Didn't finish this until Monday, but I started it Saturday. And Julie, you inspired me to write about it, no matter how crazy I might sound...
Today is Saturday. It's two Saturdays before Adeleigh turns one. The New West Fest is going on in Old Town this weekend. Seven years I've lived here and not once have I gone to New West Fest. Almost one year I've been a Mom and not once have I gone to Old Town with the baby alone. Generally, I've always been one to avoid the crowds, even more so with a baby. When it comes to eating out at restaurants, our family is hangin' with all the 80-something-year-olds eating dinner at 4pm. Crowds mean more crazies, more things to watch out for, more time to wait. But today I took that chance. Alone. With the baby.
Yesterday, Phaeton reminded me that last year, riots broke out during the Earth, Wind and Fire concert at the festival. This morning, he reminded me again. "Just run!" He said. "If you see something happening in the crowd, just take the baby and run the other way." My nerves started taking over as I made the drive to the Mason Street parking garage and couldn't find a spot on the normally less-crowded first floor. I was crossing into unfamiliar territory - the second story of the parking garage. All kinds of scary things happen in parking garages...on the 2nd floor...in the middle of the day. What was I thinking?! I found a spot right by the elevator. But after getting the screaming baby all packed up in the stroller, I didn't take the elevator. Because all kinds of scary things happen in elevators of parking garages, right? I took the walkway, assuming that it would wind around and take me to the first floor. It did wind around, but it took me to a door of the Opera Galleria building instead. So here I am, approaching a door on a narrow walkway pushing a stroller and all I can think is, How am I going to maneuver this one - to gracefully open the door while pushing the stroller and make it through to the other side, alive? I remembered that time in Kindergarten, when the bathroom was all out of paper towels. I tried to turn the doorknob and my hand was too slippery so the knob wouldn't turn. I just stood there in the bathroom crying with wet hands until a teacher came in and opened the door so I made a mad dash outside. I hated that bathroom afterwards....
This moment reminded me of that time, only this one was not as wet, or tearful. But this time, a little boy walking with his family behind me ran ahead and held open the door for me. I guess I didn't need to be so scared after all. The walkway continued winding around and I saw the open stairwell to the right where the family all made their way. Further down the hall was the elevator. Guess I couldn't dodge this one.... Once I made it to the 1st floor, I found the exit and walked swiftly towards it while the boy waited for me and held the door again. Double thanks, little boy. The crowds started to appear on the streets. I headed south to cross Mountain Ave and stopped at the intersection. Everyone else was going. I looked up. The blue man on the street sign means I can walk now, right? Everyone else was, so I made the executive decision to walk. And I made it to the other side. Success!
Adeleigh and I met up with the ladies at Ingredient - Shay, Des, Amber, Val & Baby Brooke. Adeleigh and I weren't alone anymore! If I had to pee, there was someone there to keep an eye on Adeleigh. Someone I knew to open the door for us! We ate lunch, we ate frozen yogurt. We walked around the festival and people-watched. We walked around Old Town. It was a lot of fun! I saw other moms with strollers and admired them. They're probably used to this. They've probably done this thousands of times with their babies. I saw one lady holding a little baby, pushing a stroller that had another baby sleeping inside and crossing the street. She is amazing at multi-tasking!
I remember in the weeks after Adeleigh was born going to Sam's Club with Phaeton and our week-old baby. We saw a Mom (sans husband), dressed in a nice outfit, pushing the bigger-than-normal Sam's Club cart with 2 of her kids sitting in the bed of the cart, 1 younger kid facing out towards her, legs dangling, all while holding a newborn baby that was wrapped in the all-so-familiar hospital blanket. It must come more naturally the more babies you have - to just give birth, put on a skirt, pack up the family and go shopping all in one day. That'd be an eventful day! And so was today.
I was driving home with a sleeping baby, and all I could think was, I can do this. I did it. I made it okay with the baby. And I got out of the house. And I had a much needed day with the ladies. And there were no riots. So I think I can do it again - next year :)
Monday, August 15, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Fuzz
I was born with a fro. I was also born with hair covering my entire body. I think lots of babies are. The difference between me and most babies? Mine stayed. Now I've passed that trait on to my daughter. I remember in Adeleigh's first months, admiring her little ears and the fine hair that extended off of them, like a little garden gnome. As she's grown, her ears have grown into her ear hair. Her shoulders have grown into their hair too. My favorite is the little soul patch of hair on her lower back. It's like a baby back tattoo. And I like to tickle it.
My hair has taken on some interesting forms since the fro. In grade school, my poofy bangs would naturally take on a curl within the curl. Like a double rainbow on my forehead. Then, I remember the days of Sun-In, which gave my naturally dark brown hair a slight yellow tint. Then they discovered that Sun-In causes your skin to melt, so I stopped using it. Then, in high school, I had my sister highlight my hair blonde. It was cute until the dark roots started to grow out. My sister tried to touch-up the roots, and instead dyed half of my entire head of hair white, the other half orange, the other-other half, stayed my natural dark brown. I freaked. Mom let me call-out sick for school the next day because well, as a teen, showing up to high school with neopolitan hair was like, totally not cool. We made an emergency appointment with a family friend who was a hair stylist and paid her over $100 to fix my hair. Thanks, Mom. We decided if we were investing that amount of money to dye it, we might as well get creative. So, we did zebra stripes, a mellowed-out version. Chunky highlights with blonde and dark brown. Fun, until once again, the roots started to grow. I felt trapped. Now that I'd started experimenting with this drug called hair-dye, I couldn't stop. Years later I've finally gone au-natural - with the color at least. I've gone through phases of wearing it naturally curly and had another fro phase my first few years of college. My then-boyfriend told me that I looked like a poodle with my curly hair....just one reason he didn't remain my boyfriend. And one ridiculous reason I spend entirely too much time straightening it every morning.
I'd like to think that my hair looked better than a poodle's...
Picture taken from Wikipedia.org
........................
When Phaeton and I got married, my hair was the longest it had ever been, down to my shoulder blades. I've had a series of haircuts over 4 years to try and freshen up my style. Now that I'm a Mom, what better time to do another one of those "I'll never do that" statements than now? So the other day, I did the "I'll never get a Mom-Do" Mom-Do. It's the shortest it's been since my freshman fifteen and fro. And it's taking some getting used to, but I like that it's new. I bought my first round-brush ever to style it with and fumbled with it all morning the way Bambi fumbled with his legs when he was on the ice. Guess I need a little more practice.
Picture found on Google images
Phaeton has also had some interesting hair experiences in his day. Until he was seven, he had a full head of blonde hair. Over the years, it's grown darker like mine. In high school, his nickname was Jesus because of his glorious flowing Jesus-like locks and goatee. Also because every lunch hour, he'd re-create the miracle of chocolate milk coming out of his friend's noses. I remember once rummaging through pictures of him with different colored dos. I asked him today, "Didn't I see a picture of you with purple hair?" His reply was, "No, it was plum." My bad. He also experimented with platinum, copper and peroxide. I knew there was a reason I loved him so much.
