01.31.11: Secret Travels

Dear Friends (and Family),

We snuck home to see friends without telling our family we were in town. Is that evil? We figured we only had a quick weekend and we had just seen them a month ago. And, it's just plain tiring traipsing around with P and getting her into and out of a number of routines. This way, we let her have her Saturday morning. We had a stretch of time Saturday afternoon with friends. We had dinner with one of my close friends. And, then, she had her Sunday morning with us.

And, we had a chance to catch up with friends and enjoy the day. P warmed up to the adults once she had a chance to sit and play. She's still not a fan of other kids. I suppose that comes later.

Sunday night, we had battle royal at the dinner table. P didn't want her rice and beans. She didn't want her cereal. She didn't want her yogurt. But, she got the words chicken and dip out amidst her whines, sobs and grunts. And, lo and behold, she ate a plate of chicken dipped in ketchup.


Cheers!
mouse

12.21.10: Getting Ready

Dear Friends and Family,

Woke up yesterday and knew right away something was wrong. A look at the clock led to a quick diagnosis of the problem - I had overslept almost two hours.

The weekend? What'd we do? Well, I guess that's why I blog, because I have no ability to recall where time went otherwise.

Saturday, I worked on a photo book of P's first year, we went out for dinner, or was that Sunday? Mr. mouse went out for our Christmas ornament one night. We went toy shopping one afternoon. I worked Sunday night. I'm drawing a blank on the rest of the weekend.

Happily, today is Tuesday and tomorrow is Wednesday and I am hopefully off on Thursday.

Seriously, how can I not remember two days ago?


Cheers!
mouse

12.13.10: Inevitable March to Year End

Dear Friends and Family,

It's December 13th and the steady march to year end continues.

I'm annoyed.

I need a vacation.

Work has been a constant non-stop barrage since... well, since forever, it seems. My potential vacation at the end of the week? Unlikely to happen since, well, work is too hectic. Instead of time off, I spent a good piece of yesterday working. Yes, that's a step in the right direction. NOT!

And, I think I may be working the week between Christmas and New Year's.

If you can't tell, I'm beginning to resent the toll work has taken on my personal life.

But, I want to give Mr. mouse the flexibility to make some decisions with regards to his work. So, I will continue to soldier on and try not to resent work too much.

What'd we do this weekend?

Saturday morning we took P in for a haircut and let her cry it out before the salon opened. Then, P and I went for breakfast with Auntie Janet while Mr. mouse came home to let the house cleaners in.

I can't think if we did anything after the house cleaners finished up. Nope. I remember now. P fell asleep on Mr. mouse's lap. We carried her to her crib and then went to our room for a monster four hour nap.

The afternoon was a chance to play. And, as if on queue, at 8, P asked to go out. So, we bundled her up and went out for a slice of pizza. She likes her Saturday evening jaunts.

Sunday, we woke up early because we all napped. Then, we went out for brunch. P napped. Mr. mouse got a tree. I worked. P played. I worked. We ate dinner. I worked. Mr. mouse did the lights. I worked. P went to sleep. I worked. Mr. mouse surfed. I worked. We all went to sleep.

See, that's how you want to spend one of the last weekends of the year. Working. Right.

Back to tree. P hates the tree. Or, rather, she is terrified of the tree. One look and she was crawling up my front trying to get away. I left her to help Mr. mouse bring it into the house and she stood there crying. I was holding her when Mr. mouse was leveling it and she turned and saw it gave a violent turn away and shuddered and cried and tried to get away.

We'll have to see if the lights and time get her more enthused. Or, if the tree thing will be a bust.

And, now, on the docket, gifts and cards. It would have been nice to get both done, but, I was too busy working this weekend. What kills me is that both require transit time and next weekend doesn't give me enough time for that so I'll need to tackle it one night this week.

Excellent.

I'm not even going to try and find a silver lining to any of this.


Cheers...
mouse

12.06.10: Honeydew List Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

After a long weekend of diligently working through our to do list and keeping an increasingly independent toddler amused, I'm almost looking forward to work.

But, that being said, it does feel good to have most of the non-holiday to dos done. My hair is cut. My brows are trimmed. My nails are polished. The kitchen island was clear. The snow tires are on. Extra clothes are returned. Pantry and refrigerator are stocked.

