Been away...

Just wondering how many titles I can come up with for "catching up". I can't believe I haven't posted in over two weeks. Which means that my vacation is about half over!

A lot has happened since I last posted. I've accomplished my main goal of my break: to improve Nikita's eating habits. I am proud to say that he FINALLY eats sitting in the chair. No more chasing him around. What a relief. And I'm sure it's done wonders to lessen the power struggles between us. It was getting to the point where he would sit in his chair, look at me intently, and exhale with conviction. But what's really gratifying is to see his face finally fatten up a bit. So, I know he's actually eating!

How did I do it? I took up the suggestion of Nikita's doctor to give him foods with which he could feed himself. No more vegetable purees. Instead, we have steamed vegetables in bite-sized pieces that he can pick up. And tofu. He loves tofu. I also try to make sure that he has a balanced meal over the course of the whole day. So, he has a grain (oatmeal) for breakfast, a fresh fruit for mid-morning snack (this is usually on the run), steamed vegetables and tofu for lunch, yogurt with tahini and fruit puree (and possibly more fresh fruit) for afternoon snack, and a grain with meat and the rest of the lunch vegetables for dinner. It's worked remarkably well! And yesterday, he started trying to feed himself with an utensil with some success. Unfortunately, he seems to prefer the fork over the spoon. I'm wondering if a fork with rounded tongs exist.

When I wasn't feeding Nikita or preparing his food, I was reading The Historian, knitting, and preparing for my new position. Last Tuesday, I FINALLY finished knitting Nikita's summer sweater. I'll post a photo of it soon - as well as the winter hat I'll finish tonight. I would say I'm on a roll, but the hat is much smaller than the sweater.

Anyway, I actually finished the sweater early Tuesday morning because I couldn't sleep, and then I went to MIT for a day-long marathon of meetings. I met with people about my benefits, one of the classes I will teach, and options for my "free" time. I felt like I was interviewing all over again. I'll have more MIT meetings this week. A lot for me to think about while I'm up in Maine, but I'm really looking forward to the teaching!

Last Thursday, Nikita and I went to visit my parents in NYC, and had a grand time. It was tough working around Nikita's schedule, but he got to see and experience a lot: Central Park playgrounds, Jones Beach, a street fair and parade. He also got to bond with his Uncle Vincent, whom he hasn't seen since Christmas. Nikita warmed up to my brother quickly, probably because Vincent wasn't in his face. Within an hour, Nikita was sitting on my brother's lap, and patting him on the chest, calling him "Mama, papa". And he was felt quite comfortable in my brother's messy apartment. As soon as Nikita walked in, he found a pen-like object and started stirring it in the cavity of a big candle.

Overall, however, Nikita was quite clingy. He often started crying when I left the room, even if he was with one of my parents. My parents teased (?) me by saying he was spoiled, but really, it was a new environment, and his Papa and Babushka were nowhere to be seen.

In a way, the NYC trip is a good warm-up for our Maine trip. For one thing, I'm wondering how he'll deal with the new surroundings. For another, I definitely have to look into using the crib up there. Nikita and I slept in the same bed in New York, and although it wasn't nearly as bad as when we used to sleep regularly (up until he was about 9 months old), let's just say I'm used to being able to let him fall asleep by himself as opposed to watching him do it.