In her first year, Adeleigh's hair has already gone from jet black to light brown. As it grows, she's getting a bit of curl. She's got so much to look forward to when it comes to her hair - the styles, the frizzies, the shaving. She's got so much to learn from our hairy experiences of growing up. Looking through old photos of her parents she'll learn all about different animals, influential people, colors and shapes - all through our hair. For now though, we can keep our cute little rascal's style simple.
Our adorable hairy baby
My hair has taken on some interesting forms since the fro. In grade school, my poofy bangs would naturally take on a curl within the curl. Like a double rainbow on my forehead. Then, I remember the days of Sun-In, which gave my naturally dark brown hair a slight yellow tint. Then they discovered that Sun-In causes your skin to melt, so I stopped using it. Then, in high school, I had my sister highlight my hair blonde. It was cute until the dark roots started to grow out. My sister tried to touch-up the roots, and instead dyed half of my entire head of hair white, the other half orange, the other-other half, stayed my natural dark brown. I freaked. Mom let me call-out sick for school the next day because well, as a teen, showing up to high school with neopolitan hair was like, totally not cool. We made an emergency appointment with a family friend who was a hair stylist and paid her over $100 to fix my hair. Thanks, Mom. We decided if we were investing that amount of money to dye it, we might as well get creative. So, we did zebra stripes, a mellowed-out version. Chunky highlights with blonde and dark brown. Fun, until once again, the roots started to grow. I felt trapped. Now that I'd started experimenting with this drug called hair-dye, I couldn't stop. Years later I've finally gone au-natural - with the color at least. I've gone through phases of wearing it naturally curly and had another fro phase my first few years of college. My then-boyfriend told me that I looked like a poodle with my curly hair....just one reason he didn't remain my boyfriend. And one ridiculous reason I spend entirely too much time straightening it every morning.
I'd like to think that my hair looked better than a poodle's...
Picture taken from Wikipedia.org
........................
When Phaeton and I got married, my hair was the longest it had ever been, down to my shoulder blades. I've had a series of haircuts over 4 years to try and freshen up my style. Now that I'm a Mom, what better time to do another one of those "I'll never do that" statements than now? So the other day, I did the "I'll never get a Mom-Do" Mom-Do. It's the shortest it's been since my freshman fifteen and fro. And it's taking some getting used to, but I like that it's new. I bought my first round-brush ever to style it with and fumbled with it all morning the way Bambi fumbled with his legs when he was on the ice. Guess I need a little more practice.
Picture found on Google images
Phaeton has also had some interesting hair experiences in his day. Until he was seven, he had a full head of blonde hair. Over the years, it's grown darker like mine. In high school, his nickname was Jesus because of his glorious flowing Jesus-like locks and goatee. Also because every lunch hour, he'd re-create the miracle of chocolate milk coming out of his friend's noses. I remember once rummaging through pictures of him with different colored dos. I asked him today, "Didn't I see a picture of you with purple hair?" His reply was, "No, it was plum." My bad. He also experimented with platinum, copper and peroxide. I knew there was a reason I loved him so much.
In her first year, Adeleigh's hair has already gone from jet black to light brown. As it grows, she's getting a bit of curl. She's got so much to look forward to when it comes to her hair - the styles, the frizzies, the shaving. She's got so much to learn from our hairy experiences of growing up. Looking through old photos of her parents she'll learn all about different animals, influential people, colors and shapes - all through our hair. For now though, we can keep our cute little rascal's style simple.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
I must be a Momma because........
...By the time my alarm goes off at 5:30am, I've already been up for at least an hour.
...Our furniture is slowly being replaced by the miniature version.
...Once we've decided to leave the house, it takes us, at minimum, another 45 minutes to get out the door.
...After shopping with Adeleigh in Barnes and Noble, I've come out to find my car doors standing wide open. (Pregnancy brain doesn't end just because pregnancy ends.)
...I can walk up 2 flights of stairs while holding my baby, the diaper bag, dog leash and all 7 bags of groceries. (Do not try this at home.)
...I'm lucky to have gotten one meal in for the day. Meanwhile, my baby has had eight.
...Coffee, chocolate and wine have become a main food group in my pyramid. (This one is not contingent on motherhood status.)
...I am no longer bothered by the incessantly crying baby at the supermarket.
...The house cannot, no matter how hard I try, stay clean for longer than 10 minutes.
...The songs I have stuck in my head throughout the day are "I'm a little teapot" and "Monkeys jumping on the bed."
...Our medical expenses have skyrocketed because I worry that every little bump, sneeze, tear and frown constitutes a doctor's visit.
...Only one person is allowed to lick my face when I say "kiss".
...Our family is bilingual in blowing raspberries.
...Getting out of the house to go check the mail feels like a mini-vacation.
...After breast-pumping in the car, it's not out of the ordinary to step out into public completely exposed after having forgotten to buckle my nursing tank. (Yes, this has happened to me. Fortunately, Phaeton tapped on the window loud enough for me to notice before I walked into Chipotle. Who knows how many people got a looksie first.)
...A poopy diaper deserves a celebration.
...Thunder thighs are considered cute.
...For the last year, my heart has been fuller than it's ever been.
...My husband exceeded all of my expectations of a man when he became a father. He still does.
And finally, I must be a Momma because...
...Despite how challenging it can be, I wouldn't change a thing.
...Our furniture is slowly being replaced by the miniature version.
...Once we've decided to leave the house, it takes us, at minimum, another 45 minutes to get out the door.
...After shopping with Adeleigh in Barnes and Noble, I've come out to find my car doors standing wide open. (Pregnancy brain doesn't end just because pregnancy ends.)
...I can walk up 2 flights of stairs while holding my baby, the diaper bag, dog leash and all 7 bags of groceries. (Do not try this at home.)
...I'm lucky to have gotten one meal in for the day. Meanwhile, my baby has had eight.
...Coffee, chocolate and wine have become a main food group in my pyramid. (This one is not contingent on motherhood status.)
...I am no longer bothered by the incessantly crying baby at the supermarket.
...The house cannot, no matter how hard I try, stay clean for longer than 10 minutes.
...The songs I have stuck in my head throughout the day are "I'm a little teapot" and "Monkeys jumping on the bed."
...Our medical expenses have skyrocketed because I worry that every little bump, sneeze, tear and frown constitutes a doctor's visit.
...Only one person is allowed to lick my face when I say "kiss".
...Our family is bilingual in blowing raspberries.
...Getting out of the house to go check the mail feels like a mini-vacation.
...After breast-pumping in the car, it's not out of the ordinary to step out into public completely exposed after having forgotten to buckle my nursing tank. (Yes, this has happened to me. Fortunately, Phaeton tapped on the window loud enough for me to notice before I walked into Chipotle. Who knows how many people got a looksie first.)
