Monday Blues

I've noticed these past few months that Mondays are hard days for my girls.  We've just spent the weekend together doing family things: errands, big breakfast, trip to the playground or zoo.  We really make the most of those two days together.

Come Monday, the fun grinds to a halt and we're back in the zone: get up, get dressed, eat up, get your coat on and get out the door.  T seems especially sad on Mondays.  Sometimes she shows it by being thoughtful and drawn inward.  Sometimes, she's outright defiant and pushing every-single-button.  Most times, she just doesn't say goodbye as we drop Daddy off or give me kisses as I leave her at daycare.

Mondays are hard.

Yesterday, she was especially sad.  Knowing that we have a long weekend and a trip home coming up, I thought I would cheer her up with this good news.  She responded well and seemed much happier.  She loves going to Grammie's house and seeing her "friends", aka her cousins.

A few more minutes into our trip, K started to whine and howl.  Being the amazing big sister she is, T tried to comfort her with this, "Don't worry K.  Just a few days of school and then they won't leave us anymore!".

That was the sound of my heart breaking.

I spent a couple more minutes hugging her yesterday morning, and afternoon, and night, and again this morning.  I reminded her how much we love her and that we miss her too during the day.  I also reminded her how much she loves her teacher Ms. Vecky and how much fun she has at daycare.  Maybe all we need is a good long vacation together.  Maybe I just needed a reminder that I have amazing daughters who love their mom and dad so much.

Maybe, just maybe, I'm doing something right.

Miss T's Birthday Party

Miss T's birthday party was a huge success!  We had a good crowd gathered, yummy food, and an amazing cake (more on that in another post!). T had such a great time that she literally cried when her friends left!  Presented below is a photo essay of her birthday.  Check back for posts about decorations, crafts, and that amazing cake!

Gah!

Ok, I thought it was bad when my December looked like this.  But now my days are even worse!

Today, fexample, (taking a deep breath...):
drop T off at daycare this morning
came home to take the dog out one more time
made the spinach artichoke dip for one of three Christmas parties tomorrow that I will bake at 5:00 am tomorrow morning
ran into work to get an experiment started by 9:00 am because it has specific timed steps throughout the day (at 10, 11, 12, 1, 3, 4, and again at 9 and 10pm)
pick up T after work
come home
get ready for B's holiday party (fancy event, I'll be posting my first "What I Wore" post, complete with my DIY bead and ribbon necklace and sweater to cardigan refashion)
go back to work after the party (yep you read that right)
come home and collapse.  Phew!

Oh, by the way, I'm 24 weeks pregnant, still getting sick, trying to resubmit a paper, write my thesis and defend my thesis next month. 

Ok, that's enough of my pity party.  Thanks for letting me get that out!

On a positive note, we are nearly finished getting the Christmas cards mailed out, the above mentioned spinach artichoke dip looks amazing (had to stop myself from eating it raw), and I get to go to a fancy dinner party tonight.  Woohoo!

Because I need to add some cuteness to my otherwise self-indulgent vent storm, here is T singing happy birthday on the way home yesterday!

Take two of these? No thanks!

Yesterday was a bummer of a day.  It was one that began with such high hopes, which made it all that much worse when everything crashed.  I had been working on a two week experiment and yesterday was going to be the final day of analysis, to see if it actually worked.  On top of that, it was two experiments in one, two of the three experiments that I've been working on since July, two of the three experiments that I need to complete in order to graduate on time.  I was so built up about it, that I even had a team of people praying that all would go well.

Well, it didn't.  Controls didn't work - which means the experiment didn't work - which means that I'm not likely to graduate this December as I had been planning.  I was so depressed about the results that I couldn't even talk about it without tearing up.  I think I ate 5 fun size candy bars and I was still depressed.  I had a spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and I was still depressed.  I made my way to T's daycare to pick up the munchkin.  As soon as I walked in "MUM!" and dancing.  Lots of dancing.  Well, I guess things can't be all that bad right?

T and I had a busy but awesome afternoon together.  One lady even remarked to me how well behaved she was and asked if she was always like this.  Beaming, I had to reply, "Actually, yes!".  Running late, we had a quick bath night and off to bed, but I still wan't able to make dinner for my hubs.  Starting to slip into that funk again (what kind of wife am I  that I can't even have dinner ready on nights that B works late?), I walked to the door when I heard his key turn.  Knowing how my day had been earlier, he surprised me with flowers.  Flowers!  I am seriously the luckiest woman on Earth.  I have a beautiful, funny, daughter with a great personality who always makes me laugh and smile - AND I have a husband that is kind, sincere, thoughtful, loving and forgiving when we have grilled chese for dinner.  Who needs medication when you have all that?

