Does it just FIGURE?! LOL!!!

Your 80s Heartthrob Is

Bill Gates

My house is nearly back in order; I still have odds and ends to clean up in my bedroom. I've got this nasty habit of completely dumping out my suitcase onto the bed and/or floor of my bedroom, immediately putting away the clothes, and allowing the various accessories and whatnot moulder away on the floor for weeks on end. I really need to put them away as soon as possible, especially if I don't want them dragged all over my house in retaliation for whatever Storm thinks I've done to him.

Weird cat.

Apparently my being away completely pissed off Storm. He decided to strew all about the house various things that he has a tendency to leave alone when I am home. J told me he'd taken Grace's basketball shoes and relocated them to the living room. The day I arrived home, there were washcloths (that admittedly should not have been left in the bathroom after using them during Grace's baths) strewn about the living room.

Then last night he decides to affect a limp, I suppose in a bid to gain my sympathy. When he came to eat his food last night at midnight, he refused to put weight on one of his front paws. So I scooped him up and put pressure on his pad. He meowed once, but made no more noise as I rotated his paw and tried to figure out if there was something really wrong with his leg. I put him back down and he again favored the same paw. I picked him back up and moved his paw around, to which he did not protest at all. After that he hasn't limped at all.

Nutty cat.

So the trip to Tucson.... It went pretty well. There were a few bumps in the road, like the time I blew up at my father-in-law when I really shouldn't have (my mouth just kept going and going and going... just like the Energizer bunny!!!). But on the whole, it was pretty good. It was nice to sit down and not have to worry about the baby, where she was and what she was doing. If I tried to get up to take care of her, I was voted down. My only responsibilities were changing diapers and putting Grace to bed or down for a nap.

The twelve days just flew by, too. I couldn't believe how quickly it passed! The awesome thing about that... Kurt will be home next month! I am so excited about that. I can't believe it's almost over!

I guess the only part I got kind of annoyed at was my inlaws' refusal to see that the way I parent is valid. For example, I brought both my sling and my backpack with me. When I put her in either one, I was chastised because Grace looked "uncomfortable." When I did try to use my sling when we went out, my inlaws told me that they'd carry her. Oh well.

Also, the napping situation was always critiqued. Grace takes two two-hour naps most days. Each time I wanted to put her down for a nap, the inlaws would say, "Another nap?? Already??? But she's not tired!" That's the idea, though. You WANT to put your kid down for a nap before they get irritable and cranky so they aren't too tired to fall asleep.

Grace grew a lot while we were gone too. Amazingly enough, I feel that she's grown out of all of her clothes! It doesn't help that the only fall/winter clothes I have for her are no larger than 6-9mos. So now I have to go shopping. Oh darn! :o)

I think summer is about over for Seattle. The last couple of days were mid 70s to low 80s, but the next week or so will be overcast, cool, and rainy. I don't mind a whit; like I said, I just have to get new clothes for Gracie.

Seattle's only got two seasons: warm and dry for three months during the summer with a couple of hot weeks, and cool and rainy for the other nine months. I don't mind at all... except I would like a few months of real cold with some snow thrown in. Anything's better than the six months of summer that Virginia tends to get. :o)

So I'm home, and I'm safe, and life is slowly getting back to normal.

Vacations are fun and relaxing, but like they say, there really is no place like home.