Saturday

February 28

Daphne celebrated her first birthday today! Since Daphne's a "Leap Year Baby", we decided to use February 28th in the off years.

Overall, Daphne's party went well with lots of great food and guests. She seemed a little shell-shocked during the party. In all fairness, she woke up to a house full of unknown visitors...









Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

February 26

What a busy week!

Jennie has been ill with a stomach bug and I have been wrapping up my final project at work. Once I have completed my coding, I am "released" and free to find a new job.

My mom's flight arrives this evening. She will be spending a few days with us for Daphne's birthday celebration. Assuming no one cancels, we will have over 30 folks at our house this Saturday. Wow!

More photos soon...

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

February 22

In less than a week, Daphne will celebrate one year of life! Her birthday party on Saturday will feature 21 adults and 10 children... wow! I hope we have enough yard space to fit all of the cars. Jennie and I have been cleaning the house for weeks now and we are anxious for the big day to finally arrive.

Over the last week, we have been DVR recording episodes of Sesame Street for Daphne. She becomes mesmerized by the songs and all of the characters. When "Elmo's World" comes on, she runs to the TV and dances like a little monkey. On the negative side, I find myself humming Sesame Street songs all day long...

Daphne now calls me "Momma-dadda". I guess being half right is better than being wrong? I cannot complain; she is just too sweet!

Daphne has become such a parrot! She imitates just about everything we say or do. At the grocery store, I was blowing hot air on her cold little hands and guess what? She starts making Darth Vader breathing noises at inopportune times (people are going to think she has breathing issues). It's no worse than Zerberts or raspberry noises, I suppose.

Daphne has a big toy wagon full of wooden blocks. She loves nothing more than dumping them all over the floor and making a mess. But this weekend, she learned a new trick. On her own, she likes to put all of the blocks back into the wagon (cleaning up after oneself is a great milestone that even I have not yet mastered).

Today, Daphne learned how to suck Apple Juice through a straw without making a mess. While we were out running errands, we bought her one of those little juice boxes. For whatever reason, we forgot her sippy cup at home and in a pinch, we gave the straw a try. And luckily enough, she figured it out!

Here are some new photos of Daphne:






Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Wednesday

February 18

I have begun shaking the bushes for future employment leads and received my first telephone interview this afternoon. With my final project nearing completion, I feel the need to focus on the art of job searching. I must admit that concentration at work these days is terribly difficult. It is so easy for your mind to wander about the future and the global economic uncertainty. Oh well, I have rambled enough... I WILL find a rewarding job!

Daphne has a new pair of rubber-soled, tennis shoes (baby size 3). She loves to parade around the house clomping them on hard surfaces. Well, I am finally "dada" again to Daphne. And I was just getting used to being called "mama"...

Here are some photos of Daphne modeling her new shoes:







LINK OF THE DAY: Unnecessary Quotes

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

February 16

In twelve short days, Daphne will be up to her ears in birthday cake. We are expecting between 25 and 30 folks for the festive occasion.

My employer has decided to permanently close the Nashville facility on or before April 17th. At their discretion, I may be released from duty at any time depending on the status of my current project. I have no regrets and anxiously look forward to my next job. I will keep you posted on my future employment...

Here are some new photos of Daphne from Valentine's Day:







Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Friday

February 13

Happy Friday the 13th!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I will spend the day with my two gal pals: Jennie and Daphne. The highlight of my weekend will be shopping for a new mailbox (many thanks to my neighbors who have backed into it several times without apology) and more housecleaning chores (preparing for Daphne's birthday party).

Daphne runs through the house like a little chimpanzee these days. She proudly waves her arms above her head from side to side as she sprints into a room. And, wow, her lungs are strong as she yells, "Mama mama mama!"

Yep, I am still "mama" most days. Of course, Daphne addresses houseplants and her toys as "mama", too. Daphne's vocabulary has increased to "baba", "papa", and "mama" sprinkled with an occasional "dada" for good measure.

As her first birthday quickly approaches, Daphne weighs approximately 18 1/2 pounds and possesses six teeth (two lower and four upper incisors).

Here are some photos from last weekend:





Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Tuesday

February 10

Daphne prefers small bites of "people food" these days instead of baby food in a jar. Her healthy appetite and diverse food taste used to impress us, but it has all changed. Daphne has learned to shake her head from side to side (signifying "no") and increasingly produces the raspberry sound to spit out the contents of her mouth. It's enough to frustrate even the most patient of people...

Oh well, we went for a nice stroll in the park this past weekend. Here are some photos from Sunday afternoon:






Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Saturday

February 7

While we played in bed together on a lazy Saturday morning, Daphne learned how to "High Five" Mommy's palm. Daphne is currently going through a "pointing" phase -- she likes to point at everything in sight and we tell her the name of the item of interest.

Daphne's vocabulary is still limited to "ma-ma", "da-da", and "ba-ba", but she appears to understand us perfectly when we ask her to come, stop, wave, give kisses, etc.

Today was another warm, Spring-like day in the 60s. We ran some errands as Jennie continues to prepare for Daphne's first birthday celebration three weeks from today.

Here are some new photos of our little princess:





Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Wednesday

February 4

Happy Hump Day!

We have diagnosed Daphne with E.D.E.D (easily distracted eating disorder). During her recent feedings, she would much rather play than eat. Daphne has begun turning her nose up at foods that she used to gobble up and love. Oh well, I am sure this will resolve itself in due time...

Below are some new photos of Daphne lounging around the house and during tonight's bath time:






Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

February 1

Today was a beautiful, warm day! Jennie kept me busy with chores both inside and outside the house. We have tons of little projects to finish before Daphne's birthday party.

Daphne called me "Dad" today! She shouted it at the top of her little lungs with an ear-to-ear grin. Later in the day, she called me "Ma-ma" and watched for my reaction. I emphasized that I am "Daddy" and Mommy is in the kitchen.

Daphne cuddled with me and snacked on Cheerios during the Super Bowl tonight. Once the Half Time show began, we dressed Daphne in her pajamas and sent her on a sleepy journey to dream land.

Here are some more photos from yesterday:





Until tomorrow,
Dave T.