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29 November PixelWhimsy!! So incredibly cool!!Sophia loves laptop.
Laptop hates Sophia.
Solution to above problem: http://www.pixelwhimsy.com/pixelwhimsy/index.html
What is this miracle, you ask? It is a program that essentially changes a computer keyboard into a visual and auditory toy, all while protecting the precious contents of your computer from the little hands banging on it.
As an adult, I gotta be honest... it's also just pretty fun! Heading home to try it out on Sophia now!
UPDATE: It ended badly... my laptop keyboard stopped working and I wouldn't recommend for babies so young that they try to stand on the computer. Second time around, I put it up a little higher (to prevent her from standing on it)... that worked better. 28 November Only "helpful" toys please... no naughty ones!I generally think the folks at Yale are pretty smart, so I want to trust these researchers when they say that babies -- like Sophia-aged-babies -- can tell the naughty, unhelpful toys from the wholesome helpful toys. That's right folks... our little girl already knows the difference between good and bad, angelic and devilish, sweet and naughty. Check it out for yourself: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/11/21/infant.judging.ap/index.html. What? Feeling too lazy to click on the link? Allow me to summarize. A sample of babies are made to watch two scenarios involving pairs of wooden trains with cartoonish googly eyes: (1) one train is trying to climb a hill and another comes along and helps it up (yeayyy!), and (2) one train is trying to climb a hill and another comes along and pushes it back down (booo!). Turns out that babies chose to play with the helpful train over the mean and naughty train when given the choice after observing these scenarios. Awesome. Good beats evil. Babies are pretty innocent though, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised. I've been thinking it might be sort of fun to test this out on Sophia... you know, a little replication study. Thoughts on how to implement this? I haven't gotten any comments in a while... surely this will bring out some suggestions! Baby on the move!That's what we say when Sophia is in action and heading out of our sight. It's our code for "She's moving out of my territory and into yours... your turn to watch her!" This is necessary because she can totally haul ass when she wants to! Case in point: chasing Suzy. If only we could get Suzy to fully cooperate, she could wear out Sophia every night! Here's a cute little video of how things look when they play nicely together:
Sophia seems to know that the dog toys are off limits, so she goes right for them when they're on the floor (which is ALWAYS!). Likewise, Suzy seems to know that Sophia's toys are off limits. Fortunately, Suzy is easier to train at this point, so she mostly leaves them alone. I guess I should just wash the dog toys and not worry so much about who plays with what.
The morning after the video above, Sophia and her baba had a little soccer watching to do. Sophia likes to stand, but she's still hesitant enough to let go with one hand and move to a different object. I think it's so cute how she gets down from one thing to crawl over to the next before standing again. Silly kid.
27 November Just gimme the stats, doclength: 29 3/4 inches (100th percentile)
weight: 19 pounds, 5 ounces (75th percentile)
head: 17 1/2 inches (75th percentile)
All is well physically and developmentally. Also, our little munchkin received a flu shot, so *hopefully* we'll avoid another multi-day vomiting episode this winter! Keep your fingers crossed for us! 23 November 9 months and counting!Have I mentioned that it's getting harder and harder to get Sophia to pose with her pink pig on her monthly birthdays? She either (1) won't smile, (2) attempts to take a nose-dive off the chair, or (3) attacks the pink pig and his little label that indicates the monthly milestone. This one is the best I could get today. Perhaps I'll try again tomorrow.
She spends most of her time these days pulling herself up to standing... often to get at something that was previously out of reach (dog, laptop, kitchen knives... just kidding, the knives are still mostly out of reach). She stands everywhere... even in the crib. That's her new trick. Crying and crying about how awful it is to have to go to bed, and to do it from a standing position to make sure that her screams carry throughout the house (as if that didn't happen from a nice prone position). I couldn't resist snapping a picture yesterday at the beginning of her afternoon nap. The funny (and completely maddening) thing is that she immediately smiled for the camera, even as the (faux) tears in her eyes remained. Ham.
