Single parenting

I don't know how single parents do it. Bill left Sunday night and came back Friday night so I was on my own for several days. I put Isabella into daycare Monday and Friday, but it was still an awful lot of work - basically, feed, clothe and out the door in the morning, then food, bath, clothes, play a bit, then to bed in the evening. I don't know why I even bothered to bring my computer home.

It didn't help that it was one of her worst nights for sleeping, I think because she was feeling sick (which I then got, and Bill has now). Tuesday night she screamed so much that she lost her voice :( and was up every hour.

Her crib is now upstairs, so that's much nicer because we can sleep in the bed and not on the futon in the basement. I gave up several nights and just brought her to bed, though - where at least I can some times rock her back to sleep without getting up. There was one time, though, where I woke up disoriented and wondering where she'd gone to - she'd managed to end up with her head at my feet.

I thought I'd be good Monday morning and bicycle her in. Only she won't fit in the infant car seat with her jacket on. So I had to take the car seat out. Between the screaming while getting dressed, the screaming while the jacket went on, the screaming while I put her down and tried to get the car seat out of the bicycle carrier, and then the screaming when I tried to put her in... I just gave up and drove.

I bought a bicycle helmet for her, but that's just been a disaster. She screamed when I put it on, screamed when I tried to get her in the carrier the next day... I think it knocks her head forward and she can't see when it slides forward. I tried pulling her without the helmet and she still screamed. Don't know if she was just tired, or if she really doesn't like the carrier now. She kinda sloshes around a little bit, and keeps ending up somewhat sideways.

On the plus side, EC'ing is going a bit better. She's pretty reliably pooping in the morning, and giving some signals in the afternoon (usually wanting to nurse at an odd time).

She's got slides down pat - we went to the park today and yesterday, and she happily pushes herself off the top and slides down, even pretty long slides. And she knows how to climb the stairs to get to the slide, then sit down and push herself off.

Her new "word" is dub-a-dub-a. She also seems to know "bubble" (they blow bubbles at day care) and tried, I think, to say "belly button".

She has learned how to use a spoon; Grandma got her a bowl and some silverware, and she can spoon the applesauce from the bowl to her mouth, without wearing too much of it. She gets mad if she doesn't get a spoon now. Even if it's finger food.