Potluck and Leftovers

Garbage Day

2006-11-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday morning is Garbage Day. Garbage Day is not the day we take out the trash to the curb, rather it is the following morning, when the big truck comes and takes our stuff.

Tuesday morning also happens to be the one weekday the boys can sleep in rather than going to Grandma's house. It's Grandma's Day Off and a babysitter comes to our home on Tuesdays. As it turns out, despite the freedom to sleep in, Tuesday is the one day both boys happily hop out of bed at the crack of dawn.

As I'm getting ready for work each Tuesday, I hear the following sounds in quick succession:
1. Diesel garbage truck turns up our street.
2. Four little feet hit the floor running.
3. The rolling window shade flies up and spins around crazily.
4. "Garbage truck!"

One Tuesday I popped my head in with the camera to capture the following memory. After all, Tuesdays and other big events should be memorialized.

These are a few of my favorite things.

2006-11-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

[This evening, after bedtime prayers.]

Dan: Who do you love, Jeremy?

Jeremy: I love Jeremy.

Dan: Who else do you love?

Jeremy: I love Mommy. I love Evan. I love Daddy. I love Curious George and I love Cars.

FINALLY

2006-11-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

I finally figured out how to log into blogger again.

THIS is a recent, updated picture of my very-grown-up boys. (Do not be deceived, they are not dressed in their "church" clothes; no, they are showing off their "office" clothes.)

On Conquering Mount FoldMe

2005-10-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

[I was lamenting that I’m dead tired and have to stay up to fold at least one more tub of laundry tonight before I can go to bed.]

D: Why do you have to fold clothes?

A: Because if I don’t, no one will.

D: Yes they will.

A: Will you fold the clothes?

D: No, I’ll put them in baskets.

A: We’re out of baskets because I never put the folded clothes away last time I did laundry.

D: Just get more baskets and put the clothes in there.

A: That’s ridiculous. It’s something my mom and I would joke about. It’s like Nathan buying more clothes because he doesn’t want to do laundry.

D: Well, rather than putting them out of the dryer, into the basket, then into the drawer, just put them out of the dryer and into the basket. Skip the drawer part. That’s how I used to do it.

Yeah, well, if that were the criteria by which we strive to maintain this home, we’d be doing dishes bi-weekly too.

And Now the Day is Done

2005-10-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back in the shoes of a career girl.  As I was pulling Evan out of bed at 5:45 and stripping his soaked clothes off him I became acutely aware that I should not have gotten dressed before handling him (cute and cuddly as he is).  The term “natural disaster” has a whole new meaning in this house.  No harm today, but I’ll be a little more careful in the future.

How was work?  Hmm, I’ll give it a little more time.  It was slow-going and I know nothing and I felt retarded (not meant derogatorily…I really felt that way) but I hope that will change as I gain competency and clients.  I have a ton to learn from the paralegal who runs the firm (yes, Virginia, some attorneys actually value the suspect “lower class” legal professional).

<Blank stare.>  I need to go to bed.  Sane thoughts to follow on the weekend.

SIXTEEN kids!!!

2005-10-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

I have been following the Duggar family since the Discovery Health Channel special “14 Children and Pregnant Again!” At the time I saw it I was intrigued. Dan and I have talked about this – about the ability to support a family of that size on even a sizeable income. He says it’s a type of investment. I guess.

Anyway, the Duggar family became a family of 17 after that TV special and continued to grow until two days ago when Mrs. Duggar gave birth to their 16th child. <gasp>

Mrs. Duggar had her first baby at age 21 and her 16th at age 39, roughly an 18-year span, but that included two sets of twins. I did a quick calculation and if I continued having just one baby every 13 ½ months, I’d have 16 children in a span of 16 years, 10 ½ months. Take that, Mrs. Duggar! So there!

For the record, it’s too late to add another full-term baby by early May 2006 and I’m NOT trying to win any family size contests.

Back to Work

2005-10-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

I accepted a full time job yesterday and will begin wearing heels and pantyhose again next week. Today I’m up trying to reacquaint myself with the first dark part of the day. We’re not getting along well. I might just cut my losses and try again tomorrow.

One of Our Favorite Activities - EATING!

