why delivery people suck

Two guys delivered our new refrigerator this morning and took the old one with them to be disposed of properly. They took down my insulation and heavy plastic cover on the front door to fit the new fridge in. Then, for some unexplained and idiotic reason, the senior of the two guys suggests they take the old fridge out the side door -- instead of using the ample opening the front doors created. In order to do this they had to take both doors to our house off the hinges and the doors and wheels and other stuff off the fridge. While trying to squeeze the enormous old fridge out they gouged the wood around the door frame and broke the metal hook that holds the spring to the screen door. None of their efforts were successful and they had to bring the old one out the same door they used to bring the new one in -- which is what they should have done in the first place!

With the back door wide open and unable to be closed they took their time messing with the new fridge on the porch and with things in their truck. They never closed the front doors behind them when they went outside for 10-15 minutes at a time. The house was freezing. I am sure I will curse these guys again when we get our gas bill for this month.

Doodle quotes

"I want to wear my crown to H's birthday party that way it will be like my birthday party except it will be H's."

D: "How many days until my birthday?"
Me: "I don't know, like 80."
pause
D: "So that means that tomorrow there will be (pause) 79 days until my birthday."

(I don't think he realizes how long 80 days is. He's been asking about his birthday since the new year began!)

"They better take down that manger because Jesus' birthday is over."

amendment to "new discovery"

It turns out you shouldn't vent your gas dryer into your house. Apparently the build up of residue and fumes can be toxic from a gas dryer. I found this out at the hardware store where someone who used to be a contractor told me not to buy the lint trap with water. Consider yourself warned.

physical therapy

Yesterday was Pancake's nine month pediatrician appointment. She is on track with everything except her gross motor skills. She still shows little signs of wanting to crawl, bears her own weight for only a few seconds at a time (with me steadying her of course), and resists rolling over. I didn't think it was a big deal that she doesn't really roll over because I know she can, but I guess the fact that she actually resists me when I try to help her do it is a bigger deal. So now we have to have a city-run service come out to the house so my nine-month old baby can have physical therapy.

It's disturbing to me because I've never had a child that didn't excel at everything. I wonder if there are things I could have been doing with Pancake, things I probably did with Doodle but don't with her because I'm more distracted this time around. Anyway I feel terrible. Like I have not been an attentive parent. Maybe there is nothing I could have done that would make Pancake up to par in the gross motor skill department, but maybe there is. I called Child Link today and left a message. I guess her therapy will start soon.

new discovery

My brother informed me that we can have the clothes dryer vent into the house in the winter to make the back of our house warmer and not heat the outdoors. It never occurred to me that you can do that. I unhooked the hose from the metal cylinder at the back of the dryer and let her rip. It was great. The back of our house, which is normally the coldest part, was warm and a little humid (which doesn't bother me at all). The windows steamed up, but that was really the only downside. I'm going to buy a grate to attach to the cylinder to catch the lint.

9 months

Pancake is such a cutie pie. She is very ticklish and quick to laugh even when we're not tickling her. She is imitating more. This morning she was trying to color with a crayon in each hand she was hitting the coloring book with the side of the crayons instead of the tip. She didn't even attempt to put them in her mouth. She saw Doodle coloring and knew what the crayons were for. It was really cute.

When you say, "How big is Pancake?" She, sometimes, puts her hands in the air and smiles while we say "so big." She started clapping right around Christmas. Occasionally she says, "yay" while she claps. She is happier on her belly but still won't stay on it for longer than 10 minutes. With her belly mostly stationary she rotates around in a complete circle to get a glimpse of her brother or grab a toy. She whines if you take a toy or something else away from her that she wants to keep holding or putting in her mouth.

She still loves to eat. Last night for her new year's eve dinner she had a container of sweet potatoes, some homemade peas with oatmeal cereal and then a container of banana yogurt. She would have kept eating if I hadn't cleaned her up and put her on the floor to play. She eats Cheerios and baby puffs like a champ. Her pincher grasp is great. She eats little cubes of tofu that way too. I love that she can eat some things independently now because it keeps her occupied while I do other things. Yesterday she pulled at my shirt and said, "eh, eh?" because she wanted to nurse.

She bops her little body up and down, while seated, to any kind of music, even when Doodle bangs on the piano. She can scoot around on her butt if she's on a slick floor like the hard wood in our dining room. But she prefers not to be mobile.

The combination of her enormous appetite and her disinterest in moving is making for a nice chubby baby. I'm anxious to see what she weighs at her nine month appointment next week.

She still doesn't sleep through the night. We had her almost there before Christmas but having numerous house guests over Christmas has ruined our progress. Last night she woke up at 2:20 a.m. and again at 5:40 a.m. Then up for the day at 7:30 a.m. My goal for this week is to get her back on schedule and waking up only once. Next week we'll aim for through-the-night sleeping.

Pancake, you're a little sweetheart. I love you so much.