And the Good News Is...

I haven't forgotten how to surf!

It's been over two years. First there was some construction on my condo that made it a real pain in the ass to get my surfboard down to the car; then it was my daughter. (Daughter + Job + Surfing > Total Available Bandwidth, but Daughter + Surfing < Total Available Bandwidth.)

Only caught four waves today, and they were crappy waves at that, but I caught them, and they were mine, and you can't take that away from me.

And I'm so excited by the news that I've posted it on both my blogs! Since I think most people either read one blog (parents, wife, non-industry friends) or the other (game industry friends) I'm doubling up.

Sounds Like...

A Choking Hazard!

One nice thing about our laminate floors - I can be looking away from Sofi, reading a book or something, and identify by sound that she's somehow got her hands on a choking hazard and is playing with it. (That sounds like one of Cathy's tiny refrigerator magnets! That sounds like one of my six-sided dice!)

Walking

Sofi took a couple of shuffling steps towards mommy today.

My reaction was, "No!!!!"

She's so *cute* when she's crawling.

And if she starts walking I won't be able to call her "floor monster" anymore.

Weird how I can't wait for her to learn to talk and sign but I don't want her to ever walk. Maybe it's because I value brains more than athletics? Or maybe it's just pragmatics: if she can't walk she can't get into as much trouble? Or maybe it's all about the cuteness.

Sofi Likes Pesto

Spaghetti with pesto. She's really chowing it down right now. Mmm, basil, garlic, olive oil. Is that healthy for babies?

I've noticed a pattern lately - if I think what I'm feeding Sofi is kind of gross, (peas, pureed squash) she doesn't like it, and if what I feed her is good (pesto, applesauce, biscuits) then she does.

Which is weird, because when I was her age I didn't like the stuff I like now. Maybe I'm sending her unconscious signals.

Bedtime, Sharing

Our bedtime ritual has settled in at about 1 hour and fifteen minutes. The ritual looks something like this, and usually happens shortly after dinner time:
1. bath (we put the tub that Nick and Catherine gave us in the kitchen sink...it fits in there snugly, and that way we don't have to bend down and kill our backs washing her in the bathtub)
2. dry her off and take her into the nursery, where she nurses--hence the name--while listening to "Bedtime with the Beatles" - a bunch of Beatles hits turned into orchestral lullaby things
3. we turn the lights down about halfway through the CD - barely light enough to read
3a. she sometimes falls asleep during this step, in which case we go straight to step 5
4. I take her and rock her in the rocking chair, in the dark, while a windup Eeyore plays Braham's lullaby.
5. Into the crib: got this whole technique down, where I gradually lower her, and then use my right hand to support her head so I can pull my left hand out from under her neck. She sometimes wakes up in this step, in which case:
6. Gently hold her arms steady - otherwise she flails around and gets upset. If I hold her arms, she'll immediately relax and eventually fall asleep.

One thing we've been noticing lately is that she likes to give us things. Food, pieces of paper. Then she wants those things right back. She's practicing sharing, I guess.

Adventure

Sofi and I went off for our first solo adventure today. Mom wasn't feeling well so I took Sofi to a party in the afternoon. It was just us. She cried a little here and there, but mostly she seemed okay with the mommy-free party. We were only gone for a couple hours, but not a bad first step.