i've been on a blogging vacation

After a tough couple of weeks, I needed a break from the blog. I am back now and I have a lot of pent-up blogging to do.

Caroline is becoming quite a little person these days. She is starting to get into everything! When I lay her on the floor for play time, she will either roll over to where the dog is sleeping or roll towards the cord for the laptop, whichever happens to be closer. If it's the dog, then she will immediately grab whatever she can, a nose or ear perhaps, or maybe a paw. The dog lays there obediently pretending that nothing is happening to her or perhaps thinking that she is in doggie paradise sipping Pina Colodas with her dog-mates, rather than being explored by a 6-month old. If she happens to find the cord to the laptop, then I put a stop to that right away. Also, I have been using her "play yard" to keep her contained. No, it's not a cage. It's a yard. Just so you're clear. And no, I did not pay $150 for it. I found it on sale on the internet for $36.95 and free shipping. Can't beat that deal with a stick. Anyway, this "yard" is great. It is like a tent. There is a zip opening on the side, so you can crawl in and out, but you can also lock it closed if you don't want the baby crawling all over the place. There is also a sun cover with a SPF of 50, so it's nice outside too.

She is getting stronger everyday. Caroline is not crawling yet, but she is starting to move her body around in a creeping motion. She holds her head up well and sits for brief periods of time.

Tomorrow, we are headed up to Columbia to see the neurologist for a checkup. I anticipate it going smoothly. She doesn't appear to have any lasting neurological issues from the illness. I hope to have some definitive answers tomorrow.

We have started feeding Caroline solid foods recently. She has been eating mashed peas, carrots, fruits, etc. She seems to enjoy the food, but she appears to be more interested in feeding herself. Try cleaning encrusted sweet potatoes out of a squirming baby's ears! Oh, but it has been fun. I have also been giving her teething biscuits. "Cookies" is what I call them. She revels in the ability to feed these to herself (almost). They tend to end up on the floor, where the dog promptly eats them up.

Todd and I started looking for an apartment a couple weeks ago. We decided that our current apartment, although lovely in many ways, is simply too small to be comfortable. We have very liitle "crawl space" for Caroline and we really want a dishwasher (other than Lucy!). We found quite a wonderful place in Staten Island. It's 2200 square ft, which even I think is a lot. There are 3 bedrooms, a dining room, a real kitchen (dishwasher included), a living room, finished basement, and laundry room. Oh, and a yard and a driveway. Plus the place has 2.5 bathrooms. I daresay, it's quite the suburban dream. The lease has been signed and we are set to move in in less than two weeks. Aye. Not a stitch has been packed either. How do people with small children move? I almost don't want to find out, though I suppose I will anyway.