Monday was our 10th Valentine's day together. It was Libby's second and to celebrate, she got her first haircut! My mom was taking a bath with her and while she played with her bath toys my mom combed and snipped her bangs (since they've been hanging in her eyes). That's it! Super quick. It came out cute and she's definitely looking more like a toddler now. Her walking is getting better and better each day and while she still crawls when she wants to get somewhere or something quickly, she's walking more and more.
We decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on the 15th. We don't really do much...usually just a dinner date. This year we decided to check out The Green Onion. It wasn't bad. The food was tasty and generous portions. We both ordered fish...I had the blackened Ahi and J ordered the stuffed salmon. He couldn't say enough about their famous potato! Dessert was yummy too...fresh apple pie a la mode for me and chocolate bread pudding for him. It was sorta empty while we were there but the service was slow. We had to ask for forks after the salad came and went. And the place looks like it's stuck in 1979. I swear, I was looking for Jack Tripper (from Three's Company) to show up any minute! LOL. But the food was good and the company was GREAT! We've not had a date night for a while and enjoyed just having some couple time together. Before heading to dinner, I got home and the weather was amazing so we took Libby up to La Fortune Park and played in the playground with her. She went down the slide and crawled on the equipment. She had fun watching all of the other kids too.
My mom left today to be in Portland with her sister as she has a bypass. It's scary and my mom is anxious for sure. The surgery is on the 23rd so please send healing and positive vibes to my aunt. With my mom gone that means it's just me and J looking after Libby. Normal, right? Well, we like out "village." My mom helps us so much! Especially now that J is in clinical classes by day and still working nights at the restaurant. So we're punting a bit. She'll be gone two weeks, come home for a week (to help J with Libby while I am at a conference in Chicago, for work) and then return to Portland for another week. Libby will be staying with our friends while J is in class and I am at work. This is the family I met in October. They'd just adopted a baby girl and were looking for donated breast milk for her. So, I gave them my whole freezer stash and have been donating whatever I can pump during the week to them. We've become friends and had a few visits with them. They came to Libby's birthday party and we went to their older daughter's birthday party the following week. The wife is a SAHM and the husband works second shift and is home in the daytime. So we felt comfortable with leaving Libby with them and are so grateful they said "yes" when we asked! I just pray that Libby is amenable and not too crabby or difficult for them to handle. Luckily, their older daughter, who just turned four, plays nicely with Libby and is a good distraction for her. That said, I know Libby will be missing my mom.
Today, I had a late teleconference at work, so J was off and home with Libby all day. It's been a while since he's had her all to himself for that many hours. He's such a great dad and I am sure they had fun having the time together. I picked up take-out from the new Thai Bamboo Bistro that just opened. It was just okay. We love Thai food, but to us the food just tasted like generic American-style Asian food. You know what I mean? Like mall food court Asian food. And it was SUPER salty so I bet they use MSG. We probably won't eat there again. We'll stick with Lanna Thai which is tasty and seems way more authentic.
Showing posts with label married life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label married life. Show all posts
Working Mother's Second Shift
I am used to walking in the door after work and Libby having a slight meltdown. I don't know why, but she cries in a little panicky way when she sees me after I've been gone all day. I try to offload my purse and pump bag, get the parts into the sink, the melted ice pack into the freezer and remove my jewelry and shoes in 1.5 seconds so I can scoop her up before she's pulling on my pant legs which prevents me from being able to move an inch! This afternoon, after work, I got home and Libby was even more clingy than usual (if you can imagine)! Like, I-cannot-even-change-out-of-my-work-clothes-or-use-the-bathroom-alone clingy. I chalk it up to the fact that she had mommy home for six whole days last week and then BAM! I was back at work (and even worked through lunch yesterday so I didn't have my usual lunch date with her).
Anyway, J had an extended day at school (since they anticipate closing tomorrow due to more snow) and my mom had two clients and some errands. I needed to get Libby fed and make dinner so that when J got home he'd be fed too. We played and nursed and I even managed to fold and put away two baskets of clean clothes. No small feat when your cute one-year-old's favorite game is opening the drawer you just filled and pulling all the clothes out onto the floor! After that, I got her settled into her high chair with some food while I got our dinner going (usually we all eat the same meal together but Libby has to have dinner by 5 p.m. or she's a wreck and J wasn't due home until 6 p.m.).
Once she was finished eating, she started to fuss, so I cleaned her up and popped her on my back in the Ergo. I've only back-carried her once and had help getting her on so I wasn't even sure I could do it myself. But I did! And it allowed me another 30-minutes to finish what I needed to do, while keeping Libby close. I love that carrier! And so does she! She also loves pulling my hair when she's on my back, so I need to remember that my hair must be up and out of her reach before I put her back there!