When I grow up...

It seems that I've been on a particular path for about 87.9% of my life (I actually did the math).  My mom will tell you that from an early age I wanted to be a scientist, wear a lab coat, figure out life, and save the world.  I was always organized (my dolls were arranged in order of size and then based on the color of their outfits, I know, ridiculous), curious, and wanting to know more.  Through high school, I elected to take as many biology classes as I could and went to college for a BS in Biotechnology.  I worked for 6 years as a Research Associate, doing the "research" that other people wanted, not really finding my purpose.  I was starting to get "itchy".  I wanted more than that.  So I went back to school to get my PhD.

Fast forward 5+ years, and here I am, approaching the end of my graduate school career, mere months away from defending my thesis research and earning the elusive title of "Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology".  I'm also finding that I have no idea what I want to do afterwards.

Huh?

I've been working toward this goal my entire life: to be a scientist, figure out life, and save the world.  Now I'll have the credentials I need to do my own research, to go on and have the most productive research lab in the history of research and get that Nobel Prize by the ripe age of 40.  Right?

Except... now I have a family.

For someone who never even entertained the idea of kids, I love being a mom and its my biggest priority (right after being a good wife!).  My daughter is my world.  I fall asleep thinking of her and wake up thinking of her and every moment in between.  It's also been the most universally challenging and guilt-ridden job I've ever had.  Normally at work, I know immediately (or within a few days) if I've messed up.  I won't know until she's an adult if I've done irreparable damage!

So now, I find myself with completely different priorities than that 4 year old little girl who dreamed of saving the world through science.  I still love it and find it completely fulfilling, but it competes with the time I can spend with my family.  If I stay on the path  I've been on, my days and evenings (and yes, even weekends) will be filled with grant applications, traveling to speaking engagements and conferences on top of research and teaching.  Is there some sort of compromise?  I wish I had the answer.

As I approach the end of my endentured servanthood (i.e. grad student), I am weighing my options.  How important is it to me to do actual research?  Are there other ways I can contribute to society within my field?  What else can I do with my degree?  I've only done research, am I capable of something else?

I've learned a few things from countless seminars, job fairs, etc.  One is that a path one takes to their ultimate profession is never straight.  There are lots of bumps, wrong turns and detours along the way.  It's okay for me to try something else, even if it doesn't work out.  I've also learned that it's never too late to reinvent yourself.  In fact, in this workplace and economy, it's almost essential that you do so every 5-10 years.  Alright, so maybe my next move isn't the decisive factor in who I will be.  Maybe its just a stepping stone or specific experience that makes me stand out in a crowd.  Maybe I don't need to put so much pressure on my choices now.  Maybe I'm ready to try something new.  After all, I tried being a mom and look how much I love that!

Linking up at The Anderson Family Crew

The Sickies

If you're a regular, you saw how my day went from gloom to glory on Thursday.  Then things took a turn for the worse.  Miss T got sick and B had to go back to his meeting.  T had a fever and was cranky, whiny, and clingy all day and I just had to get stuff done at work.  Luckily, my hero, Colleen came to our rescue for a few hours and with mere minutes to spare, I was able to finish what I needed to do and come home.  Just before I got home, I received this picture of my babe:

Now my child is not the kind to just fall asleep anywhere; rarely in her carseat, almost never outside of her crib.  For her to have fallen asleep on the couch told me she was really, really sick.  Sure enough, her temp was 102.5F.  Poor thing.  We spent the next two days on the couch watching Sesame Street.  Despite my own nausea and urges to be sick, I stayed by her hot little side.  The sweet girl that she is, she kept trying to be happy and be interested in things, but you could tell just how miserable she was.

We did do some little crafts to take breaks from TV.  We made welcome home cards for B inspired by our (really, my) favorite night-night book "Guess How Much I Love You", and I finally got around to making something with her seashells and pebbles from the beach this summer.

Saturday night, she was still on fire, but was clearly feeling better.  I could only hope that the next day, her fever would be gone.  This little girl happily appeared Sunday morning!

