Loving Lydia

God Bless Greg (Wiggle) Page

You have brought my daughter happiness. For that I am truely grateful. Much love from Kentucky Mr. Page. You are dearly loved and will be sorely missed.

MELBOURNE: It may not be the break-up of the Beatles, but for the under-6 age group it is still traumatic news: Yellow Wiggle Greg Page is leaving the band.

The children's entertainers known as the Wiggles are an Australian cultural phenomenon. From Nome to Nagasaki, their combination of high- octane song and dance has become a staple of morning television schedules, sold millions of videos and come to the rescue of many a parent at wits' end as to how to entertain rambunctious youngsters.

Page was the one of the group's founders and wore a yellow shirt, distinguishing him from Blue Wiggle Anthony Field, Red Wiggle Murray Cook and Purple Wiggle Jeff Fatt.

Page, 34, said Thursday that he was leaving the group because he had contracted orthostatic intolerance, a heart-related medical condition that had left him exhausted and prone to fainting, making it impossible for him to carry on with the group's punishing touring schedule.

He said he would retire to concentrate on his health.

"This emotional decision was one which was very difficult, as I have dedicated almost half my life to the Wiggles, and with a question mark over my health, I feel that this is the right decision," he said in a statement on the Wiggles Web site.

Page and his fellow Wiggles have become the superstars of the children's market. Their songs "The Monkey Dance," "Fruit Salad" and "Wake Up Jeff" have become best sellers, and spun off a huge merchandising empire.

There is a Wiggles theme-park in the Australian state of Queensland, where children can climb into the Wiggles Big Red Car and sing "Toot toot, chugga chugga" along with Dorothy the Dinosaur and Wags the Dog. Both are so popular they are getting their own show independent of the polychromatic human Wigglers.

And for anyone tempted to think all this is child's play, it's worth bearing in mind that last year the group earned $39 million - more than Nicole Kidman, another Australian icon - and they once played 12 sold- out dates at New York's Madison Square Gardens, breaking Bruce Springsteen's record.

Page has handed the yellow shirt to his understudy, Sam Moran, who has been a back-up singer and dancer with the group for more than a decade.

My favourite holiday treat.

HERSHEY'S COCOA FUDGE

2/3 c. Hershey's cocoa 3 c. sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 1 1/2 c. milk 1/4 c. butter 1 tsp. vanilla Thoroughly combine dry ingredients in a heavy 4 quart saucepan; stir in milk. Bring to a bubbly boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring to 234 degrees (soft ball stage). Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan. Remove from heat add butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110 degrees. Beat until fudge thickens and loses some of its gloss. Quickly spread in a lightly buttered 8 or 9 inch square pan. Cool. 3 dozen squares.

All My Children

My students do well. It is a source of pride for me. Our department has a 93% success rate in our field. What that means is, 93% of the students who have graduated have gone on to work in the field for which we have prepared them. 93% is high for any department at any school. But for a theatre department it's almost unheard of! We do our jobs well where we are at, and I am very proud of our students and alums!

Now, not all those 93% of students are rich. Some are barely scraping by. You go into theatre for the love of the art, not for the money folks! Thankfully most are making a living comfortably and for that I am thankful. However, every once in awhile one student stands out. One does better than just "making it". One is more than "comfortable". One of those who I taught is Chrishell Stause. Chrishell was a great student. Very dedicated, hardworking, talented, beautiful but not conceited. Chrishell stood out while she was our student and she continues to stand out as Amanda Dillon on All My Children.

Chrishell came to visit today. One of the first things she did when I saw her was hug me and congratulate me about adopting Lydia. Chrishell was there when I started the process and she was eager to finally meet my daughter. I of course obliged.

Chrishell with Lydia

Chrishell and her boyfriend Matt with my boss David, and co-workers Mark, Brent and Jonathan.

Some of my students. Shannon, Lauren C., Chrishell, Lauren H., and Kari.

For more information about Chrishell Stause and/or her boyfriend Matt Morrison, just click on their names. Chrishell can be seen on a regular basis on All My Children and Matt will be playing Wesley in the upcoming broadway musical adaptation of The Princess Bride. (Scheduled at this time for a 2008 opening.)

