The Finale. 9-16-12‏

I had been craving good chicken every since I was pregnant. Well, I was craving one particular place. And so, I was determined to go this trip. And so Mom, Boop and I headed out for the meal at lunch. So yummy. I got country ham AND fried chicken. I requested white meat. So, out comes the plate with 2 big chicken breasts and country ham. Only in the South! And Boop munched away happily on her baby food and cereal, not knowing what she was missing. Well, it will all happen soon enough. She'll learn how to dig into a piece of chicken when it's her time, I guess. I'm amazed her grandma hasn't given her mashed potatoes. I've already given permission--as long as it isn't made with regular milk.

So, after our yummy lunch, we stopped to try to find me some clothes. I didn't have very good luck. I can only find clothes when I'm not looking for them, which makes shopping these days very difficult. When I go out, I don't have time to lull around. We then tried to exchange the outfit from my cousins for a bigger size, but they didn't have any. I just got her another little outfit instead.

That evening, we had no idea what to expect. Mom had told folks to come to a local barbecue place for dinner if they wanted to see the baby. At first, we thought it would be just a few folks, but it wound up being nearly 20. We had a nice time, and the baby was in a fairly good mood, thank goodness. When she got a little fussy, I did take her out to nurse a bit, which helped her to get back on track. Folks seemed happy to see her. They all said she was cute, which I guess you have to say, but it was nice to hear. With that, we got Boop home and to bed.

Taking Stock at Boop’s Week 35. 9-19-12

Here’s what’s happening at Boop’s Week 35:

• Boop just turned 8 months old. My big girl :) She’s a little chatterbox. She’s going to be a riot when she learns proper words. I already hear her making little jokes, which she thinks are very funny. I’m loving that she’s feeling good. She was sleeping on my lap on Sunday; all of the sudden she cracked up laughing in her sleep.
• We got a good report during our last visit to the doctor. The pediatrician looked at the records and is convinced that she had a UTI in the hospital. I told the doctor that she’s been doing well; so we figured that it didn’t make sense to do a catheterization to check for a UTI.
• The big news is that Boop is standing up. She’s actually been standing pretty well since last week. She’s been trying to cruise a little bit. She went from one knee to the other, but she fell when she reached over for the rolling cart. Fortunately, it’s plastic; so it didn’t hurt her too much. She’s even trying to stand up.
• I’m trying to teach Boop to not hit or pinch Winnie. Winnie generally doesn’t stay around long enough for Boop to touch her.  While Winnie was laying on the futon, I helped Boop pat Winnie, and Boop thought it was hilarious, the best thing since sliced bread.
• Daycare is giving me stress again. Other than that, I’m managing alright. Boop is getting a tad more independent; so I was able to make pancakes the other day for dinner. My skin is flaring up again, which is no fun. I have a script for some topical stuff, but I’m not very excited about using it. At least it’s not very serious. I’m finding time to visit with friends, which is good for my sanity.

Do Not Today, What Can Be Put Off 'Til the 'Morrow. 9-16-12‏

 We got up and got ready to take Mom to work. Why did I put off the grant review? They always seem so straightforward. I confuse straightforward with the amount of time it takes to do the deed. So, we got Mom to work, and I started reviewing the grants. I had already taken some time before my trip to familiarize myself with things and print things off <I'm such a dinosaur. I still like to look to hold the paper in my hands to read!> 

And so I had a million little interruptions. Winnie did surprisingly well. Boop, not so much. And Mom hadn't had a chance to baby-proof; so my concentration wasn't spectacular on the task. I got the important ones done about an hour before the deadline, and I was a couple of minutes late submitting the last review. All was okay. With that, I made a hasty retreat to visit my friend, C, without knowing exactly where I was going. Of course, I got lost and was late. It was good seeing her. She works for Congressman Yarmuth. <Now is a good time to put in a little plug for him. Did you know that Yarmuth donates his entire salary of ~$179,000 to charity? He divides it among 5 charities, including children's charities.> 

I then went on to pick up Mom from work. We tried to wrap up a few errands on the way home, but Boop was getting increasingly fussy. We probably just should have taken Boop on home to bed and one of us do errands. It was a battle to get her settled in when we got home because she was overtired. 

