Dear Mazzy

Big Announcement - The New Website!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:45:00 +0000

*Updated: The complete transfer from this site to the new one was finally successful, so click on over to see the new digs! www.dearmazzy.com

I'm pleased to announce the unveiling of my new website, Dear Mazzy!

You can now find my blog at www.dearmazzy.com. Please subscribe on the new site to update your reader. It's still a work in progress, but it's coming along nicely.

I wanted more flexibility than I had with Blogger, so I purchased my own domain. Unfortunately, Blogger & WordPress are not speaking to each other right now, so I've been unsuccessful in importing my posts from here to there, but hopefully that will work out soon.*

See you there!

Not the Swine Flu!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:35:00 +0000

This last week & a half has been H-E-double-hockey-sticks at our house, not because of the swine flu, but because of some kind of nasty virus/sinus infection-causing-mutant. I guess Mazzy actually had it first a couple of weeks ago, because I vaguely remember her being a little less than her normal self. Since she hardly ever complains, I didn’t really realize it at the time.

Note to self: when Mazzy is “a little down” that means she’s really quite sick. I think she’s kind of like a goat, by the time they seem sick, they’re actually about to drop dead.

Jack & I got it the weekend of the 25^th, started to feel a little better the middle of last week, then just when I was starting to worry about the stupid swine flu, Jack got worse & ended up at the doctor’s office last Friday with a blazing double ear infection. The same day, Brett ended up at HIS doctor’s office with a blazing sinus infection. Both boys are now on antibiotics & are finally feeling better. I managed to mostly kick mine without drugs, but am still feeling the effects, what with the fact that my face feels like it’s about to explode at any moment.

So basically what all of this means is that I have nothing of real interest to say, except that we don’t have the swine flu.

Transition Talk Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Well, well, well, here we are again at Transition Talk Thursday. I'm going to be honest; unfortunately, this week hasn't gone as well as last week.

It all started with going out to see Dr. Dog on Thursday night - no time to work out & dinner out on the town. I had Staff Development Day at work on Friday - buffet lunch (I did try to fill up on veggies & not pasta). Then I got sick on Saturday & still haven't gotten back into the swing of things. I haven't worked out since last Wednesday! That's awful! I've been halfway keeping track of my calories, but not with the precision I had the week before. So what does all this equate to? My weight has stayed the same, which I'm OK with, considering I kind of expected it to go up.

I am not going to let this bump in the road derail me from my plan. Hopefully I'll get rid of this stupid sinus infection & be able to start working out again tomorrow. I'm disappointed in myself, because I was feeling good, more energetic & all that, but tomorrow is another day.

In other news, holy pig, attack of the swine flu! Schools are closing! Celebrations are canceled! It's difficult to know what's real & what's media hype. I mean, we are in Texas, so we're pretty close to the source. There was a confirmed case in one of the local schools. There are several other probable cases in the area. So what do I do with my kids? Do I take them out of daycare? I don't want to overreact, but I also have a 7 month old baby.

I don't know the answer yet, but luckily my boss is AWESOME and I have 4 boxes of books to catalog from home, and she even sent me her laptop to use since my laptop's a Mac & can't run the software that we use for cataloging.

The only thing really holding me back from working at home with two kids is, you know, the ability to get any work done...at home, with two kids. What that really means is that I'd be up working until all hours of the night. So...I don't know what I'm going to do yet. But I'm leaning towards not overreacting & keeping them in daycare. At least for tomorrow.

Dr. Dog & Hookers

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:18:00 +0000

Thursday night Brett & I went to Dallas to see Dr. Dog, one of my favorite bands. This was an especially 'special' night because I haven't been to a concert since going to see Wilco in Houston last year. I was about 8 weeks pregnant & had just (that day) been diagnosed with the kidney stone, so you can imagine how wonderful I was feeling.

