Trying to Be Productive

     I've begun in earnest this week the editing and revising of my NaNoWriMo book, The Rapscallions.  I've also been doing research on self-publishing through Kindle, iBooks, and Nook, as I know family and friends with each of those readers, and I don't want anyone to be left out.  I'm hoping to publish before the end of March, and if I play my cards right, I'll also get five free paperback copies for being a NaNoWriMo winner this past year.  (If I could only come up with a good cover image...)
     I also attended a NaNoWriMo event in December -- "So You Wrote a Novel, Now What?" -- and my number one take-away was that I should have an author website before publishing.  So I've been spending quite a bit of time creating www.wadecdavis.net which I believe went live this morning.  If not, you can still find it here, under its GoogleSites address.  Be warned, it's still under construction...
     I've also been busy helping my mom develop a social media presence for her rental homes.  Both Oak Shade B & B and Marian Manor are on Facebook and Yelp! now.  Look them up if you use either of those and 'like' them or offer a review.  I've even been contemplating starting a small business social media consulting business of my own.  We'll see how that develops.
     I was also offered a summer job this week.  Growing Hope contacted me and essentially offered me the same position I had last summer, working with high school students teaching nutrition education to younger students.

     Okay, okay, I hear you.  (Enough about you, Wade, we're here to see the baby!)  Well Esme's doing great.  She tends to sleep through the night (defined as sleeping most of the hours of the night, with one or two feedings, usually only one), and is happy and curious throughout the majority of her waking hours.  Yes, she does cry regularly, but it's rarely something that we can't understand and resolve.  (And usually when we can't do anything to soothe her, a few farts or some poop will soon follow, after which she's happy as a clam.)
     The big news, as you can see, is that we've introduced food.  Esme has now eaten (in order that we introduced them) carrots, rice cereal, squash, and peas.  She seems to love the squash the most, and the rice cereal the least.  At first (and there is video of this, but I have to find time to edit the ten minutes down to one -- you'll thank me later), she didn't really seem to get the concept that this was something to be swallowed.  She liked the carrots -- in her mouth, on her hand, on her bib, on her clothes, on her parents, on her Bumbo -- but wasn't eating.  By the time we introduced the squash, she'd reached the point that we'd find very little food left over when we were done.

 These photos are from the carrot section of the program.  This may have even been the first ever feeding.  And just so you know, at this age, the baby should not have control of the spoon.  Mayhem ensues.  'Nuf said.