Hobbit-ish Potpurri: A Few Little Bits

Howdy Humble Readers...

Thank you so much for all your kindness and comments on my last post.  I think that actually 'saying' it aloud has been a big first step.  It's going to take some time, but I know this too wil pass. 

Here's a rundown on a few things from the last month or so...

My Beloved and I celebrated our 4th anniversary.  On the actual day, I made a fancy supper (salmon, mushroom risotto, roasted asparagus, creme brulee) and fell asleep after my second glass of wine.  Romantic, huh?  Then, the following weekend, we left Ginny with one of Beloved's co-workers, and went out for dinner and a movie.  It was nice to be out, just the two of us, but it was the longest that I've been away from our wee girl, so I had a few challenging moments.

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My parents came for a quick visit a couple weeks ago, and Dad installed a reverse osmosis water purifier for us in the kitchen.  No more wasting money on Br.ita filters for us!  It was so nice to see them, even if it was only for a day.  Ginny played shy with her Mama & Papa for a few minutes, but soon was showing off her prettiest smiles and sweetest laughs.  It was great to watch her interact with them.

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I have officially finished my first postpartum cycle.  I started temping as soon as AF showed up the first time because I wanted to see if things had changed at all.  I know that things are potentially going to be messed up for a while, but I will admit that I was super frustrated trying to figure out when I O'd.  According to my temps it may have been on CD18 but according to my CM it was on CD22 (both are much later than I usually O... yup, I'm one of those b!tches who O's right around CD14).  So, you may be asking yourself why am I stressing about when I O'd, first time out of the gate... well, I'm concerned because if I really did O on CD22, then my luteal phase was only 10 days long, and kids, that's a problem.  I've been back on my B vitamins for more than a month and they obviously didn't help.  Given the length of time and bumps in the road we had to get to Ginevra, I don't want to waste any time getting things sorted out for when it comes time to be really trying for Halfling 2.0.

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Ginny went for her 4 month shots just over a week ago.  It went well, and she was only fussy for about 24 hours.  She weighed in a 14 lb 6 oz and about 25 inches long.  And she's solidly in the 50th percentile on all the growth charts.  She's super close to doing so many things... she can almost roll over (gets about 75% of the way over on her own) and she can sit propped up on the couch for a few minutes before she topples over.  She is responding occasionally to her name, and she's much better about tummy-time.  She doesn't laugh a lot, but when she does it makes my whole day bright.  Since her shots, she seems to be sleeping a bit more during the day than she had been, although that may just be coincidental as I think she's gone into another growth spurt.  She's up to eating close to 8 ounces of formula at most of her feedings, and sleeps super great at night.  Have I mentioned how blessed we are?  I'll post recent picks soon...

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I'm counting yesterday as a good day.  I walked for a half hour while listening to some of my favourite boy band music.  Showered before 9am (didn't do a blessed thing with my hair, but hey, baby steps right?).  Read for close to an hour this afternoon while Ginny played with her toes and dozed.  Yes, there was a brief teary stretch this morning, and watched too much tv, but all in all it was a good start.  This morning's walk wasn't quite as enjoyable (stiff knees and backache) as yesterday but I'm glad I went.

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Today we're heading to spend some time with wee little Thor.  It's actually an open house to give a lot of people a chance to meet him now that he's been given the all clear by his pediatrician and is well past his EDD.  It's been over a month since we've seen him, so I'm excited to see how much he's grown.  Now I just need to find a cute outfit that actually fits our wee girl... There's going to be a whole bunch of people there, she needs to be looking her best. :)

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It's going to take me a while to get caught up on all you lovely people... so, tell me, what's been the highlight of your last month?

Hello Out There?

Hello Humble Readers...

Thank you so much to those of you who have been nudging me to show my face again.  Sadly, I'm a dope and didn't get the messages until I signed into blogger tonight for the first time in almost a month, due to the privacy settings I set up ages ago. 

So, where have I been?  Where to begin?

The best description is that I have been in denial.  I am fairly certain that I have been dealing with some late-onset post partum depression.  Honestly, I think AF making her reappearance was what triggered it.  I have been a hormonal mess for more than a month, and I'm sick to death of it. 

I can honestly say that Ginevra and my Beloved are the shining lights in my life right now.  But other than meeting their needs (and sometimes only on a very basic level... my poor Beloved!) I haven't had energy for much else. 

