The Mommy Diary

Moving Day

2005-09-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

I have moved my blog to a new corner of the net with lovely new features that make me smile. I hope you'll stop by my new site.

You should be redirected in 5 seconds!

Photos That Make Me Happy

2005-09-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Instead of making a long post this afternoon, I will just post a picture of how I feel right now.

Bridger Wilderness:

My Apologies

2005-09-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

My mom is coming all the way from Virginia for a visit. It is time to meet the new grandbaby. We had a difficult time scheduling this trip. I was due on July 6^thbut my due date doesn’t count for a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. It's a looooong ways out here anyways. We wanted to be sure the baby was here and settled so we set the date for September.

Now, I know my mom loves me unconditionally, but this visit has spun me into a cleaning frenzy. My mom knows that my meticulous nature doesn’t expand to my living space. After all, she did see the way I lived for 18 years of my life. My house as an adult is a big improvement on my room as a teenager. It’s not like I grew up in a museum. My home as a kid was comfy and lived it- like a home should be. Our home would have to be in order to sustain all my brother’s science experiments and my cooking messes…and several small fires.

I guess deep down I still want her to be proud of me, to give me her approval. I’ve always felt the need to appear graceful and put together and my mom is no exception, even though my mom is probably one of the few people who are close enough to me to know that even I have my little corks and bad days every now and then…and of course everyone who reads my blog knows this about me too.

All throughout my life my mom wanted be to be the best I could be. She wanted me to have the chances she never had. One day when I was very young, like 5 or 6, I was with my mom in the check-out line at the grocery store. I can’t quite remember what I was asking for- something extravagant. The middle-aged cashier smiled and said, "Honey, marry a lawyer!" and went about ringing up our food. Even as a kid I knew she was joking, but after we had pulled our cart out of the line and towards the door my mother said very seriously, "Kate, don’t marry a lawyer. Be a lawyer."

I’m very lucky to have had a woman in my life that believed in me like that. But at the same time, I was always concentrating on college and life after college all through high school. That’s what I was always working towards. In retrospect, I never really got a chance to enjoy being that age. I hardly ever toke a break from my honors classes to really stop and enjoy where I was at that place in my life. I couldn’t wait to get where I thought I was going and lost all pleasure in the processes that got me there.

If she had known what I would be doing with my life after school she probably would have spent that college tuition money on that theoretical little beach house she always wanted to retire to. Sometimes I think that I disappointed her by choosing a more conventional rout for this particular time in my life- not that there is anything predictable about motherhood. I just can’t seem to get through to her that we have different ideas of what success is. So let me openly apologize ahead of time for any eye rolling or bitten lips that are sure to happen before the week is up.

Sappiest Blog Entry Ever

2005-09-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

I’m at a place in my life where I don't want to be anywhere other than where I am right now. I’m not stuck in the past or fixated on what's to come. It’s a feeling I’ve never really felt before in my life. It’s a feeling of total contentment.

Shortly after Anna turned two, I started to miss what our lives were like as new parents. I thought about all the little things about Anna the baby that I would no longer get to enjoy with her. I could feel Anna shifting from babyhood to toddlerhood and the idea of losing that part of her forever made me sad and restless.

Then the other day while I was buckling her into her car seat, Anna started asking me about an old swing that I used to push her in in our backyard. She told me how she remembers how much fun that was and how she wished we could go back. That caught me off guard. I actually think my eyes teared up a bit. I said, "You know what Anna? That was a very happy time in our lives. But we have lots of other happy times and new things to enjoy right now too." The uncontrollable suddenly made a little more sense and with that new acceptance came a new feeling of peace.

Not the Carrot Soup Mama!

2005-09-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Anna has been begging me for the past week to make her carrot soup ever since I told her that I fed it to her as a baby. Well today I finally got around to washing, chopping, cooking and puréeing the carrots into a thick potage. For the hour or so I was preparing it before dinner Anna was pleading to eat the carrot soup she was so obviously anticipating.

Apparently, I never got the memo that told us that our kids only like food once. When I pored the soup into a bowl for each of us, Anna took one look at the soup and made up her mind she was not eating that. Her little nose wrinkled up as she puckered her lips together in an unlikable manner before promptly turning her head to the side- notifying me that under no circumstances was she willingly eating that vegetable.

She did, however, manage to eat her bread and pears. When she asked for more, I told her that she would just have to eat her soup if she was still hungry. What I’m about to tell you is not an exaggeration in any way. Her eyes bulged out of her little face and she shrieked in horror as if I suggested she chew off her finger if she wanted to eat. God, when did she become such a kid?

Seven is the Number

2005-09-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

7 things I plan to do before I die:
1. Learn how to knit
2. Find a way to actually use all that useless crap I was taught in high school and college.
3. Take the kids to Yosemite more often
4. Travel
5. See my children grow-up
6. Get my own domain for my blog (I know, I dream big)
7. Retire at the beach

7 things I can do:
1. Scrapbook
2. Talk about anything.
3. Cook (when I want to)
4. Code a little bit...nothing fancy
5. organize
6. Ski
7. Navigate the internet

7 things I cannot do:
1. Sing or dance (but that doesn't stop me)
2. Draw
3. Watch cartoon network
4. Control my relentlessly stubborn 3-year-old
5. Design a blogger template nearly as beautiful as this
6. Get to bed early enough
7. Live without my blog or spell

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Eyes
2. Smile
3. Respect
4. Sensitivity
5. Sense of humor
6. Honesty
7. Intelligence

7 things that I say most often:
1. How long has this been here?!
2. Play nice with the puppy
3. Can you stop crying for mommy? I created you, remember?
4. Housework gets in the way of me ruling the world.
5. You can do it yourself.
6. Oh. My. God.
7. dude

7 celebrity crushes:
1. Colin Firth
2. Jake Gyllenhaal
3. Adam Brody
4. Pierce Brosnan
5. Kevin Coster circa 1989
6. Dennis Quaid
7. Johnny Depp

How to Make Your Stressed and Over Worked Self Feel Better

2005-09-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

Take a hot shower and maybe even shave.
Cry a little.
Take a deep breath.
Kiss your kids goodnight.
Get a hug from your husband who tells you that you’re a wonderful person who’s too hard on yourself.
Have a wonderful mother who will listen on the phone to your meltdown as you list off all of the crap you have to do before the day is done.
Spend some you time on the computer, surfing other blogs and catching up with people while watching the season premier of Gilmore Girls.
Eat home made chocolate pudding. I’ve noticed that you feel much less guilty after eating homemade pudding because there are none of those awful plastic cups to remind you how many servings you’ve really had.

I feel much better- busy, but better.

Does Bush Write For 7th Heaven?

2005-09-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

"7th Heaven" happened to just come on television (it's a rerun). I should have changed the channel, but didn't. I think this show has become a parody of itself, or of what it intended to be nine seasons ago. It should be taken out of its misery. The actors verbalize their lines in monotone and are shown no thicker than cardboard cutouts.

But all that aside, I happen to flip to it while channel surfing just in time to hear "Iraq," "Bush" and "War." "Woahhhhh," I thought, "Did I just hear a discussion on current issues in a fictional family drama?!" So naturally I had to stick around on ABC Family just a little longer to see just how fairly this was portrayed. You know, just in case I wanted to write a complaint letter or write about it on my blog.

I think no matter which way this episode was written, it was obvious many people were going to interpret it in their own way and people are going to get offended no matter what. I thought the writers at least attempted to present two sides of the story- one liberal in a group of conservative thinkers that is. Two people in particular get the most buzz in this episode in their scenes over the remarks on the war in Iraq. I think the scenes would've been more effective if the writers didn't add all the kissing in between this man and this women as he was trying to persuade her that his view of Pres. Bush and the Iraq war were correct. It just showed that it just takes a strong man to influence a woman on his beliefs and ideas by kissing her. Of course, she didn’t have any need to respond or argue with this mans highly debatable statements, now that his tough is down her throat.

I got a strong feeling that who ever was responsible for the show is a Bush supporter and believes it was necessary to go into Iraq, probably because these people got the last say in every argument on the show. I wouldn't be surprised if many people thought Brenda ask Pres. Bush himself to write this episode.

Some Food for Thought

2005-09-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

Are you sitting at the computer at home or in the office with nothing new to do on the internet? Well, I've come to rescue you with these interesting recorded discussions from IT Conversations about women and blogging that I have listened to in what little free time I have to surf other blogs and check in on some old favorites. You can thank me latter.

Play by Today's Rules, or Change the Game?
There is a world of difference between an A-list blogger and a mom who is writing a blog for friends and family. At least, most people would assume this is the case. In this discussion from the BlogHer conference, Charlene Li and Halley Suitt discuss the differences and similarities between big name bloggers and small scale writers.

How to Get Naked
Blogs can be many things, but for some readers and bloggers, they are a way of revealing thoughts and secrets. Many of the more popular blogs are "identity blogs" - diaries or articles about the author, often including information that many of us would keep private.

Meg Hourihan - Memory Lane
Blogs are definitely changing the Internet, and one of the first people to realize this was Meg Hourihan, co-founder of Pyra Labs (the company behind Blogger) and author of 'We Blog: Publishing Online with Weblogs'.

You Little Musical Baby You

2005-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

I think it is obvious by now that Grace will have impeccable taste in everything that she does (and by impeccable I mean of course "mine") just by virtue of having such refined parents. I have been doing my part in developing her musical tastes through hypnotizing instruction in the form of bouncing her to sleep to some of my favorite albums. The following is a list of her favorite albums thus far.

In Between Dreams
Feels Like Home
Afterglow and Bloom
Happenstance
Bleecker Street

With a start like this, can anyone blame her for being so sophisticated?

Is it naptime yet?

2005-09-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

You know how I mentioned that Anna has been a bit of a “goof ball” lately? Well, that was the understatement OF THE YEAR last night when she was hyped up on mini chocolate chip cookies that my husband gave our daughter a HALF AN HOUR before she was suppose to be drifting off to sleep. I bet you’ve already guessed that that did not happen.

There was nothing mini about her sugar buzz. Not only was she about as far away from sleepy as possible in her 3-year-old state of minde, but she was also hollering, screaming and running on top of, under and sometimes right into furniture. With eyes wid open and smile stretched out like a mad child across her adorable, yet frightening, face, Anna sometimes laughed and giggled and hooted so boisterously that she had to stop for a brief second to catch her breath. You would of thought Adam had feed her liquid joy the way this girl was carrying on! Enjoy it while you can baby, tomorrow night it’s milk for you!

Good Bye Summer, Hello Television

2005-09-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Summer is ending and school is starting. Even though I'm not in school anymore, it still makes me sad. The whole seasonal shift depresses me. On the other hand, new seasons on TV are starting- I'm a TV nut you know.

Shows I'm looking forward to watching again:

Lost
Desperate Housewives
Arrested Developement
Scrubs
Real Time with Bill Maher
Deadwood
Entourage

My OTHER Dirty Little Secret

2005-09-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today there is real shame in admitting that you still watch the soaps. Just the other day I asked some play group moms if anyone had caught General Hospital and their looks told me I was as uncool as Dynasty shoulder pads. And now I’m admitting it to all of you.

It's also a little scary that I can't sit in the same room with a normal non soap watching person while watching GH because the experience shines a whole new light on how dump the show really. And then you try to explain to them what exactly is going on:

"Six people. Three couples. County is married to Jax but falling in love with Nicholas who’s married to Emily who’s best friends with Elizabeth who’s the surrogate mother for Jax’s and Courtney’s baby while engaged to Lucky. Oh and you’ll never guess what happened! Jax thinks that Nicolas slept with his wife, which he’s so NOT, and so he plans to divorce Courtney but not until the baby is born because Elizabeth would never hand over the baby to anything less than two parents. Until then he’s playing this whole forgiving husband lie while waiting for the second he can kick his wife to the curb but he sooo did not plan on Courtney finding out and then running to jump into bed with Nicolas, now know that both their marriages are over. BUT Nicolas didn’t plan on Emily reconsidering their divorce and running back to him just hours after he did the dirty deed with his new flame Courtney!"

