Z: her third month

Zia turned four months this week!  I can't believe it (I know, I said that last time, right?)  It simultaneously seems like she's always been with us and is brand new, if that makes any sense...

Today probably isn't the best day for me to do an update...  I'm crabby to beat the band.  But I'll try and remember all of the sweet things that make me squee all of my other lucky days :)

No new tricks this month, really, just major improvements on last months celebrations.  The laundry list:  She's getting better with her hands (though she's still as likely to knock something over and, thus, away from herself as she is to bring it successfully to her mouth - which makes her less than thrilled ;)  She rolls over like she's breathing.  What took concentration and determination is now a quick flop.  (The downside to this?  She has started trying to lick/eat the carpet and she's so quick these days that she typically gets in a nice chomp before I can scoop her up.  I know, I know, for gawd's sake, woman!  Toss down a blanket!)  She even perched up on her knees a few times... and then face planted - eek!  She has signed for "milk" quite a few times, but not reliably.  She babbles, a lot. The ECing comes and goes.  Some days we nail it and only have a few dipes to wash, other days we barely have enough dipes to make it through all of our misses :)  I'm assuming its a work in progress, or that's what I tell myself each and every miss...

I think what I'm finding most astounding at this point is her (typically, not today, of course;) contentment.  Yes, she squeals and grunts to let us know we're not doing something as she prefers, and every once in a while we get it so wrong that there may be a tear.  But, typically, she's just a happy baby.  She will lay on the floor while I grab a quick shower before the sun comes up.  Never letting out a single discouraged peep (an astonishing feat in my book, since P was, oh, about 6 before he didn't mind that sort of separation.  I'm not kidding.  At all.)  She often sits on my lap while I eat and just watches the diner table gab.  (We took turns eating for, like, 3 years with P.  Fer realz.)  She's happy to be tossed on the floor for a bit after she wakes up and I pop her out of my wrap so she can pee.  She talks to herself and rolls around, totally happy.  Then I can toss in laundry or slam some dishes into the washer (its amazing what a woman can accomplish in 7 minutes with no baby on her body.)  If she starts to fuss, P typically tromps over with a "Ziiiiiaaaaa.  Ziiiiiiaaaa - what's the matter? Huh?"  And then he makes funny faces and she cackles.

P was not content on the floor.  Out of my arms.  Off of my breast.  Content, in fact, was not a word we ever used with P when he was an infant.  So this is a whole new ball game for me.

The days she's not content are days I've tried a new food that didn't' set so well.  And this makes me feel (again) so badly for P, that I didn't' realize the source of his discontent.  Then Zia doesn't want to be put down either.  Doesn't want to sleep.  Eat.  Doesn't want Papa.  Just doesn't in general.  

But those are rare now that I'm getting her allergies nailed (I remind myself, today:)  And I'm consistently amazed at how happy of a baby she is.  In fact, when she gets tired in the evening, she gets totally slap happy.  Its hilarious.  She laughs at everything (if I'm holding her).  And then she crashes ;)  But its typically quick and painless and with only gentle bounces...

There.  I hope that all sounded fabulously positive.  I should go back and reread it to get out of my current schlump.  Caused by a complete lack of sleep.  That's a collective lack, by the way.  A family sized lack.  Zia has been staying up until 10ish, getting up at 5ish and then only grabbing another couple hours (at most) during the day in tiny (sometimes 5 minute) increments.  And the seven whole hours she spends in bed at night are restless and full of nursing and flopping and farting sessions.  Each day I grow more sleep deprived, and each day requiring almost all day dedication to two at once, awake at the same time, only wears me out more.  Meanwhile, P has decided he cannot be in the bedroom when E or I are not present.  So he, too, is staying up late and rising in the dark.  A seven year old with bags under his eyes cannot possibly be anything other than clingy, demanding and easily upset.  (Although I think he may be behaving a bit better than me...)  So not only am I bonecurlingly tired, but the children are positively full of extra needs this week.  And awake to graciously share those needs for a whole 17 hours straight!

To top it all off with a big red bow, P's gut has gotten so out of whack (headaches, tummy upset, only wants to eat ice cream - all precipitated by having to take antibiotics a while back :( ) that he started asking to go back on the GAPS.  (Remember that?  We tried it a year ago for E?  My mother giddily shared a story when we were home for a visit.  The Little Man was walking through the health food store with her and pointed to a food and said something to the extent of "I ate that when I was on that fucking GAPS diet.  I hated that.")  Apparently he hates feeling yucky even more, as he has, of his own volition, given up sugar and wheat and dairy....  So I'm cooking crazy again.  (Crazier?)  And its rained all week (a first for us here), so we've been inside all 17 hours a day, enjoying each other's hunger pangs and whininess...

How, you ask, is she then blogging?  After all, seems she's got her hands pretty full with her pity trip.  Lean in for today's dirty secret.  I have reached the bottom.   We walked (in the rain) to the library and got DVDs.  I know, unschoolers worship the DVD.  '70's parents didn't think twice about the betamax.  Me?  I'm a funky Waldorf-unschooly mix, and I dislike almost every message I've met meant for the little guys that Hollywood hacks hand out.  But today?  Bring'em on.  Even if all hell breaks loose again in a bit, P giggling at a show while Zia naps on my lap and I carve out a couple of guilty me minutes on the blog - yah, that'll be enough to weather through the later...