Love is in the Air

It's been raining since Monday.

So before the Munchkin and I start building our ark, we decided to take a trip to the Nature Museum. Let me be the first to admit that this particular museum is laaaaaame, by Chicago standards (it has a lot to compete with), but today was free "suggested donation day," and it's completely indoors. And empty. I think there were eight people there, including us.

The big attraction is the Butterfly Garden, and it is quite impressive, especially to an (almost) eight month old boy. Granted, that boy is having some tactile/sensory issues lately, so he was really not excited about the butterflies grazing his skin. However, as his usual self, he stared and stared and stared and stared. And then we found some birds wandering about the foliage and he stared at them.

It is a mark of spring, though, when the grasshoppers and the butterflies seem to be doing a bit more than simply enjoying each other's company. :o)

Highlights from Music

WE LOVE MUSIC TOGETHER!!!


(Since I don't name my own child here, I guess I shouldn't name anyone else's kid, either. So I'll try to come up with some nicknames that stick.)

Today's highlights:

1. We had two experiences with instruments today. During the first, we were sitting around gathering drums and singing a song. Miss Mary also distributed a few sets of bongos that several kids were toting around, including Aggressive Blond Boy. At one point, ABB set the bongos down in front of Munchkin, who immediately started pounding happily. A few moments later, ABB yanked the bongos away. During the next instrument time (free play), the Munch and I were having a great time with a small hand drum and jingles, when ABB approached the Munch with a babyish-looking instrument. ABB tossed it into his lap. He returned to the pile of instruments to choose another shaker, and deposited it in front of the Munch. This continued until we had a good 15 instruments in front of us! Funny how kids make up for their shortcomings...

2. Girl With Non-Participatory Mother announced to Miss Mary that she had gotten a "harMOMica" over the weekend.

3. We were invited to attend a (free!) class on Monday during a Music Together teacher training session. Yippee!!!

Just Foolin' Around

We have A LOT of time to fill during the day...

Brookfield Zoo

I'm a big fan of zoos, for the most part.

Sure, I could live without the permeating smell of poo, the "stroller game" (WHY isn't every door in a public place equipped with automatic doors?!), and the gross bathrooms, but other than that, a zoo is a happy place for mommies.

And it's even better when the mommy's husband takes a day off work to take her and the baby to said zoo! We had an almost-record-high of 86 last Friday (on April 24; what?!), and BOY DOES THAT FEEL HOT when it was 42 the previous day. We did our best to stay cool while visiting our furry, scaly, and feathered friends.

Zoo photos:
http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100331

Bonus photos!:
http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100315

Holy Green Beans, Batman!

Seborrhea

First of all, let me open with "we didn't see our regular pediatrician yesterday." I don't want Dr. B to get a bad rap.

So, the Munch has been battling a bad rash for two weeks. It started in the nether-regions, spread up his back, onto his face, and then onto his scalp. After much internet research, I gave in to the mommy panic and took him to the doc.

Actual transcription of yesterday's appointment:
Dr. S: "Well, on his head is definitely Seborrhea."
Me: "Seborrhea? What is that?"
Dr. S: "What do you mean, 'what is it'? It's SEBORRHEA. I'll write it down for you."

Um, okay.

We briefly discussed a course of treatment, but I was left with a bunch of questions (that I probably should have asked, but not with THAT kind of attitude!), not the least of which was, "DOES MY CHILD HAVE SOME HORRIBLE SKIN DISEASE THAT WILL PLAGUE HIM THE REST OF HIS LIFE?!?!"

Naturally, I jumped back online yesterday. "Seborrhea, seborrhea...okay, here we go. 'Seborrhea: commonly known as dandruff.'"

Right.

Tucker, the Dog

(Photo Credit: D. Baiocchi)

The Hope/Hedeen family dog, Tucker, passed away today--very suddenly.

We are all very sad, though my heart aches for my little sis and bro, who were Tucker's biggest fans. Tucker was a kind and gentle dog. He had an abundance of patience for both little children and other dogs (including Oliver) with more energy than he. He squealed and snorted with joy to greet those who crossed his path, and we will miss him dearly.

(Photo Credits: B. Rose)

Rest in peace, little buddy.

