Go Bananas!

This shirt was given to Edwin from Madeline...PERFECT!

WEEK IN REVIEW__with lots of pictures

Monday was Madeline's official birthday. When asked what she wanted for her special birthday meal, she answered a hamburger. So we asked again , b/c who wants a hamburger? OH and it meant from McDonald's. She then said tacos for which we had conveniently bought the supplies . I was so expecting Salsita's ...her "favorite" restaurant.

That night we whipped up some cupcakes that she could take to preschool on Tuesday. Madeline was in charge of the sprinkles. I am happy to report that 90% of them made it onto the icing (5% floor and 5% mouth). She got that fancy hat in the picture during her class and she continued to wear it proudly until bedtime.

Meredith just thought it was wonderful to have all these desserts for the last few days. She preferred the chocolate icing cupcakes. Hmmm...does she have my taste or what?!?

We had chinese food tonight. Yes, the girls eat chinese. There isn't much they would turn their noses up to. Anyways, these are the fortunes that Matt and I received. Only you can decide what is important to you--this was mine. Matt's was : Be magnanimous , be trustful, be hopeful, and be patient. Hmm....sounds like Matt's is more of a word of advice and for the perfect recipient :) I am not sure how to take mine...I was kind of hoping to have received Meredith's, "you will meet someone who will help to make your profession a success". Darn! She is so lucky...

Winter Excitement

Newport gets snow, ice, then more snow.  The result looks something like this:

No worries, that tree was slated for removal this spring...this just speeds up the process.  And yes, that's our Escape in the backgound. What gives with trees falling dangerously close to our cars anyway?

beauty in the eye of the beholder

• snow before it's walked on or driven through
• baby toes, fingers, ears, cheeks, nose...
• sunrise/sunset
• toys all put away - a clean living room
• a mailbox with no bills in it
• dave singing to edwin
• grandmas and grandpas
• family
• a made bed
• the last 60 secs of a workout
• babysitters
• dinner cooking in the crockpot
• weddings
• cash
• homemade cards
• surprises

I'm sure there are more regular things that I think are beautiful...but these were a few that quickly came to mind for today...

WEEK IN REVIEW (plus 2 days)

I decided to hold off on the post until after yesterday's big party for Madeline. She is 4!!! Time sure does fly. Of course, Matt informed her that wasn't her "real" birthday yesterday to which Madeline responded, "that was my fake birthday?". HA!

Anyways, this week completed the basement remodeling. Tuesday we had the furniture delivered. Thursday we had the cable hooked up. Friday we had the Geek Squad come over to hang the new TV. Matt is one happy camper...all ready for the Super Bowl game. Woo hoo!!! I am happy that I don't have to deal with these men coming in and out of my house. (especially when they ask, 'IS MATT GOING TO BE HOME AT ALL TODAY, OR CAN YOU LEARN HOW TO USE THESE REMOTES'...Yeah, I think I can handle a remote for Pete's sake, I only have 8 years of college education under my belt!!)

Madeline had another swim lesson on Friday and can hold her face under water for 10 seconds. She is so proud! But why can't these children make it through their 45 minute lesson without a potty break?!? Do you know how hard it is to remove a wet swimsuit over water wings which will not budge! Man!

Back to the party. Madeline celebrated her 4th birthday on Saturday in DORA the explorer style. Lucky for us, Mindy and I found all the Dora stuff to be 50% off...yay! Because of the mistake with getting white cake instead of banana cake at Meredith's birthday, I once again ordered banana cake. I asked for verification and the bakery showed me the receipt and offered a fork for me to see myself. I was too embarrassed to use the fork, but once in the car, I put my finger through the one inch icing to make sure. And it was fantastic and well worth the wait. Madeline was thrilled to play with her cousins and see her family. I am happy to have somewhere to put all the new toys.

I have uploaded my pictures to both snapfish and to my picasa web album.

parking ticket and other misc updates from Mindy Ross

Parking Tickets:
yep, I got one...$25 big ones...and the icing on the cake - I was parked outside of my old office - meeting my ex-coworker for lunch...doesn't that bite the big one?