...A poopy diaper deserves a celebration.
...Thunder thighs are considered cute.
...For the last year, my heart has been fuller than it's ever been.
...My husband exceeded all of my expectations of a man when he became a father. He still does.
And finally, I must be a Momma because...
...Despite how challenging it can be, I wouldn't change a thing.
The cutest thighs ever.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Four years
It's after 11pm on August 1, 2011. Today is our 4th wedding anniversary. The baby is asleep. Phaeton is watching some show with space aliens, 80's music and a guy with his pretty pretty hair pulled back in a ponytail. I should be getting ready for bed, but it's just so comfortable here. Even when we're not doing anything exciting, it's just nice to be in each other's company. There's not a lot of space around here, so it's easy to not be lonely. And that's one thing we love about living in a one-bedroom condo. Everyone is all so near. It's cozy.
We are trying to recall some of the funny moments in our relationship. The ones where, when we look back, the laughing brings us to tears. Like the time where I woke from a dead sleep and started screaming "Fire! Fire!" Phaeton jumped out of bed in his skivvies and ran into the living room. Ran back and yelled some obscenities my way, then crawled back into bed and put his earplugs in. For the record, I remember waking up and truly thinking I saw orange flames and smoke coming from the front room. Oops.
Or the time where, once again while sleeping, I carried on a full conversation with Phaeton about how he needed to immediately go find me some napkins because I was drooling all over the place. We don't even own any napkins. We're a paper towel kinda family. Phaeton told me all about our convo the next day. How sweet of him that at 2am, he actually contemplated going to the store to buy me some napkins. If that's not true love, I don't know what is...
...........
We met while both working at Barnes and Noble. He was my boss. I was a seasonal bookseller. Following the Holiday season, he had the option of choosing one seasonal to work in his cafe. He chose me.
My first night training in the cafe, I asked my boss if he was going to ask me out for Valentine's Day. He turned around, stuck his hand in the sanitizer bucket and kept it there for awhile. No response. I guess I caught him off guard? Then I handed him my phone number and he said, "I don't know if I can call you." What a responsible supervisor he was. So I said, "I'm not asking you out on a date or anything, I'm just giving you my number. Do with it what you want." He called me that night and asked me out for Valentine's Day. I guess he was planning to all along. :) We went to Mugs until they closed, then down the street to Waffle House to eat some hashbrowns and talk until 3 in the morning.
Now we have a baby, an almost one-year-old to share those experiences with. When I see Phaeton with our daughter, I'm more and more grateful that he called me that night. He's a wonderful Dad. A wonderful husband. Our days just get better and bigger and cozier. And now Phaeton's show is over, so we're gonna go brush our teeth.
We are trying to recall some of the funny moments in our relationship. The ones where, when we look back, the laughing brings us to tears. Like the time where I woke from a dead sleep and started screaming "Fire! Fire!" Phaeton jumped out of bed in his skivvies and ran into the living room. Ran back and yelled some obscenities my way, then crawled back into bed and put his earplugs in. For the record, I remember waking up and truly thinking I saw orange flames and smoke coming from the front room. Oops.
Or the time where, once again while sleeping, I carried on a full conversation with Phaeton about how he needed to immediately go find me some napkins because I was drooling all over the place. We don't even own any napkins. We're a paper towel kinda family. Phaeton told me all about our convo the next day. How sweet of him that at 2am, he actually contemplated going to the store to buy me some napkins. If that's not true love, I don't know what is...
...........
We met while both working at Barnes and Noble. He was my boss. I was a seasonal bookseller. Following the Holiday season, he had the option of choosing one seasonal to work in his cafe. He chose me.
My first night training in the cafe, I asked my boss if he was going to ask me out for Valentine's Day. He turned around, stuck his hand in the sanitizer bucket and kept it there for awhile. No response. I guess I caught him off guard? Then I handed him my phone number and he said, "I don't know if I can call you." What a responsible supervisor he was. So I said, "I'm not asking you out on a date or anything, I'm just giving you my number. Do with it what you want." He called me that night and asked me out for Valentine's Day. I guess he was planning to all along. :) We went to Mugs until they closed, then down the street to Waffle House to eat some hashbrowns and talk until 3 in the morning.
Now we have a baby, an almost one-year-old to share those experiences with. When I see Phaeton with our daughter, I'm more and more grateful that he called me that night. He's a wonderful Dad. A wonderful husband. Our days just get better and bigger and cozier. And now Phaeton's show is over, so we're gonna go brush our teeth.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
The boss
Being a Mom has given me a new appreciation for so many things, including - family, work, relationships, on sleep, space, the lack of sleep and space, on getting time for me, or for us, on health, on the importance of having a glass (or 2) of wine with dinner. Having a child has made me realize that all the little stresses and annoyances in life, don't have to be so annoying (especially after the wine has kicked in). All those little things take away from my focus on all of the positive, on all that I have to be grateful for. It's not always easy though. Like, when I'm overwhelmed with work and leave a huge stack of unfinished business at the end of the day, I have to remind myself, It's not you're most important job.
Other than being a full-time Mom, here's my job situation. About 2 months ago, I put in a request to go part-time. I decided that working 40+ hrs/week away from Adeleigh wasn't cutting it. I felt guilty for every moment I couldn't be with her. I felt guilty for every moment where I was thinking about work, focused on anything other than my baby. (This is why Phaeton and I have only gone on 3 dates sans Baby.)
So, the company I work for requires a full-time recruiter. It's a busy job with a high demand and requires a great deal of focus. Going part-time in that job role just isn't an option, and it makes sense. But, I've been feeling that for where I'm at in my life, I can't devote the time, focus and energy to that role that is required. I've been struggling to keep up with the workload because I'm thinking about monkeys instead.
So one day at daycare, Adeleigh choked on a rock. Fortunately, her daycare provider knew exactly what to do and Adeleigh was fine. Whether or not we were okay is up for debate. Both Phaeton and I left work in a panic and when we showed up at daycare to give her a big hug and take her home for the day, there she was, bouncing and giggling and blowing raspberries like nothing had happened. We were both soaked in my tears. A week later, she had that scary-sick spell that made my hair gray. These back-to-back events led us to re-prioritize. Phaeton and I agreed that it was time for me to cut back at work a little bit. But my request for part-time was denied. We knew what our family needed right now, so I quit my job.
My boss and I had a meeting so I could explain what led to my decision. I explained it all. He asked if they created a part-time role within my department, a role with less hours, less stress, less responsibility, would I be interested. After much indecision and pulling my hair out and talking it through and asking for advice, I decided to quiet the background noise and listen to my gut....
Once the icecream in my belly stopped digesting, it all made sense. I can't pinpoint it to a particular thing, but I knew I needed to accept my boss's offer. My new job role and schedule starts this week. And while it will mean a pay cut, it'll give me valuable and more anticipated time with my daughter. I'm okay with that. Because she's my most important, and much cuter, boss.
