See the tooth? See it?
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Jack the brat.
My new hand splint is seriously sexy. Black and strappy. I’m wearing it right now. It makes typing odd since I can’t move my left thumb. Aggravating. The appointment at the medical equipment supply office went pretty smoothly. I put Noah on a blanket on the floor of the reception area with some toys to keep him occupied while I filled out forms. He immediately made friends with an older woman waiting to get a new improved cane. She chatted with Noah as he constantly scanned the office, taking in every movement, every sound. “He don’t miss a trick,” she said. Soon she started talking fondly about her son’s infancy. She then revealed that he’s now 25. When she talked about her adult son she certainly wasn’t as taken with him. “I call him Jack the brat,” she said none too fondly. It made me sad. Of course Noah was busy charming another patron, the receptionist and even the doctor. Think they’ll find him as cute at 25?
Then we headed to Target. I bought a lightweight stroller and a few baby outfits on clearance. Oh – and Rollos. I ate an entire roll of Rollos in about two seconds flat. Yum. How’s that for lunch? I wasn’t 100 percent sure of my stroller purchase so in the evening we headed to our local Toys R Us/Babies R Us to see if they had my dream stroller. They didn’t. But we stopped at Rita’s water ice on the way home so the trip was well worthwhile.
I’m already annoyed with the splint. It's constantly in my way. Like gloves. I never wear gloves during the winter because they impair me and they’re too much of a hassle to put on and take off all the time. Annoying.
Made a few phone calls yesterday too. Ms. Janette and her almost one month old Jules are doing well. She seems to be enjoying mommy-hood even in the dreaded first three months. My Dad is planning a picnic on Sunday to celebrate the Fourth and my brother Jim’s birthday. And my Mom sounds awful – she’s horribly sick and sounds like a bullfrog with laryngitis. Hope you feel better Mom! Oh and got a great voice mail from the lovely Tracey who gave me a good lead on a kitchen table. I won’t reveal more until the deal is done. Ciao!
Then we headed to Target. I bought a lightweight stroller and a few baby outfits on clearance. Oh – and Rollos. I ate an entire roll of Rollos in about two seconds flat. Yum. How’s that for lunch? I wasn’t 100 percent sure of my stroller purchase so in the evening we headed to our local Toys R Us/Babies R Us to see if they had my dream stroller. They didn’t. But we stopped at Rita’s water ice on the way home so the trip was well worthwhile.
I’m already annoyed with the splint. It's constantly in my way. Like gloves. I never wear gloves during the winter because they impair me and they’re too much of a hassle to put on and take off all the time. Annoying.
Made a few phone calls yesterday too. Ms. Janette and her almost one month old Jules are doing well. She seems to be enjoying mommy-hood even in the dreaded first three months. My Dad is planning a picnic on Sunday to celebrate the Fourth and my brother Jim’s birthday. And my Mom sounds awful – she’s horribly sick and sounds like a bullfrog with laryngitis. Hope you feel better Mom! Oh and got a great voice mail from the lovely Tracey who gave me a good lead on a kitchen table. I won’t reveal more until the deal is done. Ciao!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Noah's Independence Day
It’s going to be another brief post today. I have an appointment later this morning to be measured for a spica splint that should help with my tendonitis. And if Noah’s not too tired by the time that’s said and done then we might go look at strollers. Now that Noah is a sitting-up pro we need a lightweight stroller for easier navigation and portability – but something very sturdy with bigger wheels. And I’d like to have it by Friday because we have a big weekend planned – if we aren’t too daunted and bag it.
Independence Day weekend is always huge in Philly. Mark and I have always made it a point to enjoy some of the Welcome America activities in the city that occur in the week leading up to July 4th. This year it’s tougher of course. But on Friday we hope to attend the free concert on the river by the Philadelphia Orchestra – and navigating crowds will be a lot easier with a smaller stroller. Also we’re very excited for Live8. We can’t safely take Noah out in the huge throngs that will be there during the concert from noon to six, but we’re hoping to go to the Parkway around 8 am just to take a look around at the setup and catch some of the vibe so we can say we were there. We’ll have to break Noah’s no TV rule on Saturday because we’ll want to catch some of the coverage. Since it’s music and a historical event I think the rule can be broken. We’ll have to take a photo of him in front of the TV for the record books.
I love Philadelphia. To me the city is always exciting – brimming with so much to do and see. And a holiday weekend when the city is hosting an event that will be shown worldwide is exhilarating. I hope Philly looks good. And I hope we aren’t ever too cautious to take Noah out to experience some of the things that only our city has to offer.
My friend Patti came to visit for a few hours yesterday afternoon. She hadn’t seen Noah in months and could hardly believe what a sturdy fun little boy he had become. I met Patti during the one year I taught first grade in North Philly. She’s a fifth grade teacher now at a nearby middle school that has a reputation for being dangerous, but she really loves it. She lives a few blocks away and she’s off for the summer so hopefully she’ll be by to visit more often.
Noah keeps trying to pull himself up on anything he can get his hands on. And yesterday he was trying to pull open drawers – both on my desk and on his dresser. He is so active already, and SO determined. Let the fun begin.
Well - that wasn't too brief. Gotta go.
Independence Day weekend is always huge in Philly. Mark and I have always made it a point to enjoy some of the Welcome America activities in the city that occur in the week leading up to July 4th. This year it’s tougher of course. But on Friday we hope to attend the free concert on the river by the Philadelphia Orchestra – and navigating crowds will be a lot easier with a smaller stroller. Also we’re very excited for Live8. We can’t safely take Noah out in the huge throngs that will be there during the concert from noon to six, but we’re hoping to go to the Parkway around 8 am just to take a look around at the setup and catch some of the vibe so we can say we were there. We’ll have to break Noah’s no TV rule on Saturday because we’ll want to catch some of the coverage. Since it’s music and a historical event I think the rule can be broken. We’ll have to take a photo of him in front of the TV for the record books.
