Choco Kisses

Pippa has some tummy troubles, and what can you expect given her parents? Between Skip's lactose issues and my gluten sensitivity she hardly has a chance to be a normal string cheese and PBJ kid. When we traveled from Illinois to Lamar and then on to Denver her tummy said yes to many new foods and snacks. Her tummy so loved those foods it decided to keep them inside her for many, many days. The strange part about this extended episode is Pippa was not bothered by it. She was happy and smiling and minimally fussy considering the trains and cars, new beds, strange loved ones, and constipation. Skip and I on the other hand were a nervous wreck.

So when Aunt Nicole propositioned me with some delicious dark chocolate my inner dialogue went something like this:

I love Nicole. She gets me. I wonder how I can convince her to come live in Peoria. Dark chocolate. Yum....rumble! rumble!...and dark chocolate will solve the Pippa crisis! She'll get some through my breast milk. Clearly I'll need to eat extra. And I'll give her just a small taste for good measure.

Then I did exactly that, without telling Skip (who would roll his eyes at my justification and hide the chocolate from me). Pippa loved it. Really loved it. Loved in a way that the mere smell of chocolate on my breath excites her into a fury of bum scooching, head turning, climbing up my chest. Once she caught my attention she grabbed my cheeks with both hands and dove her head at me, solidly planting her open mouth and expectant tongue on my chocolaty lips.

It will be fair to blame me for her addiction. And sure enough the next morning her tummy released its pent up contents. We'll have to keep some chocolate around until her GI system is fully developed ;). Clearly we have no choice.

Pippa Monster's Christmas

There are posts to be written about baby's first Christmas, cousin love, addiction to chocolate (it's hereditary) and other such milestones. However, to write those I need to have a babysitter, in the guise of Skip Knowles, entertaining ten little fingers and one rather large head. Pippa is mobile and because she has spent many hours on Skype, she believes that mom's time on the computer is meant solely for Pippa to laugh and smile while poking at someone's nose on the computer screen. To satisfy general rules of time, I will just post some photos from our time in Colorado with a late Merry Christmas!