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Poop, Already!

Having children changes you – but I think that is a fairly obvious statement. I was expecting many of these changes – going out less, less sleep…things like that. What I was not prepared for was the sudden fascination and obsession with poop.

I remember my freshman year talking to my roommates about poop etiquette. I put the can of Lysol on the back of the bowl and said “everybody poops. I don’t want to hear any thing more about it.” I was pretty much fine with that “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy until I had kids. Suddenly – poop became acceptable dinner conversation.

Maybe it is because some of the stories about babies/kids & poop are so funny and outrageous that they are worth repeating (see “Shitastrophy, Nov. 9, 2008). Whatever the reason, Rich and I have become that couple that finds it totally acceptable to discuss poop with anyone and everyone.

The nurses in the hospital in the days after a delivery are all about diaper duty. How many wet diapers? How many dirty diapers? They give you charts and guidelines about what is normal for your newborn and what you should expect in the days to come. Breastfed babies are supposed to poop all the time. Not my breastfed babies!

RJ doesn’t like to poop. He just hates it. He is this wonderful, happy baby for 3-4 days out of the week. Suddenly – he is a screamer – and his screams are due to his discomfort. He then screams for another 2 days or so until he finally poops and gets something out of his system. Then it is back to being a happy baby again!

It is day 6 of his little cycle…so I haven’t slept in about two days and I can’t put him down. RJ, darling – just poop already!

More Inspiration from Starbucks…

Quote from the little cardboard sleeve:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations”

--President Abraham Lincoln, Inaugural Address – March 4, 1865

RJ's First Night in the Crib

This blog is fairly Rosie-heavy right now, largely because she just does more…for now, anyway. Tonight, I do have some RJ news to report.

We set up RJ’s room this weekend. Moved the bed out, raised the crib…dusted and vacuumed. Got everything ready for my little man. After I nursed him, I handed him over to Rich so that I could try and put Rosie to bed. Fireworks and celebrations from some Steelers fans in the neighborhood woke her up and had her asking for Daddy – so I called Rich up to snuggle her for a while. RJ was asleep – so we decided to just put him in the crib. He went down without a problem.

About 90 minutes ago, he woke up, looking for food. I fed him, brought him upstairs, laid him in his crib, patted his bottom for a minute and then went around upstairs collecting trash to go outside. When I got downstairs, he was awake in his crib, but not fussing. By the time I was done taking out all of the trash – he had put himself to sleep!

Could it be that RJ is going to be my sleeper? That he’ll be the one who, like his father (who is currently asleep on the couch) can fall asleep anywhere at anytime? Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I guess that only time will tell – but I am going to enjoy going to bed tonight!

A Father's Love

Rosie makes Daddy tea...

"Cheers!" Rosie and Daddy clink glasses before downing her delicious tea..

Not meant for anyone over 3 feet tall...Rich had to spend several hours in Rosie's new house...

So…Nonna and Papou got Rosie the “Rose Petal Cottage” for Christmas this year. A few months ago, I had seen the advertisements for this thing, and thought it seemed pretty cool and right up Rosie’s alley. My Mom & I talked about it once – and she went out on a mission to find it.

This weekend, my Dad was down and he and I put this little girl sanctuary together. Rich, the lucky son of a gun, was away with Loyola’s hockey team…so he missed all of the shenanigans and tomfoolery that ensued while constructing this child’s toy. We cursed, we huffed, we puffed – but we finally got the thing together. (At one point, while I was feeding RJ, Rosie ran in the room and said “Papou! You did it!) The Rose Petal Cottage was no piece of cake to assemble – but it was so worth it to see her in it.

She sat in there immediately and was just grinning from ear to ear. The Rose Petal Cottage has many accessories – from the “cupcake set,” complete with fabric cupcakes and baking pan – to the banana split…a dish, fabric banana, fabric ice cream scoops and an ice cream scooper. Rosie’s favorite, however, is the tea set. A little tea pot with 4 tea cups, saucers and tea bags – she is very into tea. We all drank copious amounts of imaginary tea while squeezing ourselves into her new little house.

