K-I-S-S-I-N-G

When I picked Evy up at daycare last night the teachers said, "You're going to have to lock Evy up! She's kissing Finn!" Apparently, Evy puts her arms around Finn's neck and kisses him on the lips! The teachers thought it was funny. When I mentioned it to Scott he mumbled something about cleaning his gun as he walked out of the room.....

On the edge?

I was in a good mood this morning. Just a regular morning. I needed to pick up some Resinol for Evy's diaper rash and I can only get it at a pharmacy so I decided to swing by the Walgreen's, which is not on my regular route to work, that has a 24 hour pharmacy. "Great, I thought. I can get one errand checked off my list." I love making the most of my time. The woman behind the counter was not exactly friendly and informed me that "she doesn't have any Resinol on the shelf." Weird response. What exactly does that mean? There is no Resinol in the store? Or, there's just not any "on your shelf"? I asked for clarificiation and she said "We don't have any" and went back to whatever she was doing before I started bothering her. I felt a little rage inside. Woah...I think I'm on the edge today. And, I still need to find some stinkin' Resinol.

Check Your Water Heater!

A local toddler was recently burned by hot water in her home. The 17-month old had 3rd degree burns from crawling into a bathroom sink and turning on the hot water. Her mother was outside with the dog at the time. It's easy to say "what was that mother doing?" But, let's be honest. We all let our kids out of our sight for 3 minutes. So, check your hot water heater and make sure it's set at 120 degrees. Anything higher is dangerous. We adjusted ours last night.


Thanks, SB, for the reminder.

Year 1 Pictures, 3 months late

I just realized that I have never posted Evy's 1 year old pictures. The photo shoot seemed to be a disaster. We couldn't get Evy to stand still, let alone look at the camera or God forbid smile. But in the end we got some keepers.

Photos taken by http://www.lifes-moments.com/

My Precious!

I just finished the bag of these precious cookies that I've had for a few weeks at my desk. Darn, now I guess my diet has to start.

Work Life Balance: 1 Year

1 year ago I returned to work after a 12 week maternity leave. Wow! How time flies. Getting into the grove with a newborn was tough. It will never be easy, but things have gotten so much better. The main difference is that Scott is not traveling anymore (hallelujah!!!!). I still struggle with the decision to leave Evy at daycare for 45 hours each week so that I can come to work. This is an internal struggle that I don't ever see me being 100% comfortable with. Is any mother ever 100% content with the work/life balance? Whether you stay at home, work part time, or work full time I think it's difficult. On one hand, Evy has thrived in daycare. She loves the social aspect of it. I think her early walking, talking and social skills are all a result of the daycare environment. On the other hand, I hate that she is sick all of the time. I hate that I miss 45 hours of her life each week. I hate that her early years are flying by as I go to work. This part has not gotten any better. But, I'm learning to manage it. I'm learning to turn work off when I leave my office. I'm learning to plan our social schedule so that we aren't away from Evy very often on the weekends. I'm learning that we can never get these years back so we have to do our best to soak them up while we can. Not bad progress for a year.

Braveheart

Evy is getting brave. That's not good news for me. She used to play around this step stool in my closet while I got ready. Now, she's climbing to the top step, standing up, and laughing as she wiggles without holding on. We have gates only at the bottom of our staircases because Evy has never shown any interest in going down the stairs on her own. Now, she is halfway down the stairs before I can catch her. Hmmm....which would get me in less trouble? The bumps and bruises she's likely to get from this new found bravery or putting her in a padded suit?

Morning Wake Up Call

Evy started to fuss at 5:30 this morning. Then she started to talk. It went like this. "Mama?.....Mama?......Milk?.......Babies?.......Mama?.......Mama?.......Dada?....Dada?......Milk?"

Translation: Mom, get up here and give me some milk. Dad, mom is not responding, get me some milk. Now!

Still Cleaning...

Germs Germs Go Away!

In the winter I loathe having a child in daycare. The germs get passed around and at any point in time at least one member of our household is sick. Evy has been sick since Friday and is on steroids for a horrible cough. I stayed home with her Monday and Tuesday and now Grandma is taking a shift. Evy was a disaster when I left this morning so I hope Grandma has a good day (fingers crossed)! I've had a sore throat for 4 weeks and Scott is now coming down with something. If we look like the walking dead just give us a break. We'll get back in the grove come April (sigh...3. more. months.)

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it's January 18. A group of us decided to celebrate New Year's mid-January when babysitters are more plentiful and prices are not jacked up. Happy New Year to you all!