Just look at those pigtails!  Those were her first!  And, yes, she picked out the Ugg-like boots.  This girl loves shoes and I love letting her choose her footwear every day.  Sometimes I nix her choices, like flip-flops on a cold rainy day, but most of the time, she does a pretty decent job!  I'm so glad she's better.  I knew to expect the sickies now that she's in daycare, but its just such a horrible helpless feeling to know you can't do anything to make your child better.  Ah, well, all is back to normal.  B is home, T is in daycare, and I'm back at work.  I'll leave you with one last close up of those piggie tails!  Love them!

p.s. Don't mind the blur, all pics taken with my iPhone!
p.p.s She became sooo attached to her minky and binky while sick, it will take us days to break her of it!

BOOM

(Just to be clear, everything is going perfectly fine wtih this pregnancy.  We are 10 weeks along, I'm nauseous most of the time, and we've seen a heartbeat.  However, sometimes I write blog posts that I never intend to publish.  It's therapeutic for me to get my thoughts out, organized and stored away.  While I didn't intend to publish this one, (we were trying not to spead the word too much before we knew for sure), I think it's important to share.  I know so many women who have had to face one or several miscarriages in their lives and there are many more who have never shared that kind of heartbreak.  None of us talk about it, but I bet many of us feel the same way.  Leading up to our first OB appointment, these were my thoughts and feelings.  I hope that for those who have had to face this too, you can read this and know you're not alone.  For those that haven't had to go through this, perhaps this can help you relate to those that you know who have.  I know I had no idea before I went through it myself.)

Written 8/29/11, four days before our first OB/GYN appointment:

For the past several weeks, I have been a ticking time bomb.  At any moment, I feel like my world could explode... again.

As very few of you know, we are pregnant.  I am about 9 weeks along and waiting for that "first" ultrasound.  I say "first" because, impatient people that we are, and having the resources/connections that we do, we had an off-the record ultrasound a few weeks ago, courtesy of B's friends who are residents, training in ultrasound at the hospital.  And though B said he saw "something", I didn't see anything.  Just a speck.  And that's when my fuse was lit.

Just over two years ago, B and I miscarried.  It's still hard for me to type it, never mind say it.  Those weeks were such a roller coaster.  From total elation that we were pregnant, to denial, that something would of course start to show up in the many, many ultrasounds, to the absolute dread of the D&C.  I was in a funk for a long time.  No, not just a funk, I was flat out depressed.  I felt like a failure as a woman.  I know it wasn't "my fault" and that I didn't do anything wrong.  I know in my head that it was nature's way of screening out the incompatible combinations of chromosomes.  I know that miscarriage is very common and happens to so many women (but why do none of us talk about it?). 

None of that information got to my heart though.  In my heart, I still grieve for the child that never happened.  Despite the fact that we were able to conceive relatively quickly afterward and had a beautiful, complete, perfect little girl, I still miss the idea of what that first pregnancy might have been. 

And now, having seen a preliminary speck, similar to what we saw the first time, where it  was just the empty sac, the blighted ovum, the dread has returned.  Have I failed again?

We'll know for sure on Thursday when we have our first OB/GYN appointment and our first official ultrasound.  At that point, if there will be a baby, then there will be something to see.  And if not...  Well, we've been down that road before...  I hope this bomb is a dud.  I hope that the joy that is Miss T will help carry me through and remind me that even though this one might not be successful, the next one might.  I hope I can be strong enough to face Thursday and the information we might receive.  The few family members we have told are so excited for us.  They talk about it as if they are sure of the outcome.  I find myself reeling them in, refusing to celebrate until I know.  I refuse to board the roller coaster again, I'll just stay on the platform until Thursday.  Until then, I'll take try to take some comfort in the daily, non-stop nausea that I didn't have with the first pregnancy, the frequent night wakings, and the already growing belly.  Tick, tick, tick...

Of course, as we announced here, everything seems to be going well.  I've finally allowed myself to start getting excited and thinking/dreaming about our new addition to our family.  I'm finding myself falling asleep with my hands on my belly.  It surprises me how real the pain of our miscarriage still is, even now.  Anyways, I think I'll leave you with a positive note, a very silly picture of me trying to capture my 10-week bump in my bathroom mirror!  My acceptable wardrobe is getting smaller every day!

