Lark

Dear Friends and Family,

I started thinking about creating a second blog yesterday - one on a topic I'm learning about, one in which I use my real identity, one in which I allow monetization, one that'll be single topic and my thoughts on that topic alone, one where I don't really write about me, I write about it. I wonder where it will lead, if it'll lead anywhere at all.

We'll see if I even write a single post since I'm a little short on time nowadays.


Cheers!
mouse

Frugal Mom: Crib Mattress

Dear Friends and Family,

Okay. So, if you need a crib, it follows, you need a mattress. Lots of options here as well. We opted to go for value over dirt cheap in this category for no good reason other than we splurged on our mattress and love it and figured P deserved no less.

We opted for the Naturepedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Ultra Organic Baby Crib Mattress with

• dual firmness
• seamless design
• premium organic waterproof cover
• organic cotton filling
• orthopedic innerspring
• starts at $359

Our math said if she used it for 3 years, it would be about $0.33 per night which was how we justified it. Also, for the first three months, all they do is sleep and eat so we wanted to go organic since you're only a newborn once in your life.


All in, with the crib, we were out $500, and that, is still frugal.


Cheers!
mouse

Eating, Again

Dear Friends and Family,

After almost two weeks of no interest in food, P is eating again. Guess it was the ear infection and cold that were making her temperamental. We were afraid it was ye olde reflux rearing its ugly head again.

Once your kid has reflux, until you're sure it's gone, it becomes the nasty doubt in the back of your head. Is it a cold or reflux? Is it teething or reflux? Is it bad day or reflux? Is it allergies or reflux? Is it tired or reflux? Is it separation anxiety or reflux? Is it stranger anxiety or reflux? Is it spit up or reflux? Are the fewer, shorter naps normal? Or is it the reflux?

I've been slowing weaning P off of her Zantac. When we went from full dosage to zero cold turkey, it wasn't pretty. So, I've been lowering her dosage by 0.3 ml a day every week. Currently she's on 0.6 ml in the mornings and 0.3 ml in the evening. Next week, as long as she seems fine, I'll reduce it to 0.3 ml in the mornings and evenings.

Now that she's eating again, I am less anxious. We were debating giving her the full dose when she decided food wasn't her thing anymore. Guess it was the ear infection and not reflux, this time.


Cheers!
mouse

01.25.10: Meh

Dear Friends and Family,

Feeling better than Friday, but still not fully recovered.

Came home Friday feeling like I was coming apart at the seams - headache, stuffy nose, dizzy, nauseous, bad ankle, bad wrist, bad tooth, can the list get any longer? oh, and tired.

P was sleeping when Mr. mouse got home, so we sat in his car talking for a bit while she slept before heading out for dinner. We went for Indian, figuring it was one of a handful of dishes I had a hope of tasting. The most annoying thing happened en route to the restaurant...

We parked the car. P woke up. So, I decided to feed her in the car before heading into the restaurant. A car pulls up next to us and I wave him on. Well, the #$%@! car pulls up I kid you not like three more times to check if we'd left yet. Hey, @$$hole, give it up and find another spot. Okay? I'm breastfeeding my kid here and you're driving me crazy. And, when I'm done, we're gonna leave the car here for a couple of hours and go out to dinner. Amateur Night at the Improv.

Deep breath.

Saturday, Mr. mouse let me sleep in, playing with P while I caught a bunch of extra z's. We spent Saturday organizing the house. Then, we got bit by a bug and decided to take P to get her passport. We took a bunch of pictures in front of a white door, picked one with a huge grin and two teeth showing figuring the passport agent wouldn't be a huge stickler on the "no smile rule" since she's an eight month old. And, headed over to the post office. As we expected, it was a case of P and two unicorns. P enchanted her agent and the picture was submitted. We had a back up one with a more serious face, but it wasn't nearly as fun.

We finished out the evening with some Christmas gift exchanges that drove Mr. mouse through the roof. Amateur Night at the Improv II.

Sunday, P had tub time in the morning. Then, we spent the day installing the rest of our gates and going through our paperwork to file. Mr. mouse put up a big picture of the three of us from Halloween in the park. I love it.

P started really verbalizing this weekend. She's always made a lot of sounds, but now it sounds like full sentences, paragraphs even, except in baby talk. She also has gotten pretty good at cruising along her gate - pulling herself upright and walking the perimeter. She holds her own bottle now, although she still needs a little assist. And, she's a pro at the latch on thing - getting herself into position and opening wide. But, the most exciting thing to report, is a tiny syllable she's been making for awhile now, but beginning to use more purposefully - Meh...

