That is...if by partying I mean, howl all night with the blood-curdling scream of 10,000 banshees!!! Our happy, sleeping-through-the-night (for the most part) Aisy has decided to abandon all the sleep skils she's aquired over the past 6 months, in favor of gut-wrenching cries and heart-breaking (but loud) whimpers. Pete and I are tired. Really tired. I won't bore you with the details except to say that Leah similarly started experiencing night-wakings at around 6 months. Still, it was never this tough.
Leah was willful. It took Pete and I about 3 or 4 months to break her of waking up at night to nurse (trust me the child was not hungry...just social!). Aislin has a spirit of steel!!! Lay her in the crib and the kid springs awake!!!! I'm fearful of what life will be like in a few weeks when she can bring herself to sitting. We handled Leah's night-snacking urges by having Pete be the one to go in and soothe her. Aislin is such a Mama's girl, she screams her Daddy right into the ground. The girl is relentless!!
There are many things it could be. Teeth! Aislin just cut her first last week. Environment! It's staying lighter longer. But most importantly there's Aisy's old nemesis from early infancy: Digestive problems!!! Solid foods have brought on back-end trouble for our girl I think. If only it were as easy as giving her a cup of tea to settle her stomach (I love this picture of Aislin with her Grandma Nowak by the way). But it isn't that easy. What it is is a constant guessing game. Gripe Water? Mylecon? Less food or more food? Rice cereal or oatmeal? Cry it out or nurse-on-demand all night? As for that last question...neither one really suits my parenting style.
I know this is a story many of you know well. Perhaps you're even experiencing it right now yourself. Sleep training is hard. Nap training is even harder (in my humble opinion). Currently, my child wants no part of either activity. Eventually I know she'll get there. Let's hope she's not 36 years old and still waking for feddings, unless it's to feed her children! Tips are always welcome. Me and the birthday boy (that's Pete!!) thank you. More on his B-day just as soon as I get the chance. Leah and I surprised him at the office with a cake from my friend Jen!!! Maybe will have so much fun partying for her Daddy's b-day this evening that she'll forget to cry her brains out tonight?!? Wishful thinking Mommy...
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sometimes it snows in April...
Anyone who knows the lyrics to that Prince song, also knows that the next line is "Sometimes I feel so bad." I'm not usually sensitive to the weather, but this Spring has me pretty darn close to crying! I can't take it anymore. PLEASE...make it stop SNOWING!
To escape from the cold this weekend we headed to Rochester's Strong National Museum of Play. And boy, did we have a BLAST! Leah loved every minute of it and Aislin was pretty happy to be out and about too. Give that girl a full tummy and stick her in the Baby Bjorn and she is good to go! One of the coolest attractions at the Strong Museum (besides the fully-functioning, child-sized Wegmans and the almost complete replica of Sesame Street!) is the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden.
I can't even explain the joy I felt watching Leah experience all that was going on around her! She was in awe of the butterflies and at the same time acted as if she was one of them—beautiful and carefree. It was amazing when one of the guides helped her hold a live butterfly in her hand. I was so happy we managed to grab a shot of it! I took a ton of other pictures, including some butterfly macros and a few prize catches of Leah mid-play from around the museum. The snow may have me down, but memories from our museum trip should have me smiling for a while...
To escape from the cold this weekend we headed to Rochester's Strong National Museum of Play. And boy, did we have a BLAST! Leah loved every minute of it and Aislin was pretty happy to be out and about too. Give that girl a full tummy and stick her in the Baby Bjorn and she is good to go! One of the coolest attractions at the Strong Museum (besides the fully-functioning, child-sized Wegmans and the almost complete replica of Sesame Street!) is the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden.
I can't even explain the joy I felt watching Leah experience all that was going on around her! She was in awe of the butterflies and at the same time acted as if she was one of them—beautiful and carefree. It was amazing when one of the guides helped her hold a live butterfly in her hand. I was so happy we managed to grab a shot of it! I took a ton of other pictures, including some butterfly macros and a few prize catches of Leah mid-play from around the museum. The snow may have me down, but memories from our museum trip should have me smiling for a while...
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The laundry list...
