Unfortunately, not him.

As you can see, Isla’s visit with Santa went very well; very well, indeed

At least I was able to get some nice video footage of Isla and Patty enjoying a little stroll through the village, as well as a little detour to Mrs. Claus’ Bakery.  Apparently, cookies are an excellent way to alleviate any Post-Kringle Stress Disorder.

I originally wanted to have a Bing Crosby tune for the soundtrack, but apparently, there are these things called “copyright laws.” (I only learned about them a week ago, myself.)  Instead, I put together a simple little soundtrack which seems to work out nicely for my “Video Christmas Card.”

Merry Christmas!

Isla & Bear

Bear Hugs

As a result, most of my posts involve original music I’ve created for various clients, or just for fun.  This piece is one of the latter.  I’ve been switching over my recording software from Digital Performer to Apple’s Logic Pro, so I put together this simple piece of music entitled “Clockmaker” as a way of trying out the software.  My goal was to complete it in four hours, but it ended up taking twice as long. Oh well.

I’d love to hear what you think.

Well, obviously if it’s stolen, you file a police report immediately. That’s the recommendation of the manufacturer, Med-El. Coincidentally, it’s also the recommendation of Jor-El (pictured)

His other insights are less helpful

The warranty for Isla’s implant covers the internal electronics (the part under her skin) against failure for ten (10) years. The external components are covered for three (3) years from the date of activation against “mechanical or electrical defect,” but not for “theft, loss or accidental damage.”

HOWEVER (and it is a BIG “however”) our warranty provides a “One Time Loss and Damage” option. Which basically means that if anything happens to the external components within three years from the date of surgery, the manufacturer will replace the external components one time only.

(DISCLAIMER: Bear in mind that this information is taken directly from the warranty for Isla’s implant and may not apply to other implants or implants from other manufacturers.  Be sure to carefully review your own warranty for coverage and specific limitations.)

Another option is look into obtaining a rider or endorsement for your homeowners insurance policy. Some companies will charge an additional premium to apply broader coverage for things like cochlear implants and hearing aids. Talk to your agent for details and ask a lot of questions!

A third option would be seek coverage from other companies that specialize in insuring medical equipment. A Google search will start you in the right direction, but this will require a lot more research on your part since coverage, costs, and the reliability of the insurer can vary widely.  Talk to other people who have cochlear implants and find out what they recommend.

Fortunately, Isla’s implant is working fine and we are constantly watching to make sure the exterior components haven’t mysteriously disappeared or been thrown in the lake in a fit of frosting-related toddler rage.  We also use “wig tape” like the kind I use to keep my toupee in place to prevent the control unit/battery pack from sliding off her ear as she leans forward to check out her hilariously oversized shoes.

 Adorable moments like this, frankly, scare the crap out of us

I’m checking with my homeowners insurer to see if they offer additional coverage. I’ll let you know what I find out. Likewise, if any of you have any experience with this, please feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear it.

Most importantly, Isla is happy. She loves learning new things and is excited when she can show off her newfound skills, such as book reading, book tossing, and book attempted-eating.

She has also moved on from simply laughing at her dad’s antics, to actually trying to crack me up as well. This is her scary face:

Kid’s got some serious comedy skills. There’s no way this will ever lead to something bad, right?

Right??

I’m in for a hell of a ride, aren’t I?

Yep, that’s a baby, all right.  More specifically, that’s Isla wearing a very cool hat that my friend, Jill Thiebault made.  Jill is the owner and Head Yarn Guru at Jilly Beanies, and she hand-crafts beautiful hats for people of all ages. Isla loves hers and is grateful it was there to keep her head warm all winter long.

I’ve actually known Jill since my 7-year tour of Madison Elementary School in the carefree days of the 1970s (and early 1980s, I guess.)  She’s a great person and she is very good at what she does.  Go check out Jill’s website and see her amazing work.

Tell her Isla sent you.

>> Hi Katy! Could you tell me how many boxes of cookies we owe you for? <<

I haven’t been called “Katy” since that unfortunate week I worked for the landscaping company.  Seriously though, I could have had a lot of fun with this by criticizing their grammar or otherwise replying with some snarky li’l missive.  Instead, I realized that someday my little girl might be the one selling those cookies. And trust me, she will want to be paid in a timely manner.

I replied:

>> 47 <<

Always happy to help a budding entrepreneur.

I’ll start again.

Isla slept through the night…the ENTIRE night for the first time in like, five months. I might still be a little groggy from all the uninterrupted pass-outitude, but I have never been this happy in my life, and I will likely be this happy ever again. I could be wrong however.

Isla also seemed to enjoy her first St. Patrick’s Day. We didn’t do anything exciting, really, but she thoroughly enjoyed her pulverized green peas and wadded green beans. She also had fun wearing the perfunctory green bib as evidenced by the following exhibit from our vast assortment of baby bib photos (which we maintain for insurance purposes, naturally.)

She also has one hell of a handshake

Patty has some Irish descent (I love her anyway,) so we’re not breaking any laws by allowing Isla to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Just needed to make that clear.

Abe Vigoda is still alive

We had a great time and Isla really seemed to enjoy the experience.  Nothing wacky happened during our trip to the mall, although Patty and I enjoyed a Cinnabon and I got into a slap-fight with the lady at Glamor Shots over a previously unresolved issue involving the best way to photograph a rhinestone -studded jacket, but that was it.  Oh, and if you ever want to visit the Mall of America without all of the interpersonal jostling, I highly recommend you visit on a Wednesday morning. Just call in sick for work.  Seriously, I’m totally cool with that.

Here are some aquarium photos, yo.

(You thought I was joking about the Cinnabon, didn’t you?)

Plus, Isla developed another one of those ear infections she seems so fond of, so that resulted in another trip to Urgent Care.  Predictably, this left no time for writing and very little time for recording.

Everyone is fine now. Patty is back at work and Isla is sitting next to me playing with what appears to be a large ham, or possibly a spatula (I’m typing, so I can’t really turn my head right now.)  I’m really enjoying my time off.  It gives me the chance to reconnect with my daughter, as well the time to catch up on old emails and phone calls.

You’ll have to speak up; I’m wearing a towel.

With any luck, I might actually get some music posted this week.  Eh, I can hope.