Caution: Side effects may include confusion and annoyance

OK…since I haven’t really blogged for a long, long time I’ve got lots of random stuff floating around in my head that I’m just going to slap down. I’ll try to categorize them broadly, but be forewarned that this is probably going to be rather disconnected!

Betsy Stuff:

Screeching and growling. She really enjoys making noises. I think she is also fascinated by the fact that her doggy blanket (a blanket with the head and tail of a puppy attached) looks a lot like Gideon. She keeps looking at the blanket and then at Gideon and giggling. Cute!

Betsy’s sleep troubles are getting better. Last night when she started making her little half-asleep whining noises at 4 am I didn’t go into her room and after about 5 minutes all was quiet. I tip-toed in and she was wide awake but looking around calmly so I gave her a little pat, made sure she was covered, and went back to bed. She did wake up for real at 6, but I consider 11-6 a decent stretch so I got up and fed her for 20 minutes and she went back to sleep until about 8:30. Much better than it has been! Plus, yesterday she took two nearly two hour naps instead of four 45-minute ones! It gives me hope that things will normalize eventually!

Postscript: Since the above was written things have been a roller coaster with sleeping. One night she slept 10 hours straight without a peep…a couple nights later she was up 3 times between 9:45 and midnight and then again at 2 and again at 4…agh! Last night she was up at 2 for an hour and then at 7 for a few minutes but didn’t get up for real until after 10…so that’s sort of better. Right now she’s napping in the stroller…

Betsy’s newest escapades:
Foods: carrots, watermelon, pears, strawberries, chicken, turkey, ice cream, whipped cream, cookies
Words: Dada, Hey, and glub (don’t ask me what that means!)
Likes to drink water from her sippy cup
Is now sleeping flat on her back in her crib—no blankets under the mattress to prop her up, no sleep positioner! Finally!
Had her first professional photos taken (a family one for our church directory) and didn’t smile one little bit. Oh well.
Is getting up on her hands and knees and can move around in a circle and backward, but not forward quite yet.
She likes to grab hold of a toy with one hand and scratch at it vigorously with the other while smiling this fiendish little wrinkled nose grin. Very funny.

And the big announcement: Yesterday she was playing in her crib while I picked up in her room. When I turned around from putting something away she was standing up holding on to the crib railing. I can’t believe that my little baby is already pulling herself up. They grow SO fast!
Since I last wrote Myron got a new job as Key Accounts Sales Rep for Gospel Light (a Christian publisher based in CA). It’s a great opportunity for him and he is enjoying the new challenge, but the travel schedule has been brutal thus far. He’s been gone at least two days every week this month. He gets back from 4 days in Nashville tonight and then flies out for 4 days in Florida on Monday. The good news is that Betsy and I are going to go with him on the next couple trips. (Yes, that’s right, Mom…I changed my mind…I’m coming to see you!)

April has been beautiful here…quite unlike Michigan with highs in the 70s and sunshine nearly every day. In years past we were often still shoveling snow until early May so I’m thankful for this early warmth. We have yellow tulips blooming in the back yard and some red ones about to make an appearance out front. The trees have their minty green baby leaves on and the magnolia trees are in full bloom. I love spring!

Well, that’s all that comes to mind for now. Hope you enjoyed the update!