Sweet Child O' Mine

Virginia has been spending time with Daddy learning the canon of '80s hair band rock. The star that burns brightest in this magnificent constellation is, without a doubt, the incomparable Guns N' Roses.

We've gotten through Appetite for Destruction and parts of the Lies EP and Use Your Illusion albums. So far, Virginia's favorite (no surprise) is Sweet Child O' Mine. She thinks the band kind of went down hill after the death of Steven Adler and especially after Izzy Stradlin recorded that solo album with the JuJu Hounds.

Wormy Likes Food

Anyone else seeing a trend here?

I think someone is ready for solids!

Carolina Girls

This weekend, I traveled with Wormy to Charlotte, North Carolina, to check out Liz and Dave's new house and to visit family. Memaw came from Alabama to meet us and Nanny and Auntie drove in from Wilson as well.

While we were in town, we were treated to a nice dinner by Beau and his new fiancee, Jessica, at Beau's house. I was particularly thrilled to meet Jessica even before her new in-laws had!

Back at Liz's and Dave's place, Virginia was especially taken with the guitar performances of her hosts. She even decided to try her hand at strumming a few chords. We spent the rest of the weekend shopping, hanging out, and generally having a good time in each other's company.

Virginia proved herself to be a true Carolina girl on the trip. She was easy as could be on the trip out, but when it came time to leave, she had to be torn away kicking and screaming. It was a rough six hour return flight.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

We spent most of Saturday lazing around the house and watching college football. Virginia cheered along with us, in her fashion.

August Highlights

Here are some of our favorite photos of Virginia during the month of August.

Wearing a cap knit by Aunt Meg:

Playgroup meeting at a wine bar in North Beach!:

First time in the Bumbo:

Playtime with Daddy:

The bouncy seat - pure joy!

Go Heels!:

Baby Likes Beer

On Labor Day we took Virginia to our neighborhood pizza parlor, Za. This is easily our favorite pizza place in the city. Besides having awesome pizza, Za has all the other elements that we appreciate: friendly and cool staff, a willingness to serve families, an unobtrusive TV for sports, fun stuff on the walls, David Bowie on the stereo, and cold beer on tap. Virginia checked it out with us yesterday.

It has recently become clear that Virginia likes beer as much as me. It doesn't matter if it is a can, a bottle, or a glass. She just seems to sense that it is delicious. Every time, she finds a way to put her hands on it.

Our waiter volunteered to cut up Leslie's pizza into bite-sized pieces so she could enjoy it while holding the baby. And our neighboring tables all thought the world of Virginia. It goes without saying that we will be back.

Me and My Monkey

Sometimes when Virginia is attempting to soothe herself and fall asleep, she looks like she is engaged in deep concentration. Or perhaps that she is exceedingly frustrated with some colleague at work. Here's what we see:

(Photo from July.)

At moments like these, it is generally a good idea for us to give her something soft to hug close to her. Mallory the Monkey (a gift from Vik and Whitney) has often helped out.