Samara Learns to Sit Up
Samara has a favorite toy. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it looks like this:She is obsessed with it. Good thing it's helping her sit up. Take a look:
Bob The Builder Fixes The Bed That Two Monkeys Named Ari and Wilhelm Decided to Break
Recently, Wil took a week off of work. During that time, Ari and he developed a nighttime ritual of running as fast as they could down the hallway, into our bedroom and jumping as hard as they could onto our bed. Well, they did this one too many times and our bed collapsed. As soon as the bed broke, Ari proclaimed: "That's okay! Bob can fix it!" Bob is our great friend who happens to be a contractor. So Bob, who is quite literally "Bob The Builder," came over and went to work fixing the bed that the boys decided to break. Ari had even more fun watching Bob fix the bed, than he did breaking the bed in the first place: Thank you Bob The Builder! Now if I can only keep these very persistent monkeys from destroying the bed again.
An Ornery DOE Employee Leads to a Life Changing Moment
After getting 4 hours of sleep, and having no caffeine, I decided it would be a perfect day to head down to the Department of Education to renew my substitute teaching license. To make the trip even more exciting, I decided to take both kids with me. I plunked Ari in the stroller, placed Samara in the Ergo, and off we went to The DOE, a place filled with so many lovely bureaucratic moments. We got to the floor where I had to renew my license. I arrived with children and my $25 postal money order in hand. I was prepared, I thought, having spoken to the Department of Education’s Human Resources hotline the day before. When I got to the front of the line to be served, an ornery woman grunted at me: “FILL THIS FORM OUT.” I obliged and handed it back to her. “Uh…it says here that you are code “C,” you need to submit…” and then she went on to list what seemed like 50 other requirements besides the postal money order I had in my right fist. “Wait!” I may have even held up my hand to her, I don’t know, I was so alarmed. [...]
Samara Cracks Up
Watch as Wilhelm makes Samara crack up!
The Winners of The “This Won’t Hurt a Bit (and other white lies)” Giveaway are…
Sorry folks, this is a day late but...congratulations to The Unorthodox Mom and Amanda! You won The This Won't Hurt a Bit (and other white lies) giveaway! How does it feel to be winners?Winners selected by random.org
Be Afraid, or Not?
When I was a kid, I thought my parents were superheroes. They weren't afraid of monsters, death, or the dark. I could count on them to protect me from everything. Now that I have my own kids, I'm realizing more and more, that I am now responsible for defending them against these things. The only trouble is, I have my own fears. I'm still unconvinced about the existence of monsters in the closet, and I like to sleep with the light slightly dimmed. So...what do I do? Do I pretend I'm not afraid; feign bravery so that my kids feel safe, or should I be honest about the fact that I'm not invisible? It's a tough call. It's human to be afraid, but children need to feel safe and secure. What do you think?
This is How to Spend a Sunday Night
I believe "dufus" is not really a word. I think it's slang...
All Those Who are Burnt-Out, Say Aye!
Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a superhero. I cannot "do it all," and I don't have eighteen hands. I can't hold Samara, make breakfast, clean the kitchen, bathroom, living room, teach Ari numbers and letters, change Samara's diaper, use the bathroom myself, make Ari nap, make dinner, soothe Samara when she's crying, teach Ari not to be afraid of monsters, find homeopathic remedies for teething babies, take the kids to the playground, and the list goes on and on.This weekend, I broke down. I lost it. I'm not exaggerating.I cried. I screamed. I'm still trying to piece myself back together.I think part of the problem is the idea that things need to be a "certain way." Yes, it's good to have a routine, but when things don't go as planned, I need to learn to adapt.I remember something my midwife said: "Take 30 minutes a day to be by yourself, without the kids."I'm beginning to realize that this is imperative for my own sanity.Have you ever felt this way?
Thank You Child!
Just when I thought I was going to lose my mind from sleep deprivation, something wonderful happened.Last night, Samara sleep through the night!Thank you Samara, you rock!
