Pardon the Interruption

Josh went back East for work and took the computer, so blogging came to a halt. He got back yesterday, but in the interim we got a new camera we don't yet know how to use. And also I've thrown out my back and write this entry from bed, where I have not been enough, and so the problem lingers since Sunday night.

Josh is in the kitchen feeding Lila dinner, and I can hear him singing a song that goes like this: "More pasta! More pasta! More pasta more!" It may not look it on paper, but trust me, it's catchy.

Lila is walking much more now. Tonight she walked from the living room couch, acress the dining room, and fell at the kitchen entryway. For those that don't know our house, that's a long way! Once she goes down she retreats to crawling or knee-walking, until she gets her nerve up to try another walking stint. She does love the applause that goes with it, so she's been trying it a lot over the past week.

We are getting ready for our trip back East for the holidays. I hear it's cold! I found her snowsuit and her new blanket pj's that I threw into the laundry. It's hard to imagine cold weather, especially when packing. I am also imagining which of her friends we will bring - by friends I mean stuffed animals and dolls - all the way across the country with us. Who deserves to go? Of course we have to take Sweetie Baby, she's Lila's crib friend and she'll make it seem like home. And then there's her newest friend, Pancho the sock monkey. She carries him around a lot these days, but really, aren't there some others wiith senority? I mean, Lilac Pete would be crushed. Dinosaur Jones is small, he might make a good pocket friend. And of course there's Mr. Bunnybear, but he's the Hope Diamond of the collection - technically, he should never leave the house.

Such are the thoughts of a person who worries early and often. There is so much to do before we go - another busy work week, presents still to buy, and a heap of birthdays before the new year that must be addressed as well. And will there be a holiday card with Lila's picture on it? Too soon to tell. It's not the picture that seems insurmountable; rather it is the gathering of addresses that I have still not figured out how to catalog efficiently.

I have a friend who participated in a rodeo once; the winners got blue ribbons, and all the losers got ribbons that said, "I tried my best". I always thought that was a very dignified way to fail. So if we fall short with our efforts before we leave it won't be for lack of trying; I will try my best.

More pictures soon.