Knuckle Sandwich

Sophie’s favorite food might be a knuckle sandwich.  She likes to sit on my stomach and hold my hands and go from hand to hand gnawing on my knuckles…she can get quite ferocious too!  But, in real food news, we started with rice cereal the other day.  It’s been going good.  She probably pushes 4 out of 5 spoonfuls out but she seems to enjoy it so we’ll keep practicing.  I took a video of the first feeding but my batteries have died so you’ll have to wait for me to post that.  Still haven’t seen if it turned out so we’ll see…

Went to Liz’s Talent Show last night – she was nervous but did a fabulous job.  You could really hear her singing talent break through in different parts of the song.

Summer’s starting to fill up so if people are looking to plan something, better get on the calendar soon!

Happy Baby

Sophie has been quite the happy baby lately!  She’s figuring out all the sounds she can make so it’s really entertaining to watch her try.  Also, we got the high chair the other day so she likes the change of scenery.  We sit her at the table so she can hang out with us.  Thinking of starting rice cereal soon.  The last few days she’s been really hungry and it seems like maybe some cereal once or twice a day would help her stay fuller.

Baby of Action

What a busy couple of days!  We left Friday morning at 7 or so and went to Warren to show off Baby Sophie at Tom’s old office.  Greg and Rosie were able to time their trip north so that they could bring Eve by at the same time.  It’s crazy how big she’s getting!  We got to see a few people there but unfortunately a lot of people were off that day (the 80 degree weather probably didn’t help). 

After Warren we swung by Jamie and Keri’s to drop off our stuff and hang out for a little bit before Jamie went to work.  I think Sophie really enjoyed having the time to play on her mat and hang out.  We left for lunch around 1 or so and went to Dos Pesos.  I was really craving their steak quesadillas and I wasn’t disappointed.  Tom got the chicken chimichanga (sp?) – I don’t know how they cook the chicken but it is amazing.  We also swung by our house in Belleville for a check to make sure the renters didn’t need anything and to check that everything was going OK.

Ah, but the day doesn’t end there.  We left the house and drove to South Arbor so I could see my old team and other colleagues.  I tell ya, it’s great to be up here with family but I do miss everyone there.  Sophie was pretty good all day – we were lucky to be able to time feedings/awake times with our visits and then let her nap in the car.

After SA we went back to Jamie and Keri’s for the night.  On Saturday we were able to stop by Brighton and see Max and Lisa on our way up north.  Abby had a soccer game so we saw the second half of that.  We didn’t get a chance to see Alex – he was off with friends fishing and playing.  It’s too bad we live so far from those guys, they are always some of our favorite people to visit!

…and then we were off for home.  Pretty uneventful evening – Sophie was really off of her sleeping schedule though.  Then we lost power last night.  Not sure what was the cause, but Sophie got up around 3:30 and wanted a bit to eat.  The power’s back on now so hopefully she’ll get back to her normal sleep-through-the-night schedule that we were so very fond of!

Pictures – finally!!

Well, we were finally able to get some pictures taken at Sears.  Of course, Mom predicted it and Sophie cried.  We did get a few good ones to choose from though.  I ended up going with one of her on her stomach (propped up); she’s not smiling but I still like it.  It was a close second with the one where she had a big smile (but her jumper was up in her face) and a full body shot (loved being able to see the whole outfit, just didn’t like it quite as much).  We were able to find a little brown jumper outfit for $5 while waiting for our picture time.  It was marked from $25 to $17 but it was on the $5 clearance rack (not just one, but a whole arm of clothes) so my Mom talked the sales lady into giving it to us for the price on the rack, which is totally awesome. 

Around here, Sophie and I have been trying to stay clear of Tom since he came down with the flu on Monday night.  Alex was getting over the flu at his birthday party, but apparently wasn’t over it enough because Grant, Amy, Jackie, Tom Shmina, Mike, and Erin all got sick!  Good thing the kiddo and I stayed home!!!

Looking forward to the good weather this week – we’re heading downstate to visit friends and check on the house.