Other than being a full-time Mom, here's my job situation. About 2 months ago, I put in a request to go part-time. I decided that working 40+ hrs/week away from Adeleigh wasn't cutting it. I felt guilty for every moment I couldn't be with her. I felt guilty for every moment where I was thinking about work, focused on anything other than my baby. (This is why Phaeton and I have only gone on 3 dates sans Baby.)
So, the company I work for requires a full-time recruiter. It's a busy job with a high demand and requires a great deal of focus. Going part-time in that job role just isn't an option, and it makes sense. But, I've been feeling that for where I'm at in my life, I can't devote the time, focus and energy to that role that is required. I've been struggling to keep up with the workload because I'm thinking about monkeys instead.
So one day at daycare, Adeleigh choked on a rock. Fortunately, her daycare provider knew exactly what to do and Adeleigh was fine. Whether or not we were okay is up for debate. Both Phaeton and I left work in a panic and when we showed up at daycare to give her a big hug and take her home for the day, there she was, bouncing and giggling and blowing raspberries like nothing had happened. We were both soaked in my tears. A week later, she had that scary-sick spell that made my hair gray. These back-to-back events led us to re-prioritize. Phaeton and I agreed that it was time for me to cut back at work a little bit. But my request for part-time was denied. We knew what our family needed right now, so I quit my job.
My boss and I had a meeting so I could explain what led to my decision. I explained it all. He asked if they created a part-time role within my department, a role with less hours, less stress, less responsibility, would I be interested. After much indecision and pulling my hair out and talking it through and asking for advice, I decided to quiet the background noise and listen to my gut....
Once the icecream in my belly stopped digesting, it all made sense. I can't pinpoint it to a particular thing, but I knew I needed to accept my boss's offer. My new job role and schedule starts this week. And while it will mean a pay cut, it'll give me valuable and more anticipated time with my daughter. I'm okay with that. Because she's my most important, and much cuter, boss.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A little perspective
Before we had a baby, we had no clue what to expect. We heard all kinds of advice and tips and words of wisdom. [Almost] everything was supportive and positive. Of course we knew it wouldn't all be butterflies and ice-cream sundaes, but we still loved imagining what the future held. We still do. And while [most of] the advice and support has been unbelievably helpful and eye-opening and much appreciated, nothing could have prepared us for the multitude of feelings, emotions and overwhelming sense of love that develops so naturally and effortlessly with becoming a parent.
So, to try and figure out that which was unknown, we tried to establish all of our answers to the questions about parenting before Adeleigh arrived. I think it's important to have a basic, general idea of some ground rules you plan on following, like not giving Baby honey, cow's milk, or cigarettes until Baby is at least one. But I also think it's okay to not follow all of the rules all of the time. Here are some of the rules I've broken: Don't sleep with your baby. Don't let her watch T.V. Don't pick her up everytime she cries (I'm getting better about this one, but it's hard). Don't let her have her pacifier after 9 months. Don't let her eat cupcakes. Don't forget to go on a date with your husband at least once a month. I'll stop there. So, what I've learned are that a lot of those "Oh, I'll never do (fill-in the blank here)" comments have turned into "Now I see why some parents buy leashes for their kids." Not that we'll ever do that one (or will we...?) but the motivation behind it makes a little more sense.
So, in eleven months, Phaeton and I have gone on 3 dates. This rule is harder to keep than we thought. We already feel that our time throughout the day is limited to spend as a family, so we try to spend every possible moment we can with Adeleigh. My mother-in-law describes it as "Being away from your baby is like having your arm cut off and not knowing what to do with yourself." That's completely how it feels. How can I enjoy a date when my arm is still at home eating sweet potatoes?
The first date, we didn't even know what to do with ourselves. But our friends, Jen and Eric strongly encouraged that we take some time while they and their adorable daughter, Harper watched Adeleigh. We drove from the north end of town, to the south end, probably stopped off at Target somewhere in there, ate Chipotle, I'm sure, and picked her up. It was the weirdest 40 minutes of my life...okay, maybe it was 4 hours. A much needed and appreciated 4 hours, but weird.
We realize that 3 dates in 11 months isn't much. We just remembered that Monday is our 4th Anniversary. It's amazing to think about where four years has taken us! So there will have to be at least a 4th date before Adeleigh turns four, I mean one.
So part of what makes leaving her so hard is coming to the realization that though Adeleigh is an extension of us, she is her own individual little being. An eating, breathing, sleeping, pooping, crawling, babbling little person. You're probably thinking, Of course she's an individual. But really, this whole concept has taken some getting used to on my part. Especially during those months when Adeleigh was nursing, when I was her source of food, of life. The bond felt as though we were one. We were thriving off one another. And while the breastfeeding days have passed, that bond, that sense of truly needing someone, remains. And it grows everyday.
I'm starting to get it now that I've inherited the responsibility and joy of caring for my own "arm". It's hard to watch when your arm is crying, or teething or bumps its head on the coffee table. But, part of growing as a mom is allowing those aches and pains to happen and realizing that Adeleigh will be stronger because of them. I'm going to have a serious reality check when she starts driving, dating, going to college...One day at a time, Heather. Now I see why my mom was always so protective of her kids. She always wanted to know where we were, when we would be home, that we were safe, and happy. She was following the natural intuitions of being a mom, of having a connection to something, or someone, unlike any other. When I became a mom, I gained a greater appreciation for my mother and for all the protectiveness and worry she felt.
Eleven months in and there are days where I still don't quite know what I'm doing. You really do learn as you go. I try to take it one day at a time and do the best I can. Sometimes I mess up. And I guarantee I'll mess up again. But whatever happens, I won't let Adeleigh kiss any boys until she's at least twenty-one.
So, to try and figure out that which was unknown, we tried to establish all of our answers to the questions about parenting before Adeleigh arrived. I think it's important to have a basic, general idea of some ground rules you plan on following, like not giving Baby honey, cow's milk, or cigarettes until Baby is at least one. But I also think it's okay to not follow all of the rules all of the time. Here are some of the rules I've broken: Don't sleep with your baby. Don't let her watch T.V. Don't pick her up everytime she cries (I'm getting better about this one, but it's hard). Don't let her have her pacifier after 9 months. Don't let her eat cupcakes. Don't forget to go on a date with your husband at least once a month. I'll stop there. So, what I've learned are that a lot of those "Oh, I'll never do (fill-in the blank here)" comments have turned into "Now I see why some parents buy leashes for their kids." Not that we'll ever do that one (or will we...?) but the motivation behind it makes a little more sense.
