Point - Five

On Wednesday of this week Cora hit her six month mark. I had been visiting my brother Tom & family in DC, and so Cora and I were riding the train home. The conductor was very chatty with Cora when we boarded, and I told him it was her half- birthday. For the rest of the day any time he would walk by he would say "Hey, Point-Five!" or "What's up, Point-Five?" It was really cute, and Cora has perfected the flirtatious smile, so he loved greeting her. Thus, the nick-name of the week is Point-Five.

I also panicked when I realized Cora's infancy is half over. What happened? Suddenly I feel this strange sensation people have been warning me about-- the realization that I don't have a newborn anymore, and that this child is going to have teeth and begin walking in the not so distant future!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!


Suddenly I hope she will wake up extra
in the night, just so I can see her.
Um, no, actually, I am HAPPY to wait
until morning, but I am LESS disgruntled when she does wake me up because she really is such an angel, and it feels like time is flying by.

Our friend Katie was kind enough to take some family pictures last night. We had a great time getting the pictures taken, and then enjoyed some burgers and shakes at Colonel Kustard's. It was a beautiful evening, and we really appreciated Katie taking the time out from her busy days to help us get some wonderful pictures.

Lone Man...

Tuesday night we called Janine's brother, Tom, just to chat. Turns out their cousin, Chris - with wife and baby in tow - was in DC and it was suggested that we should travel out to see them. With semester's end nearing (thankfully), I had to opt out, but Janine was game. So, Wednesday morning we scrambled ever so slowly out of bed at 2:15 AM, packed the car and headed for the train station in Greensboro. Thanks to Google Map's inefficiency, we did laps on I-40 for about 20 minutes, and arrived at the platform with all of 15 seconds to spare. It was picturesque. All we were missing was the eerie film noir mist settling over the tracks. And, as the train pulled away, I hustled back to my car in the hopes of knocking out a couple of hours of sleep before the morning's first class.

It is now Sunday. It has been four days. I am one evolutionary step away from reverting to a Neanderthal. That step includes hair. So no worries, folks. But I have mastered the art of clubbing my food. I don't even really have to cook it. I've decided that leftovers taste just fine cold or at room temperature. That always depends on how long I've left it on the countertop. Like my cavemen brothers, structured time has no meaning for me. Without the clear division between work-time and family-time, life's rigid temporality has vanished. Sleep comes when I'm too bored to do anything else. Waking is regulated by sunrise (which can sometimes be fended off by burrowing deeper into my cave / covers). And I promise to shave before Janine gets here.

It is not good for man to be alone. Luckily for me, Janine gets home on Tuesday!

Dancing Babyzilla

This has been a busy week. Cora now eats some sweet potatoes, pears, or oatmeal everyday. Maybe devour would be more appropriate. She also rolls from her stomach to her back. So when Janine work me up from a nice nap to tell me Cora had learned some new skills, I hurried downstairs. To my surprise, Cora has mastered the kiddly art of knocking things down. Maybe she is Babyzilla (see post from a couple of days ago). Just imagine little toy people running for their lives. And, to add insult to injury, Babyzilla crowns herself the new Mistress of Groove by breaking it down on their rubble. Check out the video.

ME

I found out today I had been tagged by Melissa. (A first!) So I here is an attempt to make life look a little interesting!

1. What were you doing ten years ago?
I had just found out I would be going to Santiago Chile for my mission. I was super excited and nervous, and working on getting everything ready. Brian had just returned from his mission three weeks previous. He was looking for his wife! Hah! He had no idea she was fleeing the country.

2. Five things on my to-do list today?

• Taxes
• Spreading Pine needles in the front yard
  
• Measure our master bedroom for a furniture
  
• Plan meals for the next week
  
• Feed Cora
  

3. What snacks do you enjoy?
Fruit-- Pears, nectarines, peaches, grapes. Salty crackers and cheese. Avocado on toast. Nutella on anything.

4. What would you do if you suddenly became a billionaire?
Remodel our bathroom so it had a jacuzzi tub. Skylights. I would get myself a new station wagon, pay off our home, establish a trust fund for Cora, and get a computer that actually burns DVDs, not the crappy drive I have now. I would also enjoy donating to charitable causes to help homeless children, and try to think of something that would really work for fighting poverty and abandonment, especially in South America.


5. Three bad habits

• ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I love to sleep!!!!!
  
• Procrastination. My motto "If I do something twice as fast under pressure, doing it early is twice as inefficient!"
  
• I hate throwing kleenex away, because they might be good for "one more" nose wipe. Seriously. Sometimes I get a stack of about 30 by my bedside. Then I get crazy and throw them all away. Process repeats.
  

6. Five places I've lived

• Winston-Salem, NC
  
• Austin, TX
  
• Mexico City, Mexico
  
• Santiago, Chile
  
• Provo, UT
  

7. Five jobs I've had

• Night Stocker for Frito Lay
  
• T.A. Bioethics class- BYU
  
• Teaching Media applications--BYU
  
• Motorola-- Supply Chain Rotation
  
• Dell-- Industrial Design lab

Funny thing is, these are really the only five official jobs I have ever had. I know a lot of people run through jobs, but really, this list is it. Since I was 16!

8. Five things people don't know about me
Always the hardest....

• I grind my teeth at night. Bad. Apparently that is how I deal with subconcious frustrations.
  
• I will watch my favorite movie, The Scarlet Pimpernel anytime I am sick or need to veg. I have seen the movie about 100 times, and still love it.
  
• I love staying at home, but am terrible with structuring my time effectively. I am constantly struggling to be disciplined.
  
• I am open about most things in my life, but I do enjoy a private wall. There are things that no one knows, and I will never tell, and I like it that way!
  
• I wish I were more comfortable in crowds. I get nervous when we have more than 2 couples over at our house, because I feel like I can't take care of everyone. It is nerve-wracking for me because I feel like a bad hostess, but I imagine not everyone really wants to talk to me anyway, but what if they do and I don't because I am over with someone else? Do you see my problem?
  

I think it would be fun to hear the answers to these questions from Sarah, Christine & Janie !

Feed me!

We have been introducing Cora to some new tastes this month since she has seemed interested. Pears and Sweet Potatoes are the clear winners right now. I love how she grunts!