"Seriously. I'm embarrassed to be watching it! So leave the room now!"

See what I mean? Now I need to catch my breath.

Dog Food and Diapers

2005-09-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

There is something about toddlers that makes them so unbelievable cute and yet so unbelievable irritating at the same time. Anna has been a total goof ball lately and loves to make silly faces while screeching at the top of her lungs for no reason at all. This should annoy me and on some level it does, but I can’t help but smile and stare at her wide-eyed with disbelief. She also started a little game that she likes to play with people.

Anna: Mama, ask me wut wer havin fo lunch.
Mama: Ok, What are we having for lunch?
Anna: Dog Food! [Bursts out laughing] …… and Diapers!
[Continues to giggle with her whole body]

Just don't tell the moms at the playground that.

And What did You Have for a Snack, Dear?

2005-09-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

On the afternoon of our return, I toke the girls to the park where the other neighborhood moms take their kids to have public meltdowns. When I revealed a hardly nutritious pack of gummy fruit snacks (a fruit derivative, right?) to feed to my daughter, another mom wouldn’t have looked more horrified if she had seen me hand my kid a joint and then supply the lighter myself. Now before you go calling Social Services on me, please get the story straight. First, I let her run around the junk yard barefoot, then I surround her with matches, open electrical sockets, and chocking hazards and then I give her dangerous artificially flavored gummy snacks. Girls, I promise I will pay for all your therapy later.

How a Constipated Baby Doll Disrupted The Party

2005-08-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Anna just notified me four months early that she wants the Fisher-Price Loving Family Sweet Sounds Dollhouse for Christmas. I guess she learned her lesson that one crappy present could ruin your entire party.

This year, her family birthday party was right out of a, er, Rockwell painting. We were all lovingly sitting around the dinning room table, observing the constipated baby doll- the only thing my daughter had asked for this year or her third birthday. Yes, instead of a cake and punch at the center of our table, Baby Born was on her too small pink plastic potty. Why wouldn’t she go? Maybe she needed some prunes. Supposedly “she performs seven bodily functions.” Hell, I don’t think I have seven bodily functions to perform! So there we all were, pinching, squeezing and then punching Baby Born. This doll had taken over the party and made us all more than a little bit crazy. Okay, so we’d lost our minds.

She came with several instructions such as that in case there was a “blockage” you should vigorously shake her in all directions and that she would need to be washed regularly so she “would not grow moldy inside.” So instead of a cute and cuddly baby doll, I gave my daughter a mildew infested, constipated, pricey and rock hard piece of plastic to wrap her arms around.

Anna’s list is rather long to insure that at lest one present works as seen on TV.

Conversions at the Beach

2005-08-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Jen: Can I use your bedroom to pump?
Me: Sure
Jen: Tell Adam I’m in there so he doesn’t walk in on me.
Me: Adam has seen breastfeeding, well not pumping, but breastfeeding so many times he probably wouldn’t even notice.
Jen: Yeah, but he hasn’t see THESE boobs before.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Me: What’s that dark figure in the water at my feet?
My Niece: It’s probably just dirt.
Me: It’s moving! Oh my God, it’s following me! …Oh wait that’s just my shadow.

Possibly My Last Post!

2005-08-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

I can't make any promise, but this should be my last post before we leave bright and early Sunday morning. I have so much to do but I'm still in my pajamas!
------------------------------------------------------------
1) Finish packing the kids

2) Finish packing myself

3) Check up on all my daily reads

4) Check and return emails

5) Finish writing this last post

6) Get the kids off of me for one second so I can pee. Because we all know what happens when you have to go pee, and the kids insists upon joining you.

7) Laundry

8) Shower

9) Put together a last minute carry on bag for the drive

10) And the list just isn't complete without a 10th item on it so...
Straiten up the house so we'll have a semi clean home to return to. Don't hold your breath.
------------------------------------------------------------

I plan on bringing my laptop, but you have to dial up to get on the Internet, something I'm not accustomed to nor do I have any patients for. But who knows? Two weeks is a long time to be away from blogging.

WARNING: Withdrawal from addictive substances such as blogging is typically followed by anxiety and craving and need to continue the behavior despite reason or logic.

Not only do I have blog withdraw to deal with, but also I have a good chunk of my family coming to sweeten the deal. Thankfully, we’re getting separate houses. But what are a few miles between your crazy family and you? I kind of wanted this to be a quite family getaway. Now I know things will never get boring with four families running around, plus 50 of their closest friends and extended family whose short visits are scattered throughout the two weeks. Just kidding Mom…We'll have fun.

Take care everyone and I'll talk to you later!

I Told The Girls That We're Going to Watch a Chick Flick Together

2005-08-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

I had a fairly uneventful day. I have a lot to do cleaning and laundry wise before we can pack for the beach tomorrow, but I wasn’t in any mood today to do anything productive (what else is new). So I opted to plop myself on the couch with my laptop and watch Pride and Prejudice. As a longtime devoted fan of Jane Austen's works, I am very critical of any movies based upon her novels, but Pride and Prejudice is probably the best BBC miniseries made-Austen would be proud. It’s five hours long, but it's so addictive that I am grateful for every second. I have also been in love with Colin Firth (Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy) for as long as I can remember and planned on marrying him. Adam is just lucky he beat him to it. Of course, Adam probably has no idea what he’s up against since he hates this movie and flees the room any time I play a chick flick, which, in my defense, isn’t all that often.

Temptation

2005-08-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling kind of down these past few weeks being boring old unexciting Kate. So down in fact that I have eaten practically a whole box of Hershey’s milk chocolate bars that we are suppose to be taking to the beach this Sunday. ( Yeah, that's right, we're going to the beach for two whole weeks!) At the beginning of the week I told Adam to hide them form me...I didn't think he would actually take that seriously. So when they weren't in their usual place on the counter I started searching for them everywhere tricky and unsuspecting I could think of...in the office...in the garage...under the mattress. My genius of a husband had in fact put the box of ~~poison~~ chocolate in the cabinet above the fridge...with every other single piece of freaken candy we have. He is supposed to be protecting me from myself! Oh well, I got my ~~1st~~ 2nd bar of chocolate of the day and that’s all that matters.

Dear Reader or Occasional Visitor,

2005-08-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

If you have something nasty to say to me, please just go away. It really doesn’t matter if what you have to say is true or not. Since this is my website and I run it, I can pretty much control what I do and don’t want to be viewed- so you’re wasting your time. Since receiving a few snide comments, spam and repeated advertisements to porn sites, I’ve seriously thought about disabling comments all together.

I would really hate to not get feed back from friends- that sort of defeats the whole purpose of community blogging. And all of your sweet and thoughtful comments really bring a smile to my face. The numbers of nice comments I’ve received far out number the nasty ones. For the most part, I have a real appreciation for my commenters who are wonderfully funny, thoughtful and sympathetic. And it’s because of you that I don’t want to remove the comments option from my posts. Would you all hate me terrible if I halted commenting indefinitely? Would you leave and never look back? Can someone have a fairly decent blog without comments?

One thing’s for sure, I would feel a lot safer saying what ever I wanted to with out being openly judged or criticized. On the other hand, I would sort of feel like I was talking to myself If I had no idea if anyone was listen to me. It’s not that I’m threatened by opposing opinions or anything like that. It’s the hateful and hurtful comments that have been made about my family and I, on my own website, that make me think twice about what I am exposing my family to. Maybe it would make me a little more comfortable if people didn’t share what they thought about us on my own site.

I know I’m not the best at taking criticism. I’m strangely sensitive that way. You can get several of the sweetest and most supportive comments every day, but those 2 or 3 nasty comment or e-mail where someone calls you a bad mother and openly attacks your family and your blog can really sting. You just want to cry. Even the stongest person alive would tell you the same.

That’s why I blocked comments for a while this morning. I had to take a break and catch my breath. I had to take a step back for a little while and remember just why I'm blogging when people say awful things about anyone that I love. So I toke that breath and this is what I have come up with.

I’ve concluded that before taking drastic measures and halting comments all together, I set up some guidelines for commenting. If your comment does not oblige by this, I will gladly delete it and not feel a twinge of guilt for doing so.

I do not mind hearing varying opinions on parenting, politics, current events, blogging ECT. as long as you do not personally attack or purposeful hurt anyone in the process. We’re all adults and should be respectful and tolerant while carrying on a rational discussion.
I won’t allow any direct advertisements (including ones for other websites) or personal adds placed on my blog via commenting.
If you write anything negative to an excessive degree or snide comments about my family or me I will remove it at once and ask you to stop commenting on and visiting my blog. Just like that.

Basically if you don't have anything nice to day, don't say anything at all. I'm not a mean person so don't make me be one, mmm-kay? If any of you nice, gentle readers have no idea what I am talking about, read the second comment here. I deleted the others.

I feel much better now. Happy commenting!

Sleeping Baby

2005-08-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Like the tagline says, the joys of motherhood are never fully experienced until the children are in bed. Yesterday, Anna skipped her afternoon nap. She was feeling very sleepy and in the mood to just curl up and watch a movie. Soon after I put in Mulan, Anna held her arms out to me and gestured to sit on my lap. She curled her little body up onto my small lap and rested her face on top of her hand as she laid her head on my chest. Within five minutes she was fast asleep and drooling out of her open mouth. I looked down on her chubby porcelain white face and brushed her soft, wispy baby hair to the side with the tips of my fingers. I could have gotten up and moved her from the rocking chair to the couch but instead we just stayed like that with her sleeping in my arms for the rest of the movie. It’s amazing how being a mother changes you. When was the last time I would have sat through a whole Disney movie before I had kids?

Marvel the Puggle

2005-08-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I talked Adam into letting use get a second dog! Meet Marvel, the newest member of our family and the sweetest puppy in the whole world.

I didn't want to say anything before I knew we were definitely bringing him home. I told freinds that I might be getting a new puppy after we got back from our trip, but I didn't know if I could convince Adam once and for all. As long as he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't mind. Infact, I think the little guy is starting to grow on him. After all, he does count as another guy in the house.

Puggles are a relatively new mixed dog breed produced by mating a female Beagle to a male Pug- resulting in a very sweet-tempered, affectionate (but not yippy, hyper, or insecure) pup that is very low-maintenance family-friendly (great with children and other dogs), loose-skinned and wrinkly-faced. And he’s not too delicate for Anna to play with.

I admit, a new puppy might seem a little impractical at this point in our lives. But look how damn cute he is? And since our cat died last month, the house just hasn’t felt the same- empty somehow. I'm already in love with him.

One Scrumptious Blog

2005-08-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

How can something be so wrong and taste so yummy? This is my not-so-secret guilty pleasure.

Family Under Rainbow

2005-08-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Anna is so proud that she can write her own name on her artwork. I wish I could tell you who was who in this family portrait, but I'd probably get it all wrong.

Where Does Their Loyalty Lie?

2005-08-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't exactly say I've censored myself, more like I've steered clear of controversial topics. But the simple fact that I think about controversial topics a lot says that I'm more or less holding back a portion of what's on my mind. Well, I'm making an exception to my usual unwritten rule of thumb. So be warned, you might not like what your about to read. (How's that for a teaser?)

Republicans always make a big deal about their loyalty. But what are they really loyal to? Personally, I think that when people get stuck in the mindset where disagreeing with Bush and his decisions equals not caring about the men and women in the armed forces, they are more loyal to a singe person than to the troops or their country.

So that’s why I get so annoyed by those "support our troops" bumper sticker magnet thingies. (yes, that's what they're called.) I hate to sound so cynical, but slapping a stupid magnet on the back of their car has no meaning! Mostly everyone in this country supports the troops and hopes they will return safely. People who drive around with a big magnetic banner that simply attempts to prove to everybody but the troops that they support the troops more than everybody else make me cringe.

"But I already do my part with the 'Support Our Troops' magnet I have on my Chevy Tahoe. How much more can one person give?"

