That’s Pietro Bracci’s Oceanus, the center piece of the 250 year old Trevi Fountain in Rome.

We went to Italy for our honeymoon a year ago.  I promised myself I’d get the pictures processed (all 2600 of them) long before now.  But, you know, one thing led to another, and before you know it– baby.  So I thought I would spend some of my weekend working on those pics.  There’s still 2600 of them though, so… best not hold your breath.  That said, don’t despair.  You have our blank walls joining you in demanding pictures.

In baby news, we moved Avery to cloth diapers today, now that her belly button tag has fallen off (yay milestone!).  Cloth during the day, disposables at night for now.  Despite general public suspicion about the gel in disposable diapers, we like a dry and comfortable baby until she’s a bit bigger.  The cloth diapers are laughably large on this little girl, and she could end up in a wet bed.  A few more weeks, I reckon.  She’ll fill out that long noodle body.

Maybe sooner.  She was very fussy today, after a night of frequent feeding.  Growth spurt, we suspect.  More sleep deprivation, we suspect.  Daytime naps for everybody, I do declare.

Little bunny was so wriggly today we decided to see what she’d do if we helped her get where she seemed so determined to go.  Turns out she didn’t really have a plan.  Seemed at a bit of a loss, really.  She’ll probably have it worked out for next time.

How to make cookies last longer: add raisins.  Boo.

Listen to this guy – complaining that his beloved wife made cookies and they have raisins in them.  What a loser.

Yeah, a loser that isn’t crazy for raisins.  Ha.  Zing.  Got you there.

Errm… anywho.  Lee and Tom are in Miami this weekend shooting for L’Oréal Professionel.  Normally I would be the designated shooter for this, but I’m already in a full time gig getting a new family rolling.  Marjorie is healing like a champ and I don’t doubt that we’ll be green lit well before the full six weeks, but thanks to a progressive-minded employer, we don’t need to rush.  And besides, Tom is an exceptionally talented photographer.  Just don’t have too much fun without me, you bastards.

Man, I’m itching to share the feature script Chaos has been working on.  It’s just so damned fun.  It’s long, as I have mentioned, but the more we comb through it looking for elements – even lines – we can drop, the more we realize this is a long movie and that’s all there is to it.  Not like you’ll notice the time.  This is a packed script.  Packed with awesome juice.  And really, my philosophy is that you should share this sort of thing.  Far and wide.  The more people aware of a thing, the less likely anyone will think they can get away with pilfering it.  Having said that, it’s no accident that Armaggedon and Deep Impact showed up in the same summer.  True story – they mention it in Tales from the Script.  So this young undiscovered writer will keep his trap shut, and you’ll just have to wait.  As for us, we’re getting tired of waiting, so we’re looking into producing it ourselves.  Just gotta figure out how to produce a ten million dollar picture for about a buck fiddy.  Know any really talented producers?

It’s just so damned fun.

Also fun: this software we’re building.  Also can’t tell you about it.  But I will show you.  In January.  If I can.  We might be in closed beta for a while.  But let me say this about that – if you work in a consultation-based business (and about a third of us do), you are going to line up for this app.  Yes, you are.  Oh this is going to be a hell of a ride.  Giggity.

Did I mention little Avery has grown out of some of her newborn clothes?  Dude, she’s two and a half weeks old!  She could play basketball if she knew what to do with feet.  And hands.  Depth perception would be good, probably….  Ok, maybe she can’t play basketball yet.  But she’s a long noodle.  And the cutest bunny ever.  When she screws her face up for a good yell I have to clamp down on my laugh so she won’t get doubly mad.  ahhh we have fun.

Remember the alleged cigarette smoke?  It could be some sort of deal with one of the AC units.  Freon is an inert gas, but I’m told it can have a similar effect on breathing.  Today was fine – open windows all day long.  But if it persists as the weather cools off we will have to take meaningful measures.  The building folk are awesome, so I know if we make the call, it will be seen to.

The building folk really are awesome.  If you are looking to rent in the five boros, you’d do well to look right here.  And this neighborhood is exploding.  It’s like Yaletown (in Vancouver) when Yaletown finally took off.  Yeah, that’s right, we live in the Yaletown of New York.  Kid-friendly (though still with more pet daycares than kid daycares – opportunity!), close to everything except the noise, gorgeous view of the ‘hat (manHATtan?  No?).  And between you and me, Marjorie has been talking about buying in the neighborhood.  That’s how awesome it is here.

Life is sweet.  Have a super fantastic awesome (Canadian Thanksgiving) weekend.  Hug somebody.

What this blog needs – what we all need – is more pictures of my baby girl.

