Two Washingtons

Swim with the Fishies

2012-03-12T22:01:00.001-07:00

As I’ve mentioned before, Seattle is a great place to have kids. There are so many attractions and events for families. LC is reaching a great age to experience many of these things and it is a lot of fun for our family.

This past weekend we went to the Seattle Aquarium with LC. She is really into fish, especially the fish tank at her day care center.

When you enter the aquarium, the first site is the Waters of Washington tank. It is a floor to ceiling window looking at the 120,000 gallon tank. LC immediately wanted out of the Ergo and wanted to walk and look at the fish. She was so excited to stand right at the window and watch the fish swim by.

LC is not walking on her own, but she loves to “finger walk” every where. As A describes it, she uses our arm as a rudder to steer us in the direction she wants to go. The aquarium has lots of open space and she had a great time directing us from tank to tank to look at everything.

She is still a little small to reach the “please touch” tank, but she did do some very responsible one finger touching with the starfish.

LC has also been using more signs lately, including “more”. When we were watching the fish swim by in one tank, she signaled “more”. It was pretty adorable. We also saw some divers in the tank, who played peek a boo with the kids and waved to LC. LC wasn’t quite sure who the faceless, large fish was.

The highlight of the trip for A and me was the baby sea otter. We’ve long been fans of sea otters and this little girl was born in February. She was hiding a bit while we were there, so we didn’t get a good photo, but trust us when we say she was quite, quite cute. Even LC cooed at her. Here is a photo from the aquarium’s blog. I think you can see what I’m talking about.

Best Burger in the Country (?)

2012-03-10T13:42:00.001-08:00

Esquire recently hosted a poll for what readers believed was their “Life Changing Burger”. Readers, overwhelmingly, voted that Seattle’s own Dick’s Drive Thru was the most Life Changing Burger. With all due respect to Dick’s and its local history, I just have to disagree with the voters. Having both lived in a number of locations and tasted a few burgers in my time, I had sampled 50% of the surveyed burgers.

Dick’s – yeah, its good. Very old fashioned, cash only, small menu, no special orders. The burgers are good, but to me, very similar to a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Small, not very filling. Pickle, sauce, eh-bun. I don’t know. I was underwhelmed when I tried this burger for the first time last summer.

In & Out – while I wouldn’t declare this to be my “life changing burger”, it’s up there. I had my first In & Out when I was dating A and visited him in CA. The fries, the made to order burger, the bible verses. Wow, I would fly to LA right now for an In & Out burger. It may not have changed my life, but boy, is it delicious.

Ray’s Hell Burger – This Arlington burger joint is part of the Ray’s empire in the Other Washington. Ray’s the Steaks is probably one of, if not the, favorite restaurant of mine. However, I think Ray’s Hell Burger is trying a little too hard on too many levels. They want to be a little too Soup Nazi, a little too "crazy”, a little too big burgers. I enjoyed my meal here, but I just haven’t had the desire to return.

Steak and Shake – I think this one should not be included in the list. Too fast foodie and really more of a patty melt than a burger. The fries aren’t great. My time in the Midwest gave me some opportunities to sample this burger and I really don’t recall too much about it. It rated fairly low in the survey, which I find unsurprising.

Five Guys – So think back to a time before there was a Five Guys in the Emerald City. Before there was a Five Guys in North Carolina. When there was a Five Guys in downtown DC and that was it and you had to make special plans to go. That is what life was like the first time I had Five Guys and yes, that was life changing. It was my first, non-fast food, not $12 restaurant burger. It was juicy and fresh and delicious. I could personalize my burger with mushrooms and onions but it didn’t have 13 other ingredients on it like Ray’s. The fries are very similar to In & Out, but just a little thicker (and since I had them first, they stand out more in my mind).

The specialness of Five Guys may have been diluted by its recent explosion, but it will always be to me the burger that changed my life and taught me what a great burger is really like.

An Adorable Real Person

2012-03-08T21:35:00.001-08:00

LC’s been doing more and more things that make her seem like a real (little, but real) person.

For example,

Yes. Holding and eating a banana. Yeah, that’s adorable.

Time for Me?

2012-03-05T21:25:00.001-08:00

I’ve been having back pain – a combination of an old injury, hauling a 20lb toddler around on my left hip and bending over to toddler level as she holds my fingers and instructs in which direction we should walk, not to mention the 9 hours a day I spend sitting at a desk staring at a computer. When I went to the doctor’s office last week, she asked what kind of exercise I was doing. Having just given her the above list of activities and pain causing activities, I stared at her a little blankly. Exercise? Where in that list did she think there was room for exercise?

Our days are pretty full – up with the baby, rushing to get ready for work, day care drop off, work, day care pick up, dinner, play time with LC and then into bed for tv/working from home/blogging (or blissfully early sleep while we ignore all responsibilities.) Sure, I could get up an hour earlier at 5am and exercise, but I am barely getting by on the sleep I do get. This is not a point in my life when I am going to voluntarily give up that 5-6am hour.

So how do you squeeze in time for “you”? Have a kid and people have a million pieces of advice – all including find time for each other and find time for you. A and I have been good about getting out on a date night at least once a month, but I just can’t get this “me” time to work. Whether for exercise, knitting, reading, shopping, I just haven’t been able to make it work in my schedule. Part of it is because I’m tired. Exercising at 8pm after LC goes to bed isn’t impossible or ridiculous, but I sure am ready to chill in my pj pants after that. A is more than happy to take care of dinner duties on evening so I can go get a pedicure or go shopping, but I miss LC and I hate missing the little time I have with her each evening. I know that this is a balance I need to get better at, but I just haven’t figured it out. Somewhere between finishing work, catching some z’s, showering every once in a while and trying to get a blog post out, I need to find more time to take care of me. I know in the long run I will be a healthier and better mom once I figure this all out, but for now, it is still a mystery to me.

Sunday Nights

2012-03-04T22:28:00.001-08:00

I think it is well accepted that Sunday nights are no fun – the weekend is winding down, many chores are left for the last minute and many things need to be done before the start of work week.

My favorite time of the weekend is Friday night, after I’ve picked up LC and A and we are all in the car headed home for the weekend. At this moment, we have the most weekend we will have until the next Friday. We can choose to take out, eat out, have leftovers, whatever we’d like to eat. We can watch a movie, clear the DVR, or (more likely than not) go to bed early and know that we just may get 11 hours of sleep.

I love waking up on Saturday morning, bringing LC into bed with us to cuddle and nurse. She loves to climb all over A and me, play with the remote control or try to grab B-Cat. Long, lazy mornings lead into music class and babies who like to play percussion instruments.

Saturdays leads into Sundays and I love the moment we pull back into the driveway after church. Most of the “must dos” and out of the house errands have been completed and we can do whatever we want to do. Some days that’s a long nap, some days its house cleaning. Today it was the dog park and Williams Sonoma. (Woo hoo new frying pans.)

And all of that brings us back to Sunday night. We stay up too late to try to get to all the chores and to do lists that were ignored the rest of the weekend. We’ve had a successful evening so far – I organized my closet, A took care of some wireless network housecleaning. I’m sad to see the weekend end and already miss LC cuddles, but I know we have next weekend to look forward to, one that is already filling up fast with to dos, cuddles and hopefully 11 hours of sleep.

Dim the Lights!

2012-03-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Ok peeps, let’s do this thing. And by thing, I mean season 11 of American Idol. I feel disconnected and bored by this season but I know by the time we do the Year of Your Birth theme week (and Jimmy comes back) I’ll be ok.

First things first – 25 contestants and many have similar names. For the guys we have Jeremy, Joshua and Jermaine. For the girls, well it is much worse there, Hallie, Haley, Hollie and Baylie. They are all blonde.

I carefully cast my vote the last two nights. (Two contestants each night, one vote each. Can’t go overboard just yet.) 5 from each gender will be voted through and then 3 wild cards spots for the judges (from either gender). Here’s how I predict it will play out.

Boys

Joshua

DeAndre

Phillip

Jeremy

Eben (remember the key, it is all about voting blocks)

Girls

Jessica

Shannon

Hollie

Skylar

Brielle

Wild Card

Reed

Jen

Colton

Two things make me sad about tonight. 1) We’ll probably have to watch Idol break Jermaine’s heart again and I just don’t have the strength to see that again. 2) It is the last week we’ll have 5 hours of Idol to watch. Sad face.

Marching Once Again

2012-02-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

Looking around the blog lately, have you noticed anything new? Look a little to the right. No, not my right, your right. See it? Exactly! The March for Babies ticker with an adorable photo of me, LC and A. This year’s Puget Sound’s March for Babies will be on May 5 and LC’s Team is looking forward to raising money for the March of Dimes.

There are many places to read about all the ways March of Dimes touched our family, not to mention how they could help prevent another premature birth for any future children we may have. As we get closer to the March, I hope to be able to highlight some of the other families touched by the March of Dimes and who would be benefited from your support of LC’s Team in this year’s March.

Let’s start with Kieran Wittstruck, the National March of Dimes Ambassador for 2012. Adorable Kieran was born at 31 weeks and weighed only 3lbs, 1oz. He is a healthy 5 year old boy who lives in the Emerald City and runs his own cat spy agency called MEOWS. (B-Cat is intrigued, she always thought she would be a good spy.)

LC’s Team is aiming to raise $500 this year – $100 for every day LC spent in the ISCU. We are confident that we will be able to reach this goal, but won’t be able to do it without support from someone like you. Click over to our page, look at the adorable photo of LC, and pledge what you can to help support LC’s Team and the March of Dimes. (If you’re in Seattle, we’d love to have you join our team and walk with us – you’d get to meet Cal too!)

When a New Friend Becomes an Old One

2012-02-27T21:30:00.001-08:00

Ever meet someone for the first time and just thing, hmm this was nice and all but I bet this is the last time I see them? But then maybe a little bit later – a few weeks, months, maybe even years you run into that someone again and realize that just maybe there is something more there? That, dear readers, is the story of me and Papa John’s.

You know Papa John, right?

I first met Papa John at a student activities conference in North Carolina in 2000. We flew into North Carolina – staying at UNC-Charlotte – and arrived famished. My group requested the number for pizza delivery and the student working the info desk asked “Like Papa John’s?” Being from the Northeast, none of us had ever heard of Papa John’s – so we were all very confused when this pizza arrived with cups of garlic butter, little green peppers and a smiling Kentuckian on the box. None of us were impressed – after all, we came from the land of Mike’s. Since there was no Papa John’s in the Northeast, there was no chance that we would be having this again, even if any of us wanted to do so.

Flash forward a few years to St. Louis. Relocated to a new region of the country, I had to relearn some things – including where to order pizza. Out here, everyone ordered Papa John’s and so I got on board. I learned to enjoy the extra doughy pizza (and the ridiculous commercials) and once I discovered cheesy bread, oh, how I came to love Papa John’s. After marrying A, a lifelong Papa John’s fanatic, it was clear my pizza ordering fate was sealed.

While I sometimes long for some real Northeastern pizza, or maybe even just the occasional Pizza Hut personal pan pizza, I’ve come to prefer Papa John’s. So much so that this weekend when preparing for the UConn-Syracuse game, I was brainstorming for easy, fun dinner ideas. I practically tripped over myself when an idea struck me and I ran back to the office to share it with A. “You will never believe this idea! We have TWO free pizza codes from Papa John’s, we should so order Papa John’s tonight!” To say that A was happy with this idea is putting it mildly. Sometimes your preferences change for some things when you get married – and while the seeds for a lifetime of Papa John’s may have been planted on the UNCC campus all those years ago – being A’s wife has definitely helped to shape this side of my palate.

An Oldie but Goodie

2012-02-25T06:00:00.007-08:00

In honor of tonight's big game, we're kickin' it old school with this video of less than 2 month old LC. Perhaps her adorableness will spark the Huskies to another improbable postseason run.

Ok, maybe not another improbable run, but I'll take an entertaining "Know Your Teammate" at this point in the season.

Becoming a Mom Changes You

2012-02-23T21:42:00.001-08:00

There is no doubt that becoming a parent changes you in many ways – from your definition of what is gross to how many hours of sleep you need to consider it a “good night’s sleep”. Tonight was another example of how motherhood can change you – empathy. Watching the “Final Judgment” episode of American Idol - ending the longest Hollywood week ever, it was seriously 7 weeks, or something that felt like 7 weeks – the endless stream of broken dreams made me a puddle on the floor. As people walked off the ridiculous water logged stage they used to destroy people’s hopes of making it to the top 24, they would sob and then fall into the arms of their waiting family members, often their parents. It was really too much. As one contestant cried on his mother’s shoulder and tried to get out the words that he just didn’t want to let his mom down, I sobbed in B-Cat’s fur. I can’t imagine LC ever experiencing such sadness and not being able to help her feel better. Sure this is a hurt from which all of these people will recover but their immediate pain and disappointment was palpable and clearly felt by this mom. I hope that as the season goes on, there is less crying and mom heart breaking and more really fantastic music numbers. Oh, and Jimmy. Here’s hoping for lots of Jimmy to cheer me up.

