The Good, The Bad, & The Boring

Ahh, yes, believe it or not, I am still here. Once again more time has elapsed than I intended since our last update. I said it before but it bears repeating...I tend to get quiet when things are challenging and/or not terribly positive. While they're still far from where I'd like them to be, progress is being made on the big issues and that is a relief. So here's the latest in summary:

The Good

• Caitrin doesn't really appear to show a true gross motor delay, and shows no delays of any other sort whatsoever
• Her picky eating of late is merely typical behavior for someone her age
• Her growth is absolutely fine. She's gained 4 ounces and grown 1 3/4 inches since her 15-month well visit
• She's saying all kinds of new things. Sean is now officially "Daddy," and I am occasionally referred to as "Mommy," though I've gotta admit I prefer "Mama" because it's a New England thing
• We've discovered that as long as we're ridiculously over-prepared with books and toys and snacks and crayons, we can now go out to dinner and take Caitrin with us and actually have a really good time
• We left Caitrin with a babysitter other than my girlfriend the RN, and she was an angel. They both had a great time together
• I had a really positive initial appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist, who without hesitation said he's certain he can help us get pregnant
• Cassy the kitty is still doing well, and has graduated to only taking prednisolone on Wednesdays & Saturdays. She continues to be infinitely patient with and forgiving of Caitrin, which makes up for the few times she's pooped on the floor

The Bad

• Caitrin is pretty nap-resistant lately, and it makes getting anything done impossible. She's tired, but she won't nap, so then she's very clingy and grumpy. I continue to put her down at her regular nap times. If she sleeps, great. If not, she stays in her room anyhow and I put her to bed early
• She's starting to throw tantrums when we say no or when she can't have what she wants immediately. We've chosen the method by which we completely ignore these outbursts as a way of dealing with them for now
• Sean and (mostly) I have a lot of testing to go through as part of our prescreening with the RE. Mine is cycle-dependent, and since we started all this in the middle of a cycle I've now got to wait until the beginning of the next one to start my end of the testing. So this feels to me like yet another month down the tubes. I know that this "could be our month" without any intervention, but as the months roll on by that seems increasingly less likely.
• The unspoken code of conduct is "no kids in the waiting room" at the RE. Of course, they are aware that in order for their patients to continue treatment, it will sometimes be necessary for them to bring their children. In general, though, it's frowned upon. So I've got to either impose upon my girlfriend the RN, who is now working nights, to watch Caitrin (and she loves doing it, but is pretty sleep-deprived right now), or upon Sean to take time off work to watch her while I go to appointments. We are not the first to face this and (sadly) will not be the last, and I know we'll work something out. It's just yet another challenge I didn't bargain for
• It's improving by leaps and bounds, but the air around here has been pretty thick at times. After twelve years together we're pretty good at communicating, just not about the "i-word"

The Boring

• I'm working on our taxes. This is the ultimate in boredom for most people, but I actually like it. I suck at math, but taxes have always come easy to me
• We discovered a leak where the water supply connects to the garbage disposal in the kitchen, and nothing we do seems to make it stop. Fortunately it's a small leak, and for now we handle it by putting a folded dish towel underneath to catch it
• I'm once again keeping a daily log of blood pressure readings. This time it's to prove to the RE that my BP is fine at home. I hate doing it but I love having proof that my readings are fine

And that's that. If there's anything else, it's so inconsequential that I can't even think of it so it definitely doesn't deserve space here. Hope all is well with you and yours.