Go-Go Mommy

Life Lately

Sometimes life comes at you hard and fast. It definitely feels that way in my life right now. The girls are doing well, KB is working harder than ever, and I am getting back to work. Not that I haven't been working beyond my expectations as a SAHM, but now I am even busier after the girls go to bed with a new project that will move me into the "WAHM" and "mompreneur" categories.

It is exciting to be so close to having something that will enable me to exercise my professional muscle again; to put my "thinking cap" back on and get back to a sense of business acumen. I will share more on this later, but in the meantime, I'd like to share my latest life moments that make giving up the "crazy rat race" in the first place so worthwhile.

Today I saw:
-Sweet Pea so beautiful and innocent at 19 months. She has the cutest wispy hair that is too baby fine and sparse to take her for an actual haircut but is now so long in the back and at the sides that it's starting to curl in all directions. It looks sweetest head-on where it sometimes sticks straight out beyond her ears and catches the light making her look like a little mad scientist. Because of this trait, she has affectionately also become known as "Bibble" in our household.

-Poppy lovingly putting shoes and a dress-up bonnet on Sweet Pea and Sweet Pea sitting quietly like a little, live baby doll, watching her big sister with enormous hazel eyes behind lashes that just don't seem to end.

-Poppy sweetly (and sometimes a bit bossy) directing Sweet Pea on where to go and what to look at as we toured some new homes today.

-The two girls together as one "read" a book (Sweet Pea) while the other talked on a pretend telephone (Poppy) and set up a "sleepover" with a close friend. I can finally see that while Poppy's hair is a more striking color, Sweet Pea's is getting close to becoming a toned-down version of the same unique color.

-Poppy help her little sister up into and down from various chairs around our house when Sweet Pea would make noise that she needed help.

-Sweet Pea inspecting all of the flowers at the newly landscaped model homes. She had to go up to each and every bloom and touch them. I'm not sure what she likes more, the color, the variety, or the feel of them.

-Poppy putting on her ballet leotard and slippers and dancing with Sweet Pea who was dressed in a sparkly green Tinkerbell outfit. The image of the two of them twirling and curtseying will always live with me.

In sum, it's so clear that while my new "job" may give me an avenue to pursue some of my personal passions and interests, it's still all about being here for the little moments.

How to Improve a Classic

I am so geeked! Miss Sweet Pea is just blossoming! Since Grandma and Papa were here, she picked up about 7 new words (bringing her vocabulary to about 12 words); you gotta start somewhere! It's so sweet hearing her say the typical things like "up", "hello", "dog", and then all of a sudden hearing bursts of words like "mom and dad". When she said that string of words, KB thought is was Poppy who said it. It took a lot of convincing to get him to accept that it was actually Sweet Pea who uttered that beautiful line for the first time.

In addition to her vocabulary, she has also become a very hearty, and independent, eater. This stage is great because Sweet Pea is ready to try any food you put on her plate. She loves tomatoes, noodles, peas and a zillion other foods. Of course, some of those bites of new items come right back out after a couple of chews (eewww), and that, coupled with the fact that half of her "favorite" foods still end up on her lap due to her insistence on using her own little fingers to feed herself, is the second reason for my excitement today.

I received a trial "DaBib" in the mail a few days ago and it is like no other bib Sweet Pea has worn. You can see that the bib has a unique, soft "scrunch neckline" that is super easy to put on baby and hugs the neck so no errant peas or sauce-filled noodles sneak down her neckline and end up as permanent fixtures on her shirts. The front of the bib is a wonderfully soft terry and the backing is waterproof. It has a pocket to turn forward when in use to catch those wayward crumbs that try to follow gravity's pull onto her lap saving me from countless "spray and wash" treatments on her meal outfit. Yeah for the attached "optional" crumb catcher!

"DaBib" is an iParenting Media Award winner and you can read more about the incredible mompreneur/inventor of DaBib here. Thank you, Shea, for creating a "new classic"!

Thanks Grandma and Papa B!

We had such a great visit... so many memories were made. Here's just a glimpse:

Watching Poppy at gymnastics, ballet, and swim class;
Going for our train ride (maybe next time we'll make it farther than San Mateo!);
Having a swim/beach weekend in Carmel when the weather couldn't have been any better;
Listening to the roosters and making new friends at the park;
And who could forget our trip to San Francisco Zoo? Sweet Pea had her first
carousel ride and I even got my exercise in for the day!

But the sweetest moment by far was when Poppy went the movies with Grandma and Papa - without mommy and Sweet Pea! Her first venture into independence! Yes, my baby is growing up and I'm the one suffering from separation anxiety. At least I can report that in addition to Papa sharing the popcorn, Horton from "Horton Hears a Who" is "very funny" and says "I'm as light as a feather" - which is really funny to Poppy since he is a huge elephant and so far I've heard her say it between all the giggles a few times a day.

