Square dance Baby

Some days you just have to embarass your child. This is actually Sophia's second outfit of the morning (and it's only 8:30). The first was an adorable purple overall set that Grandma Darla bought her. Sophia took exeption to it, however, and threw up all over it with great vim and vigor. So I changed her into this dress which she hasn't worn yet. I didn't realize until I put it on how very square dance-like it would appear! Oh well. I'm not changing her again unless I have too. She's grumpy enough about all the changing.

Visits with Family and Friends

This weekend we spent running to Portland and back each day to attend various picnics. Saturday was the annual Wittmayer "Cousin's picnic" where we see my father's cousins and their families. We had a good time but Sophia was tired and a bit grumpy. Most of the time we handed her to other people she started crying, so we held her ourselves most of the day. This left us looking like baby hogs, but better that than a crying baby. I've included a picture of her crying at my father. She did have fun, as usual, playing with cousins Roya and Layla, but I think the boisterous Wittmayers rather overwhelmed her.







Last night we finally had our first real success with food from a spoon. Sophia ate all her green beans and seemed to like them! Of course, since they're green, they made both her and I quite a mess, but that is less important than the success with the food.






Today we went to a picnic hosted by our adoption agency. It was a fun reunion with all the workers from their agency who helped us along the process. Of course, it's always good to show off Sophia. There was food, and Sophia tried to steal Paul's chips. I think she'll enjoy the clowns, face-painting and petting zoo more next year than this year, but it was good to go.

More Swimming

Sophia has done very well the past two days at her temporary day care place. She is with Rachel, a patron from the bookmobile I've gotten to know, and her 5-year-old daughter Talia. Talia is taking this baby-sitting gig very seriously and wants to help feed, change diapers and entertain Sophia all day long. Her mom isn't letting her do all those things, of course, but at least she's not jealous that there is a new baby around the house! This morning when I dropped Sophia off she gave Rachel a big smile so I feel pretty good about leaving here there; it made me feel as if she enjoys it.

The other major thing for us the past few days has been continued swim lessons. Today I got to get in the pool with Paul and Sophia which was great fun. It's hard to see her expressions from far away, and her face changes from shocked to excited to concerned with all sorts of other emotions as well. She really is enjoying the water. We'll have to make a regular practice of going to the pool once this class is over! Today was the first day she wore the swimsuit that Grandma Darla bought her, so we took pictures to post for Grandma to see. Thanks Grandma!

Day with Laura & Swim Lessons!

We have had a very big, adventerous day! Today Sophia got her 4-month immunizations. We couldn't have them last week at her check-up since she was not officially four months old yet. What they told me today was that her 6-month shots will have to be 2 months from today or the insurance won't pay. I begin to wonder if we're getting different stories, or if it is all really this complicated. At any rate, we'll be sure to make her 6-month appointment after September 24! Sophia didn't cry until the the third shot, but other than some soreness and swelling in her legs has been doing fine today.

Our very dear friend Laura arrived last night and she is here through Tuesday morning. She is just wonderful with Sophia and we have had laughter-filled time together. Laura is one of those people who just brings out the laughter in folks and we've been having so much fun - even when we've just been sitting around staring at the baby.

Tonight was Sophia's first swim lesson. We went to a public pool and she and Paul had a very exciting 30 minutes in the water. She was the youngest in the class but that didn't matter. She had so much fun kicking and splashing. Unfortunately, they were across the pool from us so our photos aren't all that great, but the expressions on both her and Paul's faces during it were fantastic.






When I came in to the computer room to post to the blog our cat followed me and she decided that Sophia's command center looked like fun too. Usually we chase her away from Sophia's toys, but this was so funny that I took a picture first.

Sophia's first week with a 'stranger' (to her)

This was Sophia's first week spending her days with someone who is not Mom or Dad. Wednesday-Friday she was at our house with our friend Yvonne. They had a very good time together, and apparently Yvonne has a magic touch when it comes to naps because she got Sophia to take long naps in her crib. This something we have never succeeded in doing! Wednesday morning, Sophia cried like her heart was going to break when it was time for me to go. Apparently that got better soon after I left.

Life does get harder for everyone with both of us working. Apparently the days of Sophia going to bed quickly and easily are over, at least for a while. Every night since we started leaving her with Yvonne bed-time has been a big struggle. We put her down and she will cry so we go to calm and re-insert her pacifier in increments of 3, 5, and 7 minutes. She's never gone longer than 7 minutes. It's pretty hard to listen to her cry, but as our friend Derek says, we "must not negotiate with terrorists" even adorable, 4-month old terrorists.

Saturday morning she woke up extremely early so after first breakfast she and Paul took a nap on the couch. This is how I found them when I got up.

