Tuesday, August 16, 2011

On blogging and babies

Less adorable topic first… blogging. So I work for the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project or IC$BEP (you will find out why I used a $ and not the S in the acronym). I sort of have two bosses John who helps me with my benchmarks the most and Blair who is the actual boss who actually controls the funds that pay me (making him the ‘real boss’, sorry John). The other week I was talking to John in his cube when Blair comes by saying I both need you to come to my office when you can. Now normally I would have immediately been nervous but he seemed too happy and had an extra spring in his step. When we got to his office he explained that he wanted to see how many Google hits IC$BEP got (he had reasons for doing so that really aren’t relevant here). He got about 6,000 hits but wanted to see if most of them for scholarly hits so he scanned through the pages. He then turns to his computer as he says on the very last page I found this… At this point I know he had found my blog. I cover my face with my hands, turn bright red, and say “you found my blog didn’t you!” I was even more embarrassed when I read the sentence “my boss is like way up there in IC$BEP”. How I wish I had left out the like in the sentence! It makes me sound so illiterate (which normally doesn’t bother me when I’m just blogging but when my boss reads it…). Blair was rather entertained at finding my blog but couldn’t believe his luck at being able to so thoroughly embarrass me at the same time. (Now you know why I messed up the acronym... so it doesn’t mean more hits from Google!) I’m still contemplating going private but am leaning towards not. However, I am interested to see that I have 11 followers. I’m not sure what that means but I am curious how they found me and why they follow me. (in other words I’m asking anyone who reads this blog (and who I don’t know personally outside of blogging) to just leave a quick comment and how you found me)

In more adorable news… Ah Vera. She just melts my heart. She is just over 4 months now and I love her more each day. Cliché I know but any parent understands. She has now started ‘solid foods’.  (As a scientist I must point out the rice cereal is most certainly not a solid at room temperature.) She has an adorable laugh that took me a while to realize was a laugh. She still wakes up at least once in the night to eat but it doesn’t really bother me since she eats quickly and goes right back to sleep after.  She now goes to sleep by being read to. This means no more hours of pacing the house trying to get her to fall asleep.  

Brett taught Vera how to make his triple decker pp&j sandwich .
 She was not happy she did not get to eat the outcome of the lesson.
 Always the little princess.
 Generally she is happy but sometimes she gets really angry.
 Until she finds her thumb to suck on. Yes I let my child suck on her thumb... it seems to be out of fashion to have a child suck their thumb but she can put herself to sleep and I never have to stick the pacifier back in.
 She is stunned at the thought that anyone would try to stop her from sucking her thumb.
 Now that she rolls and puts herself to sleep occasionally she sometimes ends up in the cutest positions.
 And she loves to suck on her toes especially when she has socks on.
 She absolutely LOVED the Marshall family camp out. The only time she really fussed was during the hike... when I would stop hiking she would fuss.
 Day or night she's adorable! (You gotta love the messy closet in the background)

Here are two videos. I'm hesitant to add videos since they are rather long, I appear or can be heard in them, and I doubt other people watch the videos of someone else's child EXCEPT... I'm fairly certain grandma and grandpa watch then so I'll add them. Here is a tickle fest (which melted into tears) and her first feeding of 'solids'.