The Pink Totebag

BACK TO THE GRIND...

2009-09-09T23:40:00.005-04:00

I can't believe that we are are now into our second year of school! While I don't think any of us are particularly happy about having to get ourselves up and out so early in the morning (I am already counting the minutes until next Summer), there's something that's just simply adorable about seeing how excited Caroline was for her first day as a Three-Day Three...

"I LOVE TECHNOLOGY, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS YOU, YOU SEE...BUT I STILL LOVE TECHNOLOGY...ALWAYS AND FOREVER..." - KIP FROM "NAPOLEON DYNAMITE"

2009-08-25T22:12:00.009-04:00

Which is one of my most favorite movies of all time. But I digress...

I am having a love affair.

Oh Steve, before you go out and buy the shotgun or contact the divorce lawyer, let me put your mind at ease. It is a love affair with a piece of technology which, as a mother and busy woman, I have come to rely upon as my constant companion, and general support system.

Yes readers, I am referring to my iPhone.

Oh, iPhone, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

You are my system of checks-and-balances. One look at my calendar, which automatically syncs with my computer sans cords, and I know if I am keeping everything in my schedule on the up-and-up. You make sure that I never overlook anything, whether it be a birthday, doctor's appointment, or most importantly, that Bruce Springsteen tickets go on sale on September 25th.

You are my moral compass (or at least, just my regular old compass, anyway). You help me find my way in this world with such ease and dependability, and for that, I am grateful. Whether I'm driving sans human co-pilot to Delaware for a wedding or finding a good back-route to the outlets, your awesome GPS never steers me wrong. However, you don't ever judge my value system for sometimes using you to look up celebrity gossip on People, TMZ, UsWeekly, or Perez Hilton.

I love how you never question my intelligence or make me feel stupid. By making yourself so simple, all it took for me to get hooked was to plug you in just once to my computer. Somehow, you just knew what I wanted you to know, found it yourself, and put yourself together. Do you know what an amazing gift that is to give to a mother of a toddler and infant? And when you once got accidentally dropped into a cocktail one evening, you never cried or got mad. I almost did, but then recovered when you were replaced (for free, natch) by the lovely people at our local Apple store.

I am more adventurous with you in my life. I have even been brave enough to cook dishes I haven't cooked before just by following the recipe I looked up on Safari and using a kitchen conversion scale to recalculate the ingredients so that we didn't end up with 40 pounds of leftovers. Heck, the fact that I was cooking at all makes my husband want to hug all of the people at the Apple store one-by-one.

You have a gift for distracting children at the times when it counts the most. In stores, in traffic, in doctors' offices, or while I take that shower that I desperately need - you provide precious minutes so that I can gain clarity myself. It could be a video of my friends' first dance at their wedding, a learning game, or the PBS Sprout app, but whatever it is, you consistently deliver.

If it weren't illegal, I would set you on a table in my house while the girls slept and trust you to babysit the girls while I snuck out on a date with my husband. The only issue I see with this would be if you needed to call 911 in case of a fire, but then again, there is probably an app for that, too.

You have a brilliant memory of all the fun moments in life. All I have to do is open my Camera Roll and instantly a smile crosses my lips. Whether it's a photo of Caroline on the swing at the park, Molly snuggled up and sleeping, or Steve and me having cocktails at the Chinatown Hooters (yes, you read that right - there IS a Hooters in Chinatown, and YES, their signage was written in Chinese, and YES, it was the only thing open and still seating late-night that evening, and YES, their wings are UH-MAY-ZING!), after seeing Chelsea Handler live, it's just amazing how happy you can make me in an instant. And now that you have fabulous video capabilities since Steve got the new 3GS and traded me for my older, video-less model, it's even better!

My dearest iPhone, please don't have hurt feelings that I cast your older, more mature version aside so easily - you are so idiot-proof that I was able to simply remove your memory card and put you into the newer, better body. Kind of like plastic surgery - which I am totally not opposed to, by the way (and either way, I know you won't judge me if I ever decide to go for that post-baby tummy tuck - you'll likely give me the directions to the plastic surgeon's office, help me check out his credentials, and find me the perfect post-surgery bathing suit).

While I was initially scared to even enter into a relationship with you because of the necessary switch to AT&T Wireless (Shock! Scandal! - as most of my friends and family are on Verizon), you have proven with your dependibility that I have made the right choice, and I will never stray as long as you don't...

A BIRTHDAY WISH FOR CAROLINE...

2009-08-16T22:28:00.005-04:00

Dear Caroline Grace,

Well here we are, the night before you turn three. Daddy and I can't believe how time has flown and you've somehow managed to be another year older. It seems like just yesterday that you were still in my tummy, wiggling constantly and keeping me awake at night. Thankfully, you sleep really well these days (now it's your baby sister Molly who's keeping me up!), but just like when I was pregnant with you, you are in constant motion and full of energy. I thought that it might be a neat thing to write you a letter every year for your birthday so that when you grow up you will have a history of who you were when you were young. I also wanted to let you know the way your Mommy sees you and what I love about you as you grow.

