Firsts

This is the Moose's first walk in SHOES, as well as her first puddle  :)  I think she rather enjoyed herself LOL  we went on another walk today & there were deeper puddles, louder laughter, and the first accidental "swim".

the End of an Era

While I'm hesitant to say it's OFFICIALLY over, the Moose has made it pretty clear that she is no longer interested in breastfeeding  :(   I'm still holding out that, once whatever HFMD virus we have is out of her system, she may regain interest. 

If this really is the end, however, at least it was a good run.  I'm mostly sad that our routine has changed as this has been the way we wake up & go to bed every day for the past... 16 months or so.  I go home (almost) every day for lunch to hug & feed her - now, it's mostly just for hugs & temporary relief of baby duty for Yobo  :)  I am thankful we made it this far (though the goal was 2 years).

Mama-baby feeding time was quiet time.  She did not appreciate me trying to talk to her.  This was the time for no input - just calm, no lights, in the rocking chair, with no one else around, focus soley on mama-baby time.  Recently, singing became OK, but not all the time.  I really think it was much needed stimulus free downtime for the both us.  Pure love & need.  I'm going to miss that.

Blister in the sun

So, what we thought was a chunk taken out of the Moose's tongue by her learning to use her molars was not.  Oh no, it couldn't just be that.  

Yesterday, I noticed 2 little painful blisters on one of my hands.  Today, another one popped up on my other hand.  I had a doctor appointment today for my migraines and, while I was there, I asked the Doc about the blisters.  She asked if I had any on my feet - I said yes, but I was pretty sure those were from all the walking I'd been doing lately, though it was kind of weird because they were showing up now.  I have about a half dozen little blisters on my feet.  She asked if I had any cold sore like "blisters" in my mouth.  I said yes, one just showed up the other day.  She said "You have hand, foot, and mouth disease.  Tell me more about this chunk out of (the Moose's) mouth."

When I got home, I told Yobo we needed to check the kid's hands & feet for blisters.  He told me I was a dork - didn't I remember she DID have blisters on her feet?!  Duh.  She had at least one on each that we noticed this weekend.  I may not be the most observant person...  plus, she's had a horrible bout of what I thought was some crazy diaper rash.  This "diaper rash" has been the most significant part of the outbreak.  Thankfully, she seems to be recovering well  :)  Hopefully I'm on the mend, too.  I guess it can be pretty nasty, but I'm refusing to believe it'll get that way.  This IS the extent of it.
 

the Helmet

So, occassionally Yobo is kind enough to send me little emailed snippets of his days with the Moose while I'm at work.  Yesterday, we bought her a helmet yesterday for biking escapades...  this is the email I got today:

Subject: our daughter

didn't nap, got up, ate most of a large potato, put the helmet on her head, came over to me.  I snapped the strap. . .PANDEMONIUM!!!!

She immediately started screaming and running around, eventually running smack into the wall with the dvd's, tumbling to the ground and smacking her helmeted head around.

Good news:  Helmet fits and performs fine.

Bad news:  Snapping the buckle shut caused her to need a helmet. . .

No more helmety adventures today thank you very much

Ouch!

So, it's been a crazy month & an even crazier week.  The poor Moose got 2 each top & bottom molars within the past few weeks.  Last week, while trying to learn to use them, she took a fat dime-sized chunk out of her tongue  :(  She didn't sleep for a couple of days & couldn't eat much: no breastfeeding, just soup & watery oatmeal for the ravenous beast.  I did confirm with the dentist's office - there's nothing we can do but wait this one out. 

This past Saturday, she had her first ever market meltdown.  Yobo had to take her home early - poor baby was SO tired & eternally hungry.  THANKFULLY, she was able to breastfeed again last night at bedtime, which means she's feeling better!  Oh man, though.  There were a lot of mini-meltdowns over the past week.  I can't even imagine what this past week would have been like if she weren't such a naturally sunny baby.  I have to say, I got a whole lot of snuggles this past week & that was kind of cool.  Thank you again, my little darling, for being such a sweetheart.

I'm working on posting more.  No sleep for baby = no computer time for mama.

Yard Happenings

favas on the outside, corn on the inside - the corn probably won't happen this year due to a number of reasons, but it was sure fun to try it!

who knew fava flowers were SO pretty?!  yay! beans!

favas, corn, & peas - front view

some of these pea leaves are the size of MY HAND.

one of my absolute favorites - wild cranesbill geraniums

sunflower getting ready to open!  now only if we could have a little more sun to help it along

STRAWBERRIES!

I forget what these are called, but they were really pretty on the label pictures  :)

strawberries & garlic, with some marigolds, corn, and the unknown purple-y flower

LOADS of potatoes!!!!  the big ones on the right were started first & are about to flower

the other bed of strawberries & garlic (& peas & tomatoes & chickweed).  a (real) moose got scared on the 4th of July & stomped this bed a bit, some of the strawberry plants for smashed  :(

Indigo Rose goes!

our sadly pruned plum

kiwis & grapes

the fence that Yobo built & a grape growing up it

the lilac in bloom

these pictures were actually taken about 3 weeks ago.  unfortunately, I kicked off July in style with a nasty migraine & didn't get to post these before now.

Workin' hard

our usual suspect - the drunkard

she gardens!

and smiles!

and fixes bikes, too!

Alaskan baby

let's go  :)