In summation, you cannot advocate for something you wouldn't do yourself. So unless you are actaully going over to fight or truly looking out for the troops and their family’s best interest by not supporting leaders who unnecessarily put them in harms way, you really have no right calling yourself a supporter of the troops. A support of the presidency? A supporter of the war? Sure. But not a supporter of the men and women whose blood is on those politician's hands. I guess it all depends on your definition of support.

As "unpatriotic" as that may sound to some people, it’s what I believe. Oh I can just see the hate mail that's being sent to be now for this one! I guess it's just easer for some people to trust our president in every decision that he makes and be supportive and faithful no matter what. Ignorance really is bliss isn't it?

An Exclusive Interview with Ms. Grace

2005-08-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

For the first time she decided to share intimate details of her life with me and we are happy to print the conversation here for you:

Mommy: Grace, everybody wants to know how you maintain this great body of yours! Although rumor has it you constantly gain weight plus you snack during the night several times! How do you do it?

Ms.G: My secret is breastmilk. I love it. It's the best protein drink out there! About the gaining... I don't know what you are talking about! I look my best every day!

Mommy: Oh of course. What about beauty sleep, is that essential to your lifestyle?

Ms.G: Weeeelll... I do sleep about 12 hours every night, but it has been suggested to me I should nap as well. I don't really see the point of that. I prefer to lie down for a snack, sleep for 20 minutes and then fuss. Fussing is big on my list.

Mommy: Really? Is there anything else you like to do?

Ms.G: Oh I have lots of hobbies.

Mommy: What are those?

Ms. G: Well, I have several spots in my house I like to hang out, a vibrating chair, a swing, they all have lots of colors and make sounds now and then. I'm totally into colors right now. I also have a playmat with toys hanging above me. It's cool to look at but I'm not really sure what else to do there. I recently got a high chair and I'm currently trying it out for entertainment value. Can't say I'm really happy with it yet. I DO love my changing table though. That's the best fun you can get. Turn on some music, talk... you know.

Mommy: Wow, sounds like you are really busy.

Ms. G: Yeah, I'm usually exhausted at night.

Mommy: I can imagine. What do you do to relax?

Ms. G: I take a bath. It's great! Very relaxing plus it cleans my neck.

Mommy: How about your social life?

Ms. G: It's pretty good. I get out a lot. I go shopping or take the dog for a walk. Every week I go to the Moms' group and entertain the ladies. It's really easy. I also meet up with my friend Zoe. She's pretty cool. We hang out on her playmate. We have a lot of fun. My sister Anna also likes to ply with me. I'm not quite old enough to play some of the games she likes, but before long I'll be able to run and color and dress up.

Mommy: Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. Now you can go back to wondrously gazing at everything.

Ten Songs I'm Digging

2005-08-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Renee...

List ten songs that you are currently digging. It does not matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they are no good, but they must be songs you are really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other people to see what they are listening to.

Better Together- Jack Johnson
Sunrise- Norah Jones
Worn Me Down- Rachael Yamagata
Bleecker Street - Jonatha Brooke
Telling Stories- Tracy Chapman
River- Joni Mitchell
Basement Apt- Sarah Harmer
Breath- Anna Nalick
New Slang - The Shins
Everytime it Rains- Charlotte Martin

If anyone wants to do this on your own blog, you're welcome to.

Photos From This Weekend

2005-08-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

A Makeover Thanks to Zoot!

2005-08-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love love love the new design by the fabulously talented and generous Miss Zoot. Of course as giving as she is, I still feel like getting her a little something for the time and energy she put into this beautiful design. I really couldn’t of asked for anything more lovely. For once, I actually feel content with my blog design. Usually I’ll install a template and be hunting for a new one the very next day. Now I feel completely satisfied (no, more than satisfied) with my look. I’d be hard pressed to find anything as beautiful and personal as this. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking. So thank you Miss Zoot!

Another Nice First

2005-08-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

In other news, we had another exciting first from Grace. Yesterday, Grace woke up from a nap in our bed and started crying. I went in to pick her up and upon hearing my voice and seeing my face, she immediately stopped crying and showed me a big, open-mouth, dimpled smile. My kids have no idea how many years of my life they have healed with that one gesture.

Soon to be "Zootified!"

2005-08-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

I am walking on sunshine today! Ok, well my day didn’t exactly start out that way, but after receiving an e-mail reply from the amazingly generous and talented Miss Zoot, I feel all giddy inside. I sort of wanted it to be a pleasant surprise to my readers when at the end of August/ beginning of September they see a brand new design on the screen, but I just couldn’t keep it to myself longer than 15 minutes! Can you blame me? I mean, have you looked at her work? Plus that depressing rant post was giving me bad vibes sitting at the top of the page.

I really didn’t expect to be considered "in progress" after I sent my design request in this morning, but for being the first one to use her Questionnaire I was rewarded by being bumped up the list. (Not in front of yours of course! Yours is totally next! lol) You know what the sad part is? I actually enjoyed answering those questions! Who would of thought that something like a fabulous new blog design could make me so blissful? Well, I’m off to daydream about what my new “professional” design is going to look like…and make dinner, move the laundry along, feed the baby, check out whatever new mess Anna has in store for me and empty the dishwasher only to refill it again after dinner. It’s the little things really that make my day.

I Wasn't Always This Crazy...

2005-08-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days where I think I would make a better aunt than a mother. I’m just too soft to deal with a three-year-old. Seriously, I feel like she is the boss of me. Three seems to be the age at which kids realize they can control the outcome of things and they just go crazy with it. It just seems easier to give in too her outrageous demands sometimes. Then I feel guilty for giving in. It’s a vicious cycle.

Today Anna was throwing fits left and right. Apparently, I didn’t color my tree just the way she wanted me to while I was coloring with her. My God, it’s my tree isn’t it? Try telling that to her. With no warning she bursts into “wahhhhhhhhhhh! t-t-t-the treeeeee…..it’s it’s it’s it’s…..wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” The hell if I know what exactly it is about this damn tree drawing that pisses her off so much, I don’t even think she knows. She forgets what she’s crying about mid tantrum, which just makes her cry harder. So I “fix” the tree drawing…about 5 times! That’s right, it took 5 tree drawings to satisfy the little princess.

Then apparently I wasn’t sitting in my chair just right, so she blows up at me for that. I try to tell her calmly, “If I sit in it with you the way you want me to, I’m uncomfortable.” To which the little monster replies, “I want you to be uncomfortable!!! I want you to be uncomfortable!!! I want you to be uncomfortable!!!” I don’t know if it’s just an age thing or if she’s a control freak. So I give in and sit the way she wants me to. But not before she said "I like daddy better." I guess that means I'm out of the running for "Mommy of the Year Award" doesn't it?

I think that’s the point at which I thought I was going to loose it. I felt the tears swell up inside my eyes and I had to turn away to push them back. I seem to be saying and doing all the wrong things today and no matter what I did, nothing was right. I try to tell myself that she’s just tired, but that doesn't make her any easier to deal with.

I think sometimes I need to let myself loose it. By keeping my cool I just seem to make the situation seem like it’s no big deal. But it is a big deal to me. I don’t like my daughter ordering me around and I don’t like her talking to me that way. She needs to be reminded who is the parent and who is the child. God, I need to get a backbone!

That’s what I tell myself, but inside I feel like I just failed a test in school and I never want to go back. I feel like a horrible mother. I’m mad at myself for giving in but at the same time I’m mad at myself for the way Anna feels about me. It breaks my heart to see her crying and somehow I’ve made it feel like its my fault every time.

It use to be so much easier to make things right again. Now I have no idea how to keep her happy. So I started reading that lame You and Your Three-Year-Old or something like that to see if someone has the answer. I have a hunch there is no reason to their madness.

Happy!

2005-08-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

Adam made his first of potentially many fashion faux pas today while dressing Grace. He picked items based on comfort rather than what matched. I think Grace looks cute no matter what she has on, but looking back I have to admit the bright yellow sweatpants, blue socks and pink and white t-shirt he had on her was not the best choice (especially since she has such a nice selection of clothes). A quick change fixed this fashion mistake, but I'm afraid Adam's fashion sense is beyond help.

I'm Moving!

2005-08-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I’m not moving houses...or getting my own domain for that matter. But I did decide that I want my blog address to match my title. So in a few days I'll be changing the location of The Mommy Diary to http://www.themommydiary2.blogspot.com/. So please update your links and visit me at my new home. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Not Your Average Day at the Park

2005-08-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

We went to Adam's company picnic today. He works for a small company, but they were pretty generous with their door prizes. Once I saw that the grand prize was a huge stainless steel grill, I knew we were staying the whole five hours.

There were a few moon bounces, crafts, a mini carnival, paddleboats, lunch, beer and various team games played through out the day. Anna enjoyed herself. The adult kickball was a little sad. The players were out of breath after running to first and had to take a break to return to their beer and cigarettes. lol The food was the typical stuff you find at company picnic- hot dogs and hamburgers. My favorite part was the mister that was set up under a tent that you could visit to cool off.

Whenn it was finally time at the end of the day to draw for the door prizes, he odds of winning were pretty good. Not only was there a small group of people to begin with, but also many people had already left to go home. A man had actually handed me his ticket as he was leaving- so we had twice the chance of winning. Hey, that’s not cheating is it? I’m sure everyone else was doing it too. 32…14…09…it seemed they called out several ticket numbers before anyone still there stood up to claim the grand prize. And I bet you already know who that someone was? Yep, my husband had the winning ticket, #22. So on Monday he’ll be picking our new 729 square inches of cooking space complete with a burn, rotisserie and BBQ tool set from the office. We’re pretty excited!

Are You Feeling It?

2005-08-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is the mandatory post that must come with all major template changes. This is the post that where you can say “I love it!” or “are you crazy or just blind?” I know this is a regular occurrence here at the mommy’s diary ( It must be something in the water!) so if your not too ecstatic I understand. I admit it’s not drastically different, a new image, divider, and a color change in the frame is all that was done. I'm trying to make things look nice so visitors will be impressed and comfortable. A big thanks to Getty Images for helping me to merge my role as a stay at home mom with my status as computer junkie into a singe image. Though it is not a complete redesign, I’m picking up on a whole different vibe from my home on the web now. Is anyone else feeling it too?

Fresh Baked Bread

2005-08-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

I usually make bread once a week, and the product of yesterday’s efforts is two loaves of honey whole wheat. The fluorescent light used helped to give the bread a warm golden color. It turned out much better than the loaf before that. I think I kneaded it better, and punched it better, and smiled at it more. I've learned that bread is a fickle mistress; you have to court it and woo it for before it will give back what you've put into it. lol Though the aroma of freshly baked bread does rates as one of the most wonderful fragrances in the world. The smell always instantly brings back memories of when I was a child and my mother use to bake bread - that's all I would eat at one point- and do other "crunchy" things for me.

Another Morning

2005-08-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

This morning Grace was up with the roosters with no signs of returning to sleep. Instead, she was ready to play and be cuddled. How can you blame a face like that for lost sleep?

I probably would have been in a better mood today if I had gotten to eat my lunch I made for myself. Let me explain. I was watching a good friend and neighbor of mine's dog for the afternoon. I know this is not the best-behaved dog, but Judy is such a wonderful friend of mine that I love to help her out when I can.

However, I always seem to underestimate what this dog is capable of when food is involved. But not being use to this kind of behavior, I made myself a sandwich from the fresh baked bread I just toke out of the oven, some herb roasted turkey, cheese and spicy deli mustard- and then left it on the dinning room table to go to the bathroom.

When I emerged not 30 seconds later, my entire sandwich had disappeared off the napkin- not a crumb left. If I didn't know this damn dog was know for jumping up onto the table and taking food, I would of thought it grew legs and walked away. I thought, "Oh great, not only did the dog eat my sandwich but now I have the aftermath of a dog ingesting spicy mustard to look forward to!" What is it with people putting up with ill-mannered animals? So I was pretty pissed and too busy to make another sandwich. Before I knew it, I was chasing after the munchkin and tending to the baby- with no time to eat.

Master Bedroom Complete

2005-07-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

I didn't mention a lot about redecorating our bedroom on my blog-mainly because just the thought of it made my head spin. For the sake of keeping my blog a place to escape my hectic life, I decided to wait until the majority of work was done. For a while there it felt like it would never be done. My style can best be described as earthy, modern, fresh, sophisticated and casual with a bit of a feminine touch.

