Overheard

A mother to her son:

"Son, six o'clock in the morning is not an acceptable time to start the day. Five thirty is even worse."

I'll let you guess which mother said this to which son. Allegedly, she's said it every day this week. (Wink.)

YMCA!

I said to my sister the other day, "evidently, the baby weight isn't simply going to melt with the snow."

So, in an effort to combat this problem, I have joined our local YMCA. And when I say "local," I mean REALLY local--it's 5 minutes door to door. Hurray! They have a fun-looking childcare room with one of those indoor maze things like they have at McDonalds. Hopefully, we will no longer be living in this neighborhood when Munchkin is old enough to use it, but it's nice to know it's there. I took him with me today for his first "'Mazing Kids" experience, which he seemed to enjoy. Of course, I can only infer that from the grin on his face when I came back into the Maze and the fact that they didn't call me to rescue him.

Things I can tell about the Y experience so far:
1. I am sore. (I should mention that this is my first gym membership in almost four years. The occasional show is great for keeping in shape/eating less because you're always at rehearsal.)
2. The lady at the childcare place looked panicked with I went to take the kiddo out of the carseat. "Don't you want to leave him in there for a while?" Uh, no. That's where the "childCARE" portion comes in.
3. She was fine, after all.
4. There are a lot of senior citizens that work out at the Y during the day. Those old guys can lift a LOT of weight on the circuit machines. Good for them!
5. The girl and guy at the front desk should be fired for incompetence. It took them 30 minutes to process my application (after putting my first name down as "Rose" they had to start over). They told me there was no additional paperwork for childcare. There was. They told me the caregivers would administer a bottle if necessary. They don't. They told me that you don't have to pay a joiners fee if you cancel your membership and rejoin. That is wrong. They told me I could pay with American Express. I can't.
6. After only two workouts, I feel healthier. Not sure how that's possible.
7. People at the Y are meticulous about cleaning the machines. In the circuit training room, they walk around with Purell wipes (provided) and clean every part of the machine they touch every time. This is a lovely change from Bally.
8. There is nothing on TV at noon.
9. They have free parking!
10. I am sore.

:o)

Our Little Dumbo

There have been more animal sightings, here at the Rose Garden.

See if you can spot the elephant!

The Wicked Stage

Unlike some of my friends, I don't audition much.

In fact, in 2008 through now, I have gone on three auditions and been cast once. Which means, obviously, that I have NOT been cast twice. The most recent episode just happened a few days ago. I marvel at the fact that the rejection process never...ever...gets easier. Sure, certain losses of parts are easier to handle than others, whether you're doing it because you want to spend time with your friends, or whether it's a new group for you. Whether it's a role you're not quite sure you can handle, or whether it's one you think was practically written for you. In the case of this particular show, it is one that comes around every hundred years or so, due to the technical difficulties. So, if you're doing the math and simultaneously realizing that 129 years of age is a bit of a stretch for me to play Dot in "Sunday in the Park With George," you've also realized that I probably just lost my one and only shot at that role.

In any case, I've decided there are two solutions to this problem. 1: Go on more auditions to take the sting out of the ones I don't get. or 2: Stop auditioning altogether.

Stay tuned, I guess, to see which choice I'll make.

Camouflage

If you look verrrrry carefully....

You might catch a glimpse of the monkey in his natural habitat.

Go Fish!

Winter is sorta getting to us here in the Rose Family--or at least, the stay-at-home members of the Rose Family.

In an effort to get out of the house, and perpetuate the Fish Fascination, Munchkin and I headed to the Shedd Aquarium, in downtown Chicago.

We saw fish big and small, turtles, sharks, eel, and jellyfish--his favorite for that day. We even found dinner!

Just kidding.

Gerber Baby

With all of Munchkin's weight gain issues, we decided it couldn't hurt to try some rice cereal--even though he's not yet 6 months old (and those of you who know me well can imagine how much it pains me to "break the rules").

Here is his reaction to wearing the bib. Less than impressed.


The first bite.


The second bite. And all subsequent bites garnered the same response...at which time we decided to try again tomorrow.


Day 2.


It's not easy to feed a baby that prefers to eat his hands.


But after making a big mess...


...we finally had some success!


Oh, and for those of you who are still concerned, his weight is steadily (though slowly) increasing. All is well. :o)

Dude, Where's My Manual?

I am notorious for reading manuals.

I'm so particular about it that I hardly started my new car without reading the entire manual first, cover to cover. When I teach, I use a very detailed lesson plan every day. When I cook, I almost always use a recipe.

In other words, I like to be told what to do, when to do it, and in what amount.

So when it comes to parenting, I often find myself lost without a manual. Sure, there are a ton (a TON) of books out there that give you pointers on certain things like sleep, discipline, education, etc.; but the problem is that there are a ton (a TON) of differing opinions. I find myself wishing for one book that will give me a definitive answer to all my questions. How much cereal should we start with? What should be the order of foods after that? How much sleep does my child need? What kinds of toys would he enjoy at this age (and the next and the next)? What should I be able to expect from him, developmentally? When should I start researching preschools? When should we try to join a playgroup/music class/swimming lessons? At what age should I start him on an instrument/sport/foreign language? And on and on.

