Changes

It is amazing to me how Iris is developing and changing right before my eyes. Every day she makes leaps and bounds in her skills, and all I can do is follow her around like paparazzi, trying to catch everything on film (or, rather, digital images). Her newest development? She's almost crawling. On Friday she began to lift herself onto her hands and knees and rock back and forth in an effort to move toward whatever she had her heart set on. And it worked. She didn't actually crawl, but he is, slowly, mobile. She amazes me. I promise I will post a video soon.
Someone (who will remain nameless) told us the other day that it will be really fun when Iris reaches nine months and her personality would emerge. I had nothing to say. What do you say to someone who can't understand that she has been a little person from day one and had personality just as long? I know my daughter, I know what makes her tick, I know how she'll react to things, what things she'll like. She has more personality than is probably good for her, and here, this person is telling me that she has none yet. I'm not a baby person--this is perhaps why I have a difficult time making smalltalk with other moms; I don't really care that much and don't know the different stages. However, I can see just by spending a few minutes with other people's children that they have their own unique personalities, and Iris certainly has hers. Anyway, there's my venting.
Flickr is now accepting videos, so please check there for video of Iris' milestones. Oh, and the pictures are one which I caught of her pushing herself up on her hands and knees, and the other is of the new sweater my godmother made for her. Thank you, Aunt Linda!

It's a Dog-Eat-Dog World!

Or, at least, a dog-chase-dog-around-the-house-while-baby-is-sleeping, or dog-bark-at-every-little-sound world. This has been the life that Iris and I have lived for the past week. Oscar, my parents' little miniature dachshund, has been visiting, and just went home last night. While I like Oscar (I can tolerate him much more than any other little dog I've ever known), he consistently reminds me that I'm not ready for a puppy. Before Iris was born, Josh gave me permission to get a puppy. I have my heart set on a Weimaraner, or a German Shepherd. However, he though it advisable to wait until after Iris was born, to see how much work I wanted to take on. He was right (oh, crud, don't let him hear me say that! He'll never let it go!). Oscar is two or three, and I'm frazzled by the end of the day with him. Not only does he have little-dog-syndrome and barks at everything, but he has unlimited energy, and picks fights with those he shouldn't. And in the end, he cuddles up to you, completely innocent. Iris, of course, loved having Oscar around. She is a dog-lover from the start, and now she had two dogs to grab the ears of instead of just one. I just will never figure out why, when Oscar licks her face, she sticks out her tongue to meet him!
The illness is starting to pass from our house (as long as Josh doesn't come down with it now!). Thank goodness for the warm weather that is promised. It had better come, as Iris and I are dressed for weather warmer than even predicted. I'm ready to thaw out! Though I've hated Iris' cold, and it has scared me a few times (her first illness), there have been some upsides. She has become unusually cuddly, burying her nose into me and only me. Of course, this means that she accessorizes many of my outfits with a lovely snot trail, and when I have bare shoulders like today, they get covered in very painful hickeys. Someone needs to capture the suction power of babies and market it to vacuum cleaner companies!
I have used my new spare time (during naps and such) to do a few worthwhile activities, such as drowning hours into Facebook and Shelfari, measuring people's love for me by whether or not they had time to post messages. Wow, I never thought I'd be drawn into that crowd, but here I am, hopelessly stuck. So if you also happen to be on either of these websites and I haven't found you yet, please feed my addiction and look me up. =) Actually, the irony is that Shelfari is a book networking site, where you list all of your books and meet others with the same taste. But this same bibliophile site has pulled me away from several hours in which I could be reading. Hmm. . . I did join a 5o book challenge, so I'd better get on that. Iris is down for a nap--happy reading!!