We like to eat at Gloria's in Oak Cliff whenever we go to Dallas. There are several Gloria's locations around the metroplex, but there's something special about the original. The food is just a little bit better & the beer is just a little bit colder. The neighborhood has begun a revitalization in the last couple of years, but it's still pretty shady - the kind of place you feel better locking your doors when you're driving around. Anyway, we got to the restaurant & were looking for a place to park, and I guess we were driving a little slowly. No big deal, there wasn't any traffic around. We found a space on the street & pulled in. I turned to open my door (Brett was driving) and saw that I was face-to-face with some ol' gal who was reaching to open my door. We both had a look of shock on our faces, and she gave a little "sorry" wave and walked away. I was puzzled for a moment as to what just happened, but Brett started laughing & said she was a hooker. I guess she didn't see me at first & thought the slow-driving man in a tan Taurus was looking for a good time.

We had a nice dinner with $3.25 ice-cold Negra Modelo's (yay for happy hour - all night Mon-Thurs!) & then headed over to the venue. They were supposed to be playing at The Loft, which is above the Palladium, but when we got there we found it had been moved to the Lone Star Room, a larger space just around the corner. The sound in the Lone Star Room wasn't great, mostly due to the empty space, concrete floors & brick walls. We missed the first band, Golden Boots, but got there in time for the Cave Singers. Didn't care for the Cave Singers...they were just boring, the most interesting going on was a drunk girl in the crowd who pissed off the singer. He admonished her with a "less booze, more weed" & eventually security led her out. Couldn't see what exactly happened, as we were standing over to the side of the stage - we're shorties, so that's the only way we have any hope of seeing anything except the tops of the band's heads.

Dr. Dog finally took the stage a little after 10:30, and they didn't disappoint. The energy that was lacking from the opening band quickly filled the room as the 5 guys crowded onto the tiny stage & rocked the place out. Onstage, bass-player Toby is the obvious energy-force in the band, bouncing around in his uniform white t-shirt & tan hat. Toby & Scott (guitarist) trade lead vocal duties, which adds yet another layer of complexity to the music. They played a nice mix of old & new songs, changing them up so it wasn't just a verbatim replay of the album mixes. The guys are so full of energy & never stop moving around the stage, I kept waiting for them to bump into each other or knock over an amp, but they were too smooth for that. It was a great show, not quite magical, but definitely worth getting out to Dallas on a Thursday night.

Transition Talk Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:44:00 +0000

I promised last week that every Thursday I'd give you an update on how I'm doing with my transition to flab to fab, so here's the first installment of...dun dun dunnnn...Transition Talk Thursday.

I must say, I'm pretty damn proud of myself. I took Suzan's advice and created a profile on About.com's Calorie Count site.* I've been keeping track of my calories & keeping it at 1500 a day. I really like their database & website. I've never counted calories before - I've counted points with Weight Watchers, but it's so abstract, you can't just look at something & know its value without using a dumb calculator to figure up the points. Which I realize is the whole - they want you to pay for the calculator - but in addition to costing money, it's a pain in the ass. Counting calories is just much simpler.

I've done the Shred DVD 5 out of the last 7 days, and I can tell a huuuuge difference in my endurance already. Confession time: the first day I did the Shred DVD I puked afterwards. It's gotten a little easier every day. My right wrist has been bothering me due to an old injury, so I've had to take it easy with the weights, but overall I really enjoy it. OK, I'm lying, I don't really enjoy doing it, but I do enjoy the way it's making me feel.

The hubby has gotten on board & is being supportive, which is really nice. Last night I was not in the mood to work out, I was in a pissy mood all day & was just not feeling it. He convinced me to do it anyway, and of course I felt better afterwards. He hasn't been committed to the diet change yet, but he hasn't complained too much about having brown rice & broccoli for dinner all week, and hey, can you really ask for more than that?

And the best part of all this? I've lost three pounds!!

*I'm dearmazzy if you want to follow me.

Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:15:00 +0000

You would think that at 3 years old, everyone would just play together, squabble a bit over toys, but ultimately be friends, right? Right?? Those of you with children older than 3 are probably laughing at me.

Every day, Mazzy comes home from preschool with a report on who is friends with who at school that day. "I'm not H.'s friend today, Mom. I'm M.'s friend." You can try to explain that you can be friends with everyone, but it's to closed ears. She doesn't want to hear that. She is admant about who she is and isn't friends with.

