+ Decisions +
So, I've decided to teach you American Sign Language. I've been researching this, and I think it will be fun and useful. Who knows if or when you'll pick up on it, but I'm going to start using it right away for some basic things (like milk, mommy, daddy, finished, bed, bath, car, etc.). Eventually, maybe you'll start using them. We'll see! I found a great site to look at some basic signs. If anyone's interested, it's here.

+ Squirmy monkey +
Do you notice a pattern? I hope you don't mind me calling you my "[insert adjective here] Monkey." I like it. It's better than "Stinky," which I had gotten in the habit of calling you. :-) I'm trying to break that one, because I reeeeeally don't want that to be a nickname. Your Grandma Laurie calls you that too.

At any rate, you are a squirmy little bugger. Grandma noticed it yesterday, and I've been noticing it for a while now. You just don't want to sit still, especially when you're eating or being burped. Holy cow, nursing is turning into an adventure! Your little legs, free from their harness during the day, kick anything and everything possible. Meanwhile, your butt goes in and out and your hands? Well, your hands are all OVER the place. There's nothing on my body you haven't grabbed, stroked, pinched, pushed on, pulled... You get the idea. It's cute, but a little unnerving. When you really get going, you just keep popping off my breast mid-suck. Your feet push you off, your hands push you off, and you bob right back on. It's a little gymnastics routine we have going. Funny, but kind of uncomfortable sometimes too.

You're really becoming a happy baby. Sometimes after you've eaten, you get a little whiny and squirmy, and if I don't feed you quickly enough when you're hungry, you might cry. Also in the evenings, you get a little fussy and it takes a while to calm you down into a nap. But that's all normal. Even Maria this morning said you've been really good at daycare, either sleeping or awake and happy. Good girl! You just keep soaking everything in, aware of everything. I love when I walk into a room, and you turn to look at me when you hear my voice. Just love it.

You're also starting to look less baby-ish. Oh, you still look like a baby, but your face is filling out like a little girl. You simply have The most beautiful eyes. They're kind of a mix of mine and Daddy's; they're a rich medium blue like Daddy's, with the dark ring of blue on the outside like mine. It's so pretty.

Enough babbling about you. We're embarking on a nice 3-day weekend, and we're going to spend lots of time with Daddy, who's really having a rough time right now. Our weekend mornings will be spent with you in bed with us, sleeping in. I love that time together, cuddling and watching you sleep. I hope we can keep this up for a long time. It makes my weekend days start off perfectly.

+ Sleepy baby +
I hope you are growing and not sick. You slept most of yesterday away, and slept okay last night. You slept about 6.5 hours after sleeping about 5-6 at daycare, and about 2.5 at home last evening. I took your temperature, though, and you seem fine. You must just have some growing to do. I was worried you might have my stomach bug, and your stomach did seem to be bothering you at 4:00 this morning, but you seemed okay later on. Who knows?

You should get to see Uncle CR and Aunt Chelsie this weekend, and Grandma Laurie. We're really going to try to take it easy, though, for the most part. Last weekend I was so sick I haven't really had a chance to just rest and re-group. It'll be nice to have a 3 day weekend too.

I have 3 more pictures (of you and Uncle Chris) to add to your ofoto album, and then start on your 4-6 month album. I'm hoping to try getting your passworded site up and going, and then I'll link to the albums so everyone who visits there can have access. If I get a chance, I will work on that this weekend!

+ Administrative Note +
Added a whole bunch more pregnancy blogs over there --->. Many are thanks to Shana, who is wonderfully pregnant now! Congratulations!

And am I allowed to express amazement that babies are due in January now? Already? Soon they'll be conceived when Ceili was and have her same due date, in 2004. That seems way too soon. Then again, it seems WAY too soon for her to be 3 months old. *sigh*

+ Ahhhh, relief +
I am feeling so much better, it's amazing. I actually think it may have turned out to be some sort of stomach flu, because your Grandma seems to have it now. It's really very icky, and I hope it has passed you by like the other bugs I've had in the last couple of months have done. Once again, thank God for the immunological properties of boob juice (which is coming back, thank God again).

Aaaaaanyway... You slept better again last night. You are just getting stronger by the day, and you get frustrated if we don't let you look around and explore your surroundings more. We'll have to start going on walks (just in time for Phoenix summers... great...) so you can look at all the trees and people. You have discovered television, much to my chagrine. You are fascinated by it, so I'll have to really start playing some of your videos (i.e. Baby Bach, Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, some other music one) for you sometimes. I'm actually glad for that element of daycare. If you were home with me, the television would be on, and I would really prefer if you didn't watch it much. At daycare, that's not an option. I'm not going to be militant and never let you watch TV, but you will have a limit on how much you're allowed to watch. I did as a kid, and I'm thankful for it now. It made us get outside and play with friends, or visit with our parents. And our homework (usually) got done. Of course, I intend to limit your computer time too, but that's a long way away.

+ Beauty +
Have I mentioned lately how beautiful you are? I was just sitting here thinking about how we were admiring your beauty yesterday evening. You do this adorable new cute thing. Your daddy sits on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table, and you lying along his legs looking at him. He plays with you and makes you laugh over and over. Then you'll eventually hear me laugh on the other couch, and you turn your head as far as it can go to watch me. You have the most amazing, rapt expression on your face. Of course, it's usually followed pretty quickly by your lips smacking or tongue darting, so I know you see "Mmmm... Mommy... Fooooood..." But it's still adorable. And I still usually get rewarded with a great big gummy smile.

+ Bad equations +
Company picnic + 1100 RSVP's = lots of catered BBQ
Lots of catered BBQ + 104 degrees F = food poisoning
Food poisoning + heat exhaustion = extreme vomiting
Extreme vomiting + inability to drink anything, including water = massive dehydration
Massive dehydration + insufficient food intake = No breastmilk
No breastmilk + hungry baby = Crisis

We're working on this. Fortunately, food poisoning passes quickly. Unfortunately, dehydration takes a while to fix. I'm stuffing myself and drinking like a fish, along with my Fenugreek. Thank God for those freezer stores of milk from a few weeks ago.