I last did this post when Micah was about 2 months old. Now that he is older, we have a different list of "favorite things" I thought I would share.
Baby Einstein Exersaucer
Rainforest Jumperoo (we also got an Evenflo doorway jumper for traveling)
Innobaby Packin' Smart stackable snack holder
Cooler bag (put bottles/food in here when traveling - we've been using a lunch-sized bag)
Little Tikes Piano
Little Tikes Activity Center
gumball machine
Baby Blocks
Stacking Rings
Tagalong Chimes
Graco Pack N Play (with diaper changing station and bassinet)
Blanket and Beyond Blue bear lovey (small blanket with a bear in the middle)
Gund dog blanket
Bumbo seat w/ tray
High chair - we are using the Evenflo chair with a wipeable cushion
First Years Sectioned Bowl
Spoons - turn white when food is hot
First Years Take and Toss Spoons
Sippy cups - we like the Nuby (10 oz and 8 oz with handles) because it is an all-in-one vented system (no small parts to lose), but we are also trying the Born Free
Organic baby food (we've been liking Earth's Best and we also buy some Gerber organics)
Babycubes food storage containers We've been using these for freezing the homemade babyfood
Snack cups
hand blender/food mill if you make your own food (I've heard good things about the beabo all-in-one but have never used it - we just cook the food in our own pots and hand blend or use a food mill)
Organic puffs
Organic teething biscuits
Icy teething rings (filled with gel and can be frozen - we have a foot and a Baby Einstein caterpillar)
Winkle
giraffe
Swimways baby float with canopy
iplay swimwear (bathing suits, rash guard shirts, hats)
Wipeable bibs
Summer Infant Video Monitor
Summer Bath Center
Cloth diapers (prefolds) (we use these for burp cloths, as a barrier to the changing pad, for wiping up after eating - generally useful!)
Diaper Dekor diaper pail
Biodegradeable trash bags (to carry in diaper bag)
Fisher Price Electronic Mobile
Fisher Price booster seat
Sunshine Kids Easy View Mirror
Carrier - Ergo (better support/comfort/higher weight limit) and Baby Bjorn (forward facing)
CityMini Stroller
Aveeno Baby Wash and Baby Daily Moisturizing Lotion
First Years bath cushion
Medicine pacifier - we still use that everyday to give him his Trivisol and Zantac.
Dutailier glider - we love it and use it every night when we put Micah to bed!
Pampers - we are still a pampers family! We may try out the Costco diapers (we've heard good things) when he moves into the cruisers, but for now, we're all about the Pampers swaddlers. We've tried Huggies (they are too big for Micah and leak), Seventh Generation (he peed right through it) and Luvs (he can pee right through those things in 5 seconds flat) and Target brand (like the Luvs - not so absorbent). Apparently, Babies R Us just came out with their own generic brand, too - have not yet tried them.
I'm not sure if this counts, but we found a consignment shop, and that might also qualify as one of our "favorite things" because we have gotten so much fromt here at a great price.
Feel free to add your own "must haves" to the list - I always like learning of new things, and I'm sure others will appreciate the input!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Can women "have it all"?
I have a feeling this blog post will be a bit controversial. A friend of mine has a theory - that women cannot "have it all." On one level, I think I am going to have to disagree with my friend, but it is possible that our disagreement is a question of semantics. As every good lawyer must ask, what does "having it all" really mean? I think that by some definitions, no one can have it all. But, by other definitions, anyone (including women) can certainly have it all.
Some may think that "having it all" means having the perfect job, working 9 million hours a week, having a family, being there full-time, being strong and independent while simultaneously being domestic, having plenty of money - you know, having everything 100%. By that definition, I do not believe ANYONE, male or female, can "have it all." As a matter of mathematic principle, it is impossible to give yourself 100% to more than one task. I think the question for me is whether a woman can strike a balance between work, home, love and self that allows her to enjoy all of these areas without feeling as if she is missing out or losing something. I think a woman who finds that balance does, indeed, "have it all."
Women often feel that there is societal pressure to choose - a high-powered career or a family? Women are made to feel that if they pursue their career, they are doing so to the detriment of their family. Frankly, if a single woman spends long hours at a job, then there is very little time available for dating and relationships. If a well-educated woman earns a high salary, many men are intimidated (and some even feel emasculated) and they fear having a relationship with a strong, financially independent and secure woman. Even more than that, if a woman works long hours or travels, it is difficult to juggle everything and schedule a date. It is also hard to find men who are willing to change things last-minute when work interferes. Ironically, there are many men out there in the same situation - while one would think these men would be understanding, these men are often the least willing to be flexible - they expect someone to bend to their demanding schedule and they have no interest in working around another person. Their time is tight, and they want to date a woman who is available and waiting on them.
I know that when I was single and dating, I often had challenges finding men who were comfortable with my job, my salary bracket, the fact that I owned my own house. More than one man said he felt that I did not need him. Indeed, these men were correct - I did not need any of them to live my life. My husband was the first man I met who did not have a problem with the fact that I did not "need" him. It did not bother him that I had my own career, that I had a graduate degree and he did not, or that some years I earn more money than he does. He appreciated my independence and intelligence, and he was proud of the work that I do. I learned that while such a relationship is hard to come by, it does exist.
It is easier for men to balance relationships and work - society puts lower expectations on men in terms of balancing work, home, love and self. In fact, society seems to teach men that if they put everything into work, whatever they have leftover to give to the other compartments is sufficient. Men can have demanding careers, get married, have children, and when they prioritize career over family, they are still said to "have it all." Some are able to find women with less demanding careers who are willing to accept whatever time is given - a pass that many men are unwilling to give to women with demanding careers. Nevertheless, in my opinion, men who pursue their careers to the extreme heights also have to make choices (albeit more socially acceptable choices) - they cannot hold jobs with long hours and stay in the rat race without missing out on family. But, somehow, an "absent father" (or one who is only present on weekends) is viewed by society as a good father - he is providing for his family. It is socially acceptable for him to put the hours into work, miss out on precious time with his wife and children, and still be viewed as a "good father." Yet, when a woman works the long hours, she is often viewed as a "bad mother" - neglecting her children and husband, and letting "someone else" raise her kids. Perhaps that is what my friend means when she says women cannot "have it all."
Somewhere along the way in my career, I made a choice - a choice about what I wanted for myself professionally. It was not a decision I made based on a desire to get married (which I did not have) or a desire to have children (which was far off in the future at that time), but it was a decision I made based on my desire to live my life and enjoy it. I knew I wanted to have a career, and I knew I wanted to earn a good salary, but I also knew I wanted to find balance in my life. At one point, I worked over 300 billable hours every month at a big law firm. In 2001, I decided to walk away from that life - not because I couldn't "have it all," but because I realized that I was on a career path that lacked the balance I was seeking. It was not a life I wanted for myself. I never felt that I walked away from my career, or that I could not continue to work in my trained profession. Instead, I went in search of a job that could be satisfying and challenging, but still allow me to live life - take vacation, enjoy a summer day at the pool, and ultimately, have time to spend with my loved ones. I am lucky that I found that job - I work enough hours to be occupied, well-compensated, busy (sometimes even overwhelmed) and thoroughly challenged by my profession. I would say (based on my salary and hours) that I work full-time, however, I absolutely have hours during the work week almost every week to devote to my personal life. When I left the world of corporations and law firms, I did take a pay cut - perhaps about 20-30% at the time (and perhaps a more significant difference now). I do not miss that money. When I was earning it, I never had time to enjoy it.
It is true that men less frequently make the choice for balance. It is also true that seeking balance is challenging as a woman - we are often not taken seriously when we say we want to do it all. We have this fear that if we drop our hours, or try to structure flexible schedule, or choose a job that allows for more personal time, we are wasting our education or giving up on our career paths to success. I beg to differ - I think it is time we (as a society) start to redefine success, both personally and professionally. I do believe, most days, that I "have it all." I am constantly striving to improve my balance between work, love, home and self, but I have each of those components in my life, in a proportion that suits me. It is not always easy to maintain that balance, and some days I find that some parts of my life encroach on others. The biggest challenge for me is figuring out how to maintain that balance, and I am hoping one day it will be less effort.
I have several female friends that "have it all," too. They have families and children and careers - I have friends who are neurologists, dentists, and managers. I suppose that each of us gives up a little to have everything, but I do not think that giving up a little of one thing to get a lot of something else you want is a failure to "have it all." We make choices in life - do we want 100% of one thing, or do we want a satisfying piece of everything. Kind of like eating at a buffet restaurant - do we want to eat one thing for dinner, or do w want to load up our plates with a variety from the buffet? We may feel overstuffed when all is said and done, but we will have our fill of everything we want. We each have 100% to fill, and when we fill our lives with the things that matter to us in appropriate measure, then we do truly "have it all."
Tell me, do you think women can "have it all?" What does "having it all" mean to you?
Some may think that "having it all" means having the perfect job, working 9 million hours a week, having a family, being there full-time, being strong and independent while simultaneously being domestic, having plenty of money - you know, having everything 100%. By that definition, I do not believe ANYONE, male or female, can "have it all." As a matter of mathematic principle, it is impossible to give yourself 100% to more than one task. I think the question for me is whether a woman can strike a balance between work, home, love and self that allows her to enjoy all of these areas without feeling as if she is missing out or losing something. I think a woman who finds that balance does, indeed, "have it all."
Women often feel that there is societal pressure to choose - a high-powered career or a family? Women are made to feel that if they pursue their career, they are doing so to the detriment of their family. Frankly, if a single woman spends long hours at a job, then there is very little time available for dating and relationships. If a well-educated woman earns a high salary, many men are intimidated (and some even feel emasculated) and they fear having a relationship with a strong, financially independent and secure woman. Even more than that, if a woman works long hours or travels, it is difficult to juggle everything and schedule a date. It is also hard to find men who are willing to change things last-minute when work interferes. Ironically, there are many men out there in the same situation - while one would think these men would be understanding, these men are often the least willing to be flexible - they expect someone to bend to their demanding schedule and they have no interest in working around another person. Their time is tight, and they want to date a woman who is available and waiting on them.
