Halfway There

Hubbs is away for 4 full days this week.  Tonight marks the end of the second day.  I am still alive, and so is Baby L.  We both have colds.

So cute.  So much trouble!

Here's a rundown of my kidling's progress:

*Baby L has learned how to whine.  She's a champ at it.  And as it turns out, she also has very strong preferences such that if she doesn't get what she wants or is somehow frustrated by things not going her way, the whine quickly escalates to loud complaining.

*My little shadow has learned how to follow me around via crawling.  Her separation anxiety has only gotten worse since she has been sick, so now she wants me constantly within eyesight.  When I pop into the kitchen (talking all the while so she can hear my voice), she will promptly drop any toy she was playing with and start crawling towards the kitchen.  While whining.

* I can no longer eat food in front of Baby L, unless I have plans of sharing with her.  She has the death stare of a thousand blazing suns, and can probably light me on fire if left unchecked.  Whether it's my water bottle or a bit of my pizza, this girl wants in on the action.  She's also a very good eater, and will eat almost anything.  Tonight she gobbled down nearly all of 5 pieces of mushroom ravioli, plus 3 wedges of orange.  I'm a little worried I have an entitled eater on my hands! Yikes.

* My baby girl has also learned how to show affection.  She will pull Hubbs and I in for kisses, and has learned how to plant her gummy open mouth onto our faces and lips.  It's endearing, although admittedly also quite gross, especially when her tongue gets involved.  Still, I appreciate the love.

* Baby L is also highly skilled at babbling now.  Sometimes she babbles to herself in her crib upon waking, and sometimes she rattles on as she plays.  The funniest is when she starts whining and is asking for me.  She will babble "mama"incessantly, interspersed with a bunch of nonsensical syllables strung together.  It almost sounds like she's making up her own sentences to launch her protests.  She also sometimes "sings along" with her musical toys by repeating syllables in a melodic fashion after hearing a short melody.  So cute.

*I am impressed at how proficient Baby L has become in breastfeeding.  She will find her way to the boob, pull down my shirt, grab my breast with both hands to position it, and latch onto my nipple all on her own! Of course, when she's tired she totally misses the nipple, but otherwise she is like a little honing device.  And she is also now experimenting with different positions, like nursing in the crawl position, or while she's lying on her belly, or seated.  I don't know how effective these alternate positions are for maximizing milk consumption, but she seems to think they work.

So far, since Hubbs has been gone, I have noticed that I hold in my pee for a long long time.  As in, I only use the bathroom twice, maybe 3 times a day.  I also don't eat/drink nearly as much as I should.  But I do nap when Baby L naps, so that has been wonderful.

Two more days! And when Hubbs returns, I fully expect to be able to sleep in on Saturday morning.  I am soooooo tired (how do single moms and moms with soldier hubbies do this?!?).

Good night!