So thank you for a wonderful two weeks. We can't wait to see you soon!

The Sleep Fairy.

We're trying a new experiment at the Go-Go house: having Poppy and Sweet Pea room together. Now that Sweet Pea is almost 18 months old and is sleeping through the night at almost the same schedule as her big sister, I thought this would be a good time for us to try this new arrangement.

So, what led to this decision? Why did we do this when each girl seemed perfectly settled in her own room? Well, did I ever tell you about my little penchant for causing trouble? Actually, there are two main reasons for my madness: (1) my own childhood, and (2) my pediatrician.

First, as the youngest of 10 children, you can bet your last pair of shoes (whatever that means) that I had to share a room with my sisters. As a result, I got to know my older sisters in a way I would have completely missed if I had my own room. For instance, I wouldn't have known that the reason it took my sister, "G", 45 minutes to get dressed in the morning for high school was because she had to try on a minimum of 5 outfits before she could settle on "the" one for the day. Nor would I have had known that my lovely sister, "N", was so good at telling bedtime stories.

The second, and main reason, was that my pediatrician was all for it. When I took Sweet Pea in for her one year check up, I asked him what he thought about having Poppy and Sweet Pea in the same bedroom. Without hesitation he said "definitely yes, as soon as you think they are ready!" (My mother-in-law, who was at the appointment gasped as she thought the doctor would suggest that it would be best for the girls to have their own space.) As we talked, Dr. H emphasized that the girls would develop skills that would help them down the road. Things such as negotiating living with someone, learning to share possessions, helping to displace "night-time fears", and facilitating a closer sibling relationship were all mentioned. This sounded great to me!

So it's going on night number three and so far there haven't been any major bumps in our road to Sleepville. Oh, there are the usual details we need to address: what to do when it's time to read to Poppy and put her to bed but Sweet Pea is already asleep, and how we need to rush in at 5:30am when Sweet Pea is crying and ready to get up but Poppy is still trying to sleep. So far, however, these seem issues seem to be minute in comparison with the benefit of being together that we hope to see in the long run.

Now, I just have to figure out how to talk KB into converting Sweet Pea's bedroom into our new playroom/Go-Go Mommy HQ. Any tips out there?

And so it goes.

We've reached a new milestone at the Go-Go house, Poppy and Sweet Pea are now officially playing together. Sometimes it works out:

Poppy: WEEE, we're playing tug of war! (With each girl on the end of Poppy's favorite/only blanket known as "soft blanket" and running together back and forth.)
Followed by lots of giggling and girlie screaming.
or
Poppy: Come and find me! (The classic game of hide-and-seek.)
Followed by lots of giggling and girlie screaming.

And sometimes it doesn't:

Poppy: No, don't take my teacup.... No, that's not how you play, you use your own bowl.... You've ruined my tea party, I'm very upset with you! (As she storms off into her room.)
Followed by a door slamming.

At least Poppy is using her words!

My 30 days: 29

Sweet Pea is growing up so quickly! Today's moment was watching her go down the slide by herself for the first time.

My 30 days: 12

In honor of Princess Sweet Pea's current group of best friends -
and to my old and new friends as well:

"There is Always a Place for You"

There is always a place for you at my table,
You never need be invited.
I'll share every crust as long as I'm able,
And know you will be delighted.
There is always a place for you by my fire,
And though it may burn to embers,
If warmth and good cheer are your desire
The friend of your heart remembers!
There is always a place for you by my side,
And should the years tear us apart,
I will face lonely moments more satisfied
With a place for you in my heart!

--Anne Campbell

(As you can see, Sweet Pea has quite a collection of "best friends.")

My 30 days: 6

Reading with Sweet Pea.

My 30 days: 3

I was led to this article which ended up inspiring today's "everyday" moment:

Oh me, oh my,
how quickly time goes by.
My little loves soon to be
self-sufficient adults, just like me.
But before that comes to pass
it's time to review today at last.

My Poppy and Sweet Pea:

Greeted daddy at the door after a weeklong trip
with eyes shining bright, squeals of delight
and arms open wide, ready to hold on so tight.

Poppy helped clean up for daddy with grace.
Shared her "cozy" chair with 'lil sissy,"
excitedly showed dad her new dog "Missy,"
and planted many loving kisses on my face.

Sweet Pea woke from her nap in inconsolable pain,
its' origin unknown, I got peed on while dad phoned.
The urgent care diagnosis: simply congestion again.

A trip to Borders divided in two - before and after dinner.
Sweet Pea only wanted to go up and down stairs,
while Poppy's "energetic" voice caught customers unawares.
Both left mommy and daddy feeling like beginners.

Then the simple act of love shone bright
During our evening meal out, Sweet Pea turned about,
grabbed my hair, and face to face, held on so tight.

Wine, mommybloggers, and a great time!