The usual day care pick-up routine is that Dad gets Mazzy while I get Jack. When Jack & I met them out in the hall one day, Brett told me that another girl was in the classroom crying because Mazzy wouldn't give her a goodbye hug. He tried to get Mazzy to hug her, but she refused. This just infuriated me. I do not want my daughter to be the 'mean girl'. So I made Mazzy go back in & give S. a hug. She did not want to do it, but after threatening her with all sorts of punishment, she finally did, and quietly mumbled the apology I forced her to say.

I know she's young, but the preschool cliques that she talks about frighten me a bit. I want her to learn to be nice to everyone, not just who happens to be her 'friend' that day. On the other hand, how do I know that S. wasn't mean to Mazzy, and that's why she's not friends with her? I ask her why she's friends with one kid and not another, but she doesn't know how to explain it yet.

Did I do the right thing? How do you get a preschooler to play nice?

Transition Time

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Today I'm going to talk about me for a bit. I've come into a bit of a transition period lately. I'm trying to do some things for myself, which is always a good thing, right?

I'm taking a photography class, and I'm enjoying that. I've always been interested in photography, and fortunately for me, my dad always purchases really cool electronics, etc. that sometimes are over his head to operate. That is sometimes good for me, because after he gets tired of dealing with it, I get to swoop in & 'borrow' it. So what I'm trying to say here is that I now have use of a Nikon D80 digital SLR camera, and having no clue how to use it, I signed up for classes at a local university's extended education program. Probably the most important part of this is that for 4 Saturdays, I get to leave the house ALONE and be sans husband or children for at least 3 1/2 hours. Woo-hoo!

I'm also trying to get myself into shape, because holy mother of God, I had a doctor's appointment a couple of weeks ago and guess what my cholesterol was? Go ahead, take a stab. It was over 300!! That's really bad. Really, really bad. As in, I'm going to have to take medication for it bad. I've expected to have to take medicine at some point, because my mom & brother also have high cholesterol & take meds for it, so basically it runs in the family. Heredity does play a part in it, but still, I can't say I've had the healthiest diet lately. My two favorite foods are butter & bacon. Probably not the best for cholesterol. SO. I've got to really start paying attention to my diet, and not using real butter & not making a big breakfast every weekend. My doctor wanted me to wait until I finish breastfeeding before I start any meds, so I basically have until my next appointment in September to get it down or I have to take drugs. I don't like taking drugs.

I wish the extremely high cholesterol thing was my only problem, but (contributing to the cholesterol) I also need to lose a good 20 pounds. I have to. I need to get real (great, now I have Dr. Phil in my head) about my health & realize that I'm 35 years old. Not a spring chicken anymore. I am 20 pounds overweight & I have high cholesterol and I have two young children. All this adds up to a recipe for potential disaster if I don't take charge & DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ALREADY!! Enough with the excuses of no time or no place to work out and just figure out something to do and DO IT. I wish I could claim that it's "baby weight" that I need to lose, but as long as I'm being honest here, I had gained weight before I got pregnant, so I can't really blame it on that. I'm currently on Day 2 doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD, and let me tell you, she is not joking around.

One way I'm trying to get motivated & have some online support is by joining a group called Hot by BlogHer. Not that I'm actually going to BlogHer, but hey, it helps to have some support, right? If anyone else out there wants to be my buddy, email me at dearmazzy at gmail dot com & we can figure out a way to work together. Another way to keep me motivated is that each week, on Thursday, I'm going to report to you what I've done in the past week. So if I have a crappy week and eat cookies every day and don't work out at all, I'm going to tell you that. But I'm also going to tell you if I keep track of what I'm eating & don't indulge in too many snacks & do my workout like I'm supposed to. You guys have to keep me on track with your comments, ok? Is it a deal?

Where, Oh Where Can My Baby Be?

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Mazzy & Jack - Easter 2009

Jack is rapidly growing up. It just kills me. I want him to stay my little baby forever, so I can keep chomping his cheeks and kissing him whenever I want. Soon enough he'll be telling me to leave him alone & then ask me for the car keys. He's just the sweetest little guy in the world, and I want him to stay that way forever.

He's teething those horrible little things are just under the surface of his gums, driving him nuts. They swell up, go back down, swell again, but they won't poke through. I'm sure it will come soon enough, though, like everything else.

