Thursday, November 29, 2007

Memo to my boobs.

Hi ladies.
While I appreciate your hard work the last 8.5 months we seem to be developing a problem. You seem to think that this is an all or nothing prospect and unfortunately that is not the case. While I treasure your over-active days and like to restock my freezer, pumping 27 ounces one day and 16 the next is not what I had in mind. I need a consistant flow of about 22-25oz a day. I know pumping is harder on you then if R ate from the tap, but I have to work and this is not new to you. You knew the rules going into this, so now is not the time to decide to slack off.

So ladies, suck it up. You have at least 3 more months of work ahead of you and then we will meet to discuss my future expectations and how long your vacation will last. You have already put in close to 16 months, so really 3 more is nothing.

Although, let it be known that while you are on vacation, I do expect you to maintain your current size, but your previous shape. None of this conversing with my knees.

Please file this as your 9 month review and we will meet again in 3 months.

Your owner.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The teething never ends

When you have 2 kids in your house 16 months apart, teething really doesn’t ever end. When R arrived, L had 8 teeth, since then we have gotten the canines and the first round of molars -- both of which are not fun.

Then it was R’s turn. I swear he started teething at 3 months and finally the first tooth popped through at 6 months. A month later -- 3 teeth come within 10 days. To say that was rough is the understatement of the century.

Now both R and L are teething. R is working on the remaining four front teeth -- the top two seem to be in the lead, but it is likely that all four will also make a similar race to the finish appearance in a short amount of time. L is working on his second set of molars.

So my house has two kids who like to shove various items into their mouths and chew.

Unfortunately that also means that R likes to chew when he nurses. Those teeth are SHARP!
I am looking forward to all teeth coming in and this teething nonsense to stop.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The next step

L starts Occupational Therapy tomorrow. To say I don’t know what to expect is the understatement of the world. I knew he needed speech therapy and I certainly wasn’t surprised by the diagnosis of SPD, but OT seems to be a little strange for a child that appears to have outstanding motor skills. Now that I know what the problem is though, I can see where he needs some work with his fine motor development.

Although I am supposed to come up with goals for his OT. My single goal is this -- have his stop putting every last item in his mouth! And stop sucking his fingers!

L has a new and annoying habit that I mentioned before of sucking on his fingers. I find it disgusting and want it to stop. I have been told that putting things in his mouth is how he explores the world, so I don’t know how likely it is for that to stop, but I fully intend to ask the therapist to work on it!

Of course, R has started to doing it too and I know it is developmental for him, but bleck -- can’t stand it for either of them at that moment.

Which reminds me -- I need to ask The Wife to sterilize all the toys… any ideas on how to say that in Spanish?

Monday, November 26, 2007

And then suddenly...

I was the mom of a 2 year old.

The Saint and her girls arrived on Wednesday morning and in the ensuing whirlwind, Thanksgiving came and went and all of a sudden it was Sunday and L’s birthday. On Friday, I began with the -- L, about this time 2 years ago I realized I was in labor -- and continued to mark milestones in my labor over the next 42 hours(along with the snide remarks of -- yep Mama was STILL in labor with you at this point -- no sleeping for Mama!!) . B and I were in the car, L pitching a fit in his car seat, when 1:16 pm rolled around and marked the minute that our lives were forever changed by one squirming, 8lb, 4oz bundle of joy.

If my pregnancy and labor were any indication of the child I was going to get, it should come as no surprise that the last 2 years have been filled with a number of challenges, but each one has resulted in a happy outcome. L is our daredevil, early to crawl, early to walk, early to hit the “terrible twos,” good sleeping, energy draining, emotional little one. He makes my heart stop with his antics on a regular basis, but then melts me with a giant hug and a kiss.

Shortly before R arrived, B and I started a night time routine of L giving the other parent a kiss before going to bed -- meaning if B puts L to bed, L runs to me to gives me a kiss. No matter how mad L is about going to bed, no matter how upset he is about putting toys away, no matter what, when B says give Mama (and now R) a kiss, he comes running. He demonstrates his love for B, me, R and The Wife with the same fierceness that he uses when he scales B and my bed, his dresser, R’s crib or any number of things that he shouldn’t be climbing but does the instant you turn your back.

L is a handful -- that is for sure. He is a little McGuyver who can take anything apart and who seems to be un-childproofable. He is still learning that using his words leads to a much happier household and whining and crying don’t get him far, but his word explosion has been coming for some time and he is starting to mimic everything we say. Although, I have already found that that isn’t always a good thing either.

I can’t believe my baby is two. The little baby who changed us from a couple to a family. The little boy who makes me shed tears of sadness, frustration and utter joy. The little baby who took his sweet time coming into this world and taught me that he will do what he wants on HIS schedule and no one else’s. The little boy with the gorgeous blue eyes, enormous heart, and the single-minded determination that will serve him well down the lines. The little baby who made me realize what all encompassing love is. The little boy who made me understand what everyone meant when they said “you will understand when you are a mother.” The little baby and little boy that I grow to love more every day.