These days, you are a girl who loves horses, princesses, and butterflies. Pink and purple are your favorite colors. You usually insist on wearing a dress (and it's usually one of your three Lilly dresses), but never worry about getting it dirty. You can frequently be found running, dancing, singing, and playing pretend. Your favorite foods are cheese, peanut butter and jelly (cut into triangles and served "butterfly-style"), spaghetti (but only if you can slurp up the noodles), berries, and all things sweet. You talk up a storm and have an inclination to negotiate when you want to get your way. You are kind to your baby sister, especially since she now seems to actually notice you, and she just adores you in return. Whenever you are in the room, her eyes are fixed on you, following you and watching whatever fun or mischief you are getting yourself into.

I love your sunny disposition. You are happy most of the time (although when you get frustrated or mad, you do have a bit of a temper - just like your Mommy!). You are a giggly, smiley, silly girl. You are also incredibly independent and a bit stubborn - you always like to try to do things for yourself first before asking for or accepting help (again, just like your Mom!). You seem especially proud of yourself these days whenever you go to the potty all by yourself or get yourself dressed. It doesn't matter that the shoes are sometimes on the wrong feet or that the bow goes in the front of your pants and not the back - when you do it without help, you just beam! Daddy and I just love watching you learn to do new things, and even though it sometimes takes twice as long when you do something for yourself, we are so happy that our Caroline is becoming such a strong, smart little girl.

One day recently, you saw me a bit teary-eyed because I was having a bad day. It was one of those days where nothing seemed to be going right. All by yourself (without any prompting from Daddy), you came up to me and gave me a big hug and said, "It's okay Mommy. Just calm down, and take a deep breath." In that one gesture, you erased all the bad parts of my day and turned everything around. You did what even Daddy couldn't do. It was one of my proudest moments as your Mommy so far, and it once again made me so grateful to have you in my life.

Three years ago, on the day you were born, you gave me the best present I could ask for - you made me a Mommy! Tomorrow, you will blow four candles out on your cake - three for your birthday, plus one to grow on. When you do, my wish for you will be that you have another wonderful year full of new adventures, fun with your family and friends, and that you stay the happy, healthy little girl who Daddy and I are honored to call our daughter.

Happy, happy birthday, Caroline! I love you more than you will ever know...

Mommy

SUMMER LOVIN'...

2009-06-04T23:16:00.014-04:00

Once again, I find myself apologizing to the blog world for being so absentee! I have no idea how some of my other blog friends do it with two (or more) kids, but I simply can't seem to get my act together enough to write on a daily (or even weekly) basis lately! However, it is officially Summer in our house as Caroline is out of school (although is in camp at her school every morning for two weeks), I am happy to report that Miss Molly is FINALLY pretty consistently sleeping through the night (I mean, am I a drama queen or what? I have friends whose kids didn't do that for a year or more...but I digress), and I am beginning to regain a bit of my sanity.

Summer is my favorite season. I mean, I wish it were a bit cooler, and certainly less humid (hello, DC is about as bad as Miami at this time of year- that's what you get when you build a city on top of a swamp...), but I have ALWAYS gotten excited at its arrival. When I was a kid, Summer meant that school was out and we were heading to our house on the Chesapeake Bay for the next three months. We spent our days playing on the beach, going crabbing on the jetties or pulling them from the pots we had put out, taking out the row boats or kayaks, and hunting endlessly for the shark's teeth that lined the shore. Our nights were full of flashlight tag, bonfires, catching fireflies, and going to Buehler's for ice cream. Our beach house is in a very small community, so we were basically turned loose - able to travel from a young age wherever our feet or our bicycles could take us.

We had my parents' house, where I always had a sister to play with, or my grandparents' house down the street, where there were always cousins, aunts, or uncles around. We had lots of Summer friends who had houses down there too (some of whom even lived near or went to school with us during the rest of the year). It was as idyllic as it sounds, if not occasionally boring (but in a good way). I still can't believe that I got to spend my childhood in such a fabulous manner.

The harbor down the street from our house

My mom and me (around age 1) on the beach

A "photo op" with some of my cousins, uncles, and my aunt (I'm in the second row from the top on the left)

Picking crabs at a table behind my grandparents' (I'm the one holding stuff up in the back left)

When I grew up, there was a time when I needed a break from the slow pace of the Bay. Steve and I spent six Summers in a group house in Dewey Beach, DE with one of my sisters, some of our cousins, and alot of our friends. A far cry from the quiet of the Chesapeake, Dewey was an exercise in debauchery and craziness. We spent almost every Friday night each Summer making the drive down Rt. 50 to 404 to 16 to 1, just to make it to The Starboard , which was a mere two blocks from our house, in time for Last Call. We would find a parking spot on our street and that was where the car would stay until Sunday.