Not always so well planned

2012-02-20T21:35:00.001-08:00

I’ve always been a planner and definitely still like a good to do list and well maid plan. (And I really hate changed plans. I do not do well with changed plans.) In becoming a mother, I’ve discovered that I either do not have time to make plans or the inability to follow through on them. This is a constant frustration I am battling with as a still relatively new parent and trying to adapt my desire for order and predictability in our lives.

One of the largest areas of frustration is our weekly meal planning. You can find endless websites and blogs on how to menu plan, coupon, prepare a month’s worth of meals to freeze, 365 crock pot meals. (I’m not couponing. Sure it saves money but I think it is a pretty quick ticket to crazy town. But hey, if it works for you, more power to you.) But I don’t have time to master any of these “time-saving” techniques for our meals. I’ve tried to work planning time into our newly freed up Sunday time so that we can at least try to defrost what needs to be defrosted for the week. This holiday weekend we even made two meals with plenty of leftovers to use for dinners and lunches. Trader Joe’s is my partner in crime for quick meals and we have a pretty decent standard collection of meals that we use from TJ’s to fill in holes in the menu. As we continue to grow in our new roles and try to adapt to the new demands (which BTW are ever changing), I’m proud of the small bit of order we’ve managed to find and the decent set of meals we’ve developed. I’m always looking for more ideas though so what’s your best (non-crazy) time saving menu planning tip?

Doing what you’re not supposed to

2012-02-19T21:45:00.001-08:00

LC’s has a bit of “malaise” this weekend. It seems to be a combo of teething and a slight reaction to her MMR vaccine. While nothing to be concerned about, it has caused her to be uncomfortable, fussy, feverish and just a generally sad baby. As part of this illness, she has been sleeping poorly. Every time LC goes through a stretch of poor sleeping habits, we try to do what is “right”. No feeding, cuddling or rocking, just reassurances and back rubs to try to soothe her back to sleep. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But when we go through a rough night (or series of nights) I find that we become slightly “weaker” (which is not a hard state to find yourself in at 3am) and our practices become a little more “forbidden.”

For instance last night, we knew it would be a rough night when she awoke approximately an hour after going to bed and then continue to wake every three hours. We tried the back rubs – worked at first – but then as her discomfort escalated, so did our tactics. We fed her. We rocked her. Eventually we brought her into bed with us. Because no matter what the books or the pediatrician or the experts say, sometimes you just have to do what gets you through the night – or the next three hours.

As I write this, LC has awoken again and we’re off to try the routine, but I would not be surprised to find a baby in our bed before night’s end.

Valentine’s Day Is. . .

2012-02-14T21:35:00.001-08:00

Valentine’s Day is flowers and chocolates.

Valentine’s Day is messy hair and sticky faces.

Valentine’s Day is little hands and big messages.

My Valentine’s Day has been filled with so many special things – from sleepy baby snuggles to adorable hand print cards, from beautiful flowers filling my office with sweet smells to working on laptops side by side at the end of the night, from Hallmark cards to shared sashimi. All of these things reminded me of how special my life is and how lucky I am to have all of this in it.

Those Magic Moments

2012-02-13T20:49:00.001-08:00

Tonight I put bubbles in LC’s bath for the first time. When first presented with a giant inflatable duck filled with bubbles, LC was delighted, followed by completely horrified and then she enjoyed the greatest splash fest. As I called A to come see the fun, I thought, I wish I had grabbed my phone to take a photo of this. This thought was soon followed by one realizing that I do not need to document every moment of LC’s life. Even more, we do not need to share every moment of LC’s life – on Twitter, on the blog, through Instagram. We are certainly lucky to live in a time where it is so easy to share our lives with others, but there are some moments that are made even more special by the fact that only A, LC and I witness it together and share in the joy of it.

Most Left than Right

2012-02-09T21:28:00.001-08:00

There are moments when I begin to realize that I am becoming more West Coast and losing a bit of my East Coast-ness. For instance, when in the Other Washington last month, I noticed how nicely everyone was dressed. Pea coats, skirts, nice shoes. I found all of this very impractical for the season and thought they should all get a nice all weather, waterproof coat to wear. Probably from REI.
Having never raised a child on the Other Washington, it is hard to compare one Washington to another. But there are moments when I am sure that I am a Seattle parent and this clip from Portlandia (which really should be Northwestia, because life in Seattle is pretty much the same as life depicted in this show) was definitely one of them.

When a recent debate broke out at our day center over the appropriateness of “Super Hero Day”, not to mention next week’s vote as to whether the children will be taught Mandarin or Spanish, I was pretty sure that LC must be attending Shooting Stars preschool as well.

First Birthdays of a Different Kind

2012-02-07T21:12:00.001-08:00

Are you familiar with Pinterest? It is basically a giant time waster where you can “pin” things you like from the interwebs and then share it with people. Recipes, pictures of cats, pictures of squirrels, pictures of cats playing with squirrels, art projects, you name it. If you want to, you can create a board and pin to it.

For example, here are first birthdays on Pinterest.

Themes! Handmade banners! Professional photos! Clean houses!

Here is a scene from LC’s first birthday last night.

That’s our front door. Or the handle at least. Our lock broke last night and wouldn’t let us into the house after work. So there we all were – me, A, LC and Cal. Locked out on the front porch. On LC’s first birthday.

We finally got inside, just in time for LC to go to bed. It wasn’t much of a birthday celebration. It was definitely not a Pinterest birthday celebration. I know LC won’t remember spending her first birthday on the front porch (and if she did, she would probably remember being allowed to crawl around in the front seat of the car and pushing all the buttons) but it still mattered to me that I couldn’t give her the perfect Hungry Caterpillar birthday.

February Gifts

2012-02-06T04:15:00.000-08:00

The birthstone for February is amethyst. The amethyst is known to provide clarity when you find yourself in a state of confusion. The confusion is also known to cause a lot of stress to the mind. Amethyst can help reduce the effects of stress and open up the mind. This effect of the amethyst is also popular because it helps connect with the inner self, where you are likely to find the answers to your questions and solutions to your dilemmas and problems. It is known to cleanse the mind and the body thereby increasing spiritual awareness. Wearing the stone can also help you get undisturbed and relaxed sleep that will further aid the clarity of thought you desire.

Happy first birthday LC and thank you for being such a wonderful February gift. You have truly brought us all of these things and more. (Except for that last one. We’ll keep working on that.)

Um, have you noticed?

2012-02-04T21:25:00.001-08:00

American Idol is totally back. It may be passe to like American Idol – what with its lack of Simon and no rotating giant chairs – but it continues to make me very very happy. Sure last year I swore that I would never watch again, but we all knew that wasn’t going to last. A full year to see the error of my ways and I am ready for some sweet, sweet Idol.

They’ve just ended the auditions round and now it’s off to Hollywood. I get pretty excited for Hollywood, with its predictable melt downs, complete ridiculousness, inability for anyone to master the group round and the quick and immediate satisfaction of seeing more than half the contestants go home.

I think it is too early to jump behind any one contestant but I am looking forward to watching a favorite emerge from the pack. Scotty McCreary aside, I remain a passionate Idol fan and cannot wait for Disco Week.

Prepping for the Big Game

2012-02-02T22:17:00.001-08:00

So it’s the weekend of the big game and for so many reasons I am very excited for this game. Two years ago we were snowed in for the Big Game and only had the remnants of the frozen appetizer section from our neighborhood grocery store with which to celebrate. Last year, well of course, last year we had a baby and didn’t watch much of the game. But this year, this year is different. The weather looks good, I have the week to gather and organize food and no, I do not plan on giving birth on Sunday. Oh, and the Pats are playing. Gronk-tastic. Because it is an extra special Big Game and I am a tad type A, I am freaking out a bit about making the perfect Super Bowl Sunday.
At first I was insistent that we have an all New England themed party. (And when I say party, I mean me, A, LC, B-Cat and Cal. Because if New England is in the Big Game, I can’t be distracted by petty distractions like guests.) I was going to do lobster, but apparently you can’t get live lobster here in the Emerald City. I had discovered a place in Maine that would overnight me live lobsters for the small fee of $200. It wasn’t the cost that made me decide against it – simply the fact that eating lobster and cheering for my team at the same time just didn’t seem like a doable thing. So I’ve compromised. We will have the very Big Game compatible chili and drink Sam Adams beer.
Next is my clothing choice. During the regular season I wore my #12 Brady jersey but for Christmas I received a new and exciting Patriots long sleeve tee shirt. I’ve worn this new shirt throughout the play offs with clear success. So I’m going to start the game in my long sleeve tee shirt. If things seem iffy by the half, I’ll consider putting my jersey on top. I’ll be wearing the new Patriots earrings that I also received for Christmas, but since I haven’t worn those yet, they will be the first to go if things get ugly early. Last but not least, I’ve been sleeping in my Patriots tee shirt all week.

Am I forgetting anything? I was considering cupcakes, but with LC’s birthday being the next day, I thought I should save something for that celebration. How are you celebrating the Big Day? Any suggestions to help spice up our celebration? New York themed suggestions need not apply.

A Very Merry Un-birthday to You

2012-02-01T22:38:00.001-08:00

First, I would like to note that my baby is not yet one. There are several days until this happens. Please do not call her a one year old just yet.

Last week I had a work conference in the Other Washington, so we packed up the family and took some extra time to spend with friends and family. The timing worked out well, a week before LC’s first birthday, so we celebrated early with our Other Washington crew.

I didn’t make an organic cake from scratch or hand-make her outfit. There was no special order invitations or party favors. The theme of the party was “LC Turns One.” Maybe that makes me a bad infant mom, but the pizza, beer, hummus, chips, and supermarket cake worked out just fine for our “un-birthday” celebration. Besides, anything that produces photos like these can’t be that poorly planned.

Cakes of all shapes and sizes (at least two shapes and sizes)

Checking out her glamour shots.

Being the birthday girl (or un-birthday girl) certainly has its privileges.

Getting Back to the Grind

2012-01-30T21:57:00.001-08:00

After snow days, three day weekends and a business trip to the East Coast, we jumped back into the routine today. I didn’t have that high an expectation for how today would go. Almost two weeks of telecommuting and traveling, we were all tired and knew what large inboxes would await us. (LC wasn’t too worried about her inbox, she had good people covering the Infant One office while she was gone.) All of this was true, we were tired, our inboxes were out of control. But it was one of those days where the fun just kept coming. Work things kept popping up. Then a phone call from the day care letting us know about a “suspicious rash”.** Any parent with a child in day care knows what follows from those sort of calls. A quick conference between parents to determine who can blow off their schedule when and then where can we exchange the baby and her items. I ran to a meeting on campus while A picked up and watched LC in the coffee show in his building. Then I came back and picked up LC, who “helped” me write memos in my office while A went a meeting at his office. Needless to say, I was glad that I had lower expectations of how today went, since they were so quickly meant.

** If you are a grandmother of LC’s please do not call us in a panic. Doctor’s have been consulted and no one is concerned.

Jet Setting Baby = Jet Lagging Baby

2012-01-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

LC has done a far amount of travel in her short life thus far. Two weeks away from being one year old (um, who let that happen so quickly??) and LC has racked up almost 20,000 frequent flier miles, with no trip under 2000 miles. For one so small, she does well on the plane. Sure, there is at least a few minutes of crying on each flight, but for each moment of crying, there are usually several hours of sleeping too. That and every flight we've flown on has had much worse behaving children on it, so combine that with her adorableness and most people don't seem to mind.

With all this traveling, LC has visited many a time zone. We've yet to figure out just how one adjusts a baby to a new time zone. On her first trip, she was young, pretty much still sleeping every 3 hours. We took the red eye and she slept almost the whole flight, then awoke when we landed. 3 hours later she took a nap and was pretty much on schedule for the rest of the trip. We thought, huh, this time zone thing is easy. This latest trip has proven to be the biggest mystery. Being on the East Coast she was much more likely to sleep until 10am and then want to be up until 11pm. Or worse, go down at 8pm like normal, but treat it like a nap, waking up at 11:30pm to play.

You can't explain to a baby that it may feel like play time but it is really sleep time. (Trust me, we've tried.) We roll with it and hope that we are not screwing up her sleep schedule beyond repair. So far, so good, but we are always open to suggestions on this jet lag thing. If LC's first year travel schedule suggests anything, it is that you can't keep a good baby tied down for too long.

Oh, Other Washington

2012-01-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

Following in the recent trend of S**t ______ Says, a friend shared S**t DC Says with me. It made me laugh out loud and miss the Other Washington a great deal - and super excited for our upcoming visit (even if we won't be making it to Ibiza this visit.)

So enjoy, but be warned that there is some adult language included, so earmuff it up young ones.