It has been hideously hot here the past few days, at least by Oregon’s standards. I realize that by the standards of other parts of the country we’re still getting it easy. Right now it’s 104 in Salem and it’s supposed to stay in the 90’s for the next few days. Ugh. We decided to brave the heat and go to our favorite event in Salem today, the Salem Art Fair. It’s the largest art fair in the northwest and we always have a great time. We usually find some Christmas presents, eat good food, and enjoy ourselves. This year Earl and Darla joined us, or more specifically Sophia. Sophia did quite well in the heat, and didn’t complain at all, although she didn’t want to eat at all. Other than the company, my favorite thing was the fire-breathing dragon, which can be yours for only $6,000. I don’t think it will be decorating my yard any time soon.

Now we’re waiting for our friend Laura who lives in Idaho to visit. She should be here any time, so the weekend’s fun isn’t done yet! In the morning we’ll be taking Sophia in for her immunizations and tomorrow evening if she is feeling ok we’ll go to her first swim lesson.

15 lbs 5 oz!

Today Sophia had her (almost) four month doctor's appointment. The fact that she will not actually be four months old until the 22nd was brought home to me when the nurse informed me that she would not be receiving her immunizations today because they cannot give them until after the right date. 4 days ahead is not allowed. We can be as late as we want, but we are not allowed to be early. I just wish they had told us this when we scheduled the doctor's appointment so we would have scheduled it for the right time! Now I have to take Sophia back to the doctor next Monday for her immunizations. What a pain.

They did her checkup and everything looks good. She is 15 lbs 5 oz, and 25 inches long. Her head is 41 3/4 cm. She is growing at a nice steady rate and according to the doctor, everything looks good. Sophia was good at the doctor's office except for her fierce tantrum when it was time to weigh her. Afterwards, however, she was exhausted.

The doctor suggested that since we have had utter rejection of rice cereal, we should try another food from a spoon. So tonight we tried bananas! Sophia approached them with great skepticism, but better than the rice cereal, so that's an improvement.

Fun day with family

Today was Paul's first day back at work. Poor Paul! I don't think it was easy for him or Sophia to be separated. I do know that she was quite grumpy most of the morning.


We had a very exciting afternoon. Cousins Lisa, Roya & Layla came and we had a picnic in Riverfront park. The girls played on the playground and even got to ride the carousel.









Sophia had a good time watching everything and eventually fell asleep. Even the noise and lights of the carousel didn't wake her up.

Eventually we came back to my house to enjoy the air conditioning and visit some more. Sadly, they eventually had to leave, but about the same time Paul got home so Sophia was happy about that. She pretty quickly fell asleep in his arms. I think those two adorable, energetic little girls wore her out! All-in-all, it was a great day, and we're very lucky to have family that are so wonderful to spend time with.

We attempt an evening out

Isn't this a photo of a sweet little girl? Doesn't she look adorable? Looking at this photo, you would never dream that this is a little girl who would scream at her Aunt Jess so long that we had to go back and get her.

Saturday we went to Eugene because kind Aunt Jess offered to babysit Sophia while we went out to a movie and dinner. Unfortunately, we neglected to consult Sophia about these plans and she was having none of it! She was asleep when we left her at Jess' apartment and when she woke up she didn't know where she was, why we weren't there, and wasn't sure she knew who this Aunt Jess person was anyway. After enduring a wailing baby for probably far too long, Jess called us (thank goodness for cell phones) and we left our movie and we went back for Sophia. Sophia was all smiles and happiness after that, of course!

The good thing about all of it was that we changed our plans and Jess and Sophia went out to dinner with us, and time spent with Jess is always time well spent.

We had been feeling bad that Barry was away today and would not see Sophia, but when he hears about the crying baby, he'll probably be glad he was climbing a mountain instead. Thanks for the attempt, Jess, and we're sorry!

Father Daughter Coordination

It disturbs me that Paul and Sophia seem to have matching outfits more often than seems necessary. Usually, one has to be concerned about mother-daughter coordination, but in our case apparently it's Paul we have to watch out for. I have two photographic examples for you, a recent time when they were wearing matching Nebraska football outfits, and today's coordinating yellow ensembles. I'm not sure if I should take over Sophia's clothing choices or seek professional help for Paul.

Visit to Portland

Today, Sophia and I went to Portland to visit with the grandmas. After taking a nap the whole way up to Portland (thank you, Sophia), we went to meet my mom at her office. She took us around to meet many of her co-workers who ooed and awed over Sophia (but not me). Then, grandma, Sophia and I, along with several of grandma's co-workers went to lunch.

Sophia enjoyed seeing grandma, and enjoyed all of the attention, but after a while got upset that everyone else was getting food and she was not. (We keep trying to explain that this is why she needs to do a better job of eating her rice cereal!). After lunch, we went back to grandma's office and changed a diaper, then, it was off to continue our journey.

From there, we went to visit grandma Nancy at home. We spent about an hour there and Sophia showed grandma her new "stand-up" trick, and spent a good long while talking to grandma. (I was not sure what she was saying, but grandma seemed to understand). After that, Sophia proudly sat on grandma Nancy's colorful couch and showed her beautiful smile...

...until, that is, she needed to suck on her fingers.

