Thevy the Toddler

It's pretty much official: Thevy walks. She's still learning to get the hang of her new mobility, but she can get around. Her ability to walk greater distances is just amazing Last night, her father and I had a bit trouble locating her, she's so fast! She went a circle around the house and I couldn't find her right away. Part scary, part amusing. :)

It's funny when babies learn to walk and don't yet have the dexterity of a well-seasoned walker. Thevy wanders around with her arms to her sides and bent upwards (sort of forming a 'w', if you will). Or sometimes she comes at me with her arms straight up in the air, with objects in them. Other times, she's a little Frankenbaby, with her arms outstretched to me, wanting me to pick her up.

It makes you smile to see her extract such joy from a simple action most of us take for granted. And it makes me smile to see her patter around in small circles, going fast because if she slows down, she might fall; going in circles because she's decided to change directions or because she doesn't want to hit something. Oh, but she has! The other night she suffered a knot on her head due to a failed walking endeavor. She was walking and turned to close to the wall. Then, bonk! Her forehead hit the wall.

She cried and cried and I tried to comfort her. Once she finally stopped, I put her back on the ground and let her do her own thing. I hadn't noticed until a few minutes later that that collision had cause a bump to grow on her head! I think I gasped and grabbed her, took her down to the kitchen to get some ice. I pretty much futilely tried to ice her head. She moved too much. I even called up a friend for advice as I semi-panicked (thanks, Jeneen!).

Basically, I had to deal with the bluish-greenish spot on her head and feelings of being a bad mother. And if that wasn't bad enough, the next day when I had Thevy in the bath, since she doesn't like to be still, she kept moving from one end of the tub to the other. And of course, I let her. But because I did, she slipped at one point trying to stand up while pulling herself up. She hit her face on the side of the tub where she acquired a new bruise. This one was purplish-red at the lower corner of her eye. Great! Now as I was about to take her into public, I could look like the neglectful or abusive parent! :-P

Anyway, but the bumps and bruises are all a part of this new milestone. I'll have to deal with such things while Thevy perfects her stride. In the meantime, my little drunk (she does walk around like someone has spiked her sippy cup!) will be keeping me on my toes!

Thevy Has Teeth!

I don't know how many have heard me 'lament' on the topic of Thevy's lack of "bony appendages". I often complained because, though this should never be done seriously, I was comparing my daughter to other children her age. So many of Thevy's peers had their teeth come around the age of 6-months and up, and here Thevy was still sportin' the toothless grin!

Well, much to my surprised delight, I discovered Thevy, too, was part of the teething set! I found out by accident, a couple days after she turned 1, that she had two teeth coming in. How by accident? Well, I do believe that typically, babies first get their two lower incisors (the bottom middle teeth), followed by the upper ones.

While waiting for Peter to get off from work and playing with T, she started to fuss and since I was in public, I didn't want her crying. I turned her upside down to distract her. As I held her by her legs, she began to laugh. I looked down at her to make sure she was indeed laughing and not crying. Sure enough laughter caused her to open her mouth when, lo and behold!, I detected two pearly whites! Thevy, crazy girl, has her two front teeth coming in! Still no signs of the bottom ones.

And that is why I never knew she had teeth; because I expected to first spot them on the bottom. I've already made her first dental appointment. I think pediatricians/dentists differ on when a child ought first visit a dentist. I think Thevy's own pediatrician said she need not go until around 3-years of age. But the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends when the child gets his/her first tooth.

(I tried to "photoshop" most of the nasty boogies from her nose, lol. She's been snotty the past few days due to allergies.)

Given that Thevy still nurses for comfort and to sleep, I know she has a higher risk of getting baby cavities. A child should never be put to sleep with juice or milk in the cups or bottles because the sugars in the liquid can pool in their mouth and ruin their teeth over time. So, if your kid needs a bottle or whatever to sleep, it is recommended it be filled with nothing but water. Until I successfully wean Thevy off the breast, I wanna get her to a dentist sooner than later.

