I have had a really great day.
We started off this morning by opening little presents from the advent calendar that I made for Miss M and T and my sister. In order for you to understand where this is going, you have to know that my husband went prematurely grey in his 20's, and currently has a beard, which is also grey/white. When I gave Miss M the sticker that says what day the present is, a Santa sticker, I asked her who was on the sticker. Very confidently, and without missing a beat, she said "my daddy!" I was so proud--proper use of pronoun and not even two! And also, hilarious!
We had to get dressed and out of the house early this morning, because we had theater tickets. We got everyone dressed and out of the house exactly on time. The bus came just when it was supposed to, and we ended up near the theater early. We had time for Starbucks (peppermint hot chocolate!) and Miss M took a short little nap, then we were off to claim our seats. They had these really cool snowman fiber optic lightstick thingys, which we of course bought Miss M. She was delighted. When we got to our seats, they were perfect--second row, with great views of the stage. The show started on time, and Miss M was mesmerized right from the beginning. The child sat through an hour and forty-five minute play and utterly behaved! (Contrast this to the fancy children's Christmas party I recently took her to, thrown by my office in a ridiculously nice place. As the gathered crowd of other well-behaved children politely listened to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and sang Silent Night to live piano accompaniment, she ran at top speed through the crowd, yelling "excuse me!" as she blew past people, with me hot on her heels lest she get sugar cookie icing on the silk-covered furniture or 17th century hand-painted wallpaper. She couldn't be contained for a split second, let along HOURS!) She was just entranced. Every once in a while she would look up at me, put her hand on my face, and smile. It was pure joy. At intermission, she even managed to eat snacks without spilling them all over her pretty dress. We bought her this little stuffed snowman, too, who is just her size, and she spent the remainder of the play clutching him to her. It was adorable. I love theater, so it was so satisfying to watch her enjoy it, as well.
After the play ended, we went out for lunch, where she again was an absolute angel. She colored and ate an entire basket of breadsticks. No real food, mind you, but such are things these days. Hopefully dinner will see us get something a bit healthier into her! Overall, it was just such a happy, fun day, and everything went along so smoothly. It was amazing. It really got me in the holiday spirit.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
28 Weeks
Although I haven't been a very good blogger during this pregnancy (work plus toddler makes it tough!), it's definitely helpful that I blogged more regularly through my first pregnancy. I've been feeling a bit neurotic--have I been eating well enough, have I been gaining enough weight, etc., etc. I just looked back at my old blog posts from this point in my last pregnancy, and all my concerns were the same. I just checked out the photos I took of myself back then, too. I am smaller overall, and in much better shape now (I walk everywhere, still). But, my belly is MUCH bigger now than it was in my first pregnancy. I have a very serious woman-who-swalled-an-oversized-basketball look to me. So I am probably worrying about nothing. Still, I constantly feel full, am never hungry, and feel like there is no room to eat, so I worry.
I'm going to try to blog more. I miss having this little piece of quiet time for myself to just kind of focus on me and the child that's inside of me. After Miss M goes to bed, I always seem to have a to-do list to accomplish, and then I fall into bed exhausted, and the new day is here before I know it. But I'm going to try to squeeze a little blog time in for me from now on. I want to spend a little time each day just focusing on myself and this baby. I feel like I haven't done enough of that, and she'll be here before I know it! When I was first pregnant, one of the nurses told me that the pregnancy would be nothing like my first--that it would fly by, and I'd have no time relaxing on the couch with my feet up, and boy was she right!
These last few weeks of the year are a good time to refocus. We aren't traveling for the holidays, and (somewhat sadly) no one is coming to visit us, because people are going to fly over after the baby is born. We're doing a dinner with some friends who can't travel on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas Day it will be just us and my step-sister, who has been living with us for the last few months. As sad as I am that family isn't visiting (or that we aren't visiting family), it should be really relaxing. We're making filet mignon for Christmas Eve and a ham for Christmas dinner. Turkey costs and arm and a leg here, so I'm skipping the bird for Christmas (think $100 for a 10 pound turkey, and you're in the ballpark!--totally crazy!). We always start Christmas day with mimosas (none for me this year!) and eggs Benedict, and we watch Christmas movies when we're done unwrapping presents. . .relaxing. All of my shopping is done, my packages are mailed, and the house is both clean and decorated. I bought us all matching pajamas--something T's family did when he was a kid. It's a little ridiculous, but I like the tradition of it. Plus, I got us all Mickey Mouse pajamas, which Miss M will go wild for. So, I have to do some wrapping, and that's it! I've been Christmas planning for at least a month, which is the only reason my shopping is done. I've never been done this early. Work will also be quiet these last few weeks, so that should give me some room to refocus, as well.
I have my next doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I should have gained another 4 pounds. I've been right on track the last few visits, and expect that I'm doing okay this time, too. I don't have a scale at home (just bought one, but haven't used it yet), so I can't tell how much I weigh right now. I'm definitely getting bigger, though! Overall I'm feeling well. They baby is very active, and has been for a long time. I get worried when she slows down, given how active she generally is. I can't tell how she is positioned, though. I don't think she's head down, and I'm starting to worry about that. I know there's still time, but still.
Because I walk a lot here (1.5 miles a day, in general), I'm a bit stiff and sore. My lower back, in particular, is bothering me. I've been using the hot water bottle every night, which helps. It's a bit of a conundrum--I don't really want to walk less, because I want to stay in good shape, and also because I still have just under 3 months to go, and I'll need to get myself around this city until then. But if I keep up the exercise, it's definitely only going to make my back worse as time goes on. I've slowed down my pace, but that doesn't help. I'm going to try adding some massages. The good news is that I just switched my health insurance to a different plan, and the new plan allows me $50 toward a massage 30 times a year!!! I could not believe that was a benefit (it's also a better plan for me to use in this country, which is why I switched). Massages here are really expensive--basically twice what I'd pay in the U.S.--but with $50 off per massage, they are looking highly affordable again. I just have to find a good pregnancy masseuse. I've had one massage recently, a few weeks ago when my back was really bad, but it was just okay, and it was too far from my house. There's a place not too far from my house that I have yet to try, but that's definitely in my future.