The Winner of The Nosefrida Giveaway is…
Congratulations Leigh! Come on down! You won yourself a Nosefrida! Happy snot-sucking!How does it feel to be a winner?**Winner was selected using Random.org 😀 Thank you Nosefrida for sponsoring this snot-sucking giveaway 😉
I’m Ordering Online Next Time
"Ari, we're out of wipes. We need to go to Target to get wipes for Samara." I said this morning as Ari was playing with his cars. "NO! I don't want to go to Target. I need a jacket!" He whined "It's really hot outside, you don't need a jacket." I said with a sigh. "I want to watch the new Max & Ruby instead." He countered. "Okay, I'll get you a car if you go to Target." I said thinking about the dollar bins at Target which are stocked with Matchbox cars. "I want Toy Story instead." He said. "I can offer you a car." I say, standing my ground. "Okay." He said with a sigh. *** At Target As I make my way to the elevators, I pass the women's summer clothes. I do a mental inventory of the clothing I have at home, and realize that I have exactly one summer outfit. I begin impulsively grabbing pairs of shorts and a few shirts that appear to be my size. I feel like I'm on Supermarket Sweep except with clothes as opposed to food. The whole time I am grabbing clothes, Samara is alternating crying with nursing while [...]
“Go The F#$k to Sleep”
I am very cranky this morning. I cannot think of a better day to write this. Ari did not go to sleep until 11pm and I wanted to throw myself out the window. I tried everything, but nothing worked. It was incredibly aggravating. Thank goodness there is someone out there who knows my pain. His name is Adam Mansbach and he wrote this genius book:Here's a closer look at the cover, just to drive the point home:As a parent, I try to be diplomatic and reason with my child. I tell him if he sleeps, he will grow up to be big and strong, he'll have more energy to run around on the playground. I've tried many many tactics to get my kid to sleep, but sometimes nothing works and the frustration makes me go insane.Mansbach knows this frustration all too well. His daughter, Viven, was a terrible sleeper. He joked on Facebook one day that he was going to write a book entitled "Go the F#$k to Sleep." He received such encouraging comments that he went out and actually wrote the book!Mansbach is a Professor of Fiction at Rutgers University. Some of his previously published work includes: Angry Black [...]
This Won’t Hurt a Bit (And Other White Lies), A Review and a Giveaway!
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Michelle Au, MD and author of This Won't Hurt a Bit (And Other White Lies). The book is a candid memoir of Au's medical training and entrance into motherhood. She recounts her trials and tribulations as a medical student, a pediatrics resident, an anesthesiology resident and a new mother. The book has an injured monkey on the cover. In addition to being a doctor, Michelle is also a mother of two boys, Cal, 5 (almost 6) and Mack, 2. In fact, she gave birth to Cal while she was an anesthesiology resident! This Won't Hurt a Bit (And Other White Lies) is hilarious and profound all at once. One of the things I liked best about the book is Michelle's honest inner-monologue. There are priceless humorous touches like this one: "I suddenly remember an embarrassing mark on the back of my white coat--earlier, I accidentally sat in a puddle of spilled coffee that has since dried into an unsightly yellow-ish stain, making it look like I peed on myself--and angle myself slightly away from the family before anyone can see that." This Won't Hurt a Bit (And Other White [...]
It’s Starting To Become Fun
The first four months of having baby # 2 (Samara) in the house were really difficult. I had to deal with: Ari's adjustment to having a little sisterAri being admitted to the hospitalA colicky infantWil being gone at work all night, and asleep all day at homeGetting married! Wait...that's a good thing!With all these things going on, no wonder I'm tired. But, even though I am really tired, I've noticed that having two kids is starting to become more fun. Ari and Samara are beginning to interact, and it's really cute. The other day, I put Samara in the stroller. It was her first time in it, as I usually carry her in The Moby Wrap or The Ergo Baby Carrier. Ari got a kick out of seeing his little sister in the stroller as opposed to on my chest. Note: It was really hot that day; that's why Ari is squinting and Samara has no clothes on! He had fun pushing Samara in the stroller for a few blocks, until he got tired and said:"I wanna go in there!" And pointed to the stroller where Samara was sitting, contentedly staring at her feet.He wants Samara to do everything he [...]
