Along with lots of other things/people/sleep/food I've neglected this month, I must now add the blog to the list. Here's what's been going on the past month:
* I got a job. It's a work-from-home editing job that I thought would be easy. I really like it, but it's been INTENSE. There's a major training period and I've been working every day. For a month. Long hours. Some near all-nighters. It's getting better though. No more crying breakdowns, so that's a start.
* We've been house-hunting. Which I thought involved looking at houses and choosing one. But no, it's a major emotional and mental journey. It's made us question all our priorities, make plans (a major weakness of ours), evaluate finances, etc. It's been tough. We have one offer out and of course we're all sorts of confused about it now.
* My cat Daphne died. Poor Daphne. It's just a horrible, awful story that I don't feel like writing at the moment.
* Annabel has been passing out. It's happened three times. She screams and then turns blue and then grey. Her eyes flutter, she 'sleeps' and then is lethargic. One time she had this horrible 20-second in-breath that sounded like death and made me bawl. I'm told this all is nothing to worry about.
* Nanny crises. It's hard to find someone to trust. It's hard to find child care when we may be moving. It's hard to explain she might pass out if she gets upset but just lay her down and wait for her to return to consciousness. It's hard to leave her all day when she won't take a bottle but needs milk. It's extra hard when you have a babysitter come to the house and your daughter just cries and tries to crawl to where you are working the entire time.
So that's what I've been up to. I need to upload a bunch of videos I've taken. I also need to take pictures!! I haven't taken any this whole month. (I've skipped showers for a few days and missed meals, so seriously I would have if I could have.) Annabel has, of course, changed so much. Last week she started standing, and today she reached some mastery. All day she's lifted her hands up, squealed and sometimes even clapped her hands. She's trying to stand from sitting, though she only usually gets to kneeling. She also a couple times threw herself forward from standing, which makes me think that little munchkin isn't going to waste time trying to walk.
She talks/yells/screams/squeals a lot. She is very loud and communicative. When we say 'clap' without moving she claps. I don't know why but the moment she first did that was so surreal. She understands things! She is like a real little person :)
She loves Gabe's keyboard. We lay it on the floor and she happily plays and plays. She dances too. (Cutest thing ever? Perhaps.) Tooth 5 & 6 are through and she has the cutest toothy grin. She bites her little poofies in half before she eats them. And of course little miss independent will no longer eat any food we feed her. She must feed herself.
Tomorrow I'm home with her (while working) but I will make time for a little 8 1/2 month photo shoot!