A Scene from a Snow Day

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

We had a snow day today and everyone was home, snug in the house as Snowmaggedon attacked Seattle. A and I spent nap time lounging in the bedroom, furiously trying to get some work done before LC woke up again.

Me: So how do I insert more cells into a table in Word?
A: Hmm, sorry? Let me finish this.
Me: What are you doing?
A: What?
Me: Are you cutting and pasting someone's face onto the body of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine?
A: I think it is pretty obvious what I am doing.

And scene.

That my friends, is how we roll on snow days around here.

Greetings and Salutations!

2012-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

Hi and welcome all comers to Two Washingtons! We’re super excited to be featured as the SITS blogger of the day today.

As part of a separate blogging exercise yesterday, I was examining what my blogging “niche” is. I felt I had no niche – and how could I be interesting with no niche?! A fellow blogger took a look and said, really, no niche? You’re totally a mommy blogger! When did that happen, I wondered?

Well, let’s go back to May, 2010 when my husband, A and I decided to follow our dreams of living on the West Coast, pack up the dog and cat and move to Seattle. We left Washington, DC in June 2010 and I started this blog as a way of keeping up with our friends and family in the “Other Washington” while we lived in this one. June, 2010 brought lots of news for us – new jobs, new homes and, oh yeah, I was pregnant! Sweet LC joined the Two Washingtons family in February 2011 and a mommy blogger was born with her.

Pretty standard Seattle Saturday morning - coffee, baby-wearing, dog park

This blog has been a saving grace for me many times in the past 18 or so months of its existence. It has allowed me to stay in touch with those in the Other Washington, meet new friends in this Washington, discover new things about Seattle and best of all, reach out for help when I am at my mommy wits’ end.

Take a look around, meet the family and hopefully come back tomorrow to see what we’re up to then!

Snow Days

2012-01-16T21:26:00.001-08:00

It started snowing Saturday afternoon and has been snowing on and off since then. In fact, it is expected to continue until Wednesday afternoon sometime. I can’t say that Seattle handles snow that well. Last time we had a snow storm it took us over 2 hours to drive the 5 miles from work to home and we were snowed in for three days.

However, unlike the Other Washington, I have to say that there is less of a bread and milk panic here in Seattle. In fact, I was shopping today and no one was stocking up on any such snow story necessities.

LC experienced snow once before in her life, but it is unlikely that she remembers this previous snow (she was 20 days old at the time). She is still a little too little to play in the snow, but we did look at it and took Cal for walk in the snow on Sunday. She is, as I mentioned earlier today, pleasantly perplexed by the snow. She does hate mittens, which is too bad because her UConn Husky paw print mittens are incredibly adorable.

While the snow may be a pain to navigate and bring the threat of milk and bread shortages, if it gives continued adorableness like the above, I think it is a nuisance with which I am willing to deal.

Not my burden

2012-01-12T21:49:00.001-08:00

This week has been challenging. A has been away on a business trip and I’ve been left in charge of the home. If it was just LC and me, it wouldn’t be that bad. It is really the combination of LC, Cal and B-Cat that makes things difficult. Feeding LC dinner is pretty much a three ring circus – LC either eats something with incredible gusto and insists that you keep a constant flow of food coming, or she refuses to eat, tossing unwanted items off her high chair tray. B-Cat jumps on the table and tries to eat food from either LC’s or my plate. And Cal, oh Cal. He wanders around underfoot. He begs next to our seat. He stands up on his hind legs and eats off LC’s tray. If given enough time and space, he will jump onto the table and eat everything available.

But Cal’s fuzzy ears, B-Cat’s nuzzles and LC’s belly laughs remind me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite shows, Friday Night Lights. When faced with a similarly difficult week of balancing work and family, Coach Taylor reminds his wife that their little girl, their jobs, their lives is “not our burden. It is our blessing.” This is a line that touched me then and resonates even more now. Through this week of stress, reduced sleep, doubled household chores, it is definitely easy to feel burdened and all that more important to remember that these are all my blessings.

There is a road that meets the road That goes to my house

2012-01-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Oh Decemberists. Your melodic sea shanties of Castaways and Cutouts help lull LC to sleep at naptime. A successful nap means that she is fast asleep before track 3, July, July! An unsuccessful nap means I am rocking her or A is rubbing her back through track 4, A Cautionary Song. (Which by the way, WHAT IS UP with the lyrics to that song? It is probably not the most responsible parenting to be rocking your child to sleep to this song. But then again is it really worse than Rockabye Baby?)

But, oh Decemberists. For so many months now we have listend to your album - always Castaways and Cutouts because The Crane Wife just doesn't do it at naptme - and now you live in my head. So GET OUT. Take your July, July!, you Cautionary Song, your Odalisque (and "10 baby shoes") and finally your Youth and Beauty Brigade - and get out of my head. You haunt my dreams, I hum it in the shower and with each chorus I swear to myself that any future children will just have to fall asleep to some other indie band.

MIA

2012-01-08T20:44:00.001-08:00

We’ve been MIA for the start of 2012 – hiding in a non-Washington location. We took LC back to the “motherland” – that is my hometown in New England. It was a lo-o-ong flight there (and an even longer one back to Seattle) but the trip was great. LC loved seeing her grandparents and her uncles, as well as meeting some cousins for the first time!

Having taken the first week of the new year off to travel, I feel a little behind the curve on the whole 2012 thing. While people had all last week to erroneously write “11” on their checks, I was doing nothing of the sort. Jumping back in this week will be a challenge, to say the least.

Hope your 2012 is going well – as you can see from our photos, the start of our year in New England was pretty swell.

O What a Year

2011-12-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

I saw a Twitter trend today of #2011in3words. For me it would have to be “Became a Mom.” Part of me is hesitant to label the year that way because as much as LC means to me and our family, I hate to be defined only as her mother. Even though I’m not just a mom, there is no way around this year really being my year of motherhood. It is harder than I ever imagined, but all that cheesy stuff Google wants you to believe? Yeah, it’s all true.

Let’s take a look at the year that was.

January

Our travel plans fell through and our last “no baby” new year was low key.

By the end of the month, we discovered we’d be parents a little sooner than expected, as I embarked on my bed rest adventure.

February

Well, this is really where things got serious, huh?

We became a family and were all together for the first time in 3 weeks.

March

Being a mom is hard. Donuts help.

LC begins her blogging career.

April

I joined the ranks of the working mothers out there. As the article says, I’m tired. A lot.

LC and I honored my grandmother and watched a young woman become a Princess.

May

We walked in our first March of Dimes March for Babies to celebrate our healthy preemie.

At this point I decided I was an expert on babies and made a must have list for all you newbies out there.

June

I considered whether growing up in one Washington versus another would make LC a different person – or me a different parent.

I may whine about being a mom a little (or more than a little) but I took some time out to thank the man who makes it happen.

July

I realized this raising a girl thing may require me to be made of stronger stuff.

At this point, after blogging about LC for 5 months, I became concerned she may become overexposed.

August

It is still true. LC’s mom does not want your advice.

September

FOOTBALL!! LC’s first football game brought a tear to my eye.

Getting sick made me realize just how far away friends and family are and wondering about the merits of a Two Washington system.

October

We took a baby to the beach. Life was pretty good.

Honoring our constitutional duty as parents, we took a picture of LC next to pumpkins.

November

I pondered about one of the great sites in Seattle (and wondered why no one told me the weather in Seattle was not always like the amazing streak of luck they had Summer 2006).

We did Thanksgiving our way, and it was fantastic.

(Oh, and I blogged every day for a MONTH. For reals.)

December

We enjoyed the wonderment of LC’s first Christmas and then had a very special Christmas weekend.

Thank you for being a part of this incredible year. I didn’t start Two Washingtons to be a “mommy blog” (not that there is anything wrong with that. . . ) but having a kid, well it becomes pretty much the center of everything. I hope you enjoyed getting to know LC and watching us on this journey of figuring out this parenting thing. (Or trying to figure it out. Ok, we kept her alive for 11 months and I’m calling that a success. )

18 months ago when we moved to Seattle, I couldn’t imagine how things would work out and I’m pretty thrilled with how things are going. So I hope you stick around in 2012 as we continue to live our life in this Washington.

Happy New Year from Two Washingtons!

Google Guilt

2011-12-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

Have you seen these Google commercials? They all make me feel really bad about how I use the Interwebs. I mean, I'm not watching porn or anything, but there is a lot more Internet shopping and ready of the Fug Girls then there is writing letters to my daughter. And if this commercial teaches us anything it is that 1) my little girl will be big and grown before I know it and 2) good parents use Google to remember every detail of their child's life and I've already ruined LC's childhood by not making the most of the toolbox Google has to offer me.

Sigh. Maybe if I Google "how to be a better parent" there is still time to save this thing.

PS am I the only one who is sobbing uncontrollably by the end of the commercial? It is probably just the mommy-Google guilt.

Without Words

2011-12-27T14:00:00.001-08:00

I can’t come up with words to describe how wonderful our Christmas was. Perhaps that is because we didn’t do much more than enjoy each others company and the company of friends (but then again, what more can one ask for?). Here are some of my favorite photos of the weekend. I hope that your Christmas was filled with as much joy and blessings as ours was.

God Bless Us, Every One

2011-12-25T13:31:00.001-08:00

The Rules of Santa

2011-12-22T21:29:00.001-08:00

Tonight as I began to organize and wrap family presents, as well as manage the influx of gifts for LC, I began to think about how Santa operated when I was younger. Growing up in a family of three kids, I remember everything being very organized and well planned. Santa wrapped each of our gifts in color coded tissue paper, while gifts from family members were wrapped in “normal” wrapping paper. Gifts were given in threes – if I received a piece of clothing, each of my brothers received a piece of clothing. If I received a book, each of my brothers received one too. Stockings were more practical – toothbrushes, chap stick, some chocolate and usually topped with some kind of stuffed animal. The biggest and best gift of the holiday would always come from my parents. (Just ask my brother about the year we received the Nintendo.)

The Christmas of the Nintendo (also the Christmas that brought me Sassafras, my beloved stuffed chocolate lab)

As I began to prepare for LC’s first Christmas, I started to think of how these practices may repeat themselves. I asked A how Santa operated in his house growing up. His Santa didn’t wrap gifts – how else would you know what gifts were from Santa he asked? I pointed out that in a family with more than one child, this may have resulted in a crazy Christmas morning free for all, if we had to guess whose gifts were whose. A’s Santa also didn’t do a lot of practical gifts like toothbrushes, he reports.

All of this raises the question of what LC’s Santa will do. We’ve let the big guy know that he doesn’t need to worry about establishing precedents this year, since LC is not really paying attention. But for future Christmases I think A, Santa and I will have to have a conference call to discuss what traditions he plans to start for LC.

What did your Santa do at your house? Any ideas to pass along to LC’s Santa for next year?

Last Minute Items

2011-12-19T21:58:00.001-08:00

As it gets closer and closer to the holiday, I keep thinking of more and more things I need to get done by Christmas Eve. Today I realized that there were some gifts that I thought about, but hadn’t actually purchased. When a chewie shortage arose at our house, we had to use Cal’s stocking stuffer bag of flips, so I need to buy something to replace that. B-Cat is hard to shop for since the dog steals her toys and her IBD means she can’t have treats. It’s LC’s first Christmas so that clearly means she needs homemade gingerbread, sugar cookies, popcorn stringed garlands, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and I need to find matching pajamas for us to wear Christmas morning. Oh, and that “reasonable” list of gifts to knit from a few months ago? I’m 1.5 projects in with 3.5 projects to go.

It won’t all get done. I’m pretty much ready to say that LC is too young for cookies and that gingerbread is a late Phase 3 item for this Christmas project. Matching pajamas would be nice, but at this point I would settle for a slightly seasonal set of pajamas to go along with the snowmen ones we already bought LC. The good thing about the passage of time is that it makes my to do list shorter – either through accomplishment or necessity.

Holiday Favorites

2011-12-15T21:55:00.001-08:00

Having a child about to enjoy her first holiday really makes you think about what is important about the holiday and what you want to be sure they experience. Of course, there is the whole true meaning of the holiday, reason for the season, etc. That’s important and as this photo of LC playing with her Little People Nativity set shows, we take that part seriously. (So seriously that the Angel Gabriel is riding a camel on top on the stable. And she may be pounding one of the Wise Men into the ground. Alas.)

But I’m talking about the other holiday stuff. "Jingle Bells. You know, Santa Claus and ho-ho-ho, and mistletoe and presents to pretty girls.” So what are some of my favorites I want to share with LC this year?

Tradition: decorating the tree. LC sat by us while we did this and did try to eat the Duke basketball ornament, but I’m not sure the specialness of my favorite tradition was truly appreciated. For now I will just be happy that she has not attempted to take down the tree or eat any lights.

Christmas song*: I am excited to take LC to midnight mass and listen to the carols at our church. There is always something so warm and cozy about Christmas night mass and the carols. I love O Come All Ye Faithful. Sure, part of my excitement is that I expect that LC will sleep through the entire mass for the first time in a long while, but I know how special sharing this with her and A will be this year.

