A-movin' and a-shakin'

Wow, the changes since my last post! It blows my mind how much K has changed in so little time.

Well, we finished up the school year in one piece, and can I say, I am really enjoying this vacation from the daily pumping! Of course, in true Murphy's Law way, I managed to get sick during the last two days of school, and it lasted a full two weeks. The kind of illness during which you're scared that you might actually die, and you're also scared that you might not actually die. Obviously, neither scenario came to fruition, but that's the kind of cold it was. I earned my first gold mama stars because I felt absolutely wretched, yet still had to take care of K full time every day. It's the first time I found I despised that aspect of being a single mom. Very, very hard. And then the horrible mommy guilt that I might pass on this terrible virus to my small and vulnerable sweet girl. That hasn't seemed to have happened, but she has had an elevated temperature just about every day for the past week or so. Not high enough to truly be considered a fever (I've called the pediatrician about it), but definitely higher than normal for her. No congestion, no coughing, so I'm hoping we're in the clear. The hot weather lately hasn't helped, that's for sure...I gave K a tepid bath this afternoon since she seemed so warm, and it really helped to cool her off. It was in the 90's today--yuk! And I don't have AC. If I were staying here this summer, I'd definitely invest in one of those window air conditioners. But we leave for upstate NY on the 15th!

Which brings me to...I've been waiting till I'm not coughing regularly to visit the potential daycare center for the next school year. The plan is that I'll go on Monday with K to check things out. I'm really excited, since it seems to have a lot to offer, plus there is one home-based daycare I'm still considering, so I have to call this lady to get more information.

We're busy getting ready for the big trip to upstate NY for the rest of the summer. We leave June 15th, and we fly back here on August tenth. I've never taken such a long vacation before. But we'll be hanging out with my parents in Syracuse, and I'm really looking forward to it. So are they. I've already been thinking about the kinds of things I want to do there with K (and without K, quite honestly)...we'll be taking long walks with the stroller, going to the lake, hanging out in the backyard in the baby pool and sandbox my parents saved for their grandchildren, and just spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. What I'm going to be doing without K? And Mom and Dad have gladly offered to babysit...there is a summer rowing program at a nearby lake, and I absolutely cannot wait! I still dream of rowing...on a regular basis. Crazy. I was on the rowing team at Syracuse U. for all four years I was there, and then I graduated to coaching: I coached in a couple of community/high school programs (including the community program I hope to participate in this summer!), followed by coaching at Florida State and Purdue (where I got my master's). But what's a bit strange is the fact that I don't want anyone there to know I've coached, since it's been forever (1995) and I am so out of shape and out of practice! I just hope it's a good fit...not too many people who are crazy-in-shape and uber-competitive. The fact that I live in Colorado is a limiting factor when it comes to rowing...the closest program is the Rocky Mountain Rowing Club located over an hour away in Denver. Doable, but pretty inconvenient, considering how early in the morning they get on the water. But oh, if I could row all summer? Heaven. Absolute heaven. I'll definitely post more about it. Heck, it would really help me drop weight before my cousin's wedding in Tennessee in early August. We fly back from Knoxville after the wedding.

The title of this post refers to all of the changes K has been up to lately: she laughed for the first (and second and third) time this week--music to my ears! I haven't been able to get her to do it again yet, though. I'll keep trying. She also loves "standing" with her weight supported by her freakishly strong legs. She's getting steadier every day. I need to spend more time with her on "tummy time", though...if we did, she'd be that much stronger in her arms and shoulders. She's figured out how to dig her heels into the floor (bed, sofa, my lap, etc. etc.) and scoot herself upwards on her back. She's become a pro at arching her back and straightening her legs whenever she's upset about something or simply wants to move or a change of scenery. Not easy when she's on my lap! The arching of the back is definitely going to help her turn herself over at some point. She looooves sitting with me and swinging on the porch swing on our porch! She can be completely fussy, and immediately calms down when we go out to swing for a while. I'll really miss that when we go to New York. But we'll have it again when we get back.

Well, that's it for now...I will add a few pictures once I upload them onto the computer from my camera. Stay tuned. :)