9/6/24

11:36pm

Did not hike with new friend today due to rain.

Ran errands with baby. Got inspiration for her Halloween costume at JoAnn Fabrics; I am going to attempt to sew her costume again this year.

Everyone at the grocery store loves the baby. She smiles at everyone, and likes to wave at them. But she’s usually a little too shy to wave when they’re looking at her, so she’ll wave at them when they’re far away or after they’ve left.

Very excited about the DnD class I’m teaching/DMing. All the kids are brand new to DnD. Their drawings of their characters are so cute. But they kept trying to attack each other during their introductions, so this might be a long semester lol

I think I secured a substitute for two days that I’ll miss DnD club, but I am nervous about how it will go. He is a more experienced DM and I don’t want him to 1) take over, 2) give me unwanted advice, or 3) make the kids like him more than me.

Will try to do some finger painting for the very first time with the baby tomorrow, to make gifts for Grandparents Day (which is Sunday—everyone call your grandparents that day!)

Been working a lot on the DnD campaign, and we started rewatching Game of Thrones, so I’ve been having a lot of stressful fantasy dreams lately. Hopefully I can get some good rest tonight (and that the baby doesn’t wake up crying for her binkies because she’s thrown them all out of her crib in her sleep).

9/5/24

9:44pm

Hello Flounder! According to my physical journal, I started this account one year ago today. So I felt I should come say hi again. It’s been a while <3

It is wild to think of the place I was in a year ago. On my maternity leave and dreading going back. Writing on Flounder for hours a day while the baby slept in my arms. A very different time.

Today I walked in the park with the baby. But she was walking too! No stroller necessary. We walked out our back gate and into the park behind our house and to the playground. She walked along the community garden rail, stopping and picking up every tiny acorn she saw. On the playground there was a volleyball she kept picking up, walking around with it. Another little baby girl, maybe a few months older, kept doing the same, and they would follow each other trying to get the ball back until the other dropped it. The other girl’s father and I were following them around in turn, making sure they were sharing. R was very upset toward the end when she couldn’t have it. But she still waved and said bye-bye to them when we left.

I attended my first real figure/life drawing class tonight! Sat on a drawing horse with giant drawing paper and charcoal and drew the model. I feel good about my drawings! Felt really good to do some art. Was nice to get to know the new friends I went with better.

Today I also met up with some friends from my improv team and we ate some soup and did some comedy, and that was fun too.

Busy day. Tomorrow I am meeting up with another new friend who used to be a co-worker and we are going for a hike with our babies. She’s a really cool person. That will be another thing that makes me feel busy but staying busy is also the best way to spend the day with the busy baby.

Saturday is also busy. Busy busy busy. That’s from Slaughterhouse Five. I should reread.

Good night, Flounder! I hope you all have good weekends. I will hopefully catch up and get back into this soon.

p.s. I have not finished writing her one year poem, but I will post what I have so far and give myself the grace to add more later. It has been looming over me and is the main reason why I haven’t been back on here recently. But if I post it and tell myself I can add more later, it will feel less like a big deal. (It really is such a non-existent-deal at all, but this is what I have built it into in my head.)

10:11pm

J sits up in his sleep and says, “I don’t know where my glasses are.”

I say, “They’re on the nightstand.”

No response. Still sitting up.

“You don’t need your glasses,” I say.

No response. Still sitting up. Rubbing eyes.

I gently pull his shoulder back down and he settles in again.