cassieverde

Four month sleep regression. Bah!

It cracks me up when Iris calls me "sweetheart".

Neil has started moving, inchworm-style. And he now rolls from front to back by using his legs to push his butt way up in the air and then over to the side. (He's been rolling front to back for a little while, but he was originally doing it by pushing up and over with his arms.) He also discovered his feet.

Zinnia has really gotten into grabbing things to put in her mouth. She's also started taking really solid, long naps.

Both babies are now able to out-pee a disposable diaper overnight. Bah. I guess this means I'm back to having to actually get out of bed and change them when they wake up in the night. (On the plus side, the fleece sleep sacks kept the bedding dry.)

Iris got to visit the doctor this week, too. She's growing well - 83rd percentiles for both height and weight. (38.5 inches and 34.5 lbs) The doctor was impressed with her speech, since she was talking almost the whole time. The most surprising thing was that her ears were ( cut for grossness ) Iris was amazingly cooperative throughout the ordeal and then got two shots without crying. Who is this kid? It's like there's this switch that flips when we go out and all of the whining stops when other adults are around because it's so wonderful to get out of the house.
A few hours later, Iris ran up to me crying that her band-aid hurt. I was immediately scared that she was having a vaccine reaction and took off her band-aid to check the spot. I could see the two pinpricks, and they looked fine. But the entire area under where the band-aid adhesive had been was bright pink. Her skin looked a lot better after a bath plus a few hours. But we're going to call the pediatricians' office tomorrow morning to see if we can find out what she might have reacted to.

Pictures from the TbtB holiday party. (They're on Shutterfly and I'm not sure how well this linking is going to work.)

Click here to view these pictures larger

Thought I’d do a public entry (gasp) even though it’s been months since my last and will be the last personal post in this journal until the end of 2010.

2009 was a great year in hindsight. I learned that while people are human and share similar experiences to our own, it doesn’t mean they are good for us. New friendships were made and proven to be valuable - and an old friend entered back into my life. As a result I realize how disoriented I was for years without other genuinely creative souls to connect with.

We also took in a stray dog we call Odyss. I chose the name because he was as spirited as Odysseus, and lost. Odyss was trying to find his way to somewhere, possibly home. He’s a whippet lab mix that was chained and starved before being turned loose. He was pretty beat up when he arrived and you could see muscle and bone under his thin coat. Odyss is like Velcro, always with us in all we do.

The most important thing about 2009 was managing to find love in my work again. After nearly ten years of struggling to find direction and love for painting again, something happened. I let go of everything, relinquished control and care for people I couldn’t grasp, severed ties with people who couldn’t find their own faults and decided to find my own. I admitted defeat in several areas of my life, and then slowly picked up the pieces. I feel unstoppable and completely in control. I am never complacent though. This works, believe it or not.

The most important event this year was my relocation back to the states. This year was fortunate in love where I met someone I can relate to and share the good times and changes with. I have a home, and a friend. Three days after the new year I will have been home and living with my partner one full year.

2009 was not without struggles, but it was all pointed in a positive direction.

Also, I want to thank people who view my work. I’ve received emails from a few people expressing their admiration for what I do. Even though I do not respond to the comments posted here (I honestly do not know what to say but thank you) your comments have been very encouraging. I’m always feeling glad if something I create makes an impression on others. Your views are always appreciated. Thank you very much for them.

Odyss

Large View

Day Ten: A photo of you taken over 10 years ago.

Here I am at 3...working it.

Yes.