What's left? Fixing a closet rod that broke Sunday afternoon and figuring out why our wireless has decided to go on early holiday. (For now we're using Mr. mouse's phone as a hot spot, not sure how long term sustainable that is.) And, P's haircut.

We had lots of fun with P over the weekend. She finally learned how to say Mommy on Sunday after meh which she started months ago and me-me which was both Mommy and Amy, her teacher at school. She learned how to step on a big girl scale, but only with me standing next to her on my scale. And, she's become absolutely enamored with an old answering machine we have plugged in.

P's molars are coming in and it looks so painful. Her gums are swollen with these huge white lumps just under the surface. And, when we offered her ice cream on Saturday night, the spoon came out with a streak of fresh blood. We caught her chewing on her swim shoes which have a bunch of rubber nubbins on the bottom. It must have felt good, but we had to ask her to stop.

She'll say no thank you if she wants you to stop or if she doesn't want something. She'll say please if she wants something, although its usage is more like now than please. And, she'll say hi if she wants your attention.

She pointed to a pomegranate and said apple. She pointed to an egg and said egg. And, she pointed to a beetle and said bug. She'll make animal sounds and ask you to guess the animal. She'll point to animals and make animal sounds. She'll put in song requests for songs she wants (e.g. Bumblebee, Monkeys, If You're Happy and You Know it, Row, Row, Row Your Boat are on her heavy rotation list).

Time to go clean up the island and sort through some pictures. Happy Monday!


Cheers!
mouse

11.29.10: Winding Down 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

Despite having to work a little, I had a glorious weekend.

I took Wednesday off and spent the morning at home playing with P. We headed out to Mr. mouse's office to meet him for lunch and to give P a chance to spend some time in Mr. mouse's office one more time to give Mr. mouse a sense of closure.

We walked out for lunch in the middle of a storm and found a calm oasis of Middle Eastern yumminess before heading back to the office. P slept in my arms for the afternoon which is always a good thing.

And, we headed home after rehanging the white board, gathering the walking sushi pieces and packing the coloring book and Mr. Potato Head with some potentially good news, but not anything we're banking on quite yet.

Thursday was the usually hectic but always eminently satisfying Thanksgiving meal. P had no interest in any of it outside of the roast turkey. She's a brave kid, but isn't crazy about having new experiences thrown at her. She likes to take her time.

Friday morning was Black Friday and I ended up buying a bunch of digital photo frames for P's teachers at school.

We spent the afternoon napping and hanging out with girlfriend at home. Well, Friday evening she wants out of the gate and goes downstairs and grabs her shoes and asks for her coat. She wants to go out after hanging out inside the house for two straight days. Since it was way too cold for a walk we loaded her into the car and headed out to pick up random stuff at Target. She had fun. We got errands done. Not bad for a Friday night.

Saturday morning we got the house cleaned. Yes! And, then, P napped for a couple of hours before we woke her and loaded her into the car and headed out for a toddler birthday party at Pump It Up. Well, P was not a big fan. And, after putting up with it for about 40 minutes, she walked over to the shoe rack and grabbed her shoes and tried to put them on. We had such a tough time keeping a straight face, she was so cute. She said bye and gave hugs and was giddy when we put on her shoes. She went and grabbed ours for us as well. And, we drove home to meet up with some friends for some pizza and some beer.

Sunday. Day five off in a row. Blissful long weekend. Breakfast at home and then 18 month doctor's visit. P was fine with answering the doctor's questions. She was proud of her 56 words. She wanted nothing to do with the physical exam. Well, it was short and sweet and she remains a steady 50th percentile noggin, 25th percentile height and 5th percentile weight.

P and I napped once we got home. We went for a quick walk in the afternoon to take pictures of her in her new boots. And, we spent the rest of the evening enjoying the antics of our toddler. We read. We played zoo. We folded towels. We spun in circles. We had bath. And, then we put her to sleep for the night.

I needed the time off so badly. I feel like I'm in a much better spot. Today, we try P on a sippy cup for the ride home. Our 18 month old may have seen her last bottle this Thanksgiving. At home and at school she has a regular cup, but for the ride home she needs something with a safety net. We'll see how it goes today.


