Your Feet Are Going to Be On The Ground

Fair warning, this is a purely obligatory catch-up post. I really have nothing on my mind that is dying for cyber-expression, but I hate seeing the blog languish for more than a week, so here we go.

I had a sudden realization in the last week that Miss M has seemed more in control of herself. A phase that seemed to emerge, ironically, after a ten-day fit of inexplicable itching that caused her to dig bloody divots out of her skin. But ever since then, she has seemed more aware of her moods, her behavior, and the general movement of her limbs. Not always, of course. No need to start checking her closet for pods just yet. But she has been better able to express herself and her feelings, and I think that's going a long way toward easing the between-pre-school-and-big-school conflicts she's been working through.

Mr. Baby is, very happily, a little man on the move. He is so thrilled to be walking that sometimes the mere act of standing up and taking a step makes him grin. His whole demeanor is more relaxed and content, and he is so much more independent than just a week ago. During the daytime, anyway. Our attempts to nightwean have been stymied by what appears to be another round of teething - he still has four more baby teeth due, and I think they're planning to come for Christmas. He's gotten pretty consistent about lying down to sleep without nursing, but when he wakes up hurting and screaming at 3am, a mama can only be so tough.

We've reached another one of those mini-milestones, as well: tear-free daycare drop-offs. I've never had a doubt that Mr. Baby was happy at Mama KT's (see pic in previous post), but his pathetic wails when I left him there always sent me off to work with a knot in my stomach. But in the last week, those dramatic displays have all but disappeared, and it's so nice to be able to have the last image I see of him be his calm smile and backwards wave, rather than his angry, tear-streaked face.

That wave is generally accompanied by a "bah-bah," which is just one of the numerous words he has very recently added to his vocabulary. He has always been a mimic, and now that he understands the word-as-label concept, he is delighted to be repeating the correct names of things. Recent additions to his repertoire (previously consisting only of hi, cat, mama, and shoes) include daddy, sister, socks, nurse, banana, apple, juice, eat, oatmeal, thank you, and variations on numerous first names.

And there's the update. What, you expected a nice pithy wrap-up on a guilt-induced post?