Sonia Spielberg?

I let Sonia try out the Flip video camera the other day, and she made a couple of, um, "movies". I don't think she's going to be winning any Oscars any time soon, but I found her work product amusing.

Video #1: Sonia decides the Flip looks more exciting than the remote control



Video #2: Sonia gets some good shots of the ceiling and Mommy



In other Sonia news, she got to meet three of the most awesome kitties in Chicago-- Salinger, Emily, and Ernie! She also got to hang out with the kitties' owners, Stephanie & Erik. Sosinini showed off all of her tricks: crawling, clapping, giggling, and attempting to nom every electrical cord she could find. Oh, Sonia.... She thought Stephanie and Erik were the coolest! I tend to agree.

Let the baby-proofing begin!

This week, Sonia figured out how to crawl forward (slowly, but still forward!), pull herself up to her knees, push herself up on her feet while her hands are on her toy bin (which is about a foot high), and open the kitchen cabinets. Sonia learned how to crawl a little on the late side, but I do appreciate we didn't have to worry about baby-proofing as early as a lot of parents! Bobo and Margie have also had it pretty good, too.... Just this morning, Sonia realized that she can now go after the cats, and our felines are too dumb to realize that they should stay out of harm's way, so I witnessed several tail-pulling incidents.

So, it's time to figure out which baby gates will work best with our house (and with our cats), think of some way to keep her out of the kitchen cabinets without ruining them, and put away all of the breakable items that are within the grasp of her chubby little hands.

I will say, however, that Sonia crawling is pretty darn cute. And, I love to watch her discovering new things, even if they might not make the best baby toys ("Boy, that crock pot I found in this cabinet looks like a lot of fun!"). Here's a video of Sosini on her first day of crawling (Monday).... I took a cue from my friend, Carrie, and used the remote control to be a lure. Sosi has improved her crawling a bit since then, so I'll try to take another video to show her progress.



Another fun development is that Sonia is now taking more interest in her books. Before, they just looked like good chew toys to her. Now they look like good chew toys that have pages and pages of cool pictures! I think it looks like she's reading to her stuffed animals in this picture:



Oh, Sonia. You are one goofy baby!

Portrait of a mischievous baby

"I wonder if I can make it over to the curtains and yank on them before Mommy realizes what's happening and stops me...."


"I know this basket of safe, age-appropriate toys is for me, but Mommy's yummy-looking cell phone is right over there, just waiting to be chomped...."



"Boy, that camera looks awfully yummy, too...."


Tell me again why I was all excited for Sonia to start crawling?!?

Hope springs eternal

"Mom, when will it be warm enough for us to go outside and play?"

More pictures from California

I just can't pass up posting some more of the pictures we took during our trip.... Sonia was being such a funny little girl! I also realized that I forgot to mention that Andrew and I were able to go out to dinner and a movie (we ate at the Marmalade Cafe and saw "Up in the Air") on Saturday night while Grandma Jojo and Grandpa Spike took care of The Great Sosini. They fed her a bottle, played with her a bit, and put her to bed (she drifted off to snooze-land with no complaints). Then, when Andrew and I got home, Sosi woke up and started fussing (probably teething pains-- we have confirmation now that tooth #3, the left top front tooth, is making its debut). Sure, be good for the grandparents and save all of your orneriness for your mommy & daddy. Nice move, kid!

As usual, Sonia ended up in a basket/box/container. She thinks Grandpa Spike's mustache is very funny.


We were having fun playing dress up with Sonia when she decided it was time for a nap (hence the sad face). My mom and I think this picture looks like it was taken while she was out for a ride in a glamorous convertible, but the convertible must have broken down....


Andrew and I look a wee bit tired in this picture, but The Great Sosini, as usual, is ready to party!


Those are some sexy gams you got there, baby....


More sadness (she was baffled by my dad's hat and sunglasses-- the poor little baby thought a stranger was trying to get all up in her grill!), but her pouty little bottom lip makes me giggle!


Glamorous baby! I think she's wondering where the pool boy is with her drink (which would have a little umbrella in it, I'm sure).

