tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56728469956973289792024-03-12T20:19:36.117-04:00Melisa K.'s (Mis)adventures in MommyhoodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-37201486219417099292012-03-03T01:02:00.000-05:002012-03-10T13:32:18.601-05:00Letters to Milo (#5, 39 weeks, 9 months)
Milo's first snow angel, @9 months.
Oh, Milo. Nine months? Really? Where has the time gone? I'm in denial a bit, about this whole growing up thing. I love you so much, just the way you are, today. And then there you go--growing up some more.
You're definitely waving on purpose now--but only to your blankie. Any time you get near your crib, you turn and wave at your blankie, and you wave Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-66185713213679501072012-02-02T12:44:00.001-05:002012-03-10T12:59:50.152-05:00Letters to Milo (#4, 35 weeks, 8 months)Dearest Milo,
You're 9 months old now, and as far as your parents are concerned, you're the most brilliant baby on the planet, in pretty much every way possible.
You're the fastest army crawler around, and it looks like you're getting ready to graduate to crawling soon. You're especially quick when you have your eye on an iphone or laptop cord. You've also started pulling yourself up to a standUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-78181987719729444902012-01-21T23:08:00.003-05:002012-01-26T12:42:43.519-05:00Swimming, Sledding and Outsourcing Tedious TasksIt's been a busy week. But then, aren't they all?
I left you on Sunday, after we cleaned everything and dismantled the Christmas tree and I got my blood test (7 months late) and I was feeling pretty on top of things.
Monday, I got a call from my doctor's office. The doctor was like, "Hey...have you been feeling really crappy lately? Because I know why!" Like it was the punch line to a joke. I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-66967659298786145522012-01-15T23:45:00.000-05:002012-01-15T23:45:15.647-05:00Mission (Im)possibleI feel like I'm slowly crawling out of the black hole of sleepless new-motherhood I've been wallowing in for the last...few...months. Okay, 7. And a half. Today, we cleaned the house. Well, most of it. I organized the snack cupboard (donating most of the really bad junk food to the dorm kitchen) while Michael organized the pots and pans. We collected Milo's toys in bins and (finally, sadly) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-1969155194902819922012-01-14T21:47:00.001-05:002012-01-14T22:03:52.200-05:00This was a good day.My friend Kate gave me this line-a-day journal. She knows I like to write and hoard memories and also that I have not very much free time. So you can see this was a thoughtful gift. Only I lack the ability to write about anything in one line. Seriously. So far, most of my entries leak into next year's space. Maybe next year I'll be much better at editing.
Anyway, tonight, this is what I'm going Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-20776952129396350112012-01-13T00:03:00.001-05:002012-01-13T00:06:01.905-05:00Starfish and Spit BubblesI found out (via email) on Tuesday that I didn't get the Co-Director of College Counseling job I interviewed for. I was really disappointed at first. It was such a great opportunity and parts of it seemed challenging in that really exciting kind of way. But then I looked at my son, who was happily blowing spit bubbles in my general direction, waiting for me to take him out on a running-errands Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-82081249546099597312012-01-07T22:42:00.000-05:002012-01-07T22:42:59.704-05:00The Lazy PostLazy wouldn't be one of the first words I'd use to describe myself. After all, I have 2 jobs and a 7-month old baby. And a husband. (I'll refrain from the obvious joke there.) I take care of the bills and the cars and the cleaning and the birthday presents/cards and travel planning and memory keeping and appointment making and paperwork filing, etc etc etc.
But I have to admit, there's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-33281351849038875362012-01-04T00:47:00.000-05:002012-01-04T00:47:06.007-05:00Random BitsRandom bits tonight:
I'm reading Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions: a Journal of My Son's First Year now, and what a relief it is to read. Anne is a wonderful writer...painstakingly truthful, putting into print things I would hardly dare tell my best friend. It's a joy, especially when paired right after Momma Zen. I highly recommend both to new parents.