A Dewey Night - before and after (that's Steve in the far right corner, and yes, that's me on the right with a box on my head...um, what?!)

My sister Maridith and me, plus a group shot from Jam Session at the Bottle and Cork

Dancing one night, and brunch with Eggs Del Marva and Red Shots the next morning, both at our home away from home - The Starboard

The best bartender in the world - Lincoln!

The rest of the weekend was spent running from bar to beach to bar (well actually, sometimes it was bar to bar to bar) before finally crashing in a twin bed (yes, the two of us in ONE bed) in a room at our house that we named The Naughty Monkey. It sounds absolutely crazy - which it was - but I have to say that those six summers were some of the best in my life so far. We made some of our closest friends there, and watched multiple couples fall in love and get married after living in our beach house (Steve and I were even married during this six-year span!). And who says Dewey romances can never last?! Alas, after six years, we decided it was time for us to settle down just a bit, and pulled the cord on our time in Dewey.

And so here we are, with two little girls, finding ourselves back at the Bay once again. I'm not going to say it's as easy to be there as I remember it as a kid - my parents' house is a lot more crowded now that we are all grown up and have so many extra people in tow. It's also not the most wheelchair-accessible place in the world for me to be, although my friends and family take great efforts to make it so. The community built a fabulous ramp onto the beach for me (and others) several years ago, and have rebuilt it after Nor'easters or hurricanes have tried to take it down. I even found this awesome beach chair that swivels 360-degrees so that I can get sun at any angle, or watch the girls play in the water.

Taking my own children down to the Bay makes me appreciate how much effort my Mom and Dad put into making my own childhood Summers seems so, well, effortless. Despite all the work it takes to get us there, seeing my daughters enjoy the simplicity that comes with the slower pace of life down there makes it all worthwhile. Steve and I even hope to buy our own small cottage down there in the next several years. A girl can dream, right?

Caroline, loving the water and walking my parents' dog, Oscar

Snuggling with Miss Molly on the beach

Caroline trying out our kayak while Molly Rose chills out under the umbrella

A little beer pong on the front porch with my cousin Mikey, sister Suzy, and Steve - see, we haven't grown up entirely just yet (and probably never will)!

A DAY OUT WITH MOMMY...

2009-04-26T16:20:00.005-04:00

It's been a little over nine weeks since Molly Rose joined our family. She's an easy baby, which has been a welcome scenario for me. Caroline has been really good, all things considered, with our newest addition. Having Molly here reminds me every day of how much of a "big girl" Caroline is becoming. Today, she and I got out of the house for some along time - just the two of us.

A dance school near our house was holding an open house in honor of National Dance Week. The week's official spokesperson was Angelina Ballerina - a favorite in our house. In addition to meeting Angelina in person, the kids could watch her perform, see a dress rehearsal of "Swan Lake" by some of the school's students, touch ballet slippers and costumes, listen to and act out an Angelina Ballerina story, and take a dance class. I was a ballet dancer for almost 10 years before I was injured, so this kind of thing was right up my alley. I was even more excited when I saw that Caroline really liked it too. It was such a fun afternoon - just us girls!

Caroline looks at the day's program. Later, we watched Angelina demonstrate some dance steps.

Our cousins Morgan and Camryn came along, too. Here are Morgan and Caroline with Angelina.

The interactive story time was a favorite activity.

Here, the girls are getting a chance to try out some of the steps for themselves.

It was a fabulous afternoon!

MY NEW BAG...

2009-04-04T21:04:00.004-04:00

On Thursday evening, I headed to a "Girls' Night Out" shopping event, where my business partner and best friend Christy and I had a table to sell stationery made by our company, Penny-Bear Printing. I got a chance to do a little shopping myself, and ended up at a booth run by a really cute company called Blossom Bug. In addition to carrying hand-made gift items such as burp cloths, bibs, and diaper cases, they also have an extensive line of bags by Scout. Their products are fabulous - they have the texture and durability of duct tape but are obviously much cuter. I picked up this really cute weekender bag, along with a large coordinating insulated cooler. Both will be perfect for the beach this summer!

25% OFF AT BODEN!!!

2009-04-02T15:05:00.004-04:00

I didn't post about this yesterday because I had just found out about it and the sale was supposed to end last night at midnight, but it's been extended! Boden (including Mini Boden - one of my most favorite kids' clothing lines) is offering 25% off everything on their entire site, as well as free shipping and returns. I did quite a bit of damage last night, but not nearly as much as I would have had the items I bought been full-price. Happy shopping!

