"Undecided"

I like to consider myself open-minded. Since the Presidential debates have only just begun, and since I have yet to formally hear from the V.P. candidates, I'm officially listing my voter status as "Undecided"....unofficially.

Since this is the case, it would appear slightly partisan for me to include this moving piece of art on a family-centered blog, but--as it happens--it was drawn by a good friend, and I'd like to honor his talent. In case your computer's resolution doesn't do it justice, what you're looking at is an ink rendering of Senator Obama, created exclusively with the words, "Handsome One," a translation of "Hussein," which is Barack's middle name and the title of the piece. In case you're interested, Ian Simmons' work is available for purchase by clicking here.

In the interest of fairness, I probably should have included some McCain art as well, but, darn it all...I just couldn't find any.

Mom's Day Away: Fun With Hair

I had an opportunity to head out of the house today...alone.

My fantabulous husband volunteered to take on solo child care while I went in for a long-overdue hair appointment. Nothing fancy...just my usual cut and color, but today my stylist treated me to some hot rollers and curling iron--just for fun. Results below.



How lovely it would be if I could simply flip the switch and make it look like this without 30 minutes of styling! It was nice to be Curlylocks for a day.

The Three Munchki-teers

Once upon a time, two music teachers and a P.E. teacher found themselves pregnant at the same time.

Four months later, their beautiful babies got together for their first playdate! Here are some pics from the mini photo shoot that took place in Munchkin's crib. (I have new respect for my friend, "Kage," who often wrangles children for professional shoots. You go, girl!)




And they lived happily ever after! :o)

Poop Between the Toes

(Don't worry--no photos with this post).

I would like to pay homage to our first official Diaper Blowout. One day, we will have the opportunity to torture our son with things like pictures of his first bath and dressing up in mommy's high heels (come on, it's bound to happen)...and to those things, I'd like to add the memory of The Blowout.

You know it's bad when there is poop between the toes. And on the hands, therefore, also in the hair. And in (on, soaking through, on the other side of) the pants, therefore, also on the onesie and the thighs and the knees, and therefore, also on the belly--though not IN the newly healed belly button. Whew.

And all of this occurred approximately 12.4 seconds after coming out of the bathtub, and 6.7 seconds before Daddy walked in the door for lunch, to the tune of Mommy yelling, "Oh my! Oh no! Oh....MAN."

At least his digestive track is on track. (Snort.)

Multitasking

In our society these days, multitasking has become a bit of an art form.

I can really get behind several examples of multitasking. Case in point: I have become rather adept at texting/emailing, via my cell phone, while nursing. (Of course, a friend recently reminded me of the research suggesting cell phones = cancer. Darn.)

There are, however, some examples of multitasking that should really be avoided. Here is a photo reminiscent of the scene going on behind me while I was driving yesterday.



Again, this is not the actual person who was driving behind me. In fact, mine had soft serve ice cream, which at least eliminated the spoon issue. But she also had another passenger in the front seat who was talking on HER phone while smoking a cigarette.

Perhaps I'm being an oversensitive, overprotective new parent, but I do not want this person driving behind me in a vehicle. Even worse? In my previous life (read: before giving birth), I may have been accused of being one of these Dangerous Multitaskers. I have been known to eat and drive with my knees...bad.

I recall another good friend saying to me, "Just wait until you're a parent. You'll slow down." She was talking specifically about driving a car, but I believe her prediction has come true in full force--and not just on the road, though it's completely true that I can no longer drive as I once did. It is also true that my entire life has "slowed down."

And in a world that shames you if you can't email, talk on the phone, and instant message all at the same time, I'm happy to be slow.

My New Best Friend

This is my new friend, "Huey." (Okay...that's not his name but that's what we call him.) His mom and my mom are "best good friends," and I'm so excited that his birthday is one week and one day before mine! On our first play date, he slept and I stared at him while he slept. Maybe next time we'll be awake at the same time.

On the Day You Were Born...

Dear Munchkin,

On the day you were born, I was pretty antsy. Okay...I was downright crabby that you hadn't arrived. After all, you were supposed to come into the world by August 28, and here it was Thursday, September 4. I had visited Dr. Chen on Tuesday, and we had set an appointment to induce on Friday. Well, on Thursday morning around 10:00, I was on the phone with your Granny J, and having contractions that were about eight minutes apart--not close enough together to get excited, because I had been experiencing those for over a week. A contraction at that point, by the way, just meant that Mommy could feel her tummy get tight and a little crampy.

I started watching last season's finale of "House" and those little contractions started to get closer together. I decided that perhaps you were finally sending me a message that it was time to get things moving, so I started to pace around my living room...around the table....around the kitchen island...around the coffee table. Walking outside would have been more productive, but Tropical Storm Hanna (insert own joke here) was making it rain in Chicago--all day, by the way. Before I knew it, those little contractions were replaced by contractions, that were five minutes apart, and felt like a really wicked visit from Aunt Flo. We'll discuss her further when you're older.

