My Trip to Tulsa in Bullet Points

• Not being able to pick up Bridget has its own distinct pros and cons list. Pros include the fact that I haven’t changed a diaper since Wednesday morning, nor have I given her a bath or put her to bed.  Cons include the fact that I haven’t put her to bed or given her a bath. I have also forgotten a few times and gotten unholy hell for it. But I’m not apologizing for picking up my child when she cries and holds her arms up for me. I don’t overdo it and I try to be good, but I never actually thought I’d not pick her up for two whole weeks.
• I took my wound dressing off Friday morning and the pain set in. I guess the dressing was providing a lot more support than I realized. In fact, in the car on the drive to Tulsa, it was painful to be in the passenger seat to have the seatbelt come across my right boob, so I made Jake switch with me so I could drive. The other advantage to that is that the driver gets to hook up their iPod and listen to their music. Ha!
• I also now have a friend on my back. We call him Jimmy. I can’t begin to tell you what Jimmy is. I started to feel some irritation on Friday morning, but I assumed I just had a spot that was being rubbed constantly from the bra I have to wear all the time. But Saturday morning it was horribly painful so I had Jake and his mom look at it. It looks a bit like a pimple but it’s not red. I have to go by what Jake’s mom tells me since it’s on my back. She says it’s like there is something under the skin and a hot compress draws it up. So I have to call the doctor tomorrow to see what the hell this is. I hope no one left any medical waste in me during my surgery.
• Bridget is so freaking adorable. And smart! I don’t know why I am so amazed at the speed at which her language skills develop. I mean, new words don’t really get me because that can be chalked up to mimicry. But when she answers questions and makes associations in her head, it astounds me! Wednesday, my mom asked her if she wanted to let the dog in and she said, “Yeah!” Friday night she was walking around in her new surroundings after a long car ride and Jake asked her what she was looking for, to which she replied “my baby.” We gave her the baby doll she loves and she was happy. She has also really gotten into her grandparents. She would get up in the morning and knock on the bedroom door to be let out to see MeeMee (Grammy) and PaPa (Grampa). In fact, at bedtime, having been home for 3 hours and away from Grammy and Grampa for 7 hours, she was still asking for them.
• I had the best cake I’ve ever eaten in my entire life today for Jake’s grandmother’s birthday. It had lemon curd between the layers. I’m drooling now just thinking about it. Mmmm…. I’m hungry. Are their any Swiss Rolls left from my cache of post-op comfort food?

Much to Do

Still much to do before I get my butt on a plane to NYC tonight.  But when I come back the floor in the guest bathroom will be all done! Well, it’s mostly done now, just needs a few things like the toilet being set back in.

So sorry that this is my post for today. I hope to have a good post from New York tomorrow.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this. Did I tell you all that when I went to Sacramento last month for work, on the cab ride to the airport from the hotel, the taxi driver got lost? Hello? A taxi driver couldn’t find the airport??? Isn’t that the ONE destination they MUST know? Has this ever happened to you? What’s your weirdest travel story?

Running and Girls’ Weekend 2007

First, I’ll get the running bit out of the way. Friday’s running plan had us running for 20 minutes straight with no walking. I thought it would kill me but it didn’t. It was fine. Well, I cheated a bit and took two 30-second walking breaks, so I guess technically I only ran for 19 minutes. But I was willing and able to tack on an additional minute at the end but decided not to. I was supposed to resume running with Karin today but Jake had an unexpected trip out of town so I had to start the week in the hotel yesterday morning. It was the first time I’ve ever jogged on a treadmill and I have to say, I really liked it. It was very easy to keep up my pace, I wasn’t dealing with piles of goose poop and uneven pavement and all that. And it was air conditioned which is nice.

Why, you may ask, was I in a hotel yesterday morning? Well, I’m glad you asked! I went with Sarah and Lorna to San Antonio for Girls’ Weekend ‘07! Friday around noon, I left for Austin to stay with Sarah and hang out a bit. We ate Veggie Rolls at Double Dave’s (whole wheat crust with cheese, onions and mushrooms rather than pepperoni - pure heaven!) and drank some beer. We stayed up late talking as usual. Saturday morning we grabbed a smoothie and hopped in the car to head to San Antonio. Lorna had flown in from her city and was already at the hotel when we arrived. Lunch, talking, sight-seeing abounded. I actually got to see the Alamo for the first time in my life. I know it’s odd, considering how long I’ve lived in Texas that I had never been to San Antonio but I hadn’t. We ate, we talked, we drank, we talked more…. It’s always good to get some girl time. We hope to make Girls’ Weekend a regular, at least yearly, event.

