tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5620492390789015912024-03-13T01:24:02.571-04:00Late Night FeedingsBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-66692732497318790922013-01-24T09:03:00.002-05:002013-01-24T09:03:36.307-05:00Rules (Were Made to be Broken)
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<br />
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Rules and structure are what keep us afloat- especially in
my house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have daily schedules with
pictures that make them easy and fun for the kids to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a meal-planning schedule that makes
it easy to know what to cook each night and what to buy at the grocery
store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids don’t complain about
what’s for dinner, because it’s on the schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact they are excited to check the
schedule and know what to expect for dinner each night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My most fundamental parenting rule has always been to do
what ever is best for me and my child at any particular point in time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes, I am so rooted in rules and structure that I
forget my most fundamental rule.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Judah, age 15 months, still nurses anywhere from 2-4 times a
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my plan to wean him by the
time Shimmy and I leave for our long-awaited trip to Hawaii in March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By that time Judah will be close to 17
months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That seemed like a reasonable
time to stop nursing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a mental
schedule of when to start cutting out nursing sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now that it’s time to start, I don’t want
to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I doubt Jude wants to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think about it, struggle with it, every
time I nurse him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’ve decided to nix
my schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to let things
happen organically and hope for the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I can reassess when the trip gets closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when I get back from the trip, if I want
to try to pick up nursing where I left off, and Jude does too, we can nurse
indefinitely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lilah, age almost 4, has been having some sleeping
issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For weeks, she wakes in the
middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which means, neither can I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the first week or so I did everything by
the books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked her back to her
room; I reassured her; I made a chart for incentive to stay in her bed all
night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I decided to break the rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let her sleep with me two nights in a row
when she woke up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next night we both
slept in her bed when she woke up. A small part of me was worried about
establishing bad habits and patterns, but a larger part of me just wanted to
sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt like the right decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This morning she woke only minutes before our
established wake up time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She finally
got to put the first sticker on her chart!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For Sophie’s birthday this year we forwent the usual large
birthday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a smaller party
with just family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I brought cupcakes to
her classroom on her birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
day we broke the rules and let her skip school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We got our nails done, went out to lunch, and went shopping at the
mall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was fantastic to break with
convention and avoid the big party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rules are great, and most of the time, very necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But rules can be broken, and sometimes that
is very necessary too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-78729257908491329822012-11-25T17:00:00.001-05:002012-11-26T19:29:27.995-05:00SADThe trees are bare.<br />
It is dark at 5pm.<br />
It is bitterly cold outside.<br />
Thanksgiving is over.<br />
All three kids have bad colds; one has croup too.<br />
<br />
Seasonal Affective Disorder has officially started to set in.<br />
<br />
Time to decorate for Chanukah in a feudal attempt to keep the blues at bay.<br />
<br />
114 days until Spring.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-88000577854516212432012-11-21T22:54:00.002-05:002012-11-21T22:54:28.949-05:00A Decidedly Divided Thanksgiving<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">One of the reasons I don't make more of an effort to blog more often is because I feel like I keep friends and family up to date on facebook, and I try to tweet my funny mom thoughts. But something I have recently noticed on Facebook has inspired me to blog.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Over the past few days my Facebook newsfeed has been decidedly divided. Half of my friends are constantly updating their statuses, posting pictures, and sharing articles about the current war in Israel. the other half of my friends are posting pictures of their children dressed up as turkeys and pilgrims, sharing Pinterest recipes, and updating their statuses to say what they are thankful for. I am also decidedly divided. My heart is in the East and am in the end of the West. I have spent the past few days marveling at the costumes and decor my girls have brought home from school. I have perfected my menu (see below) and begun cooking. I have reflected on what I am deeply thankful for.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">I have been scared. I have been sad. I have contacted friends in targeted areas of Israel to make sure they are safe. I have "adopted" an IDF soldier. I imagine Yehudah Zalman ben Fayge Miriam in a protective bubble of all of the love, prayers, and positive energy I have been sending his way. I have donated money for warm clothes and food for the soldiers that keep Israel safe.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">As I bake delicious pies, stuffing, and scones I am thankful to be in my warm, safe home preparing delicious food for my wonderful friends and family. But with every rocket launched (and blown up by the iron dome), news report I hear, and picture I see, I am thankful most of all for Israel, its courageous citizens, and the brave soldiers that keep the country, people, and spirit safe. May God watch over them and keep them safe.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone. Stay safe, peaceful, and happy; surrounded by the people and things you love!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">My Thanksgiving Weekend Menu:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Thanksgiving Dinner:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Oven-roasted turkey</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Tofu stuffing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Cornbread butternut squash stuffing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Garlic mashed potatoes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sesame string beans</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Cranberry-apple crisp</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Pumpkin pie</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Pecan pie</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Breakfast treats:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Raspberry white chocolate scones</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Friday Night Dinner:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Challah</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Roasted vegetable soup</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Glazed chicken</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Meatballs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Rice Pilaf with Edamame</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Pumpkin pie<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Pecan pie</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Saturday Lunch:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Challah</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sweet and Sour Brisket</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Thanksgiving Leftover Mini-Pies (individual pie shells filled with some of each leftover Thanksgiving Dinner dish such as turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry-apple crisp, etc.- YUM!)</span>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-12430543658218120152012-10-15T18:29:00.002-04:002012-10-15T18:29:53.346-04:00Happy Birthday, Judah Jack!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br />My beautiful boy is 1 :)<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8ovzwGFzmiE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-29089662440035973582012-08-30T16:47:00.000-04:002012-08-30T16:47:24.557-04:00First Day of SchoolBefore the first day of school this year I had a terrible case of nerves. I worried all day. I couldn't sleep that night. Not because I was nervous about school (though I do remember that feeling all too well). Not even because I was worried about how the girls would fare. I was anxious about how I was going to pull off the morning routine on my own. I do not usually do the morning carpool. That is left to Shimmy, who drops the girls off on his way to work. My job is to get everyone up, dressed, fed, bags packed, and waiting by the door for their ride (aka Daddy). While this is harder than the task of driving them to school, I can do it all in my pajamas with a big mug of coffee in my hand. After I see them off, I clean up from breakfast, tend to Jude, and get on with my day. I like the way this works. Unfortunately, it was brought to my attention on Tuesday afternoon that I would have to do all of my usual morning jobs, plus get Sophie to school at 8:00am and attend Lilah's orientation with her at 9:00am. And bring Jude along and keep him happy. That is when the nerves set in.<br />
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And, yet, it was fine! Despite my lack of sleep, the morning played out like a well-orchestrated symphony. We even had time for our traditional first day of school picture:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnHrL70cuFpHDuYA8Ig3d-y8PCYu_zEDTDWeJh2guEEcSKtO3Vbmvf38X12Z4WnExuV6xWZ11fhlNzZbap7lP9pHuAO3HpkDFSaCsXyCPb8VYduPUuX6_4nX_GiwA3VCSuK8vJ7Xz4nx3/s1600/538754_10150992711411199_789585728_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnHrL70cuFpHDuYA8Ig3d-y8PCYu_zEDTDWeJh2guEEcSKtO3Vbmvf38X12Z4WnExuV6xWZ11fhlNzZbap7lP9pHuAO3HpkDFSaCsXyCPb8VYduPUuX6_4nX_GiwA3VCSuK8vJ7Xz4nx3/s320/538754_10150992711411199_789585728_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I made it to school, with all three kids in tow, on time. We took Sophie to her classroom, hugged her goodbye, and walked down the hall to the lobby, where we camped out for the next 45 minutes or so. I fed Jude his breakfast, and then we all read books. Someone took a picture of us and we made it onto the school's website:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ubf_6y-yn64HUsCqyImHvFWn9NToPG6iZW03oLDHtDFez5yUUQoIKbRPp6e63H7VuyGddN2jFOVBB_upGSN2KUS9PC1QnACwWYpm-jW0xbA08QMADhDpSu28RDtODNfckn7MstBBN-I2/s1600/large_photo225189_2681371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ubf_6y-yn64HUsCqyImHvFWn9NToPG6iZW03oLDHtDFez5yUUQoIKbRPp6e63H7VuyGddN2jFOVBB_upGSN2KUS9PC1QnACwWYpm-jW0xbA08QMADhDpSu28RDtODNfckn7MstBBN-I2/s320/large_photo225189_2681371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had a great time at Lilah's orientation doing crafts, having a tea party, and making new friends. Then it was time to leave! <br />
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When we got home, I set Lilah up with a snack, and I put Jude down for his nap. After surviving the morning I had so fretted over, my initial instinct was to change back into my pajamas and get back into bed. Which is exactly what I used to do after the first day of school (and any other hard day) right up through graduate school. I guess coping mechanisms die hard.<br />