Soon, J was home, we ate and then it was time to get Libby ready for bed. That's the downside to not being a SAHM. I basically get 3-4 hours a day with Libby. And that includes the 30-minutes I see her at lunchtime because I come home to nurse her. It does not include the 30-60 minutes in the middle of the night that I spend nursing/rocking her when she wakes up! Right now she only goes down for 4-5 hours at a stretch. Since she's been sleeping in her crib for about a month now, my next goal is to night wean her. But that means getting more calories into her by day because she's a bit of a reverse cycler. So that's the next step.
I've been reading different ways to do this, but I want it to be as gentle as possible. I don't want her to be hungry at night. Right now, when she wakes, I can hear her tummy growling and she does a full feed, not just a snack or comfort nursing. So, we'll start by trying to get more calories into her by day and see if that doesn't help the night waking a bit. My goal is to have her down from at least 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. without waking. Right now she goes down at 7 p.m. Wakes around 11 p.m. and nurses for about 10 minutes. Then sleeps until 3 a.m. and nurses again. And then stays asleep until 7:30-8 a.m. I'd love to drop that 3 a.m. feed and make it 5 a.m. when I get up for work anyway. And I hope if I do this she'll still want to go back to sleep until 8 a.m. or so, otherwise getting ready for work will be tough. If she's awake and I am home, she wants me and only me. She doesn't get that her mama has to get ready for work and out the door by 6:45 a.m. That said, If I can move the 3 a.m. feed to 5 a.m. and get her back down for another three hours or so, I'll be thrilled.
We're supposed to get another snow storm tonight and I anticipate that I'll be home from work tomorrow. I will enjoy my time home with family. The plus to all of this bad weather has been lots of quality time just playing and reading with Libby. Being home from work, I've gotten a small taste of what my life as a SAHM might be like. I don't know if I'd actually be cut out for it long-term. I find that I have way more patience for parenting when I've not been doing it 24/7. Is that awful? I watched the movie "Babies" last night and after seeing what the Namibian and Mongolian moms had to do all day, everyday, it made me feel like my life (and Libby's) is a cakewalk!
It also reminded me that babies and kids just need the basics to be happy...food and shelter...and LOTS of love from their family members and community.
Anyway, J had an extended day at school (since they anticipate closing tomorrow due to more snow) and my mom had two clients and some errands. I needed to get Libby fed and make dinner so that when J got home he'd be fed too. We played and nursed and I even managed to fold and put away two baskets of clean clothes. No small feat when your cute one-year-old's favorite game is opening the drawer you just filled and pulling all the clothes out onto the floor! After that, I got her settled into her high chair with some food while I got our dinner going (usually we all eat the same meal together but Libby has to have dinner by 5 p.m. or she's a wreck and J wasn't due home until 6 p.m.).
Once she was finished eating, she started to fuss, so I cleaned her up and popped her on my back in the Ergo. I've only back-carried her once and had help getting her on so I wasn't even sure I could do it myself. But I did! And it allowed me another 30-minutes to finish what I needed to do, while keeping Libby close. I love that carrier! And so does she! She also loves pulling my hair when she's on my back, so I need to remember that my hair must be up and out of her reach before I put her back there!
Soon, J was home, we ate and then it was time to get Libby ready for bed. That's the downside to not being a SAHM. I basically get 3-4 hours a day with Libby. And that includes the 30-minutes I see her at lunchtime because I come home to nurse her. It does not include the 30-60 minutes in the middle of the night that I spend nursing/rocking her when she wakes up! Right now she only goes down for 4-5 hours at a stretch. Since she's been sleeping in her crib for about a month now, my next goal is to night wean her. But that means getting more calories into her by day because she's a bit of a reverse cycler. So that's the next step.
I've been reading different ways to do this, but I want it to be as gentle as possible. I don't want her to be hungry at night. Right now, when she wakes, I can hear her tummy growling and she does a full feed, not just a snack or comfort nursing. So, we'll start by trying to get more calories into her by day and see if that doesn't help the night waking a bit. My goal is to have her down from at least 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. without waking. Right now she goes down at 7 p.m. Wakes around 11 p.m. and nurses for about 10 minutes. Then sleeps until 3 a.m. and nurses again. And then stays asleep until 7:30-8 a.m. I'd love to drop that 3 a.m. feed and make it 5 a.m. when I get up for work anyway. And I hope if I do this she'll still want to go back to sleep until 8 a.m. or so, otherwise getting ready for work will be tough. If she's awake and I am home, she wants me and only me. She doesn't get that her mama has to get ready for work and out the door by 6:45 a.m. That said, If I can move the 3 a.m. feed to 5 a.m. and get her back down for another three hours or so, I'll be thrilled.
