Picky Eater

Q has decided he is over baby food. He is almost one for God's sake, so apparently he should not be reduced to being spoon fed pureed substances. He only wants to feed himself. Two problems with that goal are that he is still toothless, and he has dismal hand-eye coordination. We are trying to encourage his new-found independence as much as possible though. Now he has an endless supply of Cheerios, little sweet potato puffs, and tiny raviolis that we cut in half so he won't choke. He is getting pretty efficient at chewing with his pink gums.

This new trend at mealtime is especially challenging at work. T brings Q in at 7:30 p.m., and I nurse him, and T and I have dinner. Q now is much more interested in whatever we are eating. He puts up a fuss and digs his fingers into our burrito/sandwich/t.v. dinner. We got him a little plastic chair last night, and I am now bringing in cheerios for him to snack on. It worked like a charm last night. We ate dinner, and he snacked happily in his little seat.

I have wandering eyes for a new diaper bag. I put much thought into buying my first one. Now this one has caught my eye. T immediately nixed the idea. He fails to see why I need a $400 diaper bag. Isn't it obvious? If I come in to a sudden windfall I know where I am spending my money.

--MM

Dripping with tiredness

I feel like I am saturated with tiredness lately. It's not even always tied to having a new baby. A lot of it is just me being bad and staying up till 2:00 when I have to get up before 7 to teach yoga. Then I guzzle cup after cup of coffee to get through the day leaving my poor belly burning. It's not a pretty cycle.

A co-worker and I hosted an all-girl party this past weekend. It was a lot of fun, though I forgot to pick up three dozen pink cupcakes I ordered. Oh, well. I had that nagging "I am forgetting something" feeling. Q was the only tiny dose of testosterone present. He found himself wrapped in a pink feather boa by the end of the night. His dad was so proud to see the pictures.

Sunday I spent hours asleep. I actually never got out of my pajamas. It didn't feel as good as I hoped. I felt like a useless slug at the end of the day. I am addicted to perpetual motion I think.

This week has been a little frazzling. One co-worker is on a cruise to Mexico (damn him) and another is sick (damn her), so I am working triple-duty. That's okay though because it makes the days go quickly.

Today, we had a real estate open house, so Q and I had to stay away from the house for three hours. We went for coffee and a drive and a walk. No one even showed up to the open house though. Bummer.

T and I were reading about this complaint-free world idea. You can read about it here. The idea is you do not utter a complaint for 21 days. Do you know how hard that is? I briefly considered trying it and lasted about five minutes. What if your complaint is true I wonder? Does it really count then? I am trying to reduce the complaining a bit at least. Baby steps. The creator of the movement says if you focus on all the crappy parts of your life then your life will indeed seem pretty crappy. Makes sense to me.

--MM

Mini Vacation

We are back from a long weekend trip to Seattle. It was such a nice time. I found out at the last minute I had to do a career day right before we left. T helped me whip together a video to show. I was of course running late (I am really working on that) and rushed in breathless after my session was already underway. I think it went well considering, and T, Q, and I were heading north to Seattle by 2 p.m.

We stopped for lovely Baja Fresh for dinner in Portland and made it to Seattle around 11 or so. Q did well on the drive. We had such a great time visiting the Pikes Street Market, the first Starbucks, the Seattle Aquarium, and the Experience Music Project. We also took a ferry to Bainbridge Island for brunch and had dinner at a couple tasty restaurants. I got a lot of my information from a Giada de Laurentis show on Food Network. It was very helpful. The Experience Music Project was fun because you have the opportunity to play all sorts of instruments and even record a CD. It was very fun banging on a drum set and strumming an electric guitar, but it just drove home the point that I am entirely unmusical.

Seattle is such a nice city. I wouldn't mind living there a bit, though true to its reputation it was gray and rainy most of the time we were there. The day we took the ferry it was warm and sunny, thankfully.

We drove back Monday and got back home around 11 p.m. Q had some fussy bouts on the way home, but he was basically very good. It is different traveling with a baby. You have to go home earlier and choose your restaurants carefully. But, it is also more enjoyable in some ways. You see everything through their eyes. It was fun to see him watch the sea gulls on the ferry and to watch him marvel at the fish in the aquarium. He has another double ear infection and is on antibiotics again. Poor little man. I can't wait for this first, sick year to get behind us.

We had Tuesday off. I always enjoy having a day off after I get back from vacation. It is nice to unpack, do laundry, and get settled again before you back to work. It is also nice starting the week on a Wednesday.

--MM

March Resolutions

I have two bad habits. Some may argue there are a few more mixed in there, but I have two I am trying to break right now. I made them as New Year's Resolutions, but they have sort of fallen by the wayside so I am resurrecting them! The first is a particularly gross habit of gnawing on my cuticles and the skin around my fingernails. I long ago kicked my habit of nail-biting but continue my oral fixation by chewing around them. I really do it badly when I am anxious or stressed, but biting just adds to my anxiety. My other bad habit I have mentioned before. I tend to exercise and eat well throughout the day, and then when I get home from work around midnight I have nachos and ice cream and general engage in general badness. I am going to try to get back to my rule of not eating after 10 p.m. except for the odd bag of popcorn and unlimited wine of course.