Overflow $$:
after taking dave to dinner and giving him a few dollars for a 6 pack of beer (which he will enjoy during our thursday night boggle match), my current overflow envelope stands at $72...not bad...

Home Phone:
doesn't work...don't know why...will try to fix it next week?

Weight:
15 lbs from my prepregnancy weight...YAHOO!!!!

Edwin:
gets cuter and cuter - but that isn't really an update, is it?

Super Bowl Patience

Kids these days and their instant gratification...

You know how long I had to wait for my first Steeler Super Bowl appearance? All the way from 3/11/1979 to 1/20/1980...a whole 315 days!  (I was such a patient kid.)

Edwin on the other hand, well, it'll be from 6/12/2008 to 2/1/2009...only 234 days, 81 days less than his dad.

Just look how smug he looks...

...just casually playing with his toys as he basks in the glory of another win over the hated Ravens.

Easy there, little guy, the Steelers gave me a win with that first appearance. You still need one more win to beat that!

Priorities

Darn. I should've grabbed 2 quarters from the center console.

That's what I was thinking walking out of the sandwich place this evening. My order cost $9.49, and I was wishing I had had that 50 cents because I have this weird thing (probably inherited from my dad) where I feel like I'm not spending money that I find in the form of coins in my pocket, ash tray, desk, etc. (I think my dad's thing went a little further though...I swear nothing excited him more than handing a store clerk 3 quarters, a dime, a nickel and 3 pennies to make exact change.)

It's precisely at this point when I start thinking about the priorities I've chosen for my life. Well, not just me, but both Mindy and me...we've chosen these priorities.

I mean, 50 cents? C'mon.

The reason our order was only $9.49 was because we opted to split a giant to save money compared to getting 1 regular and 1 mini. And we didn't just split it...we got it without cheese or mustard so we could save 1/4 of it for Mindy's lunch tomorrow. It keeps better in the fridge without mustard and cheese, and besides, we could use our own.

Taking a step back, the only reason we were even getting takeout in the first place (on this last day of my 3-day weekend) was because we'd been working around the house all day and done so good on spending this weekend ($34 under weekend budget...don't even ask how small said budget was to begin with) that we figured we were due for a treat.

Mindy and Dave circa 2007 would probably have been thinking "weekend budget...come again?" Sure we'd make a budget. Then our weekend would roughly consist of Friday happy hour then causal dinner out, Saturday takeout for lunch then dinner/drinks at "someplace nice", Sunday brunch and takeout for dinner. We'd probably discuss watching expenses a little more closely while in our car on the drive to our offices on Monday morning.

Well now that drive is to an office not offices. And that drive is more accurately described as a ride...on a bus not in a car. But this all for a valid reason: that little guy sleeping in the room next to ours.

Back to those priorities I referenced...it's amazing how someone without the ability to speak has the innate ability to so clearly articulate what your priorities should be. I'm not even sure what they all are, but for now, I know spending money on dining out is not one of them.

Speaking of Listerine!

Since Dave brought it up, I am awaiting a flood of questions from patients on Monday regarding the Listerine study from Australia claiming the risk of oral cancer increases with Listerine use. It is based on its alcohol content and how it affects the soft tissue in your mouth. This is only one study, so there is no direct evidence to warrant Listerine to be taken off the shelves and to become prescription only. In many instances , researchers have linked Listerine to a lowering of cancers among other benefits. So, until the ADA comes out with a statement on Listerine's negative effects, I will continue to support its use. On a personal note, I prefer Crest ProHealth's taste and lack of burning. ;)

Listerine

Being a diligent Listerine user for years, I couldn't help but notice the claim its been pushing on its label recently: "24 Hour Protection".

Upon further inspection that bold claim is followed by a couple caveats: "2x a day" and "Use Every 12 Hours". Isn't this, precisely, the definition of 12 hour protection? That's like me saying a can bench press 400 lbs. by putting up 200 lbs.* twice.

