Wimpy Wimpy Wimpy

I took Lilah for her 9 month check up yesterday. She is healthy and perfect in every way, Thank G0d. She's working on teeth #5 and 6, she is eating more table food every day, she is babbling with a couple of consistent words (Lilah and Mama), and she has always been a star sleeper. But she is wimpy. She has only gained a little over a pound in the past 3 months. While she can kick the crap out of you and can even do pelvic lifts, and she is seriously lacking in the upper body strength department. In related news, she has no will to crawl. So, we're going to squeeze in an extra meal a day even though she never seems hungry, and we're going to do an upper body workout every morning (which she hates). Over the next 3 months we're going to beef up. GRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm cute, even though I'm wimpy:



Work out? You must be joking.



No, really, I'm good.



See my baby biceps? No? Hmmm.



Who needs to learn how to crawl with a smile like this?

Hmmmmm, updates anyone?

Oh, look! A blog! I kind of forgot about it. So here's what's been going on:

Snow! First we had a little, then we had A LOT. After the first snow, Sophie helped shovel:

We celebrated Chanukah for 8 crazy nights. Well, 6 out of 8 were crazy with parties, dinners, etc. Sophie lit her own menorah for the first year and it was Lilah's first Chanukah!



Aunt Ave graduated from nursing school- with an award! The original graduation date was postponed due to the blizzard, causing Aunt Sharon to miss it even though she flew in specifically for the occasion. We partied on the original graduation date and attended the ceremony the next night. We are so proud of Avery!


Sophie is completely potty trained- even at night! That was FAST! I guess when you're ready, you're ready.


So that's basically what's been going on. All of that plus packing for the big move (less than 2 months to go!), hanging out with friends, not treadmilling as much as I'd like (with the exception of one awesome 16 mile week), and having colds.

You can lead a toddler to a toilet...

...but you can't make her use it until she really wants to. Like every other developmental milestone she has embarked upon, Sophie would not be potty-trained until SHE decided it was time. We went through this with crawling, walking, self-feeding, EVERYTHING! The girl is smart. She is a fast learner. But, boy is she strong-willed. (I wonder where she gets it from?) We had been working on potty-training for the past year. Each time someone had a suggestion for us, my response was, "Thanks! We've actually tried that. She knows exactly what to do and how to do it, she just doesn't WANT to do it yet. When she decides to, she will." This past Friday night she decided it was time. I still don't even know how it happened- it was that quick. One second she was playing, the next she was sitting on the potty going. There was no turning back after that. We've had four successful days now with just a couple of accidents (which were my fault for taking my eyes off of her for one second). Here is our potty training experience in pictures:

This is Sophie a year ago, sitting on her new Elmo potty. She is very excited about sitting on a potty (and getting stickers), but has no interest in actually using it:

This is back in the summer when we bought her underwear. Again, very excited about wearing undies, but when she needed to use the bathroom she would cry hysterically, pleading for a diaper to go in instead of going on the toilet.

The products of yesterday's trip to Target now that Sophie has decided to start using the toilet regularly- new Ariel undies (Elmo was so last year), pull-ups for night time, a second potty seat for the downstairs bathroom, M&M's for rewarding successful potty trips, a princess tea set from Nana and Poppa because WE ARE ALL SO PROUD!!!, and resolve for the inevitable accidents:

We are on a roll here, people, on a roll!

More Turkey, Mr. Chandler?

I love Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love the warm coziness of hanging out by the fireplace for the first time each year. I love the food. I love the company. But it seems like every single year some debacle takes place which puts a damper on my good time. This year it was a bunch of men smoking cigars on my lawn, forcing my kids and myself to be confined indoors for 4 hours as we watched what was supposed to be a fun time. Last year it was a huge fight which erupted the night before Thanksgiving mostly having to do with a general disrespect for me, particularly in my pregnant condition. The year before that, some guests were late, causing the Turkey to be dried out and not the succulent meal I had perfected over the years. And so on and so forth. Each time, I recover from the debacle and still manage to have a nice Thanksgiving. But I can't help but dwell on the fact that it wasn't the perfect day it should have been. I know this probably speaks more about my unrealistic expectations for Thanksgiving to be perfect. You know what would help me lower the bar? If I heard about other people's Thanksgiving debacles. This would shatter the mental image I have of everyone else's day going perfectly. So if you have a bad Thanksgiving story please, please share it! It will be just like the Friends episode!

