What Weekend?

Let me first start by saying that yes...I feel incredibly lucky to have a job in TV in this economy at not one but TWO stations in the nations fourth biggest television market.

BUT...

It doesn't make it easier when you have to work a sixth day and your baby is going through some sort of issue which causes her to wake-up every night at 10 pm (in the middle of my night of sleep) hungry. As I type this, it is Sunday morning and I'm working at CBS. Then it's onto the grocery store right after and Sunday will continue as usual.

Kate's nighttime shenanigans is all a phase...it will end...but for the time being, Jon and I are simply exhausted.

Melt My Heart

Jon's cousin took this shot at the graduation we went to last weekend. The look on Jon's face shows how blissfully in love he is with his baby girl. I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!!

However, our faces were anything BUT blissful when she woke up yet again at 10 last night. This is clearly another phase which I know will pass, but man, does it ever suck right now. She wakes at 10 each night wailing. Jon comforts her and rocks her back to sleep. Then, the SECOND he puts her back in her crib, wail-fest. We're really not sure what is bothering her. So, for the second night, he brought her in to me. The night before, he brought her in and she went right back to sleep with me. However last night...no dice. She kicked and cooed for over an hour. I decided to slip her a boob to see if that would lull her back to sleep. It worked for a while. She feel back to sleep, but then awoke again. This went on, unfortunately, until my alarm went off. Ugh.

Glad it's Friday!

So Tired

Kate is still adjusting to being back home. She hasn't slept through the night since we've been back. Last night, she wailed at 10. I had Jon bring her in to sleep with me because I knew I could get her back to sleep without nursing her (and plus when she's crying like that I can't resist cuddling her). She went right back to sleep, but then woke a few times to thump and then we both fell back to sleep until my alarm went off at 12:30. Jon said she slept after I left for work.

We know that this is because she was SO rigorously scheduled before our trip and really didn't stick to much of a schedule on the trip, so she's just getting back into the swing of things and this will take a few days...but ugh. Can the weekend PLEASE get here? We're both so tired! I'll tell you one thing: I'm sticking to her schedule like glue when we go to Ann Arbor in two weeks...which will be much easier because we won't be in a hotel.

Today will be fun...Gymboree! Have a great day all!

Late and Quick Post

Hi...this post is late and it will be quick because Kate is playing by herself in her pack-n-play and I want to join her. Here is a shot of my beautiful Clematis...it is doing SO well this year! Oh yeah, and our little budding driver. This was taken at a rest stop on our trip to Boston.

We're Back

And REALLY glad to be.

It was so great to go to Boston to see Jon's second cousin graduate from high school...and it was fantastic to introduce Kate to the family (pics to come)...however...we really had NO IDEA what it would be like to take a baby to a hotel for a few days.

She actually did quite well considering the circumstances. On Friday, we hit the road at about 10:30 a.m. which was really the earliest we could get off because I had to work. We arrived at our hotel in Plymouth, Mass. at 11:05 p.m. That's right...over 12 1/2 hours! The trip should've taken 6 hours...but...we hit New York City traffic and that morphed into a 27 mile back-up due to an accident on 95. We sat for almost two hours in the NYC traffic, and then another 3 hours in the accident back-up. We were beside ourselves tired. Kate, however, did a magnificent job. She really only fussed the last half hour of the trip...and who wouldn't fuss after being in a car seat that long? She slept o.k. at the hotel...in fact, the last night we were there she slept from 9:30 p.m. until 7:30 a.m.! I slept most of that as well...which was awesome!

She also did quite well being fed on the road (we had to stop each time I had to nurse her for obvious reasons, but thankfully I could slide into the back seat and feed her the solid food while she was buckled in her seat). However now that we're back, she's back on her schedule and it was a bit of a rough transition for her. We really tried to keep her on schedule yesterday, but when we put her to bed last night, she wanted nothing to do with her crib. Jon was an angel and unpacked most of our stuff, so when she kept wailing at 7:30 and then 8, I had him bring her in with me and she slept beside me until Jon came to bed. She had one crying session at 10, and then thumping and kicking...but the two of us managed to get a little sleep.

