Lights Out

I ran out of work at 4:15 yesterday to pick up LP and bring her to the doctor. Her conjunctivitis did not appear to be clearing up and well, after two days, I kind of missed the doctor's office. By 5:45 we were in Walgreens waiting for her eye drop prescription to be filled. It is unfathomable to me that a 3ML bottle of eye drops costs $50 with my insurance. So far during the month of January we have spent $125 on doctor visits and $90 on prescriptions.

And yet, the hectic part of my day was only beginning. At 6 pm.

As I was trying to check our answering machine messages as I drove to pick up LP, I kept getting this weird message, "We're sorry, your call can not be completed at this time. Please try again later." Thinking maybe my cell phone sucked, I called my parents and had no problem getting through. Hmm...We do have phone service through our cable company so my suspicions were raised about a potential power outage.

Regardless, as stated in my opening paragraph I had other things to worry about.

After finishing up at the pharmacy I was pleased to note that there were lights along the main road. Then I turned into my neighborhood. PITCH FREAKING BLACK. And when I say black - I mean really dark. No lights for about a 4 block radius. It is now about 6:15. I have no diaper bag, no idea where flashlights are in my house, and a little munchkin with hunger pains and puffy red eyes in need of eye drops. Oh, and the Hoos is at an event for work and NOT ANSWERING HIS CELL PHONE. Not like he could have done much, he drove to the event with a bunch of other people and there isn't much assistance he could provide from Hartford, but still, I wanted someone to commiserate with me.

Holding out hope that the power will come back on soon, LP and I drive to that kid mecca, McDonalds, instead of working our way into the house. I would like to try to operate in the dark as little as possible. We kill an hour in McDonalds with other blackout refugees and attempt to call our local family, none of which answer their cell or home phones. Actually, my sister-in-law is the only one that answers her phone, but she is at work so she can't really offer any assistance.

We return to our electricity-free home. I am thrilled to remember that I put a battery operated "tap light" inside the house by the back door when we moved in to offer light in the event we get home late and don't leave any lights on. I tap it and both LP and I giggle with excitement when it pops on. I then attempt to remove it from the wall. It falls and the batteries scatter all over the back steps. Crap.

Toddler and I manage to make our way into the house, locate candles and light them. We then try to use a candle to recover the batteries for the tap light so we can have something a little less dangerous to light our way. (For the next five minutes LP periodically yells out "batt'ries" and "Amen" - though not really in conjunction with one another). As yet another aside, it is REALLY REALLY HARD to change a poopy diaper in the dark. I did it, but it took a while, especially since LP insisted on holding the tap light during the process, and dropping it, causing the batt'ries to fall out again.

About a half hour later we try my in-laws again and they have returned home from their outing. Hallelujah! LP and I pack stuff up in the dark and head out for the 20 minute drive to their home. On our way there my phone rings, both the Hoos and my brother-in-law call me back to see why I am stalking them via cell phone. Growl.

After slipping LP into the bath at my in-laws (and noticing that she has diaper rash from walking around with a dirty diaper for who-knows how long), I call home and our phone actually rings. Power has been restored. It is 8:45. By 9:15 we are home, LP is sleeping and I am trying to think of a good reason not to want to injure the Hoos. Of course, it doesn't take long to remember that I need him: LP can't go to school today because of the conjunctivitis so I need him to stay home with her in the morning while I get some work done. Lucky man.

Minimum Qualifications

After some recent interactions with unpleasant people, I have decided that there needs to be some criteria that people need to meet, consistently, in order to be considered adults:

1. Look people in the eye when having a conversation.
2. Accept responsibility when you are at fault, and even occasionally when you aren't.
3. Treat everyone with respect even if they don't deserve it.
   
4. Acknowledge other contributors in your life (personal and professional).
5. Channel your excess energy into positive activities. (Note "consistently" is not the same as "always")
   
6. Take it if you dish it. I am all about the quick comeback, but if you can't accept someone returning a smart retort, keep your trap shut.
7. Learn to make at least one meal. Even mac and cheese from a box. I once had a roommate that would measure the amount of water for boiling the mac according to the instructions on the box. Even so, at least after 10 minutes she had a meal.
8. Leave it on your plate, even if you don't want it - literally and figuratively. LP is the queen of throwing food that she doesn't want on the floor or at me. Even so, with some of the hot potato passing going on in my office, it is a wonder I don't come home looking like a high school food fight survivor on a daily basis.
   
9. Show some love. A little patience and understand can go a long way sometimes.
   
10. Keep it in your pants. Don't show too much love. Everyone doesn't need to see your goods. Yes, sometimes you need to vent, and as an exception world-wide sharing may be cathartic. But, really, having a few special friends is cool; showing your goods to the entire school, not only whorish, but sad.