Celebrity Gift Bags

You know how when celebrities attend events they are provided with fabulous gift bags full of amazing things (because who deserves free stuff more than the richest people in the world?!)? Well, I got to thinking. If I could afford to provide fabulous gift bags for all of my friends, what would I put in them? There are some items and products I use every day that are just so awesome I want to share them with everyone. (And obviously if money were no object I'd buy all my friends diamonds and cars, but these are more like household items.)

Dawn Power Dissolver- you just spray this stuff on before you wash the dishes, then save those items for last. The caked on stuff just wipes away!

Almay Eye Make-up Remover- The only eye make-up remover that takes off waterproof mascara without messing up my contact lenses.

Nutella- holy crap this stuff is good. Highly addicting and most certanly NOT part of a nutritious breakfast as the ads claim. But OMG so good!

A Dyson vacuum cleaner- After using my Dyson for a while now I can say it lives up to the hype. It does a great job and is very user-friendly. I am someone who has had a lot of bad luck with vacuums in the past- they always seem to break on me after a year, no matter how expensive or cheap they are. But the Dyson has outlived them all and I actually like using it.

Tim Gunn Doll- Because I love Tim Gunn and love to hear his catch phrases all day long. Work work work! Designers... Talk to me... Make it work!

Thermacare heat wraps- I have already given these away on many occassions. They work miracles where and when you need them to.

2007 Flechas de Los Andes Gran Malbec- My favorite wine lately. I love rich, spicy dishes and this wine is the perfect pairing with them.

A meal to go with that wine- Either one of my famous roasts or my curried lamb. Both are heavenly.

Pink Fuzzy Bootie Slippers- because they are warm, fuzzy, and kind of dorky, so they make you smile whenever you look down.

The Beatles complete digitally remastered box set- for obvious reasons.

So there you have it. A fabulous gift bag for my fabulous A-listers.

Perspective

2 crazy little girls who did NOT want their pictures taken
2 babies who were tired, hungry, and cranky
2 mommies who just wanted a few decent pictures
3 hours at Picture People and Starbucks
$100 spent

But the results are just priceless:

This is What Happens

This is what happens when Shimmy comes home early:
*The girls happily play with him.
*I have time to make a great dinner.
*We all eat that dinner together, at the same time, and all enjoy it.
*The girls have fun playing with him some more.
*I clean up from dinner RIGHT AWAY instead of leaving crusty plates and left over food lying around until I have a minute to breathe.
*Both girls are on time to bed, and not because I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.
*I am in such a good mood and have so much energy that I have an awesome work out from 8:30-9:30 *PM*
*Shimmy and I spend the rest of the evening together first on the edge of our seats watching the CAPS finally win after 11 shootouts, then laughing together while we catch up on DVRed shows.
*I am in awe and appreciation of this wondrous day as I realize it is as rare and beautiful as a solar eclipse.

MomGyver

I still get stressed out once in a while. I still wonder if I am making the right decisions now and then. But I no longer sweat the "small stuff" that used to scare me when I was a new mom. i have developed a self-confidence and an "I don't give a crap" attitude that I feel gives me an edge. You see, I am MomGyver. In any given sticky, smelly, or otherwise undesirable situation, I can usually find a way to make it work (best read in a Tim Gunn voice). Case in point: Today. Lilah is such a good baby that she must have sensed my frustration from yesterday's post. Despite going to bed EARLY, she slept WAY LATE. It *may* have also had something to do with the very dark, dreary weather. Since she slept late, I decided it would be okay if she skipped her first nap of the day and we set out to a store so I could meet with someone about a very important and time sensitive new house issue. Lilah was spectacular the whole time. As we were leaving, however, I realized she needed a diaper change. We made our way to the restroom. It had one of those pull down baby changing stations, but it looked gross. Even with a changing pad, Lilah is at the stage where she is reaching for, and touching everything. So I decided to recline her stroller all the way and change her in it. I had just opened up her very messy diaper when I realized that the wipes were still in the car. No problem. I found two antibacterial wipes in my bag, but they were completely dried out. No problem. I poured some of my bottled water on them and set to work. Lilah immediately stuck one hand in the mess. Ta-da- that's what the antibacterial wipes are for! Then she got her socked-feet in the mess. No problem. I always travel with an extra outfit complete with extra socks. I threw away the dirty socks. I gave her a toy to play with to keep her hands out of the mess. I looked in my bag again to see what I could wipe her with, but found nothing. Not even a tissue. No problem. I wet some paper towels to use as make-shift wipes. A minute later she had a clean diaper, new socks, and we were ready to roll. Just another day in the life of MomGyver.