Adeleigh eating cupcakes
The first date, we didn't even know what to do with ourselves. But our friends, Jen and Eric strongly encouraged that we take some time while they and their adorable daughter, Harper watched Adeleigh. We drove from the north end of town, to the south end, probably stopped off at Target somewhere in there, ate Chipotle, I'm sure, and picked her up. It was the weirdest 40 minutes of my life...okay, maybe it was 4 hours. A much needed and appreciated 4 hours, but weird.
Harper and Adeleigh
(photo taken by Harper's mom)
So part of what makes leaving her so hard is coming to the realization that though Adeleigh is an extension of us, she is her own individual little being. An eating, breathing, sleeping, pooping, crawling, babbling little person. You're probably thinking, Of course she's an individual. But really, this whole concept has taken some getting used to on my part. Especially during those months when Adeleigh was nursing, when I was her source of food, of life. The bond felt as though we were one. We were thriving off one another. And while the breastfeeding days have passed, that bond, that sense of truly needing someone, remains. And it grows everyday.
I'm starting to get it now that I've inherited the responsibility and joy of caring for my own "arm". It's hard to watch when your arm is crying, or teething or bumps its head on the coffee table. But, part of growing as a mom is allowing those aches and pains to happen and realizing that Adeleigh will be stronger because of them. I'm going to have a serious reality check when she starts driving, dating, going to college...One day at a time, Heather. Now I see why my mom was always so protective of her kids. She always wanted to know where we were, when we would be home, that we were safe, and happy. She was following the natural intuitions of being a mom, of having a connection to something, or someone, unlike any other. When I became a mom, I gained a greater appreciation for my mother and for all the protectiveness and worry she felt.
Eleven months in and there are days where I still don't quite know what I'm doing. You really do learn as you go. I try to take it one day at a time and do the best I can. Sometimes I mess up. And I guarantee I'll mess up again. But whatever happens, I won't let Adeleigh kiss any boys until she's at least twenty-one.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Evolution of Bathtime
Before we left the hospital with our new baby girl, we asked our nurse to show us twice how to properly sponge-bathe Adeleigh. This would be our routine for a few weeks until her umbilical cord stump fell off. Her first sponge-bath at home by Mommy was not a success. I don't know how anyone can possibly mess up giving a sponge-bath. But of course, I managed to screw something up. I didn't rinse her well enough and gave her a soap rash. When Phaeton got home, he had to rewash her the correct way. I was grateful that this whole bathing without a bath thing was temporary, because I sucked at it.
I couldn't wait until Adeleigh's belly button could be submerged in water. I wanted to cleanse the whole area and be rid of the shriveled up mutant that was still attached. One of my biggest fears was being home alone when Adeleigh's umbilical cord stump fell off. I had it all planned how it needed to happen. Phaeton would get home from work and do his nightly routine of cleaning around the stump with a Q-tip as instructed by the nurse. He'd be swabbing it and it would effortlessly peel off and jump into the trash. Nothin' to it. Everyone would still be smiling.
But that's not quite how it happened.
http://www.babycenter.com/2_video_1486858.bc
We started using the sling in the baby tub because it didn't submerge her completely, but we were still able to safely and effectively rinse and get her clean. We also started using warm water. This made everyone much happier. She would be so comfortable, that she'd oftentimes poop or pee all over the sling. So then we'd have to start over.
How proper of her to cover up for the camera -
I couldn't wait until Adeleigh's belly button could be submerged in water. I wanted to cleanse the whole area and be rid of the shriveled up mutant that was still attached. One of my biggest fears was being home alone when Adeleigh's umbilical cord stump fell off. I had it all planned how it needed to happen. Phaeton would get home from work and do his nightly routine of cleaning around the stump with a Q-tip as instructed by the nurse. He'd be swabbing it and it would effortlessly peel off and jump into the trash. Nothin' to it. Everyone would still be smiling.
But that's not quite how it happened.
I was at home, just Adeleigh and me. I was wearing my comfy moo-moo half unzipped while I nursed her. When she pressed up close to me, I could feel the crusty little guy against my belly. I speak negatively of it, but I was starting to accept the thing as a part of my baby I'd have to grow to love, like an 11th toe. Adeleigh did her thing, ate some, fell asleep. I started to pull her away so I could zip up and when I looked down, I saw a normal belly button. It was so foreign to me. I was so confused. And then I started to piece it all together. If this peach button is here, that must mean that the yellow/green dead button, now disconnected, must be here too........I laid Adeleigh down and the search began. I found myself hesitantly looking around, afraid of where the little dude was hiding, like he might pop up out of nowhere onto my shoulder and startle me. I searched high and low and was finally about to give up. I walked into the bathroom, still half unzipped and looked in the mirror. There it was, dangling from my boob. Gross! I panicked, grabbed a tissue and threw that thing in the trash. Now I need a bath! Can you believe some people save those things in baby books?
After the belly-button bug had been disposed of, we were allowed to submerge Adeleigh in bath water. We were so nervous about giving her her first bath, we watched a video on Babycenter.com about proper technique. Being new parents and completely oblivious to anything other than what the internet says, we took it as gospel. We started watching as a "baby-bath expert and mother of 4" taught a new mom how to bathe Baby Farrah. A minute and a half into the video: "Never leave your baby alone." Check. "Make sure the bath water is warm. Aim for 90 degrees or less." We grabbed the thermometer and tested the water. 90 degrees. Perfect. "Not all babies love their baths as much as Farrah." I picked Adeleigh up, excited and nervous about what kind of a bath-baby she was going to be. We gently placed her in the water. Then, we heard the most heart-wrenching cry of her life. She was miserable. And cold. We realized that 90 is 8.6 degrees colder than normal body temperature. Of course she was crying. She was mad at us. And we were mad at Farrah, for making us believe babies like cold baths. Whatever you do, don't watch this video and believe it. http://www.babycenter.com/2_video_1486858.bc
We started using the sling in the baby tub because it didn't submerge her completely, but we were still able to safely and effectively rinse and get her clean. We also started using warm water. This made everyone much happier. She would be so comfortable, that she'd oftentimes poop or pee all over the sling. So then we'd have to start over.
How proper of her to cover up for the camera -
We evolved to giving baths without the sling. At least if she peed, we couldn't tell. Out of sight, out of mind. Bathtime would be brief, just in case.
Ducky was a must companion for bathtime. If Ducky wasn't in her chubby hands, she was jammed as far as possible into Adeleigh's mouth. I wish I had a picture of that. If Ducky needed a breath of air and escaped to the water, it was a splash-attack to retrieve her and put her right back in-between Adeleigh's cheeks. Our pants were always soaking wet by the end. The not-so-cute part was that we'd have to go out in the cold and walk Rico with wet pants. And by "we", I mean Phaeton.
Adeleigh and Ducky
Now that Adeleigh has more balance, she uses the big kid tub. She loves it. And she jams as many toys as she can into her mouth at once. I think she's learning a thing or two from Cookie Monster.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
I blog when I should be sleeping
One of the things I continually heard when I was pregnant was, "Get sleep now because you won't for the next 18 years." We're 11 months in. That means 205 months to go...with this baby. Add another baby, add another 216 months to our tally.....that's a lot of months without sleep. No matter how many times I heard the "get sleep now" comment, nothing could have prepared me for what was to come.