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A couple of hours later, I changed back into my clothes to greet our old babysitter who is back from her year abroad! I headed out to run errands I had been unable to run during the past two and a half weeks (no camp, no school, therefore no extended trips to the grocery store). Then I picked up Sophie, who had a great first day! Thankfully, I had a great first day too. Although, the second day, with both girls in school from 8:00am-3:45pm was even better :)Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-18677227303704132222012-08-29T11:34:00.001-04:002012-08-29T11:34:16.682-04:00Opposite Sides of the World<br />
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For a week this month, our family was divided on opposite sides of the world. Shimmy and Sophie went to Israel for a week to celebrate our nephew's bar mitzvah. Lilah, Judah, and I stayed home. While Shimmy and Sophie were taking in views like these:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gE5LFOPEo2FAMY8nRG8TrdyuTJhA5xCNgxyHhs-zh5nzkyrcJfSV1DiZYB92k7MSOU1uKwwdTecMPx3cofmtR1bUNhXqwnrHLF0VSRCSpka5vdEFFjQeUuReJLAUL-P5VYAuOQaDt1jA/s1600/IMG_7809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gE5LFOPEo2FAMY8nRG8TrdyuTJhA5xCNgxyHhs-zh5nzkyrcJfSV1DiZYB92k7MSOU1uKwwdTecMPx3cofmtR1bUNhXqwnrHLF0VSRCSpka5vdEFFjQeUuReJLAUL-P5VYAuOQaDt1jA/s320/IMG_7809.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">View of Jerusalem from the porch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF9pMcTHh02kwD-CuCAQl8ZPpmZnh1gnbtXG7mSbZgSjZQTwZSYHBy21OPUE_f57nChPiiuSKVjz9yRVQF-cYYJjLRKGXGVZTFhvRDRvn8XlpPtqWWbAYWt9MOJRNEaLi5kl0XXQIkfZv/s1600/IMG_7788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKF9pMcTHh02kwD-CuCAQl8ZPpmZnh1gnbtXG7mSbZgSjZQTwZSYHBy21OPUE_f57nChPiiuSKVjz9yRVQF-cYYJjLRKGXGVZTFhvRDRvn8XlpPtqWWbAYWt9MOJRNEaLi5kl0XXQIkfZv/s320/IMG_7788.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">The desert, on the way to the Dead Sea</td></tr>
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We were going about our regular activities:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN1-h7w2PSSyeGVvoxT6IbPs263Q98TH8P2tV-4r63A0pW3J7LZ_2f8Kks5DWgAB5k0xTiVl_Xxm15ENsUanpMbrsl2OL5c9fsjypU8gNSRRss4KK-eVijBMtLOSWZSYtuT3MXL0Zjf7D/s1600/IMG_1105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN1-h7w2PSSyeGVvoxT6IbPs263Q98TH8P2tV-4r63A0pW3J7LZ_2f8Kks5DWgAB5k0xTiVl_Xxm15ENsUanpMbrsl2OL5c9fsjypU8gNSRRss4KK-eVijBMtLOSWZSYtuT3MXL0Zjf7D/s320/IMG_1105.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Lilah, joining my workout session<br /></td></tr>
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Our family had never been divided this way before. It was a little odd. We missed each other. We missed out on some of each other's milestones:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7GZS-7LxIFxOAjPYP0YzHgZLC3rQ2cyDueuJf2opL9UQ67mk94O5jfPRuCQEZN2fIU9K4I1vy7fx_koBRcI6hQcg0ABJ8NHDoB8RTRbg0GIxUeLiGasFm7fGwnTQCRMq2ULZ29fllEQm/s1600/IMG_1098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7GZS-7LxIFxOAjPYP0YzHgZLC3rQ2cyDueuJf2opL9UQ67mk94O5jfPRuCQEZN2fIU9K4I1vy7fx_koBRcI6hQcg0ABJ8NHDoB8RTRbg0GIxUeLiGasFm7fGwnTQCRMq2ULZ29fllEQm/s320/IMG_1098.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Sophie lost her first tooth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXWsELEbPl1QQFPrY2G_97YmWnpWUHa2lIE5gGroPaooPiy2vL7g5W-pRpN2M-_Q3DiNI-JvnDRm251CJ1OZlHvcE6HNaq6j3IlfWQW8PfUx_7ITJazrmNYZOz0EC_cOqRmMSLzF5NJBF/s1600/IMG_1095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXWsELEbPl1QQFPrY2G_97YmWnpWUHa2lIE5gGroPaooPiy2vL7g5W-pRpN2M-_Q3DiNI-JvnDRm251CJ1OZlHvcE6HNaq6j3IlfWQW8PfUx_7ITJazrmNYZOz0EC_cOqRmMSLzF5NJBF/s320/IMG_1095.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Jude turned 10 months</td></tr>
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But, it was also nice in some ways. Lilah began to see Jude as a playmate, which she had not really done before. They interacted with each other and played nicely. It was a great bonding experience for them. My relationship with Lilah benefitted as well. She was suddenly my oldest, so she became my helper, confidant, and buddy. We really enjoyed each other's company. Without the noise (both enthusiastic and argumentative) of the two girls, the house was a lot quieter. It was peaceful and pleasant. We had fun playing at home, and also went out on some fun outings. We missed our other two-fifths a lot over Shabbat. I had not spent shabbat apart from Shimmy in nearly ten years. It was reported to me that Sophie had a hard time with the separation as well. Early Tuesday morning we were all reunited and happy for our family to be in one place again! We spent the day together catching up.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3deFiPHIy-EKGjUzNyWjfDXnrYwo3nGQL_aX0NWFDJ4V1h6MCRxm0SmrWDaDb-RY22i7LI7EsOayPPE1_FNtCUwAsGIoQx-QSHdF27uQdzxCy3hAT-z4XY2dpSwnwRFA-v0kZPNoaksh/s1600/IMG_1114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3deFiPHIy-EKGjUzNyWjfDXnrYwo3nGQL_aX0NWFDJ4V1h6MCRxm0SmrWDaDb-RY22i7LI7EsOayPPE1_FNtCUwAsGIoQx-QSHdF27uQdzxCy3hAT-z4XY2dpSwnwRFA-v0kZPNoaksh/s320/IMG_1114.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Reunited and enjoying a picnic in the playroom<br /></td></tr>
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Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-76539896919890004262012-08-23T15:06:00.000-04:002012-08-23T15:06:42.144-04:00People of WalmartIt's that wonderful time of year again- back to school. While I am excited beyond words that school is resuming, I do not care much for the back to school shopping. I understand the need for some extra items beyond what is supplied by school (notebooks, pencils, and the like), but I don't really understand why the school (or the state) cannot provide my children with boxes of tissues. So, because each of my girls has a sizable supply list, and because we are in that horrible camp-is-over-but-school-hasn't-started-yet time period, I decided to take all three kids back to school shopping. And because I already spend more on tuition for my kindergartener and preschooler than my parents spent on my college tuition (state school- GO TERPS!), I decided to forgo my usual store of choice (Target) and get me some bargains at Walmart. Except, GOOD GOD, I hate that place. The school supply aisle was a mob. Halfway through our lists, we had to abandon our cart for a bathroom trip. The bathroom was disgusting. I won't describe it. However, as a PSA: Please leave your stall the way you would want to find it. And a friendly reminder: if an automatic flusher does not flush, there is usually a way to flush it manually so that the next person doesn't have to deal with your mess. Ugh! Then we resumed our shopping only to have to settle on items that were similar enough to the ones on the list. These teachers are crazy specific. I mean, do they even go to the stores first to make sure they sell the items they tell us to buy? I refuse to go all over town to find a six pack of assorted colored dry erase markers that have low odor. There was not one pack that met all of that criteria. I ended up paying more for something like a 14 pack. And the only 64-crayon box I could find was not Crayola brand (as specified on the supply list), so we bought an (gasp!) off brand. Once we were making good headway, another bathroom trip was requested. But this time we got there too late and I had to leave Sophie outside the bathroom with Jude and our cart, while I cleaned up Lilah. We fought through the masses of people to finish up our shopping. When we checked out, our cart full of items (school supplies and other things too) totaled less than $100. That was more satisfying than I thought it would be. I am fairly certain I would have spent double that at Target. But it may have been worth it.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-92212433330991931352012-07-19T16:57:00.002-04:002012-07-19T16:57:49.737-04:00Trying Something NewMy head is always filled with ideas for blog posts. My draft box is always full of half-written posts. I only ever seem to have time to share a sentence at a time. I very much want to keep blogging. But I also want to be able to share more thoughts more often. So I'm going to try something new. While you wait for me to have time to write complete and articulate blog posts here, you can read incomplete and inarticulate thoughts <a href="https://twitter.com/LateNightFeedin" target="_blank">here</a>. See y'all on twitter! @LateNightFeedinBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-50529890529961036422012-07-10T16:24:00.000-04:002012-07-10T16:24:25.016-04:00Scary Mommy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I recently attended an event for a limited number of guests where I was privileged to hear Jill Smokler, author and blogger, read from her book and answer questions about parenting: of which she makes clear that she is not an expert. There was a pediatrician to give real answers. Jill was there to make us moms feel better about doing what we have to do to survive mothering. She is the gang leader of all of us scary moms. And judging by the amount of time she spent hanging out with my friend Julie and I, she liked me best. I almost want to invite her to my next night out with my friends since she lives just a few miles away. Almost. That might be too stalkerish. The night was a blast. Forty moms packed into a room with cocktails, hors devours, and the freedom to speak our minds. If you aren't familiar with Jill's <a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>, you should go over there as soon as you finish reading this one. She provides an honest and hilarious look at motherhood. There is also a confessional, where one can anonymously leave confessions about personal experiences and observations. What I love the very most about the blog and book is that almost everything I read I have also thought or said at one time. In that way, the blog/book provides a confirmation and camaraderie that I really enjoy. It's so nice to know that I'm not the only scary mommy out there.</div>
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Jill Smokler and me</div>
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The cover of Confessions of a Scary Mommy</div>
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My autographed copy</div>
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My scary mommy confessions:</div>
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1. I was the first guest to arrive to the above mentioned event. That was because I couldn't stand to be in my house for one more minute.</div>
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2. If I ever get divorced, laundry and dishes will be the reasons.</div>
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3. I make my three-year-old sleep in a pull-up at night, even though she always wakes up dry, because it's one less thing I have to worry about at night.</div>
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4. I sometimes have passive-aggressive fights with my husband that he very possibly is not even aware of.</div>
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5. I don't have a monitor in my baby's room because I don't want to wake up with every peep he makes. If he is really crying, I will hear him and get him. Otherwise, I'd rather not be disturbed.</div>
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6. I would do almost anything to get a good night's sleep every night for the rest of my life. Or at least for the foreseeable future. I'd even settle for a week's worth of uninterrupted sleep. How about just tonight? Please?!</div>
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7. I am very strict about what my kids eat, but I have my own secret stash of treats for when I need them.</div>
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8. Sometimes I opt to drive myself or my kids places instead of carpooling because I cannot stand being late- especially when it's someone else's fault.</div>
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9. I often have a glass of wine or a cocktail while the kids are eating dinner. Everyone's happier that way.</div>
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10. Now that I am a working mom, I am busier than I have probably ever been, but I'm also the most fulfilled.</div>
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Feel free to leave a confession of your own in the comments section!</div>
<br />Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-65982502730029439362012-05-31T18:33:00.000-04:002012-06-04T14:34:29.539-04:00Moms Can't Get Sick<br />
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The
old saying dictates that moms can’t get sick.