I think I kept the bathroom simple and calming- like what both of our tastes are geared towards. Nothing is too fussy or over the top with detail. The double sinks were a big plus. :) And the feminine touch comes in with this periwinkle- I don't think Adam minds.

I think the master bedroom is a relaxing and comfortable place. I really love the sage green accent color in the pillows and blanket at the foot of the bed. I know the tea table and the floral duvet cover are a little on the feminine side (ok, a lot), but I'm the women so I get to make those decisions.

So without further ado, here it is, my new master sweet…

Spoon Full of Sugar

2005-07-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

Grace got her first shot -- a hepatitis B vaccine -- at her one-month doctor appointment. Okay, so maybe she got a shot or two in the hospital but now she was completely in our care. This simple detail is a big difference, because I was now bringing Grace to a place where she would receive something that would arouse unhappy emotions.

I think Grace was on to my master plan because she was extremely uneasy in the waiting room. Since she generally doesn't cry or fuss too much, this was very much unlike her usual manner. Perhaps she could smell my fear. I tried to settle her down by holding her and walking her around the room. It helped a little but not much.I think now might be a good time to mention that I couldn't even look while Grace got her shot. Of course I didn't get off the hook completely in. I had another role in all of this -- the nurturer (a/k/a good cop). I was the luckier one in this plan of pain. I nursed Grace right after her shot to soothe her suffering and distress. Essentially, I was the spoon full of sugar that made the medicine go down.

Needless to say, my little plan didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. Anna was not a happy camper for having to wait around all morning while the doctor was running late. There are a few kiddy toys in the waiting room of the “well kids” designated area, but Anna soon lost interest in them and set her sights on the basket of lollipops. By the time I was done nursing, the shot was a distant memory and our little Gracie was ready for her late afternoon nap.

In other health news, the pediatrician said Grace is doing very well. She weighed in at 8 lbs., 12 oz. and measured 22 inches. Although she gained an inch this past month, she still hasn't quite reached her birth weight. The doctor didn't appear to be concerned though at all. We may not win Parents Of The Year but at least our kid is still normal. :-)

Next month Grace gets four shots, two in each leg. I hope I have enough time to prepare for this emotionally. What am I going to do when she gets old enough to really know what's going on? I've heard the screams...and I mean screams...of the older children getting shots in the other examination rooms. I don't like it one bit. Adam and I better start working on "Operation: ToysRUs" now.

Once the doctor’s visit was over, I toke the girls to a local nature center/ park to eat a picnic lunch at. Once the doctor’s office drama was over, it was a good day

Dancing Machine

2005-07-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Meet John Roberts III Dancing Machine:

On the evening of July 19th, the President's announced John Robert as his nomination to the Supreme Court. John Jr. however appears to be losing the case of Family vs. Ritalin, prompting Roberts' wife Jane to take the kids off the stage. The dance party also prompted President Bush to "smirk" a bit during the announcement. So the next time you make fun of President Bush for appearing so dense and clueless during his speeches, keep in mind it's because little dancing John ia always there distracting him! The kid loves to dance! If I were his mom, I’d frame this picture and put it on my wall. It's a true "Kodak moment. Look at her face; she looks mortified! I feel for her. I'd be laughing my butt off though!

An Unexpected Haircut

2005-07-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is mainly a vent so be warned my sneaky little 3-year-old decided to take our little game of beauty salon too far. I wasn’t too worried about her ditching the sparkly hairclips and Barbie brushes for some authentic tools of the trade. But this isn’t the first time I’ve underestimated what my daughter is capable of.

The other day she asked me if she could get a haircut. I said sure, and then promptly forgot. She asked me again this morning. I was in the middle of something and I think I nodded.

Bad mom.

The next thing I know while I was preparing the hardest part of dinner, she’s standing in front of me, smiling, proud as hell. She’d given herself a haircut. Yep, she cut the bangs that were bugging her. Just on the left side though, because the right side, you see, wasn’t in her way. At first I was a little annoyed that she broke the golden rule of bladed objects, which she is WELL aware of. She loves the look though. And it wasn’t so bad once we got it fixed. I tell you one thing; I’m sleeping with a hat on tonight! Not that she’d be able to cut it much shorter than it already is.

I am going to try not to cry.

Frothy Goodness

2005-07-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I have a problem. It’s taken me a while to admit it, but now I’m finally owning up to it. It began when I met all of the cool kids who did it- it looked like fun. I started out small- a little here and there- but I was always in control. I never thought it would reach this point where I needed to do it every week. If you take a look around, you probably already know what I’m talking about. I can’t stop skinning my site! Help! Ok, so maybe it’s not that serious. What did you expect me to say? And so I bring you "Frothy Goodness"- the product of my somewhat healthy obsession with blog design. After several days of tweaking it here and there I think I am finally satisfied with it. I was inspired by a cute design from Beccary (you should check her blogger templates out) and made some pretty significant alteration with a Getty's image and some mouse drawn graphics. Pretty cute eh? If anyone needs some help with a new look for their blogger blog, drop me a line and I'll see if I can help you out. I'm pretty sure I have a mental catalog of every freakin linkware set under the sun- as well as some great free background and image sources to do that little extra personalizing.

Baby Babble and Toddler Talk

2005-07-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Adam and I have been more adventurous in taking Grace out of the house. We've been running some errands and stopping into restaurants to eat with Anna and Grace. For the last few weeks I've really been 'stuck' in the house so getting out has been very refreshing. Our biggest worry has been how Grace will be in the "outside" world, but the "trick" has been to feed her prior to leaving the house and then getting as much accomplished in the 2-3 hour window as possible :)

Also, I tried out the Mozart-CD for babies I got as a gift. You wouldn't believe the reaction, she loved it. We listened to it, the whole 60 minutes, only to be interrupted by some annoying gas-pain, but that went away. We still liked the Mozart though. :)

Grace has her first set of shots on Friday. While any pain might be short-lived, Grace cries will definitely wrench at our hearts. Keep your fingers crossed that this visit goes as smoothly as possible.

On another note, what’s all the commotion about the Terrible Twos? There’s a bit of hitting, a lot of saying “No!” and a long time spent waiting for them to put their shoes on the wrong feet. But otherwise it’s a wonderful age. Anna puttered through the Terrible Twos without too much disaster, and then ran right into a major milestone. The milestone said: “You Are Three. No More Ms. Nice Baby.” She slams doors, refuses to clean up her toys or go to bed, screams at me on the phone and throws temper tantrums left and right. What's a mom to do?

Make Yourself at Home

2005-07-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

I'm still around, I promise! I just needed a chance to get caught up with everything and now I can update. I just wish I had more to update you on!

I took Anna to the doctor for her 3-year-old check. They had her do coordination tests and they watch and see if she walks properly. And then the doctor said, "Anna, can you stand on one foot for me?" And she walked over and stood on his foot! I had to fight back the urge to burst out laughing (something I'm not very good at controlling) to pick Anna up off the nice doctor's foot.

So how did everyone's day go? Don't be shy, come on in and make yourselves at home while I serve the drinks. I think we might have some fruit snacks and peanut butter puffs cereal in the kitchen...

Stop the Cover-Up

2005-07-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

President Bush today appeared to raise the threshold for firing any White House official who leaked the identity of a covert CIA agent, saying he would dismiss anyone who "committed a crime" in the case.
...As an investigation by a special prosecutor has continued, a lawyer for Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove has acknowledged that Rove told a Time magazine reporter that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. But the attorney has insisted that Rove, one of Bush's top advisers and a chief political strategist, did not mention Plame by name.

Bush, keep your earlier promise to fire anyone who helped (not just convicted) leak undercover agent Valerie Plame's name to the press. Fire Karl Rove. Karl Rove- Oh yeah, he's a man who compromised national security, putting lives of American agents in jeopardy. Wait, I forgot a word there. What was it? Oh, I remember! Allegedly.

Rove has kept his nose buried up the ass of the nearest Bush for the past decade.He maintained a close friendship with the future president Junior. In a high point of Time Magazine's history of powerful journalistic coverage, a 2001 report discovered that George W. Bush's pet name for Rove is "Turd Blossom." No, really. Rove helped Bush Jr. make over himself from rich-dilettante wastrel into rich-dilettante-wastrel-with-power in 1994, acting as his political adviser in his victorious run for Texas governor. According to ABC News, more than half of the campaign's nearly $1 million budget went to Rove. Bearing in mind the challenge of making Bush look good, the sum was perhaps not out of line.

First, Rove and his buddy had to beat off a surprise primary challenge from charismatic war hero John McCain, whose sacrifices in a military prison camp in Vietnam looked all the more remarkable against Bush's no-show National Guard travesty. Rove conducted a whisper-campaign to spread sleaze, pushing ridiculous allegations; such as that McCain was a stoolie while incarcerated in Vietnam. Rove was reputedly the brains behind a sleazy e-mail forward that alleged McCain had fathered an illegitimate black daughter, a lie that was "proven" by actual pictures of McCain with his black daughter, whom he had actually adopted. Obviously, McCain should have been drinking and snorting coke throughout the '70s, rather than serving his country, enduring torture and adopting children. Bush trampled the challenger cleverly, and moved on to the general election, where he faced Vice President Al Gore.

You all remember Florida. I won't beat it to death again here. Karl Rove's role in Florida was "damage control," and there was a lot of damage to control. Rove's basic public tactic consisted of "we won, so leave us alone." Voting irregularities, mandated recounts -- these things were finer points, bureaucracy, Democratic dirty tricks. "We won" was the message of the day.

In July 2003, archconservative Robert Novak reported that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent, blowing her cover and endangering her life, not to mention national security. (Strangely, no one has gone after Novak over this issue.) Wilson and his wife didn't take this lying down. They came out swinging. Wilson accused Rove of being the source for the leak that endangered his wife's life and ruined her career. "The outing of my wife was obviously a political or communications move. The head of the political operation is Karl Rove," Wilson told reporters.
In late September, the Justice Department initiated a full criminal investigation into the leak, which is an aggravated felony liable to be punished by up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine (which actually seems a little low for treasonous action and political threats designed to silence political opponent and whistle blowing). The White House has declined to speculate on the source of the leak. Not only has it refused it speculate, it's actually refused to be bothered by it. Despite widespread outrage, the White House refused to launch an internal investigation of the leak, with a Bush flak saying that it was "ridiculous" to suggest Rove was involved, and that "there has been absolutely nothing brought to our attention to suggest any White House involvement." I guess they don't get CNN on the cable system there.
Naturally, the idea of the Bush Justice Department investigating a Bush political operative doesn't delight Democrats, who have already called for an independent counsel investigation. In the meantime, just remember: don't cross Karl Rove. Whoops! I just did!

Oh, and this was just to funny not to share:
ILoveKarlRove.com
What is this all about?!

Wanted: Sleep

2005-07-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Well, the little girl is growing and I can feel it. We are sort of settling into an unpredictable routine at night - which means she will probably fall asleep sometime between 10 and 11pm and then wake up every 2-3 hours for a 30-60 minute feeding and/or fuss-period. Now it all depends when this starts - and according to that I will get either about 4-5 hours of sleep or 5-6. I'm not going to lie, I don't like that part, but then again even when I'm really really, I mean, really tired and I just want to tell her "sleep already!" - she gives me those funny faces and the sad crying. I'd still like to sleep but somehow the need to see her happy exceeds the need for sleep.

Possibly the hardest thing about breastfeeding, which also happens to be the hardest thing about new parenthood, is nighttime when her sleep schedule often gets in the way of the agenda of my breasts and sleep. And I really can't roll over and tell Adam to go feed the baby. All the baby books tell you that breastfeeding is easy. I decided many years ago that when I eventually had kids I would try to breastfeed them. My mother breast-fed me until I was 22 months, by then I could actually ask to be feed. When a child is old enough to walk up and ask you to whip our your boob, it might be time for a change. Of course this embarrassing little known fact about my childhood was brought up by my mother numerous times. I didn't need to be convinced that "breast was best." Much of the writing on breastfeeding is annoyingly fixated. It seemed that every time I picked up a baby book during my first pregnancy, I had to read through whole chapters dedicated to convincing you that women who formula feed their baby were going straight to hell! Besides the sleep deprivation and the piercing pain in my nipples, I really am enjoying this whole mother-baby-attachment thing all over again.