This is only the beginning. Whatcha got to add, blog readers?

Serves Me Right

SO I complained about a weekend when I shouldn't have. Someone is getting back at me.

LP woke up around 8 this morning and when I went into her room she said "eye!" and was rubbing her eyes. Which were a bit gunky. I knew sweet little curly haired MCH from LP's class was at the doctor on Sunday for conjunctivitis so I figured I might as well join the club. Walk-in hours are 9-10:30 so I quickly packed my little raggamuffin up and we headed over to get the inevitable out of the way.

Pulling into the parking lot I immediately recognized a car from yet another one of LP's classmates, LS, the smallest, cutest class toughie I ever saw. Good lord! I like the kids and the moms, but I don't really want to be running into them so frequently at the doc's office.

Turns out LP's eyes aren't so bad. But her left ear is ugly. I guess now is as good a time as any to try out alternatives to penicillin...

Weakend

I thought the weekends were supposed to be LESS manic than the rest of the week. For some reason it seems as though Saturday and Sunday are chock full - even when they are chock full of nothing. Not this weekend. Here are some highlights:

Saturday
LP woke up with a rash on her entire trunk. Fortunately, I was able to get a 10:30 appointment at the pediatrician. (Has anyone else noticed that weekend doctor's appointments seem to take about 4 times as long as a weekday visit? Not that we have the doctor's attention for longer, but we just spend more time in the office.) Turns out, despite the fact that LP took her last dose of antibiotic Friday am and this rash first showed up on Friday evening, the cause was determined to be the amoxicillin. Yay! A potential allergy to penicillin. Better safe than sorry and she most likely won't ever get a penicillin-derived antibiotic again, but still a pain in the arse to deal with for the rest of her life. Woo-hoo.

Oh, and LP peed on me when getting ready for her bath. Despite the fact that we were standing next to the open potty.

Sunday
A much more enjoyable day. I spent mid-day with five fabulous ladies: some of the other moms from LP's day care class. We are all working moms, with at least one kid and three of us are pregnant. It was nice to talk to grown ups, with a wide range of backgrounds and experience, but with some (actually more than some) common ground. We lingered over lunch and still probably had a lot more we could have chatted about when we figured it was time to rescue our husbands.

The evening was spent celebrating my nephew O's 9th birthday. LP is absolutely adorable when she is with her cousins, a real ham that enjoys the attention she gets from being the baby.

The weekend ended with LP peeing on the potty TWICE. Once before her bath and once after. Monday I expect to get peed on again.

Looking Ahead
Tomorrow night I start my new class. It doesn't involve math so there should be considerably less complaining and solicitations for assistance with my homework. Unless anyone wants to volunteer to go to class and pretend to be me...

Taken Advantage Of

This morning I got up with LP around 7:30. This is early for her, but when she starts yelling out random body parts ("Eye! Ehbow!") you know she is awake for good.

By the time I got around to taking off her wet diaper the Hoos was downstairs with us finishing getting ready for work. LP decided she had to pee and was walking around bottomless, sitting on the potty for 2 or 3 minutes at a time before jumping off and running on to the next thing. The Hoos was getting frustrated and kept attempting to put her diaper on. She would scream and squirm.

I told him to let her go and I would deal with it (I am trying to be supportive of the potty training thing). The Hoos was frustrated with me and as he left he called out "Make sure she doesn't wear you out - you are pregnant! And don't let her take advantage of you."

Fast forward 10 minutes and 4 or 5 quick sits on the potty. Picture LP eating a bialy, pretending to do her business. Suddenly she gets up, runs into the hallway...and pees on the floor.

Maybe in my next life I will know better.

Lesson 1: There Are No Comparisons

Almost a year ago I wrote about the temptation to compare LP's development to that of her peers. I think I have been successful in just being happy with her growing and learning at her own rate. In my mind she continues to be the "best and brightest," the same thing every other parent on the planet thinks about their kid.

I have discovered a new comparison pitfall: Comparing me to myself. I know, it sounds dumb, right? Like, "what the hell does she mean" dumb. I keep comparing my demeanor, my physique, my growth, my everything to me two years ago.

