This was a few weeks ago, when she still wasn't very cute at all.

Those are newfangled, lightweight building blocks made of some porous, anechoic material (I yelled at 'em and they didn't answer back.). They're predictably better at insulating, but much weaker than good old red bricks - they're only used for top story walls on a two story houses (or everywhere on a single story).

M: yo you on skype?

me: nah, I'm at work

M: you suck!

me: next time we skype you'll freak out though

M: i want to see the baby!!!!!!!!

me: mina can talk now

M: and the max!!!!!!!!
wtf

me: not with words but with cooing and gurgling

M: are you serious?

me: yeah she's a trip
i just dropped off max at school
i just realized that we sent him to school a lot earlier than they do in the states

M: um YEAH

me: but there was nothing really that rushed about it
he was bored of being with us all day
i even stopped teaching extra classes to be with him all the time
but it had the opposite effect
he's not even very outgoing; he just needs different stimulation all the time

M: i cant wait to take him to chuck e cheese

me: I'm going to enroll him in the preschool on my uni's campus from april
he will be three minutes walk away from my office

M: that will be cool...you can go visit him on breaks

me: haha you'D never guess how disruptive parent visits are
they either cry because they miss you or becuase they don't wnt you to go again

M: well, you can go spy on him then

me: yeah thats more like it
he's picked up so many habits from his classmates tho

M: does he cuss?

me: now he talks nonstop when hes in the mood

M: bite?
hahah

me: no he doesnt cuss yet and i'm trying to watch my mouth around hm

M: good luck with that

me: he doesn't bite anymore but he has power in his slaps now

M: i wish they were here sooooooo bad

me: thats what they do all day i guess is slap each other and take away toys from each other and stuff

M: yeah, sounds like little kids

me: the thing is, nam won't spank him very hard so he thinks its a game when she says no and tries to punish him
its kinda funny... she slaps his hand or something and he gets this crazed look in his eyes like IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?

M: damn dude
and then you have to step in?
are you good cop or bad cop?

me: and then i have to spank him or talk to him in an angry voice and he melts and wants mommy and the tears start flowing...
me and nam?
what do you think?
the thing is, good cop bad cop doesn't really work with kids that well in the long run

M: yeah are you the good one or the bad

me: well with max im bad cop
for sure
maybe with mina it will be opposite
the thing is, good cop bad cop doesn't work unless you use bad cop first... but with kids, the parent closest is the first to go, so set roles are impractical

M: true
i think you will be different with mina too

me: yeah nam is already kind of irritated when i hold her so much and whatnot
"she'll expect to be held all the time" and whatnot
and actually, that already happened so... my bad, i guess
who knew i would be good at good cop
bad at good cop?

M: well shes
a cutie pie, i dont blame you

me: she gets so angry when you lay her down
she wants to sit up, but she can't support herself sitting upright yet

M: she's feisty i like it

me: i prop her up on the sofa and she slides down into a reclined position, clawing at the air furiously with all four limbs to upright herself,

M: awwwww

Max in the sandlot near home. Taken with Samsung J700 phone (crappy camera BTW).

Mina could prop herself up before she was two months old... She could turn herself over as well, but only kinda by accident. This morning, she almost moved herself off the bed. She can see across the room, recognizes faces, and talks to you in long spurts when she's so inclined... Other times, she wants to be held up so she can walk across the room.

She'll be three months old on Saturday.

The view from our stoop.