She has also started to have longer alert phases... she loves to lie on her changing pad and look around. Sometimes I even get a smile - quite purposely directed at me or her big sis or daddy. If something is really interesting she starts waving her arms up and down and opens her eyes really wide and purses her lips - as if she's about to say something. So cute. I can't wait until she starts talking. It will be a riot. Anna loves to sing songs to her, like she did when Grace was in the womb. She'll ask all sorts of questions about why babies do the things they do. While Anna is still getting use to sharing our attention, I can tell she really likes helping out with the baby and being a big sister.

Being a Mom

2005-07-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I just recently discovered that "mommy blogs" are somewhat resented in the blogosphere. I'm not sure why some people are downplaying the importance of what we do. Maybe it's because before we have kids, we think that knowing how to be a good parent and having the right answers just come naturally. But we soon learn better. I'm going to venture boldly into this arena and say what I believe with all my heart.

A lot is expected of moms today. Well-adjusted kids don't just happen. Developing their hearts and spirits must be the main thing, the central focus of our efforts. Well-adjusted kids come from families in which mothering is seen as a complex, beautiful challenge worthy of everything Mom can give to it. Mothering shapes lives and attitudes, one way or another.

I'm not saying that I haven't changed since having kids. Before I was a mom I had unstained clothing, I slept as late as I wanted and had quiet conversations on the phone. But before I was a mom I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin, I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep, I never knew that I could love someone so much or know that something so small could make me feel so important. So no, I'm not that same person I was before I had kids and I'm not going to pretend like I am. But the sacrifices I made seem so trivial when I look at all that I've gained and all that I've learned about myself by becoming a mother. I didn't become a stay at home mom to fulfill some sort of Leave it to Beaver trip back to the '50s fantasy. I truly believe that it was my choice, not my husband's or society's. I did it because I love it and some days I'm even good at it. So I don't understand why others assume that we as stay-at-home-moms are miserable, unhappy, and incomplete people.

While being a mother is a large part of who I am, it is not the only aspect of my identity. It's not fair to presume that you know everything there is to know about a writer merely because you read their weblog. I know that a mom's diary will not interested a lot of people, and I'm fine with that. If my goal were to attract traffic, I'd write a blog where I talk trash about people I don't even know. If you don’t know what I'm talking about, just read this. Since when did being offensive and rude to other people become a respectable way to attract traffic to your blog? I really don't appreciate people making snide remarks about what I do just because they can't think of another way to get people to read their blog.

I wont speak for all mothers here; I know that just like in all blog categories, there are some wacky people out there who don't represent the majority. I don't think it's fair to assume that all mommy blogs are the same. In a way, I think that those bloggers claiming to be such feminist while putting other women down are the ones spreading this stereotypical idea that all stay-at-home-moms aspires to be the next Martha Stewart meets Stepford wife. And anyone who toke the time to read a mommy blog would know that that's just not true.

One Wild Party!

2005-07-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

When there's a birthday coming and the little natives are restless, turn 'em loose in the jungle! Anna's birthday party is tomorrow. I think I'm in a wee bit over my head. Anna love animals and adventures, so her party is having a jungle theme. I'm going to try to make a Tiger Cake for the "jungle jamboree" this afternoon. I've been really busy this week planning the party and inviting the 10 children, along with a few adult guests. That's right- 10 little kids running around to entertain. And yes, I am certifiably insane. But I have high hopes for this party.

For decorations, I'm hanging green streamers from the ceiling, and then cutting leaf shapes from green construction paper to tape onto the streamers. I've gathered stuffed animals and plastic frogs to place around the room and tables. I bought a few face-painting kits to put animal faces on the kids. The paintings will be simple- white and black stripes for a zebra or an orange face with whiskers and stripes for a tiger. I also bought several small plastic jungle animal figures to hide throughout the room, and then I'm going to let the kids hunt around for them. We're going to play a jungle version of duck-duck-goose. And finally, the kids are going to have an animal parade to music while following a paw print trail. The little guests will also get a jungle survival kit with animal crackers, animal-shaped fruit gummies, a pair of toy binoculars and an animal coloring book with crayons.

So you can understand why my head is spinning right now? It doesn't help that I woke up with what I think is a cold- then again it could be allergies. What parents wants to hand their kids off to a sick women for the afternoon? Wish me luck; I'm off to bake that darn cake! Something tells me it's going to give me a hard time...

(I really hope she is grateful for all the work I did for her birthday parties when she's old enough to appreciate it!)

What's the Matter With Kansas?

2005-07-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love the feeling of opening up a new read- especially when within it's pages you find wit and acuity? That's exactly how I feel about my latest page-turner, What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America. I know, I know, not the most exciting read to most people. But last night I could help but rapidly mark page after page of great quotes to share on my blog. I definitely don't recommend reading this before bead- political analysis always make me so restless.

"From the air-conditioned heights of a suburban office complex this may look like a new age of reason, with the Web sites singing each to each, with a mall down the way that every week has miraculously anticipated our subtly shifting tastes, with a global economy whose rich rewards just keep flowing, and with a long parade of rust-free Infinitis purring down the streets of beautifully manicured planned communities. But on closer inspection the country seems more like a panorama of madness and delusion worthy Hieronymous Bosch: of sturdy blue-collar patriots reciting the Pledge while they stangle their own life chances; of small farmers proudly voting themselves off the land; of devouted family men carefully seeing to it that their children will never be able to afford college or proper health care; of working-class guys in Midwestern cities whose policies will end their way of life, will transform their region into a "rust belt," will strike people like them blows from which they will never recover."

-Thomas Frank, What's the Matter with Kansas?

Baby's First Smile

2005-07-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

We finally got a first toothless grin from our baby Grace. Of course we had seen Grace smile in her sleep as her brain worked all of her muscles and reflexes, but this was the first time we could discern a true smile while Grace was awake and interacting with us. And, it wasn't a gassy grimace or bowel movement moment. Unfortunately we weren't ready with the digital camera, but we'll be sure to try to catch it next time. We can't wait to see more and more of Grace's smiles as the weeks, months and years unfold.

Grace was officially 2 weeks old yesterday, and with each day that passes our lives and schedules become a little more regular. As we get a better grasp on our new situation, we also get the opportunity to slowly introduce Grace to each of her new toys. Maybe it's because she's too young or has such a short attention span, but until today nothing had made a great impression on her. I think, though, this was the day that we finally hit it! This afternoon Grace tried out her Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing and was quickly lulled into a light napping state. And this was without even turning on the music, overhead mobile, or fancy water globe light. It will be interesting to see if this baby-soothing device can work its magic once Grace is in the midst of a fussy spell.

London

2005-07-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, July 7th, I was awoken by the awful news of the London bombings on my clock radio. As the details unfolded, we learned that 49 were killed and 700 were injured. The blasts were so powerful that none of the 49 known dead has yet been identified. This has been the worst attack on London since the Second World War. Meanwhile, an Islamic Web site, Al-Qal'ah, reported a message form a group calling itself "The Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe." This group has apparently claimed responsibility for these attacks and has said that London was targeted since it is deeply involved Iraq and Afghanistan. The statement's authenticity could not be verified. I stare at the TV and wonder, "Why is this happening? Why would anyone want to murder innocent strangers? What are we as a society doing to breed such hateful and power-hungry people?" You would think that we as human beings have enough problems on our hands with the environment, disease, hunger and natural disasters to be destroying ourselves. This to me is just a reminder of how out of control this world has become. Why are they waging war for no reason against people they don't even know? My heart just can't comprehend it.

I grieve for the many people around the world who were so cruelly taken from their families and friends. I am so thankful that I live in a place where my family and I are safe. I hope that in the future we will learn to make this world a safer place for all of our brothers and sisters.

I'm not sure why the media choose to cover this particular bombing out of all the hundreds of innocent lives lost during this war at the hands of terrorist. Sadly, the news of yet another bombing in the Middle East has because too much a part of our daily lives. We are becoming numb to pain of death because we have been hit with it for so long now. We are forgetting about (or maybe just being shown less of) those who are affected every day by this violence.

In times like this, I'm grateful that I have my own place in the world where I feel safe with my friends and family. In my little nook, I can escape the chaos and turmoil the world has gotten itself into and surround myself with the things that make me appreciate my relatively simple life. I can toy in the garden, fiddle with my scrapbook project and play with my children.

However, it's important not to get too isolated in your neck of the woods that you don't see the suffering of others less fortunate than you. It's the little things that I do to give back to the community that make me feel a little less insignificant and overwhelmed by the troubles in the world. It gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I'm doing a little something to make this world a better place. In the last few weeks I've gotten the chance to make sandwiches for the homeless, bake dog treats to donate to the animal shelter, make beaded bracelets with messages spelled out on them for sick children at the hospital and pot plants to give to senor citizens at the nursing home. Helping others always restores my faith in humanity. Remind yourself of the good, no matter how small, that you can do for other people. It's an easy way help overcome the evil in the world.

Guilty

2005-07-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

If, as you live your life, you find yourself mentally composing blog entries about it, post this exact same sentence in your weblog.

via Maya's Meanderings

Grace's Life

2005-07-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm the mommy, so I'm supposed to be able to give you the complete rundown of what Grace's life is like, yet, as the books say, her and my life seem to still be undistinguishable. It's "our" life. The womb attachment is gone, but we are still one in a way. If she is not attached to my breast, then... hm, the rest of the time seems like a blur. She is nursing most of the day. Sometimes she sleeps. Sometimes for as long as 4 hours at a time even. I would describe our day but there is no schedule and I don't recall particular times and hours. There is night and day and there is nursing and not nursing. It's still amazing to look at this little person and try to comprehend where she came from and what happened. I’m still just appreciating the idea that I am attached to my daughters forever. I'm not complaining. She's doing great - and I feel like my most important job will still be to just watch and be astounded.

Am I the Only One.....

2005-07-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

...Who flushes the toilet with her foot in public bathrooms?

...who talks to pets and babies like they're grown up people who can understand as clear as day what she's saying?

...who was busy planning her wedding and future family when she was 13-year-old?

...who loves to watch thunderstorms from her front porch at night?

...who likes to mix her fruits and vegetables in the same sandwich bag?

I'd love to hear you guys share a few silly and wacky facts about yourself. And stop by Petroville while your at it to read more unusual facts about fellow bloggers!

