Happenings in my world
Every day I say I’m going to update my journal. You can see how well that’s been working. Ha.
Anyway, life is pretty good around here. Ellie’s first two teeth have cut through a bit and are as sharp as the dickens. She has refined her locomotive technique and is now definitely crawling with her belly lifted off the floor. She stands up with assistance from any and all items around her: the couch, the toilet seat, my knees, my hair, etc. Unfortunately, she has yet to figure out how to let herself back down, so she stands with glee until she is so exhausted and cries out with frustration. She has also been working on climbing the stairs and has figured out how to maroon herself three steps up. Ellie must like making our hearts catch a beat.
We went down to the Destin, Florida, area for one of Keith’s former co-worker’s wedding (the wedding was wonderfully planned for the evening of Yom Kippur). Now Ellie has been in 10 states and all of the states that border Georgia (save Tennessee). Ellie looked gorgeous in her fancy dress and was a delightfully smiley guest. We just got an Ergo carrier to use instead of the Snuggli, and she loves riding on her Daddy. She was a bit apprehensive about the feeling of the sand and waves when we took her to the beach, and when she was just starting to acclimate to the sensations, she fell face first into the sand. Sand in the ears, mouth, nose, eyes, diaper, and all of her great fat-creases-it took several days to dislodge all of that sand.
Oh, I managed to lock Ellie in the car again! I am certainly an unfit mother. As we were leaving a restaurant in Grayton Beach after brunch, I changed Ellie’s diaper with her laying in the front passenger’s seat of the car. She was playing with my keys as I stepped a few feet away to toss the mess in the trash and the car door knocked shut. She bit the key fob, thus engaging the automatic locks. Although the door was not completely shut, the lock kept us from opening it. Ellie thought all of our struggling to jimmy open the doors was highly amusing and smiled and cooed as she played with the keys And then went on to chew on Keith’s sunglasses. We called the local police while we worked on trying to unlatch the door with a wire hanger. When the cop arrived with the slim jim, he was frantic because Ellie wasn’t crying (she was sweaty but still smiling and propped up against the passenger window). He kept threatening to give up on jimmying the door and just bash the window in (the one Ellie had propped herself up against!). He then managed to open the driver’s side door. Ellie had been in the enclosed car in the sun and Florida heat for nearly 15 minutes, but when we removerd her from her sweaty clothes and I allowed her to nurse, she seemed perfectly perky and normal. Meanwhile, the policeman had called an ambulance. He mentioned to the medic that Ellie “wasn’t crying and was despondent.” We had to sign forms refusing care even though the medic also thought Ellie looked fine and just needed to eat and rest. I still think the frightening ordeal was just a silly game to her.
We also took Ellie to Your DeKalb Farmer’s Market for the first time, though she has been to the International Farmer’s Market on Peachtree Industrial near us many times. We laugh that everybody who sees Ellie must remark on what a wonderful smile she has and how happy she is. It’s just automatic.
Finally, my finger is healing quite well after an unfortunate accident involving a hand-held immersion blender the other week. I don’t want to get too gory with details, but on Monday the hand surgeon removed the 16 stitches from my left index finger and said the new X-rays indicated the fracture and chips in the bone were mending. I now just need to wear a splint and try to stretch the healing tissue as the cut tendon mended tight leaving the tip of the finger constantly bent in about 30 degrees. I have pictures of my Franken-finger when the stitches were put in, but I wasn’t sure if loading them up here would really have been appreciated.
Lessons I’ve learned in the last few weeks:
1. Hand blenders are not for blending hands
2. Babies automatically enchanted with whatever they should not grab-Ellie is quite desirous to chew on my healing finger more than any other finger
3. Sand and diapers don’t mix
4. Florida would be much nicer if it were 20 degrees cooler, less sunny, and not so sandy and flat
5. Remotely locking key fobs are not as wonderful as they seem
Anyway, life is pretty good around here. Ellie’s first two teeth have cut through a bit and are as sharp as the dickens. She has refined her locomotive technique and is now definitely crawling with her belly lifted off the floor. She stands up with assistance from any and all items around her: the couch, the toilet seat, my knees, my hair, etc. Unfortunately, she has yet to figure out how to let herself back down, so she stands with glee until she is so exhausted and cries out with frustration. She has also been working on climbing the stairs and has figured out how to maroon herself three steps up. Ellie must like making our hearts catch a beat.
We went down to the Destin, Florida, area for one of Keith’s former co-worker’s wedding (the wedding was wonderfully planned for the evening of Yom Kippur). Now Ellie has been in 10 states and all of the states that border Georgia (save Tennessee). Ellie looked gorgeous in her fancy dress and was a delightfully smiley guest. We just got an Ergo carrier to use instead of the Snuggli, and she loves riding on her Daddy. She was a bit apprehensive about the feeling of the sand and waves when we took her to the beach, and when she was just starting to acclimate to the sensations, she fell face first into the sand. Sand in the ears, mouth, nose, eyes, diaper, and all of her great fat-creases-it took several days to dislodge all of that sand.
Oh, I managed to lock Ellie in the car again! I am certainly an unfit mother. As we were leaving a restaurant in Grayton Beach after brunch, I changed Ellie’s diaper with her laying in the front passenger’s seat of the car. She was playing with my keys as I stepped a few feet away to toss the mess in the trash and the car door knocked shut. She bit the key fob, thus engaging the automatic locks. Although the door was not completely shut, the lock kept us from opening it. Ellie thought all of our struggling to jimmy open the doors was highly amusing and smiled and cooed as she played with the keys And then went on to chew on Keith’s sunglasses. We called the local police while we worked on trying to unlatch the door with a wire hanger. When the cop arrived with the slim jim, he was frantic because Ellie wasn’t crying (she was sweaty but still smiling and propped up against the passenger window). He kept threatening to give up on jimmying the door and just bash the window in (the one Ellie had propped herself up against!). He then managed to open the driver’s side door. Ellie had been in the enclosed car in the sun and Florida heat for nearly 15 minutes, but when we removerd her from her sweaty clothes and I allowed her to nurse, she seemed perfectly perky and normal. Meanwhile, the policeman had called an ambulance. He mentioned to the medic that Ellie “wasn’t crying and was despondent.” We had to sign forms refusing care even though the medic also thought Ellie looked fine and just needed to eat and rest. I still think the frightening ordeal was just a silly game to her.
We also took Ellie to Your DeKalb Farmer’s Market for the first time, though she has been to the International Farmer’s Market on Peachtree Industrial near us many times. We laugh that everybody who sees Ellie must remark on what a wonderful smile she has and how happy she is. It’s just automatic.
Finally, my finger is healing quite well after an unfortunate accident involving a hand-held immersion blender the other week. I don’t want to get too gory with details, but on Monday the hand surgeon removed the 16 stitches from my left index finger and said the new X-rays indicated the fracture and chips in the bone were mending. I now just need to wear a splint and try to stretch the healing tissue as the cut tendon mended tight leaving the tip of the finger constantly bent in about 30 degrees. I have pictures of my Franken-finger when the stitches were put in, but I wasn’t sure if loading them up here would really have been appreciated.
Lessons I’ve learned in the last few weeks:
1. Hand blenders are not for blending hands
2. Babies automatically enchanted with whatever they should not grab-Ellie is quite desirous to chew on my healing finger more than any other finger
3. Sand and diapers don’t mix
4. Florida would be much nicer if it were 20 degrees cooler, less sunny, and not so sandy and flat
5. Remotely locking key fobs are not as wonderful as they seem