Another winter week, another little cold.

From Early March

Maia has another cold, which has become an irritant that's upsetting her nighttime sleep. I think that this is her third or fourth cold this winter (since October, maybe?), and I can say for certain that we're all completely tired of this season of illnesses. We know that we've been really fortunate in the grand scheme of things (colds are really no big deal, after all), but still . . . enough. It's time for warmer temperatures and no more snow for a while!

Maia and I went to Target today and just spent some time walking up and down the sidewalk in front of the store. (They have these big, red, concrete globes--about 3 feet high--along the front sidewalk. Maia couldn't wait to walk from one "ball" to the other, while saying "ball" the whole time.) It was purely pleasurable to be outside in a bit of sunshine, with temperatures at about 40 degrees. It felt like summertime, comparatively speaking. Maia's so close to being confident enough to walk herself; she'll just walk next to you now, holding on with one hand to one of your fingers. I'm 100% sure that she could walk on her own if she felt like it; at this point, I think it's an issue of confidence mixed with a bit of fear. Because she's so tall, she might be a bit hesitant to walk because she has further to fall than most other babies her age. So, obviously, there's no hurry on this one!

My jobs have kept me very busy these last couple of weeks; I've been doing something childbirth-related every night of the week since LAST Monday, I think (including all day Saturday and Sunday). This busy schedule is excellent and much appreciated, in many ways, because when I'm working, I'm providing that extra bit of money that we need to keep things stable on a monthly basis (and thus extend the time that I can be home with Maia during the daytime). But, particularly with the rough sleep we've had this week, I think that everyone here in the Family G household is pretty wiped-out.

Finally, on the new words/signs topic, here are some additions in the last few days: bear (sign), cow (sign and "mooo" noise), fish (sign and word, which sounds like "shhh"), and light (sign).