WANTED: DEVIATED SEPTUM...

2009-03-26T18:19:00.003-04:00

While I was busy working on my organization project in my office (see previous post) and Steve was downstairs wrapping things up for the day in his office, Caroline apparently made her way upstairs - unsupervised (so it's kind of our fault...) - to our bedroom, where she got into Steve's nightstand drawer. After taking 15 Breathe-Right strips and sticking them all over her body, she also "decorated" the drawer with his Gold Bond powder. She then came downstairs to show us her "stickers." I couldn't help but laugh and take a picture for posterity. By the time I snapped the shots, she had taken most of the stickers off and stuck them on the basement stairs, but you get the point... Steve wasn't as impressed, but my theory is I should be the one who's pissed, not him - after all, I'm the one who will have to listen to him snoring this evening!

CONTAIN YOURSELF!

2009-03-26T16:48:00.003-04:00

Last week, I was watching an episode of "Oprah" (at 1 in the morning while nursing the baby - thank God for good late-night television to keep me awake!) that featured clutter expert Peter Walsh tackling yet another set of viewers' messes. This time, he was helping one couple organize their car, which Oprah had secretly shipped to the studio for all the world to see (it was pretty bad), and some fraternity brothers clean out their frat house bedroom (now this was downright disgusting!). I was really motivated by Peter Walsh, mainly because he gave really straightforward, simple steps for decluttering any space. I headed to Oprah's website and found some really great de-cluttering "homework" for different rooms that Walsh guarantees will have your house cleaned out in 6 months.

While our house is generally in pretty good shape, my home office is one of the last bastions of disorganization, mainly because it never really got properly put together when we moved in August. I am actually excited to tackle the mess after seeing this episode and checking out the website. The best part of it all is that Oprah has gotten the Container Store to offer a 25% discount off your total purchase from now until April 13. I've set this as my own deadline for getting my office in order - mainly because I want to justify my buying some new cute organizational gear. Hey - if shopping is what motivates me, why fight it?

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL...

2009-03-23T23:54:00.003-04:00

Beginning and ending the day with a good book...

...The rest of the day, I would just assume forget - yes, it was THAT kind of a day. Getting used to having to keep up with two is, as many of you know, one of the biggest adjustments you go through as you grow a family. For us, that translated into attempting to get out to our play group this morning - the key word being "attempting," as in we never actually made it there. A couple of snack breaks for the baby, two meltdowns from a toddler that led to two time-outs, a power struggle over who gets to brush said toddler's teeth, and a surprise visit from the company from which we're getting an estimate for a back-up generator for the house added up to not getting out the door. Sigh.

I found myself on the verge of tears on several occasions today. I know in my head that things will get much easier as Molly gets older and on more of a schedule, and that I need to cut myself some slack - I mean, we're only one month into this new little adventure. I want to do it all, be it all, but realistically this is not possible - at least for right now. In the meantime, I have to stop and enjoy some of the little moments I stumble across throughout the day - like Caroline pulling up to Molly's swing this morning and reading her "Thomas the Train," or snuggling up with my girls to read "Elmer" before putting Caroline to bed. Tomorrow's another day, right?

IF MOLLY HAD BEEN A BOY...

2009-03-22T15:52:00.004-04:00

...I think I just might have picked up this really cute preppy bedding from Baby Gap. It's a little matchy-matchy but thoroughly adorable, especially with the apple green and navy color scheme. They have a fabulous snail version that's perfectly pink and green for little girls as well. Too cute!

"ALL THEIR EYES ON ME, IN THE CENTER OF THE RING JUST LIKE A...

2009-03-19T23:00:00.006-04:00

...CIRCUS!" When we told Caroline that we had a surprise trip planned for her today and gave her some hints as to where we were headed, we thought mentioning that she would see animals and clowns would give it away. Instead, it took me singing the chorus from Britney Spears' "Circus" to give it away. I sang all the words up until "circus" and she finished my sentence before getting very excited that she was heading into the city to see The Greatest Show on Earth with her Daddy and me this morning! Kind of hilarious, although I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that my two-year-old knows any of the words to a Britney Spears song...

Alas, we had a great day - just the three of us (well, and Steve's best friend Marc, who got us the tickets through his company!) for the first time since Molly was born. Although it's only been a month, it seemed so strange for us to be out without her, but I could tell by the look on Caroline's face from the moment we got into the car that spending a little one-on-one time with her is going to be a really good thing from time to time. She's been such a trooper over the past two months, between the loss of her grandmother and the birth of her baby sister, and so it was really nice to get out and do something really special with just her.