I love Philadelphia. To me the city is always exciting – brimming with so much to do and see. And a holiday weekend when the city is hosting an event that will be shown worldwide is exhilarating. I hope Philly looks good. And I hope we aren’t ever too cautious to take Noah out to experience some of the things that only our city has to offer.
My friend Patti came to visit for a few hours yesterday afternoon. She hadn’t seen Noah in months and could hardly believe what a sturdy fun little boy he had become. I met Patti during the one year I taught first grade in North Philly. She’s a fifth grade teacher now at a nearby middle school that has a reputation for being dangerous, but she really loves it. She lives a few blocks away and she’s off for the summer so hopefully she’ll be by to visit more often.
Noah keeps trying to pull himself up on anything he can get his hands on. And yesterday he was trying to pull open drawers – both on my desk and on his dresser. He is so active already, and SO determined. Let the fun begin.
Well - that wasn't too brief. Gotta go.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
On cups and cribs
I’m expecting a visitor today, so this’ll be brief.
I finally have a nursing bra I’m happy with. And yes, I’m talking about my breasts again. As you may know I’m well endowed in the mammary area, too well endowed. I hate it. And it’s been worse while breastfeeding. I only went up one cup size from a DD to a DDD – but the problem hasn’t been so much the size as it is the components of a nursing bra. You see- while nursing your breast sizes changes over the course of a day and therefore nursing bras are made to be flexible – which is not overly supportive. The only nursing bras that I’ve seen that purport to be supportive are also riddled with weighty ugly seams that show through clothes and I don’t want any more attention drawn to my unwieldy bust line. But last week my mom got me two new nursing bras that are both supportive and seamless and I’m on cloud nine. The cup size is off by one because they don’t make DDD, but the little bit of run over I’m experiencing is worth ignoring for a little bit of lift. Hallelujah! I feel ALMOST normal. Of course it probably won’t be long until I shrink them so I better enjoy it while it lasts.
Things are still a bit sketchy with the crib. There is too much room in there for Noah’s tossing and turning and therefore he’s waking himself up more often. Last night he was up at 11 pm, 12:30 am, 2:30 am, and 5:00 am. Yawn. Hopefully it’s just going to be a few nights of transition and then he’ll go back to normal. PLEASE!
All right. I’ve got to go pick some things up off the floor so it’s not such a godforsaken mess around here.
I finally have a nursing bra I’m happy with. And yes, I’m talking about my breasts again. As you may know I’m well endowed in the mammary area, too well endowed. I hate it. And it’s been worse while breastfeeding. I only went up one cup size from a DD to a DDD – but the problem hasn’t been so much the size as it is the components of a nursing bra. You see- while nursing your breast sizes changes over the course of a day and therefore nursing bras are made to be flexible – which is not overly supportive. The only nursing bras that I’ve seen that purport to be supportive are also riddled with weighty ugly seams that show through clothes and I don’t want any more attention drawn to my unwieldy bust line. But last week my mom got me two new nursing bras that are both supportive and seamless and I’m on cloud nine. The cup size is off by one because they don’t make DDD, but the little bit of run over I’m experiencing is worth ignoring for a little bit of lift. Hallelujah! I feel ALMOST normal. Of course it probably won’t be long until I shrink them so I better enjoy it while it lasts.
Things are still a bit sketchy with the crib. There is too much room in there for Noah’s tossing and turning and therefore he’s waking himself up more often. Last night he was up at 11 pm, 12:30 am, 2:30 am, and 5:00 am. Yawn. Hopefully it’s just going to be a few nights of transition and then he’ll go back to normal. PLEASE!
All right. I’ve got to go pick some things up off the floor so it’s not such a godforsaken mess around here.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Sleep? Say what?
This weekend was exhausting and sleep deprived for us all.
For some odd unexplainable reason Noah would not go to sleep on Friday night. He was exhausted which is what caused me to activate the bedtime sequence, but after I nursed him he just got restless and could not get comfortable. After 45 minutes I was so frustrated I gave up. I brought him down to Mark in the office and we played for almost an hour. I couldn’t stay grumpy because he was being giddy, chatty and brain-splittingly cute. Finally he was plum tuckered and he went to sleep without a lot of commotion.
As I mentioned Saturday we had plans to spend the afternoon in Green Lane Park with my Mom and her family. We had to leave our place a little before noon to get there on time – and since I wanted Noah to nap in the car we kept him up through his normal morning nap. He slept well during the hour drive but of course we got to the park at one and he was still a bit sleep deprived. He was smiling and chatty when we got him out of the car and was playing happily independently on a blanket for awhile but when my cousin Tammy’s 9 month old son Evan started to cry loudly Noah chimed in. From that moment on it was as if Noah was afraid of Evan. He’d start to cry a bit just to look at him. Noah doesn’t cry very often these days so I was a bit flustered about what to do. I got even more flustered when the baby sunscreen we used on him caused his eyes to get red and his nose to break out into a rash. Luckily this dissipated quickly and he cheered up. There was plenty of mesmerizing activity for him to watch, so much in fact that we couldn’t get him to nap despite the fact that he was obviously exhausted. The heat wasn’t too bad because we had shade and a nice breeze, but it was still really sticky and I don’t think that was of much help either. My Mom bounced him diligently for what seemed like an hour – but no nap was to be had. But overall he was a little trooper – relatively good natured for a trying but fun afternoon with family. Mark, Noah and I went back to my Mom’s place to wash up and then go out to dinner. Noah fell asleep in the car ride to Mom’s place so Mark drove in circles for a bit so he could get about twenty minutes of rest. It must have done the trick because he was a champ at Applebees of Qtown. When we left to drive home at 8pm I was certain he would conk right out. WRONG. Not only did he stay awake for the entire hour drive, it took an additional hour to get him to sleep once we got home. Once again the hour before bed he just laughed, babbled and rolled around. Until suddenly at 9:45 he just stopped giggling, closed his eyes and dozed off.