I love you L. Happy 2nd Birthday!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

What kind of parent are you?

Are you the type that lets your kids get hurt to learn a lesson or do you do your best to protect them from any injury? Now, the kicker, do you have a boy or a girl?

I have two boys. My one best friend, W, has 2 girls. We parent so differently that it is hilarious.

I am of the mind set that if L tries to climb out of his crib and falls, then he will learn not to do that again. Yes, he has carpet in his room, but I never have even though of that. L has fallen off a kitchen chair onto the ceramic tile, the couch onto the hardwood floor and off a hotel bed onto pretty much cement (because we all know the quality of hotel carpet). Actually his first fall was in our basement, on ceramic tile and he bit substantially into his lip. He bled, I cried and then he never tried going down the step in our basement again unless he was holding a hand or doing it backwards.

W's oldest, who is just 6 weeks younger than L, tried to crawl out of her crib last night. W and her hubby saw it on the video monitor and ran to stop her. Luckily they did and she is safe and sound without a bruise. W told me about this this morning and my reaction was similar to what I would do with L -- let her fall, she will learn. W would never even consider that. She does everything in her power to protect her and won't let her get hurt if she can at all prevent it.

I am in no way saying my way is right. I am in no way saying that W is wrong. I am just wondering if my nonchalance is related to the fact that I have rough and tumble boys (who I have resigned myself to knowing they will be dirty and bruised) and she has sweet adorable little girls.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Who stole my kids?

Seriously, my kids were so well behaved and angelic this weekend that I am now certain that someone snuck in my house and replaced my children with sweet adorable clones.

Don't believe me.

L walked around the mall with B and I for 2 hours, holding someones hand, not pitching a fit every time we went by a ride and even walked nicely through Williams Sonoma (I know, I was tempting fate with that one, wasn't I). Then he sat nicely at dinner, ate his China Buffet food in great big mouthfuls and didn't even wear half of it even though Mommy totally spaced on bringing a bib. And not one, not two but THREE families complimented B and I on how well behaved BOTH boys were!

Then on Sunday L preceeded to actually HELP B and some co-worker friends clean flower beds, turn over the garden, prune back the roses and clean up our yard and all the accompanying crap that has been stored under our porch. Yes, it mainly consisted of running around pushing his play lawn mower, but he didn't throw a fit and B was actually able to get work done, so that is cooperation in my book.

On Sunday night he spent a good hour to hour and half playing on the floor with his new HUGE BOX of trucks and cars that P (the neighbor) had in her attic and that her son insisted on giving to L.

I know -- who is this kid!

R, well R was a bit crankier than usual this weekend. He wasn't so complacent to just be put on the floor to fend for himself. However, other than wanting to eat more or rather nurse more because he is getting 4 teeth, he was his normal happy self. He is 100% self feeding now and B and I are racking our brains to remember all the good self-feeding foods. But, self-feeding also means that he will sit in his high chair for a good 30minutes to an hour just shoving food into his mouth.

It is unreal.

Who ever left this angels at my house -- HA, your loss. I am keeping them!!! Have fun with the temper tantruming L that you took.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Italian Pot Roast

1 (2 1/2-pond) boneless beef round roast
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
2 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (0.7-ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix

Slice roast in half and place in a 3 1/2 quart electric slow cooker. Add onion and remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high setting 5 hours or until roast is tender. Or, cover and cook on high setting 1 hour; reduce to low setting and cook 7 hours. Slice meat to serve.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Desperately seeking advice...

I know, I am actually asking for advice from everyone I can find, so here is the problem...

L has gotten into the habit of sucking his fingers. First it was his thumb, now it is his right index finger. Yes, he has a bit of an oral fixation and this started after we took the pacifier away, but now that it is gone there isn't a chance in hell that I am giving it back. Now, beyond the whole -- plays in the dirt one second, sucking on his dirty finger the next I have a bigger problem.

A cut.

At some point last week L got a small cut on his finger. Well, with the finger constantly in his mouth -- trust me, we correct him EVERY time we see it, but I can only imagine he sleeps with it in his mouth and I am not on top of him 24 hours a day -- it seems to maybe be getting infected. I put Bacitracin on it yesterday because I know that is ok to ingest (it is part of the all purpose nipple cream for those of you who are wondering how I came across the ok to ingest conclusion). But I can't put a band aid on it -- he rips it off instantly -- and I don't know how to keep it out of his mouth.

I am keeping a close eye on it and I am guessing we will be making a trip to the pedi about this before Thanksgiving, but how to I keep this from being a constant problem?