Ballet: Ok, so there is probably really only one Christmas ballet, but I cannot wait to bring LC. (I may have tried to get A to let me take LC to the Nutcracker this year, but he suggested that the $60 tickets might be wasted at this point in her life) My mom used to take me to the Nutcracker every year. Last year when we found out we were having a girl, A asked me what I was most looking forward to and it was taking her to the Nutcracker.

Food: Egg nog. In many forms. A wise man once said, 'Tis the season. . .We only get thirty sweet noggy days. Then the government takes it away again.” In my coffee, in my cookies, straight up. A hates it, so I don’t even have to share. I guess LC needs to wait to enjoy this benefit of the holiday season, but for now she’ll have to take my word for it.

Photos: Exploitative photos of Cal and B-Cat at the holidays have already brought a great deal of joy to us. We will not let a baby slow us down.

* Maybe my favorite Christmas song is Please Be Home for Christmas by the Eagles. Ok, it’s not even that. It’s Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses. O Come All Ye Faithful is a close third though.

A Dog and His Tree

2011-12-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

Story time Rocks

2011-12-12T21:45:00.001-08:00

There are so many things to do with kids in Seattle. (Many of them happen during the week so we working moms can’t make it to many, but that is another post.) One of our new favorite activities is story time at Mockingbird Books in Greenlake. They read stories, sometimes there is music plus other kids to interact with. LC has a great time. We’ve been to two story times with Musikal Magik’s Ms. Katy and those are LC’s favorite.

“ZOMG! Music and stories!! Best story time ever!”

“So what I think you are saying is that you will sing and I will shake this maraca? Dad, are you following this?”

“Peek a boo!”

“Hi, I’m LC. Do you want to share jingle bells?”

“Story time rocks!!”

Progression, or perhaps regression

2011-12-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

I pump approximately three times a day. Once before work and twice at work. When I first returned to work after maternity leave, I was going to be productive during those two pumping sessions. I would bring in items to approve, review contracts – no one would even know I was missing from my office. This was hard at the start because I was really, really tired. Forget writing contracts. I was lucky to not sleep through the entire time I was in the lactation room. (Or the Lactation Station as I like to refer to it.)

Shortly after that, I decided that working while pumping was not necessary – I should just get in, pump and then get out. At the time my supply was enough that I could get in and out in fifteen minutes with at least 5 ounces. As my supply dwindled, so did my motivation to be too in and out. After all, if I were a smoker, I’d be allowed to take breaks to smoke. So why not use my full time to relax.

So I started reading books. Watching shows on Hulu+ (Up All Night. Watch it, it is hilarious.) and HBOGo (Hung. Amusing. I can watch a full episode in a pumping session.) As I tweeted, our Lactation Station was moved to another building and our office now has a phone. I try to use the time to make phone calls or catch up on personal to dos (including online Christmas shopping).

As the holidays get closer, I realize my Christmas knitting list is not getting shorter and I need to find more time in the day to knit and cross things off my list. And so today, I started using my pumping breaks to knit Christmas presents. I don’t know if I have progressed in my use of this time, or simply regressed into taking 2 half hour breaks a day in my work day. I do know, however, that my holiday knit list just became a lot more manageable.

Life is Sweet

2011-12-09T21:30:00.001-08:00

and so are sweet potatoes.

Season of Giving

2011-12-06T21:56:00.001-08:00

It is cliche to say that it is the season of giving, but you know, it kind of is. Soooo, I guess we'll just call it like it is - the season of giving. Who to give to? There are many worthy causes and giving to a group that you like and want to support is never wrong. Especially not in this season of giving as we've decided to call it. But if you happen to have heard that it is the season of giving an you are looking for a place to make a generous donation, please consider the March of Dimes. I've spoken many times about the good work that the March of Dimes does for preemies (like LC!) and their families. They can always use your help to fund research and other aspects of their mission. Best of all, if you make a donation during the month of December (aka the season of giving) the March of Dimes Board of Trustees will match it. So if you give $25, the March of Dimes receives $50! If you give $50, they get $100. If you give. . .well just take my word for it that it works no matter how much you decide to give. Take a minute, think about it and then hopefully make a choice to participate in this season of giving and help make a preemie's life a little bit better this holiday.

There is a first time for everything

2011-12-04T22:01:00.001-08:00

We took LC into downtown Seattle this evening to enjoy some of the holiday fun. We did lots of traditional holiday things and some new things, like indoor snow. What struck me as we rode the holiday carousel and we listened to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is that this was the first time LC heard this song. It is a song we virtually take for granted now, it is simply part of the holiday celebration. Honestly, it is a song I don’t enjoy very much and try to avoid hearing too often. (I have a narrow range of acceptable of Christmas music.) But it is amazing to think of something that you simply accept as being there, as being a part of Christmas and something that you don’t remember ever not knowing – but then realizing that it is the first time that someone is experiencing it. As I realized tonight, it is not only amazing to think about such a thing, but fantastic to be part of that moment with someone as they experience it.

Joining the Conspiracy

2011-12-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

I've seen this promo in a few places now and it really made me think about the choices we'll make this Christmas. What small changes can we make in our holiday traditions and practices that will make such a big difference for others?

Mission Complete

2011-11-30T19:48:00.001-08:00

At the start of this month I took the NaBloPoMo challenge – that is the National Blog Post a day for a Month. I am proud to have completed the challenge and published a post every day of the month of November. Sure, some of the posts were like this but they weren’t all like that. I definitely feel like the experiment made me a better blogger – learning that blogging is almost always better than not blogging, reaching for some new topics and hopefully providing some interesting content for my readers.

So thanks for sticking around for the month. I may not keep up with a new post a day, but I promise to keep posting more regular content and I hope you will keep checking us out.

Gift Ideas

2011-11-29T21:47:00.001-08:00

I love buying gifts. I’m one of those people who sees something in June and picks it up to put aside for a Christmas gift. (I am also the person who forgets that she has done this or where she put the gift.) I have so many gifts for A already, that I have to forbid myself from even looking at more items he may like. I seemed to have chosen one of the hottest toddler gifts for LC since the price is always rising and it is sold out many places. (Psst, it is this: Playskool Step Start Walk 'n Ride, don’t tell her.)

But then there are always people I’m not sure what to get. People who seem to have everything or at least need nothing. Do you get them another scarf? A gift card? Socks? I’ve identified the hot new toy for the 12 month set – what about the others on my list? What is the hot new item for everyone this year? What are you getting everyone on your list?

PS For now, I’ve decided the hot item this year is a blanket. I’ve bought 3 of these so far. I’m not afraid to buy more if it comes to it.

First Christmas Gifts

2011-11-28T21:24:00.001-08:00

I have many mixed feelings about LC's first Christmas, but I know one thing for sure, Santa is bringing her this gift.

Ready for some football

2011-11-27T19:26:00.001-08:00

Today we proved that LC is definitely mine and A's child and that she is indeed a Seattle child.

We took LC to her first NFL game today - Redskins v. Seahawks. It rained almost the entire time but LC did not cry or complain once. In fact, she smiled and even napped. See here, the picture of a content Skins fan. (Doesn't the baby ear protection just slay you? And can you see her teeth??) I don't know if it is her genetic love of football or her tough Seattle skin that kept her so happy in spite of the weather.

Against almost all odds, the Redskins pulled out the victory. No really. Rex Grossman even threw a FIFTY YARD touchdown. So we were not only trespassers in the enemy's camp, but then our team had to go and win. No one minded because LC was so happy and adorable. She is quite the flirt. But honestly, everyone was so nice. I kept telling A that I didn't know people could be so nice at a football game. So thank you to the season ticket holders of Seattle for being awesome.

LC and A during a particularly tense moment in the game.

A photo of what we hope was Graham Gano's last kick as a Redskin. He had two blocked kicks today. TWO BLOCKED KICKS. (Apparently it won't be that difficult to have LC fufill my dream of her being an NFL place kicker because Graham Gano certainly proves it takes little to no talent. )

Books of a Lifetime

2011-11-26T22:52:00.001-08:00

We recently discovered an adorable children's book store not too far from our house and we've been having a lot of fun bringing LC there. I have yet to visit without buying something, the last time I bought several books for under the Christmas tree. Looking through the book shelves, I am reminded of some of the great books I enjoyed as a child. (A claims he was not read to as a child. I'm sure this isn't true, but this is why he does not have any favorite children's books listed here.)

Panda Cake is one of my all time favorites. I knew the poem by heart when I was little and remember taking it out of the library over and over again. (I can still remember on which shelf in the library it could be found.) It is out of print, but my Dad found a copy for me a few years ago and now I can share it with LC.

Make Way For Ducklings is a no brainer. Every good New England child knows and loves this book. Our trip back East for the holidays will take us through Boston and I will have to take LC to visit the Mallard family statue for sure.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is still a little old for LC, but is one I look forward to her reading. I remember reciting the title to the book and enjoying how silly it was. The fact that Alexander's day wasn't so terrible was probably lost on me when I was little, but I hope LC enjoys it and sees its many layers :)

The Monster at the End of this Book was my little brother Scott's favorite book when he was younger. (He's 24 now and probably not that into Grover anymore.) We actually have this book on the iPad and LC loves it. For such a young baby, it really holds her attention. I look forward to her understanding the book better and giggling along with Grover's hysterics as Scott used to do.

Moo Baa La La La is a book we discovered only with the birth of LC. Friends of ours sent us this and another Sandra Boynton book. With all the board books out there for children LC's age, Sandra's books have become our favorites. Moo Baa La La La is a big hit with LC and is easy enough that we quickly memorized it. So now when LC is throwing a fit in the car on the way home at night, we can recite the book's silly words to her and (usually) she calms down.

Those are just a few of my favorite books that we've shared, or look forward to, sharing with LC. What are some of your favorite children's books? With many more trips to the book store in our future, we could always use suggestions.

ETA: I've been informed that A enjoyed A Child's Garden of Verses and Peter Pan when he was younger, two works I am sure LC will enjoy too.

Turkey Tally

2011-11-25T22:07:00.001-08:00

While our Thanksgiving was small and informal, there was much food to be had.
5lbs of turkey breast
2 trays of stuffing
1 very large squash casserole
12 rolls
1 bag of cole slaw
1 wheel of brie
6 cinnamon rolls
2 pies
2 bottles of wine
I won’t reveal which of the following made it to leftover status. I also won’t reveal how many sticks of butter went into cooking these delicious dishes. Like I said yesterday, our Thanksgiving may have been small, but it was definitely mighty.

A Perfect Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T17:50:00.001-08:00

There were no holiday themed place settings or tablecloths.

In fact, there was no tablecloth at all.

There was no silver or fancy dresses, just a mismatch of serving plates and some comfy yoga pants.

There was turkey.

Babies who love turkey, and

beagles who would really, really, really like some turkey.

And it was perfect. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Two Washingtons family!

On the Move!

2011-11-23T20:02:00.001-08:00

Things I Love About Living in Seattle

2011-11-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

There is such thing as a “domestic duck”.

Agile Pets

2011-11-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

Cal is a very agile dog. He has been doing agility for over a year now and has moved up to the highest level of classes offered at the Seattle Humane Society. He excels at many obstacles, especially that weave poles. His weaknesses on the courses are 90% of the time due to handler error, with the exception of the turkey incident from last weekend.

However, having spent all this time and energy with Cal, I just learned that we may be neglecting another agile pet. Cat agility is apparently not just a thing, but becoming popular. This article, which is very enjoyable, pointed to many exciting YouTube videos, which I will share with you now.

Sunday in the Park with Cal

2011-11-20T20:32:00.001-08:00

LC’s schedule has been changing a bit as of late, which has adjusted our weekend schedule. It does allow us more time for things like early morning trips to the dog park. This morning we headed over to Magnuson Off Leash Park to let everyone enjoy the sun, the chilly temps and some fellow Seattle dog lovers.

First things first. Nothing happens before Momma gets her coffee. (Embargo lifted on November 20)

Beautiful view on our way to the park (Lake Washington and the Cascades)

It was very chilly this morning, we had to snuggle for warmth.

A and Cal find a friend and head off on the trail.

Puppy fun for all!

Cal takes a break for ear scratches.

All this excitement can really take it out of you.

Aged Like a Fine Wine

2011-11-19T18:21:00.001-08:00

I am 32 today. Another year older. I’m not sure if I am wiser this year, but I am so very different than I was last year. A momma this time around. A little rounder and softer in some places. A lot happier in many ways. Awesomer in almost all ways.

Off to celebrate with A. And not just to celebrate my birthday, but to celebrate how amazing this past year has been and how many, many things we have to look forward to in the year to come.