Scheduling Conflict

It is only 9am and already my whole day is shot. I have been in this rut for the past couple of months where I cannot get anything done. Once Lilah outgrew the wonderful ability to sleep anywhere, anytime, I became housebound for almost the entire day. I knew this would happen with two kids, but knowing it would happen in no way makes it easier. When Sophie was this age (from months 6 to 13 I think), we had a good thing going on. She woke up, we nursed and played for a while (later on we took Music Together), then she took her first two-hour nap of the day. This is when I ran on the treadmill, got dressed, and got everything organized for the day. Then she woke up, we had a quick lunch, and we set out for a few hours to run errands, have play dates, etc. Then we came home, nursed, and she took her second two-hour nap. This is when I relaxed, made dinner, etc.

Here's how things are going now:
7am- Lilah and I wake up. I nurse her and leave her to play while I get dressed and make Sophie's lunch.
7:30am- Sophie wakes up and I am very busy getting her dressed, fed, and all of us out the door in time to get her to school by 8:15ish.
8:30am- Lilah and I get back home. I want to change her, feed her breakfast, get myself dressed for real (instead of the sweats I have thrown on to take Sophie to school in), and GET SOME STUFF DONE. But she is already exhausted and ready to take a nap.
9am-11am- Lilah is sleeping. I engage in a draining debate in my head. Do I just wait and be ready to go the second she wakes up in case she only takes a short nap? If I do this, that means I will not exercise or get any heavy housecleaning done. Or do I find things to do around here including exercise and housework, knowing that if I do, when she wakes up I will not be ready to leave quite yet and that will definitely jeopardize my GETTING THINGS DONE.
11am- Lilah wakes up. By the time I have changed her and fed her again, it is less than an hour until it's time to pick up Sophie. I may have a teeny amount of time to run a small errand, but certainly nothing significant and nothing that is farther than a few minutes drive from home and Sophie's school.
12:45pm- We arrive back home with Sophie. Chances are, Sophie has not eaten enough of her lunch at school and needs to eat again at home. By the time everyone is changed and fed, it's nap time again.
2pm-4pm- Sophie naps
2pm-*6*pm- Lilah naps
By the time Her Majesty wakes up, it is time for dinner, bath time, and bed time.
THERE GOES MY DAY!

This wouldn't be so frustrating if I wasn't trying to move in two months. In order to keep everything running smoothly, I am in constant contact with the contractor, kitchen designer, and various other vendors. I have had to make every last decison about every minute detail in this house's reconstruction, design, and decor. I am good at doing this over the phone, through emails, and online research/shopping. But sometimes it does require in-person meetings and trips to showrooms and stores. I would rather not lug a baby to these meetings and stores, but if I have to, it had better be a well-fed and well-rested baby I am lugging around town. This just doesn't ever seem possible.

So what am I doing today as I watch Lilah sleep on the video monitor? Am I waiting for her to wake up so we can go to the store and make an important and time-sensitive decision for the new house? Am I exercising and getting housework done? Nope, today I am just blogging about it all. Beyond that, I haven't decided.

Alternative to the Alternative Lifestyle

*Note- I started this post over a week ago. It isn't even relevant anymore. I'm not sure why I am finishing it now except for (a) I feel like I need to post SOMETHING because it's been so long, and (b) it contains pictures I never posted. So here goes.

