Librarian Pirate

I have spent a lot of time lately trying to figure out what I want from this blog. I've had it for awhile, mostly putzing around, sending updates out to the world, knowing they're basically just going to friends and family - because that was who I started it for and who else would care?

Sometimes when people find out I have a blog they say "oh! Another librarian blog? You must to great book reviews!" Well ... no. That's something I could never do, really. I have this book problem ... I love them almost too much. I have this way of completely ignoring a book's faults and loving it for what it is. This works well when someone asks me for recommendations in a genre I don't normally read, because the books there that I have read I have probably liked and can book talk enthusiastically without reservations. This is a problem when someone asks me to think critically about a book. I don't always notice the poor writing or the bad characterization until later reflection. No matter how badly the characters are written I will find myself caring about them and hoping for the best!

I HAVE, however, decided to try to write more about the books that I am reading and loving. I just need to forewarn you that my book discussions will be more book talks and less book reviews. I'm not one to say, "this is a really good book aside from the atrocious dialogue" - I'm more one to say "oh mah goodness you haven't read this book yet? Well here's why you should read it!" Take my declarations of love with a very large grain of salt, in other words.

I also got a GORGEOUS camera for Christmas and promised the siblings that with it would come tons of new pictures of the Kins. Last night I was changing the sheets on the bed and Kaylee climbed into the laundry basket. "ROW ROW!" she demanded.
"I'm sorry, Kinsie. I'll play row row with you as soon as I am done changing these sheets."
So while Kaylee was waiting patiently for me to be ready to come over and tip the basket back and forth while singing Row Row Row your Boat she arranged in the basket with her two babies, a teddy bear, a dog, and two quilts. That's the sort of thing I should memorialize here because those are the moments I never want to forget.



I've started crocheting again. I'll probably bore everybody with my exciting tales of works in progress and things I've made (and if I ever get around to opening an Etsy shop you will be hearing about that too, I promise). I want to start writing again because I can tell it isn't as easy as it used to be back when I wrote every day. I never keep new years resolutions which is why I saved this post for a few weeks into the year. This isn't a new years resolution. This is a hope for the future of my blog. (: That I will actually fill it up with pictures and thoughts and ideas and books.

Here goes ...

Sick Days

My daughter has always been an amazing sleeper. She was sleeping through the night at something obscene like 6 weeks. She takes one nap a day and it usually lasts three hours. The main problem is that she hates actually GOING to bed and will cry and cry for a good 10 minutes, breaking my heart the whole time. (They all told me I would GET USED TO THIS. They lied) Her tears usually start whenever I say something about bed or sleeping or night which can cause problems when it's the middle of the day and I read her a book that involved people going to bed. She will look at me with fearful yes saying "No! No? NO! NOOOOOO!" No matter how many times I tell her that "no, now is not time for bed. Now is time for Mr. Hippo to be in bed. Little Kinsies get to run around like wild babies for much longer!" she still stares at my suspiciously for awhile before going back to playing.

So last night threw me off. She started her usual not wanting to go to bed as I was getting her in her pajamas and she was getting all the usual kisses from daddy and I. As I carried her to her bedroom she was squirming and sobbing "walk? walk? walk? walk?" So I put her down as we entered her bedroom and turned off the light. She ran to her bed, lifted her arms and said, "up?" As soon as I picked her up she snuggled into my neck and went limp - as though she was already asleep from such a long hard day of being waited on hand and foot. There were no complaints as I lay her in her crib and snuggled her in with her doggie and her "banKET!" Then I went out to my husband and asked who that was and what had he done with my daughter.



It was not to last, though. Two hours later she started coughing violently and screaming at the top of her lungs so I ran into the room only to discover that my perfectly healthy daughter had developed some form of fast-attacking crud that had left her nostrils so plugged with goop that she couldn't breathe. I can imagine that for one so ickle it's hard to suddenly wake up and not be able to breathe! I went into full on overreacting mode - considering that this is just a cold. I turned on the shower as hot as it would go and we snuggled into the bathroom until the steam had made everything stick to us. I rubbed her down with Vicks Babyrub, brought her back to her room, and snuggled her into her bed while I filled her humidifier and got that all turned on. As I put that in I realized that the Kins had never slept with a pillow so she had no way of propping her head up. I have always resisted the thought of giving her one because she's the type who is regularly found flopping her way out of her crib,



but somehow she stayed propped up and all night and was still on the pillows every time I went in to check on her. The same goes for the nap she's taking right now. On the pillow. Who would have guessed that she'd adapt so easily to this?