Freakonomics and Mocha

Cathy's been making me these frozen mochas in the morning before I drive to work. They're so good.

Freakonomics is the best parenting book I've ever read. The statistics say that very little we do makes a difference, but that who we are (succesful, educated, book-owning, English speaking, half-Asian couple with a normal birthweight baby) does. Kids can watch all the TV they want, even. They didn't factor in breastfeeding, though...guess we better keep that up, just in case.

For the Record...

Thad's the first person I heard use the term "mimetic desire."

Smart

Sofi got smarter overnight: today she learned the sign for "More"; she also figured out how to work the volume knob on the stereo.

Ok, I'm lying about that second thing. I told Cathy that Sofi worked the volume knob and she said, "Yeah, she does that."

Still, about time on that sign thing. We've been trying for a couple months now. (Ok, we started too soon, I admit it.)

The Ironic Thing Is...

it's the *handle* of the mug that isn't microwave safe, and therefore gets the hottest in the microwave.

Ouch.

Da Da

Sofi just clearly said "Da da", twice! I was thrilled!
Then she said, "Da da da". Then she paused, and added, "Da."

Fence, Cheerios

Just got the Evenflo "Wide Spaces Swing Gate" - and discovered you need to be something of a hardware person to install it.

I'm not a hardware person. I'm a software person. I seem to be missing that segment of y-chromosome that makes most guys handy-men. Reading in the instructions about drilling and stud finding fills me with ennui.

Returning it and getting something plastic that installs itself.

We're having Sofi eat cheerios now. Watching her try to get the cheerio in her mouth is...well...funny. Not laugh out loud funny but definite entertainment. I myself have eaten a whole lot of honey-nut cheerios in my life...but both honey and nuts are potential babykillers, so Sofi gets the plain kind.

Face, Books

Cathy says I make a face when I'm feeding Sofi solid food - as the spoon goes in her mouth my lips curl - it's a challenge, you know, trying to get as much food from the spoon to her mouth as possible: it doesn't surprise me I put some kind of gamer face on. I can't seem to stop it.

Sofi's got a new past-time, which is crawling over to the bookshelves and pulling all the books off the bottom shelf. She particularly likes to tear up this old Theodore Sturgeon book - I wouldn't mind, except it has the short story "Need" in it, one of the greatest short stories of all time. I've moved that one to a higher shelf. Sans cover. And sans the last ten pages or so. Still, "Need" is intact.

And, oh God, she's just so freaking cute! Is she really my daughter?