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It's been a while. I've been thinking for the last week that I wanted to write an entry. I just haven't found the time and focus to sit down and compose one. I'm sure I've lost track of some things I really wanted to remember, but... I'll have to live with that.
Our nephew turned five on March 3rd, but his birthday party was the Saturday before. He actually had two parties, one in the early afternoon for family and one in the evening for his friends. Naturally, everything was scheduled to start in the middle of Delia's standard nap time. We planned to try to go up there early and put her down to sleep in Scott's sister's room, but the best laid plans...
We were late getting started and late arriving. Delia slept a bit in the car on the way up and a very little bit after we got there. After that, she was up, and nothing we could do would change that. Fortunately, Delia's social tendencies are strong. She just needed me or Scott nearby and refused to let anyone else pick her up. She played happily both alone and with whatever older folks were willing to match her speed, and she seemed to enjoy having new territory to explore. She was particularly fascinated by two little boys who were there, the sons of my sister-in-law's best friend. They shared her interest but had some sense of self-preservation (I think they were 4 and 6 years of age, but I'm guessing). They kept trying to show her neat toys, and she kept trying to grab them.
We did have to deal with a bit of a baby meltdown that evening, probably as a response to her having gotten too little sleep and too much stimulation.
On Monday, March 1st, Delia had her 9 month well baby check up. She's doing pretty well, weighing in at 15 pounds. She's still at the same point on the growth chart for all her measurements, and she's hitting the right developmental milestones. She's also gotten in a third tooth, the left front upper tooth. The doctor said that three other teeth were just one the verge of coming through. So I guess it's not surprising that Delia's been cranky often lately.
We only had one shot this time, but they also drew blood to check her for anemia. That was highly unpleasant, worse than the shot, I think. Fortunately, that test came back normal (it takes about five minutes to run). We saw a different doctor this time because the one we normally see is on maternity leave.
I'd expected a second shot this time, the prevnar shot that she was supposed to have in November. They didn't have the vaccine then, and they don't have it now. I'm fairly unhappy about that because I want her protections to be as complete as we can make them.
At the doctor's suggestion, we've been experimenting with other finger foods (in addition to the Oatios). Very small pieces of chicken have been a big hit (Scott calls them "the new sweet potatoes"). Bananas have proved too slippery for Delia's fingers to grip. If we feed her the pieces, she's fine, but she can't quite pick them up. The last couple of days, I've been giving her very small cubes of a vegan cheese substitute that Scott bought. It's not too awful if you're not expecting it to be cheese, but it's truly vile if you want cheese (the flavor reminds me of the homemade playdough my mother made when my brother was a toddler). Delia likes it, though. Probably because the word "cheese" means nothing to her.
Cutting dairy out of my diet is remaining a challenge. I'm still trying to figure out the parameters. My mother always claimed that butter and cream wouldn't give me trouble because it was the dairy proteins that cause the reaction, but... That seems like an odd notion to me. Wouldn't the fatty stuff still contain at least some protein? My dairy allergy's always been mild enough that I couldn't tell, and when she told me that back in 5th grade, I still assumed that she knew everything.
Delia's really started getting into everything now. She's willing to explore even when it means leaving me behind, and I don't dare leave gates or doors open for a moment longer than absolutely necessary. We now have a gate in the doorway to the study. The box of books that was there is now in front of the bathroom. We've discovered that our bedroom door will latch if it's lifted. I need both hands for that, so I have to plan a bit on that one-- When I go in to get something, I have to find a place to put it down safely so I can rush back and close the door. Our room seems to have the greatest fascination for Delia, probably because it's the one room she both can't get into and can't see.
She looks kind of funny when she crawls. She keeps her right leg bent underneath her butt and almost straightens out her left leg, as if she's trying to stand on it. I keep thinking that it shouldn't work very well, but she's starting to move fast. She's also started coming up to me and grabbing my leg when she wants to be picked up or wants to nurse. It's cute.
My biggest problem in caring for Delia is actually talking to her. I can never think of anything to say. All the parenting books say that it's important for her to have people talk to her as much as possible, but I just sit here silent. I can sing to her. I can read to her. I can cuddle her. I can giggle with her. I just can't babble at her. She needs that right now to help develop her verbal abilities, and I feel like I ought to be doing a better job with that.
Of course, right at the moment, my self doubts are looming larger than normal. Some of that is because I'm in the middle of my second post-partum period. Some of it... Well, I need to see my doctor to get some new prescriptions before my current ones run out. I need to get my eyes checked (It's been three years). And I need to go in to see my dentist and get my teeth cleaned. I can take Delia along to the first of these; it'll be a pain, but it can be done. The other two... Not a chance. She's no longer content to sit in her car seat for very long, and she can't safely be allowed to roam freely.
Scott's parents are in the process of selling their house. I talked to his mother about maybe coming down to watch Delia a couple of hours a week. She said she was too busy. "Maybe in June." I was really hoping...
