Yakety yak

So here's something I've been quietly worrying about. 

Aerin doesn't talk much. Right now she is 16 months old and has a total of about six words. She only uses three of those reguarly: dada, bubble, and ball.  She's very vocal, but she just doesn't make many different sounds.

By contrast, Micah had at least three times the number of words at 16 months and he used them all constantly. And they were words like bellybutton, tractor, water, and spoon. Stuff well beyond dada and baba and bah.

I know that every kid develops differently.  I know that Aerin is still in the range of "normal."  I'm happy she's talking at least some.  I don't think she's delayed or having any special difficulty.  Second child, etc etc etc.

But I can't help but worry a little bit.

(Although, since Aerin's bidding fair to catch up to Micah in both weight and height, maybe being faster to talk will one day make up for the injustice of him being beaten up by his baby sister.)

Minor inconveniences

These last four weeks have been...exhausting. There's been work travel (for me for once). There've been Halloween parties and family visits. There've been milestones with the kids and lots of funny stories, but no time to tell anyone about them. There's been worry about some family and conflict with other family. I've had more projects and plans and permits and presentations to do than I can possibly squeeze into my schedule. There was a presidential election that made at least 70% of people I regularly encounter completely unbearable. The time change jacked everything up. The last month has been tragically devoid of cupcakes.

This morning I had to work to make up the three hours I missed yesterday due to voting. I should have stayed to work more, but I really needed to go grocery shopping and the idea of doing that on the way home tonight in the dark almost made me cry.  Now that I'm home, all I want to do is sit in front of the fire and drink hot chocolate with a half-gallon of Bailey's in it.  And eat cupcakes.  Of which there have been none.  I mentioned that.

But despite all the annoyances, we didn't have a superstorm wipe out half our town, so I guess I can't really complain. And we've been having fun too.

Someone can climb up on the chairs now. Nothing is safe.



We went back to Tate Farms on Halloween and practically had the whole place to ourselves.
The weather was fantastic too!