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Happy Anniversary -- Again

It is 4 years today that B proposed. I knew it was coming up, and I am sure he doesn't remember at all, but when I was trying to figure out how many years it has been I thought for SURE that I was getting the math wrong. But no... 4 years. That is it.

B and I met in June 2001, didn't start dating until June 2002, he moved to NY in March 2003, we started planning out wedding in Sept 2003, got engaged November 2003 (yeah, I know cart first there, huh), married August 2004, found out we were pregnant March 2005, first house July 2005, first kid November 2005, second kid March 2007. To say it has been a busy last few years is an mild understatement.

I can't believe it has ONLY been 4 years, seems like so much more.

While B drives me up and down walls on a regular basis, he is also my grounding force and I do love him more and more with each passing year.

Happy Anniversary B, even if you have no idea it is today.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Am I my mom?

We got a new writing prompt from my Cafe Mom group and I HAD to take them up on this one...

Are you becoming your mom? your dad? Are you the complete opposite?Are there things you say that remind you of things you used to hear?

To say that B and I are like my parents is the understatement of the world. B couldn't be more like my father -- although I do think B has a bit more of a temper than my dad did when we were little or I just push his buttons more than my mom did to my dad. It is weird things too, B has started this, get in the car and wait thing that my dad always did to my mom. Drove my mom batty because HELLO -- a little help in here would allow us to leave that much sooner. I never got why it made her mad. Now I do.

B also can fall asleep on the couch at the drop of a hat the instant both boys are napping. Me, I look around and see the clutter and need to pick up. That is so my mom too. Now, I don't come anywhere close to the neat freak that she is, but I hate tripping over the boys toys in the living room, so I pick them up at lunch/naptime and first thing when the boys go to bed. B things we should 1) not pick them up at all or 2) do it after he has had a chance to relax. Ummm.. NO.

The other thing that makes me keep thinking -- oh crap I am becoming my mom is that I can't buy myself stuff. If I spend money on myself, I feel guilty. The boys both have dresser and closets stuffed to the gills and more clothing then they will probably ever wear. R really never needs me to buy him a single item of clothing for at least another year, yet for him and L, I will spend spend spend. Me -- if the jeans cost more than $30 I have a panic attack. My freshman year in college, I spent hours going through my mom's closets laughing and the old stuff and throwing stuff out without her imput -- I mean she was standing there, but it would be a lot of - "I don't care, it is 20 years old mom, get a new white turtleneck." My mom is now one of the best dressed women out there and I am starting to hit the blah zone.

Ways that my mom and I are not alike -- I have much much more expensive tastes then she does (I know, hard to believe minutes after I said I won't spend more than $30 on jeans). B and I have a pencent for eating out too -- and at nice restuarants to boot. I think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on toys and playsets for the boys and my parents were never that financially solvent when we were little. Also, my mom was a SAHM and there is just no freaking way -- beyond the whole role as a breadwinner part. I don't have the patience for it and when I am home on maternity leave I tend to shop (see above about all the boys clothing).

So, am I becoming my mom. Yes, but I am version 2000 while she was version 1970.

Monday, November 12, 2007

So....

How ya'll like my new header/layout? I wish I could take credit for it, but alas, I am not a lick creative. Nicole - frequent commenter and one of my best friends - is responsible and I have to say she did a FABULOUS job. The extent of my imput were -- no, make her look more FRAZZLED (then gave her some options of clip art) and to tell her to use purple to which she responded - yeah, I figured. (I am a purple nut -- love it!!).

So this was done late in the day Friday and then she proceeded to tell me how her 2 year old could have done it. Me -- I still haven't a clue how to do it. Gotta love those smarty pants toddlers.

So, I pre-emptively made the change because L's birthday is in a short 13 days from now and then I will no longer be a mom of 2 under 2. Also, MomSmoo seems to be the one thing that I will be able to carry forward where ever I go and my log in for most message boards and such. Trying to consolidate as my brain can't handle multiple personalities.

Let me know what you think and what I should change. I know I need to work on getting a blogroll going, but that will be something that I need to do. I think I am favored out for a while with Nicole!

Friday, November 9, 2007

Because there is just nothing

more interesting than bitching about the weather....

Seriously though, here on the east coast we by passed crisp mornings and nice afternoons and went straight to holy crap is it cold. Saying that, it is time for a recipe for some more soup because I need to warm the heck up!

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup!

16 Ounces Chicken Breast Halves Without Skin – cubed

30 Ounces Black Beans, Canned – undrained

30 Ounces Mexican-style Stewed Tomatoes – canned

1 Cup Salsa

4 Ounces Chopped Green Chiles

14 1/2 Ounces Tomato Sauce

2 Cups Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Chips


Combine all ingredients except cheese and tortilla chips into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. To serve, put a handful of chips into each individual bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with 1/4 cup cheese.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

How often is enough...

Mom -- you can go ahead and skip this one, ok? Ok.

