Happy Holidays!

it's 4:30 a.m., but that's okay.

Ugh

So yesterday was "one of those days".

1. It was last day of work prior to vacation. And it was crazy! More last minute requests, a patient died (necessitating tons of unplanned paperwork), demands, a 2.5 hour team lunch, etc. I finally left at 5:15 in time to pick up the bug at daycare prior to 6:00 p.m. when it closes. This necessitating me working for 3 hours from home this morning, so I didn't get to go to the gym.

2. It was brutally, horrifically cold out. All day. And it stank just getting into your car.

3. When I picked up the bug, she had fell asleep in the swing there and when I woke her up, promply started screaming. I smelled that she had pooped and decided to change her there. While I was changing her, more poop started to come out and I hurried to find another diaper to slap on her little butt as fast as I could, but got poop all over my hands and the changing table. I then waited for her to finish, (btw - it was her fourth poop of the day!) and then started to change her. She peed all over the table, the paper, her outfit and the new diaper I was holding. I stripped her down and she had already went through two outfits with spit up, so I ended up throwing a long sleeve onsie on her and wrapping her up really well. She then spit up on the onsie when I was putting her in her car seat, so I made a beeline for home.

4. She screamed at home and wanted me to hold her while she napped so I ate some cold GF lasagna out of the pan because that was all I was able to do.

5. I had stomach issues all day yesterday and burning heartburn.

6. My mother is laying the guilt on thick. Very thick. Only once have I not been at my mother's house on Christmas Day. This year, with the bug and our hectic schedules, we wanted to stay home. My mom started crying when I told her (she has my sister's to go to, it's not like she is alone) and just made me feel guilty and awful and guilty and upset. Why can't she be accomodating??? We were just up there last week (it's a 4-5 hour drive each way that my baby hates) and we are exhausted. We were planning on going up the day after Christmas, but decided to go up on the 27th - 28th. She's isn't going to like and is going to make me feel like crap. And frankly, I am just too tired and annoyed and upset to even try to deal with it.

And that's why I ate a LOT of M & M's yesterday.

Grandma and Baptism

So I got word that my Grandma was failing last week sometime. My mom's mother was completely healthy her whole life until she turned 92 and had a stroke. This one left her speech affected and she had to go into a adult foster care home which is different than a nursing home. Typically the patients can walk and feed themselves and basically need supervision. She really hated the place and was used to being fiercely independent. Anyway, she became really anemic and had a few more strokes and seizures and declined in health over the 5 1/2 years (ugh) she was there. She almost died several times but kept rallying. In May when she came to my baby shower she was in pretty good shape, but couldn't say much. I brought Vi up in October and she couldn't really speak, but sat there with a vacant look on her face. My sister and I were the closest to Grandma out of the six cousins and spent tons of time with her when we were small.

The funeral was very lovely. I was asked to do the readings which brought back all the times when the nun would have me read in church in 6th & 7th grades (the same church). There was a funeral luncheon and the visitation was nice too. The priest kept saying that it was so nice to have four generations there, the newest of which was my Victoria. I felt like a celebrity because everyone went nuts over Vi. On the annoying side, they kept grabbing and her and touching her even when she was sleeping.

I've been wanting to get her baptized so badly. P is raised Catholic but not church-y at all. I don't go as much as I should because I don't like to go alone very much, however I pray very often and have a personal relationship with God. Vi is already over four months, which is quite old to be baptized. The Catholic church usually requires you be a tithing member of the church and take six months worth of classes, etc. With P's work schedule, we just can't do it. I explained to Father at the luncheon that she was truly the result of the hand of God and a miracle baby like in the Gospel where Elizabeth is barren and the Angel comes to her and John the Baptist is born. He said we should contact him when we are at Christmas and he will do the Baptism. Well I cried. Grandma is responsible for this one.

We just got back into town from Alpena. My Grandma died.... she was 97 so it was more of a celebration of her life than a sad affair. The drive is long and we are tired. It is 8 degrees here. You hear that my friends in California and Arizona???

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So Vi is now four months old day and full of smiles and fun. I totally adore her so very much. She is doing all sorts of fun things now and interacting with people.

* she is very grabby with her hands. She likes to hold things and not necessarily shove them in her mouth yet, which is nice. She likes to play and hold things out to look at them with a look of concentration on her face. She can grab the toys on her floor gym and just pull on them.

* her hair is really coming in and I think it may be blond to start (yeah) and curly (double yeah!) - just like her mama's was.
*She's been so hungry I've started her on a little rice cereal which she has the evenings. She is eager to eat it and opens her mouth wide, but is no very coordinated and ends up all hunched over eating it (pictures to follow), so I end up holding her up with one hand and feeding her with the other.

*When she is really happy, she likes to talk to you. She will giggle and laugh and make these cat-like screeching noises to converse back and forth with you. I love it so, so much.

*Her sleep hasn't been so great since Thanksgiving. After sleeping from 8:30 - 6:30 fairly regularly, she now is sleeping like 9-5:30 or sometimes up at 2 or 3.

So tired

The baby stopped sleeping through the night. Thanksgiving threw her off kilter I think. So tired, but I am getting some sleep (like 6 hours) so I can't complain.

Haven't even had time to blog but my husband is complaining about me not putting her clothes away. Hello! You got home from work at 10:30 p.m. - you're no help.

Getting a massage on Saturday morning - oh yes!