by Liz | All Things Kids
Why do the evening hours feel like a ridiculously intricate dance that no one has taught you the steps for?
It all begins with a little quickstep. Fast and furious is the name of the game as you attempt to finish up the day, get food on the table, negotiate exhaustion fueled temper tantrums and attempt baths or some semblance of cleanliness.
Next up is the fox trot, an attempt at winding down interspersed with frenzy. Books! Music! Brushing teeth! Potty attempt number three!
And the finale, a Venetian waltz. This can go one of two ways, a singular beautiful decent into slumber or a hideous nightmare fraught with disjointed highs and lows. If the cadence isn’t just right, disaster soon follows. Those beguiling notes draw out a goodnight kiss and then cajole another story, just a tiny, little story you are assured. Only, soon you are met with new a assurances and more desperate pleas for more.
Live in hope, however because the tiny conductors eventually exhaust themselves and rest. All to begin again, leaving us slightly more exhausted but ready for the debut of a new performance with the dawn (literally) of a new day.
40.843761-72.577909
by Liz | All Things Kids
I read an article recently which spoke about the joys and challenges we face every day as parents. It really resonated with me and reminded me how important it can be to live in the moment. We constantly question ourselves and face frustration, happiness, despair and wonder all within seconds of each other. At the end of every day/week/month, I think the main thing is to be content with what you have wrought. Be it a behavioral hurdle, an organizational conundrum solved or a work project completed, there is always something to be recognized as a success. With the millions of decisions and problems we face every day it’s so easy to lose track of the good stuff and focus on the tedious or the negative things we face.
As the girls grow, I often wish I had a camera crew recording their every moment. Amid all the chaos, frustration and exhaustion of getting from one day to the next there are such amazing moments of pure bliss. If only I could freeze those moments and remember them as vividly as I do now. Lena’s dirty laugh, her little girl voice, Maggie’s first big giggle and her newfound screeches…the list is endless. I know we will have more but these past three years have gone by entirely too fast and I have a terrible memory. I take hundreds of photos and videos but I know that I will still forget so much.
We are raising children in such a unique world, one in which technology plays a huge role in facilitating our record keeping. More than once every day I wish I had a camera crew following me around to help capture those precious/comical/exasperating moments that are so dear to me. Through all the tears and angst, I can’t say there isn’t any stage that I wouldn’t want to freeze forever. I live in dread of the girls growing older only to revel in the joy they bring with each transition and new accomplishment. So don’t mind my phone being constantly in hand as I try in vain then capture the elusive moments that make my family so unique and a profound joy to be part of.
by Liz | All Things Kids
I’m going back to work soon and have been dreading the amount of pumping I’ll be doing to keep Maggie well fed. I don’t think I’ve met any mom who enjoys the expressing process and most I’ve spoken to really dislike it. I have an electric pump and used it with our first daughter. It worked fine, I got a decent supply of milk and I put up with the awful whooshing sound.
This time around brings some changes. I’ll be working part time and Maggie is a very different eater than Lena was. A friend mentioned she’d had better success with a manual pump saying it actually worked faster for her. I’m game to try anything to make this process less onerous!
Manual pumps are pretty reasonable so I purchased one by Lansinoh and I’ll be putting it to the test. So far I like how you have much more control and can mimic your babies natural feeding much more accurately. I can see how it might get a bit tedious and yet, if it works more effectively for some…perhaps it will cut down the amount of time I spend expressing.
I’m looking forward to a change if nothing else!
It does seem like a worthwhile test for anyone who struggles with expressing or just wants a change to the process. At such a reasonable cost it is hard to pass up.
by Liz | All Things Kids
Margaret Rose arrived November 22, a week late. Despite a very chaotic week involving bronchitis/pneumonia, a fall, moving houses, and an unanticipated hospital stay…she made her debut with very little fuss.
I ended up being induced again but labor went fairly quickly. It’s amazing how the experience seemed so different than the first time around. Maybe it was less stressful knowing roughly what to expect or just the anticipation of not knowing the gender. Whatever the cause, I was much more in tune with the process and while labor is no picnic…we had a fairly relaxed delivery (thank the epidural). Maggie likely would have arrived much earlier except my water hadn’t broken and the doctor was stuck in surgery. Once that last barrier was removed she made her debut kicking and screaming.
We couldn’t be more thrilled and big sister Lena was pretty excited too!
40.842737-72.57911
by Liz | All Things Kids
No really. I’m not kidding.
It all began with a cheerful car ride, our first big road trip with both girls (Maggie* – 8 weeks and Lena -2 years). We arrived early, which is quite a feat for us. Our typical trip involves screeching into the ferry lot with seconds to spare after running any number of blue haired grandmas off the road in our zippy blue Subaru.
Anyway, we patiently waited for our boat and my husband and Lena walked aboard to secure a decent seat. I was left with the baby and only had to get the two of us parked and upstairs. Easy peasy.
Queue epic screaming from infant while I struggle to calm her. I frantically debate how much time I have before my lane starts to board because I am of course, first in line. Crushed by indecision, precious seconds tick by. Unable to take the desperate cries any longer and all attempts at soothing having failed I leap, yes leap, out of the car and free her from her car seat. I race against the clock as cars disappear from the row next to me and the crew member makes his way closer. Finally, a burp! Eureka!!
Back in the car seat, buckles buckled, me in my seat and one arm stretched at an impossible angle to hold the paci in. Dizzy at my success I fail to realize I’m next and a gentle tap on the glass jars me back to reality. Right, the boat.
On we go and mercifully the child remains calm. I pull up, set the brake and turn to open the door. You have GOT to be kidding me!!! The car next to ours is sandwiched so close I have to contort myself like a circus performer to get out. I’m praying no one witnessed my gyrations because it couldn’t have been pretty. So if it was that difficult for me…what are the chances of pulling a car seat out of that same car you might wonder? Well, quite frankly…zero. Despite putting my child at risk with all manner of exit strategies, they all fail. At long last the owner of the car next to us sees our predicament and manages to squeeze forward a few more inches to give me a centimeter more space with which to pry my child loose.
At that point I practically turn into a puddle of goo on the spot. Ah the adventures of parenting.
*I realize Maggie hasn’t been formally introduced to you all yet, more on that later.
41.582208-72.035358
by Liz | All Things Kids
I wrote a few weeks ago about our move to a MUCH less expensive way of watching TV using a combination of Apple TV, Hulu and Netflix. Well, for those of you in the NY Metro area there’s even more good news. Aereo.com provides access to the major networks, Syndicated programs, local interest channels, and more! You can access this site for free (with limitations) or sign up for a nominal fee. This completely solves our small worries about having access to news and sports. I can’t help but feel this is the future of television where consumers get to pick and choose what they want access to for a much reduced fee provided they pay the cost for internet service. Is it terrible that I get such a kick out of snubbing Cablevision?