We're supposed to get another snow storm tonight and I anticipate that I'll be home from work tomorrow. I will enjoy my time home with family. The plus to all of this bad weather has been lots of quality time just playing and reading with Libby. Being home from work, I've gotten a small taste of what my life as a SAHM might be like. I don't know if I'd actually be cut out for it long-term. I find that I have way more patience for parenting when I've not been doing it 24/7. Is that awful? I watched the movie "Babies" last night and after seeing what the Namibian and Mongolian moms had to do all day, everyday, it made me feel like my life (and Libby's) is a cakewalk!
It also reminded me that babies and kids just need the basics to be happy...food and shelter...and LOTS of love from their family members and community.
Time Flies!
I am a bad blogger! Ever since this summer, I've really not kept up with it. I've resolved that 2011 I'd get back to posting more regularly. So here goes...
Time has certainly flown! I can hardly believe me baby girl is going to be one year old in less than a week. Holy moly! She's nearly walking and has been talking up a storm for the past few weeks.
Here's where we left off with the blog....I'll catch you up with photos!
August 2010:
October 2010:
We had an awesome first Thanksgiving in Las Vegas with her paternal grandparents:
Libby's first Christmas was so fun! There's so much magic to the season viewed from a little's eyes!
Here are some favorite photos from December 2010:
Whew! What a whirlwind the past six months have been! So much has happened. Libby's gone from crawling to standing to cruising to walking with a push toy. It's only a matter of time before she ditches the push toy and takes off on her own!
Time has certainly flown! I can hardly believe me baby girl is going to be one year old in less than a week. Holy moly! She's nearly walking and has been talking up a storm for the past few weeks.
Here's where we left off with the blog....I'll catch you up with photos!
August 2010:
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| First Plane Ride...to CA to see friends and family |
September 2010:
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| First Labor Day |
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| Meltdown in Three Clicks |
October 2010:
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| Trip to Seattle...I had to work so my mom came along so I could have Libby with me |
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| Living in a hotel for 10 days is rough! |
Nine Month Photoshoot with Malisa Morgan Waldrop in Woodward Park:
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| First Halloween - Our Little Busy Bee |
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| First time with her paternal grandfather and stepgrandmother |
Libby's first Christmas was so fun! There's so much magic to the season viewed from a little's eyes!
Here are some favorite photos from December 2010:
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| First look at Christmas lights |
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| Small Christmas Tree for her room |
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| Newest ornament |
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| first carousel ride |
Holiday Portraits
They were a hit on our holiday cards this year!
First visit with Santa Claus
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| Christmas Eve |
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| Christmas Morning with new toys from Santa Claus |
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Christmas night with new ball pit from uncle and auntie |
Whew! What a whirlwind the past six months have been! So much has happened. Libby's gone from crawling to standing to cruising to walking with a push toy. It's only a matter of time before she ditches the push toy and takes off on her own!
She's still LOVING her books and has quite the vocabulary these days. We love when she says, "bumble, bumble" (bumblebee), "purple," and "hippopapa" (hippopatamus)...she also says: mama, dada, gah (grandma), puppy, kitty cat, blue, shoe, clap, cup, book, all done, night-night, car, and hi.
Our little being will be ONE on January 25th...her first birthday party is this Saturday!
I've done a lot of DIY for her party and will post pics on Sunday!
Home is where the heart is...
I've been a bad blogger. This summer has been so crazy and so many unexpected things have come to pass that I cannot keep up...
On Sunday we returned from a week long vacation in California. It started with a cousin's wedding in Beverly Hills, two nights at my-best-friend-since-the-third-grade's house in Alta Loma followed by a six hour drive north on Highway 5 to my twin brother's house in Tracy. While we were all at the wedding his plumbing backed up and flooded his house! What a nightmare. His babysitter (who was watching four kids at the time) managed to clean up the worst of it, but he and my sister-in-law returned home on Monday and did the rest of the dirty work. When we arrived on Tuesday evening, there was a wrecking crew there taking out floors and drywall and installing huge, industrial fans and dehumidifiers. We stayed one night and decided to move on to our BFFs place in Modesto. They just welcomed their second son in July and have a two year old. We stayed in their cozy guest room for three nights and then returned to my brother's for one last night before heading to the airport at 4 a.m. We landed in Tulsa at 6 p.m. and by then had sore throats. Not good.
Monday I went into work for 5 hours and then came home early so J could go to class (since my mom is still on vacation, visiting her sisters in Oregon). I got home and spiked a fever and had chills as well as achy joints. Libby had a runny nose and was feverish too. We climbed into bed and napped and nursed off and on from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. J has a scratchy throat too and was feeling run down as well. We turned in at 9 p.m. but were up all night with Libby. I finally conceded to sleeping with her in the rocker/recliner in her nursery. At 8 a.m. I fell into bed while J got her ready to see the pedi. Turns out she has a virus that needs to run its course. I assume J and I have the same. I stayed home from work today to rest and hopefully kick this bug! It sucks that the price for a week away from home is coming back sick. Libby is 7 months and 6 days old and this is the first time she's every been ill. So sad. Hopefully it'll pass quickly.