Oh, one last thing – I’ve been working on signing with Sophie.  Just the basics really (Mommy, Daddy, Milk, Water, Elephant), if I know the sign I try to use it because I figure the more I use the better.  Anyway, could have just been an accident but she was doing the sign for milk while she was crying waiting for her milk.  But, it’s a pretty basic sign (open and close hand like you’re milking a cow) so it could have just been a reflex to go with her frustration.  She probably won’t really start signing until 6-8 months but we’ll keep at it. 

And one more thing (saying “months” reminded me):  she’s hanging steady on 3-6 month clothes for outfits, sleep and plays, and pants but it seems like she can wear 6-9 month onesies too.  I think she just has a long torso right now and maybe her legs will catch up eventually.  It definitely seems like she grows unevenly!

She’s chewing on her tongue lately (you may notice in some pics).  And she’s been jumpy (if a sound startles her, she cries…she didn’t do that before, she’d look at it but not necessarily cry) – she really hates sneezes!

Buh-bye sun…it’s been nice knowing ya!

Well, after a run of a couple of 70 degree days we’re back to the dreary chill of an overcast spring day.  It sure was nice while it lasted!  Jen came up yesterday and got to see Sophie for the first time, so that was awesome.  We went out to Tony’s Tacos for dinner and I have to say I wasn’t that impressed.  It just can’t compete with Dos Pesos (or even Mexican Fiesta II) – I really had my hopes up too.  I may get a chance to fill that craving though because we are planning to head down to the city next weekend to check on our house and parade the kiddo around.  A little nervous about how she’s going to be with all of the car riding and hanging out in lots of different places.  People may get to know Sophie as “that kid who cries a lot”. 

So big!!!!!

It is amazing how big Sophie is getting!  I fear she might skip that whole 3-6 month size and head straight for the 6-9 month.  I was sorting clothes yesterday and suddenly those “big” onesies didn’t look quite so big anymore!  There’s no doctor appt. this month so we’ll have to wait until the 4 month checkup to see how she’s progressing.

Though no one else can apparently see it, I’m convinced that she has two different color eyes.  The right eye has definite brown in it while the left eye is much lighter, still a grey-green type of color.  It might have a little brown, but not nearly as pronounced as the right.  It’s best to check when' she’s looking out the window and both pupils are small – the right one was on the window side, probably why it is smaller in this picture.  The other picture is blurry, but I think you can still see color.

Anyway, other than that, I wanted to remind everyone that I continuously update the picture links on the page so when you click “April” you should see some new pictures in the Gallery.  Plus, I think once you follow the link once, it will be under Friends on your Kodak page and you can just look there for updates (not sure).

Some of the pictures you may see include Sophie rocking the Tiger’s tee and her “My Mom is a Fox” onesie.  Both were gifts and both are adorable.  Oh, and she’s got her “Peggy Pants” on.  I love the pants (they have cool little pockets on the sides) but whenever I see them I think of the flowery polyester pants that my Grandma Peggy used to wear – cracks me up!

Happy Easter

Yet another holiday “first”…as in our first Easter since we moved up.  I tell ya, it’s really great not having to run back to the city at the end of the day!  We had family over – again something that didn’t happen much down in Belleville – for dinner.  Mom, Mike, Sandy, Mendy, Tom, Brian, Liz all came over for dinner.  Jeff stopped by later for leftovers and Chris and Kurt came on out to see the baby (with Amber too).  It would have been better to see the whole family but it does get tough to organize that many people.  I’m sure we’ll all get together in May sometime (probably Memorial Day weekend).  Even so, we still see people a heckuva lot more than we did before.

Another bonus – Sophie was good most of the day.  It’s always a little hit and miss when there’s a crowd around; it throws her schedule off.  Took some Easter pics of her in her new dress (it didn’t stay on long, just not quite warm enough for bare legs and arms).  Also got the three month pic with the bear.

What’s new? (Not much…)

I haven’t posted in a few days but there really hasn’t been much new to talk about.  Still working a few days a week, so that’s nice.  Sophie hasn’t learned any “new tricks” lately, though she does seem like she’s getting closer to starting to roll over.  She hates tummy time though so I doubt she’ll be very happy once she actually does roll over!  She is still sleeping through the night, so that’s awesome.  I did sign up for a Facebook account finally, so we’ll see how addictive that turns out to be.

