MoseleyWorld

We recently made my annual pilgrimage to the State Fair of Texas, this time as a family of four. Regarding the State Fair of Texas, did you know:

• The State Fair was first held at its current location in Dallas in 1886.
• The Texas-OU football game has been played annually, since 1929, at the Cotton Bowl, which is in the middle of Fair Park.
• The ubiquitous corny dog was invented by the Fletcher brothers and popularized at the State Fair of Texas.
• Speaking of fried foods, the State Fair of Texas is where you can get almost anything deep fried or chicken-fried. Chicken-fried bacon, fried banana split, deep-fried s’mores (Ok, these were good), Texas fried jelly belly beans, fried chocolate truffles are just a few of the new foods offered at the State Fair this year.
• The Texas Star located at Fair Park is the largest Ferris wheel in North America.
• Fair Park was first choice of the Dallas Cowboys for their new stadium until former Mayor Laura Miller ran them off (in less than 48 hours - she’s got skills).
• Saxon made her 2nd visit to the Fair on the same day Samantha made her 1st.

Here are some photographs from our visit.

watching the dancing with dogs show

samantha awake, looking for the dogs (actually watching her sister)
running around proved to be much more fun than watching the dogs dance
performing

here’s one of those world-famous Fletcher’s corn dogs.
One word: yummy
mangy corn dog?
at the young farmer’s exhibit, staffed by FFA (that’s Future Farmer’s of America for you urbanites)
stopping for corn (which, of course, feeds everything at the farm)
planting her onion “seed”
cow milking - saxon told the gal she knew all about this because she sees it at home all the time.

saxon’s favorite activity was the petting zoo, where she got to feed everything from baby goats to giraffes. the ostriches and emus were true-to-form with their stares and freaky snakelike neck movements. yikes.

I’ve had more than a handful of requests for photographs of Samantha. I was finally able to catch her at a time when she was wide awake and it was also daylight. Quite unusual, actually, since lately she likes to sleep all day long.

and a couple of big sister, Saxon, holding Samantha

and here’s a photograph Saxon took the other day, abstract, modern art type of photograph

OK, a little catching up here. I cannot imagine what’s been keeping me too busy to blog. And, yes, I’ll have more photographs of Samantha, just as soon as the baby’s mama brings the family back home from their (lengthy) trip to Kansas.

Last month, when I told Saxon it was time to pick up Mommy and Samantha at the hospital, she replied with excitement, “Oh Great!” and said “Sure nuff” when I asked if she was ready to go. During the ride to the hospital, Saxon said:

• “Saxon is going to help Mommy with baby.”
• “I want to hold baby sister. I want to kiss Samantha.”
• “I want to tell Samantha ‘A, B, C, D, E, F, G….(continued all the way to Z and “now I know my ABCs”)

Saxon could barely contain her excitement as we walked to the hospital room. Once inside, she couldn’t stop fawning over her baby sister.

• “Samantha is so nice.” [upon opening the present Samantha “gave” to Saxon]
• “Awwww, ‘Mantha is soooo…cute.”
• “Baby is so little.”
• “Awww…Samantha is so snuggly.”
• with wide eyes, “Baby is moving! Baby moves!”

Saxon says “baby’s moving” a lot these days, usually right after she’s waked Samantha up from a deep slumber. But seriously, Saxon has been the model big sister. I’ll give Carey lots of credit for preparing Saxon by reading lots of big sister books and having lots of discussion.

Although Saxon refused a pacifier at any and all offerings by spitting it out and giving us a “hey, fool, there ain’t no milk in that thing” look, she has decided that pacifiers are hip & cool these days. So is sitting in the infant car seat, being swaddled and put in the moses basket like a baby and crying like a baby. On the return trip from the hospital, Saxon already had a perfect mimic of Samantha crying nailed, but much quieter, thank goodness.

Here at MoseleyWorld, we work hard to eschew boring you with the minutiae of our daily lives. I really thought some of the hilarious stories told by fellow dad blogger Metrodad were slightly embellished for entertainment purposes. Well, the commentary and antics of two-year-old Saxon dispelled any uncertainties about kids saying and doing crazy things.

Poo poo in my nose
Like many male homo sapiens, for years the morning trip to the loo provided a chance to do so much more than simply unload dinner. A sanctuary. A private reading room. A place where no one bothered you and no one was the least bit interested in joining you, well, that is, other than two year olds who can open doors. The other morning, Saxon flung open the door saying, "Hi dad," and proceeded to sit down on her little toilet, not bothering to take off her diaper. After about 30 seconds, I noticed her nose in the air doing an all-out sniff. Catching me looking at her, she looked at me with her nose still slightly tilted, gave another huge sniff and said, "daddy, I got poo poo in my nose."

Although I told Saxon it was just the smell of poo poo [and yes, yours stinks too], she wasn’t satisfied until she stole 1/2 a roll of toilet paper and blew her nose.

saxon loves big people’s shoes

looking hip in dad’s shoes and hat

the scene just outside cabana 37

now ready for her closeup

Dancing Ballet
Saxon really, really likes ballet. Anyone she sees dancing is "dancing ballet." The day before Carey and Samantha came home from the hospital, Saxon was feeling a bit moody and I was very sleep-deprived and a bit desperate to stop the whining, I twirled in a circle and said, "What’s dad doing?"

Instead of smiling, saying "Dad’s dancing ballet" and joining me as she usually does, Saxon said, "no, dad. no. don’t dance ballet there. dance ballet here," motioning me over, closer to her. Saxon told me, "wait, dad. wait. just wait a minute," and began searching frantically around the room, looking high and low. Just before she headed into our bedroom, Saxon reminded me, "just wait, Dad. No ballet."

Almost immediately, Saxon comes flying back with some toilet paper, folding the squares over several times. After carefully tucking the tissue under the hem of my shorts, making sure a couple of inches were sticking out, Saxon said, "OK dad. Now dance ballet with a tutu ."

Couldn’t do anything other than smile.  And, of course, dance ballet, with a tutu.

Samantha update : At her two-week checkup today, Samantha weighed in at just a under nine pounds, more than her birth weight of 8 lbs, 6.7 ounces.  Mom=very happy.

Not a whole lot of time here for pithy commentary, but thought I would share some photographs taken in the first 48 hours of Samantha’s life.

drip drip drip

don’t worry, it’s a tiny needle

Healthy Baby Girl

Just Hatched

Little Feet

Carey with 10 minute old Samantha

The next day - first visitors

Yaya Moseley

Gran Moseley

Proud Dad

Samantha gave Saxon a present, to which Saxon commented, “Baby Sister is so nice!”

Saxon hanging out in the hospital bed, prior to discovering all the fun buttons (i.e. Call Nurse) to push.

carey’s “celebration dinner” - not your typical hospital food. I had steak & lobster instead of chicken.