This is to see what happens with my RSS feed to Facebook. Yesterday I added that, and it posted my last 24 posts! It's not a big deal since they are public anyway, but it was not what I intended to do. I tried to delete them (So people wouldn't think, "WTF? Why is she posting all this?), but they kept coming back. I'll see what happens when I create some I post something new.
I've been fighting the Facebook thing for some time now. Partly because of concerns about the misappropriaton of my personal information. Partly because I didn't want to take the time.
As for the privacy concerns, I am paying close attention to my privacy settings, including using suggestions from articles on Facebook privacy such as this and this. Plus, as with all my online activities, I try to avoid posting anything that would be particularly damaging even if someday found by someone outside the intended audience.
As for the time, we'll see how that goes. With the critter there is even less of what used to be free time, so I'm striving for balance. (I already put a filter on my Gmail to have Facebook notifications skip the inbox and go into a facebook folder. That way I'm not constantly being pinged, but I still have a way to check on Facebook activity without having to go to the site.)
I will say that it's nice to connect to people with whom I haven't been in touch for a while. Also, many friends of friends have been using Facebook as a primary mode of communication, so it's nice to be in the loop.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Shameless Self-Promotion: 10 Minute Plays in Macon, Ga.
Literary Arts Theatre Festival – 10-minute plays
Monday, June 29 (ONE NIGHT ONLY)
567 Cherry Street, Macon, Georgia
$3 at the door
I have two plays in this festival of staged readings of seven 10-minute plays. The program is split into two programs. The "family friendly" plays start at 7 PM, and the "mature audience" plays start at 9 PM. I have a show in each half.
My "family friendly" selection is "Serenity Lounge Anxiety." This is a 10-minute cutting of a longer one-act play about the very intimate relationships that can develop with one's massage therapist. Neither the 10-minute version nor the full one-act have had any prior performances, so I'm disappointed to miss the opportunity to hear this done.
My "mature" selection is "With a View of Gray Street." This comedy about a man looking for a very specific apartment premiered at Future Tenant's Future Ten festival in 2006.
I'm amused that this wound up in a "mature audiences" (Warning!) section. I don't consider that play to be particularly racy. I specifically held back some of my more provocative works since I figured they would be too much for Macon!
My dad's play "Girl's Night Out" is also a part of the "mature" portion of the evening. Our family has 3 plays out of 7. Not bad.
If you happen to be in Macon on Monday, please check it out!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Because the trees might read what you left on the printer
I sometimes get emails with the signature line, "Please consider the environment before printing this email." I'm pretty sure that the authors just don't want me to waste paper, but an information security person reads this as a different sort of warning entirely.
Longest sleep yet!
The little one slept through the night. He slept from 9 PM until just as I was getting up to feed him. Sadly, on my current schedule that’s 5:30 AM, but that’s a lot more palatable when I wasn’t just up at 4 AM.
Okay. So I still woke up at 4 AM, but I was slightly more calm about it than I was last time.
The morning feeding was thrown off a bit by this new development. Normally, his dad feeds him a bottle while I am in the shower, and I finish off with breastfeeding right before we head to daycare. This morning I decided to feed him off the breast first. I hadn't breastfed or pumped since 8 PM, so I was really full. I make so little milk that I can't stand to see any go down the shower drain, so I fed him just enough to stop the leaking. That made him less interested in the bottle when dad tried to feed him. Then, when I would normally do the last minute breastfeeding, he wasn't interested in the breast but took the rest of his bottle. I warned the daycare lady that his schedule will likely be a bit off today. I'll happily figure out a new morning feeding routine if it means sleeping through the night becomes a the norm!
I’m still tired though.
Okay. So I still woke up at 4 AM, but I was slightly more calm about it than I was last time.
The morning feeding was thrown off a bit by this new development. Normally, his dad feeds him a bottle while I am in the shower, and I finish off with breastfeeding right before we head to daycare. This morning I decided to feed him off the breast first. I hadn't breastfed or pumped since 8 PM, so I was really full. I make so little milk that I can't stand to see any go down the shower drain, so I fed him just enough to stop the leaking. That made him less interested in the bottle when dad tried to feed him. Then, when I would normally do the last minute breastfeeding, he wasn't interested in the breast but took the rest of his bottle. I warned the daycare lady that his schedule will likely be a bit off today. I'll happily figure out a new morning feeding routine if it means sleeping through the night becomes a the norm!
