My Girly Girl

 Sure Jill's barely 19 months old but if you asked me (before yesterday) to guess whether she'd be a girly girl or a tomboy, I would have chosen the latter.  Hands down.  This kid likes worms and loves nothing more than stomping her feet in a deep puddle.  I was thrown for a loop yesterday at pick-up when I saw my little girl with a ponytail on top of her head!  Total Bam Bam style with a yellow padded elastic.  I may have shrieked and been that Mom.  I couldn't help it.  Add a hair accessory and you add months to their lives.  She looked like such a little girl!  She let Miss Michelle (the Assistant Director - there are two Miss Michelles) do her hair in the early afternoon, probably since her buddy Shannon was also sporting a ponytail. 

Fast forward to this morning.  I went for it.  If Jill allowed Michelle to do her hair then she would allow her own Mom, wouldn't she?  I pulled her bangs back and slid the purple bow clip (thank you, Becky!) through her hair without a hitch.  She kept it!  So this is the difference between having a little boy and having a little girl, I thought.  This is going to be fun! 

GGGGGOOOAAAALLLLLL!!

Single parents, military spouses, sometimes-single parents with traveling spouses. I don’t know how they do it. Tony left for NJ early Tuesday morning and I can not wait for him to get back this afternoon. Four day care pick-ups and drop-offs, one bedtime and two mornings later and exhaustion is kicking in. Add a Turbo shot to the French Vanilla iced coffee, please. I’m going to need it to get through this day!

Jill’s bedtime agenda last night did not include actually going to bed. Typically asleep by 8 p.m., Jill didn’t nod off until – you’re not going to believe this – 9:15! Sorry Mom, but you’re not going to prep my lunch, iron your work clothes or shower, and you’re certainly not getting on that elliptical.

Last night’s routine consisted of milk, Tylenol for teething, A Day at the Farm, On Site with Thomas, Goodnight Boston, more milk, toast, A Day at the Farm (again), I Love You Goodnight, The Pokey Little Puppy, a sippy cup with water, cuddling, four failed crib approaches, Violet, classical music, cuddling on the couch and cuddling in our bed. Really? You’re not tired, because I’m beat and ready to go to sleep. Give me a break. You’re not thirsty. You’re not hungry. Your diaper’s dry. You’ve read half of the book collection and you’ve seen this Thomas episode maybe 64 times. It’s time to go to sleep!

GGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!! was Tony’s response when I texted him that Jill had finally gone to sleep. At 9:14. And then I passed out. So much for watching The Tutors or The Kennedys. All I wanted to watch was my eyelids.

Our Dog the Flake

Rachael the dog model is out there on the internet.  Someone from the squidoo website took this picture from our friend Matt's photo site without permission.  Shhhh, don't tell Rachael.  We don't want to hurt her feelings.  Right, Laurel?!

check out Rachael's web debut

Moon Tide

On Sunday, we celebrated our 9-year wedding anniversary and plopped on the boat all day.  We didn't go sailing.  We just sat and relaxed (and used a lot of Tilex to clean).  Sunday night we went to the North End for dinner and dessert.  More to come!

A Visit with Guy Joseph





7 weeks

my cutie little nephew



We Survived the Warrior Dash

Happy anniversary weekend, hunny!

our little warrior

Jill stayed with our friends, Heidi and Houston, and had her first successful babysitting experience.  Thanks, guys! 

Stuck in My Johnny

The last time I saw my primary care physician she was waiting to pop. Now her daughter is nearly 2.5 and I have an 18-month-old. My list of concerns to review with the doc grew; and I finally decided to make an appointment after my company health fair. The physician assistant there calculated my cholesterol and HDL levels. She said my HDL levels were too low and she recommended a full fasting cholesterol screen. So I gave in and called to set up an appointment. Dr. Uhlmann was booked out for months with the exception of one 4 p.m. cancellation the following week. That’s a good time when considering work but could be cutting it close for day care pick-up. (If I only knew…) The secretary said my appointment would take 20-30 minutes. So I grabbed last night’s 4 o’clock timeslot. Never again.

I was taken in for initial measurements right on schedule but Dr. Uhlmann was running about 15 minutes behind. No big deal, I thought. I can definitely still make it to day care by the closing time of 5:45. Jill is used to a pick-up by 5:10 but she’ll be ok. I hope. I’ve been calling her Cinderella lately. Miss Michelle jokes that Jill can tell time and starts to get cranky and clingy just before 5 p.m. It’s like she knows when I’m coming! Well a 5:10 pick-up did NOT happen yesterday. A 5:45 closing time pick-up did NOT happen.

