Day 219: Breakdowns and babababa

Can you believe it's November? When did that happen? Well, yesterday, I guess. But doesn't it feel kind of early to be November? I'm still in an end-of-summer kind of mode. Right now, for instance, I'm wearing a tank top and skirt and thongs. Yes, I'm freezing, but it's my attempt to ignore the wind and rain outside - mind over matter. I'm trying, but I doubt it will work. The power of positive thinking seems to be failing me this week.

Maddie is teething, again. She's also sick. She's also still all screwed up from Daylight Savings Time. Poor Maddie. Poor me. We're both a bit miserable. There was a point yesterday when she was naked on the change table, twisting about and screeching. When I pulled open the dresser drawer to get her clothes it came right out and dumped on the floor. It was the last straw - I sat down and put my head in my hands and had a small breakdown. It was almost comical, both of us collapsed and crying together in the same room. I was fully clothed, that was about the only difference between us at that moment. But we survived to see another day, as always.

In happier news, she's now talking! Well, so far it's limited to variations of the word "baba." She started yesterday morning when she woke up and hasn't stopped since. It's "bababababa baba ba bababa" all day long. Sometimes she'll say it quietly to herself with a furrowed brow and concerned expression - I figure she's pondering the state of the world, mulling over the ramifications of our actions on the next generation. At other times she'll say like a question, or scream it at the top of her lungs. She even does it when she's crying. Wail, wail, bababa, wail, wail, wail. That one is my least favourite version, I have to say. It struck me today that in addition to sounding like a big baby now, she's also starting to look like one. My angelic little girl has turned into a bit of a disaster. She's always got a dirty face, messy hair, stained clothes, runny nose. Most of this is due to the fact that she's getting harder and harder to clean up. Like most kids, she now protests loudly at any attempt to wipe her face or change her clothes. I'm getting the feeling she's going to have a real little temper on her. Something else to look forward to, I guess! It's kind of cute, though, she's all growns up.