100 Things About Me

2005-07-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

1. I'm fairly tall.
2. I have been happily married for 5 years.
3. I love to scrapbook.
4. I love to cook, but hate the clean-up.
5. My grandmother made the best mashed potatoes.
6. I have two children named Anna and Grace.
7. I like short and simple names for my kids.
8. I have never been to Disney World.
9. I love roller coasters.
10. I am the oldest child.
11. I love both tea and coffee.
12. My favorite holiday is Christmas, but I'm not very religious.
13. I am a Sagittarius.
14. I hate Diet Coke.
15. I love snapples ice tea.
16. I love sushi and Mexican food (not together though).
17. I like to garden.
18. I need a lot of me time, that's one of the reasons I love to blog.
19. My parents have very different taste in music, and I like both.
20. I volunteered a lot when I had more free time.
21. I loved to baby-sit when I was a teenager.
22. I was a straight A student. I used to tutor.
23. I had a natural labor with my daughter Anna. But I had to have an epidural with Grace, even though we trained for another natural delivery.
24. Like my mother did with me, I breastfeed, use cloth diapers and make my own baby food.
25. I've been a liberal democrat as long as I can remember.
26. Civics/Government was my favorite subject in school.
27. I was on the debate team and newspaper staff in high school.
28. I love guacamole.
29. I love going to parties. I don't really like to host them.
30. I've always been a social butterfly and get along with most everyone well.
31. I love watching scary movies.
32. I love living near the city, but would never live in it.
33. I hate chewing gum.
34. I don't like being early.
35. It takes a lot to make me angry. I get along with people well.
36. I love watching storms.
37. I hate McDonalds.
38. I love swimming in the ocean.
39. Both of my children were planned pregnancies.
40. My daughter Anna looks just like me, we're not sure who Grace looks like yet.
41. I have strawberry blonde hair.
42. I have a brother who is 5 years younger than me.
43. I like to talk...sometimes too much.
44. My daughter Grace was born a week early, but healthy.
45. I love dark chocolate.
46. I never had braces.
47. I love babies.
48. I like to camp.
49. I went rock climbing for the first time when I was 14.
50. I like my friends a little eccentric
51. I like to decorate my home.
52. I try to listen to my heart.
53. I'm an HGTV junkie.
54. I'm very self-motivated.
55. I love looking for new blogger templates.
56. I have been blogging for a little over three months.
57. I’m a practitioner of sixth sensory living.
58. I believe in a Creator, our spirit guides, and our angelic assistants, who guide us in our path and purpose.
59. I try to live a meaningful, secure, and balanced life.
60. I believe we are far more conscious and capable on a soul level than we have been taught to believe, or have dared to express.
61. I do my best to trust my vibes.
62. I've always wanted to be a mother.
63. I'm a stay at home mom.
64. I toke Spanish in middle and high school.
65. I love being home alone.
66. I love blinkies, but I'm very particular about the ones I use on this blog.
67. I love my online friends!
68. I don't like country music.
69. I love to dance.
70. I can't sing.
71. I acted in high school.
72. I smile a lot and have been told my people that I'm cheerful all the time.
73. Obviously these people don't know me all that well.
74. I have a dog named Savannah.
75. I hate fake grape flavor.
76. I love pasta.
77. I love Jolly Ranchers.
78. I love english toffee.
79. I have brown eyes.
80. I love fresh fruit.
81. My children's middle names have special meaning. Louise after my grandmother and favorite aunt and Leah after my best friend.
82. I'm really not sure if I'm finished having kids.
83. I like to shop, but not with kids.
84. I took all AP and honors classes in high school.
85. I was on the swim team as a kid and teenager, but I'm not very competitive at all.
86. I don't really like team sports for that reason. I do like sports though where I'm pushing myself.
87. I'm in love with the show Gilmore Girls and make Adam watch it with me.
88. I make a lot of typos.
89. I'm an awful speller on top of that.
90. I have to spell check everything.
91. I wanted to be a teacher like my grandmother when I was young.
92. I set up my own classroom in the basement with an imaginary class when I was like seven.
93. I always feel older than my age and have been told that I act very sophisticated. Then I laugh.
94. I'm terrified of rejection.
95. I prefer slip on shoes.
96. I love compliments, but have to remind myself to give them to other people more often.
97. My favorite Bath and Body Works scent is sun-ripened raspberry.
98. I am a perfectionist.
99. I love The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books.
100. It toke me way too long to finish this!

Happy 1-Week-Old Day Grace!

2005-07-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Is it any wonder why I have to restrain myself from smothering her with kisses every second?

Baby Grace's Debut

2005-07-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Before I start - I want you to know that I have the most amazing husband in the world. I could not have asked for anyone better to experience this with! I also want to thank everyone who e-mailed or left a comment to me about how we were doing during and to let us know that you were thinking of our family.
I will try to stick to the facts here, although I must say that I still feel as if I am under some sort of "shock" about the whole experience. Birth is usually not an event one goes through without being deeply moved in some way but then again it went beyond anything I could've imagined or anybody could've prepared me for. Regarding pain.. yes, it was the most excruciating pain I have ever felt or ever been through. It did bring me to the edge - if there really is one, because it felt like the agony would never stop. And although I must admit that in the midst of the worst I wasn't having any sacrificing or noble thoughts about my baby or the miracle that was about the happen, looking back I realize that labor and birth truly cannot be compared to any kind of other pain that does not involve bringing a life into this world and that my energy was "spiritual" in a way.
Today is the 4th day of her life and the 4th day "after" for me. I still have a hard time combining the two events... her birth and "my birth". Thinking of it, I get tears in my eyes and have no clue if it's because of the joy about meeting her or because of the pain I still can't believe I went through.
Ok, I'll start: She was born on June 28, 2005 at 3 a.m. of a Tuesday after about 45 hours of labor total. I woke up on Sunday morning, 26 of June at 5.30 with my water breaking. It didn't come out in a big gush but rather several small ones. My contractions started too but they were very mild and very far apart. We had breakfast and a nice morning – Adam didn't go to work. The contractions got continuously stronger and when we started watching a movie around 2 in the afternoon I realized that I wasn't really enjoying it anymore because the pain was getting stronger and more frequent. So we decided to go to the hospital at about 5 p.m. on Sunday after dropping Anna off at her grandparent’s. They checked me when I arrived and I was at 3 cm and about 60% effaced. Right on track! I continued to labor through the night using the Bradley relaxation techniques we learned. Since the contractions had really picked up, we didn't really get much sleep - it was just too painful to sleep through the pain. They checked me again at 4 or 5 a.m. and I had moved up to 6 cm. I was VERY happy and relieved - thinking I would soon be pushing.
Well... at 7 a.m. I was still at 6cm. The doctor called and said, since it had been over 24 hours since my water broke, I should make some kind of progress in the next two hours because she was getting worried about the baby (whose heart rate was still perfect by the way). I could either dilate more, the baby could drop more or I could efface more. At 9 a.m. the baby had dropped two stations! We were so happy. I was still at 6 cm though. I kept laboring but I could feel my energy disappearing... I hadn't eaten since noon the day before and I had barely slept. By 11 I hadn't progressed at all. Now we asked to be given another 2 hours to try to move the baby down naturally. I knew this was my last chance because I felt that I had no strength to labor longer than that on my own anymore. It was so tough...Adam and I walked the halls and I squatted through contractions - which made them even more painful but I just wanted this birth to be intervention-free SO badly.
Well, nature had a different idea. At 1.30 pm I was still at 6 and we decided to have an epidural after doctor's advice. It was disappointing and sad for us... we had prepared very well for a natural birth and we were such a good team. Although I was absolutely sure of my decision to have an epidural, Adam and I still cried as they administered it. It was just so overwhelming. After 30 hours of natural labor it seemed we had gotten nowhere. Looking back I know though that it was the right decision to labor naturally for so long - it helped me to stay focused and in control until the end.
When I got the epidural we both took a long nap. The idea was that because of me relaxing, my uterus could do its work better and dilate. Well - again, that didn't happen. After 2-3 hours I got my first dose of pitocin. They checked me at about 7 and I was still at 6 cm. We were getting desperate... the doctor mentioned c-section and we were devastated. This was NOT what we had expected at all. Since the baby's heart rate was still excellent though, the doctor suggested placing an internal contraction monitor and seeing if my contractions were effective. Well, they were not - not surprisingly my uterus was not at its best after 30 hours of contractions. They upped the pitocin dose and two hours later I went to 7-8 cm and another hour later to 9!!! We were SO happy!!! Actually I don't know who was more happy, the doctor or me! An hour after that I was ready to push. With the epidural still going though, I wasn't too good at it and they shut it off. I started feeling real pushing contractions and that was NOT fun! I started pushing at 11.30 pm on Monday. After half an hour of no progress they suggested I rested. So I did and in the meantime they gave me some pitocin as well...actually at first without telling me - thinking it would scare me. And it did. But by the time I realized those were not just my contractions, there was no way back. I had to push with the accelerated pitocin contractions. I pushed for 3 hours until the baby came.
I'm still scared thinking about it - it was beyond painful. I felt trapped, there was no way out, I had to go through it but I felt like I had 0 physical nor mental energy anymore. All I wanted was for everything to stop! I remember yelling at the nurses and Adam: Take this baby out!!!!! NOOOOOOW! They kept encouraging me that I was doing great but I thought they were out of their minds. In my almost delirious state I thought I needed to explain to them how much it hurt and how I could not push anymore, not one more time... I remember thinking how mean all these people were... here I am lying on my back in excruciating pain and nobody is helping! I suppose there is no way to describe this situation. I still go back thinking about it and trying to process the sensation.
Once the baby's head started showing suddenly its heart rate started dropping (for the first time since labor started!) after each push. The doctor got worried and decided to use the vacuum extractor - which at this point was fine with me because I would've asked her to pull the baby out of me with her bare hands! My beautiful daughter was born at 2.47 a.m. on Tuesday. When I saw her I just started screaming... I don't know if I was more relieved or shocked or happy. They placed her on my belly and Adam cut the cord. We were amazed... we could've never imagined she would be so beautiful. We just couldn't believe any of it.
The rest of the night is still somewhat of a blur to me... as is the following day. I realize now that because of the traumatic labor my energy for bonding with Grace was very affected. Unfortunately the shock of labor and birth were just too strong. Then on Wednesday I remember spending several hours alone with her... and it kind of struck me: this is my daughter!!! I hugged her and hugged her and just cried. I guess it would be easy just to say how it was all worth it. Of course it was, although I think it will take me some more time to understand what happened and how and why. What I know for sure though, is that it all went exactly how it was supposed to be. I don't want to go through that pain again if I don't have to - but then again it's one of those things in life you don't "choose", they choose you and there is no other option than giving 100%. THAT I'm ready to do again in a heartbeat.

You can visit our Family Album to see more pictures of Grace!

Five Tips for a Woman's Happy Life

2005-06-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.
2. It is important that a man makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man you can count on and doesn't lie to you.
4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.
5. It is important that these four men don't know each other.

An Update On My Pregnancy

2005-06-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks for asking how I'm feeling Renee. I guess I'd better write an update so that everyone who reads this journal will know that everything is okay!! ;) I might be having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions, but I think I am getting so used to them that I don't really notice them so much. At the appointment the baby was not posterior anymore! Baby's back was facing forward instead of to my back. I guess the pelvic tilts worked to help baby change position. I feel sooooooo big. I waddle. Sometimes I find it so hard to walk. My pelvic area is quite sore when I walk or change positions in bed. I have to go to the bathroom an awful lot. My first baby was early. This one is due in a little over two weeks. Sigh....... It's so hard to wait. But I will... I was *really* achy this morning, but am feeling pretty normal right now. I want to get lots of cleaning done! I know I should sleep more instead of clean, but I feel so useless doing nothing;)

Hoping baby comes early, but starting to feel like baby will come late
Having a hard time getting comfortable in bed
Have to go to bathroom a couple times a night
Nipples sore/sensitive
I have not worn a bra for a while now; much too uncomfortable... none of mine fit right
now!
Get tired easily
Feel breathless sometimes
A bit more puffy in the ankles and fingers than I have been all pregnancy
Heartburn
Waddle when I walk
I feel sooooo big.

Pretty Aprons

2005-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

Anthropologie always has such wonderful things!

Happy Father's Day

2005-06-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

My husband and I discovered a side of us we never knew was there until we had Anna. Adam is so affectionate and loving with Anna that it makes my heart burst with admiration and love for my husband. I'm so blessed to share this wonderful experience of being parents with you- my best friend and love of my life. Happy Father's Day Honey!

How did I become such a granola mother?

2005-06-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

How, you may ask, did I become such a granola mother? Well, that depends on your explanation of granola. You'd actually see that I'm pretty normal at first glance- I shave, I'm well groomed, wear fashionable clothes (well I try), etcetera. I’m really more eccentric in an enlightening and fun-loving sort of way. I’m very fortunate to have discovered this style of mothering and give most of the credit to my own mother for teaching me to mother in this way. It was actually breastfeeding that started me down the long slippery slope to granoladom. My oldest daughter was in the NICU on a respirator for 9 days before I could even try to nurse her. Boy that was a challenge! With the encouragement and advice of my mother and a great lactation consultant Anna eventually learned to breastfeed. (A baby has to learn if he doesn't use her sucking reflex right away.) I had to stick to my guns against some very bad advice from NICU nurses who in essence thought I should give up and just bottle feed her because she was having such a hard time learning to breastfeed. That was where I experienced my first resistance to my mothering decisions. In encountering that first resistance I learned several things: evaluate carefully the vast amounts of conflicting parenting information that's out there, choose your advisors wisely, and listen to your gut! Well, breastfeeding led to co-sleeping, which led to my discovery of "attachment parenting" which led to a host of other granola mom practices.

