On My Own

I'm on my own tonight. Well, not really, as Pinecone is asleep upstairs in her newly completed room, but S is out of town on work tonight, and instead of getting things done, which was my original intention, I'm spending the evening catching up with my blog friends, eating chips and salsa for dinner, and enjoying a beer. I've got the tunes from Lori's blog playing (http://dreamsdocometrue-flrsp.blogspot.com/) (which always make me cry, Lori! though I miss Cindi Lauper!).

So, PC's room is done. It is a cozy little room, in a cozy little house, in a big beautiful forest. The new walls are birch. It has a really nice feel about it. Here are some pics:





Everything in her room has intention and meaning. The quilt on the back of her crib was her grandpa's made by her great-great-grandma (my great grandma). The room is simple, yet wonderful.

My wildflowers are blooming. These pics are from a few weeks ago, and it is just bigger and better now. Unfortunately, they took only in a small area of the meadow. But at least the grass that established itself in the rest of the meadow is a nice low-growing grass with attractive seed heads. About as tall as Pinecone now, as you can see.




Our days have found their own rhythm this summer. PC wakes up at 5:50 on the dot. I ignore her, and go downstairs to start the coffee and warm up a bag of formula to feed her with the lact-aid. Then at 6:00 and no earlier, I go in, throw open the curtains, and greet the new day with the wake-up song my mom sang to me when I was a kid. Then PC and I head downstairs and nurse up a storm, while I enjoy my first cup of coffee for the day. We snuggle, wrangle on a fresh diaper, and eat our oatmeal for breakfast. Then PC cruises around the house for a while, opening cupboards, playing with her blocks, terrorizing the cat, watching the laundry spin around, etc. while we listen music, both of us busting a move from time to time. But mostly she explores and entertains herself until morning nap. Almost on the dot, she starts to yawn at 8:30, so we nurse and then down for her morning nap at 9. Most days she sleeps for an hour and a half. This is revolutionary in my house! That is my chance to try and get something done, though I do reserve the first 30 minutes for myself. More food at elevensies, then we head outside. Play in the dirt while mom gardens/cruise around on the deck and terrorize the dogs/go in and out of the door, enjoying the experience of crossing the threshhold. We read books, snuggle, nurse for a moment here and there, stack and knock over blocks, push cars around, splash in the wading pool, climb up the stairs (not down yet) and other fun stuff. Then a good nursing around 1 or 1:30, and down for afternoon nap, which now only lasts for 45 minutes most days. Snuggle time with books after the nap, some fun on the floor, then a meal at 4:30. After "dinner", we usually take a walk with the dogs, PC on my back for a good walk on the logging roads. Then we wind down, maybe a bath maybe not, books, changes of clothes and diaps, and getting ready for sleep. S usually makes it home before she goes down, which then gives her a 2nd wind for a little while as she basks in the glory that is Dad. Eventually we nurse and she goes to bed at 7 or 7:30. And that's our day. It is wonderful, busy, and fun fun fun.