Catching Up Again

It's been a busy few weeks. Last week was the first week in 3 that I was home every single day of the week, and it was lovely. My housework was falling badly behind and other things that needed to be done were falling by the wayside because of those 3 weeks I was home only 1 day each week. And in 1 day at home each week, it's nearly impossible to get everything done that you want to get done. Especially when there is a little person around who does not play on her own. At all, or very rarely. T.V. was not an option, because we are using that as a potty training tool and since she was wet every morning last week, turning the tv on for an hour or so was not something I could fall back on, though there were a few times when I just wanted to throw that rule out the window. Last week, however, I chipped at it little by little and got most of what I wanted done complete. Though it is still not where I want it to be, it's far better than it was.

One thing I've lacked in besides house work is blogging and taking photos. I don't have too many of those these days. I have a few things I want to blog, since I often refer to this blog as my time line in Camia's life and a a result want to post this in her virtual scrapbook, since the hard copy is still sitting at her baptism...

I even got some sewing in, I really wanted to have stockings made this year for decor, and, being a little bit chicken, was afraid to draw my own stocking pattern and I refused to buy one. I also refused to buy a stocking from the store. I wanted to make them, quilt them. After finding a free pattern online, I don't have them done, but I have the front of mine done, the front of Ryan's almost done and I am still trying to decide what I want Camia's to look like. Maybe next year :) Sewing did prove to be a bit difficult with a needy little person around, especially when while cutting the fabric she hung all over me and wanted to sit on my lap while I sewed and wanted to step on my foot peddle while sewing. Since the seams in the stockings are not long, it got a little frustrating when the needle kept moving when I wanted it to stop because of a size 8 foot pressing the peddle to the floor. Eventually I had to get mean and make her go elsewhere to play....to just play.

We've been struggling to find other things for Camia to get interested in besides the tv, and something to catch her interest in something, almost anything, but so far have been unsuccessful. She'd much rather sit and hang around where ever I am (which changes when Ryan comes home, when then she wants nothing to do with me anymore, and it's all about Daddy...she's such a Daddy's Girl), ask the question 'why' or 'what should I do?'. I've been collecting new-to-her toys to get her into something, to encourage her to play, but it's gotten to the point where we almost need a new house because of the toys we have for her - it is slightly - no, insanely - ridiculous. I am wondering if it's over-stimulation, if she has too many options, and now that Christmas has passed and she got spoiled rotten (I am not complaining because this is really the first time she's really been spoiled) and I have to find homes for a plethora of new toys, we are going to do toy rotation. We will pick out about 1/2 of her toys, put them in storage and maybe once every 6 or 8 months we will trade them, so she will get 'new' toys again. I don't know if this will help her, but it will help me in feeling less claustrophobic whenever I try to tidy my house.

When I purchase toys for her, it is often something that I've heard or seen another child her age play so well with. Camia will play with it for about 5 minutes and then toss it aside, with it never really being looked at again. The one exception was when I got her an American Girl Doll off Craigs List on a suggestion from a friend for a gift to buy with money I was given for her. With the money, I got her a new one, Marie Grace. Before Marie Grace was given to her, I found an ad selling 3 of the girls for the price of 1. So, I bought them and gave 2 to my friend who has 2 girls. While Camia had all 3 of them, she played with 2 of them so often. For 2 days, in fact. One day she had a luncheon with them, and the next she spent 3 hours having a picnic with them. After the picnic, she's hardly looked at them. I thought maybe it was because I gave 2 of them away, and she really liked having the 2. She got Marie Grace for Christmas and has not touched her.

This is the most frustrating part of my days right now. And each day we manage to get through it still almost always smiling. Despite this frustrating tidbit, this little person is still my favourite little person.