My older daughter is 2 years old. I'm now expecting a newborn baby and am married to the most wonderful, supportive man in the world. I have to admit, I'm falling even deeper into granoladom with this child. The parenting decisions we've made have led to an incredibly fulfilling, intimate and peaceful family life.
At this point I would like to make clear a belief I have about natural mothering- natural mothering isn't a rigid set of practices. For example, you're not kicked out of the proverbial natural mothering club if you don't use cloth diapers or if you don't want to breastfeed until your kids are in college (joke). When we trust our vibes we restore our balance and experience within. The only things you need to retain your club membership is to be completely committed to listening to your mothering instincts (even in the face of opposition), following your children's queues, and to be completely informed about the decisions you are making. The practices you choose to adopt will then fall into place.

Friday's Feast

2005-06-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Friday's Feast - a buffet for your brain

Appetizer
What's one word or phrase that you use a lot?
What's up?

Soup
Name something you always seem to put off until the last minute.
Getting off the computer

Salad
What was the last great bumper sticker you saw?
Suburbia: where they tear out the trees & then name streets after them.
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
All generalizations are false, including this one.

Main Course
If you could be invisible for one day, how would you spend your time?
I'd go around helping people, in secret, when they're not looking, and they'd never know it was me.

Dessert
Describe your hair.
short and strawberry blonde, sticks up in weird ways in the morning

Cute as a Button

2005-06-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

Anna has a new Dora the Explorer nightgown. She insists on wearing her princes and cartoon nightgowns well past morning. I had to persuade her to get dressed this morning!

Cooking Together: Chocolate Pudding

2005-06-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Chocolate pudding is fun to eat-just try to lick it off a spoon without smiling. It is also gloriously uncomplicated to make. This pudding recipe is simple, straightforward, and short. You won't need any fancy equipment, just a talent for stirring. And most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

INGREDIENTS
For the pudding 2 tablespoons cornstarch5 tablespoons granulated sugar2 tablespoons cocoa powder1/8 teaspoon salt1 cup heavy cream1 1/4 cups milk2 large eggs1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractFor the topping 1 cup heavy cream1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

TOOLS
Measuring spoonsLiquid measuring cup Medium-size saucepanWhiskMixing bowls, medium and largeRubber spatulaMixing spoon

RECIPE
Measure out pudding ingredients before beginning.
Work time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

1. In heavy-bottom medium- size saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.

2. Add the cream, milk, and eggs. Whisk until combined.

3. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Set pan over medium heat. Whisk slowly and constantly, making sure to scrape sides of pan, just until pudding begins to boil, 7 to 8 minutes.

5. A grown-up should remove saucepan from heat and transfer pudding mixture to a medium bowl.

6. Make ice bath: Fill large bowl with ice and a little water. Set bowl of pudding in ice, and stir pudding until it starts to cool, about 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Cover with plastic; refrigerate until thick and well chilled, about 40 minutes or overnight.

To serve: Whisk 1 cup heavy cream to form soft peaks; whisk in 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar. Top pudding with whipped cream.

Recent Astro Chart

2005-06-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

It's a little spooky how dead on my recent astrological chart is.

Rising Sign is in 05 Degrees Virgo
You tend to be very shy and not very self-assertive. You are supercritical about how you appear to others. Even though you may think you are uninteresting and dull, you are actually quite soft- spoken, orderly, neat and very likable. You are a perfectionist with high standards, and at times you can be quite tactless in pointing out the faults of others. Very practical, efficient and purposeful, your appearance and bearing reflect your need to appear graceful, sensible and reserved. You have a crisp, no-nonsense approach to dealing with others. Never lazy or self-indulgent, you tend to be dedicated to the work ethic.

Sun is in 26 Degrees Sagittarius.
Very fun-loving, spirited and energetic, you have a huge reservoir of physical energy within you that needs to be released. As such, exercise or sports are very important to you. Quite gregarious, you enjoy being with other people, but you tend to avoid emotionally restrictive or intimate relationships. Constantly curious about the broader issues of life, you may at times be quite careless and sloppy about details -- you tend to leap to conclusions before all the facts are in. An avid reader, you are totally enthusiastic about any given subject should it interest you. You are known for being idealistic, generous, sociable, cheerful and very positive!

Moon is in 14 Degrees Libra.
Affectionate, warm and friendly, life must be a "beautiful" experience for you. Unpleasantness should be avoided at all costs. You tend to overlook other people's faults and you would rather give in than fight. You are uncomfortable with strangers, but at ease and sociable with friends and associates. Indeed, you would rather socialize than work -- you can use your prodigious charm to avoid unpleasant tasks. You need the support and assistance of another in order to get you started on any new project -- you are not a self-starter. Be careful of a tendency to be overly self-indulgent (i.e., lazy). Your refined aesthetic sensibilities attract you to music, dance, art and any other cultured activity.

Mercury is in 13 Degrees Sagittarius.
Your mind is very curious and inquisitive, always seeking information on a wide variety of topics. The broader the subject matter (philosophy, science, religion, metaphysics), the more it will appeal to you. You prefer to deal with abstractions -- the small but important details associated with any subject tend to slip your grasp. You are known for being blunt, honest and truthful.

Venus is in 06 Degrees Aquarius.
You are a friendly and outgoing individual, but close relationships are difficult for you to maintain due to your fear that they will cause you to lose your freedom. You attract friends and associates who are exciting, different and sometimes a bit odd. You are popular with others and enjoy working within a group toward group goals.

Mars is in 28 Degrees Aries.
You are very independent and self-assertive, and you have lots of physical energy. You are not satisfied unless you can be the first to do something. As such, you are more comfortable in leadership positions than you are as an underling. When you are challenged by anyone for anything, you delight in the competitive process and will fight long and hard for your beliefs. You are bold and courageous and often act without thinking. At times, in your zeal to get ahead, you are tactless and offensive -- learn that cooperation with others can often bring you nearer to your goals quicker because of the support you will get.

Jupiter is in 11 Degrees Aquarius.
Your personal growth occurs when you have the freedom to do things in new and interesting ways -- this brings out your natural inventiveness. You are an individualist, but you are also attracted to mass movements that emphasize social betterment and you will devote much time and energy to their efforts. Very fair- minded and objective, you have extraordinary skills at organization and administration.

Saturn is in 01 Degrees Cancer.
The most important issue for you is emotional security. You have a deep and gnawing fear that those on whom you depend for emotional support will prove to be unreliable in the long run. When you are unloved and insecure, you distrust others and tend to feel isolated and lonely. Very cool, detached and objective, you can be counted on -- in situations that are inherently stressful or full of tension -- not to lose your self- control. That is a great and welcome gift at such times.

Uranus is in 26 Degrees Libra.
You, as well as your entire peer group, have a very free, unstable and unconventional approach to relationships and emotional commitments. You will be attracted to experiments in marriage and shared lifestyles. Personal freedom is more important to you than entangling emotional bonds. In the realm of art and aesthetics, you are attracted to the bizarre, shocking and unusual.

I laughed when I read heard that!

Neptune is in 07 Degrees Sagittarius.
You, and your entire generation, are heavily involved in investigating and idealizing foreign and exotic intellectual systems and religious philosophies. The most extreme ideals will be pursued with gusto. You will be at the forefront of humanitarian attempts to improve the lot of those who are in need of assistance. You will be comfortable with the concept of the "global village."

Pluto is in 06 Degrees Libra.
For your entire generation, this is a time of radical changes in society's attitude toward marriage and interpersonal relationships. There is a general fear and awe at the power inherent in making emotional or contractual commitments -- they will not be entered into lightly. N.

Node is in 28 Degrees Sagittarius.
You will probably have many different contacts and acquaintances throughout your life. You're quite gregarious by nature and your natural curiosity about others lets you take the lead in forming new relationships. You'll form close ties with those who have similarly idealistic ideas -- especially those who can stimulate you intellectually in your chosen field of interest. Your enthusiasm for learning new things may also cause you to do quite a bit of traveling. Because you probably will have many wide-ranging interests and concerns, you most likely will have contacts and connections in various parts of the country (or world).

Today I Am Grateful For...

2005-06-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

Being born with eyes that see and mind the beauty and wonders of nature.
My healthy kids and pleasant pregnancy.
The madness of our household.
After 5 years I am still married to the love of my life.
No matter how bad a day I think it was, smiles and hugs from Anna make it the best day of my life.
The love, warmth, and laughter of my family and friends.
Dark chocolate.
Having a mind sensitive to receiving divine guidance.
My optimism.
Occasional good luck.

I am the Fig Tree

2005-06-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

Fig Tree (Sensibility)
Dec 12 to Dec 21

Very strong, a bit self-willed, independent, does not allow contradiction or arguments, loves life, its family, children and animals, a bit of a butterfly, good sense of humor, likes idleness and laziness, of practical talent and intelligence.

Crazy Crayons

2005-06-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Heat makes a crayon a little loopy; it may melt into a swirl or pool into a whirl. With this in mind, we chopped up crayons and baked them in shaped mini cake tins, making large blocks that are easy for toddlers to hold and will surely inspire older artists. Encourage kids to come up with combinations: A blue-and-white blend for drawing the sky, for example, and a mix of reds and oranges for sunsets.

What You’ll Need
A kitchen knife
Old crayons
Mini-cake tins (we used pans with heart- and circle-shaped pockets)

Technique
1. Parents can use the knife to chop crayons into pea-size pieces, taking care to keep colors separate so kids can combine them as they like.
2. Preheat the oven to 150° while children fill the tin with crayon pieces, arranging them in interesting designs.
3. Bake just until the waxes have melted, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove the shapes after they have cooled. If they stick, place tray in the freezer for an hour, and the crayons will pop out.

Godless America

2005-06-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

I listened to the most interesting story the other day on NPR's This American Life called Godless America. If you have RealAudio, you can listen to the whole show for free. At a time when House Majority Leader Tom Delay calls for enacting a "Biblical worldview" in government, when Christians are asserting their ideals in the selection of judges, in public school science classes and elsewhere, This American Life spends an hour trying to remember why anyone liked the separation of church and state in the first place. Julia Sweeney, among others, gives a full-throated defense of godlessness. Julia's faith began to crack after reading Biblical passages like the one pictured here, of Abraham about to cut the throat of his beloved son, Isaac. Julia Sweeney's contribution based on her new show Letting Go of God was my favorite part of the show. Writing, directing and starring in the work, Sweeney offers her "most personal work to date," according to show materials. The new solo follows her "unexpected and hilarious journey" to spiritual enlightenment sparked by a visit from two Mormon missionary boys. Her newfound curiosity leads her to leave the Catholic church — in which she was raised and loves — to a conclusion that not only surprised others, but herself as well. Just listening to her read an excerpt from her show completely enlightened and engaged me in her very interesting and unique personal story.

A Day At the Park

2005-06-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

We paid a visit to the Washington Park today and had a great time. We packed a picnic to eat and Anna enjoyed the huge playground. We also got to stroll through three public gardens including the International Rose Test Garden, the Japanese Garden, and Hoyt Arboretum. All were breathtaking and impressively large. My favorite garden offered at Washington Park is the Japanese Garden. Tucked into a cusp in Portland's West Hills, the Japanese Garden is a haven of tranquil beauty that has been proclaimed one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan. Japanese gardens have an ancient history influenced by Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. The shared emphasis of plants, stones and water are the essence of our Japanese Garden.

Official Ready for Summer

2005-06-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

My new shoe, the REACTION Kenneth Cole "Glam Rock" Thong in black. This most basic style goes all-out glam with beaded straps and metallic hues. I'm in love with my new summer sandal!

