A Different Breed

Editor’s note: This is the first post that if certain people I know see it, they may be upset. My apologies. I am not trying to upset anyone. I like everyone referenced in this note. I am just different.

I am involved with a mom’s group and being the only full time worker, I look at things differently than the other moms. An e-mail went out to the group about a good website to buy Halloween costumes from. There were great costumes on the site but expensive. The average cost of a costume was between $30 and $40 dollars. Last year during Halloween, Eli was 5 months old. He did not care what he wore. Lowell and I went to the Gap Outlet and bought a costume that was 50% off. I think we spent $15 dollars at the most.

This year, Eli will still not care what he is dressed up as. Lowell and I will probably go buy another costume when the sales start.

With Lowell and I being the only two income family in the group, we also seem to be the family who tries to save the most. We try to buy all of Eli’s clothes on sale, we don’t buy a new toy for him every week and for his birthday, we put money into Eli’s savings and gave him a small gift instead of buying a huge gift for him. (How many 1 year olds care what they get for their birthday?)

Who knows? Maybe the moms’ husbands make 6 figure incomes and money is no object. Maybe they do not have to worry about money. But, with the economy as bad as it is and I only see it getting worse for a while, I worry. I try to not overspend and try to save where I can.

Discipline

Eli has always been the laid back, easy going kid who never got in trouble because he goes with the flow. Then, he started walking...

Before, if Eli did not get his way, he did not care and would just move on. Now, if he does not gets his way, he complains, cries, or hits the wall, floor, etc.

Today, Eli did not get his way and he bit me. Yes, bit me. I am as shocked as you are. I thought it would be years before I had to discipline him. But, today, Eli went into timeout for the first time. I sat him on the floor next to the wall and told him he was in timeout and we sat there for 60 seconds. Then, I let him go back and play.

I am still in shock.

A relevation

I am currently reading "Toddler 411" and the book says that the terrible twos start at 15 months. Eli turned 15 months yesterday.... The terrible twos have begun.

15 months ago...

15 months ago, my life changed forever. I became a mother. Eli, you were born at 11:43 am and you were so precious. I was in love.


A few months later, you gave me your first smile.


And, before I knew it, you were your own little person. You were my angel.


I blinked and your were already a year old.


Thank you for the most wonderful 15 months of my life. I love you.

The End of Summer is Near - Part 2

When I lived in Florida, the end of summer was welcomed. No more sweat, perspiration, feeling of yuckiness. Now that I live in a place where it actually gets cold, I do not look forward to the end of summer. But, this past weekend, I got more evidence that the cold air is coming.

I have had asthma my entire life. Something I know how to take care or and something I live with. I usually don't even go to the doctor when my asthma attacks because I have all the medication I need at home. My asthma usually is worse in the colder months of the year.

Well, this past weekend, the second sign of colder months ahead appeared- my asthma. I had been having trouble breathing and was easily winded and my rescue inhaler was not giving me the extra air that I need to so I brought out my neubulizer and gave myself a breathing treatment. To this day, I am still on 3-4 treatments a day and hope that that number will decrease soon.

Unfortunately, last night, my son became sick. At first I thought it was the standard chest congestion, cold symptoms etc. But, this morning when I took him out of the crib, he was breathing very quickly and he was very warm. I gave him some Tylenol and called the pediatrician as soon as the office opened. We got an appointment and I took him in.

The pediatrician did not want to call it asthma but poor Eli and I are going through the same symptoms right now. They also gave Eli two breathing treatments at the office today. If was so painful for me. You have to hold a mask over his face for 10 minutes while he inhales the medicine. Eli screamed the entire time and I screamed inside that there was not more I could do for the little guy. Now, I have to give Eli breathing treatments at home for the next 10 days.

Before it was time for Eli's first breathing treatment at home, it was time for my treatment. Instead of using the adult mouthpiece, I put on the child's mask and showed Eli how mommy does her breathing treatment. At first Eli stayed clear away from me, then he walked over to me and tried to give me a kiss through the mask.