22 November In TrainingWhat's the high temperature going to be in North Dakota today? Oh, right about freezing. Hmmm... could be a little chilly there at Christmas. As a result, Sophia has decided to start training and she kicked off that training this morning by walking Suzy in 40-degree weather! As any good athlete knows, you've gotta start with the right gear. Thankfully, grandpa and grandma Sautner brought this baby bunting with them from ND. Lord knows where I'd find something like this in California!
Hands and feet are all safely tucked into little pouches, so only her little face peeks out. The hood part kept sliding down as we walked, so that all you could see were cheeks! :) Suzy, who doesn't normally like to walk alongside a stroller, walked way out in front of us and pulled us along like a miniature sled dog. So fun! Mush, Suzy! Mush!
You might be asking yourself why I would take her out in such chilly weather to begin with. Well, that was part of the deal that I cut this morning. The deal: I would bundle Sophia up and walk Suzy if Esen would brave the grocery store on Thanksgiving morning. We believe in the Just-In-Time operations management style around here... no advanced shopping and stocking up for us, no sir! :) So, I sent him with a pretty lengthy list of items and kept my fingers crossed that he wouldn't need to kick any ass to get the last turkey. Turns out, the store wasn't the problem. The real problem was the Run to Feed the Hungry, which has many streets between the store and our house closed for the morning. He made it to the store without incident, but apparently had to make a full tour of Sacramento to make it back to the house. And, yes... he got us an 18-pound free range turkey, so Thanksgiving has been saved!! 21 November Sticking to traditionA few years ago, Esen experienced his first Thanksgiving at my mom's house. We typically do a Thanksgiving dinner at the normal 6ish dinner hour (rather than a mid-day meal as is common in many households in the U.S.). In order to preserve her sanity while cooking many dishes for the evening meal, my mom chose to do something simple around lunch... nachos. We all thought it would be pretty funny if we tried to convince Esen that a lunch of nachos on Thanksgiving were as traditional as the turkey and dressing were at dinner. Trying to trick the foreigner... that's what Esen accused us of. We weren't very convincing and he isn't particularly gullible, but the phrase "traditional like Thanksgiving nachos" made it's way into our family vernacular as a result.
Tonight I ran over to Trader Joe's for the fixins... ground beef, chips, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream (I was rung up by Apollo Ohno's half-brother... he was a dead ringer for the Olympic medalist, but may have been pulling my leg when I commented on the resemblance... but that's another post). We opted for some pre-Thanksgiving traditional Thanksgiving nachos. They were quite delicious... especially because Esen made me a margarita to accompany them and then got the baby to sleep without my assistance.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Cheers to tequila and tradition!
Counting 10 FingersJust to be sure after this...
Sophia is so tall that she doesn't even need to stand up anymore to reach Suzy (and her toys). Poor Suzy isn't safe anywhere! Was I worried as I watched them, with Sophia's fingers nearly in Suzy's mouth? No, not this time. I'm a really good judge of Suzy's mood and she definitely seemed to be enjoying the interaction rather than being annoyed by it (which is usually the case). You probably think I'm nuts to talk about the expression on a dog face, but Suzy has a look about her when she doesn't want to be messed with (and I've seen it many times). I look forward to the day when Sophia can tell the difference, too.
18 November What a dreamAs if the cute hugging wasn't enough, Sophia further endeared herself to us by sitting sweetly in her booster seat while we enjoyed delicious sushi for dinner. We didn't even plan it. We just decided that sushi sounded good, that her mood was good, and that a spur-of-the-moment trip to the neighborhood sushi restaurant might just work. Most of our actions are pretty premeditated these days, so this impromptu dinner was really nice. Almost like normal life. :) Where oh where has my weekend gone? Oh where oh where can it be?Sunday... nearly 5pm... it's like I blinked and the weekend vanished. Perhaps it was the all-day Ultimate Frisbee tournament that I played in yesterday that lasted from 9am until after 3pm and then left me exhausted and sore from head to toe (literally!). It was fun, but the day is mostly a blur now. Esen brought Sophia out to cheer me on (and drink some milk) and fortunately (?!) she was up until 9pm last night, so I still saw quite a lot of her.
