Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
The French Bakery
Andi spent last week in the desert producing a photo shoot and after five days of solo parenting, I was ready to get out of the house on Saturday. We decided to check out a French bakery near our house in the 'burbs. We search high and low for hidden gems such as this, tucked between chain restaurants and strip malls, and have been dying to check this place out. Ever since our trip to Paris last December, I'm a sucker for French pastries.
Tory screamed in her car seat on the drive over there, of course, but miraculously fell asleep once we got inside the bakery. Andi ordered us a two cappuccinos, quiche, a croissant, lemon meringue and tiramisu to split and we made ourselves at home in comfy chairs along the window. It was heavenly! We sipped our coffee and ate yummy pastries (the quiche was just ok) and had a real adult conversation.
Tory woke up a few minutes later, in a super happy mood, so we continued our nice family brunch. Look at us ... taking the baby out in a public place without making a spectacle!
A while later I noticed a spot on my jeans. Is that poop? I gave it a quick sniff. "Smells like dijon mustard," I said. "No, I think it's tiramisu," said Andi.
A few more minutes pass and I noticed something seeping out of Tory's purple pants. "Ew, she pooped," I calmly said to Andi. I wish I would've had a photo to capture Andi's face as soon as those words left my lips. He lifted her up to find yellow-colored poop oozing out her diaper. "Oh, gross," he said, gagging. He quickly handed the baby to me and I started to change her.
"It's just poop," I said. "Yeah, but it was on me too and I thought it was tiramisu so I ate it!" he said.
I've never seen Andi so freaked out. He politely asked if he could help me change her and then excused himself to the bathroom where I'm sure he washed his mouth out with soap. I couldn't stop laughing.
Tory screamed in her car seat on the drive over there, of course, but miraculously fell asleep once we got inside the bakery. Andi ordered us a two cappuccinos, quiche, a croissant, lemon meringue and tiramisu to split and we made ourselves at home in comfy chairs along the window. It was heavenly! We sipped our coffee and ate yummy pastries (the quiche was just ok) and had a real adult conversation.
Tory woke up a few minutes later, in a super happy mood, so we continued our nice family brunch. Look at us ... taking the baby out in a public place without making a spectacle!
A while later I noticed a spot on my jeans. Is that poop? I gave it a quick sniff. "Smells like dijon mustard," I said. "No, I think it's tiramisu," said Andi.
A few more minutes pass and I noticed something seeping out of Tory's purple pants. "Ew, she pooped," I calmly said to Andi. I wish I would've had a photo to capture Andi's face as soon as those words left my lips. He lifted her up to find yellow-colored poop oozing out her diaper. "Oh, gross," he said, gagging. He quickly handed the baby to me and I started to change her.
"It's just poop," I said. "Yeah, but it was on me too and I thought it was tiramisu so I ate it!" he said.
I've never seen Andi so freaked out. He politely asked if he could help me change her and then excused himself to the bathroom where I'm sure he washed his mouth out with soap. I couldn't stop laughing.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Guess Who's Back?
So I, um, got my period.
I was pretty shocked to wake up yesterday to the arrival of good ol' Aunt Flow. I haven't seen her since October 2010 and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little surprised by her arrival. I'm exclusively breastfeeding and just about everyone I know who nurses their baby had to all but stop doing so in order for their cycles to return to normal. I suspect mine is early for one of two reasons:
1. After doing some online reading, (where would I be without BabyCenter?) it could be because Tory has recently started sleeping through the night. Well, not ALL NIGHT, but close. Lately, she's in bed by 9:00pm and sleeping straight through until 4:00am. After a quick feeding, she's back to sleep until 8:00am. We've had a few blessed nights of 9:00pm - 6:00am sleep and a few regressive 9:00pm - 3:00am / 3:30am - 6:00am / 6:30am - 9:00am nights as well. So, losing a feeding or two overnight could have caused my body to resume its menses. Or ...
2. Three weeks ago at my postpartum check-up, I decided to have the Mirena IUD implanted. I was all wishy-washy about what method of birth control I wanted to pursue, but ultimately decided some form of birth control was right for us ... at least for the time being. The idea of being pregnant at this very moment sort of throws me into a panic attack. I thought about taking my temps again but charting everyday (and obsessing over it like I did when we were trying to conceive) sounded liked a lot of work. So! An IUD it was.