Things overall are good. Miss M started having night terrors again, which has always meant a developmental leap. We couldn't imagine what it could be this time, but all of a sudden she has loads of new words and loads of sentences. She's also gone through a bit of a growth spurt. The kid just cracks me up so much. Work is chaotic, but basically good. There's been a recent change in management, and the new management team isn't quite in sync yet, which has heavily contributed to the chaos. Miss M's 2nd birthday is next month, and I've planned a long weekend away as a surprise. It's a family resort not too far from where we live, with a giant indoor toddler pool and lots of toddler activities. One of the great things about it is that only one parent can accompany the toddler to the activities (except the pool), so while one parent is with Miss M, I've booked the other for spa treatments at the spa. I'm giving the bulk of these to my dear husband, who kind of needs a break from her toddlerness. He will be psyched. They have this half-day spa thing that involves all these different steam rooms, hot pools, water features, etc. Hopefully there will be other men there, too, but given that he'll have hours to himself, I doubt he'll care if he's the only guy. He's getting a massage, too. I am getting some sort of combined maternity treatment that involves a mini facial/body treatment/massage. My skin is crazy dry right now (I HATE the water here--so drying, especially this time of year!). Anyway, I can't wait for him to open the gift card on Christmas to see it all. I think he'll be happy with it. I know I'm looking forward to it! We have a cottage to ourselves with a kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace, too! Heaven. We'll be able to eat in or out. I was even able to pre-order groceries which will be there when we get there. It sounds both fun and relaxing, and I'm excited to get some quality time with Miss M for three days.
Tomorrow, we are taking Miss M to the theater to see a Christmas play. It will be her first theater experience. We took her to see Disney on Ice a while back, and she sat mesmerized for the entire show. We'll see how this one goes. I'm looking forward to it. It's supposed to be a really good show, and I was able to get us good seats. I guess I'd better get myself to bed so I can get a good night's sleep, since we have a big day ahead of us!
I'm going to try to blog more. I miss having this little piece of quiet time for myself to just kind of focus on me and the child that's inside of me. After Miss M goes to bed, I always seem to have a to-do list to accomplish, and then I fall into bed exhausted, and the new day is here before I know it. But I'm going to try to squeeze a little blog time in for me from now on. I want to spend a little time each day just focusing on myself and this baby. I feel like I haven't done enough of that, and she'll be here before I know it! When I was first pregnant, one of the nurses told me that the pregnancy would be nothing like my first--that it would fly by, and I'd have no time relaxing on the couch with my feet up, and boy was she right!
These last few weeks of the year are a good time to refocus. We aren't traveling for the holidays, and (somewhat sadly) no one is coming to visit us, because people are going to fly over after the baby is born. We're doing a dinner with some friends who can't travel on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas Day it will be just us and my step-sister, who has been living with us for the last few months. As sad as I am that family isn't visiting (or that we aren't visiting family), it should be really relaxing. We're making filet mignon for Christmas Eve and a ham for Christmas dinner. Turkey costs and arm and a leg here, so I'm skipping the bird for Christmas (think $100 for a 10 pound turkey, and you're in the ballpark!--totally crazy!). We always start Christmas day with mimosas (none for me this year!) and eggs Benedict, and we watch Christmas movies when we're done unwrapping presents. . .relaxing. All of my shopping is done, my packages are mailed, and the house is both clean and decorated. I bought us all matching pajamas--something T's family did when he was a kid. It's a little ridiculous, but I like the tradition of it. Plus, I got us all Mickey Mouse pajamas, which Miss M will go wild for. So, I have to do some wrapping, and that's it! I've been Christmas planning for at least a month, which is the only reason my shopping is done. I've never been done this early. Work will also be quiet these last few weeks, so that should give me some room to refocus, as well.
I have my next doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I should have gained another 4 pounds. I've been right on track the last few visits, and expect that I'm doing okay this time, too. I don't have a scale at home (just bought one, but haven't used it yet), so I can't tell how much I weigh right now. I'm definitely getting bigger, though! Overall I'm feeling well. They baby is very active, and has been for a long time. I get worried when she slows down, given how active she generally is. I can't tell how she is positioned, though. I don't think she's head down, and I'm starting to worry about that. I know there's still time, but still.
Because I walk a lot here (1.5 miles a day, in general), I'm a bit stiff and sore. My lower back, in particular, is bothering me. I've been using the hot water bottle every night, which helps. It's a bit of a conundrum--I don't really want to walk less, because I want to stay in good shape, and also because I still have just under 3 months to go, and I'll need to get myself around this city until then. But if I keep up the exercise, it's definitely only going to make my back worse as time goes on. I've slowed down my pace, but that doesn't help. I'm going to try adding some massages. The good news is that I just switched my health insurance to a different plan, and the new plan allows me $50 toward a massage 30 times a year!!! I could not believe that was a benefit (it's also a better plan for me to use in this country, which is why I switched). Massages here are really expensive--basically twice what I'd pay in the U.S.--but with $50 off per massage, they are looking highly affordable again. I just have to find a good pregnancy masseuse. I've had one massage recently, a few weeks ago when my back was really bad, but it was just okay, and it was too far from my house. There's a place not too far from my house that I have yet to try, but that's definitely in my future.
Things overall are good. Miss M started having night terrors again, which has always meant a developmental leap. We couldn't imagine what it could be this time, but all of a sudden she has loads of new words and loads of sentences. She's also gone through a bit of a growth spurt. The kid just cracks me up so much. Work is chaotic, but basically good. There's been a recent change in management, and the new management team isn't quite in sync yet, which has heavily contributed to the chaos. Miss M's 2nd birthday is next month, and I've planned a long weekend away as a surprise. It's a family resort not too far from where we live, with a giant indoor toddler pool and lots of toddler activities. One of the great things about it is that only one parent can accompany the toddler to the activities (except the pool), so while one parent is with Miss M, I've booked the other for spa treatments at the spa. I'm giving the bulk of these to my dear husband, who kind of needs a break from her toddlerness. He will be psyched. They have this half-day spa thing that involves all these different steam rooms, hot pools, water features, etc. Hopefully there will be other men there, too, but given that he'll have hours to himself, I doubt he'll care if he's the only guy. He's getting a massage, too. I am getting some sort of combined maternity treatment that involves a mini facial/body treatment/massage. My skin is crazy dry right now (I HATE the water here--so drying, especially this time of year!). Anyway, I can't wait for him to open the gift card on Christmas to see it all. I think he'll be happy with it. I know I'm looking forward to it! We have a cottage to ourselves with a kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace, too! Heaven. We'll be able to eat in or out. I was even able to pre-order groceries which will be there when we get there. It sounds both fun and relaxing, and I'm excited to get some quality time with Miss M for three days.
Tomorrow, we are taking Miss M to the theater to see a Christmas play. It will be her first theater experience. We took her to see Disney on Ice a while back, and she sat mesmerized for the entire show. We'll see how this one goes. I'm looking forward to it. It's supposed to be a really good show, and I was able to get us good seats. I guess I'd better get myself to bed so I can get a good night's sleep, since we have a big day ahead of us!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
26W5D and Counting!