Back to the doctor’s office. There’s an emergency down the hall. My doc leaves to “have a quick look” at the patient. Sounds like someone may need Benadryl and fast. I’m left sitting on the table dressed only in the pale blue johnny. Cute. Dr. Uhlmann returns. I love this lady. She’s so sarcastic, funny and crude. We discuss my family history (it’s always comforting to hear the doc say, “what a mess!”), and review the do you smoke?, do you wear a seatbeat? questions. Things seem to be back on track for an on-time pick-up when Dr. Uhlmann gets called down the hall again. I find my phone and call Tony. He leaves work 30 minutes early to take over pick-up duties. Now I can relax in my johnny, I thought. The doc returns and apologizes. Tony’s picking Jill up now so I don’t rush my appointment. I ask the questions I wanted to ask. I get the full physical, yuck. I leave said building at Downtown Crossing at 5:15 and I call Tony. He’s sitting in traffic and doesn’t think he will get to day care in time. Pick up the pace. Power walk to the T. Call Tony at various stops to compare our locations. Sprint through the parking lot, peel out and speed to day care. The crazy Mom in the CRV. Six minutes late for pick up. Jill’s eyes are red from crying. She looks exhausted. She gives me a big hug and starts laughing out of nowhere.

Tony comes tearing in a few minutes later. Now this is a treat. Both parents at pick-up? Jill’s in a great mood and that worked wonders for me. A few minutes earlier I was narrowly missing pedestrians to rush to day care. I had tears building up in my eyeballs. Don’t cry. This is ridiculous. These things happen; they have to. And this is the first time it’s happened to us. Jill didn’t seem to mind. She was in a great mood when we got home! Little kids: they’re so resilient!

All the Kids from Day Care are in Dreamland

Samuel L. Jackson narrates on David Letterman

Have you heard of the book “Go the F*** to Sleep” by Adam Mansbach? You must have by now. It’s hilarious. It brought us back to the newborn days: the miserable first 8-10 weeks of Jill’s life when a full night of sleep wasn’t an option.

Jill’s been a good sleeper since, with interment waves of teething and bad dream cry out wake-ups. Fast forward to summertime and longer days: Jill doesn’t want to go to bed. She sees the remaining sunlight and wants to play – in her room, with her musical activity table, on the dog, outside, watching Thomas, anything but lying quietly in bed. And so bedtime has successfully (by Jill’s notes) been pushed back to 8 p.m.

By 8, Jill’s “rubbing eyes,” yawning and asking to be put to bed. It’s been seamless. Until the longer days kicked in. Monday night I was sure I wouldn’t see Jill. I had an offsite meeting at the Fairmont Battery Wharf, a walking culinary tour and a team dinner at Antico Forno. It was after 8:30 when I finally got home. Jill fell asleep only 10 minutes earlier, Tony said. It was a multi-step, multi-try, multi-cups-of-milk and multi-cups-of-Cheerios bedtime. Jill was handing Tony his cell phone as if to say, “Mom’s not here. Call her and tell her to come home right away.” I tiptoed up the stairs and into Jill’s room, leaned over the crib railing and brushed the hair away from her eyes. She was sweating. Wrapped herself so tightly in her blanket that she was sweating. Then she woke up and saw me. HUGE smile. I lifted her up for a lighter clothing swap and she hugged me tightly. All of the sudden Jill was wide awake; it was playtime; and it was pushing 9 p.m. And I thought I wasn’t going to see her Monday night. Silly me. Please refer to above mentioned book.

Father's Day Weekend

Deadliest Catch Quincy



Capt. Jill's inspection. Verdict: eat 'em up!

 

should have named her Mia





new summertime PJs from Nana - adorable!

Peace, Love and Rock 'n' Roll

Happy Flag Day!

OK, busted ... I walked to the mall Monday night after work and bought this tshirt specifically for her school's celebration today.  The kids were asked to wear red, white and blue to honor Flag Day.  Jill's "Peace, Love & Rock 'n' Roll" shirt looked really cute with her bright red pants.  Tomorrow's outfit?  Yes, it will be Bruins themed.  Tony and I took the day off to get the sailboat in the water.  Check back tomorrow night for pics!  We're really looking forward to getting out on the water this summer!!

