Separation Anxiety...

I believe I suffer from this more than Courtney does. When I leave her with the babysitter in the morning, she barely lifts her head up from her activities...just raises her hand and says "Bye". I know I should be happy that she loves her babysitter and I no longer suffer from the belief that she thinks she's her mother, but my heart breaks a little every time I leave her.
Next week, I am going on my first ever business trip to New Hampshire for 4 DAYS!. I've never spent more than 12 hours away from her since she's been born, so this is a big deal for me. My stomach aches already just thinking about it. I'm trying to look at it as a nice, welcome break, but in all honesty, I no longer crave a break from her. She's just too darned entertaining! And now that she's sleeping through the night and wakes up later in the morning, I'm not as exhausted as I used to be. I really feel as if I'm getting this whole "mother" thing down and am beginning to forget why I used to think it was so hard!

I am finding that I really don't want too much "me" time. I feel that's wasting time I could be spending with her. And it's not out of guilt, it's because it's genuinely what I want to do. When she goes to sleep, I do my household chores, scrapbook, read, or god forbid, spend some quality time with my husband. Is this really healthy? for me or for my marriage?

For now, I will continue to revel in the fabulousness that is my daughter and do what feels natural. I am proud of her independence and resilience and I hope my husband and I had a little something to do with that!

Another funny story...
She now picks up the telephone, puts it backwards behind her ear and says "no" in the same tone that you or I would say hello. She thinks that's what we're saying when we answer the phone. She then proceeds to walk around the whole house for 10-15 minutes repeating it over and over again, until we tell her to take a message, then she puts it down. I am constantly amazed by how much she actually comprehends.

New word:
Sea Turtle

I swear to god! On her Baby Doolittle video, every time the sea turtle comes on the screen she points to it and says it as clear as day. She's done it several times now so I know it's not my imagination!

She's a genius!