Dancing Queen

Not quite sure what she's doing with her arm in this video. But here's Sophie dancing to Bob Marley (mix CD from The Other Sophie).

I just know this dance is going to sweep the nation. She's a trend-setter.

First Sentence!

Apparently Sophie, at daycare yesterday, put together her first sentence:

"Sshh, Emmy seepen." (Shh, Emily sleeping)

Does it count if we weren't there?

Then this morning, we were watching a video of Sophie's cousin and it ended and Aaron and I were talking and did not immediately hit replay and Sophie got impatient with her very slow parents and said: "'Kay, Bee Bice!" - "Okay, Baby Bryce!"

Which is going to count even though it's a fragment.

Heroes

I finally got Aaron to watch an episode and found myself trying to explain each of the characters when they came on screen. Mind reader, Haitian: memory eraser, invincible, absorbs powers, invisible, space/time dude, psychic, evil, scientist...

George Takai! Is he just very rich? How does he know what Hiro's been doing? Is he working for Linderman, too?

Will D.L. let Micah get away with taking all that money? Micah was smart to use one of those convenience store machines - no cameras. Although he could probably mess with the cameras, too, couldn't he?

I kept thinking Jessica was going to attack that psychologist! Maybe she's waiting for a better opportunity.

Sylar isn't dead! Of course he isn't dead. What happened to the cockroach? What was that white thing sticking out of the back of his head? Is HRG dead now? Creepy previews for next week with him at Claire's house. But I think she's not there because she's off meeting her real mom, right?

Claire's mom is a firestarter! Now I'm very curious about her dad. Is it someone we've already met?

I love when Hiro realizes the "Big Boss" is actually his dad. "Gulp!" I also loved when he and Ando were hiding under the car and the car drove away! So funny.

Why does Peter think Invisible Man is going to help him? Because he saw him in his vision? Who else has he taught?

What else?

Ooh, update email from Primatech Paper Company:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Primatech Paper
Date: Jan 30, 2007 12:54 AM
Subject: more than paper... much more

Want to try to get into his files too? Go to primatechpaper.com, find the helix hidden in the logo on the 'About us' page.

Enter the username bennet and password claire. The password to get into my file is HGghx11a. Get 2 know me.
-----------------------------------

It looks like the second password only opens the file of Hanna Gitelman, a.ka.: Wireless - she must have sent that email to me. Very exciting. I love the depth to which they have taken this show.

Heroes Obsession

For the Heroes-obsessed fan. By one.

Baby! Snow! Photos!

Except the photos are coming later.

We went to see our new nephew on Saturday. And brought goodies and coffee and pizza in addition to hugs and a camera. The camera's batteries died soon after our arrival and I forgot to pack more. So, K?, I'll be uploading two or so photos tonight. The new nephew is very cute. Very sleepy and quiet. Our other nephew is now walking his Frankenstein walk and he's very proud of himself. Lots of smiles and he actually didn't seem as tentative around Sophie this time. Woo! She was very excited by all of his toys and spent most of the visit trying to pick up everything she could find. She walked around the whole time with her arms full of stuff. A little pack rat already.

Sunday, we went to The Hallmark Institute of Photography and had Sophie's photos taken. Students there are always looking for subjects and the session is free. We have the option of buying prints afterwards. My brother went there and we thought it'd be a great way to get some more photos of The Snoph. She decided not to nap that morning so we were preparing ourselves for a major meltdown, but she actually did great. The photographer let her run around in the studio and we all kept redirecting Sophie's tornado path towards the chair in front of the backdrop. She was having a blast and I think we might get some great photos out of it.

And then they walked us out and Sophie wanted to walk in the parking lot. Where she encountered snow and slush and we made an half-hearted attempt at getting her back in the car but then decided that she probably needed to run around a bit. Poor thing has been cooped up in the house/car/daycare for weeks due to the bad weather. She was getting her dress shoes all messy and so we put on her fancy snow boots (that we haven't even used yet this year) and away she went. Having a blast watching Aaron and me splash the slush with our boots. She would stomp in the slush and bend down and look at the snow and one of the photographers came back out with a camera and took even more photos of her running around and acting all snow crazy. I can't wait to see what he captured.

And then she slept for almost 3 hours.