When it was time for Eli's treatment, he cried but not as violently. I think tomorrow, we may let Elmo wear the breathing treatment mask and see what Eli thinks.

I am sad that Eli may have asthma (even though the pediatrician will not say it). I am lucky that I know how to handle it since I have had it my entire life. I am just hoping that by nursing for Eli for 14 months that he has built the immunities to fight this disease. I will be fighting it with him.

Is the weekend over already?

Now that we are done nursing, Eli is sleeping through the night. I put him down between 7:30pm and 8pm and he wakes up between 6:30am and 7am. It is wonderful. I am a morning person so I am awake by 7am without my 15 month old alarm clock.

But, here is where the problem comes- I am having trouble falling asleep. I try to turn in between 10pm and 11pm every night but I seem to lay there until sometimes 1:30am trying to fall asleep. I need to find some type of relaxing activity before bedtime. I usually read but I want to make it to the next chapter and end up reading later than anticipated. I could take a bath but with the drought going on here, I have been trying to conserve water. I could try exercising but that would mean cleaning the dust away from the equipment.

The easiest solution would be to create more hours in the day. Can any of you help with that?

A Free Meal is a Good Meal Even if you have to Send it Back Twice!!

If I like a restaurant, I tend to join their e-mail club. The free appetizer, $5 off coupons add up.

Well last week, I got a free VIP dinner at Longhorn steakhouse which included two entrees and an appetizer. I called right away to make my reservation but the only time they had remaining was 9pm. That time would not work with Eli's schedule and we did not want to pay a babysitter to get a free meal.

I called back the restaurant and said we could not find a babysitter and time is too late for our son and was lucky to get an earlier reservation the next day!

We ordered buffalo wings as an appetizer and Lowell ordered a rack of ribs for his meal and I ordered the Fillet (something I would never order because it is so much more expensive than the rest of the menu). We ordered grilled chicken and veggies for Eli. (I am very happy when a restaurant has grilled chicken on the kids menu).

The appetizer was a little spicy for me but came out hot and had good flavor to it. Eli's food looked very appetising. Salad, bread etc was good. Then the main meals come out. The ribs were a portion size that even Lowell could not finish. My fillet looked delectable and then I cut into it. I ordered it medium and it came out still alive! It was rare. Not a big deal, we got a free dinner because the restaurant staff was in training, I sent it back.

Literally, it took 15 minutes for me to get my fillet back. I cut into it, it is still rare. Even the sides are still rare. I sent it back again. By the time I got the fillet back a second time, I was not hungry any more, and Lowell and Eli have long since finished eating. I did bite into the fillet because I wanted to try it and it was delicious. I boxed up the rest.

But, I can't complain. Our bill came out to be our $57 and it was all free. I expected to pay for Eli but they threw in his meal. I left a nice, big tip as a thank you.

Work- Diverse and Time Consuming

I have several jobs:

• Mom to a 15 month old
• Wife
• Project Manager for a large company
• Planner for a mom’s group
• Chauffeur for my little one

And I can think of many more but I will not bore you with all the details!

Let’s concentrate on my three biggest jobs.

Let’s start with my most fun and rewarding job – Mom. I am lucky, my son is laid back, sweet and fun to be around. (I am biased but it is true.) He is a joy to raise. My “mom” job begins between 6:30am and 7:00am and ends between 7:30pm and 8:00pm when Eli goes to bed for the night.

My second job is being a wife. And, yes it is a job. I have to make sure that my husband is not jealous of the time I spend being a mom.

My third job is being a project manager. This job takes around 45 hours a week. I am really lucky that with this job, my hours are flexible which make is much easier to be job #1 – a mom. I do work with a global team so my hours are not set in stone. One day, I can be on a conference call at 7am with India, a 9am call with the United Kingdom and a 5pm call with the west coast of the US. For this job, I have tasks which have to be completed within a certain timeframe. I manage budgets and timelines and have to facilitate status meetings and write status reports.