To give you some perspective, two years ago I was almost exactly at the same point in my pregnancy with LP. Bun's due date is a week later than LP's due date. Some examples of my struggle:

• Last time around: Eagerly awaiting "looking pregnant" so that people would know and understand my inner glow. This time: Eagerly awaiting looking pregnant so that I would stop looking pudgy and look like I was putting on weight for a reason.
• Last time: Excited about wearing maternity clothes like a 'real pregnant person'. This time: Dreading putting on maternity clothes and admitting that, yup, I had gained enough weight and my shape had changed enough to warrant it.
• Last time: Going to bed early so that I could keep my strength up and have a healthy and relaxing pregnancy. This time: Staying up later so that I can straighten up a house that looks like it was ransacked by a bunch of marauding hoodlums.
  
• Last time: Looking at the scale with acceptance because if I was growing, the baby was growing. This time: Looking at the scale in horror, thinking "Did I gain this much weight 20 weeks in last time?" and knowing that I really don't want to gain more weight than the first time around.
  
• Last time: Thinking my due date was THE DAY our kid would arrive. This time: Feeling confident that this baby will be three days 'late', exactly like LP.

All of these lead up to an idea for a post for the future: How the heck can I train my self not to compare kids if I can't help but compare pregnancies?

We Have a Winner - Kinda, Sorta

When I wrote the MomAgenda giveaway post I yelled out to the Hoos "The number is FIVE". He looked really confused, but nevertheless it was the official winning number. Unfortunately, no one exactly guessed it. Robyn was closest. Robyn - please email me your address (my email address is linked to directly from my profile) and I will drop it in the mail.

A Little Less Conversation, a Little More Action

I am tired of listening to myself whine about being lazy, having few local girlfriends, and only running errands in my free time. Yesterday I decided it was time for action!

I emailed a bunch of the other moms from LP's day care class asking them to get together for a moms-only lunch this weekend. Despite the last minute invitation I was thrilled to get an affirmative response from everyone! When does this ever happen?

I remember when LP was only a few months old one of the women from the mom's group at Stamford Hospital (where I gave birth) tried to stage a get together for a weekend day. When I replied, "Are kids invited?" she said something to the effect of, "Of course! I miss my baby so horribly when I am at work during the week that I want to spend every waking minute with him on the weekends."

At the time I felt chastised and a bit like a bad mommy. Of course I wanted to be with my daughter. I love her more than life itself. But now I feel confident enough in the fact that I am an awesome mom to say that sometimes a few hours without her makes everyone a bit more sane.

Besides, lunch is scheduled during her nap time...

Early Valentine's Day Give-Away

Today I received another one of my WMAG Holiday give-away prizes: a fuchsia 2007-2008 MomAgenda. Fortunately for you all, I already have a MomAgenda. I use it frequently, more to track my schedule than LP's and the accompanying address book is my most up-to-date resource of addresses and phone numbers.

I want to share the love. I am not much good at coming up with contest and the like, so instead of making this about judging (who has the energy anymore, really?), I am going to make it easy. I will pick a number between 1 and 5. Leave a comment with your number guess. The first person to pick the right number, wins. Just make sure I can contact you somehow to get your address.

Thanks for reading!

The Special Club

This morning when the Hoos called me after dropping LP off at day care, one of the first things he said to me was, "Do you ever think of us as being in a special club? You know, a parents-only club where only members can truly understand how much you can love a little person?"

This is not a knock on non-parents. It is really just a note about how fortunate we feel to be LP's parents. I couldn't even have imagined the depth of my feeling toward little LP before she arrived. And, now that we are expecting Bun, I am already anticipating how that feeling of fullness will grow. And I am sure I am even under-estimating that.

Life Lessons

LP seems to be back to 100%. She is once again cheerful and exuberant and all around silly. Some of her most recent findings:

1. Mommy will read to me for hours on end as long as I sit on the potty. Even if I don't pee! Sunday LP sat on the potty while I read her at least 10 books.
2. I can get my way if I let Mommy pick my nose. Another winner. Yesterday LP napped for 20 minutes in the car. We were hoping to levitate her from the car into the crib, but unfortunately when she is wearing cold weather gear it is hard to extract her without her noticing. She screamed and screamed from her crib. I even tried laying down next to her on the floor. I took her out and tried to get her to lay on the floor with me. Nothing was working. If I even said the word "nap" she would start howling. Finally, exasperated and with snot all over her face I said "If you want to go downstairs, let me get that booger." She stood perfectly still and let me extract it. This is not a coincidence.
3. Animals have tails but people don't. Today LP discovered the small protrusion on the back of her cow doll. She then diligently searched herself and Baby (her Cabbage Patch Kid) for similar growths. We then went through all of her stuffed animals one by one to identify their tails.
4. A robe is a good thing to put on when you are cold. The past couple of mornings LP has woken up and said something that sounds like "whoa!". You would think I would remember from one day to the next that she is calling for her robe. She likes to put it on over her pajamas and walk around the house.
5. I can get Mommy in trouble. LP has learned a few new words - including "Booby!" and "Bra!". She likes to yell them out at inopportune times. The Hoos is less than amused. I am rapidly trying to introduce other words to her vocabulary so she hopefully forgets these (yeah, right).
6. Sleeping on a pillow is kewl. While LP was sick we put a small decorative pillow (the first item we bought for her when we found out I was pregnant, actually) in her crib. We figured that elevating her head would be a good thing to combat the post-nasal drip (we didn't want to put something under the mattress because she moves so much that it would end up defeating the purpose with her head on the downward slant). She now looks so cute when she falls alseep with her little head on the pillow.

