* kaleidoscope. * shake. * look. * new image. *

bantamweight - the only way is up! collin stays stable above 3 kilos, now! he gets the same rations as his siblings do - and seems to metabolise them allright! so, let's go through them weight classes, up!

the three start recognizing, looking at each other. the eyes seem to start functioning, or more precisely, broadening their function. that matches the commending they receive (fortunately!) from the eye doctor. a dragon on the way to self-concious-ness!

our dragon was on tour again... this time - at the hockenheim race track! grand gig there with the transporter between all them fast racers of formula student germany (FSG)! well, let's see if the dragon caught the "virus", enough of it in the air, there was...

and enough interest in the dragon, too: universities, industry, press, you name it. they all wanted to win the dragon for their cause. but what ever the decision will be, with possibilities this unlimited, there can only be winners!

one thing is for certain: we'll be back next year! then with the sports stroller! viva white knuckle express...

and some special regards to the teams of ann arbor, cambridge, freiberg and moscow: YOU ROCK, no matter what!
and a big THANX to anja & benjamin for the banners: only with you we had a real race dragon!

dragon with manners - dad with leisure...


the dragon sleeps. this is almost eery. and also almost boring... when are all the problems gonna come round that everyone kept promising? :) maybe in volume 3, when the brood doesn't stay where once put, anymore?


well, doesn't matter. for now, here are - upon request - some puzzle pixx of the other two. one has got to do something in the sleepless time...

















all these pixx came out of a special photo shooting with mommy, which just demonstrates that she isn't exactly in trouble throughout the day, either. :). :)

vicky has meanwhile received her third vaccination, too. more stable that she is than her brothers, she didn't even have to overnight at the hospital. and the doc said, everything is very commendable, development-wise...

it could just keep on going like this...

well, slowly we get adjusted at home: the little dragon breathes fire only on relatively rare occasions, is fed, cleaned and taken outside regularly (well, in good weather, that is!) and sleeps through the better part of the day...

and what better time to celebrate?! we have picked this
september, 25th, 2011
for the date. there will be an open air sit-in in our court yard with finger food and drinks. we will be here from 11 to 9 with stories and history of the dragon... everybody can show up and leave as they please. you wanna celebrate with us, drop us an email, we'll let you know the address, a method that also helps planning a bit.

the kids will be part of this, within their capabilities, of course... :)

looking forward to meeting y'all here!
bruna, mick, ben, vic & collin

vaccination good, everything good. except for the two new holes in the fur, of course. but that's nothing cruel, or as they say in germany: "before you get married, it's gonna be gone!"

but funny it was, back when they got their very first shots: there were two doctors injecting simultaneously. hurts but only once AND even that symmetrically! funny thing was the countdown... it does call for different associations, when somebody counts down 3-2-1... :)

but this time was cool, too. needle goes in, collin opens his mouth for this one real big scream. draws an unimaginably deeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath, in the meantime the swift doctor has long since done what she set out to do, needle is out, the reason to scream gone, so just exhale....

and daddy stands proud: my son didn't scream at all... :)

the kaleidoscope is meant to be a continued series and tells itty-bitty incidents, which are too small to fill a whole chapter but too significant to fade into oblivion. so, here are the first two:

1) collin is the opposite of "sleeping beauty": when you kiss him, he falls asleep. too sad, that this won't spread, or else all the thorny shrubberies around the house would stop growing. :)

2) when vicky is hungry, don't get too close with your face, or else she sucks the tip of your nose - a funny feeling... actually, she seems to feel appointed to solve our storage problem (see chapter 118): by excessive formula consumption. unbelievable what she gulps away. if this keeps going on like this, she will need her own cow! :)

the dragon had to go back to the hospital. or two thirds of the dragon, anyways.

but before all hearts drop again: only for the mandatory vaccination shots. because the boys showed increased alarm occurrence after the last round of shots, they stay hospitalised over night. better be safe. and for the rest of it, refer to the title: progressing, even on windy paths... :)

inside us on the other hand, this releases split feelings: while we can finally walk calmly through the home improvement center once again (after all, the kids are with qualified personnel!), even hera can not fill this gap anymore... :)

but: it is only for 48 hours. and under commendable conduct even only 24!

and imprint this face onto your mind! or maybe THIS one? or this here? well, just as long as it's any... :)

when mommy puts the little dragon to bed, it looks neat and tidy, just like on the photograph on the left.


and everyone knows that one MUSTN'T shake little babies - which (of course!) includes little dragons, too!









but somehow they manage after a rather short while to look somewhat like on the picture on the right...






all alone, in the dark, without making a sound nor leaving a trace as to who did what when and how...



well, and if it can't be shaken, then it must be stirred, no?! :)

an accurate reproduction of the original, this model, don't you think? the folks at maerklin would be proud! :)

length, width, ratio, lines, position, simply EVERYTHING!

just mirrored somehow, hmm? :)