It’s with good reason. Things
fall apart. Everyone suffers. Even- especially- the moms, who have even
more work to do once they are healthy again.
When I became a mom and realized just how vital my role was, I took the
saying that moms can’t get sick one step further and started to tell myself:
moms <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t</i> get sick. I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can’t
</i>get sick, therefore I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">won’t</i> get
sick. Mind over matter. For the most part, this does work. If I feel a cold coming on, I drink more
liquids and take Zicam religiously. I do
not let myself believe that I am getting sick.
Most of the time I do not get sick. </div>
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Last
Friday I had an exceptionally busy day.
I had been cooking up a storm the entire week and Friday was the last
day of cooking before three straight days of entertaining large crowds. It was also the day I sliced the place where
my right index finger meets my palm on a tin can. My first thought was that I did not have time
to seek medical attention. I wrapped
that finger in paper towel after paper towel until it finally stopped bleeding
45 minutes later. In the meantime I
continued prepping food with my left hand, washed a bunch of dishes, and drove
the afternoon carpool. Mind over
matter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once
in a while this mantra does not work, and I am forced to succumb to sickness. Sometimes these bad situations have a silver
lining. A few months ago I was stricken
with a stomach virus. I was
bed-ridden. I ate nothing for four
straight days. I drank only a cocktail
of gingerale and powerade. Once
everyone, including myself, accepted the fact that I was very sick, we all fell
into a makeshift routine. My sister came
to help one afternoon. Shimmy came home
earlier than usual and took care of the kids.
I did what I could, which was nurse the baby, drive carpool when there
were no other options, and sit on the porch steps of a friend, who was
afflicted with the same plague, while we watched our kids <strike>play with bubbles</strike>
pour bubble solution on the ground, each other, and themselves. It sounds horrible, right? And it was.
Except for the part where I was bed-ridden, couldn’t do anything, and couldn’t
eat. I watched the entire first season
of Downtown Abbey (OMG IT’S THE BEST SHOW EVER). I got a well-deserved break from my 24/7 mom
job. And I lost three pounds, which I
have successfully kept off! In some ways
it was a best week ever. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A
few weeks ago something similar happened.
I had had a migraine for close to a week straight. My doctor suggested I try a new strategy
which was to take my prescription meds + an OTC pain reliever. I didn’t have that particular pain
reliever at home, so I left Shimmy in charge, and headed to the store. There was road work being done, so it took an
extra long time to get there. Once I had
bought the pain reliever, I also decided to treat myself to some dark
chocolate-covered almonds. I headed back
to my car to sit and eat my snack and take my pills. Then I decided to pop into the wine store to
stock up for the weekend. They happened
to be having an in-store wine tasting, so I sat down and had a nice time
tasting wines and talking to the staff.
I headed home, my migraine mitigated, and my spirits lifted. A day that began in excruciating pain ended
up becoming a delightful afternoon of me time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So,
while it is true that moms can’t get sick, and shouldn’t get sick; sometimes
they do. And when they do, they should
milk it for all it’s worth. Because,
before they know it, the jig will be up and they’ll have to get out of bed to
start the 20 loads of laundry and two sinks full of dirty dishes that await
them.<o:p></o:p></div>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-30544810972448096262012-05-23T14:01:00.001-04:002012-05-23T14:01:17.859-04:00Seventh Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL67QQZeYvOnTf78DdfgVj5J1rqQJASAWDsud4EgkCz6nH0_7owj9iB5pk65-X5GsVH3wPNjVj52FRwe-H44n6n0GeHEjO_91HelOnDzkp6bAOb5WIJlPT5lC9pg3V9wzykxafcCRmWbR/s1600/jude7months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL67QQZeYvOnTf78DdfgVj5J1rqQJASAWDsud4EgkCz6nH0_7owj9iB5pk65-X5GsVH3wPNjVj52FRwe-H44n6n0GeHEjO_91HelOnDzkp6bAOb5WIJlPT5lC9pg3V9wzykxafcCRmWbR/s320/jude7months.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Jude is now seven months old. What?! How is that possible?! Craziness! He is at my very favorite baby stage. He sleeps 12 straight hours at night. He takes two amazing two-hour naps each day. He happily eats any pureed food I feed him. He can sit and play with his toys (or watch his sisters) for nice amounts of time. He babbles. He laughs. He snuggles. He is adorable. This is the age that I want to hold onto. This is the age that upon realizing I can’t hold onto, I usually console myself by saying there will be another. This time I’m not sure there will be. And I want to stay here in Seventh Heaven snuggling and giggling with this perfect little boy as long as I can.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-74584712674647014692012-05-23T10:16:00.003-04:002012-06-04T14:34:43.495-04:00Mini Vacation<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I recently took a mini vacation. It felt so bizarre. Freeing, yet awkward. Fun, yet involved. When my hockey team (The Washington Capitals,
the only way you wouldn’t know this is if you don’t know me in real life or on Facebook)
made it to the second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs I was determined to get to
a game, no matter what it took. Somehow, all of the planets aligned and I was able to go! It was thrilling, right from the start. It was my first time on the dc metro in
years. I first took the elevator in the wrong direction, because they had
completely redone the metro station since I was last there. I didn’t know if it was “peak of peak” time,
so I paid the higher fare just in case. I brought a book (<a href="http://www.scarymommy.com/" target="_blank">Scary Mommy</a> by Jill
Smokler, whom I recently met- that’s a post for a different time!), but I was
too excited to read. I felt young and full of possibility. I picked up my
date (husband) from his place (office) and headed out to drinks with a fun gay
couple (my sister and partner), and then we went to the Caps game, where they
ultimately lost in triple overtime.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I had such a fun evening! But, I couldn’t help but be consumed by the
thought that so much preparation went into attending (what should have been a)
three hour game. When Shimmy decides he wants to go to a game all he has to do
it walk a few blocks. Which he does, about once a week during hockey season in
its long entirety. I, on the other hand,
had to arrange for us to spend the night at my parents house, pack us all up,
take out garbage, prepare for the cleaning lady who would be coming early the
next morning, pick up the girls early from school, drive down to Silver Spring,
go over the kids’ detailed schedule with my mom, pack a separate purse (with a
hand pump among other things), get a ride to the metro, return to my parents’
house after the game, pack up all up early the next morning, drive the girls to
school, and go home exhausted. Although
I wouldn’t want to go through all of those steps too often, it is worth it once
in a while. Everyone needs a mini
vacation every now and then!</span><o:p></o:p></div>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-6587376218261155502012-04-18T12:33:00.001-04:002012-04-18T12:38:53.148-04:00Taking PauseMy children are growing up so fast.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Too fast.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></i>Each observation I make about each child (of which there are many during the course of a day) could become an entire blog post in itself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I just can’t keep up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So I am forcing myself to take pause right now and record some observations.<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Kfb6nUOaP1zkJbZ2vlGe9-0oFkXiDb7eXYNT9jp8iU91ueq68WX70NND3mCZfXfCLBrfexYHMfjLX3neiu_GDNLt8BZLN9QHgFLMWjUv4MbV8PzpwlHgefDV9hM_nqDNIyTFDBW0FqO1/s1600/kids2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Kfb6nUOaP1zkJbZ2vlGe9-0oFkXiDb7eXYNT9jp8iU91ueq68WX70NND3mCZfXfCLBrfexYHMfjLX3neiu_GDNLt8BZLN9QHgFLMWjUv4MbV8PzpwlHgefDV9hM_nqDNIyTFDBW0FqO1/s400/kids2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732780709579712658" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sophie:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROscdUwJggiAnygLviPBKB3owQ6bg5cYyL5wgXcE3lDSiTUDN3R6DmKtYNPs4liLdojA8ERrg6TutQ4VmVRRu2j89QYy0BGUY1UoAqJSmGHNpSljRy4Uttg-1EPIkNTpRCTvzmwj8sLYJ/s1600/sophie.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROscdUwJggiAnygLviPBKB3owQ6bg5cYyL5wgXcE3lDSiTUDN3R6DmKtYNPs4liLdojA8ERrg6TutQ4VmVRRu2j89QYy0BGUY1UoAqJSmGHNpSljRy4Uttg-1EPIkNTpRCTvzmwj8sLYJ/s400/sophie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732780677825072114" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I can’t believe that the Sophie I see now was once my tiny six pound baby.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is a big kid now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is smart, mature, funny, caring, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">helpful.</i><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If either Lilah or Jude (or both) is home with me, I prefer Sophie to stay home too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She can entertain and sooth Jude almost as well as a non-parent adult.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In some ways she is like a third parent to him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He recognizes her.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His face lights up when he sees or hears her, which, in turn, makes my face light up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She recently walked herself to a friend’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She had to cross one street that rarely sees a car and then walk a ways down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I could see her the whole time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I watched with a mixture of pride and disbelief as she proudly walked farther and farther away, until she skipped up her friend’s driveway.