Our week in California was a whirlwind. We crammed in as many visits as possible and Libby met a ton of people...she loved every moment! She's SO social. She slept like a rock each night from all of the activity which impressed upon us that we need to do more with her, here at home. Speaking of home, Sunday, when we arrived in Tulsa and made our drive into midtown to our neighborhood I actually felt like we were on our way home. Weird. It's taken two years for me to feel that way. Before, I felt like going to California was going home and although being there feels SO familiar and comfortable, it didn't exactly feel like home anymore. I do not miss the crazy traffic and hectic pace there at all. And the smoggy air either. I do miss the people though. My brothers and best friends. I will I could get them all to move here! Thankfully, my mom is here...if she weren't I know I'd be more homesick. So...for now, Tulsa is home. It's our daughter's birthplace. And where we'll be for some time. That said, I cannot wait until our next trip to California. Maybe for Libby's first birthday? We shall see.
On Sunday we returned from a week long vacation in California. It started with a cousin's wedding in Beverly Hills, two nights at my-best-friend-since-the-third-grade's house in Alta Loma followed by a six hour drive north on Highway 5 to my twin brother's house in Tracy. While we were all at the wedding his plumbing backed up and flooded his house! What a nightmare. His babysitter (who was watching four kids at the time) managed to clean up the worst of it, but he and my sister-in-law returned home on Monday and did the rest of the dirty work. When we arrived on Tuesday evening, there was a wrecking crew there taking out floors and drywall and installing huge, industrial fans and dehumidifiers. We stayed one night and decided to move on to our BFFs place in Modesto. They just welcomed their second son in July and have a two year old. We stayed in their cozy guest room for three nights and then returned to my brother's for one last night before heading to the airport at 4 a.m. We landed in Tulsa at 6 p.m. and by then had sore throats. Not good.
Monday I went into work for 5 hours and then came home early so J could go to class (since my mom is still on vacation, visiting her sisters in Oregon). I got home and spiked a fever and had chills as well as achy joints. Libby had a runny nose and was feverish too. We climbed into bed and napped and nursed off and on from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. J has a scratchy throat too and was feeling run down as well. We turned in at 9 p.m. but were up all night with Libby. I finally conceded to sleeping with her in the rocker/recliner in her nursery. At 8 a.m. I fell into bed while J got her ready to see the pedi. Turns out she has a virus that needs to run its course. I assume J and I have the same. I stayed home from work today to rest and hopefully kick this bug! It sucks that the price for a week away from home is coming back sick. Libby is 7 months and 6 days old and this is the first time she's every been ill. So sad. Hopefully it'll pass quickly.
Our week in California was a whirlwind. We crammed in as many visits as possible and Libby met a ton of people...she loved every moment! She's SO social. She slept like a rock each night from all of the activity which impressed upon us that we need to do more with her, here at home. Speaking of home, Sunday, when we arrived in Tulsa and made our drive into midtown to our neighborhood I actually felt like we were on our way home. Weird. It's taken two years for me to feel that way. Before, I felt like going to California was going home and although being there feels SO familiar and comfortable, it didn't exactly feel like home anymore. I do not miss the crazy traffic and hectic pace there at all. And the smoggy air either. I do miss the people though. My brothers and best friends. I will I could get them all to move here! Thankfully, my mom is here...if she weren't I know I'd be more homesick. So...for now, Tulsa is home. It's our daughter's birthplace. And where we'll be for some time. That said, I cannot wait until our next trip to California. Maybe for Libby's first birthday? We shall see.
Overwhelmed With Love
Sometimes, when I look at my little one, I am so overwhelmed by my feelings of love that it brings me to tears. Like tonight, as I rocked her...the tears just came as I watched her drift off to sleep. It used to worry me...the fact that I could cry so easily. But I know realize that it's okay. Tears don't always mean sadness. And as much as laughter and a smile can express my joy, something about crying is also a release of the love that swells inside of me. I have always been sensitive to beauty...be it art or music or poetry or a moment...like tonight. And it brings me to tears.
A lot of parenting feels overwhelming...the love, the wonder....and the frustration too. Like last night. Libby just didn't want to sleep. We rocked and nursed and snuggled and had white noise and she would fight the entire time. Then, she'd finally give in, fall asleep and then the dogs would bark and she'd be wide awake again! This went on from 6 - 11 p.m. I think she finally just passed out due to sheer exhaustion! And I was exhausted too!