This inspired us here at The Ross Experience to restate some famous records Listerine-style:

• World's Tallest Building - Petronas Towers, 903.8 ft (if you put the two 451.9 towers together)
• Fastest Marathon - Usain Bolt, 1:07:51.82 (if you take his fastest 200 meter speed 211 times)
• Longest Consecutive Game Hit Streak in Major League Baseball - Pete Rose, 4,256 (if you combine all 2,316 of his hit streaks)

* It's highly doubtful that I can even bench press 200 lbs...this figure was provided merely for the sake of argument.

Friday Night

Another Ross Experience Haiku...this time with visual aids!

Mom, dad, kid stay in

Eggs, decaf, Huey Lewis

You know, just the norm

WEEK IN REVIEW

I don't know about you ,but I am thrilled that American Idol has returned!! I have been glued to the TV for 2 nights. I haven't found my Clay or David Archuleta yet, but I am sure that he is right around the corner. I am hopeful that Jason Castro's brother will bring something interesting to the competition.

Last night we bought a sectional couch to squeeze into our basement. Now we will have somewhere to relax when watching the non-existent TV we were consulted about today. The Rosses of KY get rid of their TV and the Rosses of Canfield add another :) My name is Melinda and I'm a TV addict.

Today, Madeline had her first swimming lesson at her school. The pool area is literally 90 degrees in there. It is below zero outside, so by the time I walk in the room, my glasses are completely fogged over. I literally can't see anything. I feel like an idiot, b/c I can't walk, I can't see where I am supposed to be going (esp when trying to avoid the water), and I end up standing still until my glasses warm up. How embarrassing!

I ordered Madeline's birthday cake today. For those of you who came to Meredith's party and were promised banana cake and got boring WHITE cake instead, I have ordered banana AGAIN. I warned them to get it right this time. Keep your fingers crossed.

Here are a few photos from our "art" session for the day. We had taken plaster impressions of their hands last week. I decided that we needed to spruce them up a bit with paint, markers, water colors, etc. Here's how they did!

Living Like No One Else

A few months ago we moved our tv out of the living room. Today we got a home phone and decreased our cell phone minutes. Soon we will disable cable...

I keep the following quote in the back of my mind:

"IF YOU'LL LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE...LATER YOU CAN LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!" (Dave Ramsey)

The Rosses of KY are doing their best and I'm proud of us!

Edwin's 7 Month Birthday - Jan 12

Today Edwin celebrated his 7-month birthday by taking his first bath in his duck tub (thanks Treva!!!). He loved it! He was splashing all around and laughing so much...it is times like this I wish we had a video camera. His laugh is contagious...just like I like to think mine is...as he gets older, he just gets more and more fun! Enjoy the pics...

New Clothes for Days...

Edwin has more new clothes than I ever thought possible...Santa was VERY THANKFUL that all of our relatives were so generous to Edwin for this 1st Christmas!!!

This is one of my new outfits and look at our other Jan pics.

Pittsburgh

Great win by the Steelers today. Hate to have to beat the Ravens 3 times in 1 season, but we'll see...

Nice Freakonomics post that references Post-Gazette article on the Steelers games' market penetration of Pittsburgh TV viewers. Fascinating.

The post also includes links to a few other New York Times articles about Pittsburgh, one on the transition of its economy and another ode to D-coordinator Dick Lebeau. Not sure what the rush on Pittsburgh stories in that newspaper is, but nice reads nonetheless.

P.S.: Wanted to pick-up some Western PA beer to enjoy during the game today, and the only thing offered by One Stop was Rolling Rock, which apparently is brewed in St. Louis these days. Anyway, not wanting to get all bloated the day before a busy work week, I opted for Rock Light. Any verification this stuff's got alcohol in it? Pretty sure it wasn't in the N/A section...