Losing the Baby Fat

Thevy and I have been losing weight. Thevy, who was once a 90th-percentile baby, has gone down in the ranks. During her first several months of life, she was in the 90-95th percentile for both height and weight, meaning, she was bigger than most baby girls her age. Then at her nine-month well-baby check-up, while her height remained in the ninetieth percentile, her weight was somewhere in the 80% range. Three-months later, at the age of 12 months, her height moved down to the eightieth percentile, and, get this, her weight is in the 50th percentile! Though some may still see her as a chubby baby, her weight is considered to be average for her age. In fact, she weighs the same as she did three months ago.

I had noticed that Thevy appeared to be slimming down. I thought she was getting skinnier. Then in the last month, her appetite had also decreased. I attribute part of that to her being sick, where the doctor says she could have even lost a pound from that, and I also think she hasn't been eating simply because she did not want the foods I would feed her. I also joke about her being a "baby bulemic". Yeah, you may not find that funny, but we all know I'm not PC! Anyhoo, I call her this because more than once I have caught her with her index finger in her mouth, shoving it far enough it that it causes the gag reflex. Ha! :-P

Where Thevy was once a chunky baby, right now it appears she's evening out. Her pediatrician said that many babies triple their birth weight by the age of one. Thevy hasn't yet reached that. Triple would be over 24 pounds. A couple weeks ago, she was at twenty.

As for me... I've steadily been losing weight over the past year. I never knew for sure what my usual weight was since I never really owned a scale. I always would place my weight at somewhere between 140 and 150 pounds, expecting fluctuations just because I've never had a constant way of life in terms of eating or exercising.

During pregnancy, I've heard the average amount of weight gain should be 25-35 lbs. Well, good grief, I was above average! I had my prenatal care at a practice, with several doctors to choose from. At this particular OB-GYN office, you are required to meet with all the doctors at least once, before getting to choose the one(s) you'd like to see regularly. I had one doctor tell me I was gaining too much weight during my pregnancy. And then I had another, Dr. D, who basically said everyone was different. Don't you know, Dr. D was my favorite. :-P But not just because of that; she was actually a really nice person.

So... towards the end of my pregnancy, wouldn't ya know! I broke two hundred! Basically, I gained about 60 pounds during pregnancy. Who knows how much of it was my weight gain, the baby's weight gain, or simple fluids? There was one time I visited Costco where I stepped on the scale and it read 212. Hehe. There were people who saw me pregnant that said, you don't look that big. Then there were some others who said I was huge. Bastards. lol.

After giving birth, you still look pregnant and you don't automatically go back down to your "normal" weight. I think I was still around 180 a few months after Thevy was born. I did no (still don't) exercise. But I have been breastfeeding, which supposedly contributes to weight loss, not to mention, I don't eat very well. Often times, I don't even eat! I know that's not good or healthy, but that's the way it is.

And right after giving birth, you still wear your maternity pants. A month post-partum, I did squeeze into a pair of pants I wore while pregnant, but not full-term. Every now and again I would try to put on my pre-pregnancy clothes and to my dismay, they didn't fit! I couldn't get them past my thighs! That's when I would turn to Peter and say, "I hate you!" :)

But now, I can say I can rock my pre-pregnancy jeans. I've still got flabby skin on my belly and avoid many of the tighter-fitting tops I used to wear. But for the most part, I'm back to my old wardrobe and that's just great. And as for the recent weigh-in: 150 lbs. Try that on for size! :-)

Below are a couple pregnancy pics for those who never saw me "with child". (You can click on the photos to see them larger.)

This picture was a month before my due date:


And this photo was taken a couple weeks before giving birth:

Thevy Turns One

It's pretty amazing to think that Thevy has already turned one! She was born only yesterday! She was this helpless little thing we brought home from the hospital... Now she's almost walking and, in her own little way, talking!

BEFORE

AFTER

Thevy is Tech-Savvy

It's clear that kids today understand technology better than previous generations simply because they're born in more advanced societies. Kids these days have their own cellular phones and iPods. I recall seeing a girl, probably around 8 or 9 years of age, at the public library typing furiously on the computer keyboard as she conducted a search. And I was amazed at how fast she was typing because I just knew she actually was typing something and not just playing around! Thevy is no exception.

