Tuesday 2 October 2018

Dani 8 months and sundry life business

Fall came quickly this year, and apparently, winter even quicker.



I’m getting ready for AJ’s birthday at the end of the month but looking outside it might as well be time for Dani’s January birthday.

I’m hoping that snow melts but sheesh there is already a lot of it.

All about Dani:
  • Two teeth showing.
  • Wearing 12 month clothes.
  • Almost, almost crawling. Any day now and she will be off.
  • Eats everything. We are giving her meat more than we did with AJ. She either likes it better or we’ve gotten better at preparing it.
  • Full of smiles and joyful giggles. AJ’s laugh has remained much the same from her baby days, even while much has changed, so I’m hoping Dani’s laugh is a piece of her we will always have. 
  • I realize I don’t clearly remember AJ as a baby. I have photos and videos of course and I recall some details but I don’t have the visceral memories. It makes me kind of sad, thinking that I will likely one day forget what Dani is like. Right now it’s so real, but one day....I am trying hard to take in this precious time.
  • Still a good sleeper so far. There are exceptions but overall we are lucky again.
AJ continues to be a great big sister and a fun (mostly) four year old. She is getting more and more independent and finding ways to assert individuality. The one that drives me the most crazy right now is her pickiness about her clothes. I don’t buy her anything without having her approve it but even when she says she likes something she can change her mind the next day and refuse to wear it. 

On the other hand she is now mostly independent with all aspects of toileting and us learning to wash her own hair. She has a wonderful imagination and occupies herself for hours with pretend play. She gets along  with other children too for the most part, although there has been some conflicts with friends/not-friends at daycare (she goes 2 days a week). 

And I get to plan the birthday party again this month which I dislike as much as ever.  I feel like it will just get more complicated as the children get older and my social skills and standing are also up for judgment, a feeling I loathe. Oh well. I hope like last year it is less a big deal than I make it out to be in my head.

I am starting to look at and think about options in my career (part time? Job share?) I want to gather information. I don’t know what I will decide yet. It’s uncomfortable to consider change and I want to procrastinate but I know change is inevitable and I either wait for it to overtake me or try to embrace it and tinker with it to get the best possible outcome. Part of me would like to linger in this magical space forever but I know that’s not an option. 

Still undecided too is what school AJ will go to for kindergarten but it is possible one of her good friends (the son of my closest friend atm) will go to the same school also next year. Childcare is also a huge uncertain decision. Right now I’m just trying to figure out what’s out there and possible. It’s so much more complicated than just regular daycare, I feel. 

I could go on but Dani is sleeping in my lap and I should transfer her to crib. And put on a podcast to grow my brain. And stop playing with my phone. Life is good. We are going to the States for a couple of weeks this month so that presents a non existential challenge to prepare for which should be quite fun.





A lovely fall walk from before winter hit: 




5 comments:

  1. Oh my word, look at all that snow!!! Weren’t you JUST writing about summer?! Does AJ enjoy playing out in the snow or is it far to cold to enjoy? My winter babies aren’t actually fans of the cold and snow, at all!

    Every season of life bring so many changes and decisions to make, it can be overwhelming. Take your time with everything and remember that whatever you decide with work and school for AJ will always be the right decision.

    And look at Dani! She seriously has the biggest eyes and smile, and I love that she still has her chubby little cheeks! Glad she is such an all around easy baby.

    Where in the States are you traveling to? Do you have family/friends there? Would love to hear about international travel with little ones!

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    1. Yup, I was just writing about summer. Fall basically arrived right at the beginning of September. And it’s snowing ALL DAY today. Sigh.

      Thanks for your reminder that all the decisions will work out. In a way it’s harder to think about things than to live them. When I think about them I’m living inside of multiple possibilities while reality will be just one. I still think it’s a useful exercise. Just hard.

      We will be in Michigan (Detroit area) for a couple of weeks this month. I will gladly share any travel tips! And accept them too. We made the trip when AJ was one and it went well, minus some major flight delays. We also had some crazy turbulence which made me very glad that we had a seat for the baby. That’s one thing we do: always purchase a seat for infants. My brother works in aviation and he says infants should always have a seat. Apparently the rationale behind letting infants fly in parents arms is not because it’s safe,but because if they weren’t allowed more people would drive which is *more* dangerous. Anyway, hopefully it all goes well!

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  2. Whoa that's a lot of snow!! Here in Chicago it's 80 degrees today (although it has been colder the past few days). Hopefully that melts soon!

    Dani is adorable!!

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    1. Thank you! More snow but it is supposed to warm up right as we aer leaving town lol

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