Yesterday Noah napped well and went to bed promptly – in his crib for the first time. We moved his crib from his nursery to our bedroom yesterday. Mark and I spent all morning looking for the assembly instructions and turned up squat. So we finally decided to wing it and just took it apart so we could move it upstairs. Luckily it wasn’t too difficult. Not as difficult as the war I’m waging against the ants. Yesterday morning I freaked out when there were ants all over the floor in Noah’s nursery. I soon realized it was I who put them there. Seems a bunch of the ants who’ve been taking over our living room had made their home in the diaper bag I left there the evening before, and when I moved it to the nursery they decided to all come out and explore the new terrain. We can’t really annihilate the damn things with bug spray because the chemicals and fumes aren’t good for Noah – so I’ve been vacuuming up ants as I see them. Of course they’re probably starting their new colony in the vacuum bag which I have yet to empty. And in the midst of my ant-fueled hysteria a giant gross thousand leggery thing came out from nowhere and scared the bejezus out of me. I started shrieking and I swooped down to rescue Noah from the floor. Mark killed it and scolded me for my over-the-top reaction, lest Noah freak out too. I knew exactly what he meant but it was an emotional reaction that I didn’t have time to think about or modify. Not sure I’ll be able to get a handle on that one. Especially if I ever see a roach. Nothing is more disgusting and horrifying to me.
Mark nudged me awake this morning and pointed at Noah lying awake in the crib. I thought he was doing one of those “look at our cute boy” things we do, until I looked at the clock and realized it was 1:20 AM. I guess when Noah started to shuffle about in anticipation of a feeding I didn’t wake up as I usually do because the crib, though right by the bed isn’t right next to the bed. So by the time I scooped him up he was completely awake – which doesn’t usually happen. It took me fifty minutes to feed him, get him back to sleep and put him back in the crib. I hope I quickly get better at hearing him start signaling for a feeding. I don’t want to have to get us both back to sleep every night - that’s one of the reasons we moved the crib.
So the newest super cute thing is that Noah is regularly asking for clarification. He’s constantly making this high pitched “Huh?” sound. Mark and I echo it so we sound like one very confused group of folk.
For some odd unexplainable reason Noah would not go to sleep on Friday night. He was exhausted which is what caused me to activate the bedtime sequence, but after I nursed him he just got restless and could not get comfortable. After 45 minutes I was so frustrated I gave up. I brought him down to Mark in the office and we played for almost an hour. I couldn’t stay grumpy because he was being giddy, chatty and brain-splittingly cute. Finally he was plum tuckered and he went to sleep without a lot of commotion.
As I mentioned Saturday we had plans to spend the afternoon in Green Lane Park with my Mom and her family. We had to leave our place a little before noon to get there on time – and since I wanted Noah to nap in the car we kept him up through his normal morning nap. He slept well during the hour drive but of course we got to the park at one and he was still a bit sleep deprived. He was smiling and chatty when we got him out of the car and was playing happily independently on a blanket for awhile but when my cousin Tammy’s 9 month old son Evan started to cry loudly Noah chimed in. From that moment on it was as if Noah was afraid of Evan. He’d start to cry a bit just to look at him. Noah doesn’t cry very often these days so I was a bit flustered about what to do. I got even more flustered when the baby sunscreen we used on him caused his eyes to get red and his nose to break out into a rash. Luckily this dissipated quickly and he cheered up. There was plenty of mesmerizing activity for him to watch, so much in fact that we couldn’t get him to nap despite the fact that he was obviously exhausted. The heat wasn’t too bad because we had shade and a nice breeze, but it was still really sticky and I don’t think that was of much help either. My Mom bounced him diligently for what seemed like an hour – but no nap was to be had. But overall he was a little trooper – relatively good natured for a trying but fun afternoon with family. Mark, Noah and I went back to my Mom’s place to wash up and then go out to dinner. Noah fell asleep in the car ride to Mom’s place so Mark drove in circles for a bit so he could get about twenty minutes of rest. It must have done the trick because he was a champ at Applebees of Qtown. When we left to drive home at 8pm I was certain he would conk right out. WRONG. Not only did he stay awake for the entire hour drive, it took an additional hour to get him to sleep once we got home. Once again the hour before bed he just laughed, babbled and rolled around. Until suddenly at 9:45 he just stopped giggling, closed his eyes and dozed off.