This girl watches TV (a controversial practice for babies, but I don't care!). She knows that when I go to the DVD player to change the disc or turn it on, she quiets down (that is, if she's fussing at the moment), awaiting what will appear on the TV screen. She will take a remote control and point it at the screen, knowing that that's what you do with the remote. She'll walk up to the TV, reach up with her little fingers, and press buttons. She especially enjoys turning the set off and on, off and on. Repeat.

She picks up telephone handsets and places it to her ear. She knows that flip-phone mobile phones are to be opened and closed, and the buttons are to be pressed. Sometimes, she manages to call Aunt Regina. She also knows to put the cell phone to her ear as well.

Well, as I smile when Thevy imitates our actions and am proud that she is learning every day, I was simply amazed the other day to see what new "feat" she had undertaken. Thevy often witnesses me using the computer. The other day I was holding her while sitting at the computer. I allowed her to play on the computer. She began pounding on the keys, obviously at random. Smack smack smack. Then she reached for the mouse. I'm thinking, okay, here she goes. She's gonna try and pick it up and she'll end up tossing it. Nope. I was wrong. She merely touches the mouse with one hand, then returns it to the keyboard and continues "typing". She repeats the gesture: reaches for the mouse, touches and even slightly moves it around a bit, then goes back to tapping at the keys.

I couldn't believe it! Thevy was copying my computer usage of typing and using the mouse. She did this a few more times before she actually did knock the mouse off the desk. I'm so proud of her. I can't wait to buy her her own computer so she can take it apart and put it back together. hehe. =)

My Future Model

I think a lot of parents entertain the idea, if for just a fleeting moment, the idea of having their kids in "the business". Well, that happens to be the case for Peter and me. We took Thevy to an open-call model search earlier this month. A lotta hopeful parents and their kids showed up. They broke the candidates up in groups. Unfortunately, we happened to get there just "late" enough that we weren't part of the first group, meaning, we had to wait.

When we first got there, Thevy was happy and smiling and social, "talking" to people, expressing herself. By the time they called the next group up, Thevy began to get a little fussy. She was getting tired! And so, by the time we arrived at the table to present her to the evaluator, Thevy was no longer smiling or talking. She just stared at the lady who told us we need to work on getting Thevy to smile on cue.

Then we proceeded to the guy with a camera so they'd have a record of each candidate. We stated her name and tried to get her to smile. Nope. She wasn't havin' it. No luck in that arena - until, of course, we walked away. Peter said that's when she started to smile. But she did clap for the camera. lol

Anyway, at this model search, we were all informed that we would not be hearing back from them UNLESS the child was deemed marketable. And so, if we were to hear from them, it would be within two-weeks' time. Guess what? I heard back from them! I got my letter in the mail today. It's no guarantee of work or anything, as "they" are "not a school; not an agency", but "a scouting service". And Thevy has been deemed a "favorable evaluation". That means I get to attend another meeting, but I gotta sans child. I just need to find someone to watch her...

They Grow So Fast!

Look how involved she is in her little world. She's interested in so many things and she's unstoppable. Last weekend she went to her little friend Mason's birthday party and she was all over the place. For five hours, she played and played. She bullied a 17-month-old, stealing every balloon he had in his hands. And she harassed Mason, grabbing and pulling on him. :) That's my girl! And when they're older, they'll be chasing after her and she won't even know who they are. =P Besides, I'm sending her to an all-girls private school. In the mountains. On a secluded island. ;-)

She doesn't say any really intelligible words right now. I mean, she says sounds that sometimes sound like Mama and Dada. But she uses them to express different things. Sometimes she says a Baba kinda sound. And that could be like the word for "Dad" in Cambodian, which is more like "Pa" where the P is very close to a B sound. But it's not. :-P Yesterday at Costco I gave her this sauce and pointed to it and said "bottle". She said, "Ba!" And she repeated it. She also imitates the word "baby".

When I talk to the dog and say Rocco, she sometimes waves her fist or pointer finger at him and does a whole lotta "Ra-rarara-rara!" And I think she says "belly button". I can't replicate how she says it in word or print. But I'm pretty sure she says it. And I guess if I were to tell you what her first words were, I think they might be "teh-dai". (I probably screwed up the phonetic spelling of it big time, but I have yet to study Cambodian...) It means "clap" in Cambodian. And she's clapped while saying something similiar.

