... and I say that with my most heartfelt condolences. For as of today, I am back to working Mondays.
Some may say this is a First World Problem, but when you haven't been doing it since January of 2011, it's a little world-rocking.
Long story short, a daycare slot opened up for Sam, we jumped on it, so I'm back to 40 hours/week. Not to mention, it was getting hard to keep her entertained - she didn't enjoy running errands with me like she used to - and I know she has a better time running around with her daycare friends than hanging out with me anyway. Most of the time.
So work was on board, quite enthusiastically actually, and the rest is history.
This isn't to say I'm 100% happy with this decision. Sure, it was mine to make, but I was quite emotional throughout the day, finding myself missing my Samma time, and questioning my decision to let her go. Honestly, it felt like it was the first day at school.
But I know in the long run it's for the best, and I don't necessarily have to be doing it forever. Especially if BabyBaby² plans pan out in the next year or so.
So it may have casually been mentioned before, but Samma somewhat enjoys Sprout.
For those who are unaware, Sprout is a 24/7 toddler/preschool TV channel, "home to trusted favorites like Sesame Street and Barney & Friends, plus innovative Sprout Originals such as The Sunny Side Up Show and The Good Night Show. From morning to night, parents and kids can share everything from singing and dancing to birthday wishes and bedtime stories." -- yup, totally got lazy and swiped that from the website.
I know there are some people who don't get Sprout - we're very fortunate that Verizon FiOS happily carries it. The good news is that Sprout is going to start hosting NBC's Saturday morning line-up, and I know a bunch of their shows are going to be showcased, so finally there will be Sprout for everyone!
Sam has been watching Sprout since she has been able to sit up on her own and have something grasp her attention. The channel is wonderful as it's programming is in 10-15 minute snipits, just long enough to hold a toddler's attention and then move onto something new just as they could possibly be losing it. Shows such as Caillou, Pajanimals, Poppy Cat, and Super Why played alongside the likes of The Wiggles, Thomas, Barney, and Sesame Street, it brings the old and new together and creates a fantastic balance of children's programming.
Now, the previously mentioned Sunny Side Up Show is live with a different human host along side Samma's favorite chicken puppet, Chica! They have this thing where a couple of times every day, they celebrate birthdays, be it with handmade cards sent in by parents, or online well-wishes with uploaded photos. Names are also scrolled along the bottom of the screen, listing the "Sproutlets" who have birthdays on that particular day. And they all sing the same birthday song, which goes a little something like this:
Happy happy birthday to you!
Happy happy birthday to you!
You're good to grow
So count the candles and blow!
Happy happy birthday to you,
To you,
To you!
Anyway, I didn't have it in me to send a card in for her first birthday (honestly, I think they request that it be for kids older than 2 years old anyway) so I promised myself I would send one in when she turned 2.... and yeah, that came up a lot sooner than I was expecting. I think it was one day a week or so ago I was watching Sprout with Sam and they mentioned a reminder to send in your September birthday cards. Yup... I was at Michael's the very next day.
There are specifications for sending in a card - I made sure to follow them as well as I could to up the chances of Sam's card getting on TV... and even if it doesn't, it'll still be scanned and displayed on Sprout's website the day of, so at least that will be special, too.
Anyway, they said to avoid white, pink, or orange paper as it doesn't show up well on TV - check! They also said to make sure you use only Sprout TV show characters..... duh. Third, I needed to complete and sign an entrant release form to allow them to show the card - done and done! And then, it was go time!
Now, I will be the first to tell you that arts and crafts are no longer my forte, but with a margarita in hand, I had my fun. I had bought the yellow cardboard, as well as black and green because I wasn't sure which one the blue sparkley letters would work on the best... Chris helped me decide, so thank you for that, sir! Also, I had to buy 3 packages of those damn letters just to get the card to read what I wanted it to say... the upside to this was that I figured out they were adhesive once I started to lay them down, so it did make my job a helluva lot easier!
As for the pictures, I used Google and a fantastic color printer... we'll just leave it at that. I picked a picture from each of Sam's favorite shows - The Wiggles, Caillou, Sesame Street, Super Why, The Good Night Show, Poppy Cat, Chica, and The Pajanimals. I will say, the printer I used was so awesome, it even made pictures from Facebook look good.