Yesterday Noah napped well and went to bed promptly – in his crib for the first time. We moved his crib from his nursery to our bedroom yesterday. Mark and I spent all morning looking for the assembly instructions and turned up squat. So we finally decided to wing it and just took it apart so we could move it upstairs. Luckily it wasn’t too difficult. Not as difficult as the war I’m waging against the ants. Yesterday morning I freaked out when there were ants all over the floor in Noah’s nursery. I soon realized it was I who put them there. Seems a bunch of the ants who’ve been taking over our living room had made their home in the diaper bag I left there the evening before, and when I moved it to the nursery they decided to all come out and explore the new terrain. We can’t really annihilate the damn things with bug spray because the chemicals and fumes aren’t good for Noah – so I’ve been vacuuming up ants as I see them. Of course they’re probably starting their new colony in the vacuum bag which I have yet to empty. And in the midst of my ant-fueled hysteria a giant gross thousand leggery thing came out from nowhere and scared the bejezus out of me. I started shrieking and I swooped down to rescue Noah from the floor. Mark killed it and scolded me for my over-the-top reaction, lest Noah freak out too. I knew exactly what he meant but it was an emotional reaction that I didn’t have time to think about or modify. Not sure I’ll be able to get a handle on that one. Especially if I ever see a roach. Nothing is more disgusting and horrifying to me.
Mark nudged me awake this morning and pointed at Noah lying awake in the crib. I thought he was doing one of those “look at our cute boy” things we do, until I looked at the clock and realized it was 1:20 AM. I guess when Noah started to shuffle about in anticipation of a feeding I didn’t wake up as I usually do because the crib, though right by the bed isn’t right next to the bed. So by the time I scooped him up he was completely awake – which doesn’t usually happen. It took me fifty minutes to feed him, get him back to sleep and put him back in the crib. I hope I quickly get better at hearing him start signaling for a feeding. I don’t want to have to get us both back to sleep every night - that’s one of the reasons we moved the crib.
So the newest super cute thing is that Noah is regularly asking for clarification. He’s constantly making this high pitched “Huh?” sound. Mark and I echo it so we sound like one very confused group of folk.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Food, folks and fun.
Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time rearranging our bedroom so that we can move Noah’s crib up there. As I mentioned a cajillion times I’m not ready to move Noah to his nursery because he still feeds at least once in the middle of the night and I don’t feel like hiking down the stairs and to the back of the house at 3 am. But we have to get him out the bassinet because he’s started trying to pull himself up. He’s such a big boy now – soon he’ll be the one moving the furniture around. Though decoratively I think I prefer the old setup, the new one makes the room a lot more spacious. So now that there is a designated space for the crib we have to take the thing apart to move it upstairs. I’m not looking forward to that. It was quite an ordeal assembling it to begin with. I hope we all survive.
Tomorrow we are going to Green Lane Park to spend the afternoon with my mom’s family – Mom, Grammy, Aunt Jill, Cousin Tammy and her husband Tom and two kids Aelan and Evan, and my Aunt Donna who is visiting from Ohio with my cousin Tracey’s daughter Tyria. It’s going to be a scorcher tomorrow. I might have to bring a water gun so I can shoot myself. But if we can find some shade it should be a lovely afternoon. We’re getting together for Donna’s visit and also to celebrate Tyria’s fifth birthday. We don’t get to see Tyria often because she lives in Ohio, but it seems that soon we’ll see her even less. My cousin Tracey, her mother, does not have custody and her father is in the military and about to be stationed in Texas. I keep wondering if Tyria will grow up continuing to know this part of her family. It’s a sad thought but one I have because I know from personal experience that with a disjointed family people move in and out of your life. A couple of years ago I was thrilled to spend time with my ex-stepsisters Barbara and Cathy –I hadn’t seen them for over ten years and was quite sad to lose touch with them when my Dad and their mother got divorced and they moved to Florida. But hopefully though we might not see Tyria consistently, she will come to know us some day.
Noah has got a toof! One of his front teeth has erupted from his gum and it’s quite sharp. I want to get a picture of it but it’s still pretty slight and Noah won’t keep his mouth open long enough for me to capture it on … well not film, I guess in megabytes? Today is grocery Friday and I plan to buy him some biting biscuits. If it occurs to him to put them in his own mouth he should enjoy them. Golly that boy can eat. Part of the reason I gained 75 pounds while pregnant with him was because my appetite was insatiable. In fact I felt sick only when I wasn’t eating. And I seriously believe that there is a correlation between my voracious pregnancy appetite and that little ravenous boy. I swear he would eat and nurse every hour on the hour if I would feed him. And he never thinks he’s full. He’ll just keep eating until he starts to spit it back up. Crazy little glutton. Well I better get in gear to finish my grocery list, select the appropriate coupons from my stash, and pack up a bag for any grocery/baby emergency that may occur.
Have a good weekend!
Tomorrow we are going to Green Lane Park to spend the afternoon with my mom’s family – Mom, Grammy, Aunt Jill, Cousin Tammy and her husband Tom and two kids Aelan and Evan, and my Aunt Donna who is visiting from Ohio with my cousin Tracey’s daughter Tyria. It’s going to be a scorcher tomorrow. I might have to bring a water gun so I can shoot myself. But if we can find some shade it should be a lovely afternoon. We’re getting together for Donna’s visit and also to celebrate Tyria’s fifth birthday. We don’t get to see Tyria often because she lives in Ohio, but it seems that soon we’ll see her even less. My cousin Tracey, her mother, does not have custody and her father is in the military and about to be stationed in Texas. I keep wondering if Tyria will grow up continuing to know this part of her family. It’s a sad thought but one I have because I know from personal experience that with a disjointed family people move in and out of your life. A couple of years ago I was thrilled to spend time with my ex-stepsisters Barbara and Cathy –I hadn’t seen them for over ten years and was quite sad to lose touch with them when my Dad and their mother got divorced and they moved to Florida. But hopefully though we might not see Tyria consistently, she will come to know us some day.