Beyond the words she says, Thevy does understand a lot. She performs many actions on command. Like if I say "beso" (which means the noun "kiss" in Spanish), she brings her mouth to minShe's just so cute. (Except when she's crying. :))

My Baby Doll

Thevy is just growing up right before our eyes. It's hard to believe that soon, she'll be one-year-old! I'm still waiting for her to walk. I think she'll get there soon. I read somewhere that it runs in the family how early or late a child walks. According to what's written in my baby book, I took my first step on my first birthday.

I'm a little confused as what constitutes a first step. In a way it seems pretty self-explanatory. But then sometimes I have a tendency to over-analyze. Is a first step a first step even if the child immediately falls? Or is a first step when the child sustains his self upright for several steps? If it's the former, then Thevy has had her first step. She's even gone maybe a couple at one go. But as for full-fledged walking, I anxiously await it!

And it looks like Thevy will be going to her 12-month wellness check-up with no teeth! All the other babies seem to have a full mouth already and T doesn't even seem to be cutting a tooth in the least bit. I've heard from a couple people that the later a child's teeth take to come in, the stronger the teeth. I wonder if there's any truth in that?

I'm still nursing her, so maybe that's a good thing. =P And I have no idea when I'll wean her off the breast. She's so reliant on nursing for comfort, I think she'll be sleeping in the parental bed for a while. Ha!

I'm still giving her baby foods. Stage 3. Those are the taller jars, some of which of bits of food, rather than be totally pureed. I occasionally give her "regular" food. But that depends on how soft it is or how "natural". I don't want Thevy ingesting all the junk that we may eat. I don't come from a household where nutrition was given even a second thought. My parents to this day eat unhealthfully, regardless of any diet-induced health conditions (e.g. high cholesterol, acid reflux, high blood pressure). So, I don't want Thevy picking up on any bad habits. Basically, I've got a lot of changes to make to my diet. Supposedly, a child learns how to eat from very early on. Not how to eat. More like what to eat. So I try to make sure to give Thevy a good sampling of fruits and vegetables. I usually read ingredients before I let her sample stuff. When I went to Costco yesterday, I wanted to buy her some canned or jarred fruits. But I didn't end up getting any because the darned things had "high fructose" or some other sugar added. It's gonna take some getting used to, but I've got some work to do when it comes to the food we eat and buy. I wanna be a good example to Thevy. I don't want her to become a fat- or even worse - an unhealthy American!

Note: After writing this blog, I think I can say that Thevy truly did have her first step today. A few hours ago, she pulled herself to a stand, relinquished her hands from the stationary device she was using as a prop, then proceeded to take a few steps toward me. And THEN, I was just outside with her, letting her play in the driveway. I let go of her while she was standing and she quickly took several steps. Granted, she had sneakers on, which assists her ability to stand and I almost feel like it's "cheating". But still - she walked. :)

Racially Motivated

You know how I'm very much interested in issues of race and ethnicity. Where some people may find such topics irrelevant on a day-to-day basis, I'm constantly fascinated by it. And interracial mixing seems to be such a common occurrence these days, you just can't avoid it! But it's also a very big part of history, I know. And in this country, the subject of Blacks, whites, and Indians (my bad - "Native American") mixing has created many sub-groups.


I'd heard of the "one drop" rule, where they say having just a drop of African blood makes you Black. These Black individuals have appeared on talk shows like Oprah. When it comes to race mixing, there are so many terms that have been coined: mulatto, mestizo, etc... When it came to the Blacks in this country, some funny terms have come about, such as octoroon, which is a person who is one-eight Black. I was amused when I came to the realization that my daughter, Thevy, is a quadroon. :)

Hains Point

We (Peter, my mom, the baby, and I) took a brief trip to Hains Point last week. Its in East Potomac Park in DC. I'd been there a long time ago when I was younger. A famous landmark there is "The Awakening" - a statue(s) that gives the illusion of a man emerging from the ground. I think it's out of proportion (See the following image. There's also another leg, foot, and hand that's not visible in this shot.)