P.P.S.: Anyone else rooting for Pittsburgh West in the NFC next week? The Cards are led by former Steelers O-coordinator + former Pitt Panther stud WR

11 Years

11 years ago (Jan 11, 1998), while watching CandyMan in the dorms, Dave asked me to be his girlfriend...

and the rest is history!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DAVE!!!

Love you...

Mindy

Quick movie review

Just saw Gran Torino. Excellent.

Pandas

Beijing panda bites third tourist

Finally, my distrust of pandas, once considered irrational, has been justified:

A panda at the Beijing Zoo has bitten a tourist for the third time in two years, causing leg injuries.

Gu Gu the panda had to have his jaws forced open to free the man, who had jumped in to retrieve his son's toy...

Mr Zhang Jiao of central Anhui province suffered to damage major ligaments and is recovering from surgery.

I've warned Mindy to avoid the pandas on our neighborhood walks...maybe now she'll listen!

WEEK IN REVIEW

It is Friday. I can't believe I actually made it to Friday. My family has been stricken with the nastiest version of viral gastroenteritis (self diagnosed of course, I am a dentist and all.HAHA). Meredith started the puking every 10 minutes thing Sunday. From that point on, all of us...yes all FOUR of us...have been greener than green. Try taking care of sick babies when they themselves are nauseating you. We looked pathetic.











So as far as Week In Review...our basement is finally done! After weeks and weeks of "Bob the Builder" being here (he's actually Bob) and Meredith constantly calling out BOB, BOB, BOB, and Matt and I singing the theme song, we finally got the carpet placed. Now we have a place to throw the toys, and we can have a grown up space again. Hooray! Maybe our life will return to a normal routine again.

Other than that, Matt has been obsessed with searching for TV/Entertainment packages out there to complete his basement heaven. So, for all those out there with experience or an opinion, please provide your thoughts. Plasma/LCD? Brand? Etc. He is like a kid in a candy store. "Researching" has never been so much fun!
We also became the owner of a Garmin ! Matt "tested" it out yesterday by driving to Best Buy, then to a Game Store, and then to Papa John's (which by the way was a major mistake, but I won't go there). He liked being told where to turn; gee , he didn't like it coming from me!
So that about wraps this week up and GOODBYE to this terrible week!!!!!!!!

Poor Puppy

Dave walks Sedona every morning...but beyond that and the normal trips out to go to the bathroom - Sedona has been lacking attention since Edwin's arrival - who am I kidding...probably since we found out we were pregnant...

So, I haven't played fetch with her in probably a year or more...her toys have been within reach in a basket in the living room, but she hasn't even bothered to try...UNTIL TODAY...

I was using the computer and singing to Edwin when I heard Sedona rooting around...I look over and she is pulling her basket of toys out...if you know Sedona, you know that this is a big deal. The basket was under the table. It must have taken her 15 minutes to get the basket out...and then the next task - get a toy out...

Once she managed to grab a ball, she brought it over and dropped it in my lap.

I think she's finally fed up with all of the play time Edwin was been getting...

I threw it for her a couple times and she took it to Edwin and tried to push it into his hands...obviously that failed - so she took it and put it on his playmat...now she is laying with her head on his playmat...waiting for me to make a move and start playing with her (or Edwin) again...

TOO CUTE...Sorry Sedona...

I can't wait for Edwin to get big enough to play with her...

Countdown to 5 Year Anniversary

How Old is Edwin Today?

Public Service

3 blogs I'm hooked on right now that may appeal to some of you:

1. Brazen Careerist - Penelope Trunk's blog with the tag line: "Advice at the intersection of work and life". It's billed as a career blog, but her personal stories are even better than the work stuff.
2. Zen Habits - Leo Babauta's personal productivity blog with a focus on simplicity. Reading his posts don't inspire "oh, I should try that someday", but rather "I'm doing this today."
3. Maverecon - Willem Buiter's econ blog that appears in FT.com. Do not read if you're in need of cheering up, but it's nice to have a voice of reason in which to turn during these trying fiscal policy times.

