Well, I survived my first week back at work. I was exhausted every night, even though all I did was sit on my ass in front of a computer all day. It felt good to be back, though. It's nice to think about things other than nap schedules and baby poop.
My lovely husband surprised me with flowers and chocolates delivered to my office on Day 1, to celebrate my new position at work. What a keeper, eh? :-)
Lucy and M. rubbed along pretty well. Only one incident of M. calling me with screaming baby in background to complain and ask for suggestions. I think the lack of sleep (Lucy still isn't back to sleeping through the night) was getting to M. and making him a little grumpy, but who can blame him, right?
It's now Sunday afternoon, and I'm just hours away from starting my second week back at work, the last week before Lucy starts daycare. I've discovered that I have one whole week of work appropriate outfits that fit, which is good. However, given that Fridays are casual and I wore jeans, that sentence is a little misleading. Also, I am afraid that I ONLY have one whole week's worth of outfits that fit, and I may need to repeat them all this coming week. There will likely be some shopping in my future, I think. My goal is to find a routine that allows me to get back on the treadmill at night after the kids go to bed sometime before Labor Day - I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to start that now while we're all getting used to a lot of changes. So one day I will fit into the rest of my nice work clothes, but that day is a little far off.
So far, the weekend has been pretty successful. Both days, we have managed to get both kids to nap at the same time for a decent amount of time. That is true parenting success (and luck)! Ah, if only all weekends could be this way... :-).
Off to enjoy my last few moments of peace and quiet before the kids wake up!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
At Least It's Not A Baby Ruth Bar
I don't mind if Finn pees in the pool, honestly I don't. Everybody expects it, right? I mean, a public pool, especially the baby pool, has to be about 55% urine, don't you think? And honestly, bringing a wet child, with a wet swim diaper and a wet bathing suit, into a women's locker room of questionable cleanliness is no one's idea of a good time. I know, because I've done it. The logistics of wriggling in and out of wet clothes (which must be done completely so that this little child, who is not tall enough to stand up yet, can instead perch precariously, holding on tight with his little hands, on a germ-infested toilet seat), washing hands when neither soap nor sink is reachable, etc, is just too tiring to even think about.
But I can't TELL Finn this. I can't say to him "Hey, I know we've been going on and on about how great it is that you pee in the potty now, and not in a diaper, but there's this one little exception to the rule..." Yeah, I think that would be a bad idea. And so, even though we still put him in a swim diaper (they totally don't contain pee, but HE doesn't know that) when we go to the pool, Finn thinks he shouldn't pee while swimming. Each time we've gone recently, he has (loudly) let us know that he needs to go to the bathroom. After our first experience with the wet bathing suit, etc, etc, though, I don't WANT to take him to the bathroom. Bad mom that I am, I ask him if he can hold it a few more minutes until we get ready to go home. And what's the worst that could happen, really? He pees in the pool? No big deal, we've established that all the kids do it. Finn wants to keep swimming (ha, swimming, I would hardly call it that, but that's because I'm bitter that Finn has so far completely refused to wear the flotation device I was so excited for him to try out), so he readily agrees.
And then, mere minutes later, lets me know quite matter-of-factly that he has peed a little bit. You know, in his outside voice, the one that CARRIES SO WELL.
And then everyone, who until then has been happily pretending that the pool if full of only water and chlorine, is forced to contemplate how they are now swimming in my son's pee.
Like I said, I DON'T CARE if Finn pees in the pool. I just wish he didn't feel the need to announce it to the world.
