I'd like to buy a vowel

All the books suggest that babies learn vowels in the first year and consonants in the second (Welsh babies are silent for the first year) and Schuyler is proving them correct. In addition to sleeping through the night (9pm-7am - yeehaw!), Schuyler is test driving her larynx with all the vowel phonemes she can muster. She also does it through a damn fine smile. She's a pretty chilled, playful and happy little girl and there's not too much more we could ask for. We even find her screaming kind of funny (she finds this less than amusing).

US Soil

Being smarter than the current president, we thought we would make Schuyler's path to the presidency easier by sorting out her "Consular Report of Birth" so she won't run into the same problems as Sen. McCain. This is essentially another birth certificate that the US gov issues to state that she is American by birth.

[Left]Schuyler 'enjoys' some tummy time in order to unwind after her first trip to US soil. She had an appointment at the US Consulate Monday morning to file the paperwork for her passport and other necessary documents.

Hurricane Prep

Schuyler heads off for a swim before
Hurricane Bertha swings by Bermuda.

The relative calm before the storm (Sunday).

Sleep Deprivation

Studies have shown that sleep deprivation will drive a person to do some strange things. This, perhaps, is not a typical reaction. Who knew a trip to the hardware store could be so much fun?

Thankfully Schuyler was not around to witness the tragic comedy of her parents as her lovely grandparents were looking after her for the afternoon. Sadly, it is only a matter of time before Schuyler discovers how odd and embarrassing her parents can be.

Working out

Schuyler has taken "baby fat" to a whole new level with her recent Michelin Man look. She's working on toning in her new activity centre (which is apparently much more stimulating than the walls and closets she has had to stare at for entertainment in the past). It's much better than her starving baby look of her first couple of weeks of life.

Another installment of 'Now and then...'

Naptime

There are many great and wonderful things about having Mum and Dad back on the island but one of the best is moments like this. She's one lucky girl. And Schuyler is pretty lucky too.

Our Newest Puppy

I always thought i was being a little bit naive when i got Magic and announced that he was our training ground for kids. i thought there was probably an unfathomable gulf between owning a puppy and caring for a newborn. And i was half right. Owning a dog definitely prepares you for the quasi-constant responsibility, getting up in the middle of the night to tend to them and also a lot of conversations that involve the word "poop". Dogs don't indulge your narcissism, don't learn to smile and laugh and are more resilient when you drop them. Plus you can lock them in your home all day and nobody calls the cops. But one unexpected way in which they are similar to kids is bath time. They pretend to hate it initially with a minor protest and then spend the rest of the time enjoying the attention and trying to slurp the water.

Food Coma

As you can see from her impressive size Schuyler is enjoying her food. Intake is certainly up and shows no signs of slowing down...

Nevermind

During Schuyler's first swim last week we decided to put some of our newfound baby erudition into practice by testing the dive reflex wherein very young babies will automatically hold their breath when taken underwater. Afterwards, i felt like maybe it was possibly a stupid thing to do. Research reveals that this is a pretty common thing done in Germany. And Germans have never led us astray in the past, so i feel comforted.

Special thanks to Seth for the use of his underwater camera and to Schuyler's first cousin twice removed for chasing down the photo.