Noah has got a toof! One of his front teeth has erupted from his gum and it’s quite sharp. I want to get a picture of it but it’s still pretty slight and Noah won’t keep his mouth open long enough for me to capture it on … well not film, I guess in megabytes? Today is grocery Friday and I plan to buy him some biting biscuits. If it occurs to him to put them in his own mouth he should enjoy them. Golly that boy can eat. Part of the reason I gained 75 pounds while pregnant with him was because my appetite was insatiable. In fact I felt sick only when I wasn’t eating. And I seriously believe that there is a correlation between my voracious pregnancy appetite and that little ravenous boy. I swear he would eat and nurse every hour on the hour if I would feed him. And he never thinks he’s full. He’ll just keep eating until he starts to spit it back up. Crazy little glutton. Well I better get in gear to finish my grocery list, select the appropriate coupons from my stash, and pack up a bag for any grocery/baby emergency that may occur.
Have a good weekend!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Do the Swedes eat burritos?
News flash. You can go to Ikea and pick up a couple of random knick knacks between $.99 and $4.99 and not spend that much cash. However if you buy 21 things – it adds up. Master Noah and I learned this yesterday during our afternoon outing. We went to Ikea both to check out their kitchen tables and just to get out of the house. I mostly bought storage-y type things. Plastic bins for toys that are scattered all over the house. Laundry hampers. A trash can. Real exciting stuff. When the girl rang me up my mouth fell open. I mean I put back the fewer big ticket items I had considered buying because I didn’t want to spend very much. I didn’t break the bank or anything – I just hadn’t done the math in my head. However I must say it feels really satisfying to come home with some practical things that you have been intending to buy for a long while. And Ikea is always fun for eye candy. I found a kitchen table I liked well enough and I decided we need a white Billy book case for Noah’s room – now I just have to figure out how in hell we are going to get them back to our house. Mark may have to go by himself after removing the car seat from our mini-wagon. Oh – and did you know you can get a bacon, egg and potato breakfast every morning at Ikea for $.99! We were there at lunch and didn't taste test the goods but Mark and I might have to check it out some morning. If you can get out of there without buying anything it would be a killer deal.
Our trip to Ikea was also a trip down memory lane. Ikea was my first solo outing with Noah. He was less than three months old. He was very unhappy being strapped in his infant seat so I took him out and then I couldn’t steer the cart. He cried and we left without accomplishing anything. It went so badly that when I got back home I thought “How in the hell am I ever going to take this kid anywhere by myself?” In comparison yesterday’s trip was a cake walk. A joy in fact. He sat in the floppy seat happily and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Swedish furniture wonderland. The only issue was getting him and my bags to the car since you can’t take the damn cart into the parking lot. I had to leave some things unmanned sitting outside in the loading area and go back to get them. I’m not trusting enough to feel comfortable about that, but it went fine.
Yesterday evening I had a check-up with my GP. I stocked the stroller with Noah and necessities and took the subway to meet Mark at the station near my doctor’s office. He took Noah to Washington Square Park to play while I had my doctor’s visit. I'm happy to say my health is in good order. I got a referral for a wrist specialist and a prescription for a spica splint for my tendonitis – of course after she told me the best thing I could do for my wrist is not carry Noah around so much. To that I laugh. HA! The doctor even made me feel good about my weight – telling me that at 170 I was only 6 pounds over what they considered my regular weight. Sometimes I forget that for 10 years I weighed in the 160s before joining Weight Watchers. The lowest weight I’ve had as an adult was in the 140s but that was for such a brief period of time – yet I keep thinking that I weigh 30 pounds more than I should, when really my average adult weight is less than 10 pounds away. I won’t be a super model or anything but for a 5’ 9” woman with breasts that are too damn big, 170 is not as obese as I sometimes make myself feel. Sure, I’d feel better if I lost 15 pounds, but I need to be a little less harsh on myself for what I weigh right now. And to that end the boys and I followed up my check-up with burritos at El Fuego. Yum. Of course that certainly won’t help me with bathing suit season. One step forward, two steps back.
Our trip to Ikea was also a trip down memory lane. Ikea was my first solo outing with Noah. He was less than three months old. He was very unhappy being strapped in his infant seat so I took him out and then I couldn’t steer the cart. He cried and we left without accomplishing anything. It went so badly that when I got back home I thought “How in the hell am I ever going to take this kid anywhere by myself?” In comparison yesterday’s trip was a cake walk. A joy in fact. He sat in the floppy seat happily and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Swedish furniture wonderland. The only issue was getting him and my bags to the car since you can’t take the damn cart into the parking lot. I had to leave some things unmanned sitting outside in the loading area and go back to get them. I’m not trusting enough to feel comfortable about that, but it went fine.
Yesterday evening I had a check-up with my GP. I stocked the stroller with Noah and necessities and took the subway to meet Mark at the station near my doctor’s office. He took Noah to Washington Square Park to play while I had my doctor’s visit. I'm happy to say my health is in good order. I got a referral for a wrist specialist and a prescription for a spica splint for my tendonitis – of course after she told me the best thing I could do for my wrist is not carry Noah around so much. To that I laugh. HA! The doctor even made me feel good about my weight – telling me that at 170 I was only 6 pounds over what they considered my regular weight. Sometimes I forget that for 10 years I weighed in the 160s before joining Weight Watchers. The lowest weight I’ve had as an adult was in the 140s but that was for such a brief period of time – yet I keep thinking that I weigh 30 pounds more than I should, when really my average adult weight is less than 10 pounds away. I won’t be a super model or anything but for a 5’ 9” woman with breasts that are too damn big, 170 is not as obese as I sometimes make myself feel. Sure, I’d feel better if I lost 15 pounds, but I need to be a little less harsh on myself for what I weigh right now. And to that end the boys and I followed up my check-up with burritos at El Fuego. Yum. Of course that certainly won’t help me with bathing suit season. One step forward, two steps back.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
For the love of loving
Back home after a day spent in Qtown paying visits to both my Mom, and my Dad & Oma. Mom works at home on Tuesdays so we went to her place for lunch before picking up Dad from work and heading to Oma’s. It was a belated Father’s Day visit and also a chance to give Dad a few more computer pointers. We gave him “Internet for Dummies” and “The Beginners Guide to Computer Basics” for Father’s Day and hopefully they’ll be of some help. Dad is doing a really good job of just fooling around with the computer and not getting too discouraged.