I actually had a grown-up afternoon on Sunday and I am still glowing from the wine event! It was my first Silicon Valley Moms Blog get together and I not only had a great time, but I scored big time!

First, it was a great opportunity to finally meet my fellow mom bloggers face to face. XiaolinMama and I took advantage of the "moms day out" opportunity and rode together so we could do some catching-up - look out loves, 2 hipster mamas on a 10 minute road trip - hey, you take what you can get! The really weird part came at the event, I didn't realize that after reading these awesome ladies' posts for the last 5 months, it already felt like I knew a lot of the people there. Kind of freaky; like being in the middle of a conversation before you've even met the person, but with awesome ladies like BonggaMom, CityMama, and Glennia (who I actually did meet once about 3 years ago), they eased my "semi-stalker" sensation and made it seem like the most natural thing in the world. I love blogging and bloggers!

Second, the event was sponsored by Graco who introduced their new soothing center called "Sweetpeace". It is this incredible machine that is built to actually sway like a person. Yes, a person (side to side) rather than a machine that simply goes forward and backward. In addition, it truly blends in with modern decor. It's a very beautiful beige color with some very tasteful light green trim, rather than being a primary color eyesore in your home. When the awesome Graco people were showing us that it not only has a variety of settings and sounds but that it also had a hideaway drawer so you can hook up your ipod, I was immediately hooked. When I said, "Wow, I wish I could bring it home to let Sweet Pea (my 12 month old) test drive it, they instantly said, "No problem, we'll let you take it with you." GASP! Did I just hear correctly? SCORE #2!

Of course I immediately set up the soothing center when I got home and Sweet Pea went in it at the first opportunity. Here she is looking all cute and cuddly.

She was having a ball being soothed giggling and kicking her legs to the beat of my 70s Dance Party mixes. Which, by the way, leads me to mention that the sound on this center is surprisingly good whether you are using your own tunes or the prerecorded selection. And oh, by the way, when I returned from the park with a sleeping Sweet Pea, I didn't have to take her out of her carseat and ruin her nap - I just popped the carseat onto the Sweetpeace stand and she was all set to finish her nap. All I can say is - I wish I had this soothing center when she was 1 month old and colicky. Oh well, at least I've got it for the next five pounds (t's approved up to 25lbs.). Finally - being a premmie is paying off!

Hey kids, wait up!

Second chances. Everyone wants them but rarely gets them. Everyone knows that hindsight is 20/20 and there is little one can do to in the light of a new day to manufacture a different result. What better time to preform a little magic and create my own second chance than on Halloween?

Today is Tuesday, October 30, and tomorrow, KB and I actually get an opportunity to play Superman. Not because we're both dressing up for Halloween in matching blue body suits, red tights, and red capes - although it's quite a picture! Rather, it's more like we get to fly super-fast around and around the earth so it rotates in reverse thus turning back time to a point where we can actually make a difference in Poppy's Halloween this year.

Last year, our beloved Sweet Pea was born prematurely on October 12. She was actually due on November 20th. After spending some time at LPCH's NICU, she came home before Halloween - my beautiful little pumpkin. Needless to say, the difficult pregnancy and delivery left me out of the loop for Halloween, 2006. Luckily, daddy came to the rescue but there were obstacles we had not anticipated!

First Birthday and Other Reasons to Celebrate!

I'm finally sitting down, I'm semi-awake, and I'm feeling a sense of triumph mingled with the frayed edges of exhaustion as another milestone is officially passed. There was much to celebrate. Mainly, today was the celebration of Sweet Pea's first birthday.

OMG, I can't believe our little "Segundo" is already one year old! She is my wise child with her pouty mouth and serious eyes that sparkle so brightly when she giggles at her own private jokes as she intently watches the world around her. My little preemie who gave me so much trouble during my pregnancy and then announced her impatience to be a part of our world a bit too soon - five and a half weeks too soon to be exact. So, instead of the "Little Turkey" I was supposed to deliver last year, she became my "Little Pumpkin." But I'm getting ahead of myself.

As I said, there has been much to celebrate. A year ago I was in my fifth month of doctor ordered bedrest and, coincidentially, we were in the sixth and final month of our half-house remodel. Thinking back, it was strange spending so much of my pregnancy memorizing the layouts, pros, and cons of area hotels; then coming home to a house that was waiting so long for all of it's parts to be put back together, and my best friends became my contractor and the "tile-guy" who put together the intricate glass tile in our kitchen. And the whole time, Sweet Pea was so low that every time I spoke with my MIL in Michigan, I told her Sweet Pea would come early which would bring me admonishments not to talk like that - as if not saying it out loud would change the outcome.

A year ago, l was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, monitored, poked, prodded, and finally informed that Sweet Pea was definitely on her way - all within the span of about 15 hours!

