Happy 4 month birthday!

Wow, the first post in a long time that's actually current. Today was Sabine's 4 month birthday and she is doing just great. In the last 3 or 4 weeks she's become more and more active and aware. She laughs a lot and smiles and squeals. She really likes when we make raspberry noises, which you will hear in theses videos. Unfortunately, she's a little camera shy, so you won't get the full effect of her beautiful smile and giggles. You'll just have to come see her in person!


She keeps her head up really well, so we've been using the Baby Bjorn from time to time, but it can be a strain on our backs. She really loves the Jumperoo that Heather Savoy handed down to us (she's actually given us a ton of great stuff - thanks, Heather!) and can entertain herself for quite a while in it - as long as we don't leave her view. She is pretty good at grasping things like rattles but hasn't really dialed that in yet. She's not a big fan of "tummy time". She can hold her head up while on her tummy, but she can't support herself with her arms yet. No rolling over or scooching around yet, either.



She's been doing much better with sleeping and getting into a routine. During the day she is generally up for 2 hours then sleeps for 45 - 60 minutes and then repeats that throughout the day. At bedtime she gets a bath and a big bottle then goes down around 6:30 or 7 and usually sleeps 4 - 5 hours. We take turns getting up to give her a bottle and she goes back down again really easy. Then it's usually the same thing in 3 hour increments till around 7 am. She had a couple surprising meltdowns this weekend, but she has been going to sleep in about 5 - 10 minutes now, sometimes without crying at all. This has made our lives so much better:) Still, we would like her to sleep in longer stretches through the night. Still reading up on this, but I assume it all works out over time. We'll see.



And how do I know all these details? Well, I got temporarily laid off from my job on January 15th and I'm now a stay-at-home dad, at least for a little while. My company Site9 has been having a lot of money struggles, which is typical for a start-up. On the bright side, our new software ProtoShare is doing really well. The company just isn't profitable yet. The company is due to get another round of funding in February, and should that money come in I will hopefully be back to work in March. In the meantime I am collecting unemployment and looking for new work opportunities. (By the way, I designed both those websites).

Obviously, it really sucks to be out of work in this horrible economy. Luckily I can hang onto my health benfits, stock options and laptop for the time being. But on the bright side, I get to spend every day with Sabine and that's been great. And we no longer have to pay for daycare. Once I came to terms with the fact that I would not be able to actually get anything done during the day, I started to enjoy my time with Bine more. Analia, our nanny, comes in on Thursdays so I can get a break and take care of my job search stuff and other errands & business. Heather is now coming home early on Tuesday's, so I get a break then, too.

I figured out that it's better to do my chores and house stuff while she is awake, instead of during her naps. She seems fascinated by daddy's activities, so I just bring her into the kitchen while I'm cooking or cleaning and she's happy. Same with doing laundry (I think I've done more laundry in the last month than I've done in the past 5 years). She also hangs out while I shower and get dressed. So when nap time rolls around I can actually get a break from the activity to take a nap or relax a little. The only thing Sabine doesn't like me to do is work on the computer - which is one of my favorite activities. I guess it's really boring from her perspective. And that's why I'm writing this now instead of going to bed.



But it's not all work, we go for walks every day, meet friends for breakfast or lunch, go to the store and generally spend lots of time playing together. Today we went down to see mommy on a rescue mission, since she had forgotten part of breast pumping apparatus. I've also started serenading her with my guitar while she's in her Jumperoo. She gets really excited and jumps around like crazy. I don't know, maybe she's trying to run away:) But, it's good for me too, I haven't played and sung for a long time and I'm a little rusty.

And now that I'm Mr. Mom, I'm charge of dinner, too. I've started to enjoy this a little bit as I try new recipes and ideas, since Heather informed me that I couldn't make rice and beans for dinner every night. Let's see, I've made spaghetti (from scratch, not a jar), vegetarian chili, fish tacos, stir fry and a few other things. I've been looking up some polenta recipes, so I'm going to try that tomorrow. Yes, I'm a vegetarian again.



When we were still expecting, I used to joke that I wanted to be a stay-at-home dad while Heather worked. Now that it's actually happening, I realize that I had no idea what I was wishing for. Child care is exhausting, though obviously rewarding. This is a great opportunity to spend time with our little girl, but I'll be ready to go back to the office again. But not too soon.