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And my heart skipped a beat.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lilah:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2BDcu3qyHFK-gTIrl9NnMLEIyjvpslTkcz1wCeUJegBIwP7KtObpwHBOJcvzqQsVgAsV7c0nkZlQrkLWQlJ9sW1IwG-hSBDEbiKLnUTFl_-poeL4K2n_lcfm2s4j9MNnJeytsYH3It6f/s1600/lilah.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2BDcu3qyHFK-gTIrl9NnMLEIyjvpslTkcz1wCeUJegBIwP7KtObpwHBOJcvzqQsVgAsV7c0nkZlQrkLWQlJ9sW1IwG-hSBDEbiKLnUTFl_-poeL4K2n_lcfm2s4j9MNnJeytsYH3It6f/s400/lilah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732780687072838242" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lilah has always had a wonderful personality.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She has always been sweet, smart, and easy-going.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her vocabulary has always blown listeners away.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her smile has always been contagious.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Recently I have observed another quality: self assurance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When she walks into a crowd of people she throws her arms open and exclaims, “Lilah is here!”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She knows she is well-liked.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She lays on the charm- and it works.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sophie has picked up on this too, and often sends Lilah as an emissary to the parents when one is needed on behalf of the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She enjoys playing with both her sister and brother.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She gets along with everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>People often worry about “middle child syndrome” when there are three siblings, but I am not worried.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The middle child in our family is laid-back, self-assured, and high-achieving.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Judah:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T-4B_KSgrbXvi8xHOwKBorlmoXNQhHCaria-A6ta3Rvylr1YLm5sngJmtg43qdTUS0M71rM92STlQAeGY-Y5_etLmZySPluFZq8-jfhsUOgQbsw043luXAEyczG6DnAw_iOkQ1AjaEQH/s1600/jude+in+grass2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9T-4B_KSgrbXvi8xHOwKBorlmoXNQhHCaria-A6ta3Rvylr1YLm5sngJmtg43qdTUS0M71rM92STlQAeGY-Y5_etLmZySPluFZq8-jfhsUOgQbsw043luXAEyczG6DnAw_iOkQ1AjaEQH/s400/jude+in+grass2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732780697461431970" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When people ask me what kind of a baby Jude is, I often say, “he doesn’t know he’s the third child.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had expected my third child to follow in the footsteps of my second child, who seamlessly fit in with our existing family upon birth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had hoped for a happy, quiet, and low-maintenance<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>baby.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He had other plans.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I say he doesn’t know he is the third child, but maybe he does know.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe it is precisely because he is my third that he feels he needs to make himself heard.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He wants to be nursed, held, cuddled, and talked to.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And why shouldn’t he be?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Firstborn children get the benefit of undivided attention from their parents and research proves that it leads to higher IQ scores, greater success, and other advantages in life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Although Jude’s high demands often inconvenience me, I am proud of his determination and ambition.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And I am grateful for the extra one-on-one time I am forced to have with him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-71314841689629299712012-04-11T16:20:00.001-04:002012-04-11T16:20:42.546-04:00The Elusive Shower<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I have always showered daily (or nightly).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Always.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>First, because that’s how we did things in my family when I was growing up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Later, because it was ingrained in me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When I became a mother, because it was 20 minutes of peace that I did not feel guilty demanding.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Plus, it seemed necessary with all of the sweat, milk, spit up, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I know not everyone showers daily.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I know people have different reasons for choosing their shower schedules.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I never fully understood why someone would choose not to shower daily (or so it seemed) - until now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I now know that some people intend to shower daily, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">really want to</i>, but it just doesn’t happen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These people are victims of the elusive shower.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sadly, I am one of these people from time to time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Here’s how it happens.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am typically a night showerer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However; I might, for some reason, take a shower one morning instead.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That night, I’ll skip the shower because I just took one that morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The next morning I become too busy (with kids, work, errands, appointments, etc.) to shower.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I reason with myself that I will take a shower that night, which will put me back on my preferred nighttime shower schedule anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That night the kids may give me a difficult time going to bed and it might take until late at night to get all three asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I might decide to relax with a tv show.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It might be so late at this point that I fall asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Without showering.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The next morning I wake up and realize that it’s been too long since I’ve showered.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I might as well wait to shower until after I’ve worked out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then- you guessed it- I get busy with the kids, work, errands, appointments, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At some point I realize it has been MORE THAN TWO DAYS SINCE I’VE SHOWERED.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At which point I turn the tv on a kids’ show and leave all three kids, some or all of them crying, to their own devices while I shower.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And that is how I, and many other well-meaning, hygiene-conscious people, am plagued by the elusive shower.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-19524018982618599702012-04-05T14:04:00.000-04:002012-04-05T14:05:20.304-04:00I Don't Know How She Does It<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The first paragraph is the beginning of a post I started writing weeks, maybe months, ago, and just came across today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> A few years ago, my friend and I read the book, I Don't Know How She Does It. (Ironically, the movie based in the book came out a few months ago, but my friend and I gave up trying to find a way to see it.) Even though I think I only had one child at the time, the book really resonated with me. Being a mom is hard. Being a mom and trying to also be anything else is really hard. It can seem impossible at times. Now that I have three children and a new career I feel like I am floundering around in a sea of stress just one big wave away from drowning. I ask myself: How can I do it all? And I answer myself: I can't do it all. And what I can do, I don't always do well. But I do my best. And my best is pretty damn good. And I keep swimming.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">________________________________________________________________________________</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At some point I realize how far I’ve swam, even though it has been hard at times.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I realize I haven’t flailed in a while (haven’t cried in a while!).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m getting somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think I see some land ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I can swim on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I want to!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Every once in a while, like today, the swimming is easy, manageable, almost boring.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is the first day of Spring/Passover Break.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had not made plans for today, and worried we would all be bored and the girls would spend all day watching tv and fighting with each other.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had given up hopes of making it to a hockey game tonight, but given Shimmy my blessing to go ahead (not without feeling very jealous).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I pictured a long, difficult day and night.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And, yet, the opposite has happened.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sophie was invited out for a play date.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lilah, who has sadly been suffering from allergies all week, has been watching tv in a Benadryl coma.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I gave her a mani/pedi and have been sitting with her, but she has required no real attention.