Reflections on Mommy-Hood Part II

- It is either as a result of becoming a mom or possibly even getting older (or both!) but I'm now convinced that 80% of what is on the radio is complete garbage. Last week I added the "soft rock" station to my line up because I couldn't handle the top 40 anymore. Yes, it's a lively mix of 80's hits and seriously every John Mayer song ever written, but I am quite enjoying it. I'm also looking to beef up my iPod so if anyone has suggestions send them to me!

- I feel more and more like there are not enough hours in the day. Between working, driving, cooking, cleaning, etc I feel like the day could be 48 hours long and I'd Still have a to-do list two pages long. My solution this week was to take a cooking hiatus and it's been relaxing to say the least. As I've said before, I really do enjoy cooking. But when I don't get home from work until 6 p.m. and Madelyn goes to bed around 8:30, the last thing I want to do is spend an hour cooking and cleaning when I could be playing with her! So this past weekend I went to Whole Foods and stocked up on frozen pizzas, salad stuff, ready to make ravioli, things that you just have to heat up, and eggs- incase we got really desperate. So far we are still alive and not starving, so I'd say it's going well. I've also started cleaning in small 5 minute spurts when I have the time. This morning I got ready and had 10 minutes to spare before waking little one so I cleaned the toilets and emptied out the garbage cans. Talk about a productive morning...
A few other timesavers I am grateful for- online shopping, drive through ATMs, and breakfasts that you can eat in the car.

- Yes, every mother is 100% convinced that their child is the smartest, cutest, most well-balanced, and yes they truly believe those things are true. I am no exception :) I have no idea what I'll think down the road (WAY down the road) when #2 comes along...how could they every compare?! ;)

- I've Mom-ified my wardrobe. Gone are the old jean skirts that I so effortlessly lived in while in college and party shirts that I'll never have the chance to wear again. In their place are knit dresses and chino skirts. Much more mom-appropriate. Thank you J Crew and Banana Republic for making these things possible.And yes, I still had clothes from college ok. Even though it was 5 years ago it doesn't feel like it. Wait- does this mean I have to get rid of my old sorority t-shirts??

- I used to live in high heels. I practically wore them to the hospital to give birth. But while on maternity leave I got accustomed to my J Crew flip flops and now I'm having such a hard time going back!! I wear heels at work because I just don't feel like people take me as seriously in flats, but as soon as I get home they are off off off. Why can't someone invent a truly flip-flip comfortable heel? Is that too much to ask?

- I wish there were drive through grocery stores. It seems to silly to park and go in when you only need three things. There has to be a way to streamline this system.

Work Life Balance

Week two of daycare began yesterday, and while I still think those women are somewhat incompetent (I'm not one to judge so you can imagine what they must be doing for me to say that), Madelyn does seem to be adjusting very well. They still do not seem to be following the schedule I gave them, regardless of the many times I've spoken to them about it. Today I mentioned it AGAIN when I dropped her off and Matt is going to play close attention to her feeding/napping times when he picks her up so that he can play the bad guy for once, if necessary. I'm confident they say mean things about me as soon as I leave every day, but that's out of my control.

In better news, my boss is allowing me to work from home a few days a week! So, on those days I get up really early and work for a few hours before Madelyn gets up and then when she wakes I take a break and spend some time with her. This gives us more time together in the morning and she ends up spending less time in daycare so it really is a win/win. I feel like it's the perfect work/life balance. If I've never mentioned how much I love my job, I really do love the position and the people I work with and for. I'm extremely lucky.

Enough about daycare- I can imagine after my recent rants I'm losing readers by the day, and seeing as how the only people who read this are my family, that is pretty sad!

Last weekend we went to the lake with a bunch of friends for a "no-kids" weekend (not my idea). Madelyn stayed with Matt's parents and survived just fine without us, and we got lots of time to float in the lake and relax. It was perfect. I love being out on the boat, it is such a de-stresser. Here are a few pictures from our adventures:

Heading out for a sunset cruise

The boys. My husband usually doesn't not have a mohawk, but he thought it would be funny. If you know my goofy husband, this will not surprise you :)

The girls- happily floating.

Back at Work: Day 2

Today is officially my second day back in "the real world". Yesterday went surprisingly well and I didn't even cry one time!! As I told Kristin, this is nothing short of a testament to the power of prayer. I was busy at work and it felt great to be using my brain again. I was seriously starting to wonder if, like other muscles, your brain could start to atrophy after lack of use. While I'm a little slow getting back into the swing of things, it appears it is still working...thank goodness.

Madelyn did seemingly well in daycare. She was happy and slept like a champ last night. She was down by 9 and I didn't hear her stir one time. I still think they are somewhat incompetent because I gave them (at their request) a very specific schedule to follow with her and they didn't follow one aspect of it. Not one! I understand there is a learning curve here when you are getting to know a new baby but let's be honest people, it's not rocket science. And if I am blatantly telling you what to do, just follow my instructions!! Needless to say, I think they are becoming a bit disenchanted with me as I called yesterday afternoon to ask the owner WHY they ignored my directions (to which they had no answer) and then showed up this morning with a typed up, detailed version of when and why I expect her to eat/sleep/play/etc. Granted, it's a flexible schedule, and doesn't need to be followed to the minute, but should at least be acknowledged!