Although it was a bright and sunny day, it definitely was not ideal weather. It was very windy, making it quite chilly. We ended up putting a coat on Thevy, on top of her jacket, it was so cold. And then, a big ole bus full of kids came and that ruined it. Then it just became too crowded and noisey. But we got to see the cherry blossoms and take in the sights. We'll have to go back on a nicer day. And maybe with more people.

Thoughts on Immigration

I don't get it. I'm also not really following the news and legislation. But it doesn't make sense to me. How is it that ILLEGAL immigrants are demanding rights? I mean, I could understand if they were maybe, I dunno, LEGALLY here. But, being that that's not the case, why are immigrants and supporters requesting special treatment?

As the daughter and wife of immigrants, I say, illegals need to go through the process just like everyone else who decided to make this country their home. And how ludicrous is it that some have the audacity to use as an argument that illegals take the jobs "we" or "nobody" wants as a legitimate reason for being allowed to stay here?

I'm not saying they all need to be deported. I'm just sayin'! If you ain't supposed to be here in the first place, why should you be entitled to rights of CITIZENS? And some are saying illegals shouldn't be treated as terrorists cuz they're not... Hey - we don't know that! I don't think that most illegals have even anything to do with terrorism. However, I know there's a link between al-Qaeda and Latin America! Anyway...

And I'm not sayin' that there aren't any mitigating circumstances that make some people's situations... "different", but I suppose all that needs to be looked at case-by-case. But, shoot - that's a lotta cases!

To say "We're not criminals"... Hmm, let's think about that. How did you get here? Was it legally? Um, then I think it's safe to say, you're a criminal. What? You pay taxes? So the f*** what? I seriously don't understand how that makes a valid point?

Then some businesses are talkin' about how they depend on the immigrants and what a negative impact it would have on 'em if they lost their illegal immigrant employers or consumers. Another moot point, if you ask me. See, drugs are illegal and measures are being taken to eradicate them (sorta). And due to illegal drug trafficking, there's a lotta money in the hands of certain individuals. Well, if we were ever to successfully rid the streets of drugs, guess what? Many companies would lose quite a bit of business! But the fact remains, drugs are illegal. Or should we legalize 'em so that the businesses can continue to get their share?

AND... I don't know much about economics, but someone once pointed out that immigrants, because they work and send money home to their countries of origins, that's money that's not going back into our economy. Like I said, I don't fully understand economics, but I hear that's not a good thing.

ELEVEN MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS?!?! That sho is a lotta people! (And a lotta money!)

Thevy's Funny

I am enjoying watching Thevy learn and grow as she approaches her first birthday. She's starting to do more things that remind you that she's not just a passive observer, but an active particiapnt in this world. She's imitating things we do. It makes you laugh.

Like if you cough or sneeze, she'll bust out with a fake little *cough cough*. Certain sounds you utter, she tries to utter them to. For instance, I exclaimed "Awww" (as in, "Awww, you dropped it!" - not "Aww, how cute") and what does Thevy do? She goes "Awww!" right back!

It's very amusing that sometimes you just wanna make sounds at her just to hear her repeat it, back and forth. She mimics actions, too. She smacks her face, trying to play peek-a-boo. Sometimes she covers her one eye and her forehead. She's gotta work on the coordination. hehe. Or once, I was holding her and my hair was down. She took my hair and placed it over her forehead. That was her way of being like, well, Mommy's got it on her head, I will, too!

Or sometimes, she snatches my glasses from my face and puts it to her face or atop her head. She looks at you and smiles. If you're not quite looking at her, she'll make sure to lean so that she can see your face and she's cheesin', waiting for you to do the same. It's great.

And one of the silly things she does is to stick her tongue out. She either does it on her own or in response to some prodding from us. She'll either stick it out and up so that she's covering her top lip, or down, covering her bottom lip. And she's got a rather pointy tongue. Peter said she has a pointy tongue... like me? And I suppose this is figurative and literal... The figurative implying that I'm a bit snappy or, that I have a "sharp" tongue. [Merriam-Webster's fourth definition of sharp: SEVERE, HARSH: as a : inclined to or marked by irritability or anger (a sharp temper) b : causing intense mental or physical distress (a sharp pain) c : cutting in language or import (a sharp rebuke)] Whatever. =Þ

Someone's in the Kitchen...

