So we made it from California all the way to Rhode Island. Poor BA ended up having to drive the entire way with the dogs alone. After the first 5 hour drive from Monterey to just outside of Reno, Linky was just so upset about being in the car and her carseat, we decided that her and I would just fly. We flew from Reno to Kansas City (where we visited my BFF and her then 4 months old baby Arthur) then we drove to Omaha (to see my Aunt, Uncle and cousins) and then to Iowa (to see my grandma and dad). We flew from Omaha to Columbus (to see Lidia who is having a baby of her own due 4 Feb) and then to Rhode Island. BA met us at all of our stops. He claims that it was much more enjoyable of a drive without Linky and I there to annoy him, but I don't believe it for a second! Sadly, we had to put down one of our dogs on the way. The heat and the stress of the move cause Old Dog to deteriorate fast (he has had a heart condition for several years and was on six pills a day). BA took him to a vet in Wyoming and the doctor said that it wasn't in his best interest to keep him alive under his poor health condition.
The first two weeks of being in Rhode Island were full of unexpected hardships. First we had to squat in our new rental house because the moving company didn't have time to deliver our stuff until 10 days after we got here. I got food poisoning the second day and was very ill for 4 days after that. Soju got sprayed by a skunk and proceeded to rub skunk oil all over one of the downstairs room's carpet. Of course this happened at 1 am, so BA was not a happy African having to get up and wash him. Luckily the mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and dish soap and then mouth wash got rid of most of the oil and smell off him. The next morning I was able to get him (and Homer) to Petco to be washed. I don't how many people have been so close up and personal to a skunk spraying but it was God awful. It burned every time we breathed for several hours after it happened. There is still a bit of a smell in the one room and on the outside of the house.
Were still unpacking (ugh) but BA has joined the local cricket team. I am 'back to work,' stashed doing whatever til my SWOS school starts in October and I signed up to run a half marathon (ugh I don't want to run!) in mid October. We bought Linky a bike seat and helmet because driving anywhere is ridiculous. But all and all I think well like our short 10 month stint here :)
What has changed:
1. Linky has 4 teeth now.
2. She is crawling. Although she thinks its for babies and she's really working hard on trying to walk.
3. About a week ago she started pulling herself up on EVERYTHING and this week she is using everything to walk along. I think she may be officially walking before her first birthday. She is definitely a daredevil ... and falling numerous times a day on her butt and head hasn't made her any less adventurous.
4. I am still nursing Linky. However, we will have to finish weaning her before we move in May. My next set of orders are on a ship and I think I will be deploying soon after we arrive (which is a whole other matter in its own. I am freaking out and its more than a year from now). In a perfect world I would allow her to self wean (well within reason) so I am a little worried about taking away her "melktjies" because she really loves them. Ha!
5. We stopped giving her baby food about 2.5 months ago. She doesn't like it and it was stressful trying to get her to eat more than 3 or 4 bites. So now I just feed her off my plate and she LOVES it. In fact I can't eat anything without her coming by for a bite. She eats anything and everything and I hope this stays. Both BA and have decided that we will not make special meals for her if and when she becomes a "picky eater". Here are some of the foods she eats: all berries (esp loves blueberries), fruits (avocados are her favorite), veggies (tomatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, olives), beans, tofu, cheese, pizza, Thai and Chinese food (I craved Thai food throughout her pregnancy and still eat it at least once a week), rice, eggs, toast, bagels, pancakes, soup (tomato and Thai Thom Ga soups), and ice cream to name a few. Honestly anything I eat (minus peanuts, honey or any foods that are too hard for her to gum or are too spicy) she'll eat. If we have any children in the future, I think well skip baby food all together, especially since we wait to start solids on the later end of the spectrum (closer to 6 months than 4).
6. We are still co sleeping. Sometimes I think this is a good thing, especially because she still nurses all night long, but sometimes when she decides to do her gymnastic routines from 3-5 am I longingly stare at her crib (which is still right next to our bed) and wish she would sleep in it. Neither BA or I feel sleep training (or any crying it out method) is right for our family, so I am hoping she'll grow out of wanting to be in our bed sometime soon. BA is always complaining that she'll still be in there when she's 16!
7. She has her 9 month check up with her new pediatrician on 7 August. I am nervous about it, especially because her last doctor's approach was really similar to what we had decided we wanted to do. Most of all I am nervous that this new doctor will give us a hard time about insisting that we wait until Linky is a year old to start vaccinations and then no more than 2 at a time.
8. Linky doesn't have any official words yet. She does babble a lot and says 'ma ma' and 'da da' but we don't think she is saying them in reference to us. When she calls for me, she always uses 'ning ning' and 'na' for her daddy.
Pictures to come :)
