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!
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.
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!
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!
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”.
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).
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.
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!
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.
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.)
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.
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).
It was great to see all of Kelly’s kids (well, sans Robyn) and marvel at how big they’re getting. Sam got to put his big brother skills to practice by making Sophie smile and Kaelin had another baby to marvel at. Aunt Pam got Sophie some clothes and a set of headbands (of course Mom and Pam set to work right away getting a picture with one of those – something that I’m sure Keri will appreciate when she sees it!) The best thing about the clothes is that one of the shirts says something like “Happy Day” and has a rainbow and smiling sun – it’s the perfect shirt to remind me of Pam.
We’re gonna try to head to the city tomorrow for pictures – hopefully she’ll be more cooperative than the first time we tried. Wish us luck!
Enjoy a picture of all the “kids” and their bottles from the party:
Ok, so you may remember a post a few months ago about a few of my favorite things – I thought I’d do one now with a few of Sophie’s favorites (from her perspective). Also, her eyes are starting to change from gray to a color…still not sure what it’s going to be though. The right eye definitely looks brownish but the left eye seems more green. Did your kid’s eye color change at different rates?
Included a clip of Sophie watching the mobile…I hope you enjoy my editing and storyboard!
Sophie loves: lamp, mountains, light, elephant, bird, rattle, bears, and Zeke! (She’s really noticing Zeke more; it’s cute.)
That would be our daughter – Jekyll and Hyde! Monday she woke up (after sleeping the entire night!!!!) as the happiest baby in the world. She was smiling and laughing at everything. Then something happened Monday evening; not sure what it was, but she progressively got crankier. How did she sleep Monday? Well, how does 9:30, 11:00, 1:00, 3:00, and 6:00 sound to you? Plus, she was up at least an hour each of those time and had a terrible time falling asleep. Then she was a stinker for her Aunt Michelle. She was asleep when I picked her up and she stayed that way until about 9:00 that night (I guess she had some catching up to do!)
Since then she’s kind of settled in the middle for the rest of this week – not sleeping through the night but not screaming through it either. There are a couple of things to be thankful for: 1) she doesn’t rely on the pacifier; sure, she likes it sometimes but she’s never really looking for it, and 2) she does a good job falling asleep on her own; just this morning I put her back to the crib and she was wide awake but she just fell asleep on her own (after some tossing and turning, but no screaming).
I have a video of her watching her mobile go around (and you can really see her fascination with the elephant – she’ll watch the other animals but not as long as the elephant, plus she really seems to look for it.) The hippo is her second favorite animal (probably because it’s gray like the elephant so it tricks her). The giraffe also gets some attention but the lion is the least favorite (maybe because it’s after the elephant in the rotation). Anyway, didn’t feel like hooking the camera up right now so that’ll have to wait.
Anyway, hope you guys are enjoying the blog. It really takes the place of emails for me (as those of you waiting for responses have probably figured out!). Take care and check back soon!
Kiddo was good today – mostly just sleeping. She definitely needs some days like this because she has some VERY awake days. Played in the tub again today during the bath. I’ll have to get some videos of that sometime, she really enjoys it.
OK, here’s some pics, including a St. Patrick’s day one. Sophie really loves “naked time”.
Sophie had her two month check up. Things were good…until the shots. That was a pretty sucky experience all around (especially with all the tears – she had so many that they were forming little droplets on her eyelashes.
Which brings me to eyelashes, it seems like they are getting longer and longer every day. Her hair seems dark some days but lighter others. And her eyes; still don’t know what color her eyes are going to be. They are still mostly gray but they sometimes look like they have hints of dark green in them. We’ll wait and see.
Another side note, is it “grey” or “gray”?
Here’s an update on spring weather: it’s snowing!
Won $30 at the casino today…Mom won $47. She’s always luckier than I am! The $30 is better than the $0 I won last week though! At least I’m not losing.
Mom, Sophie, and I are thinking about heading out to Grand Rapids next weekend, so that’s nice.
Tom has a basketball tournament at Eastern later today. Wish them luck – after all they’re getting old!!!