As little T gets older and is sleeping less and moving about more, I have to figure out more ways to keep her entertained. Especially if I want a minute to myself and have my hands free. I neglect myself the most in terms of eating. Correction - not eating. Thus, in order for me to grab a bite to eat when I'm at home by myself, that is, with no other self-sufficient individuals, I have to find all manners of distracting the baby.

Thing is, she sometimes gets bored easily. And just as soon as I think I've found a way to give myself maybe ten minutes to prepare myself a little something, Thevy's decided she's had enough and begins acting up. Or, she merely begins going where I don't want her to go, or touching what I don't want her to touch.

One of the ways I temporarily capture her attention when I'm in the kitchen is to place some objects on the floor for her to hit, bang, throw - whatever. Sometimes it buys me time. Sometimes it doesn't.

Escape Artist

It's official: Thevy, for sure, can get out of her crib. We saw it coming, I suppose; the way she'd lean over the side and use her prehensile toes to gain leverage and lift herself up off the crib mattress. But we didn't think she'd actually manage to really get herself up high enough that she'd tumble right out! At least, not this soon!

See, Thevy's crib is mostly used as a playpen of sorts, as she still sleeps in the bed with us. It's where we put her when we need to free up our hands to do something else and be sure that she's out of trouble. Only in rare instances does she actually sleep in there.

So, while being detained in her crib, we often don't raise the side railing, as it's only a temporary prison and we aren't trying to make it maximum security. However, this idea must change. As she gets older and taller and much more mobile, it's time to... raise the bar! One reason I never usually have the side railing raised is because on those few occasions where I do place an already or almost sleeping baby in the crib, it's easier to lay her as closely to the mattress as possible if the railing is lowered. Otherwise, I'm much more likely to drop her in (and I have - not on purpose! =P) with it up.

Anyhoo, when Thevy's had enough of being in the crib and wants out, she begins fussing. She cries, she faces you, she places the side of her body on the side, trying to lean right on out. Her feet find their place on the slats and make their way up. I looked and her and thought, this girl is really trying to get out! I make her get back flat on the mattress so I can run for the camera and run back, in time for the shot you see above! Only seconds later, homegirl tumbles right on out! Luckily, I'm close enough to catch her before she falls, not to mention, there's an object beside the crib that, I think, would have or did help break the fall.

This girl is a handful, to say the least! She's our little escape artist. Even when she was much younger and we were still swaddling her, we called her Baby Houdini. She would never stay swaddled for long. Moments after wrapping her up in a blanket, one arm would pop out. Then the other. She's real determined, I'd say. I wonder how much this says about her budding personality. :)

The Zoo Again

This weekend, we visited the zoo again. This time we went to DC's National Zoo. It was a sunny day a chilly. But it wasn't as cold as it was at the Baltimore Zoo. Again, T's too little to appreciate everything, but we still wanted to do a family outing. The zoo was better than the last time I went there somehow. We didn't see the pandas; the line was too long. At the point, we decided we had better head home since it wasn't particularly warm and Thevy seemed to have had enough. Plus, though the zoo is free, parking isn't. Wanted to leave before we entered the next time increment, meaning, it costs more. . . (Check out T and that pointer finger. She's been touching objects with her index finger or just shaking it, seemingly at people. When she sees a child, her finger starts waving and she goes, "Ey!" lol)

Another Warm Day...

The Robins are here, too. I saw mosquitoes yesterday. Red ants were crawling on the ground. Looks like the seasons are officially changing. Or maybe not. The news people say to curb our spring fever. Today was a nice day to take the little one out. This would've been perfect weather for the zoo. We went the weekend before last for the opening weekend off the zoo. It was sunny out, but it was quite cold. I swear T's lips were turning blue. And it wasn't a great outing. It may have been because it was so cold, we didn't want to stay. Or if it just seemed that the zoo had nothing to offer because we weren't familiar with the layout or what. But it was rather disappointing. Who knows; maybe my expectations were just too high or because I'm not a kid anymore. But we went cuz it was free that weekend.