2005-09-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

Jeremy, eating the extra chocolate cookie dough. I protested this, as his mother, because it was sugar and because it was just before bedtime (thus the Sharktale pajamas). Dan insisted that as a mother I should be pleased to let Jeremy try new things and enjoy a little ill-timed sugar. Whatever.

Evan, eating rice cereal for the FIRST time! He enjoyed it, his tummy did not.

What Rejected Color are You?

2005-09-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

You are

What color are you?

Which Napoleon Dynamite Character Are You?

2005-09-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Who are you?

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

2005-08-30T00:43:00.000-07:00

It's my own Superman! Notice the flowing cape and the aerodynamic faster-than-a-speeding-bullet flight pose. This is the real deal, folks.

On Comments: I can take a little debate, but...

2005-08-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

...I cannot stand spam in my blog's comments. I just turned on word verification to prevent comment spam. I didn't know what this was before and it really didn't matter since up until last week I really thought that maybe two people read my blog and then only on rare occasion.

This blog began on a whim and I really don't know how to do much other than post. I would like to add links to other blogs and a viewing counter (not for my ego's sake, but if I knew people were actually looking at this blog, I might throw a little energy into being articulate). Can anyone tell me how to do this?

On Bemoaning BabyWise

2005-08-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

(This post is a response to the debate over the principles in the book "On Becoming Babywise" so I thought the On Bemoaning BabyWise title was clever. Silly me - it can lead those that don't read the following to believe I personally bemoan Babywise. I don't bemoan the book, I think it's a lifesaver but recognize there is some misinformation mixed in. Read on.)

I posted a short comment on Amy's blog the other day when she first "admitted" to an angry mob that she uses the BabyWise method (Gary Ezzo's book, see her blog for a short but accurate description). Now, however, the debate continues and I have to relieve myself of the need to further speak out on the topic. I have nothing to say that hasn't already been read/heard and either accepted or dismissed, but I've tried it twice now and here's my story:

Jeremy and BabyWise:
I bought the book while pregnant. Soon after Jeremy was born, I bought What to Expect the First Year (which is a tad on the Dr. Sears methodology). Jeremy was born a healthy 8 lbs. 12 oz. I was determined to breastfeed - after all, that's the mark of a loving mom, right? For the first couple months I was making sure to feed 8 times (sometimes 7) a day, I was in pain, I was visiting and talking on the phone with the hospital's lactation consultants, and Jeremy was hardly gaining weight. I read the books, I turned to 2 to 2 1/2 hour schedules to "build my supply" and eventually turned to formula supplements after each meal. I went back to work when Jeremy was nearly three months old and after about a week of being bottle-fed during the day he went on a nursing strike through which I didn't have the energy to persist. Though I continued to pump for a month or so, Jeremy became a full-time bottle baby and soon my milk was dry.

With bottles I found it easier to be on a schedule, so Jeremy became a bottle-fed Babywise baby and we followed the eating/sleeping schedule pretty closely. Aside from the lingering guilt that I had not breastfed as long as I wanted, I loved the schedule and even bought BabyWise II.

Evan and BabyWise:
When I was pregnant with Evan, my breastfeeding experience (or "failure" as I classified it) was still fresh in my mind (very fresh, like one-month-ago fresh...anyway) so I determined to toss BabyWise and to feed him on demand. Evan was born at 8 lbs. 9 oz. and immediately began to nurse well. We went home from the hospital early, the nurses saw we were doing great and for the most part left us alone and didn't make me go to one of those wretched discharge classes or anything. I was proud. Everything went well for ten days and I was feeding every 2-3 hours during the day and a couple times during the night. Then I got mastitis and was given antibiotics. Then I got a stomach flu. Then we got thrush (likely because of my antibiotics). The pain never went away.

At three weeks Evan still had not begun to regain the typical lost babyweight and was under 8 lbs. He was diagnosed as failure to thrive and I was sent over to the lactation consultant with my personal diagnosis of myself: failure to mother. The lactation consultant found I had a "diminished milk supply." We did everything we could for the next two months. I wore a nursing supplementer. I fed every 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. I set the alarm to wake my baby up during the night to nurse. I was exhausted and I had a 14-month old feeling put out and wreaking havoc on my house because I was always tied down trying to nurse Evan. I took a prescription that was supposed to bring back the milk supply, I took fenugreek, I took mother's milk tea, I took brewers yeast, I ate oatmeal, we co-slept. I can honestly say I tried everything.