I know that when I was single and dating, I often had challenges finding men who were comfortable with my job, my salary bracket, the fact that I owned my own house. More than one man said he felt that I did not need him. Indeed, these men were correct - I did not need any of them to live my life. My husband was the first man I met who did not have a problem with the fact that I did not "need" him. It did not bother him that I had my own career, that I had a graduate degree and he did not, or that some years I earn more money than he does. He appreciated my independence and intelligence, and he was proud of the work that I do. I learned that while such a relationship is hard to come by, it does exist.
It is easier for men to balance relationships and work - society puts lower expectations on men in terms of balancing work, home, love and self. In fact, society seems to teach men that if they put everything into work, whatever they have leftover to give to the other compartments is sufficient. Men can have demanding careers, get married, have children, and when they prioritize career over family, they are still said to "have it all." Some are able to find women with less demanding careers who are willing to accept whatever time is given - a pass that many men are unwilling to give to women with demanding careers. Nevertheless, in my opinion, men who pursue their careers to the extreme heights also have to make choices (albeit more socially acceptable choices) - they cannot hold jobs with long hours and stay in the rat race without missing out on family. But, somehow, an "absent father" (or one who is only present on weekends) is viewed by society as a good father - he is providing for his family. It is socially acceptable for him to put the hours into work, miss out on precious time with his wife and children, and still be viewed as a "good father." Yet, when a woman works the long hours, she is often viewed as a "bad mother" - neglecting her children and husband, and letting "someone else" raise her kids. Perhaps that is what my friend means when she says women cannot "have it all."
Somewhere along the way in my career, I made a choice - a choice about what I wanted for myself professionally. It was not a decision I made based on a desire to get married (which I did not have) or a desire to have children (which was far off in the future at that time), but it was a decision I made based on my desire to live my life and enjoy it. I knew I wanted to have a career, and I knew I wanted to earn a good salary, but I also knew I wanted to find balance in my life. At one point, I worked over 300 billable hours every month at a big law firm. In 2001, I decided to walk away from that life - not because I couldn't "have it all," but because I realized that I was on a career path that lacked the balance I was seeking. It was not a life I wanted for myself. I never felt that I walked away from my career, or that I could not continue to work in my trained profession. Instead, I went in search of a job that could be satisfying and challenging, but still allow me to live life - take vacation, enjoy a summer day at the pool, and ultimately, have time to spend with my loved ones. I am lucky that I found that job - I work enough hours to be occupied, well-compensated, busy (sometimes even overwhelmed) and thoroughly challenged by my profession. I would say (based on my salary and hours) that I work full-time, however, I absolutely have hours during the work week almost every week to devote to my personal life. When I left the world of corporations and law firms, I did take a pay cut - perhaps about 20-30% at the time (and perhaps a more significant difference now). I do not miss that money. When I was earning it, I never had time to enjoy it.
It is true that men less frequently make the choice for balance. It is also true that seeking balance is challenging as a woman - we are often not taken seriously when we say we want to do it all. We have this fear that if we drop our hours, or try to structure flexible schedule, or choose a job that allows for more personal time, we are wasting our education or giving up on our career paths to success. I beg to differ - I think it is time we (as a society) start to redefine success, both personally and professionally. I do believe, most days, that I "have it all." I am constantly striving to improve my balance between work, love, home and self, but I have each of those components in my life, in a proportion that suits me. It is not always easy to maintain that balance, and some days I find that some parts of my life encroach on others. The biggest challenge for me is figuring out how to maintain that balance, and I am hoping one day it will be less effort.
I have several female friends that "have it all," too. They have families and children and careers - I have friends who are neurologists, dentists, and managers. I suppose that each of us gives up a little to have everything, but I do not think that giving up a little of one thing to get a lot of something else you want is a failure to "have it all." We make choices in life - do we want 100% of one thing, or do we want a satisfying piece of everything. Kind of like eating at a buffet restaurant - do we want to eat one thing for dinner, or do w want to load up our plates with a variety from the buffet? We may feel overstuffed when all is said and done, but we will have our fill of everything we want. We each have 100% to fill, and when we fill our lives with the things that matter to us in appropriate measure, then we do truly "have it all."
Tell me, do you think women can "have it all?" What does "having it all" mean to you?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wiggle Worm
When I was a small child (and my brother was just a baby) I remember my mom calling my brother a "wiggle worm" every time she tried to change his diaper. She even made up the Wiggle Worm song to sing to him while she changed his diaper. It was not exactly a complex song, but I remember laughing and singing it with her all the time. If my memory serves correctly, the words to the Wiggle Worm song were "wiggle" and "worm," and the tune vaguely resembled Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
I share this story not to mock my mother or brother in any way, shape or form, but it is because I, too, have a wiggle worm on my hands. Indeed, Micah has become a true wiggle worm. I thought when he was newborn that he sometimes squirmed or kicked and made diaper changing challenging. It turns out that I had NO idea how much more complicated it could become! These days, changing Micah is like trying to diaper a moving target . . . you know, imagine trying to catch a stuffed animal in a blanket and tie it up while it is hurdling through the air at 85 mph. I think that about summarizes diapering Micah! He loves to exhibit his new rolling and twisting skills. At best, I have to diaper him sideways. His legs are constantly kicking (and often end up stomping the poop in his diaper if he manages to free them from my hands, so I then have to play catch the feet and wipe the poop multiple times) while his hips roll to and fro. And don't forget those hands! If they are not grabbing at his newly discovered penis, they like to reach out and grab the electrical cord to the CD player on his dresser (I thought I so cleverly hid the cord along the side of the changing pad and threaded that through the cut-out in the hutch) and pull with the strength of 10 grown men. He apparently is starting to grasp object permanence - I can hide the cord behind the changing pad, and he still knows it is there. He will hunt it out and grab and pull. He also likes to try and stick his hand through the hole in the hutch over the dresser that is designed to discretely hide the power cords.
Anyway, I have now dragged out the Wiggle Worm song for diaper changing sessions. It is becoming a new favorite with the Micah man. I just hope one of these days I can find a toy that will keep him adequately occupied while I change him!
I share this story not to mock my mother or brother in any way, shape or form, but it is because I, too, have a wiggle worm on my hands. Indeed, Micah has become a true wiggle worm. I thought when he was newborn that he sometimes squirmed or kicked and made diaper changing challenging. It turns out that I had NO idea how much more complicated it could become! These days, changing Micah is like trying to diaper a moving target . . . you know, imagine trying to catch a stuffed animal in a blanket and tie it up while it is hurdling through the air at 85 mph. I think that about summarizes diapering Micah! He loves to exhibit his new rolling and twisting skills. At best, I have to diaper him sideways. His legs are constantly kicking (and often end up stomping the poop in his diaper if he manages to free them from my hands, so I then have to play catch the feet and wipe the poop multiple times) while his hips roll to and fro. And don't forget those hands! If they are not grabbing at his newly discovered penis, they like to reach out and grab the electrical cord to the CD player on his dresser (I thought I so cleverly hid the cord along the side of the changing pad and threaded that through the cut-out in the hutch) and pull with the strength of 10 grown men. He apparently is starting to grasp object permanence - I can hide the cord behind the changing pad, and he still knows it is there. He will hunt it out and grab and pull. He also likes to try and stick his hand through the hole in the hutch over the dresser that is designed to discretely hide the power cords.
Anyway, I have now dragged out the Wiggle Worm song for diaper changing sessions. It is becoming a new favorite with the Micah man. I just hope one of these days I can find a toy that will keep him adequately occupied while I change him!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Click Click
Another new discovery - Micah can flip switches . . . light switches, the on/off switch on his playmat - he loves switches! Yesterday, Micah was on his playmat and he kept turning the music on and off. Earlier in the day, I was holding him and he managed to turn the light switch on and off. He has skills! I'm thinking I should buy him one of those switch controls that are used by people with disabilities to operate a computer - with that, I think he'll be surfing the net in no time!
Actually, I was quite impressed with him. First, I had him sitting up (with the boppy behind him to protect his head if he fell over). I stepped into the kitchen to grab some lunch, and when I returned he was on his back (not on the boppy) playing on the playmat. I smiled, pulled the boppy out of the way, and let him roll. As I chatted with him and listened to him playing, I turned my back and opened up my computer to check some email. I was about 8 feet away standing at the table, when all of the sudden I heard the gumball machine noise. I turned around and saw that Micah had moved about 3 feet and was now on his belly pushing himself up high and playing with the gumball machine! He smiled at me and went back to playing. My little guy is moving. Later in the day, I picked him up and carried him for a bit, and he was bending over backwards, smiling and talking. It took me a few minutes, but I realized that he was talking to the recessed lighting. Yes, apparently recessed lighting is fascinating and worthy of a chat. He seems to love recessed lighting and ceiling fans in equal measure - I guess a ceiling fan is kind of like a mobile without the decorations, but I have yet to comprehend the allure of recessed lighting. I mean, it doesn't do anything - it is just a light bulb in the ceiling, right?
After his little adventure rolling all over the floor yesterday, I debated taking Micah to the pool. I really wanted to swim laps, which is something I cannot do if I am at the pool alone with him. Thankfully, my father said he could come by and stay with Micah for an hour while I ran to the pool. The two of them took a nice walk together, and I exercised. I'm in terrible shape, and my asthma is still bothering me, but I did manage to swim for 20 minutes. I'll have to work on that a bit more. I raced home after swimming so my dad could go about his business and I could get ready to go out.
Thursday night is usually date night around here. Normally, my mom comes to babysit and we head out for some fun. On one recent date night, we went to see a show - 3 Blonde Moms. I have to say, if it is touring in your area, you should definitely go see it - it was hysterical! Well, the 1st and the 3rd mom were funny - the 2nd was kind of annoying. The 3rd mom had us crying we were laughing so hard. She did a bit about public bathrooms, and she hit the nail on the head. She talked about the quest to find the "perfect" stall, and how sometimes that stall doesn't have a door lock or the hook for your purse, but it is the cleanest so we use it anyway and have to do a kamikaze squat and hang our purses on our necks. Anyway, last weekend when we went to visit DH's family, we stopped at a rest area. I generally will not use a public rest room, but in this case, it was unavoidable. I can only tell you as I went in search of my "perfect" stall, found it, realized the door didn't lock and there was no hook for my purse but decided to use it anyway, I started laughing all over again. I even hung my purse around my neck for good measure!
