A Pocketful of Partial Posts

Some stuff that's on my mind that didn't make it into my monthly letter...

Valerie is asleep on my legs right now. It's cozy and warm. She doesn't sleep as much as she used to, though.

Sometimes, Valerie laughs in her sleep. It's adorable. Sometimes she cries in her sleep. It's heart-wrenching.

Typing on my desktop/couch configuration is awkward and annoying. This is a big part of the reason I have not been updating lately. But my brother-in-law is awesome, and is sending me his old laptop. Can't wait!

Valerie turns her head to the right more than the left. I think it's because that's the side she has to turn to when she nurses lying beside me on the bed. Coincidentally, my left breast makes more milk than the right. Jer and I have traded sides of the bed to test my theory.

Because of stupid, annoying insurance issues, Valerie didn't have her two-month check-up until she was three months old. We ended up getting her three of the vaccines on the schedule, skipping two, and delaying one. Which, some of you will read, and wonder how I dare skip any, and some of you will read, and wonder why I dare gave her any. Suffice it to say, I did my research, weighed the pros and cons, calculated the risks, and came to this conclusion. I appreciate the good discussions I have had with people in trying to decide what to do about vaccinations.

I cried when the nurse gave her the shots. Fortunately, they let me nurse her while they did it, which calmed her down quickly. It was hard, though. And then she didn't feel well for two days. And by the end of the second day, I felt so drained, because she was eating so often, and I was fighting her sickness through my milk. Which is an awesome thing, when you think about it, to literally be able to take on your child's suffering. But still exhausting.

You know, I'm a semi-. Partial vaccinations. Partial co-sleeping. We feed Valerie breastmilk exclusively, but I do pump, and we give her bottles when I am at work, or want a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. I babywear when we are out walking, but we do own a stroller, and it comes in handy on occasion. We use cloth diapers, but we used disposables for the first six weeks. Parenting is not religion, you CAN pick and choose what works for you.

Speaking of which, here is a cute picture of me wearing Valerie:



My house is a total mess. I was just starting to sortof get the hang of having a baby and taking care of the house, and then I went back to work. Yesterday, I was feeling so exhausted and overwhelmed, it felt like the first weeks all over again. I guess you can never really stay on top of life; it changes too often.

Please click on my ads! It honestly makes a difference. And this Christmas is going to be tight. My sister suggested that we all make things this year, which is a great idea, except for that whole not having time/energy to clean the kitchen, let alone engage in creative activities. I'm hoping that, once I get into the swing of working, I will rediscover time and energy for nice things like making my own jelly. I really want to make apple cider jelly.

A few things I do manage to regularly have time for: church every Sunday (I'm back to drumming again!), games group every Wednesday evening (my character just promised to join the pirates for a short-term contract!), and once- or twice-weekly walks with a group of new moms whose kids are all only a few months older than Valerie. All of these things are much more interesting than cleaning my kitchen.

There was frost on my windshield this morning.

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