Dear Kayla,

You are nine months old today. You've changed from a beautiful infant to a smiley baby to an active explorer (note: you are still beautiful and smiley). You're crawling like a pro now - zooming around the house on all fours - in and out of all of the bedrooms. You are active, fast, and fearless.

Your favorite activities are (1) reading books (seriously, you never seem to tire of them...you especially love Green Eggs & Ham and anything that rhymes), (2) being thrown in the air, (3) being tickled, (4) playing games with dad and mom, and (5) dancing along with the radio (If I turn on music, I am guaranteed a huge smile and wide eyes). You also enjoy taking walks and looking in the mirror.

On the flip side, you despise being alone (you, social butterfly!) and riding in your car seat for long periods of time.

You're not particularly interested in toys, but you do like to get into almost anything that is deemed "not for babies." You especially are fascinated by shoes, cords, and paper...and you love banging on mama's laptop. If you are forced to choose a toy, you will probably go for your soccer ball, football, or anything that you haven't seen before.

You are becoming more and more beautiful as the days pass by. Strangers oft comment on your amazing eyes (sparkling blue) and lengthy eyelashes. And, of course, you still have that irresistible smile and distinct button nose. Your laugh brightens the room and you are undoubtedly always the center-of-attention in every circle.

You have many nicknames...they seem to change hourly...but the latest include Blue Eyes, Gorgeous Girl, Boo, Goose (as in, silly goose...), Kay-Kay, High-Maintenance, and Irresistible.

When it comes to food, you are anything but picky. You will eat all fruits, vegetables, cereals, and breads willingly and eagerly. You especially seem to love water and cherry puffs (a Gerber finger food).

You will sleep serenely in your crib for nap time now and you start your evenings there as well. But you prefer snuggling in bed with your mom and dad. And you would be absolutely delighted if you could spend your nap times in our arms.

A few other small factoids before I finish this letter.
* You adore your daddy - the way you look at him reminds me of the way I often look at him - he's your hero.
* You are exceptionally sweet and happy and adorable...and your mama loves you with a fierce, intense, deep love that she never knew until she had you.

Loving you,
Mama

Google Named #1 in Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For"

Did you know Google offers:

• Maternity (12 weeks off at 75% pay) and Paternity (6 weeks off at 75% pay) Leave, plus $400 for take-out meals for the first four weeks after childbirth
• Google Child Care Center, five minutes from main headquarters
• On-site gym and fitness center
• Free gourmet lunches and dinners prepared by a chef
• Cool events throughout the year like company movie day, summer picnic, and health fair
• Tuition reimbursement - $8,000 per calendar year

Remind me to apply there next time I'm in the running for a full-time job.

The Key to Career Success? Specialization

I've been reading Penelope Trunk's blog a lot lately. Although she has many new and divergent perspectives, one that seems to be aligned with "old-school" career advice is the concept of specialization. She states, "the best way to ensure you'll always be in demand is to become a specialist" and "specializing makes you more likely to be hired and hunted." Although specializing is the goal, she cautions her readers not to limit themselves "too much or too early."

The professors that I met with at the UA handed out similar advice. They told me to focus in on one unique area of study and become an expert.

Successful authors also seem to follow this route. They are experts in one genre - money management, science fiction, romance, chick lit, etc.

Trunk suggests examining your gifts to find your area. Without trying to brag, I think mine are writing, interpersonal skills, and creativity/new ideas.

More on this later...

Style

It is a wide-held belief that celebrities have an innate sense of style, a sneak peek into the fashion world. They are, many would say, inherently trendy and voguish.

I disagree. Celebrities are, of course, usually at the forefront of fashion. But not necessarily because of their obvious good taste. Instead, I propose that they look perpetually stylish because of the size of their wallets rather than their keen knowledge of aesthetics.

In fact, I would argue that a majority of people would be deemed equally as fashion-forward if they could shop in the best stores with no qualms about money - and a personal stylist to boot!

Book on My Wishlist: Brazen Careerist

Warner Business Books recently released Penelope Trunk's first book on 5-25-07. The book is titled "Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success" and it is definitely on my wishlist.

I stumbled upon Trunk's blog about a week ago and it is now officially bookmarked. Her posts are well-written, clever, and innovative. I love her new take on the business world and on career success. I often find myself nodding in agreement with her edgy and fresh statements.

College Course on ABC's Lost

The Experimental College at Tufts University in Massachusetts offered a class this past semester entitled, "The Future is Lost: TV Series as Cultural Phenomenon."

I, for one, am a huge fan of the mixing of education and pop culture. Since the majority of people are already tuning into the boob tube on a daily or almost-daily basis, why not encourage active thinking and thorough analysis?

This course is one of many exciting titles in the Experimental College...

• Obesity and Children
• Human Rights and Civil Rights, Post 9-11
• Experimenting with Philanthropy
• Education for Active Citizenship
• Media Law and Ethics
• Television in the Age of YouTube
• Making Movies
  

Where can I sign up? :)

1st Week @ New Job

It's going very well so far. Of course, I'm unable to write when Kayla is awake because she has become Miss Active and Miss Acrobat all in under two weeks. She rolls. She crawls. She stands. She dives. She finds her way into almost everything - especially anything that is not for babies.

But she is taking naps like a pro in her crib now and there's always the hours after bedtime. When she sleeps, I type.