Monday, December 20, 2004

Bite Your Tongue

I apologize for the lengthy delay between posts. My new laptop is a beautiful piece of machinery, but windows XP networking is proving to be less than “plug and play.” I have an obsessive need to fix tech problems like that right away. I’ve been staying up into the middle of the night, changing things in my regedit file and disabling and configuring firewalls on my old machine so that my new love can talk to it . I won’t feel right until it’s done, which is strange considering the fact that I don’t usually feel the need to finish other types of projects that I have started. We have a fence that I started to build, and then winter hit, and I’m putting off the last five feet until spring. The transitions from the pergo floor we installed two years ago are almost done. The garage is always on the verge of being organized. I will finish these projects (soon, I promise), but my home network is different. I love computers, and would like to think that I am pretty good with them, and then something like this happens that is so frustrating it hurts. I believe that my geekiness should come with tech support by default. AAARGH!

I am, however, uploading this Ruby Dawn post from the couch, and I could wander into the garage or go sit on my neighbor’s roof and still be on the internet wirelessly. It feels so nice!

Ruby is on the verge of walking. She is becoming less wobbly as she stands, and she often instinctively puts forth one of her feet with determination. This usually leads to a wobble and an attempt to follow suit with the other foot. She hovers precariously, on the brink of a major developmental milestone, and then the house of cards topples. This past week has been punctuated by a series of loud thuds followed by Ruby’s “I really mean it this time” scream. This particular outburst is differentiated from her “I’m a little upset and I want you to stop whatever you’re doing and pay attention to me” scream by pitch, volume, and duration. Unlike the latter, which can be a bit annoying, the “I mean it” scream is heartbreaking. Her pain has been compounded by the recent addition of front teeth, top and bottom, and a penchant for sticking her tongue out from between said teeth.

Her pain seems to go away as fast as it comes, and then we all smile together.

I love that kid.