Well, until it started to cause problems. Two weeks ago, I made an appointment with my OBGYN to have the IUD adjusted and it still wasn't any better. Let me side-step to remind you my sweet little Tory Girl still HATES her car seat and screams bloody murder every time she's in it. So a 30 minute drive to the doctor's office across town and through brutal I-94 construction isn't exactly something I enjoy doing every week. I could either have the IUD adjusted again which would likely mean I'd have to have a small same-day surgery to have it removed when we are ready to try for a baby again, or I could take it out now and go on the "mini pill," a progesterone-only birth control pill. I chose the mini pill. I am not going back to the doctor for the FOURTH TIME in four weeks.
I'm one of the lucky ones who's never had any issues with the standard birth control pill, so I had a few questions about how the mini pill was to be administered, and how it would affect by ability to nurse. My OBGYN was vague when answering my questions, only stressing I let her know as soon as I stop breastfeeding so I can switch to a combination progesterone / estrogen birth control pill. OK but, I still had questions...
I went to Walgreens to pick up my prescription and asked to speak to the pharmacist. A male pharmacist walks over (oh, great) and I asked him my questions.
ME: "Do I start taking this on a Sunday like the other birth control pill?"
PHARMACIST: "Yep." (Without even looking to see which type of birth control pill I was referring to).
ME: "Is this similar to the standard 28-day pill?"
PHARMACIST: "Um ..." (rips open drugstore package) "Yep, 28 pills here."
ME: "This is the progesterone-only pill. Is there anything special I need to know about this type of pill vs. the standard combination pill?"
PHARMACIST: "Ummm..." (Looks at package) "Nope, take one every day."
Thanks, buddy. Very reassuring. It's one thing to screw with my own body, but since another human being (my child!) solely relies on the things I ingest, I'd kind of like to be sure I do it right. Oh, and also there's the fact that another human being could be conceived if I screw it up!
So, I went home and googled "mini pill" to find the answers myself. AM SO THANKFUL I DID! Good lord. Apparently, this pill is less effective than other birth control methods because it contains progesterone only. It works by thickening the lining of the cervix to stop sperm from traveling to the fallopian tubes (not sure if anyone else cares about the logistics, but I found it interesting). Therefore, the mini pill is only effective for about 4-22 hours. It's vital it be consumed at exactly the same time everyday to ensure its effectiveness. (For example, if I take the pill at 9:00pm and have sex at 10:00pm it may not be in effect yet). Also, should my period resume (which is has) I should continue to take the mini pill every day, even through my period. There are no placebo pills in this version.
Uh ... HELLO! INFORMATION I THINK WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO LEARN ABOUT FROM SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN THE INTERNET!
So, all this to say I believe my period started as a result of stopping the IUD and waiting a few days before starting the mini pill (I start it on Sunday). I can't say I'm all that confident in this method, but it's really my only option since the IUD was problematic and I can't take a combination birth control pill until after I'm done nursing. I guess there's always condoms, but I'm not sure my husband will be thrilled about that option. So! I best be setting an alarm every day to take this darn mini pill. And if I tell you we're expecting far sooner than you think I should be, than (surprise!) I wasn't all that good at it.
I was pretty shocked to wake up yesterday to the arrival of good ol' Aunt Flow. I haven't seen her since October 2010 and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little surprised by her arrival. I'm exclusively breastfeeding and just about everyone I know who nurses their baby had to all but stop doing so in order for their cycles to return to normal. I suspect mine is early for one of two reasons:
1. After doing some online reading, (where would I be without BabyCenter?) it could be because Tory has recently started sleeping through the night. Well, not ALL NIGHT, but close. Lately, she's in bed by 9:00pm and sleeping straight through until 4:00am. After a quick feeding, she's back to sleep until 8:00am. We've had a few blessed nights of 9:00pm - 6:00am sleep and a few regressive 9:00pm - 3:00am / 3:30am - 6:00am / 6:30am - 9:00am nights as well. So, losing a feeding or two overnight could have caused my body to resume its menses. Or ...