It was a great weekend - everyone is feeling better, especially Sophie, and we got some fresh air and had a couple of different adventures. Her language explosion continues and she is a blast to be around. It's amazing to me how she's developed such a unique and fun personality. Such a little thing and yet so dynamic.

Alternative Toy Boxes

My very fabulous aunt works with villages and groups in Africa to help them become self-sufficient*. She recently helped coordinate selling very cool Iringa baskets between Target's Global Bazaar and a group in Tanzania.

UPDATE from my aunt: note the bottom two pictures in the bigger Target group are not authentic Iringa baskets - the only true Iringa basket is from Southern Tanzania.

We have a couple of these around our living room, filled with Sophie's toys. They look great, have no sharp edges, and they aren't florescent Dora/Elmo/Blue's Clues colors. You should really go buy several today. Not only will you help out a small village in Africa, but your living room and kids' rooms will look very stylish.

*There's much more to what she does, but I'm giving you the Cliff's Notes version.

Veronica Mars

I was so happy that Veronica Mars was back on last night. As much as I used to like Veronica and Logan together, I just didn't understand why she went back to him last night. The chemistry just isn't there for me anymore. And look at cute Piz! She broke his heart.

I loved Mac and Bronson, too. He was so excited to see her and she was adorable.

Too funny with Dick taking Polaroids of his balls and throwing them over the balcony. I'm glad Aaron didn't see that and that we don't have a Polaroid camera. Because [N] - you know you'd be receiving those. It'd be like a long-distance tea bagging.

"Monkey? As in..."
"Spank my...?"

The writing on this show is so good and it seems even better after watching Gilmore Girls. I'm not sure why I keep watching that show. I like Lauren Graham and that is about it. Luke looks like shit, Rory is still annoying, April is annoying, Lane and her doofus husband don't make sense to me, I don't like Christopher very much. Thank goodness there was no Babette and her squawking. Plus, it's exhausting to watch with all the "witty" banter. Just slow down and stop TALKING. Ugh. This has to be the last year for that show.

Heroes, finally

Okay, I watched it through this morning.

What is with the cockroach in Sylar's cell? It sort of looks like he's communicating with it.

I love Hiro. I loved how he was watching the dinosaur video and he told the little dinosaur: "Watch Out!" and how he yelled "Flying Man!" when he saw Nathan. "Billan?" Also, was the painting of him with the dinosaur from when he was in the museum? Because he pretended to attack dinosaur sculpture? Fake sword?! Of course Linderman has the real one. Also, why would a legendary sword/armor be in a New York museum? Wouldn't it be in Japan? Takezo Kensai - in case that is important later.

"Great Talent/Godsend" - the half DNA symbol on the sword and the tattoos on a few of the characters. I wonder about the connection. Even more questions about Linderman.

Niki is a Psycho Killer? Q'est Que C'est? Interesting that the transitions between her and Jessica are becoming so frequent. It used to be that Niki would black out when Jessica took over. It's almost like they are starting to fuse together somehow.

Does Micah tell his dad about his power? Does Micah break his mother out of jail?

I love the Haitian. So mysterious and so sexy with the accent.

I would not want Peter's power. Yikes. Too much to absorb.

Dr. Who! Invisible! He's much scruffier now. We've just been watching the version of Dr. Who with Christopher Eccleston. So exciting that he's on Heroes now.

Also, Primatech Paper is the Horn-rimmed Glasses guy's company. I wonder how you get the code for this form? Since 1962. Anyone want to call the number? Or send a text message?

Update: the code is MT36. A coworker called the company phone number and one of the selections gives you the code. Entering that code on the website takes you to a form to fill out. I'll let you know what they send me.

Heroes, missing minutes

Well, I missed more than half the episode tonight. Sophie was inconsolable at one point and I wasn't about to let her sit there and scream just so I could see if Hiro stole the sword. Thank gawd for the internet - I'm going to have to catch rest during lunch or maybe before work.

15 Months!

We're home today because Sophie had her 15-month appointment and we've discovered that she has two ear infections. In addition to the pink eye she developed on Saturday. In addition to the bad cold and coughing she's had since Friday night. Did I mention the pink eye? Yeah, Aaron has it, too.

*knock on wood*: I haven't got it yet.

Needless to say, we didn't visit our new nephew. Sophie *was* feeling better on Friday when I called to see if they might want a visit. But our sister-in-law is feeling tired and over-stressed as far as all the visits and appointments so we told her that it was no problem to visit another weekend. Good thing, too, considering how Sophie's health devolved after that phone call.

She's now on antibiotics for her eyes and for her ears. I stayed home with her today after canceling a couple of meetings. No sense sending her to daycare like this. Hopefully, she'll be feeling better tomorrow.

On the bright side, our pediatrician commented on how much she's talking now.

And that she has a very big head - 95%. For those keeping track at home, she weighs 21 lbs, 13 oz (about 25% now, down from 50% last month, and is 31.75 inches long (about 90%). Tall and thin, like her daddy. The doctor was not concerned with her lower weight percentile because she's walking and she's obviously tall.

We didn't get vaccinations because of the ear infection, but they did do another lead test and an iron test. Her iron looked great and we'll get the lead results at her next visit. There is a concern with lead at this house because it is so old and now that she's into everything, this is the time to keep checking her.

On to the monthly report: as I mentioned last month, she has had an language explosion. She is so close to talking in sentences. She repeats almost every word we say and is very good at following instructions. She gets the idea of "put it back" (still works in stores when she's found something she likes) and, mostly, "dirty, yucky!".

She made her first joke this month. We've been playing a smelly feet game with her when we're changing her clothes or her diaper. We smell her feet and then make a big deal about how stinky they are. Aaron usually pretends to cough and faint on the bed. She finds this hilarious. In fact, if I smell her feet, she then holds them up and says: "Daddy?" because she loves making him laugh. So we were playing this and we smelled her feet and I asked: "Wow! What did you step in?" and she answered: "Poop."

That's my girl.

We love you, Sophie, and we're very sorry you're sick. Again.

Black Sheep

This looks hilarious. The sheep are revolting!

Plus my ass looks great in them

I have a recommendation for you. I found a great jean finder site - Zafu.

I've been disappointed with my latest attempts at buying jeans. I have very limited time to actually shop for them and then I get them home and something is just not right. Like the last pair of Mossino jeans I bought at Target. Cute pockets, good length, but way too bulbous around the hips. Lots of extra material around the hips and yet they were cinching my muffin top into a crazy formation.

I also have a few Old Navy bootcut jeans that I like as far as fit but they have plain back pockets. Boring. Unimaginative.

There are so many choices out there and I just don't have the time to go to 40 million stores to try them on.

Enter Zafu. They have you fill out a questionnaire and then give you a big list of recommendations. That you can then narrow down by more fit and style preferences. The recommendations ranged from inexpensive to very pricey. I bought a pair of Sakura jeans from JCPenney and they arrived yesterday. Perfection. Great in the butt, narrow on the hips. I love the denim material.

Update: also? I would never have thought to shop at JCPenney. Aaron stated it perfectly: "No one shops there." And the beauty of these here internets tubes means I don't actually have to step foot in one.

I even got a stealth dry hump from Aaron and we all know that that is why we want our ass to look great in jeans. So that Aaron will dry hump us. ;)

I also won a pair of Lucky jeans on eBay for about a third of their normal price at Nordstrom's. Can't wait to see if they work, too.

No ZZZZs with Cheese

I was feeling lazy last night and we ordered pizza for dinner. Sophie loves pizza. So she ate cheese and tomatoes and some of Aaron's pepperoni and then she woke up pretty much every hour last night. All frickin' night long.

"Uh oh!" "Sock!" her socks had come off. So I put them back on. "'Kay."

(Her latest response to most things. Apparently, Aaron and I say "Okay" a lot)

*making sign for milk and nodding enthusiastically* "Yet!" "Muck!"

Again, Sophie? "Yet!" "'Kay."

I blame the cheese. And the pepperoni. Stupid pepperoni. We'll have to save the rest of the pizza for lunch so that it doesn't affect her sleep.

In other news, Aaron fell asleep at 6 p.m. last night while I was reading to Sophie. I tried to quietly wake him up a couple of times, but he just stayed asleep. He's feeling very well-rested this morning.

I'm exhausted and yet zooming because of the strong coffee I made last night. It's like a foggy zooming sensation. My brain is not moving as fast as my body.

We are still on stand-by for a new nephew visit. I don't feel sick, but I'm still blowing lots of thick yellow/green snot out of my nose. As is Sophie. Maybe well-rested Aaron can visit and take lots of photos.

Photos!

Before I get to the photos - holy crap, it's FOUR degrees outside!!! It's been in the 40s and even the 60s for the last few months. And then all of a sudden we get down to single digits? The big snow/ice storm petered out this weekend. We only got rain and dreariness. This morning? My boogers froze.

Now that you have that image in your head, I bring you some supreme cuteness.

(as always, click on the photos for more)

We're a bit overwhelmed with all the winter paraphernalia - coats, hats, scarves, tiny little mittens, etc., and with Sophie wanting to help with everything, we decided to get her her own coat rack.

She can almost get the coats on the pegs. We say - "put your coat back" and she'll walk over there holding it out. Very, very cute.

For Christmas, my mom painted her a table and chairs. She loves it. She's really into drawing and it's one of the first things she wants to do when we come downstairs in the morning. Aaron's like an ungainly grasshopper sitting at the table with her. An ungainly grasshopper drinking kick-you-in-the-pants French roast.

A comparison of shoes. Aaron's Keens used to be a dark green. Now they are covered in chalk dust. I find this very sexy.

Reilly!

My sister-in-law had her son yesterday. She was about 2 weeks overdue. Three hours of labor! He's 10 pounds! And she did it with no drugs! Wow! Since we're all battling colds, etc., we probably won't get to see him until this weekend. Reilly. Cute. He's apparently very blond, just like his mom. And dad and big brother. I guess it would have been weird if he had black hair.

Teef!

When people warned me about molars coming in, I thought to myself - eh, what's the big deal? Sophie (You) dealt with her other teeth like a champ. I should have stopped to think about the reality of MOLARS trying to push their way through her gums. Her swollen, bruised, hurting gums. There are no pointy bits to most molars. So, it's like pushing Lego blocks through layers of skin. Her latest word? "Ow, ow, ow!"

Poor thing. The fever of last week has to be because of the teeth. And now she's all snotty because why just let her get her bottom molars when she can get her top ones, too?

Also, she is a remora again. Aaron's starting to feel hurt because she only wants to be near me. Touching me. We walk to the kitchen holding hands, we hold hands when I pee, she hugs my legs while I'm trying to get a glass of water and then she wants to sleep on me. Or if not on me, then pushed up really close against me. She'll even grab my head and push it against her forehead. Very sweet, but starting to get a little over the top.

And then because of the snot last night, she couldn't breath to nurse. So whereas she had been waking me up almost every hour for the last few nights, last night she just couldn't nurse. Lots of crying and then falling back asleep. I woke up with rock hard, leaking boobs. I'm probably going to go up about 10 cup sizes today. So, if you're my coworker? You're in for a treat.

Brrrrrr!

Well, it's finally winter around here. After many, many days in the sunny 60s, I had to scrape ice off my car this morning. And this weekend is looking pretty grim:

No big plans for this weekend other than continued straightening up of things around the house. The Christmas tree is finally down and I'm working my way through my list of projects. Things like finally putting all of Sophie's baby photos in albums. And framing some of the best ones.

We're also starting to talk about transitioning Sophie into her own bed. At this point, neither of us mind her in the bed with us and it helps that we have a king-size bed. We gave the crib to my brother for the impending baby because I was finally honest with myself that we were not going to try and use it anymore. As much as I know it's an important step for Sophie to have her own big girl bed, I'm just not ready for it myself. I love snuggling with my baby and we fit together so well. And as soon as she moves on, she will no longer be my baby. At least not in the same way. It's the same with nursing. I'm still nursing her at night and sometimes for naps on the weekends. It's still healthy for her and she likes it. I like it. It's a wonderful connection and weaning her means she's no longer my baby. Aaron thinks I'm being a little over-dramatic but he can just stick it up his arse.

Anyhoo, we're moving the full-size mattress we had in the spare room into her bedroom and will start the process of talking to her about her fun big girl bed. And probably start trying to nap there instead of on our bed. I'm also buying a cute flannel fitted sheet and I have the intention of making an easy fleece and/or flannel quilt-type blanket thingy. I'm all about being specific here.

Making this quilt-type blanket thingy requires me to clean off the table downstairs and set up my sewing machine. Finally. Which will really tick Aaron "I was in the Navy and I hate clutter because all I had for years was a shared rack and one duffel bag" right the hell off. Anticipating this reaction, my plan is to work on and finish my sewing projects quickly.

