Also, good call getting pictures of Robert before he started writing on the cat's ears. What does he look like now?

Ha. You think we have a real cat, and not a needy throw pillow. It was a couple minutes before Legion even shook his head to get his ears back in place. And when I took that photo a few minutes later, he hadn't moved a paw. He probably figured it was a fair trade for not having to get his paw inked for pawprints on gift tags.

What's up with Lily? I have no info about daycare, but don't like thinking about the Squeak unhappy.

It'll get better. Once she gets that you ARE coming back, she'll get it. And she'll start eating, too.

I misremember, is she on solids or no?

MG, I'm glad you're getting the raise, anyway. Wasn't it a contract supervisor who was being obstructionist? Now that s/he's out of the way, maybe the promotion part will happen more smoothly.

Oh, she is still in the mix. Neither she nor my program manager (the anti-grade change side) have said a peep to me about their "win".

The whole "am I salaried or hourly" is not the big thing that is bugging me. It is the promises that were made from MY management that this was not a choice thing, this was going to happen, this should have happened years ago, etc. In some ways, it is actually easier on me if I stay hourly, though the OT issue is not a big deal in this case.

Complicated bs mess is what it is.

I just want to be recognized for what I do and be positioned within the company appropriately. Unfortunately I'm the ONLY person in a huge global company who does what I do, so I don't fit into any slot easily.

Being an exceptional person can be a bitch sometimes.

The books say that separation anxiety usually kicks in about month 8. Maybe it's more that than daycare-based.

What's up with Lily? I have no info about daycare, but don't like thinking about the Squeak unhappy.

Separation anxiety combined with a hatred for bottles in all forms.

I misremember, is she on solids or no?

She's getting better about them, but still gets the majority of her calories from me. We sent carrot puree with her today.

No, it's not me. It's her. Lillian backslid on eating, and now freaks right out when we leave. Then, when I get home, I am not allowed to leave her sight, lest I vanish into the aether again for 9 or so hours.

Uh... Emmett cried every time I dropped him off at his second daycare. That lasted about 2 and a half years. See it depends on where you hit the window with them on daycare. At his first daycare he was only 5 months old. That's before they get separation anxiety. So we could drop him off there and those people were included in his small pool of Acceptable Substitutes For Mom And Dad. But his second daycare started when he was 1 y.o. By then he had strong preferences about who he was with, and pitched a fit about being left elsewhere. It made drop offs very stressful.

The good news is that they do calm down within a few minutes after you leave.

It wasn't until he went to preschool (4 y.o.) that he got over that separation anxiety.

Sorry! Of course, that's just Emmett. Lilly might deal with it better.

Dunno what to tell you about the moo. Emmett was off the tit early and would suck on anything in a bottle.

It wasn't until he went to preschool (4 y.o.) that he got over that separation anxiety.

I should note that in general his separation anxiety diminished sharply after about 2 1/2. But he still had fits about leaving him at daycare. I think it was more a habit by then.

The not even bothering to tell you thing is really not right, MG. Totally unacceptable.

Guess where I am! Sitting in the car outside a kinko's in Redding, CA, where I am happy to say I can get to their internet connection. DH's work ethic is really bothersome, sometimes.

Of course, poor Emmett had all sorts of stuff rocking his life at that point (despite the very very VERY obvious efforts on his parents parts to minimize it as much as humanly possible) that could be making that long-term reaction a-typical.

Mal gets into the spirit

He looks like he's at Baby Mardi Gras

Separation anxiety combined with a hatred for bottles in all forms.

Hmm... that last bit concerns me... maybe she's not a Buffista...

The good news is that they do calm down within a few minutes after you leave

Sadly, I'm not sure that's been the case here. Yet.

At his first daycare he was only 5 months old. That's before they get separation anxiety.

::thinks back to efforts at leaving the baby with someone not me::

::laughs at the notion of a before::