I may be imaging it, but I think that's P's way of saying Mommy. I'm not sure yet, but there have been a couple of times now... I love it nonetheless.


Cheers!
mouse

TGIF -

Dear Friends and Family,

I have either swine flu or bird flu or SARS. I'm going with retro trendy SARS. I've been coughing and sneezing and runny nosed and headache and tired all week. Wait a sec! I've got whatever P had last week. Sigh.

P's been in and out of daycare all of January. She hasn't had a full week since sometime in December. Mr. mouse and I have been trading off taking time off with her. Really, this week I should have since I'm sick as well. But, it's so hectic at work I've been bringing it in with me. I'm sure my colleagues love me for it.

This weekend will be a good time to get some rest and hopefully throw this cold - that and to convince Mr. mouse to bring the tables down from the party to the basement. He LOVES the horizontal surfaces. They drive me crazy. We aren't going to come to consensus on this one. They're going or I'm losing it.

Okay. Happy Friday. And, in twelve more hours it'll be the weekend and I can curl up with P and a cup of tea.


Cheers!
mouse

Frugal Mom: Crib

Dear Friends and Family,

After facing the bewildering array of "stuff" that everyone claims is "essential" when you have a baby, I've decided to post my own views on it all. There's so much "stuff" and you use it for such a short period of time. It borders on ridiculous. It's bad for the environment. It's hard on the wallet. It does not prove you love your newborn any more or less than the person who spends like there's no tomorrow. Because there is a tomorrow. And, guess what, that money can go into the brand spanking new college fund you'll be starting.

Okay. The crib. I'd put it in the bucket of "stuff you absolutely need." But, the simpler the better. I don't need a crib that's going to convert into a toddler bed and then into a day bed and then into a headboard for a full sized bed. That's just a little too much transformers acrobatics for me. I figure there's baby furniture that I'll use for two years. Then, there's toddler furniture that's good for another 4 years. And, then, I'll splurge on the real stuff that'll stay in the room for the rest of time once they're done chewing on their furniture.

Drop down sides are going away - there's just too many accidents with them. A simple, SAFE crib is all you really need. No fuss. No muss.

I like the Ikea Gulliver crib. $99 in white. We splurged for the $139 in birch.

It's simple. It's safe. It matches our decor. And, at $139, it doesn't break the bank.


Cheers!
mouse

Okay, How Would That Work?

Dear Friends and Family,

My ankle still bothers me on and off. And, it's bad enough that I'm willing to see someone about it. But, if it needs surgery (again) then I think I'm in a bind. I'm pretty sure the pain medication would make it no go for P. So, I need to think about that all before making a decision on my treatment. I guess if it's merely broken, then all I would require is a cast. Excellent.

I would give a fair amount to be able to wind back the clock and do those 15 seconds all over again. I worked so hard on rehab for my ankle and I was so happy with the results. To have the injury last summer just sucks. I don't blame P for it. I was frazzled and not being careful. It's my mom scar, I guess. Some women have stretch marks, others have freckles. I have my ankle. Excellent.

Well, I'll ask my old doctor for a recommendation and we'll go from there, I guess.


Cheers!
mouse

Only Children Rant

Dear Friends and Family,

One of my colleagues at work has an only child, and every time I meet her I can't help but shake my head and hope P doesn't grow up to be like her.

Her parents discipline her. But, her null hypothesis is, it will be my way unless there's a good reason for it not to be my way. Whereas, as a person with siblings I knew there was a 1 in X chance for it to be "my way" with the probability going up if I could align siblings to vote my contingent. And, even then, there was the parent vote and veto. But, her assumption is unless there's a good reason why not, it's a gimme.

Here's an example. They came over on Saturday, unannounced, an hour before the party began. Mr. mouse was unloading groceries. I was heading upstairs to feed P. Our other friends were doing last minute party prep. She wanted ice cream. She asked me as I was headed upstairs. And, I told her to ask Mr. mouse when he was done unloading groceries. When I came downstairs, Mr. mouse was still unloading groceries. And, she asked me again. And, I told her to ask Mr. mouse when he was done unloading groceries. So, she asks him immediately - while he's unloading groceries.

Obviously, there's no safety issues here on the ice cream. And, she knows she'll get it since we said yes, but not now. But, her assumption is, unless there's a good reason why not now, then, as long as you ask politely, you should be able to get your way.

I'm not sure I'm making any sense here. Anyways, suffice it to say, P will not be like that when she grows up. Cause, if she had asked Mr. mouse while he was unloading groceries, my answer would have been. "I told you to wait until your Dad was done unloading groceries before asking him. Ask again, and it's no ice cream. Understood?"