The kiddo has been cranky at night lately; not every night but off and on. The upside is that she occasionally will sleep 7 hours or so after her 2 hour cranky fit. Not sure if part of it might be early teething. The book (yes, it’s like my bible) said that babies can have symptoms of teething 2-3 months ahead of time (and I guess I have a family history of early teeth) so that could be it. It could just be overstimulation, but the teething fits because she drools sometimes (not spitup, just spit), gets mad when sucking on the bottle even though she’s hungry, and can be calmed by chewing on fingers. But them I’m not sure because that doesn’t always help.
Question of the post: what diapers did your baby like and how close to the pound sizes did they fit?
This week is a big week – she has her 2-month checkup and will be getting shots :-( I’ll keep you posted after we’re done.
I was thinking the other day that it’s really weird that the English language can’t come up with unique words for everything but instead has duplicates with seemingly unrelated origins. “Bay” is the word that set off this thought process. Go ahead, think about it. This thought-exercise is almost as interesting as finding words that just sound funny sometimes (“soup”).
We took advantage of the warm weather and took Sophie and Zeke for a walk on the golf course today. Sophie slept and Zeke ran so it was pretty much perfect. Oh, and Tom found golf balls so it was a good day in his book too!
I’m going to try and keep taking monthly pics with Sophie and her bear to see how much she grows. I’m reposting the February one with the March one for comparison. Another interesting fact: she’s really grabbing her bird rattle thing on her mat now (instead of just punching it with her fist).
Decided to join the board for the AuGres Pirate Festival. If there are any booths/tables/vendors that you would like to see, let me know and I’ll see what I can do. Stay tuned for more info.
I just thought of something I wanted to blog about and instead of adding to the last post, I figured I’d throw a new one up (that didn’t sound great, did it?) since it would give me an excuse to add another picture! I just adore this little jacket cause it’s so fluffy and has cute ears on the hood – she got a chance to wear this on our walk.
So anyway, the thing that I wanted to talk about was sizes. Oh, and baby books. I finally got Sophie a book and filled in what I could up to this point. See, I figure she’ll have this blog to eventually look back on as a sort of electronic baby book (that’s a crazy thought isn’t it, how much of our lives will be accessible for future generations just because of our increasing attachment to computers) that is about our lives (but admittedly is a lot about her); however, I know I personally like to have tangible things to touch and browse. Real historical documents are way cooler than scanned images. If they weren’t, people would be content with the pictures of the Constitution in the history books and wouldn’t wait in line at the National Archives to walk by the real thing for a few seconds.
But I digress, back to clothes sizes. It seemed like Sophie was stuck in the newborn size for a long time but she has really had a growth spurt that doesn’t show any signs of letting up. She’s on to 0-3 months now, but now I’m dealing with the frustrations of how vague those numbers really are. For example, most of the onesies she wears are 0-3, but Gerber onesies are a whole size off so she wears 3-6 months for those. Some sleep and plays are too short but other ones are so long her hands won’t stay out of the sleeves. Then there’s two-piece things. It really seems like she can handle a smaller size of these since we don’t have to worry about her legs not having enough room. I have found the weight information on the tags to be a much closer approximation to what will and won’t fit. So yeah, that’s just my little rant about clothes and their sometimes misleading sizes. Enjoy the extra pic!
Things have turned a corner here. For a few days (week maybe?), our little darling was quite the little stinker. It could be a coincidence or a correlation, but I drank a lot more milk than usual during this time so perhaps she is somewhat lactose intolerant. It probably isn’t a full-blown allergy (or even serious intolerance) since there is lactose in her formula and she was fine for a while.
Not much else new to report on. We were able to take advantage of the recent nice weather and go for a walk in the neighborhood. The added benefit to this (as opposed to walking in the school) is that I can bring Zeke along and let him burn off some of his energy.
I’ve included a new video. This one has Sophie enjoying a dream while sitting in her swing. What can she possibly dream about at this age? Eating of course!
I used Soapbox for the first video and YouTube for this one. I’d be interested in feedback from you guys as to which one you prefer (if either) for viewing these little tidbits.