This morning's activities are inspired by, and in stark contrast to, a previous post.
I should be doing laundry, washing the dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, dusting and vacuuming my room, or working on new house stuff, which has become my full time job. Instead I am watching an old episode of Flight of the Conchords, drinking coffee, and eating a piece of apple pie that I baked from scratch using apples we picked on this lovely day:

Sophie of Late

Lately, Sophie has really matured. She is less than three months away from her third birthday and I really see a big difference between two and three. She is more of my clone every day. (In personality. We all know I'm not tall and blond.) Sometimes this makes it difficult for us to coexist. We are both irritatingly stubborn and known to have erratic emotional outbursts. But because I know she is this way in the same way I am, I have a kind of respect for her. Underneath the two-year old irrationality and noncompliance is something deeper. I see a person who is strong-willed, determined, and passionate. And that's a great kind of person to be. I see so much of myself in her that I often pause in the middle of our conversations and try to relate to her in the way I wanted to be related to when I was young. Which is easy, because I know exactly where she's coming from. And I'm confident that I know this because of how she responds. I get her, that difficult child. I hope she always feels understood and respected- at least by me.


Pictures of Sophie of Late:

Lilah of Late

Lilah has been very busy lately. She can sit up unassisted, which is HUGE! She's still a little floppy, but she is getting better every day. I love this stage. It means I don't have to worry about having a piece of baby equipment (play mat, swing, exersaucer, bumbo bouncy seat, etc.) strategically placed throughout the house in case I need to put her down. Now I just plop her down with a couple of toys and she's good to go.

Last week her first lil toofer popped up. It always makes me a little sad to see my babies get their first tooth. It is a tiny speck of white right now, but it is the beginning of the end of that big gummy baby smile.

She is finally getting the hang of eating solids. Her tongue thrust reflex is starting to go away and she can finally swallow a bite without pushing and spitting it out five times first. Today: strained peas. Tomorrow: a turkey sandwich! (Not really tomorrow, but it will be here sooner than you think!)

And here are some pics of Lilah of late:



Lilah has been very busy lately. She can sit up unassisted, which is HUGE! She's still a little floppy, but she is getting better every day. I love this stage. It means I don't have to worry about having a piece of baby equipment (play mat, swing, exersaucer, bumbo bouncy seat, etc.) strategically placed throughout the house in case I need to put her down. Now I just plop her down with a couple of toys and she's good to go.

Last week her first lil toofer popped up. It always makes me a little sad to see my babies get their first tooth. It is a tiny speck of white right now, but it is the beginning of the end of that big gummy baby smile.

She is finally getting the hang of eating solids. Her tongue thrust reflex is starting to go away and she can finally swallow a bite without pushing and spitting it out five times first. Today: strained peas. Tomorrow: a turkey sandwich! (Not really tomorrow, but it will be here sooner than you think!)

And here are some pics of Lilah of late:

October 15

When I picked Sophie up from school today she showed me a picture she had drawn. Her teacher had written her name and the date on the back of it. The date she drew the picture was September 23. Time stood still for just one second as I immediately registered that date. It was my due date for my first baby, who I lost after carrying for 11 weeks 4 days. That doesn't seem like a long time, but it was long enough to fall in love with my tiny child, long enough to feel elated that I was growing a new life in my body, and long enough to have hopes and dreams for my baby. I remember every detail of the nightmare that was my miscarriage. It was the worst time period of my life. It was odd that I should be reminded of it today, because today was in fact Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. While I no longer think about my miscarriage every day, it is still very much a part of me. I always wear a sapphire (September's birth stone) and diamond ring that Shimmy gave me on the Mother's Day after I miscarried, as a symbol that my first baby is always in my heart. And today especially I have been thinking about him. I never got to meet him, to smell his sweet skin, or kiss the soft hair on his head. But I carried him for the short time he was in this world. I am still his Mommy and I will always love him. And I know he, and all of the other precious babies who have flown away too soon, feel the love all of us Mommies will always have for them.

Yom Kippur (Ex Post Facto)