2. Three weeks ago at my postpartum check-up, I decided to have the Mirena IUD implanted. I was all wishy-washy about what method of birth control I wanted to pursue, but ultimately decided some form of birth control was right for us ... at least for the time being. The idea of being pregnant at this very moment sort of throws me into a panic attack. I thought about taking my temps again but charting everyday (and obsessing over it like I did when we were trying to conceive) sounded liked a lot of work. So! An IUD it was.
Well, until it started to cause problems. Two weeks ago, I made an appointment with my OBGYN to have the IUD adjusted and it still wasn't any better. Let me side-step to remind you my sweet little Tory Girl still HATES her car seat and screams bloody murder every time she's in it. So a 30 minute drive to the doctor's office across town and through brutal I-94 construction isn't exactly something I enjoy doing every week. I could either have the IUD adjusted again which would likely mean I'd have to have a small same-day surgery to have it removed when we are ready to try for a baby again, or I could take it out now and go on the "mini pill," a progesterone-only birth control pill. I chose the mini pill. I am not going back to the doctor for the FOURTH TIME in four weeks.
I'm one of the lucky ones who's never had any issues with the standard birth control pill, so I had a few questions about how the mini pill was to be administered, and how it would affect by ability to nurse. My OBGYN was vague when answering my questions, only stressing I let her know as soon as I stop breastfeeding so I can switch to a combination progesterone / estrogen birth control pill. OK but, I still had questions...
I went to Walgreens to pick up my prescription and asked to speak to the pharmacist. A male pharmacist walks over (oh, great) and I asked him my questions.
ME: "Do I start taking this on a Sunday like the other birth control pill?"
PHARMACIST: "Yep." (Without even looking to see which type of birth control pill I was referring to).
ME: "Is this similar to the standard 28-day pill?"
PHARMACIST: "Um ..." (rips open drugstore package) "Yep, 28 pills here."
ME: "This is the progesterone-only pill. Is there anything special I need to know about this type of pill vs. the standard combination pill?"
PHARMACIST: "Ummm..." (Looks at package) "Nope, take one every day."
Thanks, buddy. Very reassuring. It's one thing to screw with my own body, but since another human being (my child!) solely relies on the things I ingest, I'd kind of like to be sure I do it right. Oh, and also there's the fact that another human being could be conceived if I screw it up!
So, I went home and googled "mini pill" to find the answers myself. AM SO THANKFUL I DID! Good lord. Apparently, this pill is less effective than other birth control methods because it contains progesterone only. It works by thickening the lining of the cervix to stop sperm from traveling to the fallopian tubes (not sure if anyone else cares about the logistics, but I found it interesting). Therefore, the mini pill is only effective for about 4-22 hours. It's vital it be consumed at exactly the same time everyday to ensure its effectiveness. (For example, if I take the pill at 9:00pm and have sex at 10:00pm it may not be in effect yet). Also, should my period resume (which is has) I should continue to take the mini pill every day, even through my period. There are no placebo pills in this version.
Uh ... HELLO! INFORMATION I THINK WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO LEARN ABOUT FROM SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN THE INTERNET!
So, all this to say I believe my period started as a result of stopping the IUD and waiting a few days before starting the mini pill (I start it on Sunday). I can't say I'm all that confident in this method, but it's really my only option since the IUD was problematic and I can't take a combination birth control pill until after I'm done nursing. I guess there's always condoms, but I'm not sure my husband will be thrilled about that option. So! I best be setting an alarm every day to take this darn mini pill. And if I tell you we're expecting far sooner than you think I should be, than (surprise!) I wasn't all that good at it.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Getting Pretty
I saw a makeup tutorial on another blog recently and it both sparked interest and a feeling of inadequecy in me all at once. I'm 30 years old and I do relatively NOTHING to get pretty anymore. What if I'm turning into one of those people who have the same look for twenty years and no one tells me? Am I destined for a national television makeover - the frumpy mommy who needs a new style? Seriously though, would it be all that bad to have Stacy London take you on a $5,000 shopping spree? Embarrassing for a minute, but then shopping with someone else's money ... hello!
I'll admit, I've never really known the CORRECT way to apply makeup. In high school I bought the basic drugstore essentials - foundation, blush, eye shadow and mascara and haphazardly put them on my face. I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't have a big sister to ask, but I did my best and treaded on the side of caution. In college, I roomed with a gal who sold Mary Kay and she convinced me to buy all kinds of eyeshadows, pencils and foundations. I still use Mary Kay, but over the years I've paired down my product selection. Today, I use foundation and mascara. That's it. When did I become so boring?
