Can’t really complain

So we’ve put Baby on an elimination diet to track down her allergies. She’s mostly eating beans, sunflower seeds and butter, fruits, including avocado, veggies, oatmeal, and rice cakes. I’ve already screwed up a few times (like when I guess I forgot that wheat germ is, um, made of wheat). She’s also drinking rice milk mostly instead of formula but I just don’t think that this diet is good for very long in the protein and fat departments (though she’s honestly wolfing down the sunflower butter, so who knows?) It’s kind of tricky figuring out what to feed her with these limitations, and so far no change on the eczema front, but we’ll stick with it.

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Now that I’ve accepted a non-teaching job for the summer, the local colleges are starting to call me. But given our upcoming trip to Sweden, I couldn’t have taken summer jobs there, anyway, so I’m interviewing for the fall. I have been thinking a great deal on the working/not working issue, and will post something about that soon.

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Went to the local indoor community pool today with my mothers’ group. We took turns watching each others’ little toddlers so we could do the big, tall, fast grown-up water slide, which was wonderful. Baby didn’t want to be held, so we could only stay in the shallow end since I didn’t feel like letting her drown, and she spent most of the time obsessing about trying to go up and down the stairs without holding onto anything. This little girl is exhausting sometimes.

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Maybe it’s because he’s from Sweden, I don’t know, but Husband is apparently unaware of the cultural norms surrounding Mother’s Day. Last year he didn’t really do anything (until I got upset, and then he did stuff the following week), and this year I could tell wasn’t going to be too different, so I told him what I wanted (a handprint stepping stone made by Baby) and, well, went out and bought the relevant kit (look, I had a coupon). I’ve already done his Father’s Day present (Baby and I painted a mug at a make-your-own pottery place) and made a clay bunny (at the same place) for my grandmother, and created a photobook online (at Wal-mart, just 18 bucks) that I am extremely happy with for my own mom of Baby’s first year (now that she’s almost two, it seemed fitting). Anyway, I did tell him of my disappointment and he plans to abscond with the baby tonight to come up with something on his own.

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I’m getting excited about going to Sweden. It’s so relaxing and beautiful in the summer, and I do enjoy all the hiking and seeing the various relatives. I am going to campaign for a short trip to Paris that probably won’t happen, but it’s worth a shot. Now I thoroughly understand that the flight over will be hell, but it’ll end, and then we’ll have two weeks there.

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I got a sub and Husband is taking off so for Memorial Day weekend we’re going to the beach for a nice long time. This is also quite exciting.

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We went and saw the newest new baby we know a couple of days ago, and Baby seems mostly to have gotten her fill of newborns and mostly left the adorable, remarkably alert little thing alone, and instead played with his older sister, baby dolls, and the baby’s bouncy seat, swing, etc. This means I got to hold a baby uninterrupted! Yay! A baby that can’t run away from me or tell me “no” or kick me in the glasses during a diaper change, giving me a blood blister on the side of my nose!

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So, basically, things are good. My research work hasn’t gotten started yet (the tech people are taking their time getting me set up and I am not complaining) so I’ve had lots of time to do whatever I want. I’ve been sewing buttons onto things, getting stains out (use GOOP for grease stains, even set-in ones!), finishing crafts and sewing projects, reading novels, cleaning shelving, etc. I’ve been working, also, on spending less time on the internet (read this if you think you spend more time online than is strictly necessary–of course by clicking that link you will be furthering that problem) so have completely stopped going to some sites I used to read all the time (not blogs), and it’s actually nice to have less mental clutter.