hanging out with grandpa

Today was not a day set aside to do anything really except to have the baby spend time with her grandfather so it was very lazy and leisurely which was what, I think, all of us needed. The baby has been tired the last 2 days or so, not even standing up in her crib when we come into her room. She has a mild fever and although quite cheerful and playful most of the day, she started to lie down during playtime which is not usual. If she’s not better by tomorrow, I’ll call the pediatrician and possibly take her into the doctor on Monday if needed.

The baby went out for a half hour walk with her grandfather in the morning, and we opted to cancel baby’s haircut appointment for what would have been her first haircut. Sharp pointy things and a sick, cranky baby who hadn’t napped long enough just didn’t seem so wise. We did hang out at the house most of the day and the baby quietly played with her toys, but we did manage to get out and walk to the local Chinese shopping center and introduce the grandfather to the joy of soup dumplings. We also let the baby walk around and gave her some eggshell waffles. She was tired toward the end though and a bit wobbly on her feet, so we put her back in the kokopax and walked home.

She didn’t get much mommytime today but she did want me to read her books and put her to bed so we ended her day, like pretty  much every day, with hugs. She babbled a lot while I was rocking her, like she was telling me a story and going “yeah, yeah, yeah” and talked herself to sleep after I left the room.

fixing a flat, a burst pipe, and grandpa in town

Things accomplished today: Waited a little less than an hour at the tire place while they patched a tire with a slow leak. Good news was that the patch was complementary. Bad news is that the tire tread has run out, probably from being driven with low air pressure in the tire, so we’ll probably need to replace the tire – or rather two tires since it’s best to replace in pairs. Checked out my neighbor’s backyard which he designed himself with an orchard area, a garden area, and a pond area all in one compact space. He did a beautiful job and even built these gorgeous trellises in his backyard. Grandpa arrived in town from a business trip so we went to the airport to return his rental car after baby had a snack then went straight to the park. Afterward, we came back and found the contractors sitting on the driveway, waiting to drain the pool…. We fed baby dinner then we all went out for an adult dinner together at the Fish Market and I had raw oysters and smoked trout. Finally, I can feel free to eat seafood again!

Tomorrow’s plans: Visit with grandpa and hopefully babysitting! I am especially hopeful about sleeping in this weekend since grandpa starts the day early.

Baby’s new tricks: Nothing really new. She’s teething and may have a touch of a cold so she’s fussier than normal. At the tire place, she did discover a water color and was especially attracted to the red lever so I had to keep dragging her away from there. She also seemed to recognize her grandfather right away since she didn’t treat him as a stranger although it did take her a little bit of time to place him or get comfortable.

interrupted sleep cycles and bad English food

The baby woke up at 2am and decided that this was a fine time to stay up and play so it was only with considerable protestations and co-sleeping that we finally got her back to sleep around 5:30am. Looking back, it’s amazing that we got through the baby’s first three months, but then my sleep habits were more in sync with hers at that time. Sooo painful to wake up and move when interrupted in the middle of a sleep cycle.

Things accomplished today: So, not much accomplished today. Lack of sleep makes me truly irritable and short tempered. The baby actually napped in her own crib without too much fuss for 90 minutes but I didn’t get a nap. Most of the day was spent trying to clean up in preparation for FIL’s visit this weekend but looking around me now, progress on the homekeeping front is not visible.  Went to the park. Also went to a bar with some other moms and enjoyed adult company and bad English food.

Tomorrow’s plans: Baby gym. More cleaning. Possible playdate in the afternoon.

Baby’s new tricks: She walked halfway home either by herself or “pushing” the stroller.

My head is pounding now. Heading to bed early and hopeful that the baby will sleep through the night tonight.

music class, tire pressures, pavers and mores

The baby was very cheerful today. This entry done because I truly do not remember what happened during my day unless I write it down.

Things accomplished today: Took baby to music class and watched her steal all the toys and run away from all the activities. Adjusted air pressure in tires so that the warning light on the dashboard was no longer lit. Picked up medicine for M at the pharmacy. Ate lunch at Starbucks and discovered that Starbucks makes its own version of the sausage and egg MacMuffin. Showed paver samples to the contractors and learned that we picked different paver types from what they had in mind from the quote. Continued with the kitchen re-organization. Walked to the Chinese shopping plaza with a friend and watched the babies push the strollers around the courtyard. Practiced piano – learning the songs from the Pride & Prejudice songtrack.

Tomorrow’s Plans: Figure out the paver business since we have a Friday deadline now. Get some free formula received in the mail to another mom in the playgroup. Continue with the house re-organization and cleaning in anticipation of FIL’s arrival. Ladies night out with some friends for dinner.

Baby’s new tricks: Marching. She started marching in music class today, lifting her knees higher than she does when she walks. She marched at home a little but only lifted one leg high but not the other which was a little worrisome at first because I worried she was injured but she seemed fine upon closer inspection. She also started following me around the house with DVD cases and kept offering them to me like they were books.

