Here we go again!

Man. Time flies these days. We're five months pregnant now and Dana's belly looks as if she's in her 8th or 9th month. They say the second one shows much quicker. Dana's next to me right now playing her guitar and singing...I'm sure the little one can feel the vibrations and is probably pretty happy at the moment.

This last sonogram we had (first one for this baby) was supposed to show us the sex of the little peanut, but it was a bit camera shy and kept squirming away from the relentless noise of the ultrasound. We've got another appointment in January and the technician promised he'd be able to tell us what it is then.

Anyone have any strong feelings about what it's going to be? Post your votes as comments below! The winner gets to baby sit as much as they want.

Sofi hasn't connected the bulge in Dana's belly with the fact that she'll soon be a sister to someone (and judging by the sonogram, it's looking like we'll have some sort of unidentified lizard left over from the cretacious period), which is fine because we have a few spray bottles and some electric hot rocks laying around the house)

She's really great with other babies in her life, gentle, and very curious... Uh oh! sofi's up... gotta cut this one short... ahhh, I just had a thought about what life must have been like when you had more than ten minutes in a row to anything! We watch movies in small chunks.. more like short films that are somehow connected by the same actors and music. Makes life that much more interesting...

oh.. right... i said i had to go... and I meant it...

She's organized...

Press Release: Sofia Software Update

Sofia v2.0

We are proud to announce the release of the latest version of SOFIA, our prized hardware/software combination that has brought joy to many happy customers so far. In this press release, you'll find details about the many newly added features, and upgrades on many of the original features that shipped with SOFIA v1.0.

New Features Overview:

• Addition of 6 Teeth (4 top, 2 bottom)
• Increase in RAM
• Additional Hard Drive space for storing words and images
• Speaking module added, very life-like sounds
• New Drive system that has been upgraded to crawl
• Auto-balancing Gyroscopic mechanism installed for standing
• Walk preparation software installed
• Solid food digestion software rewritten from the core
• PARROT™ software installed enabling SOFIA™ to imitate people
• Hand Clap feature enabled (last version was disabled)
• Dance software included, though very limited for this release

Features in development for the next release (v3.0)

• Conversational Engine
• Advanced Phenome Recognition Software
• Hug 1.0 Release
• Kisses 1.0 Beta Launch
• Full NIght Sleep Configuration

See video clips of Sofia 2.0 in action!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nCxNJ81apw

Up and Down

The Race is on!

Just yesterday Sofi began to make very clear word sounds with some sort of intention. Alot of “Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba,” and “Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma.” It's completely adorable and brings tears to our eyes every time. But while Sofi is fighting the war against her tongue to make words we can understand, there is another war being waged in the background.

The first word war. (WWI for you vets)

That's right. The battle has begun. Like boxing coaches, or acting coaches, Dana and I each have Sofi in our respective corners, both teaching her to say a word, but it's not the same word. Oh no. We are each teaching her a word so powerful that when said, will make a grown man or woman jump out of bed from the most solid of sleeps to do anything and everything the speaker of these magical words utters. The words are Ima (mommy) and Daddy (Aba). Easy to learn. Impossible to ignore.

These two words are magical keys that unlock doors we didn't even know existed. Until now, communication with Sofi has been, for the most part, a one way street with the occasional acknowlegement on her part in the form of a smile, a laugh or an uncontrolled screech. But once she is armed with one or both of these words the rules of the game will change forever.

For the past six months, Dana has been doing most of the hard work during the long night while I dream and drool obliviously next to her, like sleeping on the edge of a volcano that is erupting, unaware of the chaos she has been enduring in the name of motherhood. Granted, I am often on the 10pm to midnight shift, which is usually uneventful, and on the other end of the night for the 5:15am to 7am session until Dana wakes up from her beauty sleep of 3 or 4 non-consecutive hours––if she's lucky. So, the moment Sofi masters the word 'Daddy' I will be forever on call all through the night ready to come to the rescue of my little squishy, like a superhero who hears the faint cry of someone in peril miles away.