Cheers!
mouse

11.22.10: Bi-Annual Dentist Visit

Dear Friends and Family,

We drove over Friday night while P was sleeping. And, we drove back Sunday during nap time. And, in between we spent time running around outside enjoying the fall weather and letting friends play with P.

I am happy to report that the beating my gums took during the pregnancy and breastfeeding stages seems to be behind us.

Okay. P wants computer.


Cheers!
mouse

11.15.10: Partially Re-Centered

Dear Friends and Family,

We flew out Friday to attend a service in memory of our dear friend, G's husband. It was beautiful - hearing all of the stories. It was heartbreaking - hearing all of the friends and family members. It was heartening - to see all of the support. It was all the things that we humans need when dealing with an unexplained, unexpected loss.

Then, instead of staying for a night of partying and celebrating life, we headed home. And, Mr. mouse and I got part of the fridge cleaned out and part of the mail sorted through and some of the kitchen island cleared and some of the laundry done and other odds and ends to make us feel a little more human.

We took 18 month pictures and did 18 month prints. We let P run around the house and play and read and do the things 18 months old will do. She colored and drew circles. She went down the stairs with some adult supervision. She evicted bunny from her crib. And, she played with her shoes - her Auntie Janet would be proud.

And, now, it's Monday. Eight more work days until Thanksgiving.


Cheers!
mouse

11.08.10: Mouse Expands Her Horizons

Dear Friends and Family,

We took P further than we've ever taken her before - for a quick weekend trip to the Emerald City of Seattle. We always try to get together with Mr. mouse's BFF and family to celebrate the November birthdays.

P did well on the flight out and we made it back in one piece on the flight back. In between was a chance for all of us to watch the girls attempt to play together. P isn't of an age yet when she's really playing with others much less playing nicely with others. There was a lot of no, mine and pushing. I can't say she did us proud this weekend. Still, it was a chance for the adults to catch up and for the kids to eat ice cream and cake.

Friday, we went out for conveyor belt sushi. Saturday, we had a big brunch date and then we played at home and after the ladies of the house fell asleep, the dads went out for late night coffee. Sunday, we went for Taiwanese and then headed to the airport.

On the flight out, P was looking at the safety information card. And, she saw the picture of the plane with the emergency slide deployed. And, she pointed and said, "whee!" Okay, how can you stay mad at someone that cute for long?


Cheers!
mouse

11.02.10: Back Again

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, if I were going to make lemonade out of lemons, I'd say it was good to see so many of my friends this past weekend.

We flew out to see G and to offer what support we could as we all wait for more news. She's amazing. I wish I could be that strong.

I wasn't sure what I'd find when we went out.

I found a house full of food and love and people with hugs at the ready, a steady stream of conversation to distract you, a focus on facts and details, and a concerted effort organizing and mobilizing and harnessing the good will of thousands of people out there wanting to help.

We're all hoping and praying for good news.


Cheers!
mouse

10.25.10: Toddler Times

Dear Friends and Family,

P makes weekends fun.

Saturday, we slept in then ate breakfast. We went out for a haircut, which for the second time in a row, P did not like. We drove out to check out a warehouse sale. P napped. We went shoe shopping for P. We went clothes shopping for P. We went grocery shopping for all of us. P was a darling - eating strawberries and crackers, drinking her water, and captivating us with her giant eyes. We got home and P was in bed by 10:30. Ouch.

Sunday, P woke up at 8:30. Wow! We hustled to meet some friends at the zoo. P sat in the stroller and watched the people and animals go by. Not sure she made the connection to the animals. I think she "got it" at the end with the giraffes and the camels. Not sure.

Then, we let her play out the afternoon sans nap. She slept from 6:15 to 8:30 and then played for an hour before falling asleep at her usual bedtime of 9:30.

The highlight of our weekend? On Saturday, when P signaled diaper before pooping instead of after. We let her sit on top of the potty with the lid down before taking her down to change her. Sunday, she cried when she pooped. Go figure.


