It's about time

Sophie's pediatrician told us we could start her on solid food when she reached five months old. That milestone was last Sunday so we broke out the rice cereal and mixed it with some formula. It looked about as appetizing as Elmer's Glue, but remembering how some kids(Kelly Clifford) loved that, I figured it couldn't be too bad. Sophie stayed cleaner than we thought she would and liked the solid food concept enough that she kept trying to take the spoon so she could manage the entire affair. She's been helping hold her bottle for weeks now, so how hard could a spoon be?

Notice the left foot trying to get rid of Mom's
interference for some self spoon management.

The first week of solid food probably added about five whole calories to her daily intake. She dutifully let us put the food in her mouth and didn't really spit it up, but when she was obviously done with the stuff in the bowl and solely focused on the accompanying bottle, it seemed like there was just as much food in the bowl as when we started.
I asked a friend how much his two kids ate when they started on solids and he said they would each take on two ice cubes worth of whatever was put in front of them. If Sophie keeps this up, she'll drop out of the 90th percentile for weight and height in no time.
A week in, she found her stride.
I came home yesterday to hear that a table spoon of rice cereal as well as the same amount of sweet potatoes were dispatched with gusto.
She wasn't up for a repeat performance last night, but I'm sure the two a days are just around the corner, as is the messier eating habits. I'm looking around the house today and enjoying the last few unspoiled hours of monochromatic walls and the art not having an extra splashes of color.
Gizza on the other hand, is beside himself with anticipation. Strained carrots and sweet potatoes are okay, but he knows that the halcyon days of cheerios and spaghetti are imminent. He's so excited that he has started paying attention to Sophie and sucking up to her as well. If one of us is holding her on the couch he'll saddle up beside her and let her pet him and grab at his goatee. Her sits beside her while she is in her exersaucer and has even taken to laying near the rocker when one of us is holding her in it.Our house has become a Norman Rockwell painting. I'm fine with that. It could always be worse. We could be some living embodiment of Tim Burton's imagination.

Spring Tour Dates Announced

Sophie is hitting the road for her Spring 2011 Tour. This will be a limited engagement tour featuring small venues, so be sure to secure your tickets early.
Ticket information is available from the venue.
Show times will largely be dictated by Sophie's nap schedule, but she promises at least two shows daily.
The tour opens on Sunday, March 13 in lovely Greer, South Carolina. Sophie and The Parents will be appearing at Aunt Sonsy's Ole Time Saloon for a two day stand. Details for the opening acts have not been confirmed, but negotiations with Mawmaw's Biscuits are ongoing for Sunday. Monday will likely feature the baritone blues master Chicken Legged Terry.
Tuesday and Wednesday nights will see Sophie playing to a packed Red House Inn in Brevard, NC. This show is already sold out!
If you miss the spring tour, stay tuned for details of her summer tour. She has plans to head south to Florida for several dates in early June and then to Pennsylvania in July where she and several other toddlers will form a one night only jam band dubbed The Cousins for a private wedding reception gig.

Catching up

A lot has been happening over the last few weeks. We went to court a week ago for Sophie's adoption hearing. Everything went well in Birmingham and the final adoption decree has been sent to the state offices in Montgomery. In about a month we can get her updated birth certificate which will allow us to also get her social security card and a passport. Look Teresa, here we come!
During the hearing Sophie was very well behaved. She did not testify about very much and occupied herself by gnawing on my tie.
I kind of hope this is her last court date, but if Christie's misspent youth is any indication, I'll get to know several bailiffs on a first name basis over the next few decades.

Here we are with the judge. He noted during the hearing that it isn't often he, an elected Democrat, has two avowed Democrats in his courtroom. If he were in criminal court instead of probate court, he'd see lots of us. Vote Early, Vote Often, it is the Democratic Way.
Work has been kind of hectic over the last few weeks and I have been coming home pretty drained. Between catching up with Christie, helping with Sophie's bath or bottles and trying to get some food myself, it just kind of becomes a blur. It's almost like one day she can barely coo and the next thing I know, she's going on dates.
The Heavens tossed me a present at the end of the week and I certainly enjoyed it. We started school late yesterday because of more snow & ice Thursday afternoon. I didn't have to be at school until 9:00, which meant I got to hang out with the Sophster for several more hours than normal on a weekday. We made the most of it. We played and danced and cuddled and laughed and smiled and cooed and did all of those things that I miss getting to do between her waking up and first nap.
This morning was even better. She slept until almost 6:00 and I got up with her, which let Christie get a much deserved lie in. Even the dog stayed in bed. We sat in the glider and she had her bottle. She's old enough that she is trying to hold it, and does a pretty good job I must say. But she's still young enough that I'm holding her and steadying the bottle as well. The wind is moving in the darkness outside, but everything else is quiet. The day is poised to begin, but these are the last few still moments of the night.
These are the times I will miss the most as she grows older and more self-sufficient. Before long she will be able to feed herself and not long after that she'll be getting up on her own and finding her own cereal. Through it all I will remember these mornings and they will make me smile.