Who Am I?

We have heard that Bridgette looks exactly like a lot of people. Here are some who have made the list: me, Jeff, my mother, my father, Jeff's father, my grandmother, her cousin Emma, my older brother, and my younger brother.

But we know who she really looks like!

She looks exactly like Bridgette!

And speaking of Bridgette, her cutest new nickname comes from one of the little girls in our neighborhood who calls her Widget.

Last Saturday we took babsy to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. We started in the Utah ecology section where Bri was terrified and traumatized by the trout tanks -- big slimy copper-scaled monsters with gaping mouths swarming in to attack her. I was just beginning to think that perhaps this was not the enriching experience I was hoping for when she got interested. I think it was the cool blacklit jellyfish that did it.

Above: Gently Petting the Stingrays

Below: Bri's favorite part was lunch. She's wearing a fish bib.

Bri's 2nd tooth emerged this morning. It's just a smidgen of a line right now, but she already seems a titch happier than she has for most of this week. She has lately refused to take anything but milk and even that in small quantities.

This is not terribly unusual. She seemed to be taking solid foods quite well, but after one week of eating beautifully she became more and more finicky and finally refused to eat at all. When she does eat, or when we force her to eat, the baby-food goes through her sometimes in a matter of minutes.

In fact, Bri's pediatrician has placed her on malnutrition watch because her weight percentile dropped in two months from 80th to 55th. While 55th is healthy, and we still receive skads of comments about her chubby legs, we hope she stabilizes there. If she continues to drop, then we'll know she is malnourished.

I like to post pictures of her smiling, but the truth is that she's between grumpy, angry, and thoroughly sad most of the time now. She won't or can't eat when she's hungry, but then she doesn't sleep because she's hungry. The result is a houseful of grumpy, hungry, tired people.

In the photo below, you'll see that Chewy had jumped onto the couch to greet Bridgette when we came home, but when she started screaming he slunk away. He's really quite sensitive.

Today's repast has been a lovely relief. She actually slept for an hour this morning and has been down for 10 minutes so far this afternoon - more than she's slept for weeks.

Bri received some mail from her great-grandma yesterday. She had a tree planted in her name on Arbor Day and got this card commemorating her place in the conservation world.

Bridgette thought it was silly to send a paper card to commemorate the conservation of trees and decided to recycle it herself.


In Kelly news, I am pushing to get a whole bloomin' bunch of schoolwork done in the next 2 1/2 months, so I can walk in April. I don't know if it's physically or chronologically possible, but I shall try. I'm afraid if I don't push on, I will quit. I'm dreadfully close to quitting as it is.

All of this malnutrition/sleep-deprivation trouble began at the near-end of last semester. It's sorrowful and taxing, and I find I only have between 3 & 45 minutes each day to do anything but console my babe. I choose to use this time for the basics of life: eating, hygiene, and/or the never-ending pumping to eek out Bri's milk supply. But perhaps I could cut something out for school's sake. Like showering.

Our Little Widget

This is some fine footage of Bridgette falling asleep at the Living Planet Aquarium. We had reached the room with spiders and snakes, but apparently they were too boring.

A bit of tomfoolery.