I've upgraded from the BabyBjorn to the baby backpack.  First, I tried to stick her in my old high school backpack like a mashed up lunch or a protractor, but then I found out you have to use a special baby backpack, one made to fit a baby.  This is so she can kick off her socks when her her feet can dangle and her hat can blow off while she is behind you and you only find out after you have hiked on the trail for the last fifteen minutes and you then have to check her for ticks and clinging critters and backtrack down to where the hat blew off, which is a patch of poison oak and when you do, you have to figure out how to bend down and pick it up.  But when I do, I turn around and she has a huge smile on her face, so its all worth it.  

 

Well, Josie and I are listening to a lot of Curtis Mayfield right now, because, while her first word may have been 'Mama", I would  really like her second to be "Superfly."  One day, she'll just pull her binky out of her mouth, look at me, say "Superfly", and put the binky back in.  I could dig that, that would be right on.    Or, you know, anything resembling "Daddy" would be good, too.  

She's on the move now and getting faster.  In fact, I put her down to write this, and she's gone!   No, I see her, she's OK.   Earlier this week, she crawled to my burrito from Michael's Taqueria, and I couldn't be prouder.   She's also pulling herself up all over the house.  She's not choosy what she grabs to pull herself up on, either, having used both my nose and the arthritic cat today to get her to the Jumperoo.  She's ruthless.

Big shout out to Barb!  

Start

Did you know that your baby doesn't have to be named Bjorn to use a BabyBjorn?  It's true, you can use it with all kinds of babies, even girl kinds!  Josie gets two more feet of height and loves the mobility and view. How nice to be suspended in mid-air,  no work, no hassles.   She must think she's some sort of carefree, low-flying bird.  She sure flaps her arms enough.  No, maybe not, she's pretty observant, and probably figured out that most birds aren't strapped to heavy breathing man-brutes.  Another plus is when Josie is in the BabyBjorn, she doesn't slap me on the bald spot and giggle, like she does riding on my shoulders. 

The only down side, besides the obvious comparisons to Total Recall's Kuato, is that the wearer can bet on a backache given enough time.  You should probably look out for extended periods of wear.  Oh, and if something drops or falls, don't bend at the waist to pick it up.  You only make that mistake once.  

I pity the fool who don't eat my cereal!!!

So, here's the bright spot in my day.  Feeding Josie pears and quoting dumb movies, when suddenly, it just pops out: "I pity the fool that don't eat my cereal!"  This leads to the realization that Josie has gone seven months and has not seen Rocky III yet, which, I realize is child abuse.  Off to Youtube we go, and as soon as the opening strains of Eye of the Tiger are heard, she gets this big, big smile on her face.  And as soon as Mr. T says "I will destroy any man that tries to take what I got!"  she starts slapping her hand down in the pears and giggling.  Oh, could a father be prouder?  Sorry, I'm starting to tear up...

what's so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding?

Shout out to Janine and Danielle!  Oooo-OOH!  See, if you follow, I will lead... 

Today, Josie and I are venturing into S-Town, Salinas, to get some paperwork filed and pick up some cheap auto parts from a guy I know that...well, it's not important how I know him.  It's a pretty drive to Salinas, and the baby should enjoy watching it pass backwards through the rear window.   

 Salinas is a pretty town (check out the Steinbeck Center and Oldtown) and is known as the Salad Bowl of the World. It is full of history and appreciative residents.  Salinas gets a bad rap, though, notably for its often reported high crime rate. The news loves showing how rough it is, throwing violent news stories on the pile at every opportunity.  For those playing along at home, KSBW has been kind enough to provide a link, to pinpoint exactly where the bad people are.  There isn't a link to where the good people are, probably because Salinas is actually filled with decent people, so we can logically assume that they are everywhere the map tells us they aren't.  Sometimes, good people make the news for trying to end the violence, and Mayor Dennis Donohue sometimes diets, oops, I mean, fasts for peace.  Dude needs to go on Jenny Craig for peace.  Or buy a Thighmaster for peace.  Or go exercise with community organizations for peace.  Then, he could promote physical fitness and emphasize the need for shared community values.    Me, I'm trying to convince Janine to let me by a Bowflex for peace.  And kick-ass abs.  

I'm no little mermaid.

I'm throwing this up as a chronicle of summer days with darling Josie.  This kid is really expressive and charming.  That's from her mother.  She's also silly and hyper-focused.  That's from her mother, too.  Today she's pooped three times.  I don't know where she gets that from.

My timing is impeccable, as the rest of the world condenses into Tweets, we're expanding to a blog.  Frankly, how could I cram all this into that little Facebook window?  The news of the day deserves to unfold and consume the proper attention.  For example: its Disney day, and so here is a short list of songs you would have heard sung at the top of my lungs:

"A Whale of a Tale" (2000 Leagues Under the Sea)

"I Wan'na Be Like You" (The Jungle Book)

"Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat" (The Aristocats)

"Be Our Guest" (Beauty and the Beast)

"A Whole New World" (The Little Mermaid)

Interpretive dances included:

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (Mary Poppins)

"Kiss the Girl" (Little Mermaid)

"Pretty Irish Girl" (Darby O'Gill and the Little People)

"Old Yeller" (Old Yeller) this wasn't my best idea

See how much richer your life has just become?    Right now, Josie is trying to eat my knee, I think she wants attention.  Hold on...

So, big news is that little Josephine has gotten verbose, and has broken onto the scene with the crowd-pleasing "Mama".  Sometimes, its "mama", sometimes "mamama" and sometimes it's just a plaintive "mamamamamamamamamama".  I've been asked if I am jealous because it isn't "dada".  As long she keeps giving those smiles, I don't care.   Plus, she just called the stuffed zebra "mama" so I'll stick with her original name for me, "Thhhhhhhbbbbbtttt".    

In other developmental news, she's in crawling position, and ready to move.   A little push and she'll be on her way.  The countdown to blast-off commences...