When Noah and I were saying goodbye to both my Mom and Dad they both said “Thank you for bringing Noah to see me.” It really does touch me how much they both appreciate the chance to spend time with him. Not everybody loves babies, even those who have had kids – but when your parents actually enjoy getting down on the floor and playing with your infant it’s really moving. They both get SO excited to see all the new things he can do and hear about how he’s doing. We’re very lucky in that way. And seeing the way my parents are with Noah reminds me that it was their interest, involvement and love of me at all ages that made me who I am today. We’ve all got our issues with ourselves and the circumstances of our childhood, but I always felt very loved as a kid and I think that fact alone made me a relatively happy well-adjusted individual. So I have to remind myself that though Mark and I will make mistakes and not everything will go as we planned or even be perceived as we hope, if Noah feels, sees and knows how much he’s loved that it will have the greatest lasting impression on his personality.
When Noah and I were saying goodbye to both my Mom and Dad they both said “Thank you for bringing Noah to see me.” It really does touch me how much they both appreciate the chance to spend time with him. Not everybody loves babies, even those who have had kids – but when your parents actually enjoy getting down on the floor and playing with your infant it’s really moving. They both get SO excited to see all the new things he can do and hear about how he’s doing. We’re very lucky in that way. And seeing the way my parents are with Noah reminds me that it was their interest, involvement and love of me at all ages that made me who I am today. We’ve all got our issues with ourselves and the circumstances of our childhood, but I always felt very loved as a kid and I think that fact alone made me a relatively happy well-adjusted individual. So I have to remind myself that though Mark and I will make mistakes and not everything will go as we planned or even be perceived as we hope, if Noah feels, sees and knows how much he’s loved that it will have the greatest lasting impression on his personality.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Hola Padre!
Sunday was Mark’s very first Father’s Day. A holiday that never before applied to him and will now always pertain to him. Noah and I got him the new Spoon CD, “The Wasp Factory” - a book off his Amazon wishlist, “Kite Flyer” - a fictional novel set in contemporary Afghanistan, and The Beatles song book. He seemed pleased enough. We’re a book and CD giving sort. Then we went to breakfast at Silk City Diner. At 7 am. You heard me – 7 am. Since Silk City Diner is open 24 hours on weekends we have been there very early in the morning many times, but only after being out all night long. Silk is real busy til 4 am and again after 10 am – but at 7 it's pretty empty. We had a lovely meal and were home by 8. In the afternoon we headed to Central Jersey to spend time with Mark’s Grandmother, his Dad, and his Dad’s wife Sylvia. Once again Sylvia made about 20 different things to eat and I felt sick from overeating the whole rest of the afternoon. I feel compelled to take just a little of everything which results in eating an insane amount of food. Sylvia spent some time showing me a bunch of saris that her daughter had brought from Canada – Sylvia is half English and half Pakistani, raised in Pakistan but lived in Toronto for many years before moving to Jersey to live with Mark’s Dad. The detail work on many of the saris was incredibly beautiful. I wish I had a reason to wear one. Grandma Laima spent a great deal of time telling me how much it sucks to be 95 – everything hurts apparently. But she still has her wits and whip-smart attitude. We gave Mark’s Dad a lovely photo of Mark and Noah as well as a movie theater gift certificate so he can take poor Sylvia out of their apartment. They really need to get out more often. And of course Noah played contentedly and basked in the attention of the crowd.
I knew Mark was going to be an amazing father. He’s so thoughtful, sweet and caring. I knew he’d want to be an equal partner in raising a family and I knew he’d have so much he wanted to show and teach a child. What I had not anticipated was how silly he could be. Mark is funny – but it’s his intelligence, wit and sarcasm that make him so. So it’s a surprise to see him make Noah smile with goofy faces and funny dances. But it’s even more surprising and heartwarming when he’s not ashamed to do it in front of others.
Mark – it’s only been seven months but I’ve got to tell you that you’re already doing an exceptional job. I couldn’t have picked a better father for my children. Thank you for all that you do for us.
I knew Mark was going to be an amazing father. He’s so thoughtful, sweet and caring. I knew he’d want to be an equal partner in raising a family and I knew he’d have so much he wanted to show and teach a child. What I had not anticipated was how silly he could be. Mark is funny – but it’s his intelligence, wit and sarcasm that make him so. So it’s a surprise to see him make Noah smile with goofy faces and funny dances. But it’s even more surprising and heartwarming when he’s not ashamed to do it in front of others.
Mark – it’s only been seven months but I’ve got to tell you that you’re already doing an exceptional job. I couldn’t have picked a better father for my children. Thank you for all that you do for us.
At 6:47 am I scratch my butt.
