The baby is asleep, I'm not exhausted, the dishes are done, and it's too late to embark on any new tasks, so it seems like a good time to update livejournal. I've been reading, but a lot of my internetting is done via phone these days, and I don't have the patience to type a whole entry on the teeny tiny keyboard. I don't really have a huge amount of things to say anyway--my life is not all that exciting to tell about at the moment (the days are largely the same--I feed, change, wash the baby; try and keep the house from becoming a complete shit-hole (with moderate success; take the dog for a walk and hope he doesn't get his leash wrapped around the stroller wheel; and watch a lot of crappy tv when Elizabeth is in a "I can only sleep while someone is holding me" kind of mood.
So, what's new?
Baby: For the last two nights, she's slept a good 6.5-7 hour stretch (up from the 4-5 she had been doing). We're really hoping this continues as it means we are a lot less sleep deprived. Last night, for example, she slept from 9 pm to almost 4am, then again from 5 to 8 am. She's also starting to smile a lot now, and clearly in reaction to stuff, which is super cute.
We're at a weird impasse with clothes--she's outgrown a bunch of stuff, but the next size up is still too big. Most of what she has that fits is summery, and it's gotten fall-like. I don't want to buy much new, small stuff though since she'll be on to the next size soon. Speaking of sizing--baby clothes sizing is even worse than women's clothes sizing. I have 3-6 month stuff that's smaller than the 0-3 month things--of the same brand!
The neighbors brought us a bouquet of roses the other day (very sweet) but I thought it was funny that they apparantly just noticed (based on the conversation) that we had a baby (she's 8 weeks old) AND the card they gave us is for a baby boy. :) Another friend of ours sent us dishes from
this set (the green monster ones) which I love!
House: We finally got around to getting estimate for fixing our crawlspace. This is a two step process--first the plumbers have to come and replace all the sewer and drainpipes (they're not leaking, but they're cracked and have holes). Once that's done, a waterproofing company will come in and put in a new drainage system, reinsulate, line the whole thing with plastic, and install a new sump pump and humidifier. It's work th at really needs to be done--there's standing water that doesn't drain to the current sump pump, so of course there's mold. Luckily, everything is still structurally sound. But I'm very, very sad about what this will do to our savings account.
Work (and lack thereof): It's really, really weird being at home for this long and not even thinking about work. I get the occasional email from my boss (mainly to demand pictures) but other than that I don' think about it at all. I did stop by a staff meeting a few weeks ago so people could see the baby, and it was nice to have a brief period of talking about work stuff (especially since I knew I wouldn't acually be tasked with anything). I think going back to work will be really, really weird. Right now I miss the socialization aspect of work, but don't yet miss the acual doing work part. I'm sure that will come once I start getting more sleep and get bored with crappy tv.
I'm supposed to be using the time off to think about where I want my job to go, and what I want to focus on when I come back. I haven't really done that yet, because, frankly, I have no clue. It's great to be in a job where I essentially can define my own role, and to have a boss that really pushes continual career development, but part of me kinda just wants to keep doing what I was doing...
Relatives: We had both our families in town over Labor Day for Elizabeth's baptism (my parents and sister, John's parents and 2 grandmothers). Everyone was in hotels, thankfully. I am amazed that there was very little fighting, and not even all that much drama (there's always some drama). We had some other people join us for a barbeque on Saturday, and it was nice to get to do a bit more social things. It was also nice to have other people around who were willing to spend the whole day holding the baby so I could go do whatever without worrying about her. And my dad weeded the yard and my mom ironed and cooked--so really, it was like a little vacation for me.
My parents are off in Europe for about 6 weeks (starting in England, then heading to Italy, Czech Republic, and Germany).
Dog: The dog managed to sprain his knee (luckily, no treatment needed and healed quickly) and pick up worms (antibiotic and deworming pills) in the last 2 weeks. John was away for the day when he got sick as well--which made for a very fun day. Conclusion--dog vomit is easier to get out of the carpet than dog diarrhea. Poor guy was feeling really ill, he didn't even complain when he didn't get fed that night. He's doing fine again now, and happy to be back on his regular food.
I've become pretty adept at walking the dog and baby together. Buying a shorter leash was key (he can't get it wrapped around the stroller wheel or cross in front of the stroller anymore).
Anyway, suddenly feeling pretty sleepy, so I'll wrap up. I strongly support more people writing lj entries though--I need something to read in th middle of the night!
