That's Pink?!

Whoever it was that coined the term "pink eye" apparently never had it. Pink isn't even an option past the first 24 hours. More like icky, red, swollen gooeyness of doom. That makes a lot more sense to me. Thanks to this Gook of Death, I've had a tiny taste of what it may have been like to be a single mother. Although, most single mothers do not have a sweet, loving husband lying pathetically on the couch whining about how miserable his eyes are and how he hates not being able to help with the baby. That part is significantly different!
For now, Natalie and I still have blue eyes instead of pink ones, but who knows how that will turn out. My dear sweet husband suffers instead, alone in his Gookyness while Natalie and I look on, wishing we could do something to help. My solution for the time being has included picking up twice as many shifts at work to make up for the 2 days of work he's missing, while trying to maintain the good grades I've had all semester. So far it is working, but the fact that my own eyelids are drooping on the floor from exhaustion may cause the weekend to be less of a catch-up-on-sleep and more of an "OHMYGODI'MSOTIREDICAN'TSEEANYMORE!"
Natalie is sleeping soundly now, which is wonderful considering that it is only 9:30 and she woke me up at 5:00 this morning for some breakfast. I better join her in slumber-land so that when she wakes up at 5:00 again, I'll be ready for her! And tomorrow, I think I may just rearrange my closet to hide anything that resembles the color pink. Yeah, that should do it.

A walk in the park

Natalie and I took our first spring walk today! It was 43 degrees and sunny outside, but the wind was blowing a little bit, so we bundled up and headed out the door. We went to the park in our neighborhood and as we approached, I watched another few families playing with their children at the playground. I was so excited for Natalie's first trip to the park! She seemed to really like the trees and had a smile on her face the whole walk. We went over to the swings and Natalie had her first experience with a "big girl" swing! Back and forth, back and forth, we bonded over a breezy swing, which was a totally different experience than our usual swing time. The $100 swing at home that we purchased specifically for her enjoyment seems to be more like a punishment at times. She will enjoy it for a little while, but she would rather be less restricted. Perhaps that is why she enjoyed the big swing, even though she was strapped to my chest! We had more mobility and she could make eye contact without having to strain her neck! We had a fantastic afternoon and now I have to rescue her from this jungle swing. She has grown bored with the indoor swinging!

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

I am sitting here on a Sunday morning, the time has changed for Daylight Savings and it's supposed to be earlier than it actually is by an hour and I am dreading getting up for work tomorrow morning. But all that aside, sitting next to me is my wonderful husband with a beautiful sleeping baby in his arms. Milk runs down her chin because she fell asleep while eating. The shimmering goo on her face makes me smile - it reminds me that there are few things in life as precious as this exact moment. It doesn't matter what time it is - it doesn't matter what I'll be doing tomorrow or next week or next year. What matters is this beautiful creature with us right now. She is learning more and more every day. She starts to scoot backwards and is lifting her knees toward her chest more easily. I think she will crawl soon, but I'm enjoying the little things she's doing now! She grabs toys more easily, she's able to maniplate her hands to get things into her mouth now (which scares me, too!) and she is only 5 months old and wearing 12 month tops! All of these things change and grow daily and it is so exciting! I am so lucky to be her mom!