So this weekend my friends mocked my schedule. They were just joking around I’m sure, and certainly meant no offense but I have to say that I keep thinking about it. You see I take Noah’s schedule seriously because it really seems to work for both him and me and because the childcare books talk about how important it is that a child have a schedule, a routine. That isn’t to say that I don’t vary the schedule when I have things to do – like go visiting. And it doesn’t mean that Noah is a mess when I do vary the schedule, in fact I think he’s more flexible because of the calming effect that the normal predictability gives to him. What it does mean is that the schedule helps me anticipate his needs -he gets sleepy and hungry around the same time every day and takes pretty long consistent naps.
I’m certain not all babies like schedules – since you can’t make a generalization about baby preferences because their personalities are as different as adults. And not every family can maintain a schedule as easily as we can because I’m home. Even our weekends are highly variable because there are constantly things to do and people to see. And just having Mark in the mix all day changes things because he’s an extra set of hands and he can play with Noah while I take a longer shower etc. But Noah seems to do well with his schedule and I know I do. It alleviates some of the feelings of “What am I going to do with him next?” and gives me a framework for which I can try to get some things done. I’ve even been thinking of scheduling my free time while he’s napping so that I’ll try to read a book, do the laundry, straighten up on the same day of the week or at the same time. This sounds a bit crazy even to me because I’ve never been a very organized regimented person with my own time. But I think it might alleviate the feeling that I should always be doing something else but I’m not sure what. I’ll let you know if I end up doing that – and you can be sure to mock me on that too. Because even I think it sounds lame.
Anyway – here is Noah’s schedule. It’s not thrilling reading, but it’s helpful for me to jot it down. The one thing I could really use help with is Noah’s playtimes. I’m always trying to think of new and fun things to do with him, more for my need for variation than his own. If you have some ideas, I’d love to hear them.
5:30/6:30 am – Noah awakes – he’s changed and fed and the three of us play and talk in the bed until it’s time for Mark to get in the shower. I keep Noah occupied with toys and tickling until Mark gets out of the shower and then Noah just enjoys watching Mark get ready for work. He especially loves watching Mark put on his tie.
7:20 am – Mark leaves for work. I put Noah in the Hop n’ Pop while I shower. Then he plays on the bed while I dress. And then he sits in his old car seat while I dry my hair.
8:00 am – Breakfast. Noah and I head to the kitchen. He has either baby yogurt with cereal and apple puree or oatmeal with prunes. Then hr plays with toys or jumps in the jumperoo while I have coffee. If I’m super exhausted I skip the coffee so I can take the morning nap with him. After we have both had breakfast, I change Noah’s clothes and then we head to the office and play on the floor until he starts getting visibly tired.
9:00/9:30 am– Morning nap
10:30/11:00 am – Playtime. Either in the office or in the nursery. We read books. Pass a ball back and forth. Crash cars. Rattle things. Roll around on the floor. Sing. Dance. Jump. You get the idea.
12:00 pm – Lunch. Noah has a jar of vegetables and half a jar of fruit.
12:30 – 2:00 pm Free time. This is the most variable time of day. What we do depends on the weather, Noah’s mood, errands that might need to be done. Sometimes he’s just content to play independently so I’ll read email and blogs while he plays on the office floor – or we might go out, for a walk or just sit in the yard or on the front stoop.
2:00 pm – Afternoon nap
3:00/4:00 pm – More playtime. What else do you do with a baby? It’s not like I can send him to work at the mines.
5:00 pm – We go to the kitchen to get ready for dinner. Noah will Jumperoo or play in the Pack n’ Play while I make something to eat.
5:30 pm – Mark comes home. He feeds Noah a jar of meat and half a jar of fruit and we eat dinner.
6:30 pm – Noah has a bath if it’s a bath day. Then the three of us go to the nursery. Mark typically plays with Noah on the floor while I watch or get something done. He often plays guitar for him.
7:00/8:00 pm – Noah goes to bed. Mark and I have adult time – often TV or movie time until about 10:00/11:00 pm. Then we go to bed exhausted knowing we may well be up at 5:30 am.
Laugh if you must. But it really helps my madness to have some method.
I’m certain not all babies like schedules – since you can’t make a generalization about baby preferences because their personalities are as different as adults. And not every family can maintain a schedule as easily as we can because I’m home. Even our weekends are highly variable because there are constantly things to do and people to see. And just having Mark in the mix all day changes things because he’s an extra set of hands and he can play with Noah while I take a longer shower etc. But Noah seems to do well with his schedule and I know I do. It alleviates some of the feelings of “What am I going to do with him next?” and gives me a framework for which I can try to get some things done. I’ve even been thinking of scheduling my free time while he’s napping so that I’ll try to read a book, do the laundry, straighten up on the same day of the week or at the same time. This sounds a bit crazy even to me because I’ve never been a very organized regimented person with my own time. But I think it might alleviate the feeling that I should always be doing something else but I’m not sure what. I’ll let you know if I end up doing that – and you can be sure to mock me on that too. Because even I think it sounds lame.
Anyway – here is Noah’s schedule. It’s not thrilling reading, but it’s helpful for me to jot it down. The one thing I could really use help with is Noah’s playtimes. I’m always trying to think of new and fun things to do with him, more for my need for variation than his own. If you have some ideas, I’d love to hear them.
5:30/6:30 am – Noah awakes – he’s changed and fed and the three of us play and talk in the bed until it’s time for Mark to get in the shower. I keep Noah occupied with toys and tickling until Mark gets out of the shower and then Noah just enjoys watching Mark get ready for work. He especially loves watching Mark put on his tie.