As a single woman living in Chicago I used to (dare I say it?) actually enjoy doing laundry. I'd wake up early on a Saturday, before the rest of my apartment building was up, head down to the laundry room and throw a load on. One Einstien Bros. Bagel and a Starbucks Grande Mocha later, I'd stroll back to my apartment and put everything in the dryer.
Then, I'd relax in my apartment checking out the concert listings in the Chicago Reader and deciding which cultural events I'd like to attend that weekend. I use the term "cultural" loosely since Old St. Pat's and GermanFest are just as much "cultural events" in my book as say First Fridays at the Museum of Contemporary Art. After that, it was usually time to get my stuff and start folding. Seriously, I'd be done with the entire task by 11 am—latest. I'd have the entire day in front of me. Lunch with friends? Sure! A cubs game? I'm there! Shopping on Michigan Ave.? Do you even need to ask?
Well...as I've said many times before on this blog: things are different now. And while I do miss aspects of my former life at times, I wouldn't trade my current one for anything! Not even a lifetime supply of All Free and Clear laundry detergent. And believe me...when you have 2 little girls with serious eczema that unscented, dye-free stuff is akin to liquid gold!
There are perks to my current laundry situation. I don't have to smush onto the elevator with my smelly over-flowing basket and crowd some nice elderly couple into the corner. I no longer need to hoard quarters or deal with 15 random laundry cards each with 18¢ left on it. There are no homeless people camped out just trying to find a safe place to get out of the cold. And I can take my time getting laundry done without the worry of disgruntled neighbors taking my stuff out of the washer or dryer (a hassle I rarely had to deal with anyway...as the early bird gets the empty laundry room!).
BUT...perks aside laundry has now become my life. Gone are the days where once a week was enough! As I'm sure many of you know 4 people make A LOT of laundry. I don't know how people do laundry for 5, 6, 8 or more people! And when 2 of those people are babies...forget about it! My friend Sue told me yesterday that she swore her 3rd kid came with laundry retroactive to conception!
Thank god Fran has mercy on me when she's here sitting the kids on Tuesdays. She has the magical ability to get laundry done way faster and better than I ever could. Still, there is so much to be done and I'd say the weakest of my laundry skills is getting it all put back in the correct person's closet or dresser. I often feel overwhelmed. Not by the chore or drudgery of doing laundry (that's still sort of fun for me), but by the sheer amount of clothes that need to be put away! Sometimes I think I'd just rather admire that basket full of toasty warm folded clothes, sheets and towels. I get an oddly satisfying feeling from it.
Which brings me to this picture (and the end of my laundry rant/ramble). Even though children make for WAY more laundry and a constant need to buy more stain remover (I knew we shouldn't have given Leah spaghetti while she was still in her Easter dress!), they do make the jobs of folding and sorting a lot more fun! Leah likes to jump in the piles of clothes like they're fall leaves. And as the photo illustrates, I left Aisy near some freshly washed shirts only to find her laying like this when I returned from the kitchen. I had to grab the camera. Besides...Pete can always run out during the rinse cycle and grab me that starbucks grande mocha if I still need it!
Then, I'd relax in my apartment checking out the concert listings in the Chicago Reader and deciding which cultural events I'd like to attend that weekend. I use the term "cultural" loosely since Old St. Pat's and GermanFest are just as much "cultural events" in my book as say First Fridays at the Museum of Contemporary Art. After that, it was usually time to get my stuff and start folding. Seriously, I'd be done with the entire task by 11 am—latest. I'd have the entire day in front of me. Lunch with friends? Sure! A cubs game? I'm there! Shopping on Michigan Ave.? Do you even need to ask?
Well...as I've said many times before on this blog: things are different now. And while I do miss aspects of my former life at times, I wouldn't trade my current one for anything! Not even a lifetime supply of All Free and Clear laundry detergent. And believe me...when you have 2 little girls with serious eczema that unscented, dye-free stuff is akin to liquid gold!
There are perks to my current laundry situation. I don't have to smush onto the elevator with my smelly over-flowing basket and crowd some nice elderly couple into the corner. I no longer need to hoard quarters or deal with 15 random laundry cards each with 18¢ left on it. There are no homeless people camped out just trying to find a safe place to get out of the cold. And I can take my time getting laundry done without the worry of disgruntled neighbors taking my stuff out of the washer or dryer (a hassle I rarely had to deal with anyway...as the early bird gets the empty laundry room!).