Before you start to "answer all my questions" (read: "judge me for being so literal") in the comments area, know that I am fully aware that I'm ridiculously obsessive, and YES, I'm also aware that the hardest part of parenting is often using good judgement and "knowing your child."

That said, which one of you wants to write the manual?

:o)

Dear Reader:

I've decided that I'm tired of my mom always talking for me.

And I've got a few things I wanna say. So, here goes.

A few days ago, my best bud came over to play with me and my mom. His parents couldn't come with him, so they just left him at my house. I know....it sounds crazy. But now that I think of it, my parents did exactly the same thing to me a few times. Huh. Anyway, while he was here, he showed me how to use my new Jumperoo the right way (my feet don't touch the ground yet), and he drank his milk from a bottle (sucker!) in my crib, which seemed like a really weird place to eat--but whatever.

Wanna know the best part of all? The very next day he came over again to watch the Super Bowl. This time he brought his parents, which I guess is okay. Get this: after he had his milk for dinner, his mom put this long plastic thing in his mouth that had some stuff on it that IT LOOKED LIKE SOME KIND OF FOOD! What?! Now I feel like my parents are keeping this ginormous secret from me. You can eat things besides milk?! I'll have to explore this. Stay tuned.

Because a Giggling Baby...

...just might be the best sound ever. Don't blink, though, you might miss it!

5 Months

Weight: 11 lbs, 11 oz (And a little extra--3 oz gained in 2 weeks. Popeye would be proud!)

Dear Munchkin,

I think that this month will be less rocky for us. Last month, we were consumed with sleep-training (still are), weight gain (still are), travel...and it was all a little crazy. I feel a little better equipped to deal with the challenges that this month will no doubt bring.


You continue to amaze me with all of your new "skills," and the wonder with which you approach daily life. Among them:

- You've begun to explore my face with your hands. It reminds of me of my favorite scene in the movie, "Hook," where one of the Lost Boys is trying to figure out if Peter (Robin Williams) is really Peter. I can almost hear you asking, "Are You My Mother?"...which is a favorite children's book of mine.

- You are quite the roly-poly being. With the help of my foot, you'll catapult to your stomach, but have only accomplished it completely on your own, once (and are eluding the camera with that trick!).

- To that end, however, you've finally gotten more mobile in your crib. Last night your dad and I found you sleeping exactly perpendicular to where you started.

- You are adept at passing toys from one hand to the other, and swiftly into your mouth. I find it amusing, however, that you're pretty intolerant of how these foreign objects taste. You prefer your fingers over all else.

- Speaking of fingers, one new habit is sucking them "backward," so your palm faces the ceiling. Creative.

- You're now completely fascinated with another presence: Oliver. You pet him, watch him, (almost) roll over to track his whereabouts, and patiently allow him to lick your hands. Ew.

- My favorite moment of last month, hands down, was watching you at your first musical, "Finding Nemo." That you were AWARE of what was happening on stage was a sight to see. Naturally, your dad and I are thrilled that you responded so exuberantly to your first show!


All my love,
Mom

25 TMIs

Some of us have done this on Facebook, some have received it in an email forward, and some have blatantly ignored it.

Here's mine, if you haven't read it yet.

1. I don't actually think I'm interesting enough to list 25 things, but we'll see.
2. I eat popcorn several times per week, but it used to be every day.
3. I would rather eat dirt than go to the grocery store, especially on a Saturday.
4. I love Wii MarioKart.
5. I won an all-expenses-paid vacation to Mexico in September of 2001, and returned two days before 9-11.
6. I have a belly button so deep it can hold about an ounce of water...and it's only gotten bigger since pregnancy.
7. I would Botox the heck out of my face in a heartbeat if a) I could afford it and b) I could still make facial expressions (Tamara from "Real Housewives of OC??" Anybody?? No??)
8. I watch some trashy TV (see #7).
9. When I was around 4 years old, I wanted to be a "log thrower" when I grew up.
10. I used to think gay people were only in the movies.
11. I can recite the alphabet backward in under 3 seconds.
12. I still add numbers using my fingers.
13. I came in second place for my middle school spelling bee, two years in a row (lost on "material" and "necessary" and haven't misspelled those words since).
14. I won my 1st grade spelling bee and kept the trophy until I graduated from high school.
15. I am not a saver. As in, I throw EVERYTHING away. See #14.
16. I once ate an entire cake in one day. It was white with chocolate frosting.
17. I think holding grudges is a waste of time and energy, so I only hold one. ;o)
18. I have to make my bed every single day because I don't like the idea of dirt getting in my sheets.
19. I am addicted (and NOT in a good way) to Vaseline Lip Therapy. And they just stopped making it.
20. I once won a game of "flippy cup" that was girls against guys.
21. I regret that I don't play violin anymore. One of this year's resolutions is to pick it up again.
22. One of my (many) guilty pleasures is stalking Broadway stars on the "Talkin' Broadway" website.
23. I cry almost every day.
24. I have 25 first cousins, two of whom I have never met.
25. There are at least 25 other things I should be doing right now.

If you want to play along, you could comment with one or two of your own (don't feel obligated). Thanks for the idea, Mom.