Despite the fact that Uncle Marc plied her with every sugary concoction imaginable and then told her that Daddy would buy her whatever she wanted in the way of stuffed animals, light wands, and hats, she was a really good girl and had such a fun time. I can't wait for us to have our next adventure together - she's getting to be such a big girl!

in Daddy's car, on the way into the city

sitting with Uncle Marc, waiting for the show to start

watching the tigers and eating cotton candy

The elephants were a favorite (she was trying to figure out which one was "Elmer")

All smiles after a fun day!

OUR LITTLE SNUGGLE BUG...

2009-03-19T22:50:00.002-04:00

Life around our house is adjusting to a "new" normal these days. Molly's been a really good baby so far, aside from a couple nights this week when we were dealing with her very first cold - one of the perks of having a toddler in pre-school who just loves to climb all over her baby sister at every chance she gets! I must say, I think God was looking out for me when we decided to have our second - Caroline is so busy that it would have been really challenging for me to keep up with her AND recover from a c-section AND care for a tricky newborn. I know from experience that all this might change on a dime, so I shouldn't get too used to it, but for now, I'm feeling pretty lucky.

It's amazing to me how two kids who have come from the same place can be so inherently different from the get-go. Caroline was always a squirmy, fidgety, alert baby - hence the on-the-go, curious, energetic toddler we have living with us today. Molly, on the other hand, is a snuggly baby who currently has two favorites - eating and sleeping. If only life could stay that easy... Either way, I love both of them equally and am trying to embrace what makes each of them so different. Hopefully, I'll pass that understanding along to them too!

IF YOU LOVE LILLY...

2009-03-09T16:27:00.003-04:00

...then you'll love this! My friend over at Cancer Sucks Even With Lilly Pulitzer On Your Side is having a fun giveaway in honor of Spring being just around the corner. If you would like to have a chance to win this fabulous Lilly Pulitzer Easter/Spring Basket:

All you have to do is head over to her site, and post to her blog entry. Good luck, Lilly Lovers!

...AND INTRODUCING:

2009-03-03T23:43:00.004-05:00

Molly Rose Feldman, born on February 18, 2009. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and measured 20 inches. Miss Molly's middle name, Rose, begins with an "R" in memory of her Grammy, Roberta "Bobbi" Feldman.

My delivery went smoothly and aside from a bit of jaundice, Molly has done great so far. We are all settling in and getting used to life as a foursome. Caroline is adjusting well, although she had a cold and ear infection that initially kept her away from the baby. Things are calming down a bit more every day. I hope you enjoy taking a look at our first two weeks...

**REMEMBER TO DISABLE THE MUSIC PLAYER TO THE LEFT OF THE SCREEN PRIOR TO VIEWING THE VIDEO!!!**

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

REMEMBERING...

2009-03-03T21:34:00.010-05:00

I've been away from The Pink Totebag for the past month while our family has endured a few changes - some to be welcomed and celebrated, while others have been exponentially more somber. First of all, I want to thank some of my blog friends - Mom x 2 and Cancer Sucks, in particular - for writing in to check up on us. Yes, we have added a new daughter, Molly, to our family, whose arrival I will share in my next post. We also welcomed the birth of our second nephew, Eli, on February 5th, just two weeks before our little girl was born. Tragically, however, his arrival coincided with the sudden passing of my mother-in-law, Bobbi, while she was away on vacation in Puerto Rico with my father-in-law, Barry, and her cousins. She suffered from a massive aneurism the evening of Eli's birth, and was taken off of life support two days later.

Needless to say, this time for us has been incredibly bittersweet. While the family is thrilled with the new additions of Molly and Eli, we are all heartbroken that we are now without Bobbi. She was so happy to hear that Eli had been born and spent a good part of that day looking at pictures that my brother-in-law had emailed to her. Although she never met Molly, we know that she was just as excited to welcome her into the world.

I don't want to pretend that I can dignify Bobbi's passing with a short little blub on this blog. Words can't describe how her loss has impacted everyone in our family - her three children and husband, in particular. Her absence is palpable, and although we have all pulled together to help each other through this, it's a void that will never be filled.

Bobbi left me two treasures in my life. The first is the gift of my husband. She and Barry raised him to become a person who I couldn't imagine my own life without - a wonderful husband, father, and best friend. The second gift is the love she has shown to our children. Bobbi doted on our daughter Caroline and made her feel as though she was the most special little girl in the world. She spoiled her with gifts - as grandmothers so often do, but more importantly, she spoiled her with her time and attention. We are trying every day to help Caroline remember her Grammy. While she and Molly never met, Bobbi made clear her excitement at her impending arrival. I like to think that maybe they met in passing as Bobbi made her way up to Heaven and Molly made her way down here to us on Earth...

And so, I dedicate this post to my mother-in-law Bobbi. She will be missed by all of us. I hope that she is somewhere, looking over us and smiling, especially as she watches her grandchildren grow...

