I was thrilled to WALK across the parking lot to the pool for the first time, with spring in my step. As I approached the entryway, I heard a crescendo of music greeting me -- the world is celebrating my re-emergence! OK, it was just high school band practice, but no less climactic.
What a difference it makes not to be pregnant. I could breathe, I could flip-turn, I could really stretch out, I could sprint. It felt absolutely wonderful! And it wasn't cold at all in the water. I was still able to swim 1000 yards without stopping too, which took some time to build up to in pregnancy.
Though I'd told myself I wouldn't leave Dave alone with all three kids for a while, I think I'm going to have to reneg on that. Katrina slept the whole time I was gone, and swimming is actually a pretty short trip, as compared to dance class. It's in everyone's best interests that I'm in a buoyant mood all day anyway.
This afternoon I did a brief photo session again with Katrina, this time in the family room.
This closeup distorts her face, but shows her odd eye color, a sort of muddy vague gray. Gabriel's were like that too and turned into the rich brown that they are now, but I don't see any brown from the side in Katrina's eyes, as Gabriel's had, and as Julian's has now too.
This afternoon, there was about an hour when everyone in the house was asleep! Except me. Julian took a mondo nap, and Gabriel fell asleep in the little kids' chair. Thank goodness, because the boys are usually really grumpy after a sleepover night.
In today's NY Times, there's an article about the difficulty and disagreement among child psychiatrists in diagnosing mental illness in children. Recalling our less-than-satisfying experience with a child psychiatrist, I was intrigued to read that there exists a disorder called "oppositional defiant disorder." Could Gabriel have a touch of that? It's characterized by "often loses temper," "often argues with adults," "is often touchy or easily annoyed by others," "is often spiteful or vindictive." No, none of those describe Gabriel. He's just....well, oppositional and defiant!!
A attempted self-time photo from yesterday. There's never a good place or way to do these, and having a floppy, wiggly baby that requires three hands to hold in place doesn't help. Katrina is a vigorous, slippery little thing, often in constant motion when awake, and can be pretty hard to hold. I don't remember such squirminess from the boys, especially not mellow Julian. Happily, we have had some times recently when she relaxed, put her head on my shoulder and almost cuddled (though nothing like her ultra-cuddly oldest brother).
She's actually been a great deal less fussy lately, still with times when she's wailing her head off, but of course, babies do that. More and more we know why. We know enough to check her rear end every time she cries now, since she is astoundingly productive. (In fact, while everyone warns about getting peed on by boys, Katrina trumped that action with a projectile poop that travelled at least two feet to splatter my shirt!). And she's getting more soothable as well, and has lots of time during the day when she's relaxed and just looking around with a bright, wide-eyed expression. Nice baby.
11/11/06
No comments:
Post a Comment