There.

Avery hates a diaper change.  With the passion of 13 little storms.  I think we’ve had a happy change three times since we came home.  We have a list of stuff to try, and we’ve had some moderate successes.  The Temptations’ “My Girl” proved a surprising success, but only once.  A warmer wipe sometimes works, sometimes no.  We’re going to try a blow dryer for the sound and the warm, drying breeze.  Today’s side project was stringing up the peppermint candy lights, to give Avery something interesting to look at while we clean up aisle 2.  The jury’s still out on that one.  At least it’s pretty, and the light’s not so bright for late-night changes.  I added a dimmer to get my nerd in there.

Speaking of workin’ the nerd, I signed up with Twitter (@adriantaverner) just so I could Tweet my girl from space.  True story.  But because the Kickstarter project is called SkyCube, my first space tweet will have to be “We are the Borg.  You will be assimilated.”  Because that’s how that has to go.  No question.  You don’t think that will cause a general panic, do you?  If you are also a twitterer – twerp? – then come follow me and I will follow you.  Is no one else aware of the irony there?  That two people following each other cannot possibly get anywhere?

Probably don’t even need a Twitter account for SkyCube.  Fine.  I will just twerp from Earth anyway.  Twerp is the word, isn’t it?

Avery had her first play date today!  I say that because there were two babies in a room that previously had only one baby.  That’s really it.  There may have been some eye contact.  Mostly it was two babies chiefly concerned with sleep and food.  But Jenah came over to visit with little Josephine (we know Jenah and her husband Thomas from our Bradley prenatal classes – very nice folk).  Marjorie got to chat with a fellow new mom (same due date!), and we learned how to wrap that super long and terrifically useful baby wrap thing.  Moby!  Jenah knows LIC and Astoria well, and we are looking forward to checking out their studio in the shadow of Silvercup.  Oh there will be more hanging out.

Coming up this Sunday at a swanky lounge in Brooklyn is the fundy for You Are Not Special, the short film our little production company has been working on with our partners for the past few months.  It’s got loads of heart, and if I may be so bold, chicks will dig it.  We’re pretty excited.  The party will have bands, comedians, all the cast and crew, and the first official look at the film.  You are invited!  Please come!  Will yours truly be there?  He really should be.  It’s going to be a fabulous night.  But we shall see.  His beloved wife and the mother of his child (wow) is not supposed to be lifting anything heavier than a baby for a full four more weeks.  She needs the extra hands.  If something drops to the floor, it stays there until Adrian gets to it.  So I don’t know.

You know, I don’t think of myself as baby crazy.  I feel pretty grounded.  Pretty centered.  But I do not think a thought without prefacing it with Avery.  I have been told of this phenomenon, but I… I didn’t get it.  I was ready, certainly.  Completely open to the experience, whatever it might turn out to be, but the guy who lived here before Avery Peppermint showed up is not quite the same guy that lives here now.  Same dreams, same drives, same lofty goals… but now… purpose.  It’s no longer “change the world” so much as “change the world For Her”.

I used to joke that I dreaded ever having a daughter for fear she’s wrap me around her finger.  “Daddy, my pony is tired.  Buy me a new one.”  When Marjorie and I were told, way back at our second ultrasound appointment, that we were having a girl, I admittedly had a moment of mentally shaking my fist at the universe (in fun, mind you – I was still thrilled).

But now that she’s here, that wrapping that I feared has manifested in a way I utterly did not expect.  It’s not “I can’t deny you anything”.  It’s more “I am going to do everything for you.”  Does that distinction make sense?  Together with her mom, I am going to build her a world of safety, security, awareness and knowledge.  I will do everything in my power to empower her.  She’ll have the freedom to discover and a safe haven at her back.

I could go on, but no need to get manifesto-ish on you.  It seems to all be in there, in the heart.  Burning that same long burn I have with Marjorie.

Avery looks right at you now, if you don’t move around too quickly.  She and I had a good long hang-out while mum was in the shower.  We made ourselves comfortable in the recliner.  I leaned her back against my legs so she could sit straight, and we hung out.  Not sure what we talked about.  Diapers and rage.  Doesn’t matter.  We were happy just to watch each other’s face.  A little bit of Martin Blank.  Today I really felt like she was appreciating me, at least as much as she was appreciating the warm chest to snooze against.  Every day, new discoveries.  Another thing I had heard but didn’t fully understand.

I am so ridiculously lucky to be able to work from home (mostly).  I don’t want to miss any of this.  Actually, it’s 1:30am.  I should go to bed and miss a few hours of it.

Hugs & kisses.