Thursday roundup

The doting grandparents are in town through Monday, so blogging will (continue to) be light. Stuff going on around here:

• Ess and I are making strides on nursing without the nipple shield. We went to the private lactation consultant yesterday for some help with latching on. (I think the shield made us a little lazy for a while...) The lessons were useful; if only I can continue to replicate them without someone sitting next to me, coaching me every step of the way.
• Cheese is hidden in the most unlikely of places. We went to our favorite lobster pound yesterday. In an attempt at frugality, I ordered the fresh fish sandwich. Rather, my dad ordered it for me while I sat in the car and nursed Ess (I'm not quite up to nursing at a picnic table, without any back support, yet). I got to the table, handed the baby to my mom and plowed into my sandwich, only realizing after I'd gobbled half of it that the gooey stuff on the breading was not just tartar sauce. And, yes, we paid for that little foray into dairyland with a screaming baby for a few hours last night.
• Still can't find a pair of jeans that fits my new body. We also hit the shops in Outletville yesterday -- no fun with a stroller in the rain; this town is not exactly accessible for those in wheeled conveyances -- and I bought some shirts, and that was it. Also managed to think I'd lost my wallet and run around Outletville in a panic in the rain trying to find it. Location? A different pocket in the diaper bag than I usually use.
• Canine chaos.My parents' two dogs came along with them. This seems to have spurred some anxiety in Rocky, who uncharacteristically peed on the bedroom rug yesterday. And Jelly seems much worse for the wear, too, having taken to barking for long periods of time and no apparent reason. The groomer also reported that her legs have gotten much weaker since last time, just a few months ago. I worry about where we may be headed with this animal.