I’m still tired though.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Got: Spray Pancakes
As follow up from my previous post, I should mention that we did try the aerosol pancakes this weekend.
Apparently, the Batter Blaster is available at all the major supermarkets in our area. Who knew? (Enter your zip code to find sources near you.) We had a friend visiting from DC for the weekend, so it seemed like a good time to experiment with this crazy product.
Our friend actually did the cooking. She said it was a bit hard to control the size and placement of the pancakes. Still, she managed to make quite a few. The first ones varied between undercooked and overcooked, but I find it takes a while to get the pan temperature correct with any sort of pancakes.
They tasted good. They tasted like pancakes. Didn't notice anything better or worse than pancakes from a mix, although these are organic.
Probably the best thing about this product is it would be really easy to make pancakes for one person. Everything is ready to go in the fridge so you just need to heat up a pan. Then the rest can go back in the refrigerator. Plus there's no mess to clean up (other than the pan).
Apparently, the Batter Blaster is available at all the major supermarkets in our area. Who knew? (Enter your zip code to find sources near you.) We had a friend visiting from DC for the weekend, so it seemed like a good time to experiment with this crazy product.
Our friend actually did the cooking. She said it was a bit hard to control the size and placement of the pancakes. Still, she managed to make quite a few. The first ones varied between undercooked and overcooked, but I find it takes a while to get the pan temperature correct with any sort of pancakes.
They tasted good. They tasted like pancakes. Didn't notice anything better or worse than pancakes from a mix, although these are organic.
Probably the best thing about this product is it would be really easy to make pancakes for one person. Everything is ready to go in the fridge so you just need to heat up a pan. Then the rest can go back in the refrigerator. Plus there's no mess to clean up (other than the pan).
Monday, June 22, 2009
And I'm still a playwright...
I haven't done any playwriting since December. I haven't submitted many of my finished plays either, particularly since the critter was born. I do still consider myself a playwright; it just hasn't been the focus of my life (and, therefore, of this blog).
My folks did give me a heads up on a festival seeking submissions down by them in Georgia. They wanted email submissions, so it was easy to send a couple of scripts off to them.
The festival director just called to let me know that they want to both plays. It's a one-night only of staged readings, but it's at least a production credit. I haven't had any work produced since january
Shameless self promotion post coming soon (when I get more details).
My folks did give me a heads up on a festival seeking submissions down by them in Georgia. They wanted email submissions, so it was easy to send a couple of scripts off to them.
The festival director just called to let me know that they want to both plays. It's a one-night only of staged readings, but it's at least a production credit. I haven't had any work produced since january
Shameless self promotion post coming soon (when I get more details).
Talkin' Derby
We took the critter to his first roller derby this weekend. At first it seemed like it would be the definition of "overstimulation." He going to be out past his bedtime, and he was fascinated by the lighted messages that scroll around the UIC Pavillion and often startled by the announcers ("And your lead jammer is...!"). But by the time it got to the championship bout he had fallen asleep and stayed that way for most of the first half, the halftime show, and some of the second half.
(He was awake for the exciting conclusion when the underdog Manic Attackers came from behind to take the 2009 Ivy King Cup over the Hells Belles!)
(He was awake for the exciting conclusion when the underdog Manic Attackers came from behind to take the 2009 Ivy King Cup over the Hells Belles!)
Friday, June 19, 2009
WHO can't sleep through the night?
I awoke at 4:10. I don't know if I woke up because I'm used to being awake at that hour, or if I woke up because my breasts were so full and hard with milk. I did not wake up because I heard the baby. The baby was silent.
That's good, right? Usually, on a good night, he goes to bed around 9 PM and then wakes up for a feeding between 3 and 4 AM. Sleeping longer is good, right? Only if I can sleep too.
I stared at the clock, listening to the silence of the baby monitor. I couldn't help worrying if he was alright. After all, he fussed a little after we put him down last night. He wasn't crying out, so I let him fuss to see if he'd calm himself. Which he did. Or I thought he did. What if something was wrong? What if something was wrong, and I didn't check on him?
It was 4:20 when I couldn't fight the urge to check on him. I knew I might wake him up. I didn't want to wake him up. I just needed to know he was alright.
I entered the room as quietly as you can in an old building with creeky doors and squeaky floors. I approached the crib, but in the dark of the nightlight I couldn't tell if he was moving. Under the sleepsack I couldn't tell if he was breathing. I fought the urge to touch him or blow on him to get him to stir. I didn't want to wake him up. Eventually his lips moved a bit, as they sometimes do in his sleep. A finger moved. I went back to our bedroom.
