Alphabet Bandwagon, You Have Been Jumped

Hollie pointed me toward a blog post on Babble yesterday that referenced another blog post I'm not too proud to copy. When I worked for a magazine, there were types of articles I never minded writing: Q&As and Lists. This falls squarely into the latter category, so without further ado, here's Solving for G's Alphabet of the Moment.

A: Air quality. We're in the middle of a warm spell in the Philadelphia region--which is wonderful--and it's a fantastic chance to open the windows and blow out the stale winter air in our house. Just the opportunity to let the faint diaper pail smell waft outside rather than into my kitchen is refreshing.

B: Bath time. I'm happy to say that after a rough start to baths just after she was born, Little G has settled into a pattern of enjoying bath time. Sometimes she plays with the water, sometimes she flings toys across the tub, and sometimes she weirdly hunches forward when we're trying to rinse her hair, resulting in water and soap in her eyes. But she never cries, and it's almost always fun.

C: Cloth diapers. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. These are a lot less trouble than you'd think, and they're the main reason we only buy a small pack of disposable diapers every three to four weeks.

D: Driving. Has gotten a lot harder since Little G screams in the car if she's not asleep. Anyone know how to fix this? Everyone told me kids love the car...

E: Espresso. Every few days the only way I make it through the afternoon is with a Cafe Americano or a Red Eye. God Bless You, Red Hook Coffee & Tea.

F: Fauxhawks. Little G has been rocking a pretty wicked fauxhawk for some time now. You don't even have to style it that way on purpose. It just happens.

G: Griffin. It's weird that Hollie and I made another person, and now this is her last name. I really only think about it when I call or visit the pediatrician.

H: Hollie. I love her. 'Nuff said.

I: Irish/Italian. I wonder if this is how Little G will respond when people ask about her heritage. I mean, in truth, she's Scotch-Irish/Italian/German/French/Polish, and God knows what else. But that's kind of a long answer.

J: Justified. Just watched the second episode of the second season. Fantastic show, fantastically presented. I really wish FX ran 22 episode seasons, because 13 episodes is just not enough.

K: Kith and Kin. The primary readers of this blog. Incidentally, this is the second letter which has a double entry. I feel like I should get double points, but blogging is not Scattergories.

L: Little G. Okay, so this comes halfway through a post of no particular significance, but starting here, I'm using LG when I refer her. I love her, but I'm saving myself the additional six characters when I talk about her. It saves time and gives me an additional six characters to play with on Twitter. That's six more characters of cute I can cram in to every post.

M: March. In which I turn 31, officially entering my fourth decade on this planet, which blows my mind.

N: Normality. Adjusting to the new normal of my life as a dad has just sort of happened. I am certainly surprised by things from time to time, but for the most part, I have a kid, and I don't think about the concept that much. She's really integrated herself into our lives quite well. I can't really conceive of a time when she didn't exist.

O: Oranges. Tiny ones. Specifically, clementines. I've eaten more of these this winter than in years previous. I don't know if they've contributed to my surprising lack of sickness this season, but it certainly couldn't have hurt.

P: Parent. I've been one for five months, and it still feels odd to say it, which I realize sort of contradicts 'N' above.

Q: Quiet talking. LG has been experimenting with quiet babbling, which is really cute, and funny, and a nice counterpoint to randomly shouting for no particular reason.

R: Rutabaga. I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten this vegetable. But I made pureed rutabaga for LG, and she didn't hate it. She has officially eaten more rutabaga in the last week than I've eaten in my entire life. I realize I can't count on her liking it in the future, but I'm glad she's responding to it now.

S: Sufjan Stevens. Is what I'm listening to right now. First spin through The Age of Adz, and I dig it. It's like regular Sufjan, but with more beeps and boops. It actually sounds a lot like The Flaming Lips.

T: Tea. I drink with jam and bread. Wait, what was I doing?

U: Ukeleles. I've always like this instrument, and based on the number of stories NPR has done on them in the last year, I am not alone.

V: Volkwagen. As in the best commercial of the Superbowl. Rightfully considered the highlight of the game, in the mind of this non-sports fan.

W: Wii. Which is hasn't been a gaming device for at least five months. Were it not for Netflix streaming, I don't think I'd even turn it on.

X: X-men: First Class. I wasn't excited about this movie, but then I saw the trailer.

Y: Yams. The current food in LG's 4-day food rotation. She likes it better than rutabaga. It's fun to watch her when she really enjoys food. She shakes her fists and moans loudly. She can't eat it fast enough.

Z: Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz. As you can plainly see.
Alright, your turn. What's your alphabet right now?