Hoppy Easter!

Outside Upside

There are downsides to living just outside the city. Like when you have only one car, which your husband needs to get to work at 4am, and you are not close enough to anything to walk there. Or metro there. And so you have to take a bus. And the internet says that your bus stop is at the end of a cul de sac, and you get there and see your bus coming and feel very self-satisfied that you, your two large bags, and the child strapped to your body are actually there on time, until the bus stops at the corner, lets off some passengers, and then- paying no heed to the flailing, mule-loaded crazy lady yelling "wait!" as the jostled child's hat flies off in a gust of wind- shuts it's cold-hearted doors and moves on. Like today.
BUT- there are upsides to the suburban life! One of which is having a yard. In which the doggies can play, and also relieve themselves even in inclement weather without my having to step outside. In which to eat dinners when the weather is actually nice and there are fireflies providing the mood lighting. And in which to have a garden.
Since spring looks like it is finally springing, J and I decided to start taking advantage of this particular outer-metropolitan benefit, so we took Little One on a field trip to the local greenhouse and nursery. While it looked nothing like the kind of nursery Little One is used to, She decided it was an altogether fun and exciting place, with lots of things to see and smell, and touch when the employees weren't looking. And the garden is looking good!
Outer-city living may include Little One's getting Her brain sloshed around while Her vehicle chases after another vehicle, and being a parent might mean not being able to run as fast or get anywhere on time. But both of those lifestyles have their perks, too. Including the joy of having beautiful things, and watching them grow.

The Duet

You probably all want to know how Little One's love life is developing. She and O are doing quite well; as you can see they go to parties together, hit the 'gym' together...they even went on a road trip. O's mom and I tagged along to chaperone, and the pair of them were just cracking us up on the road. To pass the time, they were singing rounds. O would begin 'singing' to the tune of "I'm sick of being in a car seat". After a few moments, his vocal renditions would cue Little One to start in on harmony! Her interesting 'crooning' would distract O, causing him to pause in his song. Which was the cue for Little One to hit mute also. Then, since Little One was no longer distracting him, O would begin his intonations anew. And round and round we'd go. It was a lovely serenade.

Here they are enjoying their jam sessionSharing a little travel reading material

More on the love saga as it unfolds....

Working on my MD (mommy degree)

Today Little One got to see a special skin doctor. This doctor was very nice and knowledgeable and very helpful, and just happened to be the new mom of a little boy. Which is why our appointment lasted twice as long as it was supposed to. Because something happened that the me of four months ago could not have conceived of. What happened is that right in the middle of the appointment, Little One got hungry.

C: Oh, She's really hungry. Do you mind if I feed Her here?
Dr Skin: Oh no, of course not, go right ahead!
C: Thanks.(throws blanket over shoulder. Throws baby under blanket. Resumes conversation.)
Dr Skin: (not listening whatsoever)....Wha?... (eyes big. Mouth agape.)
C: ...Um...?...
Dr Skin: Sorry!...It's just...well...you didn't even look!
C: (wondering if I've done something medically unsanctioned)...um...?...
Dr Skin: It takes me like twenty minutes just to get him started! How do you just do that like that and not even look?!

Huh. Well it's happened so gradually that I hardly even noticed, but I guess Little One and I have become pretty good at this whole nursing thing! Which my mom and J's mom can tell you, hardly came to us instantly. And which gives me a little confidence boost about how I'm doing at this whole 'mom' thing. At least I'm getting something right!
So before Dr. Skin continued with giving me Little One's skin advice, I spent a good chunk of time giving her nursing advice. You know. Just a couple of professional women, sharing their expertise. Oh excuse me. A trio of professionals. Just a reminder of the fact that whether I go back to school in the fall or not, I'm certainly getting an education.

6 Months

Whoa! Where did the last 0.5 year go?! I can't believe that my baby is a whole half year old already. And you can tell. Little One has become so much more little girl than baby over the last month. I can't even begin to remember everything that has happened and changed in the last month. The mind reels! But I will try to re-cap some highlights:

Things lost
*Pacifiers. Goodbye, Pacifiers! They were helpful, yes, but they can't move in and stay plastered to my baby's beautiful face forever. (They may, however, be contracted as a secret weapon during urgent predicaments in public. Shh!). Pacifiers no longer even get to tuck Little One in for sleeping, and I'm sorry to tell them, She doesn't miss them at all.
*Waking at night. Little One doesn't even pretend She's hungry at night. She's out at 8, straight to the next 8. Aaaahhhhh.
*The mobil. Things that can be seen and not grabbed are no longer fun. Mobil had to be retired when Little One began reaching out and imploring beseechingly, "why are you taunting me?!"