I'm beyond exhausted today, but we'll chip away at getting back to normal. After all, the laundry needs to get done, the grocery shopping, the cooking, etc. Ugh. It's going to be a busy day.

Airing it Out

For those of you who know me very very well (mom), I'm happy to report that my vomit-induced panic attacks seem to totally go away when it's Kate who's the barfer. Good to know. That's a piece of "dirty laundry" that I've now aired out. It really didn't bother me as I scrubbed the carpet and washed it off of her little outfit. And, since I'm on the subject, the baby's room now smells of regurgitated sweet potatoes and liquid vitamin. So, that'll need to be aired out too. Awesome.

Actually, I really don't think she is sick. She doesn't have a fever and was laughing and playing right before and after it happened (about 5:30 last night), and she then nursed well at 6:30 and at 12:30, so I don't think it's a bug. I just think she maybe had too much to eat and then with all the tickling right after I shoved the liquid vitamin down her little gullet, well, what else is a kid to do? It was just messy and smelly for me to clean up. Yuck. I guess it was her way of saying...."hey, you give me those nasty vitamins, mommy...here's something nasty for you...ha!"

We (I) have packed the bags and Jon is home packing the car as I type this. We leave for Boston by 10 a.m. Hopefully, Kate will be a great baby in the car...but all we can do is hope. Have a great weekend everyone!

OMG, The List!

Oh....My....God....

We are going to the Boston area this weekend to celebrate Jon's second-cousin's graduation from high school. His entire extended family (on his mom's side) will be there and they are GREAT people. Most of them have not met Kate yet, so we are so excited to go.....HOWEVER...wow....what a lot of work it's going to be to get there.

I started making lists last week of what we need to bring and the list now spans two full pages! It's truly amazing what an 18 pound baby needs for a relatively short trip. I'm so glad we're driving!

Food, diapers, wipes, blankets, toys, meds, pacis, spoons, bowls, bottles, bibs....oy. And the list goes on...and on....and on.

I have to pack it all today so that Jon can load the car tomorrow morning while I'm at work. We're hittin' the road as soon as I get home.

Despite all the work, it's going to be great to see everyone...especially Grandma and Grandpa who haven't seen little Kate since Christmas!!!

Yesterday

So yesterday wasn't the best day...wasn't the worst either though.

It all started with the speeding ticket on the way to work. $109 bucks and no points. Jon wasn't TOO angry...just annoyed which I was too.

Then I got my butt kicked with my trainer...it HURTS today! But actually, it was fun.

Then I had an hour to move all of my post pregnancy fat clothes out of the closet and move the skinny clothes back in (a fun hour it was).

I did nap with Kate, but it's just so busy after the nap, that it almost doesn't seem worth it.

Oh, and the propane in the grill went out in the middle of my chicken grilling. Sweet.

I also tried to give Kate her first bath a-la big girl. That'd be in the tub with an infant bath ring that she sits in. We both hated it. It was so awkward to get her totally washed because the seat part of the bath ring was so slippery with the soap that she kept sliding forward. The angle I had to be at to reach her was awful and painful for me. It was next to impossible to rinse her so I ended up swishing her around and removing her half-soapy and crying from the tub. I think we're going to go back to the infant tub on the sink until she's walking. Honestly, I think it's much safer...and much easier on mommy's back.

Bright Lights...Big City

The good news: no points.
The not so good news: 109 bucks.
Dang.
At least the officer was nice.

This is so wrong...

Sorry, this is so wrong...but we thought this was hilarious! See, we now go to lunch on Saturdays instead of going out to dinner. This is at "our" bar...The Lucky Dog. Since we NEVER get to sit at a bar anymore, we tried it with her. She was in a big girl high chair at first, then when she wanted to nap, we put her in her carseat in her stroller. In between, I held her for a while. I promise, we didn't give her any beer :-)

Gymboree...Level TWO!