Here are a few pictures from the last week or so.  The first one has Sophie holding and chewing on a washcloth on the table.  She still likes to chew on things, and if I give her a washcloth it means that I don’t have to sit there and hold a teether toy in her mouth.  She’s getting so big, moving up to Size 2 diapers and Size 3-6 clothes.  Oh, and she laughs more often now.  So I guess a few things are new, just not as groundbreaking as “first smile” or “sleeping through the night”!

The other pictures are of the bonnet that Sandy brought over for Sophie.  She’s not real crazy about stuff on her head, but sometimes you can distract her for a bit.  She is good at looking at the camera though – probably helps that it’s shiny!

Book Review: Smart Kids, Bad Schools

Taking a break from fiction, thought I’d pass along a book review that should be relevant to anyone who works in education or has school-age children.  Really, it applies to everyone since we all pay taxes to support the schools, but those without a direct stake in the education system may only be interested in the cheapest solution instead of the best.

I actually don’t agree with a lot of the ideas put forth in this book, but I applaud the effort to start a conversation of change.  A lot of Crosby’s ideas center around the reality that many people see schools as a de facto source of childcare.  I’m not in favor of increasing the amount of days that kids spend in school (and not just because it would increase the amount of days I would have to work).  I still believe that boredom is a great catalyst for original thought and let’s face it, what is summer vacation without boredom!?  I believe if schools are interested in cutting costs they should seriously consider the 4-day school week or a month-long break over the Christmas/New Year holiday.  Both solutions would reduce heating and transportation costs and only require a minimal amount of time to be added to each day.  Like Crosby, I am in favor of using this extra time in the day as homework time.  He proposes adding the time to each class and dedicating a part of class just to homework.  This may be more successful than a study hall – too often study halls aren’t enforced and too many kids don’t take advantage of the opportunity.  Plus, they may need help in a subject not taught by their study hall teacher.  Anyway, the author does a good job of bringing up topics to provoke thought and conversation – I’d be willing to discuss/debate any of them with you all if you do get a chance to read the book.

GIMP

Installed new photo-editing software to play with.  It’s called GIMP and it’s free and I like it so far.  Here’s a picture where I selected the ducky using the wand tool (you know the one…) and then inverted the selection so I could make the rest of the pic black and white.  Enjoy!  (Yes, I know I didn’t get all of the ducky but the colors ran into Sophie and I didn’t feel like playing with it any longer to create a border between the two of them.)

Rubber ducky, you’re the one…

Well, it’s been, what, like 4 nights in a row now.  That’s right, 4 nights of sleeping through the night!  And to top it off, she’s been really good for the last couple of days during the day as well.

Yesterday Nana brought over a couple of balloons for her – she enjoyed those all afternoon and evening!  She would pull them down or just look at them.  She also likes when they float to the ceiling, especially if the string rubs against her as it goes up.

Of course, balloons have a tough time competing with ducky and bath time.  Sophie really gets a kick out kicking in the tub, especially if you fill it up really full.  It’s messier for me, but she plays more in a full tub so every now and then I make the sacrifice.

…out like a lamb

Sophie ended March like a lamb by sleeping through the night.  Though we are far from regularly sleeping all night, I’m optimistic by the occasional days that we get.  There doesn’t seem to be a direct correlation between her mood the day before and whether or not she’ll stay asleep until morning.  Really, there doesn’t seem to be a direct correlation between much of anything she does!

We tried to go get some pictures at Penney’s yesterday but I forgot that it was Spring Break so they were all booked – no walk-ins available until much later in the day.  I didn’t want to make an appointment ahead of time because I figured that it would be easier to get her down there when her schedule fit instead of making her get up and eat at an arbitrary time (basically, I was trying to maximize the chance of her being in a good mood).  It worked too, she was very happy when they told us that there were no openings!

Finished putting up pics in the March album for Sophie – looking forward to your comments!

Also added pictures from Kelly’s to the 2009 Misc. album (didn’t take enough photos to warrant creating a separate album).