I was trying to go back to sleep when the baby monitor started beeping. Sometimes it beeps when it loses contact with the main unit in the nursery. It loses contact for a second, then is fine. This time it was not fine. It just kept beeping with a glowing red light. Then, I realized that the smoke alarm was chirping too, and the clock was off. The storm had knocked the power out.
I opened our door and the door to the nursery and tried to go back to sleep. I still couldn't. I considered pumping to empty my breasts, but although the pump has batteries, I didn't want to have to deal with that in the dark. I just laid in bed. Until 4:55 when the baby woke for what would now be his 5 AM feeding.
Since I was so very awake, I fed him in the nursery instead of my usual, lazy, middle-of-the-night, feed-in-bed-so-I-can-sleep technique. I was finishing up when the power came on at 5:30. I put him back down in his crib. I got back into bed. The hubby got up to work out at 5:45. I got about 20 minutes more sleep before I had to get up.
The critter slept more than 8 hours straight last night. Mommy did not.
That's good, right? Usually, on a good night, he goes to bed around 9 PM and then wakes up for a feeding between 3 and 4 AM. Sleeping longer is good, right? Only if I can sleep too.
I stared at the clock, listening to the silence of the baby monitor. I couldn't help worrying if he was alright. After all, he fussed a little after we put him down last night. He wasn't crying out, so I let him fuss to see if he'd calm himself. Which he did. Or I thought he did. What if something was wrong? What if something was wrong, and I didn't check on him?
It was 4:20 when I couldn't fight the urge to check on him. I knew I might wake him up. I didn't want to wake him up. I just needed to know he was alright.
I entered the room as quietly as you can in an old building with creeky doors and squeaky floors. I approached the crib, but in the dark of the nightlight I couldn't tell if he was moving. Under the sleepsack I couldn't tell if he was breathing. I fought the urge to touch him or blow on him to get him to stir. I didn't want to wake him up. Eventually his lips moved a bit, as they sometimes do in his sleep. A finger moved. I went back to our bedroom.
I was trying to go back to sleep when the baby monitor started beeping. Sometimes it beeps when it loses contact with the main unit in the nursery. It loses contact for a second, then is fine. This time it was not fine. It just kept beeping with a glowing red light. Then, I realized that the smoke alarm was chirping too, and the clock was off. The storm had knocked the power out.
I opened our door and the door to the nursery and tried to go back to sleep. I still couldn't. I considered pumping to empty my breasts, but although the pump has batteries, I didn't want to have to deal with that in the dark. I just laid in bed. Until 4:55 when the baby woke for what would now be his 5 AM feeding.
Since I was so very awake, I fed him in the nursery instead of my usual, lazy, middle-of-the-night, feed-in-bed-so-I-can-sleep technique. I was finishing up when the power came on at 5:30. I put him back down in his crib. I got back into bed. The hubby got up to work out at 5:45. I got about 20 minutes more sleep before I had to get up.
The critter slept more than 8 hours straight last night. Mommy did not.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Decisions
I'm going to have to make some critter-related decisions in the next few days.
First, I heard back from the big daycare center where I had been on the wait list since November. They have a space for our critter starting in September. Now, I need to decide whether to keep the critter in his current home day care or move him to the big center.
The current daycare situation is in a woman's home. She and an assistant take care of 7 kids from the critter (the youngest) up to age 4. The location is very close to my home, and the critter seems to be doing well there (in the little over two weeks he's gone).
The daycare center would put the critter in a group of 12-15 kids his own age, with whom he would move from room to room as they grow. For older kids, the center has very good arts, music, and swimming programs, and getting the critter in now would guarantee him a spot in those. The center is closer to my work. The critter wouldn't need to be in care as long, but the time gained with me would just be time in the car. It's more expensive, but we can afford it if we think it's worth it.
Thoughts and suggestions on this matter are apppreciated, particularly from the mommies across the country that sometimes read my blog.
The other issue is that after a long time of claims being sent to the wrong address and then needing to take the time to resubmit them, I have now gotten the notification that the domperidone that I started taking to increase my milk supply is not covered by insurance. We've already paid for 3 months for which we won't be reimbursed (which we knew was a risk), but the question is whether I should continue taking it.