Black Friday

Normally I don't go out on Black Friday, but there was trouble at the factory this week and that forced Russell to have to go into work this weekend. (So much for a holiday! He gets longer off during a regular week than he did this weekend!!) So since he had to leave us this weekend we decided to go off and try to see Santa. There was some Santa progress this year. She went inside the enclosure. She took the candy offered and she kept saying "Santa, lap" but when the actual big moment was about to happen we had hysterics. So no picture again this year. Sorry. Eventually we may get her to sit with Santa. Right?

Lydia and Mommy shopping at the mall.

Trimming the Tree

We were really worried about the tree this year. Last year Lydia was disinterested, but she's been seeing trees about town and she always runs to them and tries to touch them. We say no and pull her hand away before damage can be done--but it was obvious her disinterest had morphed to fascination. Per tradition we put the tree up on Thanksgiving after dinner and Lydia was transfixed. She watched as we pulled out the ornaments and began trimming the tree. We weren't surprised when she was immediately peering into the box pointing and saying "BALL BALL". What we were surprised by was how well behaved she was and respectful she was of the tree. So we decided to "go out on a limb" (please pardon the pun) and let her hang an ornament. One became two, two became four, until I can honestly say Lydia hung about 1/3 of the ornaments on the tree. We got much better video than we did photos...but I figured I'd share the photos on the blog and eventually share a video Russell plans to make with his video editing program on Youtube once the holidays are over. (Coincidentally Christmas Tree is Double Happiness' Blog Challenge for the week, so make sure you check them out too so you can see everybody's tree photos!)

Mommy picked out a non breakable ornament for Lydia's first try at hanging something on the tree.

Lydia knew it went on the tree, but awaited instruction everytime for exactly where to hang anything she was handed.

After she knew where it went, she went right to work.

Ornaments are sorta like peanuts, can't have just one. Lydia hung about 20-30 ornaments all by herself. What a big girl!!

Watching the Parade

Lydia didn't make it to Santa...naptime got to her before Santa could, but we did have fun watching the Macy's Parade while she was up. Her favourite part? Watching the Broadway musical numbers! That's my girl!!

Come on! It's time for the Macy's Parade!!

Yeah!! The Broadway numbers are AWESOME!!

Chinese drummers and dragons? I thought it was Thanksgiving not New Years. Oh well, they're good no matter what holiday!

Time for a snack! I like this holiday. Usually I get crackers or raisins...but for Thanksgiving I get yummy shrimps!

Petie's sleepy...I know we haven't seen Santa yet, but maybe we should nap now okay??

Oh well, maybe she'll see Santa next year!

Happy Thanksgiving

My Younger Man

Today is Russell's birthday. He turns an age younger than my forty years by 6 that I'm not allowed to say because he's self conscious about it. He's weird about his age because I've always dated younger men. He tells me he's afraid if he gets too old I won't love him anymore. Silly Rabbit, you'll always be younger than me!! When we met I was dating someone else. A total jerk...and there was this guy named James who wanted to date me. I was 27 my boyfriend was 23 and James was 18. 18!! Sorry, even though boyfriend was a jerk and we were breaking up anyway 18 was just waaaaaay too young for me. So I set a rule. Suitors had to be at least 21. Russell just met (I mean JUUUUUST met) that criteria when we began dating. So he took me out to see Stargate and now the rest is history. Russell is my best friend. He's a good guy who shares my liberal politics, my love of Sci-fi and South Park, and who makes a great dad to our daughter. He's quiet, emotional, insecure, intelligent, drinks too much soda, loves cats, and is handy. It's good to have a guy who used to be a fireman, a plumber, and and AC & R guy and who currently is an electician and mechanic! Saves on repair bills that's for sure. My man isn't perfect, but he fits me snug as a glove. Happy birthday honely! I love you more every day!!

Zhuang Music

Red Thread Song

Scar progress

About a week after she was bitten her scar was very red and large.

Her scar now, smaller and not quite as red.

In August of this year a little boy pinned down my baby and bit a chunk out of her cheek. She was in pain and terrified and I was horrified. She is a beautiful child and that beauty will never go away, but I hated looking at the scar as it reminded me what she went through and how terrible an experience it must have been for her. We began using Mederma Jr. on her scar 3 times a day and I think we are seeing some improvement. It's still there and when she cries or gets tired it turns beet red (and likely always will) but it is beginning to fade with the help of this wonderful product. 