Catching Up: A Visit From Mimi and Auntie Naomi

Mimi and Auntie Naomi came to town for their Spring Break last week and spoiled the pants off the Munch--and me. Here's what he had to say about it:

"Whoa, dudes! I had completely forgotten how awesome it is to have one of my grandparents around 24/7! My Mimi brought me new clothes, a few new toys, covered me in kisses and cuddles, fed me lots of meals and bottles, and made sure I was clean as a whistle each morning. I think my AuntieOmi is going to be one of my favorite playmates. Boy, is she fun! She rolled around on the floor with me, entertained me in my Jumperoo, and even changed my diaper!

"We had a great time at the Shedd Aquarium, and I even enjoyed shopping with my girls (at least on the first day....by day three, I was sorta over it). We got to meet Auntie Abigail at her office and I loved looking out the picture window onto the busy Chicago street. I even got to celebrate Mimi's birthday, which was very special!"

It was a great time for everyone!

Catching Up: Music Together!

It's been busy in the Rose Garden lately...

Munchkin and I attended our first music class last week, and we both had a wonderful time! One of my favorite things about hanging out with new kids is hearing their names. It's a leftover thrill from teaching, I guess. In our class we have Poppy, Augustus, Theodore (!!!), and Gianna, among others.

Miss Mary introduced us to a new collection of songs from Music Together (at Merry Music Makers), let us fool around with egg shakers and tone bells, took us on a "train" (complete with whistle), and sang and sang and sang...the best part. We can't wait to go back every Thursday! (And as soon as I can figure out a way to covertly take photos, I'll post them.)

Easter/Passover

We celebrated both at Grandma Esther's house today!

Here are a few pics of our early evening.


Perhaps the worst family photo yet. I'm either hiding a binky or a beer behind my back...can't remember which.


Brad, Grandma and Munchkin


Melanie gets a hold of the gefilte fish!


The Munch studies for Seder.


Eggs...before the egg-cracking game.


Evil Egg-Cracking Champion!


Grandma finds the afikomen!

Game On.

"In Zurich, Switzerland, children carrying Easter eggs meet in the Square. A competition is held to find the hardest egg. Some dye their eggs, other leave them plain. One contestant holds the egg with the end pointed and waits while the opposing contestant attempts to crack it with the pointed end of another egg. The positions are reversed while the contestants test the flat ends of the eggs. The winner takes the egg which has both ends cracked. "

We will do this...minus the Zurich part, the Square part, and our rules are a bit on the loose side. Stayed tuned for the winner.

And in Other News of Inadequacy...

I read in last week's edition of People that Candy Spelling (widow of Aaron Spelling) has not one, but TWO "Wrapping Rooms" in her home. Yes, you heard me. "Wrapping Rooms." Like, for housing wrapping paper and supplies, and for assembling gifts.

I need to move.

Oprah

A few of you are already filled in on my current "crisis." I put that in quotations because, in the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge deal. Well, it is to me, but in the Grand Scheme of Things....you get the idea.

So the "crisis" is this, in a nutshell: It is my mission to get through each day without an emotional meltdown. Most days I am successful. Today was not one of those days. The thing that just gets me about it is that it's usually the tiniest thing that sets me off. One day it was that The Munch had awaken from his nap before I was finished blowing my hair dry. (Meltdown in my closet, where I could not hear him crying. Nice.) One day it was the pile of dirty bottles next to the pile of clean bottles and pump parts that needed to be put away/assembled. Today it was jumpstarted by the cry I heard over the monitor when I had JUST sat down to eat lunch. It was accelerated by the disaster of squash and sweet potatoes on ALL SURFACES of the high chair. And it was topped off by the Constant Whining and Crying sound coming from my seven month old. (It had gone on for almost an hour. Without AND WITH his pacifier.) Are these things really a big deal? Nope, not in the slightest. Just goes to show you what crazy feels like when you're experiencing your life through a magnifying glass.

Wanna know what pushed me away from the (metaphorical) ledge? Oprah. This is odd on several levels. One: I don't particularly care for Oprah or her show. (Could it be because she constantly says, "We'll be right back. We'll be right back." Twice? Why?) Two: I never, ever DVR the show, but a friend mentioned yesterday's episode, so I managed to find the late-night rerun and recorded it. (And then I watched (part of) it while the Constantly Whining and Crying baby played with his blocks on the floor. Bad Mommy. (I watched most of it during the next nap.))