BUT...perks aside laundry has now become my life. Gone are the days where once a week was enough! As I'm sure many of you know 4 people make A LOT of laundry. I don't know how people do laundry for 5, 6, 8 or more people! And when 2 of those people are babies...forget about it! My friend Sue told me yesterday that she swore her 3rd kid came with laundry retroactive to conception!
Thank god Fran has mercy on me when she's here sitting the kids on Tuesdays. She has the magical ability to get laundry done way faster and better than I ever could. Still, there is so much to be done and I'd say the weakest of my laundry skills is getting it all put back in the correct person's closet or dresser. I often feel overwhelmed. Not by the chore or drudgery of doing laundry (that's still sort of fun for me), but by the sheer amount of clothes that need to be put away! Sometimes I think I'd just rather admire that basket full of toasty warm folded clothes, sheets and towels. I get an oddly satisfying feeling from it.
Which brings me to this picture (and the end of my laundry rant/ramble). Even though children make for WAY more laundry and a constant need to buy more stain remover (I knew we shouldn't have given Leah spaghetti while she was still in her Easter dress!), they do make the jobs of folding and sorting a lot more fun! Leah likes to jump in the piles of clothes like they're fall leaves. And as the photo illustrates, I left Aisy near some freshly washed shirts only to find her laying like this when I returned from the kitchen. I had to grab the camera. Besides...Pete can always run out during the rinse cycle and grab me that starbucks grande mocha if I still need it!
Monday, April 09, 2007
Spring...Where are you?
Well, as I'm sure it was for many of you...our Easter here was COLD. It snowed. It is snowing again today. Seriously...I'm tired of it. BUT, the people here are not faint of heart and that includes us! I took the girls to the zoo today and even though there was lots of white stuff in the sky, our spirits were not dampened. We did every inch of the zoo's interior exhibits and even bundled up to see one of the elephants and our buddies the penguins outside. We met a bird named Tom, who was welcoming patrons as they came in and we saw a neat puppet show about how a hermit crab finds his home and works with other sea life to protect it. Leah loved it. Since the schools here are off this week, there were lots of fun activities going on, including zoo camp. I swear, Leah would've walked off with one of the camp groups if I had let her. She says she's ready, but I explained it will be a couple more years before she can go to zoo camp. When she is old enough I know she'll be first in line!
I snapped this picture of our future happy camper, last Tuesday when it was a bit warmer...but still chilly overall. My friend and neighbor Brea bequeathed us her childrens' Little Tykes playhouse since they don't use it any more. I must say...she sent it to a good home where it will be very well loved! Just look at the smile on Leah's face! She's positively psyched! I know I cant wait for this snow to stop and for Leah to open up her playhouse door and say "It's great to see you Mommy!!!" C'mon Spring...come out and play with us. I promise Leah has a warm welcome ready for you too!
PS Ella, when the weather gets warmer you must come by to play in the playhouse! Other neighborhood buddies are welcome too!
I snapped this picture of our future happy camper, last Tuesday when it was a bit warmer...but still chilly overall. My friend and neighbor Brea bequeathed us her childrens' Little Tykes playhouse since they don't use it any more. I must say...she sent it to a good home where it will be very well loved! Just look at the smile on Leah's face! She's positively psyched! I know I cant wait for this snow to stop and for Leah to open up her playhouse door and say "It's great to see you Mommy!!!" C'mon Spring...come out and play with us. I promise Leah has a warm welcome ready for you too!
PS Ella, when the weather gets warmer you must come by to play in the playhouse! Other neighborhood buddies are welcome too!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Good Eats!
Besides being the title of one of her Daddy's favorite Food Network shows (Pete and I love us some Alton Brown!), "Good Eats" totally describes Aislin's attitude towards food. Don't let her face in this shot fool you. She loves it! I figured after posting Leah's picture yesterday it was only fair to gave Aislin some face time with you all. And what better way to do that than with yet another food related photo. I know what you are thinking..."does this women send all of her time feeding her children?" and the answer is...