We are all learning constantly, so these are just a few examples. Everyday I swear our knowledge of each other expands by the size of an encyclopedia.

On a slightly related--but not quite--note, I am trying to learn to be more thoughtful at home and in the office. For example, instead of saying to colleagues "That isn't a bad idea"; I am actively trying to make it a positive and say "That is a good idea." I don't know why this is so hard for me!

And, finally - GO BIG BLUE!

Robopanda: An Update

We checked in with my sister-in-law last night and apparently my niece and nephews are having a great time with Robopanda. They play with him, watch TV with him, put him to sleep and all around enjoy him. I am thrilled that he is living up to his potential as a fun interactive toy.

I really wanted to like him, but apparently I was a.) hitting him too hard (my nephew can tap him with one finger and he responds) and b.) on target with the fact that LP is way too young.

LP did keep the stuffed panda bear, Teddy, that accompanied Robopanda. She is definitely a little girl that likes her plush toys. At least for 5 minutes. Unfortunately, Teddy has a chip in him that helps Robopanda identify him; as part of the product, Robopanda occasionally asks for Teddy. The first time this happened my younger nephew, Y, ran and got his own stuffed panda toy for his robot friend.

I guess it just goes to show you - take every product review you read on the Internet with a grain of salt. It is important to understand who is making the review and how and why the product didn't meet their expectations.

Looking for a Vanquishing Spell

Poor LP. Yesterday the Hoos had to pick her up from day care before lunch again because she had a low grade fever. Her eyes are looking much better, but she is now averaging 101. Ibuprofen and antibiotics are fast becoming our best friends.

She went to bed straight after her bath last night, and even though she didn't appear to be awake, she coughed from 12-1. Fortunately for everyone she was able to fight the cough and we had blissful silence from 1-6; coughing resumed from 6-7 and at 7 she called out "tissue!".

I know I should start getting used to less, more frequently interrupted sleep in preparation for Bun, but man, I was hoping to slide into it more gradually.

At least LP is in good spirits. She just dumped out a big boy of crayons and shows no signs of slowing down. I, of course, look like a zombie.

Another Anniversary

I just realized that yesterday was the first anniversary of my blog! It is amazing how time flies.

As I was scrolling back to figure out the actual date of my first entry, I noted some of my favorites over the past year. Some highlights for those of you new to the party known as "View from the Passenger's Seat" nee "CT Working Mom":

• Why I started this blog in the first place
  
• My obsession with boogers
• Traveling sans baby while nursing (totally not recommended)
• The impact LP has had on our lives (from around her first birthday)
  
• Passing on the values my parents gave me
• Our first camping excursion with LP
  
• What exactly is a "Hoos"

I would go on and on, because I guess if I took the time to write them down in the first place they must be good, right? Uhh, not quite. But I am not going to take the time to give you links to my lamest posts.

Since I started tracking statistics it appears I have had almost 5000 unique visitors and more than 12,600 hits. Of course, RiteCounter crashes every once in a while, so it may have restarted or missed some of you, but regardless, not bad for my little milli-acre of cyberspace.

Thanks for sticking around!

The Stay-Puff Marshmallow Woman

I spent yesterday home with my sick little LP. Seriously, if she didn't have the tell-tale red "smudges" under her eyes, you wouldn't know the kid was sick. She ran around like a crazy kid for most of the day. It was like a typical home day with her, the only exception being that maybe I coddled her a bit more. Okay, a lot more, I spoil her.

When I was pregnant with LP the Hoos and I would joke around about who was going to be who in the "good cop, bad cop" routine. It was supposed to be that he was the softy. This is totally not the case. Some examples

1. Breakfast
Me to LP: "You don't want to eat breakfast in your booster? You want to walk around with your mini-pancakes in your hand while you watch TV? Okay."

The Hoos to me: "You know, she sits nicely in the booster for me. You really shouldn't do that."

