Snippets…

Saturday afternoon, Andrew, Lucia, and I went into Sacramento (“the city”) so I could get my hair cut. We decided to have an early dinner at a place we really like—the Tower—and, though it was slightly chilly, we were able to sit outside thanks to some heat lamps. We were very cozy, and Lucia was an angel for the whole meal. When Andrew ordered fish n’ chips, the waitress said, “That’s a great choice for a cold night.” It was in the mid-fifties. Andrew wasn’t wearing a coat. It was a lovely way to spend a February night.

Last night, we went to the grocery store for some food and baby Tylenol. As we checked out, the cashier asked what Lucia’s name was. “Lucia,” I said. “What??” the cashier said. “Where’d you guys come up with that?” I told her it was Italian. “I had an Italian friend once,” she said. “She was…very passionate.” I don’t know why I persist in telling strangers her full name—there apparently aren’t a lot of Italians around here, and it’s not a name that anyone seems to have ever, ever heard. I’m just going to start saying Lucy.

Lucia seems to be teething. I think. The source of this baby’s distress is such a guessing game sometimes. But yesterday she was absolutely miserable—refusing to nap though obviously exhausted; falling asleep only to wake up fifteen minutes later screaming; sucking desperately on her fingers and my thumb, pressing them into the right-hand side of her gums; sucking on her bottom lip; whimpering plaintively. She breastfed a few times, and I even tried to give her more milk in a bottle just to make sure she wasn’t hungry, so I knew hunger wasn’t it. By the afternoon, she was clearly in desperate need of a nap, so I sat with her in the glider and let her sleep in my arms, the only way she could settle herself. She slept for an hour and a half while I just rocked, listening to the rain outside. Poor little baby. She seems fussy today but less so than yesterday, but now I’m armed with baby Tylenol just in case.

And finally, a note on your comments: thank you to everyone who leaves comments here on my blog or sends me messages by email or Facebook about my posts. I usually don’t respond to the comments here but I absolutely love reading them, and I especially appreciate hearing your advice and experiences on all things baby. It’s always a great help (and sometimes a great comfort) to hear what other people have gone through!