She couldn’t hide her excitement when Rich walked in the door. She ran right up to him, grabbed his hand and dragged him to see her house. After spending 9 hours on a bus with hockey players, poor Rich got home and had to spend the next two hours crammed into Rosie’s new playhouse! The things you do for love…

I Cwried For You!

So tonight was my first “regular” class of the semester. My first Wednesday night class. For the next 12 weeks, I will have class every Wednesday and Thursday night and Rosie and RJ will hang out with someone other than me. Tonight, it was Daddy time. I tried to prep everything for Rich before I left. Make sure that her dinner is ready – prep RJ’s bottle so that it was ready if need…I even left pork chops marinating in the oven for Rich. Off to class I went.

I called during my break, and Rich sounded stressed. I had to deliver the news that class didn’t end until 9:30 (instead of 9) and he did not sound pleased. Now I’m stressed. I count the minutes until I can leave – and finally, I am home. I volunteer to put Rosie to bed while Rich continues to hang with RJ.

We go through her normal nighttime routine – give kisses, brush teeth, find binkies, gather friends…and then we have our evening chat. Usually – the ten minutes before Rosie fall asleep is filled with stories from her day. Today – it was a big, fat guilt trip…just for me.

R: Mommy?
K: Yes, baby?
R: I crwied for you.
K: You cried for me? Why did you cry for me?
R: You went to shewl. I miss you. I crweid for you.
(I am suddenly fighting against the tears)
K: Baby girl, you don’t have to cry for me. I always come home to you.
R: No. I miss you. I crwied for you. Don’t got to shewl anymore.
K: Honey girl, I have to go to school
R: Then take me wish (with) you, Mommy.

I didn’t really know what to say – but fortunately she asked me to cuddle her and fell asleep before I could think of a response. She’s the sweetest little girl – and I would totally take her to school with me if I could..but I think I am past the age for show & tell!

Rosie Goes to the ER

Rosie checks out her IV and hand pillow...

This all started yesterday at around 8:00 pm. Rosie had been running around, just fine, all day long. She was jumping, playing – being a normal 2-year old. She took one long nap…and then another short snooze. Was a little whiny and a little clingy – but nothing so abnormal that I would worry. I kind of felt like sleeping the day away myself. Then, the weirdness started.

I ran out for groceries and came to find all three RAGs on the chair in the family room under a blanket. Rosie wanted to cuddle with Mommy – so I sat down on the couch and told her to come on over. She slid off the chair, took two steps and starting screaming her head off. Rich and I looked at each other – what could this be about? I picked her up and got her to calm down. She told me that her leg hurt. When I asked her where – she pointed to her knee. We both figured she hit her knee on the corner of the ottoman – which is the only part of it that isn’t cushioned.

After holding her for a few minutes and getting her calm, I had to get back to work. I put her in her chair and started to walk towards the bathroom. Rosie said “I want to come ‘wish’ (with) you!” OK – fine. I hold out my hand to her, she takes 5 steps and collapses, screaming that her boo-boo hurts. Perplexing.

For the rest of the night, our normally active and happy 2 year old would not walk. She wanted to play with her toys – but would not walk to them. Just sat on the floor and cried for them. We tried to get her to walk and it resulted in hysterics. I gave her some Motrin and we put her to bed, hoping that she wouldn’t be broken. Rich stayed in her room with her (yay, queen size bed) just in case she needed anything during the night.

She woke up this morning when I went in to nudge Rich. I picked her up out of bed and put her down on the floor to see if the mysterious pain was forgotten after a good night’s sleep. Two steps – and she collapses again. Now I just need to wait until the pediatrician’s office opens.

We got a 2pm appointment – which seemed like forever away at 9 this morning! We went to the dentist, we cuddled and watched “Move it, Move it” (Rosie’s name for Madagascar) – and after another dose of Motrin, her mobility improved. Finally – it was time to see Dr. Terry.