2. Dinner
LP: Decides she is done and starts picking food up by the handful from her plate and throwing it.

Me: Takes her plate away.

The Hoos to LP: "LP, NO! We do not throw food."

LP: Laughs.

3. The Potty
LP: "Pee! Pee!"

Me to LP: "You have to pee? Okay, let's go." Take her to the potty, remove her pants and diaper.

LP: "Book?" walks away, bottomless, to find a book.

Me (chasing after her): "Just one. Okay, two. C'mon, honey, you have no diaper on. I don't want you to pee on the floor."

LP: Returns to the potty, sits for two seconds and decides she has the wrong books.

Repeat earlier dialogue at least once.

LP: Finally pees on the potty. Last night this was AFTER her bath. I would think she would pee in the bath instead, but whatever.

The Hoos, same situation: "Do you have to pee or not?" After a minute he puts her diaper back on.

The only anomaly of this whole situation is that LP cries when I yell at her and typically laughs at the Hoos when he does. Maybe I am unintentionally playing mind games with her...

hmm...new mommy strategy...maybe I should write a book.

Our Luck Runs Out

So much for not putting LP on the antibiotic last week. Today the Hoos picked her up from day care around noon with a goopy, swollen left eye. Definitely not a good sign.

It turns out that our little pookie muffin has an ear infection in her right ear (yes, the one that could have gone either way last Thursday) and conjunctivitis in both eyes. I feel bad, because if I had chosen "option B" and put her on the antibiotic, most likely she would not have gotten the eye infection. Oh well. You can't be right all the time. And, as for temperament and fever being the key sign of an ear infection, I don't know what to say about that. LP continued to be happy and silly and never had a fever over 100.0. I have no idea how we will know if she is sick between now and when she starts talking more.

When the doctor asked the Hoos if LP was allergic to anything he answered honestly "I don't know, she has never been on antibiotics before." The doctor looked at him incredulously. We are very fortunate, LP has been in day care for at least three days a week since she was three months old and tomorrow will be the first day that I miss work due to her being ill. I am not sure if I can attribute this to breastfeeding her for 11 months or to us not noticing when she was sick before or if dang it, we are just really freaking lucky. Whatever the reason, we can't complain.

After her diagnosis, I called day care to let them know LP wouldn't be in tomorrow, "You will be short one kid Wednesday". Mr Otis replied, "More like seven!" That's right, seven kids ended up being sent home with pink eye. At least that gives them plenty of time to disinfect the entire room.

Life: An Update

This morning I had my 20-week ultrasound scheduled. Because of impending bad weather I was nervous about not being able to make it. The Hoos was planning on going with me, but if LP's school was closed, he would have to stay home with her while I went by myself. This would have been fine, but not really the same experience.

Fortunately, the weather was not nearly as bad as projected (hello! meteorologists - you said 3-7 inches of snow, we got rain!). While LP's school still had a 2-hour delay, this did not require rescheduling the appointment or for the Hoos to miss it.

Bun appears to be healthy, happy and very active. The kid did somersaults while we watched.

I know, it is hard to see things in an ultrasound, but at least you get a glimpse. 20 weeks to go!

In other news, last night I handed the Robopanda over to my almost-9-year-old and almost-5-year-old nephews. I will report back and let you know how it goes. My sister-in-law made me promise to take it back if she or they didn't like it.

In even better news, after the Hoos and I got back from the doctor we were enjoying lunch (mmm...falafel) before he headed back to the office. Just as we finished, my cell phone rang. It was Gabby, the lovely lady that cleans my home. She wanted to know if it was okay if she came early - like 1 or 1:15 instead of 3. It was 12:50. Umm...okay, sure. But I guess it is late since I was expecting you last week. Okay, I didn't say that last part, but apparently we need to speak in dates in the future and not DAYs, otherwise we will both continue to be confused.

Anyway, the last 10 minutes of lunch consisted of the Hoos and I running around like crazy people straightening up the house. Whatever, today is a good day.

Thanks, but No Thanks

Yesterday I was psyched to get the Robopanda I won from Working Moms Against Guilt in the mail. The Panda came direct from the manufacturer and they were nice enough to include an envelope with all of the batteries. It retails for around $150 (an amount I rarely spend on any single item) and it was hi-tech and cool sounding, so I was pretty excited to try it out.

Then I opened the box.

I am not as inept as I sometimes portray myself in this blog. Really, I swear. And it took me (no exaggeration) 30 minutes just to get the Panda out of the box. There were more wires, plastic and tape holding it still than can be found in my car. Seriously, if I was a kid and this was my Christmas present, I would be so over it by the time my parents handed it to me. Instant gratification is definitely NOT an option.