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Jude has been napping for the past three and a half hours (I keep checking on him- he’s fine!).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have finished all of my Passover preparations and I’m actually kind of bored (hence the blog post!).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On days like today, the swimming is smooth indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Doing it all” is doable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’ll keep today in mind when a rough day of swimming is upon me again.</p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-20108974786870403512012-03-15T15:18:00.004-04:002012-03-15T17:14:32.772-04:00FinallyWell, it took five months, but we are finally there. Jude is finally on a good schedule: Three naps during the day, and only waking once during the night. He is a happy guy for the most part, smiling, giggling, "talking," and as of two days ago, sitting unassisted! He's in my very favorite baby stage and I have even caught myself thinking about future babies (and then quickly silencing those thoughts- my GOSH hormones are good at tricking us into things, aren't they?!?).<br /><br />I managed fine without a babysitter for three weeks, although I fell pretty behind with my course work and prayed I would not get any new business. So, as of yesterday, we have a new twice weekly sitter. I like her a lot and so do the kids. <br /><br />I am finally in a good place with diet and exercise. I still have about eight pounds to go, but I'm feeling good about how far I've gotten. I know the rest will come off soon. Plus, my hair has finally stopped falling out in its typical scary postpartum clumps. So THAT's good.<br /><br />The last of the construction (all outside) is finally back underway, after a mysterious four month hiatus.<br /><br />I am finally able to host a long-overdue and much-anticipated couples night this Saturday night. The girls will be at my parents' house and Jude is finally going to sleep at a normal time!<br /><br />Spring is finally here. Thankfully, Winter was mild, but it's still nice to feel warm temperatures and see flowers blooming!<br /><br />Finally, here are some recent pics:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRJKWbtg8jy-MQS3sUmeANRC3mYw-bnwJBc7ckGJzU4Dxilk8XFcma3dUKw62jio_8dJARZ1xsTGTjvSC4ByeXuaBYbvQy5X5TZ0YquPOfnu2wQZovO-K4hkLGcpcs1pzDrGsXnxZCwI4/s1600/mm2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRJKWbtg8jy-MQS3sUmeANRC3mYw-bnwJBc7ckGJzU4Dxilk8XFcma3dUKw62jio_8dJARZ1xsTGTjvSC4ByeXuaBYbvQy5X5TZ0YquPOfnu2wQZovO-K4hkLGcpcs1pzDrGsXnxZCwI4/s400/mm2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720215878268469042" border="0" /></a><br />Purim: The kids were the three little pigs<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYagQyA23J-3SujRbcpPiKS1HGn19BsYhDpkWhxiSL2uxoTWTHjEjo4eLopEIYCJOhVRByUyGZOg5HFMhWIXpLRhu_qhkH_6MycRQnlTU9VybDD1DPjIhzDLrQ8q4JEIuFakdoCfoVhWUj/s1600/shamy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYagQyA23J-3SujRbcpPiKS1HGn19BsYhDpkWhxiSL2uxoTWTHjEjo4eLopEIYCJOhVRByUyGZOg5HFMhWIXpLRhu_qhkH_6MycRQnlTU9VybDD1DPjIhzDLrQ8q4JEIuFakdoCfoVhWUj/s400/shamy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720215869194991634" border="0" /></a><br />Purim: The Mr. and I were "Shamy" from The Big Bang Theory<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETro5llS-KdPCqA3L14CngbiWAwXsTFcO6HkAmyfMm1lJ-csZL_cbhOAEXMgaRrRQ7bzhaW3g8BGDga5xHb4gZK8SXgYbZTSvksHgyd8mMSlYjoaCHJwkdvf-dpQvGCV5TsjlBgHZhYCI/s1600/sad+little+piggy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETro5llS-KdPCqA3L14CngbiWAwXsTFcO6HkAmyfMm1lJ-csZL_cbhOAEXMgaRrRQ7bzhaW3g8BGDga5xHb4gZK8SXgYbZTSvksHgyd8mMSlYjoaCHJwkdvf-dpQvGCV5TsjlBgHZhYCI/s400/sad+little+piggy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720215884699455362" border="0" /></a><br />One sad little piggy :(<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-75uRWLVu24_TkdfIR2MTCFzQsxvTerDTV_0RKCLfDTcFdEvccU9Iv_v_iilL-dJjv4zmZwcJiQ7jcr1sCkNNuagaRnGLsO-qg82XUsG5qcWnncoEPnt1bwSQYGbjUoHeQ6p2DlesO_xD/s1600/caps+fam.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-75uRWLVu24_TkdfIR2MTCFzQsxvTerDTV_0RKCLfDTcFdEvccU9Iv_v_iilL-dJjv4zmZwcJiQ7jcr1sCkNNuagaRnGLsO-qg82XUsG5qcWnncoEPnt1bwSQYGbjUoHeQ6p2DlesO_xD/s400/caps+fam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720215892189240498" border="0" /></a><br />Before the CAPS game last Sunday<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3pV-qpYJUb5g8ic0Xjc9sOFJB5Lr92PF9V-Y01FGLHD3HjfrKYXuN1hDsqhmFwQkoTX-gYrglhLyhCJc70plNJ2f8BpSo15WgGnauGOcN6HAY3yVeQ49lRIFeIPeW4O6D8ZtqnICnUvk/s1600/201203+040.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3pV-qpYJUb5g8ic0Xjc9sOFJB5Lr92PF9V-Y01FGLHD3HjfrKYXuN1hDsqhmFwQkoTX-gYrglhLyhCJc70plNJ2f8BpSo15WgGnauGOcN6HAY3yVeQ49lRIFeIPeW4O6D8ZtqnICnUvk/s400/201203+040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720230724015081618" border="0" /></a><br />5 months yesterday!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcM8pXkcmPUTjZkVNlEmV1Dos3JwT0VZ3Vi385s9D6C7KUkwc9tsNxVPY_EcML9DbTf2T92HC370GoTTO0zXBh5f97vE_b3Yif_IcoPpHEZjiXvyqoCACDC3pq3k33Xpc7Bqtwqy8ETlh/s1600/jude+in+exersaucer.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcM8pXkcmPUTjZkVNlEmV1Dos3JwT0VZ3Vi385s9D6C7KUkwc9tsNxVPY_EcML9DbTf2T92HC370GoTTO0zXBh5f97vE_b3Yif_IcoPpHEZjiXvyqoCACDC3pq3k33Xpc7Bqtwqy8ETlh/s400/jude+in+exersaucer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720230717068513634" border="0" /></a><br />He is already tall enough for his feet to stand flat at the bottom of the exersaucer!Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-20538108829487576362012-02-22T16:07:00.002-05:002012-02-22T17:01:24.199-05:00UnhelpfulA few months ago I blogged about how I had thrown in the towel and hired a babysitter. At the time, the times that she was coming were not the most helpful. I decided to continue having her babysit because I was sure that some help was better than none. I also wanted to have her be a familiar face so that my kids would be comfortable with her if I ever needed her for a late night when she would need to put the kids to bed.<br /><br />A couple of weeks later the babysitter said she had decided to quit her other job and could come babysit for us 3 afternoon/evenings a week from 4pm-8pm. This was perfect. I thought I could use that time to work on my course assignments. Or go to the grocery store alone. Or both! This worked out great for a while, but not without its kinks. She was always either late or could not come at all. I was quite used to this from her. She had been this way since she first started babysitting for us last May (after our former babysitter- who was AMAZING- left to study abroad). She canceled on me the night before the very first day she was supposed to come. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled and I think either Shimmy had to stay home from work or my mom had to drive up here (she lives 45 minutes away). I should have known then that this girl was not the most responsible. When we asked her to sleep over during the weekend we were out of town for my cousin's wedding I waited for the last possible day to book hotel and airfare because I was sure she would cancel last minute. (Thankfully she did not.) I've tried to talk to her about the importance of being on time and reliable. I've explained to her that I cannot make plans when I'm not sure if she will be here on time. She seems to think that she is very responsible and reliable but that things come up once in a while. The problem is that it's not once in a while, it's EVERY FREAKING DAY.<br /><br />Two weeks ago she said she had decided to take a class that had opened up during the evenings that she babysat for us. She texted me this a couple of hours before she was supposed to be here. I thought that was the end and started to look for someone else. Then she decided she could still babysit here one day 4-8 and one day 1:30-5:30. That would have worked well enough for me. But this never happened. She was always either late or she couldn't come altogether. I cannot express what a nightmare it was trying to schedule things with a babysitter who is so unreliable. Saving errands, a work out, etc. for a time that I had scheduled a babysitter only to have her cancel is one thing. But scheduling actual important meetings, doctor's appointments, etc. to then have to cancel them when she did not show up is quite another. Still I didn't fire her. I continued to look for a new babysitter while tolerating this one. I still reasoned with myself that unreliable help was better than no help at all. Plus, the kids do like her and it's good to keep them familiar with her for those occasional late nights, blah blah blah. Not only have I tolerated her unreliability, but I also let her sleep over when she has an early class the next day. I have let her do her laundry here. I have let her bring her dog here when she needed to. I feed her dinner every time she is here. If I cook, I make sure there is enough for her. If I order take out, I order her her own meal. Around Christmas and her birthday I pay her extra. I am a great person to work for. I always try to show people my appreciation.<br /><br />However, today was the last straw. On Monday I texted her in the morning to make sure she was still coming that afternoon (which, I should not have to do at all, but I like to avoid last minute surprises). She said she would not be able to come, but would be here today. I texted her this morning and she said she would be here at 1:30. I planned my day accordingly. At 1, she text saying she would be here at 2:30. At 2:30 she texted to say she was on the way. At 3pm, when I realized that Sophie was now standing outside of school waiting for me to pick her up, I called the babysitter hoping she would say she was 1 minute away. She was 20 minutes away. I told her not to bother coming and to please call me later to discuss our situation. I woke Jude up and put him and a barefoot Lilah in the car and raced to get Sophie. This was two hours ago and I am still shaking with anger. <br /><br />And, yet, when I call her (because I am sure she will not call me), I know she won't think she is at fault for anything. I know she will apologize and make empty promises to be here every time from now on. I know it will be tempting to try to believe her. But I'm pretty sure we are past the point of "any help is better than none." Because this situation with this babysitter is just plain unhelpful.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-89956182782763288292012-02-09T17:12:00.002-05:002012-02-09T17:21:36.028-05:00Where Have I Been?!?In a word, busy.