Father's Day

It is Britta's second Father's Day, though I can hardly remember the first because of all the excitement her arrival caused. Britta and Mama made me a superb card that melted my heart and made my eyes well up.

Yesterday we took some family photos at Coronation Park which I will upload later.

 I've been meaning to put up this video for a while. It's Poppa reading stories to Britta on her birthday.

Britta's First Birthday

Thank you all for your cards and gifts for Britta on her first birthday! It was a magical day full of joy and celebration.

Tum Drum

Tummy Tap from Joseph Amundrud on Vimeo.

Doom-da-doom Da-da-doom! As many people find out by middle age, a well-fed tum becomes a resonant drum. Britta may not reach her feet but she can slap her gut like a linebacker. Enjoy.

Happy Easter

Hello everyone! Britta would like to wish you a Happy Easter. She is growing quickly and learning new things every day. She is making the da-da-da and mum-um-um-ums all the time. Last Saturday, she discovered she could wave her hands and one of her all-time favourite pastimes is to wave hello and goodbye to absolutely anything, even her dirty diapers.
She is sporting her two bottom teeth but others must be on the way with the volume of saliva which is pouring from her mouth. It's like an episode of the Ghostbusters with the toys and bric-a-brac that end up slimed. Who you gonna call?
Britta sends her love and wishes you all could play peek-a-boo with her. Happy Easter!

How We While Away the Time

Being a baby is an ever-changing experience. Britta's attention shifts as a toilet fly takes flight; ever erratic and never more than three seconds in the same direction. We understand that during the first three years she will have brain development never paralleled throughout her existence, and we attempt to keep her stimulated with sound, light, motion, and touch. Taste she manages fine on her own...

Sometimes her curiosity overwhelms our ability to keep playing the always welcome pat-a-cake. Enter the exersaucer. This contraption-of-the-future with spring loaded suspension has the buttons, dials, and knobs equivalent to the average Boeing 787. The seat rotates just to enable Britta to reach the variety of manipulatives that beckon with psiren song lullabyes and flashing lights. I suspect that if Britta operates anything other than a time machine, aircraft carrier, or the Mind of the Internet, her experience with multitasking will be wasted.

I just hope her head can contain her massive brain.

8 Months

Dear Britta,

Has it already been 8 months since we welcomed you with proud arms? You seem to be growing every day. The days of cradling you are dwindling as quicksilver through my fingers, as you lean to grasp everything around you.

It has been 8 months and time has flown. Our little one is 8 months grown.

Today, she finished her first swimming course, Starfish, and looked resplendent in her swim diaper and frilly swimsuit, torn from the pages of a 1930's catalogue. Britta was best at back float and front float, though she also didn't seem to mind the dunking underwater. Blowing bubbles eluded her; she took more water in than a leaky canoe.

She has her two bottom teeth and is really loving solid food. Her favourite meal is avacado. She leans forward and swings her arms vigorously willing us to get the next spoonful in.

Tibetan throat singing

Britta has developed a new habit, and it's slightly disturbing: it's a raspy growl that I refer to as Tibetan throat singing. I am not sure if it is because Britta is mimicking all the "guard" labra-doodles the neighbour has, or because I make a growl when I pick her up and tickle her tum.

Britta has two teeth already and more are sure to follow.