Cheers!
mouse

10.18.10: Data Dump

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, I just got a LOT of time back. I'm not sure who I'm more peeved with - my quarterback for having an atrocious game, my kicker for missing three (yes, count 'em, three) field goal attempts, or myself for not taking a trade that would have gotten me through this week. Well, any which way you slice it, I'm going to be eliminated this week and that means I get time back. Somehow, it doesn't feel as good it should given I love getting time back.

And, because life wouldn't be fun without some excitement. Mr. mouse's company has been reorganizing and rightsizing. And, at some point we will find out if he has a job in the new organization or if we will become a single income household. I think he finds out in the next month or so. I think I'm more anxious than he is, not because I'm worried about the money, but because I know how much he loves his job. He's been at it for so long it's tough for me to imagine him doing something different.

But, to end on a high note, we had a fabulous weekend at home with P. The weather was beautiful. We went to the park both days to take pictures. And, we let P play in the playground - she's still not a big fan of swings or slides, but she liked the climber and liked jumping down with some parental assist. We also go to see some serious toddler dancing - there's nothing funnier. And, because she's a darling, we got to see some toddler logic - she bumped her head, and wanted to be soothed, and because her teether is soothing, she held it up to her head to see if it would make her head feel better as well.


Cheers!
mouse

10.11.10: Reunion Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

We went home this weekend for reunion. And, it was a success of somewhat limited scope.

P was okay on the plane. We had fun walking outside on Saturday. My mom got to play with P. I got to see a bunch of old friends at reunion. And, we saw Mr. mouse's folks on Sunday.

So? Well, P had a rough night on Saturday so Mr. mouse had to leave reunion early to do disaster recovery. And, I got to see a bunch of friends from freshman and sophomore year, but the junior and senior year friends remain MIA through two reunions now. And, last but not least, because we had an early afternoon flight, we had only the briefest of visits with Mr. mouse's folks.

Still, all in all, it was a good weekend. Time traveling with P is always good.

One thing that's interesting is watching my mom and Mr. mouse's step-mom with P. I think my mom scares P right off the bat. She comes in the room a rush of energy and noise and P just stares at the hyper-kinetic whirlwind and runs for our laps. Mr. mouse's step-mom, on the other hand, approaches slowly and let's P get used to her before playing quietly with her. I think P does better with the latter, but I don't know how to tell my mom that without hurting her feelings.

And, last but not least, P learned to take her shirt off by herself yesterday. Excellent.


Cheers!
mouse

10.06.10: Mouse Catches the Flu

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm not dead although there were times this past weekend I wasn't so sure.

Yes. I, who so prides herself in never getting sick, got sick. Fever, chills, aches, cough, hacking cough, headache, crusty eyes sick. It was beautiful. Really. So, I'm not sure I have much recollection of the weekend beside sitting in bed, lying in bed, lying on the couch and lying on the floor resting in whatever comfortable position I could find.

I worked from home Monday and Tuesday which entailed driving P out to school and then parking the car at the train station so that Mr. mouse could pick her up in the evening.

I think I was able to stay on top of my work, and get some rest. But, today, I'm going to attempt the office. My poor colleagues. They're going to have to listen to me hack my brains out.

Grossed out yet? Because I am.

On to more fun topics. P's ever growing vocabulary. She's begun saying yes (yeah) and her no is a verbal no now instead of just a shake of the head. She's definitely picked up mine (mine) and milk (milk, drawn out with the middle going down and the end of the word going up). She's got book and bottle down and says more book and more bottle. She's said hi and bye on occasion, but not consistently. My current focus has been teaching her the word please. More book please.

She's figured out where the animals are in her lift a flap book. And, her current interest is in finding Emily Elizabeth on every page of her Clifford book. She likes to make fish sounds in her Good Night book. And, she loves stacking people in her bus to wheel around the rug. She's got body parts down in time for her 18 month check up. And, she's figuring out colors more consistently now. She'll point to Mr. mouse or me if we ask where's mommy or where's daddy. She'll point to herself if we ask where's P. And, she'll point to her classmates if we ask where's so and so.

And, that, is life with P.

The funny thing was we got selected for the follow-up census questionnaire. And, in it you have to provide more detailed information about each member of your household, including P. One of the questions was speaks English, well, okay, not well, not at all. And, I wanted to put, come on, she's not even two years old yet, but that wasn't an option. So, I picked not well which was the closest fit. Perhaps they'll assume she speaks another language better, but, well, that wouldn't be true either.


