The Quibbler

Bathroom Photos

2010-11-15T20:57:00.004-05:00

Mona is 3, Mommy's got one in the oven

2010-07-29T23:16:00.006-04:00

To capture this special moment in our lives, we did a photo shoot in Charlottesville with Sarah Cramer. You can check out her work at: http://www.cramerphoto.com

After Sarah was done, she put down her camera and played with Mona. Mehrtash got some shots of that.

Mona Version 1.5

2009-01-16T12:48:00.007-05:00

BLACKSBURG, VA -- An updated version of Mona was introduced today. This version is even more affectionate than its predecessor, providing hugs, kisses and conversation to everything in its proximity (with the exception of loud dogs).

Mona 1.5 improves upon its predecessor (1.0) in the following ways:

Version 1.0 used approximately 7 vocabulary words on a regular basis, whereas version 1.5 uses over 100. Version 1.5 also repeats many things uttered in its presence, note the developers.

Version 1.0 moved at the speed of crawl. Version 1.5 moves at the speed of walk, with the capability to walk slower or faster (what observers have described as a "waddle-run") depending on circumstances.

Reviewers have noted that version 1.5 can emit disagreeable noises if hurried into an unexpected or undesired transition. Therefore, the engineers are working on ways to gradually prepare 1.5, and future versions, for any changes that may be required of currently running programs.

Version 1.5 is heftier by several pounds, which is stressing at least one of its two servers in noticeable ways. Future versions are predicted to weigh even more. But this challenge is expected to be overcome as the Mona relies more on its own speed, and as the servers learn new ways to retain proximity whilst simultaneously enabling the Mona to operate remotely.

Mona 1.5 runs most smoothly when operating in the midst of other children, and seems to experience frequent crashes when connected only to the servers for an extended period of time. The developers are working on finding more densely-populated environments to host 1.5, and future versions.

On a final note: Whereas the pre-production Mona (beta version 1.0) was fueled by a vegetarian server, Mona 1.5 operates almost exclusively on hot dogs (organic, grass-fed beef -- but hot dogs nonetheless), to the dismay of the developers.

Yeehaw

2008-11-05T23:35:00.001-05:00

Mona was a cowgirl for Halloween.

She started walking several weeks ago.

She likes to stand behind objects and push them around as she walks.

Her vocabulary is growing every day. She likes talking about hats, but doesn't like to keep them on long.

A Very Good Year

2008-07-16T12:53:00.001-04:00

Mona is one year old today. What a wonderful year it has been. She says the following words regularly: "Mama", "Daddy", "Baby", "Up" (as in, pick me up), "Wawa" (water), "Oh-oh" (when she drops something), "Ba" (ball), "wztha" (what's that?). Mona is greatly attracted to other babies and children. We are excited to see how she will grow during this next year.

10 Months of Mona

2008-05-18T22:52:00.000-04:00

Mona has recently started crawling. She also "talks" a lot -- mostly incomprehensible syllables, but occasionally something that sounds like "mama", "dada", "cat". Every new development is exciting to witness.

Sarah is done with her semester, and is glad to have a bit more time in her schedule. Mehrtash is looking forward to summer break, which is two weeks away.

Some new photos are posted here.

8 Months and Counting

2008-03-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

People ask us: Has Mona learned to crawl yet? No , but she gets in position and then moves very slowly backwards. What she lacks in mobility she more than makes up for in vocalization.

We've posted a handful family photos here. (Click on "slide show")

xoxoxoxoxo

The Rat Face

2008-02-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

We have posted a collection of funny photos featuring Mona's "rat face" expression, which she has been demonstrating for a few weeks now. Her "rat face" is accompanied by some funny breathing noises which you will have to imagine as you scroll through the images. There are about 130 photos in this series, so perhaps you should delay your viewing of them if you don't have the time now (4-5 minutes).

After you click on this link, hit the "slide show" button (look for the little green triangle next to the first photo), then use the arrow tabs at the bottom of the screen to scroll.

7 Heavenly Months

2008-02-18T09:31:00.001-05:00

Mona just turned 7 months old. What's new with us? Let's see... (click on pictures to enlarge)

Mona experienced her first significant snowfall in January. Work was canceled for Daddy on a few days due to the weather, and we all put on jackets and ventured out into the cold. Mona was excited about the falling snowflakes.

Mona recently started eating solid foods, such as rice cereal, sweet potato, avocado and pear. Here she is eating for the first time.

She makes funny faces while eating, and there's no telling how much of the food actually gets down the hatch, but she's getting used to the process. (Below, Mona drinks from a glass for the first time.)

This article interrupted by a Dracula sighting:

Mona has grown two teeth, front-and-center on the bottom row. On her upper lip there are two tiny patches of dry skin, peeling off in strategic locations to set up a good photo. What a ham, that Mona.

I'm 6 Months Old!

2008-01-15T23:02:00.000-05:00

Check out some recent pictures of me here.

Click on the "slideshow" button, and increase the rotation speed; or hit pause and forward to the next picture at your leisure.

Bon voyage!

I'm 5 Months Old

2007-12-20T20:21:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of me, accompanied by an audio recording taken just after a feeding.

I Promised You Some Pictures

2007-10-21T20:17:00.000-04:00

I'm here to deliver.

First, a thought-provoking photojournalism piece entitled Fun With Mirrors. As always, click on "slide show" and increase the rotation speed to 7 seconds for optimal viewing.

