I got some decent writing done again yesterday, whoo! And then I sat down and started to read from the beginning. I got through Chapter 6, and so far, I'm really enjoying the story. The writing needs some polishing, here and there, but in general, I think we're doing much better this time around.

Alas, I have a fair amount of Actual Real Work to do today, so I don't think I'll be getting much writing done. Maybe tomorrow, if I can manage to get some good work done.

I found another volunteer to read Circle in the Sand and critique, too. Though it's taken us several tries to actually get the damn files to him, thanks to the vagaries of Mac/PC translations and Yahoo's dorky e-mail system.

We introduced Penny to bananas last night. Baby food, not actual banana, since she doesn't have teeth to chew even soft food up with yet. But she seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about them.

And then she was too wired to go to sleep at her usual time. Note to self: Bananas and other very sweet foods should probably only be given in tiny servings for dinner, or reserved for breakfast or lunch.

I thought about trying to sneak some chicken in there, but it smells very strongly, and as soon as Matt brought me the open jar, she locked her jaw and refused to eat anything. So I guess meat is still out.

I'm okay with that, really. I'll try meat again when we move on to combo foods - it's a little less strong, there. And again when she's graduated to table food. There's no hurry. Millions of people are vegetarians and do just fine, after all.

I'm just glad to see that the size of her meals is gradually increasing. She didn't take a whole two jars again last night, but she took a whole jar of sweet potatoes and at least half the jar of bananas - and didn't fuss when I didn't offer her a bottle immediately, so she's eating enough to satisfy her, anyway.

She's getting more and more determined about standing up, too. I'm hoping this weekend that we can get our coffee table moved from the living room to our bedroom, so I don't have to worry so much about her falling over and bonking her face on the sharp edge of the table.

They grow so fast...

Diet woes again. I'm still not cheating, and I've been hovering around the same weight for the last two weeks. I hate my body. In more ways than one.

Matt's starting to read through the South Beach material, so I guess when he's done we'll give that a try. That will be cutting out a lot of the heavier fats we're eating, but getting back fruits and some vegetables. Even if I don't lose weight, that might be a more liveable long-term diet.

And if even that fails, well, we'll just go back to the way we had been eating before, and I'll make a concerted effort to cut out the junk food. That alone would probably make a difference in the long run.

--Liz