Cheers!
mouse

09.27.10: Managing

Dear Friends and Family,

It was a hectic weekend, but I made it through in one piece.

Saturday, my sister called to say my mom was visiting. So, we jumped in the car and drove over for a visit. Fortunately, P slept most of the way down and almost all of the way up. My mom loved seeing her so it was worth the monkey wrench in the schedule.

Sunday, we spent the morning doing most of the errands that got punted from Saturday. Then, I dropped Mr. mouse off at the airport for a business trip. Fortunately, he should be back tonight.

Then, I spent the afternoon alone with P. We read. I let her run and play. We ate.

It was fun, but I was also a little (okay, a lot) preoccupied with the fact that my Fantasy Football team was in the toilet. Well, Sunday night I realized 10 years from now I won't give a hoot about my fantasy team, but I will remember the precious moments P provides - like she came up with a sound for fish while we were reading a Good Night book, or when we covered ourselves with the towel and she laughed when she saw my face, or when she wanted to walk around with the towel over her head but then she kept bumping into things.

I promised myself I won't let it happen again. I'm okay with her having independent play time. I just need to let go (mentally) of my fantasy team.

And, now it's Monday and time to get ready soon for the day.


Cheers!
mouse

09.20.10: Weekend, Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

P's been crying for ten minutes now and it's not the easiest listening to her.

The weekend. The weekend.

Saturday, P and I went out for breakfast while Mr. mouse stayed home with the house cleaners. We went to the library after breakfast. Then, we walked home and just beat the rain. P and the stroller and I had a little bit of an incident on the dash home. Fortunately, we escaped with a minor scratch on P's nose to show for it all.

After playing in the basement and taking a quick shower, we headed out for brunch with a friend in town for the DMB concert. It was weird. I never thought of her as a kid person so I was a little nonchalant about kids. Well, it turns out she and her partner and thinking about trying. I think she was a little nonplussed at my nonchalance.

Next on the agenda was a stop at the museum to play since we wanted to give P a change of scenery. Well, funny enough, we ran into my friend from Brunch #1 at the museum. Small world.

Did some shopping and then headed home for the evening.

Sunday, we originally had plans for the zoo. But, with some last minute cancellations, we ended up going to the park instead for some pictures.

And, that my friend was the weekend. And, Mr. mouse went upstairs to rescue P so it's nice and quiet in the house.


Cheers!
mouse

09.13.10: Social Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

This weekend, instead of running from errand to errand, we filled the weekend with social engagements.

Saturday, after much dawdling about the potential weather, we ultimately decided to head to a friends house to watch Notre Dame take on the Wolverines. Seven kids, two pies of pizza, something like 24 single serve ice cream buckets, Shiner and Vernor's made for a fun afternoon.

Sunday, we had friends over. We went to see an art fair and then went on the roof for some toddler pool fun. Trying to have two toddlers play together is a naive attempt at trying to overcome natural inclination of two people not really interested in playing together. There was much toy grabbing, pushing, splashing, and temper tantrums. P doesn't seem to get much out of having a companion, at least not at her current age.

Monday, P's up since she didn't have much dinner last night. She was playing with Mr. mouse, but now the two of them are sitting down to eat. She's growing so much. Her babble is coalescing into words. There's a word that starts with 'b' for bib. There's 'book' for book. There's 'fish' for a yellow fish in her book. There's unprompted lion roars. There's 'down' which is the new up/down/help. There's 'rabbit' which she sometimes says when prompted. And, on a rare occasion I'll get 'more bottle' when she sees the bottle in the car. She's become a book worm. I'm convinced it's all gelling in her head.

And, P's reign with her two unicorns is officially over. This weekend at the fair, one or two people remarked, but most of the time P went unnoticed. It was fun while it lasted. Now, she's just our little sweetest.


Cheers!
mouse

09.09.10: Weekend Revisited

Dear Friends and Family,

So what did we do over the weekend?

Saturday, we went out to brunch. Then, Mr. mouse and I got our brows done. Then, we let P sleep in the car while we went to get mail and pick up shoes. Housecleaning, followed by groceries, and before you knew it Saturday was gone. At least all of our errands were accounted for.

