Breakdance Bday Party

Breakdance Bday Party, a set on Flickr.

Our kids lives keep getting bigger and more fun.

Calm with the Loud

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Originally uploaded by exportryan

So she's been moving away from her usual low-intensity. For the longest time she's dealt with loud areas, (like us having lunch at the Elysian during this afternoon) but she's starting to get more preferential to calmer environs.

Summertime is near, Vita will need to bear with more.

Talons

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Originally uploaded by exportryan

Look at those hefty baby claws ready tear your heart out!

Profile

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Originally uploaded by exportryan

Vita still scratches her pretty face on accident. Hopefully, motor control will get better over the next couple months.

Scoping Out the Scene

Scoping Out the Scene
Originally uploaded by duke it up

SPECIAL UPDATE: 9:53am Our on the scene mom is now reporting that the baby recognizes being able to touch objects on purpose.

For the first time, the baby dish chair had the optional toy board mounted onto the top. This seems to have created some kind of sensory catalyst. The baby began to touch each colored toy item with precarious precision.

It is believed that full motor control is still not present, but the utilization of both right and left hands for use in tandem or unison is in dramatic escalation at this point.

More reporting on this phenomenon as the story develops.

Pink with Grins

WARNING: This baby will smile at you now.

At nearly 3 months on Vita is getting giddy every day. We're extremely surprised at how happy she is when she wakes up everyday. Whenever we go up to her in the bassinet ,or pick her up after hearing her morning mumbles, she just smiles.

Luckily, since she can't move very well yet, I've been laying down on the couch, laying her on top of my chest with her feet against the back of the couch, and letting her lounge - look - play - talk. I'm groggily nodding my head and mumbling back at her. This usually happens at 7 a.m.; mind you, I don't usually go to work until 10 a.m. most days.

One thing thats really amazing is she will match the tone of your voice or expression with her own soundings. I was trying to hum her to sleep last night and she turned it into a game by matching the tone of my voice with her cooing. (Much to my chagrin I was thinking, "I'm trying to go to sleep too....") She'll do the same with certain vocal verses of music that are uncomplicated. "Across the Universe" the soundtrack has been added to put a little remix on The Beatles tracks we play daily.

Overall, her exploratory mode is increasing with herself and her surroundings. She's discovered she can extend just one finger with her hand, or use both hands to hold something up - i.e. her bottle. This is usually clumsy or awkward, but nonetheless it is MONUMENTAL to be cognizant of both hands. Keeping one hand open or closed is a big hit right now too. For some of you, being able to type over 20wpm was a big benchmark, for me - i will get a big kick out of her learning how to point at things.

Our Honeybear

DSC07345, originally uploaded by duke it up.

Mommy loves her honey bear. For some reason we have 3 bear suits. When summertime comes we may have to switch into different animal gear.

ARGHHHHH!!!!

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Honeybear is mad! She's become very vocal now when irritated. Still, she does not have a colic problem... yet.

HONEYBEAR BROWNIE

DSC07377, originally uploaded by duke it up.

This is the brown bear suit. She's filled into it fully now. Big happy honeybear.

Baby Serenades

The baby is getting really good at responding to sound. Unfortunately, the sound of my voice has been less than clear due to a hard cold. So what do you do if you're suffering headaches and a raspy voice? Sing some Cutting Crew. ...obviously.



We were at my nephews birthday early on. It was okay. My Aunt Linda fortunately upgraded their microphone system. It was awesome.

I throw out a little Lennon too.

Rockin Baby Clothes : a

In good conscience I could not justify buying a onesie for $29.95

Rockin' Baby Clothes : b

We saw these walking downtown from a window. If you have a baby and are walking down Post Alley by the market, DON'T, you might be tempted to blow money on these. I almost did.

Unicorn Grrlzz

Unicorn Grrlzz, originally uploaded by duke it up.

I don't know these girls, I just wanted to take a picture with them and the baby because they looked really cool.

As J-Rock as they look, I believe they're actually American Asian kids with a Goth/Punk slant. I was asking them for extreme anger or extreme smiles. To no avail; their apathy was tremendous. (Yes, I heard one of them say they do that hair themselves at home.)

Still, don't dress like The Misfits and not expect attention. Hopefully, next time we go downtown we'll see Jem & The Holograms instead.

(Taken at Unicorn Crepes. Good Good Good snack food.)

After we left they must have been raging in their passive aggression, "Silly man-child, don't exploit us or notice us, we're too cool for that."

Arghh!!! Technology...

We have been pretty frustrated lately because we can't find the battery charger for our camera. This is one of the few times I wish we had a standard AAA battery camera.

In description, baby has gotten cuter - she's a little bit longer - her hair is edging over her ears - and her eyes are getting wider by the day. She's filling into some of her 3 month old clothes now, although she is only 1 month+ in age.

Hopefully, we will find our battery charger soon because she's starting to be big enough to put into the really cute clothes.

Please let this image suffice as part of a delayed baby update.

Bath Time: part 3

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Originally uploaded by duke it up

She was finally relaxed for the first time before, after, and during her 3rd bath.

She peed in the tub and on my blue jeans. It's okay, her waste products smell like flowers still.

We're testing the water with the back of our hands. I think we got the temp right now.

It's still a tag team event. Mommy has to hold baby in the tub and above it while daddy wipes and soaps.

Maybe next time she'll poop on us.

Refreshed

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Originally uploaded by duke it up

She's been keeping her eyes open and looking around for up to half an hour lately.

The Alki Walk

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Originally uploaded by duke it up

We dropped onto the Alki strip this weekend. It was one of the first times that the sun decided to grace us in weeks.

I considered commemorating the birth of our child with a giant HAWK emblazoned onto my chest. The artist had other convictions about angels and dragons. We kindly declined his counter offer of skin art.

"Jimmy, I don't think a caricature of the baby with wings slaying a red dragon is the image I want to convey. Strong, but wrong."

Star Wacks

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Originally uploaded by duke it up

I found myself offended and marginalized by the Starbucks on Alki.

In the attempt to care for my child by cleaning her dirty diaper I was sexually ostracized by the conventions of society.

There is NO Diaper Changing table in the men's room of this cafe.

Much to the defeat of my pride and the stink of my child's behind, a woman saw my anxiety and let me into the ladies room while watching the door for me. The agony. Have we not progressed in the world enough to realize that men do baby work too now?

Starbucks is Wack!

(My apologies to the 8 women waiting in line outside of the Starbucks on Alki bathroom at 3:18pm last Sunday.)

Arghhh

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Originally uploaded by duke it up

Some dumb lady in the bathroom line thought she was a boy because she was wearing brown.

Sexual Discrimination is rampant on Alki!!!

Here Comes The Sun

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Originally uploaded by duke it up

A pretty day in the park.