But I can't TELL Finn this. I can't say to him "Hey, I know we've been going on and on about how great it is that you pee in the potty now, and not in a diaper, but there's this one little exception to the rule..." Yeah, I think that would be a bad idea. And so, even though we still put him in a swim diaper (they totally don't contain pee, but HE doesn't know that) when we go to the pool, Finn thinks he shouldn't pee while swimming. Each time we've gone recently, he has (loudly) let us know that he needs to go to the bathroom. After our first experience with the wet bathing suit, etc, etc, though, I don't WANT to take him to the bathroom. Bad mom that I am, I ask him if he can hold it a few more minutes until we get ready to go home. And what's the worst that could happen, really? He pees in the pool? No big deal, we've established that all the kids do it. Finn wants to keep swimming (ha, swimming, I would hardly call it that, but that's because I'm bitter that Finn has so far completely refused to wear the flotation device I was so excited for him to try out), so he readily agrees.
And then, mere minutes later, lets me know quite matter-of-factly that he has peed a little bit. You know, in his outside voice, the one that CARRIES SO WELL.
And then everyone, who until then has been happily pretending that the pool if full of only water and chlorine, is forced to contemplate how they are now swimming in my son's pee.
Like I said, I DON'T CARE if Finn pees in the pool. I just wish he didn't feel the need to announce it to the world.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Day one of a SAHD experiment
Well, today marks A.'s first day back at work since Lucy was born 12 short weeks ago. Now it's daddy's turn. I have pretty awesome benefits through work that allow me 6 weeks of family leave. I took 3 of those right after Lucy was born and 1 when my parents drove out a few weeks ago. Now, I'm going to spend the final 2 weeks with Lucy before shipping her off to daycare. Just the two of us. Mono y mini-mono. All alone. Gulp.
All of this got me thinking about how society views stay-at-home-dads (SAHD) - though the acronym pretty much sums it up - and dad's in general. TV: daytime programming is mostly soaps and talk shows focused on women, while primetime gives us 6 Al Bundy's for every 1 Charles in Charge. Every parenting magazine and book: how to balance being a working mom and raising children. Those that mention dads usually do so in condescending ways. Basically, media is geared toward the traditional (i.e. 1950's) version of life, where daddy goes off to work briefcase in hand and comes home to a pot roast and gorgeous wife with gin & tonic in hand. Since the 1950's also promised us jetpacks and robot housekeepers, it shouldn't be surprising that the 'ideal' home life never transpired - though the latter are actually based in reality and exist in some form. As ridiculous as it is to assume that women should be the sole child raiser/house cleaner, etc., it's equally ridiculous to assume that men can't - or are less capable or unwilling. The irony, of course, is that the more society treats men as incapable parent the more guilt working moms feel as they drop the kids at daycare. Well played society! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a vegetarian-friendly pot roast to cook and G&T to mix.
All of this got me thinking about how society views stay-at-home-dads (SAHD) - though the acronym pretty much sums it up - and dad's in general. TV: daytime programming is mostly soaps and talk shows focused on women, while primetime gives us 6 Al Bundy's for every 1 Charles in Charge. Every parenting magazine and book: how to balance being a working mom and raising children. Those that mention dads usually do so in condescending ways. Basically, media is geared toward the traditional (i.e. 1950's) version of life, where daddy goes off to work briefcase in hand and comes home to a pot roast and gorgeous wife with gin & tonic in hand. Since the 1950's also promised us jetpacks and robot housekeepers, it shouldn't be surprising that the 'ideal' home life never transpired - though the latter are actually based in reality and exist in some form. As ridiculous as it is to assume that women should be the sole child raiser/house cleaner, etc., it's equally ridiculous to assume that men can't - or are less capable or unwilling. The irony, of course, is that the more society treats men as incapable parent the more guilt working moms feel as they drop the kids at daycare. Well played society! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a vegetarian-friendly pot roast to cook and G&T to mix.