In Scott's Defense

*See Previous Post First*

In Scott's defense, he claims he was referencing this type of dress when he called mama bear's scarf a "neck bow." However, I don't think a mama bear, in a children's book, would ever be dressed like this. Even if the book was written by Michael Kors.

For Grandma J--Michael Kors is a famous fashion designer who appears on my favorite show, Project Runway. Maybe this is where Scott saw the "neck bow" he is referencing.

Neck Bow?

Scott was reading a book to Evy. In the book was a picture of a mom. Scott said, "Look Evy, she's wearing a neck bow." I said, "You mean scarf?" I'm still laughing. What the hell is a neck bow?

The Gang's All Here

Evy loves (!) her dolls and stuffed animals. Earlier this week she watched a Baby Einstein DVD with Dolly, Piggy, Doggie, Brown Bear and Pink Bear. Notice a creative naming trend here? I'm surprised to notice that Elmo is missing from the picture. He is one of her favorites.

Brown Bear had to have back surgery recently to repair a torn seam. Add surgeon to my resume.

Snow Bunny

On Sunday temperatures soared into the 20s so we took the opportunity to try out Evy's new sled! We spent more time getting her layers on than we did outside but it was a fun adventure for everyone. At first Evy was crying because she could hardly walk in her pants and snow boots but she quickly got the hang of it. In warmer months Evy loves to be outside so I think she was happy to see outside for the first time in a few months. I bet our friends in CA, FL, and LA are so jealous of this post!!!

Child Labor

Evy loves to clean! She will take paper towels, towels, washclothes, toilet paper and a variety of other materials and "clean" the floor. She also likes to get the broom out and sweep. This weekend she pulled out one of her wipes and started cleaning the cabinets. She certainly does not get this affinity for cleaning from me. But I say "You Go Girl!"

Orange Bowl in Review

What a great game! Actually I hardly enjoyed it because I was so nervous the entire time! Some things that struck me:

1. Jimmy Johnson mentioned that Hayden Fry was "his coach" and that Johnson lived in Iowa for a couple of years. This made me curious. Wikipedia enlightened me...Fry was an assitant coach when Johnson was in college and Johnson coached at Iowa State in 1968-1969. Is everyone in college football tied to Hayden Fry?

2. We have two new players on our team--Terry Stross and Marvin McNight. Seriously? Do the commentators not go over the starting players names??

3. I think Stanzi was high on life when he was interviewed post game. "USA is the best. Love it or leave it. USA #1!" What???

4. The Hawkeyes play with class. As other BCS teams act like thugs, are arrogant and showboat the Hawkeyes just play the game. They are even courteous enough to help the other team up after a Clayborn smack down. This (the class, not the smack down) makes me truly proud to be a Hawkeye.

5. R-E-S-P-E-C-T...will we finally get some? Pre-season rankings will tell.

Now, what do we do until college football starts again in the fall? It's going to be a long cold winter.

Little Bunny Foo Foo?

We've been watching a lot of college football lately. I couldn't help but notice during last night's game that TCU's hand symbol looks a lot more like "Little Bunny Foo Foo" than anything remotely intimidating.

I've Got Spirit...

Today is "show your spirit day" at daycare. They have to be p.c. and call it that since not everyone in town is a Hawkeye fan. Hard to believe, I know. Some poor kid will be dropped off in Cyclone colors.

At my office it's Black and Gold day. This is the one time the University isn't p.c. Also hard to believe, I know.

Go Hawks! We were at the 2003 Orange Bowl when the Hawks got crushed. Hoping for a much better outcome this year.

Make sure to show your (Hawkeye) spirit today!

Cruise Advice

Scott and I were throwing around going on a cruise. Apparently you can get great deals on them now. I don't know when, I don't know where, I don't know anything...but I'm dreaming. I have never been on a cruise. What cruise company is the best? Is there one to avoid? We would want to go somewhere warm, probably The Bahamas. And would probably not take Evy, so we don't need anything that is kid friendly. In fact, if we're leaving our kid at home we would prefer a cruise that caters to adults. Any advice on the topic?

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a great start to 2010. We spent 3 fabulous, no obligation days at home which was a welcome change from our crazy schedule. I'm not a big resolution person but this year I want to make it a goal to slow down and enjoy life. Like a lot of people we live in fast-forward and that makes everything feel like another task that needs to be checked off the to-do list. So, in 2010 I will 1) Not work (at my paying job) more than 45 hours per week, 2) Not overbook our weekends, 3) Not sweat the small stuff (this will be challenging for me)! I hope 2010 brings you whatever you desire!