Random ramblings

It's a quarter after eight, as I start writing this.  The pixie is still asleep.  The imp has been up since a bit before seven thirty, which means that I have been up since a bit before seven thirty.  The imp is currently watching Animal Planet's Cats 101.  His choice--there doesn't seem to be cartoons on early anymore. 

The imp is shooting up out of his size 4T jeans.  The Faded Glory brand jeans are about a quarter of an inch too short for him, now.  His Levi's are still just about right, and his bright orange, lined, Gymboree cargo pants are still just a touch long.  I've also had to let the adjustable elastic waist band out on his Levi's and Faded Glorys about twice.  His speech is coming clearer every day--which means that he's getting frustrated that Mom and Dad understand what he wants, and the answer is still "no." 

He'll learn. 

He has stopped saying "I need that" about toys or books.  It's reserved for food and drink.  Now I just have to break him of "I need fruit candy.*" 

The other night, he told me "I need to eat pizza rolls.  I want eight."  He ate every single one, in half the time he usually takes, and with nearly no harassment of the pixie in her high chair.

First of all, I was pleased that he'd wanted pizza rolls in the first place.  When he got sick, that was the first thing he'd thrown up, and Odysseus and I were afraid that that would put him off his favorite food altogether.  Second...he can count.  Do you know how rare it is for him to show off a skill he hasn't mastered his full satisfaction?  He actually stood at my shoulder as I was pulling them out of the bag in the freezer (bottom of the fridge), and counted them as I put them on his plate.  He knew how many he wanted, and watched to make sure I got them for him.

My son is amazing.

The pixie is shooting up, too.  She's been eating a lot more than usual, and sleeping better and longer for naps and overnight.  Her size 2T jammies are getting too small in the footies, on some of the brands.  Her jeans are getting to be too short, and some of her favorite dresses are a couple inches above her knees (they were a couple inches below her knees, four months ago).  She's picking up new words, using short sentences, and getting to be understandable to strangers who aren't used to deciphering her speech.  She acts between six months and a year older than she is, depending on her mood and the activity she's involved in. 

She's learning so fast.  It's almost time to start teaching her letters methodically, rather than letting her pick it up from PBS programming.  She's also trying to learn to count.  She recites up to about eight before she gets it wrong, but doesn't really connect it to real numbers. 

I've gotten caught up on my classes.  I've got to spend today grading my colleague's stuff, and then my class's stuff from last week--other than that, I'm just waiting on things outside my control.  I don't have a copy of the ADA statement that the university wants posted (they change the stupid things every year or two), and I haven't gotten it from higher up, yet. 

The other thing I'm waiting on is the delivery of the new printer.  We missed the first delivery attempt yesterday, when we made our Sam's Club supply run.  They'll make a second attempt sometime Monday between ten and two.  After that, I'm going to be printing all of the documents in the class, and correcting the errors. 

I've kind of decided against sending a packet to a traditional publisher, for now.  I'm going to print that book I'd finished recently, and re-read and revise it again.  I'm thinking I'll put it through the CreateSpace/Kindle publishing process sometime in June.  Hopefully, I'll be able to finish the next Modern Gods book over the summer, and publish that sometime in November or December. 

I think that's pretty much it, for now. 



*Starburst candy is his bribe for going to the bathroom to go pee, instead of refusing to stop playing and peeing his pants.  He only gets it when he chooses to go.  When we prompt him, he doesn't get any.