But until then, I'll be sleeping like a baby, drool and all.

Oh, and if by some chance she learns to say 'Ima' first, I don't even want to know the consequences of that. I might have to legally change my name to 'Ima' so that Dana can get a solid nights sleep.

Solid Food Time

Sofi Loves to Laugh!

Fluid by Design

Every seven years or so, every single cell in our bodies is replenished. We are liquid by design. A flowing river of flesh and blood. We are poster-children for change .

What does this mean for us? It's proof that to hold on too firmly to anything that is your physical makeup is the same as grabbing a handful of water. Try it next time you're at the ocean, or in the bath. With a strong hand, reach down to grab a fistfull of water. Hmmm. It seems that the harder you squeeze, the faster the water escapes your grip.

Now try again, but this time with a cupped, open hand. Gently lift the water. Notice how the water peacefully remains in this almost effortless position. Now think about the firmness of your mental grip on your own identity, and the identity of others in your life, family, friends, acquaintences or enemy. Keep this in mind always.

This photo Dana took of Sofi and I was a happy accident (credit due to TV Painter Bob Ross here) that shows how fast she's changing before our eyes, and in turn, how fast we all must have changed in front of our parents eyes.

Almost Five Months Old...

Sofi came with Kung Fu Action Grip™
Don't ask me where the time has gone. It's a mystery. It just keeps pumping out of the great faucet in the sky. I just wish for a minute that we were able to simply turn the knob––you know it would have one of those grimy phony chrystal handles on it like they do in the YMCA––and shut it off for a while. Take a look around you. Check out your scene and really appreciate what you've got right next to you. In this modern world we're generally so focused on what we haven't got. A bigger house. A nicer car. A fancier cat. This or that person's glamorous lifestyle. And I think it's sad that it's so easy to exist anywhere but in the present moment. If you're like me, you spend half of each day worrying about yesterday, and the other half worrying about tomorrow. If you're a skilled mathmetician, you're realize that it leaves nothing left to appreciate the most important part of it all. The Now. Yesterday's tomorrow, Tomorrow's yesterday.

Oh. And if you haven't figured it out yet, I just finished reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. That's right. I'm not ashamed to start preaching right away something I only read a day ago... That's the way things work, only most of the time people wouldn't admit it. Call me honest. Call me a fool. I don't care. I'm tired.



This picture made me think of Bjørk.

The Face Tells a Story (Part I)

Well. We're back in the states after what felt like a month-long trip, and before I go into detail I'll ask you to take a good look at Sofia's face in the photo above. Ok, now what do you think is going through her head at that moment? I'll tell you. It's a single word, one syllable: "Why?"

That's correct. "Why?" As in, "Why did you two drag me down to Central America when I wasn't feeling so well?"

Hmm. That's an excellent question Sofia. We'll need to think about that one a while. Can we give you an answer when you're, say, 30 years old? Great, thanks.

If you haven't heard already, or were not there to experience it first hand I will try to paint a picture of our tropical getaway down in Panama. Before we left, we brought Sofi to the pediatrician who, after checking her, reassured us there was nothing to worry about and that should she come down with a fever to take her to the doctor on the island. But at this point, she had mild congestion and no signs of an immenent fever. So we were relieved to hear exactly what we were hoping to hear. That our vacation would still happen. Though I must admit there was a moment during the doctor visit during which I hoped he would tell us "Look, you two are smart... just stay home, give up the dream of this vacation and do what's best for the little one... there's always next year." But that thought was quickly silenced by another voice in my head, this time it was me floating in a pool with a sweet tan, beverage in hand, and a cool breeze in my face saying "Whatever man...you're going to give this up... look at this place.. it's paradise!" (takes sip from drink as a monkey knuckles over to poolside with a fresh drink) Damn, he's right. I mean, I'm right. I mean, we're right. So we lugged our luggage because that's where the word comes from anyway and we always like to do the proper thing.

The flight from Newark to Panma City (Tocumen Aeropuerto):

...to be continued