If I stop taking the drug my milk supply will likely decrease or possibly dry up altogether. It might not, but if I choose not to refill it anymore I need to be prepared for the fact that that may mean the end of breastfeeding. On the other hand, we are spending a lot of money on this drug, but I still need to feed the critter quite a bit of formula. (It's probably about half of what he eats.) An additional variable is that the pediatrician says he can start solid foods next month. Now, I've read that there is no hurry and starting foods early just creates an additional chore, but that decision seems relevant to how important it is to keep my milk supply.
Ah. Too much to think about. I just want to make the best decisions for my boy. I know he'll be fine at either daycare. I know he'll be fine without breastmilk. Knowing all that makes the decisions that much harder.
First, I heard back from the big daycare center where I had been on the wait list since November. They have a space for our critter starting in September. Now, I need to decide whether to keep the critter in his current home day care or move him to the big center.
The current daycare situation is in a woman's home. She and an assistant take care of 7 kids from the critter (the youngest) up to age 4. The location is very close to my home, and the critter seems to be doing well there (in the little over two weeks he's gone).
The daycare center would put the critter in a group of 12-15 kids his own age, with whom he would move from room to room as they grow. For older kids, the center has very good arts, music, and swimming programs, and getting the critter in now would guarantee him a spot in those. The center is closer to my work. The critter wouldn't need to be in care as long, but the time gained with me would just be time in the car. It's more expensive, but we can afford it if we think it's worth it.
Thoughts and suggestions on this matter are apppreciated, particularly from the mommies across the country that sometimes read my blog.
The other issue is that after a long time of claims being sent to the wrong address and then needing to take the time to resubmit them, I have now gotten the notification that the domperidone that I started taking to increase my milk supply is not covered by insurance. We've already paid for 3 months for which we won't be reimbursed (which we knew was a risk), but the question is whether I should continue taking it.
If I stop taking the drug my milk supply will likely decrease or possibly dry up altogether. It might not, but if I choose not to refill it anymore I need to be prepared for the fact that that may mean the end of breastfeeding. On the other hand, we are spending a lot of money on this drug, but I still need to feed the critter quite a bit of formula. (It's probably about half of what he eats.) An additional variable is that the pediatrician says he can start solid foods next month. Now, I've read that there is no hurry and starting foods early just creates an additional chore, but that decision seems relevant to how important it is to keep my milk supply.
Ah. Too much to think about. I just want to make the best decisions for my boy. I know he'll be fine at either daycare. I know he'll be fine without breastmilk. Knowing all that makes the decisions that much harder.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Better use of 15 minutes
I didn't make this mistake again. This morning I had 15 extra minutes again, so I put the critter in the stroller and went for a little walk. We just went to the mailbox and then to the coffee shop to get momma some coffee and zucchini bread, but it was nice to have a little time. The critter had fallen asleep while I brushed her teeth and packed the day's milk, but he woke up for the walk. It was nice to have him awake so I could interract with him during the extra time, although watching him sleep is a joy, too.
I love my baby.
Our walk was so nice it almost made it okay to be Monday. Almost. This was a particularly nice weekend with two nice sunny days to go to Midsommarfest. (I blew my diet a bit on festival food, but it's good for the soul to have funnel cake at least once a year, right?) Mom, Dad, and Critter all got goodies, too. Hubby bought me a bracelet and himself a funky belt buckle. One of the posh kids stores in our neighborhood is going to be an online only business, which is sort of sad, but it meant a super sale. The critter got a fun stuffed bunny, a fashionable onesie, and blocks (for when he's older but at 50% off it was worth buying and storing them).
Looking forward to critter's first summer.
I love my baby.
Our walk was so nice it almost made it okay to be Monday. Almost. This was a particularly nice weekend with two nice sunny days to go to Midsommarfest. (I blew my diet a bit on festival food, but it's good for the soul to have funnel cake at least once a year, right?) Mom, Dad, and Critter all got goodies, too. Hubby bought me a bracelet and himself a funky belt buckle. One of the posh kids stores in our neighborhood is going to be an online only business, which is sort of sad, but it meant a super sale. The critter got a fun stuffed bunny, a fashionable onesie, and blocks (for when he's older but at 50% off it was worth buying and storing them).
Looking forward to critter's first summer.