Bobbi, Barry, and Caroline on the day she was born

Bobbi and Caroline at her first birthday party

Bobbi and Caroline at Passover last Spring

GOOD GEAR...

2009-02-04T22:42:00.006-05:00

We've been really lucky to come across different gear over the past couple of years that have made raising a baby while in a wheelchair so much easier (well actually, it's stuff that I think any mom could use!). We have even purchased a few new things that I think are going to be even better than some of the solutions we came up with the first time around. Here are some of our favorites (hope they help you, too!)...

We invested in the Bugaboo Chameleon as our big stroller. It was rediculously expensive, but for our situation, worth every penny. With the carseat adaptor, I was able to easily get Caroline into and out of the car from my chair from the get-go. The telescoping handle was a godsend so that I wasn't bumping my face into the stroller as I wheeled my chair. It's easy to take apart and fold (you have to take the seat off to collapse it, which some people hate, but from a wheelchair perspective, it makes it less cumbersome), and is really versatile. The only other stroller I would consider if I were to purchase something new for this baby(which we're not) is the Peg Perego Skate, which has alot of the same features, with the addition of a really cool tilting handlebar that would make it even easier for me to push than the Bugaboo.

You've seen me post about this one before - we bought the Quinny Zapp as our lightweight stroller after Caroline got bigger. It's so easy for me to fold and lift into the car, and is very easy for me to push from my wheelchair. The only drawback is that you can't really hang much onto the handlebars (although there's a decent-sized storage basket underneath).

The Fisher Price Space Saver high chair was a great find for us. Not only does it not take up alot of room in our dining room or kitchen, but I also found it so much easier to pull up to in my chair when trying to put Caroline into and out of it. We looked at the Peg Perego Prima Pappa (as well as others that had adjustable heights), but this one just seemed to suit our needs just a bit better.

The Skip Hop diaper bags were quite the find, too. We first had - and eventually outgrew - the Duo. We upgraded to the Via Messenger, which is great because it is a bit roomier and has the flap that contains everything. I love this bag because it hangs so easily onto the back of my chair, and kind of blends in because it's black. Steve likes it too because it doesn't look too girlie.

I saw someone in Ben and Jerry's one night when I was pregnant with Caroline, and she had the Peanut Shell sling. She raved about it, and it was for good reason. It is so easy to pull on and off (not buckles to adjust or attach), so it's easy for everyone to use - even people who may have limited mobility in their hands. Although I mainly used my Baby Bjorn when we were out and about, this was a great way for me to easily have my hands free when we were in the house (which is especially important when you have to wheel a chair). Just throw it on and go!

This is a new purchase for baby #2 - the silver and black M1 Carrier from Lascal. I decided to find another option for my Baby Bjorn Original, which I liked but had a few complaints about. The M1 has much better back support than the BB, which is really important for all moms but for wheelers in particular because back and shoulder strain are some of the main causes of additional disability with in this community. Additionally, the weight limit for the M1 is several pounds higher, which means that baby #2 can use it for a bit longer, making it easier for her to stay on my lap when we are out and about. I'm excited to see if this was worth the money - I'll keep you posted!

At our house these days, you will find several of these Kiddie Guard retractable gates from Regal + Lager. They were more expensive than the standard pressure or swing-out gates, but so much easier for me to manage from my chair. They fit wide doorways and are simple to operate once you get used to them. They are also really unobtrusive, which means that we didn't have to sacrifice precious doorway width (with a chair, every inch counts!).

Caroline loved this Papasan Cradle Swing from Fisher Price, and so did I - for several reasons. The main feature that made my life easier is that the seat swivels, which means that I was able to turn it to face sideways and pull the seat onto my lap to put her into and get her out of it. My balance isn't great, so this was crucial for me. She just loved it because it was so snuggly!

When I had Caroline, I told my mom that I needed to invent a way for me to easily pick her up off the floor after tummy time, etc., and thought that maybe I could adapt a small duffle bag to scoop her up. Turns out the people at Lillebaby did just that, with the Eurotote. This contraption apparently has many functions (travel bed, alternative carrier, etc.), but for me, the main use would be to hoist the baby up from the floor without having to put her in her car seat, climb into my chair, pick up the car seat, take her out, blah blah blah (which is how I had to do it with Caroline).

I have had a link to this on my blog for awhile now. It's a car seat carrying strap from Flying Falcon. While I have a really hard time believing that my walking friends would really like this thing (I have visions of strained necks and sore hips), for someone in a chair, it's the best thing ever. I am easily able to keep the infant seat on my lap with no issues because of this strap. It's so nice to be able to have my hands free to wheel, open doors, etc.

So that's that for now - I promise to pass along any new finds as I come across them. Hopefully, if you or someone you know is in a chair, you'll especially benefit from this post. For those of you who might not be in a chair but are having a baby, maybe these products will be a good fit for you, too!

