This is one of my favorite new sayings of Morgan's. She has a toy that sings a little song for each letter of the alphabet to help with phonics. "R says "rr" R says rr. Every letter makes a sound. R says "rr." You get the idea.
When my little cutie pie sits on the potty to make a poop she says "rr" (just for fun grunting noises). After she got the idea that R says rr, she just can't help herself but to tell us that "rr" is for poop on the potty! We've tried to convince her that really "P says p. and P is for Pee-pee, poop, potty." But she just doesn't buy that yet.
I'm just wondering what Margaret (our sitter) thinks when she takes Morgan to the potty. :)
On other fun and happy notes about the potty, Morgan has only had one accident (knocking loudly on my wooden desk) in about 3 days. She is going completely by herself. I usually know that she's going potty by the shouts of "Momma, I want nemo treats." or "I want those in the box." She has been happy to perform for the treats for a while now, and she was even self initiating potty breaks frequently. I think the breakthrough came when we were at the park with just underwear (not a Dora underwear diaper) and she peed without telling us or pulling the pants down. When we had to leave the park because it was too cold to run around half naked I think she really got the idea of the real benefit of not peeing in her pants.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
I'm a recovering addict
It is true! I have all of the classic symptoms:
- shaky if I don't get my fix,
- Irritable,
- irresistible urge to get the stuff now,
- Obsessive thoughts about the object of my desire.
Michael and I began phase 1 of the South Beach Diet (again). The diet is really a lifestyle change and we (along with the rest of Mike's family) began following the principles of the diet about a year and a half ago when his mom had a heart attack.
There are three phases of the plan. Phase 1 is the most strict about what you can and can't eat. Basically the goal of phase 1 is to break your addiction to unhealthy carbs (refined processed sugar, white flour, white rice, etc.). We were successful in doing this before and we lived in phase 3 for a long time. In phase 3 you eat pretty much whatever you want, but you pay attention to how much and when you're having carbs so the addictive nature of them doesn't take over.
We hit the point where we weren't watching them so much anymore and they are all over us again. I can tell you that Sunday and Monday were some difficult days around here! I'm feeling much better today.
By the third day of any new venture it starts to become comfortable and routine. Today was my turning point in overcoming the addiction. I attended a training session at work today. When I arrived there were donuts, fruit juice, and pizza available. I was really glad I had my bag of nuts and my water bottle with me. Sitting in the front and opposite side of the room from the food was also helpful. I didn't go near the table with the food. I didn't stare longingly. I didn't even think about the pizza and donuts after the first glance.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Traveling for work
This weekend I took my first business trip for my new job. Luckily the colleague that I share an office and the rental car with really likes babies (that or she fakes it really well). My co-worker was really understanding about Kenna joining us for the trip. She didn't mind the stops to feed Kenna, the (short lived) crying during the middle of her workshop presentation, or the distraction caused by a cute baby in a room full of women.
Kenna was a great traveler. We had to drive 5 hours to get to Paducah. She spent an entire day in a workshop and then spent another 5 hours in the car. All in all it was not much of a baby-fun trip, but she did not complain at all. I think she only cried twice - both involved changing her diaper when she was hungry.
The rest of the family stayed home for this trip since Mike already had a commitment with the Boy Scouts. I hope that they can join me for future trips so we can still have family time.
The job is going well so far. Kenna has gone to work with me almost everyday. I've found a great place to make milk. Instead of taking over the conference room to pump milk, I've found a furnished, but vacant office I can use. I share an office with two other folks; so, finding this office to use has been great. I can continue to check e-mail and work on my projects while making milk.
Morgan seems to really like going to "Ms. Margaret's" house. Margaret watches a couple of other kids and Morgan seems to get along with them and enjoys playing there. She even took a nap there the other day. I basically live in denial that Kenna goes there. I think she is being well cared for, but I still don't like the idea of her being taken car of by someone else (besides me or her dad). I cry about it some days more than others. If this position were a part-time job with the same benefits available (even if I had to pay more for them), I'd be much happier with the situation. As it is, I'm off to bed now so I can go into the office tomorrow morning before taking the girls to the library. I'm still trying to be an "at home" mom while working a full-time job.
Kenna was a great traveler. We had to drive 5 hours to get to Paducah. She spent an entire day in a workshop and then spent another 5 hours in the car. All in all it was not much of a baby-fun trip, but she did not complain at all. I think she only cried twice - both involved changing her diaper when she was hungry.
The rest of the family stayed home for this trip since Mike already had a commitment with the Boy Scouts. I hope that they can join me for future trips so we can still have family time.
The job is going well so far. Kenna has gone to work with me almost everyday. I've found a great place to make milk. Instead of taking over the conference room to pump milk, I've found a furnished, but vacant office I can use. I share an office with two other folks; so, finding this office to use has been great. I can continue to check e-mail and work on my projects while making milk.
