Monthly Archives: January 2010

Hemorrhoids and a Mouse in a Stock Pot!

Posted on January 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

I was not looking forward to today. Today I had to visit a colo-rectal specialist to look at my hemorrhoids that I’ve had since I was pregnant. Thankfully, Ari’s Uncle Mike offered to babysit while I went to the doctor.

So there I am, sitting in the doctor’s office, waiting for the doctor to examine my roids, when I receive the following picture text message from Uncle Mike:

The message was accompanied with the following text:

“Hi, I just hitched a ride and jumped out of Ari’s bag! Can you see me? I’m a squeek-squeek!“

Yes, you read correctly, a mouse was hiding in my son’s diaper bag.

So I began to obsess over this rodent while sitting in the butt doctor waiting room, because (frankly) I had nothing else to do. Here were my stream of thoughts:

Where did the mouse come from?
My apartment?
Mike and Mint’s apartment?
My mom’s car (which I drove to the doctor’s appointment)?
Are there more mice hiding in the diaper bag?
Are there more mice hiding in my apartment?

And my mind kept going and going.

I finally got to into see the doctor, and while he was examining my roids I tried to make conversation with him about…well…anything. I needed to distract myself from this intimate exam.

Apparently, he lives in Long Island (Nassau County to be exact) and he dislikes transferring at Jamaica on the LIRR so he prefers to drive to work. Also, he says, if he lived in Mannahasset, he wouldn’t need to transfer at Jamaica.

But I digress. He explained that my hemorrhoids were mild enough, except for one “dominant one” which he said could be removed using a “rubber band procedure.” I was so baffled by this explanation that I didn’t care to ask more about it, but instead I made another appointment for three weeks later to get rid of my dominant or “alpha-hemorrhoid.”

I arrived back at Mint and Mike’s house. Mike had (after some effort) trapped the mouse successfully in a stock pot.

He said the most humane thing we could do was to set the little guy free in Riverside Park.

So we did! Take a look:

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Posted in Anecdotes, Hemmorhoids

Put Your Shoes On

Posted on January 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

Mint has requested a video of Ari helping to putting his shoes on! I am supplying it here:

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Posted in Videos

My Babysitter is Not 30…But I Am!

Posted on January 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

I stayed home with my son for the first year of his life. When my son turned a year, I began working on a per diem basis for the NYC Department of Education as a substitute teacher. My parents have been gracious enough to babysit when I am working. But they are retired and I feel like I am cutting into their “golden years.”

I mean, they are hippies. And what do cool hippie grandparents do in New York City? They go to Wednesday matinees at the theater, they check out a movie, when they feel like it, they garden, they go hear former Governor Cuomo speak. You get the point.

My mom has been telling me for months to find a back up babysitter. She suggested a high school student. Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I keep feeling like mentally and emotionally I, myself, am still in high school. I can still pull off pig tails.

But the reality is, I’m 3o years old. And when I wear my hair down, you can tell.

Anyhow, a colleague of mine has a lovely daughter who is in high school and babysits. She agreed to babysit for my son for a reasonable rate.

When I met her, I was forced to admit to myself that I am not in high school. I’m getting older, people. Not to say that 30 is “old” by any means. But the difference between her and I is clear. This girl looks great! She’s in great shape, skinny, can probably eat an entire pan of brownies and not gain a pound, her hair is long and fantastic looking and she wears stylish yet sophisticated looking glasses.

I came home from picking my son up, looked in the mirror and realized that I am not 17 anymore. But my babysitter is…

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Posted in Babysitting

Night Terrors

Posted on January 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

Something alarming is happening to my child at night; he wakes up (usually around midnight) breaks out of his room, screams and runs up to me (I am passed out on the couch at this time) freaking out as if he has been battling with monsters with three heads.

I try to calm him down, I put him on my chest and hug him tight. Sometimes this works and he falls asleep after some effort on my part, and sometimes he is too shaken up to calm down.

My son’s pediatrician told me that this could be considered night terrors.

As far as I understand them, night terrors appear effect babies and toddlers in this way:

-the child is startled by a scary dream

-he/she starts freaking out but is not actually awake

-By freaking out I mean physically shaking, arms (and possibly legs) flailing about and screaming

When I saw my son experience night terrors for the first time, I was alarmed and had no idea what to do. This article says that you should not try to restrain your child if they have night terror. Personally, I find this advice hard to follow. When I see my son in distress I want to help him.

Has anyone ever experienced this with their child? What did you do?

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Posted in Child Development, Sleep

Hello? Goodbye!

Posted on January 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

My son has recently become fascinated with the telephone. He is starting to understand what it does, and becomes excited when it rings. I was bored on Sunday, so I decided to have a little fun with him by calling him on the land line from my cell phone. Take a look:

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Posted in Videos

My Response to The MTA Answered by a Human BEING!