The Great Sosini takes on California

....or at least the LA area. We flew to Thousand Oaks, CA for a short visit this past weekend, and Sonia had a fabulous time with her Grandma JoAnn and Grandpa Spike! It was positively exhausting flying all the way to and from the west coast with a gregarious 9 month old baby, but we're so glad we did. Sosini did pretty well on the flights and in the airports (good lord, LAX has the most ridiculous lines), but I'm still very glad we currently have no plans to fly her anywhere until this summer. All of the families we talked to about flying with babies said the same thing-- it starts out pretty easy in the first few months, and then it gets harder as the baby gets older and sleeps less during the flights. Hats off to the people who travel to overseas destinations with babies.... You are made of stronger stuff than me!

Anyway, we had a wonderful time, and Sonia absolutely loves her Evans grandparents. The flight there started out rocky (she was pretty unhappy that we had to wait on the runway for a half hour before taking off), but when her daddy read her Cookie's Week (best book ever!), she cheered right up.


On Saturday morning, Sosi took a swim in Grandma Jojo's big tub. I had been suspecting it was nearing the time to stop bathing her in the inflatable yellow ducky tub (she has been trying to climb out of it lately), and seeing how excited she was to splash around in a bigger space convinced me.


Is tummy time in the tub called "tubby time"? Look at that baby booty!


Daddy and Grandpa Spike tried to teach Sonia how to play "Heart and Soul" on the piano....


Later that day, we drove to Santa Barbara, and we just left Sonia sitting on a curb while we went off to have some fun. Just kidding!


We met up with my aunt, Kim, and my two cousins, Abbey and Cady Lane. Sonia was jealous of Cady Laners's fabulous curly hair! Unfortunately, Uncle Jerry couldn't come because he was feeling a bit under the weather. Feel better soon, Skunkle.


After lunch, we all went and rode the carousel. Sonia loved it! She and I sat in this little sleigh seat, and Sonia would not stop trying to touch (and nom) the pretty lady who adorned the side of the sleigh.


On Sunday, we took Sonia to the beach (about 15 minutes away from my parents' house), and The Great Sosini made a break for it the second we turned away. She wanted to go join the rest of the baby belugas! Luckily, she still can't really crawl forward, so she didn't get too far.


We had been trying to put these sunglasses on her when we were in my parents' house, but she kept taking them off. When we put the sunglasses on Sosi while we were at the beach, she left them on without any fuss. It's like she knew that it's silly to wear sunglasses inside!


My husband and daughter-- ready for a magazine cover, if you ask me....


I love this picture soooooooo much!


3 generations of Scott/Evans/Malahowski women


Sonia finally got to swing for the first time in months! Predictably, she had a blast.


Thanks for showing us such a good time, Mom and Dad! We love you!

Nine Months Young: A State of the Baby Address

The Great Sosini will be NINE MONTHS OLD on Saturday! I'm writing her 9 month state of the baby address early because tomorrow, we're flying to California to see Sosi's Grandma Jojo and Grandpa Spike (my parents). And now for the state of the baby address:

Sonia is babbling more and more every day. It cracks us up! I love when she babbles while we're in the car-- it sounds like she's being a backseat driver. In the two pictures below, she was yelling something crazy to the kitties:



I'm convinced that a third tooth is ready to erupt, but I can't tell which one. Sosi is drooling more than usual and she's chomping on everything in sight with a fervor that reminds me of the time right before her other two teeth popped out. If you click on the picture below to maximize it, you can see her two little bottom teeth-- they are so sharp!!


Li'l Sosinini is not crawling forward quite yet. She gets in a perfect crawling position, but then she moves backwards or pushes sideways into a sitting position. Although she gets visibly frustrated because she can't go toward something right in front of her (be it a toy or, more often, a cat), she does seem to enjoy her new "mobility". It's fun watching on her video monitor when she wakes up because now she can move all over her crib and sit up to play for a while.


Sonia and I have been having so much fun during the last few months.... Between play dates, story time, Gymboree, and running errands, Sister Sue and I are always on the go. Although I try to make sure she has plenty of sleep during the day, her napping patterns have been erratic. Part of the reason is that she's showing signs of needing to reduce her number of daily naps from three to two. So, we're in the process of figuring that all out. Luckily, Sosi is a pretty happy baby even when she's tired, so she still manages to have more fun than the law should allow. Here's a picture from our lunch with the Olejniks yesterday-- Sonia absolutely loved watching Jacob and Audrey play!


Today, I took Sonia to her nine month well-baby checkup, and she is in the 95th percentile for weight (22 1/2 pounds) and height (29 inches). Whoa! But the doctor said (and I quote), "Sonia looks perfect." We love our baby beluga!!

