Christmas and December 2008 in review...

It's hard to believe the year is almost over. I do believe 2008 has been one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life (so far.) I'm sure I'll have to take some "time to reflect" before New Year's Eve. For now, though, here's what we did in the past couple of weeks.



Many of you know that Maine was hit hard with an ice storm recently. We were without electricity for just over 24 hours at our house, but family members were without power for 3 and 4 days. Others in the state suffered for almost a week!



We heat our home with oil...our, I should say heatED. This summer Dan refurbished the boat and sold it, making enough money to install a chimney, hearth and wood-burning stove, plus buy enough wood for this winter and possibly next. The installation has been a struggle to say the least. We had a contractor lined up to do the whole project - he had great references, a good price, and Dan really liked him. He showed up with rusty, used parts that were not even the right size to meet code. There was no negotiating to happen with this guy, so he left and wouldn't return our calls. Thank goodness we hadn't given him any money. It was another month before we had someone else lined up, and he was a total administrative nightmare...he wrote down our information as Stan Welch, and kept getting our street name and family names mixed up...I actually told him that I was Stan's wife at one point...ha! When it was all said and done, he did a great job in little time for a great price.



Dan decided to build the hearth himself, which was a big leap of faith for me. Half-way through that piece of the project, our neighbor offered some advice, training, and help. In the end, he built the entire hearth in exchange for driveway snow-blowing for the winter! What a deal. The hearth was useable but not beautiful JUST in time for our power outtage, so we were toasty warm. We cooked on the stove, heated up water for baths, and dried hand-washed clothes on racks in the living room. We felt like frontier-folk. We were *almost* sad when the power returned.

Popps decided to do his physical rehab here in Maine, so he arrived shortly after Thanksgiving to a nursing home about 20 minutes North of us. We've been visiting him a lot, and he's been making great progress. He's using a walker and a wheelchair, doing his exercises, and seems to have made peace with his PT after a rocky start. He's hoping to return to NY soon.

Vi has had an action-packed month. Between OMT for last month's ear infection, eczema, and a tummy bug, she's been in and out of the doctors' offices too many times to count. Her ears are all cleared up, and she started a growth spurt just after a four-day BRAT diet. The eczema still hasn't cleared up, so we visited the homeopathic doctor last week. She thinks that it's not an allergy, but a wrecked gut...from the antibiotics last month for her ear infection and the tummy bug. She is helping us cure this from the inside out with Cod Liver Oil, ProBiotics, and a homepathic remedy for her general constitution to help her immune system get balanced. Plus, she's having us eliminate dairy and soy for a bit, just to help along the process. (Goat and Buffalo are fine...we're sticking with Goat's milk, since Buffalo milk sounds revolting and wrong.)

New words that she's trying out: help, hot, down, cup, sit, ball, eyeball and all gone. All gone is a good one - it comes out sounding like the Law & Order chime - Ga-gong!

Her "receptive" language is still thriving - she seems to understand more than we realize. She is also using her signs as much as ever. New signs include train and rabbit. She can point to her body parts, too, so we're singing a lot of "head, shoulders, knees and toes" lately. We've been asking her lots of questions and trying to improve her ability to constructively use all of these tools. So, lots of fun stories are to come, including:

My brother's family was in town for the holiday, and poor baby Addie has started teething. There was a lot of crying in the past couple of days. (Which made Dan and me realize that a baby's cry is loudest to the baby's parents. Funny what perspective does.) Recently, Addie gave up the pacifier/Nuk/binky/bubba. I asked Vi if Addie had told her what she needed. (I sort of think the little ones actually understand each other...any research to prove that? I'd love to read it.) Vi nodded her head and said, "Yeh." I asked her, "What does baby Addie need?" Vi responded, enthusiastically and unprompted, "Bubba!"

This is one of those stories that's hard to tell without sounding judgemental, so I want to be clear that Addie's doing great without the bubba, does not need one, and I'm not suggesting they try to give her one! The Bub is one of those areas each parent has to make their own choices about, and I know how much I dislike uninvited advice. JD and I were comiserating about strangers giving us advice in public...so strange. That's the easy advice to shirk. Intra-family advice is harder because the advisors are witnesses to your choices. It can be hard to not take it personally, when parenting methods are not the same. I know we have different rules about bubbas and TV than my sister's family, and that sleep and slings are big differences between me and my brother's family...but you know what? It doesn't matter. I mean, of course it matters that one parents mindfully and makes these decisions with the overall health of all the family members being a priority, but it doesn't matter that we do it differently. These kids are all growing up loved and taken care of, with a great big family that loves them. That's all that matters.

Another word that Vi definitely understands is "scream." If you say the word, she willingly demonstrates. How can such little lungs make so much noise?

Christmas was great. We did our usual multi-family run-around - three families in one day. Vi got lots of new books, a table & chairs set, an emperor penguin, clothes, shoes, and money for college. I got clothes, a Kitchenaid mixer, slippers, and lots of sleep. Dan got a leather jacket, books, iTunes gift cards, and gift certificates for shoes and a wood-carrier. We got money for our oil bill, too, which is great...we'll have hardly spent any of our own money on oil this year! With a bunch of gift certificates combined, we also got a new camera. (RIP our Sony.)

My sister was here with her kids, and we got to go sledding, watch Prince Caspian, play with the electric train, draw and decorate cookies. The kids all did some disco-diva dancing at my dad's house that evening. I am hoping we have some video to post, because it was pretty hilarious. There will definitely be lots of great pictures coming from Noelle.

And, today, it's back to work. Just a 3-day work week for me, so I should really be plowing through my to-dos rather than writing in my diary...

Happy New Year to all of you!

P.S. 8 days until Birthday.

Real quick picture post!

http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/December2008?authkey=wASEg-0kb1w#

Eczema?

Vi's doctor has informed us that Vi's "itchy-scratchy" is actually eczema. Yuck. He gave us a topical cream and some other topical-strategic advice, but it's my understanding that eczema starts on the inside...
Any advice? Favorite websites? Anecdotal advice?

I will, of course, call our homeopathic PA for her take on it and we are considering allergy testing.

Yuck.

Talking!

We've joked for a while that when Vi starts talking, she'd be using full sentences. It might not be more than one word at a time, but today Vi decided to start using multiple words:

1) Mama
2) Dada
3) Cheese
4) Boo
5) Clap



We were doing a round of "Who's that?" which is usually a pointing game, when Vi announced that I am Mama and Dan is Dada. Later in the day, we were taking pictures with Auntie Boo, and when asked to smile & say "cheese," Vi complied. The later "Who's that?" game included Boo, and Vi repeated the name. Throughout the day, when babbling to herself and clapping, Vi kept saying something that sounded like "clap, clap, clap."

So, here we go...she'll be saying "Merry Christmas" to you all this year, I'm sure. :-)

Sleep, sweet sleep!

Here is the (current) winning combination for getting Vi to sleep through the night:


1) Magic blanket, aka Halo's sleep sack

2) Foxy - the stuffed animal that lights up when squeezed, to show the way to the bubba

3) Warm fitted sheet from Pottery Barn

4) Blanket sleeper PJs

5) Vicks humidifier



We're going on 3 nights...my body is in a state of shock from all the rest!

(EVERYBODY: Knock on wood.)

Released from the vault...

From Las Vegas, November, 2007:

Quick Update!

Dan spent most of last week in NY with Popps. He was here for a short work week, and is en-route now back to NY. Miles and miles and miles he's driven this month! We're looking into having Popps do his rehab here in Maine, which would not only be convenient for us, but also it would allow more family to visit and encourage him during the process. Who knows, maybe he'll fall in love with Maine and stay...I know that's a bit greedy of us, but we'd really love him to be nearby.

Vi is still doing really well at day care. Every day her "daily sheet" says she was happy or silly, and she usually eats and sleeps well there. They do a lot of art projects...finger-painting, marker-scribbling, etc...and I'm accumulating a priceless collection. She learns new signs and songs with hand-gestures all the time, and I have to try hard to keep up!

When Dan returned last week from NY, I gave him the run-down on Vi's development. She had significantly changed in the 4 days he was gone! She now climbs - silent and sneaky, like a ninja. I'm thinking of putting bells on her. She has new signs, so I had to show him all of them. One was for "fish." He stopped me, and asked, "WHEN will I need to know the sign for fish in casual conversation with Vi?!?" The next day, they were at the grocery store, and she started signing "fish." He didn't respond immediately, so she kept signing "FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH" frantically. He finally realized what she was doing, and acknowledged her communication with "Oh! You see a fish over there at the fish counter! Fish!!"

I've been trying to teach her "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes," since she likes pointing to eyes and ears and mouth and nose already. She likes Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and anything with a beat so she can stomp and spin and shake it. They play "I like to move it, move it" every day at day care and the kids, well, mooove it. So super-cute to see all those little rumpuses shaking.

Thanksgiving is coming, in case you didn't know. My brother and his family will be here, so we will have a nice, big family dinner. Mom, Steph and I are splitting most of the cooking, with other little assignments being given to the boys. I think we'll do two small turkeys - one at Mom's and one at my house - to cut down on cooking time and to have more drumsticks. Plus I'm attempting a from-scratch (read: not One-Pie) pumpkin pie, using the pumpkin from our hay ride last month. (Don't remind Dan of how old the pumpkin is. Ha.)

I hope you are all well and cozy and ready for the holiday season. I hope we can all slow down a bit and enjoy the changing season, the time with friends and family, and really enjoy the holidays with some peace and happiness!

-Lindsay

Gifting season is coming...

Check out my friend's new business, Turtle Love Committee. Beautiful jewelry!!

Update on Popps

Popps is not his usual fiesty self. He's pretty confused about where he is and how he got there. He'll be in the ICU for the rest of this week, most likely.

Dan is back in Poughkeepsie, acting as the Health Care Agent, making medical decisions on Popps' behalf.

On the homefront, Vi has an ear infection.

(And Mama's tired.)

Send your thoughts and prayers

Dan's grandfather, a feisty 92-year old, was on his way to buy more bleach to finish pressure-washing his house on Thursday, when he lost control of his car. He was trying to avoid a vehicle in front of him who had "stopped short," and he drove off the road into a tree.

He's in the ICU right now, with multiple fractures to his ribs, pelvis, sternum and elbow. They have him on pain medication, and they're keeping a very close eye on him for pneumonia and infection.

Thanks to all of you who have already sent your well-wishing.

Autumn in Maine

I can't believe it's November! The clocks go back tomorrow, Thanksgiving is around the corner...this has been yet another speedy year.

Here are some pictures from our Autumn so far. We've been on some nice walks, gathered leaves, closed up our garden, and now we're focused on getting ready for winter. Dan's still wood crazy...the wood stove hasn't been installed yet, due to a mix-up with the contractor. (The contractor who had great references, a great price, and could do the entire project...unfortunately, he didn't remember a little thing called "code" when planning our chimney.)

Vi is getting more and more used to day care, or "school," as we so frequently hear it called. She's definitely learning, the care takers are called teachers...I might give in an call it school after all. They had class pictures this week, which I hope to have in-hand by Christmas. And, they had a Halloween parade yesterday. A bunch of the parents came and we all walked around the neighborhood with the kids in the buggy, all dressed up. We had two ladybugs, one Tigger, two pumpkins,a superhero a turtle, a skunk, and my little Lion. I've included pictures of Vi in the album below, but I don't want to post pictures of other people's kids without permission. I'm sure you get the idea, though, that it was incredibly cute.

The lion costume is borrowed from my good friend, Kate. You can read more about her, and see more of her costumes on her blog, Hiccups & Fairy Dust. She makes costumes for her kids every year, and gets all the details right. The lion had everything - attached paws (read: mittens!), a fuzzy mane (read: warm head!!) and fully-detailed paws. Kate does make costumes and other items for sale, available at her Etsy shop, Four Square Walls. The quality is excellent, the designs are original, the price is right, and you can feel good about having your kids wear something hand-made. Start thinking about Halloween 2009 now!!!

Here is a new album of Vi pictures. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/z0Ta0ycL7O_K2obuVy78MA

Birth Roots!

I mentioned Birth Roots many times during pregnancy - this is the Perinatal Resource Center here in Portland which offered the childbirth education, breastfeeding, parenting, and newborn classes in which Dan and I participated. This is the place co-founded by our awesome doula, Leah and her amazing business partner, Emily.

Birth Roots recently re-located, due in part to the closure of Portland's only free-standing birthing center, the Ballard House, which had leased space to perinatal resource groups through the years. Their new location is larger and more functional for the types of classes and services offered. On Sunday, I attended the grand opening of the new location. Here's a clip from the local news:

http://www.wcsh6.com/video/default.aspx?mid=895208689

I strongly encourage any family preparing for birth in the Portland area to see what Birth Roots is all about. I really liked the independent nature of the courses, which allowed for more open discussion on the shared experience. Rather than taking a course hosted by the hospital where we gave birth-which, I'm sure, is a fine course- we were able talk about how I wanted give birth, not just what it would be like at that particular facility. In our Birthing from Within class there was couple who started out planning to birth at Mercy Hospital, decided do home birth instead, and, in the end, finished up delivering at Maine Medical Center. In my Blossoming Newborns class, there babies born at home, at Ballard House, at Maine Med, at Mercy...in tubs, squatting, in beds, by cesaerean birth... A wide variety of experiences, and we were brought together to help each other through the strange, tumultuous, scary, frustrating, joyous, wonderful and humbling experience of being a new mother.

Thank you, Birth Roots, for all you have done for my family and friends! Congratulations on your new space - it's beautiful, open, welcoming, functional, and perfectly YOU!

First day of day care

Vi had her first day of day care last Wednesday, and she loved it. Her teacher sent us this picture:
On her daily report (the piece of paper which tells us if she ate, pooped, slept, or learned anything new each day), it said "Vi had fun Playing with Cassy (the dog)."

This isn't going to be so hard, after all. Now I know the hard part will be the separation...for ME. I am going to miss so much of her development; I'll have to find a way to deal with the incongruity between my ideals as a mother, a feminist, and someone who can't afford to not work.

Post 101

Today was a perfect, wonderful day.


Preceded, of course, by a delightully long night of sleep, gifted to me by my precious daughter who went 7 (SEVEN!!) hours without needing us.

It's getting cold here, in Maine. Dan and I have been using a blanket and two comforters at night to stay warm - which has been, I admit, overkill to the point that we kick the top comforter off in a sweaty fit around 2 am. Still, it's cold enough that we THINK we need two comforters. Vi, like most babies, I'm told, kicks her blankets off. Dan's theory is that she's waking up cold. So, we purchased a "sleep sack" last night. Here is a picture of someone else's baby sleeping soundly in the sack.

You already know that Vi's first night in a sleep sack went very well.

This morning, Dan went to the kitchen to make cofee around 7:30, and took Vi with him. They snuggled and read books while the coffee brewed and I snoozed. We had warm beverages in bed together, snuggled, giggled, and loved the pets. When we were ready to get up (read: Vi started climbing down from the bed on her own), we all padded around in PJs and Dan made buckwheat pancakes.

**IS THAT NOT THE PERFECT START TO A DAY? Coffee/Bottle in bed, DaddyCakes in PJs. PERFECT.**

We then went about our typical morning routine of books and percussion instruments, intermingled with dog-kissing and shrieking. We ran a few errands, then headed up to Wolfe's Neck Farm for a pumpkin hay ride. We saw chickens, turkeys, sheep, and cows. We even saw what one woman described as a "bunny mixed with a bison," but in reality was just an extremely ugly and fuzzy rabbit. The hay ride was on a big wagon pulled by a tractor (I was hoping for horses), and we went by the cow's pastures and past a wonderful view of Casco Bay. Today was a crystal-clear, warm yet crisp, blue-sky Autumn day. We ate apples and picked pumpkins and ended up watching brand-new baby cow learning to walk by its mother.

We went to Brunswick to have lunch with my dad and help him move some heavy stuff around the house, then came home for work/naptime. Vi slept for a good two hours while Dan and I took care of housework/work-work. I made the best pizza ever, talked to my grandmother on the phone, then sent Vi off to bed happily.

Now, once I'm done posting these photos, Dan and I are going to watch Miami Vice. Ooh. Not a great date movie, but hopefully it will be fun in some way. Here are some photos from the last few weeks.

(Oh, you may notice that Vi now has bangs. I got tired of the losing battle with barrettes.)

http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/October2008#

Ah-choo!

I don't understand some kinds of perfume or cologne, or at least the level of application thereof.

Why would one want to smell like a bed of roses that just did ten tequila shots? Smell-able FROM ACROSS THE ROOM?!?


(This crazy venting inspired by the UPS delivery man who just left me in a sneezing fit over his apparent love for what seems to be women's perfume.)

Once again, a timely read

My sister sent me the following blog post waaaay back in October 2007. Remember October 2007? I had been back to work for about a month, was starting to struggle with work/home balance, trying to figure out child care, and feeling so alone and helpless.

http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/004007.html

It's funny to read this again, now. So much has changed, yet not much is different. I still struggle for balance. Child care has been an ongoing issue - emotionally, logistically, financially. I feel like a crazy person when I argue it out in my head - I want to be home with Vi, I can't afford to be home with Vi, I have to work, I love my work, I miss Vi, I can't afford quality child care unless I work, I only need quality child care if I work...and so on. Like an insane carousel of emotions and problems and hopes and fears that just doesn't stop.

We've been in a decent pattern for a couple of months now, with a great nanny, a great grammy, and Dan's off-season schedule loosening up a bit. Just this past week, we have found a day care center that I really like. The people are so friendly and qualified, the location is convenient, the price is right... I'll be able to work more...

I should be thrilled, right? I just keep telling myself that it's time. Vi is ready. She is dying for more interaction, more education, more stimulation, more consistency. (Of course I'm hoping the consistency will help the night waking!) I'm ready for more consistency, more balance. Dan is ready for a less crazy wife. (We'll see.)

I guess that sums it up. We'll see.

I'll keep you posted.

Eew, grody.

Vi likes black olives.



Pictures of olives on little fingers to come...I don't need to say how freakin' cute that is, do I?



(That almost makes it OK for her to like them.)

Fun on the Slide (or the Slalsh)

A limerick for Vi, composed by my good friend, Kristin, of dishwasher loading fame:


VIG-o-la HIG-o-la BAD-en-hop WALSH
Went to the playground and slid down a SLALSH.
A "SLALSH" is a slide
That's funnest to ride
With VIG-o-la HIG-o-la BAD-en-hop WALSH.



Kristin visited us this summer, and accompanied us on one of Vi's first trips to the playground. She also fed me and did my dishes. Kristin is my oldest friend, and never fails to impress me with her compassion, empathy, common sense, kindness, silliness, and intelligence. She also is a great shutterbug:

Still snickering...

Dan said the funniest thing last night.

He said, "George Bush is smarter than Sarah Palin."

I mean, really. I never imagined a day that we could finish the sentence "George Bush is smarter than __________" with anything other than "a pile of bricks."

Seriously? VP?

'>Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin.

Communication Skills. Shouldn't that be a job requirement for VP?

Sitting on the floor, laughing

This is what we do.

Dan and I sit on the floor, and watch Vi wander around the house. We hear her silly soliloquy of thoroughly-enunciated nonsense words, and repeat the noises back to her as if they were real words and we're seeking clarification or remarking on her insight. It often sounds like "Philadelphia Gilda Radner Lovenox?" or "Botox Zimbabwe, uh-huh, I know..." She stumbles around, tries to run, chases the dog, casts us a knowing glance with nose wrinkled, kisses the cat, pauses for a snack, then keeps moving. She's VERY BUSY. She seems to be saying, "Are you getting this? I'm hilarious."

Vi has three official words, in order of frequency:
1) Woof
2) Meow
3) Down (which comes out as "goooowwwww," always slightly growled.)

"Meow" started out as "now," with a long, drawn -out but not stuttered "n," said in the sweetest tone of voice. "Woof" comes out whenever she hears a dog barking - which, in our neighborhood, is very often.

Vi has picked up on some sign language, too. Some of our friends are doing the baby sign language thing, some are doing ASL...we're not REALLY doing either. It looked really interesting, so I decided to try a couple of signs that I looked up online at http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi. Obviously, we started with dog, cat, and down. She picked up dog within three or four days, and started using it for everything furry. She would point at a cat and sign dog while saying "nnnnnow." So, we started showing her the sign for cat pretty diligently. She resisted for a long time, then suddenly, this weekend, she got it. Down is pretty easy - pointing down. We also looked up food, more, water, airplane, mother and father. She will sometimes do the food sign, will usually repeat the sign for more when we ask if she wants more while signing, and makes her own special hand-in-the-air gesture whenever she sees a plane.

It really amazes me, how much she is learning, how much she can learn, how much she is innately capable of doing. Some times we are too tired to chase her, so we literally just sit on the floor and allow ourselves to be entertained. She was so silly tonight - crashing into things then giggling, walking around holding a book in front of her face, chasing the dog, screaming out the back door, climbing over and around me...at one point she fell down on her bum and just started laughing. I couldn't help but join in, and we went back and forth giggling at each other for several minutes.

Suddenly I don't have a baby - I have a child. And she cracks me right up.

Tax cut, anyone?

I rarely get into politics here, but in my work, I often hear small business owners worry about their tax exposure under a new administration.

I came across an interesting, simple site that uses actual tax policy from the two candidates to show how their tax plans would affect you:

www.obamataxcut.com

I recommend you visit it just to see for yourself!

And that's all I'm going to say here on the topic! If you want to hear me rave on about my side or rant about the other side, let me know. This site isn't intended for politics. It is a way of documenting life as we know it for Vi, and in our home, this election is very exciting and a favorite topic. Maybe I'll start another blog...in my free time...

Hurray! Pictures from my sister!

Once again, I have an amazing collection of photos to share with you, thanks to my sister.



In July we put on a baby shower for my sister-in-law (who is now proud mommy to Addie!!). Vi was all dressed up and extra-silly for the party:

Vi and Mama all gussied up.

Super silly.

Aunt Noelle not only took pretty pictures, she also brought Vi her first birthday gift. Vi was more than a bit tickled over her new Purple Bear.

She loooooooves Purple Bear. She snuggles Purple Bear. She kisses and hugs Purple Bear.

(Seriously - all the time. She freakin' loves this fuzzy guy!)

Vi in her party dress, standing over the air vent.

Here are the rest of the pictures for slideshow viewing:

http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/NewViPictures#

Thanks, Wellie!!!!! XOXO

Welcome to the World, Addie!

My niece, Adelaide, was born this morning. Mom, Baby and Dad are all doing well. Check her out:
All newborn and asleep and sweet...I can't wait to kiss that little baby nose.

Using her long legs

One Booooat, Boat for Saaaaale!

Boat for sale!

Check out the details on this beauty!

Fun, fast boat with an awesome motor! Great for fishing Casco Bay and lakes.

16' 1996 Niteram center console for sale. (Niteram is a Canadian company, no longer manufacturing boats.) 72" at its widest.

Motor: 1990 Evinrude 48hp SPL 2-stroke with tilt and trim.

Also included:
Trailer with <1 year old wheels, LED lights, 2 new sets of bearings, spare tire.
Transom-mount trolling motor
Automatic bilge pump w/ 3-way dash switch
Blue Seas water-proof fuse panel
2 dual-purpose batteries
Battery shut-off switch
Humminbird fish finder
Folding anchor w/ rope & chain
Flares
Paddle
2 gas tanks - racor filter

Best way to contact us is via our craigslist ad:

http://maine.craigslist.org/boa/813036189.html

Strange Summer

Here we are, a week before Labor Day, and I'm feeling that end-of-Summer panic - MUST get to the beach, MUST fly a kite, MUST have a picnic! It's been a rather dreary, wet season here in Maine, so when you add in our busy work schedules, there hasn't been much time for summer fun. We have spent hours and hours on a blanket in the shade of our maple tree, reading, munching, giggling. Now that Vi is walking, it's more of a home-base; she starts on the blanket and runs away shrieking with glee while I, exhausted and completely thinning out, chase her.



Yes, she's walking. Last night Dan and I noticed that she has finally gotten used to walking. It's her first choice for travelling from Point A to Point B, and she is able to do it quickly and accurately. Of course there's the occasional toe-tripping or wall-crashing, but in general, she's walking.



(I usually say it with a hard 'G', like in Forrest Gump: "I was runninG.")



Fun things we did this summer:



* Play at the beach with a Mama and Baby friend, Grammy, Aunt Noelle,Cousins Ben and Lolly

* Visit the Children's Museum in Portland

* Celebrate the wedding of my namesake

* Lots and lots of sunny day walks

* Play at the playground

* "Draw" with sidewalk chalk on our walkway at home, which often involves dumping the chalk from its bucket, walking around with the bucket, picking up the chalk and putting it in the bucket, putting chalk in one's mouth, then walking around with the bucket some more. On especially adventerous days, Vi will climb the front steps while carrying the bucket.



A few of Vi's sitters have mentioned that Vi LOVES the playground in our neighborhood. I wasn't sure why, since it's not really a toddler-style playground. I decided to explore it with Vi one day recently. We strollered down there, and, with new-walker shoes on, I released her to see where she would go. (I learned this trick from Dan. Anyone remember the mouse story?) I followed her as she waddled up to the large structure, and began to climb the steps. She walked right up to the top of a slide and looked at me, like "Okay, sit down, we're going to slide now." It's amazing to me that I can follow her lead now...she's becoming so brave and independent.



She is officially 1 now. She is about 30 inches tall, just over 20 pounds, and totally normal in regards to the height/weight/head size percentiles. She's still not sleeping consistently well through the night, so I think we're ready to visit the homeopath for some help. She has 8 teeth and likes to use them. Her hair is getting golden and curly and long. She gives kisses, hugs, and snuggles to anyone she deems worthy - usually Mitten and Riley. (Yes, Mitten. If we had known that Mitten would be nice with a baby, we would have gotten her one years ago just to make her a nicer cat. See the picture link below for proof.)



What's new with us, the parents? Dan's still super-busy, working close to 60 hours a week. He's started riding his bike to work again, now that it's NOT RAINING. His store was given a "refresh," which means a reassortment of inventory, some clean-up and some moving around of kiosks and departments. Being such a RAINY summer, and gas prices being so awful, most boaters haven't been boating, so his sales are still quite off.



I'm still busy, working less than 30 hours a week due to the child-care issue still and again. A friend has been kind enough to come stay with Vi for a few hours on one of my at-home days, which has been so helpful. Another friend's nanny had the other day open, and she transitioned into the position like she'd been here forever. We're hoping she will stick with us until the end of the year.



The other news with me is that I'm once again struggling with a lot of pain, stress, anxiety and what feels like depression. My new, wonderful doctor (go D.O!) ordered up some bloodwork to see if there was some underlying cause of it all, and lo! and behold! my Vitamin D is extremely low. At the peak of Vitamin D season. (Vit. D is the one we absorb from the sun. So, it should be at its peak levels during the summer's peak season.) He has me on some supplements, and has ordered me to eat my lunch in the sun. Shucks, it sounds awful. I'm getting up at 5 am most days now to go for a vigorous walk, and I'm starting up accupuncture again to help my system get out of this rut. It's terrible to feel so terrible all the time. It's even worse when there's someone so adorable in need of love and fun and attention, and I have those moments when I am just empty. I'm already feeling better, and understanding my situation more every day.



The biggest news for Vi is that we've decided she's ready for day care. We'll have her in a very cool facility three days a week, 8 -2 or so. Eventually the day will stretch out as she gets used to it (read: refuses to come home with boring old Mama). We've been visiting different child care centers to find the right one for us. One of them had an awesome indoor playground for rainy or cold days, which Vi loved. Unfortunately, this one very excitedly described their menu as "included in the price," then went on to list the meals which are served EVERY SINGLE WEEK: Chicken Fingers, Fish Sticks, Macaroni & Cheese, Pizza, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. While my mind was screaming, "Do they really serve fried and/or processed food every day of the week?" my mouth was saying "So, do you try to serve natural or organic food?" The center's director replied, "No, we just get whatever comes on the truck. But you're more than welcome to bring her own food." Grrreeeeeeat. Vi can be the geek with the garden burger, or the poor baby with crunchy parents who don't let her eat chicken fingers. Or, as my good friend A put it, the "dork with the cucumber." It was one of those signals to me that this place wouldn't be a good match for our family.



The place we really like has a FROG POND! They don't provide the food, just some snacks and milk. They have a toddler transitional room, which is where Vi will be. It's not quite the infant room, where babies sleep , eat, poop and play a little on a rotating two-hour schedule. It's not quite the toddler room, where the kids run and color and take one long nap together. It's in-between, for those kids, like Vi, who are still in-between. The facility is clean, they have neat programs, they are nationally acredited, all the teachers have college degrees in education or otherwise applicable subjects...I liked it the second we pulled up to the door.



This place, however, has a waiting list. (Apparently that's a sign that it's a great place, or so I've heard or read.) A waiting list until January. This is why I am so excited that the new nanny may be able to stick it out with us for her fall semester. Plus, I think Grammy is getting ready to cut back to one day a week,


Here are some current pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/SummerSoFar

I hope you're all enjoying YOUR summer!

Lindsay

Time to reflect...

One year ago today, I felt a bit disappointed that my contractions didn't start on their own. That I HAD to be induced.

But, one year ago today, I quickly got over it, because we were on our way to the hospital to get our baby.

Now here I am, another year older and not much wiser, because sleep deprivation has taken every extra ounce of wit from my brain, reflecting on the most surreal days of my life.

Here I am, the mother of a beautiful, silly baby, who fills my days with more laughter and tears and fun and not-fun than I could have imagined. She's a little person, transforming every day into a little girl, leaving the traces of baby-hood behind. Walking, eating, babbling, pointing, laughing, kissing...just a few of the amazing things she's learned to do, just 'cause. Just because she's human and growing, like all of us.

One year ago, to the hour? I was groaning, naked in a bathtub, being scolded by my seemingly teenage non-mom nurse for not relaxing enough between contractions. (She said, as she increased my pitocin drop and offered me pain meds.)

Tomorrow will be another surreal day, I'm sure. Full of work and business and busy-ness, as usual. But we'll definitely take time to reflect on those first few moments of Vi's life, which began at 5:41 am on July 31st, 2007. One Year Ago. When Dan and Lindsay became parents.

Quick update!

Vi is walking - a bit. A few steps at a time.

Vi has her first pair of shoes. Although she removes them within minutes, she eventually finds them and holds them up to me, with a frantic look in her eye and a loud request from her mouth to have them put back on.

She's pointing with intention, not just to see how her finger feels in that position. We've had to hide certain foods from her - teething biscuits, mostly - to keep her diet varied.

She's trying out new dance moves all the time. I'll try to get some video clips of it to post.

My sister Noelle was in New England over the weekend for our sister-in-law's baby shower. In addition to photo-journaling the party, she took several beautiful pictures of Vi. I'll post them when I can.

I had more to say, specific stories to post, but I can't seem to remember any of them. Plus, I'm at work, and should 'focus, pocus' as my new dear friend Adrianne would remind me.

Now hiring

It seems I did the right thing in firing our sitter. I wrote her a letter explaining why I had fired her, and asking her to clarify some "issues." She wrote back to me with, what appears to be some form of honesty. The basic elements of her letter were:
a) She's a smoker, but don't worry, she would never smoke around the baby. She's sorry she lied to me about that.

b) She also lied to me about her boyfriend having a seziure three weeks ago. She didn't show up one day, and when I finally got her on the phone, she sounded awful - stressed, tired, upset. She told me her boyfriend had a seizure, she'd been in the hospital all day, etc. I kept asking about him as the weeks went on - how's he doing, do they need anything, etc. She told me one time he had to go for more tests. Another time she told me they were putting him on some medication to "calm his nervous system." And so on. In this letter she came clean about the whole story. Seems he didn't have a random seziure - it was brought on by magic mushrooms. Seems he didn't go to the hospital at all. Seems she's a big, fat liar. Seems I would never trust her again.

c) She asked me for a raise.

In her "Please let me have my job back" letter, she asked me for a raise. Ha.

What's so sad to me is that she was GREAT with Vi. Vi truly liked her. I truly liked her. She's a smart girl - she's just being a stupid kid. And I never really understood stupid kids.

Must whine...

I had to fire my sitter today. She didn't show up. Hard to fire someone who is not present. I just keep saying, in between spritzes of cooling lavender mist, "I'm very upset about this. Very upset. I'm very upset abou this. VERY." So, if you call to console me, be prepared for a broken record. Because I'm very upset about this. Very upset. Very, very upset.

I'm feeling ungrateful and ashamed

Know how I ended my last post with "There's always someone who had a worse day, isn't there?"

Driving to the grocery store to buy Immodium for Dan and Pedialyte for Vi, I saw a blind man walk into a brick wall.

Now my "bad day" seems a bit....whiny.

What a day! (And not in a good way)

Poor Baby Vi has been sick all week. We thought she was getting a little fever on Sunday night due to teething, but it kept going up and up. She hasn't wanted to eat, she's had weird diapers (and we'll just leave it at that), and she's been pale, shy and anti-social. Even people who rarely see her said she must not be feeling well, just by the looks of her.

(By the way - I'm feeling a bit exhausted, which you'll understand by the end of this post, so I'm not going to worry about grammar so much. There will be paragraphs that just run on and on...oh, well. Read another blog if it bothers you.)

I decided today, when she wouldn't really let me take her temperature in her ear, to get her in to see the doctor. Her usual doctor is on vacation, so I accepted an appointment with the NP on staff. I tend to like Nurse Practicioners quite a bit, and this one turned out to be great. (Karen Weiss, UHC for Kids. Hurray, Karen!) What I didn't expect was a student to be shadowing her, which meant that Vi had to have everything done twice. I('m usually open to meeting with a student, but by the end of round two, I'm a little frustrated that I've had to repeat myself. Sometimes I get a bit paranoid, like the student DID tell the teacher everything, but the teacher is trying to catch me with an inconsistency. "Psycho-somatic! I'm giving you some Prozac!" I imagine them yelling at me. But that's just crazy old me...) In any case, the student was great, just a little hesitant with Vi, but very nice. They ruled out everything but a urinary tract infection, so we decided to get a urine sample! No, I didn't have to chase her around with a cup trying to catch pee. They have these little plastic bags that look just like vacuum bags - you know how vacuum bags have the hose-attachment hole, with the cardboard around it? It looked just like that, but with a u-shaped sponge around the hole, and weak, band-aid-like adhesive on the outside to stick onto her Va-jay-jay, as my Aunt Raylene would say. So, we stuck it on and waited for her to fill it. And waited. And waited.

She didn't "void" while at the doctor's office, so we came home, hoping she'd sleep a bit, as she'd been refusing a nap all day. She fell asleep on the way home, then woke up the second we walked through the door. Grammy was there, so Vi wanted to get up and be cute and giggle and act like she was well for a few moments, before collapsing into a sweaty, fussy mess. She finally peed around 12:30, then fell asleep for an hour or so. Grammy hung out with her while I took the sample to the lab, and ran an errand for work.

(Oh, yeah. Work! Right. I work for a living. I had, oh, seven or eight very important things to do today, some of which involve a marketing event I'm coordinating for Friday. Day-after-tomorrow Friday. Picking up collateral from two different printers. Dropping of freebie-logo items at the event site, introducing myself to the host and surveying the site, etc. Plus it's payroll tax week - quarterlies and monthlies due at the same time. Sales tax week - all due Tuesday. Year-end for two clients. And those are only the out-of-the-ordinary tasks for this week!)

I got to the lab with the sample, and no paperwork. I had to wait at the lab for the pediatrician to fax the labwork request, then rush to the event site to meet with the host.

Did you notice that I used the word rush? What do you think happened next? What could make this day even more awesome?

That's right. I got pulled over for speeding. I haven't been pulled over in 11 years!! Between my squeaky-clean driving record and the fact that noone dares screw with a Mama whose baby is sick, I got off with just a warning.

After all was done, errands and tasks delegated to my WONDERFUL CO-WORKERS Mark and Diana, Vi and I came home and I tried to get her down for a nap. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Dan came through the front door and said "I got tired of so I came home." Sick baby. Sick husband.

I skipped a part about both print jobs getting screwed up, and the host of the event not even being available to meet with me.

It's 82 degrees Farenheit inside my house, my brain is melting, and needless to say it doesn't smell good in here.

So, how was YOUR day? If you thought it was a bad one, just think of me and feel a bit better. There's always someone who had a worse day, isn't there?

Learning to walk

Amusing quotes

I love quotes. (And witty bumper stickers.) On my iGoogle home page, I have a "Quotes of the Day" section. Here are today's, because they tickled me:


There's always somebody who is paid too much, and taxed too little - and it's always somebody else. - Cullen Hightower

Football is a mistake. It combines the two worst elements of American life. Violence and committee meetings. - George F. Will

The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it. - Dudley Moore

Harder than I ever imagined

I didn't know it would be this difficult.

I didn't know it would be this sudden.

I didn't know I could cry so hard.

I've stopped producing milk. Even typing those words makes my eyes well up with tears.

I'm one of those women who LOVED breastfeeding. I thought it was going to be difficult when we started weaning, that I would miss it, that she would fuss, that we would still have a before-bed or first-thing in the morning feeding that would last for several months beyond her first birthday. Knowing that Vi, like most babies, has her own unique developmental schedule, I wasn't sure if we'd start weaning around 12 months, earlier, or later.

We started much earlier, because she started biting me. When I asked my lactation consultant what to do when she started biting - several months ago, before The Teeth arrived - she said, "A baby who is nursing properly won't bite, because the tongue is in the way." In retrospect, I should have said, "Yeah, but what about when she's nursing improperly?" or, "Great, can I talk to another consultant now, please?" Because, I knew full-well, that babies bite when nursing!

So, I read up on it. One book said to scold the baby firmly - a loud, angry "No." One book said to gently remove the baby and say "That hurst Mama." One said to smother the baby - pull her closer to the breast - so that breathing is constricted, thus letting the baby realize, "Oh, I can't bite and breathe and nurse at the same time. I'd better let go." One said to cry. I tried all of these things, but that little baby would stop nursing, bite, and look at me out of the corner of her eyes to see what sort of reaction she would get. (As I write this I realize that maybe NO reaction at all would have worked for Vi. Hmm. Damn you, retrospect.) She would often laugh or smile at whatever I did.

I started pumping and giving her a bottle instead of nursing, which was really difficult - emotionally and logistically. Pumping is really time-consuming, and, while I don't believe in parenting by convenience, doubling the time it takes to feed was just out of the question for me. We started supplementing with formula. I was only breastfeeding in the wee hours of the morning, when she was half-awake and hungry (and not looking for the joy of biting). I was only pumping once a day. I figured if she could continue to have one or two full servings of breastmilk a day until she's 12 months old, that would be great for her immune system.

I looked in the feezer yesterday, and realized there was no more breastmilk in storage.

Then last night, I sat down to pump, and nothing came out. I pumped for forty minutes - nothing.

In the wee hours of the morning, I padded into the kitchen and mixed a bottle of formula, instead of bringing my sweet baby to my breast and providing her what only I could provide.

And I cried myself back to sleep.

Birthday Season!

We have been very fortunate to remain friends with several couples from our prenatal education classes with Birth Roots and Portland Yoga Studio. Two of the babies have recently celebrated their first birthday, so we have gotten lots of baby-pile fun-time. I walked into one party, and there was a baby I hadn't seen in six months, standing in the middle of the room with her mom's purse over her shoulder. I was already doing a double-take of how grown-up she looked when she started WALKING towards me.

The past year has gone by so fast, and here we are, throwing parties with cupcakes and Cheerios, and hoping our little ones get covered in frosting. (Yes, I said hoping they DO get covered. We're just that kind of people.)



Here's a picture of Vi, stunned with glee at the TOYS! BABIES! FUN! at this weekend's party:

Should have knocked on wood

On Monday Vi had a vaccination called PREVNAR. It's supposed to help prevent strep-pneumonia and ear infections. Apparently, one of the possible side effects is diarrhea. So many wonderful stories there...but don't worry, I won't bother you with such colorful tales.

We've discovered that Vi is extremely sensitive to vaccinations. Not necessarily to the shot, the needle, but to the actual junk that's injected into her tiny little body. (Which is, by the way, not so tiny anymore. She can hardly stand up beneath the dining room table, her thighs finally have a little pudge, and her belly is getting a bit round.) Knowing that I'm quite sensitive to all medicines (and life in general), that there are allergies and Aspergers and other risk factors on both sides of her family tree, we decided when she was born to consult with a homeopathic doctor in our area whose specialties are pediatrics and immunizations. She helped us create a customized immunization schedule based on Vi's family medical history.

She prescribed a homeopathic remedy which, I'm convinced, got Vi to stop crying in the car.

Vi had a horrible reaction to her first shot. She didn't really notice the needle, and was in good spirits for a few hours. Towards the end of the day, she completely melted down and was inconsolable. Completely inconsolable. Dan called the homeopathic doctor, she told him what remedy to try, and within twenty minutes Vi had fallen into a deep, contented slumber.

So, we like her. She GETS it. She GETS our parenting style. She GETS Vi. Her homeopathic remedies work for Vi. And, she is very, very cool.

The "should have knocked on wood" part is that since Monday's shot, Vi hasn't slept through the night. I had a sick, superstitious feeling when I created my last post that just by thinking it out loud, the spell would be broken, and we would be back to 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 4 o'clock wakings.

We are.

We made the mistake of breaking with some of our patterns that first night. And we broke the patterns every other night, too. So, we're back to square one, because I think she's pretty much un-learned everything she had figured out about how to sleep. The good news is that - according to this doctor - she'll probably be able to get back to where she was last week quickly. Maybe just a few nights.

And if not, she's got a remedy for that, too.

Knock on Wood

For almost eleven months now, I've been asked the question "Is she a good baby?" Which, by the way, seems like a very strange question to me. I mean, really. What could she do to be classified as a "bad" baby? Burn the house down? Cuss? I don't think I would want to have a baby who was completely uninterested in exploring the world around her. But that's just me.

I usually respond to the question by saying, yeah, she's a wonderful baby, she's a pretty happy baby, she eats well and is so funny. She's not good at sleeping more than three hours a stretch, but that doesn't seem to bother her a bit. We're exhausted wrecks, but she's happy.

The mildly superstitious side of me is concerned that announcing this week's turn of events will jinx her progress.

But, screw it. The fog is starting to clear, and I want to shout from the rooftop. Vi has slept until 4:00 am five nights this week! She's doing it! Finally! FINALLY!!!

Things we tried:
A crib in her room
White noise
Night light
Repetitive lullabies
Sleeping in her room, for quick, comforting shushing and bottom-taps
Co-sleeper (which, duh, isn't for the already-crawling baby)
Bed-sharing (which isn't for the hates-to-be-kicked parent. Fine and wonderful for the newborn and for parts of the night, but not for all-night with a 10-month old)
Waiting two minutes, then three minutes, then four minutes before going to comfort her (which totally did not work for any of us. When I got to thinking about it, what exactly is the lesson a baby is learning from that exercise? Our doctor recommended this method, but he's all about Ferber. Sleep issues is one issue on which he and I don't see eye to eye. I'm not interested in forcing her to learn to sleep on her own just so I can get some rest and feel less insane. She'll learn on her own time and with gentle, loving care that makes her feel safe enough to progress.)
Feeding more food during the day, eliminating feedings one by one overnight.
Nighttime routine - bath, massage, bed. This didn't work for us. We changed it to bath, family-time/book-time/snuggle-time, bed. We climb into bed with a pile of books, read, point, ooh and ahh, and then she climbs around, flops around, rolls around until she's asleep. With very little help from us.
A pack-n-play in our room

Things we didn't try:
Letting her cry it out.
Letting her cry herself to sleep.
Leaving her alone to cry until she fell asleep exhausted.
The Ferber method.
The Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby method.
The Baby Whisperer method.
Any method that involved her crying herself to sleep.
Pattern? Yup. I was told that 1) I had to be tough and let her cry herself to sleep or she'd NEVER learn and 2) I'll let my second baby cry his/herself to sleep (which, I really hope I don't).

The final winner is a combination of the things we tried. Night time routine of bath and family time. One theory I had was that she missed Dan, because he's working long summer hours, and was waking up wanting to see him. Extra time with him before bed seemed to help. Pack-n-play in our room is great for her and us - It's easy for us to hear her if she does need us, and she can hear us, which seems to be soothing to her. Feeding more during the day and not at night. I don't believe in stuffing a baby at bed time - everything I've read says that against conventional wisdom, this isn't effective.

That's it. We'll see if she's just turned a corner, or is trying something out for this week. I'll keep you posted. For now, we're catching up on several months of sleep deprivation, and looking forward to a much less cloudy outlook on life and less anxiety at night.

Weekend on the Cape

Dan, Vi and I travelled to Cape Cod for a family wedding this weekend. The wedding was sweet and short, and the reception was hoppin'. For the meat lovers, the filet mignon was apparently TO DIE FOR. We stayed in a cool condo in a little wooded area in Mashpee - Cape Cod Holiday Estates. I would highly recommend this place if you're travelling to that area! We had a two-bedroom unit. It had a master bedroom with a huge bathroom - jacuzzi, shower, high ceilings - and a second bedroom with two twin beds and a 3/4 bath. Full kitchen - FULL = table to seat 8, full-size fridge, oven, toaster, coffee pot, microwave, DISHWASHER. Living room with sofas, coffee table, desk with internet access. Sitting room with TV and a pull-out queen-size sofa bed. I don't know how this is possible, but it was only $120. Clean, nice, and, oh! I forgot - a deck with a grill.

My friend Bonnie came up from RI to watch Vi during the wedding. Had it not been for the other 250 guests, Dan and I would have had a real date. :-) After the event, Bonnie and I stayed up and watched Footloose! and whined about silly boys. Some Hagen Daaz would have completed the effect.


Other than that, same-old, same-old. We're both working hard. We have 3 more weddings this summer, and too many birthdays to count. Dan's prepping the boat for sale. That's right - not for S-A-I-L, but for S-A-L-E. (Know anyone who wants to buy a cool 16-foot outboard runaround?) We're selling it so that we can install a wood-burning stove, since oil prices will force us to choose between starvation and frostbite this winter.

Vi is growing fast. She really wants to be walking, but isn't quite there yet. She will do animal noises - when she wants to. Her piggy impression is quite good. She's trying hard for a good elephant sound, often succeeds at a very clear Woof or Quack, really enjoys trying a Cock-a-Doodle-Doo, and can definitely do the fishy noise. When I say, "What does the rabbit say?" She immediately turns her head to look at me twitching my nose and making a toothy face. Apparently the rabbit says - Don't worry, Momma will do it.

Here's a video of her latest specialty:

(Disclaimer: I was behind the camera, so many of you know what that implies about the quality of the film. For those of you who don't know...my apologies. Yes, I know it's sideways. yes, I know it's dark. Sorry, sorry.)

A few more pictures from this Spring.

Crazy hair
Playing with the fur pelt at Dan's parents' house:

Uncle Jasper, also playing with the fur pelt. Sorry ladies, he's not really that furry.

Vi playing with her Cheerios. Trouble ahead.

Trouble DIRECTLY ahead.

Long time, no write!

It's been a very long time since I had a spare moment, and chose to use it writing here. So much has happened!

Vi is crawling and cruising (for you laypeople - that means pulling herself up into standing, and sort of walking around while holding onto furniture). She is babbling, still. As you can see below, she is pointing. At everything. All the time. Sometimes, she points up with both hands, then cocks her head to the side and shrugs. Talk about cute!! When she's crawling away from me, I say, "Excuse me, Miss?" and she stops, turns, giggles, then continues along her way. As if to say, "Yeah? You talkin' to me? Talk to my taillights, 'cuz I'm outta here." She still emits a loud, crystal-shattering shriek whenever Mitten saunters into eyesight. (She also made this noise at an airline stewardess mid-flight. Almost made her spill my tomato juice.)

We drove to Westwood, MA for a bridal shower two weeks ago. Vi slept the entire way there and back, and was great at the party. She oohed and aahed as Haley opened her gifts. She flipped through her ABC board book. One of the games at the shower was for the bride to answer 'trivia' questions about the groom. One question was "what book is Jared currently reading?" The correct answer was, "He's not reading anything right now." Someone piped up and said, "That baby's reading more than your fiance'!" Okay...you had to be there. Funnier in the moment.

She really IS reading a lot...if you put a pile of toys and a pile of books in front of her, she will paw through the books first.

One thing she's not doing is sleeping well. Not napping for me during the day (she napped for a brand-new babysitter the other day, but for me? No.) and certainly not sleeping through the night. Not "sleeping like a baby" at all. Whoever came up with that phrase is an idiot. We've tried the go-to-sleep routine. We've tried the let-her-cry for just-a-minute routine. We've tried keeping her in bed. She just won't give us a real pattern to follow, or try to adapt! When one starts to emerge, so do four new teeth, so she's up in pain. Or she'll get a cold. Or a vaccination. I know how tired I am - I haven't had more than a dozen full nights of sleep in 18 months! She must be pretty tired, too. Not sure where she gets all of her giggling and crawling energy from.

She's eating a lot, too. Avocado, carrots, potatoes. Pears, apples, blueberries. Oatmeal, barley, rice. Bread, Pirate's Booty, Cheerios. She has days when she insists on self-feeding, and others when the spoon can't get from mouth to bowl to mouth fast enough. She has six teeth - four on top, two on the bottom. Her toothy grin keeps getting cuter. She was "kissing" Dan last night (this involves a lot of drool and a slimy baby tongue on your cheek) and decided to chomp down on his cheek. He has a big red mark from it! And yes, I'm still breastfeeding. No injuries to report.

Grammy (my mom) is back to feeling herself, and has been coming to watch Vi twice a week for the past couple of weeks. She'll continue doing one day a week, and may stick to two if she wants to. Vi crawls towards her, screeching and smiling, every time she arrives.

Other family news:

Dad had a 1.6 cm kidney stone lithotripsied-out two weeks ago. Suddenly his back doesn't hurt anymore. :-)

Steph is showing and glowing, as she should be! I forget how beautiful a pregnant woman can be!
They'll be moving back to NYC after the baby comes - JD first, for work, then Steph to follow.

Ben has started T-Ball, and Noelle is the coach. (Co-coaching with Mr. McHotty.)

Noelle broke/sprained her foot the other day.

I broke a toe the next day in sympathy.

Dan is super-busy with work again. It's that time of year - he works in retail, for a marine supplier. His weeks have gone from a standard 45 hours to about 60+ hours. He doesn't get paid overtime, and there are days when he leaves so early and gets home so late that he doesn't see Vi at all. I know it's a good job, but it seems like other people would do this "paying your dues" thing for a couple of years to get ahead...and we just keep paying and paying and paying, and getting further behind. And we miss him. It's hard being a single mom for a few hours each day - I can't imagine doing it full-time.

After a long search full of FRUIT LOOPS, LUNATICS, and FLAKES...we finally found a mother's helper/babysitter to come watch Vi on my work-at-home days. She's got a great attitude, is super-helpful, has great instincts with Vi, and Vi loves her. Feet-kicking, screeching and pointing when she arrives. :-)
Work has finally levelled off for me...funny how childcare has helped me get caught up, eh?

Spring is finally here - the lilacs are in bloom, my tulips are all up (well, the ones that remain after the squirrel pillaging), the sun is shining..! Springtime in Maine is the best. We got our inaugural ice cream cone a couple of weeks ago. It's so nice to get out, too. Even a quick stroll around the block, or just sitting on a blanket in the grass, is such a much-needed change of pace. Summer will be here soon, and it's a busy one. We have four weddings (well, 3 weddings and one Civil Union) to attend, seven family birthdays, one anniversary, several friends' and babies' birthdays, lots of fish to catch, squash to grill, weeds to pull, and grass-stains to get. I'm dying to get Vi into a pool somewhere, too. She has a couple of swim suits already...yes, I'll post some pictures. :-)

She's still asleep, so I should really be getting some work done, some laundry folded, some dishes washed...something.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. Looking forward to seeing some of you as you come to Maine this summer!!!

Vi at a Bridal Shower

Midwest Adventure 2008

Vi and I just had a whirl-wind weekend. Friday we flew to Indianapolis with 2 of my brothers, to attend the funeral of our grandfather on Saturday. She and I hitched a ride with my aunt and uncle to Cincinnati, so as to surprise my grandmother with a visit from her newest great-grandchild. We flew home on Sunday.

She was a Wonderful Baby the entire weekend. Not kidding...I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would take her on an airplane any day of the week. She slept well, ate well, and was cheery and smiley and silly. My only complaint is that she liked to poop while we were taxiing down the runway...the only time I had NO access to a changing table!

Here is a video of Vi being Vi, and a link to a web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/MidwestAdventureApril2008

Easter Pics by my sis

Then and now

Vi in Spring

New photos!
http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/ViInSpring

A few pictures to hold you over...

...until I have time to write some updates!
http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/March242008/photo#s5181466220382011250

Updates to include:
- pre-crawling
- teething
- solid foods
- sound experimentation
- cousins

She'll be eight months old next week. Hard to believe.

Emails from friends

A sweet email from a dear friend, loaded with "how are you" questions, prompted me to STOP for a moment and write about our busy lives. Here's my reply...

How is Vi? What’s she up to?
Vi is great. She’s up to lots…sucking on her toes, pushing herself up on her knees when in tummy time, NOT rolling over very much, talking up a storm, pooping a LOT, loving avocados and apples and pears and rice cereal but HATING (squished-up-face, hands-in-front-of-mouth, moaning and frowning and ducking the oncoming spoon) squash. I don’t blame her – it smells horrible. She had her 6 month checkup yesterday – she’s 28 ½ inches tall/long, 16 pounds, 1 ounce…109th percentile for height, 50th for weight, and 75th for head…they kept saying she must have a lot of brains in there. Doc said it’s okay that she’s not rolling over very much…since she’s able to, but not doing it, maybe she doesn’t LIKE rolling over. Hmm. Leah said Hannah doesn’t roll over, either. I’m all, “BUT SHE’S NEVER GOING TO LEARN TO READ IF SHE CAN’T ROLL OVER!!!!!!” which is apparently not true.

How’s Mom?
Mom’s…okay. Thanks for asking. She’s really down…so much going on, so much to think about, not much to DO, though. I’m hoping she finds some way to get her body’s energy flowing better. I'm anxious for her to get back to her energetic, silly self.

Is Dan enjoying his time at the Gaylord in Florida?
Dan really liked the Gaylord Palm. His room had a computer with free internet, he had his good buddy Lucas as a roommate (they’re so funny…when the registration form comes out, they both put down each others’ names as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice for roommate!). The food was not great…I guess they had spaghetti for dinner the first night, a single egg sandwich for breakfast. He sounded exhausted this morning when we spoke. He’s supposed to touch down at PWM at 3:40 today…weather permitting. I hope they’re able to get here…I’m tired of being a single mom!!! I can’t imagine doing this on an ongoing basis.

How’s tax preparation time coming along?
Tax prep…yuck! I am so, so, so busy at work. Vi comes with me most days, which is great and fun and stressful all at the same time. I’m making very slow progress on my projects. I’m hoping to get in some extra work next week and wrap up a few things.

Who do you think will be the next president?
I’m thinking it’s going to be an Obama-Edwards ticket, winning out over McCain and whoever is crazy enough to accept the VP invitation. I’m really bummed that Edwards pulled out…he was the only one who really spoke to me on any issues. I can’t see any of the Republicans winning, but I’m really concerned that people will get the Bradley effect in the polling stations in November…and vote for White Guy instead of Black Guy or Woman. I hope a Dem. wins…not just because I identify more with that party than the Republicans, being a Green, but also because it’s so exciting to think we’ll get to see the first African-American or female president. What an inspiration to our kids.

Had any lavender custard lately?
Ooh! Lavender custard!!!!! That sounds amazing. Maybe I’ll borrow my mom’s ice cream maker and whip some up.

Any-who... that's the news from the Walsh household. It's been a rather lonely winter here...with me working so much and sleeping so little, it's left very little time for socializing. I'd love to hear from any of you...how are YOU? What are you and yours up to? Keep in touch.

Love,
Linz

2008 so far

This year can only get better.

New Year's Eve - in bed with The Cold
January 3rd - in bed with Bronchitis
January 6th - my mother had a heart attack, and was in Maine Med until the 11th
January 12th - Vi got her first cold

And now, suddenly, January is over next week (which means Vi will be 6 months old!!!), so for a member of the bookkeeping and accounting world, I'm screwed due to all the lost time I've had this month, my loss of my Friday child care, and the annoying little fact that there are only 24 hours in a day.

A few good things - Vi is enjoying experimenting with solid foods, she may very well cut a tooth this month, and her New! Colorful! Exersaucer! is so much fun.

We had a friend who used to say all the time to her little boy, "It's a good thing you're so cute." We thought it was a horrible thing to say at the time. Since Vi is my one true source of joy - I think I finally understand that friend. In my most difficult moments, I just look at her, and it's impossible not to smile.

Authorship of photos

Just to be clear, any photos of me and Vi were not taken by me, and credit should be given where credit is due.

So, thank you, anonymous and humble photographers in my life. Thank you.

Vi in her many moods

So Thirsty.
So Happy. (So cute. So monkey-like. So sweet.)
So Serious. (So overwhelmed with Christmas festivities)
So Sleepy.

So cool.
So relaxed.
So silly.
So intellectual.
So...I don't know. Everything goes in the mouth nowadays.

You can also see pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/linzwalsh/5MonthsOld