Kate's a big girl now...she's on to level two for Gymboree. I'd heard the class was MUCH different than level one, but I had NO IDEA it would be this great! It was such fun...we hardly sat the entire class. We danced to "Rockin' Robin", played soccer, got to play on equipment, pop bubbles and play with our new little friends. What a great great great thing to do with my little one...it was such fun. We're so lucky we get to do this. In fact, in these tough financial times it's things like this that make me feel SO fortunate to have a job and to have a husband with a job so that we can provide experiences like this for our daughter. I feel for those who are impacted by this recession and hope that this all turns around soon.

Video

I wanted to add this....it was shot on Tuesday, but alas...this is my first chance to post it. Kate is sleeping right now after Gymboree. I should be too, but decided to play on the computer instead. I'll pay later. Anyway, this video is of Kate in her pack-n-play. She was quite entertained by the mesh walls.

NKOTB

For those who didn't enjoy teen years in the late 80s/early 90s...that's New Kids on the Block....but this blog isn't about the boy band (who by the way are trying to make a comeback...not sure how that's working, but they're apparently on tour this summer...whateves). Anyway, this blog entry is about our FANTASTIC street! Babies babies everywhere on Forsythia Court!

We have Kate (6 months), Logan (3 months), Lainey (18 months), and twins Max and Mason (7 months). There are two pregnant women on the street and a couple of 2, 3 and 4 year olds too! Usually at some point in the day, a big blanket is on someones lawn and all the babies hang out and see who can accumulate the biggest puddle of drool. FUN!

The most fun part? On Fridays about 4:30 or so, one of the mommies breaks out the inevitable bottle of wine. Makes for a fun end of the week for sure!

Jon and Kate

No, not the reality couple whom I've come to love and now hate because they are being media whores...I'm talking my loves...Jon and Kate.

The two of them have such a great time together each morning. What a great gift Jon has to be able to care for Kate each and every morning. He truly loves every minute of it. He sends me text messages regarding how long she slept (made "seeps"), how much she ate, and of course...how much poop if any.

This morning's text made me laugh out loud. It read: "Good, continuous seeps, good feed, only half ounce left. No poop, but more funny puff farting."

Gotta love a man who gets a kick out of his baby's gas. That's true love.

Facebook

I haven't blogged much about Facebook, and to be honest, the days I don't blog are the days when I'm too involved in the crack that is Facebook to write an entry for the day...so I feel it's necessary to cross the two worlds.

I joined Facebook in January while I was still on maternity leave so that I could get in touch with my high school classmates because our 20 year reunion is this summer (yes..I realize that I am old). I thought I'd quietly enter the world of social networking, but four months and 351 friends later, I realize that I've created a monster. It's actually been fun re-connecting with people from EVER aspect of my life. From Interlochen, to high school to New Mexico and Toledo...and I've even re-connected with kids for whom I used to babysit...who are now grown-ups too. It's this latter contact that has been really cool. See, a girl I sat for as a teen is now grown up and married and she has a baby who is two months older than Kate. So, we've exchanged many parenting/new-mommy tips and it has been GREAT! She is even loaning us a car seat for Kate when we travel to Ann Arbor. Now I won't have to worry about carrying the stroller, car seat, the car seat base the diaper bag and oh yeah, Kate when I fly by myself for Kate's first flight. This is a huge huge huge help, so thanks, Leah!

I've re-connected with some of the best friends I've ever made (Vicky) and unfortunately lost contact with. I've also been able to see what everyone is up to with pictures and words. Social networking isn't for everyone, but for me, it's been a glimpse into the past that has been loads of fun. Thanks, Facebook!

A Great Day!