<br /><br />In more words: working hard to earn a diploma in interior design, creating a website for my interior design business, throwing Sophie a 5th birthday party, volunteering for the kids' school events, turning 30, recovering from turning 30, plus the usual struggling to survive each day with the kids. Here they are by the way:<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dYkQXzS6FXjQ7MWN2KiQ6BDhfC3vxQ-2vRaCFzf64Q0_F7DeddAg2tJKGEkgCPzwPD6iafPETVjKmbqPBR7hClnv0wzwI5DXkocjIU9-snJl_6stXSdOkN720jNoet0Ysz7pfVwyM8FU/s1600/201202+052.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dYkQXzS6FXjQ7MWN2KiQ6BDhfC3vxQ-2vRaCFzf64Q0_F7DeddAg2tJKGEkgCPzwPD6iafPETVjKmbqPBR7hClnv0wzwI5DXkocjIU9-snJl_6stXSdOkN720jNoet0Ysz7pfVwyM8FU/s400/201202+052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707262841958063026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Do not be fooled by their sweet faces and coordinated outfits. They are tough customers. More on them when I get another few minutes to breathe. Although, by then, they will probably have gotten much older.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-11276574502981527682011-12-30T15:00:00.002-05:002011-12-30T15:03:01.607-05:00There Is No Guilt On The Other Hand<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Today I showed up to a play date for kids and moms in Sophie’s class with all three of my kids in tow.<span style=""> </span>They were the only siblings there.<span style=""> </span>We were the last to arrive.<span style=""> </span>I was a sweaty mess from my morning workout.<span style=""> </span>I spent most my time there nursing.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, Sophie had a great time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When we got home, I broke my own rule of letting the girls watch only three tv shows a day, so I could get all of the Shabbat cooking done.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, they watched nicely together and there has been very little arguing.<span style=""> </span>I even heard some happy discussion and giggling coming from the play room.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">While I cooked, I put a fussy Jude in the bumbo on the counter next to me.<span style=""> </span>He fell asleep in the bumbo and I did not move him out, even though I was worried about his head/neck being slumped in that position.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, he seemed comfortable enough to take a nice little nap.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When he woke up, he spit up all over himself and pooped.<span style=""> </span>I was too busy to clean him up right away.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, he didn’t seem to mind.<span style=""> </span>Before I took him out to change him, he even smiled and playfully kicked his feet at me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Right now the house is looking a little more cluttered than I would like it to.<span style=""> </span>I still have a couple more things to cook.<span style=""> </span>The girls are going on hour three of straight tv-watching.<span style=""> </span>Shimmy is holed up in his office, working.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, we are all home together, my dad is on his way over, and we’re going to have an enjoyable weekend.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s to a very happy and healthy new year.<span style=""> </span>May 2012 be wonderful, exciting, peaceful, fulfilling, and guilt-free!</p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-81163855339393628452011-12-15T14:47:00.002-05:002011-12-15T14:53:15.255-05:00Jude is Two Months Old!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" 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mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/SHIMMY%7E1.MES/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.png" alt="" /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Jude is two months old!<span style=""> </span>Here is what’s new with him.<span style=""> </span>As you can see from the picture, he is cute and fat and soft and snuggly.<span style=""> </span>As you can also see from the picture, he smiles!<span style=""> </span>Not all the time, and not on cue, but he does flash one every now and then.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>He also cries!<span style=""> </span>And as of a few days ago, he cries with real tears!<span style=""> </span>He has been sleeping a long stretch (average is seven hours) almost every night for the past couple of weeks.<span style=""> </span>He is strong.<span style=""> </span>He’s not yet rolling over, but he can arch his back to the point of almost doing a back bend.<span style=""> </span>I’m sure he’ll be rolling over any day!<span style=""> </span>I have really enjoyed watching his eyelashes grow over the past two months.<span style=""> </span>He started out with a few individual lashes.<span style=""> </span>Each day they have become longer and thicker.<span style=""> </span>Pretty soon he will have the false lash-looking lashes that his sisters have that I covet so very much.<span style=""> </span>So very long, thick, and dark.<span style=""> </span>So very unfair that I don’t have them too! <span style=""> </span>It’s not smooth sailing yet.<span style=""> </span>Jude still prefers to spend his waking hours being held, mostly by me.<span style=""> </span>Though he is sleeping through the night, the few hours before he falls asleep (about 6:00/7:00 until 10:00/11:00) he is awake and fussy.<span style=""> </span>Instead of being able to relax after I put the girls to bed, I spend the next several hours nursing, being screamed at, and being thrown up on. <span style=""> </span>I’m looking forward to the next month.<span style=""> </span>Past experience tells me that everything will get a lot easier at the three month mark.<span style=""> </span>Until then, the smiles help! <span style=""></span><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">:)</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style=""></span></span></p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-30746658212244347522011-12-11T17:34:00.000-05:002011-12-11T17:35:13.056-05:00Cloning<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> 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</w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Having once again rescued Jude from crying so hard that he vomited, and then choked on his vomit, <i style="">just because I put him down to go use the bathroom</i>, I am wishing I could clone myself.<span style=""> </span>To start, I’d have one of me for each child.<span style=""> </span>This way I could attend to each of their (constant) needs.<span style=""> </span>I would also be able to have one-on-one enjoyable time.<span style=""> </span>I could help Sophie learn to read and practice her writing.<span style=""> </span>I could help Lilah with more complicated puzzles and with her letters and numbers.<span style=""> </span>I could make sure she napped every day and I could toilet-train her.<span style=""> </span>I could nurse Jude totally on demand, but also play with him and engage him instead of plopping him into a swing so often.<span style=""> </span>I’d like another clone or two as well to take care of household stuff and personal stuff.<span style=""> </span>Maybe one clone could just sleep constantly so that the other clones never got tired.<span style=""> </span>So that’s a total of five clones.<span style=""> </span>Although I would be really, really grateful for even one.<span style=""> </span>Scientists, get on it.</p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-88744045958619171622011-12-08T15:53:00.001-05:002011-12-08T15:53:38.114-05:00Ratios<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Having three kids feels like a lot more than two.<span style=""> </span>When there are two parents present it is fine; even enjoyable at times.<span style=""> </span>However, on the days (almost every day) that I go at it alone, it is challenging.<span style=""> </span>1:1 was hard, mostly because it was all so new and different, but it was manageable.<span style=""> </span>1:2 was also manageable.<span style=""> </span>In fact, it was easier than 1:1 in some ways, especially once the 2 could play together and entertain each other.<span style=""> </span>But 1:3 is very, very hard.<span style=""> </span>It seems like at any given moment at least one kid is upset or sick or in need of help or in need of entertaining or in need of intervening.<span style=""> </span>Or more than one kid is in need of more than one of those.<span style=""> </span>Or all three are.<span style=""> </span>Most days it’s all I can do to keep my head above water.<span style=""> </span>I can never manage to run errands and complete household chores on the same day.<span style=""> </span>It has to be one or the other.<span style=""> </span>Exercising is hard to fit in, but enjoyable and rewarding when I can make it work.<span style=""> </span>Add volunteering at the girls’ school, helping a friend in need, or anything extra at all and I start to feel like I’m drowning.<span style=""> </span>So I have thrown in the towel and asked our babysitter to come over two evenings a week to provide an extra set of hands.<span style=""> </span>She’s here from the tail end of dinner (which is as soon as she is able to get here after her day job) through bedtime.<span style=""> </span>Two days ago was the first time she came.<span style=""> </span>It was <i style="">kind of </i>helpful.<span style=""> </span>She held Jude while I finished supervising dinner for the girls, cleaned up dinner, and made their lunches for school the next day, and gave them a bath.<span style=""> </span>Then she sat with the girls and watched tv with them while I fed Jude.<span style=""> </span>Then she held Jude again while I put the girls to bed.<span style=""> </span>Since Jude fussed almost the whole time she held him, I could have just put him in a swing or bouncy seat.<span style=""> </span>And the girls could have watched tv in my room while I nursed.<span style=""> </span>So I’m not sure this is money well spent.<span style=""> </span>She’s coming tonight, so we’ll see how it goes.<span style=""> </span>It’s not exactly the 2:3 you get with another parents or close relative (because I really just want someone to hold Jude while I’m in the shower and then have them make me dinner and bring it to me while I am nursing, and I can’t exactly ask the babysitter to do that!), but I guess 1.5/3 is still better than 1:3.