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN...

2009-02-04T22:14:00.005-05:00

With less than two weeks to go until the arrival of "Baby Tummy" (as Caroline continues to call her), we are in full-swing trying to get things as ready as we can. I head in for a scheduled c-section on the 18th, which is fast-approaching! It still seems a bit strange to me that we actually have anything left to do. When Caroline was born, we were ready to go weeks before she actually arrived - I think I had myself convinced that if everything was in place then we would totally know what we were doing once this little foreign creature moved into our home full-time.

This time, I feel like we know better - the confidence we have regarding how to actually keep this little person alive and thriving makes it seem just a bit less important to make sure that every throw pillow is in place in the glider and that every room decoration is arranged just so. Combine confidence with the fact that we have a toddler running about and you now know why the painter is just now scheduled to come paint the nursery on Friday - exactly 1 1/2 weeks before the baby will be born (if she decides not to make her presence known any earlier than that)! Oh well - it will all fall into place. Having Caroline taught me that...

From the perspective of my wheelchair, I think I've been pretty lucky with this pregnancy. With Caroline, she was arriving in the late summer, which meant I had to endure alot of heat and humidity in the weeks leading up to her birth. My body was incredibly swollen, which is common in pregnancy but particularly of issue for women who are in chairs. Limited mobility means limited ways to relieve the fluid retention. My ankles and legs were huge towards the end, and I was so swollen all over that I developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands and wrists and couldn't feel my fingers a good deal of the time. Not only was it really uncomfortable; it also began to affect my ability to use my hands - writing by hand became almost impossible (I even had to be incredibly tacky and type my thank-you notes for my baby shower), transferring into my chair was really painful, and taking my chair apart to put it into the car was harder and harder every day. The perk to all of this, however, was that when I finally delivered, I lost so much water weight right away that I was well on my way to my pre-pregnancy weight - gotta look at the bright side, right?!

My issues with swelling, and specifically the carpal tunnel syndrome, made me initially reluctant to even have a second baby. Thankfully, however, this journey has been different! While I was initially nervous to have a winter baby, the toll this pregnancy has taken on my body has been far less dramatic. I've had swelling recently in my legs and feet, but nothing that I haven't felt I couldn't handle. And to my relief, the carpal tunnel syndrome that I dreaded has been non-existent. I am so glad that things have gone differently this time around, especially with Caroline to keep up with. It's also really nice to feel like we know what we're doing - we've got alot of the little tricks figured out where a newborn is concerned. Now if anyone could hand me an owner's manual for my toddler, we will be all set!

FIRST SNOW OF THE YEAR...

2009-01-28T22:18:00.004-05:00

I know that we residents in the DC Metro area aren't quite as hearty as some of our friends in other parts of the country in terms of Winter weather, but to us, a few inches is a big deal! Think 2 days off school and a delay tomorrow (although in our defense, it's pretty icy out there! )... Here's a video of Caroline's day in the snow - it's a few minutes long for some of our relatives who might be watching, but we wanted to put it all up there anyway!

**REMEMBER TO DISABLE THE MUSIC BY CLICKING ON THE BUTTON ON THE PLAYER TO THE LEFT OF THIS POST!!!***

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

IT'S A NEW DAY!

2009-01-20T23:32:00.003-05:00

WISH I WAS HERE...

2009-01-15T10:54:00.004-05:00

...with a fabulous margarita rocks (no salt, please!) in my hand. It's 25 degrees here in DC today, with a wind chill factor of 12. I know my friends in the Midwest and other places have it much worse than us, so I can't complain too much, but to me, cold is cold is cold. Whenever you get below, say, 40 degrees, it doesn't really matter all that much what the actual number is - it sucks all around. I'm off to pull on my Uggs, gloves, scarf, and winter coat to head out and pick up Caroline from pre-school now... Think warm thoughts, friends!!!

I'M JUST IN LOVE WITH...

2009-01-14T21:55:00.005-05:00

...EM Tanner Designs! I think I'm going to pick up these for the girls:

The ones above are stock items, but you can personalize them pretty much any way you think would be cute! Although the prices are a bit of a stretch in this economy, I still think their printed t-shirts, as well as the other gear and gifts that they sell, are just adorable. Here are a few of my other favorites (the lunchboxes in particular almost make me not dread the day when I have to start packing lunches for school...):

OUR LITTLE BALLERINA...

2009-01-07T18:53:00.005-05:00

Today was Caroline's last Ballet Tea Party Class at Kidville. She had so much fun during the past 16 weeks, and her instructors were really great at helping her learn some of the basics of ballet. I was really amazed that she actually learned several proper terms for some of the positions and moves (even if she is still a two-year-old in her execution of them!). We're sad that the class is over since we had a great time each week with the other little girls and their moms. Here are a few pictures from our last day...

