Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Harriet update, things people say, library, answered prayer

(*pant, pant*  I just got the invites for the annual MOPS Christmas Brunch out in the mailbox before Mr. Postman came by.  That kind of felt like giving birth. I am absolutely covered in blue glitter.  How festive.)

I have been missing my dear ol' bloggie and I have been desperately wanting to write, but life has been b.u.s.y.  First off, there was Harriet's cold which caused her sleeping improvements to go entirely downhill and leave me in a pile of tears the next morning.  It was horrible, but now things are better.  At least the last two nights have been better and that's all I ask for.  One night at a time.  The busyness has also stemmed from my free time (haha!) being almost entirely taken up by preparing for the aforementioned MOPS Christmas Brunch (more on that later, but things are super-duper cute) and putting my house back together after days of negligence.  The laundry pile is not a pretty sight.

Taking up the rest of my time is Harriet, and that's as it should be at this point in life, it seems.  Harriet has become a Big Girl at her advanced age of five-months-on-Thursday.  She grabs everything and puts it in her mouth, including her daddy's glasses right off of his face.  I was making snickerdoodles last week and she was sitting in her Bumbo on the counter.  The Bumbo is of great importance these days since it affords Harriet an upright perspective on the world and also keeps her somewhat contained.  Anyways, Harriet was looking hard at the bowl of creamed butter and sugar when suddenly she reached forth, grabbed the bowl, and refused to let go.  I gently pried her fingers off before she could add any of her drool into the mixture and she wailed and hollered.  This was the first time she wasn't like, "Oh, gracious Mommy!  You know best, so I'll give my [insert item] back to you."  Nope, she was downright angry.  It was funny, but also sobering.  We may have quite the opinionated, temper-ready child on our hands.

Harriet with the Christmas tree.

Harriet grabbing the Christmas tree.


Since having Harriet, I've been getting used to the plethora of comments that are showered upon her as a sweet baby and us as a little fambly.  It's rather fun to have such an adorable conversation piece.  Everyone should get one!  Most people are so very kind and encouraging.  I took Harriet into the library for quite a bit of time on Sunday and I wondered if/how people would react to such a small squirmy thing in, well, a library.  After a while, an older lady came over to me and said, "Oh, she is so sweet!  You wouldn't even know that she is here."  That made me feel confident.  

Thankfully, we haven't received too many weird comments...although one occurred yesterday.  Steve and I had optometrist appointments, and we took Harriet along.  I had some slight changes to my eyesight, thanks to shifting hormones in pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Apparently the glasses-fitting lady knew this from my chart or something because she looked at Harriet and said, "We need to stop breastfeeding so Mommy's eyes will get better."  Uhhhh?  Methinks I will keep breastfeeding and just get glasses, thank you.  

(Incidentally, I'm not getting glasses just yet.  The prescription was so minimal that it didn't seem worth it to add glasses to my life.)

Yes, Harriet sat in the library without making one little peep for nearly 2.5 hours.  For the first time I really experienced what it's like to enjoy having my child with me.  Don't get me wrong: I enjoy Harriet every day.  But there was something so interactive and pleasant about the two of us at the library that made me feel close to her in a mother/daughter way and not just a caretaker/baby way.  Does that make sense?  It makes me look forward to when she is older and can actually enjoy reading the books at the library.  In the meantime, she just enjoys looking at the pictures in Winnie-the Pooh.  Oh!  Speaking of Winnie-the-Pooh, I have officially completed Harriet's Pooh collection with the addition of When We Were Very Young, Now We Are Six, and The Pooh Party Book, and The Pooh Cookbook.  They will be part of her pile of Christmas presents.

We are still planning on moving to the St. Louis area in a little over a month.  That seems like a loooong time away, thanks to Christmas and a trip to California stuck in between, but it also seems like a shoorrt time away.  I don't really know what to do.  We have been praying and praying for "something to turn up" to boost our moving finances and also that we could find a place to live.  Both happened this week!  Apparently our mortgage company got a better rate on something, so they reimbursed us the difference in the form of a pleasantly substantial check.  Then we found out about a house in the exact town where we want to be that will only require a very minimal payment.  God truly does provide and I'm praising him for it!

Oops, the munchkin doth awaken.  And I should probably do something about this glitter.  Cheerio!