I am slow to post because I am BUSY!!! Work has been interesting and challenging and fun and crazy. I threw myself into Christmas early and did most of my shopping, so that is mostly taken care of. I decided to make my own advent garlands for Miss M and T, which was a TON of work, but has turned out to be very fun. Miss M loves her little morning present. I put together a really detailed photo Christmas card with a nice little note about our adventures during the past year, to send off to far-flung family and friends. I ended up using Apple this year because it was just so easy (albeit, not particularly creative in terms of layouts). Would you believe the order arrived two days later??! The print quality is pretty good, although not as good as Scrapblog, which I used to love. Unfortunately, they merged and are no longer in business, and the new company's website looks kind of sketchy and I didn't want to take the risk.
And then there is this baby. I can't believe we are almost to 27 weeks. She is really active now, and from what I can tell, she is not at all in the right position (ie, head down). I feel jabs really low in my pelvis (like, bikini line low), and then way up by my ribs, and then in the middle of my belly, often in succession. I can't even imagine how she's managing it! I feel really good, though. I'm a bit stiff (because I keep doing too much, probably), but I'm still walking 1-2 miles a day. I finally had to give up my long weekend hikes, though. It was just too much for my poor back and stomach muscles. I am struggling to eat, as I constantly feel full, but I'm gaining exactly as much weight as I should be, so I think I'm doing okay. My next doctor's visit is in two weeks. We talked about delivery during the last appointment. I'm still not crazy about healthcare here, and really should find a doula, but I still haven't gotten around to it. Philosophically, this doctor sounds like she's much more on the same page with me than the practice that delivered Miss M. If my water breaks and I'm not in labor, as long as everything sounds okay, she doesn't want to see me. She's fine with me laboring upright. She gets why I don't want constant monitoring, and is fine with periodic monitoring (which I had with Miss M, but had to fight for mid-labor). She is fine with no drugs, no Pitocin, etc. Of course, I know all too well that doctors can sing a different tune during labor.
I also found out that in addition to my doctor being around to deliver the baby, I'll actually have a midwife with me the entire time who is assigned to me by the hospital. But it won't be someone I've ever met. This strikes me as so incredibly odd. But, that's how it's done. It's all the more reason I'd like to get a doula, who I can at least meet in advance and have some comfort level with. I've wished a thousand times that my previous doula was available for this birth! She was so fantastic. Now I need to find someone just like her.
I just realized it's gotten quite late here, and I have to work tomorrow. More soon!
And then there is this baby. I can't believe we are almost to 27 weeks. She is really active now, and from what I can tell, she is not at all in the right position (ie, head down). I feel jabs really low in my pelvis (like, bikini line low), and then way up by my ribs, and then in the middle of my belly, often in succession. I can't even imagine how she's managing it! I feel really good, though. I'm a bit stiff (because I keep doing too much, probably), but I'm still walking 1-2 miles a day. I finally had to give up my long weekend hikes, though. It was just too much for my poor back and stomach muscles. I am struggling to eat, as I constantly feel full, but I'm gaining exactly as much weight as I should be, so I think I'm doing okay. My next doctor's visit is in two weeks. We talked about delivery during the last appointment. I'm still not crazy about healthcare here, and really should find a doula, but I still haven't gotten around to it. Philosophically, this doctor sounds like she's much more on the same page with me than the practice that delivered Miss M. If my water breaks and I'm not in labor, as long as everything sounds okay, she doesn't want to see me. She's fine with me laboring upright. She gets why I don't want constant monitoring, and is fine with periodic monitoring (which I had with Miss M, but had to fight for mid-labor). She is fine with no drugs, no Pitocin, etc. Of course, I know all too well that doctors can sing a different tune during labor.
I also found out that in addition to my doctor being around to deliver the baby, I'll actually have a midwife with me the entire time who is assigned to me by the hospital. But it won't be someone I've ever met. This strikes me as so incredibly odd. But, that's how it's done. It's all the more reason I'd like to get a doula, who I can at least meet in advance and have some comfort level with. I've wished a thousand times that my previous doula was available for this birth! She was so fantastic. Now I need to find someone just like her.
I just realized it's gotten quite late here, and I have to work tomorrow. More soon!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Miss M at 22 Months
Dear Miss M,
Every day, I sit and stare at you in wonder. How did we get so blessed with such a smart, funny, personable little kid? We are so lucky to be your parents.
You went back to New England with your dad in August when you were about 19 months, and had such a language explosion while you were there. We Skyped every day, and you shocked me every day with your new words and expressions. I was so worried about how it would be for you to be away from me, and how it would be for me to be away from you. It was hard for both of us, I think, but you did fantastic. You played on the beach every day and hung out with friends and took it all in stride. You would reach out your arms to me as though to give me big hugs through the computer screen when we Skyped, which got me through the rough bits. I missed you terribly. But, you learned to sleep in a crib while you were visiting grandma, and daddy says you didn't even put up a fight. We had NO chance of doing that while you were at home--it was major meltdowns every time we tried to put you in your crib. I was able to join you in the U.S. for the last week of your trip, and I was amazed that you slept in the crib even with me there. It was fun to play with you in the lake, and to watch how outgoing and personable you were with all of the friends and family that you hadn't seen since you were a tiny baby.
You were also able to play a key role in announcing your sister's impending arrival to our friends and family. We bought you a pink tshirt with elephants on it that says "I'm going to be a big sister." We put it on you the day we threw a big cookout, and sent you out into the crowd in it. We brought you by your uncle and grandfather first. Your uncle caught on quickly, but grampa was a little slower to pick up on it (probably because he wasn't wearing his glasses!) It was a fun way to tell everyone, and you certainly enjoyed running around to show everyone your shirt.
We went to your other grammy's house for a week after that, and you had a great time playing with all of the toys there. You were also a champion shopper, as I ran all of the errands we needed to accomplish there. We went to the most amazing amusement park for toddlers, too, and you had just a blast on the rides. You sobbed every time we took you off the merry-go-round. You thought that was just the best. It was a joy to watch your face as you rode round the merry go round on the pony, and waved to daddy as he passed by. It was a fabulous day.
And sure enough, when we got back home at the end of the trip, you went to sleep in your crib without protest, and you've been sleeping there ever since. You don't even mind taking naps. You cheerfully say "nuh-night," we pop you in the crib, turn on your sheep (which plays whales sounds, which you don't like, but ocean and rain sounds, which you love), and you either chatter away to yourself for a bit, or you go right to sleep. No fussing even at nap time! I can't believe that you transitioned so well, and so fast. We are all sleeping better as a result.