The nice thing about my job as a project manager is that I work 100% from home and with a flexible schedule, I am able to go between being a mom and a project manager throughout the day. We have not started Eli in preschool yet and am not until next year.

So, I take turns during the day playing Mom and PM and luckily my husband works from home as well so I get some extra help when needed. It is a lot to juggle but worth it so I can spend more time with Eli.

The End of Summer is Near

Wow, is it the end of August already? Where does the time go?

From living in Florida for the first 30 years of my life, I expect summer to last basically year round, but it is not that way here in Georgia. The community which I live in has a community pool and it is only open 4 months out of the year. I used to think, we can extend that time and get extra usage of the pool.

The pool here is closing in a couple of weeks. And, I will miss it. I am usually out there 2-3 times a week and take Eli swimming. Whenever he swims, he either takes a longer nap or sleeps longer through the night. It is wonderful.

But, I went to the pool yesterday and the water was cold. It was warm enough to swim in but not the bath water temperature that a Floridian loves. I used to be upset that the pool was closing so soon because I could be missing valuable swimming time but I know that in reality, summer will be over in a couple of weeks and the water will be too cold for my liking.

Little Milestones

Yesterday, Eli had a playdate with his friends. We have not been to a playdate in a while due to vacation, family in town, and work conflicts. When we used to go to playdates, Eli would hover over me for the first 15 minutes and then he would feel comfortable playing without holding onto me with one hand.

Ever since he started walking, his whole personality has changed. He has had mini temper tantrums, been crankier than usual, and more independent.

When we arrived at the playdate, Eli found a push behind popper toy and he was all around the house. He could care less where mommy was.

We stayed at the playdate for 2 hours. Every so often, Eli would check in on me to make sure I was still there and even once he gave me game face.

It is amazing to see your child grow into his independence.

The joys of peanut butter

I forgot how much I love peanut butter. Between the pregnancy and nursing, I have not had peanut butter in two years. I miss it. I bought myself some Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Edy's ice cream last night. I could have eaten the entire thing but I restrained myself. It was delicious. Today, for lunch, I will have a peanut butter sandwich. I have two years of no peanut butter eating to make up for.

And the winner is....

Lowell and I finally made a decision about which preschool we will be sending Eli to starting in January and the winner is ... G.S. This school was very clean, all teachers have bachelor degrees, all are CPR, first aid and fire safety certified... and the list goes on and on. We like the curriculum, they even have P.E classes once a month ... and they DON'T pray.

I can't believe my little boy goes to school in 4.5 months.

We did it.

Are you getting tired of the "I'm Weaning" posts? If so, you are in luck. This should be my last one. It has been over 72 hours since I nursed so we are officially done. What a wonderful, amazing experience that was. But, now I get my body back.

Now, if Eli could only learn to sleep through the night....

Blogger Contest

Here is my first post about a blog contest. (A blog award, tag, chain post, and contest. I guess I am really getting into this blogging thing.)

Kirsten at My Life for the World to See is having contest. Thank you Jen for letting me know about this. If I win, I owe you a finder's fee!

To enter the contest, click the link above and follow the directions on her site.

The End of an Era – Almost

Well, we are so close to ending nursing. I can now put Eli down for a nap and down for the night without nursing him.

Eli has never slept through the night. He usually wakes up once during the night and I nurse him for 5 minutes and he is out until morning. Now, is the time to break that habit. Eli woke up at 5:45am this morning crying. I let him cry for a few minutes and realized that the crying would not be stopping. So, I went downstairs and filled a sippy cup with milk. I took Eli out of the crib and tried to give him the milk. He screamed and tried to lift my shirt. I told him that we drink milk out of a cup.

Well needless to say, Eli screamed for over an hour and I tried every way to calm him down: holding him and rocking him, singing to him, a little Tylenol (I don’t normally drug my kid but he has a molar coming through and maybe that was the problem), changing his diaper, turning on the television. Nothing worked.

I woke up Lowell and asked for his help. He tried to give Eli some milk from the cup. He brought Eli in bed with us. Nothing worked.