Next, more pictures of me, because I'm now Three Months Old!

Hope to see or hear from you soon.

95 Days

2007-10-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

That's how long it's been since I left the womb!

I'll be back soon with more pictures. Sooner than 95 days, anyway.

Long Time No News

2007-09-23T14:47:00.000-04:00

Here's what my parents and I have been up to lately.

The above picture was taken at the Shenandoah Baha'i School in Massanetta Springs, VA, where we visited during the first two days of September. Lots of friends, family, fun and sun throughout the whole weekend. See more photos here. (Click on "slide show".)

Family and friends have been visiting us at home in Blacksburg, too. View photos. (Click on "slide show".)

Daddy, who had been home with me on summer vacation during my first month, had to return to work in mid-August. He is unhappy about leaving me for 8-9 hours a day, 5 days a week. Luckily, Mommy is home with me all the time, except for a few hours on Friday afternoons when she takes a college course -- and Granny watches me then. I can spread the love around to all of them, and still have plenty left over for others.

In the past week or two I have started to smile deliberately. Mommy and Daddy make noises and faces at me, and I reward them with a grin. I utter all sorts of sounds while my parents talk and sing to me, and they think I'm trying to communicate with them. I am changing and evolving all the time. And all this growth is fueled by Mommy's milk. Powerful stuff.

I produce a not insignificant number of messy diapers on a daily basis. And I love to hang out on my changing table, so that works out well. That's the main place where Mommy and Daddy play their "communication" games with me. I am motivated to return to that spot. In fact, I'm going to sign off now so I can concentrate all my energies on getting back to the changing table.

Until next time,

xoxoxoxoxox

Grandma Rogers Turns 93

2007-08-08T13:35:00.000-04:00

And baby Mona was there.

This was the fourth "Happy 93rd Birthday" party that was thrown for Great Grandma Mildred (she's popular). It was attended by cousin Wendy and aunt Marilyn, among others. Here's Marilyn holding me:

Here is one of two cakes featured at Mildred's party:

Below is a photo from a different "Happy 93rd Birthday" party (took place July 14th), featuring my second-cousin Garrett, mommy's first-cousin Laura, Great Grandma Mildred, Grandpa Bob, and mommy (I'm in the womb). Mommy's labor pains had started earlier that afternoon, and I was born two days later.

Other "Happy 93rd" parties are not covered in this post, due to self-imposed length-of-post constraints. With all that partying, Mildred stays remarkably slim.

By the way, if you want to see more photos of me (baby), go here. Click on "slide show", and increase the rotation speed to 7 seconds. I'm worth it.

Discovered: Crumple Horned Snorkack

2007-07-27T18:32:00.000-04:00

Our baby sure makes lots of funny noises. She snorts. She squeals. She makes sounds that we can't find words to describe. We've begun referring to her as a crumple horned snorkack (of Harry Potter fame--if you haven't read the series you don't know what you're missing), because the funny-sounding name of that animal seems to sum up for us how we feel about all these unnameable noises.

Baby is 11 days old today. A few pictures we've taken in the past week are located here.

Click on slide show.

And Now, Introducing...

2007-07-19T15:15:00.000-04:00

...Monavar Marie.
She was born on July 16 at 5:02 PM, weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces, measuring 20 inches long. She mostly sleeps, but we feed her frequently (waking her up half the time to achieve this) because that's what the doctors and nurses told us is developmentally appropriate. Otherwise, she seems to possess the ability to sleep 24 hours a day. She makes funny squealing sounds when she's sleeping.

Monavar Marie is named after two grandmothers. Monavar (emphasis on the last syllable) means "illumined".

We enjoy being with her so much -- spending our time in any other way pales in comparison. We have been up all hours of the night for several days now due to the diaper changes and every-other-hour feedings, and we need to catch up on sleep. Our doctor joked that this would happen only after the baby goes to kindergarten, due to the all-consuming nature of caring for small children.

If you want to see a few more pictures, go here.

Click on "slideshow" (increasing the rotation speed to 7 seconds works best, I think).

Guess Who's Here!

2007-07-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

Not our baby! Nope. This is Ian, who was born yesterday, and he belongs to our friends Jonathan and Rosie. See them below.

The happy couple are especially peppy after a few sips of Orange Juice, the offical "Bradley Birth" drink. We are proud of them. We hope to join them soon in the realm of parenthood. Our own baby is making a small bit of progress toward birth, said our doctor today, but so far there have been no regular contractions.

Sarah's Belly (37 Weeks)

2007-07-03T19:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome!

2007-07-03T13:52:00.000-04:00

Hello, and welcome to our blog! Mehrtash and I have finally succumbed to pressure and are venturing into the blogosphere. Wish us luck! We plan to use this blog to keep family, friends, and anyone else who cares to read it updated on what's happening in our lives.

The biggest news that we have right now is that we are expecting a baby in the very near future. Any day now, actually. The baby's official due date is July 7, and we're hoping that she'll decide to arrive right on time. How great would it be to have a birthday of 07/07/07? We're not keeping our fingers crossed, though. Actually, my fingers are so swollen at this point that I couldn't cross them if I wanted to! We'll keep you posted on her arrival. Above is a picture of my giant belly, taken on June 20.

Other than preparing for baby, we're enjoying summer in Blacksburg, and are trying to get our house back in order while wrapping up the finishing touches of home renovations.

Hope that all of you are doing well. We hope that you enjoy this blog, and that we'll hear from you soon!