Once I finally freed it from its restraints I learned that the Robopanda is heavy. And, while I needed a screw driver to open the three hatches that house batteries, the hatch on the back where you insert a personality card opens easily. Actually, it pretty much opens if you just look at it. LP has no problem getting this hatch open. Not that she really likes to get close enough to the Panda to touch anything...which takes us to the actual Panda toy...

It is definitely not what I expected. I thought it would be an interactive toy that would respond when touched. It does respond when touched, but only if you touch it in specific spots, hard. And only if you are responding to an instruction from it to touch a specific spot.

For example, the Panda will say "If you think my Teddy looks like me, touch my head." If I whack the thing's head, occasionally it acknowledges that I touched it. Usually it says, "No, you don't think so? Do you think it looks more like you? If so, touch my back." I then smack its back. Again, it ignores me saying, "You are right, you are not nearly as cute as my Teddy." Lovely, the thing ignores me and insults me.

Anyway, if LP does decide to touch it, it usually isn't in response to a request. I understand she is not in the target age range for the product and so it takes her some time to warm up. By the time she decides to try and give him a high-five, Panda is off telling stories. If he is in the middle of a story the only way you get him to stop or redirect mid-sentence is to turn him off.

I have not experimented too much with the Panda. Maybe he is or can be more fun. But considering LP is a bit put-off by him and the Hoos finds the thing creepy, I am not sure he will get much use. We are hoping my nephews will give him a good home. Unless someone out there wants to pay shipping, then I will send him on to you. I imagine it will not be cheap since I really think he weighs a lot. And there is no way I can get him back into his original box.

It's Only 2?

So far today...

• I emptied the dishwasher
• LP and I went to the grocery store
• We visited the Hoos at his office and went out to lunch with him
• LP PEED ON THE POTTY
• I put up laundry (have to jump off in a sec to move it to the dryer)
• My Robopanda (thanks WMAG!) arrived in the mail. Seriously, the thing is BIGGER than LP. When she wakes up from her nap I will take a picture of her next to it - you really won't believe it. Hopefully we will check it out and let you know if size matters in a new posting soon.

By the way, we are having a wicked thunderstorm here. I think lightening must have struck nearby because now I hear firetrucks. It is January, right?

Just Call Me Unqualified

For the past few days LP has had a cough and a runny nose. I figured it was a cold. She didn't have a fever and while she would cough in her sleep, it never seemed to wake her up. When I picked her up from day care this evening her teacher told me that he had to wipe her nose a lot - she had green snots - and she coughed in her sleep during nap time. Since bronchitis is going around the Hoos' office, I called the pediatrician and make an appointment to get her checked out. Piece of mind is well worth the $25 co-pay.

I was thrilled when the doctor's office told us we could come in at 6:45 tonight. I figured the office would be relatively empty at this time of day and this way we wouldn't have to plan our day tomorrow around an appointment.

The good news is, I was right. The office was empty. And, because the pediatrician just moved to a new, more modern building, the office was actually very nice. So nice that LP didn't want to leave. Who can blame her - they have a big, gorgeous fish tank, a large stage shaped like a boat to climb around and everyone that saw her kept commenting on how adorable she was. I don't think I get that kind of experience anywhere.

Anyway, it turns out LP's lungs are fine. She has a very small amount of pus (eww, what a gross, gross word) in her right ear. According to the Physician's Assistant, with a full-on ear infection there is usually a big swirl of pus and you can't see anything. With LP's ear she could see everything and on the bottom there was a very small line of not-clear fluid. "So," she addressed me, "we can either prescribe antibiotics for what may not turn into a bad infection or you can give her Motrin every 6-8 hours and wait and see for 24-48 hours." Unfortunately, if we chose not to give LP antibiotics now, and she did spike a fever, I would have to bring her back on Saturday to get the antibiotic prescription filled.

Umm, when did I become qualified to make this sort of decision? Is there some mommy-fix-it book that I was supposed to read?

I do know that LP has never been on antibiotics before nor has she ever had an ear infection. My limited knowledge of antibiotics includes some vague recollection that they are over-prescribed nowadays and kids are building up immunity to them. I also have a fuzzy memory of potential not-so-fun side-effects of antibiotics in babies. But still, even with the PA honestly and helpfully answering my questions, I knew that the ultimate decision on the course of action was mine to make.

I decided to hold off on giving LP the antibiotics. If I have to go back to the doctor on Saturday, well, at least LP likes it there. Besides, she loves taking medicine. I think they must pump that stuff full of sugar or something to make kids slurp it up like candy.