He is suddenly able to sit up. It was weird, he had his check up on Friday, and the night before I was working with him on sitting up but he was super-wobbly and not really staying upright. Of course, when she asks, I tell the pediatrician, "No, he's not quite there yet," and what does he do but sit up just as good as can be right there on the exam table.

So what do I know? I'm just his mother. I do know that he's very delicious, sweeter than any Easter candy you found in your basket.

Sending Love

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Just wanted to post a quick note that today I'm sending love to Maddie's family, as they hold her memorial service. Back to regular posting tomorrow.

Maddie Spohr

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:24:00 +0000

On Tuesday, little Madeline "Maddie" Spohr passed away unexpectedly. I've never met Maddie, but have read her mother's blog, The Spohrs are Multiplying, for quite some time.

Maddie had the most amazing smile, and a bigger heart than could be contained in her tiny body. She touched people around the world, including myself, with her will to live. I was so saddened to hear of her loss, despite having never met her in person.

If you would like to contribute to the March of Dimes in Maddie's name, please use the link in my sidebar to do so. There are no words to express the vastness of the mark she made on this world in her short time here.

Fat Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Mazzy: After I eat all this dinner, I WILL be a fat chicken.

In response to her Pa Pa calling her a Fat Chicken (as a term of endearment).

It Finally Happened...(and it was worse than I thought it would be)

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:52:00 +0000

I woke up just after midnight Monday night because my forehead was suddenly stinging. Bad. I was sound asleep, so I was in that weird sort of state when you don't know if what you're feeling is real, or just a dream. So I sat up for a minute and felt around on my head. I didn't really feel anything externally, but wow, I was for sure in pain. So I told Brett that I was about to turn on the lamp - I'm very courteous like that, no one likes unexpected lamps being turned on in the middle of the night. I looked around on the bed & under my pillows, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, my face/head/temple were increasingly feeling like they were ON FIRE.

I turned the lamp off & went into the bathroom to have a look, but there was nothing to see - no redness, bite marks or anything visible. It was hurting like hell, though. I went back into the bedroom & saw Brett with his lamp on, looking around in the bed, and then I saw what he was looking at. I'll give you one guess.

Yes, I saw a scorpion running across the covers. He was big, and he was very much alive & kicking, brandishing his stinger around as he looked for his next victim. Brett took care of him for me.

In case you missed what I'm saying here:

I WAS STUNG IN THE FACE. BY A SCORPION. IN MY BED. WHILE I WAS SLEEPING. This is NOT something that's supposed to happen. It hurt. Have you ever been stung by a bee or a wasp? Take that pain & multiply it by, oh, a million or so.

I checked in with Dr. Google, but only learned that yeah, they hurt, and no, there's not much you can do for it aside from taking a pain reliever and putting ice on it. I hurt, intensely, the entire next day, and didn't really stop until this morning, more than 24 hours post-sting. It was a really weird feeling, almost like I was paralyzed under the skin, sort of tingly and numb but stinging and painful all at the same time. I was amazed at how severe the pain was well into the next day.

We've avoided using many pesticides at our house, out of concern for the health of the kids, but I called an exterminator today. Can you blame me?

Oh, you might think I'd have trouble sleeping after such an incident, but the way I see it is, what are the odds? Brett's the one who needs to worry.

My Big Big Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Mazzy: Mom, when I grow up, can I be anything that I want to be?

Me: Of course you can, sweetie! What do you want to be?

Mazzy: Can I be a puppy?! A big, big puppy?

I couldn't help it, I just busted out laughing.

Me: If you want to be a big, big puppy when you grow up, we'll figure out a way to make it work.

Jack - Six Month Update

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:42:00 +0000

Dear Jack,

I can't believe you are 6 months old! Time has really started to fly since I started back to work. The days just seem to all roll up into one long weekday, then a quick weekend before it starts all over again. You are growing into such a sweet little, er, big guy.

You are doing all the baby things you should be at this age, rolling over, grabbing toys, and of course drooling, fist-in-mouth all the time, surely a sign of teeth lying around, getting ready to make their appearance.

You are such a sweet and snuggly baby. I call you my homie, and just want you to stay a baby forever. You don't talk back, you don't argue or even whine unless you're hungry. You eat whatever I give you and don't complain about it. You smell good and sweet and fresh. I just love everything about you.