Morgan seems to really like going to "Ms. Margaret's" house. Margaret watches a couple of other kids and Morgan seems to get along with them and enjoys playing there. She even took a nap there the other day. I basically live in denial that Kenna goes there. I think she is being well cared for, but I still don't like the idea of her being taken car of by someone else (besides me or her dad). I cry about it some days more than others. If this position were a part-time job with the same benefits available (even if I had to pay more for them), I'd be much happier with the situation. As it is, I'm off to bed now so I can go into the office tomorrow morning before taking the girls to the library. I'm still trying to be an "at home" mom while working a full-time job.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Compact
At my friend Gretchen's blog I learned about something called "The Compact." The basic concept is to take a break from buying new things. Her challenge is for February. I was up for and it and talked to Michael about it. He was willing to try it too. We figured "Why wait" so, we're already starting.
I used to rarely buy new things. Used items were my staples. Since I started earning a decent living for myself, I found myself buying new for most everything. I'm not big on shopping; so, I think I kept the habit of shopping new (evevn though we've been only partially employeed for the last year and a half) because I didn't have to go "digging and scrounging" for what I wanted.
Today we had the first opportunity to put compacting to the test. I was in serious need of some new work clothes. I have not gotten my shape back after having Kenna and I had to start work this week. In addition to clothing for my bottom half not fitting, none of my "professional" shirts fit either. I think since Morgan was still nursing during more than half of my pregnancy with Kenna, the normal gain in bra size when nursing a baby was compounded.
While Morgan was visiting Ms. Margaret (her new childcare provider) Mike and I went to the Salvation Army store in town. We chose that thrift store because we'd never stopped by there before.
It was our lucky day. We went through the blouses and pants racks. Michael is a great helper because he will keep looking and hand me additonal things to try on while I'm in the dressing room. I found about 8 new shirts and 3 pair of pants and a skirt to buy. The shirts were marked $1.99 each. Pants were slightly more expensive. The great news is that they were having a "bag sale." The cashier handed out plastic garbage bags and told us that we could put as many fabric items in the bag as we could fit. The price for the entire bag was $4! I basically got a new wardrobe for $4 and 30 minures of my time.
So far I'm liking the renewal of my more frugal shopping ways. I just wish I had read Gretchen's post before I went to Lexington and bought a new breastpump (thanks Gretchen for the parts, they are for the same brand I bought).
I used to rarely buy new things. Used items were my staples. Since I started earning a decent living for myself, I found myself buying new for most everything. I'm not big on shopping; so, I think I kept the habit of shopping new (evevn though we've been only partially employeed for the last year and a half) because I didn't have to go "digging and scrounging" for what I wanted.
Today we had the first opportunity to put compacting to the test. I was in serious need of some new work clothes. I have not gotten my shape back after having Kenna and I had to start work this week. In addition to clothing for my bottom half not fitting, none of my "professional" shirts fit either. I think since Morgan was still nursing during more than half of my pregnancy with Kenna, the normal gain in bra size when nursing a baby was compounded.
While Morgan was visiting Ms. Margaret (her new childcare provider) Mike and I went to the Salvation Army store in town. We chose that thrift store because we'd never stopped by there before.
It was our lucky day. We went through the blouses and pants racks. Michael is a great helper because he will keep looking and hand me additonal things to try on while I'm in the dressing room. I found about 8 new shirts and 3 pair of pants and a skirt to buy. The shirts were marked $1.99 each. Pants were slightly more expensive. The great news is that they were having a "bag sale." The cashier handed out plastic garbage bags and told us that we could put as many fabric items in the bag as we could fit. The price for the entire bag was $4! I basically got a new wardrobe for $4 and 30 minures of my time.
So far I'm liking the renewal of my more frugal shopping ways. I just wish I had read Gretchen's post before I went to Lexington and bought a new breastpump (thanks Gretchen for the parts, they are for the same brand I bought).
3 Days of work...So far so good
As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a new job. I started work on Monday this week. The job is going well so far. I’m meeting the people in nearby offices and getting myself settled. I’ve only cried a couple of times about it in the past week, which is actually fewer than I expected.
Of course I have been in denial about the job for quite some time. Several aspects of it really hit home this week.
First, I really wish that I had been more proactive in pumping milk for Kenna all along. Now, reality hits that she is going to have to take bottles on occasion (more than I’m willing to admit - still) and sometimes we’re gonna need milk when we didn’t expect to need it. Right now, I only have 1 feeding worth of milk in the fridge for her. I already know that she’ll need that on Friday if not before then. It is just so much easier to feed her than to pump. If I could just bring her to all of my meetings we wouldn’t have this problem. The saving grace of the pumping and bottle feeding is that she doesn’t mind the bottle at all, which breaks my heart and makes me relieved at the same time. Read as: major fit of sobbing on my part.
She has gone to work with me everyday this week (not all day everyday – again fits of crying when I left her on my first day). She is a charmer and has caused me to meet people even more quickly than I probably would have without her. No one at the office seems to mind that she’s here with me this week. She will continue to go to work with me when my schedule allows. I just don’t think that college students want to see their teacher’s baby during class time.
