2.17.2006

Dear Adelaide: Month Six

Dear Addy,

Last night we put you in your crib and sat in the living room with the TV off giggling at the sounds coming from your room. You love to "sing", especially at 3 AM. You also smack your lips and make "B" and "P" sounds. One of Daddy's co-workers said that babies are great, just don't ever teach them how to talk because they never shut up. I don't think that we have much choice in the matter.


You've slept all night in your crib only a handful of times. Unless the house is freezing, we tuck you in around 9:30 PM but you seem to make your way into our bed either at midnight or 3 AM - if you are in your crib past the witching hour then you are golden. Gone are the days of sleeping in as you're are bright eyed at 7 AM sharp and usually do not see the need in a morning nap. It's been an especially rough few days with you as you cut your first tooth and more are on the way.

During the day I try to get some housework done but we also go on long walks with our new friends. It's incredible to watch you interact with other babies. You love them so much and give great big smiles when they are around. Your father, the kitties and myself are the only other ones that can command such adoration.


It could be my imagination but after playing with a couple of eight month olds you have since refused to lie down when not asleep. You insist on sitting all of the time and rarely do you want to merely sit on my lap. You want to practice sitting up and you're getting rather good at it. When I put you down, I surround you with a wall of pillows to prevent the rage that spews forth if your head meets the floor. You are still not interested in rolling over. You've done it once or twice but apparently have found no use for it.

After six months we still don't know your hair color. Is "calico" acceptable?

I was ashamed of myself a few nights ago as I became one of those mothers that I always frowned at - I brought you into the French Quarter after dark. However, it was for a good reason (your first Mardi Gras parade - Krewe de Vieux) and we did not go onto Bourbon Street. Furthermore, I was only drinking hot chocolate. This month we also brought you to a hotel bar (The Columns), a poker game and a Superbowl party. Please don't use this against me later when you want social services to take you away.


The first of two great changes in the last month has been your keen interest in the world around you. You have been alert from your early days but not since week number seven have I noticed such an increase in how you take in your surroundings. I have to fight with you to keep your hands away from cups, hair and eyeglasses. The second big change is your developing relationship with your father.

Daddy likes to hang you upside down and you enjoy it! If I were to try something like that I'm sure that it would be followed up with a lot of screaming and vomiting. You've become much more comfortable with him and give him sly grins and giggles. On mornings that we drop Daddy off at work, he comes to the back window, taps on the glass, you turn your head and he waves "goodbye". The other morning you anticipated this sequence of events and turned your head and smiled even before he tapped on the glass. It was such a small moment but it made me all gooey inside.

Love,
Mommy

2.14.2006

Big Pimp'n'

Cloth diapering mommies, I have 12 brand new, never been opened Cotton Babies inserts for sale on ebay ... ya know ... in case you were in the need of some ... click here!

2.09.2006

Open Letter

Dear America,

If my daughter needed a hat, I would have put one on her when we left the house. Isn't it enough that she is wearing socks?

Love,

Kelly

2.08.2006

"I'm a different kinda cop!"


2.06.2006

FYI

Do you know how many nails go into a row of roof shingles? Five. If a nail gun in being used by a skilled professional, it kinda sounds like fireworks. I hear this sound every day. I watched today as my neighbor's roof was taken off. The house was sold and we haven't met the new owners. I don't know if they even intend to live there but the place has been totally gutted.

Of all the things to mourn in this city, it breaks my heart to see slate roof after slate roof disappear. We replaced ours too so I understand. Asphalt is significantly cheaper to install and maintain. Who looks at roofs anyway except those of us who recently had to make repairs.

Addy's sleep habits are getting continually worse. It's not that she's not sleeping which is what some moms complain about - it's just that she is waking more frequently. This is why I thought it best to move her to a crib and it has helped for the most part. When she is in her own space, we don't wake each other up as often. She has slept through the night twice in her crib. The other nights I end up moving her into our bed sometime in the early morning depending on how awake we both are and how cold her hands are. I have a hard time laying her down alone when the house is cold.

Whenever I move to a new city I know that I am part of that community when I run into someone that I know randomly on the street or in a store or whatever. I've run into four people since the storm and I'm glad to see every single one.

Did you know that moth balls are still the preferred method of killing moths? Guess what my house smells like? Yummmm.

2.02.2006

Happy Blogiversary to Me!


In other news, I think that it's time for us to move.