Now is the moment

2011-11-18T22:45:00.001-08:00

There is a moment that comes, usually on Friday night. The baby is in bed, the pets are finally calmed down. A and I are enjoying television on the couch, not worrying about work or what needs to be done all weekend. Just enjoying the weekend in front of us. And then the moment comes, when one or both of us will realize that it is 10:30pm and we are old and the baby will be up at 5am no matter whether it is Saturday or Monday or Thursday. In this moment we will look at each other and wonder why the heck we didn’t go to bed at 8:30 when the baby did.

World Prematurity Awareness Day

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Like most expectant mother’s in America, I anticipated my baby’s arrival in the “normal” ways. I read the books, I planned the nursery, I registered for the “perfect” baby items, I took classes and I wrote a birth plan. Not in any of my planning or envisioning of how it all would happen did I think it would end up like it did.

I was 33 weeks when we took a tour of the hospital where I would deliver. As we waited for the tour to begin, I took my blood pressure at the “do it yourself” machine by the gift shop. It was high. Really high. We ignored it. At 34 weeks, I took my bp again, this time at Safeway and it was even higher. We chatted about it, I called the on call line, convinced I was being a ridiculous first time mom. I was surprised when they asked me to come into labor and delivery. I didn’t pack a bag. I didn’t bring a change of clothes. In fact, we were supposed to meet someone two hours later and I figured we would be out in plenty of time. In reality, I left the hospital 3 weeks later and with a premature baby.

LC is nine months and I am still in shock of how it all played out. Not with my perfectly packed hospital bag. Not with my explicit birth plan. Not with an exciting and dramatic drive to the hospital after my water broke. I still get angry thinking of the moments I had so looked forward to after delivering – holding my daughter for the first time as she took her first breaths, having her first “skin to skin” contact on my chest, working to breast feed her immediately. The reality was she was grabbed from my doctor by two NICU nurses who immediately began to check her vitals and ensure she was healthy. A long, stressful delivery; a tiny baby born too soon.

But the story ends well. The surprise arrival at the hospital, the bed rest, the inducement and labor complications, the NICU nurses and the ensuing stay in the NICU? It is all over. We survived it and it made us all stronger for it. (B-Cat included.)

Today is World Prematurity Day and while I never expected to be the mother of a preemie, I am lucky to have such a success story to tell. LC is one of the 1 in 8 babies who was born prematurely. She is one of the 13 million babies worldwide born prematurely every year. And thankfully she was not one of the victims of premature birth – the number one killer of newborns. And now LC and I are two of the millions of people working to reduce premature births and support families who face the same (or scarier) situations that we did.

From the March of Dimes: Honor the million babies worldwide who died this year because they were born too soon, and the 12 million more who struggle to survive. November 17 is World Prematurity Day and when we focus everyone’s attention on the serious problem of premature birth. “Like” World Prematurity Day on Facebook. Read stories from around the world and share your own. Help spread the word by updating your Facebook status with a message on premature birth. Together we can raise awareness of this serious problem and help more babies start healthy lives.

Magical Moments

2011-11-16T21:28:00.001-08:00

I was nursing LC tonight before she went to bed. She is so quiet at this time, she doesn’t fidget and worry about missing things like she does when I nurse her throughout the day. She presses her little finger to my lips and smiles a little, rubs my shirt with her hand. Sometimes she is too sleepy to keep her eyes open and just nurses contently, her heavy lids shut. I love this time with her every night and treasure the cuddle time. Each day she wants to sit still less and less and I love her quiet moments.

Tonight she was awake after nursing and snuggled into my shoulder. She started talking, mouth still pressed against my sweater. She nuzzled my neck and started blowing raspberries, giggling as she did it. Tears welled in my eyes as she tickled me and I both loved and hated how she grows up more each day.

She laid her head on my chest and started making soft sounds, starting to get sleepy. She turned her head side to side, as she does when preparing to fall asleep. She lifted her head to look at me again and then she spit up all over me. Down my still open shirt, collected in my nursing bra.

It is the magical moments like these that don’t allow you to take yourself – or motherhood – too seriously.

To Each Their Own

2011-11-15T22:18:00.001-08:00

While out to brunch with friends this weekend, LC threw her froggie rattle on the ground and our friend asked if we wanted to wash it off before giving it back to LC. The answer to this question 9 times of 10 is no, for many reasons. 1) LC will sit happily if she has something to bang on the table, 2) she throws the froggie rattle on the ground every 30 seconds or so and 3) we are not germ phobes. LC was a preemie, though very healthy one, but a preemie just the same born during cold and flu season. That didn’t stop us from taking her out to places, inviting friends over with their children and yes, even letting the dog lick her. No chasing people around with hand sanitizer or locking ourselves away for weeks. We just don’t freak out about germs.

Maybe part of that is survival – LC goes to daycare and they have a very generous sharing policy there (lots of licking toys and then sharing it with friends who also like licking the same toy). If we worried about germs all the time, we’d probably sleep even less than we already do. Maybe it is just that germs aren’t our “thing.” We worry about lots of things (like how many kids will have the same name as LC or whether she will spend her whole life correcting people on how to pronounce both her first and last name) but germs aren’t really one of them. Sure LC has gotten colds but her first one came around 5 months, right on schedule according to all the books. The day care plague is passed around, but she is just building immunity so she can have perfect attendance in kindergarten. Our lax attitude towards germs has worked for us so far, so I figure why change it now.

So for now we still won’t let LC play in the cat’s litter box, but we will probably let her keep playing with froggie even after it falls on the floor.

Perhaps I am still 14

2011-11-14T22:34:00.001-08:00

I enjoy reading, but somewhere along the way I decided that reading so that I don’t have to think very hard is a much more enjoyable way of doing things. Young adult fiction seems just the thing for this type of reading. You may be familiar with my Twilight phase. But perhaps not my more recent Hunger Games phase. Oh yes, I know all about the Fire Starter and the Arena and the odds ever being in your favor. Which is why I may have been caught watching this at work today.

I may not be 14 anymore but that doesn’t mean I can’t read (and watch movies) like I still am.

Is it Sunday. . .

2011-11-13T21:24:00.001-08:00

if there are not pancakes?

Probably not.

(And if it is, that is not a Sunday I want to be part of.)

Enough to want to marry another (or, how I ended up with six boxes of chocolate covered candy cane Jo-Jos)

2011-11-12T21:41:00.001-08:00

I am pretty sure I would leave my husband if it meant I could marry Trader Joe. The guy knows a few things about food. Delicious food. Today after running errands but wanted LC to nap just a little bit longer in the car, we decided to make an unscheduled Trader Joe’s run. I knew we needed a few items and figured it would be a good way to kill some more time and let LC sleep in the car. After fighting through the parking lot and lucking out with a spot, I pointed out that my running into the store without a shopping list could be dangerous. A told me that he wanted “chocolate covered peppermint Jo-Jos and chocolate covered pretzel things.” I suggested I would need more guidance and he said “just grab one of every third thing that looks good.” If you’ve been to Trader Joe’s before, you realize this is not good guidance.

So, I ended up with 6 boxes of chocolate covered peppermint JoJos. Trust me it makes sense, since you never know when something you love will disappear form TJs and since this specific item is very popular, you need to stock up when you can. There were also chocolate peppermint wafer cookies (which I have determined to be the most fantastic cookie ever), peppermint covered pretzel thins (in addition to dark chocolate covered ones), frozen Thanksgiving in a box, avocados and bananas (for LC), wine (a lovely $3.99 Sangiovese), and a lovely Spanish olive oil.

And so, as I enjoy a glass of Sangiovese and some delicious wafer cookies, I am sure of two things. I would marry Trader Joe and I should always prepare a list.

Thoughts for Veterans’ Day

2011-11-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

Feeding time at the zoo

2011-11-10T20:35:00.001-08:00

LC is quite the eater. She didn’t take to solids right away, but now there is no stopping her. Like her mom, she loves bread and other carbs. She likes a special breakfast (like blueberry pancakes) on the weekend. But most of all, she likes to feed herself. No matter what we are serving, she wants to put it in her mouth all by herself. This not only slows the process, but creates quite the mess. Another blog posted this poem from the most recent, posthumous Shel Silverstein poetry book, Everything On It. It is clear that Shel fed an infant once or twice in his life.

Too Soon

You’ve spilt your milk
And dumped the mashed
Potatoes in your chair.
There’s tapioca in your nose
And broccoli in your hair.
Your applesauce is on the wall
And nothin’s on your spoon.
I think perhaps we let you
Try to feed yourself too soon.

I like cheese

2011-11-09T22:47:00.001-08:00

I have been craving a good cheese plate. Some soft cheeses, a little manchego, fig jam, those little bumpy pickles and a nice savory cracker.

This is a delicious cheese platter we had for lunch while vacationing in New Zealand a few years ago. A perfect blend of sweet and savory (though it probably could have used a little more cheese. It was meat heavy. But delicious.) Mmm, with that New Zealand sauvignon blanc. . . .sigh.

So if you know a guy in Seattle who can get me some Humboldt Fog, a nice bleu and something nutty for A, please let me know. This girl needs some cheese.

Dear American Academy of Pediatricians

2011-11-08T21:39:00.001-08:00

Hi,

Can I call you AAP? Sure? Ok, great. Here’s the thing. I’ve heeded your warnings. I’ve done what you’ve asked. Back sleeping for as long as possible? Check. No bumpers, blankets or pillows in the crib? Blissfully empty. No microwaving bottles? Not on my watch. No TV until after age 2? No problem (except football but we all agree that doesn't count.) Tummy time until fussy? Everyday. Vaccinations? But of course. Car seats rear facing basically forever? Swear on Cal’s brown fuzzy ears we’ll keep LC turned around.

But now my little one is, gulp, nine months old. Can you please issue the,” it is ok to sleep Mom” advisory? The “we’re sorry we scared you into thinking your baby would die every time you put her into the crib and you’ve done everything we’ve asked so stop running upstairs to be sure she is still breathing” advisory. I have to say, A seems to have received his copy. He is not prone to running upstairs every five minutes and may in fact have rolled his eyes at me tonight when I asked him to ensure LC was positioned safely in the crib.

So AAP, I’m just asking for one night where I don’t wake up and every thing you scared me about during pregnancy and LC’s early days doesn’t flash through my mind, leading me to hold the monitor next to my ear to see if I hear breathing – and if I don’t sprinting upstairs to ensure she is still in fact breathing. Can you help a girl out?

XOXO,

LC’s (sleepy) Mom

Something is Missing

2011-11-07T21:22:00.001-08:00

I work in what may be called one of the most “up and coming” areas of Seattle. Amazon, UW Medicine, Global Health, Microsoft, the Gates Foundation have all set up large office complexes in the South Lake Union area. With this increase in workers in the area, there has been an increase in other commercial activity, especially restaurants. (There are four Tom Douglas eateries alone.) There are a few things I wish would fill the empty retail space (not that I do not enjoy the many dining choices we have.)

1. Drug store – In DC, I had a CVS one block north and south of me. This was great if you needed a birthday card, some vitamins, a pack of Combos. Really anything. The sad fact of the Emerald City is that there are no CVS’ anywhere but I would accept a suitable replacement, like a Bartells or a Walgreens. Sometimes you just need some small items and using 10 minutes out of your work day would be perfect to accomplish it in.

2. Clothing store – A clothing store serves many purposes, beyond just providing clothes. It took me over 8 months after LC was born to get to a store to buy non-maternity work pants. If there had been a clothing store that I could stop by on my lunch break, I might have been able to wear black pants that fit a lot sooner. A clothing store is also good to hang out in, waste time when you just need a 15 minute mind breather in your day.

3. Gift store – I thought pregnancy brain was bad, then I became a mother and I discovered that mother’s brain is much worse. So I often remember that I need a gift about 12-36 hours before I need it – often before I need it to be in the Other Washington. A gift store to be able buy some gifts when I need them – or even BEFORE the last minute – would be great.

4. Hair salon – I have about 50 million things I need to do on the weekend, not to mention wanting to relax and enjoy my family. So having to get my hair done on the weekend just takes up time I would like to, or need to be, doing other things. So this means my hair is often undone (or whatever the proper term would be). Using a lunch break once every 2 months or so to get my hair done would be great.

5. Nail salon – similar to the above item, being able to get a pedicure or get your eyebrows done on your lunch break is a nice luxury to have.

So that’s my short list of what I would like to see in the South Lake Union area. I could go on, I’m sure, but I am sure that the land developers will soon see my list and make it happen. Until then, signs just went up for another Starbucks. Insert Seattle joke here.

One of these things is not like the other. Or is it?

2011-11-06T20:59:00.001-08:00

Can you tell Jim and John Harbaugh apart? I cannot. I watched games coached by each today and I still do not know who is who or who coaches which team.

Seriously, look at these two. It is possible they are the same person. Or holograms.

And they are not even twins. The Ryans brothers are twins but they have the decency to look differently. I can tell them apart. I know who coaches for the Jets and who for the Cowboys. But these Harbaugh boys? I just don’t know.