Lately, I have been feeling restless...some things have changed at work and that has led me to reevaluate my path. It's a good thing, even if it was prompted rather unexpectedly by circumstances beyond my control. And as I think about our future, I am opening my mind up to all of the possibilities that exist...even the ones I am not even aware of at this moment. Five years ago I never, in a million years, would have imagined that I'd be married, living in Tulsa with my mom, my husband and our baby. Never. So who knows where we'll be in the next five years? Not me. I have hopes and dreams, but won't fully know where we'll until we get there. And that's okay. A little overwhelming. But okay none the less.
A lot of parenting feels overwhelming...the love, the wonder....and the frustration too. Like last night. Libby just didn't want to sleep. We rocked and nursed and snuggled and had white noise and she would fight the entire time. Then, she'd finally give in, fall asleep and then the dogs would bark and she'd be wide awake again! This went on from 6 - 11 p.m. I think she finally just passed out due to sheer exhaustion! And I was exhausted too!
My mom is away for two weeks and I am realizing just how much she's been a help...a savior...to us in these first six months of parenthood. When I get home from work, she'll play with Libby so I can get something to eat and get out of my work clothes. If I give Libby a bath she'll help me get her dried off and dressed. These "little things" all add up to a tremendous amount of help and also to some balance for me. She's home in the daytime too and helps J a lot as well. I always knew that we were incredibly lucky to have her living with us right now, but this time apart just reaffirms it for me. And I am so grateful that my little girl is developing a very special relationship with her grandma and that my mom is here to help me as I learn to become a mother.
Lately, I have been feeling restless...some things have changed at work and that has led me to reevaluate my path. It's a good thing, even if it was prompted rather unexpectedly by circumstances beyond my control. And as I think about our future, I am opening my mind up to all of the possibilities that exist...even the ones I am not even aware of at this moment. Five years ago I never, in a million years, would have imagined that I'd be married, living in Tulsa with my mom, my husband and our baby. Never. So who knows where we'll be in the next five years? Not me. I have hopes and dreams, but won't fully know where we'll until we get there. And that's okay. A little overwhelming. But okay none the less.
First {Half} Birthday!
Libby is six months old today. Half a year. Already. Wow! Where is 2010 going? I cannot believe that six months ago we had this little, tiny newborn girl and today she's a big, healthy baby getting ready to crawl! She's developing SO fast! In the past month she's learned to sit unassisted, is grabbing at EVERYTHING, scooting to get what she wants, reaching for people and pets, tasting food and |thisclose| to saying "mama." She also continues to teethe like crazy and still, no actual teeth are in sight! Poor little. She's fiercely independent. And extremely curious. She's also got a hot temper and a silly sense of humor. She just loves to laugh! And squeal. Loudly. What can you expect? She's the daughter of two opera singers!
I can barely remember our life before Libby...isn't that weird? I mean, we've been together almost nine years, so obviously there was a lot of life together before she came along. But these past six months...I don't know...it's as if our life together before her seems like ancient history now. And sure, we can get caught up in the day-to-day stuff like, "Did she poop today?" and "We need to wash her diapers" or "What time did she go down for a nap?" and "She needs new clothes, these ones are too small!" but through it all we are so in love with our baby girl. And more in love than ever with each other. Watching her grow and change these past six months is nothing short of amazing. What a miracle a new life is. And how blessed are we to be her parents? She has made our lives so much richer.
I know that these next six months will fly by as fast as the first and soon we'll be celebrating her first birthday. Wow. And to think this time last year she was about the size of a plum! Now? She's a tall girl already...I figured she would be since I am 5'9" and her daddy is 6"3'. She's headed into size 24 month clothing. I am not kidding. Her 18 month size things are getting quite snug, both in length and width. I doubt we'll be finding any cutesy item that says "Baby's First Christmas" in her size come December. I try to find things that fit but are age-appropriate...especially developmentally appropriate. She's not even crawling yet, so we need things that allow her freedom of movement and aren't binding at the waist...not an easy feat when most things her size are styled for toddlers. Luckily, it's still hot so she wears one-piece bubble rompers or onesies most of the time right now. When it turns cooler, I hope she'll fit into the one-piece Carter's outfits we have for her in 24 months size. After that? I suspect she'll be wearing 3T, which means no more diaper-friendly snaps in the crotch. Oh boy. Maybe once she starts crawling she'll slow down a bit on the growing, but I doubt it. And I think Santa need to bring this girl a basketball hoop. Seriously.
I can barely remember our life before Libby...isn't that weird? I mean, we've been together almost nine years, so obviously there was a lot of life together before she came along. But these past six months...I don't know...it's as if our life together before her seems like ancient history now. And sure, we can get caught up in the day-to-day stuff like, "Did she poop today?" and "We need to wash her diapers" or "What time did she go down for a nap?" and "She needs new clothes, these ones are too small!" but through it all we are so in love with our baby girl. And more in love than ever with each other. Watching her grow and change these past six months is nothing short of amazing. What a miracle a new life is. And how blessed are we to be her parents? She has made our lives so much richer.