What a Mom.


Cheers!
mouse

01.18.10: Party Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Another year, another January party.

We moved up the party this year because our Winter Cabin neighbors had a long weekend this weekend. The prep was a little hectic, but all things considering, no more hectic than prior years when we had more time and no P.

The party this year was smaller - about 40-50 people rather than the 60-70 people we've had in recent years. I actually prefer the smaller size since I'm not playing doorman all night. I actually had a chance to catch up with my friends.

P has been so off schedule I don't know where to begin - solids, liquids, sleep, diapers, new medicine, reduced medicine, reduced play space, being sick, etc. This week will be a good week to get her back on schedule, I hope.

And, me? Well, I think I caught something yesterday. Or, I was incubating something and it finally broke through the surface yesterday. Warm. Cough. Congestion. Runny nose. Headache. Excellent.

And, to add to my list of P stuff, she peaked at 7 or 8 percentile on January 3rd and has been on a crazy decline since. She's back at 3 percentile land now. I guess we'll weigh her each night this week and try to get her back on track. I'll be happy with 5 percentile.

Okay. Off to get ready for the day. Sorry. Feeling pretty crummy right now. At least Saturday night was a ton of fun.


Cheers!
mouse

The Race to Toddlerhood

Dear Friends and Family,

P is standing at the gate watching Mr. mouse on his computer. Nope, now she's crawled to her toy box and is pulling books out to play with. She's begun "cruising" walking around holding onto something. And, she's become very vocal.

I feel like toddlerhood is just around the corner with cups and table food and walking and talking. Since the months keep going faster and faster, I'm sure I'll blink and it'll be May and we'll be planning her first birthday party.

For now, we're enjoying the current plateau we worked so diligently to reach... two little chompers, stage 2 foods, smaller bottles, crawling, babbling, sleeping for longer stretches... 14-ish pounds. She was stuck at 12-ish for the longest time and it was fun enjoy that stage of watching her interact with her toys and sit up and stuff. Then she skipped 13 and most of 14. And, now she's plateauing again (it could be her cold that's driving the plateau).

Okay. Mr. mouse is annoyed. He wants to use P's room as the kids' play area during the party. I don't want to. I'm annoyed that he's annoyed - what gives him the right to get annoyed every time he doesn't get his way? Huh?

Time to get some work done before beginning the party prep.


Cheers!
mouse

The Great Recession

Dear Friends and Family,

The more I see the two words together in print the more I wonder how future generations will look back and discuss how The Great Recession defined the people who lived through it - from the children to the young adults to the working population to the almost retired to the retired.

I'm not sure where I'm headed with this post. Perhaps a haiku?

The Great Recession -
forced to make lifestyle changes,
will it define us?

Sorry. It's an ill defined post. But, that's all I've got.


Cheers!
mouse

Ear Infection

Dear Friends and Family,

P got "sent home" from school yesterday with a "fever" of 100.2.

Just in case, we scheduled a doctor's appointment and covered the symptoms (see yesterday's post) and the news from school:

• labored breathing
• tugging at the ear
• other kids in her room with ear infections
• other kid in her room with RSV and brochilitis

The doctor did a quick check for wheezing. Then, we sat down for the talk. Then, he started the more thorough exam and was just getting to the last check and wouldn't you know it... her right ear was infected.

Amoxicillin is our friend - except P threw up her morning dosage. Mr. mouse is at home with her for the morning. I've got the afternoon shift.


Cheers!
mouse

Poor P

Dear Friends and Family,

P's still sick:

• low grade fever
• cough
• congestion
• runny nose

She's soldiering through it. I wish there was something I could do to make her feel better. Poor P.


Cheers?
mouse

01.11.10: Cleaning and Organizing

Dear Friends and Family,

Nothing like a crawling baby to force you to organize the house.

Actually, we've been chipping away at it since we got back from Christmas. And, we're finally beginning to make progress. Why is it that horizontal surfaces always seem to be a dumping ground? It drives me crazy. If it were just me, I'd be ruthless about clearing through it all. But, as a family, we create it faster than I can clear it. Sigh.

Saturday, we took P out for a walk. Then, a friend from work came over and watched P while we cleaned house. Sunday, Mr. mouse took an errand day while I stayed at home with P.

P has a bad cold with a runny and stuffy nose. She's been coughing and warm to the touch. And, to top it off, she's been gagging and prone to vomiting. Excellent.