</p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-73133499784530948632011-12-05T09:55:00.004-05:002011-12-05T10:28:29.273-05:00It's Never Too Late For Thank YouIt's about a week and a half late, but here is my Thanksgiving recap:<br /><br />The entire day went more smoothly than it had in recent past years. We did more prep the day before, allowing for a more relaxed Thanksgiving Morning, which is one of the things I had really missed in the past few years. Even though the relaxing morning didn't begin at 10am, as it had once upon a time (probably B.C.: Before Children, or at least before Child #2), we did manage to all do crafts together at the kitchen table while watching/listening to the parade in the background. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1z964iwvA2FODZOW1pVv1GOelt45sA6yYZMSIhz69TPFoNxna4uaKaJrwj1kkIjg_gwGzLClPpa_rsyRx1YeUTzjnqbis65Igz-itDiN-ZDhBWt1rVRE_SBi7c1D3Fw3rlnx8SmJa6APZ/s1600/thanksgiving2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1z964iwvA2FODZOW1pVv1GOelt45sA6yYZMSIhz69TPFoNxna4uaKaJrwj1kkIjg_gwGzLClPpa_rsyRx1YeUTzjnqbis65Igz-itDiN-ZDhBWt1rVRE_SBi7c1D3Fw3rlnx8SmJa6APZ/s400/thanksgiving2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658946019178706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our Fall Leaves Collage and Thankful Turkey</span><br /><br /><br />The " Fry Fest" was much better organized. There was a good mix of people at the Fry Fest including a lot of my friends. The weather was beautiful. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslfn63h1LcNq4q3oG3YypUsFCpEFWmyvAePYhDyPT3dDhnoLQrZFjd4GCnLYderZTH5dFxkkySQ-W9vmvi62gbYR38HrJefII6kINiBs7qpJlB7sHwgeFU83SD5GDqD4bCC9BmoGo_zhyphenhyphen/s1600/thanksgiving7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslfn63h1LcNq4q3oG3YypUsFCpEFWmyvAePYhDyPT3dDhnoLQrZFjd4GCnLYderZTH5dFxkkySQ-W9vmvi62gbYR38HrJefII6kINiBs7qpJlB7sHwgeFU83SD5GDqD4bCC9BmoGo_zhyphenhyphen/s400/thanksgiving7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658436678285602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Prepping the fry turkey outside- no coats necessary!</span><br /><br />Thanksgiving dinner was really nice and fairly relaxed. The food was delicious. The kids were adorable in their new outfits, which were embroidered with their names. (I can't believe I'm that mom!)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvr8kqk8EgywfpvD1ytkCM_nVxbMVoOTD07RLImMBNcVbMAHOMQl3AvNIyim0qy7VfSbAC_XMUbHOH9lUMtrpBCZzmIvxTan2wYESAk6BC5eInYFSuqnHZLHRCnPDOgiNvIS-MID17v4y/s1600/thanksgiving1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvr8kqk8EgywfpvD1ytkCM_nVxbMVoOTD07RLImMBNcVbMAHOMQl3AvNIyim0qy7VfSbAC_XMUbHOH9lUMtrpBCZzmIvxTan2wYESAk6BC5eInYFSuqnHZLHRCnPDOgiNvIS-MID17v4y/s400/thanksgiving1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658947871908050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stress-free last minute prep</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQ6SAkmWEmMapxqX8KQMaKALDM8qIQ1iKAck_NYsH_dyeHQ4Uj014JiF7gNatiXWWxUSVC7wuLIH7idVqPxcNml_aOLbq_WPpsgau_H8s3K9kle4cZ95TqhWcu5haA5bDah2LTNaRpjJd/s1600/thanksgiving3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQ6SAkmWEmMapxqX8KQMaKALDM8qIQ1iKAck_NYsH_dyeHQ4Uj014JiF7gNatiXWWxUSVC7wuLIH7idVqPxcNml_aOLbq_WPpsgau_H8s3K9kle4cZ95TqhWcu5haA5bDah2LTNaRpjJd/s400/thanksgiving3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658470541204306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sophie's turkey costume</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqPfy-9dWrFaE-7X4JsJzcA0GyxQJuNVzP5SHU-5TZN0Cp6U4BQuGVY__Y_M3wyQ230WhosJ8GKIy3juoOk5zJtumqbSIzG8qK5tXCnh7_zCpsH9_DTdp8ji2WJ3F1-WWFkxGuJck7xvU/s1600/thanksgiving4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqPfy-9dWrFaE-7X4JsJzcA0GyxQJuNVzP5SHU-5TZN0Cp6U4BQuGVY__Y_M3wyQ230WhosJ8GKIy3juoOk5zJtumqbSIzG8qK5tXCnh7_zCpsH9_DTdp8ji2WJ3F1-WWFkxGuJck7xvU/s400/thanksgiving4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658463385086466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The turkey was so delicious that my sister took a break from being a vegetarian to eat some!</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoisW6TcDl5LtKjI9zvfzX2M5PcarpWfQjEGvlm6Rj2WJRPMDycs6q6cu50jY9n8oA70WZZ1ExuIBn79rlfyy7IbdMi3ElaTBKXosq5JwPSF-1UfM4V7Ls2jOGAwtyOzzwoaJ2QCgvIRV1/s1600/thanksgiving5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoisW6TcDl5LtKjI9zvfzX2M5PcarpWfQjEGvlm6Rj2WJRPMDycs6q6cu50jY9n8oA70WZZ1ExuIBn79rlfyy7IbdMi3ElaTBKXosq5JwPSF-1UfM4V7Ls2jOGAwtyOzzwoaJ2QCgvIRV1/s400/thanksgiving5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658447385977794" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPay_R9nEeKnZ8Web2OCyQ2S8RobR-WhtkwsEV9J7e1Ug9JHjmzO11fIX-U0Ph50kHiULiYBJ8C9U7XH2OZyS-sNr76Y0sqtD-vDdjryGAKiOcyAwAE7PEQGUQpwUpXHtzCAocvbiap56n/s1600/thanksgiving6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPay_R9nEeKnZ8Web2OCyQ2S8RobR-WhtkwsEV9J7e1Ug9JHjmzO11fIX-U0Ph50kHiULiYBJ8C9U7XH2OZyS-sNr76Y0sqtD-vDdjryGAKiOcyAwAE7PEQGUQpwUpXHtzCAocvbiap56n/s400/thanksgiving6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658442455273106" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The kids' outfits with their names embroidered on them </span><br /><br />I went shopping on Black Friday with my sister and got some good deals on kids' clothes and Chanukah gifts.<br /><br />Our friend (though that word is really not enough for what he is to us) Giddy had come to stay beginning Tuesday night and did not leave until the Monday night after Thanksgiving. To have him around was wonderful. He happily played with the girls and held a fussy baby whenever necessary. He helped me with home projects. He co-chaired the Fry Fest, helping oversee every single detail. He made me laugh a lot, which was so good for my tired, worn out self of late. Thanksgiving seemed like a week-long happy occasion while he was here.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bU4Rx17fLzTOiHIt3UxuWSMy44znY2J933HYs7vi3lj8-Akly7AuZ8gxrpmJm5UYxnVxirUgfEHAzwmlJdHUwLYjOEWsJKrQ58Saikhy9o7q0gS3rpXDvQtkk3FCHFH1mnHbcSUH6EaI/s1600/201111+010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bU4Rx17fLzTOiHIt3UxuWSMy44znY2J933HYs7vi3lj8-Akly7AuZ8gxrpmJm5UYxnVxirUgfEHAzwmlJdHUwLYjOEWsJKrQ58Saikhy9o7q0gS3rpXDvQtkk3FCHFH1mnHbcSUH6EaI/s400/201111+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658956450122130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Taking a nap with Jude<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oFAZPaLjxVeKR3Fgp7jgtXe05_44gbRHTiqbIOFS8XzGObv5BBzz0AnXB-LiHLg2cDnIVegQ2HKAWxPrhXnDRRb9_9_Z_UNhFjmFdP9ctLv6KPZw2c9Xp-4U32N5LNgdsgyDHUrkPkrW/s1600/201111+012.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oFAZPaLjxVeKR3Fgp7jgtXe05_44gbRHTiqbIOFS8XzGObv5BBzz0AnXB-LiHLg2cDnIVegQ2HKAWxPrhXnDRRb9_9_Z_UNhFjmFdP9ctLv6KPZw2c9Xp-4U32N5LNgdsgyDHUrkPkrW/s400/201111+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682658970391974514" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Playing with a hyper Sophie and a cranky Jude</span><br /><br />Since it's never too late for thank you... This year I am especially thankful for:<br /><br />-My family of origin- particularly my parents- who have been SO helpful since Judah was born. I have never needed help like this before and without even having to admit this to them they just regularly appear to relieve some of the burden. They are truly wonderful parents and grandparents.<br />- My current family, especially now that our Judah Jack has arrived. <br />-My chosen family: Giddy (see above reasons) and my girlfriends, who are the reason I can continue to feel centered and sane most days.<br />- Our good fortune and comfortable lives. Things are a little rough lately, but overall I know I am so blessed for everything I have. I do reflect on that daily.<br />- My new treadmill which I am on now (way to multitask) that has a place for my iPad to rest so I can blog finally! (I did edit a lot after I originally wrote it- auto correct can't fix everything!)Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-46988376383087101352011-11-13T13:30:00.005-05:002011-11-14T07:45:26.077-05:00First Month in ReviewI have composed many beautiful, poignant, and amusing blog posts over the past month.<span style=""> </span>The problem is; however, that they never left my mind.<span style=""> </span>There have been no breaks in the crazy.<span style=""> </span>I am still adjusting to the extra plates I must now keep spinning.<span style=""> </span>I know I will adjust.<span style=""> </span>I know it will get easier.<span style=""> </span>Right now, though, it is nearly impossible to find the time to write.<span style=""> </span>I know I won’t be able to recount the past month the way I really want to, but I want to try to remember this time, so here is my sloppy, rushed attempt. <p class="MsoNormal">Week 1 was wonderful.<span style=""> </span>I was thrilled to no longer be pregnant (and still am).<span style=""> </span>We were still in holiday mode, all of the family was here together, and now Judah was here with us too.<span style=""> </span>Shimmy took off from work- both from going into work and from doing work of any kind from home.<span style=""> </span>Even though I was sleep-deprived, I was running on adrenaline.<span style=""> </span>I was in bris preparation mode- going to the florist to pick out centerpieces, menu planning with the caterer, picking out linens at the linen guy’s warehouse, writing my speech, making arrangements for the friends and family that were coming in from out of town, etc. Because the bris was on another holiday, and one of the largest in terms of synagogue attendance (namely, Simchat Torah) we planned a luncheon for a few hundred people.<span style=""> </span>All of the major event planning took my focus and stress away from the main event: the circumcision itself. <span style=""> </span>Everything went perfectly, thank God, and it was a beautiful event.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, because it was on a holiday we have no pictures.<span style=""> </span>About a week after the bris I got around to staging some pictures:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnS59DX36G1bT9Kp0szBudUXL13lqT9i-85wXNWas-2I0nfNs-iqdvV6O_QYu8lzSeAB0ZdNwjzNn8KlrKQp4rlzCLMaXSPBVzZZe_vDOnYXHwAJbIg58qJZ9b6dhxyY8vDCacR2h4em4/s1600/bris+pic2+b%2526w.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnS59DX36G1bT9Kp0szBudUXL13lqT9i-85wXNWas-2I0nfNs-iqdvV6O_QYu8lzSeAB0ZdNwjzNn8KlrKQp4rlzCLMaXSPBVzZZe_vDOnYXHwAJbIg58qJZ9b6dhxyY8vDCacR2h4em4/s400/bris+pic2+b%2526w.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674550828297037186" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jude on his bris pillow, wearing the outfit that Shimmy wore to his own bris. Taken one week after the actual bris, but better late that never!