The Good Wife's Guide

2005-05-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

I tried to recover an old article my friend had shared with me as a joke. Sure enough, I was able to find a version of The Good Wife's Guide. I find it incredible that such a guideline as this would be published and accepted by women readers of a magazine such as "Housekeeping Monthly." I was assured by those who actually live in the 1950s that what follows accurately depicts a woman's role in those times. Versions of this document have been circling the Internet for years. Because of that, any search for "Housekeeping Monthly" yields only versions of this same article. While it may make the male readers laugh, it will probably enrage the women readers!

a home economics high school textbook, 1954

The Good Wife's Guide

* Have dinner ready, Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

*Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people.

*Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

*Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

*Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

*Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare a light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

*Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

*Be happy to see him.

*Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

*Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversations are more important than yours.

*Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

*Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

*Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

*Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

*Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

*Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

*Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

*A good wife always knows her place.

Sushi Dinner

2005-05-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening, we went out to a local Japanese restaurant for sushi. We ordered a California Roll (crab stick avocado & fish egg), Eel Roll, Fresh Salmon Roll and an order of the vegetable tempora with an appetizer of seaweed salad and Miso soup. As usual, Anna loved the Miso soup and what part of the California roll she was able to put in her mouth. I was so proud of Anna for how well she ate!

Traditionally, after we eat at that particular sushi restaurant, we visit the nearby pet store to look at the puppies. I've been trying to convince Adam to let us get a second puppy. Anna is always psyched about seeing the animals and squeals and claps her hands until Adam holds her up on his knee so she could see the puppies above her.

I hope everyone has a nice and extra long Memorial Day weekend!

Silly, I Know

2005-05-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am a hybrid of:
Granola Girl
Progressive Girl
Click on the pictures below to read more:
Take the 'What Kind of Girl Are You?' quiz at CookingToHookup.com

Take the quiz and tell me what you got!

You Know Your From Oregon When...

2005-05-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

You Know You're From Oregon When...

Your children learned to walk in Birkenstocks.

You throw an aluminum can in the trash and feel guilty.

You complain about Californians as you sell your house to one for twice as much as you originally paid.

You only honk your horn if collision is imminent and never for anything else.

You consider something a "hill" (not a mountain) if it doesn't have snow on it or has not recently erupted, regardless of its altitude.

You consider "etiquette" a foreign word.

Most of your friends are from California.

You find a wallet with $500 and give it back to the owner.

You used to live somewhere else but won't admit it publicly.

You've ever ordered a half caff/decaf, nonfat mocha grande with sugar-free cranberry whip (or you know what it is).

You know a bride & groom that registered at REI.

If someone ran your car off the highway, you might drown.

You'd be miffed if the store was out of your favorite brand of water.

Every day is casual Friday.

Hear the word "ferry" and think of boats and long waits.

Know at least eight people who work for Intel or Nike, or used to work for Tektronix.

You think skiing always means being covered from head to toe, in snow or water.

Know that Boring is a town and not just a state of mind.

Have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

You return from a California vacation depressed because "all the grass was dead."

Remember the date, severity, time of day, where you were, and how long you were out of power and phone service for every winter weather event in the last five years.

Have ever called your insurance agent to ask if your homeowner’s policy covers falling trees, flooding, or mud slides

You never go camping without waterproof matches, ponchos, and mattress pads that double as flotation devices.

You believe swimming is not a sport but a survival skill to prevent boating deaths.

You own more than 10 articles of clothing that have the names of microbreweries/brewpubs printed on them.

You think downtown is "scary" because you were panhandled there, once.

You replace your hiking boots with Birkenstock or Teva sandals when the weather gets above 60 degrees.

You believe people who use umbrellas are wimps or Californians, or both.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Oregon.

Get Your Own "You Know You're From" Meme Here

More cool things for your blog at
Blogthings

Lunch With a New Friend

2005-05-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

I had lunch today with a lovely woman in the neighborhood who happens to read my blog. I meet her at the playground where I toke Anna to run around the other day. We had a delightful chat about our children, organic living, our upcoming vacations, books, music and parenting in general. I hope we can do it again soon Linda!

Tagged!!!

2005-05-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Beth, I'm "tagged". From the prompts below, I have to choose five and finish them, and then I have to tag three other people.

If I could be a scientist . . .
If I could be a farmer . . .
If I could be a musician . . .
If I could be a doctor . . .
If I could be a painter . . .
If I could be a gardener . . .
If I could be a missionary . . .
If I could be a chef . . .
If I could be an architect . . .
If I could be a linguist . . .
If I could be a psychologist . . .
If I could be a librarian . . .
If I could be an athlete . . .
If I could be a lawyer . . .
If I could be an inn-keeper . . .
If I could be a professor . . .
If I could be a writer . . .
If I could be a llama-rider . . .
If I could be a bonnie pirate . . .
If I could be an astronaut . . .
I f I could be a world famous blogger . . .
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world . . .
If I could be married to any current famous political figure . . .

If I could be an inn-keeper, I would own one of those bed and breakfast inns, farms or ranch B&B along the gentle Coast Range mountains with its famous wineries and festivals at Ashland and Jacksonville or on the quiet Oregon beach.

If I could be a musician, I would want to put out an infectious indie-rock album that was smoky and moody, heavy with drama. I'd give a proformance with a groove-heavy rhythm section and good, engaging arrangements in the jazz and rock veins.

If I could be a farmer, I would move to Indiana and experience life in the prarie state that my dad and his family are from. I would understand what he was talking about when he retold stories of visiting his grandparent's farm in the summer and I would have a better understanding of my roots and my grandmother's title of "Midwestern gal. "

If I could be a chef, I would write a cookbook with easy and healthy organic recipes to make for the family and yourself.

If I could be married to any ~~current~~ famous political figure I would want to be married to a Kennedy :)

Now I'm tagging Arlene, Chandra and Star Mama!

Happy Day To You!

2005-05-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Nursery Bedding

2005-05-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

SPRING BUTTERFLY NURSERY BEDDING

Fresh daisies, tulips and butterflies create a summer garden feel. Chambray, floral prints and gingham add texture and color. The quilt is edged in our Petite Floral Percale. Pink reverses to solid-pink chambray. Butter reverses to solid-green chambray. 100% cotton. Machine wash. Imported. Quilts and pillows are not for use with sleeping infants; see Crib Safety Tips. Pink or Butter.

Americana Beach Home

2005-04-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

I can't wait until this vacation! I'm guessing you already knew that after I applied the new beach design to my blog on Friday. We've been planning it since last summer, and this time we will be staying two weeks instead of just one! For the first week, my best friend since childhood and her family are staying with us. Our families would always take trips to the beach together when we were kids. This time we'll be bring our own kids to the beach.

Potty Training

2005-04-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Anna recently started showing signs that she was ready for potty training. Anna started telling me when she had a dirty diaper instead of running away or complaining about having to stop what she's doing to have me put a clean diaper on her. She also started asking questions about “big girl underwear” and asking to use the potty.

So I thought it might be the right time to pull out a potty chair and get Anna acquainted with it. It turned out that having multiple toilets to chose from only caused trouble! While picking up toys in Anna's room, I was abruptly told by Anna that she had to use the potty. To my surprises, I turned to face my daughter and saw that Anna had waited too long before telling mommy. All I was in time to see was the making of a puddle on the floor. I quickly picked Anna up and held her out in front of my big pregnant belly and carried her the nearest toilet in the hall. After being placed on that toilet with her Dora The Explorer potty cushion, Ann told me, "not dis potty! The other potty!" So I reluctantly picked her up again and ran to the toilet in my bathroom. Of course that wasn't the right potty either. So I ended up placing her on her potty chair. Of course, by the time I finally got Anna on the potty it was too late. After letting out a small tinkle, Anna proudly informed me that she used the potty! I guess all you can do is to treat accidents lightly. I can just see myself running through the house with a wet two-year-old searching for the right potty! I was in a panic at the time, but now can’t help but laugh about it with my husband.

Anna is doing much better now, although I haven’t started putting Anna in big girl underwear at night yet.

Nature Lover

2005-04-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening, we were having a little get-together with other families in the neighborhood. Nothing fancy- just something we try to do a few times a month with our neighbors. We had a potluck dinner with grilled chicken and hamburgers, fruit platter, macaroni, pasta salad, green beans ect.

Adam and the older kids were all having a great time just watching the antics of a jumping spider as it was hopping around in the yard. Dad thought Anna would enjoy it, too, so he called her over to watch. Anna is a little frightened around bugs, especially spiders. She will shy away from her little playground box if she spots a harmless daddy long leg. I'm always reminding her that the spiders wont hurt her, but what can you do? Anna comes on over to have a look, and the next thing you know, it's "Oooh...bug" SQUASH!

Looking Forward to Your Second Baby

2005-04-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Being a mom the second time around is much different than the first. I feel much more relaxed and at ease. I have the advantage of experience under my belt. I’m looking forward to seeing that cloud of uncertainty and insecurity fade way with my second.

Of course, I wont be able to expect this child to be the same as the first. Soon I will learn her own unique personality and features that set her apart from my first-born. She will have a mind and character all her own. I have to be prepared to respond to both of their individual needs. Rather than looking for similarities, I look forward to watching this babies unique personality reveal it self.
While I do have to prepare to raise two very different daughters, I have been told that labor is quicker and easier the second time around because your body has experienced labor before.

I’m finding it much easier to give up control and except help with this pregnancy. Instead of pushing the panic button, I feel much more laid back and able to go with the flow of the universe.
My grandmother managed the difficult job of raising five very individual people in her lifetime. She always uses to say that love never divides, it only multiplies.

Nice Things to Do for Mom-To-Be

2005-04-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Give her a foot massage and rub her back
Do some last minute errands she might have
Take her away for the weekend or on vacation before the baby arrives (you might not be able to do this again for awhile)
Throw her a baby shower
Help her finish (or do it yourself and surprise her) decorating the nursery, especially if it needs to be painted or wallpapered
Cook her favorite meal
Take her out to her favorite place to eat
Take her to a movie or rent her favorites and bring them home
Volunteer to help shop and prepare meals the first week the baby is home
Take the kids out for a couple of hours so she can just relax
Help her out around the house so she doesn't have much to do

Night Time Wanderings

2005-04-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ever since the arrival of our new baby has been fast approaching, we started thinking about moving Anna out of her nursery and into her own big-girl-bed. Well, a few weeks ago we went and bought a beautiful bed for little Anna to move into in the bedroom across from what will be the baby's nursery.

As soon as Anna moved out of her crib, she began wandering into our bedroom at night. We put Anna back in bed, get her a drink, and reassure her that there was nothing to be afraid of. Often we go through this routine several times a night. So we use a night light with her, thinking she doesn't like the dark. I toke some of her old sheets to incorporate into her current bedding so it will feel more like her old crib. But the problem persists.

I learned that, typically, if your toddler has been sleeping fine throughout the night until this point and has just started coming to her parents' room at night, it is because of two possible reasons. First, she may have started having nightmares. As toddlers develop independence, their life knowledge expands and so do their fears, often causing nightmares. If nightmares are waking her up, of course she will run to mom and dad for comfort. If so, this should occur about the same time every night if the child's bedtime is the same because of her sleep/dream cycle.

The second, as Anna grows more and more independent, she may have mixed feelings about needing comfort and dependence. I feel it's important for Anna to learn to sleep by herself in her own room, but I also want her to feel loved and secure. I have to admit, as Anna grows bigger, I enjoy being needed even more. I'll try to be insistent, but calm and not angry, that she sleep in her own bed. I wouldn't recommend talking; this seems to only encourage Anna. Instead, make the familiar 'shhh' sound -- that means be quiet, go to sleep. I feel that it's better for Anna's independence that we encouraging her to sleep in her own bed.

All About Me!

2005-04-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Who's Kate? In a nutshell and one deep breath, I'm a baby loving, scrapbooking, blog skinning, liberal, tree hugging, married, sarcastic yet sensitive, certifiably insane mama to almost 3-year-old Anna and newborn Grace.

My blog explores the typical adventures of new family- baby photos, horror stories and milestones that will probably put most people to sleep. There’s also a little politics, current events, culture, cooking and Internet fun thrown into the mix.