Rosie is usually an angel at Dr. Terry’s office – but not today. She wanted no part of being touched, poked or prodded by anyone. Dr. Terry suspected that she had a virus in her knee joint – but sent us to the emergency room for x-rays and blood work to eliminate any broken bones or other illnesses. And the waiting began….Rich met us at GBMC, a current hot bed of infectious diseases. He kept RJ occupied while I attempted to keep us all sanitized and relatively germ free. This was not our first trip to the ER with Rosie – we had to take her last December when she came down with RSV. Well – the number of little babies with RSV this close to my little baby was starting to make me nuts. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before we were back to see a doctor.

Rosie was a little champ during her X-rays. I had to hold her still, but she didn’t fight me or the technician at all. The next part, however, was a little less fun. They needed to start an IV in her. For whatever reason, they picked her hand as the spot to stick her. I had an IV in my hand when RJ was born – and it was painful for me. I couldn’t even imagine how terrifying this was for her. One nurse held her down while the other nurse did the dirty work. I held her head and sang “The Gambler” to her through my own tears and Rich held her hand from behind me. She just kept saying “Mommy, don’t let them hurt me.” It was breaking my heart and I just kept praying that they would finish soon.

Once the IV was started and her blood was drawn, I let Rich take over so that I could compose myself. They braced her hand and wrist on a pillow so that she wouldn’t disturb the IV needle. Rich was talking to her about the cool pillow that her hand was on and all of a sudden I hear her tiny voice say “yeah, it’s pretty neato.”

Neato? That’s my kid. Neato. The nurse just looked at her and said “I have never heard a child say that after an IV before…”

At the end of the day – Rosie, RJ and I spent a good 6 hours at GBMC. The IV was removed and they sent us home. She most likely has this crazy virus-in-the-knee thing…which I have never heard of but is apparently not uncommon. She survived her first IV and is now sleeping soundly. Another adventure for the family history book!

The Way I See It #130

It will do us little good to wire the world if we short-circuit our souls. There is no delete button for racism, poverty or sectarian violence. No keystroke can ever clean the air, save a river preserve a forest. This transformational new technology must be an extension of our hearts as well as our minds. The old rules still apply. Love your mother - Mother Earth.

-Tom Brokaw

So long, Captain Jack…

Bill & I at my wedding in 2003...

Bill with RJ in October...

Bill on his Harley with Rosie in September...

I’m somewhat sad to say that our own personal Captain Jack Sparrow, my brother Bill, is Captain Jack no more. For most of his life, Bill has had two distinct hairstyles: long flowing locks or a buzz cut. With a rare exception (like my wedding – when his hair was short and styled) – Bill has grown his hair out until he had to cut it for some reason – usually work. Well, his last haircut was in 2003 – and it was a great 5 year run, but his flowing ponytail is no more.

Although he cut his hair primarily for work reasons – Bill is doing the right thing. All ten inches of his mane will be sent to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths this week. Beautiful Lengths creates wigs for women and children of all ages and backgrounds who are suffering from cancer.

Bill’s #1 concern – that Rosie might not go to him the next time he sees her, since she is used to his long hair and gruff look. It’s not what is on the surface that matters – but what is inside that counts…and inside, there is a heart of golf.

Kudos to you, Bill.

It takes 6 ponytails to make one wig. If you have long hair that you are thinking of donating and would like to donate at least 8 inches of your hair, visit www.beautifullengths.com/en_US/.

Thank God for Dani.

So – most of our family and friends have met Dani over the course of the past 2 years – but I don’t know if everyone realizes just how much she means to me and my family.