But I digress - I intended to talk about last night. This week, we did not have our typical date night. It was my father's retirement party (after working 42 years in the same place). We had our babysitter come last night, and I spent most of the evening worried that Micah was raising hell and shrieking hysterically, and I was terrified that the babysitter would never come back again to babysit (at least at night). Despite my consuming fear about the events transpiring at home, the retirement party was lovely. When we returned home at 11:30, my babysitter swore that she took him upstairs, got him ready for bed and he fell asleep after drinking only 2 ounces of milk (much to my shock and amazement). Way to go, Micah - thanks for being such an angel when Mommy really needed it! And congratulations, Dad, on your retirement - we are so proud of you, and I am certain the next chapter of your life will be filled with things to do. I think you will enjoy retirement, and knowing you, you'll be even busier than you were before.
Micah is currently upstairs napping. He has finally taken to napping in the crib. While he still prefers to sleep on his side, he now sometimes sleeps on his belly, too. This new habit started last weekend when we were visiting DH's family. It is so cute to see him on his belly. I have to say, I occasionally miss him napping on me. We rarely take naps curled up together anymore. There was one day last week when he napped on me for about 20 minutes, but it dawned on me that it has been a few months now. I used to think it was such a pain to be tied down while he was napping, but I do miss those moments.
No surprise here, but Micah is still in love with the dog. Right now the dog adores him, but she can walk away from him at any time when she has had enough. She has been so patient with him when he grabs her fur a little less than gently, and she just nuzzles him, kisses him, or gently escapes from his iron grip. I am certain that once he is crawling, he will spend all day chasing her around the house. She may not be pleased then, and I think the dog is going to be greatful for daycare on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, too.
I have one other thing I will share before closing this post for the day - television. I think Micah loves television far too much. I try my best to keep the television off when he is around, or to put on educational shows such as Sesame Street. DH, however, is obsessed with watching the news, so we do have the news on sometimes when Micah is around. And I am currently obsessed with watching Wimbledon, and I fail to see how tennis in the background could endanger Micah's development. Nevertheless, when Micah sees the tv screen sometimes, he turns comatose. He gets that vacant look on his face and all he wants to do is stare at the screen. It is particularly challenging when he is eating, so I generally make sure the tv is off during meal time. But yesterday, he was cranky for a bit, and the only thing he wanted to do was sit on Mommy's lap and watch tennis. I told him all about the players, and the rules of the game, and we counted the score. That has to be educational, right? DH is worried that I am creating another tennis monster in the house. I'm okay with that. Just wait until the US Open - I sure hope Rafael Nadal is feeling better by then - I'm so disappointed his injury allowed Roger Federer to win the French Open. Did I mention I am NOT a fan of Roger Federer? For those of you who do not follow tennis, forgive my rant, but someone else better step up and put an end to his run this Wimbledon - I just cannot stomach another win from him, and I do not want to see him beat Sampras' slam record. Come on Andy Roddick or Andy Murray or really anyone else - you have my support!
Actually, I was quite impressed with him. First, I had him sitting up (with the boppy behind him to protect his head if he fell over). I stepped into the kitchen to grab some lunch, and when I returned he was on his back (not on the boppy) playing on the playmat. I smiled, pulled the boppy out of the way, and let him roll. As I chatted with him and listened to him playing, I turned my back and opened up my computer to check some email. I was about 8 feet away standing at the table, when all of the sudden I heard the gumball machine noise. I turned around and saw that Micah had moved about 3 feet and was now on his belly pushing himself up high and playing with the gumball machine! He smiled at me and went back to playing. My little guy is moving. Later in the day, I picked him up and carried him for a bit, and he was bending over backwards, smiling and talking. It took me a few minutes, but I realized that he was talking to the recessed lighting. Yes, apparently recessed lighting is fascinating and worthy of a chat. He seems to love recessed lighting and ceiling fans in equal measure - I guess a ceiling fan is kind of like a mobile without the decorations, but I have yet to comprehend the allure of recessed lighting. I mean, it doesn't do anything - it is just a light bulb in the ceiling, right?
After his little adventure rolling all over the floor yesterday, I debated taking Micah to the pool. I really wanted to swim laps, which is something I cannot do if I am at the pool alone with him. Thankfully, my father said he could come by and stay with Micah for an hour while I ran to the pool. The two of them took a nice walk together, and I exercised. I'm in terrible shape, and my asthma is still bothering me, but I did manage to swim for 20 minutes. I'll have to work on that a bit more. I raced home after swimming so my dad could go about his business and I could get ready to go out.
Thursday night is usually date night around here. Normally, my mom comes to babysit and we head out for some fun. On one recent date night, we went to see a show - 3 Blonde Moms. I have to say, if it is touring in your area, you should definitely go see it - it was hysterical! Well, the 1st and the 3rd mom were funny - the 2nd was kind of annoying. The 3rd mom had us crying we were laughing so hard. She did a bit about public bathrooms, and she hit the nail on the head. She talked about the quest to find the "perfect" stall, and how sometimes that stall doesn't have a door lock or the hook for your purse, but it is the cleanest so we use it anyway and have to do a kamikaze squat and hang our purses on our necks. Anyway, last weekend when we went to visit DH's family, we stopped at a rest area. I generally will not use a public rest room, but in this case, it was unavoidable. I can only tell you as I went in search of my "perfect" stall, found it, realized the door didn't lock and there was no hook for my purse but decided to use it anyway, I started laughing all over again. I even hung my purse around my neck for good measure!
But I digress - I intended to talk about last night. This week, we did not have our typical date night. It was my father's retirement party (after working 42 years in the same place). We had our babysitter come last night, and I spent most of the evening worried that Micah was raising hell and shrieking hysterically, and I was terrified that the babysitter would never come back again to babysit (at least at night). Despite my consuming fear about the events transpiring at home, the retirement party was lovely. When we returned home at 11:30, my babysitter swore that she took him upstairs, got him ready for bed and he fell asleep after drinking only 2 ounces of milk (much to my shock and amazement). Way to go, Micah - thanks for being such an angel when Mommy really needed it! And congratulations, Dad, on your retirement - we are so proud of you, and I am certain the next chapter of your life will be filled with things to do. I think you will enjoy retirement, and knowing you, you'll be even busier than you were before.
Micah is currently upstairs napping. He has finally taken to napping in the crib. While he still prefers to sleep on his side, he now sometimes sleeps on his belly, too. This new habit started last weekend when we were visiting DH's family. It is so cute to see him on his belly. I have to say, I occasionally miss him napping on me. We rarely take naps curled up together anymore. There was one day last week when he napped on me for about 20 minutes, but it dawned on me that it has been a few months now. I used to think it was such a pain to be tied down while he was napping, but I do miss those moments.
No surprise here, but Micah is still in love with the dog. Right now the dog adores him, but she can walk away from him at any time when she has had enough. She has been so patient with him when he grabs her fur a little less than gently, and she just nuzzles him, kisses him, or gently escapes from his iron grip. I am certain that once he is crawling, he will spend all day chasing her around the house. She may not be pleased then, and I think the dog is going to be greatful for daycare on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, too.
I have one other thing I will share before closing this post for the day - television. I think Micah loves television far too much. I try my best to keep the television off when he is around, or to put on educational shows such as Sesame Street. DH, however, is obsessed with watching the news, so we do have the news on sometimes when Micah is around. And I am currently obsessed with watching Wimbledon, and I fail to see how tennis in the background could endanger Micah's development. Nevertheless, when Micah sees the tv screen sometimes, he turns comatose. He gets that vacant look on his face and all he wants to do is stare at the screen. It is particularly challenging when he is eating, so I generally make sure the tv is off during meal time. But yesterday, he was cranky for a bit, and the only thing he wanted to do was sit on Mommy's lap and watch tennis. I told him all about the players, and the rules of the game, and we counted the score. That has to be educational, right? DH is worried that I am creating another tennis monster in the house. I'm okay with that. Just wait until the US Open - I sure hope Rafael Nadal is feeling better by then - I'm so disappointed his injury allowed Roger Federer to win the French Open. Did I mention I am NOT a fan of Roger Federer? For those of you who do not follow tennis, forgive my rant, but someone else better step up and put an end to his run this Wimbledon - I just cannot stomach another win from him, and I do not want to see him beat Sampras' slam record. Come on Andy Roddick or Andy Murray or really anyone else - you have my support!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Here, doggy doggy doggy
Micah has discovered the joys of calling the dog. I don't mean actually saying her name, but he noticed that when I want her attention or want her to jump up to be close to me, I call her name and pat my hand on my thigh, or I pat the couch next to me, or I pat the ground next to me. Since Micah figured that out, he now looks at the dog, smiles, and starts banging his hand on his thigh or the ground. It is CLEAR he is calling her over. And the smile that lights up his face (and the accompanying squeals of delight) when she actually comes over are priceless. Unfortunately for me, his favorite time to call her is meal time. He can't stop looking for her and smiling at her and calling her long enough to focus on eating. He wakes up in the morning and while I am nursing him in our bedroom, he tries to roll over and bang on the bed to get her attention. He has a new hierarchy of needs: DOG, food, DOG, toys, DOG. Okay, maybe it is more like DOG, DOG, DOG, food.
He has hit a few other milestones this week - he is really sitting steadily now, and rolling all over the place. When on his belly, he uses his arms to pull himself around in circles (and sometimes forward). He grabs for toys, and he recognizes people and things (especially the dog). He is starting to express some wants and preferences. He has learned to pick up these small balls that go into his gumball machine toy with one hand! I think he is developing his "pincher" grip skills. He sucks on his toes, and he definitely can pass objects from hand to hand.
