Learned my lesson (story is mostly safe for work)

Yesterday was my annual physical, which includes everything from blood tests to turn-your-head-and-cough. About halfway through, it was time to change into the hospital gown, with a sheet covering "down there." The nurse-practitioner came in for her portion, listening to my breathing and heartbeat, and checking my circulation. All normal, until she lifted the sheet and said with a smile something that sounded like "Peanuts."

I furiously thought about what the proper reaction from me should be. Miss Manners had not covered this in her introductory etiquette course covering trips to the doctor. What *does* one say to one's nurse practitioner, who has just made some sort of potentially derogatory statement about one's, shall we say, business? "Hey!" came to mind, but I decided against it. I also rejected "What were you expecting to find down there?" Then I remembered.

Next year, I will not wear my Charlie Brown boxers.

I am a flower, delicate and precious

So - learned about one of my foibles (maybe my only one) this morning - I am not as butch as I think I am. With school starting back up, the household has been going through some scheduling changes. LN has to get up and at 'em in time to feed the baby, walk the dog, shower, and be out the door by 7 AM. She has started out this year by setting her alarm in the fives. [[Side note here - as opposed to Jody, the only times that any grownup in this house has seen a time starting with 5 in the AM are a) after a LONG weekend night of video games, in my wayward youth, or b) at 2:30, looking at the clock in the mirror. ]]

So - Monday morning, I gradually woke up to a teeny tiny stream of light, like what starts to come in at 6:30 (still early, but not RIDICULOUSLY early. ) When LN came back into the bedroom, I asked what time it was, thinking it might be time to get up. "4:30," she replied. Somehow, she had ended up waking herself up at *4* - TOO EARLY. And the stream of light from under the bathroom door, or (as i learned this AM) from the closet, or even reflected down the hall is apparently too much for my pore widdle sweepiness. I find myself unable to get back to the business of sleeping, no matter how tired I may be. It is really just as well we have this acclimatization period before we get our schedules locked in - I might need LN to add tucking me in to her morning schedule.

Example the second: I like being barefoot. I tend to walk about outside, even in summer, with the cool breezes running through the hairs on my big toes. Growing up on Sullivan's Island, I was even able to make it most of the way to the beach in summer with only a few hops from the asphalt to the painted line down the middle of the street (always smoother, and about 20 degrees cooler.) So why is it that twice in the last 2 weeks I have ended up with what I have not-so-affectionately begun to call 'dog hair splinters'?? I mean, it's almost like a needle, poking at ya poking at ya, just making me limp around for no good reason. Hmm - as an example that a) nothing new is under the sun, and b) The Google knows all, at this time there are 415 K links for that search.

So yeah - Long story short, I wanted you all to know I am aware that I am the very model of a manly man. And knowing is half the battle.

Lil' baby, upon her fifth monthiversary

As she sits on my lap, squirming, i think it is a good idea to note some of changes in our little fiona jade's life recently:

Rolling over - she's had the ability for a while now to roll over when mad (or furious, as the case may be.) But this has only recently been updated (with Mom's help, of course) to being able to roll over, more or less regularly, from front to back as well as the converse. We're not talking more than once every five minutes or so, but the frequency of this is only likely to increase, so we are taking it as a win. Bald spot on back of Fi's head - take note; your days are numbered! Bald spot on the back of Daddy's head - not so much. (Plus side :it probably has stopped growing. Negative side: because it's run out of real estate. )

Sleeping - We've been using the Halo Swaddling sleepsacks, and I think it's probably about time for us to upgrade. (they are rated from 6-12 pounds, and at over 13 lbs she's getting tall enough that she has to do froggy pose to sleep thru the night. We tried upgrading her to an arms-free, non-velcroed one night-before-last, and went in an hour later to find her, inconsolable, having rolled over onto her face, in the corner of the crib. So - back to the small sack for now. On the flip side, Daddy was able to handle a night-time cry all by himself (yes, Dug, like a big boy.) I thought it was just a need for a pacifier, but the bottle of water ended up doing the trick. Yay for self-sufficiency, yay for better dentist bills down the road!

Daycare - Today is LN's first day back at work, and, understandably, she's a little stressed and sad. i mean, who *wouldn't* want to get to spend all day with the most cutest and advanced little girl out there? On the other hand - i imagine a certain satisfaction in getting to watch math training and school safety videos instead of Dora the Explora & Yo Gabba Gabba! So anyone out there who sees her, cut her a little slack today. Meanwhile, I've ended up making the bottles, and will be taking Fi to her new weekday home.

Speaking of which- one last bottle for the road, so i must be off!