After almost four months of nursing obsession, I realized I needed to be a better mother and that would require more rest, and more "arms empty" time to care after Jeremy. We dropped half our nursing sessions and replaced them with formula. Of course my little supply began to drop off even more and today I only nurse in the morning and at night. However, with the bottles came the schedule and Evan immediately began sleeping through the night. We are rested, we are happy, we are back to the BabyWise schedule, and most importantly, my children are healthy.

Can BabyWise work with nursing?
Yes. I know people who nurse and use BabyWise and they're happy and successful at it. I know of other people that condemn mothers who use BabyWise and blame the method for milk supply issues. These are the mothers that demand fed their children for a year or two without incident. I've been on both sides and will say that neither scheduled nor demand feeding guarantee "successful" breastfeeding. I have heard that milk storage capacity varies 300% among women so some women will always, no matter what, have to feed their babies very frequently - something that doesn't work with BabyWise. I think it really is a genetic thing. To any new mothers that actually care what I think on the subject I say "try BabyWise and watch your baby closely; if you're a mom that can store and dispense 8 oz at one feeding it will probably work for you, if not, you might have to modify the method."

But "very few women medically can't breastfeed."
I've heard several people say that only a handful of women are really unable to breastfeed and imply that women who stop and say they were unable really had bad technique or were lazy and just wanted to use a bottle. Some of these women are my friends but don't know my personal struggles (so they are still my friends). I even caught myself in my initial "ten successful breastfeeding days" with Evan looking at bottle-feeding women and wondering what their story is and why didn't they love their babies enough to nurse. How proud.

"Breast is best," "formula should be available by prescription only," "very few women are unable to breastfeed" and "women who quit because they have low milk supply are uneducated" are comments I've heard. I'd like to put it out there for these successful lactivists that some of us ARE educated, we HAVE tried it all, we HAVE sought medical help, and we do feel guilt that we can't supply some of the breastfeeding benefits to our children. These comments only serve to knock our motherhood confidence lower.

Anyway, I'm off track here and ranting so I'll just end with:
BabyWise - some women can do the whole program, some can't. There's no way to tell who will be good at it and who will "fail" so get off your high horse and pay attention to your own children.

Could I? or Couldn't I?

2005-08-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

"I couldn't care less" or "I could care less"? I've always said "I couldn't care less" but I never heard anyone else saying it. Other people always seemed to say "I could care less" (correct me if I'm wrong and you, The Reader are normal like me).

Anyway, I just wanted to see whether I'm way off base so today I found an awesome website to answer this question and others like it.

By the way, the answer according to Grammar (whoever that may be) is:
"Although it makes absolutely no sense, these two expressions mean the same thing. The "I could care less" version came about in the United States, in the 1960s, but it has become widespread in spite of its lack of logic."

Not Like They're Brothers or Anything.

2005-08-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

After a busy morning of fine-tuning motor skills, I give you relief, er, nap time.

Jeremy the Self-Sufficient

2005-08-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

So yesterday Jeremy refused to eat his tuna sandwich before going down for his nap. When he got up he was hungry and so I guess he decided to prepare his own meal. This is what I found...

Today, when he decided it was lunchtime, I heard him dragging the highchair (which is very heavy for him because it's really just a solid wood chair with a booster type of highchair strapped to it) across the kitchen to the table.

...Like They Do On The Discovery Channel

2005-07-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

Today my mom and I took the boys to the zoo. We have an annual pass so we go frequently. However, today, for the first time I can remember, I was ashamed of the animal activity we experienced at the zoo.

We went to the underwater viewing area to see the beluga whales. There were tons of people crowded up to the window and the few partial glimpses I got made me wonder if one of the two whales was giving birth. A couple more glances told me they were actually both males. They were playing together and well, in the words of one nearby child, "look, they're stabbing each other."

I'm glad my boys can't talk! Actually, I'm glad they probably won't remember much about that particular viewing other than the crowd of people.

Jeremy goes Goth...

2005-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

He's watched Mommy put on her makeup one too many times. The problem is, it's hard to apply eyeliner with your eyes closed.