Friday, June 12, 2009
15 More Minutes
Although I felt like the morning was as chaotic as usual, I was disappointed to realize that I somehow managed to get to daycare more than 15 minutes earlier than usual. Why disappointed? Well, I only get a few waking hours at home with my baby on weekdays. Losing 15 minutes of that is significant. I wish I had stayed home a little bit longer and read him a story or snuggled him or let him play. Next time I will watch the clock more closely.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
This morning: messy AND sleepy
After the good news that the critter is growing, we had a rough morning.
We’ve gotten pretty good with getting the critter to bed. We started a bedtime ritual and using the crib a few weeks ago. He can usually fall asleep on his own. On a good night, he’ll sleep from 8:30 PM until 3 or 4 AM. Last night was not one of those nights.
He woke up at 12:45 AM. Generally I’ve been just taking him to bed if he wakes up. It doesn’t help us get any closer to having him sleep through the night, but with trying to adjust to going back to work it is nice to be able to just latch him onto a breast and go back to sleep while he does what he needs to do. Last night, I tried to be “good.” I got up and fed him in the nursery. Then he put him back down in the crib. He was crying about 20 minutes later. Hubby brought him to me in bed. I cuddled the critter until he fell back asleep and, eventually, I did too.
He woke up again at 5 AM. That’s actually worse than getting up earlier since it means I don’t get to go back to sleep before 6 AM, which is when I need to get up nowadays (an hour before my pre-critter waking time). As a result, I was moving pretty slowly when I did get up. Hubby did his usual portion of the critter prep and left for work. I proceeded as usual, but after I did the final breast feed on the critter he spit up. A lot. Granted, he didn’t get me like he got his dad a few days ago. I managed to be prepared with a burp cloth. Still, he covered his face, arm and chest pretty well. As I was trying to clean him off he was leaning back a little when he spit up again. It spurted up like a sour milk fountain.
The drooling sort of spit up doesn’t distress him, but he seemed quite uncomfortable during all this. I held him until he became calm. Apparently, I was successful because he fell back asleep. This is actually a good thing because he needs his sleep, but I was disappointed for two reasons. (1) He looks like such an angel when he is sleeping that I just want to stay and hold him forever; and (2) I wanted to be able to go back to sleep, too!
He woke up a bit when I changed him into clean clothes but fell back to sleep when I strapped him into the car seat. He was still asleep when we got to daycare.
Momma has to cope with coffee.
We’ve gotten pretty good with getting the critter to bed. We started a bedtime ritual and using the crib a few weeks ago. He can usually fall asleep on his own. On a good night, he’ll sleep from 8:30 PM until 3 or 4 AM. Last night was not one of those nights.
He woke up at 12:45 AM. Generally I’ve been just taking him to bed if he wakes up. It doesn’t help us get any closer to having him sleep through the night, but with trying to adjust to going back to work it is nice to be able to just latch him onto a breast and go back to sleep while he does what he needs to do. Last night, I tried to be “good.” I got up and fed him in the nursery. Then he put him back down in the crib. He was crying about 20 minutes later. Hubby brought him to me in bed. I cuddled the critter until he fell back asleep and, eventually, I did too.
He woke up again at 5 AM. That’s actually worse than getting up earlier since it means I don’t get to go back to sleep before 6 AM, which is when I need to get up nowadays (an hour before my pre-critter waking time). As a result, I was moving pretty slowly when I did get up. Hubby did his usual portion of the critter prep and left for work. I proceeded as usual, but after I did the final breast feed on the critter he spit up. A lot. Granted, he didn’t get me like he got his dad a few days ago. I managed to be prepared with a burp cloth. Still, he covered his face, arm and chest pretty well. As I was trying to clean him off he was leaning back a little when he spit up again. It spurted up like a sour milk fountain.
The drooling sort of spit up doesn’t distress him, but he seemed quite uncomfortable during all this. I held him until he became calm. Apparently, I was successful because he fell back asleep. This is actually a good thing because he needs his sleep, but I was disappointed for two reasons. (1) He looks like such an angel when he is sleeping that I just want to stay and hold him forever; and (2) I wanted to be able to go back to sleep, too!
He woke up a bit when I changed him into clean clothes but fell back to sleep when I strapped him into the car seat. He was still asleep when we got to daycare.
Momma has to cope with coffee.