I used to rely on at least 7 hours of sleep a night to function the next day. Now, I'm functionable with 4 hours - overslept at 6. I remember one night getting 2 non-consecutive hours of sleep and working 9 hours the following day. Days like that make me feel like Super-Mom...for a few minutes. Then I become Zombie-Mom/Grouchy-Wife. And then I usually eat a bag of chocolate chips...because I can.
I know they say there's no such thing as "catching up on sleep", but whoever believes that hasn't met pre-baby me. I did catch up on my sleep. As if 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night wasn't enough, I'd sometimes sleep 11 hours Friday nights. I'd be waking up the next day a few hours shy of when Phaeton got home from work. Now, there's no such thing as sleeping in on the weekends. Adeleigh is on our routine - waking up by 6:30am everyday, including weekends. I guess if I got 5 hours in naps every day, I wouldn't need to catch up on my sleep either.
Another thing we often heard while pregnant was that our baby would sleep with us for the first 3-6 months. At 11 months, we're lucky to have a night where she doesn't end up between us in our bed. It typically starts out warm and snuggly, and usually leads to Adeleigh kicking Phaeton in the throat while digging her baby claws into my cheeks. I imagine she's dreaming of playing Mortal Kombat on her Sega - the baby version. Meanwhile, we're dangling off either side, hopelessly longing for a bigger bed and painless snooze. But at least she's comfortable. We're considering investing in some body armor and helmets.
When we were expecting, we bought ourselves a new mattress. Note to the women: When you are pregnant, it's really easy to get what you want. Not only do you have an excuse to eat everything off yours and your husband's plates, but you have an excuse for not cleaning the house, not emptying the litter box, and not getting up from the chair to get your own glass of water. You have a reason to buy new clothes for your growing self and for your future baby, buy a new mattress and buy all the tubs of icecream or white cheddar popcorn you want. So, we really needed a new mattress because I was pregnant. We also needed a new mattress because Phaeton used to tell me that the mattress we'd been using came from the dumpster. I later found out this wasn't true. But being pregnant and gullible, I immediately did something about it....
We splurged. We opted not for the King size because 1) Did I mention we live in a 1-bedroom condo? Every inch of space is precious. And 2) It was hundreds of dollars more than the Queen. So, Queen it was! It was heaven for my pregnant back. Over a year later, we've just paid it off. Purchasing a bigger bed right now is not an option. Neither is kicking the baby out of our bed, if that's what you were thinking next. I like her there. So, we make it work - most of the time. Occasionally, we girls wake up to a missing Daddy, only to find him fast asleep in the living room on the futon. Other times, I wake up to this -
When I was on maternity leave, I ran into a gal who shared with me that the biggest reason she didn't think she could ever have children was because she couldn't do without her precious sleep. Let me just say - that is never a reason to not have children. Sure, sleep is wonderful. But it does get easier the older Baby gets. When you become a parent, it's like your body and mind are completely transformed. You don't require all that you once did. You're able to function differently because someone is depending on you to be awake every moment they are - to feed, change, entertain, hold and love. You'll forego your own meal, your own blanket, your own nap, your own energy if it means making your baby comfortable. And you probably won't even think twice about it. You'll just do it. And odds are, you'll love every minute of it. The amazement, wonder and joy that a baby brings into your life is far greater than the sleep you'll be missing out on. Everyday, I find myself watching Adeleigh in awe while she snoozes away. Everytime, I'm overcome with gratitude and the most unconditional love - to see her chest rising and falling; to hear her delicate breath; to watch her lips purse as she imagines she's sucking on her pacifier; to feel the warmth that her little 19-pound body radiates. It's so pure and simple and absolutely beautiful. Who needs dreams when you've got this?...
I used to rely on at least 7 hours of sleep a night to function the next day. Now, I'm functionable with 4 hours - overslept at 6. I remember one night getting 2 non-consecutive hours of sleep and working 9 hours the following day. Days like that make me feel like Super-Mom...for a few minutes. Then I become Zombie-Mom/Grouchy-Wife. And then I usually eat a bag of chocolate chips...because I can.
I know they say there's no such thing as "catching up on sleep", but whoever believes that hasn't met pre-baby me. I did catch up on my sleep. As if 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night wasn't enough, I'd sometimes sleep 11 hours Friday nights. I'd be waking up the next day a few hours shy of when Phaeton got home from work. Now, there's no such thing as sleeping in on the weekends. Adeleigh is on our routine - waking up by 6:30am everyday, including weekends. I guess if I got 5 hours in naps every day, I wouldn't need to catch up on my sleep either.
Another thing we often heard while pregnant was that our baby would sleep with us for the first 3-6 months. At 11 months, we're lucky to have a night where she doesn't end up between us in our bed. It typically starts out warm and snuggly, and usually leads to Adeleigh kicking Phaeton in the throat while digging her baby claws into my cheeks. I imagine she's dreaming of playing Mortal Kombat on her Sega - the baby version. Meanwhile, we're dangling off either side, hopelessly longing for a bigger bed and painless snooze. But at least she's comfortable. We're considering investing in some body armor and helmets.
When we were expecting, we bought ourselves a new mattress. Note to the women: When you are pregnant, it's really easy to get what you want. Not only do you have an excuse to eat everything off yours and your husband's plates, but you have an excuse for not cleaning the house, not emptying the litter box, and not getting up from the chair to get your own glass of water. You have a reason to buy new clothes for your growing self and for your future baby, buy a new mattress and buy all the tubs of icecream or white cheddar popcorn you want. So, we really needed a new mattress because I was pregnant. We also needed a new mattress because Phaeton used to tell me that the mattress we'd been using came from the dumpster. I later found out this wasn't true. But being pregnant and gullible, I immediately did something about it....
We splurged. We opted not for the King size because 1) Did I mention we live in a 1-bedroom condo? Every inch of space is precious. And 2) It was hundreds of dollars more than the Queen. So, Queen it was! It was heaven for my pregnant back. Over a year later, we've just paid it off. Purchasing a bigger bed right now is not an option. Neither is kicking the baby out of our bed, if that's what you were thinking next. I like her there. So, we make it work - most of the time. Occasionally, we girls wake up to a missing Daddy, only to find him fast asleep in the living room on the futon. Other times, I wake up to this -
When I was on maternity leave, I ran into a gal who shared with me that the biggest reason she didn't think she could ever have children was because she couldn't do without her precious sleep. Let me just say - that is never a reason to not have children. Sure, sleep is wonderful. But it does get easier the older Baby gets. When you become a parent, it's like your body and mind are completely transformed. You don't require all that you once did. You're able to function differently because someone is depending on you to be awake every moment they are - to feed, change, entertain, hold and love. You'll forego your own meal, your own blanket, your own nap, your own energy if it means making your baby comfortable. And you probably won't even think twice about it. You'll just do it. And odds are, you'll love every minute of it. The amazement, wonder and joy that a baby brings into your life is far greater than the sleep you'll be missing out on. Everyday, I find myself watching Adeleigh in awe while she snoozes away. Everytime, I'm overcome with gratitude and the most unconditional love - to see her chest rising and falling; to hear her delicate breath; to watch her lips purse as she imagines she's sucking on her pacifier; to feel the warmth that her little 19-pound body radiates. It's so pure and simple and absolutely beautiful. Who needs dreams when you've got this?...
