Yet another tale of woe.

Shoes. I haven't bought them in several months. Other than the occasional purchase of the $14.99 shoe at Target, I haven't bought a proper pair of shoes, from a proper store for several months. Last spring, I bought a pair of Minnetonka Moccasins at DSW. I love them, I wear them at least once a weekend, and usually on casual Fridays to work.

Minnetonka Moccasins

This fall, I had decided to purchase a pair of booties. I wanted a pair of taupe booties, so that they would work with black and brown. This is the one I want, but at almost $90 and no coupons or gift cards, it had to be out of the running. Nevertheness, behold the beauty that is the Sole Society Kelsa Bootie.

Sole Society - Kelsa in Mushroom Fudge

I found a compromise, but in the wrong color. For $49.95, it was worth compromising on the color, but I wasn't quite ready to settle down just yet. I tried it on, it fit, but I couldn't commit.

Crown Vintage Carlton Bootie

After going back to take a second look at DSW.com, I searched for more in the same style and found another compromise. Despite the unappealing brand, at only $10 more, it was another consideration. And, with free shipping and the ability to make returns directly at the DSW store, I took the plunge and ordered this pair:

Fergalicious Lucid Bootie

In the pictures, I don't love it. I'm not sure what the deal is with the how the heel is kinda rounded in the back, and I don't love that the toe is rounded upward. But, it's worth a strut around the house. And I got the shipping notification this morning, and here's the woe part... it shipped to my address in Chicago!!

Apparently, DSW doesn't automatically updated your shipping and billing information when you update your home address, so while the home address was properly in Las Vegas, the shipping address was still my apartment in Chicago. Of course, I can't blame DSW entirely here, I should have double checked all the addresses before clicking, but I find it perfectly reasonable to check the "home address" section and assume it is all going out to the same place! WOE IS ME!

And more woe: DSW can't intercept and reroute the package, even though they are shipping through Fed Ex because..... I don't know and it's too upsetting to listen to why. Instead, I have to check the shipping status and HOPE that I manage to notify the post office between the time it is delivered to them and before they put it on the truck for delivery to my old apartment and my parents' tenant. I'm guessing that's not a huge window of time, and everyone knows how efficient it is to try and do anything through the post office over the telephone. I've sent an email to the tenant, and asked her to graciously REJECT my shoes if they get delivered to her house, so that they can be sent back to DSW and then to me. WOE IS ME!

So, there concludes my tale of woe. By my estimation, see you in 2 months, shoes. 

One sick day, two tales.

Over the weekend, Mia had a fever on and off ranging from 100-102 degrees. We considered taking her to the drug-store clinic on Sunday, but decided it was best to wait until we could see her pediatrician on Monday morning. 

I called first time on Monday morning, and quickly got an appointment for 9:30am. We loaded up in my car and drove across town. Despite having moved clear across Vegas, I haven't switched Pediatricians. A 20 minute drive is worth it to me, I really like her. But, this does mean a lot of driving. So, we headed back towards our neck of the woods after a quick diagnosis for an ear infection, and an antiobiotics prescription in hand. As soon as we got back to our neighborhood, I drove through and dropped off the prescription at the pharmacy window. It would be ready in an hour. 

I decided that it was better for Mia to get her medication earlier in the day, rather than waiting until after 5 for B to pick it up on his way home from work. So, I headed to Target to pick up some kid-groceries. We did our thing, picked up a bonus pair of shoes for Mia that were on sale for $10 and desperately needed since Mia now only has 1 pair of school shoes that fit. After a quick potty stop, we headed back towards the pharmacy.

I headed back into the drive through aisle to pick up the prescription, which I had already been notified was ready. I got everything I needed, and proceeded to navigate through the busy lunchtime parking lot, where I was stopped behind a car waiting to turn right, into the aisle that led back onto the road.* At that point, a woman in a red chevy impala (a rental) was backing out of her parking spot, directly to my left. I honked, HOOOOOOONKED because I couldn't move forward, but alas, she did not stop and she ran into my car door.

She was going very slowly, so the impact was fine and nobody was hurt. I'm not sure Mia noticed anything strange had happened. The damage looks pretty minimal, but my car door is jammed. I can open it about 6 inches and force my way through it, which I did. We exchanged contact information, she gave me her insurance and admitted liability. I squeezed back into my car, snapped a couple of pictures of her license plate and driver's license, and headed back home. The car is a bit rattly as I drove it home, but hopefully there is nothing seriously wrong with it. 

I set Mia up with her medication, put her in front of a movie with a blanket and her Bunny, and got to the phone to make my claim. We've been in contact and hopefully, I'll be able to make arrangements to drop my car off and pick up a rental by tomorrow. Luckily, B is off work today, so I'm driving his car while mine ails in the driveway. So far, everything's fine and there's not a lot to be too upset about, except having to deal with dropping my car off and making several phone calls to insurance companies. Hopefully everything concludes itself drama-free.

That is how the story goes if you ask me what happened to me yesterday.

But, if you'll go back to the asterisk (*), you'll  need to insert this portion:

After I left the drive through to pick up Mia's prescription at the pharmacy, I remembered that the last time Mia got this prescription, she vomited after I gave her the first dose (a double). Since she's been sick, she hasn't been eating a lot. And I don't know about the other parents out there, but I know of one other drive thru that will guarantee my kid has a full stomach - McDonald's. So, I admit it. That's what I was really exiting when the rest of the story took place, the McDonald's drive through. [Yes, I am ashamed to say it] And no, I didn't only pick up a Happy Meal for Mia, I also got myself my favorite - a cheeseburger and fries. Hey - at least I skipped the Sundae. So, that's what I get for going to McDonald's, that's what I get for picking up a lunch that likely contained my entire daily value of fat for the day. BLARG.

Plus, my fries were cold by the time I got home to eat them. Though Mia's belly was predictably full within 20 minutes of being home, and she tolerated the 1st dose of antibiotics very well.

Conversations parents have

Me: B, Mia needs some pants now that the weather's getting cool.
B: Ok, how many pairs does she have?
Me: Maybe 5 that fit her.
B: That sounds like it should be enough!
Me: For a normal person, yes. But for a person who pees and craps herself at school? It's not.

Potty training still continues to go pretty well, actually. But apparently, once the 2 year old teacher leaves, all the kids who are simultaneously potty training forget to tell someone when they have to go, so the longer Mia stays at daycare after 3 pm, the higher the odds of her coming home with one of those dreaded plastic bags tied to her backpack. Yesterday, she came home with 3, and the 2 feet surrounding her bag smelled like a homeless person. They explained that Miss Sue left at noon today.

Mostly, this was meant as a quick updated so that the last post was no longer my tagline on anyone else's feed. I feel much better now, thanks for letting me bitch a bit!

One of those fall asleep on your face kind of moods

This weekend was not great. For not one particular reason, but just a combination of kind of crappy things that just kind of... made me have a minor meltdown / explosion.