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement.
Not one of my favorite holidays. I dread it every year and feel an immense sense of relief as soon as it's over. I don't dread it just because it means refraining from any food or drink (including water) for 25 hours, although that in itself is very difficult, especially with two young children to feed and entertain. I dread it because of what it actually is- atonement through reflection and introspection. It's a daunting task to look back over the past year and scrutinize my errors in judgment. Particularly since I do this pretty much every day and after every major interaction I have with another person. Because I am so self-critical in this way, I rarely ignore these errors in judgment. I try to ask forgiveness right away. I don't like to leave things feeling uncomfortable. The guilt gnaws at me and physically corrodes the lining of my stomach until I make things "right." But before Yom Kippur I go back and scrutinize everything again. And even the stituations I previously amended make me feel horrible all over again. I'm not one to make the blanket "if I have offended anyone over the past year, please forgive me" statement. Some people do, and I can appreciate it and respect their attempt to wipe the slate clean in that way. Personally, though, I don't feel satisfied in making that statement. I don't feel atoned or "right" about things unless I go to the specific person I know that I've offended and ask them personally and specifically for forgiveness. It's much harder to do it my way, but it makes me feel better when it's over. And then Yom Kippur arrives. I spend the day fasting, praying (albeit from home this year since Lilah's schedule would not cooperate to allow me to go to synagogue), and repenting. At the end of the day, I know that God has forgiven me and I can move forward once again, trying to be the best me I possibly can. I can only hope that if God is so gracious, people can be too. As my former boss used to say about people, "they're just trying to get by." We're all just trying to get by. In our own very busy lives, with our own many difficult demands. I hope that in trying to get by, we stop to consider everyone else that is trying to do the same. And if we err in judgment, that those we err will also remember that we're all just trying to get by. May the coming year be one filled with good health, happiness, peace, and personal fulfillment. May we all be the best people we can be and may all of our dreams come true.

Bought and Sold

... or the other way around. Yesterday was a busy day. We sold our house in the morning and bought our new house in the afternoon. It was slightly anticlimactic, as we are not actually moving into the new house for 4-6 months. But it was still filled with emotion. Namely, elation and thankfulness that we not only bought our dream house, but sold our current house in a matter of weeks after putting it on the market. I really feel, and have felt all along, that our new house was meant to be ours. Everyone has a dream house. A house you picture when you close your eyes. One that is perfect- to you and for you. For me, this is my dream house. When I would close my eyes, I would picture THIS house. When we first saw the house, my heart beat fast and I felt a little dizzy. This is the house, I heard a voice say. And so I knew, and trusted in God, the Universe, and everything else, that everything would work out. It would work out. It would all be fine. It would be our house. Because it WAS our house- meant to be ours. It helped me stay calm for the past 11 months since we first saw it. It helped me stay calm when I heard of the other offers for the house. It helped me stay calm during the record-breaking length of the home inspection. It helped me stay calm when we waited to sell our current house. Everything was going to work out. And it did. I own my dream house. The house I will make practical and beautiful for my family. The house where I will raise my children. The house where we will all spend many, many wonderful years. It is where we will live happily ever after. And that thought brings me such feelings of joy, gratitude, and calmness.

Even More Conversations With A Two-Year-Old

I thought I'd take a break from my stressful pre-Rosh HaShanah, house stuff, feeling miserable from a cold week and share the most recent quotable quotes from Sophie:

(to Lilah): "Oh, I like your armpits."

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Sophie (while I am having a conversation with another adult): "Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me."
Me, picking her up: "Thank you for saying 'excuse me.' That's very polite. Is there something you wanted to tell me?"
Sophie: "Oh, no. I just burped."

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Me: "If you do x, you can have a cookie." (I know, I know. Occassionally I resort to bribery.)
Sophie: "A cookie- yay!"
Me: "Yes, but just one."
Sophie: "How 'bout 8?"

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"What time is it?" (She cannot tell time, but asks me this several times a day!)

To be continued...

The thing about having a blog is...

The thing about having a blog is that it is a personal venue through which the author can express his or her own personal beliefs, opinions, and experiences. No one forces you to read it. In my personal experience, I started this blog as a way to document my experience as a new mother. It was mostly intended for myself. I didn't expect an audience. If you heard about this blog from me, then we are close friends. If you have something to say to me, say it to my face. And if you came here referred by someone else, I don't know you and don't need to have a conversation with you about my personal opinions.

Regarding a previous post. It is an opinion based on personal observation about a type of climate that exists at a school that I NEVER MENTIONED BY NAME. It is a generalization, but not one that I wish my children to become a part of. It is the ONLY reason my children are not at that school. Because it is otherwise an outstanding and superb institution. I thought I was pretty clear about that. I know many wonderful people who went to school there- some of them good friends. If you know me personally, you will know how for the past several months I have ached over this decision.

The hateful comments are unnecessary and unwelcome.

Good-bye, Summer. Hello, Fall.

