Lullaby Mash-Ups

Step, step, step.

Soft piano renditions of Beatles' songs played in the background as I circled the dining room table with my sick baby. She was snuggled in close in our baby carrier. It had taken her some time to get comfortable, as has been the case these past few nights. The intense pressure of thickened mucus in her sinuses and excess fluid in her ears had her tossing her little head back and forth, back and forth.



Step, step, step.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she finally let her head rest in the crook of my elbow, though, of course, the raucous and rambunctious nocturnal play of the cat had her jolting it back up again. "Shhhh..." I soothed, and started up a string of lullabies.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word..." I sang, over the tune of "Nothing's Gonna Change My World" by The Beatles. And so began our lullaby mash-ups.

Step, step, step.

"See the pyramids along the Nile, watch the sunrise from a tropic isle, just remember, darling, all the while, you belong to me." Lifehouse lyrics melded with "She's Leaving Home."

My feet were tired, my own sick body was weary, but still I paced, on and on, around the table; our sick baby racetrack. Any attempts I made to sit for a moment were quickly protested by my little passenger.

"Tender shepherd, tender shepherd, let me help you count your sheep..." I continued, over "Let It Be," the best melodic combination yet.

Step, step, step.

Hours later, after I had long since run out of lullabies to sing, and the music playlist had run through many times over, I couldn't go on any longer. When I felt she was finally deep enough in her slumber that she might be laid in bed without waking, I turned off the music. The cat had settled down, too, watching from her spot on the floor as we ascended the stairs. Step, step, step.


I'm tired.

The Halloween Post

We had a lovely Halloween.

We started by picking pumpkins at our local farm. We never carved out an opportunity (ha!) to carve them, but hey, we got pumpkins. That's still something, right?








Then we participated in our Main Street community's Trick or Treat.


Senpai and Rosemary had their picture taken by the local newspaper! They're photo #8 of 10. :-)



Rosemary spent the entire evening in Daddy's arms. And brrrrrr!, it was cold! After the requisite visit to the port-a-potty at the end, I asked her if she wanted to get on the hayride that was taking people around the block and she said yes. It was loading right then so we hurried over. As she ran she tripped and fell flat on her face on the pavement, but she immediately got right back up and kept going, not phased in the least! My big girl.




Next was the special Halloween themed Storytime.






And finally, we went trick or treating on Halloween night.



We don't have the best neighborhood. Our neighbors' Halloween inflatables were all slashed this year. :-( 30 or so inflatables, all trashed. In response to the attack, the neighbors decided not to give out candy, and I agreed: we stood by them by not distributing candy either. No one came to our door with the lights out, but I'm not sure there were any trick or treaters in our neighborhood to begin with. I didn't hear any kids on the street and most houses were dark.

Because we live in such a lousy neighborhood, we went trick or treating on base. We didn't take Rosemary trick or treating last year. The events we did do that involved asking people for candy was more like Senpai and I doing all of the work while Rosemary looked on. She got it this time. She was on her own two feet walking to the different houses (still needing Daddy's help going down stairs, of course), saying "Tri-a-tree!" She also said "knock knock" as she knocked on doors, and "Thank you!" when she got candy. Sometimes she also said "Bye!" as we walked away. So cute! I love that she is getting to be more outgoing.





Poppy enjoyed riding in the Boba with Mommy this year. I'm looking forward to helping her toddle along the sidewalks next time. :-)

Precious Cargo

Precious Cargo

The house is quiet. I sit at my desk, completely aware of how lucky I am to have nothing else to do. That's not true, really. The house is a mess; there is always laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, sticky surfaces to be wiped, cloth diapers to be folded, etc, etc, etc... But I won't do any of it right now, because I don't want to disturb my precious cargo.



She doesn't nap well without me. Her little eye just peeked open, challenging me to put her down. I'm watching you. Really, I should be pacing, lulling this baby into a deep sleep, but I'm pausing for a moment to write. And since I don't want to type on my phone as I do my rounds of the dining room table, I will sit for a moment, get up, sit for a moment, get up. This is why I haven't written much since Poppy's been home. :-)


Floor Sleeper

I went upstairs to retrieve Poppy's reflux medicine from my bedside table, and this is what was waiting for me:



What inspires a kid to sleep on the floor when there is a perfectly good bed right next to her? I have to wonder, did she drop like a fly, or did she pause for a moment and think, "This looks like a particularly comfy stretch of carpet." It boggles the mind.

The reason for the weird framing of the photo is because I was trying to exclude her naked bum from the shot. ^_^ Speaking of which, potty training is going great. She is 100% diaper-free, and, while accidents still happen, their frequency has diminished.


Three Months



Poppy is three months old now. She eats every hour during the day, and then goes for five hour stretches at night. Reflux has got her bad. I walk around with a prefold tucked into my back pocket like a waiter with his napkin, so I always have it on hand to mop spit-up off my shoulders, Poppy, and the floor. She "snacks" every hour as this is easier on her stomach than taking full servings every three. But she nurses every time. And the nipple shield is a long forgotten memory. Yeah, we're doing well.