Since we removed Mia's crib railing, she's stopped taking her habitual 2 hour midday nap. She still naps, but she won't be down for nearly long enough to make it count. It's probably that when the crib railing was up, she'd wake up a few times during those two hours, but doze back off to sleep when she got bored. Now, she'll wake up and get up out of bed on her own and play quietly in her room for a while. It's nice, for us, to still have that little break in the middle of the day, but the less than 45 minutes she's down means that by around 5 o'clock, she's in a near meltdown state. I'd like to think that I am normally pretty levelheaded and patient with her when she's like this. I'll let her have her tantrum, ignore it, and she'll come back to me once she's done, saying "Ma (I'm) okay now, Mama" and climb on my lap to recover. But this Saturday, I found that I actually had to remove myself from the room while she was inconsolable. I sent her to her timeout mat, and marched straight up to my bedroom and planted myself face down on the length of the bed, and stayed there until I actually fell asleep. I woke up 40 minutes later, completely stunned as to why I was face down on the bed, when I heard B trying to prevent Mia from coming in the room. She, was completely recovered and fine, of course. I recovered my patience enough to deal with Mia, but not with the rest of... LIFE like dogs who want their food, or husbands who want to watch football all day, or annoying status updates on facebook. You know, the normal stuff.

It couldn't have been that one thing, but it was more like that afternoon, that particular tantrum, was the straw. August and September have been bad for us, financially. The thing with B's job is that it's not exactly predictable. Yes, he has a base pay, but when his numbers aren't there for the month, neither is the commission check at the beginning of the following month. So, generally, we know about 30 days in advance when the check isn't going to be its usual size. On the same token, he can also have stellar numbers, and we know that in about 30 days time, we'll have a bit extra. July and August were the former, which unfortunately, means that August and September were going to be bad. We've known that for a while and have completely cut out any unnecessary spending. Bills paid, but nothing left beyond that. Which, of course, is not a bad place to be, relatively speaking. But, it still takes a toll. So I'm counting down until September is over (and have been since August 1st), and October rolls around. B's September was amazing, and we should be getting about three times his normal commission amount, which should balance out our deficiencies. The lists of not extravagant but not necessary things that I've put off buying is building in my head (cleansing conditioner, face cream, eye cream, dry shampoo, lipstick). Things also on my list, but that still have to wait: shoes, pants, glasses. Thankfully, my paychecks have been on time and full sized since I've been working 5 days a week, every week. Without those, I would probably have broken down ages and ages ago.

Oh, and have I left out the part that made me feel justified in taking some of this frustration out on my husband? Last weekend, I was getting ready to go out for a girls night (my one splurge - paid for by Etsy orders) and was in my bra and underwear, undoubtedly while I was bending over or doing something equally as unflattering, my husband sighs and says QUOTE: "You have such a Mom body now."

[pause to let that sink in]

In that moment, I kind of let it go. I was trying to get myself out the door and looking as nice as possible to meet up with a group of girls I didn't know (except one). I ended up having a great time, so the comment didn't come up again until this weekend. I don't even know in what context I brought it up, maybe when I pointed out a pair of shoes that I really wanted and B reminding me (again!) that his car needed new tires, so shoes would have to wait. Maybe I said something real mature like: "What? They don't look like Mom shoes enough to match my MOM BODY?!?" Either way, I was belatedly incensed about the comment. He tried to explain himself, to say that he didn't mean it as an insult. Honestly, as I'm writing it out, I can't even remember how he tried to spin it because of how ineffective that spinning was.

Oh, and have I mentioned the trouble I've been having with my application to the Nevada Bar? Apparently, there's still missing about a gagillion things of mine because the post office stopped working, or because it's just too difficult to make note of my married name versus my maiden name, and this morning I got an email that just mentions that I have a week to get this straightened out or I will be DISQUALIFIED for the November swearing in, provided I pass the exam.

So, add to all that Mia falling out of bed at about 4:30 this morning, and then tossing and turning in our bed until 5:30 this morning, when she went back into her own bed because even my 2 year old had enough sense to realize how little sleep she was getting by resting her head on my throat. And of course, at 5:45, there goes B's work out alarm, and I've been awake since 4:30 and now he's going to work out in our room because me and my mom-body don't need any stinking beauty rest!

Before B left for work, he's all... "Um, honey? I know you're struggling and all, but I just kind of need to know you're okay before I leave." I'll be fine, nothing a few weekdays in a row won't fix. Amirite?

Fall TV line up

I will freely admit that the television is on in our house much, much too often. B loves movies. On his week days off, I'll come home and he'll have watched, three or four, in a row. He's not on his ass watching movie after movie after movie, his days are very productive, but always with movies on in the background.

I like movies, generally. I like sitting down on a Friday night after Mia's gone to sleep and watch whatever we have from Netflix (I think I am one of the last few people who still gets DVDs from Netflix). But, if it's up to me, I would much rather watch a TV show. My ideal way to watch TV is of course in the serial form, as I've discussed many a time. One after the other, and whenever I want. I've really come to love netflix original series. House of Cards isn't the only one anymore, you know! Orange is the New Black was great, I even liked Hemlock Grove. While Netflix series are great for the summer, the regular fall series are all coming back! 

Another great thing to watch during the summer? Cable TV. This summer, we watched The Newsroom, whose second season was not as great as the first, but wrapped itself up very nicely this weekend. We discovered the wonder that is HBO Go, so we watched the first and part of the second season of True Blood. We didn't bother finishing the second season, it started getting a bit annoying (with Sookie being ridiculously annoying). When we have about 100 hours free, we plan to re-watch all of the Sopranos. Also, guilty indulgence: the While Queen, on Starz which was based on the Philippa Gregory novels that I love. The series itself was not amazing, but seeing the books come to life is completely worth it.

And, since I know you've all been wondering, here is the lineup of regular tv shows that are going to be lined up on our DVR this fall:

How I met your Mother: If this wasn't in its last season, this would have been axed this year. It's been too many seasons of basically the same storyline. We liked it so much at the beginning, our Swarley's name is taken from an episode. And, at the end of last season, Marshall (the lawyer with about 2-3 years of experience) got offered a judgeship, and that is just WRONG, so they almost got the boot. You have been warned, HIMYM. Wrap it up nicely.

Modern Family: steadily funny, reliable. Not one that gets watched immediately, but once we do get around to playing it, we're always glad we did.

Parks and Rec: A couple of years ago, this was the funniest show on TV. It may very well still be. Amy Poehler and Aziz Ansari are seriously magical.

New Girl: Brian likes this show more than I do, probably because he (like all other guys 28+) lurves Zooey Deschanel. He also likes Schmitt as much as I love Tom Haverford.

Walking Dead: By far, the show that I am most excited to see start up again. It's much more satisfying when watched serially, but last season we really looked forward to Sunday nights specifically for it. It starts October 13th, and really, should be great. Though the hopeless negativity better ease up a little bit, or it's going to start to get too exhausting to watch.

American Horror Story, Coven: Okay, so I didn't watch Asylum because I caught on to American Horror Story too late to catch up, but the beauty of this show is that every season has a completely independent story line. So, watching Murder House on Netflix gave me just enough of a taste to know that I am definitely, 100% watching Coven. The previews hint to almost nothing, but are so creepy!

