April showers?

May flowers? that's me...I used to be so excited about my birthday
coming, but now I'm too tired. But it is, in fact, less than a month
until my 25th birthday. God has kept me.

My work laid someone off from our staff of around 18 today. They laid
off someone who'd been working there for twenty years. It's kinda
bizarre. I don't even know what to say.

Aptly, I saw white things floating down from the sky when I went home
for baby-feeding...it looked like a special effect in a movie or
something. As they got closer, I could see that they were little downy
feathers--later I could see some longer, grey ones. When I left the
house to go back to work, there was this odd electrical burning smell.
At first I thought that maybe something...a bigger bird, I guess, was
eating the bird whose feathers were falling (it looked like a
mockingbird, maybe), but now I'm wondering if it was a stupid young
bird who somehow fried him/herself on a power line. Feel free to use
this in your next novel. I know I will!

We now have a 21 pound six month old. She's eating solids, and I've
found that I really enjoy making babyfood. It's really fun, grinding
things up! She's had sweet potatoes, carrots, and tastes of pineapple,
apple, and banana. The apple she actually pulled out of my hand and
started gumming, so I gave her a piece in the little mesh bag thing to
chew on, so she couldn't get anything to choke on. As I was doing
this, I realized I'm not exactly sure what to do if she was choking,
besides hit her really hard in the back. Yikes! Maybe Roy knows. We
are also planning on weaning her from momma's milk soon... I keep
putting it off because I'm really grossed out by formula, but it's
time. Our life is about to have too much upheaval to be pumping all
the time. I'm already not making as much milk, so hopefully it will
be a smooth transition...but I think it might be harder on me than it
is on her. We haven't tried giving her formula yet, though, so I hope
she does take it. When do babies not need bottles? She also has a
lil ear infection, probably caused by a plane ride to a city in New
England. But we're giving her medicine and hopefully she'll get well
soon--and not wake up in the night screaming and clutching her ear!
It's kinda scary how often my hopes for her health and well being are
ultimately for mine--I want her to sleep through the night mostly
because I want to sleep through the night, not because she needs her
sleep. We are still very unscheduled, but she doesn't seem to mind, so
far. It's so hard to tell because baby things always change. When she
was right at six months, she was having sleep interruptions--my
favorite answer was because she was growing and needed more food. Then
we traveled and she got sick, and we're about to travel again! so,
poor baby, I don't know when we'll get back to normal...by that time
it'll almost be seven months normal, not six months. It's getting so
joyful to have a kid, now...she smiles when she sees me and reaches
out for me! And I love snuggle time with her...depending on which
method you are dogmatic about, I'm probably spoiling her, but I love
it. Sorry.

Um...coming up we have some big final decisions to make about where we
live for the rest of our lives...hopefully. I think Roy said by the
end of april, we would know where we are going. At that point, I will
probably make a blog with the title "[chosen location] 4 lyfe!" I'm
debating about whether I should use a "f" or a "ph" LYPHE! Anyway, I
am cautiously excited about the direction it seems we are heading. I
know that whereever we end up, Roy will be preaching the gospel and
I'll get to help him, serve others, and have babies and make
bread...and hopefully not go crazy. And maybe have a little job
outside the home.

Okay. I'm going to go now. Have a nice night!