Trip to the vet

Kitty's gotta have a shot huh?

Oh well! At least it's not me!!

Jackson has allergies. They are so bad he must have a monthly alergy shot or he will pull out all his hair. He's a gorgeous cat, plus I hate to see him uncomfortable, so he gets packed up and we take him. While Lydia is sympathetic to his plight she knows he's off to get a shot and she's just glad it's not her. :-)

One Dog Policy

Chinese Hide Dogs to Escape Crackdown

By AUDRA ANG, AP

BEIJING (Nov. 16) - Elaine Loke is shutting down her dog boutique and will spirit her golden retrievers Hippy and Bally out of Beijing to escape the city's sweeping anti-rabies campaign.

Dog owners like Loke have been scrambling to hide their pets in the face of a new crackdown which allows only one dog per household and bans breeds taller than 14 inches. Fears have been fueled by graphic Internet pictures and witnesses who say police are beating to death strays and dogs that run afoul of regulations.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Loke, 33, who keeps the curtains in her first-floor apartment drawn to ward off prying neighbors and walks her dogs in an underground parking lot. "It's so stressful. In the morning, I hear dogs barking and people talking outside my home and I think the police are coming."

The pressure is so bad that Loke is returning to her native Hong Kong and closing a business she has had for two years.

In China, dogs have long been seen as a source of meat as much as companionship. But the current crackdown has touched a nerve in the rapidly modernizing capital, especially among its burgeoning middle class.

"What kind of rules are these? I don't expect everybody to love animals. But I do want to have my rights to keep pets," said Clare Xiao, an account manager at an advertising company. She sent her larger Brittany to a kennel run by a friend and kept her Pekinese, a stray she found on the street.

"What the government is doing is just disappointing, cold and emotionless," said Xiao.

Many of the prohibitions have been on the books since 2003, but only sporadically enforced. The city of 13 million people has 1 million dogs, half of them unregistered, according to state media.

A sharp increase in rabies cases nationwide has prompted the renewed vigilance. Only 3 percent of China's dogs are vaccinated against rabies and the disease is nearly always fatal in humans once symptoms develop, though it can be warded off by a series of expensive and painful injections.

Officials have extended the 2003 rules to cover not only Beijing's center but some outlying areas. The clampdown, announced Nov. 6, gave owners until Thursday to comply or the dogs would be seized and the owners fined.

One owner Zhu Qiao has moved three times since 2001 to find areas where her black-and-white dog, Gou Gou, could be raised safely and within the law.

"He's part of my life, he's my friend and family," said Zhu, 30, a television producer. "If you want to impose a law, you have to get the opinion of dog owners and experts. You can't just take them away."

"I can't move again. There's no option but to hide him and if he gets taken, I'll go with him."

Another owner had his Labrador retriever taken away Wednesday because she was too big.

"She is a very amicable dog. She never barked," said the owner, a businessman who would give only his surname Yang. "If they don't allow me to raise her here, I will find another place. I will get her back."

Witness accounts and photos on the Internet have shown dogs being captured in nets and pummeled with wooden and metal sticks. But authorities have vowed to carry out a "strict but civilized" campaign that police hoped would not anger dog owners, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

"I have never heard of dogs being culled after they were caught by police. Dogs are a man's best friend and we treat them as friends, even when we have to lock them up for the sake of public security," Xinhua quoted a Ministry of Public Security official, Bao Suixian, as saying.

Many owners have sent their dogs to kennels outside the city. Some are handing them over to friends and family.

Joyce Wang gave one of her dogs to her sister and is keeping Ding Ding, her fox terrier, close by her side. She said she had heard that the government was offering $25 to people who reported on rule-breaking dog owners.

"I'm scared and worried. Now I don't take him outside during the day," Wang said. "Even in the evening, we will take a detour if we see people in the compound we live in."

11/15/06 13:35 EST

The way she says what she says

Lydia says a lot more than this, but not consistantly. These are the words we hear on a regular basis. She is just beginning to link. MamaWork. Bye Dada etc. But that's still unusual. She's definately understanding a lot more too.