The Mindy Project: actually a new addition to our DVR this year. We watched a couple of episodes here and there last season, and it was always funny, but somehow we never got around to recording it. Mindy Kaling is seriously hilarious in such a smart, self-deprecating and ditzy way. I read her book last year, and was THAT girl laughing out loud at subway while eating my lunch. So, it has earned a spot on the DVR.

New shows that are going to get a try: The Goldbergs on ABC, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Andy Samberg's new show, Super Fun Night, Rebel Wilson's new show. Anyone else looking forward to anything this fall?

Halloweening

Now, I realize that my plight as a mother of a spunky and vivacious two year old is hardly original or ground-breaking here. If I ask Mia: What would you like to dress up as this Halloween? She'll likely reply by telling me what kind of snack she would like me to feed her. So instead, I approach her with some choices, very thought out choices based on her obvious preferences.

Olivia the Pig! My first instinct because I love her more than Mia does. But, maybe I've done too much Olivia already. We did do an Olivia-themed second birthday.

Mia, how about a mouse? Would you like to wear a mouse costume? I suggested a mouse, because she is constantly pointing out in the mouse when we read Good Night Moon. I mean, every time the mouse is on the page, it's "MOUSE! Mouse! Mama!!! MOUSE!". Then, I wonder. Will she keep the ears on all night? Or will she just be some weird kid walking around in a black spandex unitard? Mia's answer: Mouse? Mickey Club House? I want WATCH!

Onto the second thought: Minnie Mouse, then! She got a pair of ears from B's sister when they went to Disney World this summer. We'd only need to buy her the dress, that could be fun! Mia, Minnie Mouse? Do you want to dress up as Minnie Mouse? I grab her Minnie Mouse ears and she takes them off after about 5 seconds on her head. Fine, Minnie Mouse is out, too.

B's suggestion: Vanellope Von Schweetz, aka the Glitch from Wreck it Ralph! Mia's favorite movie at the moment. We have a short discussion about how she might not get it, or about how nobody else will get it. But then decided, who cares? I am sure this is the last year she will let me put whatever outfit I want on her. She's giving us her opinion on many, many things now and we are quickly progressing towards a all-pink wardrobe. (Every morning, I take out her school shoes for her to pick from. One pair is blue and one pair is purple, and she says "Noooo! Pink ones! Pink shoes!") So my feeling is that next year, she is going to squeal at the all-pink princess costume we pass in the aisles at Target, so, yeah. This year, we're doing something cool. So, Vanellope Von Schweetz it is.

Here's my pinboard for it, in case you guys are interested! http://www.pinterest.com/frenchieflip/boards/

Potty Training part 3 - almost there

I was going to start this post by promising that I wouldn't mention potty training again - but honestly, I'm lying. I will mention it again because I have very little else going on. After some reflection, B and I decided not to treat the no #2s in the potty thing as not a thing. She continued to hold off until she had a diaper on (usually at night, sometimes in the morning just as she was waking up), and we'd continue to tell her: Next time, it's in the potty, OK? We'd put it where it belonged (in the toilet), flush it down, and that was it. After making the decision not to treat it as a problem, I found it a lot easier not to get upset or frustrated that she wasn't responding.

I did, however, search the library for some potty training books, just to have a bit more of a reference on the topic than just google. But! This weekend! Mia requested we go to the potty because she had go #2. B went with her - maybe a change of pace on who was with her would make her less nervous about it all. And sure enough, she went, and boy did we celebrate it. She was a bit surprised at how happy it made us, I think, but she was very proud of herself. While we aren't quite at the point where she's going in the pot every time, it's been a huge sigh of relief that she's at least willing to try. She's told us every time she's gone, and sometimes we make it, and sometimes we don't, but... we're getting there. So... YAY. I'll still waiting on the potty training book to be transferred from a different library - maybe we'll have a bit more insight to share on this problem once we implement whatever they recommend.

Potty Training Part 2: #2

We are just about to hit a week of full-time awake diapers. At home, we no longer have accidents with #1. On our as short as possible excursions away from home, I've been putting her in a pull-up, and she keeps it dry the whole time! At school, she has consistently come home with two wet pairs of shorts. So, two accidents at school for the past two days. I consider that a win; I don't expect them to ask her whether she has to go potty every 20 minutes, like I do at home. Besides, this is a good chance for her to learn that she needs to ASK! Like I said, we're not even a week in, so I'm hardly complaining.

BUT, this kid. She won't do a #2 in the potty! In nearly 7 days, she's #2'ed ONCE in the potty, and judging by the look on her face, it was completely accidental. Yes, I praised and congratulated, and jumped for joy when it happened. Clearly, not enough to show that this was a good thing. So this clever child, she waits to do her #2s. She knows that I am going to put a diaper on her at bed time, so, she holds it! Until bedtime! Until she has been comfortably tucked in with her overnight pull up on! Then, she peeks down the stairs and discreetly informs us of her situation. 

I don't know what it is. I've read a couple of things where kids don't like the feeling of "letting it loose", or they don't like sitting on the potty for as long as a #2 takes. We'll keep trying, obviously. We'll flush the #2 from the diaper into the potty, tell her that's where it goes, etc. So, that's what we'll concentrate on this weekend. Another fun-filled one, centered on the all consuming potty!

Cancelling the Holiday Travels

When we moved out here almost 3 (gasp!) years ago, we thought we were making the decision to move away for higher salaries, but that those higher salaries would allow us to come back to Chicago for the important stuff. While that's been mostly true, it seems like wedding travel dominates our yearly travel budget. Lucky for us, 2012 had two weddings in Chicago, so two birds two plane tickets, it all worked out.

2013 had one wedding, this time in upstate new york. We were able to see my college friends, which is great - so far I haven't gone a year since graduation without seeing them at least once. We told ourselves we'd do at least one holiday in Chicago this year, whether Xmas or Thanksgiving, whichever one worked out best. Summer's wrapping up and it's time to solidify those plans. Thanksgiving was out - no vacation time, airfare was ridiculous.

So,  Xmas. We've been talking about it for weeks. We need to do it: B's grandparents haven't seen Mia in over a year; Our 2 Chicago weddings celebrated their anniversaries on facebook; Mia probably won't be an only child for much longer; Mia's going to LOVE the Holidays this year.; Mia hasn't seen snow; My sister in law is due on Nov 1st, we'd be able to see our niece while she's still a little bundle of an infant. So many reasons to say yes, to book the tickets and move forward with our planning.

I shopped some airfare. I found a pretty decent price, but we'd be travelling on the 25th and leaving on the 1st, which honestly, who cares? I was sure B's family would be happy to celebrate on the 25th, too. I thought it was a perfect compromise, we'd be there 7 days, B's got the time off we were already telling our family and friends we wouldn't be making it, but secretly keeping our eyes on Kayak plane fare just in case it dipped below $1,000 for the three of us. And this weekend... it did. Just as I was getting ready to put a nice little bow on everything and present it to my dear husband, he breaks the news. His car needs new brakes, new tires. And the total cost of these repairs? Exactly the same as the 3 plane tickets I found to shuttle us to his grandparents' house just in time for Xmas dinner.