Speaking of which, I've taken 3 baths (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-35682630481258477342011-12-30T00:44:00.000-05:002011-12-30T00:44:39.899-05:00The Pirate OutingI was so surprised and touched by all the thoughtful and encouraging responses to my last post that I went back and read it again. And as I was reading, I realized I did know why I cared so much what people thought of Milo and his pirate eyes. Somehow, I still think Milo and I are the same person. Is this true of all mothers? You give birth to your baby, but a crucial part of them remains a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-52757991541217541112011-12-29T00:57:00.004-05:002011-12-29T09:41:07.013-05:00My Little PirateI told you I'm reading this book called Momma Zen (which I highly recommend) and I've been dog-earing pages that I want to revisit. One page includes the quote "I still have troubles. They're just not a problem." It's in a chapter about acceptance and how everything is just as it should be and would be just fine if not for our critical commentary. It suggests we "practice acceptance on yourself Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-35027517590647532972011-12-28T23:39:00.000-05:002011-12-28T23:39:54.149-05:00Letters to Milo (#3, 30 weeks old)Oh what a month it's been! First, you started solid foods at 6 months...your first food was carrots...well, after the baby oatmeal, which doesn't really count as food. And apparently doesn't count as oatmeal, either, since it's NOT oatmeal and has no fiber in it. And also after that pumpkin I threw you in for a good photo opp in October, because you did chew on that quite a bit. Anyway, next you Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-75856711764944590112011-12-21T00:30:00.000-05:002011-12-21T00:30:43.778-05:00Meditation Milo and Mindful Momma, All Blissed OutI just want you to know I haven't fallen into an abyss. Much.
I've actually written 342 seriously witty, clever, inspirational blog posts in the 6 weeks since I last published. I just didn't have time to write them down.
I'm reading this book called Momma Zen. I highly recommend it, especially for new parents. I found it while looking for some guidance on mindful mothering. Because I am Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-7548700303258596022011-11-09T11:52:00.000-05:002011-11-09T11:52:34.070-05:00Mom Marketing IdeaOkay, so I have a brilliant idea for corner stores to corner the market on mom sales. This would work for gas stations, convenience stores...pretty much anyplace.
All they need to do is have carside service. Perhaps while pumping your gas there would be a little button you could push to talk and say, "can you add a gallon of 1% milk and bring it out please?" Because let me tell you, if there wasUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-80235025433163496762011-11-08T00:47:00.000-05:002011-11-08T00:47:04.245-05:00'Cause, you know...he kinda is a little miracle.Well, looks like my "commitment" to blogging means posting about every 3-4 weeks. What can I say? At this rate, it's a wonder I'm still married. And that my son is still alive.
No, seriously.
At our opening faculty meetings this year, we were supposed to write postcards about what we did over the summer and post them on the wall for everyone to read and catch up on. Mine said something along Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-51167783871782601352011-10-13T23:23:00.000-04:002011-10-13T23:23:07.058-04:00YAY Sleep!So it's been just over a month since my last post. Which would be unacceptable, except for that it's been a really busy, and somewhat depressing, month. So it's probably better for all of us that you didn't get the play-by-play. Here's the late-night recap:
The poison ivy was followed by a secondary rash. The first doctor said it was an allergic reaction to my body's allergic reaction to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-47550400160085953942011-09-03T23:59:00.001-04:002011-10-11T00:03:19.919-04:00Holy itch cream, am I miserable.What a week! 6 days with no power. Three nights in a hotel, going back and forth, not knowing whether to check out or rebook. Two days of meetings until 9:30 pm. No air conditioning. No pumping. No night-time bottle help from Michael (because we had no bottles). A whole week of 4-hr-sleep nights.
