Xiaoniu 小妞

It’s been a hell of a week. All three of us are exhausted, however, we did get some things done this week. Monday was the most productive of all. We had the day off and I had plans to do stuff around the house. Outside work that can only have been done in the day light.

I started off the day by making breakfast. Bacon and eggs with whole wheat toast. A classic that keeps you going. First up was raking out all the leaves around the yard and then mowing them up for the fifth time this year. After that was the precarious job of cleaning out the gutters and trimming tree branches. By the end of it all I was wiped.

In the afternoon we made our way out to LL Bean to swap Emelia’s nice purple jacket for a warmer and slightly smaller one. They didn’t have purple in her size so she now has a pink one. From there I made my way out the library to sign up for a card and to check out the place. I feel like I’ve rediscovered libraries. Our’s is very well stocked and up to date with new materials. Far more stuff that I was expecting. They even have a foreign language section with some Chinese books. I ended up bringing home a copy of Hali Bote (Harry Potter) for Sue.

Lastly I made my way out to another nearby library to get another book, but I had a hell of a time finding the place. I drove around and around a building that appeared to be a closed bank and no cars in the parking lot. The sign was there, but no building. I went home with out finding the place. When I got home I found their website and discovered that they reside in the basement of the bank building. The seemingly closed bank shares an entrance with the library.

Tuesday I made my way out again only to discover the damn library closes at 5pm on Tuesdays. Back to our library. I ended up with another Chinese book, a vegetarian cookbook, and two movies. The cookbook ended up being okay, one movie is too damaged to play and the other (Yiyi) is not that great. Sue won’t even watch it. It has that Fargo feel only it takes place in Taipei.

Wednesday I made my third trip to the other library to pick up a copy of Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber. I want to be prepared for the fight I know is coming. There will be two big things for Emelia. First, is weaning and the other is making her way into her own bed. As nice as it is having her with us at night neither Sue nor I can get a decent night of sleep. Most nights we sleep restlessly and wake up exhausted and sore. I’ve heard good things about this book so I’m hoping to pick up a few tricks before we start making changes. Emelia is strong willed and a fighter so I’m anticipating having a difficult time.

Wednesday Sue ended up having to get Emelia from daycare and run her over to the pediatrician. Daycare called her before 8am to say that Emelia had a rash all over and that we had to bring her to the doctor to find out if she is contagious. Sure enough it was something that I did to her.

Tuesday night we gave her a bath and we wanted to put something on her to keep her from drying out. I figured why not try out some of the baby creams we were given. That ended up being the problem. The creams have a very light fragrance and Emelia is allergic to them. So, we can’t use any of the creams we have since they all have a smell. We’ll stick with using Aquaphor. It’s a glorified petroleum jelly, but it is very mild. She seems to be taking after her cousin James who can’t use these types of creams either. Amy still uses Aquaphor on him.

On top of all this Emelia has been a handful. She was happy to be home with us on Monday and was in a great mood, but the rest of the week has been tiring. She has been fussy and clingy. Sue and I are tired and worn out. This usually happens when she’s not feeling well so we can’t complain too much.