Hey, a Tuesday entry! And I'm actually working from home today!

I realized that since I only have the one computer now, there's not really any reason not to do my Tuesday journal entries.

So I'm at home today. The question is, will I get to stay here, or do I have to go into the office this afternoon?

I'll be dropping in anyway. Twice a day, when I'm at work, I pump milk for Penny and keep it in a bottle in the office refrigerator. Yesterday I completely forgot to get it and bring it home. So I'm going to have to go in to get that, anyway.

But that should be the only thing I'm in there for. And it's not that much of a chore, because I'm going to be out anyway. The handy thing about telecommuting is that I can run errands during the day, as long as I'm not away from my e-mail for too long. And I desperately need new shoes.

If you know me, you know I'm not a "typical" woman when it comes to shoes. I have three pairs of shoes that I wear regularly - brown loafers, black loafers, and sneakers. That's it. I hate tight-toed shoes, I can't wear sandles with my arch supports, and fat girls look kind of ridiculous in boots. So I don't go shoe shopping very often.

But my feet spread some while I was pregnant, and they're not going back. My feet hurt whenever I'm standing or walking, and sometimes just sitting down, from being squashed into shoes that no longer fit. I looked down as I was climbing into bed the other night and discovered that I had worn right through the skin on my little toe.

So it's off to get new shoes. Bleah. I hate shoe shopping.

But I'd rather shop than continue to walk around in pain, and I've given up on the idea that my feet are going to re-conform to the size they were. (On the bright side, this is probably a god-sent opportunity for me to just pitch out all those shoes in my closet that I haven't worn in a year but haven't wanted to dump because they've hardly ever been worn. Next time the DAV or Thrift Store comes calling, I promise.)

Also, it occurs to me that if I want the house decorated for Christmas at all, I'm going to have to do it in fits and spurts, in the evenings after I get home, but before Matt and Penny do. So if the shoe shopping goes relatively quickly, I might put in a little time on that.

So that's my lunch break.

Penny is this close to true laughing. I was playing with her last night, making little "numnumnum" noises at her ear and neck, and she was making this adorable little proto-giggle.

I can't wait for her to laugh. She's such a happy baby.

It's fun to watch her grow. She's trying so hard right now to learn how to roll over. Watching her, I can tell that she knows there's something to do, but she can't quite work out the mechanics, and her little muscles aren't quite well-developed enough to do what she needs them to do.

It frustrates her to no end. But she can't see what I see. She can't see how much she's grown in four short months. She can't see how much more active she is than the day we brought her home from the hospital. She can't see how much more social and interactive she is.

She'll get there, and far too soon for my comfort.

--Liz