Judecorp.

Sponge Redux

judecorp@livejournal.com — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:28:20 GMT

I never followed up on our day care situation. It's all good now.

In the end, I decided to drop a little e-mail to our child care provider about the SpongeBob action, but so it didn't sound all crazy, I couched it in a longer e-mail asking how she was adjusting, is she napping, etc. and also mentioning that I really liked this little craft project that Punk had come home with that day. And I sort of casually mentioned the SpongeBob issue and just said something like, "I know a lot of little kids don't really pay attention to what's on, but you've probably noticed by now that my child is obsessed with television, and I'd rather she didn't mimic anything she heard or saw on SpongeBob." She wrote back right away and said she always puts on PBS or Disney for the kids and that one of her sons (they are something like 7 and 9) probably changed it. And you know, that's really plausible. So I wrote back my thanks and said we were happy with everything and Punk seemed happy and blah blah blah.

She seems quite taken with Punk (who isn't, really?) and Punk is happy when she is picked up, so honestly, it's all good for me. One thing I /do/ like is because this place is really set up for younger kids, they're doing more stereotypical toddler/preschooler crafty things - you know, making trains out of ziti and stuff like that. The old place was awesome because of its creative academics, and Punk ate that stuff up with a spoon, but I think that as a 2 year old she's really entitled to make some macaroni crafts for a while before I send her off to junior college. :)

In other news, she's become 2 and a half all of a sudden and I am ready to sell her to the gypsies some days. She has discovered the fine art of hitting for attention and otherwise being blatantly uncooperative (i.e. I ask her to do something and she makes this "I'm going to be naughty" sound - it's like BOP!! - and then does the opposite... and then says, "Do you like that sound, Mama?"). And has been fighting sleep again. GOOD TIMES.

Chat awesomeness from FaceBook

judecorp@livejournal.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:11:41 GMT

Jude:

for reals
i should be a doctor
i watched et.
umm
er
maybe i shouldn't be a doctor

Day care dramalama

judecorp@livejournal.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:28:57 GMT

I am officially "that mom."

Punk started her new home day care yesterday. After looking at a number of day cares, we didn't find one we LOVED except for the big Montessori school in Springfield but they require 2 year olds to be picked up at 4 and umm, that's not possible. So we looked at a lot of "not our favorite" places and in the end had to kind of choose a lesser of evils thing. Well, none were EVIL. I hate that expression. But anyway.

So we went with this woman who was very nice, very personable, very sweet to Punk, who had a nice house and had a small gaggle of little girls who were not doing anything outrageous. There were a few things I wasn't jazzed about (TV on at drop off until about 9am, seemed to eat more "kid foods" more often, a bit less structure) but overall she seemed like a lady who is a nurturing mom type and would be very present for Punk, and I thought she would like that group of kids - a bunch of girly girls who like "beautiful dresses" and playing "dress up," both very big in our house right now.

Yesterday was her first day and I brought her diapers and wipes and blanket and pillow and all of that and it was fine. She was excited to be there and sat down at the bookshelf with all of the books, picking out her favorites. ("Look, Mama, The Foot Book!" etc.) And I left, and at pick-up Jen said it was a little more chaotic than she liked but Punk seemed to be having fun, and the day care provider was flexible in trying different ways to help Punk nap, etc. Punk said she had chicken nuggets and fries and ketchup for lunch and came home asking for vegetables for dinner, but whatever. You know? I'm not a total psycho hard-ass.

This morning I dropped her off and there were a few other parents dropping off, and Punk was a little freaked by the new parents. I heard C mention that the TV was on (Punk came in and asked for TV) so I tried to kind of move Punk over to that area so she wouldn't be so freaked by the parents. I am not bothered by the TV being on at drop-off for 30 minutes or so before breakfast as Punk watches TV at home. When C told me she has the TV on in the morning, I simply stopped having Punk watch TV at home in the mornings so she would have her morning TV time over there. No big.

But when I brought her over to the couch I saw that SpongeBob was on. I'm not some freak who thinks SpongeBob should be banned or anything but I don't think it's appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. And I have never let Punk watch SpongeBob. And I don't plan to for quite a while. I don't like the way they act on that show and I don't like the way they talk to each other and I don't really need my kid calling people "stupid" and acting like a nutter. I am actually kind of furious about the SpongeBob.

I sent an e-mail tonight to the day care provider asking how Punk is adjusting and also asking if it's possible not to have SpongeBob on for the toddlers in the morning. I vacillate between worrying about being a psycho-mom and wanting to find a new day care ASAP before she gets attached. And then I worry that I will mess her up for life if I switch her day care a million times, too.

Being a mama is HARD.

