The littlest samurai

Sophia has started doing this thing when she thinks that people aren't paying enough attention to her. She starts shouting in this deep voice and gesturing wildly.  The first time I heard it I told her that she sounds like an angry Japanese man or a belligerent samurai. Yesterday morning at breakfast she started it again and I called her the cranky samurai at Cranky Al's (which is the name of the donut/coffee shop we were at).  It just so happened that the lady sitting next to us spoke japanese and she started laughing then asked Sophia a few questions in Japanese. As usual the crabby samurai didn't cooperate, but she did start shouting in her version of Japanese which delighted the woman.
Breakfast was a hectic time since I was there with her, Brian, Adi, and Leo. Sophia played with her teething toy or sippy cup and Leo was content to nibble on his donut while Brian and I talked. Adi on the other hand was a bundle of energy. She was like a pinball bouncing off things. Always wanting to "help" either me, or Sophia, or Leo, or anyone. It's sweet but she is a handful. Getting that many kids together in one place is always a bit of a production and yesterday was no different. After breakfast everyone fell asleep in the car and Brian and I took advantage and went car shopping. We're not in the market right now, but he is so we drove around the lots looking at a bit of everything. Got me thinking about replacing the station wagon with something a little roomier.

Yesterday was also a milestone for Sophia. She officially outgrew her infant car seat. It is rated for 22lbs and she us right there. More importantly her feet were hanging off the end of it. We had to go with a convertible style car seat that is currently set up to be rear facing. This thing is huge and we had to crank the passenger seat all the way forward to accommodate it. In three months we can turn it around to be forward facing which will give us our leg room back. 

Finished the night with a trip to Chris & Melissa's to visit Bella and to drop off some gear for them to borrow. No action in the baby thunderdome, maybe next time, but Sophia did have fun getting slobbered on by Bubba the dog. She was initially freaked out by Bubba, but she warmed up to him quick enough.

Until next time, sayonara

Hooray for Aunt Kay

Visited Aunt Kay tonight who's recuperating from her surgery. She didn't have much strength, but she did have enough to give Sophia a squeeze. One thing is certain, Sophia is definitely awesome at cheering people up. We also did the rounds in the ED to say hi to mommy's coworkers. They all rushed to squeeze her cheeks and give her all the attention she craved. She was in heaven. She fell asleep on the way home and was so out of it she didn't wake up when we slipped her out of her car seat and into her crib. Luckily we had enough foresight to feed her and put her in her jammies before we left the house. I hope she has a good nights sleep, and will be on standby if she needs me.

By the way, I updated the post from two nights ago with a picture of her first piece of refrigerator art.

It breaks my heart to hear her cry

She's been sleeping in our bed for long enough. If I don't stop it now she'll be three before we know it and still sleeping with mom and dad. So I laid her in her crib, gave her a bottle, and waited. She was so sleepy, but she kept looking at me. I could tell she didn't want me to leave. When the bottle was empty she tried getting up but I softly kept her down and rubbed her back. She started to whimper and look up at me. She knew I was going to leave her alone in that room. No one to snuggle with. No one to keep her safe. She finally closed her eyes and I retreated. Two minutes later she started to cry. I went in and there she was standing and crying calling out for "dada". I calmed her and got her to go back to sleep, but I wasn't out of the room for two minutes and she started again. This time I held my ground. I stayed out and listened to her cry. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. She was bawling and crying out for dada, but this was for her own good. Finally after 25 minutes she stopped crying and fell asleep. I snuck in 10 minutes later and she was out, but her face was still wet from her tears. It broke my heart.

I hope it goes easier tomorrow night.

You couldn't get me out of a bed that big

So Sophia decides that 530A is a good time to wake up. Now mind you she's on our bed that is like 5000 times bigger than she is and incredibly comfy.  Now if I was laying on a bed that much bigger than me, surrounded by pillows and soft sheets, you couldn't drag me out of there. But she decides that she's had enough of that bed and wakes me up. She's cute and so far she seems pretty smart, but she's got a thing or two to learn about recognizing a good thing when you see it and taking full advantage.

Daycare today which means I get to walk over there at lunch and play with her. She was in a crabby mood when I arrived, but perked up quickly after I started playing with her. We crawled on the floor and she  put her hands in mine and I  helped her walk around the room. Had just enough time to watch her play with the other babies before I had to leave and go back to work.

We also got our first piece if refrigerator art today that she made using a cow shaped sponge and some finger paints.  unfortunately it got left behind at the daycare but I'll post a picture of it when I get it home on thursday.

Right now it's a little past 8p and she just finished her bath, is getting her last bottle of the night, and is slowly drifting off to sleep. Good night my princess, and remember to sleep in when you eventually find your way into the big bed.

A baby in a track suit

Got home today to find Sophia rocking her track suit. Not quite sure why she needs a track suit, since she's not heading out for a jog anytime soon. It's probably for the same reason she has 10 pairs of shoes but can't walk. Regardless she looks cute in it.

Melissa works tonight which means it's just Sophia and I at home. We'll do our usual routine of dinner, followed by a little tv, then a story, then bedtime. Wasn't too long ago that I was nervous and scared whenever Melissa left me at home with her alone. Now I look forward to it. Just a little daddy and Squirrel time.

Dinner at the Comet

Sophia made her first visit to the Comet Cafe this year. She almost forgot what she was missing. Bacon...check, compact turkey dinner...check, awesome taplist...check (that last one was more for me than her). Met up with flowbee and his lady friend and had a good time. Melissa and I enjoyed our dinners while Sophia had a ton of cheesy poofs and a couple of Mum Mums. Rocking her to bed right now then hopefully a good nights sleep.

Here's a picture from earlier today of Ms Squirrel in her kittens with mittens jammies

The day after the party

Had a nice day with Sophia while her mom was off at her woman's retreat. After a late night with a house full of guests I wasn't quite at 100%. Squirrel accommodated me by playing quietly all morning and she was especially good when we went to Denny's for breakfast with Tim.  She ate a pancake while Tim and I chatted about things. After she and I took a morning nap I was feeling better and we played all afternoon including a quick trip outside to see the falling snow. I keep saying it, but it is very true. I don't know what I did to deserve such an awesome little girl, but I am incredibly grateful for her each and every day.