Birthday, novel, Zoe, raw fish, TV

My birthday was on Tuesday. I'm now 33 years old. I don't feel all weird about getting older, probably because for the past year or so I haven't been able to remember how old I am. (A sign of old age, perhaps?) People ask and I literally have to calculate from the year I was born. And there's something I like about 33. There seems to be a sort of roundness or softness to that number.

To celebrate, Nate and I had a date, our first since Zoe was born. We went to Kenichi in Victory Park for some sushi. I'd been wanting some nigiri for a while and since I mostly abstained while I was pregnant, I was eager to get my paws on some raw fish. They had interesting combinations. The emphasis was definitely on subtlety and innovative pairings versus the stuff-your-face route we normally take when served with a plate of sushi. We also had some really nice sake. After dinner, we stopped for some gelato at a nearby cafe. They have movies on a big screen in Victory Park on Tuesday nights during the summer, so we caught the end of The Princess Bride while we enjoyed dessert. It was a nice, low-key birthday. I have the sense that this is going to be a good year.

The 19th was also Zoe's one-month birthday. Nate has taken to sometimes calling her "Zoe D.," which is a fun nickname. He also got a good video of her during tummy time. You can check it out here. I have heard her laugh in her sleep a couple of times, which is one of the cutest noises ever, though I do wonder what she's laughing about.

In other Zoe news, this past week I have been setting her down more and more. And the past two days, all of her naps have been on her own (in other words, I'm not holding her). This morning she took her first nap in her crib, which I was very excited about. I've actually been able to get a few things done! I don't think this is any great parenting on my part, necessarily. I think she just got old enough or reached some developmental stage where she doesn't need to be held practically 24/7. Of course, now that I said this I've probably jinxed everything. The one thing I've learned in my one month (LOL) of parenting is that what worked yesterday isn't necessarily what will work today. She is an evolving person, and when you think about how quickly she is developing right now and how different she will be in a year, it's pretty amazing.

In husband news, Nate has had some excitement lately. He was on a local TV station's morning program today and tomorrow he will be on the radio. It's funny because, as most writers and editors know, we usually don't go into this field because we love public speaking, but I think he's doing great.

And in novel news, I realized yet again that I am the freaking queen of the back story. I'm trying to cut as much excess as possible. It's a bit slow going since I've got the wee one to feed and take care of, but it's going.