Since your trip back to the U.S., it has been just amazing to watch your language develop. I made a potato-leek soup recently, and you insisted on having a bite. "I don't think you'll like it," I said. You took a bite, then pronounced "I like it." Today I asked you if you had had a good day with daddy, and you said "maybe." You are constantly making your preferences known, and I love every minute of it, even when you are being obstinate. Actually, I might love those moments best (even when I have to discipline you for them), as I love watching your little personality develop. You are smart as a whip, too. You can count to 15, and you know the alphabet. If someone is singing the alphabet and stops, you will continue on exactly from where they left off. You can put all of the shapes through the correct holes in the shape sorter. You are also working on your colors, although everything seems to be both "blue" and "yellow" these days. I have faith you'll get there, though, and that it will be soon, given how quick you are to master new tasks. You also like to point to letters on the computer keyboard and on the alphabet that is hanging on the wall, so I think you will soon recognize the letters, too! You are also quickly learning songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Row, row, row your boat," and "Itsy Bitsy Spider," complete with hand gestures. And every day, something new! When one of our friends stopped by the other day, someone you see perhaps once a month, you asked where her husband was, by name. It just amazes me to watch you make these kinds of connections.
You are a pretty good eater these days, too. Everyone at home in the U.S. was impressed by your diverse palate. As your mother, I of course worry that you aren't eating enough of the right stuff. You still love dairy--yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, and milk. The only things you will drink are milk and water. You love chicken, and will eat piles of it, and do fine with meat, as well. You love fruit--blueberries, in particular, but also strawberries, apples and plums. I can't get you to eat banana. I think it's a texture thing. You feel the same way about melons, and won't go near them. I tried to feed you mango yesterday, and you refused to try a bite. We are doing very poorly with all vegetables. You won't eat any of them. In desperation tonight, I tried mixing equal parts vanilla yogurt, mashed sweet potato and mashed apple. Success! I wonder how broccoli-pear yogurt might fare? Hmmm. . . .We don't feed your junk food or sugar, with one terrible exception (I blame daddy!): french fries. You love them. When we were at a restaurant with friends a month or so ago and you saw them come out on someone's plate, you did a double fist pump and said "yes!" When we pass restaurants on the street that have advertising pictures of them in the windows, you get terribly excited and shout out "french fries!" I even caught you begging them off another table in a restaurant recently. Of course, the women thought you were so adorable that they wanted to give you some. But, you barely ate pizza or birthday cake when you attended your first birthday party recently, so I think we are mostly doing okay.
We did a follow up appointment with the specialist pediatrician a month or so ago, and you are FINALLY on the height-weight charts. You are in the 9th percentile for height and something like the 3rd for weight, but you are on the charts at last. You seem to finally be growing normally. I suspect that you were so very active at such an early age, and developing so fast mentally, that you burned every calorie you consumed.
You continue to grow by leaps and bounds every day, and daddy and I struggle to make sure that you are stimulated enough, whether it's by playing in a new park or by new adventures. We recently took you to Scotland for a long weekend, and you adored the hotel pool. You've been afraid of the shower for a while now, but they had showers at the pool that were warm water, and with sprayers at all levels. You were intrigued by these, and played in them for almost as long as the pool. it was fun to see what a water baby you are. You kept wanting to swim away from us, even though you can't yet swim. We are enrolling you in swim lessons in coming weeks, which we think you will adore. Plus, given your affinity for water, we want to be sure you learn to swim at an early age!
We took you to your first art class recently. You sat and made a little spider armband and painted a bit on a pumpkin cutout before you got bored. You enjoyed sprinkling the sparkles, but then decided you would much rather wander around the room, or even worse sit on the lap of an older kid and try to muscle in on their art projects. You love hanging out with other kids, no matter how much older they may be. We think the art class is probably a bit too structured for you right now, but we are looking into music and dance classes that might let you play with other kids and be a bit more free, while still providing a bit of structure. I think it will be good for your to do something with some structure. I worry that when it comes time for preschool, you will be far to independent to conform to someone else's schedule!
Tonight we were playing after dinner. We read a book, then we colored, then I asked you to get out your musical instruments. You have a drum, a tambourine, maracas, and a little piano. You played the piano while I banged about on various other instruments. You started saying "one, two, three, one two three" to a rhythm as we went along. Then you paused, and went over to scavenge among your other toys. I thought you were done playing music with me. But you came back just a minute later, toting your sunglasses. You put them on, sat back down on my lap, and went back to playing the piano with your little rhythm. It was priceless.
You are really into buckles right now. When we aren't looking, you climb up into your high chair so that you can snap the straps together. Any backpack left lying around gets similar treatment. You are just fascinated by things that you can fidget with. You've been dragging around Dressy Bessy, who has so many things to play with. Duplos are a favorite, too, although you still get frustrated when you can't get them apart. You are also really into toilet paper. We can't leave it on the roll, lest you toilet paper the house. You are never out of our sight for more than a few seconds, but it is remarkable how fast you can move and how much you can accomplish in just a few seconds!!!
You enjoy a good book. For a long time, I have encouraged you to "pick a good one and I'll read to you." You recently went and selected a book, then turned to me and said "it's a good one." I'm just amazed by the things you come out with, and your proper use of vocabulary. The most amazing thing to me is that you correctly use words pretty much all of the time. I rarely hear an incorrect word usage or incorrect pronoun. And, you frequently know things that shock me. For example, you were running around the house with some paper money the other day, shouting "money!", and you also correctly held up a credit card and said "money." How do you know those things at your age?! How do you know that money is actually money, and not just some colored piece of paper? After all, the money here comes in all different colors. It is just fascinating to me.
You also love to use the phone. On weekend mornings, you will go to the telephone and say "call grammy please." I have to gently remind you that grammy is still well asleep when we wake up, given the time difference! It is adorable to see how into it you are. You actually prefer to talk on the telephone to Skype, because then you can carry the phone around with you. Plus, you love to push the buttons. You do enjoy seeing grammy, though, especially when she has a cat in her lap. All of her cats have inexplicably become named "Spanky," which is the name of her cat which you most enjoyed tormenting when we visited.
You are also quite the little tv monster. We try to limit your television to a little in the morning and a little at the end of the day, but you beg for more, fussing "tv remote" at us when you want us to change the channel. You try to sneak to the remote and attempt to change the channel yourself, if you don't like what the adults might be watching, and sometimes you even succeed! Your favorite by far is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but you are also a big fan of the Tinkerbell movies. Toy Story and Cars are also favorites. You also know that we have these things on our iPad and iPhone, and you will watch them at a moment's notice if given the chance. During a recent trip to Normandy, you sat peacefully through an entire train journey, watching videos on the iPad. Hopefully we are not stunting your intellectual curiosity by letting you watch videos at such a young age! We took you to a live Disney production recently, and you were mesmerized, sitting patiently through nearly two hours. You would giddily turn to me periodically, just in awe of what you were watching. It was magical to watch. I think I spent more time with my eyes on you than I did the show!