The show was about motherhood. The audience was filled with moms, and the guests were two women who had written a book on how tough it is to be a mom. The book is entitled, "I'd Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper," which I think is hysterical--though utterly untrue, of course. Ahem. Anyway, I suspect that the rest of the world is probably sick to death of listening to moms talk about how difficult motherhood is, yet no one would ever say that because...well, because everyone has or had a mother at one point. Ya don't mess with Texas. But their feelings are probably well-founded. After all, in my case--as is the case for most people I know--I entered into motherhood of my own accord. In other words, no one forced me to have a baby. No one forced me to stop going to work. And yet. Well, frankly, there isn't any solace in that.

Enter Oprah. The beauty of this episode was that it was geared toward other moms, not toward "the rest of the world." She wasn't trying to deliver an earth-shattering message to the masses, but rather was attempting to give us moms a place to rest in the comfort of knowing we are not alone in our feelings about the challenges of motherhood. The women featured on the show spoke from a place of complete and utter honesty, and it was refreshing. In fact, one of the girls made a statement that I carried with me for the rest of the day:

"We're all trying to love motherhood as much as we love our kids."

And that, folks, is the nitty gritty tough part. All the hugs, kisses, giggles, funny sayings, and developmental milestones can't erase the snotty noses, grimy high chairs, public temper tantrums, and missed curfews; but perhaps they can outweigh them.

Tomorrow's mission: Don't even give the bad parts an opportunity to get on the scale.

Calling All Interior Decorators*

(*My sister would probably appreciate it if I clarified that an "interior decorator" is NOT the same as an "interior designer," which is what she is...or at least what she has a degree in. Whatever.)

So we're getting ready to put the house on the market--again. The last time we did this, it was on for one solid year. We had approximately 50-70 showings in that year, and only ONE person returned for a second showing. We were extended no offers and THUS, we still live here. Since the last time the house was on the market, we have made several improvements, including having the interior painted and adding built-in storage in the garage (this is a big deal because there is no official storage anywhere in the home itself).

I feel fairly confident about the appearance of the home, in terms of decorations (you know what I mean), except for one place: these silly shelves in my living room. Usually, there are six photos from our wedding that grace the shelves, but the first rule of showing your home is to remove personal photos so as not to distract the buyer, allegedly.

After removing said photos, I'm now left with two empty shelves that need a bit of flair, and I SUCK at stuff like this. So please help me! The more specific you are (providing links to items found online/Target/etc.), the better. And it probably goes without saying that I don't want to spend a lot of money.

Photos:

(The "stuff" on the shelves are just a few things I had sitting in a box. It's to provide a bit of scale.)


(The burp cloths on the arm of the couch are part of the atmosphere--just kidding.)

Please leave your thoughts/ideas/inspirations in the comments below. TIA!

7 Months

13 lbs 9.4 oz
Dear Munchkin/Muncher/The Munch:

Today you are seven months old. That officially puts me closer to having a toddler than I am to having a newborn, which is a KUH-RAZY thought. 

These last four weeks have been a whirlwind of accomplishment and growth for you. Here are some highlights of our time together:

- You can roll: forwards, backwards, across the living room, on top of your toys (doesn't seem to bother you), in your crib, on my lap, in the bathtub (whoops).

- You can sit, though you protest it at all costs. The current sitting up record holds at two minutes, as of Thursday afternoon. Mostly, you go stiff as a board when we try to put you in a sitting position. You just REALLY like to stand--not that you can do that unassisted. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

- I love that your primary way to communicate, "I'm sleepy," is to touch my face.

- We survived your first fever, first stomach virus...and second (sigh) public puke.

- You finally (FINALLY) sleep through the night. Like, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. This is all I will say on the subject, for fear you might hear me and become rebellious at seven months of age.

- We, sob, have officially begun the (very sloooow) weaning process. Frankly, I never thought I'd be sentimental about it, but it turns out I am. It probably doesn't help that you HATE your formula. You'll take it (eventually), but the look of sheer disgust on your face is almost--but not quite--enough for me to give in.

All my love,

Mom

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100299

Mom-Stitute

If you've read recent-ish Facebook Status Updates, or if you're my mom and have had this discussion with me, you already know that I'm in the market for a Mom-Stitute.

In fact, I think a whole army of Mom-Stitutes are in order. (Before I proceed, I should probably clarify that a Mom-Stitute would be a SUBstitute for a Mom...not anything to do with institutes or prostitutes. Just so we're clear.) There should be a hotline you can call the moment you know you'll be taking a trip down Sick Road, and your Mom-Stitute will arrive promptly to care for your children.

