Scooter Chronicles

Nigel Update
Since I changed jobs in the past couple of months, and that we moved, we have had to change Nigel’s doctor. So this past Thursday he went in, though mostly to get a referral for his allergy test. For those that don’t remember, Nigel had shown an allergy to cow’s milk and eggs. But it was only topical, meaning that the skin that was touched would get red and he sometimes even got some hives. The doctor said that he should have it checked again as he got older, and we knew that some children outgrow those early allergies. His test is Wednesday, and it’s referred to as the “Milk Challenge.” Given that Nigel has seemed to tolerate some dairy products, and that his reaction has been lessened over the months to others, I think before he is three years old he will be off the soy milk.

The appointment went well, though two things concerned us. Nigel’s soft spot still hasn’t closed up. Sure, it’s gotten smaller, but it’s still prominent. This doctor agreed that with Nigel’s big head that it would take longer, and even without him having a big head that some children’s soft spot doesn’t close before they turn two years old. She also mentioned that his head size is starting to catch up, even if just by a small amount. Nigel’s head was always in the 98th or 99th percentile. The doctor charted it in the 96th percentile.

The other issues was his talking. They look for kids to have about 10 to 15 words by the time they are two years old. Nigel’s not quite there yet. He has five or six at the most, and a few that he has said, and at the appropriate times, but hasn’t said in a while (like “night-night”). This doctor said that we shouldn’t worry just yet, but gave us a number that we could call of a place that does testing. Given that he is saying some words, and more importantly pointing at things and asking/saying “What’s that?”, that she is pretty sure that there are no problems.

I can’t remember how much Nigel weighed, but I think it was around 26-27 pounds. However, Nigel has already hit the three foot tall mark. I have a feeling, as Marcia does, is that he isn’t going to stop until he is a couple of inches past six feet.

Colin McRae Dies
I don’t make a habit about posting on famous people that have passed away, but this past week has been an exception. My favorite rally driver, Colin McRae, died in a helicopter accident this past Saturday. What is even sadder is that his five year old son Johnny died in the crash, too.

I haven’t been able to follow the rally season for a long time, but McRae’s name is sometimes brought up from time to time. Marcia’s car is a Ford Focus, and a year before she bought it (before we were married), McRae started driving for the Focus team (though him and teammate Carlos Sainz drove the hatch-back versions). So even now, when I drive Marcia’s car and I get into a few twists and turns on one of the many two lane roads around where we live, Marcia will usually start calling me Colin McRae. I bought a Sony PlayStation many years ago, and one of the few games I have for it (other then hockey and soccer) was Colin McRae’s World Rally. Again, I haven’t followed the sport in a long time, mostly because no TV network carries it (and I kept getting bored just reading about it on the internet), but Mr. McRae will be missed.

My internet friend Karen has POSTED about McRae’s death as well.

The Notre Dame Strugglin’ Irish
Maybe it’s wrong of me being brought up Catholic, but I hate Notre Dame’s football team. And this season has been a particular joy for me. Not only has Michigan started bad, but then they whooped the Irish’s butt this past Saturday. That makes the boys from South Bend 0-3.

Now if Michigan State beats the Irish this coming week, and both State and U-M beat Ohio St., then in the infamous words of that awful beer, it doesn’t get any better then this.

(OK, so it could. State could win the National Championship, but I don’t want to be too unrealistic.)

Hopes?
I don’t want to get my hopes up, but both the Tigers and Phillies have been getting closer and closer to their respective Wild Card spots when a few weeks ago both teams looked to have played themselves out of contention. I think the Phillies (if you can believe it) have a better chance then the Tigers, but you never know. The Tigers pitching, which was fantastic last year, could turn it around. The Phillies pitching has been awful since Tug McGraw and Steve Carlton left. If anything, it’s sure making the end of this season exciting … again.

(See, the Wild Card set-up is a good thing for baseball.)