I am so looking forward to the holidays with you. I know that Santa is going to be bringing you lots of goodies, and I am excited to watch you open them. Then shortly after Christmas, we have your birthday to look forward to, and then the birth of your little sister. You don't yet have any idea that she's coming, although we've told you. You sometimes pat my rapidly expanding middle, but you don't quite get the concept that you will soon have a sibling. I know you will have fun with her, even as you are at times challenged by her presence. I hope you will be close and always have each others backs. That's what I want most for my girls.
I love you, my dear daughter, more than I ever could have imagined I could love anyone or anything. Life with you just keeps getting better and better. I am so enjoying being on this journey with you, watching you grow and change, and teaching you new things. I am so very lucky to be your mother.
Love,
Mom
Every day, I sit and stare at you in wonder. How did we get so blessed with such a smart, funny, personable little kid? We are so lucky to be your parents.
You went back to New England with your dad in August when you were about 19 months, and had such a language explosion while you were there. We Skyped every day, and you shocked me every day with your new words and expressions. I was so worried about how it would be for you to be away from me, and how it would be for me to be away from you. It was hard for both of us, I think, but you did fantastic. You played on the beach every day and hung out with friends and took it all in stride. You would reach out your arms to me as though to give me big hugs through the computer screen when we Skyped, which got me through the rough bits. I missed you terribly. But, you learned to sleep in a crib while you were visiting grandma, and daddy says you didn't even put up a fight. We had NO chance of doing that while you were at home--it was major meltdowns every time we tried to put you in your crib. I was able to join you in the U.S. for the last week of your trip, and I was amazed that you slept in the crib even with me there. It was fun to play with you in the lake, and to watch how outgoing and personable you were with all of the friends and family that you hadn't seen since you were a tiny baby.
You were also able to play a key role in announcing your sister's impending arrival to our friends and family. We bought you a pink tshirt with elephants on it that says "I'm going to be a big sister." We put it on you the day we threw a big cookout, and sent you out into the crowd in it. We brought you by your uncle and grandfather first. Your uncle caught on quickly, but grampa was a little slower to pick up on it (probably because he wasn't wearing his glasses!) It was a fun way to tell everyone, and you certainly enjoyed running around to show everyone your shirt.
We went to your other grammy's house for a week after that, and you had a great time playing with all of the toys there. You were also a champion shopper, as I ran all of the errands we needed to accomplish there. We went to the most amazing amusement park for toddlers, too, and you had just a blast on the rides. You sobbed every time we took you off the merry-go-round. You thought that was just the best. It was a joy to watch your face as you rode round the merry go round on the pony, and waved to daddy as he passed by. It was a fabulous day.
And sure enough, when we got back home at the end of the trip, you went to sleep in your crib without protest, and you've been sleeping there ever since. You don't even mind taking naps. You cheerfully say "nuh-night," we pop you in the crib, turn on your sheep (which plays whales sounds, which you don't like, but ocean and rain sounds, which you love), and you either chatter away to yourself for a bit, or you go right to sleep. No fussing even at nap time! I can't believe that you transitioned so well, and so fast. We are all sleeping better as a result.
Since your trip back to the U.S., it has been just amazing to watch your language develop. I made a potato-leek soup recently, and you insisted on having a bite. "I don't think you'll like it," I said. You took a bite, then pronounced "I like it." Today I asked you if you had had a good day with daddy, and you said "maybe." You are constantly making your preferences known, and I love every minute of it, even when you are being obstinate. Actually, I might love those moments best (even when I have to discipline you for them), as I love watching your little personality develop. You are smart as a whip, too. You can count to 15, and you know the alphabet. If someone is singing the alphabet and stops, you will continue on exactly from where they left off. You can put all of the shapes through the correct holes in the shape sorter. You are also working on your colors, although everything seems to be both "blue" and "yellow" these days. I have faith you'll get there, though, and that it will be soon, given how quick you are to master new tasks. You also like to point to letters on the computer keyboard and on the alphabet that is hanging on the wall, so I think you will soon recognize the letters, too! You are also quickly learning songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Row, row, row your boat," and "Itsy Bitsy Spider," complete with hand gestures. And every day, something new! When one of our friends stopped by the other day, someone you see perhaps once a month, you asked where her husband was, by name. It just amazes me to watch you make these kinds of connections.
You are a pretty good eater these days, too. Everyone at home in the U.S. was impressed by your diverse palate. As your mother, I of course worry that you aren't eating enough of the right stuff. You still love dairy--yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, and milk. The only things you will drink are milk and water. You love chicken, and will eat piles of it, and do fine with meat, as well. You love fruit--blueberries, in particular, but also strawberries, apples and plums. I can't get you to eat banana. I think it's a texture thing. You feel the same way about melons, and won't go near them. I tried to feed you mango yesterday, and you refused to try a bite. We are doing very poorly with all vegetables. You won't eat any of them. In desperation tonight, I tried mixing equal parts vanilla yogurt, mashed sweet potato and mashed apple. Success! I wonder how broccoli-pear yogurt might fare? Hmmm. . . .We don't feed your junk food or sugar, with one terrible exception (I blame daddy!): french fries. You love them. When we were at a restaurant with friends a month or so ago and you saw them come out on someone's plate, you did a double fist pump and said "yes!" When we pass restaurants on the street that have advertising pictures of them in the windows, you get terribly excited and shout out "french fries!" I even caught you begging them off another table in a restaurant recently. Of course, the women thought you were so adorable that they wanted to give you some. But, you barely ate pizza or birthday cake when you attended your first birthday party recently, so I think we are mostly doing okay.
We did a follow up appointment with the specialist pediatrician a month or so ago, and you are FINALLY on the height-weight charts. You are in the 9th percentile for height and something like the 3rd for weight, but you are on the charts at last. You seem to finally be growing normally. I suspect that you were so very active at such an early age, and developing so fast mentally, that you burned every calorie you consumed.
You continue to grow by leaps and bounds every day, and daddy and I struggle to make sure that you are stimulated enough, whether it's by playing in a new park or by new adventures. We recently took you to Scotland for a long weekend, and you adored the hotel pool. You've been afraid of the shower for a while now, but they had showers at the pool that were warm water, and with sprayers at all levels. You were intrigued by these, and played in them for almost as long as the pool. it was fun to see what a water baby you are. You kept wanting to swim away from us, even though you can't yet swim. We are enrolling you in swim lessons in coming weeks, which we think you will adore. Plus, given your affinity for water, we want to be sure you learn to swim at an early age!