Sunday, we called my sister and convinced her to come visit for the weekend. Then, we spent the better part of the day playing with P in her swimming pool upstairs. I forgot to put her in a swim diaper. The regular diaper was a disaster when she came out of the water. It weighed a ton and looked like it was going to burst. We went out to dinner with my sister and her husband and bought a sack of burgers on the way home. Hamburgers for dessert. Fabulous.

Monday, we went out to the zoo. I'm not sure P made the connection between the animals in her books and the animals at the zoo. She got a good nap in, falling asleep holding her new book, and we enjoyed walking around so I'd call the day a success.

Three day weekends are so nice. You have a day to do errands and then you still have your whole weekend ahead of you. We need more of those.


Cheers!
mouse

08.30.10: Summer in the City

Dear Friends and Family,

Still struggling with the layer of grime from yesterday. Gross.

We took Friday off. Yeah for vacation days! Flew over to the Twin Cities for a wedding. Got to see several friends and reconnect. Ate some pizza. Drove around a lake. Stopped off at the dry cleaners. Flew home.

Sunday, Yankees vs. White Sox. Our assessment? We're Sox fans, not Cubs fans. Time to order P her toddler jersey. Dinner in Chinatown followed by cake at home.

Why cake? It was my birthday this past weekend. Yeah for birthdays!


Cheers!
mouse

08.23.10: To Do List Done

Dear Friends and Family,

We entered into the weekend with a to do list from hell. And, we're exiting with one item (knob proofing) on it. Yeah, for mouse and Mr. mouse!

Some of the items were onerous (e.g. oil change and dropping off shoes for resoling) and others were more fun (e.g. footprints for P and softball game for Mr. mouse), but put together the list was long.

Let's see. Saturday, haircut, bakery, library, dry cleaning, shoes, oil change, car wash, mail, lunch, groceries, Target, late dinner at home.

Sunday, bagels, cake order, footprints, groceries, toddler cup, softball game, kiddie pool, late dinner at home.

I'm exhausted just reading the list.

P slept a lot this weekend with a monster nap on Saturday at home and a second nap on the car ride home. Sunday, she had a shorter nap in the morning and a second nap on the car ride home.

We made the long trek out to the burbs two days in a row. And, I slept poorly last night - which means today's going to be a brutal day.

Short week this week. Let's focus on the positive!


Cheers!
mouse

08.16.10: Raising a Toddler

Dear Friends and Family,

P has indisputably convinced us, make no mistake, we have a toddler in the house.

She comes to up and puts up her arms if she wants to be picked up. She arches her back and wiggles out of our grasp if she doesn't want to be picked up. She points and grunts to let us know where she wants to go and if she wants something. She throws a temper tantrum if she doesn't get her way. Yes, we have a toddler in the house.

For all that, she's still a joy to have. She smiles and laughs when we smile and laugh. She runs to you if she's happy to see you. She "reads" books to herself and babbles on end. And, she calms herself down (in seconds) when it's obvious she's not going to get her way. Yes, we have a toddler in the house.

Our weekend with our toddler was a flurry of activity.

Saturday, we went to the market for frites and Vietnamese sandwiches. Then, we headed to the Air and Water Show. Through some freak of scheduling we arrived just in time to see all of the jumpers (who normally go in the morning and midday) and the Blue Angels who close the show. Guess it must have been windy in the morning. P had an hour and half nap in my arms and woke just in time to see the Blue Angels.

Saturday night, she fell asleep after reading to herself in her crib.

Sunday, we met up with friends for brunch. Then, we went for a walk to the grocery store. We stopped off in a toy store on the way back. P found a set of blocks she has and pointed to her favorite monkey block. At least she's consistent.

I got a manicure. Then, our friend from Hotlanta came over for dinner. P gorged on beans and pasta before guzzling down her milk. She fell asleep in our bed. And, woke later in her crib. She read a little while sitting on the floor with Mr. mouse and then tried to poop with no success before falling back asleep. I felt so bad for her, but obviously not bad enough to protect her privacy.

And, now it's Monday.


Cheers!
mouse