I figure having specific simple goals will serve me better than just the blanket "lose weight" resolution. So, those are my goals. Maybe writing them here will make me more likely to stick to them.

We had a lovely weekend. We spent a lot of time making St. Patrick's Day cards featuring Q. It was beautiful outside as well. We took Q out and plunked him in the grass. He always seems to sneeze repeatedly when exposed to sun. I hope he is not allergic to something outside. He didn't seem to like the tickle of the grass and was much more comfortable on a blanket. This warm, sunny weather truly makes me happy. I wish it would be like this all year round. I wouldn't take it for granted. I also got Q's scrapbook up to date, which felt good to accomplish. I ran eight miles outside, which made my child-bearing hips ache, and T and I watched "Borat" on DVD. It is a riot though awkward to watch in parts.

On the home-selling front, we have had a few more lookers, but no bidders yet. I'm keeping my fingers cross.

--MM

Mama Amnesia

Our promotions guy gave T and me a video the other day of some promos we shot right before Q was born. In fact, little did I know, at the time my water had already broken, and I was about to go into labor. T and I watched the video the other night. It was so weird seeing that big belly again. It's hard to picture Q all curled up in there. I have a hard time remembering what it was like to be pregnant even. I have some faint memories of trying to shove a pillow under my belly so I could get comfortable in bed at night. My sister told me that mothers experience a type of amnesia about pregnancy and birth. She believes it is some type of biological necessity so we will agree to get pregnant again. I can see that. I do have a hard time remembering the actual experience of labor pain. I remember writhing around and throwing up, but somehow in my hindsight it doesn't seem so bad. I guess that is part of the reason why the urge to get pregnant is starting to sneak into my mind. T thinks I am crazy and is in no rush whatsoever. I remember all the wonderful things about pregnancy like cute maternity shirts and wonderful little flutters in your belly. The sore back, achy hips, and nausea fades into the background.

Q is fascinated with anything with buttons. He likes "typing" and remote controls. Right now he is laying on the ground next to me, clutching an old remote. I wonder if he will be a little technie guy. He went to the doctor yesterday and got a clean bill of help. Hopefully that will hold for awhile. We need a break from infection in our household. As I type this though, I feel the faintest trace of a sore throat setting in. Sigh.

--MM

Mmm...chocolate

I am still recovering from a chocolate hangover after attending a chocolate festival this weekend. I had hot chocolate, fudge, truffles, chocolate beer, english toffee, chocolate cheese, chocolate sauce....It was heaven. We have gone three of the three years it has been in existence. One of the workers recognized us and commented on our status as repeat customers. That was kind of embarrassing.

Q and I dressed in all brown for the occasion. T decided it would be too nerdy to do a family chocolate-colored theme. Q had a good time attached to T in his snugli. He had a good view of all the goings-on as he bopped along. I think they look like that combo pack when you buy a shampoo and get a tiny conditioner for free. Q did cut our chocolate indulgence a bit short though with some premature fussing.

We had a very nice weekend. We made two tasty meals, watched "The Departed," shopped, and took a walk sipping Starbucks besides the chocolate festival. I also went for a six and a half mile run. I am trying to work up to a ten-mile race next month after some recent slacking.

I got several comments this weekend about television really adding weight. Why do people always say that? Do they really think they are being complimentary? I guess they are saying I am thin in person, but they are also saying I am fat on T.V. which is how I make my living. I want to make a smart-ass comeback, but alas I cannot. I must just smile and say, "Thanks for watching!"

I am experiencing a small addiction to online shopping lately. I find myself done with my work, sitting at the computer, with so many purchases at my fingertips. I have been able to rein it in to Ann Taylor items on clearance and some bags I needed very much. Perhaps, it would be cheaper to just email more, but getting those boxes in the mail is so much fun!

--MM

Juggling babies

Q's ear infection has traveled back to hig lungs. He is on another round of steroids and more frequent breathing treatments. Our doctor said some kids just have a rough first year and catch every virus that wafts their way. It is really getting old for all of us. He can't go to daycare of course, so we are trying to pull off this split schedule thing. T comes home early, and then I go in. Sometimes it is challenging to get all my stuff done. Today, I brought Q in a bit earlier, and he hung out with his dad for a few minutes. I'm sure our boss isn't loving the entire situation, but that's how it goes. I truly do not know how single moms do it.

Still no word on the house. Yesterday, I was a bit startled when I heard people walking into my home to look at it. It was a little awkward as I hid in the other room while they looked into my closets. That has since been remedied, and prospective buyers must actually speak to us before their realtor barges in.

I made reservations this week for a friend's wedding on Captiva Island in Florida. It is not going to be easy to get there from here, but I am really looking forward to a little beach time and seeing my college friends. This calls for a new dress.

--MM