Matilda's breaking my heart today... (whitefonted for grossness that nobody but a parent needs to read) She's horribly constipated from the switch to cow's milk and is right now full of prunes and mineral oil, and she's in my lap straining and moaning and clutching my hair and ears, and it kills me that I can't do anything to help. It's just going to suck until it's all out, and all I can do is hug her and rub her back. I hate this part.

JZ, you can rub her belly, too, to help with that. Start in the lower right side and move clockwise in a circle from that area up to ribs and down to left hip. That follows the large intestine and can help move things along. You can do this a couple of times in a row, especially if she likes it. If you need lubrication on bare skin, try a drop of olive oil on your hands.

Poor Matilda! Ellie had those troubles too when she first started on solid foods. She had pears (they have a milder prunelike effect) for breakfast for mornings. A few times we had to use glycerin suppositories (which worked instantly), which always made me feel a bit bad.

Joe, on the phone, in Iraq, while I'm in the middle of a contraction on the other end: Hey - guess who's here? Your old boss! Want to talk to him?

Bwahahaha!

Oh! Poor Matilda! Poor JZ! Hugs all around!

Thanks for the suggestions and good thoughts -- I rubbed her belly, clockwise, for a few minutes and she fell asleep on my shoulder; she's all collapsed on the couch right now, huddled under a fuzzy and comfortingly Emmett-scented sweater.

We desperately need to get some laundry done, but I don't know how that'll work out with the straining and crying, poor lamb.

Huggles to JZ and Matilda

Update an the Suzi-coaster...

Dad has updated K-Bug's flight so she leaves on the red-eye to be met on the other end by the lovely vwbug.

School - the adviser assures me that all is well and that those credits count, and yet no change on my official record as of yet. It is still showing up with a W and zero credits transferred.

I'm going to look at it all as being in the plus column for now. To do otherwise is crazymaking and I do that well enough on my own.

The Suzi-coaster killed the thread?

Well - to pump some life into it - I can haz my 3 credits. Officially. Recommence rejoicing.

YAY, SUZI!!!!!!

Go Suzi, go Suzi! Who's the queen of school? SUZI!

I think with that, I'll wrap stuff up at work and go home.

Of course, it will probably take me 30 minutes before I can hit the elevator which would put me at my usually leaving time. But I'm leaving. Slowly.

I'm on pins and needles. My brother has been updating the blog every hour since they got to the hospital. The last update was from his MIL, because they had reached the "very occupied" part of labor. And that was a couple hours ago. ME WANTS NEWS!!!!!!!!

Ahem.