Good-bye flip-flops. Hello Naot.
Good-bye tan. Hello pasty white skin.
Good-bye leisurely mornings. Hello mad morning carpool rush.
Good-bye quickly throwing clothes on the kids. Hello layers upon layers upon layers.
Good-bye long days of sunshine to play in. Hello dark, cold evenings that keep us indoors.
Good-bye 5 whole months of nary a sniffle. Hello being sick for pretty much the next 7 months straight.
Good-bye shabbat meals of grilled chicken that Shimmy mostly handles. Hello slaving all day in the kitchen for the many, many holiday meals.

Speaking of which, gotta get back to the kitchen.

Our Vacation in Photos

It was the perfect combination of beach, "touristy stuff" (funny to say, since I am a native, not a tourist), visiting relatives, and just relaxing!

Busy Relaxing

I have lots and lots to post about. Many days I write posts in my head, but then can't find the time to actually type them out. Right now I have lots of time, but I'm too busy relaxing :)
We are at the beach and having an amazing time. The pace of life is more relaxing in general and it has been nice to take a break from the craziness. The craziness of work for Shimmy. The craziness of the kids and the household for me. And our new craziness: MOVING. That's right, friends, you heard it hear first (unless, of course, you already heard it somewhere else). Our house went on the market today. We stumbled across our dream house and decided to go for it. It is a 1931 mansion that requires a lot of stress, er, work. It's nice to be away for a bit before we have to dive into it all. It will be several months of intense work before we move in.

Well, I hate to drop big news and run, but there's a beer calling me. I have to get back to relaxing :)

Just Call Me Ti-84

That's right- I'm a calculator. Not in the sense that I can do crazy math in my head. But in the sense that I am constantly adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing in order to make sure everything runs smoothly around here. Let me tell you- it's exhausting. The mental energy that goes into mothering wears me out- and stresses me out- far more than any job I ever had. And I'm a therapist. That takes TONS OF MENTAL ENERGY. Like many mothers, most of the decision making falls on me. This is nice, because it gives me the power to plan things and see them through the way I think they should go. However, with great power comes great responsibility (and stress, frustration, and anxiety). I am CONSTANTLY calculating everything throughout our day. From the second Lilah wakes up I calculate if I have enough time to nurse her (and if I do, just one side or both?) before Sophie wakes up. Did Lilah eat enough and is there enough left to pump out and save for later? Do I have enough time to do anything for myself this morning? No? It's cool, I'll brush my teeth when I get back home. As soon as I drop Sophie off at camp the very short hour glass starts running. Does Lilah need to eat again? How many errands do I have time to run? Will Lilah take her nap on the go, or be miserably tired until we get back home? After I pick up Sophie I have to prioritize who I need to feed first. Can Lilah wait until I get Sophie situated with lunch, or do I need to nurse her and listen to Sophie whine? Now who do I put down for a nap first? If it's Sophie, then Lilah will have to play by herself, or sit quietly on my lap while I read Sophie stories. If I put Lilah down first, then will Sophie go to sleep quickly so that they are both asleep at the same time? Sometimes, by the time Sophie falls asleep (after reading, playing, and talking to herself for what can be up to an hour) Lilah is up again. This means I have no time for a proper lunch or treadmill time that day :( If I really need to work out and Lilah is awake, how long of a work out can I get in before she stops being entertained by her own hands and feet in her swing? And once she does cease to be entertained, how long can I let her fuss before I am considered to be an evil and selfish mother? When is Shimmy coming home? He says he'll be home in time for dinner... Assuming I find time to juggle both kids while I cook something, how long do I make Sophie (and myself) wait to eat? It's nice to eat as a family, but we're hungry! And there's a 50% chance he'll be delayed for another hour OR MORE. After dinner starts the sleep calculator with Lilah. She's tired, but if I let her nap will that screw up her night's sleep? If I do let her nap, how long before I wake her up? I know I should wake her up, but I have to give Sophie a bath and put her to bed and it's sooo much easier to do that if Lilah is sleeping instead of crying because she's tired and I can't hold her. But now I'll pay for that convenience when she's up at 5 am. And this is just the framework of our week days. I'm constantly calculating bodily functions, activities (i.e., how much TV Sophie has watched today already), when I can sneak in a shower (I average 5 stinky hours between treadmill and shower), etc. etc. etc.