James Harrison

Congratulations, to Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker (and Northeast Ohio product: Akron-born, Kent State-educated) James Harrison, who today was named NFL 2008 Defensive Player of the Year by the AP.



Check out my favorite highlight of his here, a hit and forced fumble on Ed Reed during the 38-7 dismantling of the Ravens at Heinz Field back in '07 (a game I attended).

More on the Teeth

Mystified by the strange, white objects protruding from his lower gums, Edwin checks the web for some answers:

Come to find out, his godmother is an expert.  Tell me more, Aunt Melinda...

Breaking News (Literally)

Edwin's 2nd tooth has broken through!!!!

Now he has 2 on the bottom...more to come...

The Spam Experience

OK, it looks like we've finally encountered dreaded comment spam here at The Ross Experience. You may notice vague comments recently from random "people". We'd recommend not clicking on the links as they're just other websites trying to generate traffic.

Today, we re-established word verification when posting comments, sort of like when you purchase event tickets online. We realize it's annoying trying to interpret what looks like a 4-year old writing non-words like RUEGFLRG or AFGUYD left-handed, but it's the lesser evil compared to spam.

If this doesn't solve the problem, we will be forced to take the Draconian step of only allowing comments from people with Google IDs. But, hey, it's 2009, and if you're not using some sort of Google app yet, you're probably not commenting on blogs anyway.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Happy commenting!

OK, second post of the day. I swear only on Fridays!

Ok, I want to start out I couldn't resist, and Mindy said that this was blogworthy!

Seriously, I think Dave has another brother out there! Matt and I watched the whole Comedy Central presents show amazed at how similar Dave and Nick Swardson are. Mannerisms included! Attire as well. Whoah. Seriously! Here is the link to the special we were watching. http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=80290&title=nick-swardson-booze

Now come on, there is a strong resemblance here. Right?!?

My FIRST Post

Hello!!! Thanks for inviting me to the blog, Rosses of KY. I agree that I can definitely contribute a more girly perspective to the posts...you know me, Madeline, and Meredith all have interesting things to say.

I have decided that I will be making a weekly post, WEEK IN REVIEW, on every Friday. If something desperately newsworthy occurs, I will be sure to post sooner. So here we go....

Madeline and Meredith were more than thrilled with Christmas and Santa. Madeline even sat on Santa's lap at school. If you know me, I wouldn't do this as a kid, and definitely would not do this now. I am anti-costumed people!!!! (which means I am dreading a Disney trip :) ).

Matt received the best gift from Madeline (she shopped at Santa's workshop). A FISHING LURE!!! Well, it took everyone by surprise. Matt is sooooo not an outdoor sportsman. We all gasped for air amidst the laughter. By laughter I mean , tears pouring out our eyes. Matt the videographer didn't catch his own gift opening on tape. Darn! I did get this picture though.

During many of the family gatherings , we decided to bust out the Rock Band. Dave is our favorite singer...which I think he enjoys as well. Anytime Madeline or Meredith hear LUMP on the radio, they say 'DAVE'. Madeline even joined in by singing Livin' on a Prayer, why this song? Well, she can say wooooOOOO. I think the general consensus is Matt should stick with the guitar.

Madeline has yet to sleep in her own bed since Christmas. This is due to her most prized princess cot/sleeping bag combo from Nanny Karen. She just loves it!!!

Now that this week is nearing an end, I am dreading returning to work on Monday. Yes, Matt constantly jokes that I start to pout several days before returning to work. Who wouldn't when you are greeted with , "I hate the dentist...no offense", and it is obvious you also hate the toothbrush since your teeth have a nice coat of fur on them. NOT JOKING!

See you next Friday!

Year In Review

Dave and I spent 5 minutes coming up with this VERY QUICK and SHORT list of 2008 events. Obviously, this was a major year in our lives and we are sure we've forgotten some things...but here are the things that stick out in our mind! ENJOY!!!

