Winter Happenings

Busy weekend so far; all good. Yesterday I had a glorious couple hours at the salon while my mom watched Annie and Jason took Jemma to the doctor for her one-year checkup. Her stats: 16 lbs, 9 oz (<5th percentile, but at least we're consistently tiny); 28 1/2 inches long (45th %); head size 45th percentile as well. She's taking more steps every day; today I counted about 8 or 9 in a row when she was walking towards me to get her "ma" (milk). Also, she's a climber. Yesterday, I watched her scale a chair and then a table in less than 30 seconds. I can only imagine the places I'll be finding her in the next few months as her mobility increases. I've attached a picture of her in mid-climb . . . .

Also attaching a picture of me sporting my new haircut. It's much shorter, there are many layers, and I still haven't reached a final verdict about whether or not I love it. I loved it when I left the salon, of course, but then I can't ever make it look like that at home. This morning, I was fighting with it for about 15 minutes. We'll see how it evolves; in any case, I have a hairstyle and not just long hunks of hair hanging on each side of my face.

Jason and I fought the blizzard to have a dinner out at Mangiamo last night. It was very cozy there and a nice way to cap off our week of kid-free dinners at night. Next week, we're forging back into the battle and attempting to "do" the family meal thing again. I am gathering my courage, and my patience. I did get Jemma to eat some homemade chicken noodle soup last week and I snuck some prosciutto into her cheese quesadilla today, so she may not be a vegetarian, after all.

Today, I made it to the gym early this morning and rocked out to some VH1 videos while I cranked out 5 1/2 miles in record time, thanks to Britney, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and others. Then I headed to Holland for a poetry reading by one of my former professors, Jack Ridl. It was warm, witty, and not-pretentious-at-all, which were just a few of the things I loved about being in his class my senior year. Definitely makes me want to spend some more time devoted to just writing and to reading other people's good writing. Lunch at Butch's with Connie, Gina, and Andrea, a stop at the Peanut Store, and my indulgent day was complete. Thanks, Jason! I felt like an irresponsible college student again for a few hours!

ps - Blogger is being a pain; won't let me post the pictures! I'll try again later . . .