Wanna know what she's doing lately that is super cute? She hugs. If I sit on the floor with her, she crawls over, uses several of my available body parts to reach a standing position, and then wraps her cute little arms around my neck and hugs! I thought that hearing her laugh was heaven, but this hugging business beats the laughing by a mile at least. A variation on the hug that is nearly as endearing is when she lays her head down on me. Sometimes we'll be rolling around on the floor - playing and being silly - and she'll get (momentarily) exhausted from the activity, so she'll lay her head on me. Seriously, that plus a few baby hugs will get her absolutely anything she wants. Do me a favor and don't share this information with her. I'm still trying to pretend that she doesn't have me wrapped around her little finger. 14 November OK, but just a few more...Who can resist a baby learning to clap? I don't think she learned this from us... probably from music time at day care. Ah, I do hope that she will be a musician.
And finally, look at this little cuddle-bun!!! It's so rare that she just sits still on my lap like this. And now that she's starting to hug her stuffed toys and dolls, it's really just too freakin' cute!
Back log of cutie-patootie videosWell, we've mostly recovered here (although I understand a few people in North Dakota are still hurting). I didn't take many pictures during the latest grandparent visit. Here's one of Sophia with grandpa:
I'm pretty sure that this picture was taken after her puking started, so I'm reminded how good her mood was despite being so sick. I know the Sautner camera has more shots, so hopefully we'll get some more cute ones once they recover!
With all the recent excitement around here, I've gotten a little behind in posting videos... and there were SOOOOO many cute ones on the camera. I chose to post the ones that weren't giving me uploading trouble on Google Video.
First up... Sophia's version of "reading" (really more like ransacking):
Here's one that will really shock you I think. This one, taken last week before she got sick, shows Sophia pulling herself up and standing!
Finally, although the lighting is horrible, here is a video from last night of a post-flu Sophia pulling herself up over and over again on a laundry basket that was overturned in the living room (we must have washed 4 loads of clothes - hers and ours - that she puked on over the weekend).
The standing gets more and more stable by the day, so I'll try to be better about keeping you all posted with up-to-date videos!!
12 November And just when we thought the fun would never quit...... Esen and I got the flu, too. What's less fun that taking care of a baby who is erupting from both ends? Doing it while you're in the same boat. :(
Grandma and Grandpa Sautner have fallen ill, too. Looks like one little 20-pound baby can take down four adults without much effort. 10 November No fun10 puking events
4 changes of footie pajamas
1 trip to the emergency room
4 hours waited
0 doctors seen
Having a sick baby... priceless.
It's probably just the stomach flu, but we're heading in to see the pediatrician this morning to make sure. Her spirits are remarkably good, so it's hard to be too nervous about her illness. We could have a rough couple of days ahead of us. And Grandma and Grandpa Sautner are here to share it! Lucky them! If they're really lucky, maybe we'll all catch the flu! I probably just jinxed us by even joking about that.
I'll post an update after we se the doctor.
Back from the doctor and they do think that it is just a little stomach flu. Still not fun, but we can live with that.
06 November Surprise! Boy-oh-boy was it ever!Our whirlwind weekend (say that three times fast) in North Dakota was crazy and fun. It might be easiest to just give you the blow-by-blow in chronological order:
The party started in Minneapolis when Auntie Katie came out to the airport to help us enjoy a five+ hour layover. She brought me dinner and entertained Sophia... two things that I desperately needed after the flight from Sacramento.
The party continued later that night with Grandma and Grandpa Sautner, who picked us up from the airport in Bismarck and fed us wine, cheese, and crackers (well, mostly just me). Sophia crawled around on the floor and wore herself out a little. Not that she slept worth a darn in the hotel that night. Funny... in Turkey, Sophia slept so well snuggled up in bed with us. Now, she couldn't stop fidgeting! Guess our big girl is used to having her own space at night.
Saturday morning we had breakfast with the vast majority of the Sautner Clan... the big group was a little overwhelming for Sophia (especially on so little sleep), so she was velcro'd to me despite all the hands that were eager to hold her.
