adjust to change.....

 Here is one view of my new processor, it's very slim (I am pointing out how cool my dad is)...



And Another view of the processor and the awesome camo cover.

 



Dad and me, check out the cool pink balloon I got at the Saturday Market!



10/6/09

Another Beach Trip Part 2

For the second day at the beach with Jack and his family we headed to Newport to, once again, visit the amazing aquarium. Even though I was here not that long ago it was really cool to share this experience with Jack, his family, and my dad, who had never experienced the aquarium before. I felt like a seasoned pro, or a trailblazer, or a guide of sorts who knew the lay of the land and could direct everyone to the most exciting parts.

We arrive and wait for the parentals to get coffee from the coffee stand that doesn't open for another 2 minutes..... so much to see, so little time. It's at these moments that I look at Jack and say, "Someday we won't be strapped into these god forsaken things and we can just head out in search of adventure and leave these sticks in the mud to drink their black caffeinated elixirs".

*for the record, she showed up about ten seconds after this picture was snapped.















*added by my father  


Here I am leading my father around to all the hot spots! This rock has a waterfall and a surge that is supposed to simulate the sea and waves crashing into the surf.


  














Here is another really cool thing about the aquarium. There are these special places where you can crawl inside a fish tank via a tunnel and watch as the fish swim around your head.... very cool!!


 

  














As we walked into the underground glass tanks with all the sharks and stuff, Jack and I were surprised to see men swimming around cleaning the tanks amidst these ferocious predators. It freaked me out to see the guys nonchalantly waving at me, carelessly blowing their bubbles and smiling. I was positive that at any second the shark swimming just behind them would sink it's teeth into the guys' air tank and send him crashing into the glass walkway, cracking it and sending people running as water filled the park. People would swim for their lives as sharks, hungry for revenge, devoured their prey. Only Me, Jack, and our families would survive by clinging to the rocks in the picture above, as we planned  our escape to safety.

Oh my god I think I just wrote a pitch for a new shark horror movie! Anyone know the number for Dreamworks?






 Here is a monster from the deep. In the movie, that thing is going to be 600 feet long and 200 feet tall.... be afraid!

 



 A forested path leads to the animals that you can play on! That play place may be the most exciting thing for me. I love the fish and birds, but I get so pumped when I see all the statues of the creatures.

 



And finally we make it to the little play place! See Told ya' I was PUMPED!
"YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"





Drumming on the old wood bench... I can kick out some killer beats.

 















And when drumming loses its flavor I can always pretend like I'm a captive of some sort... 
"don't just stand there, let me out before the guards gets back!"


















Mom and I riding one of the statues!