almost a month

Sigh. I just looked at the date from my last posting. It's been almost a month since I last blogged. I wish I could say I've been suffering from withdrawal, but I can't. I've been too busy. And I wish I could say that you missed me, but I can't. Not a single desperate e-mail, wondering where I've been, has graced my inbox.

Since I last posted:

• We FINALLY got the sink and toilet back into the upstairs bathroom. (Pictures coming soon.) And I chose a shower curtain. Wait for it... after all that whining and moaning about how there are no good-looking shower curtains to be found, what did I buy? A plain white one. At first I felt like it was a cop out but now I think both Dima and I are pleased as punch. It really helps maintain the illusion of space in this tiny bathroom. And on the same shopping trip I picked up some really cool stark-white, patterned bath towels. Those, in combination with some large artic blue bath sheets that coordinate with the new paint color, are really helping me feel like the project is coming together. Now, the threshold and the door... well... not yet. The weather has been too unpredictable to finish prepping the door to be repainted. And we've discovered that the marble threshold we bought is too big for the application. So, hopefully we will tackle these last tasks soon. It's cold taking a shower in a bathroom with no door.
  
• I got a glass kiln for Christmas! We finally finished the bulk of the work in the garage studio and both Dima and I were able to get out there and start working on some projects. I've run two glass loads and turned out some interesting little stuff. I learned some lessons about glass incompatability and why you should plug the vent hole in a kiln. I've got big plans though. And practice makes perfect. Dima's got a painting going too. Giraffes and daisies.
  
  
  
• We've been trying to get Lydia Violet on a sleeping schedule. We thought we had it for a while and then she went into full rejection mode. Now it seems that we're back on track. The ratio of how much she cries before she falls asleep and if she sleeps through the night seems to have to do with how much she bounces in her Bumper Jumper beforehand. The more she bounces once she's home from daycare, the easier it is to get her to go down for the night.
• Lydia has gotten a second tooth. Right above the first one. Soon she's sure to resemble Baby Herman of Roger Rabbit fame (see above). Those cheeks, those eyes, that tooth!
  
• We're full on into solid foods. And I'm elbow deep in homemade baby food production. What we've learned: Lydia dislikes anything that isn't orange/yellow colored. She loves carrots, butternut squash, yellow squash and sweet potatoes. Other than that, I've tried giving her green peas and plain ol' potatoes. Bleck. You should have seen the look on her face. I might as well have given her wallpaper paste. (I actually think the consistency of the potatoes wasn't far from wallpaper paste. The food processing seemed to bring out the glutens and it WAS sort of sticky looking.) So, we'll try again at some point with those but for now, when we're seeking success, I think we'll stick to the yellows. Up next: zucchini. Perhaps its squash like nature will help her make a leap to the greens. Actually, I guess, once pealed, zucchini would be yellow too. So never mind.
  
• Lydia is taking big-girl baths and she loves it! Her Sassy Snap and Squirt Sea Creatures from Tia Carmen are her favorite! Tonight she learned how to make big splashes with her hands. It reminded us that we need to take her back to the pool and sign her up for swim lessons. Can't wait!