I know that these next six months will fly by as fast as the first and soon we'll be celebrating her first birthday. Wow. And to think this time last year she was about the size of a plum! Now? She's a tall girl already...I figured she would be since I am 5'9" and her daddy is 6"3'. She's headed into size 24 month clothing. I am not kidding. Her 18 month size things are getting quite snug, both in length and width. I doubt we'll be finding any cutesy item that says "Baby's First Christmas" in her size come December. I try to find things that fit but are age-appropriate...especially developmentally appropriate. She's not even crawling yet, so we need things that allow her freedom of movement and aren't binding at the waist...not an easy feat when most things her size are styled for toddlers. Luckily, it's still hot so she wears one-piece bubble rompers or onesies most of the time right now. When it turns cooler, I hope she'll fit into the one-piece Carter's outfits we have for her in 24 months size. After that? I suspect she'll be wearing 3T, which means no more diaper-friendly snaps in the crotch. Oh boy. Maybe once she starts crawling she'll slow down a bit on the growing, but I doubt it. And I think Santa need to bring this girl a basketball hoop. Seriously.
First (non-furbaby) Father's Day
Yesterday was a great day. J was off work and it was nice to be home as a family doing what families do on any given Sunday. It's a rare occasion in our household for mommy and daddy to have the WHOLE day off together. We slept in and finally got up and had a nice breakfast of bagels with lox and coffee. J opened up his cards from me and my mom and Libby and was happy to receive new "daddy gear"...two pairs of cotton, lounge pants (his favorite) and a funny t-shirt that says, "I like a big rack" with a drawing of baby back ribs grilling on a kettle grill . The double entendre is quite fitting given my current status as a nursing mother who before pregnancy was already a 40E. Whoa mama!
Speaking of grilling, yes, J made his own father's day dinner. Let me preface this by saying the man LOVES to cook. I mean adores it and well, me? Not so much. I mean, we won't starve if I am in charge of the meals, but they're usually quite utilitarian and not the creative works that he puts into it. We had steamed broccoli, grilled chicken and garlic sausages with mustard and roasted garlic potatoes. YUM. He also whipped up some thick, gooey brownies. They came out of the oven and smelled divine. In order not to torture ourselves while they cooled we went for a walk at dusk. I wore Libby in the wrap carrier and J and Libby, me and my mom went for a warm summer's stroll around the neighborhood. We had fun spying fireflies and little cotton tail bunnies. Whew, it's been H-O-T and humid this past weekend. Nearly 100 degrees and probably 70-80% humidity, which of course, makes it feel hotter. So it was nice to get outside, even if it was nearly dark. We got home and the brownies were still warm, but cool enough to eat. We topped them with a dollop of vanilla ice cream...delish!
And so it was. A perfectly delightful Sunday with the family. A wonderful first Father's Day...although don't tell Regina, Luigi and Bella...they've been given Daddy cards for years and it might hurt their feelings if they knew that it didn't "count" until Libby arrived. We've always known that J was an awesome Dad and now that Libby's here, it just confirms what we've known all along.
Speaking of grilling, yes, J made his own father's day dinner. Let me preface this by saying the man LOVES to cook. I mean adores it and well, me? Not so much. I mean, we won't starve if I am in charge of the meals, but they're usually quite utilitarian and not the creative works that he puts into it. We had steamed broccoli, grilled chicken and garlic sausages with mustard and roasted garlic potatoes. YUM. He also whipped up some thick, gooey brownies. They came out of the oven and smelled divine. In order not to torture ourselves while they cooled we went for a walk at dusk. I wore Libby in the wrap carrier and J and Libby, me and my mom went for a warm summer's stroll around the neighborhood. We had fun spying fireflies and little cotton tail bunnies. Whew, it's been H-O-T and humid this past weekend. Nearly 100 degrees and probably 70-80% humidity, which of course, makes it feel hotter. So it was nice to get outside, even if it was nearly dark. We got home and the brownies were still warm, but cool enough to eat. We topped them with a dollop of vanilla ice cream...delish!
And so it was. A perfectly delightful Sunday with the family. A wonderful first Father's Day...although don't tell Regina, Luigi and Bella...they've been given Daddy cards for years and it might hurt their feelings if they knew that it didn't "count" until Libby arrived. We've always known that J was an awesome Dad and now that Libby's here, it just confirms what we've known all along.
What's on your list?
Found this list at JanineB's blog and wanted to play along too.