I wonder if the baby liked Kandinsky. She keeps picking up a book with a Kandinsky painting on the cover and giving to me as if she wants me to read the book. She also traces the lines and shapes in the Kandinsky with her little fingers.

Currently reading: The Sportswriter by Richard Ford. Just 50 pages or so in and am not enjoying it. Something about the narrator is annoying me. Anyway, must continue with the book for book club later this month. Also reading Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn. Another slightly annoying read. While I agree with much of what he has to say philosophically, I’m not sure that he has any practical advice to provide except to keep an eye out for what lessons our kids might be learning despite our best intentions and not to lose sight of our long term goals for short term gains in effecting our kids’ behavior.

3.26.2010

It’s been hard to find time to post – except in the wee hours when both husband and baby are asleep, and then I want to sleep, too – so this is the first time in about a month that I’ve even attempted to write in this space. I’m taking advantage of the precious time that the bear cub is asleep – or at least lying quietly in her crib and taking a brief pause in protesting her confinement – to write here so I’ll be brief.

What we’ve been up to…..

We went to Tahoe to give the baby a chance to play in the snow. She did not fully appreciate this opportunity but took what advantage of it she could, bundled in too many layers of clothing and snow gear. We made the new parent mistake of bundling her in too many layers so that she not move which dampened the experience a little.

I did my first mommy group event and co-organized a birthday party. It went well as far as mommy group events go but I’m looking forward to being a simple, happy attendee next time. I’m carrying on with my mommy group activities as an officer, but I’ve decided to step down in the fall. Must plot how to gracefully bow out of the role.

We’re planning a trip to Victoria, BC. It should be very pretty but the journey will take multiple days. Wish us luck. We’re hoping that the baby likes boats. We figure that she will and at least we’ll be in a beautiful area.

Speaking of boats, the husband and I took a rare date night for a dinner cruise in the bay. It was nice. And more significantly, the baby was babysit for 6 hours by a non-family member and she loved it.

Passover is next week so I’m on the hunt for kugel and dessert recipes…. I think I will make a chocolate orange cake for the dessert.

I’m also thinking about hosting an Easter brunch….

The baby is furthering her mobility skills by scaring the crap out of me. She’s into climbing and isn’t afraid of heights. She took a tumble off the play structure at the park yesterday and although it looked like she landed on her head, shoulder, and neck, came out unscathed. She cried and had mulch and pebbles stuck up her nose from the landing, but quickly forgot about it within minutes….

And we’re going to demolish our backyard, level it since it is multilevel right now, and fence the pool. Six weeks of contractors. Crossing my fingers….

knock knock knock

Last week, the baby grabbed her wheelie bug and zoomed down the hallway and rammed it into the bedroom door. She called out to me in her little baby way, stretching out her little arm and holding her hand out for me to take so that I would know she wanted me. I said, “You got to knock on the door. Go knock, knock, knock.”

The baby lifted her hand and knocked three times on the door, so I walked over and opened the door for her.

Someone understands more than I give her credit for.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Today was a low key Valentine’s Day because my husband is getting ready for a trip and I have a cold – or really bad allergies, I have yet to determine which – but the day started off well.

My husband surprised me with balloons! A huge cupcake balloon for me and a smaller pink balloon for the baby.

And when the baby woke up, I laid her down on the changing table to zip her out of her sleep sack and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

The baby smiled and waved.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!”

A bigger smile and another wave. And an even bigger smile when she saw the balloons my husband brought home.

We also finished off the day with Baskin Robbins and my husband putting the baby to bed and making dinner.

A nice day.

a good day although not without a few bumps

We started the day running late to the baby gym, but the baby had a lot of fun once there. She waved at many of the other babies and parents, climbed through tunnels, went down the slide, held on to ladders, and rammed the pushcart back and forth into the wall and a pile of gym mats.

Afterward, we met Sprat and her baby at Panera. I carried the baby in and when I was paying, I had nowhere to put her except on the counter. When I took my credit card out, she grabbed it and then held it out to the cashier. She was also very good during coffee and sat in a high chair, kicking her feet back and forth and smiling. She kicked off one shoe and sock and waved at other customers, especially the ones who wouldn’t look at her.

Then more play at home, a late 2 hour nap for both of us, and the park! I met with another mom to discuss the birthday party for the playgroup that we are putting together. m crawled, cruised, and walked around the tot lot, went on the swing where one of the mom’s sons decided to gently push her, and she also crawled up the stairs to the slide and slid down the slide. Unfortunately, she likes to slide head first so I’m trying to teach her to go feet first. She was fine most of the time but the last time she slid down, she went too fast and bumped her chin. A few tears, but she quickly stopped.

