Bullets

I don't really feel like writing about today chronologically, so here is the day as bullets:

• We have chickadees building a nest in the tree out side the small living room window! We saw them over a week ago when Mike was on vacation, but then thought we'd scared them away. I've heard them in the evening and thought maybe they chose another tree, but today I had Natalie exploring the front and side lawn and as we walked past, one of them flew out of the hole. I think what it was is that the hole is a lot deeper into the trunk than it seems and we just couldn't see anything.
  
• Old Navy has some really cute baby clothes. If we had somewhere special to go, I might buy her something from there since its a bit cheaper than JC Penny or Sears. I was looking at the patriotic stuff and saw a really cute onesie that said "Daddy's American Beauty." There was also a really cute white bikini with red and blue trim, but it was more cute in a teenager sort of way than a baby. Both Old Navy and Babies R Us had very cute baby sandals / flip flops, but like she is going to let me keep those are on her feet without throwing a fit.
• Tooth brushing update. I've started brushing my teeth every morning with Natalie as part of our getting dressed routine. I think part of the reason I was slacking was that my electric toothbrushes battery is pretty much gone, so I've been using a manual one so that I'm like Natalie. I brush her teeth, then give her the brush to play with while I brush mine.
• Back in the fall, a cat from down the road was hit by a car and took refuge under my car. A neighbor saw it, and we were able to call the number on its tag for the Kennel Club. The KC people looked up the owner's address in the White Pages because they'd moved without notifying the KC. Mike went over and got the guy who looked very worried. The poor cat's leg was almost severed and he just kept meowing and meowing :( Before we noticed the id number on the collar and I figured out what it was from the internet, we called our other neighbor to see if the cat was one of theirs since we knew they owned cats. One of them came over and lent us a cat carrier. When the owner of the cat (the cat's name was Omo, which I personally think was an adaption of moo since he was black and white) arrived, he need the carrier. Jump ahead to now. We have no idea what happened to poor Omo. Or the carrier which belongs to our next door neighbor. They've called twice inquiring about it. Last week some time, I wrote Omo's owner a note and dropped it in the mail box. We walk past that house every time we take a walk. I did see two cats in the window, and one was black and white, but I couldn't tell if it was Omo. I hope it was. I also hope that they return the stupid cat carrier or at least contact the carrier's owner. It isn't our problem really and I don't want tension with an adjacent neighbor over something so stupid as a cat carrier we didn't ask to borrow and didn't use.
• I'm obsessed with the site Goodreads. I was very proud of the fact that I was on the top 25 reviewers list, but when I last checked, I'd dropped down to number 26! I don't know how this is possible when I've added like ten books this week. So, against my conscience a little bit, I moved some of my "read parts" books over to the "read" shelf because only reviews on the read shelf count. As silly as all this is, I do feel a little bad about it. I know that there are people who rate or review books they haven't even read and that probably no one really cares, but I feel I might have compromised my Goodreads ethics for reviewer fame.
• Today, I drove Natalie and I all the way to the mall area in Portland and we stayed for about three hours. This is notable because it is something I couldn't see myself doing at different points in my life. Back about four years ago, I couldn't drive to Portland. I was still afraid of the high way and very afraid of getting lost. Back about 6 1/2 months ago, I would have found this impossible, too. I would have been shocked that Natalie and I could drive down in the car with her asleep, shop at four stores without any major fussing, nurse in the mother's room at Babies R Us without a support pillow, and then time it perfectly to drive home just at nap time. What we did today was very average and the type of thing you see moms doing every day, but I'm still proud of how far I've come.
  
• Lots of purchases / presents for Natalie today: correct size bathing suit, water can, and nesting cups are presents for later; bucket and shovel, two Disney balls, plush big basket ball where right away gifts, though the bucket and shovel and one of the balls is for outside play and probably won't get used too much just yet. Also purchased was cushion to go around Grandma's coffee table.
• Having trouble with Mother's Day gift for my mom. I found something for Mike's mom from Natalie, for my mom from Natalie, and for me from Natalie, but I can't find anything for my mom from me! I had decided to go for one of those hand print kits, but couldn't find one. Luckily, my sister volunteered to look for one at her Walmart when she goes to pick up pictures so that I don't have to tote the baby to Wally World for the third time in six days.
• Yea for Cheerios and the pincher grasp! Natalie fed herself for the first time today! She managed to get three or four Cheerios into her mouth and swallowed. Several other Cheerios made it in, but were spared when they fell back out or stuck to her fingers. It was cute and funny how she would but her fingers with the Cheerio into her mouth, then suck her thumb. Also a first today were jarred pears and actually drinking a very noticeable amount of juice / water out of the sippy cup! We've been giving her that cup for over a month and today was the first time that the level of liquid was down almost to the bottom, and we are sure she drank most of it because her bib wasn't that wet. Of course, I was then worried that she filled up on juice and wouldn't nurse well later, but it wasn't a problem. We are hoping that the juice helps her poop a little more because even though its been every day, its been solid and small. And, I need to start making her have dinner at 5 or 445 so that it doesn't interfere with nursing, which gives her all her calories and nutrients.
• I absolutely love evenings when it starts to get dark and a cool breeze comes in the window from outside. I used to love curling up on the couch and reading and sooner usually than later falling asleep. I haven't done it recently because I have other ways I want to spend my Mommy-on-call versus Mommy-on-duty time, but I do watch TV and play on the computer in this nice breeze as I am now. Mike loves his downstairs room because the TV is better, but I love it in the upstairs room because of the window and the breeze. Plus, the cats hang out with me more up here. Its just more comfy and homey to me.