Up in the Clouds

2011-11-05T22:28:00.001-07:00

I have often told the story of visiting A when he first worked in Seattle (summer of 2006). The weather seemed to always be beautiful that summer and I didn’t understand all the fuss about Seattle rain. Every time I visited I would marvel at Mount Rainier and think how lovely it looked, high above the city (especially since it was so different than the mountains I lived on at the time in Colorado Springs.)

When we returned to Seattle last year, people would speak about the “mountains being out” on a nice day. I didn’t understand this statement – after all I had always seen Mount Rainier when visiting in 2006. I soon came to understand that a truly nice day in Seattle would mean that all the mountains were visible – the Cascades, the Olympics and yes, Mount Rainier.

Mount Rainier is truly an amazing sight – it looks fake or as if it were made out of clouds. Sometimes a grabbing a quick glimpse of the mountain may make you think that you imagined it, especially if the view disappears as it often does. You can climb Rainier, ski on it, or ride a gondola to the top. I’m hoping we can explore the mountain more this year and not just view it from afar.

Having lived here for over a year now, I now appreciate what “the mountains are out” truly means. We’ve had a lovely fall so far with lots of opportunity to see the mountains and appreciate the beautiful city in which we live.

Date Night

2011-11-04T22:57:00.001-07:00

I always feel guilty leaving LC for date night, but happy to have had the time with A afterwards.

Tonight we went to Coopers, the oldest ale house in Seattle. We played darts and discovered my dart playing and math skills are subpar. We ate bad pub food (which is to say the food was delicious, just not very good for you). We drank some beer. We watched preseason NCAA basketball.

It truly is these little things that keep our marriage strong, even if that means missing LC’s bedtime once a month or so. I think in the long run she knows that her parents have her best interests at heart.

Shoemaker’s children

2011-11-03T21:12:00.001-07:00

I believe the old saying goes that the shoemaker’s children have no shoes. Or something like that. LC is in a similar situation. Prior to being a mom I hand knit baby items for all my friends. College color booties, sweaters, blankets. Recently a friend posted photos of her twin girls in matching sweaters I knit for them. I felt incredible guilt that many other children out there had items hand knit by me, but not my daughter. Sure she has hand knit items but friends and family (especially Grandma Dede) have kept LC in hand knits. I’ve intended to finish the baby blanket I started when I went on bed rest or start another project since LC was born, but I just never got around to it. Last weekend I decided I just had to cast on and knit. I missed knitting and it wasn’t fair that my daughter lacked what so many other babies had.

So I’m knitting the Playground Hoodie for LC. I’m enjoying knitting again, I really enjoyed my hour long Momma only trip to the yarn store and I know I will feel like a self respecting knitter again once my daughter is wearing something I knit for her.

The More Tattoos the Better

2011-11-02T20:59:00.001-07:00

A and I may enjoy some reality tv from time to time. Top Chef is one that we have always enjoyed and so we were both excited for the new season to start tonight. They started with a larger than normal (29) group of cheftestants, but we were excited to see that four were from Seattle. The “foodie” scene of DC is something we both miss and so this exhibition of the foodiness found in Seattle is inspiring. Our favorite cheftestant (for now) is Simon Pantet from Travolata and 22 Lounge (and he of many tattoos). We’ll have to stay tuned to see how Simon fairs in this competition, but we look forward to continuing to explore the Seattle food scene and using Top Chef as inspiration.

ETA: After publishing this post, 75% of the Seattle contestants were summarily dismissed from Top Chef Texas. Good news is that at least there won't be a wait to get reservations at the foodie hot spots.

Aren’t we rushing things a bit?

2011-11-01T21:24:00.001-07:00

My birthday is not really a “holiday” birthday. November 19 is close to the start of the holiday season, but the earliest Thanksgiving can be is November 22, so my birthday never falls on a holiday. I recognize that I am not one of those people who suffer through a Dec 25 or Jan 1 birthday. This proximity to Thanksgiving could result in celebrations being combined, especially after I went away to college and would only be home around the holidays. With the ever increasing holiday creep, my birthday is not only in danger of being rolled into pilgrim feasts, but it seems that even Santa wants a piece of me. This is why I have always held society to the “no Christmas before my birthday” rule.

Society rarely pays attention to my rules. Trust me, it is a frustration. But today crossed the line in the sand of the “no Christmas before my birthday.” In fact, Starbucks, who until today I considered a personal friend, didn’t just cross the line, but they leapt across it.

Yes, they brought out their red cups for the holidays. I don’t care how much snow New England received last week. Or how adorable that little “short” cup is. I’ve asked society to respect the “no Christmas” before my birthday rule and it continues to ignore it. If even Starbucks can’t have the decency to respect my wishes, then I will just have to boycott their business. At least for the next 18 days.

I’m a bear, or something

2011-10-31T21:59:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, LC here. Today was my first Halloween, at least according to my parents. They seemed really excited about it. My mom spent a lot of time trying to find me a costume. A costume is just fuzzy clothing with a hat that you have to wear. Momma said I could be a bear or a cat. Which is confusing because I’m still LC.

Anyway, here I am dressed as a bear. Though everyone thought I was a sheep. Momma says I am a Golden Bear, which made Cal happy. Dad says I am an oatmeal bear, which apparently not a real thing.

My parents were not the only ones who were excited about Halloween. My friend Naomi was a lion and Miss Chrissy was an elephant. Here I am at my friend Jett’s house (he was a lion but was sleepy and had to go to bed) hanging out with my friend Ellie. She was a ladybug.

Ellie and I went around the neighborhood and people gave us things. Momma said it was candy and that Dad would eat it. I did get to eat one Goldfish cracker before Dad announced they were too salty for me. I think he just wants the candy and the Goldfish crackers.

So that was Halloween. Dressing up in clothes that look like non-descript animals which makes the adults really happy. Momma says we have to get ready for Thanksgiving, but I hope I don’t have to wear a hat for that holiday.

Constitutional Obligations

2011-10-26T22:11:00.001-07:00

Are there such things as obligations under the Constitution? I mean for people? As a lawyer I should probably know this. I’m sure it is somehow related to the Commerce Clause, so let’s just leave it at that.

Anyway, if there were constitutional obligations, I am sure that bringing your child to a pumpkin patch in the month of October would be one. As I mentioned in the earlier post, I don’t know when it became a requirement of parenthood, but there it is. If your Facebook page includes a child with no pumpkins in the month of October, you should probably expect DHS to knock on your door.

Therefore, in an effort to keep the authorities at bay until Santa photo time rolls around, behold. LC with pumpkins.

Yes, she is even wearing a pumpkin hat.

The pumpkin patch we went to was not so much a “pumpkin patch” as it was someone’s home who raises horses and has some land and thought, hmm with this new constitutional obligation for parents to bring their children to pumpkins in October, I could bring in some pumpkins and really make some cash. It wasn’t bad so much as it was just someone’s large backyard with about 50 pumpkins, Coke and hot dogs for sale, some barn cats and horses. (I don’t know, maybe I was expecting too much out of LC’s first trip to the pumpkin patch. I will have to compare after next year. )

There was a “petting zoo” which was really some kittens and a bunny. I learned an important parenting lesson as one mother led her daughter to the kittens and said, “Remember, we don’t throw kittens.” I never would have thought that was something I would have to tell LC, but now I am prepared for that to happen.

I leave you now with a picture of one kitten, very happy to not be being squeezed by toddlers at this moment, and LC who is bemused? confused? underwhelmed by the patch? simply over it? Whatever she was, it is adorable.

My wild and crazy Friday nights

2011-10-21T20:58:00.001-07:00

It is Friday night, the baby is asleep, and I do not have to do anything I do not want to do.

Sure, there is laundry to be done and plenty of things in the house to clean. I’ve brought home work to do this weekend and a wise woman would knock some of it out right now.

But A is at a concert and the cat and dog are curled up on the bed with me.

It seems like a good night to say, who cares that it is 8:30 at night. Who cares if I should hang up the clothes that have piled up on the chair in the bedroom all week. I think I will crawl under the covers and find something delightful I can watch on Hulu. I may read my book and wait up for Andrew. Or maybe I’ll just shut off the lights and revel in the extra sleep.

It is Friday night, the baby is asleep, and I do not have to do anything I do not want to do.

As the Leaves Fall

2011-10-16T21:06:00.001-07:00

If Facebook or any of the fifty Shutterfly advertising emails I receive every week are to be believed, you aren’t a parent until you photograph your child at a pumpkin patch. I’m not really sure when this became a rite of passage up there with sitting on Santa’s lap. I certainly do not recall doing the pumpkin patch thing when I was younger, and I grew up in pumpkin patch central – New England.

I’ll admit we’ve done some pumpkin patch photos, here’s Cal’s first trip to the pumpkin patch.

I imagine a trip to the pumpkin patch with LC is in our future. But in hunting for an appropriate venue, I’ve been surprised how few orchards or patches or other such autumnal locales are available close to Seattle. After all, isn’t Washington known for its apples? In the Other Washington we didn’t live in the country but it was not hard to find a corn maze or, as seen above, appropriate location for a dog to get a pumpkin.

Overall Fall in this Washington is not the same as it is back East, even in the Other Washington. Sure, the three weeks of summer end and it starts to get cooler again. Leaves begin to change and the rains return. Being an aforementioned New England girl, I do miss autumn all the accompaniments. But LC is an Emerald City girl, so we will have to learn how to do this autumn thing out here, West Coast style. So next weekend, off to Issaquah we go to photograph LC in a pumpkin patch, complete with a hand knit pumpkin hat, take a hay ride and maybe even pick some apples. It may not look like the falls of my childhood but I suppose that is part of the fun of raising LC in a place different from where A and I did. We get to make new traditions, discover new pumpkin patches and let LC have a childhood all her own.

Our Travel Diary

2011-10-14T20:45:00.001-07:00

Taking LC to Maui was fantastic and fantastically exhausting at the same time. As a co-worker stated, after children you don’t go on vacation, you simply take a trip.

Some of the many highlights included:

Introducing LC to the beach

Not always with the greatest results

Celebrating A’s birthday by sunset

Afternoon naps

Enjoying our amazing family.

Hawaiian Delight

2011-10-12T22:05:00.001-07:00

We returned from Maui late last night and the jet lag today was rough. We’re currently watching the baby monitor with bated breath to see how LC reacts to her “normal” bedtime tonight, both hoping for a nice, long night sleep in our own bed.

But the flight, the jet lag, the potential continuation of the sleep strike – all worth it to bring my outside baby to the place where we could only dream about her last year. What an incredible difference a year makes.

Dedicated to the One I Love

2011-10-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my best friend and baby daddy!

You wash more than your fair share of poop out of the diapers. You hold the cat when she won’t stop licking my face. You don’t mind that I’m a terrible housekeeper.

You make me laugh and smile, even on the tough days. You are a kind, sweet and wonderful father to LC.

I’m lucky you came into this world 32 years ago today (and happy that you will always be 43 days older than I am.)

All my love, L

Have you seen this dog?

2011-10-04T20:57:00.001-07:00

Cal the beagle, wanted for attacking innocent rattles, recycling bins, dirty diapers and the occasional shoe insole. Has a weakness for sucky kitties and babies with messy faces. Prefers his burgers medium rare. Enjoys snuggling under the blankets. Afraid of orange cats.

Responds to the name Calhoun, Cal, Cal Bear, Calhounicus, Calhouny and/or Buddy. If you see this beagle, do not approach unless prepared for tail wagging, kisses and potential jumping.

More Than One

2011-10-03T22:16:00.001-07:00

Tonight my hat is off to single parents. I don’t know how you do it. A is on a business trip until tomorrow morning and tonight is my second solo parenting evening. I’ve been solo overnight with LC before, but she was much younger and I was still on maternity leave. Trying to do all of this and work, wowsers.
As LC is getting a little older, the inevitable question of “do you think you’ll have another child” (or its more presumptuous cousin “when will you get pregnant again”) has been asked of us. Sure A and I talk about it, but tonight at 9:30pm when I was still in my work clothes, standing in the kitchen eating ~~cookie dough from the Toll House tub~~ dinner, having fed LC, skyped with Grandma Dede and Grandpa Mark, rinsed the diapers, prepared diapers for tomorrow, washed bottles, prepared bottles for tomorrow, bathed LC, nursed her and put her to bed, the thought of “what if there were two of them” popped into my head. Handling LC, B-Cat and Cal on my own is challenging enough, but TWO? (At least one of whom would be mobile?!)
So maybe all those times I’ve sworn that I will not have an only child (after all, only children are weird, right?), well maybe I was overreacting. Maybe one (plus a needy OCD cat and a child like beagle) is enough – unless the next one agrees to do dishes.