Friday, July 17, 2009
In which I natter on about nothing at all
M. is working from home today so that he could go to the doctor's office this morning - his nagging wife, afraid that his achy and swollen lymph nodes were a symptom of some awful disease, made him go in despite his protestations that he was most likely fine (the doc ended up prescribing antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory so I feel quite vindicated, though he does, indeed, look fine). In addition to ending my maternity leave much the way it started, with both parents home with Lucy (though admittedly with fewer hormone-induced crying jags), I saw another potential bonus. I was hoping to pick up Finn a little early for some fun one-on-one time. The post-daycare, pre-bedtime hours have been a total drag for Finn lately. Lucy is a crab then, and even when we have a few moments in between prepping dinner and feeding the baby, it's been too hot to go outside and let off any steam. Finn has been kind of trapped inside, and a little bored and miserable (it doesn't help that he seems totally uninterested by all his toys, but that's a whole separate blog post in itself).
Today, I wanted to surprise Finn by packing his bathing suit (and goggles, of course) in the car and making a detour to the pool on the way home. Part of my motivation is to try out the new flotation device we just got him, which should help him learn how to feel more independent in the water, the Stearns Puddle Jumper. My neighbor has them for her two kids, and it was amazing how well they were able to stay afloat and get around in the water (Grammy and Bumpa, you may want to check them out for your boat, have a couple on hand for visiting grandkids...). I thought it would be a lot of fun for Finn, and as a bonus, tire him out for bedtime.
Alas, the day has been gloomy and cloudy (though hot) without a single sunny break. We've even managed to have a little bit of rain, something we haven't seen since June. So the pool trip has been placed on the backburner, hopefully only until tomorrow. Instead, I think I will take Finn to one of his favorite places - Target. Clearly we shop there too much, as our two-year-old commonly asks to go there by name. I'm headed there to pick up some photo prints that I ordered online - can't go back to work without at least one physical, actual photo of my new baby to display. I'm guessing I'll probably let Finn talk me into buying him a toy while we're there. One which he will play with for about a day, and then ignore completely. Sigh.
To follow up on my previous post, it seems apparent that Lucy is in the midst of another growth spurt. She has woken up every night for the last four nights, and she's been downing her bottles like there's no tomorrow. Hopefully once her limbs are done making like trees and growing, all will return to "normal." Whatever that is with a baby. In the meantime, after last night, the middle of the night wakings became "so not my problem" anymore. Now that I'm the one who will be working, and M. will be the one sitting around lazily eating bonbons and watching TV all day, he gets to be in charge of the 2 am feedings. At least for the next two weeks!
Today, I wanted to surprise Finn by packing his bathing suit (and goggles, of course) in the car and making a detour to the pool on the way home. Part of my motivation is to try out the new flotation device we just got him, which should help him learn how to feel more independent in the water, the Stearns Puddle Jumper. My neighbor has them for her two kids, and it was amazing how well they were able to stay afloat and get around in the water (Grammy and Bumpa, you may want to check them out for your boat, have a couple on hand for visiting grandkids...). I thought it would be a lot of fun for Finn, and as a bonus, tire him out for bedtime.
Alas, the day has been gloomy and cloudy (though hot) without a single sunny break. We've even managed to have a little bit of rain, something we haven't seen since June. So the pool trip has been placed on the backburner, hopefully only until tomorrow. Instead, I think I will take Finn to one of his favorite places - Target. Clearly we shop there too much, as our two-year-old commonly asks to go there by name. I'm headed there to pick up some photo prints that I ordered online - can't go back to work without at least one physical, actual photo of my new baby to display. I'm guessing I'll probably let Finn talk me into buying him a toy while we're there. One which he will play with for about a day, and then ignore completely. Sigh.
To follow up on my previous post, it seems apparent that Lucy is in the midst of another growth spurt. She has woken up every night for the last four nights, and she's been downing her bottles like there's no tomorrow. Hopefully once her limbs are done making like trees and growing, all will return to "normal." Whatever that is with a baby. In the meantime, after last night, the middle of the night wakings became "so not my problem" anymore. Now that I'm the one who will be working, and M. will be the one sitting around lazily eating bonbons and watching TV all day, he gets to be in charge of the 2 am feedings. At least for the next two weeks!
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