places I've found my hair:

in the dishwasher
in the refrigerator
stuck to the exterior of my car
wound around baby's fingers/toes
in a cat-sized pile in the corner of the bathroom
in a dresser drawer

Is it obvious that I'm ready for this post-partum hair loss nonsense to stop already? :p

first cold, I think

This morning she woke up and coughed. Uh oh. She never coughs unless she's eating too fast and inhales her food. And now she's been napping in her swing for the last hour and a half. This kid doesn't nap for more than 30 minutes at a time on a good day (there's a reason one of her many nicknames is the Queen of the Power Nap). She just woke up, looked at me, coughed pathetically a few times, and went back to sleep. :(

I thought it was sucky being sick myself. But giving it to her and having her be sick? A million times worse. I thought I was being so careful, washing my hands every time I blew my nose (and in the last two days, that has meant a LOT of handwashing) and before I touched her bottles. I know she was going to get sick eventually, and if she'd been in daycare I'm sure she would have been sick a long time ago ... but it's still hard to see her not feeling well.

Update: 2.5 hours and still napping. I just checked to make sure she's breathing.

that's what those are for!

In the last week or two, her hands have gone from balled up fists to useful body parts that can actually reach for and grab things. It's amazing that these milestones just happen on their own and don't need to be coached. She looks so excited and proud when she grabs and shakes her rattle. The fine motor skills still need some work, as she's always whacking herself in the face.

She recently discovered her feet, so rolling over is so yesterday. And she's doing this new funny thing with her tongue -- sticking it out and trying to grab and suck her top lip. I caught it on video, so I'll get it on YouTube sometime soon.

She seems so huge and grown up lately. In her big girl exersaucer and high chair this weekend:

we could be in for a long night...

Olivia has been sleeping since about 6 p.m. -- it's 8:40 now. She never naps this long, but perhaps her long weekend (3 hours total in the car today and being fawned over at the in-laws' house; total shrieky fussy not-like-her scary meltdown at my parents' house last night while we were out at dinner, effectively scarring them for life) exhausted her. I just hope it doesn't mean she's up all night, because I suddenly have a killer sore throat and runny nose and I'm surely going to need some sleep to get over the crud. Gah.

I took her to have 3-month photos taken on Friday. She was such a little ham! I get the photos back Thursday, so hopefully I can post them here then. I was of course a total sucker and got the 4-pose package. After all, how can you just let all of those adorable photos go to waste? They must hear cash register sounds when they see new parents coming in the door with their babies.

not quite the souvenir I would have picked

So, Dan's home -- but he's sick. He walked in the door and I immediately noticed he was stuffy. He attributes that to sitting outside in the cold for hours watching a Yankees game on Tuesday night. As the night went on, he started complaining of a stomach ache. By the time we went up to bed, he was sort of moaning and shifting around and doing that sighing thing. You know, the sighing that screams, "Hey! You might puke!"

If you know me at all, you know of my absurd fear of vomiting. This fear doesn't just extend to me, but to others as well. Tell me that your stomach hurts, and immediately I'm sweaty, queasy, and fretting. If you've actually vomited, watch out -- I might Lysol every surface in the house (in addition to sweating and fretting). My mind screams, "Did I touch anything they touched? What's that pain in my abdomen? OH GOD!!!"

In a show of my skill at being the most unsympathetic wife ever, I hopped out of bed after the second sigh and practically ran downstairs with Olivia, where she slept in her swing for 4 hours and I dozed on the couch. I say dozed because my mind was swimming with thoughts of kissing him (aka The Fateful Virus Transfer) when he arrived home. Nooooo! He must be really sick, because he stayed home today. I can count on one hand the number of times he's been ill since I met him. Eeek. I'm hoping he contains his germs to the upper level of the house, because thanks to our triage room (the guest room is stocked with diapers/wipes, outfits for Olivia, and a bed), I could live down here for a week.

Off to find the Clorox wipes and Lysol ...

konnichiwa!

My blog is being read in Japan! Ok, ok -- it's my sister, who's there visiting a friend. But still. I have an international readership! ;) I wonder if she'll let me post her karaoke videos here. Ha!

Two more days ...

Dan is on another training trip for work, this time in NYC. Instead of enjoying it, it sounds like he's pretty homesick. I don't blame him -- I would be miserable being away from Olivia overnight, never mind for several days or a week. He's going to a Yankees game tomorrow night, weather permitting, which will check another of the MLB stadiums off his list. I wish I could be there with him.

Yesterday wasn't too bad -- I picked up some junk food (shocking, I know) around 8:30 p.m. and headed to my parents' house. They entertained her and I was able to eat using both hands, a rare treat. I realized about halfway through my burger and fries that I was bent over and shoveling the food in ... sort of like someone who's used to their meals being interrupted might do. I wonder how I got into that habit!

Today we trekked over to Target, this time going to a different location because I feel like I'm at the other one nearly every day. And since I ran into the ex-husband the last time I was there, well, let's say that I wasn't all that keen to return. I bought a bunch of hangers for the closet in the hopes that I might be able to get all my pre-maternity clothes out of the Space Bags and hung up this week. I also got some safer baby wash/shampoo and lotion after consulting the girls on one of the message boards I'm on and the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. The Johnson and Johnson stuff we were using was rated a 4, meaning a moderate hazard. I got some California Baby bodywash/shampoo that was rated 1. Between this, BPA in bottles, soy products causing issues, organic vs. non-organic milk, and even play sand dangers ... ah, there's a lot to think/worry about. I'm trying -- though if you know me, you know it's a difficult feat -- not to panic and to just make small changes.

Speaking of milk, I should have bought some when we were out and it wasn't raining. Now we have none, but the thought of dragging her out in the elements just so I can indulge a cereal craving doesn't sound too appealing. I might have to eat some Oreo Cakesters instead. Healthy!