Category Archives: Blog

Living: Six Things I Know About My Daughter

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She is kind. She graciously accepts her brother’s kisses, hugs, snuggles and tickles, which means the world to him. There will probably come a time when she doesn’t even want him to look at her, but for now, she doesn’t mind his affection.
 
She needs a schedule. And fast. Little Miss wants to have late-night gab fests with me from about 3 to 5 a.m. I find this unacceptable. I also realize there will probably be a time when I hope she’ll come to me to chat at any hour of the night. However, that time is not now. 
 
She has my thumbs. This makes me happy. I rarely hear that my little guy favors me. I’ve heard that he looks like my hubby, my brother and even my mom, so being able to look at baby girl’s thumbs and know they are mine brings a smile to my face. 
 
She has distinctive cries. Her little cry and pouty face when she is hungry is my favorite. Her wail when she is uncomfortable is my least favorite. It is fierce and it escalates quickly. 
 
She is beautiful. This needs no explanation. 
 
She goes through more outfit changes than Cher on her farewell tour. Baby girl is a spitter. That means she needs a new outfit every three hours. It means I need wardrobe changes as well, but I don’t have very many clothes that fit me right now. That means I just pretty much smell like spit up all day. I’m okay with that. 

Living: Surviving New York

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Last week we loaded up the car and headed for New York City with the sole mission of taking baby Madelyn to see vascular specialist Dr. Milton Waner for her hemangioma–a type of vascular birthmark–on her arm. 

To add to the difficulty…I mean fun, we decided to take the kiddos to see a few of the sites while we were there. We started in Times Square and craned our necks upwards as we pointed out all the skyscrapers to my little guy. He kept asking, “Are these real skyscrapers?” We assured him that were. 




 

 Just a little tip–a carrier is a much better option than a stroller in New York. Plus, it is oh-so snuggly. Next we ventured to the Empire State Building. The wait was excruciating, but nothing some Dum Dum suckers, Nemo fruit snacks and a juice box couldn’t cure. The view from the top was worth it.


  


 I just love the little boy posing next to me in the picture.  

On Day Two we headed off to visit Dr. Waner. Baby girl was a candidate for laser surgery, so the office arranged for us to get in the next day. Hemangiomas grow fast, so time is of the essence.  We snapped a quick pic of Dr. Waner with Madelyn. (The picture of my guy with Dr. Waner on the day of his surgery is up on the Vascular Birthmark Institute’s website).  


 

 Miss Madelyn did great and both kids were so worn out from our days-o-fun that they slept the whole way home. Whew! 

We’re about a week out of surgery and my hubby and I both think it looks like the hemangioma is still growing. Boo. We will watch it for two more weeks, then consult with Dr. Waner about the need for another surgery. Hopefully it will start fading this week. Send good thoughts our way! 

Living: Preparing for Company

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My mother-in-law, who is one of the most organized people I know, is coming for a visit tomorrow. That means I’m spending today getting the house all spiffed-up for company. The laundry is humming away, I’m digging out the fancy soaps and making my grocery list so we can pick up some of Grandma Betty’s favorites. Company is always a great excuse to tidy up and pick up a few little extras at the store.

My to-do list still has 763 things on it, so that means the long post I have already crafted in my head about our three-day trip to New York last week is going to have to wait a few more days before finding its way to the blog. In the meantime, I’ll give you this little shot of my family in Times Square as a preview of what’s to come.   



Living: Simple Joys from the Weekend

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-Reading bedtime stories with my little guy–who insisted on wearing his cowboy hat with his Mr. Incredible pajamas. 

-Grilling outside. 

-Watching my hubby’s grandma love on my baby girl. 

-Having my little guy tell me he wants to marry his baby sister when he grows up. 

-Buying groceries and having the checker tell me I was buying a lot of healthy food. I didn’t tell him we already had plenty of Oreos, cake and corn chips at home. 

-Getting home from the grocery store, putting the veggies and fruit in the fridge and then eating two cherry turnovers. 

-What were your simple joys this weekend? 

Living: Babies Don’t Keep

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Lately my baby girl has decided that the only thing that will calm her is for me to hold her while I pace the floors in our house for hours on end. I have a sling, but she prefers my arms. I suppose I can’t blame her, but as I wander from room to room, I can’t help but notice all the things there are to do. There are books to be organized, toys to be sorted and things to be put away. As my feet wander, so does my mind. I start thinking of phone calls to make, e-mails to send and work to do. But today I read this little poem and I am going to remember it when I start thinking of everything on my to-do list: 

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait for tomorrow, 
For babies grow up, I’ve learned, to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs.
Dust, go to sleep. 

I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.

–Author Unknown

Living: I’d Rather Be…

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I’d rather be a mother than anyone on earth
Bring up a child or two of unpretentious birth…
I’d rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed
Than twine a chain or diamonds about my [carefree] head.
I’d rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright baby eyes
Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise.

– Meredith Gray, from The Beauty of Motherhood

Living: A Lesson From Cary Grant

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Cary Grant said, "I pretended to be someone I wanted to be, and finally I became that person." I’m going to follow his lead and pretend I have everything under control. I think wishful thinking will help get me through the next few months as we figure out baby girl’s schedule and settle into a routine. In the spirit of hopefulness, here is my goal:

I’m going to be the mom that gets both children bathed, dressed, fed and ready to go by 8 a.m. The beds will also be made, of course, and it goes without saying that I, too, will already be ready for the day. It would be a nice little bonus if it was a good hair day for me. 

I will be the freelancer that manages to meet all deadlines without a late-night crunch the night before. I will meet all of my current clients’ needs while also pitching my wish-list publications. I will get interviews with all the right sources, who don’t ever stand me up or refuse to answer certain questions. 

I will create happy memories for my kiddos, keep a tidy house, cook healthy meals and give my hubby a kiss each day before he heads out the door. I will also be cool, calm and collected each day when he gets home–so will the kids. I will be the friend, sister and daughter that remembers all birthdays, sends thank you cards on time and calls just to say hello.

To top it off, I will do it all without ever feeling frazzled. It may be a tall order, but I figure I might as well dream big. Wish me luck! And, I’d love to hear more about who you would pretend to be! 

 

 

Up and Doing

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Let us, then, be up and doing
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.  
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I didn’t intend to let this little blog languish for almost a whole month, but, well…things got busy around here! We have been “up and doing,” which has taken every ounce of energy I can muster.

I had (somewhat) perfected the art of juggling a toddler, a freelance career and a household. Adding baby girl into the mix has meant I needed to adjust my stance and find my footing again. It is important to know how many balls you can juggle at once and which ones you can sit down from time to time. The blog is one I had to sit down. Now that I’m finding my stride, I’m ready to pick it back up again. 

Regular posts will resume again next week. I have lots of ideas and can’t wait to share a few stories. Thanks for reading!