H1N1 Clinic (aka "Mass Hysteria")

judecorp@livejournal.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:40:40 GMT

I have my moments when my child is not sleeping because we've changed the clocks or whatever but on a daily basis I am reminded how blessed I am to have the child I have, because she really is amazing and awesome. Blessed, I tell you.

Yesterday afternoon, our pediatrician practice's website announced that they would have an H1N1 vaccine clinic tonight and was opening the vaccine to all children 3 and under. (Previously it was available to chronically ill children and children under 5 with asthma.) The clinic was from 5:30 to 7:30pm and Jen was going to aim to get there around 5:15pm. You can imagine where this is going.

It was a three-ring circus over there. The traffic was backed up waaay past the pediatrician office, the parking lot was full and people were walking from other parking lots down the street, there were kids and parents everywhere, having to wait outside, packing in the place, etc. They gave out numbers and said they would serve up to number 104, and Punk was number 82. When I got there around 6:30pm to give Jen some backup, they were up to number 30.

Punk rocked the house. When I got there, she was in a jam-packed waiting room and was quietly sitting on a chair coloring a magazine with a pencil. Then she rocked on the rocking chair. Then I took her outside and she threw mulch around until I got too cold, and then she willingly came inside again. Then she went back to the magazine and the pencil. By the time they called her number, it was about 7:10pm, and then she got her temperature taken, then waited a few more minutes, then got the nasal mist (which she had never had before). She completely cooperated with the mist, itched her nose a few times, and asked for a sticker. We left at 7:30, and got home at 7:40.

Typically she eats dinner around 6pm, has a bath at 7 and is in bed at 7:30. She did not throw one fit, she did not act out at all, and though she scarfed her dinner we managed to make it without any meltdowns. I am so proud of her and so impressed with her ability to keep it together. She really is amazing. God, I love her.

~//~

At one point this one girl was throwing big pieces of sidewalk chalk into a metal bowl and it was making this awful CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! noise, and Punk is all, "Mama, what is that sound?" and I say, in sort of a passive-aggressive manner, "The girl is throwing the chalk into the bowl and it is making a very LOUD noise," and then added, "And that's probably a no-no." The woman next to me started laughing and said, "I think you're right!" and then told me she was a teacher and ran a tight ship. Aaah, waiting room bonding in a cattle call vaccine clinic.

No sleep til...

judecorp@livejournal.com — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:42 GMT

My child no longer wants to go to sleep, ever, and I want to claw my eyes out and scream. It's like she's an infant all over again, where she won't nap unless I am holding her or in some way restraining her. And at bedtime, she's all over the place, doing all kinds of things, often not falling asleep until after 9pm. For a brief period of time, I had a kid that slept. What the heck happened?

I am hoping this is one of those things called "a phase." Because if it's not, there might be "a homicide."

Feelin' hot hot hot.

judecorp@livejournal.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:16:06 GMT

I'm pretty much in love with my pellet stove right now. I want to kiss it on its hot little mouth.

Finally got the chimney/stove guy in this morning to give it a good cleaning so I hadn't used it yet this year. Now that it's all cleaned out, I blasted the house this evening/night and aaah, it is fab. It's actually a bit too hot here in the living room but if you let it get hot enough in here, it will heat the whole house. I guess that's one time when a small, shoebox-shaped house is a plus!

Because we had the stove heating the house tonight, I had to open Punk's door after she fell asleep so she wouldn't freeze in there. Don't know if I should close it when I go to bed or not... I have fears that either she will wake up and start wandering the house or the cats will have a big drag down in her bedroom in the middle of the night. I guess only time will tell.

Speaking of Punk, we're still doing 7:30 bedtime but she is often not falling asleep until between 8:30 and 9:00. What is up with that, people? I thought one of the joys of children was that they went to bed early before all of the good TV shows came on.

And now it's time for bed. Aah, bed.

No dim sum, friends

judecorp@livejournal.com — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:19:20 GMT

Attention Dim Sum Eaters:

Dim Sum is off. Well, at least, we won't be there. Boston weekend trip is cancelled because our darling lorac, who was going to host us and hang with Punk while we were sushi'ing, is not feeling well and graciously does not want to pass the Creeping Crud on to us. Feel better, lorac!

I have to call and cancel my dinner reservation. Super sad. Weekend of Incredibly Delicious Food is no more!

(I'm starting to think that this sushi gift certificate is doomed!!)

Bostonians:

judecorp@livejournal.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:56:54 GMT

We're thinking of hitting up Dorchester for some dim sum on Sunday - probably at 11 or 11:30? Actually, not just thinking. It's a definite that we will be there stuffing our faces.

Who's in?

Child care woes

judecorp@livejournal.com — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:00:50 GMT

When I walked into Punk's child care, the child care provider told me she was closing for good when she has her surgery. Which potentially could be as early as next Friday.

