The post in which I admit I'm old. But old is good.

I still haven't done my "What IF" post. I need to sit down and get cracking with that. It's late, sure, but it's still ruminating in my head. There are so many of the "what IFs" that apply to me, it's sort of overwhelming, but I need to address them for my own peace of mind.

Petite has hit the 9-month mark. I can't believe we've gotten this far. (Will I ever stop saying that?) At the doc's last week, one day after her 9-month birthday, she weighed 19.5 pounds, and measured 27.5 inches. She's got lots of strawberry blonde hair coming in, and it's starting to flatten out the stand-up style hairdo she's had since she was tiny. Everyone comments on her hair! Strangers stop us in all sorts of places to tell us they love her hair, or how cute she is, or whatever. It's nice to hear those sorts of comments. We know she's cute, but we're kinda biased, yanno. Petite is crawling like crazy (we put up two gates on the main floor of our house). She's skilled at pulling herself to a standing position and cruising around the room using the furniture (i.e., walking while holding onto the sofa, ottoman, etc.). She is obsessed with catching the "meow-meows" and grabbing fistfuls of fur. She giggles fiercely when you play peekaboo with her. She loves books and soft toys. She enjoys outings like nobody's business. She has had her first swim in our pool, given that our weather is really warm these days. She loves blueberry dessert and yogourt. We've given her the chicken and vegetable dinner and beef and macaroni dinner too and she likes that. Although in the last three or four days, she's off her food because she's finally teething! The doc can see the little white bumps in her lower gums and figures that within a few weeks the two front teeth will make an appearance. It'll be the end of the gummy broad smile I've come to know and love and it'll mark a milestone in her development. And that means that Nana can forget the whole "We're going to have to get her dentures" thing! I still can't believe all this time has gone by!

My birthday was last week, a milestone birthday too. Forty years old. I'm not really 40, am I? Seriously? In my head, I'm still 16! (Okay, okay... 23. Cause I can drive, vote, have a good drink and all that good stuff.) But the years between my time in Japan and now have just FLOWN by. I dunno where it all went! It's incredible. But you know something? 40 is good. I'm blessed beyond belief. I have a roof over my head. I have two cars in the driveway. I have a good job that pays relatively well. I have a wonderful, caring, loving family. I have a husband that is too good to me; I don't know if I deserve him. I have an adorable sweet angel of a daughter. I have a great friend who offered to babysit for a few hours on my birthday so hubby and I could get out for a meal together, alone. (It was the first time Petite had a babysitter and she did great! Most likely because she knows this friend of mine pretty well.) I even have a friend who stopped by on my birthday with a card and flowers, since we didn't hold any sort of party or anything to celebrate (funds are tight with hubby in school so we plan very carefully these days).

For my birthday, I received cash from most of my family, which is always a nice gift! I got a couple of gift certificates to my favourite spa; I see a pedicure in my future! I got a sweet little pin from Petite, a Motherhood Angel pin. It depicts a mother in angel form and child in her arms, face to face. And my mom and hubby picked up a card from Petite for me, and hubby held her hand and helped her "sign" her name! It's too sweet. It's a keeper for sure. I also got to see my mom and my sister and that was wonderful! It's the first time I've seen my sister since Petite was one-month old. So she saw lots of changes in the baby.

And one other thing I got for my birthday/Mother's Day this year. Hubby bought a ring for me. A peridot ring with diamond accents. Those are Petite's and hubby's birthstones. I retired the emerald that has been on my right hand since I was 22 years old. For my 40th, there's something bigger and better than me; it's my family. And I'm so very happy to be where I am right now.

Upcoming stuff:

• A trip to the east coast to see my cousin, aunt and uncle. (My cousin called me last night actually; he got engaged this past weekend!)
• Also, a camping trip with my stepchildren, our friends and of course, Petite. If you have tips for camping with an infant, I'm all ears!
• A trip home in July/August for me and Petite, and maybe a bit of an early celebration for her birthday while we're there.
• And of course, the transition to daycare. Ohhh, now that's gonna hurt me more than it does Petite!

Before I sign off, a shout out to my girlfriend and her daughter, the people that just babysat Petite last week for us. These people are K and her daughter K. I've known them for 12 years or so. Last week, they got their black belts in TaeKwon-Do. My friend K conquered cancer a couple of years ago and of course had put her training on hold during her time in treatment and when she was ill. Little K also took time off to help her mom around the house and together, they got through a very difficult time. They ought to be very proud of this accomplishment and I was so happy to be there to watch the awarding ceremony. Congrats to both of you! Job well done!

Love to you all in blogland!