Portable Recording Devices: Adventures in Learning

People always remark at what an interesting vocabulary Anja has for her age. If she takes a liking to you she'll tell you everything she knows. Anja can name just about every object around her. Some of these things we taught her and others, she sort of picked up. Children seem to learn by osmosis.

"d'Oven!", Anja will say while pointing to the oven. "d'Computer!", "d'stroller!", "my tights!!". She'll repeat anything you teach her... Even if you didn't know you were teaching.

One afternoon d'Mamma & d'Daddy were having a conversation in the car. Anja felt inclined to join our conversation, with her words in context. Daddy & I looked at one another, then back at our baby. She's learned not only how to speak, but how people speak to one another. Yeah. No telling when or how, but we're being recorded.

I hear that there's a chip (a CHIP) you can have implanted in your child. So you don't lose them! Digital babies... how about it.

The learning process is incredible to watch. Sometimes you laugh, and sometimes you wince... or both. Check out this darling potty-mouth.

What direction will Anja take? What will she be when she's grown? A mother wonders. It's good to know that my little girl will have strong roll models to look up to!



(above) Banana-Girl and I went shopping for winter socks. The simplest days can be so lovely with Anja Lyric Snow.

For Cats About To Flush, We Salute You

Years ago I went to a party at the home of my Costumer friend Heather. [She was from Ohio, but Hollywood had transformed her. She'd eat salad & 'GimmeLean' veggie sausage for breakfast before her yoga classes. We'd have cradle-robbing double dates, and help out the straight guys at Burning Man with her vast costume collection... ]

On the night of this party I wobbled into the bathroom and discovered Eartha using the toilet, startling her. That made two of us. The pure-bred with sparse hair and large eyes beared more resemblance to coy fish than kitten. My amazement was short lived when I realized that Eartha couldn't flush for herself. I later taught my own cats to use the toilet. But... no flush! What can you expect? And so it was back to the box.

Today I have witnessed cat evolution: "Gizmo Flushes". (You know you weren't getting anything done at work anyway).



Anja is a real little girl now. Nineteen months and thousands of images later, she's starting to understand the whole camera game. Smile!!

Blue Two's

They have arrived. A little early. Our giggley, jiggley Snowbebe isn't herself lately.

Typical mornings used to go like this - baby calls "Wick!" [Rick] or "Momma!" from her crib, one of us fetches baby, brings her to bed for cuddling. Rick eventually gets up to make cappuccinos and breakfast. Singing, dancing with Anja to Sesame Street followed by an outing...
Sounds lovely, and it was.

This morning - waking, crying loudly. Is she in pain? No, just frustrated about everything and nothing. Being prevented from climbling a glass shelf causes a meltdown. She eats two bites of oatmeal from a spoon but decides it feels great if she puts her hands in the bowl. Even better smearing it on her face and into her hair! Baby goes into tub. Baby poops in tub. Newly clean baby eats 'washable' blue crayon and gets it eeeeeverywhere. Clean the baby. More meltdowns, not sure why. Anja goes into crib for nap but an hour later she's wide awake. She has removed her diaper, wet in her crib, no wonder she can't sleep. Lie baby down with bottle on couch, clean up her crib. Baby spits up milk and breakfast sausage, plays with it a bit, and...
Fast-forward to 6:30pm, still trying to get Anja to take a nap.

Finally she rests. The little girl who calls to me when she wakes looks so sweet. I pick her up and she puts her head on my shoulder, patting my back with her hand. "Hug me" she says. I hug and kiss her which makes her laugh. She tickles the cat and sings a song I haven't heard before. Oh my. I guess we'll get through it.

Coincidental photos: 5 mos and 18 mos.

Dancing With Myself

Anja loves the harmonica Daddy gave her. She gets a sparky expression and dances involuntarily. A rocker. We knew it.

Watch Part 1 & Part 2 of some Escheresque fun.