3 Months: My Big Guy
We had 3 month critter weigh in yesterday. He is 24 inches long/tall and 13 lbs and 2 oz. That's actually a normal weight! Right around the 50% percentile. Yay for growing critter!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Want: Spray pancakes
We've been eating a lot more prepared foods since the arrival of the critter. Part of this is because hubby, previously not very experienced with cooking, has been doing most of the meal prep in order to help me out. He's recently started branching out into actual cooking, but it was nice to discover that there are many good prepared food options out there (particularly from Trader Joe's).
Although it's not going to help me lose the baby weight, I can't help but be tempted by pancakes from a spray can. Perhaps a treat...
Although it's not going to help me lose the baby weight, I can't help but be tempted by pancakes from a spray can. Perhaps a treat...
Monday, June 8, 2009
Messy Morning
So, I knew something like this would happen some morning, but I thought it would happen to me. The critter spit up his breakfast. All over dad.
Dad is in charge of feeding critter formula, changing the diaper, and getting the baby dressed while mommy starts getting ready. (Normally we do formula AFTER breastfeeding, but in the morning this made more sense since hubby leaves before I do.) This has worked fine, but this morning while critter spit up most of his formula all over dad. Unfortunately, it is a rainy day; otherwise, hubby would have been in a tshirt and shorts ready to bike to work. Instead, he was actually in one of his nice, custom-fit, dress shirts and khakis. Spit up formula was all over his shirt, his pants, and the kitchen floor. I took care of the floor while hubby changed.
After all that, critter had very little interest in feeding off the breast. He wanted to play instead. I'll be interested in the report from daycare. It's definitely a different sort of day.
Dad is in charge of feeding critter formula, changing the diaper, and getting the baby dressed while mommy starts getting ready. (Normally we do formula AFTER breastfeeding, but in the morning this made more sense since hubby leaves before I do.) This has worked fine, but this morning while critter spit up most of his formula all over dad. Unfortunately, it is a rainy day; otherwise, hubby would have been in a tshirt and shorts ready to bike to work. Instead, he was actually in one of his nice, custom-fit, dress shirts and khakis. Spit up formula was all over his shirt, his pants, and the kitchen floor. I took care of the floor while hubby changed.
After all that, critter had very little interest in feeding off the breast. He wanted to play instead. I'll be interested in the report from daycare. It's definitely a different sort of day.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Coffee Pants
In an effort to continuously improve my my morning routine I decided to bring my coffee in a thermos today. Well, I decided this after already pouring half of it into a travel mug, so I wasn't giving myself a free hand. But that wasn't the problem. I hadn't used the thermos for a while, so I forgot that it leaks if it falls on its side. Which is what it did in the shopping bag with the milk and my lunch as I slowly made my way down the stairs. When I got to the garage I noticed that the side of my pants had some wet spots.
Luckily, I was wearing dark brown pants. I knew that once the drips had dried the spills wouldn't be noticeable. (I know this because I was a veteran spiller of coffee well before I was a mother.) Still, it's annoying. I'm going to smell like coffee all day. Although, realistically, I was probably going to smell like coffee all day anyway. It is my helper in primary work goal of staying awake. (I'll be more ambitious in week two.)
Notes to self: buy new thermos; wash pants; create elaborate pully system for lowering my belongings to ground level.
UPDATE: The process of the thermos leaking involved coffee leaking from the sippy opening in the internal lid, into the cup lid, and out onto me. As a result, when I went to open the thermos at work all the coffee that had remained trapped in the cup lid spilled all over the carpet (which, luckily, is also brown). It's an awesome day! Is it Friday yet?
Luckily, I was wearing dark brown pants. I knew that once the drips had dried the spills wouldn't be noticeable. (I know this because I was a veteran spiller of coffee well before I was a mother.) Still, it's annoying. I'm going to smell like coffee all day. Although, realistically, I was probably going to smell like coffee all day anyway. It is my helper in primary work goal of staying awake. (I'll be more ambitious in week two.)
Notes to self: buy new thermos; wash pants; create elaborate pully system for lowering my belongings to ground level.
UPDATE: The process of the thermos leaking involved coffee leaking from the sippy opening in the internal lid, into the cup lid, and out onto me. As a result, when I went to open the thermos at work all the coffee that had remained trapped in the cup lid spilled all over the carpet (which, luckily, is also brown). It's an awesome day! Is it Friday yet?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The morning ritual...
...is complicated.
Hubby and I have been working to coordinate bathroom time and other preparations for the day. For example, hubby changes and dresses the critter while I'm in the shower. Lunch packing and milk/formula preparations are usually done the night before.
