Powerball
After hearing on the radio that the Powerball’s jackpot value had climbed to something like $900 million, we found $2 in the car and picked up a ticket when we were getting gas yesterday. We had no idea what the rules were, so imagine our surprise when we discovered that our four matched numbers were worth $100! What a return on investment. It also gave me insight into the twisted psychology of the lottery — there’s this impression that we were “just” one number away from the next prize up, when in reality you are 320 times less likely to match five numbers for one million dollars than the four numbers required to win the $100 we did. Best case scenario, the lottery makes you happy to have what you have.
Ess has been super-interested in putting things back lately, or as she says “bach”. Pick up something, bach. Walking around with something… bach. Holding a diaper, bach. Then, when you sit on the couch, she toddles up to you and goes “up UUUUPPP” which, when you’re standing, means she wants you to pick her up. When you’re sitting, though, it means she wants you to stand up and play with her.
In my case, that means chasing Ess with Dante Fiero the dragon, or as Ess knows him, bee-lah. I spend a fair amount of time walking around the house, saying “blaaah” at Ess, with my hand working the dragon puppet. Inevitably, she runs over to our curtains and stand behind them, her shearling-slippered feet sticking out from behind, shuffling around until Dante peaks in and gently clomps her face with his fabric teeth and 5 inch red felt tongue. She laughs, runs out from behind the curtain, and then behind the next curtain. If I try to go sit down, Ess will bring Dante over to me and push him into my hands. She won’t take no for an answer, and insists on being chased. She’s particularly fun to watch when she’s moving at top speed, because her little legs haven’t yet learned a full running stride. So, she’ll bobble along for about three to four paces until she kind of takes a double skip-hop beat to get her feet back under her. It’s the kind of movement kids only have for a little while, and I feel very lucky to be able to have so much fun playing with Ess at her age right now.
She’s also learning the slide we got her for Christmas; Mykala has succeeded in showing her how to use both of the steps on the ladder side of it, and then to actually put her feet in front of her before she goes down the slide. This makes us a lot less nervous, seeing Ess go down the slide feet-first instead of head-first. Occasionally, though, she’ll only get one foot in front and will slide down in a full split. She’s always been very flexible, so this doesn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.
Let’s see, what else? Ess is still getting up two times per night on average. She goes to bed perfectly, and goes back to bed just fine at night as long as she gets to nurse with Mykala. Neither one of us, but Mykala in particular, have been ready to let Ess cry at night for the nights in a row necessary to extinguish the behavior of nighttime awakenings. Mykala posed the question to me: how exactly would extinguishing that behavior of waking up at night be about anything other than our needs and our convenience? Does discouraging this natural behavior help Ess in any way? I’ve read of nothing and come across nothing that says getting a baby or toddler to sleep through the entire night is about the baby’s needs. I think when one is anticipating another child, though, it does become a major issue. I can’t imagine two children not sleeping through the night. This, however, is not something we are anticipating or planning for. So, we have the luxury of not having to “sleep train.” There have been a few nights where I have felt hopeless, that Ess will never sleep through the night, but I always feel more optimistic in the morning. It helps that Ess nearly always wakes up rested and happy and ready for the day.
Also, I napped when Ess did today, for I believe only the second time ever. I feel so well-rested and optimistic that it is probably coloring the tone of this post. Oh well, I’m enjoying the rested-ness!