A Busy Week

Julia and I at Sol's birthday party. Great picture Tara...thanks for sharing it!

I had to go to Little Rock for a meeting this week, so John and Julia made the trip with me. They went to play at a park while I was in my meeting. Julia loved the sandbox and John said that she smiled the entire time she was in it. We ate lunch at Juanita's which is another of mine and John's long time favorites! They have the best fajitas...maybe in the world!

This is Julia's high chair after her lunch. Another increased expense that no one warned me about because of our baby girl...more tips to the waiter who is left to clean up this mess!

Julia's babysitter days are going much better from what I am hearing. She still cries every time we walk inside Melinda's house and screams at the top of her lungs when I walk away. The good news is that Melinda told John that the crying time is getting shorter and shorter....like only 5 minutes versus the entire three hours that she is there! I check in with another Mom who drops her little boy off after I drop Julia off. She told me that one day she walked in and was so confused because it was quiet in the house. She asked Melinda was what going on and Melinda proudly pointed at Julia who was playing quietly and not screaming. This sweet other Momma tells me that she always picks up Julia and loves on her when she is dropping her son off. Another joy of life in a small town. It has been four weeks now and I am looking forward to the day when I can walk away without hearing my baby screaming. It truly shakes me to the core and I have heard Mom's talk about this for a long time, but I had no idea how hard it would really be.

I had to post this picture because it captures an all too familiar pose. Julia is always reaching out trying to get things. She is quite assertive these days. This is really a nice way of saying that she will let you know very quickly if she is unhappy. Her favorite way to communicate this is a very loud, shrill painful scream. Her second favorite way to communicate her dissatisfaction is to arch her back or straighten in while we are trying to put her in her car seat or highchair. John and I have decided that the best way to deal with this is to to nothing...or not react at all when she screams. Just like her Momma.... a girl who know what she wants and is not afraid to say it.