After breakfast we headed over to my grandparents' house to surprise the birthday girl. She sure wasn't expecting us! My grandfather wondered who the strangers in his driveway were and only recognized me after opening the front door. He's nearly 92, so I guess I'll cut him some slack. Birthday grandma was working in her laundry room, heard my giggle from the front door, and thought she must be dreaming. :) Fortunately, neither of them had an adverse reaction to me just showing up on their doorstep, but I think my grandma was in some mild shock for most of the day! Some highlights from the visit:
Sleepy-head looking cute in fleece footie pajamas (big ones... 18-months size!):
She wouldn't let her great-grandma hold her very much (so squirmy these days!), but they played on the floor a lot:
Sophia helped great-grandpa peel potatoes for what turned out to be some seriously delicious German potato salad:
She also got to see her great-uncle Jerry, who didn't have any problem holding her:
Mostly, I spent a lot of time chasing around a fast-crawling baby who felt like this new world was her oyster. We got her to sit still for a little while with some empty butter dishes. We played some butter lid frisbee that was pretty fun (at least for me... those little suckers FLY!):
On Monday morning, we got to see some snow flurries! The weather had been warm enough that none it really stuck... just a little bit in the cracks of the sidewalks and streets. Still, it was the first snow of the season and Sophia's first exposure to snow, too. Makes me anxious to be there around Christmas!
Finally, (fairy) godmother Jenny drove us to the airport after some lunch and a little play time to wear out the baby:
Sophia was a real sweetheart on the flights home and in the airport during our layover. Here's her bored face as we played on the (very dirty) floor of the airport:
And here's Sophia trying desperately to get into my diet coke:
Fortunately for me, she was unsuccessful and slept the whole flight from Minneapolis to Sacramento. I'm not saying that it's very comfortable to be used as a mattress for that many hours, but it is preferrable to screaming. :) We're glad to be home.
04 November Guest Blogger EntryI don't expect many people to log on to Sophia's World. As many of you know, you won't read about the little angel but you'll read about me instead. It is big big shoes to fill, I can't match the interest level generated by a very cute 8-month old... but let me try. I miss both of my ladies but it has also been nice to have some time to myself. I don't have to worry about whether Sophia will crawl towards a beer bottle or towards Suzy's tail. I was able to watch a lot of soccer this weekend and also get some uninterrupted sleep.
I spent most of the day on Saturday watching soccer (a big win for Fenerbahce!!!) and hanging out with a Turkish friend and his wife. It was nice to talk Turkish for a change and the rest of the day I took Suzy out for long, nice walks. Sunday is reserved for some grading, picking up the house (can I dare otherwise?) some more soccer and just rest. Nothing very exciting I am afraid.
Dear Suzy has had a chance to catch up on her sleep as well and she doesn't have to worry about being chased around by a speedy demon. I think we are both ready for our traveling angels to get back. They arrive late tomorrow so I will pick them up at the airport around 11pm (yet again, after playing some soccer). I can only hope Sophia's sleeping will be back to normal after a short adjustment period but one can never bank on such things really.
I haven't heard much from Jess since she has been in ND (not great reception for T-Mobile in ND). The one time she was able to call me, she said my cute daughter managed to get herself *heard* at church and had to be escorted out (by her mother of course). Power of Islam? maybe... but more likely lack of sleep, I reckon. On the way to ND, Sophia also managed to spend some quality time with aunt Katie but I don't know much about the details. You have to wait for Jess to be back for a more accurate description of the events. I suppose you can expect a more interesting blog entry describing the trip sometime before Thursday, stay tuned!!! 01 November Quite the resemblanceSophia was standing on my lap the other day (because she doesn't do a whole lot of sitting these days) and she looked up at something on the wall. That view of her made me think of this picture of Esen (he's the one on the right... at least I think so... hmmm...).
I mean, her head was at the same angle, she had the same expression on her face... the only thing different was the quantity of hair! :)
She might be a "mommy's girl" these days, but she looks like her daddy so much sometimes! Speaking of daddy, Esen will be guest-blogging this weekend while I'm in North Dakota to surprise my grandma for her 90th birthday. I won't even have access to a computer to check up on his entries, so I leave it up to you readers/commenters to keep him in check! Ciao! |
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