Daycare Education

Things T has learned at Daycare recently

Let me start by saying that I love the daycare we found for T. Everytime I think there might be an issue, all of my concerns are put to rest and then some. She loves it there and I love bringing her there.

I think there might be some enhancement of her learning in the presence of other kids.

Here are my favorites so far:

She has learned what sound the letter B makes.

She has peed on the potty once (and clapped for herself upon doing so!).

T has learned where her elbow is. Constantly, for the last week, the girl looks like she's about to put down a serious wrestling move on the next person to look at her funny. You've been warned.

She has learned where her armpit is. Great. Musicals to follow.

T has also learned where her tongue is, and she likes to show it to you - the whole thing!

She has learned where her belly button is. She likes to find it, despite whatever outfit she is wearing. She will pull her shirt (or dress) up, almost over her head, look down, push in her little belly to find her button and stick her finger as far into her belly button as she can. It looks painful.

Aside from all this, she is also learning a ton about social interaction and gaining confidence - so awesome! The first two weeks, she would cling to the closest part of me that should could grab. Now, I put her down and off she goes. I'm the one clinging to her before I leave!  Is there somewhere I can go that will build my confidence?

Miss T's future

Every month, my wonderful husband collects all the pictures we have taken of T from two cameras, two iPhones, and those sent to us by our family and friends, sorts them, corrects them for various things, and publishes them for all of our friends and family to see.  I know of a couple people specifically (ahem, you know who you are) who fiendishly wait for the beginning of each month to see our pictures from last month.

As T and I were looking over these pictures yesterday (yes, she likes to look at them too), I started day dreaming about what her future might look like.  Do all moms out there do this?  Did my mom ever dream that I would be a scientist? 

Based on these pictures, here are my predictions for T's future employment:

 Wild life conservationist

Museam curator

 Musician

 Architect

 Professional student

 Professional soccer player (Look out Hope Solo!)

 Dog Groomer

Librarian (man!  wish I caught her whole face in this one, but I love this pic anyways!)

Of all these things, there is one thing I know she will be in the very near future...

A BIG SISTER!

T's first day of daycare and Mummy has a breakdown

So after months and months of searching for the right day care (see here, here and here), Miss T is finally starting today.  Her first day was supposed to be yesterday, but Hurricane Irene had other plans so T and I got one more sweet Monday together. 

Last night, I made sure I packed up all the things that T would need for today:
12 cloth diapers (2 day supply plus a couple of extra, just in case)
2 binkies
1 new homemade snuggle blanket with soft furry side
1 blanket
1 set of extra clothes
1 weekly payment

Of course I didn't sleep all night.  I kept telling myself, "No, I'm not nervous for T. I'm not sad about her going to daycare.  It's just another day".  Apparently, from 1:30am on, I wasn't buying it, no sleep for Mummy!

We got up, got dressed right away, had a snack of blueberries and milk and we were on our way.  Took 12 minutes to get there (about 20 for me to get back!).

T was welcomed by her teacher, Ms. Vicky, one of the other sweet girls near T's age, and Ms. Vicky's two youngest children (still home from school because of Irene).  It was a very sweet welcome, T was overwhelmed though!  She clung to my arm, my finger, my sweater, anything she could grab.  Gradually, the other little girl, E, enticed T with some foam counting fish and a doll house.  She started to explore a bit, but kept checking to see if I was there.  Then the whole gang went out to the yard for some outside time.  T got startled a little again, but then got very interested in the splash tables.  She was completely engrossed and I got the nod from her teacher that I could go.  Ms. Vicky must have seen the look on my face and said "Don't worry, she'll be fine" to which I responded "I know", but it came out much like Peter Brady's cracking pubescent voice "I kn-know". 

No sooner did I get in the car did the tears started coming.  And they didn't stop all morning!  My poor neighbor just wanted to walk her dog and she got to hear the whole thing with running faucets down my face!  Anyways, I got this picture mid-morning.  T is clearly having a great time and is adjusting well.  I'm sure I'll have a recap for tomorrow!  For now, I can't wait to go pick her up!!!

p.s. I'm linking up to Emily's "Embrace the Camera Day".  Head on over and check out the other ladies jumping in front of the camera for a change!

Perspective

You know the feeling when you step off of a roller coaster that was just beyond your threshold for fear?  You think to yourself, "I'm never going to do that again, but at least I got through it".  That's how I feel after these past two weeks.