If I WAS an actual calculator you can bet I'd have smoke coming out of me by now. What is MOST stressful about all of my calculating is when other people minimize it, saying things like, "IT'S NO BIG DEAL." And "WHY DON'T YOU JUST DO SUCH AND SUCH?" ("because," I tell them, "then this, that, and the other will get screwed up.")

So, yea, great power comes with great responsibility. I'm getting tired of being a calculator, although I know it's quite necessary. I'd just like to take a short break. Is it possible to take a break from your own brain?

Showcase of My Kids' Rooms

Many months ago I went on and on and on about decorating Sophie's new room and the new baby (whom we all now know as Lilah)'s room. I never ended up posting the final results! So here they are, my kids' room:


Sophie's room:

I painted the chair and recovered it to match her room. Now I'm wishing I had taken a closeup of it.
Her own art work, framed:


Lilah's room:

Not a whole lot to say. It is essentially Sophie's old room, with a few changes here and there. I had the tablecloths custom made to match the bedding, as best I could.

It IS Easy Being Green (well, most of the time)

Over the past year or so I have caught the green bug along with everyone else (thank you, Al Gore). I have always tried to be energy efficient. I have been recycling as long as I can remember. Even when it meant bringing my make shift recycling bin in the trunk of my car on my 45 minute commute to school and then sorting it according to specific material at the University of Maryland Recycling Center. It was over the past year, though, that I really got serious. Some changes have been easy ones, while others force me to remind myself a daily basis why I have made them. Here's a quick run down of those changes and how I feel about them:

Reusable grocery bags- I love that I did this. I love it so much that even when all of my bags got ruined by spilled oil in the back of the car, I bought new ones. They hold more than regular grocery bags, they cannot break, I can carry more at a time by wearing the straps on my shoulders, PLUS my grocery store deducts 5 cents from the bill for every bag used.

Rechargeable batteries- I HATE them. They are expensive, they do not hold a charge for very long AT ALL, and half the time they don't charge when I try to charge them. When it's for something important (like my camera) I have resorted back to the regular batteries.

Fluorescent light bulbs- They are ugly and cost a little more, but they do seem to last a lot longer, and supposedly use less energy.

No more paper/plastic dishes and cutlery- Glad I did this, but hate the fact that I am constantly washing dishes. One day, when I have a second dishwasher, this won't be an issue.

These are all relatively small changes that hopefully make some sort of difference. I'm not willing to give up my SUV or switch to disposable diapers, but I can handle the small stuff.

Conversations With a Two-Year-Old

Shimmy (to me): What time is it?
Sophie: 17

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Sophie: Where is Shimmy?
Me: I don't know. Where is Shimmy?
Sophie: He's at my house.

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Sophie: I need juice, please!
Me: I can't help you right now. I'm on the treadmill.
Sophie: I'm going to go ask my DAD for some juice! OKAY?!

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Sophie: Robert! Robert! Robert! ROOOBEERRRTTT!!!!!
My dad: Yes?
Sophie: Whatcha doin, Robert?

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Me: Sophie, whose Mommy is that?
Sophie: That's Maddy's Mommy. (long pause, then points and says:) That's my Mommy! That's my Daddy! That's my baby! That's my Mommy's car!

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To be continued...

Three Months!

Here Comes Trouble- at least that's what we thought when we were waiting for the arrival of baby #2. Thank God, Lilah has been anything but trouble. From the moment she entered this world she has been nothing but a sweet, precious, adorable delight. Just thinking about her warms my heart and makes me smile. Although I had been excited to have another child, part of me was really scared. It's different with subsequent babies than it is with the first. When I was pregnant with Sophie I feared nothing. I thought only of the snuggling, nursing, and gazing into each other's eyes that would constitute our days together. Obviously I was in for a rude awakening, but there is truly no way to mentally prepare for your first child. So having been to hell and back with a newborn once before, I was not looking forward to experiencing the hard parts again. Whenever I would think about how difficult it was going to be to have a newborn (plus a two year old!) I would just tell myself that the first three months would be hell, but that was as hard as it would be, and after the first three months everything would start to get a lot easier. If these past three months were the hardest, then I consider myself lucky indeed. Early on, Lilah seemed to fall into the rhythm of our family as if to prove to us that there was nothing to worry about- that she could keep up with us just fine.
In addition to keeping up with us and being a very cute addition to our family, Lilah has grown and learned a lot over the past three months! She smiles and "talks" all the time! She is an awesome nurser and probably weighs about 15 lbs. She has been in size six months clothes since she was two months old. She has rolled from tummy to back (though not for a while), and looks as if she will roll from back to tummy any day now. She is now sleeping nine hours straight most nights, and then goes back to sleep for another three hours. She takes two long naps during the day and sometimes a couple of cat naps too. She reaches for, and grabs a hold of whatever she wants which includes both toys and my hair. She loves her big sister, even when she screams in her ear and crowds her on her play mat. Speaking of her big sister, here is a picture of Sophie wearing the same shirt on the same mat (she is fivemonths old here, but the same size as Lilah is now):


