CI Induced Vortex

Nope, not sucked into a black hole in the blogosphere, just stuck in the springtime capital improvement zone. I'm trying to finish staining the deck before this weekend's flurry of company (Eli b-day party, a bridal shower I'm co-hosting), deal with the infernal ongoing mishigos of the private alley, write a (paid, woohoo!) article for a friend, squeeze some dancing in, and take care of my bambina.

On the topic of the lovely Yelena, she is well and adorable. I have some pics, but the camera is 2 flights down and I ain't going to get it just now. She's starting to crawl for bits on her own and can hold herself up in quadraped for extended periods of time. She is also transitioning into and out of positions more smoothly, including pulling herself up on stationary objects. She's been able to pull up on people, doing all the work, for a very long time, but something about furniture has eluded her. After experimenting a lot, I found a little sensory input on her hands -- just touching them lightly so she doesn't lift up a hand while pushing with her legs -- does the trick. Go Lele! She also lives to work on standing and practice walking, so the motivation is all there, which is great, since often children with motor planning difficulties get frustrated and don't want to work. She is still a snuggly delightful little koala, without the unpleasant eucalyptus odor, as always.

I promise to be more amusing in the near future or, at the very least, shower you with cuteness, but assurance that we all breathe must suffice for now.