A day at the beach

2005-07-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

This was in June. I know, Evan needs sunglasses too.

My Boys

2005-07-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

My boys. (Jeremy was a little more excited about this pose than Evan.)

Okay, so it's been a couple months...

2005-07-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

Still alive over here. It seems the more I begin to master my new busy-ness, the more Jeremy keeps me on my toes. I don't know where I left off on his reports, but he's a busy climbing boy right now. With the exception of a couple high beds, he can climb on just about any piece of furniture and then hop from one piece to another.

We're toilet-training - sort of. He's not afraid of the potty anymore and will go when er, seated on his throne, but never asks to go there himself. I've tried a day of big boy underwear to see if he would be uncomfortable in wet pants - no such luck.

And that's more than you ever wanted to know about Jeremy.

Evan is almost FOUR months old. I can't believe how time has flown by. He's into rolling from his back to his stomach and then yelling for someone to come roll him back over so he can roll again. He's definitely a people person - don't you dare leave him in a room by himself or he will let you have it.

I've gotten on the certified family law Guardian ad Litem lists for a couple counties and am hoping to get some work soon, just for sanity's sake, but because I'm relatively unknown I'm not getting any work yet.

I've begun the process of writing another paper. I don't enjoy writing at all, but I'm realizing I don't have anything decent to submit as a writing sample when I apply for jobs on a whim. My law school senior paper was a rush job so I could finish school early and take the bar exam and frankly, I'm ashamed of it and don't really want to share it with a prospective employer.

That's about it from here - I guess to complete this family update I should mention Dan. He's still here, working all day to provide needs and a few of life's luxuries and helping me figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

Life with two...

2005-03-31T22:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight we got Jeremy back from my parents where he's been staying since I went into labor on Monday. Wow. He thinks Evan is a funny-looking little dog; he points and laughs at him and says "woof, woof." Dan is out of commission with a back sprain and I'm under the generic order not to lift anything heavier than the baby (yeah, right) so Jeremy is taking advantage of his new freedom.

Tomorrow Dan will limp his way into work and I'll be here with my boys. It's not that I can't get help; I want to gain the independence I know I should have as a responsible mother of two-under-two. It's almost like the night before you start a new job (except I don't have to worry about the pantyhose factor).

Meet Evan Matthew Cook

2005-03-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

Details here...

Jeremy does his part

2005-03-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

Now that this pregnancy is "full term" I'm more than a little anxious to no longer be pregnant. I'm doing my part by working my tail off (on some days, at least) to make room for the new baby, freeze dinners, etc. Jeremy, either because he senses that life is about to change or because he's upset that I can no longer pick him up for extended periods, has been doing all he can to help this pregnancy end. He wants to scare me into labor.

Yesterday he took his first tumble down the stairs. I was at my mom's house in the afternoon and was coming down the stairs with my hands full of baby announcement paraphernalia when I met Jeremy on his way up. I passed him so I could empty my hands at the bottom of the stairs and come back to grab him, unfortunately we got to the bottom about the same time. Talk about heart-stopping (me, not him).

This morning I got in the shower and left Jeremy locked in the master bedroom thinking that I had it all child-proofed and he'd be okay for a few minutes. I forgot about the bottle of Tums in my night stand drawer. When I came out he had pastel green drool on his chin and multiple pastel colors on his gray shirt. The bedroom floor was covered in pastel dots: some dry, others (apparently the bad flavors) slobbery and discarded. After a quick panicked accounting, I figured he'd eaten 25 to 30 Tums. Poison Control informed me that he'd had enough calcium for the day and would probably reap the consequences in his diapers today...ill consequences...frequent ill consequences.

Jeremy's napping now, leaving me to ponder my inadequacies and imagine life with double the trouble.

For lack of creativity I give you pictures of Jeremy.

2005-02-22T23:50:00.001-08:00

Jeremy experiences the snow. (Jan '05)

Junior Asparagus's eyes light up and he says "I'm not scared" and then hums "God is Bigger than the Boogie Man." I think this is supposed to be comforting; however, when we were vacationing and I looked over for the first time to see these giant eyes lit up in the dark I was not comforted.

Jeremy demolished his cake at his first birthday party. "All done!"