So, to sum up, life has basically been awesome these past three months, and I can't wait for it to get even better!

Gilad Shalit

I read a lot of disturbing, terrifying, and heart-wrenching news stories. For some reason, one never, ever leaves my mind. I cannot forget about Gilad Shalit. Apparently, Olmert can, but this isn't going to be a political rant. Gilad is always in my thoughts. I pray for his safe return daily. I especially pray for him every Friday evening as I welcome the shabbat. I have considered adding an extra candle for him. This morning he was especially on my mind. I couldn't shake it. I decided to google him and found that today is the third anniversary of his kidnapping. I had not remembered that at all. Kind of spooky that somehow my subconcious, or maybe my soul, did know. Three years. Three YEARS! How has it been that long?! How has his mother survived three years knowing her baby is in the hands of the enemy?! How did Israel not bring one of their own home when they were in Gaza a few months ago? Where IS Gilad? Is he alive? Is he okay? Will we ever see him again? I don't know why I am so moved by it all. But I am.

Ball Busters

I cannot STAND it when people have to bring you down. You know what I'm talking about- you are feeling good about something and share that and one jackass always has to ruin it for you. While it was always irritating, it seems that it started to occur more often once I became a mom. It actually started during pregnancy. Here are some actual exchanges that have taken place:

Me: I feel pretty good so far.
Ball Buster: Just wait until the morning sickness kicks in!

Me: I'm starting to get past the first trimester stuff and feel good again.
BB: Just wait until your third trimester when you are huge and uncomfortable!

Me: Recovery has been okay so far.
BB: Just wait until you are out of pain meds!

Me: I have the opposite of the Baby Blues- I'm so happy!
BB: Just wait until the sleep deprivation catches up with you!

Me: My kids are awesome- I love them so much!
BB: Just wait until they start killing each other!

Hey, BB, you keep it up and I'll start killing YOU. Well, maybe not. But I won't just smile and stay quiet anymore. Stop hatin' on me. As Coolio once said, "if you got beef then eat a pork chop." I'm not letting your bad attitude affect mine!

Desperately Wanting A Night Out

Last night I felt old. Shimmy and I, along with the brother-in-law and sister-in-law went to the Better Than Ezra show at 9:30 Club. See above picture. The reason my hand stamp is so faded is because I immediately used the bathroom and washed my hands after entering the club. Yesterday morning I loaded up the kids and met my mom in Rockville to run some errands. Then we went back to her house, where I left the kids and returned later to spend the night. BIL and SIL came over and I drove us downtown to meet Shimmy for dinner. Shimmy and I ate too much fried food and red meat, so our stomachs were a mess afterwards. Most of us ordered coffee with dessert so that we'd be able to stay up for the concert. Before driving away, SIL noticed a CVS and asked BIL to buy her ear plugs since she was afraid the volume of the music would make her cranky. Then we drove to the club. Since our SUV is full of car seats, Shimmy drove, BIL sat in the front, SIL sat in the back wedged between the car seats, and I sat in the "third row" with my knees pressed into the back of the seat in front of me. When we got there, I had to pump in the car first. We had a good time- the show was awesome. The best part was the fact that it ended at 11:30! Not too late- woohoo! So, yea, I'm old. But too old and set in my ways to care :)

PS: Here's a recent picture of Sophie riding her trike. Notice:
1. Her very fancy skirt, which she insisted she wear.
2. Her very cool sunglasses.
3. Her friend from 2 doors down, who is her age exactly, but who Sophie towers over.