Bad days find me stuck on the couch, crying over the fact that I can't seem to keep our house clean, even though I'm home all day.  My most recent round of pms found me bawling my eyes out when Beloved asked me when dinner would be ready.  Honestly, I have felt like a lame-ass excuse for a wife and mother. 

Good days still involve the couch and sometimes a few tears, but at least I'm able to get a few things done.  Mostly, tho, I end up wasting time online playing stupid games on FB and zone out.

(I want to say, that within all of this Ginny hasn't been neglected.  She has never gone hungry or alone or anything.  She gets fed, bathed, played with, and generally well taken care of.  It's just the spirit with which some of these things are being done is less than happy or content.)

I still don't get out of the house much, which I know is a HUGE part of what's going on in my head & heart.  I go grocery shopping & to church on the weekend, but other than that, I barely leave these four walls.  I know that I am in control of that part of my life, but as much as I want to, I haven't had the energy to do anything about it. 

The straw that broke the camel's back, as it were, was a few days ago Ginny really made me laugh.  I think it was the first time I had laughed in more than a week (probably longer).  It hurt my heart to think that she hasn't heard her mommy laugh in that long. 

So, I'm attempting to make some changes. 

Starting tomorrow morning, I am planning on going walking when I get up.  I always wake up at least an hour before my Beloved gets up, and usually just take up my position on the couch and doze or watch tv.  Instead, I'm going to get my ass dressed and out of the house.  The snow is melting (FINALLY!) and most of the sidewalks are clear of ice and puddles, so I won't have the fear of falling and hurting myself as an excuse.  Beloved has taken to doing Ginny's wake-up diaper change, and it is something he enjoys, so it's not going to add to his morning routine. 

I'm going to turn off the tv.  I think part of my problem is that I just sit.  I am a sad sad couch potato.  I can tell you what's on tv at any given hour of the day.  I hate that Ginny is getting used to having the tv on all the time, and that I don't read any more. 

I am going to limit my online time for the next while, and I really want to use what time I do spend online to reconnect with my bloggy friends. 

And as pathetic as this sounds... I am going to shower every day before 10am.  I can't begin to express how embarassed I am to have to put that in writing, but it's where I'm at right now. 

So that's where I'm at.  It's not pretty.  But I'm trying.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Melting, Voting & Baking, Oh My!

Good Morning Humble Readers...

Things here on the flatland are pretty good this morning.  The weatherman is predicting that we are supposed to be getting closer to seasonal temps, which means that some of this might actually melt...

The poor cedar tree by our front door

Above the poor cedar tree...

On the front of our building... it's now more than 6 feet long

Yup, those icicles are all around my house.  Talk about frightening!  (and I think the condo board should have had the eaves cleaned out, huh?)  The weatherman is, of course, predicting that we will get another 10cm of snow next weekend, but I'm choosing to ignore that for the moment.

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So, I'm not sure if my friends south of the border have heard, but as of Friday, we are being sent to the polls AGAIN!  The joys of electing a minority goverment repeatedly.  Gah!  One thing I have to say I like about Canadian elections though... There are very specific limitations on how long the campaign actually lasts (36 days).  I just hope that we get a clear majority this time, so that maybe the government can get something done and we don't have to do this again for another four or five years. 

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Remember how I mentioned yesterday that I was going to be baking some buns to go with dinner?  I have a great recipe for dinner rolls that I love.  But please keep in mind that my baking skills are less than stellar.  On a whim I decided to substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose that the recipe called for.  Um... yeah... can we say bad idea?  They turned into hockey pucks.  Oh well, lesson learned.  Have you had any kitchen flubs recently? 

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Ginny has turned into a drool monster!  It's like someone has turned on a faucet or something.  It looks like teething is just around the corner.  What's really funny is that my Beloved gets seriously grossed out by it.  It's hilarious!

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I think I'm going to bake some chocolate chip cookies today.  Or maybe a cinnamon loaf.  Or maybe both.  Hmmmm...

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I'm going to be making a pork roast tomorrow for dinner.  I'm looking for something different than my usual... do any of you have a suggestion? 

Ginevra @ Four Months

Good Morning Humble Readers...

Okay, so this ICLW has been a bit of a write-off for me.  I just couldn't get into the zone.  Honestly, I think I just needed a break from my computer, to unplug for a few days.  Just crappy timing...

But, now that I'm plugged back in, it's time for some new pics of my wee sweet girl. 

Such pretty eyes!

Ginny's four months old as of yesterday and I happen to think that she's pretty gosh darn adorable. 