JANUARY

• Set up treadmill
• Celebrated 10 year anniversary - Dave asked Mindy to be his girlfriend on Jan 11, 1998
• Madeline's 3-year birthday party

FEBRUARY

• Mindy turns 29
• Prepared upstairs for Baby Ross arrival (thanks to Grandpa Randy & Dave)
• Annual trip to Tucson for Gem & Mineral Show
• Bought new car - Ford Escape

MARCH

• Dave turns 29
• Mindy & Dave spend a weekend in Indianapolis
• Baby Shower in Canfield, OH
• Mindy attends breastfeeding seminar

APRIL

• Mindy & Dave attend birthing seminar

MAY

• Krista & Richard Athey Wedding
• Mindy & Dave tour St. Luke in preparation for Baby Ross arrival
• Pregnancy Photo Shoot w. Shannon Schumacher
• Mindy's 1st Mother's Day
• Grandma-to-be Ross, Uncle-to-be Matt, Aunt-to-be Melinda, Cousins-to-be Madeline and Meredith visit Newport, KY
• Baby Shower in Cincinnati, OH
• LOTS of doctor appointments
• TheRossExperience Blog is born

JUNE

• Jamie & Charlie Ferguson-Turner Wedding
• Edwin Randall Ross is born!
• Mindy starts maternity leave
• Grandma Ross visits Newport to help with Edwin
• Uncle Matt, Aunt Melinda, and Cousins Madeline and Meredith visit Newport, KY to meet Edwin

JULY

• Mindy continues maternity leave
• Mindy & Dave go on post-baby date...thanks to Aunt Jessica for babysitting

AUGUST

• Mindy continues maternity leave
• Edwin's Baptism - lots of family and friends visit Newport, KY
• Goettafest
• Mindy & Dave go to Bengals pre-season game

SEPTEMBER

• Mindy, Dave, and Edwin travel to Canfield for a "meet Edwin" Labor Day cookout at Uncle Matt and Aunt Melinda's house
• Mindy returns to work - Dave stays home to watch him for first week
• Edwin starts school
• Grandma Nikki hosts a "meet Edwin" party
• Windstorm in Newport, KY
• Marietta vs. Wilmington football game to watch Marty play

OCTOBER

• Mindy & Dave celebrate 4-year wedding anniversary
• Mindy, Dave, and Edwin travel to Canfield
• Edwin's first Halloween

NOVEMBER

• Mindy got laid off...
• Edwin's first Thanksgiving (in Pittsburgh)

DECEMBER

• Mindy still had no job...
• Mindy stopped breastfeeding
• Mindy & Edwin travel to Tucson, AZ
• Edwin eats veggies for the first time (squash)
• Edwin's first Christmas (in Newport, Pittsburgh, and Canfield)
• Edwin gets first tooth
• Meredith's 2-year birthday
• Mindy & Dave celebrate New Year's Eve with friends and dinner by Tony Marsh - special thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy for watching Edwin

Introducing Melinda Ross

Exciting news here at The Ross Experience!

We decided that 2 contributing Rosses to this blog just weren't enough for 2009, so with the new year comes a new Ross here at The Experience: Melinda Ross.

Melinda is our sister-in-law and should bring unique perspectives to this blog.  So far here are some differences (that we can think of) potentially leading to those perspectives:

1. 2 daughters (as opposed to 1 son)
   
2. PA-born, current OH residence (as opposed to OH-born, current KY residence)
   
3. private undergrad education (as opposed to public undergrad education)
   
4. graduate degree (as opposed to "we'll see")
5. no pets (as opposed to 1 dog)
6. works as a dentist (as opposed to occasionally buys dental bones for that 1 dog)
7. soon-to-be-finished basement (as opposed to never-to-be-finished basement)
8. overcame Steelers-Cowboys mixed-marriage issues (as opposed to longer-than-anticipated de-Bengalization process)

We're sure that there are more, but that's all we've got for now.

Please welcome Melinda and look for her posts in 2009!