The other day I asked Andi if he noticed me not wearing as much makeup as I did when we met. He said he hadn't and quickly recommended I not change a thing. I'm sure his opinion is solely based on how many minutes it takes me to get ready to go somewhere. At what point in life did comfort and convenience overtake sexy and swagger? I'm glad his assistant is a 30-year-old guy or I might have some competition!
So, here's my make up bag and my daily makeup routine: Mary Kay Creme-To-Powder Foundation and Covergirl Mascara. I obviously have more products here than I use; most of them are old and should probably be thrown away ... although the thought of doing so is really hard to do for some reason.
I bought some concealer recommended in the online blog tutorial in an effort to cover the bags under my tired mommy eyes. I'm also going to give eyeliner and eyeshadow another go. Maybe lip gloss too? I'm scared of becoming a run-down thirty-something and I wonder if that's the path I'm headed down if I don't jump back on the makeup bandwagon STAT.
I'm curious ... what's your makeup routine and what products do you love?
I'll admit, I've never really known the CORRECT way to apply makeup. In high school I bought the basic drugstore essentials - foundation, blush, eye shadow and mascara and haphazardly put them on my face. I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't have a big sister to ask, but I did my best and treaded on the side of caution. In college, I roomed with a gal who sold Mary Kay and she convinced me to buy all kinds of eyeshadows, pencils and foundations. I still use Mary Kay, but over the years I've paired down my product selection. Today, I use foundation and mascara. That's it. When did I become so boring?
The other day I asked Andi if he noticed me not wearing as much makeup as I did when we met. He said he hadn't and quickly recommended I not change a thing. I'm sure his opinion is solely based on how many minutes it takes me to get ready to go somewhere. At what point in life did comfort and convenience overtake sexy and swagger? I'm glad his assistant is a 30-year-old guy or I might have some competition!
So, here's my make up bag and my daily makeup routine: Mary Kay Creme-To-Powder Foundation and Covergirl Mascara. I obviously have more products here than I use; most of them are old and should probably be thrown away ... although the thought of doing so is really hard to do for some reason.
I bought some concealer recommended in the online blog tutorial in an effort to cover the bags under my tired mommy eyes. I'm also going to give eyeliner and eyeshadow another go. Maybe lip gloss too? I'm scared of becoming a run-down thirty-something and I wonder if that's the path I'm headed down if I don't jump back on the makeup bandwagon STAT.
I'm curious ... what's your makeup routine and what products do you love?
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Holiday Cookie Party ... with a Twist
Every December, I host a Cookie Party for my Twin Cities friends and family. What started as an idea to knock out all of my holiday baking in one fell swoop, morphed into an awesome way to kick off the holiday season with some of my favorite people. I invite friends and family from various social circles (some who know each other, some who don't - which I think makes it all the more fun) and task each person with preparing one to two holiday cookie recipes they're willing to share with the group. At the end of the day, we all go home with more Christmas cookies than we know what to do with (like for reals, cookies coming out of our ears!) and enjoy a fun evening away from husbands and kiddos. Andi's office makes the perfect place to host the party. His agency shares the space with a company who specializes in food photography and therefore has a huge industrial-size kitchen stocked full of cookie sheets, utensils and counter space to accommodate all of us.
So a few weeks ago when Andi told me he decided to move his agency to a new office space, my first question was "will I be able to host my cookie baking party this year?" I've come to look forward to this date on the calendar (and I know some of the other girls have too!) and I was bummed at the thought of ending this fun holiday tradition.
The more I thought about it, and after I searched Pinterest for ideas, I decided to host a different type of cookie party to kick off the holiday season. Enter: The "Stuff Your Box" Party. This year, I plan to host a holiday cookie exchange with booze and boys. I'm looping Andi it on the festivities (can you guess who came up with the party name?) and plan to invite all of my girlfriends and their significant others over to our house for food, drinks and a traditional holiday cookie swap. All of the actual baking will have to take place before the party this year so guests will be invited to bring two dozen of their favorite holiday cookie(s) and a bottle of wine. We'll drink, socialize and trade cookies. What could be better?
