Getting Things Done

My "List of Things to Do Before Dinosaur #2 Arrives" is now empty. Everything has been crossed off, and even stuff that was mentally on there, but not officially part of the list, are getting done. For instance: Anja's Flower Toggle Hat! I finished it yesterday during her nap and it is SO CUTE. It's the most ridiculous hat I've ever seen, not to mention made, and I'm so happy with it that I'm even glad it's still cold. A cold March is the perfect time for a knit hat with an alien flower probe sticking out the top. The two best parts of this hat: The color scheme, and the fact that the yarn was all ridiculously on sale at River Knits!!! I've got so much of it, I can't wait to find another project to make with the same colors.

Hat aside, I'm actually ready for the cold to be gone. I'm starting to get cabin fever and so is Anja. Yesterday she would go to the door begging to go outside, but it was just too cold. (I never thought to go to the library because I'm an idiot.) Martin had the car yesterday, so we were kind of stranded at home, which usually is fine, but yesterday we were both kind of itching to get out. The result was an especially difficult day with her, as she wasn't pleased by anything I was doing, and spent pretty much her whole day whining and crying when she didn't get exactly what she wanted exactly when she wanted it. Oh, the wake-up she's going to get in a short time! Poor girl. She's not going to know what happened to her All-About-Me world. I feel kind of bad for her.

Anyway, when Martin got home we had dinner and then he was going to Vienna to prep his class, like he does every Thursday. He invited Anja and me along as a way to get out of the house but I really didn't feel like taking her to a coffee shop in the mood she was in. So, we did something we've never done before. We called my mom and asked if we could bring Anja up there so we could go out alone. It's not that we've never been out alone, it's that we've never gone out for an evening by ourselves. This is partly because of her early bedtime--which is now an hour later, thanks to Mitch Daniels. For once, I was grateful for the change!!!

I ran over to the library (and wouldn't you know, it cheered Anja right up!) and found a book, then we took Anja up to my parents' house and Martin and I set out for Vienna. We didn't stay at Vienna, partly because it was packed, and partly because the two girls working were these really snotty girls who annoy us. So we went down to GreyHouse, where we hadn't been since last summer! It's really improved since it's opening!!! It's soooooo cozy and cute, and since it's run by the Christian church on campus, it's ultra family-friendly. The evening was just exactly what I needed. We sat in comfy chairs and Martin prepped his class while I read my book and didn't think of anything else. It. was. awesome.

And as it turns out, the break from me seemed to be just what Anja needed! She was so happy up at my mom's house, they had loads of fun together, and when we saw each other we were both refreshed and ready to go. Funny how that works... I never would've imagined at time when Anja and I would actually get sick of each other, but I guess in the end we are just people. And now that she is SUCH a little person, it's much more obvious when she is feeling ready to get away from me. It's very funny!

Last night in the middle of the night Anja was in our bed and I was giving her a bottle and she accidentally pulled out one of my earrings. I got it back from her, but she wasn't all the way asleep yet, so I couldn't do anything but hold onto it and hope that I didn't fall asleep before I could put it someplace safe. Well, wouldn't you know, I fell asleep, and now the earring is someplace in my bed. This is especially disappointing because I'd forgotten I had these earrings until a week or so ago when I found them in a jewelry box. And then it became more disappointing when I dreamed that I found it in my bed, but woke up to find that that was only a dream. Bummer!

I'm determined to have a better attitude about DST this year. It WILL be nice to have Anja on a later bedtime so that we can go for family walks in the warm weather, it will be darker when she goes to sleep at night, and, as is true right now, I get a longer time in the morning to sit and drink my coffee and come out of my coma before my day truly has to begin. She will see more of her daddy since our evenings together will be longer, and as we learned last night, we'll be able to go out if we ever need to. Our evenings always seemed so rushed, eating at 6:00 or so, then her going to bed at 7:45. An extra hour on that end may prove to be a very nice thing! However, it's already guaranteed us a MUCH later bedtime than usual. Martin and I haven't gone to bed before 10:00 since DST began... and we're not used to that. I feel bad for Martin who has to get up in the morning no matter what, while I can just keep sleeping until Anja wakes up, if I want to.

Alright, I'm going to go snuggle up in a quilt on the couch and read my book until our Pie wakes up.... which could be any time. The book I'm reading is called "Baby Catcher" and it's stories written by a midwife in California. So far it's good, and really funny.