As you all know, yesterday was my first Mother's Day...and it was nothing short of perfection! Kate and I started the day with an early morning 4 mile walk. I had her in the baby bjorn so I could snuggle with her while we walked. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was a stunning morning. We had a great time and it was a great way to start Mother's Day.

Then, we got all dressed up and Kate and Jon took me to The Four Seasons for brunch. It was simply elegant and lovely and Kate was so good the entire time. At the END of our time there, our server came over and commented on how good and quiet she was...it was just funny that he waited until the end to say something...and it was a LONG brunch. Our good little girl!

I am so lucky to be a mommy!

A Public Thank You

I don't typically blog on the weekends, so I'll take this time to say a public thank you.

As my first Mother's Day draws near, I can't help but think of how much my life has changed since becoming a mother...and I have my mom to thank for molding me into the mom that I am today. She was there during the first few weeks of Kate's life and helped me through the fear of my C-section, the initial searing pain of nursing and the joys of nurturing. To imagine that she went through all of these things when I was born (minus the C-section...but kudos to her for pushing all 9 lbs. 2 oz. of me out), and then took the time and care to be with me as I went through all of these things with Kate leaves me beside myself with love, respect and gratitude for her. When you think about all of the things we moms go through for our children, it's truly amazing, and my mom's unconditional love for me is now what I feel for Kate. I can only hope that I will be a fraction of the mother to Kate as my mom is to me. I'm proud to call her my true best friend. So thank you mom, and Happy Mother's Day.

A friend of mine printed out a little story and brought it to me the other day. I will now re-type it so I can share it with all of you...so the following story is not mine, nor are the words, but the sentiment needed to be shared....enjoy.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MOM

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think we should have a baby?"

"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.

"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "what if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "MOM!", will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation.

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going to an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, and not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would not find very romantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across that table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Big Girl!

Look! I'm sitting up like a big girl!!!!

What Could Be Better?

I know, I know...I get up for work at an INSANE hour...yadda yadda yadda...whatever. But honestly, what on EARTH could be better than feeding your almost sleeping baby before you go into work and then holding her extra long because of a thunderstorm outside? Seriously...nothing is better.

An awesome way to start the day! Happy Thursday, everyone!

Down the Drain

An unbelievable tragedy happened yesterday.

About 5 yesterday afternoon, I went into the garage to fetch bottles of water for our lunches and discovered....the freezer door was WIDE OPEN. Every ounce of breast milk that I had so painstakingly stored over the last 4 months was melted, warm and ruined. I was DEVASTATED.

This is an older refrigerator/freezer that I hated in our kitchen, so we bought a new fridge so we could have a garage fridge (great for beer storage, by the way). I've noticed before that you really have to make sure that the doors are closed tightly or they'll fly open. I guess in the hustle and bustle of daily life the last few days, one of us didn't securely close the freezer door, and the inevitable happened. Not sure who actually did it...it could've been either of us, and frankly the whodunit isn't important. We just now have no reserves. And...I have lost HOURS of work.

The good news is that we have rarely needed to use this frozen milk...but from time to time we have, and it's been nice knowing it was there.

It's done, it's over...I won't continue to cry over ruined milk.

Check-Up

The above pictures are of Kate enjoying her new big girl high chair and of her learning to sit by herself. She sure is growing up before our very eyes.

Yesterday she had her six month check-up. It's such fun going to the doctor. I just love seeing how much she weighs and how tall she is...loads of fun. She now weighs 16 1/2 pounds which keeps her right on track in the 75th percentile. Her height remains in the 100th percentile at 28 3/4"! She has a very long torso and will probably be taller than me!

She did very well with her shots, and for the third time only whimpering for a quick second when she got one of her shots (it's the kind that hurts when the vaccine goes into her little body...not the needle). Naturally, I had a LONG list of questions...and all of her little issues are normal. We've started two-a-day solid feedings which has been fun in her big girl chair. She has a fruit and a veggie in the morning, and then a fruit, a veggie and oatmeal cereal in the evening. It's really helping with the sleeping through the night...although the thumping of her legs continues. I'm going to try to get video of this as it is HILARIOUS!

It's raining again today...which now that Kate loves being outside...makes it sad that we have to stay in...but, we have Gymboree today...our last class with the little ones. We move to the 6-9 month group next week!

Have a great day!

Six Months of Heaven

It's been six months. SIX MONTHS! Our baby girl is 1/2 a year old and we couldn't be more proud. While the ENTIRE six months has been bliss, here are some highlights:

NOVEMBER:
-textbook birth: although her breech position caused me to have a c-section, it couldn't have been more perfect. I was wheeled into the OR right on time at noon sharp. Kate was born at 12:24 and at 12:45 p.m. I was being wheeled out of the OR into my room. By 12:50, she had latched on, and my love for this child hit a level I never knew existed.
-a smooth transition home...
-we realized we had a non-fussy baby
-my mom staying with us to help me out...I'll never forget that...thanks mom...I couldn't have survived without you.

DECEMBER:
-our first roadtrip with the baby...and...she DIDN'T UTTER A PEEP THE WHOLE WAY TO MICHIGAN!!!!!
-staying in the hotel on the way to Michigan...Jon and I taking turns going to pick up food and having drinks and watching playoff football
-getting to spend Christmas with my family AND Jon's parents...an amazing treat!

JANUARY:
-preparing to go back to work...wondering how I'd ever be able to leave this baby
-the first week back to work....grueling, but the 1 a.m. feedings were blissful
-taking Kate to see Daddy at Channel 6
-Having our first babysitter!
-Started REALLY smiling

FEBRUARY:
-Kate rolled over early
-Got to put her in the Bjorn facing forward
-She started THUMPING her legs at night...which she still does!

MARCH:
-Kate got her first tooth! It was also a night when we had an event to go to and a babysitter planned. We didn't go...and probably not the first event we'll cancel because of her...we didn't mind at all!
-Started feeding her solids...rice cereal, veggies and fruits!

APRIL:
-Got her first pictures taken
-Her first Easter
-Started laughing...like really laughing...full belly laughs. It's the best sound we've ever heard.
-Started talking...a lot....hmmmmm, just like mommy!
-Sitting up, almost unassisted!

MAY:
-Started putting her arms around our necks when we carry her...a great feeling.

The above are just a very few of the highlights, however I know I speak for both of us when I say the last six months have been unlike any other six months we've ever had. We both feel a love for Kate like we've never known and are in awe of her each and every day. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing baby. She makes us want to be better people. We love her unbelievably.

So, Kate...one day when you read this, hopefully you'll know how proud your daddy and I are of you and how deeply we love you. Today's blog, sweet Kate, is for you.

Ready...Aim....FIRE!

Ok, so this blog is all about poop, so if ya don't wanna read it...stop now.

Kate has been having some issues in the poop department the last few weeks. She has become increasingly irregular and it has caused quite a bit of concern as of late. Last week, she pooped on Thursday and then again on Sunday. Then she pooped the next day Monday and hadn't pooped by yesterday. So, I called the doctor...because she had almost stopped eating too. The doctor suggested that I do a rectal glycerin suppository to help her out. Thankfully, Kate doesn't mind getting her temperature taken, so inserting the suppository wasn't a problem. I got it in...and then waited. I expected to wait and wait and then clean. I should've taken a picture of her room...I draped all areas with blankets so that when her poop shot out, I wouldn't be cleaning the walls. I honestly thought she'd blow through her diaper and spray the walls...but that didn't happen.

No more than FIVE MINUTES after inserting the suppository...I stood up to fold laundry (Kate was on the floor in prime pooping position) and I heard a rumble like I've never heard before...and then...sweet sweet relief! Success!

So now, she's getting prune juice for the next few days to keep her movin' and we'll be all good!

Have a great weekend!