T-4 and Counting...

Today was the first day of my last week of work -- just four days left. It's finally hitting me now that I am leaving. I am beginning to get a little nostalgic about the things that I am leaving behind -- comraderie, an amazing set of colleagues, a collegial atmosphere, free food. And I am thinking about all I've built here and wondering what will happen to my work once I've left. Will I leave a legacy, or will my efforts be forgotten and wasted? Of course, there is a lot of bullshit and angst that I won't miss either. As I sit in meetings and listen to folks puzzle out different issues, I think to myself, "That's an interesting problem *you* have." Starting next week, my biggest issues are going to be naptimes and getting Sofia (my daughter) not to throw her bottle.

So, Sofia has started a couple of new behaviors that I am hoping are just part of a veerrry temporary phase. First, she has started screaming at the tops of her lungs when she wants (or doesn't want) something. Yikes! It's ear-splitting. We're actually taking a cross-country flight at the end of the week and I am praying that she doesn't decide to practice this new skill during the flight. I just know I am going to be one of those harried parents of a screaming baby that I used to shoot dirty looks at in my pre-parent days. Oh, paybacks are a bitch.

And her second very endearing behavior is her refusal to eat what I give her. This is a child who used to Hoover up whatever I gave her -- and I gave her some nasty stuff (pureed broccoli, oatmeal, and tofu anyone?) Now, she's literally pushing my hand away when I try to feed her. I think she wants to feed herself, but she's not really adept at grasping the spoon yet. So, instead of ending up in her mouth, the food lands all over her shirt, in her hair, up her nose, in her ears, etc. Combine that with the blood-curdling screams and you can see what mealtimes have devolved to. Actually, it's not that different from work. Hell, maybe I should stay at work -- at least I get paid! :)