Global Baby

I did a bit of running around yesterday, including one stop to drop off a rather large check to secure a day care spot for SteelyKid starting in January (Kate's taking a bunch of time off, obviously, and I was able to arrange my teaching schedule so I have no classes in the fall term, so I can spend most of my time home helping with SteelyKid). It occurred to me that SteelyKid is going to end up with a weirdly diverse background, at least in racial/ cultural terms: she's half Korean, half Polish/ Irish/ German; I'm a scientist and academic, Kate's a lawyer; my family is Catholic, Kate and I are a-religious, and SteelyKid will be going to the day care program at the Jewish Community Center.

She's going to end up either amazingly tolerant or deeply confused.

Anyway, here's a picture of the Empress of Eastern New York at one week:

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I'm going to try to cut down on the rate of picture posting after this (at least until she starts doing something more interesting than lying around sleeping), but I'll at least try to put up a weekly shot of her with Appa, so we can have a visual record of her growth. I want to get a head start on being a gigantic embarrassment to her when she's a teenager...

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SteelyKid is, as I have noted previously, half Korean, a quarter Polish, and an eighth each Irish and German. Her parents are irreligious, the extended family is Catholic (more so on my side than Kate's), and she goes to day care at the Jewish Community Center. In other words, a thoroughly American…
Here's your scaled baby picture for the week: OK, "scaled" isn't entirely appropriate, as I haven't bothered to keep Appa a constant size in these, but it is the weekly picture of SteelyKid with her standard reference bison. She continues to grow at an impressive rate, thanks to inheriting her…
In comments to the Sagan post, Niall asked about how I spend my time. This is about to change, as today is the last day of my class for the fall term, then we have an extended break, but it's probably interesting in a life-in-academia way to put up my schedule at the moment: Monday, Wednesday,…
SteelyKid was in an exceptionally happy mood the other night, and so I not only got the silly face shot from the previous post, but also this more traditional Toddler Blogging picture, with Appa, no less: All together now: Awwwwwww.... Appa, you may or may not recall, has served as our standard…

She looks so small there.

Baby pictures are wonderful for embarrassment. My wife gets a big laugh out of one of me buck naked on my stomach with my legs and arms up, kind of like a skydiver.

One of my mom's favorites is one of me when I was about 2 during "naked time" (which I think my parents invented because they couldn't get me to sit still long enough to put pants on me...)

In the teen years, you'll be a gigantic embarrassment just by breathing. I warn my students that, as the most embarrassing man on Earth, I have no qualms about mocking them for sleeping in class.
Oh, by the way, now that you're officially a Dad, you are authorized to be No Fun at your discretion. It's on the Union Card.

By David Owen-Cruise (not verified) on 15 Aug 2008 #permalink

It's ok to post as many Steelykid photos as you want. It's your firstborn. It only happens once, unlike marriages, graduations, Nobel prize awards (I'm not sure if there has ever been a double-winner, but it's at least theoretically possible).

It looks like Steelykid is already gaining a bit on Appa. Or is it one of thoes optical illusion things....?

Nobel prize awards (I'm not sure if there has ever been a double-winner, but it's at least theoretically possible).

Yes. John Bardeen won in 1956 for the invention of the transistor, and again in 1972 for the theory of superconductivity (he's the B of BCS theory).

Chad: It's your blog, so post as many baby pictures as you want. Don't worry about becoming an embarrassment to SteelyKid since that's inevitable: starting about 12-14 years from now you and Kate will probably be, according to SteelyKid, the top two contenders for the title of Stupidest Person Alive. ;) Of course both of you will suddenly become much smarter as soon as she tries to live away from home--it's amazing how much smarter my parents became once I went off to college.

By Eric Lund (not verified) on 15 Aug 2008 #permalink

so busy with my stupid tests I forgot to congratulate you on your beautiful baby. So congrats, chad, on the transition from futurebaby to steelykid. :)

By Eyal Ben David (not verified) on 15 Aug 2008 #permalink

It looks like Steelykid is already gaining a bit on Appa. Or is it one of thoes optical illusion things....?

On Wednesday she was only a fraction over 20 inches, her birth length; the swaddling blanket may give her additional apparently length.

#4, #5: Marie SkÅodowska-Curie [7 Nov 1867 - 4 July 1934] Physicist/Chemist, master's degree in mathematics, pioneer in radioactivity, of Polish upbringing and then French citizenship, is the only person honored with Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, and the first female professor at the University of Paris. Linus Pauling won two, one Chemistry, one Peace.

Was Marie SkÅodowska-Curie a good mother? Yes.

Her daughter, Irene Joliot-Curie [1897-1956] was 1935 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.

Please show us all the baby pictures that you want, Kate. And be proud of how far smart women such as yourself and her have come. The French Academy of Sciences refused to abandon its prejudice against women, so Marie SkÅodowska-Curie failed by one vote to be elected to membership. It would be her doctoral student, Marguerite Perey, who would be the first woman elected to the Academy -- in 1962.

[source: wikipedia. And ask Chad about Marie SkÅodowska-Curie's husband]