Secondly, the nice neat little schedule that Michael and I had worked out for when I would be at the office, when he would be at work/teaching, and when we would have overlaps of schedule to require other childcare coverage was just a pie in the sky dream. From my very first day of work all of that was thrown out the window by the fact that several meetings that I’m required to attend were already planned – one of them during playdate time! The rest of them were during times that I planned to be watching the kids. So, our plan of having my aunt watch the kids one morning a week and Mike’s mom watch them one afternoon a week is just not working out.
This is what has caused the most recent bouts of crying. It is so hard to come to grips with leaving the kids with someone else. We’ve decided on an in-home childcare provider. All of the kids she watches currently have been with her since they were born (2.5 year old twins, 15 month old, 6 year old). This speaks well of her. The only reason she has an opening for our two girls is because she was watching another set of twins that started kindergarten and no longer need her services. Morgan stayed with her for about an hour today just to see how things would go. Morgan had fun playing with the toys. I’m not sure how much she interacted with the other kids there. We’re only paying for part-time care for them; so, they will only be with the woman a maximum of 5 hours on any one day. We don’t expect to take them there 5 days a week, but we do have that option since we have to pay for the full week if we take them or not.
Some other reality checks about the job are actually a good ones. I knew I would like the work, but I am reminded about how much I like going to work and having adults to talk with (I've not worked since the end of September). There is one other person at my office that has a year old baby and others who have children. I’ve enjoyed talking with them about our children, but it is also nice to talk with my colleagues about other topics and to contribute professionally again. All of this doesn’t make it easier to leave the girls, but it does make it bearable and even enjoyable while I’m there.
Some other good news is that my insurance and paychecks start on January 15th! Yipee that's a great perk. I started work this week and will get paid on Monday.
The last perk of starting work is the exercise I'm getting. My office is .5 mile from my house. So, by walking to work and home at least once a day that's a mile of exercise on hills. Plus, I'm usually carrying Kenna or pushing the heavy double stroller while carrying my backpack full of books, snacks, and water. This should help the overly shapely body of mine get back to a more normal shape and back into my pre-pregnancy clothes at some point sooner than if I didn't have to go to work.
Of course I have been in denial about the job for quite some time. Several aspects of it really hit home this week.
First, I really wish that I had been more proactive in pumping milk for Kenna all along. Now, reality hits that she is going to have to take bottles on occasion (more than I’m willing to admit - still) and sometimes we’re gonna need milk when we didn’t expect to need it. Right now, I only have 1 feeding worth of milk in the fridge for her. I already know that she’ll need that on Friday if not before then. It is just so much easier to feed her than to pump. If I could just bring her to all of my meetings we wouldn’t have this problem. The saving grace of the pumping and bottle feeding is that she doesn’t mind the bottle at all, which breaks my heart and makes me relieved at the same time. Read as: major fit of sobbing on my part.
She has gone to work with me everyday this week (not all day everyday – again fits of crying when I left her on my first day). She is a charmer and has caused me to meet people even more quickly than I probably would have without her. No one at the office seems to mind that she’s here with me this week. She will continue to go to work with me when my schedule allows. I just don’t think that college students want to see their teacher’s baby during class time.
Secondly, the nice neat little schedule that Michael and I had worked out for when I would be at the office, when he would be at work/teaching, and when we would have overlaps of schedule to require other childcare coverage was just a pie in the sky dream. From my very first day of work all of that was thrown out the window by the fact that several meetings that I’m required to attend were already planned – one of them during playdate time! The rest of them were during times that I planned to be watching the kids. So, our plan of having my aunt watch the kids one morning a week and Mike’s mom watch them one afternoon a week is just not working out.
This is what has caused the most recent bouts of crying. It is so hard to come to grips with leaving the kids with someone else. We’ve decided on an in-home childcare provider. All of the kids she watches currently have been with her since they were born (2.5 year old twins, 15 month old, 6 year old). This speaks well of her. The only reason she has an opening for our two girls is because she was watching another set of twins that started kindergarten and no longer need her services. Morgan stayed with her for about an hour today just to see how things would go. Morgan had fun playing with the toys. I’m not sure how much she interacted with the other kids there. We’re only paying for part-time care for them; so, they will only be with the woman a maximum of 5 hours on any one day. We don’t expect to take them there 5 days a week, but we do have that option since we have to pay for the full week if we take them or not.
Some other reality checks about the job are actually a good ones. I knew I would like the work, but I am reminded about how much I like going to work and having adults to talk with (I've not worked since the end of September). There is one other person at my office that has a year old baby and others who have children. I’ve enjoyed talking with them about our children, but it is also nice to talk with my colleagues about other topics and to contribute professionally again. All of this doesn’t make it easier to leave the girls, but it does make it bearable and even enjoyable while I’m there.
Some other good news is that my insurance and paychecks start on January 15th! Yipee that's a great perk. I started work this week and will get paid on Monday.
The last perk of starting work is the exercise I'm getting. My office is .5 mile from my house. So, by walking to work and home at least once a day that's a mile of exercise on hills. Plus, I'm usually carrying Kenna or pushing the heavy double stroller while carrying my backpack full of books, snacks, and water. This should help the overly shapely body of mine get back to a more normal shape and back into my pre-pregnancy clothes at some point sooner than if I didn't have to go to work.
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