1. Tamara and I got together today at her house for lunch and for our kids to hang out and for us to hang out. She made delicious chicken salad wraps.
2. This was the first time I’ve gone out with Amy for something purely social — not to have someone help me cover an appointment or house-showing or take up the slack from my PPD.
3. I got some pictures printed. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that they’re all about Amy. I’m sure there will eventually also be pictures of other things we do.
4. It’s a beautiful day today.
5. Mark called a realtor in IN who has sent us some interesting listings to consider.
1. I have two braids of Easter bread rising in the kitchen. I suppose it’s an Italian thing; I got the recipe from my mom. Made by hand — usually if I make bread I make the dough in the machine.
2. There’s also a pot of chicken stock on the stove.
3. Amy likes squash.
4. Even though I feel worn out and exhausted already, I don’t have anything else I must do today, except continue to take care of Amy.
5. I had a nice juicy orange with lunch (because I needed the peel for the Easter bread).
1. This evening I noticed new little hairs in Amy’s bald spot. It might still rub off or rub short, but it might just start growing back in.
2. We didn’t find a nice secondhand high chair today, and plan to take a week or two to see if any turns up, but meanwhile we had the bright idea to use her wind-up swing. It has a tray and the seat can support her upright, so it’s a good temporary substitute. Plus, she can swing while she waits.
3. Today could have been awful, with Mark not sleeping well and Amy getting up early, lots of traffic and crowds at the stores we went to, not finding everything we wanted, and so on, but it has not been too bad, and there have even been some bright moments.
4. The choir practiced the difficult piece we’re trying for Easter, and the practice I’ve put in this week on my own has really helped me with my part.
5. We watched United 93 last night. I’m grateful to those folks who, knowing they might very well die, had the courage to do what they could to save other lives.
1. I managed to go shopping at the mall, with Amy in her stroller, without having a fit or needing to go home early, even though she was quite fussy (hadn’t napped long enough, couldn’t get herself back to sleep). I got a frame and mat for a 5×7 of Amy’s newborn picture, a travel bed that we’re going to return (she’ll grow out of it too soon), and a pair of tights — all with gift cards left over from Christmas.
2. The guy who was doing the house inspection (the reason I had to be out of the house and therefore went shopping) estimated less than two hours, which is half the time our realtor had estimated, and meant I didn’t have to be out with a baby for four hours.
3. After another fussy period, as I was laying Amy down for a nap, I made her laugh.
4. I got a load of (Amy’s) laundry done.
5. Amy’s afternoon nap allowed me to work on my dulcimer site and spend some quality time with the kitty.
1. Yesterday Deb B came over to watch Amy while I had my therapy session. They went for a long walk with the stroller, and afterwards I got to take a shower and then we all had lunch. It was especially nice to have a good cup of red bush tea with milk and honey in it.
2. Even though Amy had an inconveniently early start to her day, she made up for it with a nice long nap yesterday afternoon. And I got to lie down for a while, too.
3. Tuesday night Crow, who books music for the Farmers Market, called me. He’s never called me before; usually I’m the one trying to get in touch with him to schedule The Hanshaw Trio. He called because the calendar was filling up fast and there was nothing left before the day we move except the very first market day, the day before Easter. SO — Hanshaw will help open the market season. It made me feel good that he was sufficiently interested in us to take the initiative to call me.
4. My therapy session and the DBT group were both pretty good yesterday.
5. The tulips and daffodils have started poking up.
1. Amy slept through the thunderstorm.
2. Yesterday I finally “fixed” a toy for Amy. It was the only rattle in the store. It’s a round clear plastic ring with beads inside, and there’s a wavy line across the middle with colored rings on it. And, as if that weren’t enough, there’s a stuffed caterpillar, about half the size of the whole thing, attached so that it covers half the clear ring. That stupid caterpillar makes it hard to hold onto and shake the toy and taste it. So I cut it off. And sewed up the cuts and now she has two toys — a nice easy to hold caterpillar and a nice easy to hold rattle.
3. I love getting good comments — it’s nice to feel that support and encouragement.
4. It’s so nice out Mark rode his bike to the bus stop. I plan to take Amy out in the sling or stroller, if I can find her sunhat.
5. I’m singing a duet with one of the other sopranos in the choir this Sunday. Today I had time to enter the music in my notation software so I could learn it better.
1. The air bed is no longer set up in the music room / office. Mark has returned to the bedroom, as Amy has been sleeping through the night pretty consistently. It’s nice to have that restored, and also to have the space / openness back in the music room / office.
2. This one is secret because it’s not finalized yet, but I’ll update when / if it is.
3. The snow melted, revealing the ugly thing that used to be the lid of our cistern. On a whim, I posted it on Freecycle, and got three replies immediately, and one person came to pick it up within a couple of hours. (No one wants my nice floor baskets, but three people want this hunk of cement? Freecycle is so weird.)
4. I made pecan scones this morning. I love this recipe; so easy, so adaptable.
5. I got mad at Amy yesterday, but a) there was a long time beforehand where I really felt compassionate and undistressed by her fussing, b) I didn’t do anything terrible with my anger, c) I didn’t guilt-trip myself over it for the rest of the day or anything. (She had a rough day yesterday afternoon and still doesn’t seem quite herself. I wonder if something is bothering her. No fever. But we’re glad our next pediatrician visit happens to be on Monday.)
6. My sewing projects are finished. I’m pleased with how pretty I packaged the two items that were gifts. I’m glad to have the sewing machine put away. Although new project ideas are already floating around (like making a dress for Amy out of the fabric left over from the most recent project, maybe even using one of the lace collars my grandmother had made), I’m content to put them off for a while and work on other things like our photo album or maybe the sweater I’ve been knitting since last year or starting to plan a farewell concert of some kind or other.
1. I took a half Ativan last night instead of a whole, and slept without earplugs. I still woke up at 3 and again later, but no big deal.
2. I am still in a pretty good mood even though Mark slept horribly and Amy is fussing a bit right now.
3. Nine realtors came to the realtors’ open house yesterday, and some plan to send their buyers over to see the place during the open house on Saturday.
4. Amy and I had a lovely time at Deb H’s during the realtors’ open house; sun shining on snow sheen, those fabulous cylindrical mocha cookies and tea…
5. I finished sewing diaper liners and started sewing another project.