Jake stayed home with Bridget and it was really weird to be the one who was away with them at home. I have only ever spent one night away from Bridget was when my parents watched her so Jake and I could go out for his birthday. It was hard but not as hard as I thought it would be. But in order to keep from crying, I had to minimize my phone calls home and try to time them when I knew Bridget would be asleep  so I wouldn’t have to hear her in the background. Jake is much stronger than I am about such things - he loves to talk to her on the phone. But I just couldn’t do it. My strategy worked because I didn’t end up crying once all weekend, even though the River Walk was overrun with babies, babies and more babies. It was nice to get home and be able to do Bath/Bottle/Book/Bed with Bridget. I sniffed her head way more than was really necessary as she was drinking her bottle and snuggled her a bit longer than normal before laying her down for bed.  It was wonderful and I plan to do it again tonight.

Now, regarding San  Antonio - tell me how it is that people don’t constantly fall into that river? The River Walk is teeeeeeny. And with a crowd of people trying to get past each other, may of them drunk, I don’t see how everyone manages to stay on the sidewalk. I’d be curious to see the stats on this.

Home Again, Home Again

Well, we’re home. I can’t decide if I’m happy or sad about that. I will say that Saturday night when we got Bridget home, she was very happy to be here and her bedtime ritual seemed to make her happy. We didn’t hear a peep out of her all night.  That tooth sure is taking its sweet time coming up. I see a little fleck of white on her gum but it’s not making much more vertical progress than that so far. At least she’s been in a better mood and is eating again.

All in all, I think I can only quote the sage words of my father-in-law: “You can either take a vacation, or you can go on a trip with kids. You can’t do both.”

Vacation Part Two (or Why I’m a Bad Parent)

Well, as suspected, vacation with a baby is not really vacation at all. It’s simply moving your duties to a new location without benefit of all the things you need to perform your duties. It hasn’t been bad, per se, but just not what I had hoped for when I booked this trip.

So as not to ramble on incessantly with details no one wants to hear, here’s the skinny. I had what may have been a touch of food poisoining (although I think that is a bit of an exaggeration for what I had). We have a baby who hates the beach. We have a baby who both appears to be teething and also is refusing to take more than three ounces of formula at a time, which necessitated a call to the pediatrician. And I am still hearing that question I hope never to hear again - What do you want to do for dinner?

Jake and I were talking this morning and we both admitted to sort of wishing the baby was not here with us. And then we felt like monumentally bad parents. Or at least I do. I guess I had unrealistic expectations. I was sort of looking for an escape from my daily life, which in essence is motherhood. Except there is no escape from motherhood, even when they aren’t with you. Lesson learned.

I know that things will get easier as she gets older - she won’t always be afraid of the beach (she better not be), she’ll be able to walk herself rather than be carried everywhere, we won’t have to worry every second that we aren’t holding on to her that she’s found another item on which she could kill herself, she won’t always take two naps a day that we have to work around. In short, she’ll gain more independence from us which will free us up to do more of the things we want to do. Of course, when that day comes, I’m sure I’ll bemoan the fact that my little girl doesn’t neeeeeeeed me anymore. Waaaaah! Welcome to parenthood - centrally located between this rock and that hard place.

Vacation - Part One

Yesterday we departed on our first ever family vacation. I was worried about how this was all going to go. You know, what with taking an infant on an airplane and jacking with her schedule and routine and everything she is familiar with. But I couldn’t have been any more pleased with how Bridget has been. Even after having been awakened at 4 a.m. yesterday, barely eating a thing and only sleeping for about half an hour on the plane, she was a dream.

The best part of yesterday though, was getting to meet Shelly, her husband and Peanut in person! Here is photographic proof of the meeting. Please don’t look at how awful I look. I had been up since 3 a.m. and been drooled on, spit up on, and generally used as a baby jungle gym for eight hours already by the time this was taken.