ARGH, adulthood. You stink.

Potty Training Part 1

Last time we bought a 50-pack of diapers, I decided this was the last of it. We switched Mia to pull ups when she moved up to the 2 year old class, because they informed us that the teacher would automatically put her on their little bitty toilet every time she had a wet diaper, just to get her used to it. 3 months later, her teacher told us that she was OK with us dropper her off in undies, if we wanted to.

I take that as a gentle nudge to get this transition done already. So, for the past few Saturdays and some Friday afternoons, I've been letting Mia go diaper free all morning, and having her sit on her potty every 20 minutes or so. After the umpteenth time I'd interrupt her activities to sit her on that little frog-shaped toilet without her actually going, she'd start getting real annoyed with me. And vice versa. I would get super frustrated that she'd wet herself within 5 minutes after I just took her to sit down, so I gave up after 2 sets of undies. This weekend, I told myself to just give it one more chance past the 2 accidents.

After that second one, I watched her like a hawk. Like a weird stalker hawk continuously staring at my daughter's crotch. But, the weird crotch stares paid off when I was able to grab her just as I saw a TINY speck of moisture and run to the potty. It scared the crap out of her, and she was super upset with me, but once she calmed down, she did it. She finished up in the potty, and we celebrated and cheered, and gave her some candy. And with that - she understood what the potty was for! We continued with undies until around noon. She had one more accident, but tinkled in the potty many more times. So, challenge continues, but at least she knows what we want when we put her down on the potty now!

We've been continuing training every evening after she gets home from daycare, and while we have yet to do a successful #2 in the pot, things are still going pretty well (she waits to #2 until she's got a pull up on...). The tentative goal is to go pull-up free all weekend, except for night time and naps. So, here it goes!

For a bit of light reading...

Since I haven't picked up a non-study guide book in over 6 months, one of the things on my post-bar list was: Read fiction. With that being the first criteria, there are several others that I had to impose on my tired, overcrowded brain. Easy, unrelated to my life, and nothing that would even remotely qualify as "literature". 

First up, the Beautiful Creatures series, also known as the Caster Chronicles, though I had no idea of what in the world that meant at the time I downloaded it onto my Kindle. It's a young adult (Easy = check!) series of 4 books which I believed to be a love story between a human and a witch (unrelated to my life = check!). You know, Twilight meets Harry Potter (not literature = check!).

Not surprisingly, I finished the first book by Monday evening and it was extremely satisfying. There really is nothing like losing yourself in one of these books! More Twilight than Harry Potter, but the heroine is significantly less annoying than Edward and Bella, which, in my opinion, the biggest downfall of the Twilight series. It has its roll-your-eyes moments, but overall, it is exactly what I needed. 

Next on the list, the Divergent series!

Oh, on a side note, I've decided to stop making the bracelets from my Etsy Shop, so I discounted the bracelets to cost, and hope to close out my inventory before moving on to something new. So take a look at anything you might have liked before, and buy it at a much lower price!

Coming out of it

I have several posts started in my draft folder that were soooo depressing that I couldn't even finish typing them. I mentioned briefly in my first post-bar post that I was having trouble adjusting to life post-bar. I'm finally adjusting from my postBARtum depression. (GET IT? I'm funny.)

In this moment, I can hardly explain how I was feeling, but I seriously struggling. I would look up from whatever I was doing, and say "Ughhh, I'm struggling", silently and to myself, of course. But today, after taking a sick day to take Mia to the doctor for a long-time cough, things seem... better. For no good reason, they just seem better.

All the things I was sad about before? They're still there. Whether I want to check job postings, find out whether I could work with a recruiter, whether I want to ask for a raise... all those things are still there, still problems. But I don't feel them physically weighing down on me the way I have in the past couple of weeks.

I'm adjusting - waiting, knowing that however difficult it can be, we're getting there. B and I go to bed every night giggling about something cute and funny Mia did that day. Last night, we were a bit more sentimental than usual and asked each other how we could have gotten so lucky with our little one. So sweet and so fiesty, so smart and so silly. Are all parents this obsessed with their children? He said probably. I said I hoped so.

PS - MPRE tomorrow! And then, finally, I will get to the books waiting for me on my Kindle.

The big girl bed adventures

The second your kid turns two, that magic number seems to trigger a series of milestones that everyone believes you should start achieving. Mia turned two a couple of months ago, but those two months were filled with stacks of bright orange BarBri books, streaming lectures, highlighters and flashcards (one flashcard was devoted to a list of said milestones awaiting bar completion). And this weekend, we started on one of the items: transitioning Mia into a regular bed.

Mia wakes up almost every morning, crying. If she wakes up at night for any reason, she's also crying. I read somewhere that though most parents take their kid falling from their crib when trying to climb out as the sign to switch to a bed, sometimes a toddler still waking up crying can be a sign that they are ready for some freedom. Hopefully, this was Mia's problem and we weren't going to be doomed to be woken up by a crying kid for the rest of our lives.

I had fully intended on moving her straight from her crib into a twin bed, but this month's budget is a bit tight, so that will have to wait. I didn't want to put off the transition though, so instead, we just turned her crib into a toddler bed by removing one of the side railings. Things went... about as you would expect.

The first night, she was thrilled at the novelty of being able to get in and out on her own. She gleefully climbed in, but about 10 minutes later, we had a little person peering at us in the living room from the top of the stairs. And then again 20 minutes later. And 20 minutes after that. So... that first night, B and I gave in to Mia's request to "sit der, on floor" until she fell asleep.The second night, bedtime went much more smoothly. She went down, and didn't get up. But, when we went to check on her, she was face down, on the carpet, with her head under the bed. Oops. That day, we decided to give it one more night, and if she was still falling off, we'd wait until we could get a twin bed and a bed rail.

Of course, in true toddler fashion, she spent all night in her bed, and woke up fresh on her own, and B found her quietly reading a book when he came to check on her after his shower. This is exactly what I was hoping for!

Is back!

Well, Nevada Bar Exam July 2013 is official over! Well, not quite because it turns out that, adding insult to injury, I also have to re-take the MPRE next Saturday. But still, relatively speaking, I am over the biggest hurdle.

The whole ordeal of studying, and then sitting for the bar, was physically, mentally, and personally grueling, but in the end I got through it. In reflecting on the exam itself, I find myself completely perplexed at how to deal with the low pass rate. If 40% of the people taking this exam will not be making it through, and if 60% of the people taking this exam performed better than I did, I absolutely cannot see myself doing ANY better the second time around.

Now, do not take that in the "Well, I could NOT have done any better" sense saying that I was excellent and nobody could have done better, but instead, I just cannot see myself doing the whole thing again and having the result come out differently. While I'm not saying that I wouldn't retake it, I am just not sure I would pass the second time if I did have to retake it.

I've found that coming back to "normal life" post bar exam has been a bit more difficult than I anticipated. I feel like complete mush, of course, but more than that, there's a sense of dissatisfaction. You spend the months leading up to the bar building anticipation to cross this hurdle, and then once you cross it, you go back to your normal life to wait. But wait for what, exactly? The results, yes, but if I do pass, I'm not entirely sure I am going to be launching into a full-out job search.