We took you to your first art class recently. You sat and made a little spider armband and painted a bit on a pumpkin cutout before you got bored. You enjoyed sprinkling the sparkles, but then decided you would much rather wander around the room, or even worse sit on the lap of an older kid and try to muscle in on their art projects. You love hanging out with other kids, no matter how much older they may be. We think the art class is probably a bit too structured for you right now, but we are looking into music and dance classes that might let you play with other kids and be a bit more free, while still providing a bit of structure. I think it will be good for your to do something with some structure. I worry that when it comes time for preschool, you will be far to independent to conform to someone else's schedule!
Tonight we were playing after dinner. We read a book, then we colored, then I asked you to get out your musical instruments. You have a drum, a tambourine, maracas, and a little piano. You played the piano while I banged about on various other instruments. You started saying "one, two, three, one two three" to a rhythm as we went along. Then you paused, and went over to scavenge among your other toys. I thought you were done playing music with me. But you came back just a minute later, toting your sunglasses. You put them on, sat back down on my lap, and went back to playing the piano with your little rhythm. It was priceless.
You are really into buckles right now. When we aren't looking, you climb up into your high chair so that you can snap the straps together. Any backpack left lying around gets similar treatment. You are just fascinated by things that you can fidget with. You've been dragging around Dressy Bessy, who has so many things to play with. Duplos are a favorite, too, although you still get frustrated when you can't get them apart. You are also really into toilet paper. We can't leave it on the roll, lest you toilet paper the house. You are never out of our sight for more than a few seconds, but it is remarkable how fast you can move and how much you can accomplish in just a few seconds!!!
You enjoy a good book. For a long time, I have encouraged you to "pick a good one and I'll read to you." You recently went and selected a book, then turned to me and said "it's a good one." I'm just amazed by the things you come out with, and your proper use of vocabulary. The most amazing thing to me is that you correctly use words pretty much all of the time. I rarely hear an incorrect word usage or incorrect pronoun. And, you frequently know things that shock me. For example, you were running around the house with some paper money the other day, shouting "money!", and you also correctly held up a credit card and said "money." How do you know those things at your age?! How do you know that money is actually money, and not just some colored piece of paper? After all, the money here comes in all different colors. It is just fascinating to me.
You also love to use the phone. On weekend mornings, you will go to the telephone and say "call grammy please." I have to gently remind you that grammy is still well asleep when we wake up, given the time difference! It is adorable to see how into it you are. You actually prefer to talk on the telephone to Skype, because then you can carry the phone around with you. Plus, you love to push the buttons. You do enjoy seeing grammy, though, especially when she has a cat in her lap. All of her cats have inexplicably become named "Spanky," which is the name of her cat which you most enjoyed tormenting when we visited.
You are also quite the little tv monster. We try to limit your television to a little in the morning and a little at the end of the day, but you beg for more, fussing "tv remote" at us when you want us to change the channel. You try to sneak to the remote and attempt to change the channel yourself, if you don't like what the adults might be watching, and sometimes you even succeed! Your favorite by far is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but you are also a big fan of the Tinkerbell movies. Toy Story and Cars are also favorites. You also know that we have these things on our iPad and iPhone, and you will watch them at a moment's notice if given the chance. During a recent trip to Normandy, you sat peacefully through an entire train journey, watching videos on the iPad. Hopefully we are not stunting your intellectual curiosity by letting you watch videos at such a young age! We took you to a live Disney production recently, and you were mesmerized, sitting patiently through nearly two hours. You would giddily turn to me periodically, just in awe of what you were watching. It was magical to watch. I think I spent more time with my eyes on you than I did the show!
I am so looking forward to the holidays with you. I know that Santa is going to be bringing you lots of goodies, and I am excited to watch you open them. Then shortly after Christmas, we have your birthday to look forward to, and then the birth of your little sister. You don't yet have any idea that she's coming, although we've told you. You sometimes pat my rapidly expanding middle, but you don't quite get the concept that you will soon have a sibling. I know you will have fun with her, even as you are at times challenged by her presence. I hope you will be close and always have each others backs. That's what I want most for my girls.
I love you, my dear daughter, more than I ever could have imagined I could love anyone or anything. Life with you just keeps getting better and better. I am so enjoying being on this journey with you, watching you grow and change, and teaching you new things. I am so very lucky to be your mother.
Love,
Mom
Friday, November 11, 2011
Where Have I Been?
Time is rushing by me faster than I ever imagined it could.
Miss M is 22 months--a joy that I will save for a separate post. She is full of light and laughter and words and SENTENCES, and cracks me up all the time. Tonight we were watching tv while she played with her toys. There was a scene where a character was very ill, and all of the other characters were very upset about it. She looked up and said "people sad." I just loves that she gets what is going on around her.
I am 23 weeks into this pregnancy. 23 weeks!!! How did that happen? When we first got pregnant, a nurse warned me that this pregnancy would fly by, and that I'd have no time to sit with my feet up on the couch and enjoy it like I did when I was pregnant with Miss M, and boy was she right! Every day is packed to the gills. Right now, all I do is work, play with Miss M, prepare for Thanksgiving (we're having 20 people over!!! And you should see the size of my dinky European oven!), and Christmas shop (online, at night, when Miss M is asleep--Toys R Us is having a buy one-get-one-half-off sale on Legos and Duplos through Saturday, if you have a child who is obsessed with them like mine is). We had our big scan a few weeks ago. Numero Dos is still a girl. Everything looked pretty good on the ultrasound, and they gave us a video of the whole thing, and photos, and 3D photos. In the 3D view, her bone structure looked very much like Miss M's did when she was a baby. It was cool to see live, but the 3D photos are a bit creepy, I have to say. The only odd finding, which I'm trying not to freak out about, was that there are choroid plexus cysts in the baby's brain. We were assured that these have no real clinical significance, and generally disappear on their own with no impact on development. Dr. Google is similarly reassuring. There are some studies that suggest such a finding is linked to genetic disorders like Trisomy 18, but we did CVS and it came back clear for that. So, I've been trying to ignore that finding. The upside to staying so busy is that I don't have time to worry myself over every little thing like I did with much of Miss M's pregnancy.
Work has continued to be insanely busy. We have more staff now, so it will hopefully slow down, but it's been more than I'd hoped for, frankly. I'm enjoying it immensely, but I'd like there to be less of it. I'm traveling a ton. Mostly day trips, but still. My inbox is overflowing and I have piles of emails to return. I feel like I will never catch up, and I am hopelessly behind on the bureaucratic stuff. Like receipts. I hate expense reports. Can't someone just give me carte blanche with a credit card, and we'll call it a day?