The card itself took me two nights to finish - I wanted to make sure Sam was in bed before I pulled everything out. From printing to cutting and pasting, I now give you the finished product:
Amongst the pictures, there's a little blurb from Chris and I that reads:
Happy Birthday, Samma!
We love you to the moon and back! You make every day an exciting new adventure, and we wouldn't have it any other way! We hope you have a very happy happy 2nd birthday!!
Love, Mamma and Dadda
Yes.... I am probably way too excited about this card. But now that the card was done, the hard part was figuring out how to mail a half piece of cardboard-sized card all the way to Pennsylvania... but alas, I had thought of this as well.
I decided to take a standard 3M 12" x 12" x 6" mailing box and instead of folding it to make it all box-like, I kept it flat and taped up both ends so it was more of a cardboard envelope. It actually worked out just as well, if not better than I intended... now I just need to get it to the post office, beg them not to fold or bend it, and make sure I get a delivery confirmation number on that bad boy!
But by now you must be asking yourself - wait MB... Samma's birthday isn't for a couple of weeks, right? RIGHT, but another of the requests was that you send the cards in about 2 weeks before the actual birthday, and if my calculations are correct, the two week mark would be this coming Thursday, so go me! I'm actually ahead of the game!
So there you have it -- the card goes in the mail tomorrow, and now all of you must watch Sprout on September 20th and look for Samma's card. I myself will be setting the DVR up for each every Birthday portion of the Sunny Side Up Show between 9am and 12pm, hoping and praying that at least Samma's name scrolls across the screen -- fingers crossed!
EDIT - 9/5/2012: The card is in the mail! I went to the post office first thing this morning and sent it out Priority, so it should be there by Saturday at the latest. I also tacked on Delivery Confirmation like I said I would, so $6.40 later I'm hoping my ridiculous efforts haven't been in vain...
I don't know why it's taken me this long to write a post about being a mother with a stroller, but something that occurred during this past Monday's trip to the outlets with Samantha really got under my skin, so please pardon my forthcoming rant.
Now, we own a couple of strollers, each with a different purpose.
We have our Graco stroller from the travel system we received when Sam was born. It's somewhat bulkier, sturdier, and larger than the others, but it's comfortable for her, has storage room for me, and pretty easy to maneuver. This is my usual go-to stroller for errands, and always lives in my car.
Then we have a Babies R Us umbrella stroller - this is much lighter and smaller than the Graco stroller, but at the same time has not storage and it's not the easiest thing to control. Retailing at $20.00, we actually got this one free from friends who received it as a promo for buying something else, and they had no use for it at the time. It's not my ideal mode of transportation for Sam, but it does come in handy when we're going on trips and want to save packing room. This one lives in Chris' car.
And there's this Baby Trend Expedition jogging stroller I REALLY wanted when we were registering because I had this crazy idea that I was going to take up running once I had Sam to get back into shape, and the best way to do that was to get me a stroller to run with. Clearly. Go ahead - ask me how many times I've used this stroller, let alone run with it. I don't think it would go beyond one hand. If anything, it's been used more as an emergency backup whenever the Graco was left in Chris' car when I needed it while he was at work. Sidenote: If anyone is looking for a jogging stroller, we may be looking to sell this in the near future. Let me know if you're interested!
Anyway, since my Mondays with Samma are soon coming to an end (we'll get to that later) I decided it was time to take a trip down to the Wrentham Outlets while we still had the time to do it. Packing Sam up wasn't a problem, especially as she slept most of the way down and back, and traffic wasn't even an issue at 10am in the morning, and I was able to grab my usual parking spot, so I was in pretty good spirits when we started.
Three hours later, however, it was a totally different story, and I was pretty much ready to punch anyone who got in the way of me, Sam, her stroller, or my car.
For one, you would think a store that caters to children and newborns would have accessible aisles large enough for strollers within their store, but you would be amazed. Stores such as Carter's, Gymboree, and StrideRite were so cramped and crowded and awkward with product overflowing from their shelves and endcaps that I was lucky to even get the chance to look at anything while I was there. Not going to lie, it was a serious turn off, and yet a blessing in disguise, because it definitely was a factor in the amount I didn't spend while we were there.