First, while I was away, my Company started doing well again. No late paychecks, no more unpaid time off. I am officially back to 5 days a week, every week. Second, while I'm still somewhat dissatisfied in the lack of lawyering in my day to day, B has (frequently) pointed out that the grass is not always greener.

Besides that, I am back and trying to figure out what I want to do in terms of this blog, my Etsy shop, and... all the other things ever.

A conversation with Mia

Mia: Mama, ma poop!
Me: You pooped? Ok, let me check.
[She turns around and allows me to peer in her diaper]
Me: Yup. You pooped. Let's go upstairs and change your diaper.
Mia: I want Lola see ma poop! [Lola=my mom]
Lola, overhears her coming up the stairs: You pooped?
Mia: Yes! Poop in ma diapers!
Me: Ok, Mia, let me change you.
Mia: No. Lola change you. No Mama!

If that's not a parenting win, I don't know what is.

Mia's Second

I'll let the lateness of this post slide (and I hope you will too) considering the circumstances of 1) a million family members being in town 2) a birthday party to plan and get together, and 3) all while continuing to attend BarBri lectures both in person, online at home and online at work. But, the most important thing to take out of this is... Mia turned two this weekend!!

Saturday, to be more specific. At 2, Mia had very little idea why when she woke up from her nap, the house was filled with balloons and Olivia paraphernalia, to her great delight. I told her many many times that day that it was her birthday, which she would repeat back with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, but of course, she has no idea what the hell that actually means.

Regardless, Mia very much enjoyed the mountains of attention she received from her many guests, and playing with the two children we invited. I thought about organizing some games and activities for the kids, but brought out a bunch of bubbles, bubble wands and bubble guns (all of which are completely broken now, not surprisingly) instead which kept them all very occupied for the duration of the afternoon.

At two, Mia:

Weighs 24lbs, 1 oz. (10-25%)

Is 33.5 inches tall. (25-50%)

Size: 2T

She talks - non stop. She talks to us, she talks to the dogs, she talks to her dolls and stuffed animals, NON STOP. We hear her talking to herself in her crib after a nap, before a nap, during a nap... NON STOP. You get the idea.

We've developed a lovely morning routine where Brian gets her out of her crib right after he's showered, and while I'm still slumbering, and she'll come in and say: "Wake up, Mama!", and she proceeds to climb into Brian's spot and pretend to go back to sleep. She's also figured out how to shut off my alarm clock, which has made oversleeping much easier to do.

She is so much fun, but she continues to be sassy. She's constantly putting B (Papa) in "Time Ouuuut!" for the thing she believes to be against the rules. Of course, Papa deserves it about 75% of the time. If she doesn't get something she wants, she hangs her head in absolute despair, until she either gets over it, or... I give in.

She eats in a booster chair, at the table, on her own. She's pretty picky in what she'l eat, and is really inconsistent in her preferences. One night, she'll eat an entire chicken sausage and ask for more, and others, she eats only the green beans. We try not to make too many things available to her, and we do our best to feed her the same thing we are eating. If we're having something spicy or strongly flavored, she'll get a bowl of Mac n Cheese and be thrilled about it.

She has started to pay attention to televisions and can actually sit for about an hour of a move. Her favorites, in order, are The Lorax, The Lorax, and The Lorax. At least it's a fun movie with a good message, and we've moved on from Yo Gabba Gabba.

We are maybe slightly starting to consider potty training, and on Tuesday, she took a bona fide tinkle in the potty. We celebrated with much fanfare, but haven't gotten much further than that. My Mom is in town until the beginning of July and vows to have her completely trained by the time she leaves, which is absolutely fine with me.

So Mia, you'll have to forgive me for this post being a bit less detailed than the others, but Mama's got a Conflicts lecture to get back to. I love you more than you can imagine,

Mama.

Surrogacy and Adoption

I know it's been a LONG, LIKE SUPER DE DUPER LONG time since I've authored a post here.  I hope Frenchie can forgive me.  But tonight I have something on my mind and lately with how cutthroat Facebook has become, it doesn't seem the place for it.  I know we have a small but friendly and powerful audience here, but I also welcome, in fact REQUEST that if this blog post hits your heart, that you share it in any way possible: your blog, another mommy blog, tell a friend, etc.  Tim and I are at a junction where we are trying to decide if, when, and how to grow our family.  And I have been told that in situtations like this, even though one's first instinct might be to clam up and stay low until everything blows over, the exact opposite is what you should, or in fact NEED to do.  When looking for help growing your family in a non-traditional way, miracles are possible and at times more likely when more people hear your story.

Because of the heart trouble that happened when I gave birth to Tybalt, I have been HIGHLY discouraged from getting pregnant ever again.  Some womens' doctors (ob/gyns as well as cardiologists) differ in their opinion, but because of the severity of my post partum cardiomyopathy compared to some other cases, both of my doctors say no.  Or, in more clearer terms, "HELL NO."

This makes me sad.  It makes me depressed.  It makes me want to raise my arms to the heavens and say, "THANK YOU GOD FOR MY WONDERFUL AND HANDSOME MIRACLE BABY.  I LOVE HIM MORE THAN WORDS CAN EXPRESS,  AND I LOVE YOU FOR GIVING HIM TO ME.  DON'T GET ME WRONG THROUGHOUT ALL THIS--I HAVE FAITH, BELIEVE, AND AM VERY THANKFUL.  ALL THAT SAID...WTH?  YOU KNOW I DIDN'T WANT AN ONLY CHILD!  YOU KNOW MY HEART AND 'WOMB' ARE ACHING AND THAT I CRY DAILY!  I MAY ONLY BE ONE OF YOUR DAUGHTERS IN THIS WORLD OF BILLIONS, BUT PLEASE, REALLY, COULD YOU DO ME A 'SOLID' AND PUT ME UPWARDS ON THE LIST A BIT?  I SWEAR ONCE YOU GET ME A KID YOU CAN TAKE ME AND PUT ME RIGHT BACK DOWN WITH THE REST AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PRAYER LIST.  HELP ME HAVE ANOTHER CHILD!  PLEASE, I BEG!  SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY (THOUGH SAFELY FOR ME, SO NATURAL PREGNANCY IS PRETTY MUCH OUT, UNLESS YOU KNOW SOMETHING I DON'T.  I NEED THIS GOD, I REALLY, REALLY NEED THIS.  (And here's where I humbly admit that I'm a tiny bit pissed you haven't already just left one on my doorstep at this point, seeing I've been praying so long, and even when I'm not you're supposed to know the desires of my heart.  Right?)"

So, Tim and I are planning on either adopting or trying to use a surrogate.  I don't know much about the surrogacy process.  I'm wondering if any of you out there know anything.  Perhaps you've done it yourself or have a family member of friend who has?  And when I say "done it" that could mean being involved on either end--using a surrogate to have a baby, or even being a surrogate for a couple.  If this applies to you or someone you intimately know, could you possibly work on connecting us for an online conversation?  I have SO many questions about it.  My brain is just swimming.