Scott and I have each been feeling frustrated and constrained. Scott envies me my time at home with nothing structured going on. I envy him his ability to drive to where he wants to go and simply take care of what he needs to do, including spur of the moment stops at the grocery store for that one thing he wants that he knows we don't have at home. We actually got into a bit of more-miserable-than-thou discussion at one point before we stopped and admitted to each other that we sounded ridiculous.
But we're both tired and both unsure when we'll get a break. (I'm think some time about 8-10 years down the road... We'll have a day or two then, just before she starts displaying hints of what she'll be like as a teenager.) We have got friends who are willing to watch Delia for an hour or two on an occasional evening. The trouble with that is that we then have to go out, not something we've ever been very big on doing.
Well, I suppose all parents face this, and the vast majority make it through. We still love each other, and we both adore Delia. That helps incredibly.
I posted chapter 12 of "Rheotaxis" a few days ago. I was so relieved to get it done. I'd been fighting with the point of view character for what felt like forever. He lies to himself, and he's obsessively focused. I needed to break both traits without destroying the character. I'm hoping chapter 13 will be easier. I know what needs to happen, and the point of view character's one who's easier for me to write. I just need to find some time.
At least, I'm much more confident now of being able to get to the ending I want and of having it be true to the characters. I just don't know how long it will take. I need a few weeks to pass in the fictional world, and I have to figure out the best way to have large chunks of it pass off screen, so to speak. I don't think I'll need to detail all of it. If I try, the story really will never end.
As with everything else, I need time in order to write. I don't know where that's going to come from...
I have found a new thing to eat up my time, though. That online game that I mentioned a while back definitely seems to be taking off. It's small compared to most online games, but I'd consider it large if it were a face to face role playing game (six participants, including me). I think the size is pretty much right given that the group seems to be coming together really, really well, and we're all getting to participate and have fun.
I want to extend general apologies to the folks on my friends list. I've been leaving almost no comments in recent weeks. That doesn't mean that I'm not reading or not sympathizing over the bad or rejoicing over the good; I'm just generally brain fried and often reading while trying to do three other things.
Our nephew turned five on March 3rd, but his birthday party was the Saturday before. He actually had two parties, one in the early afternoon for family and one in the evening for his friends. Naturally, everything was scheduled to start in the middle of Delia's standard nap time. We planned to try to go up there early and put her down to sleep in Scott's sister's room, but the best laid plans...
We were late getting started and late arriving. Delia slept a bit in the car on the way up and a very little bit after we got there. After that, she was up, and nothing we could do would change that. Fortunately, Delia's social tendencies are strong. She just needed me or Scott nearby and refused to let anyone else pick her up. She played happily both alone and with whatever older folks were willing to match her speed, and she seemed to enjoy having new territory to explore. She was particularly fascinated by two little boys who were there, the sons of my sister-in-law's best friend. They shared her interest but had some sense of self-preservation (I think they were 4 and 6 years of age, but I'm guessing). They kept trying to show her neat toys, and she kept trying to grab them.
We did have to deal with a bit of a baby meltdown that evening, probably as a response to her having gotten too little sleep and too much stimulation.
On Monday, March 1st, Delia had her 9 month well baby check up. She's doing pretty well, weighing in at 15 pounds. She's still at the same point on the growth chart for all her measurements, and she's hitting the right developmental milestones. She's also gotten in a third tooth, the left front upper tooth. The doctor said that three other teeth were just one the verge of coming through. So I guess it's not surprising that Delia's been cranky often lately.
We only had one shot this time, but they also drew blood to check her for anemia. That was highly unpleasant, worse than the shot, I think. Fortunately, that test came back normal (it takes about five minutes to run). We saw a different doctor this time because the one we normally see is on maternity leave.
I'd expected a second shot this time, the prevnar shot that she was supposed to have in November. They didn't have the vaccine then, and they don't have it now. I'm fairly unhappy about that because I want her protections to be as complete as we can make them.
At the doctor's suggestion, we've been experimenting with other finger foods (in addition to the Oatios). Very small pieces of chicken have been a big hit (Scott calls them "the new sweet potatoes"). Bananas have proved too slippery for Delia's fingers to grip. If we feed her the pieces, she's fine, but she can't quite pick them up. The last couple of days, I've been giving her very small cubes of a vegan cheese substitute that Scott bought. It's not too awful if you're not expecting it to be cheese, but it's truly vile if you want cheese (the flavor reminds me of the homemade playdough my mother made when my brother was a toddler). Delia likes it, though. Probably because the word "cheese" means nothing to her.
Cutting dairy out of my diet is remaining a challenge. I'm still trying to figure out the parameters. My mother always claimed that butter and cream wouldn't give me trouble because it was the dairy proteins that cause the reaction, but... That seems like an odd notion to me. Wouldn't the fatty stuff still contain at least some protein? My dairy allergy's always been mild enough that I couldn't tell, and when she told me that back in 5th grade, I still assumed that she knew everything.