A year ago my blessed mother-in-law (NB) dropped everything when she got the call, my sturdy neo-natal nurse sister-in-law helped her pack, and she was with us in California a mere 14 hours later. Not only did NB immediately fly out here, but she stayed with us for seven weeks and helped us all beyond measure.

A year ago, on the day after the delivery, I was told that I looked very "Elizabethan" by my pediatrician but luckily my obstatrician declared I would not (thank heaven) need to have a blood transfusion.

A year ago, our family expanded by one. My fireball, Poppy, was awed as she looked at her new little sis at the hospital and when she finally came home, Poppy happily welcomed Sweet Pea.

A year ago, my incredible hubby was calm when I needed him to be, brave when I wasn't, optimistic (at least in front of me) and did everything in his power to make sure his family was taken care of in every way.

Now... I'd say there are a few reasons to celebrate!

Photo Friday! 9.28.07

Missed some "Photo Fridays" due to travel. Here are Poppy and Sweet Pea having fun with their sewing cards. This was a great find at Target on-line.

Mommy's In Love Again

 

xxx

xxx

xxx

Peace and beauty like I've
never known well up
inside me tonight.

Because you, my dear
little one, are snug in
my arms so tight.

So many times you
call to me - a siren
in my dark night.

And I lift you and
hold you against my
chest and feed my little light.

So soft and sweet, so
pure and true,
these moments so lasting and right.

And I hold you, and you
hold me, soft
fingers with touches so light.

I drink in your beauty; tiny
nose, sleeping eyes and cheeks
so cherub-like.

Then the wave rushes in and
the miracle begins, falling in love
at this breathtaking sight.

Hip Breastfeeding Mommy-Wear

I'm happy to sound like a proud mommy today. "Sweet Pea" has made her modeling debut! She was invited to be a baby model for a very worthwhile cause. Okay, so she wasn't invited unless you count the general invitation sent to the hundreds of parents who belong to our Parents' Club as "being invited." Anyway, she fulfilled the photographer's requirement - sitting up but not yet walking. So she is now one of four babies on a T-Shirt asking; "got breastmilk?" This shirt is being sold to raise money to support La Leche League.

In today's world where you don't know which toy is safe or which bottle to use, let's remember there is one thing we know for sure - our bodies are made this way for a reason. Let's face it, breastfeeding is a big commitment. We deliberate over it while we are pregnant (at least with our first baby), then we have to wait and see if it all works out when it's time to try it. There are so many variables that must fall into place for mom and baby to be successful that it's time we celebrate it when it does happen.

If interested in showing your support, just go to www.gotbreastmilk.org to order a TShirt. And if you're in the Bay Area, I'm sure you'll see me proudly wearing mine!

You can also find me on Silicon Valley Moms Blog as JB.

Sometimes Mommy Has To Go Potty Too

Originally posted on Silicon Valley Moms Blog as JB.

Haven't we all been here?  Feeling a little guilty and maybe even silly because we are looking for a "hideout" in our own home?  In my home, the only room with a lock on it is one of my bathrooms.  Unfortunately, I just found out that the lock can be bypassed by simply turning harder on the handle. 

My day began well enough. I found myself actually making a dent in my to-do list:     -attend morning swim class with the girls
    -pick up grocery essentials for dinner
    -get Poppy (3 year old) signed up for "Pre-dance/Tap Class" for fall semester
    -start to tackle laundry from vacation
    -catch up on email since vacation (ie: planning playdates and sending out vacation photos)
    -work on planning a September Kids Outing for our local Parents' Club
    -feed Sweet Pea (9 month old) at appropriate times and get her to take 2 naps to help with nighttime 
     sleep

I guess I got so into the groove of moving from task to task that it didn't occur to me that I set up a recipe for disaster until it was too late. 

Sweet Pea had been cranky on and off due to teeth numbers 3 and 4 now doing their best to push through those beautiful little pink gums and make their appearance.  This combined with her usual nighttime fussiness started to fuel her cries just as I made my way to "the haven."  Poppy (whom I'm told has the "energy of a boy") then runs around wildly in and out of the baby's room screaming "it's okay, it's okay, calm down" and then running to the bathroom door looking for mommy.  According to Poppy, she wanted me to 1) stop the baby from crying, and 2) send some attention her way since I was so busy "accomplishing" so much today.  And, of course, all of this chaos begins just as my husband returns from a work trip where he spent all day in meetings and an airplane and was in recovery mode.

Was it wrong of me to take advantage of the reinforcements (okay just one - my husband) and put my foot against the unlockable door to gain some "me" time and do a Sudoku puzzle?  Should I admit that I cranked up the fan to drown out some of Sweet Pea's complaining cries? And should I apologize when those 3 year old fists on the door were met with my response "Sometimes, mommy needs to go potty too."?  I now realize that kids aren't the only ones with potty issues.  Where is your haven?