I’ve been remiss in my monthly Blackbird updating this month. I admit it! But now I’m posting about my daughter on Father’s Day, so I think it all evens out. As Blackbird, in her traveling chapeau and sling, might say if she could say anything at all: “Onward!”

Blackbird turned three months old last week. She’s matured a great deal in one month, in many small ways that are coalescing into the first bits of her personality. She’s still a baby, no doubt: crying, eating, pooping, fussing, sleeping, repeat. But her looks and responses are becoming more complex and her preferences are starting to surface. I admit, I’m more excited by what this all means for the future than right now, but I’m trying to drink it all in as it happens, because I know these days will be memories very soon.

This is probably my favorite photo of Blackbird so far. In many photos, she looks kind of freaked out. Honestly, most of the time she does. Here she has the appraising look that I’m fascinated by. I suspect this look will come out quite a bit when she’s older. Also, notice the KISS t-shirt. Add all that to the great sunlight in her room and you get prime photo-taking situations.

The rest of this post contains quite a few photos, so if you’re on a low-bandwidth connection, beware.

This past week was all about the cost of things. The cost of health. The cost of luxury. The cost of living. Fortunately, for all its annoyances, it wasn’t such a big deal. When counting what you’ve paid, it’s always good to be mindful of what you’ve received in return.

Today Blackbird is two months old, and I’m surprising myself at how much nostalgia one can pack into such a short time. Alisa and I are also fascinated by how much growth and change Blackbird can fit in there. She’s gone from being a little cooing lump to becoming... a demanding little lump.

Joking.

She’s already a curious and self-reliant little bugger, always looking around and demanding a good view. She loves to sit up (with our hands for support) and is on the cusp of giving us some wonderful baby laughter. As it stands, I’m perfectly happy chasing those little smiles.

The rest of this post contains quite a few photos, so if you’re on a low-bandwidth connection, beware.

Blackbird’s been a bit fussy the past few days. The remedy? Dancing to the musical hits of the 1930s.

She’s always liked two things: being close to Mom (or Dad) and movement. Well, it turns out she likes music as well, and is a sucker for the 30s. I was playing 1930s compilation (link opens in iTunes) I’d purchased and dancing around like an idiot with Blackbird in my arms and not only did she quiet down, but she even cracked a few non-directed smiles before slipping into that almost-asleep-but-I-won’t-let-them-take-me-without-a-fight state where she looks like a sleepy cross-eyed drunk.

If there’s anything I’ve taken from this experience, it’s the following three things:

1) It’s surprising how many of these songs are part of our cultural lexicon. With one exception (the woeful 'Ten Cents a Dance’), I knew every track.

2) I’m going to be very fit in about a month with all this dancing.

3) Once you get past the modern, irony-tinged, throwback quality of the music, you realize that most of these performances are excellent. These people could get the job done. I realize that this revelation is not novel.

Check out the track list after the jump.

We got our first real snow of the winter on Friday. We were giddy as we awoke to that wonderful suffusive light reflected by a new snow. This was also Blackbird’s first snow! We couldn’t wait to blow her mind with the view out the window (or I couldn’t, at any rate). Her response was... subtle.

Considering she grew this far from one cell about 10 months ago, I guess the rest of the trip isn’t such a big deal.

One week ago, on Thursday, January 31, at 1:40 PM, Alisa and I finally got to meet our little girl. She was a stubborn little bugger and wouldn’t flip her butt around for anyone, so Alisa went into the O.R. and our daughter was delivered by C-section. She came out at 6lb 5oz, with a full head of dark hair, and a healthy cry from her little 19" body. In spite of the delivery method, we are all very, very happy and healthy.

The rest of this post contains quite a few photos, so if you’re on a low-bandwidth connection, beware.