After our visit with grandma Nancy, we headed back South and are now home again. On Monday I return to work, so tomorrow is my last weekday home alone with Sophia. We're going to lunch with a couple of my friends; other than that, I think we'll just try to spend some quality time playing and walking around the neighborhood. These last two months home with Sophia have been great! I would urge any new parent (mom or dad) to take some time off and spend home with your child, if possible. I am certainly lucky to work where I do. I will treasure this time forever.

She eats; she faces forward

This weekend has been an eventful weekend for Sophia. Yesterday evening, she tried her first "solid" food off of a spoon. We had been giving her some rice cereal mixed with her morning bottle for about 3 weeks now, but yesterday was the first time for spoon feeding.

Although it certainly was a milestone, we're not sure she really liked it all that much.

But, that's o.k. As we explained to her, it is the first step towards pizza! Later in the evening, mommy and Sophia spent some quiet time together before bed time.

Then, today Sophia decided that she was tired of staring at us when we were carrying her around. She loudly exclaimed: "I want to face forward from now on!" (that's a rough translation). Since she has us wrapped around her little fingers, we complied.

Defense of my position

After reading Paul's post from this morning, I must make my position clear. I freely admit that I too dance around like an idiot for Sophia's entertainment. My only concern was with the music choice of "Love in an Elevator" for Sophia's first big people music. If you are not familiar with this song, you may want to check out the lyrics. Now I ask you, do we really want our little girl listening to "Love in an elevator,Lovin it up when Im goin down"? no matter how much it rocks?

Today we played her "Pride in the Name of Love" and I feel rather better about that.

Mom Dances Too

And, just so no one thinks that I am the only one who dances around and looks silly all for Sophia's enjoyment, here is a recent picture of Bryn dancing too!

In other news, Sophia and I have had a pretty busy week since returning home from Roseburg, and then from my parents' house on the 4th of July. On Wednesday, we went to the bank and to the grocery store. On Thursday, Sophia spent a good part of the morning in her new (to her) "command center." She really enjoys it for short periods of time.

Later in the day on Thursday, Sophia and I went by my work to meet some friends for lunch. While there, I took her around to visit some people, including my boss. She even got to meet the Attorney General of the State of Oregon himself. She seemed rather unexcited, but I'm sure that is just because she was looking forward to lunch! We went to lunch with my friends Anna, Ryan, and Steve. Anna and Steve apparently believe that their spirit will be stolen if their pictures are taken, so--although I did take some pictures of them with Sophia--they don't get to be on the blog. Ryan, however, was a good sport. Here he is with Sophia at the end of lunch (allowing me to finish my burrito). By the way, Ryan, Anna, and Steve are all in a carpool together (they spend 10+ hours per week together in a car...silly, if you ask me). They have made me an honorary member of the carpool, and they have a blog for their carpool. You should check it out.

Friday was again a busy day. Sophia and I went out to lunch with another friend of mine, David. After that, grandpa John and grandma Nancy stopped by Salem "on their way home" from the beach (nevermind that Salem is 50 miles out of the way, they wanted to see Sophie!). John and Nancy were so happy to see us all (especially Sophia) that they took us all out to the Smokin' Swine BBQ restaurant for dinner. This is one of our favorite places to eat, and we are so happy that it has re-opened after a 3-month closure. After dinner, Bryn, Sophia, and I came home and John and Nancy continued back to Portland. It was bath night for Sophia, and after the bath, Uncle Barry and Aunt Jess arrived to spend the night at our house. All in all, it was an eventful day!

Today, Sophia and I are at home while Bryn works until mid-afternoon. Sophia is proudly displaying her Husker pride today, when she isn't whining about something or another.

Have a great day!

Big People Music

Tonight Paul announced that he'd had enough of Raffi and Wee Sing and it was time to introduce Sophia to "big people music." I don't know if I should be more concerned that he chose Aerosmith's "Love in an Elevator" or that both of them were enjoying it so much!

Happy Independence Day!

We started our celebrations out right by reading the Declaration of Independence (the entire text including the grievances) to Sophia. She didn't seem too moved, but at least she was told what the day means.

After first and second breakfast for Sophia, we got on the road to Battle Ground to spend the day with Grandma Darla, Grandpa Earl and Uncle Barry. If you aren't going to something patriotic, then spending the 4th with people you love is the best way to celebrate. Earl and Darla are just back from a trip to South Dakota so we hadn't seem them in a few weeks. Like the good grandparents they are, they were impressed with all of Sophia's development.

Happy Independence Day!










I also have to include this very funny picture of Abby our cat guarding Sophia in her swing. Abby has really taken up the idea that it is her job to guard the baby. Last night Sophia was down the hall crying with Paul and Abby and I were in the kitchen. Abby was howling and trying like crazy to get me to go tend to Sophia. She was acting rather like Lassie when Timmy was down the well! It's great to see how attached she's gotten to Sophia. Hopefully she'll keep up that attachment when Sophia starts tugging at her tail.