all sorts of new things 'round our household.
One year ago: Gonzo leaves for Portugal.
Two years ago: Diane talks about money.
Three years ago: We enjoy a "packed" Calgary.
Four years ago: Ceej accompanies me to LA. We drink.
(Don't send me your answers. This is just a little way to expand your horizons. Honest.)
Hmmm...well, I know I've been doing something. I just can't remember what it is.
Pookie's done something: she's rolled over! She hasn't quite figured the process out yet, because she's not doing it a lot, but she has done it.
She's so clever.
Tonight marked an important milestone in my career as a Mom: I was away from Pookie for four hours.
It was an interesting experiment for the three people involved.
I decided to take a class this summer for two reasons: to get my butt in gear, writing-wise, and to get out by myself once a week. Darin has gone out a few times with Harry or Fernando for long periods of time, but I haven't done much without Sophia for four months.
Mind you, I don't want to be apart from her a lot. Just a little.
I'm taking Jerrilyn's Mystery Writing class again. This time it's eight weeks, not six. It's a subject I'm (still) interested in, I have a way better idea for my mystery novel, and I'd like a push to get me back into writing every day.
We wanted to prepare for my being away for one evening a week. Sophia hasn't gotten a bottle since she was about three weeks old and I went back to breastfeeding full-time. And we've heard a ton about babies refusing to take a bottle. So last Saturday I pumped out some milk and we sat down with a sippy cup for Sophia.
Who was not happy to be given a cup. There was crying, there was wiggling, there was milk splashed everywhere.
"We have to practice again before Wednesday," Darin said. I agreed.
Did we? We did not.
Right before I left for class I fed her, on the theory that a tanked-up baby is a happy, sleepy baby (who doesn't need to be fed a cup). And then I left Sophia in the care of Darin and Brent, who'd come over for his weekly session of working on his D&D adventure.
"Couldn't face a night with Sophia alone, eh?" I said. I told him I would have my cell phone with me, on, and if there was a big problem he should call and I would just leave class right then.
The class is at Universal CityWalk again, and I haven't been to CityWalk since they expanded it. Yowsa. It was huge. It was ten minutes from the parking garage to the UCLA Extension building.
(Harry said that he wanted to go to the CityWalk to check out all the new shops. I told him he and Darin should go on a Wednesday night, so if there was a problem with Sophia I would be right there. And given the number of babies and toddlers there tonight, Sophia would be right at home.)
I got to class right at 7 o'clock -- I have a sense that I will not be getting there early this time around. The class excited me to get working on my novel. Eight weeks is much better than six, I think -- hopefully she will cover more stuff. And people in the class are working on good stuff. Jerrilyn has designed this class to be a little more advanced than last summer's, which is a good plan.
Last summer I would chat with Jerrilyn after class. This summer I dashed out of the room and got on the cell phone. "What's the hap?"
"Everything's fine."
I got home and got the real story: Sophia had been fine for a while. Then she got fussy and Darin fed her a little bit. "It went better than last time," Darin said, which was not high praise for the whole bottle-feeding experience, but I figure there's a learning curve. Then she started crying and Darin calmed her down by giving her his pinky to suck on -- we don't use pacifiers -- and finally she fell asleep.
It's going to take some time. But Sophia knows she's with people who love her.
The other reason we have to get Sophia willing to take milk from a cup is that we have hired a nanny! Dora starts next week.
Interviewing was a difficult experience -- am I asking the right things? What am I doing? Do I really want this stranger bobbling my baby, even if I'm going to be in the house at the same time?
But I think Dora's going to be very good. And I'm going to get five hours a day, four days a week to work on projects I can't work on with a baby in my arms -- writing and various house projects. It's going to take some adjustments.
In the Forum:
You would not believe how many creepy actors there are out there.
jvb wants to know, What makes someone creepy, anyhow?
Admit it. You're sexually turned on by bookstores. Join the support group.
Do you prefer in the theater, or a home surround-sound experience?
No question too silly for "Mr. Digital Camera," Fernando.
The answer to Sunday's question: How can you possibly have a favorite Iron Chef battle?
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Copyright 2000 Diane Patterson
Send comments and questions to diane@nobody-knows-anything.com