Many years ago I did a backpacking trip with some friends along the Lost Coast Trail in Northern California. This is awesome, as I was writing this entry I searched for sites about the trail was delighted to see that one of my fellow hikers still has pictures from our exact hike posted on the web. It’s gorgeous up there. Sigh. Momentary pause to feel homesick for California. Anyway, we planned to do the hike slowly in four days. I used to do a lot of backpacking and this trip wasn’t supposed to be strenuous, mostly flat hiking along the coast. Except the second day in my hiking boots fell apart. They had metal supports in the heels and every step would scrape the supports across my feet. By the end of the second day my feet were a mess, with open blisters bleeding and oozing so much I couldn’t take my socks off, they had merged into my feet. We had full backpacks and were mostly hiking on sand, so every step forward we’d slide backwards half a step. Every step would grind more sand into the blisters. Every step was excruciating. We were backpacking in the middle of nowhere, and there was no choice except to hike with my feet being ripped apart for two more days. I remember being unsure if I could do it, and when we finally reached the end of the trail I took a break where my friends couldn’t see me and burst into tears. You’d think I’d regret that trip but I don’t at all. Every hike I’ve taken since then has been easy. No matter how heavy the pack or steep the hill, they’ve all been easy.

When Griffin was born I had 14 hours of unmedicated back labor. I thought my whole body was coming apart, and I wasn’t sure if I could make it. When Griffin was three months old I started going back to karate lessons. My instructor said they’d stage a test for me to see what level I should come back at and asked if I was nervous. It was everything I could do not to laugh at him. Scared of a karate test? After childbirth, what could they do to me?

Julian and I used to get overwhelmed by the details of life. Coordinating our schedules, doing house maintenance and lawn maintenance and dishes and laundry. Then we had a baby and learned what lack of free time really is. This past weekend Julian took Griffin out for errands and I ran around and got all the housework done. Laundry without carrying a baby in a sling? Dishes with nobody grabbing your legs and climbing into the dishwasher? Easy.

I know it’s a cliché but it’s true. That which does not kill you makes you stronger. And that which does kill you makes you Undead. =)

On Saturday we went to the location of Griffin’s naming ceremony… his Aunt & Uncle’s property that is now the site of a magnificent home under construction. I can already tell we’re going to be visiting ALOT. That’s where the above pics came from.

Today we hit up the mall in town, for the sole purpose of letting the Griffin loose in the little playground area inside. It was his 3rd visit, and each time he gets a little braver. 1st time he never left Candy’s lap. 2nd time he would wander a few feet, then come back. Today he inched farther and farther until he was running around the entire play area. It’s great to see him running amongst other kids, and a good lesson for us to let him, a 13 month old, take his knocks amongst the 4 and 5 year olds leaping about. He’s so tiny and happy, smiling at all the kids, as well as the adults lining the outskirts.

He’s also started his first instrument. The kazOOOOOO. I’m impressed that he knows how to operate it, but he’s quite proficient. And he hands it over to me inbetween his sessions. However, if I toot on it (or a harmonica for that matter), he gets completely freaked out. He’s an odd one when it comes to noise. On Friday night, a tremendous crash of thunder shook the house and I bounced right out of bed, rushed up the stairs, and there was Griffin, fast asleep. That was a weird night… at one point the clock radio just turned on all by itself.

Today we bought a jogging stroller, but it was the cheapest one going, and Griffin seemed very uncomfortable in it. Back it goes, and I’ll continue to keep an eye out for a used one. The plan is to get in shape, amuse Griffin, and give Candy a breather in one fell swoop. For under a hundred bucks. The money’s flowing out a bit faster than it’s coming in, so we’re trying to curb our spendacious ways.

It’s been in the mid 90’s much of the past week, and will continue to be several days in the coming week. I spend all winter waiting to get outdoors, and then hide inside with the a/c on.

…just a few pics laying around from back ‘n’ April. I’ve fallen out of the habit of carrying around the camera… gotta pick it up again. No fresh material. :)

I got my hair cut this week, and two of the hairdressers at the salon were very campy gay men. One of them simply loved my bag. When I told him it was a diaper bag he was thrilled and scandalized, he put it on and asked in a stage whisper “Are there diapers in there right now?”. It made me so homesick for San Francisco. It also made me think about raising Griffin, where we live now the school district is very good but very homogeneous. I think we should probably move into Madison, trading test scores for more diversity would be worth it. Plus we got lunch with Julian yesterday and it’s always such a treat to see him in the middle of the day. Happy Pride weekend everyone!

Candy also got a haircut yesterday. Hers was much, much cuter than mine (I love it!):

As to why my extreme makeover… It’s always months after I decide to get a haircut that I actually work in the time for it. And both Candy and I were kinda curious what my noggin looked like under all that fluff. So, after making Candy promise not to stop loving me if it turned out bad, I buzzed away. I’ve never had so much as a buzz cut before, and had a pony tail when we married, so it was quite a change.

We’re both pretty happy with the results. Griffin, instead of screaming on sight… laughed and felt up my newly revealed dome. One thing though… I dunno whether to use shampoo or soap???

Er… as to my scowling, that’s just what I look like by default. :)

Oh, and I mentioned having the flu earlier… turned out to be just a 48hr dealie and was relatively minor. Seems that neither Candy or Griffin got hit, which is awesome.

With night 9, I think we’ve settled into a new routine, so this will be the last of the “Sleep plan” posts. Not that I won’t mention sleep issues a lot, but not daily as the main topic.

We took Griffin on a lengthy drive to get him asleep, after which I carried him to the crib. He woke up fully on the way up, but once in his room, he just settled on in to sleep. After waking up at 1:30am, I brought him down to our bed and we all slept together until around 7am. Again, there were some wakings, but they were brief and untraumatic. Again, he slept perpendicular to us, but this time with his head towards me, so at least I’m not worried he’s trying to kick me out of bed. ;)

While this may not have been exactly the target outcome of the sleep plan, it’s much less stressful and traumatic for everyone than the initial implementation. During the last week he did managed 2 full nights of sleep, but it wasn’t clearly becoming the trend, and hour-long middle of the night battles were still occurring, and morning wake ups were becoming earlier and earlier. Candy was stressed and not sleeping well. We were all wearing down despite the apparent success on paper.

Now he sleeps a really good initial stretch, Candy and I have our evenings fairly free (when he finally goes down), and we all wake up happy together (though I’m not truly, deeply happy until downing a cup of coffee). Griffin’s more willing to settle in the crib than before, and I have regained the skill of being able to settle him, which is huge, as it means it’s not all on Candy to get him to sleep when necessary. He’s also bonded a bit more with me through the experience.

It’s been surprisingly hard to get a decent pic of ButchCat, but here’s what we’ve got. bCat acts fairly cool about things, though it’s a bit of a charade. At least they’re not standing off (except at night when bCat is behind a window and her tail goes all poofy as she howls).