Taking a break

I have needed a hiatus from blogging. I have been feeling a bit one-dimensional lately - it seems all I have to talk about is baby-related and all my time goes toward caring for her or maintaining the house. I went out dancing with a friend a few weeks ago, and he introduced me to some new people who, I'm sure, thought I was the biggest bore ever. Every time I heard myself talking about Mini-Me I was screaming "Shut up! Shut up!" in my head.

To address this, the following changes:
** less TV (thank goodness Dancing with the Stars is over!)
** no blogging here for a while
** more working out to get rid of leftover pregnancy fat
** housework when the baby is awake
** time spent in past pursuits when the baby is asleep - stained glass during naptimes, dancing in the evenings sometimes when she is out for the night
** considering (although probably not) a summer school teaching position

Already after a week I feel better, more like myself. Mini-Me is also getting better at playing by herself - she can sit up now, which means she can access a whole playmat of toys with only occasional logistical problems.

Also, Mini-Me has been sleeping through the night. I mean *really* sleeping through the night, not fussing between 4 and 6 AM while I lay in bed listening to her. I put her down between 8 and 9 PM, I sneak in and feed her without waking her up right before I go to bed (usually around 11), and I don't hear from her again until sometime between 6 and 7 AM. The only exception is when she breaks out of her swaddle - then there's fussing but she eventually gets herself back to sleep. That, more than anything, has helped me to feel more like myself! I actually get to be off-duty for a long stretch of time.