At this stage, I don’t know what I would do without her. She takes care of us. I know that when I leave my kids with her, that they are in hands as good as mine. I know that when she is coming over, I can look forward to seeing a friendly face. I know that when I am in need of a friend or a good cry, she is going to be there. I really don’t know what we would do without her. She was here on Wednesday until after 10. She was here on Thursday until 10. Rich was home by 8 – but she felt bad that she held RJ so much, (he was having a needy day…gas…), so she stayed late to play with Rosie a little more. Tomorrow, she is giving up her Saturday morning to come hang out with R & R while Rich runs an errand that is easier to do without the kids while I am in class.

At some point between now and May 2010, Dani is going to spend 18 weeks away from Baltimore – and I can’t even think about it without getting emotional. She started out as our baby sitter and ended up as our family.

So – thank you, God – for giving us Dani…because we don’t know what we would do or how we would get by without her.

Playing House

I started working at Little Brick – the daycare center at my gym, Brick Bodies. I picked up 6 hours and week and in exchange get my membership for free, a discount on my personal trainer and socialization with other women – most of whom have children around Rosie’s age. Rosie loves Little Brick’s – and loves it even more now that I am there to play with her.

Today, she made a new friend at Little Brick’s. We got there early and I worked out before punching in. When I got back, she was a disaster – crying all over the place…very unlike Rosie. Turns out, she was hungry and within minutes of my starting work was happily chomping on an orange. Crisis now averted, she went back to exploring everything that the Little Brick’s room has to offer – including some friends her age. Today, she found Gunner.

I would have guessed Gunner to be older than Rosie – but when I asked his mom, it turns out that he is as close to her age as he can be – December 1. Gunner & Rosie were the only two kids until 5 at Little Brick’s for a while today, and they became fast friends. They ran, they jumped, they played…and a few times, I caught them holding hands. Suddenly I realized that there was more than just some random playing going on…their playing had taken the form of a game…they were playing house. Both kids were in the play kitchen, helping one another make dinner. Then they cleaned up. Then they tended to the babies. (They had two – one for Rosie and one for Gunner). While all the bigger boys played “Keep Away from the Babies” around them, Rosie and Gunner sat in chairs in front of the TV and gave their babies imaginary bottles, burped their babies and rocked them to sleep.

They were inseparable.

Unfortunately, Gunner’s mom came to pick him up before my shift was over – and Rosie was very sad to see him go. They hugged each other several times before Gunner put his coat on. Hopefully, Gunner’s mom will be back to work out on Monday and Thursday of this coming week – so that Rosie can have some time with her buddy again.

I Love You Too Much!

I tell everyone who will listen (and sometimes those who could care less) than Rich and I are extremely fortunate that Rosie adapted so well to being an older sibling. She is a wonderful, affectionate little girl who is very into loving her family and friends – especially her baby brother.

At RJ’s first sign of perceived distress (which is sometimes just those little noises that babies make), Rosie is right there to say “it’s OK, Baby RJ – don’t cry!” She will take it upon herself to hold his hand, stroke his head and even shove that little binkie into his mouth – whether he wants it or not! RJ, in turn, truly knows his sister and you can often see his little face light up when he hears her voice or sees her.

I love watching Rosie with her brother. She exhibits tenderness that I would have never expected from someone who is barely outside the baby years herself. I wish that I could capture these moments and bottle them for her – because I know from first hand experience that there will be a day that having a little brother is more of a pain than a joy.

Today, Rosie took her cuteness in her loving of RJ to a whole new level. I got home from class and Dani was sitting on the floor with RJ. Rosie ran up to greet me and give me hugs. I kissed her, kissed RJ and made a beeline for the bathroom. As I am closing the gate behind me, I hear Rosie say “I love you too much, Baby RJ.” I stopped in my tracks and looked at Dani, who was trying to control her laughter at the cuteness.

“Did she just say ‘I love you too much?’” Dani nods. That is the cutest thing ever.

Rich and I tell her “I love you so much” all the time – but her 2-year-old version of that statement made it all the more endearing. Yes, she loves her brother so much…and the love that my baby girl has for my baby boy just makes me love her even more!

The Way I See It...