Finally, I put Eli back in his crib and told him it was still time for “Night, Night”. He cried for about 15 more minutes and then went to sleep.

Any advice from other moms on how to break the middle of the night wakings and how to calm my son down without nursing?

The Weaning Process

Now that we are finally done flying for a while, no excuses, time to wean Eli. I have such mixed emotions about it: happy that I get my body back, sad that I miss this snuggle time with Eli.

Last week, I tried putting Eli down for a nap without nursing him. It did not go over well. He did not want the sippy cup and screamed. I ended up nursing him. Since that day, I have had Lowell put Eli down for a nap. Armed with a book and sippy cup full of milk, Lowell was able to get Eli down with minimal crying.

Today was the first time I put Eli down for a nap without nursing. I read to Eli while he drank out of his sippy cup and then said goodnight and put him in his crib. He only cried for a minute and then was out.

My little boy is growing up.

The Weaning Process

Now that we are finally done flying for a while, no excuses, time to wean Eli. I have such mixed emotions about it: happy that I get my body back, sad that I miss this snuggle time with Eli.

Last week, I tried putting Eli down for a nap without nursing him. It did not go over well. He did not want the sippy cup and screamed. I ended up nursing him. Since that day, I have had Lowell put Eli down for a nap. Armed with a book and sippy cup full of milk, Lowell was able to get Eli down with minimal crying.

Today was the first time I put Eli down for a nap without nursing. I read to Eli while he drank out of his sippy cup and then said goodnight and put him in his crib. He only cried for a minute and then was out.

My little boy is growing up.

I WON!!!! My Acceptance Speech.

I am very honored to accept this Brillante Weblog award. I want to thank all of my avid readers. I especially want to thank Jennifer for giving me this award. I would also like to thank my family for giving me things to write about.

As for passing this award along. Unfortunately, the only two people I have to give it to, already have one. Can you earn 2?

Preschool Assessment - P.S - far location

Well, people have marvelled about this school. Even though it was further than I wanted to go, I needed to check it out.

I was very impressed. Director has been there 11 years. Most of the teachers have been there over 7 years. School was clean, activities were interesting and taught something. We walk into the classroom and the teacher greets Eli and plays with him while I talk to the director.

This is the only school that I liked better than G.S. but there is one problem and it is not a minor one. The kids say a prayer before they eat.

Now, I have only been looking at nonreligious facilities and this one is. The prayer does have G-d in it but not in a religious way. But, still I feel uncomfortable about it. Lowell and I don't pray before we eat and we both agree that we do not want to confuse Eli.

So, I am curious about how the two mothers I know who read my blog feel about this. I feel weird about it and now am really thinking that I will sign Eli up for G.S.

Preschool Assessment - P.S - closer location

I have heard great things about this school but was very disappointed. The director was kind of snotty, did not give me much of a tour. I did not feel welcome there.

Another No!

Preschool Assessment - K.D.

All I must say is I did not stay in this place very long- why?

The room was filthy. Mud and sand everywhere. Toys looked disgusting and it was 100 degrees in the room.

Very easy decision on this one - NO!

Within Chaos, There is a Sense of Calmness

This past week, we have had my inlaws here visiting. Their schedules are completely different than ours so it has been a little chaotic at home. The time I look forward to most in the day is right before I put Eli to bed. We go upstairs and I put him in his pajamas. I brush his teeth and I wash his hands and his face. I read him a book and then I nurse him. Then, I put him to bed for the night.

I am in the process of weaning Eli. We are down to 1-2 nursings a day. By the next two weeks, we should be done with nursing. I will miss it, especially the night feeding, the one time of day when I get to relax. I am sure Eli will miss it as well. It is a nice cuddling time where he looks at me and smiles and puts his fingers to my lips so I can kiss them.

Tonight, I put Eli in his crib and said the same thing I say every night, “Good night, I love you. I will see you in the morning.” Eli smiled at me. A very sweet smile that everyone especially a mother could love.