I have to tell you that as many cute pictures as you may have seen of Peanut if you read Shelly’s blog, they can simply not do justice to how beautiful a child she is. I thought I was prepared for her cuteness, but my god, she has the most gorgeous big brown eyes I have ever seen. And there is simply no doubt that she looks like both her parents. She very kindly shared her rice cakes with Bridget, who seemed to like them and Bridget shared a Cheerio or two. They played together a little bit and Bridget gave Peanut “pats” on her head and face. I know that it’s Bridget’s way of showing affection, but I’m sure no parent likes to see their kid smacked in the face by another kid. Sorry, Shelly. I promise Bridget is not a brute. Both Shelly and her husband are delightful in person. So yea! New friends!

After we left the restaurant we got on the road for Hilton Head. We were both exhaused. Bridget actually fell asleep laying on the car seat while getting her diaper changed before we left so it was no surprise that we didn’t hear a peep out of her until we were already in South Carolina. She slept all the way through Georgia! Our condo is beautiful and huge - way more room than we really need but having a separate bedroom for Bridget is invaluable. Before I had a chance to pass out, I headed out to buy supplies for the week, then we snacked a bit and took a walk on the beach. Bridget put her feet in the water….

And then we pretty much all passed out. Jake and I were in bed, lights out at nine p.m. But this morning I got up and went to the Coligny bakery for muffins and coffee, and as soon as Bridget wakes up, we are bound for the beach!

Vacation Time

Tomorrow, bright and early, we get on a plane to Jacksonville, where we’ll get to meet Shelly and her husband, and the Peanut. After that we’ll get on the way to Hilton Head.

Wish us luck. I hope that we don’t annoy everyone on the plane. I’m not sure if booking a 6:30 a.m. flight on a Saturday was a good idea or a terrible idea. Time will tell.

And since I have to get up at 3 a.m., I guess I better get my butt in gear. I still have much to do….

We’re Off

We are off to Tulsa for a long weekend. Behave while I’m gone, will ya?

Home Again, Home Again

We are back! I guess I was very busy last week and didn’t mention to you all that we were going to visit friends in Austin for the holiday weekend. Bad me. We got to spend some time with Sarah and her HUSband, as well as with M&K, and then Lorna who flew in for the weekend.

It was a very low-key, un-exciting weekend filled with friends and food. I was worried about how Bridgie would do, staying in a hotel with us and being around so many new people. But she was wonderful. We set up her travel Pack and Play in a bedroom and she went to sleep after just a little bit of baby drama, which I chalked up to the combo of strange place and not her normal bed. She was a charmer and seemed to have fun with all her new admirers.

What a great way to spend a long holiday weekend. Even though the weather was gloomy, we had a great time. I got some good girl time, as Jake was kind enough to take Bridgie off my hands for the afternoon on Saturday. That was something I really needed.

Now we are back and I’m considering going to bed very soon, even though it’s only 8:30. The dogs won’t be home until tomorrow night so I have no responsibilities until tomorrow. Reading in bed for a while sounds like just the right way to end my long weekend.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Vacation Plan

Thanks to the need for a completely new and improved furnace/evaporator coil/duct work, plus the new carpet we just had installed, we will not be going to the Caribbean this summer. Well, that’s most of the reason. But also there is the fact that Jake really wants a new and very expensive camera lens that I, the CFO of SpudCorp, said he could get with some extra money sitting in PayPal if we didn’t go to the Caribbean. Oh and the fact that I am a paranoid mom and somehow was nervous about taking my infant daughter to what is essentially a third world country. Granted, a beautiful third world country, but still.

With that in mind, I looked domestic. We had such a fantastic time in Hilton Head last year, and it’s very affordable, and we could use fewer frequent flier miles to get there… So yeah, we booked a condo in Hilton Head. It’s very close to the lovely house we stayed in last summer, so we already know what’s around as far as stores and restaurants and such. I know, it’s not an exciting adventurous trip but considering it will be our first family vacation ever, maybe exciting isn’t exactly what we are going for. I am secure that we know what we are getting and will have a good time. That counts for a lot. Nothing worse than arriving at your vacation destination only to be disappointed in your hotel or the destination in general. Maybe we’ll save the Caribbean for when she’s older and can appreciate the turquoise water and white sand beaches.

OK, well now I need to get my ass to the gym. I have a little less than 3 months before I need to appear in public in a bathing suit. And I don’t have the luxury of wearing a maternity suit like I did last year. Well, I guess I could, but it feels like cheating.