But wait! you say. We already have Mom-Stitutes! They're called "Babysitters," "Nannies," "Grandparents," and the like. To this, I will comment thusly:

A Mom-Stitute will not only care for the children, she will assume all the responsibilities of the matriarch. She will load the dishwasher and empty the dishwasher, and hand wash the baby stuff that can't GO in the dishwasher. She will wipe down the kitchen counters. She will wipe up the grime from the high chair. She will (occasionally) wipe the plastic toys clean when she notices they have spit-up or peaches all over them. She will swap the dirty dish towels for clean ones. She will daily replace soiled burp cloths with clean ones. She will fluff the throw pillows for the zillionth time and dust the dressers in the bedroom that seem to need dusting every ten seconds. She will clean your house from head to toe, even if she needs to start over by the time she's done. She will use the bottle brush AND the sterilizing-microwavable-bag on the bottles. She will wipe down the kitchen counters--again.

She will pre-mix the necessary bottles of formula. She will defrost the baby food, make new baby food, serve the baby food and clean up after the baby food. She will pump each night. She will do the meal planning and the grocery shopping. She will put away the groceries, replace empty Kleenex boxes with full ones, and check to see which bathrooms require toilet paper. She will remember to defrost the meat.

She will patiently play with the children that can't/won't be left alone, stacking blocks like it's her full-time job, and dancing around the room to "Cats." She will be sure to give the children (and the dog) fresh air, even if it means spending more time dressing them for the weather than actually outdoors. She will drive to the zoo/park/store/Target every day if it means finding another creative way to entertain the kids (and herself). She will upload photos, send email/blogs/photos to family to stay connected.

She will do all of this...and an occasional "thank you" and a few smiles will be acceptable forms of payment. She will do all of this...and get up to do it again tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. She will do all of this and she will be happy, because others were happy as a direct result of her hard work.

Now accepting applications.

Blogosphere

When your fabulous husband comes home from work early to take care of the baby after you've spent the previous night praying to the porcelain god (thank you for passing along your germs, baby), and you can't sleep because when do you EVER have time to sleep during the day and why would your body want to start now?, then you have a lot of time to dream up blog postings.

So today's post is in honor of those folks whose blogs I troll on a regular basis (these are blogs of those to whom I am NOT related, BTW). If you're getting into this blogging thing, you might find inspiration from these peops. Or if you've run out of paper reading material, this is a great substitute. It's worth noting that, unlike my own blog, I think these blogs appeal to the greater masses.

1. http://www.rookiemoms.com/
"Auntie G" bought me the book that these girls wrote before we had our babies and I've since found them online. While I have not ONCE consciously done any of their listed "new mom" activities, it's amusing to read, none the less.

2. http://sethrudetsky.com/blog/
I'm OBSESSESSESSESSED with Seth Rudetsky lately. He is the host of the Broadway channel on Sirius/XM (which I'm lucky enough to have in my car) and knows everything about everything related to that type of show biz. For nerdy types like me, he actually has a music degree, training, etc. and isn't afraid to use actual music terminology when deconstructing Broadway performers. He also has two books in print about the biz, if you're SUPER nerdy--like me.

3. http://www.skiptomylou.org/
Can I just say, this chick rocks. I featured her in a previous post. She can do everything in a very it-doesn't-have-to-be-perfect-like-Martha-Stewart sort of a way. The best part? She doesn't leave you guessing. If she flaunts her great idea for a Teacher Appreciation Pill Box (check it out!), she also gives you the template for the cute note to put on top, complete with adorable font.

4. http://kristyglass.blogspot.com/
It's worth a trip through Kristy's archives to read about her "misadventures" in the theatre biz, and with her (charming and talented) girls. Did I mention she's a college buddy of mine? And also the star of the current Visine commercial? :o)

5. http://fancytoast.blogspot.com/
A foodie blog turned adorable baby blog, Erielle's is another one whose archives are worth a peek. Check out her amazing photography and delectable recipes. (E, if you're reading, can you please please please post the butternut squash lasagna recipe? Yum!)

6. http://swistle.blogspot.com/
Only added two days ago (thanks, G), I love Swistle's tongue in cheek approach to motherhood. Her "Post-Partum Chocolate Chip Cookies" entry is not to be missed.


Happy Reading!