Sosi and K-Dub

I had THE best babysitting gig yesterday. I don't think you can really call it babysitting, though, if it's more like a play date crossed with an opportunity to spend some rare one-on-one time with my incredibly adorable godson, Kieran Murray. Yesterday, Kieran (whose middle name is William, so I have decided that I'm calling him K-Dub) came over at 11:45am, and Carol headed out a little before noon (she spent the afternoon at Aidan's school taking part in their "100th Day of School" celebration).

Let the fun commence!



After we spent a totally silly half hour or so playing (Sonia is simply fascinated by Kieran!), I put Kieran down for a nap in the pack & play up in a guest bedroom. After he protested for about 30 seconds, he drifted happily off to snooze land. I put Sonia down about 10 minutes later (she did not go softly into that good nap-- the poor thing has not been napping well lately!), and at 12:35pm, I headed downstairs to put together a tuna casserole for dinner.

At 1:30pm, with dinner chilling in the fridge, all bottles washed, and no pressing chores, I decided to take advantage of Sonia's longest nap in days and lay down to shut my eyes. I was convinced that the second I drifted off to sleep, one or both of the kids would wake up. NOPE! I woke with a start AN HOUR LATER! Woo hoo!!!! Kieran woke up about 2:45 (2 1/2 hour nap-- not bad, kid!), and shockingly, Sonia was still asleep. I ran upstairs to grab Kieran and he and I proceeded to spend a really fun 45 minutes playing by ourselves. How handsome is this little dude?!?



Sonia woke up at 3:30, and Kieran and I went to greet Sleeping Beauty. I still can't believe she slept for 3 hours!!!! That might be her longest nap ever. Carol, Aidan, and Sophie showed up at our house about 4pm when I was finishing up feeding Sonia a bottle and being entertained by The Kieran Show, and then we all got to play together for a while. Plus, Carol brought me leftover chocolate chip cookie bars. I'm telling you, it was the best afternoon ever!

I told Carol that Kieran can come over any afternoon he wants to share his napping mojo with The Great Sosini (and me!).

Sosi and the laundry basket

Ohhhhh, Sonia.... Yesterday, she was like a little Energizer bunny. For the first time ever, she refused her morning nap. Girlfriend usually loves her morning snooze-- it's always her longest nap of the day, she goes to sleep with nary a fuss, and I use that time to shower. Yesterday, Sosini would have none of a morning nap. "Nap? You want me to nap? Naps are for fools!" Then, after a short 10 minute nap in the car on the way to Buy Buy Baby with JLo and Caitlin, Sister Sue took a short half hour nap at 2pm. Even though we have been exploring the realm of only two daily naps, we decided to try for a third nap, and The Great Sosini politely explained that she'd much rather work on crawling and talking than take a snooze. By "politely explained", I mean that she refused to sit still for a story and lullaby and would not stop clapping and babbling. By the end of the day, she had dark circles under her eyes!

Luckily, though, she was in a fantastic mood all day, and she went to sleep at 7pm with no fussing at all. Then, after waking up once at 8pm, she slept through the night until 6am. Hopefully today's naps will be better!

Enough about sleep! The title of this post promises a baby and a basket.... Check out all the fun Sonia has with her beloved laundry basket! Why do we bother buying her toys? I'm not quite sure....

Sonia and her BFF

Sonia just loves the pretty baby in the mirror.... She also loves clapping. Witness:



That child is cuckoo! Over the last few days, she has started babbling-- constantly. A typical "sentence" goes something like this: "Ba-ba-ba glug nuck ma-ma-ba glug!" I'm definitely going to have to get a video of it. The Great Sosini gets sillier and sillier every day!

I think I need boxhab

I can't stop putting my baby (and my cats) in boxes! As I type this, Sonia is still in the box, having a grand old time. She's in there with a bunch of toys, smacking the box flaps and making silly noises. Goofball!!






In other Sonia news, this morning, she slept in past 5:30am for the first time in almost a week. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with teething. ARGH!!!

We're going to need a bigger boat....

.... or at least some rain slickers. Girlfriend has discovered splashing! See the evidence of her newest obsession in the video below:



In other Sonia news, we went to a play date today, and she spent the entire time there flirting with a little boy who is about two or three weeks younger than her. She thought he was very funny, and she kept trying to grab his toys. And so it begins....