Alone

Things are wild here, which accounts in part for the inconsistent nature of this comic... I had my Photoshop brushes set to a different setting leftover from another project, and I didn't want to change them to what I normally use for comics, because who has that kind of time???

Lucy is in the throes of NO.  Amelia is much more amiable.  She has this open-mouth, snaggle-toothed grin that wrinkles up her nose when she sees someone she likes (which is everyone), so that's pretty awesome.

Do these words even make sense?  I feel like my brain is in a constant state of buffering.  I think I'll go to bed.

Talking

Sorry for the dead time between posts--- I've had several projects I've been working on for friends and a big one of my own that I've undertaken, so I've really had to squeeze out the spare time from each day.  This is compounded, of course, by the fact that Lucy is talking a blue streak, from the moment she wakes up to the time she finally falls asleep.  It's exhausting, but also amazing--- the funniest parts are when she quotes movies she's watched in the right context.  The other day, I asked her, "How are you?"  And she replied, word for word, "She froze my heart, and the only thing that can save me is an act of true love."  Another time, we were out walking, and we were going down an unfamiliar road, and she said, "Oh, Pongo, Pongo, I'm afraid we're lost."

The fun thing is that she helps to occupy Amelia, who loves to listen to her and watch her.  There will be whole stretches of time where they'll sit facing each other, just giggling nonstop.  Hopefully this bodes well for the future.

Guest Post for In Pursuit!

My friend Tiffany writes a very sweet and very stylish blog called In Pursuit, starring her adorable son Joseph.  This week, she is on vacation and asked me to do a guest post for her about a favorite memory I have of my grandparents.  If you'd like to see the comic, mosey on over to In Pursuit!

Death's Door

Toddlers don't sugar coat things.

I mean, good grief.  This is why cocktails were created.

Sounds Like

The days that you can get them both to sleep at the same time, all you want to do is sit silently on the couch to avoid waking them up.

A brief status update (because both of them are asleep, which means I'm on the clock):  Lucy is more or less potty-trained, she greets us occasionally with "hiya toots, you're one hot-looking tomato," and she can sing the opening lines from "They Call the Wind Maria."  Thanks, Muppet Show.

Amelia is starting to babble and coo, and we get big smiles while she's nursing or having pants-off time.

And now BEDTIME.

Guardian Angel

In the words of Jimmy Stewart, "you look about like the kind of angel I'd get."

For simplicity's sake, I had to leave out how Will's parents were at our house during this episode, and so we actually had some extra help when things started spiraling out of control.  There really wasn't even any opportunity to feel embarrassed about this chaotic end to an otherwise pleasant evening.

Poor Lucy.  She didn't understand what was going on and thought she had done something wrong.  This happened on day two of potty training and set us back a good ways; over a week later, she still doesn't like pooping in her potty.  So I think we're still getting over the ramifications, but buying her Tinkerbell underpants has helped offset the damage.

I have no explanation for why our guardian angel's name is Julius other than it was Groucho Marx's given name and therefore seemed appropriate.  

The Way Things Are

It's a twofer today!  First, let's check in on what life with Amelia is like:

So far, Amelia is not much of a crier, but boy howdy does she make some bizarre noises.  She's sleeping in a bassinet about two feet away from my side of the bed, and throughout the night she serenades us with an odd combination of grunts, gargles, and bleats.  I usually know she's about to wake up wanting to eat when she starts snorting like Welly trying to ferret a chipmunk out from under the porch.

And in other news:

 I feel great.  I've stopped taking my pain medication and have gotten the all-clear from my OB to drive, pick up heavy objects, and do non-abdominal exercise.  I'm shedding weight pretty quickly thanks to breastfeeding and the coordination it takes to take two children and a dog for walks, but I'm still mostly stuck in maternity clothes and yoga pants.  But I've got a fitness plan and several short- and long-term goals (Glacier National Park backcountry, I'm looking at YOU), and being stuck in yoga pants means that spontaneous yoga can occur at any time.  Resume downward dog!