Yesterday I took Rachel out of the house while Drew installed shelves in the closet and moved ALL HIS CLOTHES OUT OF RACHEL's CLOSET. Now she has a closet all to her herself! It looks kind of empty without all of Drew's sweaters, but I'm sure it will fill up with tight jeans, oversize blouses...all the clothes I won't be able to stand. Ooh, I can't wait for all the fights about makeup, short skirts, inappropriate shirts....
Anyway, we met our friends Anna and Ruth, who is 3, at a cool coffeeshop near the library with lovely pastries. Rachel crawled around on the tiny playspace, which had two books and a pile of Legos. Once the older kids started playing with the Legos, she got right into the fray and took the Legos apart then handed them back to the kids. She also cuddled on my lap. I think Anna has a complex because Rachel refuses to let her hold her, but I'm sure that will change. Bet Anna will be one of her heroines someday, someone she can talk to because MOMMY JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND ME...
Then we headed south to Doug and Linda's. Their boys, Andrew and Jack, very sweetly went up to their rooms and kept coming down with toys for Rachel to play with. She was very interested in some play fruit, a puzzle and a wooden box with different-shaped blocks she could pile into the box. At around 3 p.m. I pulled her into my lap and she fell asleep on my chest! Babies get so sweaty and hot when they sleep.
Then I got home and Rachel threw the most amazing temper tantrum last night during her bath. She was also very cranky on the changing table this morning. I finally leaned her against my chest and stroked her back and she immediately calmed down. She's so adorable most of the time, I hope she's not entering an unpleasant new stage.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Shabbat candles
..Almost every Friday night, whether I've been to services (like last night) or not, we light the Shabbat candles. I cover my eyes and say the blessing over the candles, then say a separate blessing for Rachel. I put my hand on her head and tell her to be like our founding mothers -- Leah, Rebecca, Ruth and Rachel. Then we do the blessing over the bread and drinks, and eat.
Last night, after I uncovered my eyes and started blessing Rachel, she covered her own eyes, as if she wanted to say her own little blessing! I was absolutely astonished and very moved. I love the idea that she will think of Shabbat as a lovely, peaceful way to end the week.
Last night, after I uncovered my eyes and started blessing Rachel, she covered her own eyes, as if she wanted to say her own little blessing! I was absolutely astonished and very moved. I love the idea that she will think of Shabbat as a lovely, peaceful way to end the week.
Flu shot champ!
Drew took Rachel to get her second dose of seasonal flu shot yesterday, followed by the oh-so-precious H1N1 shot. If I can editorialize a bit here: If you have the chance to get your kid an H1N1 shot, DO IT!! Two friends of mine have had kids who've gotten swine flu and it is NO FUN. I would do anything to avoid exposing Rachel to it.
Anyhow: Drew also was able to get an H1N1 shot because of his "chronic condition" -- i.e., asthma -- which puts him at greater risk. He said that as soon as Rachel saw him get his shot, she started crying.
"I couldn't tell whether she was crying out of compassion for me, or because she knew she was next," he told me.
Bottom line: Rachel recovered quickly and ended up playing with two adorable little girls in the play area of the pediatrics department. By the time I got home from Shabbat services last night, she was her usual cheerful, giggly self.
Anyhow: Drew also was able to get an H1N1 shot because of his "chronic condition" -- i.e., asthma -- which puts him at greater risk. He said that as soon as Rachel saw him get his shot, she started crying.
"I couldn't tell whether she was crying out of compassion for me, or because she knew she was next," he told me.
Bottom line: Rachel recovered quickly and ended up playing with two adorable little girls in the play area of the pediatrics department. By the time I got home from Shabbat services last night, she was her usual cheerful, giggly self.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
We have walking!!
Rachel took six steps ALL BY HERSELF yesterday! It happened while I was at chorus. Apparently she matter-of-factly stood up near the coffee table, walked over to her toybox and pulled out a couple of toys.
Later she walked three steps, then plopped down on the floor and laughed and laughed and laughed. Drew said it was almost as if she was saying, "wow! This is so cool! Look at me!"
Later she walked three steps, then plopped down on the floor and laughed and laughed and laughed. Drew said it was almost as if she was saying, "wow! This is so cool! Look at me!"