We finally got you to sleep at night, and now you're going from 9pm to around 4:30 or 5 am most nights, which made all the difference in the world. Mom had a bit of a breakdown about a month ago, and it was the very next night that you started sleeping. You knew I wasn't going to make it any longer without some sleep, and I thank you for giving it to me.

I'm still nursing you, but have been cutting back a bit on the pumping at work & starting to supplement you a little more with formula, along with the solids you've been eating for the last 3 or 4 weeks. You seem to be doing fine with the combination, and although there are days I'm ready to be done with breastfeeding, knowing that I can supplement takes a lot of the pressure off, and so I think it will actually help me to keep going with it - for now, at least.

Jack, you are such a joy to our family. Your sister just absolutely adores you, the only complaint she's uttered about you is if you grab her hair a little too hard when she's down in your face, giving you kisses. We are so lucky to have you here, adding to the joy in our lives. I just want to kiss you all the time, we all do, and you don't mind it one bit.

Love,
Mom

Miss Poops

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Last night after work, Mazzy was playing in the backyard with the dogs while I kept an eye on her from the window. I went to the other room for a minute, then walked back to peek at her & found her with her pants down (literally), peeing in the yard. Not terribly surprising, because I had to teach her how to do that once when we were at a park with no facilities. Plus, her dad has let her do it in the backyard before.

What was surprising, however, was a few minutes later, when I looked out the window to see her again with her pants down...only this time, she wasn't peeing. That's right, folks, my little girl was POOPING in the backyard!! It took a minute for it to register what was happening. The first thing I did after recovering from my laughing fit was to grab the camera. Can you say, "blackmail"?

It's a good thing we live in the country. I ran out with some wipes and a plastic bag, because the dogs were circling her like vultures while she was in the process, but I was too late. They had already gotten rid of the evidence. How gross is that?

An Important Aside

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:23:00 +0000

I've been working on Jack's 5 month update, but I don't have it ready yet. I do, however, want to take a moment to discuss something very important: finding a cure for cancer.

We've all been touched by cancer in one way or another. In the time since I was pregnant with Mazzy, my mother-in-law has fought - and beat - breast cancer not once, but twice. My dad fought prostate cancer. My aunt lost her fight with breast cancer just over a year ago. Her mother, my grandmother, did the same when I was too small to even remember her. My best friend's dad has been fighting lymphoma for much longer than he was expected to when he was diagnosed around ten years ago. Deana, a friend of a friend, is the mother of two very young boys, and is still fighting with all she's got, even in the face of her doctors recommending that she contact hospice.

The point is, we ALL know someone who has battled cancer, and you never know who is next. Click on over to the Amazing Trips blog to see how you can help Jen & her husband's effort to raise money for research to fight cancer. It's something we will ALL benefit from. I'm also including a button in my sidebar for you to donate to their cause. Feel free to add the button to your site.

Fatty

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Yesterday when I picked Jack up from daycare, the girls asked if I could please pump more milk because he's still hungry after he finishes his (4 ounce) bottles. Aaargh! I already pump 3 times a day at work, which basically take 1 1/2 hours out of my workday. It's not possible for me to pump any more at work. And then when I'm home & pump, I don't get much because, you know, he's drinking all my milk! So I decided to call the doctor to see what she suggests.

I talked to the nurse & explained my dilemma. She suggested that I supplement with formula. She might as well have said, "You are a FAILURE!" because that's how it made me feel. But in reality, I probably could try to pump an extra time or two at home, in the morning or evening...but I just don't want to. I HATE pumping & 3 times a day is enough. He's a big boy, he needs some more food, and he's really just not big enough to eat food yet. I sort of shovel the cereal into his mouth in the evenings, but he doesn't really 'get' it yet, and even though he's sort of eating it, he's not really enjoying it. So I guess we'll try giving him some formula here in another day or two. I thawed out some extra milk I had in the freezer for today, but I don't have all that much in the freezer, since he drinks it all.

Oh, and he's still not sleeping worth a shit. I felt bad about him being hungry, so I've gone ahead & fed him at 2 or 3, but then last night he still woke up every hour after that. Maybe the formula will help with that, but I'm also afraid that it'll upset his stomach. I guess we'll see!