Not Just Me

I know I brag about how wonderful LP is on this blog all the time. But as proof that I am not the only one that thinks she is awesome, I am copying verbatim the note from her daily day care sheet from yesterday:

[LP] had a wonderful day today! I must say it is a pleasure to have [LP] in this class, she is truly a delight to have! [LP] had a great time outside especially playing with the leaves! She also had a blast in the gym jumping on and off the trampoline! - Mr. Otis and Mr. George

A note re: the trampoline. If you ask LP what she does on the trampoline, she starts bouncing up and down. She isn't quite ready to jump and let her feet leave the floor, but she definitely lets you know what fun she has on it!

Who IS the Boss?

Yesterday, I was eager for the arrival of Gabby, the nice woman who cleaned my house last month. She had called last Thursday to set up her next time to pay us a visit and make my house a little more livable. I was thrilled. Especially since the Hoos was not responding to my nagging for him to be proactive and call her.

She was supposed to show up at 3. I thought the timing would be perfect. In a perfect world, LP would just be finishing up her nap (at day care standard napping hours in her classroom are 1-3) and it would be good timing for a visit to the playground to tucker my little munchkin back out. Unfortunately, with all of the excitement around LP using the potty, she didn't end up going down for hew nap until closer to 2. Not a big deal, I had things to do and Gabby could always start work downstairs.

Three o'clock came and LP was still napping and Gabby was no where in site. An hour later and there was still no change in the status of the house. At this point, I knew that it was getting too late to visit the playground (yes, it is warm out, but it still gets dark by 4:45) and the likelihood of having my home cleaned by someone other than me was looking as dim as the sky.

Oh well, at least the Hoos and I straightened up the house this weekend anticipating Gabby's visit. There are maybe two less piles of random stuff in my house than there were last week. Now do we give her another shot (we had to reschedule her first visit twice), do we give up having someone clean our house (I think I might cry at the thought of this one) or, better yet, does anyone know a reliable cleaning woman in the Norwalk area? FYI: I refuse to use Merry Maids since reading Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.

AN ADDITION 1/9/09 8am: By the way, I take the fact that I have been receiving samples of cleaning products in the mail as a sign that I need help cleaning my home. TheMomBlogs sent me a full-size sample of Dawn Direct Foam (not that I expect someone to do my dishes, however). It is actually a pretty good product for handwashing dishes. I am not quite ready to convert from good old Palmolive yet since I am not yet convinced of its ability to be effective for soaking pots and pans. I received a Swiffer Sweeper from RoleMommy last week too. I think perhaps someone is taking pictures of the dustbunnies that crawl out from under my radiators. The swivel head is actually very helpful in getting under the radiators to capture these little MFers before they get out.

LP PEED ON THE POTTY

We just got back from Target where we got LP a Fisher Price Royal Stepstool Potty. When a child goes successfully the toilet plays music. LP quickly figured out that stepping on it would make the noise. I was a little worried that the toilet would provide hours of entertainment, but no actual training. After a few minutes of her being diaperless and totally rejecting any attempt by me to put on a new diaper I was also concerned that I had too soon given her the idea that diapers were a thing of the past.

I left her in the tiled-floor kitchen (figuring any clean up would be relatively easy) with the potty for a few seconds to check my email. A minute or so later the toilet played its trumpeting tune. I figured she had just stepped on it again and momentarily ignored it. I then decided that I might as well check on her. Imagine my surprise when I went into the kitchen and saw her standing there, gazing in wonderment at the PEE in the potty. I might have freaked her out a bit when I screamed with joy.

She then stood there and helped me put on an Easy Up diaper (lifting up each foot as needed) and followed me into the bathroom so we could flush the pee. I am not getting too excited, knowing this is probably a miracle and won't happen consistently for a while, but it is pretty freaking awesome.

Potty Training Mommy

LP is 19-months old. As much as I would love for her to be done with diapers, I am completely realistic that she is not really ready for potty training. That being said, I think she is starting to "express interest" in using the toilet.

A note: I think the whole "expressing interest" thing is really hooey. When people say they haven't stopped nursing yet, or moved their kid into their own room or starting the toilet training process because the kid hasn't yet "expressed interest" at three years-old, I think it is silly. You have to start sometime, folks.

Enough editorializing...back to the story...

Recently she has started saying "pee! pee!," pulling on her pants, and running to the bathroom. I haven't yet determined if this actually means that she has to go, but most of the time I humor her and at least pull her pants down and sit her on the toilet (leaving the diaper on just to make my life easier). Yesterday in Macy*s she found a door to an employee backroom and stood near it shouting "pee!" insisting that I bring her in to what she perceived was a bathroom. I can see how diapers are infinitely more convenient than frequent public bathroom trips.

