Later this coming week, we have a follow-up appointment with an allergist and a nutritionist – we’re very worried that Lily just isn’t getting the nourishment she needs. Because of her allergies, finding a variety of good, filling foods is an enormous challenge. Oddly, though, nobody else seems that concerned since she’s technically gaining weight and filling diapers – but she’s practically off the charts (on the low end) for her age/size.

In happier news, she’s as fun and crazy as ever. She’s walking around (with her baby push-cart) all over the place, is always grinning like a fool, constantly babbles to anyone who will listen, and has some kind of hyper-awareness of surrounding sights and sounds. Yes, Lily, that’s the lamp. Yes, that’s the cat. For the hundredth time. But she’s certainly keeping us on our toes, and we’re loving every minute of it.

Plans are also in the works for her big first birthday extravaganza! We are utterly astonished it’s almost been a year already – what a crazy ride it’s been with our sweet little monkey!

First, where can I find stuff to read? Obviously, Amazon’s Kindle Store is the number one stop. There are books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs available, some costing little to nothing. However another great resource is archive.org’s Text Archive, home to countless works available for free.

Second, what if I have an existing PDF or MS Word document that I’d like on the Kindle? One option is to email the document to Amazon – they will then convert it to a Kindle-readable format and send it directly to your device. This service does cost money, though (more info on the support page). Another option (also described on the support page) is to use Amazon’s free conversion service. In this scenario, the document will be sent to you via email, and it’s up to you to get it to your device (via USB connection to your computer).

One drawback to these two options, however, is lack of control over document “meta” information, such as title, author, cover image, table of contents, etc. This isn’t a big deal when you buy directly from Amazon (who typically clean up their publications very well), or only have a few docs on your device. But if you have a lot of third-party, poorly converted documents, it soon becomes a problem when you’d like to sort by author, for example, for better organization. To solve this, Mobipocket has developed Mobipocket Creator. This software lets you convert PDF, Word, and other files, and gives you full control over meta data. Tip, the author field should almost always be [last name, first name] in order for the Kindle to sort it properly. Once converted, you transfer the file(s) to your device via USB as previously mentioned.

Finally, what if I have a Kindle-ready electronic document, but the meta information is incorrect? You’ll often run into this when downloading from third-party sites (like archive.org mentioned above). Mobipocket Creator won’t help here – for this, check out Calibre, e-book management software. This will do much of the same with regards to polishing up meta data, and will leave you a file suitable to transfer back to your device.

If you have any other good Kindle links, resources, or hints, please leave a comment below!

Fresh off the heels of Lily’s allergy tests, Stephanie was stricken with a nasty stomach bug that’s been making the rounds around town. Hoping to steer clear of the nasty, Lily and I put mommy on quarantine and shared some quality daddy/daughter bonding time. Thankfully, Steph recovered alarmingly quickly and we kept our fingers crossed about getting sick ourselves. It also proved to be an opportune time to fully wean Lily. Steph had been slowly tackling this anyway, and the time was right. So many heartfelt accolades to mommy for going through so much for our little Peanut.

Anyway, you know the next part. Exactly 48 hours after Steph’s first symptoms, I, too, got sick. (Why does it always strike at night?) Apparently with the same bug, as well. So now I was in quarantine (read: laying in the basement watching Police Academy) while Lily and mommy got to play. I’ve taken a bit longer to recover, but am feeling better now. And of course…

Lily got hit with the bug yesterday. She’s done well, but has been understandably very grumpy/affectionate/giggly/wailing for the past day or two. Oh, she’s also popping about three more teeth right now – all at once. My poor sweet baby. So she went to the doctor today and I guess this bug is ravaging the young and old all over creation – we just need to pump her full of Pedialyte, and give her an occasional squirt of Mortrin to keep her [minor] fever down.

On the bright side, we won’t ever forget the beginning of 2010!

Any suggestions that you’ve enjoyed and would recommend? Hit the “comment” link below and let us know!

And many thanks to everyone for such a nice Christmas weekend! Stay safe tonight!

Incidentally, I probably won’t do these monthly update posts once Lily turns one. I figure we’ll simply update when the need arises, whether that is more or less frequently. And probably similar changes with her photo album – that will be renamed to something like “Year One”, and we’ll make a new album to continue on. More on that, in February, though.

And happy holidays to all! We’re looking forward to seeing my parents here in northern Virginia for Christmas Eve, then down to Richmond for our annual Christmas Day spectacular with Steph’s folks. If we don’t see you, be safe and enjoy the weekend!

So the other day, we contacted our Realtor to get the ball rolling. Our goal is to be out by the summer, so we need to get our finances in order, sell our townhome, and find a new home. To date, luck has been on our side: other places in our neighborhood are selling very well, which is a Good Thing™ with regards to securing a loan and making a down payment on a new place. We’re staying close, so far looking at places on realtor.com just west along route 7100 around West Springfield and Burke; fortunately prices aren’t too bad. Sidewalks would be nice for Lily, and a garage would be great (I’m done with leaving my car in a parking lot). Other than that, we’re not too picky – we’re just not in the mood for any big remodeling projects in a “new” place.

That’s the plan. We’ll see how things work out, and will continue to report our progress here on TeamAHearn.com!

Are all babies this vocal, or is Lily destined to be this talkative forever? And the girl has got some volume – it makes my brain rattle. Seriously, check your speakers before playing this clip.

She is eating much, much better, and we’ve been able to get her used to foods that she not only enjoys but that she isn’t allergic to. Lots of oatmeal, pears, bananas, and little rice cracker things called “Mum mums.” Coming soon, more veggies and various proteins – then, beef jerky and sardines with daddy!