I started to get nervous that this was really IT, and I hadn't showered, finished packing my bag, and your Dad was at work. So I prioritized: shower, makeup, blow dry...called your Dad. I said, "Were you planning to come home for lunch today?" "No." "Well, I think you should, and bring your computer because I don't think you're going back today." I waited for Dad to get home before calling the doctor, because I wouldn't have been able to leave for the hospital without him anyway. Dr. Chen said that I could either come in to the hospital or wait it out at home a little longer. I said that I was nervous with how fast and furious the CONTRACTIONS (note the intensity) were coming, and decided to come in. Well, by the time Dad got home, walked Oliver, we ate lunch, and drove to Lutheran General in the rain and traffic, it was almost two hours later. The man at the front desk told us we were "almost in trouble" for taking so long to get there! By the way, Mommy was now having CONTRACTIONS. New Definition: feeling like someone was twisting Mommy's uterus into a pretzel, while simultaneously trying to drive a truck through her you-know-where. Pleasant. 

The folks at Lutheran were fantastic from beginning to end. We got to skip triage and go straight to our ginormous private birthing room. It was 2:00 PM. The resident doctor on call and the nurses checked Mommy's cervix (more on that when you're MUCH older) and told her that she was allowed to get her epidural any time she was ready. An epidural is given to women by Great and Wonderful Doctors called anesthesiologists, who should be elevated to Saint status ASAP. Mommy told the nurse that she'd like to try and wait a little longer...which lasted for about two more CONTRACTIONS. By 4:00 PM, Mommy was feeling much better...especially from the ribcage down.

The next few hours were fairly uneventful. Mom and Dad watched a little football (okay, Dad watched and I flipped through a "People" magazine), a little "Friends," and a little "Seinfeld." We had one little scare, when the nurse tried to perform a procedure on Mommy and her blood pressure plummeted. At the same time, your heartbeat disappeared from the monitor...scary. Before we knew it, we were swarmed by several nurses who gave me oxygen and ephedrine, to raise my blood pressure. You--as it turned out--were just fine. Whew! Just after that, the Wonderful and Blessed Dr. Chen came to check on me for the first time. (She's the nice lady that took your first picture in the womb and let Daddy listen to your heartbeat over the phone.) She told us that things were moving along just fine.

At 8:20 PM, Dr. Chen gave Mommy the magic number (10!) and the thumbs up to start pushing you out. At 8:30, I decided that the whole thing would be much easier if I could feel my muscles working. So, Dr. Chen turned off the epidural and gave me a whole 45 minutes to regain a little feeling in my lower extremities. At 9:30, we started pushing again, with the help of the doctor and the nurse. And at 9:56 PM, on Thursday, September 4, you were born! Dad cut the cord (to Mom's utter shock!), and the nursing staff took you across the room to weigh and clean you while Dr. Chen did a few more things with me. I was so jealous that Dad got to hold your hand and take your picture for 15 whole minutes! Then, the nurse brought you to me, wrapped in your white hospital blanket and hat, and I cried to see my beautiful baby boy. Dad and I immediately agreed that your name would be the one we had chosen in secret.

And that's how you were born.

Happy Birthday!

Happy one week Birthday to me!

Dear Mom and Dad:
I've been alive for one week, and in that time, you've managed not to drop me, scratch me, torture me (too much) or otherwise scar me for life. Congratulations! I guess I'll keep you.

Love,
Munchkin

P.S. Thank you, Auntie A, for the cool rockstar outfit!

Emerging...

My friends warned me that I would have very limited time for things like labeling photos and blogging. They were right.

BUT...here we go!

I have birthed a child. Out of my body. It is truly the most amazing, unbelievable, miraculous experience of my life. (And a part of me now understands why women end up with eight children.) This is a video of Munchkin and I meeting for the first time. I'll let it speak for itself.

Please keep checking back here for updates. I promise that I will get to them just as soon as I can tear my eyes, ears, hands, and lips off of my perfect son.

Dogma: The Beach

Sometimes, my parents can be really cool.

For example, today they took me to this great dog-only beach in Chicago. The nice people that run this city have really worked hard to create a clean, safe area for us pooches to run around and swim off leash. Of course, for me, it's the swimming part that I like best. The "people-who-pay-attention-to-me" part is my second favorite...and the "other dogs" part comes in last place. In fact, I seem to have developed a few ISSUES (my parents' word--not mine) in this department. Any dog who is larger than me is a little threatening, whether they mean to be or not, and I find that the best way to combat these encounters is to bare my teeth and get a little cranky. That being said, you can tell by the picture below that the dog beach is filled to the brim with such large dogs. 

To be fair, most of the dogs here leave me alone to play with my parents, who are tons of fun--especially my Dad. We spent most of the morning in the water together, while Mom kept the electronics from getting splashed. Dad's favorite game to play is walking out into the water (naturally, I follow him wherever he goes--like at home) until it's just over my head, and then running back to shore as fast as he can. He thinks it's really funny to watch me dog-paddle like crazy until I can hippity-hop back to the water's edge. I am far less amused by this game than he, but since it doesn't take much to please these silly humans, I guess it's just easier to comply.

I did run across one ferocious canine with whom I would have been willing to play, but he's awfully little for the water. In fact, I later saw him shaking and cowering under a blanket with his parents. Baby.

All in all, it was a terrifically fun morning! My Super Dog Senses tell me that things are going to be changing in my house quite soon, so I'm not sure if I'll get to visit the beach again this year. That's okay, though...I've tracked enough sand into the car to last through the winter.

Click here for more pics!