pure genius or pure evil?

You decide. I just wish I were the one who invented it:
http://www.baconsalt.com

happy (belated) birthday sadie

Day to day, it's difficult to meter how much you've grown. The outfit we brought you home from the hospital in looks tiny, but given enough effort (and cooperation on your behalf) it seems possible to squeeze you into that pink-and-white size 0 sweater. I mean, on a bad laundry day we can even make those snug 9-month clothes work. So how big can you really be?

I suppose this picture says it all. We thought you had so much hair when you were born---and you did---but now you have three times as much. Inch for inch, your hair is longer than mine. Is that normal for an 11 month old? But then, "normal" is not a word we would use to describe you, your personality, your abilities. "Extraordinary" or "incredible" seem far more befitting. Now, I know it's not uncommon for parents to brag about, or even exaggerate, the accomplishments of their offspring. So take this with a grain of salt if you like, but you're truly the most extraordinary, incredible, and unusual (in the best possible sense) baby we've been lucky enough to know.

You are strong-willed, and like to do what you want to do when you want to do it.
You are physically strong too, and can push objects more than half your body weight around the room.
You are a daredevil, and will climb on furniture without regard for height or the softness of your landing.
You are expressive, and communicate wildly with your hands, true to your Italian heritage.
You are outgoing, and approach other babies and adults without reservations or fear.
You are animated and silly, and easily make people laugh with your antics.
You are quick to learn new things, and when shown once will act as if you've been doing it your whole (short) life.
You are independent, and would feed/dress/walk/read yourself if you could.
You are sensitive sometimes, and like to cuddle and suck your thumb when the moment is right, you've bumped your head, or your feelings have been hurt. We always cherish these 5-second hugs, because a few seconds later you're back at it, ready to try again.
You are beautiful, and have the most amazing blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and long dark hair.
You are sweet beyond belief, so much so that long after you've gone to bed, your Daddy & I consider waking you up just because we miss you.

Above all, you are our baby girl, and always will be, even after we are no longer celebrating monthly birthdays or counting the number of steps you take on your own.
Happy Eleven-Month Birthday, Sadie Rain. We can't believe how lucky we are.

and I thought I invented it

Well, technically Franzia invented it...but I definitely thought I had the slang market cornered:

define chillable

picture fix

Let's face it: the real reason you're all here is to see pictures, not to hear me ramble on about hand movements and cheese. So without further ado...

Waiting in line at Jim's Famous Steaks, South Street, Philly

The post-cheesesteak coma

Sampling the chef's three-cheese platter

First hockey game

Go Flyers!

Kids meals are delicious---especially the box

Playing with cousin Kaitlyn

Spaghetti

Well, at least that gets us caught up to the beginning of December. Christmas and New Years to come!

new favorite food

Far be it from us to raise a hippie baby, but you gotta get your protein somehow.

Enter tofu---the slightly firm variety, with the water pressed out and cut into finger-food-sized pieces. It's easy to pick up, easy to chew, and best of all---easy for us. Sadie likes it cold, right out of the fridge. No seasoning required. Awesome!

milk

Milk.
Milk.
Milk.

It's Sadie's latest sign, and now that she's figured out it means bottle-on-demand, she does it all day long. Even when she just finished a bottle five minutes ago.

happy 2008

Now that the holiday madness is subsiding, I hope to have more time to keep this blog updated. Let's not call it a "resolution", though---I already have enough of those, not the least of which involves losing that last 10 pounds of baby weight before our trip to Mexico. (And if the past almost-eleven months is any indicator, I'll be sipping margaritas in the sun, toes in sand, before I know it. Yikes! Off to the gym!)

With 2008 comes the realization that baby girl is not-so-baby anymore (although I guess I knew that for a while now), and the big ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY is right around the corner. Forty days around the corner, to be exact. For people such as ourselves who like to organize and host a good party, the pressure is on. Since there won't be any ponies or bouncy houses for the under 1 set, I think I'll focus instead on the cake and balloons. LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF BALLOONS. They're Sadie's favorite thing du jour. We may have to rent a helium tank to get the desired effect, of course...

Being the savvy reader that you are, you've probably noticed the lack of pictures as of late. I assure you there are hundreds---of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of December---that I just can't get to at the moment. It appears we've lost the battery charger for our camera. I take this as a sign to get a new camera, of course, since I never liked the photos our Canon S70 produced anyway. Terrible low-light and indoor pics, with a flash that totally overexposes the subject. Obviously it CAN'T be user error, right? Right? Well, if you can recommend a good, compact point-and-shoot camera with manual options and a high ISO for low-light settings, let me know. Perhaps it will make a nice first birthday present for some lucky little girl...

Happy New Year, everyone!