Destination VT

helping Dad prep for a dump run, lots of yard work done!

hanging out with my main squeeze dog but there were 3 dogs total and 2 cats to play with!

playing with Pop before his work trip to Japan

being a grump with my aunties

Nana: "an 18-month-old trapped in a 2-year-old's body"
Our baby is tall and sometimes clumsy!

going for a walk with my Nana

book worm

18 Months and Growing

We thought Jill was tall at her last doctor's appointment when she measured in the 88th percentile.  Today - at her 18 month appointment - she measured in the 95th!  She weighed 24 lbs., the 46th percentile.  Eight teeth have popped through.  Language and behavior seem to be developing well, Dr. Oh said.  Jill was so well behaved despite being interrupted just before snack time to come to the doctor's! 

She's sitting in her high chair right now eating apple sauce and watermelon.  We're packing shortly for our weekend visit to Nana's in Vermont!

Believe in Boston

The Bruins tied the Stanley Cup Final series 2-2 last night with a 4-0 home win against the Canucks.  I'm sure it was a very exciting game.  We wouldn't know.

I walked in from yoga around 9 p.m. and found Tony watching TV on the couch.  "Why aren't you watching the game?," I asked.

He looked annoyed.  Oh man, here we go.  "Because apparently we don't get that channel," he responded.

One of us will be calling Comcast today to upgrade our cheesy cable package to include Versus.  In the meantime, THANK YOU to Heidi for her thoughtful text last night and offer to turn her office into a nursery so that we could come over and watch the game.  Go B's!

Paul Revere is ready for a Stanley Cup!
from NorthEndWaterfront.com

Crabby Pants

This week has been tough.  Jill's been sick:  she's full of boogers, she's teething and she's a crabby pants.  The weather is warming up and if she's anything like her Mom, she will not get along with the heat.  Tony was due home before us today (not the norm).  He had to make a grocery store stop for milk and a few other items. 

He had strict directions for when we got home:

1.  Don't peak in the backyard.  There's a surprise for Jill.  (He seemed excited!)

2.  Snacktime.

3.  Dress Jill in her bathing suit.

Jill stared at the bright red crab pool for a few minutes.  She watched the water shoot out the middle.  She approached with caution.  Tony splashed her a few times and Rachael came over for moral support.  Jill stepped into the pool but didn't sit down.  I think the water may have been a little too chilly.  We'll give it another try tomorrow when the temps are supposed to be even higher!

Eating Steak Tips from Tupperware at 9 p.m.

There are many things that change when babies enter our world. Life becomes a lot less spontaneous when two becomes three. Not that I was the most spur-of-the-moment, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of gal, but I’d appreciate an occasional “screw this commute; let’s stay in the city and grab a drink” or “I don’t feel like cooking; let’s just go out to eat.” Last minute decisions are invigorating, almost exciting. Sounds dorky but it’s totally true.

Spontaneity flew out the door when Jill entered our world 1.5 years ago. Sure, I was the nervous first-time Mom who didn’t want her newborn near anyone before the first shots. Sure, Jill was born in December and the weather was miserable, dark and depressing. Sure, I was miserable, dark and depressing during maternity leave. But life got better. Jill started to sleep. Winter turned to springtime. Hormones leveled out. Months and seasons passed and Jill became more and more independent. Her neck muscles strengthened as she held her head up. Her dexterity improved as Aunt Kathleen coached her to roll over. She pulled herself up the side of the Pack ‘n’ Play and ottoman to stand as her balance improved. And then she ran.



Jill was a newborn, baby, toddler then little person. As she becomes older and more independent, our lives become more hectic but easier in a way. Throw a couple diapers, wipes, snacks and a sippy cup in a bag and we’re out the door. Take last night for example. As I drove down Rockland Street, I noticed the tide was high and inviting. I bet Tony would want to go kayaking with Houston if he’s not working, I thought. Houston was off but in prime BBQing mode so we packed up and headed to Heidi and Houston’s for dinner. Jill ran circles through the kitchen, dining room and hallway (about 40 times) with occasional stops in the spare bedroom to be noisy. She explored outside and was a little too curious about Quincy Shore Drive and its traffic. Planes flew overhead and was that ever exciting! Everything was going smoothly until bedtime. Yes, we pushed the limit and paid for it. 8 p.m. and Jill turned into a pumpkin. Nothing a little Thomas the Train can’t calm? Nope, she was all done. Quick!  Throw the steak tips, potatoes and corn in a Tupperware container!  Thanks for dinner!  We're out.  Nothing spontaneous about that.