Red-letter Days and Sleepy Nights

Red-letter day in the Downs household. We got a new bed. We ordered it a few weeks ago and it was delivered and set up yesterday. It's been so long since we've actually had a foot and head board and a mattress and box spring that don't sag to the floor. You sit on the edge of the bed and your feet don't touch the floor, that's how high up it is. I'm hoping it will be a good thing for my aching back and shoulders. Brigid thought it was hysterical and jumped around on it this morning after waking up.

Speaking of waking up, we're hoping she's falling back into her regular pattern of sleeping through most of the night. Of course, for many people, a baby waking up at 5 or 5:30 in the morning is normal. But for us, it's too early, so we get her back to sleep with the boob until 8 or so. But yesterday she took a longer-than-normal nap and still went to sleep at the regular time. This kid has never had a "typical" nap schedule like most kids do -- morning and afternoon naps that blend into one long afternoon nap at about her age. She has always taken a nap in the late morning, early afternoon and that's about it. I hope she eventually does stretch that nap into a two-hour regular thing, but I doubt she will.

Last night was another red-letter day for us when Brigid ate her first hot dog, cut up into tiny pieces of course. Jack wasn't thrilled with the not-so-healthy fare, but hot dogs and kids? They're like peanut butter and jelly, Tom and Jerry, Lewis and Clark. They go together. She hadn't eaten meat until recently when I cooked a big turkey dinner. Found out she loved turkey. Gobbled it down (no pun intended. Well, ok, pun intended) The hot dog met a similar fate. She shoved it in like there was no tomorrow (or like there would be none tomorrow, if Daddy has his way). So our vegetarian has now become an omnivore (she does eat everything -- paper, fuzz off the floor, anything you can't get away from her).

She is developing more and more language, although for the life of us we have no idea what she's saying. We make out an occasional word hidden in her own Brigidese. She'll say ba ba ba ba on end and slip something in the middle of it and you look up from what you're doing. "Did she just say..." Now that she's been outside in the backyard (we've had some lovely weather) all she wants to do is go outside. I was holding her last night, she pointed to the door and said (I'm sure of it) "Outside, bye bye." I know she comprehends much much more than she says, that's for sure. She follows directions very well and understands questions like "Do you want more?" or "Do you want a drink? Water? Juice?" She'll point to something she wants or go over to the item. It's just amazing to see the development. She'll come up to you and give your legs a hug, almost like she's touching homebase, even if only a moment, as if she needs some reassurance. And then she'll go off and continue whatever she's doing. Melts my heart.

I've been giving her some naked time at night because she loves running around without clothes on. Not that she's in the least bit ready for the potty, but she seems to know when she's got to go. She was running around and would stop and look at me, a furrowed brow, then run to another spot and stop, look at me as if to say, "Something's going to happen; I know it." Then she started to pee. I was quick with the towel but she had the idea. I could tell she did. Same thing happened one night when I knew she had to poop. She was looking at me -- diaper's not on, Mom. Something's going to happen here. I guess it's good to be self-aware.