randoms

i'm back on the mortal woman level. it stinks, but such is life. was hoping nursing would delay that cycle a little longer! ani was up on all fours last night, unassisted by leverage. she had done it before, pushing back against her crib, for example, but yesterday it was freestanding! cool. she loves to be on the floor and apparently uses her arms a lot, because she can end up several feet from her starting point, but moving backwards! now that she is up on all fours, she's doing the chameleon: rocking back and forth. nissa used to do it (i'm sure most babies do) and adam and i got a kick out of it, then and now. another blast from the past was watching ani do a little masthead. when i was putting nissa's make up on for her first june show, she said "like grandma" and i said, yep, just like her. i tried to be conservative and it showed, considering you could hardly tell in photos. i asked her to give me a ballet pose for the photo, it was kinda funny. nissa did a great job at her recital. i know for a fact that i was more nervous than she was. i tried desperately to volunteer to help, but was not taken up on the offer. maybe next year. nissa was a far cry from the ham in another number (she was pretty cute) but she did her dance well, didnt' clam up and only sucked her thumb when she came out for the performance-wide bow. i'll take it. i'm hoping nissa will cut back on sucking her thumb soon, but i worry it may not be something she can give up easily. her bottom teeth are at a backward angle and i'm fairly certain it's because of this habit. i'm trying to curb the behavior during day time hours, but at night, when i sneak in to nurse ani, she does it in her sleep and it shows just how ingrained the behavior is. yesterday morning i got up to nurse ani a lot later than usual (risky!) and while i was nursing her, nissa half woke up and sat in the rocking chair next to me. i suggested she stay in bed, but she insisted. she then rocked a little and proceeded to fall asleep in the chair, half asleep, half awake. i talked her into it eventually, but it was so weird. recently we watched a show where they used baby powder to see laser beams. nissa asked if baby powder was made from babies. no dear, FOR babies, not FROM babies. the girls are doing a fantastic job of sleeping together in the same room. it only took a night or two until nissa couldn't possibly sleep by herself. getting both into bed around the same time and preventing them from keeping each other awake has been a challenge, but eventually they both go to sleep most nights after a few minutes. ani has been sleeping like such a champ! even when i know she's working on some teeth (the constant gnawing and drooling tipped me off), she goes to sleep pretty easily and takes 2-3 naps a day. i wonder if sharing a room (with us at first, then nissa) really does help. nissa got the hang of it eventually, but i remember being so stressed and challenged by getting her to bed. i think i'll just be grateful and leave it at that. nissa continues to adjust to being a big sister. although she does act out, when we take a step back for better perspective, it's quite endearing. she needs more help lately for stuff she can do well on her own (getting dressed, bathroom needs) and for a while, was crawling into bed with us at night. she did so again two nights ago: prying herself into the space between my pillow and the wall. i'm trying to make a concerted effort to play with her and give her extra hugs. ani gets lots of hugs and kisses, since she's in my arms a lot, but i need to spread the love around. i still struggle with my general lack of productivity at home. work is ok, but man, home is rough. the kitchen is constantly in disarray, laundry is hit or miss and i can't think of the last time i changed our sheets. but if i'm going to be unproductive, i am trying to do more fun stuff at least, like laying down with ani on the floor to chat and pretending to be a lion with nissa. even the little things, like weekly bunny pictures for ani, are hard to keep up with. ugh. it doesn't help that nissa continuously points out things too, like the bulbs that need replacing on the porch, the broken foot on the frog in the bathroom; yes, dear, i haven't done that yet. thanks. grrrr. i'm also struggling with my weight. i don't feel right and my wardrobe is limited and ill-fitting. i'm trying to be more active (though hard with the heat and work and kids) and eat better, but i have little to show for it and a little progress would be really great. once again, nissa has embraced a movie she watched. we went to see madagascar 3 with maggie and peter and ever since, she has been alex the lion. in the yard, she climbs up on a little pile of dirt and proclaims to be king of new york city. she dances, poses and roars. she is something else. i'm curious to see what she does after seeing brave. i really want to see that movie. hopefully we will, before it leaves the theaters.