Almost two weeks ago, I left for the American Society for Virology 30th Annual Meeting.  This was the second time I have attended this meeting and the first time I did an oral presentation.  I am terrified of public speaking.  I shake, my stomach gets twisted in knots and I tend to need a restroom (sorry, TMI!).  I was giving a talk to about 40-50 experts in arenaviruses.  Me!  Telling experts things they don't know yet about their favorite virus!  Nerve wracking?  You bet!  Intimidating?  Without a doubt.  But I came out the other side accomplished, having fielded their questions as well as I could and having given a presentation that I could be proud of.  Phew!, you might think, glad to be off that roller coaster, but that was just the warm up hill.

This was also the first time I was away from Miss T overnight since she was born!  B has managed to get me out for a few date nights here and there, but I always get to go home and watch her perfect sleeping little body and reassure myself that she's ok.  The first couple of days away, there were a few tears and heartaches.  Luckily, my meeting kept me very busy (8:30 am to 10:00 pm!) which provided a good distraction.  Best of all, was that on most days, I could make a quick stop at the local Starbucks and video chat with my loves through FaceTime on our iPhones.  What a huge blessing that is!  The hardest part was waiting for my suitcase on the baggage claim carousel, knowing that that was the only thing keeping me away from my B and my T.  I spent the next day with T, reading books, playing in her pool or splash table and just loving my time with her.  But wait, we're not off that ride yet.  Here come the huge final hill...

While I was away I received news that my mentor had resigned his position at the University and was taking a position at another beginning 9/1/2011.  Mind you, I didn't hear it from him.  And, once I found out about the resignation, I learned that many other people at my meeting knew the day before I did!  "What a jerk!" you might think, or even "How unprofessional!".  Well, I'll get to that.  The bottom line is that he is providing the funding I need to finish this December, I don't need to move with him or change projects as other students have had to do, so it could be much, much worse.  When I returned, I was ready to give it to him.  Unfortunately, he cancelled our meeting and we wouldn't meet for a few more days, approximately a week after his resignation was turned in.  Well, I'm glad I had the few days to cool off.  I was able to make a timeline for completion for my experiments, paper manuscripts, and thesis.  I was able to reassure myself that I can do all of this and get it done in the timeframe provided.  While I waited for our meeting, I learned of all the abuse that he was taking from other people in our institute.  I found myself defending him!  Why shouldn't he be able to take a position that will accelerate his career, that will recognize his expertise and contributions to the field, that will reunite him with his family. 

My mentor grew up in cold war Russia, trained in virology and medicine under the Communist Regime in Moscow.  He first met his current colleague that we collaborate with at the Berlin wall - he was on the East side, she was on the West side.  Here in the states, his wife works for a pharmaceutical company 3 hours away - they only see each other on the weekends.  They have had this living arrangement for the last 11 years!  His sons and grandchildren are even further away.  This move provides him with a way to not only reunite his family (allowing his wife to retire) and to be recognized for the leader in the field that he is.  How could I be mad at him?  Isn't this the exact same thing I want?  To be able to excel in my career and to be reunited with our families back north? 

When we did finally meet to discuss logistics and planning, I mentioned to him that I realized all the abuse he was getting, but that I was happy for him, that I recognized what a great opportunity this was for him, and that I was going to miss him.  He actually started to choke up and squeezed my hand!  My mentor is devoid of emotion, at least on the surface, so to witness this, well of course I started crying.  Par for the course with me!  So while I may have had those horrible thoughts initially, I was able to see things from his perspective and see how this move had nothing to do with me and that in the end, wasn't going to change all that much.  Sure, it's a bit more stressful now and I need to start searching for a postdoctoral position sooner than I thought, but I can handle it.  After all, I managed to be away from Miss T for 5 days and present at a national meeting right?

Because I can't resist, here are a couple of pics of Miss T while I was away...

Missing you!

So I have this wonderful self preservation trick that when there is something that will upset me, I just don't think about it.  It's a wonderful switch that I can flip and then that dark shadow is gone - out of sight, out of mind.  Poof!

clap. clap. (that's me wiping my hands free)

Until the time approaches and all that wonderful, oblivious bliss collapses upon itself into a panic-stricken, terrifying super cell of emotions.

See what a great trick it is?

I have lived in this oblivious state all week now.  Prodding along in my research.  Adjusting a presentation here, wrapping up an experiment there.  Coming home to play with the babe, make dinner, do laundry, chat with the hubby.  All the while, Saturday was approaching.