Leap—Sleep

Ticker orTictic—Stickers

Coe—Clothes

Lildia—Lydia

Bop—Doodlebops

Coa—Coat

Rotten—Roxanne (our cat)

Jackhon—Jackson(our cat)

Osh—Oz (our cat)

Bahl—Ball

Diedier—Diaper

Iggles—Wiggles

Beebe—Baby

Tubbies—TellyTubbies

Toat—Toast

Bat—Bath

Up—Up

Dahwn—Down

Cahr—Car

Too Too—Toot Toot

Wurk—Work

Boddle—Bottle

Mama—Mama

DaDa—Dada

Beep—Beep

Nack—Snack

Upen—Open

Marnah—Barney

Caht—Cat

Noh—No

Mine—Mine

Stoor—Store

Fant—Elephant

Burd—Bird

CooCoo—Cookie and/or Cracker (She thinks crackers are just slightly salty cookies)

Dink—Drink

Seet—Sit

Tuck—Truck

Pahjah-Pajamas

Beel—Tinkerbell

Behr—Bear

Woewoe—Blanket

Buhny—Bunny

Bie—Bye

Buublle—Bubbles

Buhk—Book

Wawa—Water

Lit—Light

Ma—Grandma

Pa—Grandpa

Moe—More

Haht—Hat

Side—Slide

Wet—Wet

Clou—Cloud

Wain—Rain

Pahdon—Pardon

Weady—Ready

Cuup—Cup

Dink—Drink

Ood—Food

Hoem—Home

Air—Hair

Huug—Hug

Eet—Eat

Wed—Red

Snoopy Girl

Christmas Preview

I hate to be the bearer of bad news...

...but putting on your stockings doesn't get any easier as you get older either. (Though I do advise removing your pants next time.)

Crybaby

I love this picture. It was a total accident. I didn't have the video camera handy and Lydia was throwing a hissy. (You know...the nothing's really wrong, but I didn't get my way and I'm two kinda thing.) Anyway...she was having her hissy and it was particularly melodramatic so I grabbed the camera to film and accidentally hit the wrong button. What occured was this expressionistic picture of a world in torment with a Lydia's pained expression as the focal point. I share this with you as "crybaby" is Donna's weekly challenge at Double Happiness .

BTW: Here's Lydia post cry a little happier with my boxing giraffe pen from the zoo. (Just to let you know it's not all about pain and torment here. )

A day at the theater

Russell and I hosted the first of our Chinese film series we began and hope to continue with our local FCC. We decided to show the film The Road Home, a beautiful atmospheric film about love at the student center theater. A genuine movie theater, the venue holds over 300 people and has a large screen with a remarkable sound system. We had a good time watching the movie and Lydia was really well behaved. She sat and watched it at first in the theater with me and then later in the booth with her daddy after her diaper change. The real fun though was before the film. We got there early as we weren't sure how long it would take to set up--so it afforded us a lot of family fun time!

We ate lunch before we set up.

After we set up, Daddy and Lydia ran downstairs to wave up to mama (me)!

After a bunch of twirling and falling down. (Lydia loves to make herself dizzy.) Mama and Lydia played "monster".

Before the film started we calmed down by playing with our reflection in the windows of the student center where the theatre I rented is located.

Over 35 years ago

Over 35 years ago my grandma made me a present which Lydia now wears. It is a poncho she crocheted by hand. I'm not exactly sure when she made it, not exactly sure when I received it, I just remember having it and wearing it and knowing it came from a woman who I didn't see very often--but who loved me very much. Lydia never met my grandma, her great grandma, but if she had she would have met a woman who loved butter and who liked to make crafts and cook. A woman who was extremely generous and who I am sure, though she left this plane many years ago, loves her very much, even though they've never met at all.

I swear!

We really do tuck her in properly at night...but in the morning we come in to any number of variety of poses and Albert Einstein hair!

Shades

Donna of Double Happiness fame choose for our weekly blog challenge topic: babies in glasses. Lydia while not a fan of hats is a big glasses fan, so it was hard to pick only one...so I didn't!

Hope ya enjoy!