The Path

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:13:00 +0000

I just finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love & I really enjoyed it. It's a woman's story of a year of travel - she spends 4 months each in Italy, India & Bali on journey to heal herself after a painful divorce and long period of depression. The most interesting part to me was her stay in India. She spent four months in mediation at an Ashram in a tiny village. Her transformation was incredible, and it made me re-visit my interest in meditation.

For the past 10 or so years, I've been really interested in Buddhism. I've done some reading, and have an idea of the basic ideas behind it, and I find that they are right in line with how I strive to live my life. The Eightfold Path is something that I try to keep in mind. (Click here for a quick explanation.) The problem I've run into is that I need someone to teach me, and living in Texas, it's difficult to find a teacher. There is a place in Dallas that I've been to once, and I might have to try it again. I feel like I'm at a place in my life where I'm ready to take the next step and begin working on my spirituality, I just have to decide what that next step is.

I sometimes wish I could find a church to attend where I didn't feel like a hypocrite, but so far, I just don't think that's possible. I like the teachings of Jesus, I just don't like my previous experiences with hypocrisy and corruption in churches. Plus, I don't think I could ever go to church because I don't believe that homosexuals are bad people, and I don't think they should be judged for living their lives the way they were born to. That's one of my biggest obstacles to church. I also don't like the fact that most churches feel that their way is the only way, and condemn all other paths. I just don't agree with that. I love that the Dalai Lama feels that no matter what your 'religion' or spiritual practice is, you can use the tools that the Buddha teaches to enhance that, and there's no need to 'convert' or make a commitment to only one spiritual path. I guess I'll just have to see where my path takes me, but I feel it's time to begin the journey again.

Jack - Four Month Update

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Jack had his 4 month checkup today. He is OFF THE CHARTS for his weight, which is 18 pounds, 6 ounces. He's 26 inches long, which is in the 90th percentile. SO, we've got a giant baby boy, which we already knew. He's about a month or so ahead on his motor skills, which actually surprised me. It's only been in the past week that he suddenly started picking his head/chest up when he's on his tummy, but once he started doing it, he's great at it.

One thing Jack is not so good at it sleeping. He will go to sleep just fine, but staying asleep...that's another story. So the pediatrician & I had a nice long chat about that. Pretty much everything she suggested we were already doing: putting him to bed drowsy but not asleep, inclined mattress, humidifier, fan for noise, etc. We finally came to the conclusion that, especially given his size, he must be getting hungry at night.

However, she doesn't want me to feed him during the night (which I haven't been doing for close to a month now). Instead, we decided to try giving him rice cereal before bed to see if that will hold him over. The only problem with that is that the couple of times I've tried him on cereal, he's been awake all night with a tummy ache, but in the past, I've given it to him in a bottle. She suggested I mix it thicker and feed it to him, so we did that this evening. We'll see how it goes. It was pretty funny seeing him try to eat it - he really wasn't sure what to do with it, but he figured it out.

We'll see if rice cereal = sleep for mom. Somehow I don't really think it will. I think we just got one of those kids who doesn't like to sleep. One thing that the doc suggested is that Dad goes in to give him the paci at night when he wakes up, so that he doesn't see me & immediately want boob. I certainly won't complain about that!

Different Worlds

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:29:00 +0000

I had a friend call this evening, at just after 6 p.m., asking what we were doing tonight.

Me: Uh, just trying to get the baby to sleep & get the girl something to eat. The baby doesn't sleep, ever, so it's kind of difficult...

Him: Oh, well, I thought A & I would swing by with a 6 pack & try to shake things up (or something like that).

I was really kind of stunned. Obviously, this is a friend who isn't even married, much less has children. I kind of stammered my reply, trying not to act too shocked.

Me: Well, uh, tonight's probably not so good, Mazzy's been puking, she got sent home from daycare yesterday, and...you know...with Jack not sleeping...and her being sick & all...

What I really wanted to say is, it's freaking WEDNESDAY NIGHT!! Are you kidding me? We don't hang out with friends at the house on Wednesday night. We have children to feed & bathe & get in bed. We can't entertain guests. Period.)