Micah is getting better at napping - he now naps upstairs in his crib, and he takes about 2-3 naps a day. We added in a second meal each day almost two weeks ago. We keep thinking he says "hi" and he seems to spend a lot of time trying to form sounds/shapes with his mouth - I think he wants to speak but has not quite figured it out yet.
Today I am going to try and take Micah to the pool for a little while - or at least the park (he loves to swing). Tonight is my father's retirement party, and we are having the babysitter come at night - I'm hoping Micah cooperates and goes to bed easily. We shall see.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
6 month appointment
Micah had his 6 month appointment today (yes, I know it is nearly 2 weeks late!) and he did quite well. He was sitting in his diaper on the table ripping the paper cover to shreds when the doctor walked in - Micah flashed him a big grin then went back to his task of ultimate destruction. I probably should have taken a picture of our little guy - he was quite a sight. The doctor smiled, said that was a wonderful greeting (and the best he had all day), and then commented on Micah's "mop of hair."
Micah weighed in this morning at a whopping 15 lbs 8 ounces and measured 26 inches! My big boy is growing!! He is now in the 20th percentile for weight (making progress!) and about the same for height. Like his mommy, he has a tiny head - only the 10th percentile. We spent a long time talking to the doctor about food and eating, and I got answers to all 9 million of my questions. We were told he should not be eating any yogurt yet (or really any protein foods) until he is 9 months old because he just doesn't need it yet. He said Micah should be at the lower end for formula/milk intake because he is small (big relief to hear!) and he thought 24-28 ounces a day should be more than enough (which is great, because that is about all he is getting). The doctor gave us estimates for about how many times a day and how much food he should be eating at each meal, and we are right in the target range. I have been so unsure as to whether I am feeding him the right amount, or too much, or not enough, but it seems I've been guessing correctly. We were told that most babies will take three meals a day by seven months, so we will watch and see when Micah is ready to add another meal each day.
The doctor increased Micah's dosage of Zantac and checked out his congestion. Unfortunately, all of the congestion returned this week. The doctor seemed to think that kind of congestion is typical with infants, and unless it lasts more than a few weeks or he develops a cough/fever, he is not concerned at this time. It seems we are hitting all of the correct milestones, and we will go back again in three months for our next checkup and round of vaccinations.
The last part of our appointment was the immunizations - 2 shots and an oral vaccine. Micah LOVES the oral vaccine - he kept grabbing it and trying to guzzle it faster. Clearly, he has not developed good taste yet! I think Micah is like his Daddy - he'll eat just about anything, with gusto. Micah did not even flinch for the first shot, but he started shrieking with the second shot - the nurse thinks maybe it burns since most babies cry when they get that shot. I immediately started nursing Micah, and he calmed back down again.
On a side note, there was a 2 week old baby at the doctor's office today. I was a bit emotional - I looked at her, and I already felt a loss of sorts that Micah was no longer that little baby. I was nostalgic for the times he just curled up on my chest and slept all day and was such a tiny little thing. Of course, DH then reminded me how much more fun Micah is now that he has a personality and is gaining independence and how much easier things are now, and I know he is right. It is just hard to believe how quickly the time passed, and that I'm already missing my little baby.
He has been fine so far this afternoon. He took a nap and he was playful when he woke up. He did have a cranky patch, but I gave him a teething biscuit and that seemed to hit the spot and keep him quite busy.
He has been fine so far this afternoon. He took a nap and he was playful when he woke up. He did have a cranky patch, but I gave him a teething biscuit and that seemed to hit the spot and keep him quite busy.
In other news - Micah discovered his penis today! Yes, I did say penis, and I'm sure you did not see that announcement coming. We were changing his diaper at the doctor's office, and Micah's hands when straight on down there and grabbed a hold. That has to be some kind of male rite of passage, right? One day, when Micah can read and he reads this blog, I'm sure he will hate me for sharing this story.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Resolve's Infertility Advocacy Day
Resolve is an organization dedicated to addressing the needs and concerns of people who are faced with infertility. June 25 is Resolve's Advocacy day, and hundreds of people will be descending on Congress to support legislation to help those facing infertility, including the Family Building Act of 2009 (H.R. 697). The Family Building Act amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to require a group health plan that provides coverage for obstetrical services to include coverage for non-experimental treatment of infertility that is deemed appropriate by a participant or beneficiary and the treating physician. The bill would also require coverage for assisted reproductive technology only if certain conditions are met. Additionally, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) will be introducing the Family Building Act to the Senate! This bill mirrors the House version of the bill.
What you can do:
- Send a letter/email thanking Senator Gillibrand for her initiative.
- Contact your Senator to either co-sponsor or support this bill.
- HR 697 has been assigned to committees. Contact the House Committee members directly to show your support. The 3 assigned committees are:
- If you haven't already, contact your Representative to support HR 697 as well.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Daycare Decisions
We finally have a daycare decision/solution!! As you know, daycare has been a struggle for us. We currently have Micah in daycare one day a week at our third-choice daycare. Nearly two weeks ago, we were offered a full-time spot in the Fall with our first-choice daycare. I went in to speak to our current daycare location to see when Micah would be switched to the older room and if we could increase days in the Fall, and we were informed that it would be unlikely they would either move him or increase his hours until he was at least 15-18 months old. I was upset by that news, but relieved that it gave us an easy excuse to leave the daycare. While we like the daycare center, we have not been pleased with the current primary caretaker for Micah.
We decided to go check out our first-choice again before making a final decision, and we also found another daycare recommended by a friend with an open full-time spot. We went to visit both places, and we still felt that our original first-choice was still the best place for Micah (although this new option is significantly less expensive). Our biggest hesitation was that the offer was for "full-time daycare" - we just were not sure if that was best for us. After learning that the daycare rates increased by nearly $200/month at our first-choice location since we initially went on the wait list, we became certain that we preferred a part-time slot.
We decided to go check out our first-choice again before making a final decision, and we also found another daycare recommended by a friend with an open full-time spot. We went to visit both places, and we still felt that our original first-choice was still the best place for Micah (although this new option is significantly less expensive). Our biggest hesitation was that the offer was for "full-time daycare" - we just were not sure if that was best for us. After learning that the daycare rates increased by nearly $200/month at our first-choice location since we initially went on the wait list, we became certain that we preferred a part-time slot.
Initially, we were told there were no part-time slots available. After some begging on our part and hard work on the daycare center's part, we were told we could have a part-time slot, but it would be Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the one hand, I thought that might work out fine, and we could hire a babysitter to cover the other days as needed. However, I then remembered that Micah and I are enrolled in a class on Thursdays in the Fall, and we would have to skip out on daycare Thursday afternoons for 16 weeks to attend our class (a thought that really bothered me - who wants to pay for daycare and not use it??). We also continued to discuss whether we should just accept the full-time slot. DH and I discussed and debated, and we decided that we still preferred part-time over full-time, so we were all ready to accept Tuesdays and Thursdays.
When I called back to accept, I was told they might be able to work it out so that we can have Monday, Wednesday and Friday instead, but she needed a few more days to figure it out. Naturally we were confused about what to do. The problem with Monday, Wednesday and Friday is Federal holidays and vacation weekends - you have to pay for those days even when the daycare is closed or if you leave town and do not use them. After much discussion, several changes of heart, and a lot of trepidation, we committed today to daycare on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next year (beginning in September). Micah will be in the junior toddler room, which includes fun activities like music, art and gym. They also provide a hot lunch and snacks everyday for the kids. Everyday, they go outside and play on the playground (as long as the weather isn't too cold, too hot or too wet). He will be crawling around, playing with toys, and socializing with other children his age, and I am hoping it is a wonderful experience for him. I think we will do our best to limit how long he is there - at most, we will leave him there from 9:30 to 4:30 or *maybe* 5 on occasion.
I hope we made the right decision! We have to submit our registration form and fees, and then we are all set. Once we do that and lock down our spot, I think we will give our notice of termination to our current daycare provider. We are still waiting to hear if they will have a spot in the junior toddler room open, but I think this ship has sailed and it is time to switch providers.
Father's Day... bittersweet
Happy Father's Day! This year, we celebrated DH's first Father's Day. In honor of the big day, I bought DH a bike trailer so he can take Micah on his bike with him to daycare or on errands. He tried it out last week, and both Micah and his daddy seemed to love it.
Before I get into the details of our celebration, I do want to take the time to say what an incredible father DH is. He is such a loving man - he is so gentle with Micah, changes his diapers (whenever possible, I let him change all the dirty ones), feeds him - whatever Micah needs. He has been doing Micah's laundry most of the time the past 6 months. They take naps together, and he makes time to play with him. DH takes him to daycare, shares in the feeding, and they go to synagogue together every Friday night and Saturday morning - their weekly Daddy/son outing. Micah plays "secretary" for Daddy sometimes when he is working. He takes the time to talk to him, and he is very willing to do whatever is needed to care for him. DH comes to every doctor appointment, too - he doesn't miss out on anything! DH makes up songs all the time so he can sing to Micah, and Micah just lights up whenever he sees his Daddy. DH helps put him to bed every night (he takes him upstairs, dresses him for bed, reads him a book, gives him his medicine and then I go upstairs to nurse Micah), and he isn't afraid to be alone with Micah, give him a bath by himself, or put him to bed alone when I go out. It is apparent to anyone who sees the two of them together how much they adore each other. Happy Father's Day!
We decided to celebrate Father's Day with both of our families this year. We drove up to visit DH's family on Friday. Our oldest niece was home from college, and she had not seen Micah since he was 8 days old! We arrived on Friday afternoon, and hung out with our nieces and nephews. Micah was showing off - he rolled over from front to back AND back to front over and over again, and then he sat and played with his gumball machine without falling over! Unfortunately, Micah was not cooperative at bedtime. He cried and cried for almost 1 hour, but I finally got him asleep in the pack-n-play in our nephew's room around 8:30. We had chinese food for dinner, and then the fun began. My nephew has discovered baking, so the two of us decided to run to the store to get a few supplies to make strawberry pie. We whipped up two of those and then called it a night. Here is some video of Micah rolling - pardon the noise - we were planning our trip to the grocery store for the strawberry pie ingredients!