As for adoption, it is obviously more widely practiced.  And I visit many blogs of adoptive mothers to read their stories and get a peek into their lives.  However, again, if one of you have been through adoption or know someone who has--either adopted or given a child "up" for adoption, I would really apprecaite the opportunity to connect with you/them online.  Most of the bloggers seem too busy to really talk.  Either that or they haven't really opened up for the chance to talk because they don't have contact information like an email address on their blogs, oddly enough.

Anyway, this post isn't meant to be a sob story.  If someone is waiting for that kind of post in order to help Romeo and I, I guarantee if they wait long enough it will come.  At this point, I'm really just kind of hoping that by putting this ponderance out into the universe and asking any of you readers who are willing to spread it further--as far as possible, that someone somewhere will see I am a loving and hopeful mother and woman, who is just fervently praying for the chance to have another child or two (twins!  why not?) and that they find it in their heart to help me in my next step.  Whatever that is!

Quick Post

My life has been taken over by BarBri. 

This is obviously no surprise, and I'm not sure why I'm having such a difficult time coming to terms with it. I've done it before, and yes, your life gets completely taken over by floppy heavy books (why can't they bind these a bit better? too floppy), index cards, highlighters, and practice questions. I paid my tuition about two weeks ago and have had access to everything online, so everytime I have any downtime, whether at work or at home, I am devoting it to the Early Paced Program (which is really like 7 weeks worth of work, but you know..) until the regular Paced program starts on May 20th.

So that nobody thinks that I'm an overachiever, let's keep in mind that while the regular law school kids will be able to spend all their waking hours on this, I will still have to show up to my job for 8 hours every day, at least until they very last few weeks. So while I'm still at about T-80 days, I already feel like I'm behind. 

3 years out of law school, and things are coming back. Thankfully, somewhat quicker than I thought they would. While I feel like I'm spending an inordinate amount of time trying to pull Future Interest out of my distant memory, here's the shocking thing... IT'S BEEN KINDA FUN.

What I'm not going to do right now is write about how sad it makes me to think about missing out on so much time with my nearly two year old little girl when I start going to class every night from 6-10. At least not right now.

Injured

Bright and early saturday morning, at the very start of my highly anticipated weekend which was meant to be filled with errands, fun and cleaning, I walked down the steps carrying a fully dressed Mia, and did God knows what to my back. I didn't fall, I didn't slip, I didn't even miss a step, and yet... I was in serious pain. Work has been sucky and continues to be sucky, though some solutions are presenting themselves so it's not as bad as all that, it's just... unpleasant. The point is, I was very much looking forward to keeping busy and my mind otherwise occupied. So the pain did that, but you know, also kept me parked on my behind, giving me, you know, time to think about the sucky things at work when I do not want to be thinking of such things.

ANYWAY, my weekend was spent on my couch, neglecting all my normal weekend duties. I was perched on my fully pillows nearly the entire time, taking a break for a couple of walks so as not to reach full sloth status, but getting absolutely no cleaning or laundry done. Also, in response to my complaints that this has never happened to me before, and what could I have wrong, my husband says: Well, you've never been this old before. Thanks for pointing that out, dearest.


Other things that happened:

- In an attempt to keep my child entertained with minimal physical effort, I allowed her to play with my iPhone. In addition to the very many rearranged App icons, she managed to turn on TWO of my previously used alarm clocks. One for 4:25am, and the other for 5:30am. So, that happened. It was very confusing and I had no idea why my phone was ringing like cathedral bells in the middle of the night and early morning. I came to and made the connection. So, thanks for that, Mia. Way to keep us on our toes.

- In what turned out to be a poor back-related decision, but a good food related decision, I got up off my couch and went to the Las Vegas Foodie Fest at which there were 30+ food trucks and ate the most delicious things. B and I shared some Asian tacos, one Korean beef, and the other some kind of delicious chicken. I also made a beeline for a truck labelled Filipino Fusion (for obvious reasons) and had my most favorite Filipino food re-vamped. Khalua-marinated pork belly (and here's the twist)... NACHOS. Oh yeah.

-I discovered my new guilty pleasure while B is at work on Saturdays show: Vampire Diaries. It is terrible and great in all expected ways and I like it very much. I streamed the first four episodes on Saturday, and wished to watch it on Sunday but refrained.

Pillow Talk

My husband, who normally, is the person who keeps everything together, sighed heavily that he was stressed, just as we were turning out the lights. He hides his stress, and he usually hides it well. He handles our money, and our bank account was low and waiting desperately for my paycheck to clear (spoiler alert, it cleared and we are no longer low... until next time). Nearly 6 months ago, he was told that he would very soon be considered for this promotion, and just last week, he was finally given the go-ahead to officially apply. So he did, and now a week and a half later, he feels like he's back to the position he was 6 months ago... just waiting without much encouragement.

At times like this, the only way a couple can function is if the other party is the strong one - everyone gets their turn to reassure the other, everything will be just fine. But with the day I had yesterday, with one financial blow (at work) after the next, I wasn't feeling like the strong one. I had a day of planning out contingencies in case my Company shuts down: I'd get unemployment, we'd have to ask for forbearance on our loans, we'd keep my small car, we'd cancel daycare, etc. But, I did my best as the strong one. Reminding him that it had been less than 10 days since he put his application in, and they wouldn't have asked you to apply if they weren't considering you, there must be something bigger going on right now that they have to deal with, etc.

And then, I reminded him that none of it is real. If the society shut down (Walking Dead , or Lost style!), job promotions and credit ratings and car payments, all of that disappears because it just... isn't real. Remember what's important - moments like Mia running around our hallway in her diaper before her bath, taking turns roaring at us, and us taking turns pretending to be scared. The Giggles (capitalized, because they were GIGGLES) and Joy and Fun. As long as the three of us are together, under one roof, warm, healthy and together. That's what happiness is, and if we lost that, then you should be stressed.

As, as if on cue, Mia, in all her toddler glory, started crying from her bedroom and asking to come "In dair, bed", we let our sleep training guard down and plobbed her tiny warm body between us and went to sleep smelling her clean baby hair.

And then... of course at 3 am, when she yanked on my earring, deeply regretted our decision.

Visitor Season

This week begins the Frenchie family's season of visitors. On Friday, we welcome B's younger sister, her husband and our nephew. In two weeks, we welcome B's older sister. Two weeks after that, my parents arrive in all their long-staying visitor glory. A week later, my uncle from the Philippines also visits (where we will put a third visitor is still up in the air), and my Mom stays through with us until the beginning of July.

We had planned a peaceful weekend before the storm, but of course, these things never work out as planned. Our dearest Juliet and her family a bit of an unfortunate turn of events and were basically ousted from their apartment this weekend, so we spent Saturday morning helping them out (B providing the muscle and yours truly providing the throw-things-in-a-box expertise), Saturday afternoon baking and getting ready for a pot-luck Filipino party, Saturday night taming an overtired from lack of nap and late bedtime tantrum. How dare you put "ocean" (lotion) on my legs, Mama? And Sunday, well, as planned, Sunday was a clean the very dirty parts of your house (stove, kitchen, carseats) and fix the guest room day.. Buy curtains for guest room? Not done. Buy towel rack for guest bath? Not done. At least I've got clean sheets in the dryer waiting to be put on the bed. At least.

