HELP!

Natalie is tired. VERY tired. And as soon as I saw that first swipe of the hand across her delicate brow, I brought her upstairs for her afternoon nap. Usually, it's that simple: change the diaper, read a story, sing a song, put down sleepy but awake. Our darling girl usually falls asleep within mere moments. Who knows why today is different?

One thing is for sure: Natalie is quite competent with her rolling over skills and now she's not afraid to use them in her crib. She just spent the better part of 20 minutes testing my quads on the stairs by wailing like a banshee and flipping over into crawling position to really send her point home: "I'm NOT happy so what are you gonna do about it?!"

Fortunately, on my last visit I realized that she just had a new tooth (that makes seven so far!!) pop out on her bottom left side. I'm thinking its right sibling might be a tenacious one and that could be painful. Out came the teething drops and down went baby. Oh, she let me hear a little more about it, but she did finally stay on her back. Let's hope this one lasts enough to allow ME to come down from the craziness.

Army of WHAT?

So Keith and I took Natalie to Disneyland yesterday. She slept well during her morning nap, allowing us to indulge during the afternoon. Unfortunately, it kind of backfired. She feel asleep on the car ride home and didn't awaken until about 6:30. That's usually the time of evening after dinner when we're drying her off after her bath and getting her ready for bed. Change of plans! We think she may have thought it was bedtime when we put her in the car. As a result, we put her to bed at about 8:20 and she woke up (for the day) at 4. Fun. Anyway, that's not the reason I'm posting, although it does speak to our need for the rituals and schedule Natalie has set for us.

This post is related to the large group of teens and adults we saw at Disneyland upon entering the line for the carousel. They were all dressed in various goth-looking outfits: black shirts/pants with dark purple and red accents; chains on their necks and wrists; tall, laced black boots; some wearing long trench coats--you get the idea. Keith surmised that they might have been a group of white supremacists, what with their shaved heads (there were also others with spiky do's).

Something they all had in common, though, was a pair of patches on their clothing. One was yellow and black and featured a toy soldier. The other was a picture of a mad scientist-looking guy on a red and black background. I was dubious that these were "skinheads", given that some appeared to be wearing goggles like the ones on the scientist patch. This goofy wardrobe addition just didn't jive with white power. (The pictures below are representative of what we saw--not actual pictures from the House of Mouse.)

It wasn't until later when I Googled the description of the patches that I found this site. Apparently, according to the FAQ page, these "Toy Soldier" enthusiasts are not only NOT white supremacists, but they are committed and united in their zest for life and fun. How totally interesting.

This just goes to show that the people-watching at Disneyland is indeed the best in the world. (Or at least in Orange County.)

Disturbing Dreams

I had a horrible dream last night. I think it was induced by the one Benadryl (yes, breastfeeding makes it impossible to take much of anything!) I took before bed.

How crazy is this:

From what I remember, Keith and I were climbing a mountain, but it was in a building. And then from over the summit, we saw a huge wave coming towards us--presumably a tsunami. We crouched into the mountain, hoping that the water would break against the rock and avoid us. (Yes, we're still inside a building.) We hunkered there, taking deep gulps, terrified, as the wave crashed and enveloped our bodies which still clung to the mountain. When the tide began to lower, we swam into another room and found a group of people that we had to save. Then I woke up.

With these kinds of dreams, I feel like I wake up exhausted rather than rested. No Benadryl tonight.

It's been awhile

Sigh. A massive deluge, oodles of side-yard flooding, new windows being installed, and a humongous diaper rash later, and it's been nearly a month since I've blogged. Let's face it: I've been so busy, I haven't even synced my phone or cameras with my computer. This means that I have few pictures to share, but I'll get my act together one of these days.

Some random musings, as promised by my blog title:

• I have a past student who comes to visit me every day before break. She's been talking to me about her novel--she's on chapter 17 now--in which I star as a woman who is equal parts witch, vampire, and human. So let's recap: I have inspired a student to write a novel, but can't even eke out one chapter on my own.
• All of a sudden, my computer trackpad will decide to ignore my fingers completely, rendering me useless as I pounce upon its surface with a dirty look. Also, my keyboard has gone totally wonky and will repeat a letter, space, or symbol until I stop the madness with my backspace key.
• We just had a three-day weekend, and yet I sit here wishing for another day off. How greedy, huh?

More later. As it is, it's taken me several days to get this posted.

The Rain

OMG.

More from the Scush Files

The Bean goes pop art.

Natalie's first swing ride! (Of course, she spent most of the time staring at the other kids, babies, and dogs, but she did seem to enjoy the gentle swinging motion.)

She's a messy eater.

Keith shows Natalie the benefits of good oral hygiene.

New Firsts!

In addition to a new lateral incisor (I know the name 'cuz I looked it up--it's the tooth to the side of your two front teeth), Natalie has embarked upon a few more "firsts":

• She rode in the cart for the first time today! Thanks to those stabilizing core muscles, she is very steady when sitting. This prompted me to use the totally adorable cart cover that Leen sent to me months ago. It was awesome! Natalie and I took Costco by storm and she was amazed at all the sights, sounds, and smells (samples!)

• The Bean ate an apple slice with the help of her "baby Kong" (that's what Ali calls the mesh bag for its dog toy ability to store food inside). We have been giving her ice in this ingenious invention for teething with great results, but today, she got to experience some solid food! She loved it, chewing and sucking with all her might. Sure, she probably only got 2 or 3 calories out of it, but the enjoyment it provided to us both was priceless!
• Scush now falls asleep on her own with little help from us. With the help of many experts' suggestions, we go through a short ritual before naps and at bedtime and that baby doesn't even cry anymore! She can also be soothed fairly quickly with just a short visit to her room. This is our favorite first, as it allows us to have more sleep and we are comforted by the knowledge that Natalie has the tools necessary to put herself down when she awakens in the night.
• The nanny has arrived! Katie, our new nanny, started this week. Since Toni will be giving birth in about a month, it was time to move on and we couldn't be luckier to find Katie. She has loads of experience and visits us most days with a 15-month-old named Ellie, who captivates Natalie every time she sees her.