She also had another unfortunate bump at home when she launched herself on a new ball which M bought for her last night. She landed square on her stomach, rolled, and then slid off and into the window. She cried and cried until I got an ice pack and put it on her head and then she would snatch it away and throw it to the floor. Since she didn’t mind my touching her head, I don’t think she was hurt too badly, but I’ve taken the ball away for now.

After dinner, she cruised around the house for a bit and played with my phone. At bath time, she expected me to entertain her and gave me her bath toys which I made sing and dance along the bath tub rim. She sat back in her tub and giggled.

2.3.2010

I’m ambivalent about using this update template which I made up for myself and have been using lately. On the one hand, it makes it easy to write and post. On the other hand, what I post is not thoughtful but it at least records what I’ve done since I so often forget from day to day where my time is going. For now, I’ll try this for the short month of February to get in the habit of having time to write in this space and then hopefully will move on to more interesting entries (at least, more interesting to me). At the very least, my husband can get a glimpse of what the baby and I do all day.

I woke up feeling tired because the baby woke up an hour early. M was up and out of the bed and her room before I was quite awake so I didn’t hear her cry. Very sore and tired all day because I stayed up an extra hour last night and because I’m feeling sore from the work out last night.

Things accomplished today: Trip to the Container Store where I purchased bins, mailing boxes, food gift bags, etc. Useful things to help me send gifts out and organize what I have. The baby loved zooming around the Container Store in the cart, but she really, really wanted to grab everything. The rest of the day was spent trying to tire the baby out so she could nap and when she finally did it was rather late and ran into park time. Did laundry during the day. Baked ginger spice cookies. I feel like I spent a lot of today feeding the baby and cleaning up after mealtime – and then she would be hungry again….

Tomorrow’s Plans: Baby gym in the morning, clean up before lunch in preparation for a visit from both the cleaning lady on Friday (I find it so ironic that I clean up for the cleaning lady – she doesn’t care but it helps her focus on the tasks that I really want her to get done) and my father-in-law. Playdate in the afternoon and I handoff the cookies I backed tonight for the new mom’s gift bag that is being put together for a mom in our group. Gym workout.

Baby’s new tricks: She was adorable today and very energetic. We missed going to the park because she took her nap very late in the afternoon and by the time we were up, it was getting a little too late to go and too close to dinner time. Tomorrow should be a much more active day for her. Today, she practiced climbing on and off our futon bed. She also would lie next to me and try to “read” with me as I browsed through the Kindle; she likes New Yorker cartoons. (I think I should look for simple illustrations, etc. to put on the Kindle). She is getting better at drinking with a sippy cup that has a straw – she can do it but prefers the other sippy cups. She also actively hugged her Chrismukah bear, the one that says “I love you,” and she would give the bear very energetic hugs. She is also practicing walking down the hallway, and practicing when I’m not looking. I think she wants to surprise me.

2.2.2010

Things accomplished today: gift shopping for a friend’s new baby. made bloody mary chili. tried out the kokopax with baby both during errands and while cooking dinner. work out with personal trainer. Did some mom’s group work while the baby napped.

The Bloody Mary Chili is made with bloody mary sauce in lieu of tomatoes. It was a very quick recipe as far as chili recipes go and although I have more favorite recipes, it was very good and it got raves from my husband. I did like it that it had carrots, onions, and celery since I prefer my chilis to have a little bit of veggies in them. The baby was also really interested in watching me cook so I would pick her up so she could look inside the pot, but she would cry when I put her back down on the floor. I loaded her into the kokopax and she enjoyed it because she got a better although not great view of what I was doing. Luckily, the recipe was simple enough that I could work on the recipe take a quick lap around the house for baby’s amusement and then go back. Definitely worked out my shoulders and back. The baby even liked her little taste of the chili – I just gave her a small piece of carrot and she didn’t seem to mind the spice.

And then I went to see the personal trainer.  60 squats (both legs) spread out over three circuits of rowing 400 meters and then squats. This was done after I did 3 circuits of dips, single leg squats holding a weight over my head, and burpees. No fun! But a good workout and I definitely work out more effectively with the trainer. I’ve decided to sign on for 5 more sessions with her so I’ll meet her once a week. The rest of my workouts will be up to me.

My body aches right now.

Tomorrow’s plans: Trip to the yarn store to get a birthday present for a friend. Grocery shopping. Bake cookies for the sunshine committee. Hopefully some outdoor time for baby to play.

Baby’s new trick: She did the “more” sign properly! Also, she tried out a sippy cup with a straw and she got it first try but prefers the other cups. Plus, she was so tired on the way back from the baby boutique that she napped in the car. I opted not to go food shopping today in favor of her nap and she slept for 2 hours.

She also likes Morningstar sausage links but not as much as she likes cheese. She also enjoyed a little bit of paneer tikka massala (I only gave her rice dipped in the sauce) and a little taste of chili.