The next morning, Micah woke up at 7 am, but fell back asleep after nursing until 9:30 am. He ate his breakfast, played with his cousins, and then we waited for his other aunt, uncle and cousin to arrive and his grandparents. When everyone arrived, Micah showed off all of his tricks and we gave his Poppy his Father's Day gift...a framed photo of Micah. We all headed out to the mall to have a "cousins" photo taken for Father's Day. The photo was really cute! We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner, then back to the house for cake and pie. Micah had another rough night falling asleep, but he slept until 8:30 Sunday morning. We were out the door by 9:30, and arrived at my brother and SIL's house for brunch. We had blintzes, quiche and strawberry pie for dessert. Micah played with his cousins and showed off his tricks again. We also gave my parents a framed photo of Micah - a trilogy of some close-ups of his face. We headed home around 2:30. What a long (but fun) weekend!
I thought I would also take this time to thank my own father for being a wonderful Daddy. You were always there for me, without hesitation. When I waited until the last minute and you had to run all over creation picking things up and turning things in for me so I didn't miss an important deadline, you did it, without grumbling. You came to my swim meets and dance recitals and gymnastics events. You even came to a mother/daughter event with me once when mom couldn't be there. You took me to see shows and spent time with me. You made me go shopping with you sometimes - I still can't forgive you for that, but I'll let it slide. You drove my carpool, embarassed me in front of my friends, but most importantly, you've always been there to love and support me, without hesitation. I may not tell you often enough, but I love you, and I appreciate the person you are - there are few men in this world who are as good as you are, and you taught me to set the bar high and expect more from men. Thank you, Dad, for all you do for our family.
Despite all the wonderful things we have to celebrate, Father's Day is also bittersweet - one year ago on Father's Day, I entered my 2nd trimester and we sent out a note announcing my pregnancy. The next morning, I sent out a second note to family and friends announcing the death of my grandmother. What a crazy year...we miss you, Grandma, and we think of you often. I'm sorry you never had the chance to meet Micah - I know how time with your family and all the little babies brought you such joy.
Before I get into the details of our celebration, I do want to take the time to say what an incredible father DH is. He is such a loving man - he is so gentle with Micah, changes his diapers (whenever possible, I let him change all the dirty ones), feeds him - whatever Micah needs. He has been doing Micah's laundry most of the time the past 6 months. They take naps together, and he makes time to play with him. DH takes him to daycare, shares in the feeding, and they go to synagogue together every Friday night and Saturday morning - their weekly Daddy/son outing. Micah plays "secretary" for Daddy sometimes when he is working. He takes the time to talk to him, and he is very willing to do whatever is needed to care for him. DH comes to every doctor appointment, too - he doesn't miss out on anything! DH makes up songs all the time so he can sing to Micah, and Micah just lights up whenever he sees his Daddy. DH helps put him to bed every night (he takes him upstairs, dresses him for bed, reads him a book, gives him his medicine and then I go upstairs to nurse Micah), and he isn't afraid to be alone with Micah, give him a bath by himself, or put him to bed alone when I go out. It is apparent to anyone who sees the two of them together how much they adore each other. Happy Father's Day!
We decided to celebrate Father's Day with both of our families this year. We drove up to visit DH's family on Friday. Our oldest niece was home from college, and she had not seen Micah since he was 8 days old! We arrived on Friday afternoon, and hung out with our nieces and nephews. Micah was showing off - he rolled over from front to back AND back to front over and over again, and then he sat and played with his gumball machine without falling over! Unfortunately, Micah was not cooperative at bedtime. He cried and cried for almost 1 hour, but I finally got him asleep in the pack-n-play in our nephew's room around 8:30. We had chinese food for dinner, and then the fun began. My nephew has discovered baking, so the two of us decided to run to the store to get a few supplies to make strawberry pie. We whipped up two of those and then called it a night. Here is some video of Micah rolling - pardon the noise - we were planning our trip to the grocery store for the strawberry pie ingredients!
The next morning, Micah woke up at 7 am, but fell back asleep after nursing until 9:30 am. He ate his breakfast, played with his cousins, and then we waited for his other aunt, uncle and cousin to arrive and his grandparents. When everyone arrived, Micah showed off all of his tricks and we gave his Poppy his Father's Day gift...a framed photo of Micah. We all headed out to the mall to have a "cousins" photo taken for Father's Day. The photo was really cute! We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner, then back to the house for cake and pie. Micah had another rough night falling asleep, but he slept until 8:30 Sunday morning. We were out the door by 9:30, and arrived at my brother and SIL's house for brunch. We had blintzes, quiche and strawberry pie for dessert. Micah played with his cousins and showed off his tricks again. We also gave my parents a framed photo of Micah - a trilogy of some close-ups of his face. We headed home around 2:30. What a long (but fun) weekend!
I thought I would also take this time to thank my own father for being a wonderful Daddy. You were always there for me, without hesitation. When I waited until the last minute and you had to run all over creation picking things up and turning things in for me so I didn't miss an important deadline, you did it, without grumbling. You came to my swim meets and dance recitals and gymnastics events. You even came to a mother/daughter event with me once when mom couldn't be there. You took me to see shows and spent time with me. You made me go shopping with you sometimes - I still can't forgive you for that, but I'll let it slide. You drove my carpool, embarassed me in front of my friends, but most importantly, you've always been there to love and support me, without hesitation. I may not tell you often enough, but I love you, and I appreciate the person you are - there are few men in this world who are as good as you are, and you taught me to set the bar high and expect more from men. Thank you, Dad, for all you do for our family.
Despite all the wonderful things we have to celebrate, Father's Day is also bittersweet - one year ago on Father's Day, I entered my 2nd trimester and we sent out a note announcing my pregnancy. The next morning, I sent out a second note to family and friends announcing the death of my grandmother. What a crazy year...we miss you, Grandma, and we think of you often. I'm sorry you never had the chance to meet Micah - I know how time with your family and all the little babies brought you such joy.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
ICLW
Today kicks off IComLeavWe - the International Comment Leaving Week. For those of you who are new to my blog, I have PCOS and my husband has MFI. After rounds of clomid, injectibles, IUIs, hysteroscopic surgery to remove a fibroid, we finally got pregnant in April 2008 after IVF w/ ICSI. We welcomed our son, Micah, into this world on December 14, 2008. This blog catalogs our journey with infertility, babyraising, life in general, and ttc #2. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
6 month pictures
Sorry I've been so quiet - I stopped taking my asthma medicine for a few days (okay, almost 1 week) to try and increase my milk supply. Well, naturally, my asthma acted up as did my sinuses, and now I have a nasty case of allergic sinusitis/bronchitis. I'm on antibiotics and feeling better, but I'm also feeling kind of stupid. I didn't think a few days off would be a problem, and I was sure I could "catch it" before I got sick and get back on my meds, but I should have known better! By the time I realized things were getting bad, it was too late.
Anyway, here are the photos we had taken on Tuesday. Enjoy! Please excuse the big dark shadow on the profile picture - that was a scanning problem and I just don't have the bandwidth to fix that now.
Anyway, here are the photos we had taken on Tuesday. Enjoy! Please excuse the big dark shadow on the profile picture - that was a scanning problem and I just don't have the bandwidth to fix that now.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Baby Food - Take 2
On Sunday night, I was inspired to make baby food for Micah. DH had purchased a variety of organic fruits and veggies, and I thought I would give it a try. I was excited to start with apples - I make homemade applesauce all the time, so I figured it would be a breeze. I peeled and chopped up the apples, added some water, and set it to cook. Fast forward....well, frankly I have no idea how long, because the next thing I remember is sitting on the couch and thinking "what is that smell? who is cooking something?" That is right - I forgot I was making baby food. By the time I figured out what was cooking, the water had boiled out of the pot and the apples were all singed. I tried to salvage them... but they were no good. I was so mad at myself!
Luckily, I only used 4 apples. I cleaned out the very burnt pot, and started all over again. I peeled and chopped up 4 more apples, SET THE TIMER, and started them cooking, too. This time, the applesauce was perfect! Feeling confident, I decided to move on to bigger and better. I made a big vat of mixed vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots and corn). I also cooked up some pears, and pureed some mango. I made a few fruit combinations - apple mango, apple pear, and apple pear mango. I figured I could occasionally mix in some bananas when it is time to give them to Micah. Micah is now eating fruits - we added mango to the list on Monday with a banana mango oatmeal breakfast.
Unfortunately, I may have gotten too bold with all of my success. Once again, I had to push the limits - I decided to whip up a quick batch of zucchini, too. Naturally, I got distracted again. I checked on it and it was *almost* ready. I looked for the hand blender, cleaned it, checked again, and decided the zucchini needed another minute. While I was waiting, I decided to do some cleanup... which is where it all went wrong. I guess I got carried away on the cleanup, because by the time I checked the zucchini again, all the water had boiled off, and it, too, burned. I'm so sad - no zucchini for Micah! I need to pay better attention while I'm making things, or do a better job of setting the timer. After the zucchini debacle, I thought it best to call it quits. We still have an eggplant, peas, and green beans for me to cook another night. We'll see how Micah likes my cooking!
Luckily, I only used 4 apples. I cleaned out the very burnt pot, and started all over again. I peeled and chopped up 4 more apples, SET THE TIMER, and started them cooking, too. This time, the applesauce was perfect! Feeling confident, I decided to move on to bigger and better. I made a big vat of mixed vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots and corn). I also cooked up some pears, and pureed some mango. I made a few fruit combinations - apple mango, apple pear, and apple pear mango. I figured I could occasionally mix in some bananas when it is time to give them to Micah. Micah is now eating fruits - we added mango to the list on Monday with a banana mango oatmeal breakfast.