We've done a bit of traveling recently--a long weekend in Normandy for fun, and a week and a half in Scotland for work. T and Miss M were able to join me in Scotland for part of the trip, and of course the best part was playing in the gorgeous hotel pool. Miss M loves to swim. We're going to be enrolling her in lessons, possibly starting this week. Normandy was amazing--charming old stone villages and good food. It was also heartbreaking to see all of the WWII stuff.
I am feeling good. I overdid it a bit this last week hiking and dragging around my luggage and my back is a bit sore, so I treated myself to a pregnancy massage today. I can't decide if it actually helped at all. I will definitely be sleeping with my hot water bottle tonight. I am such an old woman.
And although it has nothing to do with me personally, can I just rant for a minute about the Penn State child sex abuse scandal? Grad student McCreary walked in on a 10 year old being raped, and walked right out again? He did NOTHING to intervene? Really??? And then he told other people, and no one reported it to the police? With all that has happened with the Catholic church sex abuse scandal in the U.S. and was actively happening and all over the news during the timeframe in question, no one thought to go to the police? Really??? Let's set aside the legal requirements for a moment. Everyone anywhere in that chain of knowledge, from Paterno to university officials to other coaches, are absolute scum. I don't care how many games they won or how much money they have made in PA. You don't walk out on a child being raped. You save the child. Period. You SAVE THE CHILD. And you don't make the call on what did happen or what should happen--you hand the information to the police, and you let THEM make the call. That's the job of law enforcement, not football coaches and school administrators. I also have to say, I don't understand the reaction of the community/students who support Paterno. Paterno is not god. He is a man who was good at his job. But as good as he may have been at his job, he also knew about child sexual assault, and did nothing. That is utterly unacceptable. Maybe his age played into it--when he was a young man, people did look the other way at pedophiles. But we don't live in that world anymore. My heart breaks for those children who have been victimized by the Penn State sports establishment. Sandusky isn't the only one who needs a trial.
I haven't been anywhere near the internet lately, so I am way behind on what everyone has been doing, but I promise to catch up soon. I hope everyone is well!
Miss M is 22 months--a joy that I will save for a separate post. She is full of light and laughter and words and SENTENCES, and cracks me up all the time. Tonight we were watching tv while she played with her toys. There was a scene where a character was very ill, and all of the other characters were very upset about it. She looked up and said "people sad." I just loves that she gets what is going on around her.
I am 23 weeks into this pregnancy. 23 weeks!!! How did that happen? When we first got pregnant, a nurse warned me that this pregnancy would fly by, and that I'd have no time to sit with my feet up on the couch and enjoy it like I did when I was pregnant with Miss M, and boy was she right! Every day is packed to the gills. Right now, all I do is work, play with Miss M, prepare for Thanksgiving (we're having 20 people over!!! And you should see the size of my dinky European oven!), and Christmas shop (online, at night, when Miss M is asleep--Toys R Us is having a buy one-get-one-half-off sale on Legos and Duplos through Saturday, if you have a child who is obsessed with them like mine is). We had our big scan a few weeks ago. Numero Dos is still a girl. Everything looked pretty good on the ultrasound, and they gave us a video of the whole thing, and photos, and 3D photos. In the 3D view, her bone structure looked very much like Miss M's did when she was a baby. It was cool to see live, but the 3D photos are a bit creepy, I have to say. The only odd finding, which I'm trying not to freak out about, was that there are choroid plexus cysts in the baby's brain. We were assured that these have no real clinical significance, and generally disappear on their own with no impact on development. Dr. Google is similarly reassuring. There are some studies that suggest such a finding is linked to genetic disorders like Trisomy 18, but we did CVS and it came back clear for that. So, I've been trying to ignore that finding. The upside to staying so busy is that I don't have time to worry myself over every little thing like I did with much of Miss M's pregnancy.
Work has continued to be insanely busy. We have more staff now, so it will hopefully slow down, but it's been more than I'd hoped for, frankly. I'm enjoying it immensely, but I'd like there to be less of it. I'm traveling a ton. Mostly day trips, but still. My inbox is overflowing and I have piles of emails to return. I feel like I will never catch up, and I am hopelessly behind on the bureaucratic stuff. Like receipts. I hate expense reports. Can't someone just give me carte blanche with a credit card, and we'll call it a day?
We've done a bit of traveling recently--a long weekend in Normandy for fun, and a week and a half in Scotland for work. T and Miss M were able to join me in Scotland for part of the trip, and of course the best part was playing in the gorgeous hotel pool. Miss M loves to swim. We're going to be enrolling her in lessons, possibly starting this week. Normandy was amazing--charming old stone villages and good food. It was also heartbreaking to see all of the WWII stuff.
I am feeling good. I overdid it a bit this last week hiking and dragging around my luggage and my back is a bit sore, so I treated myself to a pregnancy massage today. I can't decide if it actually helped at all. I will definitely be sleeping with my hot water bottle tonight. I am such an old woman.
And although it has nothing to do with me personally, can I just rant for a minute about the Penn State child sex abuse scandal? Grad student McCreary walked in on a 10 year old being raped, and walked right out again? He did NOTHING to intervene? Really??? And then he told other people, and no one reported it to the police? With all that has happened with the Catholic church sex abuse scandal in the U.S. and was actively happening and all over the news during the timeframe in question, no one thought to go to the police? Really??? Let's set aside the legal requirements for a moment. Everyone anywhere in that chain of knowledge, from Paterno to university officials to other coaches, are absolute scum. I don't care how many games they won or how much money they have made in PA. You don't walk out on a child being raped. You save the child. Period. You SAVE THE CHILD. And you don't make the call on what did happen or what should happen--you hand the information to the police, and you let THEM make the call. That's the job of law enforcement, not football coaches and school administrators. I also have to say, I don't understand the reaction of the community/students who support Paterno. Paterno is not god. He is a man who was good at his job. But as good as he may have been at his job, he also knew about child sexual assault, and did nothing. That is utterly unacceptable. Maybe his age played into it--when he was a young man, people did look the other way at pedophiles. But we don't live in that world anymore. My heart breaks for those children who have been victimized by the Penn State sports establishment. Sandusky isn't the only one who needs a trial.
I haven't been anywhere near the internet lately, so I am way behind on what everyone has been doing, but I promise to catch up soon. I hope everyone is well!