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Why Rachel is a blessing
I was feeling like a really bad mommy today when I was fighting traffic to get to daycare on time. I ended up being 5 minutes late. Luckily Valentina, one of my favorite attendants, the one who loves Rachel, was there and held her while I grabbed the diaper bag and mumbled an apology.
Rachel was kind of fussy tonight, bursting into tears and stomping her feet (really!) when she didn't get her way. I finally gave in and lifted her up on the loveseat and she snuggled onto my chest after one of her crying fits. She lay there for 10 minutes, with me stroking her back. I think she was trying to calm herself down.
The leg-kicking is new. She did it when I tried to buckle her into the car seat today, and she does it when she's anxious to get out. Sometimes she'll kick her feet on the changing table when she wants to get up, or in my arms after I've taken her out of her crib.
She had a light dinner tonight -- I kind of forgot to give her applesauce for dessert -- but she was so snuggly that I read all the books she wanted me to. It make up for this morning, when I only had time for one book and she threw a fit.
So why is she a blessing? Because there's nothing like holding a freshly bathed, cuddly baby in a soft sleepsuit hours after getting the news that there will definitely be layoffs next year, sometime after February. The newspaper needs to get rid of 40 people and, frankly, I don't know how they'll do it. We're thin as it is. Just one more thing for me to stress out about.
Rachel was kind of fussy tonight, bursting into tears and stomping her feet (really!) when she didn't get her way. I finally gave in and lifted her up on the loveseat and she snuggled onto my chest after one of her crying fits. She lay there for 10 minutes, with me stroking her back. I think she was trying to calm herself down.
The leg-kicking is new. She did it when I tried to buckle her into the car seat today, and she does it when she's anxious to get out. Sometimes she'll kick her feet on the changing table when she wants to get up, or in my arms after I've taken her out of her crib.
She had a light dinner tonight -- I kind of forgot to give her applesauce for dessert -- but she was so snuggly that I read all the books she wanted me to. It make up for this morning, when I only had time for one book and she threw a fit.
So why is she a blessing? Because there's nothing like holding a freshly bathed, cuddly baby in a soft sleepsuit hours after getting the news that there will definitely be layoffs next year, sometime after February. The newspaper needs to get rid of 40 people and, frankly, I don't know how they'll do it. We're thin as it is. Just one more thing for me to stress out about.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Toddler blues
Drew and I toured the Toddler 1 section of daycare, where Rachel will start Nov. 16th. I was disappointed. The windows in each room are tiny, the rooms themselves looked grubby and the kids -- the ones who, just a week or so ago were in Mobiles with Rachel -- looked runny-nosed and a few seemed unhappy. And I've been told the main woman there, Teacher Karen, was great, but...she talked reallyreallyreally fast and it was hard to keep up with what she was saying. She also noted gently that toddlers are much more on a schedule than Mobiles. For instance, snack is at 9, lunch is at 11 or so, naptime is 11:30 until 2:30 and they nap on mats with blankets, not cribs. The whole idea of a schedule seems so grownup and corporate, and Rachel is still LITTLE! She woke up this morning at 9:15 a.m. (ok, granted, that was a little late for a weekday) and I can't stand the thought of putting her to sleep at 8 so she can get all whacked out and start waking at 6 just because some daycare needs her to be on a schedule.
Drew, who took the tour with me, said at one point, "Lisa, you look traumatized." I was, and I started crying. She's not even walking yet! Why does she have to move to another room? Teacher Karen said most kids take weeks to adjust, and it's new germs so they get runny noses and ear infections (oh, joy) and the transition is the hardest they'll ever make at St. James. However...Teacher Karen has been there for 21 years, her own daughter went through the program (I didn't have the heart to ask her whether she ended up at an Ivy League college), they have whole milk there so we won't have to bring it from home, they'll try to get her to drink milk from a cup, they'll encourage her to walk. And they don't watch TV and she won't get juice (we only give her water or milk). Still...
The whole experience left me very depressed today. Not even clothes shopping could lift my mood. I just wanted to run back to Mobiles, scoop Rachel up and say loftily, "you can't have my child. I'm keeping her until she's ready for kindergarten, and I'm finding another daycare with big sunny rooms and where they're on my daughter's schedule, not the other way around."
