Jason, Daphne, and I went to a BBQ for a bunch of doulas, preggos, and new families.  Think of it as a big reunion type of thing.  Of course, the only person I know coming into it was my doula, but everyone was very friendly, there were all kinds of cute kids (and babies as young as five weeks), and there was good food to share.  I was worried about heading out when Daphne won’t nap anywhere that’s not at home, but Jason noted that if I let her naps rule my whole day, I won’t get out anywhere.  So, we left for the BBQ around the time she was going to nap, so she could sleep in the car, and left the BBQ about two hours after we got there.  It didn’t get her naps as long as she would normally take, and kept her up a little longer in between, but it sufficed.  And we were still able to stop for an errand (more swaddle blankets and some Whole Foods specialties) on the way home.

Seeing the range of babies and little kids was fun – things I get to look forward to as Daphne gets older.  One of the little girls gave Jason a branch that had fallen off a tree, and told him it was an umbrella (which worked for both the sun AND the rain), and he did a great job pretending it was just that.  I look forward to see him in imaginative play with Daphne (though he might get tired of dressing up in hats and having tea parties where you must stick out your little pinky :P) There was an eight month old trying to crawl (but mostly just pushing herself up into down dog!).  And lots of cute babies.  (Yes, of course, we think ours was the cutest.  But we’re not biased in any way. :P)

I look forward to being able to do more of that sort of thing – get outside, chat with people, be a part of a nice, family-fun atmosphere.  It’s easy to get a bit isolated when the bulk of friends you see most often and in the most similar situations are either not close by, or have conflicting schedules.  But my Tuesday yoga class is going to be over as of the end of the month, so that may help! 🙂

Yesterday, Daphne got to see the PT again.  She has been doing a fair amount better, but the PT noted that the right side of her tongue still feels tight (the muscles that connect it at the bottom, in particular).  That explains the sheering that I feel when she gets tired at the end of a feed.  We’ve got one more visit with her this coming Friday, and that may well be the end of it.  At the moment, Daphne has a reprieve on being taken off boob privileges.  Breastfeeding certainly isn’t comfortable, but it’s not painful as it was, and it’s tolerable for the foreseeable future.  But she’s on probation – no promises to her!

Also, though I have no pictures of it, and only Jason to back me up, Daphne rolled from her tummy to her back yesterday evening.  Just once. And wouldn’t do it again today, and probably not again for a couple weeks.  But it was quite impressive and seemed to catch her off guard.  She’s also learning to put more weight on her feet/legs, and particularly enjoys doing so as she is in the Baby Bjorn (facing out, of course!) and I bounce on the ball with my legs out of the way so she can stand on the ball.  (One of the moms at the BBQ noted that she had to train her baby to face inward in her carrier and deal with it.  I may give that a try with Daphne.)

This week, I may try to get to a yoga class that I haven’t been to in ages, I’ll be seeing the MD in Seattle who specializes in breastfeeding and see if there is anything on my end that’s contributing to the pain, have the followup with the PT, and another Mom’s Group meeting.  I’m looking forward to it, and hope to get a chance to visit with people more as I feel we’re in a position to start regularly emerging from the world.  I’m happy to have been a bit insular so far, and don’t plan to go become a social butterfly with baby in tow, but I think we’re ready for a gentle shift.