Apologies for the rant, but by default this blog inevitably becomes a place for me to vent, so now on to a few happier items.

- After seeing the previews for "The Time Traveler's Wife" (out Aug. 14 with Rachel McAdams) I am dying to read the book- does anyone have it so I can borrow?!

- I am super super SUPER excited that one of my favorite people in the whole wide world, Dai, is getting married!!! Her wonderful boyfriend Andrew proposed several weeks ago and we've all just been dying for these two to make it official so we're quite excited. Here is a picture of me, Dai and Kristin (and Madelyn, in utero of course) at a UF football game last year :)

- On second thought, I must be delusional to think that I have enough spare time to read unless I can do so during my 45 minute commute to and from work work, while cooking dinner, bathing/feeding/changing Madelyn, plucking my eyebrows, working out, etc...I think you get the idea...

Perhaps a book on tape would be more realistic...

- We recently re-did our powder bath off the kitchen. Unfortunately, I committed the cardinal sin of home improvement and didn't take a "before" picture, but trust me, it looks exponentially better. Prior to our makeover, the room was painted the same green that I painted that kitchen almost 3 years ago and no longer like (working on convincing Matt to repaint for me...he keeps saying no but I think I'll wear him down), and it had a large panel mirror that took up the entire wall over the sink. The blue (yes, blue) marble countertops and shell sink still need to be replaced, but at least we're making some progress.

Yummy, Easy, Cheap Dinner

Asparagus Carbonara from Rachael Ray Magazine

I made this recipe for dinner last week and got rave reviews from Matt. It was super duper easy, fairly healthy, and cheap! I also threw in 15 shrimp because they were on sale at Publix and they were definitely a nice addition to the dish (they were pre-cooked so I just sauteed in white wine and butter for a few minutes to heat up).

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 pound spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and cheese. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, adding the asparagus during the last minute of cooking. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the hot pasta and asparagus to egg mixture; toss to coat.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, stir in the garlic. Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir the bacon mixture into the pasta, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten; season with salt and pepper.

Daddy is So Funny!

Madelyn thinks Matt is hysterical :)

Daycare Drama

I waited until the absolute last minute to go pick out a day care. I think I was in denial that I was actually going to have to take Madelyn to one, so in my mind if I just postponed the activity it wouldn't happen. Unfortunately yesterday I realized I better get my act together or I'd have to take her to work with me when I go back on the 20th (realistically, this idea didn't sound so bad! Not sure my bosses would agree...)

So yesterday morning we ventured out to a daycare called Discovery Point which was recommended by a friend. It's brand new, very close to our house, a natural choice. Halfway through the tour I started crying (little did I know this would only be the first of many times I would cry on this day), but luckily it was hidden by my unnecessarily large but very stylish sunglasses. I saw these women that I don't know anything about, playing with these children that for all I know they could care less about, and I realized they could never care for my Madelyn to a standard I would find adequate. Yes they have a low student/teacher ratio, yes it was clean, yes they have an excellent curriculum, but these women could have just started here after being baggers at Publix for all I know. Let the waterworks begin. We got in the car, I had a major emotional meltdown, and we forged on to daycare number two.

I looked at SIX daycares yesterday. At one I was told they had a 6:1 student/teacher ratio, to which my response was "I'm sorry, I thought you just said six, I must have misheard you". Nope. Six babies to one woman. I don't think so. At daycare number four their idea of a curriculum was laying the children on the floor and blowing bubbles. Next. One was old and dirty but I loved the director. If only I could transplant her to daycare number one. Is it so much to ask that my daughter be watched by an enthusiastic, competent, CPR-certified, nurturing women with a high IQ and professional sense about them? I came home, cried, called my mom, cried, held Madelyn while she napped, cried, and then took some advil because I had a headache from crying so much. After talking to a friend who's son attends daycare number 1 we've decided they are the lucky winner. They are by far the best facility around (I would know, I saw them ALL), and I feel confident that Madelyn's basic needs will be met, and she'll be stimulated as much as you can do so with a two month old. Next week I'm going to drop her off on Wednesday and Thursday from 3-6 so I can attend dentist and hair appointments, and so I can try to tame the waterworks when I go back to work on Monday, July 20. More importantly, I'll be packing concealer and waterproof mascara for my drive to work that day. Everyone said this would be hard, but I don't recall anyone using the adjective "gut-wrenching" which is how I would most appropriately describe it.

That being said, I'm actually very excited to go back to work. If I could just bring her with me, the world would be a perfect place.

Our Fourth of July in Pictures

Madelyn's first truck stop :) She slept the entire drive both to and from Florida except for two stops to eat and stretch out. This was just before we crossed over the FL state line on our way down.

Laying in her boppy in the car during our stop...she's a pretty unhappy baby (yeah right)

Getting some kisses outside Grandma's house. I like this picture because the sun was setting and there is a little halo of light around Madelyn and my mom's heads :)

First family trip to the beach!! We got to see the most amazing ocean-side fireworks for the fourth, and while Madelyn won't remember them, I can't wait to tell her about them.

More kisses from Grandma. As you can see, she doesn't hurt for attention...

Playing with her great-Grandma whom she found very entertaining.

Napping on great grandma after lots of playing :)

Just hangin at Grandma's house...

And below are a few pictures from an impromptu Madelyn/Grandma photo shoot before we left