Oodles of Poodles

We have some new neighbors next door. Some of you may have heard the story about our former neighbor. He was a single guy in his mid-20's. During the summer of 2006, he went missing and there were fliers posted up all over the neighborhood. We found out from his parents that they had tried to perform an intervention (for what, we do not know) and he escaped. And then they couldn't find him. Anyway, I do think I saw him a few weeks later so apparently he was found or reappeared but I never saw him again after that and the place has sat empty since then. We've rather enjoyed having nobody living there. So a few days ago, in drives a U-haul and someone in a Yankees hat starts unloading it. Not a good omen. Then we see a van that has the sign "Hire an Angel" cleaning service on one side and the sign "Doodles Poodles" poodle breeding on the other. Late yesterday, two poodles appeared on the back porch. This morning there were three poodles. By the afternoon, there were six. They were multiplying right before my very eyes. If there are twelve tomorrow, we're in trouble. I was hoping that someone was there cleaning and happened to bring their poodles but I'm getting the impression that they are permanent residents. The poodles seem to spend much of their time on the porch. So far, they haven't caused too much ruckus except when someone walks by or when someone takes a picture like I did. I was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible - - I have no idea why because I'm sure there is no crime in taking a picture of a gaggle of Poodles. Is that what you would call a group of Poodles? It seems fitting somehow. If they are still there tomorrow, I think we should be a good neighbor and introduce ourselves. By the way, can you spot all 6 Poodles in the picture above?

Yesterday Aunt Toni came down from Leesburg and she, Kelly, Calleigh, and I went to Sun Key Apartments to check it out on Shannon's behalf. I once lived at Sun Key many moons ago. It's a couple of miles from where we live now. They have done some very nice upgrades to the inside but the outside is pretty ugly. Also, it's really hard for me to get past the mice infestation in my apartment there. When we moved out the sectional, mice droppings came out the back of it by the bucketful. I'm sure that was just a one time thing, right?? There is another place, Newport Colony, where Duncan lived before we got married that is also an option. The fixtures inside are a little older although still nice and the landscaping is bar none. So the big question is - - would you rather live in a place with an unattractive outside that in a more crowded community but the inside has the latest gizmos (stainless steel appliances, free washer & dryer) or a place with older appliances, no free washer & dryer but has a lots of open green grass, a nice lake with a walking track around it, and is less crowded? That is the question.

Calleigh has done some more standing up on her own. Most notably, I had her in her pack and play (formerly known as a playpen) yesterday while I was taking a shower. When I got out, she was standing up with two little cups in her hands. She wasn't holding or leaning on anything. She quickly fell to the floor but I have no idea how long she was just standing there before I got out. It was all very nonchalant. This afternoon Duncan had her standing again while he offered her a toy just out of reach.

Another thing that she is doing a lot of lately is pointing. This morning Duncan took her outside while the dogs went to the bathroom and she spotted a bird across the street (even before Duncan did). She started pointing to it and said something that began with a "b" and was quite possibly her version of the word "bird." She points at a lot of things and says stuff to me that I, of course, have no idea what it means. But someday I will!

She likes to play with her nubby too. This is the name of a new design of sippy cup. She does actually drink out of it occasionally (which usually consists of taking too big of a sip and she ends up sputtering) but mainly she just likes to bite it and carry it around in her mouth as she crawls from place to place. Naturally, it falls out and she has to stop and put it back in. While she was in the kitchen with it, the top must have gotten loose from her playing with it and a bunch of the water came out. She couldn't figure out what happened but then she ended up happily playing with the water that spilled on the rug. Incidentally, I refuse to put anything in the nubby except breast milk or water. My children will not have juice. Juice is a bunch of extra calories that make kids fat. We did not have juice as kids and look at how the three of us turned out!!