But, since everything ended with the 3rd episode of Game of Thrones, everything was right with the world and here we are on Monday morning, with a lengthy to-do-list remaining in preparation of our visitor season.

Frenchie McKnitsalot

This post is mostly for my own benefit, so non-knitters bear with me as I document my projects (or just look at the pretty pictures of knits!). I take pictures of everything I knit, and then the pictures just sit on my phone doing nothing. I've been in a very knitting-heavy phase, to the point that my second thought after hearing of my sister in law's pregnancy was that I had an excuse to make a beautiful baby blanket. At least it wasn't my first thought, right?

I try to keep up with my projects on Ravelry, but a lot of the time my progress relative to others on there makes me sad, because I wish I could just knit all the live long day. But, here's what I've made in 2013 between the house of 8-10:30 pm:

I covered my old couch's throw pillows that were a not so pretty olive green microsuede with a pretty basket-weave. In order to use up some of my incomplete skeins, I made it with two different yarns. The lavender yarn is a soft merino/silk/wool blend, and the light blue side is a 100% pima cotton. I wish I had stuck with wool because the green color is peeking through the less tight cotton knit, but it's still pretty. I will cover up the second cushion, but that'll be for later on this year. The pattern is my own - there isn't much to it except casting and re-casting on to make sure there were enough stitches to cover the entire pillow, and alternating a stockinette and garter stitch. 

PS, that's my new couch! Isn't it pretty?

This is my first pair of socks! I'm pretty sure the pattern I used is a totally non-traditional sock pattern, but since it had step my step pictures, I went with it. I haven't had time to sign up for a class to make a traditional sock, but I'm happy with the way these turned out! This is a Cascade Paints sock yarn. My current project is another pair of these socks, using a white Malabrigo sock yarn. Washable!

This is a baby blanket I made for friends of ours in Chicago. This is the Berrocco Vintage, and it's totally washable which is ideal for a baby blanket. I modified a pattern I found in a library book called the Batternberg Blanket, and it made a really cool faux-cable effect.

A little cap sleeve diamond-lace sweater for Mia that took about 5 days, and knit all in one piece! This was a super fun project and I think I'll enlarge the pattern and make one for myself some day! The yarn was a Tuesday Morning find, a brand that I cannot remember, but it's 95% Cotton and 5% Cashmere, so it's super soft and airy. Also, washable!

That's it! The only project that I didn't post was my Empire Strikes Back dress, which I am bout 90% finished with, but after I tried it on and didn't love it, I haven't had the heart to finish the collar. I'll pick it up again soon and hopefully come to like my first adult-sized garment.

Over Qualified

Well, the first attempt at "change" has been crossed off the list. I recently applied to a mid-level human resources position at one of the big casinos in town. In the 18 months or so, this is only the 3rd job where I felt like I was being strongly considered for the position. I had exchanged a few emails with the corporate HR director, who happens to know my Dad (which never hurts). After telling me that he was going to schedule an interview and not hearing back from him for a couple of weeks of not hearing from him, I started to get a bad feeling that I picked the wrong position to apply for (there were tons of openings, and the one I picked seemed like the best match for a legal background), he informed me that I was overqualified, and that the pay would not meet my expectations. Would I like to apply for this paralegal position, instead? You'd likely still be overqualified, but at least you have the background.

What does that even mean, over-qualified? If you're looking strictly at education, sure. But experience? No. I'm hardly going to argue with him, that would not help the situation. I mean, the salary is just over half of what I'm making now, so even if I did manage to convince them that I was NOT overqualified, the pay would be prohibitive. So full speed ahead with Nevada Bar exam studying. I think I'm done with job applications for now.

Happy just Being

Our little family of three is getting comfortable in our little life. We're getting settled into the new house. A couch is on its way and should be delivered next Saturday. My parents bought us a dining table as an early birthday/christmas/every gift they may want to give us in 2013, so that is also on its way. We've got paint samples on the walls, and we are waiting for the time to undertake that kind of project to present itself. We're ready to stay put for at least five years; we're not interested in buying ourselves and having my parents as landlords is basically the same thing anyway.

Mia's transition to the two year old room has gone smoothly, especially since they spent about 80% of the day outside with the rest of the school, so she still sees her younger friends regularly. She is piecing together sentences. "Cheese!" has turned into "I want cheese... Please?". Now that she's a couple of months away from two, it seems like we're inching our way out of babydom, which is both relieving and tragic. She needs less from us, on a basic level, but more at the same time. More mindfulness about what we say, how we say it, and act how we generally want her to act. Her decided move towards childhood has made me realize 100% that our family would benefit from an addition. I've always said that I wouldn't consider a second baby until my first was no longer one herself, and it seems that I'm quite true to my word. She's not quite out of the baby stage yet, so I'm not quite in the "trying" stage yet either. We'll save that one for 2014 and just... stay comfortable (and by that I mean nausea-free) until the end of 2013. Though obviously, there is a blog post brewing in my head with an endless list of reasons I worry about bringing a second child into the fold.

We're on the brink of other new things for 2013. I've got the Bar Exam coming up, but it hasn't interfered with our lives yet (aka I'm not stuck to an outline and note cards, but will be in 30 days or so). Professionally, my goal would be not to close out the year in my current position. I'm looking at all possible Las Vegas options - hopefully being licensed opens up the possibility of working in a law office, firm, or in the legal department somewhere, or even not in the legal department somewhere. Either way, turning in my bar application is a more proactive step then I've taken in the past (because, let's face it... complaining about it is not a proactive step). But for now, I'm doing what needs to be done at my current job. Work is steady without being demanding, and paychecks are coming though still delayed. B is supposed to be transitioning into a management training program. We haven't heard anything official, but all signs point to "soon", but either way, knowing that he is moving towards a management position is enough to make his work satisfying.

Doesn't everyone in Vegas celebrate with some Cosmic Bowling?

It seems like the first time in ages that I am willing to consider adding anything to our plates. Though Motherhood in itself came to me easily, shifting the rest of my life around it has not. A task as short-term as painting the walls would never have been on my list - my instinct would have been to envision Mia demanding to be picked up as I was covered in paint, and my second instinct would have been to picture Mia covered in said paint. The same is true for B - any challenges he may have had in the beginning of fatherhood have adjusted themselves. We're both parents, and we're both comfortable as parents. I no longer count down until bedtime - relaxing while Mia is awake is finally possible. I think this has more to do with my progress as a Mom than with Mia's progress.

Now, let's finish up with a birthday shout-out, shall we? Happy Birthday, Juliet!

Creative Frustration

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the thought of finding "my thing". I thought, there has to be something out there that I'm really good at, that would make me so happy that I never wanted for anything else. I took all the lessons: singing, dancing, martial arts, ice skating, etc to infinity. I needed to try everything that sounded interesting, so that I could find It. I never found it. I did, and do many things, but that It still alludes me. Not that I'm trying particularly hard to find it, anymore.