What's new with our eight month old? She tries to hold her own bottle now, but usually gets the angle all wrong. She wraps her arms around your neck in the most endearing way when you carry her. She crawls to you when you're working in the kitchen. She stretches her neck to peer over the counter when she thinks Mr. mouse is on the other side. She's gotten good at both pulling herself into an upright position and slowing sitting back down. She stands in her crib rattling the side bars if she's unhappy. She likes to sleep in total darkness with her sleep sack. She's begun drooling. And, after a growth spurt over the holidays, she's plateaued again.

I could write about her ad infinitum, but it's time to get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

Snow Day

Dear Friends and Family,

It was snowing when we left the house yesterday and the drive was miserable. So, I turned around and came home figuring I would be more productive working from home than sitting in a car all day. Mr. mouse came home to take the "afternoon shift" and we went out to dinner once all of my meetings were done.

And, now, I remember what life was like before the crazy commute. I wonder as P gets older if I'll want to continue to spend as much time as I do at work and in the car or if I'll be willing to take a pay cut and a career change and do something closer to home. Something to ponder once the economy improves some.


Cheers!
mouse

Pick Up Performance

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, P did something I had SO been looking forward to -

When I went to pick her up last night, when she heard my voice, she turned around and began to crawl to me.

Yeah for P!


Cheers!
mouse

The Creamery

Dear Friends and Family,

Or, really, new moms out there.

P is eight months old soon. And, the milk thing is getting complicated.

We're still cycling through old milk in the freezer. It's been tough to keep up on a single container a day so I upped it recently to two containers a day. Then, I freeze two a day so our fresh supply doesn't get out of control and so that we have frozen supply for the upcoming months.

I've been slowly reducing her bottles to transition her to solid foods. Since she gets three bottles a day at school (and then I nurse her twice at home) the math has been easy - every 10 days (on the 10th, 20th and end of month) I drop one bottle one ounce.

And, now, to keep it all interesting. Since her bottle size is dropping, I get to contemplate dropping my pumping time. I've been tempted to drop work time. But, truth be told, the mental math got too complicated on that one because I pump twice at work, but feed three times over the weekend. Plus, to be even more honest, sleep won over work, so I'll be reducing my 10PM pumping session - three minutes a week over the next month.

I've come to the realization that at eight months, I'll be two thirds of the way through this whole adventure. Then, she can transition to whole milk. Funny, I may miss the bonding that comes with spending the time together in the morning and evenings.

I won't miss pumping at work. I don't think.


Cheers!
mouse

New Millenia Feminist

Dear Small,

I just finished reading a book about the history of the women's movement in the 20th century. And, I didn't realize how much a product of my times I can be. And, in living through it, I somehow took for granted all the work others have done to allow me to be who I am.

I always said, if I had a child, I wanted a girl - a girl who would be free to be all that she could be unbounded by the constraints of what others say she could be based upon her gender. I wanted you to have all of the opportunities I didn't have - even if truth be told, I've had many opportunities.

I remember a book I had growing up. It was an alphabet book. And, I was for Irma. She was a telephone utility person of sorts - the picture showed her working on the telephone lines. And, without meaning any harm, your grandfather told me that women don't do jobs like that. I'm a child of the Math is Hard Barbie era. Yet, look at me now.

But, it doesn't all come for free. I remember an elementary school teacher talking about the need for financial independence - in the third grade... And, from that point on, I knew I wanted to be financially independent. I didn't want to be dependent upon anyone because I realized when you're dependent, you can't call all of the shots and I wanted control.

I can't imagine your father leaving me. And, if he did, I can't imagine him leaving me in a bind. But, then again, who can? So, emotionally, I'm very dependent on your father, but, financially, I know I could make it on my own if I ever needed to.

Which brings me to why I'm writing this letter to you. I'm biased. I want to raise you to be like me - to be strong and independent with a healthy dose of common sense. But, more importantly, I want to raise you to be you. Regardless of the choices you make, I'll love you and respect you. Just like I am a product of my history, you'll be a product of yours. And, I'm 110% okay with that.


Love,
your mommy

01.04.10: Back to Work

Dear Friends and Family,

After 11 days off, it's back to work. I left with 22 messages in my inbox. I'm returning to 284. Fun and games.

The weekend was a continuation of vacation - cleaning and organizing the house, playing with P, running errands, and other miscellanea.

P's daycare instructors aren't going to recognize her when I bring her in this morning. She's a crawler now. She's a puller-upper now. Her bottles are smaller and she'll have three meals at school. She sleeps less. And, she's almost a ten percentile porker now.

We've also begun feeding P "human food" in addition to baby food. We transitioned her from Stage 2 Apples to applesauce. She's tried congee albeit with fruit not meat. We've been mixing either fish or avocado in with her jar food. And, last night, we let her gnaw on the end of a baguette for fun.

This is the longest stretch I've had off since returning to work. And, it's the longest stretch the three of us have had off together since P was a month old when Mr. mouse took three weeks off with me.

It'll be a tough day today. But, hopefully, we get back in the swing of things without too many hiccups.


Cheers!
mouse

2010, Here We Come

Dear Friends and Family,

A new year and a chance to look forward and back and pontificate. Here's a link to last year's post, but I'm not going to peek at it until after I write the bulk of this year's post.

How to begin writing about the year just past without writing about P? She's eight months old now and the changes continue to come faster than I ever thought possible. She's playing in a diaper box right now with Mr. mouse. We drew a dashboard on one end and have been pushing her around in it like it's a small car.

One of Mr. mouse's friends once told me (before we were even expecting) that God gives you only as much child as you can handle. And, in that regard, I think she was 100% on the mark. P's a happy baby (now that she's on Zantac) and she sleeps well and eats well and she does well with the long weekdays and semi-structured weekends. I still have trouble believing we've been entrusted with her care. Really, they should have tests and licenses required before allowing people to become parents.

And, because P can be so encompassing, a lot of stuff has fallen by the wayside. I have grand ambitions that 2010 will be better. First, once P is done breastfeeding, I'll get back between 2.5 and 3 hours a day that I currently spend on feeding and pumping. And, once she's done breastfeeding, I can tackle the weight loss without being afraid of losing milk supply.

So, here begins the look at the "stuff" that constitutes what I care about:

baby... maybe: Everyone asks - are we going to have another? And, much as I love P, I don't think we will. Baby #2 won't be P in miniature. And, the experience won't be a rewind of P. It'll be a whole new experience and it'll be that much more complicated for involving four moving parts. For now, I'm happy with one.

clutter diet: For having an infant in the house, we've done well on this front. P has a crib and mattress, a pack and play (that we use for a changing table), a swing and bouncy chair (that are both going on Craigslist soon since she's outgrown both of them), two strollers, and a high chair. We have a couple of tubs of toys and books. And, a scary collection of plastic (bottles, milk storage vials, and pump accessories). But, overall, we've kept it sane as far as the addition of stuff. And, because we had to clear out the basement and garage to make room for her, she's net negative as far as clutter is concerned. And, because I need to clear out space in the basement for P stuff that I want to save, she continues to force us to manage our clutter.

green is good: For a tiny baby, P has a carbon footprint the size of Texas. She has diapers and wipes. We kept the house cool for her over the summer and warm for her over the winter. We drive to school/daycare together every day. And, our laundry and dishwasher consumption has skyrocketed. This one will require some thought to kick start again.

korean soap operas: I had the "talk" with my mom while we were home for the holidays. She'll come out to visit in February, but realizes that moving out here into our basement for six months isn't going to happen.

make your mark: I'm not sure how this will play out. This is still something that I want to do, but I'm still not sure how, yet. For Christmas, Mr. mouse and I made charitable donations instead of buying each other stuff. I donated my share towards The March of Dimes (because they provided so much info on premature babies when I was afraid P would be early), The Heifer Organization (providing livestock to people in need), and a local women's shelter (because everyone needs a partner when fighting abuse).

money matters: We've been fortunate. We've been able to chip away at the pile of debt that everyone seems to carry around. And, with luck, we'll be free and clear by the end of 2010. (Yes, that includes the mortgage!) Our strategy? We live on one income and we save the other. It required a lot of discipline when we first started back in 2001, but, now, it's second nature. I am the first to say, we're fortunate. Both of us enjoy our work. And, both of us earn enough to make living on one income possible. But, it's not a walk in the park. Money is like closet space. Whatever you have, you use up, and wish you had 10% more.

mouse pad: This year, we WILL tackle all of the water ingestion.

the first year: P has headphones on while sitting in her high chair. Mr. mouse is getting ready to puree some avocados and some fish. She doesn't like the food processor. Hence the headphones.

travel: Eight flights and two road trips down, P's a seasoned traveler. We just need to get her a passport.

wellness: After P hits her one year mark, I'll begin this in earnest.

work: I enjoy it. It pays the bills. I wish it was a shorter commute.

Okay. Now, I peek at last year's post. Hmmm... not far off the mark. I'm okay with it and looking forward to 2011.


Cheers!
mouse