I'd also like to make a winter hat for Sophie that looks like it has pigtails coming off the top of it. By making long pom poms or tassels. My idea; don't you dare steal it.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Heroes Spoilers!

Spoiler Alert: lots of Heroes spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you.

A baby named "You!"

We've discovered that Sophie may think her name is "You". Because every time we point to her photo, she says: "You!"

We're now attempting to only say "Sophie" in the hopes that she doesn't end up in Kindergarten correcting her teacher - "Um, clearly you jest, my name is You, not Sophie." Because that is how she will speak in Kindergarten.

I dyed my hair and took in-progress photos and have yet to take a finished hair color photo. The lighting in the bathroom is not the best and since my hair is already dark and I dyed it a touch darker, they are mostly photos of me with sticky hair and Vaseline around my hairline.

Aaron and I agreed that we were going to create a list of tasks to accomplish over the week and if we didn't accomplish them by Friday, then no beer for the weekend. After agreeing, Aaron immediately went upstairs and starting scrubbing the tub and sink and then went onto install the top-of-the-stairs gate that he had been putting off for months. Apparently we needed to set this rule sooner. On my list for the week - take down the Christmas tree and clear the table in the dining room that collects all the papers and doo-dads and knick-knacks. I'd like to temporarily make this my sewing table (much to Aaron's chagrin) because I have a couple of sewing projects in mind. Like converting one of his abandoned shirts to fit me better and maybe making some fun floor pillows for Sophie.

In other news, I have to keep closing the comments on my posts to keep the spammers at bay. They are a wily bunch and they find my open posts within a day or two.

TGIF

It's gray and rainy outside. Perfect time to dye my hair, right? Actually, I'm just sick of it. Again. And 'fixing' the color seems like something to do. I'm probably going to screw it up and hate it, but at least I've made an effort to change, right?

In other news, I actually worked out after work yesterday and I'm planning on working out on Tuesdays and Thursdays while Aaron's teaching winter session. He can pick up Sophie on those days and I can stay here a little later. Our work has a small gym with a not-too-shabby elliptical trainer as well as weights, etc.

I need to make another appointment to check on my blood pressure, so I intend to make that at the end of this month and see if I've managed to a) lose a little more weight from working out, and b) lowered my blood pressure.

In other news, I'm back to drinking my unsweetened cranberry juice/apple cider vinegar cocktails after work and adding ground flax seed meal to a lot of things. I stopped the cocktails once I got my stomach bug and was nervous to start up again. So far so good, though.

This weekend includes a trip to Trader Joe's to stock up on my favorites: almond butter, frozen brown rice, cranberry juice, cider vinegar, Fage yogurt and edamame. There is a lot more I buy there, but those tend to be my staples.

I will, perhaps, post photos of how badly I screwed up my hair. How's that for positive thinking?

200 Calories

Now that we've all made it past the holiday overeating extravaganza, this guide called: "What does 200 calories look like?" is very interesting. Good for comparison purposes.

So, wait, I could eat 4 quadrillion carrots or a tablespoon of peanut butter? Hmm.

Happy New Year!

We had a great time down in New York. Cousins and aunts and uncles and a cranky kitty cat. Oh, and lots of chocolate.

[photos at the end]

The New York kitty bit Sophie but she *was* trying to get him to play with a plastic truck. We all know that New York kitties prefer taxis. She's fine, just a couple of scratches. She's lucky he isn't feeling himself. After he bit her she said: "Uh oh. Cat." This didn't deter her from following him around and saying "Hi!" over and over again.

She didn't sleep very well and she didn't nap very well and then she bit another kid at daycare yesterday. See? She learned from the cranky kitty.

Our daycare provider doesn't seem too concerned and even mentioned that it is a phase that others there have gone through. Most likely having to do with frustration at not being able to tell someone to "leave me alone". She was pretty cranky yesterday and was giving off a moody vibe. Not excusing her behavior, but noting it for future reference. We talked to our daycare provider about making sure she turns her attention to the bitee first so that Sophie doesn't think that she's going to get attention from it. Aaron's really concerned. More about what the other parents must think and also that our baby is a biter.

Personally, I think she's tired and not feeling very well. Teeth? Another cold?

Here are some photos my sister took with her fancy camera: