billandcorrie.com

I really need to get on the ball with the blog.  I’ve slowed to only weekly entries, it seems.  And I keep hearing from people that they are indeed checking in (though no one ever leaves comments!), so I’m going to make a renewed effort to post something at least every few days.

So Lily has a couple of new things she’s started doing.  One is pointing.  It’s usually not at anything in particular, but she has just realized that she can draw our attention to something in her view by pointing at it, and it’s really very cute.  Sometimes she just goes around, pointer finger out, in case something of interest pops up.

Another new development: playing by herself!  This is tremendously exciting.  We invested in a safety gate that spans our entire sunroom, which is Lily’s play area.  She doesn’t usually like to be pinned up in there alone, but she will play contentedly for quite a little while if someone will sit in there with her.  So this allows me to catch a little breather from time to time.  Last week I was hooked on crossword puzzling all week, so I used that opportunity to work on the puzzle.  Then yesterday, Lily actually crawled to the sunroom, went through the unlocked gate, and began playing with her toys all by herself!  I was slack-jawed in amazement.  This is a baby that has not wanted to be alone ever, and suddenly she’s venturing off to play independently.  What a big girl!

And speaking of playing, Lily has just discovered her dolls.  She has a couple, and now instead of just biting their faces, she “kisses” them and pats them.  It is one of the most adorable things I’ve seen.  I can’t believe that my baby is playing with her own babies.  It is something to see.

Lily is also (finally) waving bye-bye with some consistency.  She has been waving for a couple of months, but she sometimes refuses to perform on demand, so it was far from a predictable skill.  We are starting to see it with some frequency now.

On the mobility front, Lily is getting ever closer to walking, though I’m still not sure she’ll hit that milestone before her birthday.  But she will stand and let go of a support for up to 20 seconds or so.  The physical therapist in me is getting pretty excited to see her walking, so may I begin working on it in earnest.  However, the exhausted mother in me is shouting, “Wait!  There’s no rush!” as I know she will be a formidable force once she’s fast on her feet.

And, one more positive change is that Lily is starting to embrace solid food a bit more heartily.  We have chosen not to push the issue, but just let her come around in her own time, and that approach seems to be paying off.  We offer her three meals a day now, and she may or may not eat at each meal, but she is definitely eating more.  Her new fave?  Daddy’s own special concoction of ground beef, rice, and green beans.  He cooked up a big batch, pureed it together, and froze it in ice cube trays.  So, at mealtime, we just warm up a couple of cubes and she’s happy.  She also likes a chicken and potato combo.  And she’s way into finger foods these days: cheese bits, pieces of bread, Bunny Grahams (like Teddy Grahams, but organic and tastier), and Sesame Street cheese crackers.  (Actually, I’m a big fan of these, too.  I just polished off a box along with a Corona as I’m blogging.)

So, I guess that pretty much consititutes an 11-month update.  Lily will turn 11 months this week, so I suppose an update was due.  I’ll try to get her 11-month photo posted this week, too.  Wow, 11 months!  It’s time to plan a birthday party!

Hope the Easter Bunny was good to you!  Lily got some fun things: new sippy, spring hat, a couple of toys, and a few eggs filled with graham snacks and cheese crackers.  The Easter Bunny, in his omniscience, knew Lily would not be able to enjoy Cadbury Eggs and Peeps this year (though I wish he would have remembered that I certainly can enjoy them).

After thoroughly investigating her Easter basket, Lily donned her very first Easter dress and black patent Mary Janes, and we all went to church.  (It was absolutely the most darling dress, but we somehow didn’t get any pics — so you’ll have to wait until I can get some from the grandparents to post.)  Following, we went to Nana and Papa’s house for a clue-by-clue treasure hunt, which ended in a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit and matching plush bunny.  Then it was off to Aunt Jill and Uncle Jeff’s house for the traditional ham dinner with the whole family.  With all the activity, Lily missed a nap and was exhausted by 6:30, so she retired a bit early.

So the C-Log has a new look for spring, and it couldn’t come fast enough.  I was so ready to let go of the icy blue snowflakes in favor of something a little warmer.  The pink blooms are courtesy of our own backyard redbud, which should be blooming within a few weeks, along with our crocus, daffodils, tulips, dogwoods, crabapples, azaleas, and daylilies.  Bill has started our vegetable garden from seed in indoor planters, to be transplanted later.  The koi in our little pond are resurfacing after months in relative hibernation.  And soon we’ll make our first annual trip to Lowe’s for potted plants and flowers.  Even if the temps are still cool, winter can not win this battle.  Come on, spring!

Stomach flu, that is.  First Lily had a mild case, then Bill was not so lucky, and I suffered last.  Fortunately it was a 24-hour bug, but it still threw us out of whack.  Taking care of an infant when you feel like you want to wharf is not easy.  Kind of makes me want to wait awhile to revisit morning sickness.

On a more palatable topic, the weather is finally looking up!  Today was a cool but pleasant early spring day, and tomorrow promises to be a little warmer.  We have a play-date scheduled at the park with our little friend Louis and Louis’s mommy.  My spirits were lifted today with the promise of spring (that and a nice big cup of coffee — really helped me power through the afternoon).

Lily is on the verge of taking some steps.  In fact — I couldn’t help myself — I tried one of my therapy tricks with her by standing her with her back to the couch and holding an object of her desire (this time, a bottle of bubbles), and she took two steps to me unaided.  Bill was amazed and insisted those are her first steps, but I am waiting for her to spontaneously take her first steps before I record it for posterity.  I just kind of feel like I cheated.  Besides, she still has a ways to go before she is outright walking.

But the child never ceases to be moving.  People are always remarking to me how “busy” she is.  Last Sunday at church I watched a child several months older than Lily quiety sit on a lap — no squirming.  Lily was up, down, up again, walking along the chairs, crawling over my lap to Papa, yanking my earrings, never pausing.  That earned her a free pass to the nursery, and I reveled in the peace for the remainder of the service.  Even when she gets hurt, she can’t be bothered to be cuddled; she has things to do.  I told my mom it’s like trying to cuddle a squirrel.  She’s all writhing body and scratchy nails.

And she’s a climber.  It’s only going to get worse.  Already she climbs the stairs with amazing speed, and she climbs in and out of her wagon (though “out” is not so graceful) repeatedly.  Tonight during her bath, she was standing more than she was sitting, despite my repetitious “We don’t stand in the bathtub” and continual re-seating.  I have no doubt that, given another year or two, I will be the mother who walks into the kitchen to find my toddler on top of the refrigerator, eating chips.

Finally, some updates.  I have been getting to the gym pretty regularly, save for the nauseous interruptus last week.  Remind me how long it takes for something to become a habit?  Because I continue to have to urge myself out of the car and in from the parking lot each time I get to the gym.  And the green smoothie experiment also suffered a setback with the sudden onset of reverse peristalsis.  But I think I can start back on those, too.  I was digging a strawberry, banana, and kale blend.  Not as tasty as a cheeseburger, but not too bad…

So I have a few minutes before the girls get up and I thought I’d just post them a quick surprise note.  It is with unimagined pride that I watch Lily grow, and Corrie becomes a mommy.  Lily amazes daily as her reach and world widen.  For now, to her the colors have no name, and I drift off sometimes at night imagining the freedom and wonder she must be experiencing.  She makes me laugh and I treasure every stumbling moment, wry smile, shriek of success and unexplainable but vocalized frustration she makes.  When Lily reaches for her, Corrie’s arms become a solid structure of a sanctuary, more personal than any man-made to keep her and soothe her.   Corrie is with her most of the day, most minutes of the day, and most seconds.  You may remember, that Corrie’s “patience,” meter pre-Lily was not as high as some, yet even at the end of a particularly maligned many seconds day, she creeps in to just gaze in awe at the sleeping peanut.  Well - that’s it for me (my time is up), here are a couple of pics of my girls

Glorious 8:00 p.m.  How I adore that hour.  Whatever kind of day we’ve had, by 8 o’clock it is almost always over, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I settle into what may be the only “me” time I get all day.  Such is the life of the mother of a catnapper.  Yesterday, Lily was content with two 30-minute naps.  The first allowed me to shower and dress, though not to put on makeup or dry my hair.  The second nap was enough time to check email, and that was about it.  The rest of the day is spent trailing after her, intercepting potential dangers and soothing the mishaps that could not be prevented.

But after eight, I have a solid two hours to do whatever I please.  Often that is to catch up on email correspondence or take care of various trivial responsibilities.  Sometimes I have the presence of mind to write a coherent blog update.  Occasionally I endeavor something highly domestic, like embroidery or knitting.  I never clean.  (Cleaning, when it does occur, takes place intermittentently during the day, but it is never reserved for the sacred hours after Lily is in bed.)  Most of the time I catch up on DVR’d shows or read.

In my former life, I had so much  time for myself.  It’s not that I didn’t anticipate that would change dramatically with motherhood — in fact I simply luxuriated  in my free time while I had the chance — but it is something else to experience that change firsthand.  Thank goodness I have Bill around to help out from time to time, or my hair would never get blowdried, I’d never wear makeup, and I would eventually lose my mind.  Honestly, I don’t know how at-home moms do it whose husbands leave for the morning commute at 7 and return twelve hours later.  So even though my job starts as soon as I wake (whether 5:30 or 7, invariably Lily wakes within minutes of when I rise), Bill is able to give me 30 minutes or so to work my way through a cup of coffee and try to gather myself for the day ahead.  (Anyone who knows me knows that I do not wake quickly or gracefully.)  And he’s there again when I return from the gym, desperate for a shower, and Lily has just awakened from her 15-minute nap in the car, refreshed and ready to play.

If I’ve learned nothing else since becoming a mother, I’ve certainly learned how to prioritize.  All day I make choices based on priority: Shower or eat breakfast?  Nap or go to the bank?  Cook dinner or play with the baby?  Watch TV or update the blog?

And, now that I have precious little time before bed, and the blog is updated, I will retire with my glass of iced tea and settle in for a luxurious hour of reading.  Another day will be upon me soon enough, and I’ll need my wits about me!

Now that Lily is vertical, we have been searching for a good push-toy for her to practice walking.  Enter: The Radio Flyer Walker Wagon.  I highly recommend it for our friends with pre-walkers.  It is pretty stable (unlike some others we looked into), and it has a speed control feature so that it doesn’t go too fast — good on the hardwood floors, especially.  Lily likes to walk with it, push it while walking on her knees, take things out of it, and climb into it for Daddy to give her fast rides around the living room.  She has yet to derive this much fun from any of her other toys.  Witness my big girl:

It’s been a little while!  We have returned to good ol’ KC (the return flight was not quite as smooth as the flight down, Lily-wise…), and I’m not even going to get started on the weather.  I’m moving on.  I’ve decided to focus on other things as we await the spring weather that we just abandoned in Florida.

I’ve been oh so busy getting reacquainted with my DVR.  I am embarrassed to say that I missed it heartily while we were away.  So I’ve just emerged from a couple of days of sendentariness (is that a word?), catching up on a month’s worth of Lost, 10 Items or Less, and two Saturday Night Lives.  Whew.  A woman’s work is never done.

To offset my couch potato-ness, I have made my big return to the gym.  Once upon a time, pre-baby, I was a regular gym goer.  But it has been a long — what?  Nearly two years? — since morning sickness prevented me from going one day and I never returned.  But I suffered a setback on my way to my pre-baby figure during our stay in Florida, which I mistakenly treated as a month-long rules-free vacation.  Seriously, ice cream nearly every day?  Bad idea.  So Monday morning I bundled Lily up, slipped on my tennis shoes, and headed out into the cold.  I wanted to turn around and go home no fewer than four times on that 15-minute inaugural trip, but I pressed on.  Once I had dropped Lily off at the gym daycare, I felt a freedom I haven’t felt in a while: two hours to myself, to put myself first, and I felt a glimmer of the carefree (and somewhat fit?) person I once was.  Now, I really don’t enjoy working out.  I’m just not one of those people.  But I do enjoy the post-workout glow, so it was really a nice start to the week.  I didn’t use my whole two-hour allotment, as I was concerned about Lily’s first time in the daycare, but my concern was unnecessary.  Lily was happily exploring the new toys, new climbing opportunities, and new friends.  So Tuesday I took a little more time.  I’m shooting for four days a week right now, so I’ll keep you posted.

Speaking of ice cream, Lily has experienced her first taste.  And it was a full-on sensory experience: sight, feel, taste, feel again….  I know, I know, no milk products before one year, but what could I tell her, when Mommy and Daddy were indulging right in front of her?  Besides, she was nearly 10 months at the time.  And she loved it.  Not in a smiley, giggly sort of way, but in an intent, fervent sort of way.  There was no time for smiles, it was just lick, lick, lick all the way to the cone, and then the cone went, too.  She clutched the bottom of the cone, shivering, until she had eaten all the way down to her hand and could derive no further tastiness.  Following, she was not in the mood for photos, but we took some along the way anyway:

Well, Lily and I have errands.  We are in the process of some serious baby-proofing around here, as someone is bound to call Child Protective Services if they see the various scratches and bruises adorning my adventurous little climber.  Our home is becoming more and more sparsely decorated as we remove potential hazzards.  Today, we’re buying a safety gate.

Oh, and one last new thing I’m going to try today: green smoothies.  My friend Abby just blogged about their foray into green smoothies, and I’m a serious bandwagon-jumper, so I’m off to buy kale and spinach.  Intrigued?  I’ll let you know how it all goes down (and hopefully not back up).

Happy Hump Day!