Yes, sometimes it does feel that way. But not really. I make them sleep too and every once in a while I let them play...(*wink, wink*).
Aisy is now on her second round of fruit. We've moved from pears to applesauce. Pete brought home some sweet potatoes and peaches yesterday too. We'll let you know how it goes when we try 'em. Thanks everyone for your fun comments. The girls love to look at the blog now too. Leah always says "Hey!!! That's ME! On the C'puter!!!" Your comments serve as great talking points that I use to fill the girls in on all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and family friends who love them so! We read the messages and look at pictures and Leah just can't get enough. Happy Easter everyone!!!
Yes, sometimes it does feel that way. But not really. I make them sleep too and every once in a while I let them play...(*wink, wink*).
Aisy is now on her second round of fruit. We've moved from pears to applesauce. Pete brought home some sweet potatoes and peaches yesterday too. We'll let you know how it goes when we try 'em. Thanks everyone for your fun comments. The girls love to look at the blog now too. Leah always says "Hey!!! That's ME! On the C'puter!!!" Your comments serve as great talking points that I use to fill the girls in on all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and family friends who love them so! We read the messages and look at pictures and Leah just can't get enough. Happy Easter everyone!!!
Monday, April 02, 2007
A hair-raising hankering for some sweets!
Today my friend Jen started selling some of her AMAZING treats to a newly re-opened coffee shop/grill in one of our favorite little local towns. The girls and I had to make the 40 min. trip to Cazenovia to check out the bakery case and see Jen's smiling face. Leah was enamored with all the treats and easily found her way to the counter where she was literally "blown away" by the variety of goodies available. As you can see from her out of contol hair, Leah was also having a great time with the refrigeration vent. It was even cuter when she'd gaze longingly into the case while her bangs were thrust back like she was in a gale-force wind!
Leah settled on a chocolate-dipped pretzel (am I a nice Mommy or what?!), I got a freshly-baked cookie, and after a chat with Jen we jumped in the car for the ride back home. Leah has been interested in the country/city concept lately, so she had a blast checking out all the farms and barns on the trip. Of course we couldn't leave without getting something for Daddy. See that monster chocolate cake on the bottom there? There's a piece of that (Chocolate Chambord Cake with genache an raspberry and blackberry preserves....mmmmm!) waiting here for you Pete! (Am I a nice wife or what? *just kidding*).
My family loves my cake connection as much as I do! When we got home Leah kept saying "I want to see Jen." Sure you do Leah...we all know you're just in it for the cake! But I can't blame the kid! Jen is one awesome baker! Lucky for me...she's also a good friend. (insert "aaaaaawwwww..." here)
Oh and to whoever left the nice comment last week...many thanks! I love sharing my stories on this blog! I always write about what interests me. I never think about whether it will interest someone else. My goal with this was just to keep my family and friends updated on our lives, but it has become so much more. I am alwas amazed and humbled when someone says they enjoy hearing our stories! Thanks again.
Leah settled on a chocolate-dipped pretzel (am I a nice Mommy or what?!), I got a freshly-baked cookie, and after a chat with Jen we jumped in the car for the ride back home. Leah has been interested in the country/city concept lately, so she had a blast checking out all the farms and barns on the trip. Of course we couldn't leave without getting something for Daddy. See that monster chocolate cake on the bottom there? There's a piece of that (Chocolate Chambord Cake with genache an raspberry and blackberry preserves....mmmmm!) waiting here for you Pete! (Am I a nice wife or what? *just kidding*).
My family loves my cake connection as much as I do! When we got home Leah kept saying "I want to see Jen." Sure you do Leah...we all know you're just in it for the cake! But I can't blame the kid! Jen is one awesome baker! Lucky for me...she's also a good friend. (insert "aaaaaawwwww..." here)
Oh and to whoever left the nice comment last week...many thanks! I love sharing my stories on this blog! I always write about what interests me. I never think about whether it will interest someone else. My goal with this was just to keep my family and friends updated on our lives, but it has become so much more. I am alwas amazed and humbled when someone says they enjoy hearing our stories! Thanks again.
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