Photo by Jessica Loucks
Friday, July 8, 2011
My minivan is cooler than your minivan
When Adeleigh and all her diapers and gear moved in, we concluded that we needed more space - immediately. So we rented a storage unit. But that didn't seem to be enough. Our solution? The more obvious fix to so many concerns new parents face - Buy a minivan.
It was the last car-shopping day of the month and we went to our family's most frequented used-car dealership in town, Markley Motors. Our intention was not to buy, just to shop, mainly because Phaeton didn't have me sold on the whole mini-van phenomenon. We met with our family's most frequented used-car salesman who showed us a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country, and pursuaded us to "just take a little drive". We ended up in north Loveland before we decided we ought to come back around. The whole drive, I was talking about how we just couldn't afford this, but it was nice to dream. "Thanks for the tease, Used-Car Man."
We got back to the dealership and Phaeton decided to just "crunch some numbers" with Used-Car Man to see what we could get it for, if we were there to buy. The decided upon amount was too high. I, again, reminded the boys of how we didn't need that van. It'd be a luxury, and would possibly make us the laughing stock of the condo complex - and then I remembered our downstairs neighbor. We call her "Cherry" because 20 hours out of every day she sits in her minivan smoking Cherry-flavored Swisher-Sweets. Okay, this minivan is waaaaay cooler than hers. Still not sold. Then Used-Car Man had to pull the Baby-Card out. He said something like, "You may not need this van, but think of it this way - you'd be getting it for her [pointing to Adeleigh]. It's bigger, safer and it's a car she can grow up with."
Well, when you put it that way -
Sold. I stuck my hand out and we shook on it.
We drove away in our new Swagger Wagon (I stole this term from a youtube video, but the Wagon it's referring to is a Toyota). Click here to watch the official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4
We love our new ride. When the trunk opens, it beeps like a dump-truck so the whole parking lot knows something awesome is about to happen. When Used-Car Man pushed the button to close the trunk, he stuck his arm in the door and said to me, "I think it has a sensor so it won't close if my arm's here. Let's see if it works." I was standing there holding Adeleigh, afraid we were about to witness the inspiration for the next Saw movie, and threw my hand over my mouth. I gasped as the door kept shutting, gap closing in. It popped back open like there was nothing to it. The boys had to console me for a moment. At least that feature works.
The only hang-up is when I push the button to close the side doors, they are so hyper-sensitive that they bounce back open at least 6 times before I finally have to get back out of the car, use my flimsy arm muscles and shut them myself. Man, I'm so spoiled. When I took the van back to the dealership for them to look at and fix the problem, neither door acted up for them, even though they tried 60 times. Or so they claimed. How convenient.
But one of the many parts we love about our mini-van are the 3 DVD screens. Yes, that's right. There are 3 of them. One is located in the console between the driver and passenger seats and doesn't work when the car is in motion, for obvious reasons. The other 2 are for each row of seats, and can play 2 different DVDs simultaneously. Unfortunately, with Adeleigh still rear-facing until she's 2, she can't view what's playing. But Phaeton can, and frequently does. Star Trek the movie has found a permanent home in our car. When we go out to run errands with Adeleigh sleeping in her carseat, Phaeton graciously volunteers to stay while I do the shopping. "Take your time," he says. And I frequently come back to find him sitting in the back, headphones on, grinning from ear to ear.
We were showing off our recent purchase to our friends, Chad & Shay, and the boys spent hours messing around with the gadgets, admiring the video game console and of course - watching Star Trek, while we girls ate our Walrus icecream. One cool feature they found - the electric blue limo lights that line the ceiling. Shay, we should've just rented you a Town & Country for your bachelorette party! Another cool feature - the main console can download photos from a USB card so you can stare at pictures of your baby while you drive. Until we figure out how to download our own photos, we'll be staring at some little blonde dude frowning on the playground.
Needless to say, I'm sold on the whole mini-van enigma. There's so much storage space (which we need) and it seats 7 (which we will need). So there's room for the 4 other children we'll be having. ((Trying to decipher Phaeton's reaction....))
It was the last car-shopping day of the month and we went to our family's most frequented used-car dealership in town, Markley Motors. Our intention was not to buy, just to shop, mainly because Phaeton didn't have me sold on the whole mini-van phenomenon. We met with our family's most frequented used-car salesman who showed us a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country, and pursuaded us to "just take a little drive". We ended up in north Loveland before we decided we ought to come back around. The whole drive, I was talking about how we just couldn't afford this, but it was nice to dream. "Thanks for the tease, Used-Car Man."
We got back to the dealership and Phaeton decided to just "crunch some numbers" with Used-Car Man to see what we could get it for, if we were there to buy. The decided upon amount was too high. I, again, reminded the boys of how we didn't need that van. It'd be a luxury, and would possibly make us the laughing stock of the condo complex - and then I remembered our downstairs neighbor. We call her "Cherry" because 20 hours out of every day she sits in her minivan smoking Cherry-flavored Swisher-Sweets. Okay, this minivan is waaaaay cooler than hers. Still not sold. Then Used-Car Man had to pull the Baby-Card out. He said something like, "You may not need this van, but think of it this way - you'd be getting it for her [pointing to Adeleigh]. It's bigger, safer and it's a car she can grow up with."
Well, when you put it that way -
Sold. I stuck my hand out and we shook on it.
We drove away in our new Swagger Wagon (I stole this term from a youtube video, but the Wagon it's referring to is a Toyota). Click here to watch the official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4
We love our new ride. When the trunk opens, it beeps like a dump-truck so the whole parking lot knows something awesome is about to happen. When Used-Car Man pushed the button to close the trunk, he stuck his arm in the door and said to me, "I think it has a sensor so it won't close if my arm's here. Let's see if it works." I was standing there holding Adeleigh, afraid we were about to witness the inspiration for the next Saw movie, and threw my hand over my mouth. I gasped as the door kept shutting, gap closing in. It popped back open like there was nothing to it. The boys had to console me for a moment. At least that feature works.