Pretty much anything after that just sucks.

I want to quit my job and just say 'eff it' to everyone.

SOOSHEES

judecorp@livejournal.com — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:56:48 GMT

We conceived Punk on October 11, 2006. In Boston.
Celebrated our birthday on the 17th.
Received a very generous gift certificate to a fancy pants sushi place from my smurfbrother as a birthday gift.
Got a positive pregnancy test on the 22nd.
Moved away from Boston and had a kid and never used the gift certificate... until now.

We're going to attempt to use it this month. Only three years late. SCORE!

CROP Walk

judecorp@livejournal.com — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:33:06 GMT

We're all walking in our local CROP Walk next Sunday (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty).

Anyone want to sponsor us with a little donation to fight local and global hunger? Drop me a line and I will let you where you can paypal, send checks, whatever.

Pretty please?

Mike's Maze

judecorp@livejournal.com — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:43:20 GMT

(x-posted with the baby blog)

It was time for the annual trip to the corn maze. Mike's Maze, to be specific. Best in the area. This year's maze celebrated Charles Darwin's 200th birthday.

Punk enjoyed climbing on the hay bales with the big kids.

And of course she loved the pumpkins!

When it was time to enter the corn maze, I strapped her on my back for the long haul.

She liked it for about 30 minutes, but she doesn't particularly like to be contained. There was no way she could free-range in a giant corn maze. No way in hell. So I spent the last hour of trying to solve the puzzle of the maze listening to her alternate between whining and hollering. And begging to hold the flag they give you in case they have to locate you. And hitting me with it.

(Re: the puzzle - this year's puzzle involved finding certain checkpoints in the maze and solving for the family/class of animal, and then finding the rubber stamp of that animal, and then stamping the circle on the map that corresponded to where you found that stamp. Have you SEEN the size of this maze? You had to REALLY be aware of where you were on the map so you could stamp the right circles. Even with Senorita Screamy Pants, I managed to correctly stamp all 13 circles we located. We gave up on the last 2 because I couldn't take it anymore, and it was getting chilly.)

Here is our completed map and victory pumpkin.

For comparison, here is a little throwback to our excursion last year:

We live in such a beautiful area. I love being able to take advantage of neat things like this and sharing them with my little prodigy.

Sperm costs

judecorp@livejournal.com — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:28:18 GMT

Just for giggles, I decided to check the fees/costs at the sperm bank we used to conceive Punk.

I think we paid something like $280-$300/sample in 2006.

Now the same samples are $500! HOLY CRAP!

Freaking insanity.

judecorp@livejournal.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:39:25 GMT

Did I mention that my kid has been sleeping in a toddler bed for two weeks now?

Easiest freaking transition we've ever done.

Perhaps potty training can miraculously be that easy.

YOM

judecorp@livejournal.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:16:21 GMT

I just ate a quickie lunch of turkey pepperoni and nearly half a block of cheese. Oof.

If it wasn't for breakfast and potatoes, I could totally be an Atkins freak.

~//~

Laundry's in the machine, corned beef in the crock pot, suitcases unpacked from the weekend (oh, didn't you know we were away? we were in Ithaca with the lovely tea_soaked), kid toys picked up. We spent the morning at the Parents' Center and then ran an errand to the bank, had lunch and then off to nap. I am SUPER MOM.

Child Care Provider Update

judecorp@livejournal.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:20:46 GMT

K had her follow-up appointment with the surgeon who did her lumpectomy and we were hoping for the good news. Pre-surgery, the thought based on the mammogram and biopsy was that she would have a lumpectomy and then either hormone treatment or maybe a little radiation and by the end of October, she could consider herself a survivor.

Today she learned that when the doctor removed the lump, there were a lot of precancerous cells around and the lump was near a lymph node. They are recommending a mastectomy which is scheduled for October 14th. They are also ordering an MRI of the other breast to see if there is anything suspicious looking and if it doesn't look right, a biopsy of the other breast and the possibility of a double mastectomy.

I am so sick over this. I care more about K than about most other people... and even in the best case scenario (single mastectomy, no significant treatment required), she's out for a month. Beginning October 14th. Which isn't a heck of a lot of time to find new childcare.

Holy hell.

judecorp@livejournal.com — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:25:43 GMT

Okay, maybe I'm a little biased... but I have the most beautiful child in the history of children.

judecorp@livejournal.com — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:06:14 GMT

FYI, this is why I totally always wanted to have kids:

It's just... oh, I don't know. It just is. It's everything I ever imagined and more.

judecorp@livejournal.com — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:21:05 GMT

Umm, I booked a consult at a local fertility clinic...