Now the fun part begins ... I've got some cute ideas for party invitations, cookie swap boxes and more so stay tuned!
So a few weeks ago when Andi told me he decided to move his agency to a new office space, my first question was "will I be able to host my cookie baking party this year?" I've come to look forward to this date on the calendar (and I know some of the other girls have too!) and I was bummed at the thought of ending this fun holiday tradition.
The more I thought about it, and after I searched Pinterest for ideas, I decided to host a different type of cookie party to kick off the holiday season. Enter: The "Stuff Your Box" Party. This year, I plan to host a holiday cookie exchange with booze and boys. I'm looping Andi it on the festivities (can you guess who came up with the party name?) and plan to invite all of my girlfriends and their significant others over to our house for food, drinks and a traditional holiday cookie swap. All of the actual baking will have to take place before the party this year so guests will be invited to bring two dozen of their favorite holiday cookie(s) and a bottle of wine. We'll drink, socialize and trade cookies. What could be better?
Now the fun part begins ... I've got some cute ideas for party invitations, cookie swap boxes and more so stay tuned!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Search Is Over
We found a nanny!
Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions on Finding Mary Poppins. We found someone we really like and hired her this past Saturday. She's a twenty-something girl who's taking some time away from college to find herself and happens to be living with her parents near our house in the 'burbs. While she figures out what she wants to be when she grows up, she's moonlighting as a nanny and comes highly recommended by past employers and other families with children. Believe me when I say, Andi and I searched to find a negative and came up empty-handed. So, we made the leap! I think she'll be great with Tory.
The only downside in choosing someone who's not committed to being a nanny forever is ... she won't be our nanny forever. Although the more Andi and I discussed it, we aren't sure what we'll want to do in the future either. We may end up sending Tory to the Montessori school we liked in a year or two, so it'll be nice to have options when deciding her future. Or, we may decide the nanny-route is more suited for us and end up hiring someone different if this gal moves on. We'll see what happens ...
More and more, I'm feeling comfortable with our decision. After meeting with Allie* (I'll use a fake-nanny name in case she doesn't want to be mentioned) on Thursday, I phone-screened several more applicants who failed to impress me. We had 28 people apply in all and of those, I think Allie is the best fit for us.
I do plan to sign Tory up for ECFE classes and / or other activities to make sure she's exposed to other kiddos. Any suggestions on specific classes or groups I should look into? I also have more and more friends who are choosing the SAHM route, so we'll have plenty of options for play-dates too.
I'm thankful Tory will be safe in the comforts of our home for her first year, away from most germs and Minnesota's scary winter driving. It'll be nice for Chloe to have some company at home, too. So happy to have crossed this BIG task off my baby to-do list!
Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions on Finding Mary Poppins. We found someone we really like and hired her this past Saturday. She's a twenty-something girl who's taking some time away from college to find herself and happens to be living with her parents near our house in the 'burbs. While she figures out what she wants to be when she grows up, she's moonlighting as a nanny and comes highly recommended by past employers and other families with children. Believe me when I say, Andi and I searched to find a negative and came up empty-handed. So, we made the leap! I think she'll be great with Tory.
The only downside in choosing someone who's not committed to being a nanny forever is ... she won't be our nanny forever. Although the more Andi and I discussed it, we aren't sure what we'll want to do in the future either. We may end up sending Tory to the Montessori school we liked in a year or two, so it'll be nice to have options when deciding her future. Or, we may decide the nanny-route is more suited for us and end up hiring someone different if this gal moves on. We'll see what happens ...
More and more, I'm feeling comfortable with our decision. After meeting with Allie* (I'll use a fake-nanny name in case she doesn't want to be mentioned) on Thursday, I phone-screened several more applicants who failed to impress me. We had 28 people apply in all and of those, I think Allie is the best fit for us.
I do plan to sign Tory up for ECFE classes and / or other activities to make sure she's exposed to other kiddos. Any suggestions on specific classes or groups I should look into? I also have more and more friends who are choosing the SAHM route, so we'll have plenty of options for play-dates too.
I'm thankful Tory will be safe in the comforts of our home for her first year, away from most germs and Minnesota's scary winter driving. It'll be nice for Chloe to have some company at home, too. So happy to have crossed this BIG task off my baby to-do list!
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