So how often is enough sex? I know it varies from person to person -- some want more, some want less -- but what is enough for both you and your husband to have a happy medium?

For B, he definitively thinks then there is NEVER enough. Morning, noon and night would be great in his book and still not enough.

For me, once a week is plenty thank you very much. I think I am doing very well with the once a week thing too seeing as I have 2 kids still under 2, I have a career, resposibilities at home and would like to have a life with some time for just me too.

So what do you think -- once a day, once a week, once a month, once a year even or is there just never "enough"?

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Selfish, maybe?

After my post yesterday, I got into a conversation with a co-worker about how different female attorney's in our office deal with having a kid. Some leave, some stay, some cut back and some act like they don't even have children. I am part of the cut back crew. I used to put in 70-80 hour work weeks, working every weekend without even blinking an eye. I HAD to cut back when I was pregnant with L, as I was on and off bedrest. But even the week that I was on strict at home bedrest, I was given the ok to work as long as I was always sitting down and relaxing. That week -- I logged in 55 hours.

Now I am down to 45-50 hours on average. Some weeks I still hit 80 and some are as low as 40, but my "average" is 47.

Now the question, spun off from yesterday. Why would I want to have more kids when the 2 that I already have spend over half their time in the care of The Wife? Is it selfish of me to want more kids because... well hell, I can't even say I want more kids because. I know I want to go through labor again (yes, I know, nutty, nutty, nutso here, but I really did enjoy R's labor -- L's, not so much), but that is only part of it. It that were the only thing, then I would start working on B agreeing to let me be a gestational surrogate. But that isn't the only thing. I can't believe that R will be the last baby I nurse, the last baby I rock, the last baby I fuss over when he gets his first cold or the last baby I curse under my breath when he just WILL NOT SLEEP! I keep trying to go back and look at the first 6 weeks of R's life in this blog, like here, here and here, and remember how much they SUCKED, but in the well rested light of the end of the infant tunnel, I just can't imagine that my baby days are over.

Although, then I realize that I couldn't have it much better with the two I already have. Good sleepers, both boys (I am a boys kinda mom!), one Daddy's boy and one Mama's boy and really the two cutest beings I have ever seen - although I think almost any mom can claim the last one.

So, I guess the answer is... who knows, right. I may be selfish for wanting more kids when I don't have the time for them, but that is still what I want. I guess I do justify it to myself that I have given them one consistant person who loves them almost as much as I do in The Wife, so at least if I can't be here I have found them the best alternative. Although, she does work for us and one day she will not be here... that day inevitably will come.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

I am nuts...

Just how insane am I. Well at 2am this morning I was CONVINCED that I was pregnant.

Instead it turns out that something I ate just didn't agree with my tummy.

B has made it perfectly clear that 2 kids is plenty during which time I have come to the conclusion that I am not done having kids yet... whether I have another one of my own or I am a surrogate.

In the mean time I need psychiatric help to deal with this -- how in the world can I want another kid so soon? I mean seriously, haven't I been pregnant for like the last 3 years?

Monday, November 5, 2007

And the winner is

Eileen over at a Life of Triggers!

I have been avoiding my blog like the plague this weekend in order to recover from my 31 days of blogging. Who knew that would be exausting. I ALMOST signed up for an event for the month of November but I am so happy I decided to skip that one.

So, here is a question for mom's out there -- did your kid(s) take a major drop in breastmilk intake or even formula intake when they started on solids? L never did -- solids were always in addition to BM (and then formula when I got knocked up.) I know I am supposed to keep R about 30oz and he is fine with that, but he was close to 50-55 oz a day and now he is eating 4 jars of food BUT not nursing or drinking as much BM. I mean he is down to only 20oz when I am gone during the day and only 3 nursing sessions when I am home (morning and twice at night). My supply has decidedly tanked (I just pumped less than 8oz right now, when I WAS pumping 14 at this time of day...).

So am I off to fight my supply or just let it go. I still have a good 300 oz in the freezer, but since that is 200 less than I had about 2 months ago, I am concerned about it holding out for the next 4 months!

Friday, November 2, 2007

Because it is that time of day

and a Friday...

32 oz frozen hash browns
1 lb cooked ham cubed ( lean )
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 1/2 c shredded cheese ( Regular Cheese )
12 eggs
1 c skim milk
1 t salt
1 t black pepper

Divide potatoes, ham, veggies and cheese so you can create several layers of each in the crock pot. Start with the hash browns, then ham, onions peppers and last cheese. Repeat until you have several layers. Beat eggs, milk salt & pepper pour over layers in the crockpot cover and turn on low. Cook for 10-12 hours overnight.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Halloween hangover...

Tons of candy left over...
But the two cutest Trick or Treaters you ever saw (and goodness did we get a lot of compliments on L's golf outfit!!!)