All dressed up for church

At our most recent doctor's appointment, a week and a half ago, she weighed in at 13 pounds 6.5 ounces. Her cradle cap is getting much better, and her neck and back are getting stronger every day.  She's certainly come a long way in two months, from hardly being able to hold her head up to being able to sit up (with Mommy or Daddy near by) for a minute here or there. 

Rockin' the bumbo chair!

Sadly, she's losing her hair.  It started with the ubiquitous spot on the back of her head where it rubs, but now she's losing it on the sides too.  It won't be long before she's bald, I'm sure.  She's also had some bumps along the way already (like when she used her legs to push herself off the couch... scared the tar out of us both!), but she wouldn't be my child otherwise. 

Look at me, I'm standin'!

Oops!  Not any more!

I'm not sure that she's ever going to recognize her name as her's.  Both my Beloved and I tend to use pet names when we talk to her, and her real name (not Ginevra, for those new to the hobbit-hole.  That's just her bloggy name.  Check out the posts just after she was born if you want to be in the know!) rarely gets used.  Honestly, it still feels strange to say it, like it feels funny in my mouth, if that makes any sense.  I think part of it is because we had her name chosen for so long that it's still surreal to actually say it aloud. 

Yesterday she got to meet her new cousin, Thor (technically, he's our great-nephew).  He's the little guy who was born 7 weeks early, and his EDD was today.  It was our first time getting to meet him and he's just a little dolly!

Hangin' with Great-Gramma

Thor's almost doubled in weight, and in comparison with the pictures we saw when he was first born he's looking much more filled out.  It was so odd holding him, because Ginny was just so much heavier even as a newborn.  It was like holding a little ball of fluff in comparison.  And he still has that new baby cry (not to be confused with the new car smell)...



Great-Gramma/Gramma hangin' out with the babies

We came to a decision about how Ginny is going to address her cousins on Beloved's side of the family.  Because they are all so much older than her, she will call them Aunt and Uncle.  I mean, she's got cousins who are only a few years younger than me... and it's important to me that she show respect to the adults in her life. 
Well that's about it for now.  I need to go start some buns to go with dinner...

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Has Spring Sprung?

Good Morning Humble Readers...

Welcome to all who are visiting from ICLW!  I'm sorry that there was no nifty little intro post yesterday.  Our wee sweet girl and I had a rough day yesterday (just general fussiness and fighting sleep) and by the time that I had time to actually post, my brain was too mushy to come up with something fun. 

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So, has spring sprung where you are?  I've been reading blog posts from some of my friends that talk about warmer weather and being able to fling open windows to allow the springtime breezes in.  And I am sick with jealousy!  This winter is never going to end for us here on the frozen flatland.  While it has warmed up a bit (no longer in the deep deep freeze), we are still below seasonal temps and it's been snowing since Sunday, and it's not expected to stop until sometime Thursday.  Ugh!  The killer is, just over a week ago, we were given a taste of the good life... temps above freezing and the ginormous piles of snow were melting.  It's enough to make a hobbit want to pull her hair out. 

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Ginevra has started to play with some of her toys.  It's really awesome to watch her awareness change when she's holding her set of plastic keys or her squeaky elephant.  She's also developed a fondness for being sung to... which is a challenge.  I don't remember many children's songs, so I end up singing 'Frerre Jacques' (I'm sure that's spelled wrong) over and over again. 

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I've been struggling a bit getting back into the bbt charting habit.  It's amazing to me that it used to be second nature to reach for my thermometer before anything else in the morning, and now I invariably forget until I've gotten up to go pee. 

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We went down to my MIL's place on the weekend.  We had a great visit, but it's apparent that she's becoming more and more like a stereotypical senior citizen.  She's still very active, always coming and going, but things are changing.  When my FIL was alive, they always ate earlier than what I was used to (no later than 5:30), but now she eats dinner between 4 and 4:30.  Oy! 

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I know I've mentioned before that I have moved a lot in my life (59 or 60 homes in three countries, three provinces and three states).  Because of my very mobile past, every now and then I start to get the itch that it's time to move.  I confess that the itch has been making itself known over the past few weeks.  I've found myself looking at real estate listings, and dreaming about a three bedroom, two bath town house with a finished basement, a teeny yard, near to schools and a park. 

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I have a ton of stuff on my to do list for today, so I should sign off.  Laundry, housework, baking and maybe a bit of crafting if I get the chance... What's on your to do list for the day?