The Number Field

Yesterday, Elena decided to have a fussy day. Perhaps she didn't make the decision consciously, but I can't think of any external factors that would have contributed to her overall fussiness: she slept well the night before, took good naps, and ate all of her food as usual. And yet we had a rare day of fussiness. It started before her midmorning meal--she didn't want to sit or lay next to me while I worked on the computer, and she didn't want to sit on my lap either. I could only calm her by walking around with her in my arms until I was ready to feed her.

After Elena eats, we usually watch some TV while she sits upright in my lap so that the food can settle and she won't spit up. Yesterday, however, I had more work to do on the computer, so I thought that we could sit there instead of watching TV. She was having none of that. After I calmed her down by walking around some more, I tried sitting at the computer again. As soon as my knees began to bend, she started to whimper and I stood up before it developed into a full-blown wail. At my wit's end, I sat on the futon and turned on the TV. Elena decided that this was good enough for her, and calmed down again.

In the afternoon and evening the fussiness went away. We ran some errands and stopped at the pet store to buy some cat treats and look at the kittens in need of adoption. Elena liked the kittens, but when we went by them again on our way out, she could hardly keep her eyes open, and fell asleep even though two of them were very actively playing with each other.

Today, in order to make up for yesterday, Elena has been extra good. She didn't cry at all when awaking from her morning nap, and waited patiently for me to prepare her food. She's had lots of good play time, and even sat for some photos. I've also done some make-up work. On Monday, I dressed Elena in a mismatched outfit. Jenny had given me advice on which pink top would match Elena's cute green-with-flowers corduroy pants, but I had forgotten. Also, I didn't start with the pants, instead opting for a tan onesie with white polka dots. The green pants were the best match I could find, even though I could tell something was not quite right. Jenny commented on the unusual outfit in the evening, and was happy to lay out an outfit yesterday in order to give me time to repair my damaged fashion confidence.

This morning, since the green pants were in the laundry, but the matching blouse was still clean, I realized that I could pair it with a different pair of flowered coveralls, and they actually would match. I know it's a very small sort of redemption, but I'm willing to take what I can get.