So, we did the Baltimore Aquarium and the Baltimore Zoo. We plan to do the National Zoo in D.C. since it's always free. And the National Aquarium in D.C. is a possible outing. I know I didn't care for the National Zoo the last time I went. Hopefully, more animals will be out and about. And healthy! Last time I went was with my sister a few years ago and there was a lame camel. So pitiful-looking.

Thevy stood the other day. On her own. I mean, there are times when I try to prop her up on her little feet and "force" her to stand, letting go, hoping she'll last several seconds. But this time, my attention was turned away from her and on the TV. She was on the floor, sorta crawling over my thigh. When I turned back to her, she had pulled her self to a stand, holding on to a wrought-iron planter. I wasn't sure how she did it, actually, without pulling the planter over. Then she let go. And for just a moment, she was balancing on her feet without any support. Mommy and Daddy got excited because soon, our little one will be walking bipedally. :)

Here, she's standing in my boots:

What a Winter

What a very mild winter we've had! Can you believe we hit the 70s? The other day when I was ready to go get the mail, I thought I might take little T for a stroll around the block. After walking down the driveway wearing jeans I thought, "It's hot" and went right back inside.

Saturday, we went to the mall to get a gift before heading to a restaurant to meet Tammy and crew for Tammy's 24th bday. Thevy was a hit as usual. Her pink onesie and cute little white skirt were all the rage, lol. Oh, and can't forget the pink headband that we couldn't get to stay in her hair, mostly cuz she kept yanking it out. We met Jeannie and Nick at the mall, too, and got some grub at the food court and chatted a bit before heading out to the restaurant (which was a sushi place by the way - not a personal favorite! I mean, the restaurant is nice, but not my choice of cuisines!)

And gooood grief! Peter decided to partake in sushi for the first time. I'm talkin' the raw fare. *gag reflex* Oh, and check out what else he had, in the picture to the right. That's just not kosher, now is it? :-P I stuck to eating California and cucumber rolls. And the Popeye rolls minus the shitake (it had string beans and spinach and came with a sesame sauce). None of that exotic stuff for me. I don't even hardly eat cooked seafood, especially not fish. I don't think the next logical step would be for me to eat it raw. =P I believe the most "exotic" I've ever eaten was a *cooked* piecce of squid. I wasn't bad. Just rubbery. Heh.

And Thevy had some tofu from the miso soup and the plain tofu Michelle requested for her. I mixed the tofu with her baby food and she was lovin' it. She was also makin' a mess since I let her feed herself a bit. Sorry to whomever had to clean up after her. :) Also, Thevy was sort of the life of the party. Once again they played "Pass the Baby" with her. I don't know how many people held her, not to mention, I didn't even know who they all were! Only now that she's older am I okay with different people holding her, since she's had all of her first round of vaccinations and what not.

Note to those unfamiliar with handling babies or dealing with other people's children: keep your distance! Haha... Well, I just mean, don't take liberties with the child if it's not your own. That is, don't be kissin' on 'em and what not and touchin' all over 'em. A first-time mother and mothers of very small children can be germophobes! Plus, it's just plain rude! Imagine if somebody you weren't all that close with just came up and kissed you! If you're gonna kiss the baby, go for the cheek. Not smack dab on the mouth! We don't know what kinda herpes you got! =P And hey - maybe you might get herpes from the baby! Also, be sure to wash your hands or sanitize them before you lay your hands on someone's bundle of joy. You don't want them to have to ask you, lest you get offended! I liked how when I first brought Thevy home, my friends instantly went to the bathroom to wash their hands. Yet Peter's friends, it didn't even occur to them! What is up with that?

Nice Weather We're Having Here

We continue to have crazy weather. It's rather nice for it being wintertime on the East Coast. It's still quite cool, but it's mild and sunny out. I'm not complaining. But I wonder if we'll get another good snow in before Spring officially arrives...

Funny quote of the day: I just heard William H. Macy, who has a huge film credit list to his name, say, "I'd eat that" in reference to his wife. First, I didn't even know his name before today, though I'd seen him in different movies. Second, didn't know he was married to Felicity Huffman. But back to the quote, I don't feel like explaining the context, but it was funny to hear cuz it reminds me of something a friend of mine, Jason, used to say. Sort-of an inside joke...

As is customary of my actually speech pattern, I'll probably hop from topic to topic in this blog. Like, I forgot to mention how maybe a couple months ago, I do believe I saw Tony Dorsey from NBC News 4. He was inside a news van outside Union Station. If I hadn't been inside a moving vehicle, I might have dared talk to him. hehe.

Oh, a couple weeks on Jeopardy, I was annoyed by one of the clues. It was Teen Jeopardy, and I guess the writers of the "answers" were trying to be hip and there was a category that utilized some colloquialisms. Well, this one clue was so stupid to me - it was: "Spanish: This basic word for friend--you know, your buddy, your dawg, your boo". And the answer/question was "What is 'amigo'?" That was one of the dumbest, poorly-written clues... They need some quality assurance for what they write! "Boo"??? Now, that does NOT simply mean "friend". It's not even equivalent to "dawg"! It just has a different connotation. *smh*

That Apollo Ohno kid - I "smh" @ him, too! Just because he's cute and has got that track of pubes on his chin, doesn't mean he should look a fool after winning a gold medal. Now, maybe he was caught up in a moment or whatever, but that fool did not seem to know the words to the "Star-Spangled Banner" and was tryna sing or lip-sync to it. Way to represent! :-P

How come on the news yesterday (on NBC4), they were talkin' about Bush's travels, referring to them as Southeast Asian trip? They mentioned India and Pakistan. Now, where does Southeast Asia come into play? The Indian subcontinent is SOUTH Asia! My ears perked up at the mention of SEAsia cuz I thought they were gonna say something about Vietnam or Thailand or something. Or that at least, he was headed there after India and Pakistan. I didn't hear it. Well, it's good to know we have accuracy in the news on just simple things... :-|

Thevy recently turned 10-months-old. Not long before her first birthday - need to make plans soon!

It's a Conspiracy!

C-O-N, Spiracy! (An "In Living Color" reference, for those who don't know! :-P). Nah, I don't actually think it's a conspiracy. But it's some sort of social commentary of not-so-big proportions. I'm talkin' about Live's Beautiful Baby Search. ("Live" is the abbreviated name of daytime talk show "Live with Regis & Kelly". I like Regis and I like Kelly and I even used to watch the show when Kathy Lee was still on!) They had this contest... It's like the 3rd annual or something now. And parents from around the country sent in their children's pix for a chance at something like three grand and for their child to be on the cover of "Parenting" magazine. Well... They said they received hundreds of thousands of entries and on Monday, they narrowed it down to ten semi-finalists. Of those ten, I think maybe four were minorities - I saw an Asian girl, a biracial girl, some other brown-skin ethnic baby, and there was a white-looking baby with an Hispanic surname.

America was to vote for their favorites, which reduced the finalist pool to five. My guess - and I guessed correctly - was that it would be all white babies in the top 5. I tell you, nearly all of 'em were blonde-hair, blue-eyed babies. I know that that's probably more representative of the population of this country - I mean, more white people than any other race... And I figure more white people watch the show than anything, along with a few other factors, but... that's kinda depressing. Ethnic people wanna see their own faces out there! I hope I don't have to remind people, we don't live an a utopic society! Especially not in this country! Far from it.

And if that wasn't the stinger of having all caucasian finalists... Those children were not even cute in person! I know, I know - it's about how well they take pictures and what not; being photogenic. But still. Thevy is cute in person AND in pictures. She should be on all the covers! lol.

Hehe. Anyway. I'm done venting. Have a nice day!

Happy FART Heart Day!

We got our first major snow this weekend. I think it was about a foot of beautiful, white snow. It began snowing Saturday evening. I was awake 'til about 6 in the morning. Our power had gone out sometime around then or soon after. It didn't come back on 'til 7:30PM. Apparently, there were a lot of power outages in the region/area.

As for Valentine's... not celebrating. :)