Unfortunately, I may have gotten too bold with all of my success. Once again, I had to push the limits - I decided to whip up a quick batch of zucchini, too. Naturally, I got distracted again. I checked on it and it was *almost* ready. I looked for the hand blender, cleaned it, checked again, and decided the zucchini needed another minute. While I was waiting, I decided to do some cleanup... which is where it all went wrong. I guess I got carried away on the cleanup, because by the time I checked the zucchini again, all the water had boiled off, and it, too, burned. I'm so sad - no zucchini for Micah! I need to pay better attention while I'm making things, or do a better job of setting the timer. After the zucchini debacle, I thought it best to call it quits. We still have an eggplant, peas, and green beans for me to cook another night. We'll see how Micah likes my cooking!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sing, sing a song....
Lately, whenever I sing to Micah, he has been joining in and singing, too. Unfortunately, he does not yet get any of the words right, but he is definitely singing with me. It just makes my heart swell with love. He ooohs and aahs and pauses around the right times, but unfortunately, I think he is unable to carry a tune (just like his mommy).
The past two nights, he has been a bit "clingy" at bed time. I take him upstairs, nurse him, and while he is extra sleepy, I plop him in the crib and leave as is our routine. Normally, he drifts right off to sleep, but the past few nights, he woke up and started shrieking. I tried waiting a few minutes to see if it would pass, but no such luck - the noises kept escalating. Immediately, when I walked in his room, he gave me his big, giant, winning grin, as if to say "Mommy, I missed you!" He wanted to hold my hand and look at me, and he definitely wanted me to sing. At bedtime, I usually sing You are My Sunshine or The Rose. Saturday night, I started with You are My Sunshine two times, then went into The Rose three times. He started to cry and fuss whenever I stopped singing. The first few times through the songs, he sang along, too, before he finally dropped off to sleep. Again, Sunday night, he woke up when I tried leaving the room. I went back in to be greeted by his charming squeal, and he asked me to sing (well, he started to make the "singing" sounds) and it was clear he wanted his songs. I sang a few renditions of The Rose and as I began the verses, he smiled ever so sweetly at me, sang a bit more, then rolled over to his side, stuck his thumb in his mouth, and started to drift off to never-never-land. If I tried to stop, he took the thumb out and rolled over to give me a dirty look. Never mind that I had a CD playing in the background - he only had ears for Mommy's horrible voice.
Oh, and did I mention that he and the dog are having a love fest? She comes up every night to help put him to bed. He, in turn, cannot get enough of her. He squeals with joy every time he sees her, he rolls over to be close to her on the play mat, and when he SHOULD be eating dinner, he is busy looking through my glass table to locate the dog underneath and smile at her. Did I mention yet how many times I've regretted purchasing that glass table over the past 10 years? Yeah - it is just as bad when the dog sits underneath the table and longingly looks up at us while we eat dinner.
Here is some adorable video of Micah screeching with delight on his playmat:
The past two nights, he has been a bit "clingy" at bed time. I take him upstairs, nurse him, and while he is extra sleepy, I plop him in the crib and leave as is our routine. Normally, he drifts right off to sleep, but the past few nights, he woke up and started shrieking. I tried waiting a few minutes to see if it would pass, but no such luck - the noises kept escalating. Immediately, when I walked in his room, he gave me his big, giant, winning grin, as if to say "Mommy, I missed you!" He wanted to hold my hand and look at me, and he definitely wanted me to sing. At bedtime, I usually sing You are My Sunshine or The Rose. Saturday night, I started with You are My Sunshine two times, then went into The Rose three times. He started to cry and fuss whenever I stopped singing. The first few times through the songs, he sang along, too, before he finally dropped off to sleep. Again, Sunday night, he woke up when I tried leaving the room. I went back in to be greeted by his charming squeal, and he asked me to sing (well, he started to make the "singing" sounds) and it was clear he wanted his songs. I sang a few renditions of The Rose and as I began the verses, he smiled ever so sweetly at me, sang a bit more, then rolled over to his side, stuck his thumb in his mouth, and started to drift off to never-never-land. If I tried to stop, he took the thumb out and rolled over to give me a dirty look. Never mind that I had a CD playing in the background - he only had ears for Mommy's horrible voice.
Oh, and did I mention that he and the dog are having a love fest? She comes up every night to help put him to bed. He, in turn, cannot get enough of her. He squeals with joy every time he sees her, he rolls over to be close to her on the play mat, and when he SHOULD be eating dinner, he is busy looking through my glass table to locate the dog underneath and smile at her. Did I mention yet how many times I've regretted purchasing that glass table over the past 10 years? Yeah - it is just as bad when the dog sits underneath the table and longingly looks up at us while we eat dinner.
Here is some adorable video of Micah screeching with delight on his playmat:
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Six Months
Micah turned six months old today!! Can you believe how the time is flying? Micah decided to sleep in until 9 in honor of his half birthday. We had a leisurely morning, and he did get to listen to a nice rendition of "Happy Half Birthday" from his Grammy and Goppy. We spent the afternoon lounging at the pool with Daddy. It was such a pleasant day - the weather was perfect, the sky was clear, and there was a nice breeze blowing. The pool was nice and warm, and Micah was all smiles.
While Mommy took some time to swim laps (FINALLY getting my act together and exercising again!!), Micah took a trip with Daddy to the store, and napped the entire time. We arrived home around 4:30 or so. We gave Micah a bath (this is the 2nd night we bathed Micah as he SAT in the bath tub!!) and I fed him some dinner (a little milk, some green beans, rice cereal and avocado). Daddy left for work, and Micah and I played for a few more hours before bedtime. Here are some pictures from Micah's first time sitting in the bathtub (can you tell he likes to eat duck?):
This post seems like a good opportunity to review some of his recent milestones. Let's start with food. Micah is eating really well - we have now tried peas, green beans, avocado, bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. We added a second meal in the past few days because he was getting hungry in the evenings.
He is also sitting really well - still not reliable enough for me to walk away and leave him when he is sitting, but he is fairly sturdy - he can definitely chew on the hooves of his toy giraffe while he is sitting! He is still teething - those bottom two teeth are just dying to break through. After much waiting, he is rolling from back to front with some frequency - in his crib, on the floor, on the grass at a friend's birthday bbq on Saturday, at playgroup, when he sees a toy he wants... I think he just likes to do things on his terms and in his own way. He is definitely passing objects from hand to hand, and he seems to be exploring the idea of crawling.
So, with that, happy half birthday, baby boy! I'd like to end with a few fun videos of Micah with his duck (press the triangle on the lower left corner to play!):
While Mommy took some time to swim laps (FINALLY getting my act together and exercising again!!), Micah took a trip with Daddy to the store, and napped the entire time. We arrived home around 4:30 or so. We gave Micah a bath (this is the 2nd night we bathed Micah as he SAT in the bath tub!!) and I fed him some dinner (a little milk, some green beans, rice cereal and avocado). Daddy left for work, and Micah and I played for a few more hours before bedtime. Here are some pictures from Micah's first time sitting in the bathtub (can you tell he likes to eat duck?):
This post seems like a good opportunity to review some of his recent milestones. Let's start with food. Micah is eating really well - we have now tried peas, green beans, avocado, bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. We added a second meal in the past few days because he was getting hungry in the evenings.He is also sitting really well - still not reliable enough for me to walk away and leave him when he is sitting, but he is fairly sturdy - he can definitely chew on the hooves of his toy giraffe while he is sitting! He is still teething - those bottom two teeth are just dying to break through. After much waiting, he is rolling from back to front with some frequency - in his crib, on the floor, on the grass at a friend's birthday bbq on Saturday, at playgroup, when he sees a toy he wants... I think he just likes to do things on his terms and in his own way. He is definitely passing objects from hand to hand, and he seems to be exploring the idea of crawling.
So, with that, happy half birthday, baby boy! I'd like to end with a few fun videos of Micah with his duck (press the triangle on the lower left corner to play!):
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Busy Busy
"Busy busy" applies both to my life and to Micah's personality. I have been running at mach 5 for the past few weeks. I've been swamped conducting interview surveys for a project at work, and there has been so much stuff going on in my personal life. This weekend, I had the Komen walk, my cousin Jodi's wedding (which was BEAUTIFUL) and we went to a baseball game. My niece has been in town, and I've been trying to spend time with her while getting work done and breaking in a new babysitter.
The babysitter situation is going really well - she is so sweet with Micah, and it really frees me up to get my work done, and even run the occasional errand. We also got a call that our first choice daycare has a full-time slot available for us as of August 31. Right after that, we found another daycare (recommended by a friend) that has a slot available mid-August, so we have to figure out if that is the right option for us. I love having Micah at home with me so I can see him on my breaks, but I have a feeling that as he gets older, he won't let me get my work done once he realizes I'm in the other room. We are thinking of paying for the 5 days, and putting him there most days from 9 or 10 until 4. I will probably keep him home at least 1 day every week for mommy time, and we have a Thursday class together this Fall. I think I'd prefer to enroll him in a part-time 3 day a week daycare, but right now we don't seem to have that option. We may try enrolling full-time and see if they will work with us to drop down to part-time.
Micah is also quite busy these days... he likes to be doing something all the time. He is very busy when he plays with his toys, or rolls on the floor. He is constantly grabbing and doing. He actually started using the jumperoo this week - we finally figured out how to lower it, and he is now fitting in it quite nicely. I thought I'd round off this post with some recent pictures of Micah busily playing in his exersaucer.
Here is a video for good measure (naturally, Micah was more interested in mugging for the video than playing) - press the triangle on the lower left to see the video!
The babysitter situation is going really well - she is so sweet with Micah, and it really frees me up to get my work done, and even run the occasional errand. We also got a call that our first choice daycare has a full-time slot available for us as of August 31. Right after that, we found another daycare (recommended by a friend) that has a slot available mid-August, so we have to figure out if that is the right option for us. I love having Micah at home with me so I can see him on my breaks, but I have a feeling that as he gets older, he won't let me get my work done once he realizes I'm in the other room. We are thinking of paying for the 5 days, and putting him there most days from 9 or 10 until 4. I will probably keep him home at least 1 day every week for mommy time, and we have a Thursday class together this Fall. I think I'd prefer to enroll him in a part-time 3 day a week daycare, but right now we don't seem to have that option. We may try enrolling full-time and see if they will work with us to drop down to part-time.