I have to say, if there's a bright side to this week, it is having great confidence in our nanny, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-25543725739456237442011-08-29T23:10:00.000-04:002011-08-29T23:10:48.645-04:00Because after a day like today, why would you elect to spend another minute without cable, internet, lights, and AIR CONDITIONING?!?So, the hurricane hit us pretty hard. Maybe not as hard as they were predicting, but it did tear down a tree outside our home, which tore down a power line, which is still across our road. Also, we have no power. Or internet. We DID have some power, for a bit. The bedroom and nursery and half the kitchen was out, but we had power in other parts of the apartment, so we rigged up some extension Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-42361831152570854892011-08-25T23:19:00.000-04:002011-08-25T23:19:41.369-04:00Fuck it. I'm going to sleep.Well. Today was up and down. Another night of sleep deprivation. Milo woke on the early side last night and I was SO exhausted that I poked Michael to do the bottle feeding. Michael decided to try an experiment and try to feed Milo in bed. Which meant I was awake and calming Milo for the 10 minutes it took to get the bottle ready, and then awake listening to him cry and refuse the bottle. I got Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-24133163697419172622011-08-24T21:01:00.000-04:002011-08-24T21:01:25.232-04:00This is such a set up for failure.Thank god for nannies. Mine wasn't available this week, which was unfortunate since it's my first week back at "work." I get to work from "home" this year, since I live in the dorm on campus and they needed my office space for someone else. Here's the thing about working from home when you have a baby and no nanny: It takes at least two hours to do one hour worth of work. Which means it takes at Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-45486786190773023652011-08-17T00:12:00.002-04:002011-08-17T00:13:08.538-04:00Catch Up PostWe paid a ridiculous amount of money to stay in a hotel near my sister. It reminded us of the shining, which was creepy. However, it was roomy and 3 miles from her, so very convenient. Unfortunately, the bed sucked, we had to park in a parking garage with poles, there was no wireless internet, and no free breakfast. Ridiculous for the price.
Peanut took a bottle from Michael--no problem-Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-91060188804499029502011-08-12T00:19:00.000-04:002011-08-12T00:19:15.306-04:00I am going to run over their feet with the stroller. Even if I have to go waaaay out of my way to do it.Well. Last night was pretty torturous. For one thing, I couldn't fall asleep even though I felt bone tired. I think I fell asleep sometime after 2:00 am. At 3:00, the baby woke up, making hungry sucking and whimpering noises. But yesterday when we were at the pediatrician, I had asked the doctor for tips to get Milo to take a bottle, and she was seriously unconcerned, saying that there really Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-89730735155710236912011-08-10T23:19:00.002-04:002011-08-10T23:50:58.889-04:00Sometimes, it feels like my little peanut is the only thing right in the world.Today was not a good day. It was a horrible, very bad, no good day.
First off, Milo teased me by taking an ounce of milk from the new breast-shaped bottle I was so excited about. He latched right on for Michael but only drank an ounce. He would NOT take the rest from me at his next feeding time, despite 45 minutes of trying various tactics.
I had had high hopes for that bottle.
Anyway, Milo isUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-22044069079139803492011-08-09T23:54:00.000-04:002011-08-09T23:54:53.569-04:00(Mis)adventures on Milo's First Family Vacation
Traveling with a baby requires a lot more stuff than I ever imagined. When Michael and I went away for 5 days pre-baby, we brought one medium sized suitcase and two laptops. Maybe a plastic grocery bag of snacks. Post-baby, we filled an entire luggage cart. Milo had his own carry-on sized suitcase. We brought the peapod for him to sleep in and the bouncer for him to chill in when not sleeping. AUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-47201188772233893072011-08-07T23:52:00.000-04:002011-08-07T23:52:00.878-04:00I'm totally going to throw a blanket over his head to get him to take a bottle...When Milo was born, he was very good at sucking. He took to the breast, the pacifier, and the bottle easily. The nurses in the hospital exclaimed over his strong suck! A few weeks later, he stopped being able to keep the pacifier in. He seemed to want to, but his tongue would get in the way after a couple of sucks, and out it would pop. Week 7, he stopped taking a bottle as well. Which really Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5672846995697328979.post-29176708266970204572011-08-02T00:03:00.000-04:002011-08-02T00:03:25.802-04:00In which we take on a yard sale and our first night leaving Milo with a babysitterWhoa the last two days have been busy. Yesterday, we had to get up on the early side to get ready for the big yard sale. I'm starting to get used to the fact that I have to build in an extra hour or so of getting ready time for feeding Milo and getting waylaid by Milo-related incidents. The yard sale was supposed to start at 11 so that meant getting up at 8:30 or so. After not so much sleep, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0