Secret Sauce

2011-10-01T17:32:00.001-07:00

It is my belief that there has to be some sort of secret sauce to parenting. If I can just crack the code, I’m sure that I will know the secrets to parenting and my child will grow up as all the experts tell me she should.
For example, sleeping. We’ve read books, talked to other parents, taken advice from our pediatrician and I really think that with some mix of all this information, we will find the answer and LC will sleep 12 hours every night without fail. So when she wakes up at 4am and A suggests she is hungry, I exclaim that we can’t possibly feed her. It will create an expectation for midnight snacking and she will never sleep again. After all, that is what the books say (not to mention our pediatrician.) So one night we try rubbing her back and hope she gets back to sleep. Other nights we sit with her in the rocking chair. Soon I worry she is going to forget how to self-soothe and so we let her fuss a bit. By the next night, we bring her into bed because we’re exhausted and just want someone to get some sleep.

I really think somewhere in all of this there must be a secret – 5 counter clockwise circles on her back, followed by 27 clockwise circles on her back, 15 seconds of resting my hand on her head and then turning on the white noise machine while backing out of the room – and ta da, not only is LC back asleep in less than 5 minutes, she will soon stop waking up in the middle of the night. So when we go through a phase like we are currently in where she wakes up more often than not and we keep trying different solutions, I just feel like we are just one attempt away from breaking the code and every time I relent and feed her or bring her into bed with us, I am giving up. That it is our weakness keeping from turning LC into a super child who knows the secrets of the universe.
But I suppose if there were some secret sauce that would create a child who sleeps through the night without fail, or eats their vegetables every time, or potty trains within hours, this parenting thing would be a whole lot easier. There would only be one book on how to make it all happen – not ten thousand – and internet message boards would be boring with no one debating the Ferber Method versus Attachment Parenting. That leaves A and I battling through the 4am wake ups on our own, counting back rubs and trying to sneak out of the nursery, always just one more attempt away from breaking the secret baby code.

Feeling Homesick at Home

2011-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

LC and I put Grandma Dede on a plane back East today. We know that she had to get back to her life on the East Coast, not to mention back to Grandpa Mark, but we were very sorry to see her go. I've never been good at airport good-byes (I was definitely not a good candidate for a long distance relationship but we survived) but this recent visit and good bye really brought home how hard it can be living across the country from family and friends.

I love so many things about our life in the Emerald City and A and I are not contemplating another cross country move in the near future. The big "but" in the sentence though is that we love so many things about living here but we really hate being so far from friends and family. We're currently trying to figure out our holiday plans - will we travel, when would we travel, would we try to see both families or one now and another later, how long would we stay - answering one question only raises ten more. The idea of traveling with an almost 11 month old baby during the holidays definitely does not sound appealing, but spending the holidays at home with just the three of us sounds a little sad too.

A and I had both lived far away from family before and we knew it wouldn't be easy when we moved to Seattle. Today just happened to be one of those days that was more difficult than others and when the grass in the Other Washington seemed just a little bit greener.

It was something like this

2011-09-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

So last week I was so excited for my little girl's first weekend of football. I had a minor medical procedure scheduled on Friday, but thought it was the perfect excuse to spend all weekend on the couch watching college and NFL, enjoying every minute.

Friday, had my gallbladder removed, not a big deal. Home that night, doing well on Saturday. By Sunday morning, things were a little more like this:

Ok, there was no wedding. But everything else is pretty accurate. Maybe with less werewolves. But the pain and resulting health issues were pretty darn close to being pregnant with a half-vampire/half-human baby. And I definitely looked like Bella does in those last scenes. If drinking human blood had been an option to heal me, I would have signed up.

I wasn't exactly pregnant with a vampire baby - my health issues had more to do with a complication from the gallbladder surgery and my Duct of Luschka. A second procedure on Tuesday and I was back home with the family on Wednesday. Grandma Dede has come to help keep the trains running on time, which around here really means making sure LC gets her bananas on time. Because you do not want to see LC when her bananas are late. It is kinda like that scene in the preview when Edward turns all crazy on Jacob.

So I'm recovering. I have a few cool scars to show for the whole thing, but no incredibly multiplying in size and age half vampire baby with the world's most ridiculous name. This weekend is supposed to be chilly and rainy in Seattle, which means that it will be the perfect weather for lounging on the couch and watching football, and no vampire or duct of Luschka is going to prevent that from happening this time.

A Letter to My Bear

2011-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Some mom's use their blogs as a baby book of sorts, keeping track of milestones or writing letters to their children (sometimes still unborn). I have never really been that type - I think my Yankee upbringing has made me less sentimental than some. I have been called "cold", which is really an exaggeration but this is all to say I have not written letters to LC on the blog or otherwise. But as I put my little 7 month and 1 day old little girl to bed tonight, I felt compelled to write something to her to remember this time.

Dear LC,

You are growing so fast and I worry that there is so much that I have already forgotten about our time together. You are a sweet and wonderful little girl that your father and I are so lucky to have. I may have missed a few milestones but I didn't want to let this one go by without marking it. Tomorrow, my sweet LC bear, is the start of your first NFL season.

LC, you came to us on Super Bowl Sunday and someone commented that while unexpected and early, your birth date was perfect for football fanatics like your father and me. (While I agree, I still think you could have come just an hour or two earlier so that your father and I could have watched the game. Arriving in the second quarter was sort of poor timing.) While I always enjoyed football, it was dating your father that turned me on to the game. He introduced me to fantasy football (and I to him the "silly name" draft method, which thanks to LaDanian worked very well for me) and sports talk radio. We may not have always been in the same state (or country) but we always watched football together on Sundays (and Mondays. And sometimes Thursdays). Having you join us for this tradition is one your father and I dreamed about long before you joined our family.

Through the years, I've developed a love for your father's Washington Redskins and I expect you will do the same. Not because you can't cheer for your mother's Patriots or your hometown Seahawks, but because your father's love for the team is infectious. That and they make such ridiculous management decisions that it is impossible not to follow the team and scream "WTF Dan Snyder??" on a regular basis. You will learn all the words to "Hail to the Redskins", which we already sing to you, and you will develop your own opinion about the gold pants.

Sundays in the fall mean lazy days on the couch with the pets - and now you! Just as Cal honors the day with Bandana Sundays, we know you will love wearing matching onesies each weekend. I'm sorry if our trips to the park will tend to happen only on Saturdays from now on, but I hope you come to enjoy the extra cuddles and quiet time with us. We promise to still play and read to you - but we also know that pesky no television for infants rule does not apply to anything involving Joe Theisman or Tom Brady. I also promise to try to scream less profanities at the screen this season. Unless Graham Gano continues to miss field goals. Then all bets are off.

LC, we love you and you have added so much to our lives. Being able to finally share football with you this week and throughout the season is going to help us all grow together as a family. We cannot wait to share our love of the game with you and for you to hear the Sunday Night Football song. I know as you grow, you will develop your own loves and interests, but I hope that football with your family - on the couch with a slightly dirty carpet because I haven't vacuumed yet - is something that you will always enjoy.

So play ball and all the whole nine yards -

Love, Momma

Cold Hearted Snake

2011-09-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

Before becoming a parent, many people told me having children would make me more empathetic, especially to the plight of children. I think this is true to a point - tales of parents suffering through the loss of a child or other similar tragedy strike me particularly hard - I also think being a parent can make you pretty cold hearted.

Yesterday we had a lovely afternoon at the Marymoor dog park. It was warm and Cal was completely tuckered out from running through the tall grass, chasing puppy friends and walking the trails around the park. After it all he had an herbal shampoo bath and was ready to call it a day. LC had enjoyed the trip as well, sleeping in her BOB for most of the visit and then watching Cal get his bath.

As we pulled out of the parking lot I looked at the clock and told A that LC was likely to be getting hungry soon, she was due to eat in about 15 minutes. We agreed that driving straight home was the best bet; LC was happy in her car seat and it would be easier to just feed her at home. Approximately 5 minutes later, LC started to make her "mmmmm" sound. This is usually a precursor to fussiness. Sometimes if you head it off, you can prevent escalation (for instance if she has been sleeping on her back and starts making the sound, it means she would like to be on her belly and would like some assistance in doing so). I checked to be sure that the sun was not in her eyes and readjusted the air vents in case they were blowing too strongly on her and then made the appropriate mouth noises to let LC know we were on our way home and she would eat then.

Moments later, as we pulled onto the highway, LC's noises began to escalate to fussiness. By the time we reached the 520 floating bridge (only to discover a traffic back up due to a disabled vehicle in the shoulder), her noises could best be described as "angry baby." Her mood did not improve as we merged back on to I-5. It was a full on baby melt day.

But A and me? We were unperturbed. We turned the radio up a little louder to hear it over her screams. We continued conversation - every few minutes telling LC we were almost home. While no baby melt down would have been preferable to baby melt down, we remained unaffected. We have been parents for 7 months and our daughter's screams mean nothing to us. Ok, that's not true, but we recognize when you can and can't do something about the screams and we can take it all in stride. We knew LC was hungry and that she would survive until we got home, and so we just didn't let it bother us. Parenthood may make you more empathetic to some things but to others, parenthood just turns your heart to cold stone.

** In writing this post, I had the lyrics from "Cold Hearted" in my head. I wanted to be sure I had them correct, so I googled the song. The wikipedia page is an entertaining read and worth the click through. But perhaps most enjoyable was this:

Showing Our Age

2011-08-29T08:38:00.001-07:00

Trying to update the blog a bit - bear with me as we work through some changes! I may even update the photo albums with something less than a year old (oh, such great promises!)

Summer Check In

2011-08-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

While it feels like summer has just arrived in Seattle, the unofficial end is just around the corner. I thought I would revisit the list I made at the start of the summer and see how we have fared.

- Go to the the Woodland Park Zoo - Done, twice! LC likes to watch the people more than the animals, but it is a fun time. We have a membership and hope to see more than the elephants one day!

- Go on a Seattle/Washington hike - Done! We spent our weekend in Anacortes hiking around, including Deception Pass Park. We also hiked in Discovery Park with LC's newborn group.

- Eat a Dick's hamburger - Done! We knocked this out Fourth of July weekend. It was good. But no In & Out. I'd say better than Whattaburger, probably equal to a Five Guys.

- Go to the Five Spot for brunch - Not yet. Need to make this a priority! Cinnamon bun french toast is calling my name.

- Go to a Mariners game - Not yet. Season coming to an end and Seattle isn't a baseball in October sort of town.

- Go to the Seattle Beer Fest - Yes! A and I made our triumphant return this year, beagle in tow.

- Take Cal and LC to Marymoor - Done! And we hope to return this weekend (Cal needs another do it

yourself bath.)

- Go to some Storm games - Done! Well, we've been to one. I'd like to get to more, but our schedule just

hasn't worked out yet.

- See Harry Potter (ok not really Seattle-centic but who is so excited for the movie?!) - Ack! No! We had a date and babysitter all lined up when LC developed her first fever. We hope to sneak out next week but it looks like the number of theaters showing it is dwindling.

So we've done good - what have we missed? Help add some more Seattle to-dos to our list!

Reorganization

2011-08-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

After a weekend away with no vacuuming last weekend and house guests arriving next weekend, this weekend was circled in red on the calendar with the words "CLEAN HOUSE" scribbled all over. We made a dent in the to do list and still had an enjoyable family weekend.

The biggest task we undertook and completed was finishing painting LC's room. While we kept the room the same color as it was when we purchased the house, we had removed some fixtures from the wall which left large unpainted areas. Shortly after removing the fixtures, a baby unexpectedly arrived and painting took a back seat. Only one more picture to hang and then I'll finally post a tour of the nursery.

Another chore that I had been unable to find time to accomplish was finally taking all of my maternity clothes out of the drawers and putting them away, as well as general organization of my closets. A helped me tackle this today and I think this will help reduce my stress in the mornings, since my clothes are organized and easier to find.

The never ending laundry and vacuuming continued today - thanks in large part to A getting up early and doing two loads of laundry while I slept in with LC.

Our house is probably not house guest ready yet, but I don't think it looks like we've left B-Cat in charge of housekeeping anymore. And some days you just have to take these small victories as they come.

The Yips

2011-08-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

The yips, as defined as Wikipedia, are the apparent loss of certain fine motor skills seemingly without explanation in one of a number of different sports. While breastfeeding isn't exactly a sport, I think I may have the yips.

I've gone from keeping up with LC's demand, and even sometimes being 5-10oz ahead, to being behind. It is a frustrating experience and I've tried almost every old wives' tale out there on how to increase supply. Alas, without explanation it is not only not increasing supply, but it continues to decrease. I'm considering this to be the breastfeeding yips.

At this point, I think I need to add a pumping session. Sadly, this will probably happen at midnight after a brief nap every night. If that doesn't help to meet supply, we'll probably have to consider supplementation. If this doesn't cure my yips, I don't know who will tell LC I may have to retire from the game.

Retreat from Reality

2011-08-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

We headed north to Anacortes this weekend for a short retreat. Our big vacations came in our return East at the start of the summer and will come again with a trip back to Maui this fall, but I really needed time to get away from the normal demands of the weekend. I love spending the weekends with our family, but it usually involves a great deal of errands and vacuuming and the like. A weekend where I would not have to vacuum anything sounded pretty great.