They were all my friends, and they died.

judecorp@livejournal.com — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:51:22 GMT

Well, crap.

Jim Carroll died. Why didn't anyone tell me?

So sad. So so so so so freaking sad.

Punkisms

judecorp@livejournal.com — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:11:51 GMT

Just so I don't forget. I've been way busy and not posty.

While my mother and SIL were visiting, Punk had that stomach thing and had thrown up, so I was giving her sips of PediaLyte, but she really wanted to drink the whole cup. She was pretty upset that I took the cup away after a few sips and so my mom intervened and said something like, "You have to wait a few minutes, honey. It might hurt your belly." To which my darling genius daughter replied, "Nana, I don't put it in my belly, I put it in my mouth."

About a week ago I was brushing her teeth before bed like usual. When I brush her teeth at nighttime, I sit on the toilet and sit her on my lap facing me - she brushes, and then I brush. She was looking into my eyes and must have caught her reflection in my pupils. She said, "Mama, your eyes have August in them."

She's awesome.

Preschool show action shot:

Child care conundrum

judecorp@livejournal.com — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:06:44 GMT

Punk's child care is closed next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday so that K can have her lumpectomy and recover and all of that. WTF am I going to do?

Does anyone local know anyone trustworthy and awesome to do some child care?

Molars suck

judecorp@livejournal.com — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:39:40 GMT

We were supposed to go meet some friends at Davis Farm in Sterling today but Jen has some weird skin infection and it has gotten really bad, so I cancelled last night. It's a good thing, because she's down at the hospital women's clinic right now because the doc she saw yesterday wasn't really sure what to do about it. It's a heck of a bummer, though, because it is positively GORGEOUS today, at least this morning. Hopefully it will still be nice after naptime and I can take Punk to the park so she can enjoy some of the day.

Poor little punkin pie is teething molars hardcore right now (they grow in spurts, this has been going on for freaking ever) which means she is getting calluses on her fingers from chewing on them so hard and has been nightwaking. Typically it's been somewhere around 4am but last night it was 1:30 or so... night waking means in my bed which basically means my night of sleep is over. This has been especially rough because I have been having a really hard time falling asleep at night because of anxiety over my friend's lost baby, my child care provider's biopsy, and two of my friends having suspected miscarriages. It's just major Bad Juju Week and I can't sleep, and by the time I fall asleep, Punk's waking up. Awesome.

Anyway, I think I have slept somewhere around 10 hours total this week and that kind of sleep dep typically causes my knees to ache (why?) so I have been popping ibuprofen like candy. And of course Punk decided to wake up at 6 this morning instead of 7 so I had to drag my sore self out of bed to entertain her. I tried to have her read some books in my bed but she couldn't do it quietly and Jen got upset that she was waking her up. Bleh.

She is finally asleep and my original plan was to try to nap while she did, but I think I might have dozed off while she was watching Diego before lunch (he's better than Dora but I still hate them) and now my brain is whirring again. Dang.

Jen just called and is on her way home after picking up a scrip for Bactrim. Erk. If she has MRSA I am going to have a hissy fit.

Too much sorrow

judecorp@livejournal.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:35:33 GMT

This has been a hell of a week. My emotions are just... I don't even know. There are just too many emotions.

Yesterday a friend of mine went in for her scheduled induction and learned that her baby had died sometime in the last 24 or so hours. She had gone in the day before for a non-stress test and everything was fine. Perfect, even. How the hell does this happen? I am still super shaken about it, the unfairness of it all but also that awful niggling feeling that you can NEVER be sure that everything is going to be okay. Two years ago, in this same circle of (online) friends, a friend died after child birth from an amniotic embolism. It just brings back so many memories - so many of the same people saying, "Oh my god!" or trying to mobilize.

On Monday my beloved child care provider had a biopsy in her breast after a routine mammogram. Yesterday she was very upbeat and positive, saying that the person who did the biopsy was saying that there was a major increase in biopsies since they switched to a new digital machine. Today she left me a message that child care is closing tomorrow by 2:45 because she has to go in to talk to a doctor right away. To say that I am freaking out is an understatement.

It just seems like I have been stuck in Low Tide since my grandfather told us he had pancreatic cancer in February. Everything is just low, low, low. I feel all washed out and swept out to sea. My sandy shore is full of rocks and abandoned shellfish.

Two kids

judecorp@livejournal.com — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:00:27 GMT

I survived my day of babysitting the 4 1/2 year old and my kid. Man, two kids? I'm tired. And I still need to feed, bathe, and bed my own child - Jen is working late tonight.

If it was my own kid I could have neglected her a little more, but I felt like I had to be on my A-game. ;)

Oh shoot, no one cleaned the cat boxes this past weekend. Carp! I need to do that, too.