As almost everyone knows - I am a Starbucks junkie. I have a problem - and its name is Venti Soy No Whip Mocha. I could suck down a countless number of these puppies in lieu of solid food daily – if I could only afford to have such a habit! In addition to the flavorful concoction, I am a big fan of Starbucks for many reasons. One of those many reasons is their cup. The Starbucks “regular” cups (as in not seasonally themed) have quotes on them – quotes from famous people, quotes from ordinary citizens, quotes from cancer survivors. These quotes are called “The Way I See It.” I am one of those people who reads every cup I receive from Starbucks and gets bummed on a repeat. I’m going to start sharing some of my favorite quotes through this blog…not just for your reading pleasure, but because I really want to remember them and maybe cite them someday. This one touched me, given my Resolutions for 2009:

The Way I See It #198

You can shower a child with presents or money, but what do they really mean, compared to the most valuable gift of all – your time? Vacations and special events are nice, but so often the best moments are the spontaneous ones. Being there. Every moment you spend ith your child could be the one that really matters.

-- Tim Russert

RJ’s 2 Month Check-Up

So – RJ is a little guy! We took him to see Dr. Terry this morning. He’s a little peanut – just 23.25” and just under 11 pounds. Smaller than his sister at her 2 month check up! Aside from that – he is absolutely perfect. Lifts his head up like a champ and is so strong. Despite his size, he really knows how to throw his weight around! He moves around like crazy and his little legs are so strong.

He’s grown 2 inches in the past two months – and gained about 2 pounds. Before I know it, he’ll be Rosie’s size!

Mommy is Back to School!

Rosie plays in our bed...

RJ - a smiley, happy baby...

RJ is now 2 ½ months old, and I am back in the saddle at Loyola College, working diligently on my ongoing MBA. I’ll be honest – I’ll be happy when it is over. As much as I truly enjoy my classes and learning – and even the socialization – I really don’t enjoy being away from my kids for long stretches at a time.

I am taking 3 classes this semester, something I haven’t tried to do since the fall of 2005. My first class started today – Power, Privilege and Professional Identity with Andrea Giampetro-Meyer. I’ve had Professor Giampetro before, and if I could take her for every course, I would. That being said – this class meets for 36 hours in the month of January. 6 hours on each Saturday throughout the month and then every day this week. The course is at the Columbia campus – so I ended up being away from home for over 8 hours.

It was a difficult day. At first, I really loved being back in the classroom. Meeting with others, group work, group think… Every now and then it is nice to have a conversation that doesn’t center around Madagascar or Toy Story or Cars… However, by lunchtime, I really just couldn’t wait to see my kids again. 4:00 couldn’t come fast enough!

You can tell this is my second time around – I attended class complete with breast pump and spent my 2 15-minute breaks in the handicapped stall, pumping away.

My day was complete when I walked through the door at 5:35 and was attacked by a beautiful three-foot tall girl. Rosie was beyond happy to see me – and all I wanted to do was hold her and RJ. My anticipated graduation is May 2010. I’m sure that there will be a few tears between now and then – but I also know that this will all be worth it!

My Resolutions

Hard to believe that it is 2009 already!

RJ smiling up at the lights...

Rosie playing with her baby doll stroller...

I typically have the same resolutions year after year – and I think they are fairly typical, as far as resolutions go. Lose some weight, hit the gym more often, eat out less, get my life more organized…blah, blah, blah. You get the point. Well – this year I decided to do something a little different. I’m not going to make a resolution that pertains to me at all – instead, my resolutions will pertain to Rosie and RJ. So, in 2009 I resolve too:

- capture more moments in my blog so that R & R have a written history of their childhood from my perspective
- take more pictures
- spend more time cuddling on the couch
- not “wish away” these precious moments
- enjoy every moment with Rosie, even the sassy ones
- enjoy every moment with RJ, even the screaming ones

So – 2009 is the year of R & R – and while I am running after my own little R & R, I won’t be lamenting the fact that I don’t ever seem to have any other kind of R & R – the rest and relaxation kind!