* Of course, I got laid off, not fired, but it amuses me to say "fired." My first year of grad school, I interned with a guy who I just adored who was constantly worrying -- in a half-serious way -- that he was going to get fired. This cracked me up every time, because, as I kept telling him, you can't really get fired from a job you're doing for free. It's hard to screw up so badly at a mandatory internship that they tell you not to come back.
At any rate, I've been really busy, even after the layoff. My first week of unemployment flew by, because I scheduled lots and lots of things for myself. This week is shaping up to be a bit mellower, but I've written a long list of projects for my down time. There's no way I'll be able to get to all of them:
- scan, organize, and put away photos (probably a 4-hour project, once I have all the supplies I need)
- organize the bathroom cabinets and drawers
- thank-you notes from Christmas (yes, I realize it's already the 12th!)
- finish Kid A's baby blanket that I started knitting when I was pregnant
- crochet (I recently taught myself, and am making a hat. I am considering, though, unraveling it and starting over, since I was making stuff up until TM's mom showed me what I was doing wrong)
- scarf (a coworker had this amazing cloth scarf that I was inspired by and am planning to sew one for myself)
- quilt (out of the excess of receiving blankets that we have and are not using -- and probably never will)
Of course, this list does not include the various cooking and baking projects I'm planning to indulge in, or the exercise I plan to get, or the various mundane things I also plan to do (like cleaning the house for TM, so that he can spend his non-working time on the weekends with us, or paying bills). As you can see, I'm indulging in some throwback domestic fantasies, and am enjoying it. It's great if it's not the only thing I'm doing, and I know there's an end in sight. It would be truly not great if I didn't have a job to start in a few weeks.
Kid A update: she's eating! So far, she's had rice cereal, baby oatmeal (which she really digs), carrots (that I steamed and pureed myself), peaches, and peas. The peas were a little advanced for her; they were pretty thick. Next time, I think I'll thin them with a little formula. It's what I do with the carrots, anyway.
She's also sitting up extremely well. She gets excited about toys she's playing with or a toy she wants and ends up face-planting a lot, but she does great in the couple of high chairs she's been in (when we've been out at restaurants). So I just ordered a Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair online, and I can't wait for it to come. It should be here on Friday! Whee!
As I mentioned in November, we had some professional photos taken of Kid A. We wanted to wait until we gave the family their Christmas presents before posting them widely. Here are a few shots from our session. Kid A was 4.5 months old. (She just turned 6 months on January 6th!)
Well, Happy New Year! I'm off to clean the kitchen ...