Monday, September 26, 2011
It's Midnight. . .
and I've just arrived home from work, which is crazy busy. My in-laws left two days ago. They spent a week, arriving the very same day that our dear friends departed. Those friends arrived a few short days after we returned from the U.S.. My dryer has been broken since we arrived back from the U.S., leading me to pile dirty laundry in the garage to hide it from my guests (the laundry room was a work zone for the repairmen, until they realized it had to be replaced). Until my husband went grocery shopping today there was little to eat in the house. In short, it's been a bit chaotic around here.
The good news in the midst of everything is that I've sort out all of the problems I whined about in my last post, I feel great, this pregnancy is humming along, my final genetic test results came back clear, I don't have syphilis (not that there was any doubt. . .but they made me get tested), and Miss M has been a hilarious, wonderful, everyday joy.
And you?
The good news in the midst of everything is that I've sort out all of the problems I whined about in my last post, I feel great, this pregnancy is humming along, my final genetic test results came back clear, I don't have syphilis (not that there was any doubt. . .but they made me get tested), and Miss M has been a hilarious, wonderful, everyday joy.
And you?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Frustrating Day
I have been offline, mostly unwillingly. When I got back from the U.S., my internet was out. The company could have cared less. It only came back on yesterday. Coincidentally, they sent me (for the very first time) a survey to find out what I thought of their service. Ah, the things I told them!
I have so many things to talk about--Miss M's giant language explosion, complete with sentences--sentences!; our trip home; parenting a 20 month old who can now talk; having my bed back to myself now that Miss M sleeps in her crib, and how we got there; how my final CVS results are in, and they are fine; thoughts on #2; the fact that I've negotiated my next assignment, and where we are going. . .and so much more. But tonight I need to just vent.
I really try to help other people out. I volunteer for projects around the office. I volunteer to do people favors when they need them. . .even one person recently that I don't even really like. I try to be a good human being. So when people don't reciprocate, sometimes it just gets me down. Today is one of those days.
It started when I couldn't find anything to wear this morning. I'm not out of the closet yet at work about the pregnancy. I'll be 15 weeks at the end of this week, so I'm sort of running out of time. I haven't told anyone because the head of my unit has left, and the new head doesn't start for another month. The interim head has turned from a reasonable person into an utter neurotic stressball. I know she is going to freak out when I tell her, even though the unit will be fully staffed again long before my maternity leave. I'm dreading telling her, so I've put it off. But the fact that I stressed so much about clothes because I'm trying to dress strategically because she's created this stressful situation at work where it will be even more stressful to be "out". . .it just really upset me.
Then I got to work, and the same person wasted an hour of my time obsessing over eight million things in an utterly unproductive conversation. She is one of those people that channels her stress by talking about how much work she has to do. Then we had to have a staff meeting, which normally takes 30 minutes. This took and hour and a half, because once again she had to obsess and talk everything to death. She's not a good interim boss, as the stress just kills her. I am a do-er, not a talk-about-er, and all of the wasted time drove me batty.
Later in the day, I had a great opportunity that came up for the end of the month. It's work-related, very cool, and involves just a half-day of work. I can't stress again how much WORK is involved in this opportunity. But, I need her to sign off on it. Guess what? She won't. She has a really busy month, and she wants me to be around in case she needs anything. This, despite the fact that I routinely travel for work, and have continued to schedule out of town assignments for myself for the next month, so what's one more half day?!
Then, there is the matter of the stroller. It's a long story not worth even getting into. Suffice it to say, I spent a lot of money and went to a lot of trouble to purchase a double stroller and get it shipped to me (it's hard to get large items shipped internationally). It required a bit of help from a friend, but I was doing her a favor in return. Let's just say things got screwed up and she seems inclined to just leave it at that. I am stuck with a stroller in a place that is a) not accessible to me, and b) from which I cannot get the stroller to me here. I will likely have to spend a lot of money to fix the situation.
Sigh. I've just had a bad day.
The silver lining? I have friends flying in tomorrow morning, with their daughter, who is a few months younger than Miss M. IT will be so good to see them.
I have so many things to talk about--Miss M's giant language explosion, complete with sentences--sentences!; our trip home; parenting a 20 month old who can now talk; having my bed back to myself now that Miss M sleeps in her crib, and how we got there; how my final CVS results are in, and they are fine; thoughts on #2; the fact that I've negotiated my next assignment, and where we are going. . .and so much more. But tonight I need to just vent.
I really try to help other people out. I volunteer for projects around the office. I volunteer to do people favors when they need them. . .even one person recently that I don't even really like. I try to be a good human being. So when people don't reciprocate, sometimes it just gets me down. Today is one of those days.
It started when I couldn't find anything to wear this morning. I'm not out of the closet yet at work about the pregnancy. I'll be 15 weeks at the end of this week, so I'm sort of running out of time. I haven't told anyone because the head of my unit has left, and the new head doesn't start for another month. The interim head has turned from a reasonable person into an utter neurotic stressball. I know she is going to freak out when I tell her, even though the unit will be fully staffed again long before my maternity leave. I'm dreading telling her, so I've put it off. But the fact that I stressed so much about clothes because I'm trying to dress strategically because she's created this stressful situation at work where it will be even more stressful to be "out". . .it just really upset me.
Then I got to work, and the same person wasted an hour of my time obsessing over eight million things in an utterly unproductive conversation. She is one of those people that channels her stress by talking about how much work she has to do. Then we had to have a staff meeting, which normally takes 30 minutes. This took and hour and a half, because once again she had to obsess and talk everything to death. She's not a good interim boss, as the stress just kills her. I am a do-er, not a talk-about-er, and all of the wasted time drove me batty.
Later in the day, I had a great opportunity that came up for the end of the month. It's work-related, very cool, and involves just a half-day of work. I can't stress again how much WORK is involved in this opportunity. But, I need her to sign off on it. Guess what? She won't. She has a really busy month, and she wants me to be around in case she needs anything. This, despite the fact that I routinely travel for work, and have continued to schedule out of town assignments for myself for the next month, so what's one more half day?!
Then, there is the matter of the stroller. It's a long story not worth even getting into. Suffice it to say, I spent a lot of money and went to a lot of trouble to purchase a double stroller and get it shipped to me (it's hard to get large items shipped internationally). It required a bit of help from a friend, but I was doing her a favor in return. Let's just say things got screwed up and she seems inclined to just leave it at that. I am stuck with a stroller in a place that is a) not accessible to me, and b) from which I cannot get the stroller to me here. I will likely have to spend a lot of money to fix the situation.
Sigh. I've just had a bad day.
The silver lining? I have friends flying in tomorrow morning, with their daughter, who is a few months younger than Miss M. IT will be so good to see them.
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