The collapse happened last night, roughly about 11:00pm.  As I tried in vain to fall asleep, my protective forces broke down and I started to panic.  See, on Saturday morning, I'm getting on a plane to Minneapolis to attend a conference for five days.  I haven't left T (except for work) for more than five hours since she was born.  There was so much to do!  I have to leave the house clean, the laundry done, the pantry stocked.  I have to show Bryan how to wash her diapers, how she likes to be rocked right before going to sleep, our routine of minky-binky-book.  How was I going to get this all done in 36 hours?!?!

And then these lovely thoughts started entering my head:

What if she cries the whole time because she misses me?

What if she doesn't miss me at all?

What if she thinks that K, our babysitter, is her new mom?

Will she not be happy to see me when I get home?  Will she feel abandoned?

Will she know that I still love her?

And those questions continued into the wee hours when I finally fell asleep.

In the light of day, several things are perfectly clear, most importantly:
1. B is a great Dad and can/will handle anything that comes up.
2. T loves me, knows I love her, and will be JUST FINE while I'm away.

Those two thoughts are going to be my mantra the next five days while I try to pay attention to lectures and seminars, while I try to give my own talk, and try to enjoy visiting a new city.  We will be making great use of the iPhone facetime (did I mention that B now has an iPhone too - and loves it so!).

(On a side note, how great of a commercial would that make?  Mom goes away for work all teary eyed and while waiting for the plane, Dad and Baby call on facetime and reassure her it will all be ok.  Apple, are you listening?  You better have cameras waiting for me at the airport!)

Anyhow, in the grand scheme of things, its just five days.  It will fly by.  It will be good for me to get away and get some rest.  It will be great bonding time for B and T.  It will be over before I know it.  B is a great Dad.  T knows I love her. 

B is a great Dad.  T knows I love her. 

B is a great Dad.  T knows I love her...

Free Dress Patterns/Tutorials

I mentioned last month in my Tuesday Ten round up, that I was working on party dresses for the girls.  Well, I finished Miss T's dress this week and thought I would share.  This dress was made possible by the lovely, talented Lindsay Wilkes at The Cottage Home.  I absolutely love how it came out!  The skirt is full and twirly.  The sash is satiny sweet.  Miss T seemed comfortable in it too!  It made me think that this dress pattern could be used for a number of occasions: flower girl, birthday party, holidays.  I can see it in all sorts of fabrics too, cottons, satin, taffeta, jersey knit.  Maybe, just maybe, this dress will make an appearance in my shop.  Hmmm.  For now, here are pics of T.  I need to get to work on K's!

I love, love, LOVE that there are so many free dress patterns and tutorials out there for everything from cutesy pie baby girl dresses to gorgeous sophisticated women's dresses (as well as shirts, skirts, you name it!). I'm so inspired to try and make something for myself. However, I am reminded of that summer when my roommates and I thought it would be super easy to make ourselves skirts (it's just a tube of fabric, right? oh, so wrong.). That was a glorious FAIL! I think for now, I'll stick to girl's clothes and maybe some boys stuff too.
Although, some lovely ladies have gone to a great deal of work to compile lists of free patterns and tutorials for a gal just like myself, looking for a challenge.  The extensive compilation at Think Liz is just amazing!  And then there's the lists that Luvinthemommyhood have put together, even a collection of maternity DIYs!  iCandy is running a series called "fun in the sun dress" where a new tutorial is posted everyday!  Everythingetsy.com has a post of 101 Sewing Tutorials for Summer.  I can't forget about Prudent Baby.  My lovely sister attracted my attention to this blog and I will love her forever for it!  They have a couple of posts, "25 Free Dress Tutorials for Baby and Toddler", and "25 of the Cutest and Coolest Free Tutorials for Boys Clothing".

Now, if only I could find the time to try out the bazillions of patterns and ideas swimming around my head right now!

Here's she comes...

We officially have a walker.

Yikes!  Really?  How?  When?

While B and I scramble to shore up all things evil and dangerous (stairs, TV, cabinets, etc.), we forgot to let our dear fuzzies in on what was about to happen.  Poor babes.  Joey, Mollie, and Druha are so in for it.  Prior to her new found mobility, Miss T would squeal with delight whenever the animals let their down and came near her.  Now, she can go to them!  Her favorite activities, it seems, are grabbingguards  ears, poking eyes, and stepping on warm furry bodies!