7:20 am – Mark leaves for work. I put Noah in the Hop n’ Pop while I shower. Then he plays on the bed while I dress. And then he sits in his old car seat while I dry my hair.
8:00 am – Breakfast. Noah and I head to the kitchen. He has either baby yogurt with cereal and apple puree or oatmeal with prunes. Then hr plays with toys or jumps in the jumperoo while I have coffee. If I’m super exhausted I skip the coffee so I can take the morning nap with him. After we have both had breakfast, I change Noah’s clothes and then we head to the office and play on the floor until he starts getting visibly tired.
9:00/9:30 am– Morning nap
10:30/11:00 am – Playtime. Either in the office or in the nursery. We read books. Pass a ball back and forth. Crash cars. Rattle things. Roll around on the floor. Sing. Dance. Jump. You get the idea.
12:00 pm – Lunch. Noah has a jar of vegetables and half a jar of fruit.
12:30 – 2:00 pm Free time. This is the most variable time of day. What we do depends on the weather, Noah’s mood, errands that might need to be done. Sometimes he’s just content to play independently so I’ll read email and blogs while he plays on the office floor – or we might go out, for a walk or just sit in the yard or on the front stoop.
2:00 pm – Afternoon nap
3:00/4:00 pm – More playtime. What else do you do with a baby? It’s not like I can send him to work at the mines.
5:00 pm – We go to the kitchen to get ready for dinner. Noah will Jumperoo or play in the Pack n’ Play while I make something to eat.
5:30 pm – Mark comes home. He feeds Noah a jar of meat and half a jar of fruit and we eat dinner.
6:30 pm – Noah has a bath if it’s a bath day. Then the three of us go to the nursery. Mark typically plays with Noah on the floor while I watch or get something done. He often plays guitar for him.
7:00/8:00 pm – Noah goes to bed. Mark and I have adult time – often TV or movie time until about 10:00/11:00 pm. Then we go to bed exhausted knowing we may well be up at 5:30 am.
Laugh if you must. But it really helps my madness to have some method.
Friday, June 17, 2005
The depilatory you use must be better.
Thankfully Patrice came home last night. YAY! I can’t wait to hear about her trip. It certainly will be more exciting than my post since I haven’t even left the state. Though we do have an exciting trip to Jersey planned for Sunday. Who can beat that with a stick?
We were lucky enough to have a visit from Sean and Baby Bella yesterday. They decided to make a rest stop at our house on the way to pick up Patrice from the airport – that way they could avoid some of the rush hour traffic. I’m sure you already know this but I have to say that Baby Bella is like liquid sunshine – so happy, so sweet, so good-natured. Noah stared at her most of the time she was here. Especially when they were trying to play with the same toy. It seems that they’re already at the stage where what someone else has often looks more exciting than what you’ve got – until you get it and think “this ain’t so great” and then you see them with something else that is OBVIOUSLY better. The squishy bath book is always greener in someone else’s hands apparently. Unfortunately that never changes – and it is one of life’s most important lessons in my opinion. I want to use my energy to enjoy the toy I got instead of focusing on what else I could have instead. It’s a constant struggle in a consumerist society that programs us to always want MORE. I know – off the soapbox. Anyway, the kids were super adorable.
As you know I cancelled my table and I also cancelled the shindig I was planning for tomorrow. Soo many people couldn’t come. It’s hard to schedule things during the summer months – and a lot of people were going away for Father’s Day and whatnot. I’m hoping to still have Patrice, Sean, Bella and a few folks over in the afternoon – mostly because I am lonely dammit. Noah is tired of being my main source of social interaction – and he can’t even talk to me about what a sham it was that Irene Cara won “Hit Me Baby One More Time.” He’s super cute and all, but his knowledge of pop culture stinks.
So now to more important topics – shaving my legs. I don’t have the time or energy most mornings. Noah will only hang out in the Hop n’ Pop while I shower for so long before he loses patience. I’m considering Nair. Anyone still use this stuff?
We were lucky enough to have a visit from Sean and Baby Bella yesterday. They decided to make a rest stop at our house on the way to pick up Patrice from the airport – that way they could avoid some of the rush hour traffic. I’m sure you already know this but I have to say that Baby Bella is like liquid sunshine – so happy, so sweet, so good-natured. Noah stared at her most of the time she was here. Especially when they were trying to play with the same toy. It seems that they’re already at the stage where what someone else has often looks more exciting than what you’ve got – until you get it and think “this ain’t so great” and then you see them with something else that is OBVIOUSLY better. The squishy bath book is always greener in someone else’s hands apparently. Unfortunately that never changes – and it is one of life’s most important lessons in my opinion. I want to use my energy to enjoy the toy I got instead of focusing on what else I could have instead. It’s a constant struggle in a consumerist society that programs us to always want MORE. I know – off the soapbox. Anyway, the kids were super adorable.
As you know I cancelled my table and I also cancelled the shindig I was planning for tomorrow. Soo many people couldn’t come. It’s hard to schedule things during the summer months – and a lot of people were going away for Father’s Day and whatnot. I’m hoping to still have Patrice, Sean, Bella and a few folks over in the afternoon – mostly because I am lonely dammit. Noah is tired of being my main source of social interaction – and he can’t even talk to me about what a sham it was that Irene Cara won “Hit Me Baby One More Time.” He’s super cute and all, but his knowledge of pop culture stinks.
So now to more important topics – shaving my legs. I don’t have the time or energy most mornings. Noah will only hang out in the Hop n’ Pop while I shower for so long before he loses patience. I’m considering Nair. Anyone still use this stuff?
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