The only hang-up is when I push the button to close the side doors, they are so hyper-sensitive that they bounce back open at least 6 times before I finally have to get back out of the car, use my flimsy arm muscles and shut them myself. Man, I'm so spoiled. When I took the van back to the dealership for them to look at and fix the problem, neither door acted up for them, even though they tried 60 times. Or so they claimed. How convenient.
But one of the many parts we love about our mini-van are the 3 DVD screens. Yes, that's right. There are 3 of them. One is located in the console between the driver and passenger seats and doesn't work when the car is in motion, for obvious reasons. The other 2 are for each row of seats, and can play 2 different DVDs simultaneously. Unfortunately, with Adeleigh still rear-facing until she's 2, she can't view what's playing. But Phaeton can, and frequently does. Star Trek the movie has found a permanent home in our car. When we go out to run errands with Adeleigh sleeping in her carseat, Phaeton graciously volunteers to stay while I do the shopping. "Take your time," he says. And I frequently come back to find him sitting in the back, headphones on, grinning from ear to ear.
We were showing off our recent purchase to our friends, Chad & Shay, and the boys spent hours messing around with the gadgets, admiring the video game console and of course - watching Star Trek, while we girls ate our Walrus icecream. One cool feature they found - the electric blue limo lights that line the ceiling. Shay, we should've just rented you a Town & Country for your bachelorette party! Another cool feature - the main console can download photos from a USB card so you can stare at pictures of your baby while you drive. Until we figure out how to download our own photos, we'll be staring at some little blonde dude frowning on the playground.
Needless to say, I'm sold on the whole mini-van enigma. There's so much storage space (which we need) and it seats 7 (which we will need). So there's room for the 4 other children we'll be having. ((Trying to decipher Phaeton's reaction....))
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Cold air - such a luxury
I quit my job today. And then the AC unit broke, badly. The quote is between $1500-2000 to fix or replace it. It's 90+ degrees outside. So living on the 3rd story, with west-facing windows, when heat rises - it's hot in here. Damn you science! Whoever buys our place (when it's For Sale) is going to have a long list of brand new appliances to enjoy: AC unit, dishwasher, washer, dryer, water heater. Every single one of those has broken and been replaced in the last 18 months. That's a lot of money. But this one, this is a doozie.
We started scheming up ways we could pay for the replacement. I actually contemplated seeing how I could appear on Wheel of Fortune. I'm sure it's harder than I realize. But I rock at it! I got the final puzzle today when no one else did, not even Vanna knew - Fuel Gauge. And there were only 3 letters up there. I'm trying to convince Phaeton to try out for Jeopardy! because he's brilliant. Today we both really rocked it because it's Kids Week. We might need to look at a more feasible alternative for paying this expense off though.
So, back to the shiny, new appliances.
Last summer, Phaeton picked up a part-time job working at Best Buy while I was pregnant to help save some cash. His 2 months working there pretty much paid for most of those appliances.
First up: The dishwasher started turning orange on the inside, then brown. We thought it was a build-up of coffee grounds that were backing up into our dishwasher. The dishwasher installer knew otherwise. He opened the door to our dishwasher, paused and said, "You guys haven't been using this, have you?" Uh, yes, for about 6 months. "I've never in all my years of doing this, seen a dishwasher that did this." Uh....??? I ran over to the computer and started Googling the effects that using dishes washed in a dishwasher with orange/brown build-up while pregnant will have on my unborn baby. The build-up was rust that was forming from the wear in our water heater. There came our second appliance - not available at Best Buy. Therefore not available to use an employee discount on.
Third appliance - the washer. We anticipated with a new baby, there'd be lots of laundry that needed tending to. So, I might've sabotaged the old washer on purpose. I put the dog bed in the washer - the entire dog bed - not realizing that dog beds are made of woodchips and dirt. You can imagine the mess that made - all over the inside of the washer, and all over the laundry room floor. Not even worth cleaning. So we just replaced it.
The dryer. It had 1 setting - Hot. But it didn't get very hot. We'd run the dryer time after time and still open the door to find soggy clothes. This one had to go. Besides, the washer and dryer have been in the family for decades, so we figured it was time to update.
Now, the AC unit. For the last 3 years, we've paid for the local AC guys to come out and re-charge our unit and pump it with freon. That's cost us well over $150 each time. Last summer, while pregnant, we paid for them to come out twice because, well, I was pregnant. And I needed my AC on high. Poor Phaeton lived in his sweats last summer. The AC guys told us it wasn't normal for them to have to come so often to do this service, but we couldn't afford the alternative. We still can't, but we have no other option this time so we'll make it work. Cold air doesn't come cheap.
And I thought diapers were expensive.
We started scheming up ways we could pay for the replacement. I actually contemplated seeing how I could appear on Wheel of Fortune. I'm sure it's harder than I realize. But I rock at it! I got the final puzzle today when no one else did, not even Vanna knew - Fuel Gauge. And there were only 3 letters up there. I'm trying to convince Phaeton to try out for Jeopardy! because he's brilliant. Today we both really rocked it because it's Kids Week. We might need to look at a more feasible alternative for paying this expense off though.
So, back to the shiny, new appliances.
Last summer, Phaeton picked up a part-time job working at Best Buy while I was pregnant to help save some cash. His 2 months working there pretty much paid for most of those appliances.
First up: The dishwasher started turning orange on the inside, then brown. We thought it was a build-up of coffee grounds that were backing up into our dishwasher. The dishwasher installer knew otherwise. He opened the door to our dishwasher, paused and said, "You guys haven't been using this, have you?" Uh, yes, for about 6 months. "I've never in all my years of doing this, seen a dishwasher that did this." Uh....??? I ran over to the computer and started Googling the effects that using dishes washed in a dishwasher with orange/brown build-up while pregnant will have on my unborn baby. The build-up was rust that was forming from the wear in our water heater. There came our second appliance - not available at Best Buy. Therefore not available to use an employee discount on.
Third appliance - the washer. We anticipated with a new baby, there'd be lots of laundry that needed tending to. So, I might've sabotaged the old washer on purpose. I put the dog bed in the washer - the entire dog bed - not realizing that dog beds are made of woodchips and dirt. You can imagine the mess that made - all over the inside of the washer, and all over the laundry room floor. Not even worth cleaning. So we just replaced it.
The dryer. It had 1 setting - Hot. But it didn't get very hot. We'd run the dryer time after time and still open the door to find soggy clothes. This one had to go. Besides, the washer and dryer have been in the family for decades, so we figured it was time to update.
Now, the AC unit. For the last 3 years, we've paid for the local AC guys to come out and re-charge our unit and pump it with freon. That's cost us well over $150 each time. Last summer, while pregnant, we paid for them to come out twice because, well, I was pregnant. And I needed my AC on high. Poor Phaeton lived in his sweats last summer. The AC guys told us it wasn't normal for them to have to come so often to do this service, but we couldn't afford the alternative. We still can't, but we have no other option this time so we'll make it work. Cold air doesn't come cheap.
And I thought diapers were expensive.
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