The things I've done are bolded:
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondla
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90 Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Eaten lunch on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
101. Lit candles at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
102. Been stopped by the cops for making out in my car
103. Been threatened with arrest
104. Had surgery
105. Played on the beach at Malibu
106. Been a bridesmaid
107. Caught the bouquet
108. Been engaged
109. Broken off engagement
110. Acted in a play
111. Directed a play
112. Been to Las Vegas
113. Been to Euro Disney
114. Been to Disney World
115. Been to Capri
116. Seen a snow capped mountain only from afar
117. Been to the Atlantis in the Bahamas
118. been given a kiss that makes you weak in the knees
119. participated in an international student exchange
120. kept a juicy secret for a good friend no one else knows
121. shared a juicy secret with a good friend you haven't shared with anyone else
How many can you check off? What would you add?
I’m adding:
122. Been to Greece
123. Sung at on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera
124. Picked wild blueberries in Alaska
125. Owned a convertible car.
126. Been on television
127. Got a tattoo
128. Divorced
129. Remarried
130. Visited Fiji
131. Camped in Yosemite
132. Hiked to a waterfall
133. Met royalty
134. Ridden in a hot air balloon
135. Stomped grapes into wine
136. Won prize money
The things I've done are bolded:
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondla
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90 Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Eaten lunch on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
101. Lit candles at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
102. Been stopped by the cops for making out in my car
103. Been threatened with arrest
104. Had surgery
105. Played on the beach at Malibu
106. Been a bridesmaid
107. Caught the bouquet
108. Been engaged
109. Broken off engagement
110. Acted in a play
111. Directed a play
112. Been to Las Vegas
113. Been to Euro Disney
114. Been to Disney World
115. Been to Capri
116. Seen a snow capped mountain only from afar
117. Been to the Atlantis in the Bahamas
118. been given a kiss that makes you weak in the knees
119. participated in an international student exchange
120. kept a juicy secret for a good friend no one else knows
121. shared a juicy secret with a good friend you haven't shared with anyone else
How many can you check off? What would you add?
I’m adding:
122. Been to Greece
123. Sung at on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera
124. Picked wild blueberries in Alaska
125. Owned a convertible car.
126. Been on television
127. Got a tattoo
128. Divorced
129. Remarried
130. Visited Fiji
131. Camped in Yosemite
132. Hiked to a waterfall
133. Met royalty
134. Ridden in a hot air balloon
135. Stomped grapes into wine
136. Won prize money
No longer my own dot-com
Over the past two years I have slowly transitioned away from my former email address of info@myname.com and to full time use of myname@yahoo.com which before, I only used for my students to contact me when I was still teaching private voice lessons. That said the Yahoo account gets checked a few times each day and the other one I maybe log into once a week or so. So today I went to log-on and sift through the hundreds of spam and junk mail that normally fill the inbox to see if there were any legitimate messages waiting for me. I typed the usual www.myname.com/mail expecting to see the netmail log-in screen, but instead I saw one of those generic domain parking pages come up in the browser window. Hmm…maybe I misspelled the URL? I tried again. Nope. Same thing. It’s a NetSol page and it says, “Myname.com expired on 5/21 and is pending renewal or deletion.” Wow.
Five years ago, when I renewed my domain name for awesome deal of one-hundred-dollars-for-the-next-five-years I thought, “sure, that’ll be great. I am sure that in five years I’ll still need my domain name even if my website changes before then…” By “changes” I was hoping that meant being picked up by an artists’ management firm and having my website design overhauled to coordinate with the style and layout of the other artists on the roster.
Well, here I am…five years later. Age thirty-five and not a managed artist and no longer a professional singer. (In operaworld being thirty-five years old is still considered quite young and yet having certain professional credentials by that age is seen in the business as an indication of whether one has the capacity of “making it”). I am not even teaching voice lessons, for that matter. So there’s honestly no real need for my own domain and website to exist. Still, today, when I saw it was gone, it felt weird. I admit that I had a small twinge of melancholy for I no longer have a place on the web that features my bio, my reviews, my resume and stage photos. It’s no longer useful to this married-mom-in-the-Midwest with a nine-to-five desk job. Sometimes that life, the one of the struggling-artist-scraping-the-funds-together-to-travel-on-a-transcontinental-red-eye-flight-to-catch-an-audition, seems like an entire lifetime ago. But it really was just about three years ago that I decided to give it all up. Until then, I had spent most of my life making my dreams of being a professional performance artist a reality and suddenly, as my late twenties gave way to my early thirties, I was no longer satisfied with that trajectory. I had never imagined that I’d ever feel compelled to give it up, but I did. The only singing I do these days are acappella intonations of made up ditties and repeated refrains from childhood lullabies. No piano, certainly no orchestra and for the most part, no vibrato. Just simple singing of simple tunes in a simple way. It’s quite amazing that so much has changed in such a short amount of time.
