I'm eighth on this search.
or my blog is. Actually I missed it - it was on the 8th. In honor of such a momentous occasion (she says with a grin), I have decided to post the links to some of my favorite posts - the writing I am most proud of. (It has been so long since I had the time or inspiration to write anything that I'm really proud of - maybe rereading some of these will inspire me...)
Anyway, without further ado, and in no particular order
Slow Down, origanally posted January 16, 2005
Where I'm from, orginally posted July 29, 2005
Silent Lucidity, origanally posted January 31, 2005
My Little Pixie Chick, origanally posted January 4, 2005
Where Have You Been, Young Man!!, orignally posted December 12, 2004
The Mean, Ugly Mommy-beast vs. the Drama Queen, origanally posted November 19, 2004
Yes, she's still depressed, origanally posted January 12, 2006
"All the people who are having fun are you, and Alex, and Grandma and Grandpa, and all the people who are not having fun are back here and it's ME!" Labels: quips
I'm a pretty uptight parent. Perhaps not on the outside, but on the inside I'm tied in little knots a lot of the time. I blame it on the PPD, but just to be fair, I've been anal retentive since birth. I have to mentally prepare myself for anything that will make a mess. I feel like I need to plan ahead for things like painting or tea parties. If I'm having a bad day, I put them off.
When we lived in Denver I was a member of a mom's group, and we had weekly playdates with the kids. I was shocked and amazed when our hostess very casually got a huge tub full of playdoh out for the kids (two year olds then) before rejoining the adults in the other room. You're just going to let them do playdoh - just like that?!? I thought to myself. And they are MIXING the colors!!!
On the outside, I try to be more relaxed, even if I have to fake it. Ahhh, you want to paint, huh. Ummmm.... okay.... that's a great idea. Let's paint... that sounds like fun!" In faking it, I'm learning that it really isn't that big a deal. (I also have to give credit to FlyLady, who has taught me that life really can be simpler and less stressful.)
Today after hosting a playdate for Ella, I put Little Man down for a nap, and Ella and I sat down and did a little craft activity (that included glue, I will add), and THEN we baked cookies together. I let her do just about everything, including cracking the eggs. And I never once felt uptight about it. She helped me clean up, and then she took over the kitchen table with markers and stickers and paper galore. I felt so proud of myself for being so relaxed and, well... unlike me. :)
I rewarded myself with a cookie.
I have to share with you a new find of mine - the new baby monitor from Philips. "But Christine," you say. "What do you need with a baby monitor?" Well you see, Ella's room is a ways away from the rest of us, and me being the pessimistic, slightly paranoid person that I am, like to have that little extra connection to her room at night. It's handy for bad dreams, and waking up sick, and if someone ever tried to get into her bedroom whilst we were sleeping, I'd like to think the monitor would give me a heads-up. (And like I told Bubblehead, it could come in very handy when they are teenagers as well!).
I've used a couple of different monitors since they were babies, with varying degrees of success, but I've always gotten a bit of static or white noise. When we lived in Denver I could even "enjoy" my neighbor's phone calls.
The DECT monitor is just awesome! First of all, it is digital and wireless, and guarantees no interference at all. It used 60 channels and automatically switches whenever it detects something else using a particular channel. It of course lets me hear into Ella's room, with no background noise at all - I don't even know it's on until I hear her make a sound. But its wonderment does not stop there! It allows me to talk back to her, by pushing a button - nice when she just needs a little reassurance to go back to sleep.
But wait - there's more! It monitors the temperature in her room, and will alert me if it gets below or above a set temperature. It has a built in night light (very subtle), and will play one or all of 5 different lullabies. I can turn the lights and lullabies on either with the main unit in her room, or with the receiver unit in my room. I haven't found it yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if it has a secret setting for mowing the grass and putting away the laundry!
So just in case you are in the market for a baby monitor for your new baby (or your new teenager...), this is honestly the best monitor I've ever used. Very cool!
Ella: "Is he (Daddy) a nice guy?" Labels: quips
me: "Well, what do you think?"
Ella: "Pretty much."