Two Weeks Later

This duckie must have some genetic mutation because it grows freakishly fast. Two weeks ago I could completely hide it in my hands; the pip-squeak could hide all but his sweet little head in her hands. He looked tiny in the rubbermaid tote he was to call home. And now...

      

The little guy finds him much less fun to hold, but he'll still follow you around the house. His little feathers are starting to fluff out and the tail feathers are sticking up a little more. From what I can find this means that we were right in our guess that it is indeed a boy duck, or a drake, and those are his drake feathers. So hopefully in the next few weeks we'll have a, no-doubt larger, duck with a green head. Then it will be time to ship him off to the lake. OK, can you tell that I'm counting down the days? I'm just NOT a fan of cleaning out his living space twice a day, and being awoken by the not-so-sweet-anymore chirps that get exponentially louder as he continues to grow. Still, I love that the kids have this opportunity and in a week or two when we can get him outside it will be a piece of cake...right?

Duck: Take 2

Week two of the Duck Rescue Project has taught us several things: 1) The older ducks get, the worse they smell; 2) A duck grows exponentially larger, and exponentially less cute as each day passes; and, 3) It's incredibly entertaining to have a duckling follow you around the house.

So after one week we've reared this little duckling to more than double his original size...which apparently means double the poop. The kids are still having fun holding him and letting him swim around. At first it was the tub, but I'm not too keen on completely sanitizing the tub every single day. So now he swims around outside in a big rubbermaid tote. We've also had to upgrade him into a larger bin since his tiny little wing stumps, and longer legs have propelled him up and almost out of his first place. He won't follow the pip-squeak around but he does follow me and cheeps incessantly. He also still chats it up with his "mirror brother" though now he was to squat down to see him in the mirror. By next week I think we'll enter those rocky adolescent times. We'll see if the mood swings and the molting starts!

Boy V. Donut

One day, not too long ago, my little guy woke up and told me he wanted the biggest donut in the world! We're not frequent donut buyers...but why not? It's not everyday one can attempt to conquer the "biggest donut in the world." Without a doubt, this isn't the biggest, but it seemed like it to an excited 8-year-old and he took the challenge like a scene out of Man V. Food from the Travel Channel. Sadly, in the battle between the "biggest donut ever" and the 8-year-old the donut won! A fun challenge, and the good news: He's totally donut-ed out for a while.

Note: Does anyone else think he looks totally tiny next to that giant donut? It was a good reminder to me that 8 is still a long way off from 18, and I still have plenty of time to snuggle him before he's off buying his own donuts.

Al Rescate Amigos!

The pip-squeak and got to be real life animal rescuers this morning when we found this little guy in the middle of the road.

 

Hopefully we can keep him warm and cozy enough to survive. After seeing my pip-squeak already so in love with even just the thought of rescuing a tiny little animal how could I say no? I promise I tried to get spousal approval, but when you refuse to answer your phone a mom is forced to make an executive decision. Sorry Jon, the duckling stays!

 

There's no way he could say no to a sweet little smile like that anyway! So...meet "Snatch" the newest addition to our family! At least until he can fly, then it's off to the lake with him.

The Debut Recital

 The little guys first piano recital was on June 30. One full year of lessons! He'll probably say it feels like forever, but it seems to have gone by pretty fast for his mama. He did an awesome job and had both of his pieces memorized. We're lucky enough to have a grandma just a couple blocks up the road. This entire thing wouldn't be possible without her, since our home is without a piano of it's own. So thanks to a loving and patient grandma the little guy has practiced his way through his first recital and gets to start getting ready for his first competition in the fall.

 He played two pieces in a row. The first one was called Raven's Call, the second a miniature sonatina.

 He wasn't too pleased with the white piano, but whadda ya do?

 So I love my little guy, but I don't love my scrunched up pose with my butt sticking out. Sadly, I don't have as much time as I thought and can't edit it right now. So enjoy the off-centered, funky picture. You're welcome.

Thanks to Grandma Debbie and Papa George who are always so supportive. We love you so much and love that you came to the first ever recital for the best kid ever! One day when he's totally famous you'll be able to say I was there when it all started!