Hi, hi, hi! (As Ninja would say!)

Hi, I'm still here. A little shame-faced for being away so long, but still around.

Since I last posted, life ran away on me. Mostly in a good way. I'm teaching full-time – I have the summer off but have been working harder at home than I do at school! - and I have a gorgeous and brilliant toddler. Hence, no time. By the time I get everything done, check FB and maybe my e-mails, it's time for bed. Add renewed sleep disorders to that list, plus a grouchy DH, plus a laptop that crashes periodically, and ... well ... not so much time for blogging. I feel bad about this because I missed my bloggy friends.

Fast update because who knows when I'll get back on here:

DH and I are starting to get along better - thanks to you all VERY much for your concern and advice, particularly the advice to just ride it out. DH is essentially grouchy as all get-out because he's got no work right now and he takes it out on me. I'm trying to be patient with that which is hard because my skin is thin.

Plus he wants a super-clean house and homemade desserts which I don't have time for.

Plus I have a manuscript I REALLY want to edit and revise this summer which I don't have time for and that makes me sad.

So we're doing our best to get along. It’s getting better. He’s not the ogre I made him out to be in my last post – he really is a wonderful guy. And, fortunately, we have Ninja who is our amazing super-glue.

Ninja is groovy and great. She weighs almost 27 pounds and she's around 33 inches tall. She is 18 months old now and on-target or ahead of her age on everything, according to the public health nurse. She says at least 30 words and she's starting to use two-word sentences. Both her gross and fine motor skills are good. She's ultra-curious, very observant, and loves to play and laugh and dance and tease. She adores other babies and kids and she's known for hugging random children on the street. If another kid cries, Ninja does, too. Animals and my mother make her scream for joy!

Let's see, what else? Her appetite is insane. She can eat a whole canteloupe within a few hours. She enjoys eating meat, fruit, beans, cheese, bread, and crackers. She doesn't like trying anything new until I pretty much force the issue (licking whipped cream off the beaters, anyone?). She hates vegetables.

Sleep time has gotten much, much better. She naps far better at daycare than she does at home, actually. At daycare she takes one long afternoon nap (like 3 or 4 hours long). At home she sleeps in the morning for 45 minutes and then in the afternoon for around 90 minutes, hit or miss, and that's MUCH better than what it was. At night she sleeps for 10 hours and the 500000 wake-ups every night have dwindled to once or twice. We did have one 3-week stretch of 10-hour-straight nights and OH BOY did I enjoy that! I do not mind night-time parenting - if she needs me, she needs me - but life is easier on a sleep-disordered person to get some good shut-eye.

I have her in swimming lessons this summer and that's going well. She is becoming fearless on both land and water!

Hm, what else?