We arrived in Anacortes on Friday evening and stayed at a hotel by the ferry terminal. It had a beautiful view and Cal enjoyed barking at the deer outside our room.

Saturday we took our time and then explored the town of Anacortes. We went to the Cap Sante overlook point - Cal showed us all how to scamper up the rocks. We had lunch in town and then headed to Washington Park to hang out on the beach.

Sunday we headed south and hiked around Deception Point park. The sun never quite made it out, but we had a great time exploring the shore and watching the fishermen bring in large salmon right on the beach.

The weekend was over too soon, but it was as advertised - completely free of vacuuming.

More Project365.

38: Nothing says professional like spit up on your shoes.

39: Even dogs like the South Lake Union taco truck.

40: Not bad, but not a chocolate chip cookie either.

41: Sippy cup! High chair!

42: Baby or puppy, who can tell?

43: Another crazy Friday night in our house. (BL Lime = Awesome)

44: Our trap worked, we caught a baby.

45: Only the best for our family.

46: You'd think drinking water would be easier.

So what I really think is this

2011-08-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

As a new parent you receive lots of things – gifts, food, hand me downs and advice. Oh, the advice. Some of it is wanted, some of it is sought after, and some of it just is. A friend of mine sent me the link for this onesie and I have been tempted more than once to purchase the onesie. Because really, if I have not said to you, please tell me your opinion on diapers/feeding/sleeping/daycare, it is probably because I do not want it.

A friend of mine, upon being asked to give me advice about people giving me advice, told me that “advice is just nostalgia for the person giving it.” That has really stuck with me and I try to remember that every time I receive a piece of unwanted advice. It has helped. Some. A little bit. Ok, maybe I have to repeat it over and over in my head as a mantra so that I do not explode at the advice giver. But at least I’m chanting something.

The one advice technique that I cannot stand is the passive aggressive “do you think. . . “. You will run into it in a variety of locations and situations. For example, walking around Green Lake, baby in a Bjorn and we may stop to let the dog sniff. Someone wanders over and starts to chat with us and then says, “Such a nice day. Do you think it is too warm/cold/sunny/windy/still for the baby?”

ADVICE GIVERS EVERYWHERE TAKE NOTE: NO. I do not think that it is too warm/cold/sunny/windy/still for my baby. You know how you can tell that? Because I have my baby outside. If I thought that it was too warm/cold/sunny/windy/still for my baby to be outside, I would not have taken her outside in the first place.

I’m onto your game. The truth is you do not care if I think it is too warm/cold for the baby. No, you think you are suggesting a completely novel idea to me. You think that I am an ineffective parent who perhaps did not notice the sun shining brightly in the sky and my baby’s pale, sensitive skin. You think that I am immune to the rain, Seattle resident that I am, and therefore did not even notice that my baby may be in the rain. You think I am a bad parent.

So advice givers everywhere, be warned. Because next time you ask me, “do you think . . .,” I just may tell you exactly “what I think.”

Photos of the Days

2011-08-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally arrived in Seattle and we have the photos to prove it.

21: Smiley kitty mug helps make mornings better.

22: Not quite wading in the wading pool.

23: B-Cat, still my first baby.

24: It may not seem steamy to some of us, but it is pretty warm for others.

25: Showing off my new highlights (and pjs)

26: Spinach Feta Wrap w/ a Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiato.

27: A's new favorite snack. Breakfast. Dinner.

28: Sad, sick baby.

29: Fro-yo.

30: Purple pedicure.

31: Good morning!

32: Asleep on the job.

33: Just hanging out at Serious Pie.

34: Bus stop.

36: Carrots.

37: Little Caesar. (Look past the Caddie)

I may be a "crunchy" mom, but that doesn't mean it is easy

2011-07-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

I recently came across this article on Twitter and thought it was probably the greatest thing I've read in the past six month. I feel as if I could have written the article because it put into words everything I've felt over the past several months about breastfeeding. As I've mentioned before, I love breastfeeding LC. It creates a wonderful bond between us, I believe it is the best thing for her and it is something I always wanted to do for my children.

The problem with breastfeeding, as this article points out, is that it is really, really hard. Only 30% of women who start breastfeeding are still doing so after 3 months and only 11% continue doing so after 6 months. Many of the reasons this article names are reason enough on their own to stop - and then combine more than one obstacle and it is no mystery why the numbers dwindle as they do.

Now I know people make choices and my choice to breastfeed is not a critique of another's choice to not breastfeed or not continue past 3 or 6 months. But that doesn't mean that the fact that I have continued to breastfeed past 3 months (and hopefully beyond 6 months) is one that I want to minimize. I have made no secret of the how I battled through the first 4 weeks of pumping around the clock and working through preemie issues to be able to breastfeed LC. But it didn't magically get easier there. I am lucky to have a supportive office with a "lactation room" but that doesn't mean pumping at work is a joy to do. I live my life in three hour cycles - always needing to be able to pump or feed every three hours. This makes even a trip to the mall for some (nursing friendly) clothing and a pedicure difficult.

I think what I love most about this article is that it by someone who like me battled through many obstacles to be able to continue to breastfeed and succeeded. I find most breastfeeding articles take one of two viewpoints: 1) breastfeeding is easy and natural and I should sit in a field of daisies, bare breasted, letting LC latch at will or 2) breastfeeding is too hard for humans to master and the scientific community should stop telling people there are benefits to breastfeeding because formula is just as good. If you are the target audience of one of those articles, great. But I never was and it made me feel sad that I didn't seem to love breastfeeding as much as some and at the same time completely unsupported for the efforts I was putting forth.

I think moms need more articles like this. Ones that say it is hard but it is ok to be proud of what you are doing. It is ok to sometimes feel like a martyr and taking the harder route. This doesn't mean you think you are better than others or that others made the wrong choice. It's ok to be happy with your own choices and at the same time want a day off every once in a while. And it is ok to know that your day off is probably many, many, many months down the road.

Follow You Until You Love Me

2011-07-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

We live in an amazing age. Digital photos, digital video cameras, web cams, YouTube, share sites - the list goes on and on. Despite living 3000 miles from most of our family and friends, there are very few moments of LC's life that is not captured and shared, either in still photos, video or live action through a web cam. This does not include the tweets, Facebook statuses or blog posts. You may never have met us but a simple Google search would probably result in quite the dossier on LC. Which is impressive for someone who lacks the fine motor skills to perform a Google search on her own.

This raises the question, are we over exposing our daughter? Have we become paparazzi chasing after our daughter to see what she ate for breakfast? Is our Shutterfly share site a personal US Weekly showing that LC is in fact just like us - she eats, she bathes, she even sleeps!

I was reviewing the private YouTube site we use to share LC's videos with friends and family yesterday. There are 44 uploaded videos. They have been viewed over 1000 times. As of last count, 1052 to be exact. LC has been an outside baby for 172 days. Therefore a video of her have been viewed on average 6 times for every day she has been alive.

We enjoy sharing LC and her daily doings, but I am also becoming increasing aware that she may be overexposed. We try to keep a control over who is seeing her videos and have security controls on Facebook and other photos sites, but how much does that really do? Her videos have been watch over 1000 times. That is a frightening number to me and one that really makes me rethink how much we share on the Internet. A video of LC laughing is adorable and great, but what about the video of her in the bathtub? Where does the line get drawn?

I don't think there is an equation or a quick answer to as to how many videos, photos, tweets or updates are the right number to share. But it is definitely something A and I will be thinking about and considering as LC's first year (and beyond) continues to be documented - just because we have the ability to instantly upload and share does not mean we need to, or should. After all, that ducky bath video may just come back to haunt LC at her Supreme Court nomination hearings.

Thank you Seattle

2011-07-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you Seattle for LC sleeping until 8am and waking up to a bright blue, cloudless sky.

Thank you for trips to the organic market for coffee and veggies.

Thank you for walks around Green Lake with ducks, sun, and Mt Rainier.

Thank you for a walk up the block for a growler of local IPA.

Thank you for lunch on the front porch.

Thank you for afternoon naps for everyone.

Thank you for dinner with corn on the cob, made on the gill.

Thank you for relaxing evenings on the front porch with late sunsets.

Thank you for the opportunity to do it all again tomorrow.

Some Photos

2011-07-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

So not the most creative post title in the world. Here are some "photos of the day" from the past week or so.

11: Bunny blanket. These blankets were used all over the hospital at which LC was born. We made off with more than a few when we were discharged and we use them all the time.

12: LC, A and I have been taking baby sign language class. Last week we learned animals - this was the dog flash card. Look like anyone you know?

13: For some reason the pets find LC's bedtime to be a great time to play. Here they were each taking up battle positions on either side of the landing - you can see B-Cat peering over her side, waiting for Cal to make his move.

14: A good pumping session goes a long way to making a bad day better.

15: LC hanging out with Dad.

16: Caught in the iPad reflection.

17: Puppies need tummy time too.

18: Overalls!

19: Bah, who needs summer anyways?

20: Dress up day at day care. (Harajuku day, to be exact.)

It's Great Being a Girl

2011-07-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

When we found out that the CCBOJ was a girl, I was more than a little concerned. It's not easy being a girl, especially growing up now. Body image, sexting, mean girls, lack of pay equity (ok maybe it will be a while before LC has to worry about that), but it's not always sunshine and roses bring a girl. Don't even get me started on the princess trend. My worries were compounded with every piece of pink clothing we received, concerned we were painting LC into a pink fairy and butterfly filled corner.

I've talked about princesses with friends who are also raising girls and they've given some great suggestions as to counteracting the princess trend and other advice. They recommended this book, which may still be a little old for LC but I love it already: Not All Princesses Dress in Pink. But books and creative back stories about the Disney princesses can only go so far.

Tomorrow the US Women's Soccer team will play in the World Cup final. While I am no soccer fan, I am caught up in the excitement because of LC. She may not understand what is going on yet (or be able to focus and determine what exactly is moving across the screen), I love that the team shows how strong, capable women can be successful and wonderful role models. What I don't like is the way the team is talked about - no matter how incredible the finishes to their games may have been or how the team works together, questions are still raised about whether the team is "attractive" or what the sexuality of the team members are - not to mention the inevitable discussion of this team being pretty good "for a girls' team." I cringe every time I hear this. I'm not one of those out there claiming that the women's team could beat the men's soccer team. They are different sports. I also don't claim that the Boston Celtics would beat the Washington Nationals at baseball. Different sports, different levels of competition. It doesn't make one team less skilled at their chosen game.

We plan on watching the game at Norm's again (with Cal) and we will be cheering for a US win. And while I'm all for the home team winning, I'll be cheering for the win so that one day I can remind LC of the time she "watched" a team of strong, capable women win a game - and it won't matter what they wore or whether you got to see their sports bra - it will matter that "even girls" can play sports and wear colors other than pink and be watched and adored by millions. And that is lesson I hope to impart to LC everyday of her life - whether it is her dream to be a ballerina or a construction worked or a placekicker (please LC, please be a placekicker for your mom) - it doesn't matter that you are a girl, you can do it.

How Now Brown Cow?

2011-07-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

There are many things I love about being a mom. Breastfeeding my baby is definitely one of them. Unfortunately lately it has become more of a stress than a privilege.**

In addition to making me ALWAYS hungry, my nursing/pumping schedule can sometimes be tiring. My typical day looks like this:

6am - LC wakes up, I nurse her
7am - Pump before work
10am - Pump at work
noon - visit LC at daycare and nurse her
2pm - Pump at work
6pm - Nurse LC
7pm - Pump some time around dinner.
8:30pm - Nurse LC before she goes to bed

Trying to balance work, pumping and nursing can be rough. Arriving at work around 8am, I work in several 2-3 hour blocks with pumping and nursing in between. This can make planning for meetings tough, not to mention difficult to get into complicated matters without having to stop to go pump again. I am thrilled to be able to go see LC at lunch time and feed her, but the half mile walk each way takes time out of my day as well. (though I hope the uphill climb will make my jeans fit better.)

Since returning from our East Coast trip, my supply has significantly decreased. This has added a boat load of stress to my day - constantly counting ounces and hoping that I'll be able to make the daily goal for the bottles LC needs for day care. I've tried increasing hydration, adding pumping and nursing sessions, herbal supplements and yet not much is working. It has become a huge frustration for me.

Breastfeeding did not come easily to LC and me - we battled through preemie feeding issues for the first 4 weeks but I refused to give up. While many told me that allowing LC to have formula and not breastfeed her would not hurt anything, it was not what I wanted for my daughter. So I fought through it, sought out the help of lactation consultants and pumped round the clock until we made it work. Just like those first few weeks, I intend to keep battling through these setbacks so that I can continue to give my daughter the best I have to offer. Even if that sometimes leaves me feeling like Sally the Brown Cow.

** Rest assured that this is just one way breastfeeding can cause stress. I will write about the stress caused by others reactions to breastfeeding soon.