This is what we see:



This is what the poor pets see:




Time to work on teaching empathy and gentle treatment of our furbabies!

On a side note, yesterday, Miss T received her 15 month shots. She was very unhappy about it. Actually, she didn't want anyone near her, which was a first! However, I'll be totally honest that even though my heart breaks for her when she feels yucky for the next 36 hours, I do enjoy the extra amount of snuggling that I get as a result. ;)

Daycare Search - Final wrap-up

Well, after nearly 5 months (read here, and here) of searching, inspecting, crying, and desperately trying to find suitable daycare for Miss T, we have finally succeeded!

First, thanks to all of you who have helped in countless ways.  I learned a lot from you, but most of all, never to give up and never to compromise!

And you know what?  We didn't have to compromise at all!  We found an amazing in-home day care center that fits our budget and meets our standards.  Didn't think that was possible?  Neither did I for a while!

Here are the things I love about the daycare we've found:

-The home has a finished basement of two full rooms and a bathroom for the day care.  One room is painted blue, the other is painted orange!  I love it!  It's so bright and cheerful!
-There is a fenced in yard with a play set, sand box, tricycles, etc., with outside time built into the schedule twice a day!
-The area is very family friendly, better air quality than we have at our house and you can actually hear birds.  Birds people!
-The owner/provider is a lovely Filipino woman named Ms. Vicky.  Instantly, I felt very comfortable with her.  She's kind, laid-back and very welcoming.  She took to T right away and T liked her too.  Yay!
-There is some "curriculum", letters numbers, shapes, etc. and circle time everyday, but there is a lot of freedom for personal exploration too.
-The other two little girls there are only a bit older than T (by a couple of months) and they were so excited to play with her right away and were so sweet!
(as a side note, one thing I do like about living here is that T is introduced to people of different races, backgrounds, religions, etc.  One girl at the daycare is Indian, the other is African-American.  Plus, T will get to eat and try new Filipino foods!  Woohoo for diversity!)
-The commute is only 10-15 minutes from our house, though I still need to find the closest Dunkin Donuts!
-Did I mention this all fits in our budget? : )

I really couldn't be happier that we get to bring Miss T here everyday.  I'm actually excited for her, for all the things she'll learn, the opportunities to make friends and socialize, to learn how to play and be in a new environment.  I think this will be so good for T and for all of us!  I know B is happy too.  He has very strong feelings against daycare, but has always recognized my need to work.  After visiting yesterday, he told me on 4 separate occasions "Good job, Baby." That's all I needed to hear!

And now, because I can't leave you without a little bit of sunshine for your day:

Miss T is really enjoying the front camera on my new iPhone.  We love to take silly pictures together!

BTW, I'm linking up to Emily's Embrace the Camera Day.  I can't waste these sillies, can I?  Go check out other momma's embracing the camera today here!

Our first Luau

One of Miss T's bff's from church turned one last week.  So you might be thinking, "Ok, cute little one year old birthday party.  Probably a cute little bug or animal theme."  But, no.  See, M's parents are from Hawaii and they have a custom of throwing an amazing luau for their babies to celebrate the milestone of turning one.

Here's a picture of the inside of the function hall:

Yep, that's an authentic ukelele band way in the back.  They were amazing!

There was a lot going on outside too!  Water slide, moon bounce, fishing prize game, baby sprinkle pool (similar to this one, I will have to look into this for next year!).  It was amazing.

Unfortunately, Miss T was having a bad teething day.  Little girl wouldn't eat and was just so uncomfortable.  I felt so bad.  I was willing to do anything to make her smile.  Unfortunately, some of that got caught on film.

B loved that a picture was taken of me right at that moment.  Can ya tell?

Well, even the fishy face didn't cheer up poor Miss T.  We headed home soon after that.  We heard the rest of the luau was amazing and the cake was great (I didn't even stay for cake!  Me!  Can you believe it?)  We can only hope there will be more of these lovely events! 

A huge thanks to our hosts, the Spains, for inviting us and including us in their little girl's special day! 
Hau'oli lā hānau, M! (Happy Birthday M!)

BTW, I'm linking up this post with The Anderson Crew for Embrace the Camera Day (Yay! Emily is back!).  I figure this is a good one for T to see the lengths that I am willing to embarass myself for her! :)