Micah is also quite busy these days... he likes to be doing something all the time. He is very busy when he plays with his toys, or rolls on the floor. He is constantly grabbing and doing. He actually started using the jumperoo this week - we finally figured out how to lower it, and he is now fitting in it quite nicely. I thought I'd round off this post with some recent pictures of Micah busily playing in his exersaucer.
Here is a video for good measure (naturally, Micah was more interested in mugging for the video than playing) - press the triangle on the lower left to see the video!
The butterfly has landed!
My niece Peyton is staying at my parents' house this week while my brother and SIL are on vacation. This was a wonderful trip for us, because we've never been able to spend any time alone with Peyton before. You see, Peyton is the younger sister, and she usually comes to us with her big sister in tow.
On her own, she is much more chatty than with her sister around. She gets into everything, loves to climb and is always very busy. She is quite sweet, although she has just discovered the word "NO." She likes to lean back as if she is throwing a tantrum, scrunch up her face, and scream "NNNNNNNOOOOO!" Luckily, right after she shouts no, she proceeds to engage in whatever we asked her to do. She is a great sleeper, and so kind to Micah. She hates to be restrained - after 5 minutes in her car seat, she starts to shout "out!"
We went for dinner with them on Monday night, and Peyton was busy feeding Micah his bottle. They were so cute together. She loves to call him "baby" and she is always trying to climb into his car seat. She even made sure to give him lots of kisses.
On Monday, my mom and I took her to see a butterfly exhibit at the botanical gardens. We were not sure if she was old enough to appreciate it, but to our great surprise, she LOVED it! She was running around, squealing at the butterflies, pointing at them, and very entertained for over an hour. The exhibit was in a greenhouse, and the butterflies flew all around us. They often landed on our shoulders and hair, and it was such a wonderful experience. Some of them had such gorgeous colors - some were cobalt blue and black, others were lime green and brown. I loved all the vibrant colors. They had coccoons on display as well, and some were hatching.
Tuesday, I brought Peyton with me to playgroup. I learned that she loves egg salad (I think she devoured the entire bowl) and watermelon. She kept begging for more of both. I also learned that she calls The Itsy Bitsy Spider by the name "Up Down" (you know... the itsy bitsy spider went UP the water spout. DOWN came the rain). She sings along, but mostly sings "Up Down" and likes to repeat it over and over again.
We have a few more activities planned before she heads home on Thursday.
On her own, she is much more chatty than with her sister around. She gets into everything, loves to climb and is always very busy. She is quite sweet, although she has just discovered the word "NO." She likes to lean back as if she is throwing a tantrum, scrunch up her face, and scream "NNNNNNNOOOOO!" Luckily, right after she shouts no, she proceeds to engage in whatever we asked her to do. She is a great sleeper, and so kind to Micah. She hates to be restrained - after 5 minutes in her car seat, she starts to shout "out!"
We went for dinner with them on Monday night, and Peyton was busy feeding Micah his bottle. They were so cute together. She loves to call him "baby" and she is always trying to climb into his car seat. She even made sure to give him lots of kisses.
On Monday, my mom and I took her to see a butterfly exhibit at the botanical gardens. We were not sure if she was old enough to appreciate it, but to our great surprise, she LOVED it! She was running around, squealing at the butterflies, pointing at them, and very entertained for over an hour. The exhibit was in a greenhouse, and the butterflies flew all around us. They often landed on our shoulders and hair, and it was such a wonderful experience. Some of them had such gorgeous colors - some were cobalt blue and black, others were lime green and brown. I loved all the vibrant colors. They had coccoons on display as well, and some were hatching.
Tuesday, I brought Peyton with me to playgroup. I learned that she loves egg salad (I think she devoured the entire bowl) and watermelon. She kept begging for more of both. I also learned that she calls The Itsy Bitsy Spider by the name "Up Down" (you know... the itsy bitsy spider went UP the water spout. DOWN came the rain). She sings along, but mostly sings "Up Down" and likes to repeat it over and over again.
We have a few more activities planned before she heads home on Thursday.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
On Sunday, we took the Micahs to their first baseball game. Yes, I said "the Micahs." We went with our friends and THEIR son Micah, too. Our Micah seemed to enjoy himself . . . he got to ride a train, and he had a great view of the field, he got to hold his friend Micah's hand, and he tried to eat pizza - he got both hands in it and mushed the pizza really well! He cried when we pulled him away and wiped off his hands. He looked quite dapper in his Mets jersey, and he enjoyed himself rolling around on the floor in our seats behind home plate. He seemed to smile a lot and enjoy himself, although I'm not sure he had any clue he was at a baseball game. The other Micah tried to suck our Micah's toes.
Here is some video of Micah:
Here is some video of Micah:
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Komen Race for the Cure
We woke up early Saturday morning to join our friends to celebrate the life of Melissa, who died far too young from breast cancer. We beat our team fundraising goal for the year, and the weather was perfect. Micah enjoyed the walk and took a nice long nap in the middle. We were just impressed he was so pleasant after waking up 2 hours earlier than he normally does and being forced to wait 30 minutes to eat (we gave him a bottle on the trip down). Thanks to all who contributed to the Komen Foundation!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Brain Dump and a Hickey
It has been an insane week - no time to post! I think I will do a "hodge-podge" post today and try and catch you up on everything, including my new hickey. Yes, I said hickey.
Last night, I looked in the mirror, and there was a big giant mark on my chin. For the life of me, I could not figure out how it got there. I tried washing my face (hey, I've been busy - I thought perhaps I had dirt on my face, or a trail of chocolate) but the mark did not budge. I thought it over, and I decided that Micah must have accidentally head-butted me, and I simply forgot about it. Except the spot was not sore in the least, so I still had my doubts. Today, I was sitting here with our organizer and holding Micah while he stood on my lap. He leaned over, and decided to latch on my chin and start sucking like crazy. I started to laugh because I remembered that he spent all night on Wednesday doing the same thing...and I'm certain I have identified the source of my chin hickey. Micah is teething, and he was so fussy on Wednesday, and it seemed to be the only thing that was soothing him. Like every good mother, I just let him gnaw away on my chin because I'd really had enough of the fussing. I think I'll wear the hickey as a badge of honor - it should look great with my dress at the wedding on Saturday night.
Work has been crazy for me this week. I agreed to do an interview survey of 14 projects to look at their policies and procedures and help identify some best practices and make recommendations to improve their program. Each interview lasts 1 1/2 - 2 hours, and we have been trying to cram as many as possible in this week. On Monday, while Micah was in daycare, I did 3 interviews, another conference call, and tried to get some other work done. On Tuesday, our new babysitter started work! She was great with Micah, and it freed me up to do a few more interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday. I cut my day a bit short on Wednesday because Micah was a fuss-budget, and I was afraid of scaring the babysitter. Thursday, Micah went to the babysitter's house - my friend's kids were there, and another neighborhood kid, so it was a big giant playgroup. It worked out well, as I had 2 more phone interviews, a GE tech came to replace the microwave that caught fire two weeks ago, and the cleaning crew was here. I hope I presented an air of calm on my interviews despite the surrounding chaos. I was hoping the babysitter would return again today, but no such luck - she had other plans. DH covered Micah while I did an interview this morning. He left for a meeting around 11:30, and I managed to sneak in 2 other conference calls while Micah napped. I spent the rest of the day playing with Micah.
I am amazed by how much Micah is growing and developing. Over the past two days, he really started sitting very well. He is getting fairly steady and able to balance himself and play with toys while he is sitting. He continues to steadfastly refuse belly time or rolling from his back to belly, but it is obvious to me he is CAPABLE of rolling from back to belly. He loves to play with his toys, and we just figured out how to lower the jumperoo so that he can use that as well. He loves to be busy - he cannot sit still for too long! I've also noticed that he is starting to reduce his naps - he is only napping maybe 2x each day for 30 minutes or so lately. The past two days, he has slept until 9:00 am! I'm not certain if that is a good idea - I think he should wake up by 8 or 8:30, so I may have to nip this new habit in the bud.
Our food update - since Micah tried peas, he has also tasted avocado, green beans and squash. Tomorrow is day three of squash, and then we will move on to sweet potatoes. He loves eating. Last night, I was holding him while I went to get my own dinner, and he tried to grab the squash out of the fridge - it was clear he wanted more food. I made myself a bowl of cottage cheese, and he kept trying to eat it! He opened wide every time I had a spoonful that I brought towards my mouth, and started to cry when I would not share. I gave him a little extra squash to make him happy. Today, when he finished his squash and cereal, he was still hungry and kept grabbing at the spoon until I gave him more. Tomorrow we are going to try to increase to 3 tbs cereal and 3 tbs squash!
This weekend is going to be crazy busy. Tomorrow morning, we have the Komen Walk in the morning, and my cousin's wedding at night. On Sunday, we have plans to take Micah with our friends and THEIR son Micah to a baseball game. My niece is also here staying with my parents, so we'd like to squeeze in a visit, too.
I'll give another update after the weekend!
Last night, I looked in the mirror, and there was a big giant mark on my chin. For the life of me, I could not figure out how it got there. I tried washing my face (hey, I've been busy - I thought perhaps I had dirt on my face, or a trail of chocolate) but the mark did not budge. I thought it over, and I decided that Micah must have accidentally head-butted me, and I simply forgot about it. Except the spot was not sore in the least, so I still had my doubts. Today, I was sitting here with our organizer and holding Micah while he stood on my lap. He leaned over, and decided to latch on my chin and start sucking like crazy. I started to laugh because I remembered that he spent all night on Wednesday doing the same thing...and I'm certain I have identified the source of my chin hickey. Micah is teething, and he was so fussy on Wednesday, and it seemed to be the only thing that was soothing him. Like every good mother, I just let him gnaw away on my chin because I'd really had enough of the fussing. I think I'll wear the hickey as a badge of honor - it should look great with my dress at the wedding on Saturday night.