Things Gained
*Naps. The regular, scheduled, decent length kind. Aaaaahhhh.
*Vocab. This girl talks. And talks and talks and talksandtalksandtalktalktalks. She looks to make sure I'm listening, and states her issues with an expression reminiscent of my Organic Chem professor. When I respond, She says "yah", and sighs.
*A foot fetish. Little One discovered Her feet long ago, but She has developed a real passion for them lately. Although, to be honest, it might be the shoes.
*Kinetics. Little One's been sneaking steroids or something. She can sit up unsupported and play with Her toys (until She hurls Herself backwards...I've yet to let Her learn about that the hard way). She can reach way out and grab even tiny things. She can roll like a champ. My hair will tell you, with terror in its eyes, that she can also pull. very. hard.
She's also dexterous enough to engage in detailed tasks such as sticking the velcro bee onto its flower, and pulling it back off, 2 bajillion times in a row (before getting down to business and chewing the bee).
*The cup. Little One can drink from a shot glass-like cup! Not like I might drink from a shot glass, mind you, more like how I would drink a Guinness, but at any rate She's become quite good at enjoying Her mini-pint of milk or water without spilling, as long as I help Her hold it.
*Memory. Little One now gets that things exist even when you can't see them. So if I try to hide the magazine I'm reading behind Her head, She will keep turning around to grab at it. Or if I take Her toy away, She will look for it. Or if She is hungry, She remembers where lunch is and tries to "open the refrigerator door". Which I find I am both proud of and slightly offended by.

Here is where things fall on Little One's 0.5 year loveometer:

Utterly abysmal:
* Eczema and other itchies. Little One at times must be forcibly restrained from clawing her skin off.
* Being restrained. Completely insulting and unacceptable. Vociferously objected to.
*Dirty diapers.Wet diapers. Change-me-now-or-I'll-scream-until-you-get-me-in-pristine diapers.

Plain icky:
*Tummy time. Note, however, that this is a step up from last month.
*Sun in the face. The sunglasses Little One rocks now are not just to protect Her from the glare of the paparazzi bulbs and to be trendy. They also keep Her from burying Her face in my chest and pounding on me with angry fists.
*Wind. Apparently all inclement weather is fun on Little One's face, except wind. So no Chicago for us, sorry cousins.

Meh:
*Riding in the carseat. It's fun to look out the window and in the mirror, but it's tempered by that whole 'restraint' thing we discussed earlier.
*Books with paper pages. I mean whats really the point of something you can't chew on?
*The swing and the bounce chair. Tolerable, but I mean really. Aren't we past this whole 'recumbent' thing?

Smileworthy:
*Other babies. Especially O. Especially O's cheeks, which She goes after every time.
*Strangers who talk to Her. "Who me? Are you cooing over me? Aw... shucks... Do it again!"
*Toys with moving parts, buttons, or crinkles.
*Having Her gums brushed. (no teeth yet).
*Mommy's bad, off-key, made-up-words singing.
*Daddy. Daddy has to do nothing to earn this adulation, other than to exist within Little One's line of vision, and/or make any sort of sound.
*The itsy, bitsy, spider. The part where the rain comes and washes him out is apparently the punch line.
*That cute, funny chick in the magical duplicating glass.

Giggle-ably great:
*The dogs. E remains one of Little One's greatest joys in life.
*Nudity. Woo hoo! Nekid dance parties are sooo fun!
*Toy pianos. Quite the frenzy when She's on a roll.
*Baths. SO much fun, I need to draw a "splash zone" line on my bathroom floor as a warning to innocent bystanders.
*Clapping. Diva alert! Little One love love loves applause.
*Other people laughing. Little One just knows that everyone is laughing with Her. And though She's not quite sure why they would do that, She knows it is pretty darn funny.

Totaly fantamazincredibeautific:
*Cuddles. Only cuddles get the highest category of favoriteness. Full body contact, nestled in snuggles are Little One's heaven, and make Her happy and relaxed like nothing else can.

Hold on to your hats! Things are starting to get really fun around here. There is nothing that Little One doesn't notice, react to, and have an opinion about. She is trying to forge relationships and become an active part of the world, rather than just an observer. Every day now it is more and more evident that there is a whole other person, an actual individual, living in our house and hanging with us every day. Every day She becomes less an extension of J and I, and more Her own self. I am having a blast getting to know who She is, and getting to spend time with such an awesome personality.
In another 0.5 year, Little One won't be a baby anymore. So I'm squeezing every drop of sweetness out of what's left in this stage of Her life with us, and at the same time, happily anticipating how exciting it will be to fly by all the milestones that are coming up so soon.

A very merry un-birthday to you, Little One! This has been the most fun 0.5 year I have ever, ever had.

On the flip side

I may have mentioned Little One's loathing of 'tummy time'. She has become so adept at rolling from front to back that she no longer feels the need to voice her objections to being placed booty-up. Instead, She just instantly rolls Herself back over, and looks smug. My attempts at convincing her to roll ALL the way over have been met with cool distaste (which I think is quite rude considering the fact that Little One having the ability to travel will certainly benefit Her much more than it will me). So imagine my surprise when She did it all by Herself! Entranced by Her shoelaces, Little One rocked waaay onto Her side to reach them better. Usually She gets to that point, realizes where She's headed, and hits the breaks. But this day, She decided to go for it. She reached out...arched Her back...gave a little kick, and...YES! She was over! She spent about 30 seconds on Her tummy taking in the view and playing with a toy, and then thought, "wait...what am I doing?!" And flipped right back over. Oh well. She may never choose to repeat Her new trick, but at least I know that She can, if She wants to.

Mother Goose

WARNING:
If you happen to be a great big huge jerk who likes to sic your yappy little dog on a nesting goose, just because you think its funny to watch the mother goose become completely terrified and the father goose helplessly try to protect his egg, then you might just incur the wrath of a mother of another species. This mother might march right up to your face and let you know how the geese feel by yelling and barking at you. And your little dog, too.

Lucky number 13

Last week, Little One and I went to the doctor, and She tipped the scales at 13lb an 13oz. Getting so big! Now, I know there is some debate about whether 13 is a lucky or unlucky number. When I think "13", I remember being 13, and so I tend to pitch my tent in the "unlucky" camp.
However, on this day, I decided 13 was a lucky omen. Because that was the day something glorious finally happened. Something I was beginning to lose hope for. That was the day I got dressed to take Little One to the doctor, and I put on a pair of jeans. MY jeans. My old, pre-Little One-acting-like-a-bicycle-pump-upon-the-tire-that-is-my-booty jeans. Talk about a good day! Little One getting bigger (yay!) and me getting smaller (yay!) Go 13.

Love in Bloom

J and I celebrated his return to DC by taking Little One to one of our favorite events- the Cherry Blossom festival. Every year right about when everyone in DC is on the verge of clinical depression, Spring pops up- fashionably late to the party and impeccably dressed in Japanese couture- and saves the day. There is something about ten bazillion lacy pink flowers that puts even DC locals into a good mood. Which I can tell you from my experience driving on the beltway, is not easy to do. I've been enthralled with this mass of frilly trees since the first year J and I moved here from Arizona. (Flowers on trees? Who knew!) Every year as my relatives stick their thumbs in their ears and say, "na na na boo boo, it's eighty two degrees here!" while I scrape frost off the windshield, I start thinking maybe we were too hasty in divorcing the Southwest. Couldn't we have tried counseling?! But then DC kicks up the romance, sending all these fabulous flowers day after day, and I remember why we eloped with the East. I do love this city. And since this is Little One's first spring, it really turned on the charm to win Her over. Here are some pictures of DC flirting with us. You can see that Little One is quite besotted.

Back Together!

More coming soon...

Sing it, Annie.

Little One and I are singin' today. "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a daaay away!" We're doing it with proper theatrics, too, jazz hands and everything. Tomorrow is a big day. So if you don't hear from Little One and I for a bit, it is because we will be unable reach the computer keys. We will be happily glommed on to J, squeezing every bit of J-ness out of him possible, and competeing with the doggies for who can slobber him up the most. I know what you're thinking. That J is a lucky, lucky man. You are right! Or you will be, tomorrow.

Little One is SO ready.

What's cookin'

We are in the home stretch to making it to the big 6 mo. That means many things, as I will garrulously discuss in Her birthday post, I'm sure. But one of the exciting things that will happen when Little One reaches this turning point is the introduction of solid foods!
Little One has been intently watching every spoonful going into any mouth with an expression of pining and angst I thought She was supposed to save for preteen-hood. She is SO ready. She will have to wait awhile yet, thanks to the demon-allergy genes, but I want to be prepared when the time comes. So I have been going crazy with the babyfood maker my in-laws gave me for the holidays (Little One thanks you). Our freezer is LOADED. I mean how many kids get their own stash of rutabega? Mmm. Thanks to Her other grandma, She's also ready to help out. Time to get cookin!

Making a Splash

Please imagine trying to stuff a hot dog into a shot glass. This feat approximates what bathtime has become for Little One and I. So tonight, She graduated from the sink to the tub. Well, the baby tub. How did it go? Now imagine a puppy let out of it's cage into a big, open field. Woo hoo!!! Little One stretched out and said..

"where's the edge?...*Stttrreeeeeetccchh*....must be here somewhere.......maybe if I kick I'll find it....*splash*....WHAT?!...What was that?!.....*splash*....Ho.lee.cow. I think I did that!...*splash splash splash*....I did! I did it! Look!! I can do it again! *spashityshplishsploshsplash*...and again! .....WOOOH HOOOOO!!!"