At this point, I have embraced a few things that I honestly do for the sake of enjoyment. My three hobbies. I knit (a lot). I make my bracelets. I blog. I spend as much time as I can doing these things, in addition to the regular, never ending, everyday things that must be done. You know, for life. But, the part of me that was always seeking to be really good at something still isn't satisfied. I look at knitting patterns that are way above my comprehension level, and instead of rationally telling myself that I will get there in a few years, I get frustrated that I can't spend more than two hours knitting to get there faster. I read knitting blogs and get frustrated that I'm not designing patterns the way those knitters are. It's irrational frustration. Relax, enjoy the process of getting there. Of course you're not designing patterns - you're just learning! And ps, you're 29 while most of these knitters are not, so imagine where you'll be when you're a grandmother!

It's the same thing with Beads, comparing my little shop to other shops with thousands of sales. Calm down. Of course you don't have a thousand sales! You don't have the inventory. You've made about 40 bracelets and gotten about 25 sales - that's not bad for the amount you can produce!

Other blogs though, don't. There are so many amazing blogs out there. I read lots of blogs, almost exclusively Moms with young children blogs, who clearly spend lots of time editing and formatting their spaces. They are beautiful and write beautifully and I love reading them. There are so many - I feel like a discover a new site every day. There's BlogHer, and Babble and all sorts of other places for these Moms and writers to do what they do best. And while I envy their abilities, I'm just glad to be very small part of it all. I don't do what they do, and I don't even aspire to do what they do. I'm just glad they're doing it. I like to think of these blogs as BigMommyBlogs, whereas those of us who don't even own our own URLs, we're just along for the ride. (Look for my new favorites linked to throughout this last paragraph, if you're interested in some BigMommyBlogs). 

Phew!

Where have I been, you ask?

Here is where I have been:

The application has been so time consuming, I keep forgetting that I still actually have to take an exam to get licensed here. But, after a painstaking number of things I definitely did not have to do for my Illinois bar exam (fingerprints, DMV records, and about a million trips to the notary, etc.), it's postmarked 3/14, one day before the deadline of 3/15. Hopefully it's complete enough that I do not have to shell out the extra $550 in late fees.

Meanwhile, a few other things happened.

1) The Curve Hotel Palm Springs handled the whole Beg Bug Situation quite poorly, denying any possibility that her bite marks were from their hotel, despite Mia having slept nowhere else where she could possibly of gotten them. Daycare inspected their mattresses, we inspected our mattresses, and nobody at either location has gotten any more bites. So don't stay there. Even if you don't use their cribs, if you do end up having any kind of problem, they'll probably do an awful job handling it. Go to Palm Springs, it's beautiful. But stay somewhere else.

2) Mia was declared ready for the 2 year old room at Daycare. The night after they told us that, I actually cried. I honestly can't believe how quickly she's growing and learning and all that mushy stuff. They've been transitioning her from the 1 year old room to the two year old room for the past few days, with her spending a few hours in there a day. I was concerned because she had formed such a bit attachment to her 1 year old teacher, but it looks like that has significantly subsided. Also, she has a "best friend" in the one year old room whose name she repeats and repeats throughout the evenings and weekends. I actually crossed paths with Best Friend's father at pick up, and he informed me that Mia's name was often repeated as his house as well, so thankfully the feeling is mutual. We've been assured that said best friend will be following into the two year old room in a few weeks. The only thing with the upgrade to the 2 year old room leads to...

3) Potty Training. They have a little potty in there for the two year olds, and part of normal practice is to start putting them on there as soon as they move up to that classroom. So, for the sake of consistency, we are getting one too. I hadn't thought about it yet, honestly, assuming we'd wait until she was over 2 to start. Mia's very verbal, but I'm not sure about how ready her bladder is for this kind of thing. I think for now, we'll just start sitting her bare butt on that plastic little toilet and see how it goes.

It's been a tough couple of weeks. The Bar Exam is looming, and my baby is a child. Look:

Vacation Pests

It looks like my bragging about swimming outdoors in February has come to bite me in the ass. Well, not in the ass, and not me. Instead, karma bites my sweet little Mia, on the hands, ankles and cheeks. And by karma, I mean bed bugs.

So our this:

 turned into, this:

Mia's hands erupted in a red, nasty looking rash on the Monday after our return from Palm Springs. I assumed that it was an allergic reaction to something, or a delayed reaction to us putting sunblock on her. Mia has some mild eczema, so her skin gets irritated pretty easily. But, the rash got redder, and she was constantly scratching at it. To the point of breaking the skin and causing little scabs. So, off to the pediatrician we went, who immediately asked three questions:

1) Did you travel anywhere? 

    Answer: Yes.

2) Did you stay in a hotel?

    Answer: Yes.

3) Did you use a hotel crib?

    Answer: YES?! OMG HOW COULD WE BE SO STUPID, WE JUST WANTED TO SAVE       TRUNK SPACE!

The pediatrician ruled out scabies (thank goodness), and said that they were insect bites. Since the bumps were only on areas of her body not covered by her pajamas (she wore onesie pajamas without footies, but was wearing socks), she deduced that it was bed bugs from the hotel-provided crib. Awesome.

We were given instructions to head straight home, blast any piece of fabric in the high heat setting on the dryer, and bag everything for three days to suffocate everything. Luckily, we were super lazy and hadn't unpacked our bag yet, so it was easy enough to gather everything up. The bites have gotten better, and we haven't noticed any new ones, so we are safe to assume they did not travel back with us, and were only living in the hotel's crib mattress. But our poor child has spent the last few days pointing to her hands and showing us her "Owie", and vigorously scratching. There isn't a treatment for the bug bites themselves, just hydrocortisone to relieve the itching, and neosporin for the scabs she created. 

Now, I'm not going to name the hotel because we're still dealing with them at the moment. I figured that I should hold back any public shaming until we see how they respond to this whole thing. B did talk to the Manager on the telephone a couple of times, so at least they know not to use those cribs. I've uploaded and ordered photos from Shutterfly, and am going to put everything in writing, including a note from our Doctor naming them as "insect bites".

I would hope for a refund. But let's at least take this lesson away: Hotel Cribs = No.

Mini-Vacay

When's the last time you went swimming outdoors in February (while remaining in the continental US)? 

My brother and his girlfriend came to stay with us this week. They came in on Wednesday and I dropped them off at the airport an hour earlier than I usually wake up this morning. It was fun to have them around, and Mia especially loved having some new people to entertain with her party tricks. The highlight of their time here was an overnight trip to Palm Springs. We left early Friday morning and left on Saturday afternoon. It was about 36 hours of vacation, which was both too short but also the perfect amount of time to be completely refreshed.

I would go into more detail about the trip, but I realize that all we really did was

1) eat:

(and drink)

this is the only decent picture of the three of us, and it is... not decent.

2) lounge by the pool:

3) Eat some more. (not pictured)

4) Drive through the desert: