Stroller Spotting

I was watching the final episode of The Gilmore Girls the other day. I’m very sad that this show is over, I have enjoyed it for years.  This past episode brought to light a new hobby that I have developed since having a baby.  Stroller spotting.

At first is was simple research.  Notice the type of strollers other mothers have so that I can figure out which one to buy.  Then it became an obsession.  I point the brands out to the people I’m with.  Look there’s a Graco, that’s a Maclaren…  the list goes on.

So I’m watching Gilmore Girls and Luke’s sister walks into his diner pushing her baby in this…

only in orange. A Bugaboo stroller!

Of course my husband walks in at this moment and sees my jaw hit the floor as I stammer (as quietly as possible because the baby is asleep).  “She has a Bugaboo!  Luke’s sister has a Bugaboo?!”

Because really, woman who make jewelry for a Renaissance fair and has a husband who randomly does poor construction work has an $800 stroller?  Am I really supposed to believe that?  If it’s true then I guess I need to start making jewelry!

This stroller spotting – it’s a sickness.

Favorite things… Thursday.

Ok so I’m a little late on my favorite things post. I’ve had a few computer problems here in the flower patch but things are mostly set now. It’s time to post my favorite thing of the week.

Winning stuff!!!!

I know, it’s not really something that anyone else can really get… except you can. I’ve been having fun visiting blogs and trying to comment more and have found a couple of amazing blogs who have wonderful contests that I actually won!!! I never win anything so winning two things in a week is an amazing thing.

The first thing I won is this… it lets you test to see if you have alcohol in your breast milk. I’m a little worried that I will find out that my doctor was wrong in saying that a glass of wine wouldn’t effect my milk, but at least I’ll know for sure. It’s like a fun chemistry experiment! I won this wonderful toy from The Opinionated Parent which is a wonderful website that reviews all sorts of great things and often gives them away!!!

The second thing that I won is one of these very pretty placemats from mommyknows.com a blog written by the wonderful people of The Baby Marketplace an online shop with tons of great things that I would never have known about if they weren’t giving away something free everyday this month!!

So that’s my favorite thing right now – entering random blog contests and actually winning! Even if you don’t win by posting a comment to enter maybe some new people will come to your blog and leave a fun comment, or maybe people will wonder why your writing when you don’t really have anything important to say…

The Bread of Life

I have two very funny nephews.  One is four and one is five.  They are learning more and more about religion and incorporating it into their lives.  The other day they were playing this video game where you go around gathering different things.  One of the things you need are loaves of bread.  The bread adds up and gives you lives so you don’t die when you run into bad guys.  This is the conversation their mother had with them the other day… (b= boy m=mom)

B:  Brother get the Jesus bread.
M: Get the what?
B: The Jesus Bread. You need the Jesus bread Mommy.
M: Why is it called the Jesus bread?
B: Because it gives you life and Jesus is the bread of life – the Jesus bread.

Later that night their Dad was playing the game…
D: Oh man! I missed the Jesus bread.

Mama

My baby said Mama and actually meant it! 

She did this for the first time on Mother’s Day.  How cool is that?

I think I’ll keep her.

Ick!

I’m getting in my car yesterday and I reach up to check to be sure that the backs of my earrings are on tightly.  I never take them off but they do become loose sometimes so I have a habit of checking them.

 Hm – it feels like there is a bit of a scab there.  I must have some sort of infection there.  That sometimes happens, I’ll just take the back off.  Wow, it’s really a big scab… 

(I’m now in the car driving to the daycare place) Ok, now I have this off let’s just take a look at this big scab – Oh My Gosh!!!  It’s a tick.  I just found a tick on my ear.  Ack!!!  This is so gross.  I must not scream, must not scare the baby… but I do flick the bug somewhere in the front seat of the car.

I bring the baby to daycare and tell the nice woman to keep an eye out for bugs.  I’m fairly certain there aren’t any on her because I would have seen them but then again, I did just find a bug cuddle up to my earring back so who and I to talk?

Into work I go where I tell everyone about how gross this is and Oh My Gosh!  A tick!!! 

Everytime I itch I think it’s a bug and have to check – which is often because all I can think about it the tick that is now somewhere in my car (or so I think, can you see where this is going yet?)

I feel an itch in the small of my back.  I reach around and OH MY GOSH!!!  There is the stinking tick! 

The tick has been flushed (thank goodness).  I continue to itch and think everything is a bug – because it was the last time…  but at least the tick has been flushed and I managed to confirm that is was not the uber-scary deer tick.  Just your everyday-average-run-of-the-mill tick.  Ick!

The beautiful butterfly

I love the Today Show. I miss Katie but I like Meredith, she’s grown on me. I feel for her as she tries hard to be friendly and funny every morning. She just doesn’t fit in yet and the way they treat her reflects that sometimes.

Case in point – next week is adventure week (or some such thing) on the Today Show and they showed snip-its of the segments everyone will be doing.

Matt- swimming with whales in the water
All – playing with polar bears
Ann – hiking through the jungle with monkeys

and then there is Meredith’s preview. She is standing among the trees with tons of lovely little butterflies floating around her while she tries to look serene and enthralled with what is going on around her.

Because somehow wild for her is standing around with a bunch of butterflies.

Random bits of thought

• Did you know that the purple flavor of Necco wafers is clove. It is also the correct color to throw at a movie screen because it is the least liked flavor (also evidence as stated below that purple is bad!). I learned this in Candy Freak the book that I am currently reading while I pump.

• I just finished reading Burning Bright, the new Tracy Chevalier book. I enjoyed it, not as much as her other books, but well worth reading.

• We are no closer to getting the baby girl to sleep through the night in her co-sleeper. She has learned that it’s very fun to pull up on it and reach my night stand. It has my vitamin bottle on it that she thinks is the most fun rattle ever.

• The little girl likes to sleep on her belly. I know she would sleep better if I put her down on her belly after she falls asleep cuddled with me. I cannot bring myself to do this because I am too scared of SIDS – even though she turns herself onto her belly when she naps for the daycare person.

• I have a dream where I find a way to be a nanny for a family and they let me bring my baby girl too and somehow they pay me enough for us to still have a house and things. I’ve decided to start calling people looking for a nanny type person to see if this dream could become a reality. Any positive thoughts or suggestions of families in the RI area looking for a nanny would be very much appreciated.

• It is very hot in my office.  I am wearing a cute sweater set today with an acceptable sleeveless shell as the under piece of said set.  It’s so hot that I have taken off the top sweater portion.  I just realized that I haven’t shaved under my arms in days and am currently channelling a cave woman.  I must try not to lift my arms up otherwise people might swing from my hair…

Purple is evil.

I just read this by Crab Mommy. I totally agree! It is a mother’s job to teach her daughter that purple is not a nice color. Pink is much better, or perhaps my personal favorite of blue. Yellow is somewhat evil as it’s the left over color.

I grew up in a family of three children – the other two are twins and were often color-coded so that people would know who was who. Their colors were red and blue.

Have you ever noticed that three packs of toys are almost always the three primary colors? Red, blue and yellow. Guess who always got stuck with the yellow.

I thought I could escape in college but no. The first night we were there we were informed by some very peppy people that our class color was yellow. There is no escape from yellow.

This does not change the fact that purple is evil and should not be trusted. It might not follow from my story but it is truth.

Daytime Alcohol

Have you ever come home at the end of a long day and said, “I could really use a glass of wine/ margarita/ beer/ very large cocktail?” Sometimes that really hits the spot. Other times you’re in the middle of that very long day and drinking adult beverages would be inappropriate so instead you say, “I need a diet coke!”

Which brings me to my favorite thing of the week, what I like to refer to as daytime alcohol…Diet Coke. When you’ve had a long day there really is nothing like a nice cold diet coke. I love it so much that I am only allowed to have it at work. I try very hard not to allow this wonderful beverage in my home because I will drink can after can of it. It’s bad enough to have a 12 pack at work. Right now I’m drinking my second can of the day and wondering if I’ll be able to make it until 5 without opening a third can.

Have you seen the new Diet Coke print ads? They are fabulous!

Measuring a Day

I divide my day at work into four different sections, the time between when I pump.

I get to work and check emails and then pump at 10am.  That first pump sets off how my day is going to go.  Did I get a full bottle?  That’s a pretty good day.  More then a full bottle?  Even better.  Less?  I’m off all day.

Each time I pump I wonder, “has my daughter eaten more or less then I have pumped?”

I’ve been very lucky and have managed to keep up with her most days.  I have a decent stock of frozen milk and have had to throw out some that has been in the freezer too long (man, does that ever hurt!).

I schedule meetings around my pumping times (10, 1, and 4) and hope that everything is finished up so that I’m not late.  Pumping too early means I don’t get as much, pumping too late throws off the next scheduled “feeding.”

It’s amazing to me how much more constrained I feel by the pump then breastfeeding.  I have no problem nursing whenever my baby needs it.  I don’t feel like I’m being tied to her and any other negative things – but the pump?  I sure wish there was a way to not need it.