Five boxes makes a tower.

A bit of Saturday morning fun.

Stacking Boxes

I count five...

Six was just too much.

Sitting on the boxes is fun too.

This post brought to you by the letter "c".

 

Perpendicular to the ground

The day started innocently enough.
Momma and Sylvia went for a walk,
Poppa left for work,
and, uncle Ian came over to play.

Then things got interesting...

To me she is somehow transformed.
From a simple shift,
as we become perpendicular to the ground.

Earth Day-Birth Day!

One time around the sun takes you from here...

to here!

Happy Birthday Sylvia!

(Low key party this Sunday. Pics sure to follow.)

A Word for Each Pair of Teeth

If language is a virus (per William S. Burroughs, Laurie Anderson and Neil Stephenson) then Sylvia is getting an infection. I currently count four words in her vocabulary, one for each pair of teeth teeth.

"Mama", the first, comes as no surprise.
I suppose it's only fair that the person who gave birth to her gets a word.

The second, "baby", is also reasonable since Sylvia happens to be one.

Being one of her favorite toys, as can be seen below, we can give up the third spot to spherical toys.

But, it comes as bitter bile that the fourth spot does not go to the guy who had some part in her existence. Instead of "Poppa", "Dadda", "Papito", "Aba" or any other paternal description, Sylvia has struck upon "Cat" to fill her quiver of words.

Cleo, in 2003, upset that Brick is
not paying her adequate attention.

But I'm not bitter. Poppas are tough and don't need recognition.
(Though it better be in the top ten or that pony ain't gonna happen)

I'm an Architect!

Yes, after two cross country moves, a thousand days of grad school, six years of internship, 10 exams and one interview with the Oregon Board of Architectural Examiners, I am officially a licensed Architect. Huzzah!

What's missing from this list are the countless ways that I was supported by my love and partner, Aurelia. Thank you sweetie for helping achieve what I set out to do.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, "the cobbler's wife wears old shoes." So that kitchen remodel may have to wait for a bit. At least until I get my stamp, that is. (or maybe a little longer).



PS. Thanks to everyone else who has given me support along the way, including Mr. Geddies from my freshman (high school) architectural drafting class. He taught me how to square my paper, hold my pencil, and that it takes a community to raise a barn.

Not so short any more

It was bound to happen.

Mid-week Quick Pic

The start of bipedal things to come...eeek!

A distinctive nibble/scrape technique

Sylvia finally got a taste of the good life when her papa handed over her first apple. It turns out all you need to enjoy an apple is two teeth and a firm grip. Using a distinctive nibble/scrape technique she managed to remove approximately 3% of the apple in less than half an hour. Numbers that will certainly improve with time and.

If you turn up the volume you can hear the scraping.

Double Dent

Those of you who looked carefully at the pictures of Chris' visit might have noticed that Sylvia now has two teeth. She grew them about a month ago but it has taken this long to get a good picture. Her new teeth are tiny and sharp, like a piranha, and we recommend keeping your hands out of her mouth. We now await two more teeth up top, laying the foundation for real chewing.

Vital Statistics II - Moving forward

6 months of living outside the womb once again finds Sylvia at the Doctor's office for a checkup. The scale and tape tell the story.

Weight = 16.5 Lbs (62 percentile)
Length = 27.25 inches (94 percentile)

This explains why none of her 6-month-old clothes fit.

What can't be shown with statistics is the remarkable changes that Sylvia's body is undergoing. Her back, once soft and dimpled, now shows muscle and tone. Her arms are growing stronger as her biceps become more defined. All of this development is leading to one goal- forward locomotion.

Yes, I did take the lotion bottle away
before she consumed it.
What kind of poppa do you take me for?

Here's to six more months of good food and growing!

Some might wonder, "Where is that child's bib?"
Poppa says, "Bibs are for sissies."

One of the most rare and pleasant fruits...*

There are few milestones that bring so much promise to one's life. Rolling over is impressive to the under-three-month set but big kids chew their food. Yes, the first on November, 2008 marks the day that Sylvia enjoyed the first of what I hope will be many fine, healthy, and colorful meals. The noodle and her Mom and Dad sat down to Saturday lunch each with their favorite meal at the ready. Dad and Mom enjoyed a grill cheese sandwich. Sylvia eyed a fine bowl of mashed avocado and mother's milk.

Aurelia tries to sneak one of my salt n' pepper chips.
I don't think so.

It's what's for dinner.

Quick appetizer

Drum roll please....

Nana bib!

With the 'cado going down smooth (and coming out smoother) mom branched out mid-week with some sweet potato. So that's what bibs are for.









*supposed quote of King Charles II's physician regarding the avocado. Thanks internet!

Skillz IV

Just when we thought that Sylvia had achieved all that she could achieve she goes and drops a new skill on us. Toes...it's what's for dinner.




















Sylvia and Aurelia head out to Austin, TX this week to visit our family down there. (I'm staying in PDX to keep building up that vacation time). This will be the Noodle's first airplane flight and we have our fingers crossed that it will go smoothly. AJ and I have both sat silently next to our share of screaming kids and feel our karmic account is full.

Skillz 3

Sylvia shows off for the camera!