June 6, 2002
Things I have accomplished today:
- Had brief marital "issue" with beloved, which was resolved with the most heart-melting email you have ever seen in your lives, sent to yours truly by the Amazing Keith. Everything right as rain by 10 AM. Not bad.
- Changed a bunch of diapers. Par for the course.
- Baked bread. No melted plastic involved this time.
- Started making lists of things to do before moving.
Hmm, that list isn't quite as impressive as I thought it was going to be when I started it. I really did get a lot done today, I swear! Just ask Zeke!
Actually, a large part of my day was taken up by speed-reading the library book that was due yesterday. I really wanted to finish it, but I also really didn't want to pay overdue fines on it, and besides, someone else has it on hold. There is a special circle of Hell reserved for people who deliberately hang onto library books past their due date when someone else has the book on hold. As a person who thinks nothing of putting a book on hold that I may well not see until this time next year, I know of what I speak. I am currently 178th out of 256 people in line for one of the books on my list, and those 177 people in front of me better get a move on, dammit.
I used to take great pride in my enormous collection of books, until one day about two years ago when I was spring cleaning, and discovered a whole stack of books that I'd bought at Barnes & Noble, or Half Price Books, or wherever, that I had never read. I bought these books and forgot about them. And it's not like I have so much extra shelf space here. So I started getting all my books at the library instead. Sometimes I go to the bookstore to browse, but I take notes of whatever interests me, and then I go home, load up the library's electronic catalog, and put everything on reserve. It's a good system. I read everything I want, save some money, and don't clutter up my house with excess books.
Zeke news. Zeke had two appointments this week. One was at radiology at Children's Hospital. They X-rayed him to see if all of his chest congestion is finally gone. I suspect that it is, based on the fact that he is no longer having retractions and his breathing rate seems to be slower than it used to be. Also, thank GOD IN THE HEAVENS, for the first time in months, he no longer has a runny nose. I seriously thought he was going to be one of those kids that just always has a runny nose, no matter what you do. I was so tired of the suction bulb. So very tired. But miraculously, he seems to have cleared up, which is just great. Anyway, we didn't have to stick around for the results to be interpreted this time. They said that if anything looks amiss they'll call, and they haven't called yet, so hopefully no news is good news.
His other appointment was his regular 4-month checkup at the pediatrician's office yesterday. He is currently 60th percentile for weight and 90th for height, which is actually bigger than predicted, based on his percentiles from his last visit. As his pediatrician pointed out, "He's obviously eating enough!" Why, yes. Yes, he is. She was also happy with his developmental milestones, which seem to be right on track. He got two immunization shots, and get this, he did not even cry. Not a bit! He looked startled for a second, but then I gave him a big smile, and he smiled back, and that was the end of that. I'm not sure whether he's just older now, and therefore able to handle shots better, or whether it was the combination of a preventative dose of baby Tylenol we gave him right before the appointment, and the fact that I had fed him shortly before the shots. I was just reading in some magazine that supposedly breastmilk has painkilling properties, so maybe that had something to do with it. We were just so happy that he didn't cry at all. Usually vaccination day is not a happy day for us.
Apartment news! We found a place! Keith and I spent the latter part of last week tooling around Seattle checking out various apartments. Some of them were nicer than others, but I came away from most of them thinking, "Yeah, that place was nice, but..." One place was enormous (1200 square feet) and had a huge balcony and a gorgeous view, but was in the crappiest neighborhood ever. We would have had to drive everywhere. I like being within walking distance of the grocery store and the library and that sort of thing. One place was in a good neighborhood and had kids running around everywhere and seemed really nice, but was way too small. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Then we drove to the last place on our list. As we pulled into the parking lot, I said, "Hey, is that a swimming pool?" Yes! It was! A swimming pool! Complete with baby wading pool. A really nice swimming pool, at that. Then when the rental agent showed us the interior, my decision was made. It has a built-in dishwasher, a brand-new stove and dishwasher, a fireplace (note to Mom: I swear to God we are not going to let Zeke fall into the fireplace), lots of space, new carpeting, acres of closet space, and a nice balcony. It's great. Oh, and two bedrooms, of course. We put the application in on the same day we viewed it, and the next day they called us to tell us we'd been approved. We move on June 28. June 28! I thought we were going to be in this place until fall or winter, and we're moving on June 28!
I am so excited, you don't even know. Maybe you do know. This entry has sort of been heavy on the exclamation points. But, come on. A swimming pool!
Now all we have to do is pack...