Thai Time. 9-13-12

Taken at my house before the trip.
Motivation to crawl? Telephone and Remote

After having a bit of a visit at my dad's aunt D's, <Did I mention that she's in her 90's? She's in her 90's. She does so well to be in her 90's.> I went back to the house to get ready to go pick up Mom at work. I had gotten duck sauce all over Boop, and had to find a new outfit for her. I have put Mom in charge of selecting outfits; so I wondered what she would think of what I picked out. Fortunately, Mom wasn't too upset with Boop's outfit, and we headed to meet my dad's cousin S and his wife S for dinner. They had picked Thai, which I had hoped wouldn't be too spicy for Boop.

S and S hadn't really seen Boop before and were excited to see her. S had a present of a Nuby teether and a little outfit. She said she didn't know what size to get and hoped 6-9 months would be okay. I couldn't help but smile. Then, Mom and I looked at each other. 'Well, she's a little bigger than that.' She asked her size, and I explained that she was in 12 months, if not bigger. I explained that I would just exchange it for a bigger size. We all had a little chuckle at my big girl.

While Mom and I finished eating, S carried Boop around a little bit. The whole time he carried her, she was as quiet as a church mouse, taking it all in. He wanted to find her something special to eat--some frozen yogurt or something, but I don't think he realized her age in relation to her size. He also mentioned that it had been a while since he had a little one. <Their son, my cousin J is a couple of years older than me, and his kids are teens, I think. K was just having a birthday.> So, Boop enjoyed her baby food instead; maybe next time :). 

We had a nice visit; it was good to see them again. When we got home, Boop was totally wired. Not sure if it was the spice from the masamun curry in my milk, but she was bopping around, full of energy. It took us a while to get her calmed down for the night.

Parade of Boop. 9-13-12‏

Taken at my house before the trip...

So, we got up early on Thursday after our long day of traveling on Wednesday. Mom's other car was still in the shop; so I had to take her to work. Mom got a bit of a late start... and asked me to change clothes before we left. That's all I will write about that. 

Mom wanted to take Miss Boop to work for all of Mom's co-workers to see. Proud Grandma, her co-workers were probably expecting the child to virtually walk on water. And so Mom paraded my little chickadee along the isles of the folks at their desks and enjoyed their compliments. I walked behind exchanging nods and smiles in my demure black dress. Boop was enjoying the mobiles hanging from the ceiling. We went through her list of everyone that she wanted to see Boop, and then Boop and I headed back to the other side of town. Fortunately, I got ahold of my dad's aunt D, and Boop and I went by her house to get her for lunch. She just couldn't believe how big (and cute) Boop was, and then we went to try to pick up my dad's cousin R (D's daughter). Unfortunately, R couldn't get off work for lunch; so we visited a bit and headed to lunch. 


Boop was all over the place at the Chinese restaurant. She had a table of admirers, which was nice, but she was a handful. Afterwards, we headed over to D's, and I called my friend S over to visit us there. R stopped by after work. I hated leaving Winnie alone for so long, but I knew if I was at Mom's house, Winnie would want to go out every 5 minutes, and I would have to take her out to walk her while juggling the baby. So, it worked out extra well for us to stay at D's and visit. It also took some pressure off of me to look after Boop. I had a few willing helpers :)

Visiting. 9-12-12

Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?

I've been to London to visit the Queen.

Well, not exactly. We just got back from a visit back home--7 hours driving each way. Fortunately, I didn't have to drive. Most folks on Dad's side of the family hadn't seen the baby. So, at nearly 8 months, I figured it was time. My friend G was going most of the way (to where my mom's family lived), and Mom took us the remaining 1.5 hours home. It was a long way, and I managed to sing to distract her, which worked pretty well. I hate those rear-facing car seats. They're so hard on little ones. The AAP recommends rear-facing until age 2. It gets a little harder to be a parent every year. More and more regulations and guidelines. It's safer for babies, but it's not as happy to be a baby, I don't think. Fortunately, there has been a backlash on co-sleeping and in-bed sleeping. Research seems to indicate that it can be beneficial if done safely.

We got to my aunt's house about 7:30pm, and got to have a little visit. Winnie was thrilled; she lives for these trips. Boop learned something new from my aunt. I had taught her how to wrinkle up her nose when she smiled, but oh, now she has a stink face! Wrinkled nose + disgusted expression. 

It was about 10pm by the time we got to Mom's. Fortunately, Boop slept a bit on the road. And she was so exhausted that she did get some sleep that night.

Getting Ready for Daycare. 9-11-12