I still don't have a rhythm yet. Yesterday, I was almost done feeding the critter, which is usually my last thing to do, when I realized I hadn't put on make-up yet. I've made coffee at home, or I've waiting until going to work. And there is the variable of how hungry the crit is. Somedays he feeds more than others, and it seems like the daycare lady still needs to feed him within an hour of his arrival.
The biggest problem is all the stuff I have to carry down the 3 flights of stairs to the garage. (Thank goodness I decided to start driving to work. I couldn't do all this on the train.) I have my purse, my breast pump, my lunch, a cooler of bottles for the critter, a coffee mug (sometimes), and the critter in a car seat. It's a lot of stuff! I've thought about leaving the pump in the car, but sometimes I need it at night. Plus, I'd still need to bring in all the washable parts and the expressed milk.
So far, the only efficiency I've come up with is putting my lunch and the milk cooler in a reusable shopping bag, which allows me to put them over my shoulder rather than carry them in my hand. Other than that, I just pile everything on and plod down the stairs. I've been considering putting the critter in the Bjorn carrier to avoid having the heavy critter/carseat combo to carry, but having to deal with getting him in and out of the Bjorn and then strap him into the carseat seems like more trouble than it is worth.
I've typically liked living on a 3rd floor for security, privacy, and quiet (no upstairs neighbors) reasons, but I'm beginning to wish we lived a bit lower!
Hubby and I have been working to coordinate bathroom time and other preparations for the day. For example, hubby changes and dresses the critter while I'm in the shower. Lunch packing and milk/formula preparations are usually done the night before.
I still don't have a rhythm yet. Yesterday, I was almost done feeding the critter, which is usually my last thing to do, when I realized I hadn't put on make-up yet. I've made coffee at home, or I've waiting until going to work. And there is the variable of how hungry the crit is. Somedays he feeds more than others, and it seems like the daycare lady still needs to feed him within an hour of his arrival.
The biggest problem is all the stuff I have to carry down the 3 flights of stairs to the garage. (Thank goodness I decided to start driving to work. I couldn't do all this on the train.) I have my purse, my breast pump, my lunch, a cooler of bottles for the critter, a coffee mug (sometimes), and the critter in a car seat. It's a lot of stuff! I've thought about leaving the pump in the car, but sometimes I need it at night. Plus, I'd still need to bring in all the washable parts and the expressed milk.
So far, the only efficiency I've come up with is putting my lunch and the milk cooler in a reusable shopping bag, which allows me to put them over my shoulder rather than carry them in my hand. Other than that, I just pile everything on and plod down the stairs. I've been considering putting the critter in the Bjorn carrier to avoid having the heavy critter/carseat combo to carry, but having to deal with getting him in and out of the Bjorn and then strap him into the carseat seems like more trouble than it is worth.
I've typically liked living on a 3rd floor for security, privacy, and quiet (no upstairs neighbors) reasons, but I'm beginning to wish we lived a bit lower!
Monday, June 1, 2009
First Day Back at Work
I am coming to the end of my first day back at work. Emotionally, I was generally okay. It's actually nice not to be in constant childcare mode. I do think, however, that the cumulative effect of a full week, a full month will get to me. A friend pointed out that using generally accepted bedtime guidance, we'll only have a few hours with our kids when we get home from work. The majority of the critter's waking hours will be spent with the day care ladies, not with me. That is what makes me sad. He changes so much each day, and I hate to miss it.
At least I had 12 weeks at home. Many people aren't able to even have that.
As for my working day, it was mostly the administrative and catching up stuff that needs to occur after being away for 3 months. As a result, the most significant parts of my day were
At least I had 12 weeks at home. Many people aren't able to even have that.
As for my working day, it was mostly the administrative and catching up stuff that needs to occur after being away for 3 months. As a result, the most significant parts of my day were
- selecting a critter picture to put on my computer desktop (A framed pic for my actual desktop will be forthcoming as well.);
- setting my screensaver to be a random slide show of critter pics; and
- pumping milk 3 times.
As for that last one, I pumped a total of about 8 ounces. Based on two daycare trial runs last week (a half day and a full day), the critter eats almost 16 ounces during the day. No wonder he was so hungry when I tried to just breastfeed him. Mama can only give him half of what he needs! And that's even on the domperidone! Well, at least I know he'll be eating enough now, even if a lot of it is formula. The important thing is that he can be a growing boy!
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