But of course, that is unrealistic. Drew reminded me that Rachel will have to wake up earlier eventually, and that it's easier to get her to do so now than when she's in kindergarten (which I had secretly hoped I could put off until then). A friend of mine reminded me later that children aren't really ours, we just get to borrow them, and our whole aim in life is to help prepare them to leave us one day as independent, sane human beings.
But as I was cuddling her in my arms tonight and singing to her as she fell asleep, I thought how much I'll miss these days. Her breath was so soft on my chin, and her little hand was tucked up near my neck, and I could feel how much she trusted her mommy to make her feel safe and loved, with no good reason other than she really doesn't have a choice.
I hope I never let her down, and I hope I can tell her how someday how I cried while I wrote this, realizing she will someday grow up and go away and all I'll be able to do is wave goodbye.
Drew, who took the tour with me, said at one point, "Lisa, you look traumatized." I was, and I started crying. She's not even walking yet! Why does she have to move to another room? Teacher Karen said most kids take weeks to adjust, and it's new germs so they get runny noses and ear infections (oh, joy) and the transition is the hardest they'll ever make at St. James. However...Teacher Karen has been there for 21 years, her own daughter went through the program (I didn't have the heart to ask her whether she ended up at an Ivy League college), they have whole milk there so we won't have to bring it from home, they'll try to get her to drink milk from a cup, they'll encourage her to walk. And they don't watch TV and she won't get juice (we only give her water or milk). Still...
The whole experience left me very depressed today. Not even clothes shopping could lift my mood. I just wanted to run back to Mobiles, scoop Rachel up and say loftily, "you can't have my child. I'm keeping her until she's ready for kindergarten, and I'm finding another daycare with big sunny rooms and where they're on my daughter's schedule, not the other way around."
But of course, that is unrealistic. Drew reminded me that Rachel will have to wake up earlier eventually, and that it's easier to get her to do so now than when she's in kindergarten (which I had secretly hoped I could put off until then). A friend of mine reminded me later that children aren't really ours, we just get to borrow them, and our whole aim in life is to help prepare them to leave us one day as independent, sane human beings.
But as I was cuddling her in my arms tonight and singing to her as she fell asleep, I thought how much I'll miss these days. Her breath was so soft on my chin, and her little hand was tucked up near my neck, and I could feel how much she trusted her mommy to make her feel safe and loved, with no good reason other than she really doesn't have a choice.
I hope I never let her down, and I hope I can tell her how someday how I cried while I wrote this, realizing she will someday grow up and go away and all I'll be able to do is wave goodbye.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Winter's on the way....
...because today was the end of Daylight Savings Time. I was worried that Rachel would decide to wake up early since we set our clocks back, but no...she slept until 8:30! I played with her a bit this morning while Drew slept in, showered and made us breakfast. Then he took The Little Girl grocery shopping while I baked chocolate-chip banana bread. It's one of four breads I offered as part of the St. James spring carnival/auction and someone actually bid on it! The next three breads will be gingerbread, pumpkin bread and orange bread. Drew is very jealous, so I'm trying to make it up tonight -- I'm making turkey thighs with mashed potatoes and a beef barley stew that we both love. We won't have to cook at ALL this week -- too many leftovers!
We took Rachel to Laurelhurst Park today, a lovely park that we don't visit that often. She had a fun time on the play structure, then we visited the dog run. We played a little game with Drew holding her hands as she walked toward me, and I walked backward. So she had to catch up!
As I was watching her walk toward me in her little pink coat with multicolored buttons I stared hard at her, trying to remember every feature of her face and what it felt like to watch her walk toward me. I'm hoping the memory lasts with me when she's old enough to walk on her own and, in fact, will no longer want to spend weekends with her parents taking walks through the park.
She took one perfect step on her own this morning. Then she thought better of it and resumed crawling.
We took Rachel to Laurelhurst Park today, a lovely park that we don't visit that often. She had a fun time on the play structure, then we visited the dog run. We played a little game with Drew holding her hands as she walked toward me, and I walked backward. So she had to catch up!
As I was watching her walk toward me in her little pink coat with multicolored buttons I stared hard at her, trying to remember every feature of her face and what it felt like to watch her walk toward me. I'm hoping the memory lasts with me when she's old enough to walk on her own and, in fact, will no longer want to spend weekends with her parents taking walks through the park.
She took one perfect step on her own this morning. Then she thought better of it and resumed crawling.
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