2010 - A Blog Odyssey

Happy 2010! Everyone is so surly this morning, grumpy to be back at work after extended time off. For the first year in ever-since-I-can-remember I actually worked the two weeks of Christmas, taking just Christmas Eve off. It was surprisingly awesome. It was VERY quiet at work, which meant I got lots done (on Farmville), and my boss was out, and all my conference calls were cancelled and I didn't have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach about a deliverable or anything, not even once! I have to rethink my future December vacation strategy.

Jelly is going through a tough time with all the holiday commotion and tree-taking-downage and inconsistency with daycare attendance. It's been a month now that she's been crying at drop-off, and I finally made myself worried enough to look up 'How To Tell When Someone Has Been Hurting Your Baby' online (which no one, I mean no one, should ever read). I know it's just the age and the separation anxiety and the long weekends and stays at Tata's Winter Day Camp and Bar, but, you know. You can't help the worrying. But Ms.D is very sweet, and kept Jelly a few extra hours on New Year's Eve so that The Ta and I could go out for a very fancy, very rich, very expensive dinner, which was a nice last-minute event. We had a blast at Marbles Kids Museum, and played outside in the cold at the park, and had some friends over, and visited the dogs - a very full weekend. So I feel ok about it being Monday.We've already got a few trips scheduled in the next few months, which is exciting. One involves me ditching Jellybean and getting drunk out of my mind in a nearby locale, and the other involves me flying with Jelly (in her own seat! so exciting! no squirrely toddler in my lap!) to go visit my sister and family in their new house in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In February, which is kinda stupid, but oh well. Need to see the fairy princess niece and Fat Nate before I waste away from longing.

Ha! Waste away. Anyone else bulking up for the cold weather? I'm so pissed, because I had JUST bought two new pairs of smaller-sized jeans, and then BAM! it drops to 20 degrees. I'm shoveling pie, flan, sour cream & onion chips, anything I can get my hands on, into my gaping maw. I'm going to have to get a Snuggie and start wearing it to the Wal-Mart.

Cute Things That Jellybean Has Done Recently:

A little boy was crying at Marbles, and Jenny looked at the toy in her hand, and went over and gave it to him. And patted him gently on the arm. Awwwww!!! The little boy, much like 90% of the population in attendance, was a grumpy little suck who didn't appreciate it at all. But look at my empathetic little daughter! So proud of the toddler, sharing!

Said 'Mine!'. Seriously, I should be more worried, but it was really cute. And it was about her blanky, so she's got a right to feel possessive. It will get less cute as I hear it more, I'm sure.

Blown raspberries on my belly, then giggled hysterically. As did I.

Put her little fat foot up on the dinner table while eating, then immediately widen her eyes and go, 'Ohhhhhhh noooooo!' and put it back down again. Nice self-correction, kid. And I don't appreciate the imitation of me. Ok, yes, I totally do, it was spot-on.

So there you have it, just me and Jelly, plodding along, trying to get back into the (real) work schedule/daycare schedule, hanging out on the weekends trying out fingerpainting and new recipes and new skills.

And new words, too - I sat down and counted this morning since I read that 10-50 words was average for this age. I figure The Bean is at about 30 clear, understandable words, plus a dozen or so more that I can understand depending on the situation or environment or added hand gestures. So that's pretty decent.

I have no New Year's resolutions to share, but I did totally make black-eyed peas for new year's day dinner (the dish, not the musical group), and they were pretty lame. Jenny wouldn't touch 'em. My resolutions are always the same lately anyhow; lose weight, read more, be more patient with Beaner, stop procrastinating. Yeah, good luck with all that.

Here's to the next decade and what it will bring us all.