JulieBear in the sling

That's a sling that I made especially for carrying Dillon on my back. We used it Saturday when we went to the nursery to buy some plants. I figured it would be a good way to keep her out of the multitude of things that she doesn't need to be in in a nursery. Saturday evening, she wanted to use the sling to carry her babies around. First she wanted to carry robot, but that didn't work too well since he can't sit. So, I suggested Julie Bear which worked like a charm. She carried her around for a while and was quite proud of herself.

We used the sling again today when we went hiking with our friend Mardrey. Actually, we went geocaching It's the second time we've been. You take a Global Positioning Satelite (GPS) to find the coordinates where someone has hidden a small box of stuff in the woods. You follow the trail to the coordinates, do a little searching because a GPS is only accurate to about 30 feet in the woods, then search through the goodies to trade for items that you bring in. Today we went to Quechee Gorge. Dillon wanted to be carried most of the way, so I was glad I had the sling with me. I ended up carrying her in front of me with the sling which actually worked pretty well. The added benefit was that we were able to snuggle together to stay warm, since it was a chilly 50 something degrees and being in the woods didn't provide much sun. It was a beautiful hike, though and I am so glad we went. Strangely enough, the laundry was, in fact, still waiting on me when I got home as everyone says it will be when you opt to go do something fun rather than something not.

The thrill over the last few days is that she has started tell us "I love you." It's almost made both of us cry. First she told Dave "Dillon loves Daddy," then this morning said "I love you without me having said it first. Such a sweet baby.

We got tickled at her on Sunday night. We traded some babysitting time with some friends. Ben, who is a month older than Dillon, came over on Sunday night. Almost from the moment he got here, Dillon wanted to change his diaper. She was convinced that he was wet and needed a new diaper on and kept following him around telling him to lay down so she could change his diaper. He just looked at me like "What's her deal?" Then I gave them a little snack and she kept wanting him to put a bib on. Dave told him to get used to it- all his life there'd be a girl trying to mother him.

Like that's such a bad thing!

Whew! We made it!

Cutie! 

We made it through 3 months of juggling 3-4 days of work per week for me with child care here at home with Courtney and at Locust Creek one day per week, and with Dave taking care of her on the saturdays that I work. The last 3 weeks have been pretty tough with me picking up extra days knowing that I was cutting back starting yesterday. But we made it. Courtney's last day was last week. I think she was a little teary when she left friday night (she babysat for our anniversary), but it really wasn't working for her to make the almost 2 hour drive from where she now lives to here 2 days a week. Not only that, she was having a tough time finding a job that would work around the time here. It wasn't working well for us financially. We, and especially Dillon, will miss her, but I will really enjoy getting back to having more time with Dillon. Besides, we already have a couple of dates that Courtney has agreed to come back to babysit for us. We'll be able to afford to actually go on dates a little more often now that our child care costs have dropped so much!

So, here we are on a beautiful Tuesday. We made muffins this morning with Dillon helping stir. Then we went and played outside for a couple of hours. She's now napping which has definitely been one of the things that has suffered with me working more. She naps great for me, sometimes for Courtney and not at all for Dad. We'll go back out this afternoon after she wakes up.

I'm trying to think of what she's doing new. She has developed a fear/interest relationship with bugs, though it's more fear than interest. She comes unglued if she sees one in the house. They're ok if they're outside, though. She even wakes up in the middle of the night screaming (in my ear....) "Bug! Bug!!" She also has a fear of "Car will get you!" anywhere outside. But she LOVES to play in mine and Dave's car and will sometimes get quite upset that she isn't allowed to actually drive. Loud noises are also bothersome. Toilets flushing, food processor going, any number of things that makes noise, she now does not like and must be held if she is to be subjected to them.

We finally went for her 2 year appointment a couple of weeks ago. We had an appointment not long after her birthday, but the pediatrition had to go on medical leave and it took 2 months of dates to get one that would work for me. She weighed 26 pounds and measured 34 inches tall. No problems to speak of and no shots.

As for the cute things she says- when we were outside this morning, she said "So... ummm....there's a big rock right there, mom." She is also quite fond of asking me what something is then telling me "Its a truck mom." like "Duh don't you know that?!" She was also rubbing her daddy's chest they other evening and said "Oh, you silly little David!"

Silly kid!