Second, and this may be more for me than anyone else, but I know for a fact that I will never purchase a double-wide stroller for whenever BabyBaby² comes along. Those things are massive and you thought I was having a hard time walking through those stores with my single Graco... there was this woman in front of me at StrideRite who was not having an easy time, and she was getting pissed off at everyone else around her because THEY were in HER way while she was trying to get her massive stroller around a corner. There was even one instance where she was so aggravated she more or less plowed her stroller on through, creating a pile of shoeboxes in her wake, leaving me behind her to clean them up without even looking pack.
Finally, and this is the one that made me the most angry, was the lack of courtesy from those around me. I couldn't tell you how many times someone in front of me didn't bother to look behind them as they walked into a store, or how often someone came up behind me, saw I was struggling to get the door open with one hand, and just stood there, waiting for me to get the door for them. This infuriated me to no extent.
Now, I'm not saying that because I have the stroller, there's a sense of entitlement for the world to hold the door for me, but at the same time there's also a level of expected common courtesy. Or maybe it's a Mom thing... a couple of times there were individuals who not only helped me out, but made off-handed comments about those who didn't, so you could tell there was almost a camaraderie there amongst the moms that knew what you were going through.
So there's my little rant. Not much, just some food for thought.
So to all of you out there who don't think we notice when you let a door slam behind you... oh yes, we do.
And to all of those who go that extra step to help a mom out, that, too, is noticed. And appreciated. So thank you.
I meant to post this a while ago, but as always, life gets in the way. And as Sam's 2nd birthday looms closer, I figure now is as good a time as any to make note of those vehicles and accessories that made our feeding transitions easier over the years.
As I'm sure it's well known at this point, I breastfed Samma for the first 6-7 months of her life. It went well, until I had to go back to work and begin pumping. Thankfully, my office was very flexible, and I was able to utilize the Medela Pump-In-Style I borrowed from my friend for as long as my body would let me. And don't worry, nay-sayers... with replacement tubing and parts there's truly no reason to have to go out and purchase your own $300.00 pumping system.
When we were working on our baby registry, we used the Baby Bargains Handbook like it was our bible, and per their suggestion we chose to use Dr. Brown's bottles for Samma. I know some friends of mine had problems with them leaking, and I can see how that could be possible with the multiple pieces involved for these bottles to work properly. Other than the sterilizing/cleaning of the bottles (we rarely put them in the dishwasher) we had not problems, thankfully.
When we were moving away from breastmilk and onto formula, we needed someway to transport it so as not to have to pack a whole canister whenever Sam went anywhere. With containers like this, we were able to portion out her feeding amounts so that her caretaker, whether it be daycare or my mother, would know exactly how much she needed to eat at a time. The only downside, is sometimes with enough jostling, formula would shift from side to side. This varied by brand of container, but we were generally happy with them overall.
As Sam began to eat solids, we wouldn't want to feed her directly out of
the baby food jars for fear of cross-contamination, so we purchased
simple bowls like these. They were deep enough, and are dishwasher
safe, and have lasted us through now where we still use them for snacks
and the like.
Along the same lines, when Sam started using plates, we didn't want to
spend too much money, so we bought these from IKEA for $0.99 and still
use them today!
The one feeding item we did put some money into was this dish and silverware set by Gerber, and I'm glad we did. At the time, we wanted something cute for Sam, especially for a first silverware set, but what we learned later on when we really needed it was that the plate has a suction cup, perfect for those plate-flipping meal sessions.
Of course, Sam couldn't eat with only one set of silverware to her name, so we became fond of the Gerber Graduates silverware sets... in fact, we have eat color posted above. The one thing I don't understand is the need for the knife, but I guess if you're going to teach a toddler the proper way to use all their silverware, you need to start with something, right?
Around 1 year, we moved away from formula and started whole milk. One rule we made was that Sam wasn't going to drink milk from a bottle so we transitioned, and easily, to the Munchkin sippy cups. They were ok for a bit, but the more they were used and washed, the more the tops started to shift, separate, and leak, so we were replacing them more than we wanted to.
Inevitably we needed to upgrade the sippy cups, so we are now using Munchkin's Click Lock insulated sippy cups, which are still working very well. I've read complaints about having to clean them, but if you take the stopper out and put it all in the dishwasher separately, they clean up fine as far as I'm concerned.
