Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011, a set on Flickr.

Photos from Sophia's first trick-or-treating experience.

15 months

Sophia’s personality is revealing itself more and more everyday. She is curious and wants to know what’s going on around her. She has a happy disposition (most of the time) and is very social. She loves being around people, especially other children. That is why she has adjusted so well to being in daycare. She actually doesn’t want to go home when I arrive to pick her up. She’s happy to stay and keep playing there. But on the days when we are home together, she tends to get a little clingy, following me wherever I go in the house, and wanting to be carried a lot. I find this weird given that on daycare days, she doesn’t seem to miss me at all. 

She is getting better at communicating to me what she wants and doesn’t want and I am getting better at reading her. She’s very definite about what she likes and dislikes, especially with food. With a flick of a hand, she will wave away food I am offering that she doesn’t want to eat. I try to trick her into eating it by hiding it with other foods but she spits it out once it touches her tongue. Sometimes, though, she surprises me by agreeing to eat a food that she has rejected many times before. So I have to remind myself to not be discouraged and to keep offering the food to her.

Her motor skills are getting better everyday. She still uses her hands to eat but is getting more adept at using a spoon. She is better at playing with the sort-a-shape type of toys and with pulling things apart then putting it back together. She’s been enjoying playing with Mr. Potato Head, lately. She is also starting to show interest in puzzles and writing tools. She loves to climb on things! They call her Miss Daredevil at daycare because she’ll climb on anything, precarious or not. Today, she didn’t want to get out of the car because she wanted to climb in and out of her carseat, over and over. At the playground, I’ve let her go down the smaller slides on her own and she loves it.

She knows some parts of her body: hair, nose, ears, tongue, teeth, belly button, and toes. She knows a few tunes, as well. She sings all the time and she has a good ear for music. She still enjoys reading books (especially when on the potty) and insists on picking which one to read. She knows a few words now but hasn’t used her words to ask for things. On rare occasions, she has used the signs I’ve been teaching her since she was six months old, like more and food. Mostly, she whines to communicate. Drives me crazy sometimes.

She is a lot of fun but also a lot of work. And as she gets bolder at expressing frustration and anger through tantrums, crying, and whining, keeping my cool gets more challenging. And usually, I have no idea what to do or how to respond, and that stresses me out. Children are so unpredictable and there isn’t one way to raise a child because each one is different. I get a lot of “it depends” type of answers from other parents when I ask for advice. I guess that’s why everybody says parenting is hard.

Auntie

My good friend and Ed's cousin, Jenny, was in town from Toronto for a really quick weekend visit.  I asked Sophia to say "auntie" and she did!  Sophia generally refuses to perform for the camera but Jenny was able to catch a bit on video...

Sing sing talk talk

I now have a new favourite pastime - listening to Sophia sing. She can carry a tune! She sings “ta-ta ta-ta ta-ta-ta” to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She also sings a couple of lines from Jingle Bells and the song from a YouTube video that she watches. Ed and I were amazed the first time we recognized what she was singing. I thought I imagined it so I asked Ed if he recognized the tune and he did. So cool! She sings while she bathes, eats, plays, walks around, and lays in her crib. I just love listening to her!

Sophia is also starting to say words and imitate the sounds she hears from us. She says cat, ball, cheese, shoes, and apple. She said bow wow wow after I said it to her (I was reading a book to her). I notice Sophia watching my mouth closely as I say words for her to repeat. I now have to rid myself of the swear words that sometimes just flies out of my mouth. I have a little one who is listening intently and mimicking what she hears. Shit. Good thing she can’t read yet!

Post-baby business trip

I spent three days away from home last week. I went to Houston for my first post-baby business trip and Ed had to hold the baby fort together while I was gone. I was not sure how I would be emotionally, leaving my baby for the first time. I phoned home as I was waiting for the plane to take off from Vancouver and I got teary-eyed as I left a message for Ed and Sophia. Once I arrived in Houston and got busy with work, though, time moved faster and it took my mind off how much I missed Sophia. This is also the type of work that I really enjoy - conversing with the users of our applications, finding out what they want and need, then figuring out how our software can make their jobs easier. Since designing software is something I’ve done for a number of years now, I tend to overlook how big an impact my work can have. At the end of our meetings with the client, my colleague, Nathan, reminded me that something I invented is used to streamline the work of hundreds of people in major corporations such as Chevron and BP. Software I designed is used in far away places like Nigeria and Singapore. That made me feel pretty good. Thanks, Nathan!

Ed did a great job taking care of Sophia, although, when I called home at night, he sounded more and more tired as each day passed. It is a lot of work to take care of a baby all by yourself. I appreciate having a husband who is supportive of my work and its demands for travel, and is willing to take care of things at home so I can do the work I enjoy. Thanks, Ed!

I also took advantage of the opportunity to reconnect with old friends who now reside in Houston. One night, I had dinner with Dee, a classmate from high school whom I have not see in twelve years. Oh, it was non-stop talking all throughout dinner! The next night, I had dinner with Prince and his fiancé Irene. Prince and I became friends at Andersen Consulting, at my first job after finishing university. We also had a lot of catching up to do. I had a great time getting reacquainted with them, finding out what they’ve been up to, and reminiscing about the past with them. Old friends really are such a blessing to have.

With Dee

With Prince and Irene