Not exactly on the ball

So. I posted my monthly Annika-letter over on the dedicated Annikablog, and it's only two weeks late. Only. I think from now on I'll put most of the babynews over there, along with pictures (I wanted to upload more pictures but kept getting error messages last night).

Here, I'll keep rambling on about life, the universe, and everything. When I actually manage to think up a topic, write down my thoughts, and then type it up. That's a big accomplishment, lately.

Although I'm not writing much, I've been reading. Mostly on the train to/from work.

Since Annika was born:

Tangled Webs (Anne Bishop)
Operating Instructions (Anne Lamott)
Merle's Door (Ted Kerasote)
Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)
The Ill-Made Mute (Cecilia Dart-Thornton)

and currently reading: The Briar King (Greg Keyes).

I think I'm forgetting at least one book somewhere in there; I'm not counting books about how to deal with babies, of which I've read or skimmed several. Frustrating. Maybe I'll remember it later.

Thrifting

Saturday and Sunday, I went on a dual mission of thrift-shop visitation. Both parts of the mission were driven by new-parenthood.

Part the first: to buy clothes that fit my current size and shape instead of bitching and moaning about how few of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. I'm not going to go on any weight-loss diets while I'm breastfeeding, so unless I find the time and motivation to start working out, those pregnancy pounds will stay put for a while. Although I'd eventually like them to go away, I can accept the changes much more gracefully now that I have clothes that fit. At Impact! Thrift in East Norriton, I found several sleeveless tops, two skirts, and a pair of pants to expand my summer work wardrobe, and at the Philadelphia Aids Thrift just south of South Street, I found four pairs of pants, three tops, and another skirt. All this, for about $60.

Part the second was to browse the childrens' books section and find nifty books for young 'uns, but especially old books, the ones that I remember from my own childhood. I succeeded at both Impact! and P. A. T.; I found "The Little Engine That Could", "Robinson Crusoe", "A Fisherman's Tale" by Beatrix Potter, and some that aren't so old, or at least I don't remember them: an amazing pop-up book called "One Red Dot", an illustrated "King Arthur", and... Heather will be so pleased... my child's first book featuring a bat (Stellaluna).

I've started reading to Annika, and although she doesn't show much interest at this point, if nothing else it's good practice for me!