We've tried various straw cups, but all they do is leak. Sam can use a straw just fine, we know this, so we're really selective when we give these to her. Generally, the straw sippy cups are our last resort when dishes need to be washed. Or if we're going to be right there with her while she's drinking. Giving her the straw cups in the car is a huge no-no because she's just going to play with it and it's going to end up all over her, whatever she's drinking. I'd just rather steer clear of them for the moment, if I can.
I bought Samma this Oxo training cup on a whim because I saw it at BuyBuy Baby and thought it was ingenious. The top is sectioned off to rather than being open, there are little holes around the rim to slow the fluid from coming out, just enough for a toddler to learn when to drink slower. I should probably get this one out of the cabinet, especially as Sam is currently quite p[leased with herself for being able to drink out of a Poland Spring water bottle all by herself.
And we can't forget about snack time. These Snack Traps (or Snack Catchers, if you're Munchkin-brand) have been the best thing ever, especially if we're taking a trip in the car and she needs to munch on something STAT. The only downside is if they get overused, the flaps become less effective, and more Cheerios tend to fall out with each grasp than would be ideal. Overall, though, the perfect snack transportation device!
So that's all I have for now. I'll update with anything new I can think of, and of course, if anyone has any to add, please feel free to do so!
This is really more of a vent meshed with a cry for help, so please bare with me...
I believe I've mentioned it before, but Sam is a biter. And it's killing me inside. I don't know how to stop it, I don't know how to make it better, and I'm feeling miserable for being the mom with "that kid." Every day I pick her up from daycare, my anxiety grows because I have no idea which child she may or may not have gotten to this time.
Things were going so well, but today I came to discover that she bit the 11-month-old baby in the 5 seconds either of them were out of the provider's line of sight. She didn't break the skin, but it was enough to leave a complete mark that was still there when I picked her up today.
Our daycare provider has been fantastic and understanding and knows that it's just a phase, but I pains me that my daughter has to be the one all the other kids look out for. And what do I do if it gets bad enough where daycare just throws their hands up and says - sorry, there's no hope for your child, you gotta find something else. We'd be fucked.
Sam is not a bad child. In fact, she's a sweetheart, which is why I know it's hard for our provider to tell me these things because she loves her as much as we do... but the biting has to stop, and I just don't know what else to do. I've done some research, and I trust daycare 15 years if experience, but I'm just so worn out....
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Daycare has been awesome -- like I said, she's been doing this for the last 15 years or so, so I'm sure this is not new to her. She has told us she plans to watch Sam like a hawk to see exactly what's going on, but as others have already said, we know it's mostly out of frustration. Usually when someone has a toy she wants and won't give it to her, or when someone wants a toy she's already playing with.
She rarely does it much at home, unless she's overtired, which is a question I also need to ask daycare re: the time of day this all occurs. I know she has tried to bite my mother when she watches her on Tuesdays, and it's my understanding it, too, is when she's overtired and/or frustrated.
I think from this point we need to be more vigilant than we already had been -- we thought we were out of the woods. I really need to touch base with all care providers and make sure we're on the same page so that we can work together and get this to stop. Chris and I have been doing a LOT of research since yesterday went down, and I know I have a lot more to do.
Thanks all for listening to my anxiety-ridden rambling... it does help.
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It's horrible but a part of me wants her to be bitten, just so that she can see what it feels like when someone does it to her.**
Along those same lines, in talking to the daycare provider, I also feel like I want to set her up to fail in this instance.... put her in situations where I know this would be her response, and then be right there to catch her in the act and discipline her appropriately.
** by a peer... not by me. I would never bite my child.
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I actually almost suggested taking a toy away from her to see how she would react to you vs children. To see if she knows the difference. I'm guessing she would try to bite you too.
Actually, she does know the difference. If I take a toy away, she'll crumble to the floor in hysterics... biting would not be her first response because I think she knows we won't tolerate it.
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He threw something at one of his teachers once, and he thought it was funny! I was appalled.
This. Is. Sam.
When she knows she's doing something she shouldn't, and I correct her, she just laughs as if it's all one gigantic game. It's SO frustrating so that's why I really think more uniform, stricter timeouts needs to come into play in light of all this.
Edit 9/18/2012: This post is being back-dated to recap the torment we went through with Samma regarding her biting phase. This is taken from a back-and-forth I had with some wonderful ladies on my forums, so I thank them for putting up with my crazy.
