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From: Sara
Date: 05 Jan 2007
Time: 00:22:20 -0600
Remote Name: 69.107.54.50
Astrid is still suffering from the after effects of the cold. Her nose is still runny and her eyes are shot. She isn’t her normal self and I feel bad for her. Her symptoms have lasted for over 4 weeks and I can’t do much for her except wipe her nose, lather up her face with lotion for her chaffed skin, and comfort her when she is struggling to breathe. On top of this, she is going through some serious separation anxiety; if I leave the room for a moment she freaks out and starts to scream and cry. When I’m putting her to bed she grabs onto my arm and wraps her legs around my body so that I can’t put her in her crib. She cries real tears for so long after I put her down that I want to leave the house so that she cannot torment me with her sobbing (it just kills me emotionally). I know that this is a phase and it will pass but it is heart-wrenching to see her be so uneasy. It is making me mental! On the flip-side, she is a little cautious around Eric and is going through an ‘I don’t like my dad’ phase. As all phases, it will pass. I started a new sales job this week. I’ve been starting my work day really early in the morning, training for the job, and coming home and taking care of household chores. I am exhausted! This is a big adjustment for both she and I, and it has been difficult for the both of us. I know that I’m having separation issues; I think about her all day long. I had a long break between jobs and I was really enjoying spending time with Astrid and being a full-time mother. I feel like I’m falling short of being a mom this 1st week away from her and it’s not a good feeling. I wish that I had more energy at the end of the day to focus merely on her and play like we used to. I’m sure that I’m just making more of a big deal than it really is, because I know deep down that she will be fine. She’s a strong girl and very independent. Plus, she has Grandma A to take care of her during the day. I know that she loves spending time over at Grandma’s house and Grandma is getting a kick out of it too. Grandma tells me that she is talking a lot more and expressing more emotion. All of a sudden her voice came out and she is expressing more with words and not getting as frustrated. I cannot understand a lot of what she says but I can tell that she is looking at my mouth more when I talk and practicing the sounds of words. It is really neat to see the progression of her language, from total jabbering to actually pronunciating words. She understands everything that is being said to her and around her. Eric and I can ask her to do something for us and she will go over and do it. She is very proud and happy to do things for us. The only thing that she hasn’t done yet (although I know she knows what I’m asking of her) is cleaning up her own messes. I know that this is just her being obstinate. She is starting to understand the idea behind going poop and pee on the potty. She has only peed once on the potty, but I think that it was by accident. She does a funny thing though; she will pull down her pants down to her ankles and sit in the dog’s food bowl. She even puts her elbows on her knees and sits there for awhile. It’s pretty clever of her. This weekend Astrid will turn two! She has come a long way since those days in the hospital. She has turned out to be a normal and healthy kid with nothing physically wrong with her. We are very fortunate that she avoided having health issues and is so strong. She still has eating problems and she isn’t the largest kid in her age group, but I have a feeling that she will always be ‘petite’, which is a word that most people who meet her label her. I don’t think that she is quite to the 20 lbs mark and she is shy of 30 inches, but she makes up for her size in her feisty personality. I look at her when she is around other kids her age and they easily tower over her by a full head. She is little! Not much more to report on my girl except to say that she is DONE with daycare and she won’t be going back. I’ll get her in more programs when she is a little older. I am going to start her up again in Gymboree because it seems like the only program that she actually enjoyed so far. Maybe some dance and music classes in the near future would be a good idea since she loves music, but that’s it for now. She loves books and has quite a few favorites in her collection. She is fascinated with animals and animal sounds and is starting to understand colors. She knows a red duck from a yellow duck. She is very meticulous and loves to stack and line up stuff. She knows how to put a Dr. Brown bottle together and take it apart (freaked me out when I first saw her do it!). She does seem to have some obsessive behavior and low patience which still sometimes concerns me, but I think that she is more logical and intellectual than she is free and creative. She is very good with her hands and has amazing hand-eye coordination. She is a very serious and studies people and situations; she observes more than participating in activities. She likes adults more than she does kids (she doesn’t really have empathy for other children). In daycare she was a bully and was very determined to have what she wanted. She is VERY funny and has a great sense of humor. I can see more of her ‘true’ personality coming out every day. She is extremely social and very much of a tease, but will really only communicate with adults and not with kids. I don’t know … I’m keeping her. I have more progress on Tuesday, after her 2-year doctor’s appointment. Happy Birthday My Girl!