Five years ago, when I renewed myname.com domain for another five years I had aspirations of being thirty-five and singing leading roles at The Met. Of traveling across the Atlantic to make my debut in some vintage European opera house and translating my stellar reviews into English so I could post them proudly to my Press Page. Of appearing through the stage door at midnight with my naturally curly hair coaxed into swoopy, romantic waves from being pinned into circles under the wig I had worn on stage that night. Of smiling graciously, saying “Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed it” or “...it’s always a privilege to perform this piece” while signing programs with the autograph I had so carefully practiced to look effortlessly artistic and befitting of a diva. Of wearing sparkling, silk gowns and sipping imported wine with well-known maestros while cleverly negotiating my next big debut. The person that paid a hundred bucks to have five more years with her own plot in cyberspace never imagined that she’d ever give up singing. Or get married. Or move to the Midwest. Or have a day job. Or have a baby. Today? That person is happier than she had ever been when she was her own dot-com. Go figure.
First Quarter of Mommyhood
Libby turned four months old yesterday. Four months! Where have I been? In a sleep-deprived-fog, apparently. Well, not really. Once I got okay with the fact that despite saying “I’ll never”... I am! Bed sharing, that is. She sleeps in our bed every night and we’re loving it. It makes for a great night’s sleep, actually. We go down most nights between 10-11 p.m. and I wake up at 5 a.m. to get ready for work. She’ll nurse sometime between 2-3 a.m. but I usually sleep right through it. On weekends she’ll nurse again at 5 a.m. and we all sleep in until about 9 a.m. It works brilliantly. So much so that I am thinking we’ll be keeping this arrangement for much longer than I had originally planned.
Before she was born, we had planned on co-sleeping using the Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper (ARCS) until she was about three months old (how I picked that age I don’t know, I guess I figured three months is long enough for an infant to sleep in her parent’s room…wow, how uninformed I was back then). Anyway, she’s a big baby and getting taller by the day and soon won’t fit in her ARCS. So I am formulating a Plan B. I think we might go with this. The problem is, our crib won’t sidecar because it’s got built-in drawers and a changer. So, that means purchasing a second crib/mattress just for the purpose of creating the sidecar situation. I can probably do this via Craigslist for under $150. The other option is just to keep doing what we’re doing which is, most nights the ARCS is acting as a bed rail and she’s sleeping tucked under my arm between me and it. Rarely, we manage to move her over into it, but not as often as I thought we would when I bought the thing. It’s amazing what that 6 inch “lip” does to create a huge barrier to moving a sleeping baby successfully into it. I'll add that to the “wish I had know this before...” list that grows by the day when you’re a new parent.
My only hesitation is this…is it worth buying another crib/mattress to create a sidecar situation? Or should I just tough it out and keep sleeping like we’re sleeping and then consider moving her into her own room and crib in another 2-3 months? Or in 2-3 months will I still want to be bed-sharing and wishing that I had just gone ahead and side-carred a crib? Oh the decisions. In retrospect, we should have not purchased a crib until after she was born and we were more sure of what we would be doing for sleep. It’s funny, because in my last trimester, having the crib in her room somehow made it all feel more real and gave me a sense of peace that we were ready for her arrival. We registered for it and my father sent it as a gift. We mainly use it to store her clothing and for diaper changes. And a random nap here or there. But she’s certainly never spent the night in it. Maybe someday she will, or we’ll just convert it to the youth bed and have her sleep in it when she’s ready as a bigger toddler. But for now, our bed is her bed and we like it that way. More so than I ever thought we would. Because I was one of those who swore, “I’ll never have my baby sleeping in our bed. Never.” Never say never. My “never” only lasted a few weeks. And here we are at four months, loving that we share the bed with our little one.
I'm finally back!
Whew! It's been nearly 4 months since my last post here. What have I been up to?
This:
This:
Our baby girl was born on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 7:04 p.m. I was induced at 5 a.m. that morning and after 12 hours of labor without pain medication finally asked for the epidural. Two hours later I was holding her in our arms.
Life has radically been altered since I've become a mother and I have to say that it's absolutely wonderful. Next week is the official end of my maternity leave (although for the past month I've been working from home part-time and in the office twice a week) and it made me think that it's time to pick back up with this blog. Although, I think the focus will inherently change to most things baby-related, since that is the focus of our lives right now. We're approaching our second anniversary of being Californians in Tulsa...and although I cannot say that I feel like a bonafide Okie, I am raising one now.
I am sure she'll have a different outlook on life...being raised here versus my being raised in San Francisco and J's upbringing in San Diego. I look forward to her not having to grow up too fast. It's refreshing to see here that kids can still be kids for a while and not little adults. But I am also determined that she be open-minded and accepting of all walks of life even if it's not the path she's chosen...a bit of a challenge in a conservative, "red" state, I'd say. Thankfully we're finding an inclusive community of free-thinkers via All Souls Church. Now that our little one is just past the three month mark, we're committed to getting out and connecting with other like-minded folks. We've been here nearly two years and it's time we start setting our roots. The seed has definitely been planted. And her name is Libby Jo.