The good news is that for the first time ever she started notifying us after she poops. Usually she just continues to go about playing, ignoring the fact that if she tried to sit down she would be elevated a few inches. Today she came over to me, pointed to her bottom and said "poop!"

This afternoon she also projected her new bathroom fascination onto her dolls. She brings them over to me, one at a time, saying "poop! poop!". Umm, I am pretty sure that the dancing Beyonce turtle doesn't have to poop. Rather than bring her Cabbage Patch Kid, Baby, into the bathroom to sit on the toilet every 5 minutes, we anointed a measuring cup from her cooking set as Baby's toilet. LP than tried to sit on the cup as well, perhaps not so sturdy for a 24-lb girl. We found a larger toy frying pan for her to pretend to pee on. She now carries it around everywhere and puts it down behind her before she sits down.

I don't want to discourage her from learning about the bathroom, so I do try to encourage this behavior. Tomorrow we go to Target to buy a little potty. I still think she is a while away from using it, but I am getting tired of running back and forth to the bathroom.

Oh What a Night!

You know how some days might just be better spent in your PJs in bed? What happens when the urge to hibernate hits at 5:30pm?

When LP and I returned home from a long day of work and school, I notice that our garbage cans are half way up the street and rolling. And I only see one cover - we have two cans. Lovely. I guess the garbage men did not appreciate being tipped in Dunkin Donuts gift cards. Sure I only gave them 2, $5 gift cards, but I thought maybe I was the exception tipping them at all.

When we came inside LP insisted on "Cheeries!" so I gave her a sandwich bag with a few handfuls of Cheerios. Which she promptly dumped on the floor. As I picked them up she rubbed my back saying "Peeeeas". She gets "please" and "thank you" mixed up, but I appreciate that her sarcastic side is developing.

Then, glutton for punishment that I am, I turn on the computer to check my work email. I have three messages from coworkers complaining about how I canceled a service.

Some background: I manage a vendor relationship for an online enewsletter service. This year the price tripled because apparently our "introductory offer" expired (sound like the cable company?). So, I looked at usage data provided by the vendor and decided to eliminate two of the four subscriptions that got the least amount of use in order to keep the pricing at the same level.

Apparently the sales rep decided to email all 60 of the folks he had in his database as signed up for subscriptions WITHOUT COPYING ME:

Loyal Readers,

We have had several recent inquiries about the inability to access to [two] publications. The reason for this is that [your firm] opted not to continue the service to these two publications. We are willing to add these service to your existing license at a discounted rate, i.e., for the cost of two readers all can have access. Please contact AmyBow at [email] about the possibility of adding these publications to your existing service.

Thanks for your interest in our publications.

To me, he makes it sound like we completely canceled the service; instead of reminding people of the functions we do have and their capabilities, he sort of ignores that they exist. In addition, 10 of the people on his list no longer work at the firm and at least another 10 people are still on vacation because I got bounce backs and out of office replies. So, the likelihood of any of these people complaining about the loss of service - that only started on Jan 1 - is pretty slim. Pretty much, he was trying to wreak havoc and create demand for his product. AAARRGGGHHH.

Okay, deep breaths. I will not cause anyone injury. I will let my daughter rub my back whenever she wants and I will enjoy today - a day with LP at day care and mommy working from home and running errands. A rare treat about which I refuse to feel guilty. After last night, I deserve this.

Only In My Dreams

Did you ever have a really vivid dream where someone you know slights you in some way? You know, those dreams where your spouse is cheating on you, or calls you chubby? Or your co-worker takes credit for your work?

These are the dreams where you wake up with your jaw clenched and even as you realize it is a dream you want to reach over and smack your spouse upside the head. They won't know what they did wrong and will then be pissed at you for jarring them out of their nice slumber.

Last night/this morning I had one of these dreams and the result was really strange and unlike anything I have ever experienced. I got mad at myself in the dream for my reaction to the offending party. Instead of going off and getting mad at them, I took a few deep breaths and reasoned out (all in my head) what I could have done differently to diffuse the situation.

I mean really, how bizarre is that? I thought dreams were retreats from reality for the mind. I have turned into a grown-up EVEN IN MY DREAMS.

I am not sure how I feel about this. Sure I have a husband and a 1.5 year old and a mortgage and a job and I can't stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve but I never really thought I was an adult; I was just really really good at bullshitting that I was an adult. Sometime recently my mind made the switch to make me a full-on mature person. Is there a way to flick the lever back in the other direction?!