A la "Lost" -- Blog Crossing

The world of this blog will cross with the world of another...stay tuned to find out who!

It's party time here, too!

Just as our friends over at Lindsey and Courtney, it seems that the party time in the wee hours of the morning has taken root here too. It seems to hit around the 2:00 hour, and Sophia wants to jump, climb the crib, and wants everyone to be with her--or, she with us. Though, last night she slept the night through with only few cries and whimpers.

I think that she has traded that time in the morning hours for the afternoon nap without telling us. Lately, she hasn't been taking her afternoon snooze at daycare and some days she and her little friends seemingly conspire to forgo their nap--one day all six babies didn't take a nap. Wow, the young woman in the room that afternoon seemed to be feeling it, too.

In other news, she is still growing and loves pulling up and standing to play. Instead of the sitting in her little activity center, she loves holding onto and walking around it and playing with all the
toys. It will not be long until she is trying to take steps. Oh boy!

Olympic watch

Ethiopia has taken its first gold medal.

Tirunesh Dibaba has taken the gold in the women's 10000m.

From American Life in Poetry

The US Poet Laureate, 2004-2006, Ted Kooser has a weekly column where he chooses a poem he finds that shares one poet's unique view of our American life as refracted through poetry's prism. This arrives in my inbox every Thursday; sometimes whimsical, sometimes tragic, and others, such as this poem, which are surprisingly close to my experience of watching my daughter play and eat.

Enjoy!

To Katharine: At Fourteen Months

All morning, you've studied the laws
of spoons, the rules of books, the dynamics
of the occasional plate, observed the principles
governing objects in motion and objects
at rest. To see if it will fall, and if it does,
how far, if it will rage like a lost penny
or ring like a Chinese gong--because
it doesn't have to--you lean from your chair
and hold your cup over the floor.
It curves in your hand, it weighs in your palm,
it arches like a wave, it is a dipper
full of stars, and you're the wind timing
the pull of the moon, you're the water
measuring the distance from which we fall.

--Joelle Biele

Where has the time gone?

First of all, my apologies the adopto-blogoshere for being entirely behind (scratch that, delinquent) on any and all posts since Fathers' Day. I was warned a while ago from one of Amy's friends that I was going to be issued a demerit for not posting and keeping Sophia's site updated.

So, here we go!

We spent our first Fourth of July in Chicago. We went with our close friends and their daughter (our goddaughter) and we all had a great time, tasty food, and beautiful weather. We shopped Michigan Ave, the four girls took a carriage ride, experiences the Taste of Chicago, and road the El. We were so surprised by the cool weather we were treated with, we had to by Sophia warmer clothes to wear.

We toured the city on a river boat (I know, kinda touristy, but very cool) on the evening of the Fourth. We headed down the river, through the Chicago Locks, and then out onto Lake Michigan for a loop around the lighthouse.

Fast forward a few weeks--


Looking back, the months that have past since we met our little girl, Ethiopia seems so long ago. It seems to soon to celebrate her first birthday. But in the same thought, she seems to be so much older with each new sound, every time she crawls a bit faster, and more independence she shows.

We had a cozy little party for Sophia--and for her great grandfather, with whom she shares a birthday--complete with burgers and hot dogs, potato salad, cake, and ice cream. And, a pink pinata, fashioned in the shape of a numeral one.

Some of her family were disappointed that there was not more cake carnage than this.

Hanging out with her Granddaddy!

Now, as we knock on the door of 13 months, we prepare for the first steps and the unstoppable walking to follow. Looking at her when she wants to get from A to B, her face tells the tale of her knowing that crawling is really inefficient and there must be a better way. Before that, her parent must finish baby-proofing the house.

Out of all the present of that day, she never let this yellow and white ribbon get too far from her sight.

Hello from Amanda

Hello, this is Amy and Dustin's niece Amanda. I took the picture of Sophia's baptism. .
I was just wanting to say hello to everyone out there! Thank You for all of the nice comments of Sophia!
Amanda!