Him: Yeah, I figured a week night might not be so good, but with A working weekends, it's kind of hard to get together.

I know he just wanted to hang out with us & see the baby, since they haven't seen him yet. And I really would like to see them, too. But not on a Wednesday night, when we've all been home today because of the ice. The house looks like a tornado hit it. I'm still in my pajamas & I haven't even brushed my teeth today. Plus the baby wakes up, literally, every single hour throughout the night. And I am so tired. Maybe some other time, like, in a year.

I am drinking a beer, though.

Stock Show & the Shock Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:19:00 +0000

Life is settling in to our new routine. Work is going fine, Jack is getting adjusted to daycare, and we're all getting adjusted to life in the fast lane.

It's so nice to work a normal, Monday-Friday schedule & have every! weekend! off!! Last weekend we took Mazzy to the Stock Show. She loved it, saw some animals, pet some chickens & fed some goats, and rode her first roller coaster. I couldn't believe she wasn't scared, but she wasn't. Takes after her Mom, I always loved roller coasters.

When I was 6 years old, I rode the Shock Wave at Six Flags with my dad. It's the one that has 2 loops in it. I was so excited about it, so proud that I was brave enough to ride it. Dad & I waited in the long line, and finally it was our turn. We rode to the top of the first hill - you know how the first hill you get kind of cranked up to the top, then it turns you loose & you go super-fast? Well, we got cranked to the top of the first hill....and then something went wrong. It never turned us loose, we just sat there. And sat there. And sat there. Eventually, after some time, it was decided by someone that it wasn't working and we were going to have to get out of the cars & walk. down. the hill. Do you have any idea how freaking tall that is?? I'm sure most of you have never noticed it, but there is a very narrow little walkway all around the track, with a small little handrail. So my tiny, 6 year old self had to walk down that hill on that tiny little walkway. I didn't even cry, I was just mad that I didn't get to ride it. But later that day, we got on that sucker & rode it again. And it was awesome.

What MLK Day Means to a 3 Year Old

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:16:00 +0000

"Mom, you can't take me to school tomorrow*. That man is having his birthday party, and we can't go back to school until that man's birthday party is over."

*Any day in the future is tomorrow; any day in the past is yesterday.

Survival

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:56:00 +0000

Well, I made it through the first day at work. It wasn't easy to leave Jack, but when I went to check on him at lunch he seemed like he was doing ok. When I picked him up, he just giggled & chuckled & smiled from ear to ear. I've never seen him so....giddy before. So that made me both smile & feel sad - he must have really been glad to see me. He was exhausted tonight, but that's to be expected.

On a good note, the new job is awesome. It's really flexible, I have a great new boss who is very clear on her expectations of me while also being really laid back & easy to get along with. Everyone in my new office space is great, with one exception. There is one lady who, when I was pregnant, like to tell me EVERY day how HUGE! GIANT! and FAT! I was. Well today she asked if Jack was in daycare and when I said yes, she replied, "Don't you hate to pay someone else to assume YOUR responsibility?" WTF?? I was really taken aback. I mean, I work to pay for electricity and food, not for fancy cars & trips around the world. What a bitch. So I'll be steering clear of her. But it was nice to see all my old friends, although there were a lot of new faces in the building that I didn't recognize. A lot of the folks there seemed pretty beaten down - the staffing changes haven't gone over as well for most people as they did for me. Guess what?? I can even work from home sometimes!! How great is that?? Tonight I'm thanking my lucky stars.

Reality Bites

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:43:00 +0000

Back to work tomorrow. Maternity leave is over. I had 14 weeks, and although I can't say I enjoyed every minute of it, I appreciated every minute of it. Jack's first day of daycare is tomorrow - I'm sure it'll be fine, but of course I'm worried. I've gone all over the place with it today. I'm kind of looking forward to work, but I hate that the kids have to go to daycare. So today I've cried, been ok, had anxiety attacks where I can hardly breathe, and felt like I was going to throw up. And of course they're forecasting a possibility of freezing rain for the morning commute, so let's add that to my stress. I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Amy) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:18:00 +0000

It's been a pretty good year...

Wishing you peace and love in 2009.