Delia's really started getting into everything now. She's willing to explore even when it means leaving me behind, and I don't dare leave gates or doors open for a moment longer than absolutely necessary. We now have a gate in the doorway to the study. The box of books that was there is now in front of the bathroom. We've discovered that our bedroom door will latch if it's lifted. I need both hands for that, so I have to plan a bit on that one-- When I go in to get something, I have to find a place to put it down safely so I can rush back and close the door. Our room seems to have the greatest fascination for Delia, probably because it's the one room she both can't get into and can't see.
She looks kind of funny when she crawls. She keeps her right leg bent underneath her butt and almost straightens out her left leg, as if she's trying to stand on it. I keep thinking that it shouldn't work very well, but she's starting to move fast. She's also started coming up to me and grabbing my leg when she wants to be picked up or wants to nurse. It's cute.
My biggest problem in caring for Delia is actually talking to her. I can never think of anything to say. All the parenting books say that it's important for her to have people talk to her as much as possible, but I just sit here silent. I can sing to her. I can read to her. I can cuddle her. I can giggle with her. I just can't babble at her. She needs that right now to help develop her verbal abilities, and I feel like I ought to be doing a better job with that.
Of course, right at the moment, my self doubts are looming larger than normal. Some of that is because I'm in the middle of my second post-partum period. Some of it... Well, I need to see my doctor to get some new prescriptions before my current ones run out. I need to get my eyes checked (It's been three years). And I need to go in to see my dentist and get my teeth cleaned. I can take Delia along to the first of these; it'll be a pain, but it can be done. The other two... Not a chance. She's no longer content to sit in her car seat for very long, and she can't safely be allowed to roam freely.
Scott's parents are in the process of selling their house. I talked to his mother about maybe coming down to watch Delia a couple of hours a week. She said she was too busy. "Maybe in June." I was really hoping...
Scott and I have each been feeling frustrated and constrained. Scott envies me my time at home with nothing structured going on. I envy him his ability to drive to where he wants to go and simply take care of what he needs to do, including spur of the moment stops at the grocery store for that one thing he wants that he knows we don't have at home. We actually got into a bit of more-miserable-than-thou discussion at one point before we stopped and admitted to each other that we sounded ridiculous.
But we're both tired and both unsure when we'll get a break. (I'm think some time about 8-10 years down the road... We'll have a day or two then, just before she starts displaying hints of what she'll be like as a teenager.) We have got friends who are willing to watch Delia for an hour or two on an occasional evening. The trouble with that is that we then have to go out, not something we've ever been very big on doing.
Well, I suppose all parents face this, and the vast majority make it through. We still love each other, and we both adore Delia. That helps incredibly.
I posted chapter 12 of "Rheotaxis" a few days ago. I was so relieved to get it done. I'd been fighting with the point of view character for what felt like forever. He lies to himself, and he's obsessively focused. I needed to break both traits without destroying the character. I'm hoping chapter 13 will be easier. I know what needs to happen, and the point of view character's one who's easier for me to write. I just need to find some time.
At least, I'm much more confident now of being able to get to the ending I want and of having it be true to the characters. I just don't know how long it will take. I need a few weeks to pass in the fictional world, and I have to figure out the best way to have large chunks of it pass off screen, so to speak. I don't think I'll need to detail all of it. If I try, the story really will never end.
As with everything else, I need time in order to write. I don't know where that's going to come from...
I have found a new thing to eat up my time, though. That online game that I mentioned a while back definitely seems to be taking off. It's small compared to most online games, but I'd consider it large if it were a face to face role playing game (six participants, including me). I think the size is pretty much right given that the group seems to be coming together really, really well, and we're all getting to participate and have fun.
I want to extend general apologies to the folks on my friends list. I've been leaving almost no comments in recent weeks. That doesn't mean that I'm not reading or not sympathizing over the bad or rejoicing over the good; I'm just generally brain fried and often reading while trying to do three other things.
no subject
Don't worry about commenting. And it's good that you and Scott have a solid relationship. If you've got that, the rest will work out, I'm sure.
no subject
Maybe you could find someone willing to take Delia away from the house so you two could be alone there? That's my favorite part of my weekends off when the ex takes Fuzz - getting my house back.
no subject
I'd lay good odds Delia will be a reader, anyway.
no subject
I'm hoping Delia will be a reader. We certainly plan to encourage it.
no subject
Maybe you and S. are pressuring yourselves too much on the going-out thing...could you just take in a movie, or go for non-dairy ice cream? Little things? Never having had this problem myself (at least not yet) I am not sure that hellps much, but...
no subject
Sigh... It's frustrating. I can't walk very far, so strolling around doesn't work (even when the weather's good).
no subject
Oh man. I felt completely STUPID trying to talk to Alex when he was a baby. The pediatrician suggested just talking to him about whatever I was doing...so he got a lot of detailed cooking instructions...but it helped the awkwardness a lot.
I love it when you write about Delia, it gives me little nostalgic twingies.