Posted on January 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

Well folks, the MTA finally provided me with real human response. Check it out:

Response (Doug Sussman) - 01/24/2010 07:21 PM
Dear Ms. Fader:

I’m sorry that you continue to find MTA email responses to be impersonal and “canned”. I do not think the previous response is too generic, and the answer is correct.

But here are some additional specific answers that I trust you will find acceptable.

Given the lack of any recurring source to fund our capital program, it is not at all possible to give you a time frame to make all 468 subway stations accessible for our customers with disabilities. Indeed, I cannot imagine that every station will ever be made fully accessible. We require about $25 billion for the next five years for All basic capital improvements within our 5,000 square mile service area. As of now, no such plan has been approved by the approved by our funding partners.

Elevator maintenance and cleaning is on a regular schedule. If defacing or vandalism of any elevator is experienced, if reported to the elevator/escalator section of our website, it will indeed be inestigated and corrected as soon as possible.

I trust that these responses are more on target and specific. Your comments are duly noted and appreciated.

Sincerely,

Douglas R. Sussman
Director
Community Affairs

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Posted in MTA

The Moxie Spot Part II

Posted on January 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

I wrote a previous post about The Moxie Spot, a restaurant and play space in Brooklyn, NY. My best friend Mint took my son here (while I was at work) and he had the best time, as evidenced by the photos below, which she just had a opportunity to send me.

These pictures also give you an idea of what the play space at The Moxie Spot looks like. Take a look at Ari’s busy day:

After we left The Moxie Spot, Mint and I happened open a flower shop that was giving out free flowers based on what your name was.

Mint’s birth name is “Diane” not “Diana,” but she managed to score some flowers anyway. Thanks Floral Heights!

For more information on The Moxie Spot, click here.

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Posted in Uncategorized

The MTA Continues to Blow OS/NS Mom Off!

Posted on January 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

For those of you that have been following my blog, you know how I feel about the NYC MTA and it’s lack of accessibility to mothers with strollers. I forwarded my previous post to the MTA, where I indicated that they sent me a generic response.

Here is the latest response they sent me:

Response (Antonio Ligonde) - 01/21/2010 02:45 PM
This is in response to your recent e-mail message to MTA New York City Transit requesting travel information.

We regret that you are not satisfied with your previous response. Please be assured that New York City Transit shares your concern regarding the accessibility of the subway system for all passengers. We have established a long-term plan that provides for upgrades at key stations throughout the subway system to make these stations accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Please be assured that we will continue our efforts to make the system comfortable and reliable for all of our customers.

We suggest you visit http://mta.info/accessibility/

, for information regarding accessibility in the transit system. Please note that bus and subway service information along with travel itineraries within New York City may also be obtained by calling our Travel Information Center at (718) 330-1234, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., 7 days a week, where customer service representatives are available. Please have a pen and paper ready, provide each starting point, destination and the approximate time you will be traveling.

Thank you for having taken the time to contact us.

Robbin Gust
Associate Transit Customer Service Specialist II

I still want to know the following information:

1. When will all stations in New York City be accessible to the disabled population as well as mothers with strollers?

2. Is there a long term plan for this to occur? If so, what is the specific plan?

3. Can the MTA please make sure that the elevators that do exist are clean? I have stepped in human urine one too many times in these elevators.

Hopefully the MTA will reply with some specific answers to this post.

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Posted in MTA

Paper Plate Art

Posted on January 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

My son (who is approaching two years old at a rapid pace) has recently discovered what it is to draw. However, he doesn’t quite say the word draw, he says “straw?” which can be quite confusing because then I think he may be thirsty when in fact he wants to make art.

Today we taped paper plates to the floor and drew on them with crayons. Here is what we created together:

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Posted in Art

Sometimes We Hurt The Ones We Love

Posted on January 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

After almost two years of friendship, Egreck (my cat) and Simon (my other cat) have become impatient with their dear friend (Ari, my son).

Ari shows his love for the “keys” (Ari’s word for kitty) by lying on top of them and kissing them. I try to monitor his affections toward his feline uncles (they are his family after all) because he can overwhelm the “keys.”

This is evidenced by the multiple scratches Ari has on his hands and feet. I don’t see the scratches occur, but I do notice them after the fact.

This whole situation has got me thinking about de-clawing. Gasp! I am a shameless animal lover and would have never considered this option before. I, Sarah Fader, have saved countless cats and dogs from the streets of New York City, cat and dog sat in the metropolitan area for over five years, and worked in a veterinary office for two years of my life.

My understanding is that de-clawing your cats is similar to if you removed the nails from a human as well as a 1/4 inch of a human finger. Naturally, given this understanding, I am extremely reluctant to pursue this option.

But I have tried clipping my cats nails, told my son to be “gentle” and all that positive parenting language. None of this seems to solve the problem that my cats are repeatedly scratching my son.

Readers: Any thoughts?