A Born Reader . . . Future Triathlete

Anja spent the afternoon checking out the latest Midwest Events magazine. Undoubtedly she spent most of her time debating which triathlons she would eventually compete in.

Spring has sprung . . . well almost!

Monday's 80 degree temperatures were a welcome sign of spring. We went for a long walk, had the season's first BBQ with G'ma and G'pa Erickson, and even let the birds in the house (okay so that wasn't planned)! We look forward to more time spent outside with Anja this spring and summer--maybe even a camping trip or two.



Anja continues to make progress physically . . . she easily holds her head up and even scoots her way out of her Baby Bjorn sitter.

Four Months and Growing . . .

Today was Anja's four month check-up . . . 13 pounds 14 ounces and 26! inches. She was a trooper with the shots, but it seemed as though she knew what we were up to as she was a bit fussier than usual! She's teething, so that may be the case as well!

Not only is she teething, but she's learned to scream in the last couple of weeks. It's a sweet scream--loud but sweet--and her parents love it. (Neighbors, probably not so much!) She gives us a wide grin while she shrieks, so at this point we think she's having a blast. Diaper changing time has never been so entertaining!

Back in the Saddle

Hello Friends,

First a big thanks to everyone who was able to attend our little get together. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing a lot of good friends and meeting some new ones! Unfortunately we don't have any pictures from the festivities. We're already looking forward to being able to do it again. Perhaps Bocce ball in Central Park, a Spring Grill Out, or even a guys only "scotch and cigars" party. We'll see!

With the Spring weather, both Shana and I have been able to start training again. Shana realized that she has run more in the past week than she has in the last year! I've also decided to get back on the bike and I actually enjoyed a short spin on the trainer. For those of you who are not familiar with trainer riding, it's a contraption that allows you to turn your bike into a stationary bike and tends to be awfully boring. Unfortunately, it tends to be one of the best ways to get some early season miles in. Luckily, it won't be long until I can start commuting to work on my bike!

Anja continues to grow like crazy and we're currently enjoying the teething process! Stay tune for more pictures later this week.

Erik

ps. It's amazing what you can find on the net. Here's a Norwegian comedy skit about tech support in the Middle Ages. Enjoy

The Discovery of Hands . . .

The last couple of weeks have been really fun to watch Anja. She continues to do a little rolling here and there (she's now figured out how to go from her stomach to back---back to stomach was the week before), and is discovering that her hands can do some magic. She also loves to practice standing . . .

. . . but after all of that physical exertion, it's time to sleep.

Digging out

The Twin Cities got smacked with another big snowstorm (as most of you are well aware). It was fun to get a snow day and spend a long weekend at home. We ended up with around 16-18" of new snow and while we weren't able to get out and enjoy it as we should, we still had a good weekend. The photos on the right are "during" and "after" pics. The trailer provides a pretty good reference point.

Town home life deprives us of the benefits of shoveling, so we spent the weekend digging out our office area. As I was going through some grad school stuff from last semester, I came across a fact sheet produced by the Basic Educational Coalition. The data below is from 2004, but is still staggering. I'd be willing to bet most of the demographic data hasn't changed. I'd also bet that while progress was being made on infrastructure improvements, it has either been stalled or even regressed at this point.

In Iraq Today

• 40% of the country’s 24.5 million people are under the age of 14.1
• 44% of men and 75% of women are illiterate.
• 31% of girls and 17.5% of boys do not attend primary school.3 In rural regions, 50% of girls are estimated to be out of school.
• Those who do go to school leave early: 40–50% of children drop out between Grades 1 and 6, and 30–40% drop out between Grades 7 and 9.5
• 80% of the 13,000 primary and secondary schools in Iraq require significant reconstruction due to structural damage and deterioration.
• Some 3,000 schools were looted following the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
• Security concerns continue to keep children from school. Kidnappings have increased, making travel to and from school hazardous, while bombs and unexploded ordnance have killed students in school yards.
• In most primary schools, the school day has been divided into two—and sometimes three—shifts due to a lack of teachers, resources, and facilities.11 In 2000, the Iraqi Ministry of Education estimated that more than 6,000 new schools would need to be built to eliminate double shifts.
  
  http://www.basiced.org/images/iraq.pdf