It took Little One not long at all to find that all four limbs can create the maddening delight of disrupted surface tension. And let me tell you, the girl got a workout. And that wasn't all. In the vast Ocean of Tub Little One found a friend. His name is Ducky, and he comically dances around, cleverly evading capture. But if you do get him, and push him under the water, why, the fellow will pop right back up again! Hilarious! The little trickster!
I wish I had pictures to share of Little One and Ducky exploring the crashing waves of Tub together. But seeing as I'm on my own here, I figured that holding up a slippery, flailing child in a vat of potentially hazardous liquid and wielding a camera might not get me nominated for Mother of the Year. But it was some much needed fun. Fun enough to distract Little One from Her recent woes, and even fun enough to distract me from the fact that She was having all the Tub-fun because She is so quickly making Her way from ripple to tsunami.

Either way, it Bites.

Here is where Little One's tummy hurts.
And here is where Her mouth hurts. And here She is, going after the ice cube wrapped in that tea towel like the doggies with a chicken-flavored rawhide. And here She is, looking sweet and adorable, as She tried to be stoic. Just before resuming the incessant whimpering. For the last couple days Little One has been making it subtly, yet CONSTANTLY known, that She is not feeling quite right.Are there teeth preparing to make their grand entrance? Are the hives from the pollen in the almost-spring-like air? Or from some nefarious insect that managed to sneak through my mama-radar? Which one is causing the Whimpering? Both? At this point, I dunno. But I can tell you (and Little One agrees) that whether we're talking teeth or mosquitoes, this bites.

P-retty H-ard D-ecision

I can admit it. I've got problems. One of which is that I have a serious case of indecisiveness. Or maybe I don't. Or maybe I do. When faced with a big decision I tend to perseverate and freak out and call everyone to take an opinion poll, and make lists of pros and cons, and then pace around and fret. You're thinking, "do people really fret anymore?" Yes. I do. I'm pretty spectacular at it, if I do say so myself. So if I've been quiet around here, it's because all my meager mental energies leftover from entertaining Little One have been expended in this manner.
My big decision has to do with whether or not to go back to school, and whether to go full time if I do go. As many of you know, I'm slated to finally begin working on my doctorate this coming fall. Which would be hard work, stressful, expensive, and a logistical mess. Especially considering the fact that Little One and I are really enjoying my current job title. But, it is a great opportunity, it's something I love, and I want to be able to tell Little One one day to educate Herself and to chase Her dreams without being a hypocrite. I've been having trouble sorting out whether I'd most regret not having at least tried to finish school, or most regret the time I'd miss with Little One. J, darn him, is just no help at all since he has to go and be all supportive all the time. Sheesh.
Well all the fretting has helped me come to what I think is a pretty good compromise, for now. Or maybe not. Or maybe so. Well, good enough to free up a few brain cells for other activities for now, and so pictures and updates of my current, teensy boss will be forthcoming. If you'd like to add to the running opinion poll, feel free to visit the Peanut Gallery down there. And if not, at least you'll know next time I don't post for a while that I'm not ignoring you, just probably having to choose between two flavors of ice cream or something.

Now THIS:
is a sweet, sweet baby. That I'm sure of.

Baby Doll

Bitty Romance

Get ready for this, peanuts. Little One has a boyfriend! They met in utero, which is like a really truly blind date, because of course they couldn't actually see each other. But they had their real first date just a few months later. He was long, dark, and handsome. She was outgoing and laughed at his jokes. They shared a lovely afternoon together. He was like, "girl, nice legs!" And She was all, "you flatterer! All riiight, you can hold my hand. Tee hee."
They really hit it off. They've been out a few times now. Here are some pics from a recent date. We overheard them flirting. They are quite the item. And the PDA, I mean really. Just look!


Little One: "O, you are so cute."O: "Little One, you are cute. I love your stunning belly button!"Little One: "And I love your luscious cheeks!"O: "Why thank you! I shall kiss your hand like a gallant Frenchman!" Little One: "Oh you charmer!"Little One: "All riiiight, you can hold my hand again. Tee hee."

Bibbity bobbity boo-hoo

Remember that part in Cinderella where the clock strikes 12 and suddenly her ballgown and white horses and carriage turn back into rags and mice and a pumpkin? Today that is me. My fairy godmother (AKA my mom) disappeared today, and sadly prince charming is not due back at the castle for awhile yet. *sigh*. Having my mom here totally was like being a princess at a ball....a catered ball, with good conversations and free child care. So before I get back to washing diapers and cleaning floors, I would rather focus on the past! Here are some pics of my charmed life while Little One's Gramma was here and breakfast magically made itself every morning. My little glass slipper and I miss her already!

Mount Vernon


Playing at the Park



St. Patricks Day Parade



Botanical Gardens


Sightseeing




Fun in the Snow


Gramma Snuggles!