2008-02-14 - 2:20 p.m.

...a first month of life, heads still intact (physically, that is)....

K and I have managed to make it through an entire month without dropping little Susi on her head. Phew. Even better, we haven't killed each other (although, we have had our moments...in particular between the hours of 2 and 7am..) So this is our Valentine's Day present to each other. We are all still living and healthy. (Oh, and K surprised me with some beautiful flowers, and I made him breakfast in bed - but he came downstairs too soon so he had breakfast at table instead..)

Yesterday we planned an exciting outing to the hardware store, and then wound up at a new cafe around the corner - one designed for parents and little kids. Susi's still a bit young for the playground area in the back - we are still a little bit too "young" as parents to deal with the noise level of 10 children screaming at the playground in the back. But we enjoyed lunch in a place built for a combination of strollers, breastfeeding, and cappuccino. A particularly neat idea for a city like Funcouver where it rains 8 months of the year, and you want to get out but aren't always enthusiastic about taking that afternoon stroll in a downpour.

My brain is fried. Just thought I'd mention that.

The great news is that Susi continued to gain weight, and close enough to the desired rate that we are nearly in the clear. Susi is almost freed from the Fois Gras diet and we are nearly free of the torturous lifestyle associated with demand-feeding a newborn. In fact, our doc told us to let her sleep as much as she wants at night, and by next week I will be free to impose a little bit of a schedule. I'm not about to issue her a schedule card or anything (lord knows I'm not that organized meself). But Lordy won't it be nice to try to get a routine going.

And two days ago I decided to renew my acquaintance with caffeine. It was a glorious reunion, let me tell you. Wow that stuff is potent if you haven't had it for several months - really gives you that extra KICK when you haven't been sleeping for most of the night.. Mind you, I've been stuffing myself with decaf for the longest time - but wow have I missed the java goodness of the champagne / hazelnut blend from our fave rave coffee shop up the drive... I have basically been making love to my coffee cup for the past three mornings. It's been downright pornographic.

Other than that? Well, I could add more complaints about my landlady (who refused to modify the laundry schedule so that we could have time to clean baby clothing every other day, and yet has been using our designated laundry time slots at least three times in the last month...). Or the four coats of paint on the door frame to the porch upstairs, which has caused the door to stick.. Wouldn't THAT be new and different??

But you know, mostly my life has been baby baby baby diaper baby laundry feed feed yell at K make up with K feed sleep? diaper diaper baby baby feed. At times, it feels like this will be the rest of my life. And then of course, at other times when I hold this cuddly and warm little creature, I realize that the day will come all too soon when she no longer tucks her head under my chin, snuggles in, and coos as though she wants to stay there forever.