Is This Winter Ever Going to End??

This isn't breaking news to anyone living here in Wisconsin, but it's a long, COLD winter. This persistently sub-zero weather has translated into long days indoors, for Leila and me.

But Leila isn't hibernating, so neither am I. She's constantly on the go-- reaching for toys, talking and squawking. She finds little specks of miscellaneous fuzz on our carpet, and carefully picks them up between her thumb and forefinger... before sticking them in her mouth.

I usually notice this after the fact, when I see fuzz on her cheek (I think her tongue pushes it out when she finds it doesn't taste good).

She doesn't crawl yet, but stretches and scoots effectively enough for me to have to keep a close eye on her. If I set her on a blanket with a pile of toys, she plays with the toys but somehow ends up several feet away from the blanket. I think a lot of her movement at this point is unintentional... but who knows!

I can tell she's getting frustrated with limitated mobility-- the drive to "move" is building in her. So last week I bought her a walker so she can pad around and chase after me a little. She doesn't move very fast in it yet, and can't seem to move it at all when the walker's on carpet. But she can slide around on the kitchen floor while I'm cooking.

Before Stephen came to visit at Christmas, Jon installed a gate at the top of our basement steps, as well as lattice around the railings. So we have some baby-proofing in place.

The new walker has buttons and gadgets on it that make funny noises-- nothing too loud or obnoxious. One of the sounds is like a car horn. It's kind of fun to hear her honk as she scoots by underfoot. I sometimes give her a handful of baby cereal on the walker tray. We keep each other company.

But that's NOTHING like the excitement of when the bigger kids come home. Michael and Emma are usually gone before Leila wakes up in the morning, so the first time she gets to see them each day is afternoon, when they get off the school bus. That's a pretty big moment for her. She's very entertained by the things they say and do, and likes to be one of the gang.

Emma is a big help with Leila, but I do have to limit their interactions somewhat. Emma's great with the baby, and is comfortable picking her up and handling her. However she's a little more casual about it than I would like. There have been a few minor incidents (droppings), which Emma was very remorseful over after the fact-- but she forgets her bad experiences pretty fast (and I'm a worrier).

Michael was always more awkward in his attempts to handle Leila, but seems to be getting better at it lately. He's learning how to be big brother to a baby. It's funny to say that, because he's obviously already a big brother-- to Emma. But he was so little when she arrived, and Emma seemed to quickly catch up to him in size (not to mention overpower him with her spitfire attitude).

Well, enough motherly musings for now. Take care!