Dana Daily

A little six year old girl was killed in a driveway when she was struck by a drunk driver in a Mustang this past Saturday evening. She was leaving a play date and holding her mom's hand. The driver admitted to police that he was driving like a stupid idiot, and a witness heard him call his mom and tell her that he ruined his life. The child's father had to be restrained by two police officers. I imagine tragic stories such as this happen everywhere. As it happens, this little girl was killed just around the corner from our house, on a street where the girls and I have walked many times. It's heartbreaking.

Seth has an obsession with tags. I mentioned it in his 7 month birthday post . I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, but the girls had a "taggie blanket." Neither one of them were all that into it, but I thought it would be perfect for Seth. His eyes lit on all those tags, and you could just see him thinking that he hit the jackpot. I love that the ribbons are different textures, widths, and covers. It makes it more interesting to little hands as well. This taggie was purchased on etsy , and I would recommend the seller. She shipped fast, and the blanket is made well. The stitching is zigzag and reinforced so the tags won't separate from the rest of the blanket. The back is lime green minky fabric. She recommends washing on gentle and hanging to dry. Our car seat cover is made out of this same fabric. There's just something about those little giraffes that get me every time. The car seat cover was ordered from a different shop . I'd recommend...

Seth's sitting. At 7 months, 1 week, and 1 day he is finally able to play while sitting independently. Since he's not at all wobbly, I have to wonder if he hasn't been practicing this trick at daycare for at least a few days. As wistful as I feel about him growing up so fast, I have to admit, having a sitter makes life more exciting in many ways. It's easier to play, easier to give baths, and he can use a high chair at a restaurant among other things. It's hard to get a good look in his mouth without holding him down, which I refuse to do just to see if he has teeth coming in, but I think his gum looks a little swollen where the bottom, front right tooth will one day pop. I'll have to keep an eye on that. So many exciting milestones.

An email was sent out to employees asking for volunteers to help out at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank . On a whim I signed up. Others in my area at work had volunteered in the past, and from the sounds of things it was pretty similar to a Food Share program my grandparents used to volunteer with. From time-to-time they would take a few of us grandkids with them for extra hands. As a kid I didn't pay much to the particulars, but I remember sorting different items into boxes or bags for distribution. That's pretty much what this was on a much larger scale. The food bank's warehouse is a huge facility, and in the repack room a long conveyor belt takes up much of the space. Pallets line each side at regular intervals, and food is stacked on them for volunteers to put into boxes. We were packing government-subsidized, purchased food into boxes which would then be distributed to senior citizens in need in Lawrence County. The box had a retail value of approxima...

Today was school picture day at daycare. I found a cute little cap  at Gymboree for Seth to wear. I am so stinking excited about these pictures. How can he not be totally adorable. However, those pictures won't be in for a couple more weeks so in the meantime, we took a few pictures ourselves this evening. Without further adieu. . .milestones! Can sit independently, but he prefers to play on his stomach or back.  Mobile. He hasn't gone long distances, but he rolls and pulls wherever he wants to go. Up on all fours, just rocking though. No attempt to crawl yet, but it's coming. Loves tags. He loves chewing and sucking on tags. My brother was the same way as a baby. Eating three solid meals a day. He is such a good eater. Prefers to have a blankie with him in the crib. Once he's a sleep, I remove it. Lots of babbling and a whole range of sounds. No mama or dada yet though. Loves to bounce, standing up, on our laps. Loves books and listening to stories. ...

Yes, I know, Seth is almost seven months and just now had his six month well visit. We saw a new doctor since our beloved Dr. Bhat is only located at the Natrona Heights office. We'll continue to see her, I think, when illnesses are involved or if I have any concerns. Seth weighs 18.3lbs (50th percentile) and is 28.5" (94th percentile). His head circumference is 17". I felt like he should have gained more weight between his last appointment and this one, but both the resident and the doctor said he's doing fine. The doctor did recommend he have fruits/veggies three times a day, whereas we had only been feeding those once a day at dinner. Seth is on track with all of his milestones too. He can sit for a few seconds unassisted, but the doctor thinks it's less about his ability to sit and more about him simply not wanting to. He'd rather be down on the floor where he can move around and explore, both the environment and his toys. He's just not intereste...

I don't know if we picked something up on our trip, or if Sarah had been harboring a virus that she later shared with us, but Sarah got sick at school on Tuesday. Then Emily and I got hit with it that night. Sal was sick by that afternoon, in Steubenville. He did make it home to recover. Fortunately, it seems as though Seth was spared. Oh, and I don't mean to pick on Sarah, but a classmate was sick with the same thing earlier in the week. I'm just relieved that 1) I lost 6lbs and 2) none of us were sick while staying in hotels. I haven't thrown up in 7.5 years. That ended that streak. I went for a massage Tuesday evening, and when I came home my stomach hurt. I wasn't necessarily feeling sick though so I was surprised to be throwing up at 12:45am. Fortunately, I felt a lot better 12 hours later. Thank goodness for short-lived bugs.