</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Week 2 is when I crashed, but remained in good spirits.<span style=""> </span>I was exhausted, but optimistic that things would ease up soon.<span style=""> </span>I felt determined to keep things running smoothly and to rough out the storm (which, from past parenting experience is never longer than three months).<span style=""> </span>Shimmy was back at work and busier than ever (which, for him, meant not coming home at all some nights), but still I persevered.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTSwIafJiQW-S03jXULlLJUSG4x-R9gmc5Ooj-ueJ6yr-pnFXeHdmQUbNihLwl_OZeCCd7M4xprJntzExgB9VCOWDiECwjQ6wnC8Omi9S_us1IU30DzX-qsa57PYEJuVM-EHAvuq4cCKr/s1600/jude+from+jude+and+shari.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTSwIafJiQW-S03jXULlLJUSG4x-R9gmc5Ooj-ueJ6yr-pnFXeHdmQUbNihLwl_OZeCCd7M4xprJntzExgB9VCOWDiECwjQ6wnC8Omi9S_us1IU30DzX-qsa57PYEJuVM-EHAvuq4cCKr/s400/jude+from+jude+and+shari.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674553879033480802" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">A picture of Jude cropped from a picture of him with one of our many visitors.</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Week 3 is when I snapped.<span style=""> </span>I did have some help- friends brought dinners and my parents came up to help several times, but I could feel that sense of doom falling upon me.<span style=""> </span>One evening I sat on my bed holding a fussy Jude while my parents sat on my rug, each of them holding one of the girls while they watched a tv show.<span style=""> </span>I could not stop sobbing.<span style=""> </span>All I could think was, “I need some effing sleep.”<span style=""> </span>I felt like I was running on auto pilot.<span style=""> </span>I was depressed and numb.<span style=""> </span>One Sunday I managed to escape long enough to get my eyebrows waxed.<span style=""> </span>It felt good to have hot wax poured on my skin and ripped off.<span style=""> </span>It felt like something besides my usual haze.<span style=""> </span>When the aesthetician was finished, the clock in the salon chimed on the hour, and, I kid you not, played “Hey Jude.”<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>It was time to go back to the crazy.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVJRXFPBxcXaIHZJODw88JSPY0peHc_giZJwVFJlRxCq_5t5V6WrQkV9irlI8jDi0AiRLRzAAvaUXvw-42h6rA8TcOktroLuwlvElQ1BdedORD0w6fc4CrgavuyTZOPT2f9XaXGxe4rYl/s1600/jude+in+caps+gear.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVJRXFPBxcXaIHZJODw88JSPY0peHc_giZJwVFJlRxCq_5t5V6WrQkV9irlI8jDi0AiRLRzAAvaUXvw-42h6rA8TcOktroLuwlvElQ1BdedORD0w6fc4CrgavuyTZOPT2f9XaXGxe4rYl/s400/jude+in+caps+gear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674552274680731714" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jude in his CAPS gear. We watched the game together on one of our lonely, and sleepless, nights.</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">By Week 4 things started looking up.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>I finally started getting some sleep. I began going to sleep around 9 or 10pm instead of waiting for the midnight feeding. Judah also started sleeping for three or four hours at a time some nights instead of his typical two.<span style=""> </span>Somehow I managed to work out twice and even did my own nails.<span style=""> </span>Though, I think what really improved things was having cocktails at 11am with my girlfriends, during what has until now been referred to as “playgroup,” but what will henceforth be referred to as “Tuesday brunch and cocktails.”<span style=""> </span>I love my ladies!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XgDz3ovjKzncZyxE0pQDMXT64OrWZgwNqwD45mvU8elJrLXdXoJ9U7-C9yGummOscXp7ekx-rGK0B-snIDphJ_cCRCT0bic9N0ti40dKFAq0R68zP9R4XgThj91qulJnx3eMqJfZCHi6/s1600/jude+as+my+trainer.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XgDz3ovjKzncZyxE0pQDMXT64OrWZgwNqwD45mvU8elJrLXdXoJ9U7-C9yGummOscXp7ekx-rGK0B-snIDphJ_cCRCT0bic9N0ti40dKFAq0R68zP9R4XgThj91qulJnx3eMqJfZCHi6/s400/jude+as+my+trainer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674552270902398738" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-style: italic;">My personal trainer napping in his swing in our home gym while I ran on the treadmill.</span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Which brings us to the present:<span style=""> </span>Tomorrow my Judah Jack will be one month old!<span style=""> </span>Even though it’s been rough at times, I love him to pieces and I can’t imagine our family without him.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjN2PgXsmlCBN__cy-VK4GgD6hfZGrmR8LlVgAjS6W6gi1Gfz_bsVq2rdj_lrA2ySj8Vjq0zLffZ9QWbx8-OvRlWhw6-v0IEYDEr6yWcHQfHliAj7ewHRj8buTu2bEQhCagBg42ICv3Du/s1600/jude+in+leaves.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjN2PgXsmlCBN__cy-VK4GgD6hfZGrmR8LlVgAjS6W6gi1Gfz_bsVq2rdj_lrA2ySj8Vjq0zLffZ9QWbx8-OvRlWhw6-v0IEYDEr6yWcHQfHliAj7ewHRj8buTu2bEQhCagBg42ICv3Du/s400/jude+in+leaves.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674550840035632082" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hanging out in the fall leaves</span><br /><span style=""> </span></p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-562049239078901591.post-65262366526862266062011-10-25T15:36:00.001-04:002011-10-25T15:36:56.285-04:00Jude’s Birth Story<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> 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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I had been very uncomfortable since around 37 weeks.<span style=""> </span>I had contractions, sometimes ones that were both painful and regular, every day.<span style=""> </span>At 39 weeks exactly, on Yom Kippur, the contractions were so intense and regular that I went to the hospital, only to be sent home.<span style=""> </span>I was miserable.<span style=""> </span>At my 39 week appointment I was dilated 3 cm, which was encouraging.<span style=""> </span>At least all of those contractions were accomplishing something.<span style=""> </span>My parents came to stay with us for Sukkot, which they had planned to do all along.<span style=""> </span>The thinking was that if I had not yet had the baby, they would be here in case I went into labor.<span style=""> </span>And if I had had the baby, they would be here to help.<span style=""> </span>To my consternation, I had not yet had the baby.<span style=""> </span>I was very preoccupied with meal planning for Sukkot and having everything arranged and organized for everyone should I be in the hospital.<span style=""> </span>On the second day of Sukkot, around noon, I began having regular, painful contractions.<span style=""> </span>They would taper off, only to pick back up again a while later.<span style=""> </span>I rested, took a bath, and continued to labor at home all day.<span style=""> </span>By dinner time I couldn’t take it anymore.<span style=""> </span>After we put the girls to bed we left for the hospital.<span style=""> </span>I expected to be at least 5 cm dilated given the awful day I had had.<span style=""> </span>However, after being checked, my doctor told me there had been no change since my last appointment.<span style=""> </span>I was crestfallen.<span style=""> </span>He said since I was over 39 weeks and there were available beds, they would keep me if I wanted.<span style=""> </span>He gave me the following options: 1. Go back home, possibly facing another few days of this unproductive labor.<span style=""> </span>This was unacceptable to me.<span style=""> </span>I could not imagine going through even one more day of this.<span style=""> </span>2. Walk around the hospital and be checked again after a couple of hours.<span style=""> </span>This didn’t sound appealing either, since after an entire day of what I thought was semi-active labor I had not progressed.<span style=""> </span>3. Give me an epidural, turn up the Pitocin, and have this baby.<span style=""> </span>I went with option 3.<span style=""> </span>By midnight I had been given the epidural and was comfortable.<span style=""> </span>By 12:30 am the Pitocin was working its magic.<span style=""> </span>By 6:30 am I was completely dilated and ready to push.<span style=""> </span>Three pushes later Judah Jack was born at 6:42 am Friday morning, October 14, 2011 (one day before his due date)!<span style=""> </span>He weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces.<span style=""> </span>He was 21.3 inches long.<span style=""> </span>His apgar scores were 9 and 9.<span style=""> </span>He was perfect!<span style=""> </span>I couldn’t believe I had a son!<span style=""> </span>Delivery and immediate recovery were a breeze.<span style=""> </span>I did not tear at all, and the epidural wore off pretty quickly.<span style=""> </span>I had been telling everyone since before I even delivered that I wanted to go home as soon as I felt ready.<span style=""> </span>They told me I had to wait at least 24 hours, so after I delivered on Friday morning, I told anyone I encountered that I would be going home the next morning.<span style=""> </span>We made sure everyone had our discharge papers ready, and that all necessary exams and vaccines were given.<span style=""> </span>By Saturday morning I felt great; I wasn’t even that sore.<span style=""> </span>Due to an outbreak of pertussis, the hospital was offering moms a DTaP vaccine, which I accepted before going home.<span style=""> </span>We got home in time for lunch in the sukkah.<span style=""> </span>We had only been gone for about 36 hours, and we picked up our holiday/Shabbat celebrations right where we had left off.<span style=""> </span>All of my best friends were eating at another friend/neighbor’s house that day and I couldn’t resist surprising them by popping in.<span style=""> </span>I felt fantastic, so I bundled Jude up and along with Shimmy and the big sisters, we walked over.<span style=""> </span>Everyone was shocked and happy to see us- I am so glad we went!<span style=""> </span>Recovery continued to go well. <span style=""> </span>I ended up a having a localized reaction from the DTaP vaccine which resulted in an extremely sore, red, and itchy upper arm for close to a week.<span style=""> </span>This was my only complaint recovery-wise (other than the sleep deprivation).<span style=""> </span>I feel very lucky to have had such a great birthing experience and to welcome our sweet little boy to our family!<span style=""> </span></p>Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11785640836122721190noreply@blogger.com1