Work has been crazy for me this week. I agreed to do an interview survey of 14 projects to look at their policies and procedures and help identify some best practices and make recommendations to improve their program. Each interview lasts 1 1/2 - 2 hours, and we have been trying to cram as many as possible in this week. On Monday, while Micah was in daycare, I did 3 interviews, another conference call, and tried to get some other work done. On Tuesday, our new babysitter started work! She was great with Micah, and it freed me up to do a few more interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday. I cut my day a bit short on Wednesday because Micah was a fuss-budget, and I was afraid of scaring the babysitter. Thursday, Micah went to the babysitter's house - my friend's kids were there, and another neighborhood kid, so it was a big giant playgroup. It worked out well, as I had 2 more phone interviews, a GE tech came to replace the microwave that caught fire two weeks ago, and the cleaning crew was here. I hope I presented an air of calm on my interviews despite the surrounding chaos. I was hoping the babysitter would return again today, but no such luck - she had other plans. DH covered Micah while I did an interview this morning. He left for a meeting around 11:30, and I managed to sneak in 2 other conference calls while Micah napped. I spent the rest of the day playing with Micah.
I am amazed by how much Micah is growing and developing. Over the past two days, he really started sitting very well. He is getting fairly steady and able to balance himself and play with toys while he is sitting. He continues to steadfastly refuse belly time or rolling from his back to belly, but it is obvious to me he is CAPABLE of rolling from back to belly. He loves to play with his toys, and we just figured out how to lower the jumperoo so that he can use that as well. He loves to be busy - he cannot sit still for too long! I've also noticed that he is starting to reduce his naps - he is only napping maybe 2x each day for 30 minutes or so lately. The past two days, he has slept until 9:00 am! I'm not certain if that is a good idea - I think he should wake up by 8 or 8:30, so I may have to nip this new habit in the bud.
Our food update - since Micah tried peas, he has also tasted avocado, green beans and squash. Tomorrow is day three of squash, and then we will move on to sweet potatoes. He loves eating. Last night, I was holding him while I went to get my own dinner, and he tried to grab the squash out of the fridge - it was clear he wanted more food. I made myself a bowl of cottage cheese, and he kept trying to eat it! He opened wide every time I had a spoonful that I brought towards my mouth, and started to cry when I would not share. I gave him a little extra squash to make him happy. Today, when he finished his squash and cereal, he was still hungry and kept grabbing at the spoon until I gave him more. Tomorrow we are going to try to increase to 3 tbs cereal and 3 tbs squash!
This weekend is going to be crazy busy. Tomorrow morning, we have the Komen Walk in the morning, and my cousin's wedding at night. On Sunday, we have plans to take Micah with our friends and THEIR son Micah to a baseball game. My niece is also here staying with my parents, so we'd like to squeeze in a visit, too.
I'll give another update after the weekend!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
I usually do not urge people to make donations, but today I am going to make an exception. For the 5th year, I am walking on Saturday in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, in honor of my friend Eric’s sister, Melissa, who died 5 years ago of breast cancer at age 32. Each year, in addition to soliciting donations by email, Eric's wife Niki and I bake cookies to put out at her office. Those donations have helped us contribute hundreds of dollars to the cause. In fact, last year I was at Niki's house baking cookies the day I discovered I was pregnant with Micah.
Monday, June 1, 2009
I'd rather strangle her than sing with M
My playgroup decided to join a "Singing with M" class on Thursdays. This session is only 4 sessions in July, and it really is perfect. I got a note from the other mommies in our playgroup this weekend confirming which class, so I went online to sign up last night (I was told by the other girls they had contacted M, let her know we were joining as a group, and we were all set). When I got to the website, it said that there was a $15 late fee for registering after May 15. I sent M a note saying that I was part of the group that contacted her, and since she just confirmed that the 10:30 class would be age appropriate for our group, I was ready to sign up. She very politely responded and told me that she had a late fee policy, and it was unfortunate I did not contact her sooner.
I couldn't help myself. The price per class session is about $15, so a $15 late fee is the cost of another session. It isn't that I cannot afford the $15, but the principle of it was irritating me. I sent her another note, again explaining that I DID contact her earlier as I was part of a group who initially contacted her in April. Here was her response:
Hi, T!
I'm delighted that you would like to join us, and I have a wonnnnderful Sizzling Session planned, too! Everyone who you have named (except for one), is already is enrolled, and each enrolled individually (they rushed in their registrations). It would be wonderful for the two of you to join us in our Thursday 10:30 class!
Please know that I always offer Early Bird Savings deadlines. In fairness to everyone who has registered early to gain savings, I need to be consistent. We still have room for you in our class, but there is a $15 late fee after May 15th. (If it makes you feel better, I too am paying late fees for the camps I am placing my children in this summer, as I did not register them early on.)
I am holding your space through the end of this week to allow you ample time to mail in your summer registration. As I'm sure you understand, I can only hold spaces for a few days. Let me know if you have any other questions. My best, :) M
I'm delighted that you would like to join us, and I have a wonnnnderful Sizzling Session planned, too! Everyone who you have named (except for one), is already is enrolled, and each enrolled individually (they rushed in their registrations). It would be wonderful for the two of you to join us in our Thursday 10:30 class!
Please know that I always offer Early Bird Savings deadlines. In fairness to everyone who has registered early to gain savings, I need to be consistent. We still have room for you in our class, but there is a $15 late fee after May 15th. (If it makes you feel better, I too am paying late fees for the camps I am placing my children in this summer, as I did not register them early on.)
I am holding your space through the end of this week to allow you ample time to mail in your summer registration. As I'm sure you understand, I can only hold spaces for a few days. Let me know if you have any other questions. My best, :) M
I have to say, I'm annoyed. I understand she has a late fee policy, but I do think that in this instance, she should waive it. Especially since I am certain that several of the girls in the group registered late, but did not pay the late fee. So, in fairness she really should waive the fee this one time. In this economy, most people/places are just happy to fill spaces in their classes! And to risk someone not enrolling over a $15 fee is ridiculous! Especially with the word of mouth we could create.
So, now I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. I think the $15 fee is outrageous, but M is clearly not going to waive it. All of our other friends are going to be in this class, and I think it will be good for Micah. So, it is a choice between standing on principle or doing something because it will be good for Micah. I'm probably stuck paying the $15 because I do want to have Micah participate with his playgroup, but I can assure you I'm going to do everything in my power to convince the ladies not to enroll in another one of these classes next session since M was so uncooperative about this. There are so many other teachers and classes, and I think any of them would be a better choice.
What would you do? Am I being ridiculous about her attitude towards the late fee?
Shattered
As I often do, I managed to break another glass last night. I think I need to buy an extra 18-32 glasses to keep in the basement so that I can be sure I'll have enough when we have a big dinner. Do most people go through a few glasses each month? Lately, I think I've been going through a few each week. I think between the granite countertops and the hardwood floors, I'm breaking them more often.
Without fail, I always break the glasses late at night, while I am barefoot, and the glass is ALWAYS full. I went to refill my water glass last night, and I'm still not sure what happened . . . I think it must have committed suicide. The glass just threw itself off of the ledge where it was resting. Not surprisingly, it didn't just break, it SHATTERED. The glass shards managed to cover a 4 mile radius, I think. Okay, maybe only 15 feet, but still, I'm always impressed by how well glass travels.
So, here is how the cleanup routine happens. First, the dog comes running, excited to try and eat all the glass on the floor. Have you ever tried to fend off an eager dog while standing barefoot surrounded by glass? It takes a special kind of talent. Then, I need to obtain help because it is impossible to move when standing barefoot surrounded by millions of glass shards while restraining a dog. Last night it was particularly challenging - have you ever tried to scream upstairs for your husband's attention while the baby is asleep? Yeah, not an easy accomplishment. After I get DH to help, we have to figure out how to mop up the wet. He likes to use dish towels, however, I prefer to use paper towels because of all the glass (I don't think it is a good idea to track glass through the house or put it through the washing machine). We have an obligatory tiff about wasting paper and ruining the environment, and then he gets me the paper towels to clean up. After picking up the few large shards, drying up the water and getting some shoes on, we usually attempt to vacuum up the glass. The cleanup process took us 40 minutes last night!
Have you ever noticed that some objects just want to be destroyed? In college, I had bottles of nail polish that I swear used to jump off the shelf to their demise on a regular basis. Have you ever had an object "commit suicide" on your watch?
Without fail, I always break the glasses late at night, while I am barefoot, and the glass is ALWAYS full. I went to refill my water glass last night, and I'm still not sure what happened . . . I think it must have committed suicide. The glass just threw itself off of the ledge where it was resting. Not surprisingly, it didn't just break, it SHATTERED. The glass shards managed to cover a 4 mile radius, I think. Okay, maybe only 15 feet, but still, I'm always impressed by how well glass travels.
So, here is how the cleanup routine happens. First, the dog comes running, excited to try and eat all the glass on the floor. Have you ever tried to fend off an eager dog while standing barefoot surrounded by glass? It takes a special kind of talent. Then, I need to obtain help because it is impossible to move when standing barefoot surrounded by millions of glass shards while restraining a dog. Last night it was particularly challenging - have you ever tried to scream upstairs for your husband's attention while the baby is asleep? Yeah, not an easy accomplishment. After I get DH to help, we have to figure out how to mop up the wet. He likes to use dish towels, however, I prefer to use paper towels because of all the glass (I don't think it is a good idea to track glass through the house or put it through the washing machine). We have an obligatory tiff about wasting paper and ruining the environment, and then he gets me the paper towels to clean up. After picking up the few large shards, drying up the water and getting some shoes on, we usually attempt to vacuum up the glass. The cleanup process took us 40 minutes last night!
Have you ever noticed that some objects just want to be destroyed? In college, I had bottles of nail polish that I swear used to jump off the shelf to their demise on a regular basis. Have you ever had an object "commit suicide" on your watch?
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