Warming up in "butterfly" pose

The rainbow rope

Practicing posse'

Getting ready to head to the balance beam

Waiting for turn to do her "solo"

Jete' (leaps) during her solo

Releve' (tippy toes!)

Her favorite part - tea (water) and cookies with an Angelina Ballerina story

Showing Mommy her certificate - it was our last class!

I'M CONTEMPLATING THIS PURCHASE...

2009-01-06T13:32:00.004-05:00

I just think this bag from PBK is too cute. Even though I LOVE it, the white is definitely impractical for me, especially since it's a diaper bag, but they also have it in a cute mustard yellow with navy and white straps that I may be able to pull off with fewer issues. Hmm...

"YOU'RE GONNA LOVE MY NUTS..." AND OTHER LATE-NIGHT HILARITY...

2009-01-05T14:27:00.004-05:00

I was lying in bed the other night, having trouble falling asleep after getting up for the 23rd potty break of the evening, and this commercial came on:

**BE SURE TO DISABLE THE MUSIC PLAYER TO THE LEFT OF THE SCREEN BEFORE VIEWING!!!**

Who knew that one little kitchen gadget can "make America skinny again, one slap at a time"?! BTW, this is the same guy of "Sham-WOW!" fame (which I have told Steve I wanted, like, 47 times and yet I did not find it in my stocking this Christmas... sigh). Feel free to post your favorite quotes from the commercial in the comment section!

THE BABY'S ROOM (AKA MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION)...

2009-01-04T22:03:00.007-05:00

As I headed into the new year, I swore to myself that January was going to be entitled "Get Ready for #2," starting with making some decisions about the new baby's room. Well, like clockwork, I woke up on New Year's Day in pretty much a panic - or should we call it nesting mode?! I headed straight to Pottery Barn Kids and finally made some decisions about the direction in which I want to head.

Basics-wise, we needed to buy a new crib, since we've decided to keep Caroline in hers for as long as humanly possible. I know her days in it are limited, but I have to say I find it to be such a relief that I can keep her in some sort of socially-acceptable cage for just a bit longer. :) We have a table that I am using as a changing table (the traditional ones aren't open underneath, which makes them tricky for my wheelchair), and Caroline's new room has built-in drawers, which means the armoire we used in her nursery at the old house is up for grabs. The swivel glider that's currently in the corner of her room is going to move into the baby's room, as well.

As much as I've been complaining about getting myself in gear about this room, now that I'm working on some of the creative parts of it, I'm getting excited! Caroline's nursery was somewhat preppy, with a cute seersucker patchwork bumper and a variety of pastels. Weirdly enough, I fell in love with this bedding that I think resembles Anthropologie a bit more than Ralph Lauren. I have more decisions to make about window coverings (I'm leaning towards blackout shades with simple white drapes), paint color, rug, and any additional storage we might need, but I'm feeling pretty good about where things are headed! Here are some of the purchases or ideas I've had so far...

BEDDING

I decided on the Brooke quilt and bumper, but decided to forgo the sheets, bedskirt, etc. that went with it - it was all a bit too much and I'm certain it would have had emotional and/or psychological ramifications should #2 have had to stare at it every day for the next few years (hee hee). We're just going to go with some plain jersey sheets and a solid bed skirt that coordinates.

FURNITURE

We're using Caroline's swivel glider, but it's not covered in blue. Instead, it's the green chenille that you'll see in the swatch below (it just needs a really good cleaning!).

I bought the Kendall crib (below) on New Year's day - it was on sale for $300 less than it is usually priced! They had to do a little bit of searching to find it in white, but my girls at PBK can work magic, it seems. The Berkley armoire that we purchased for Caroline's nursery is also going in the baby's room.

ACCESSORIES AND DECOR
I just thought these little coordinating owls were too cute. They were also on sale, so I picked them up, too! Caroline thinks one is the big sister and one is the little sister. The hatching chick art (below) is something I'm debating, but I don't know what we're painting the room yet, so it might just be too much green. We'll see!

SNAPSHOTS FROM CHRISTMAS...

2009-01-04T20:15:00.005-05:00

Playing with her Kurt Adler Nativity set on Chritmas Eve

(it goes with Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant, by Tomie de Paola)

Leaving cookies for Santa before bed

Our "wet noodle" on Christmas morning (you'll notice that later in the

morning, she asked to put her pj's back on)

Opening up her Melissa and Doug wooden sandwich-making set

(we LOVE Melissa and Doug - totally cute and totally durable!)

A new tennis racquet like Daddy's (well, Daddy's wasn't a cool

Dora the Explorer one - his loss!)

Boots like Mommy's Uggs

Feeling 110% better by Christmas Evening!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR, AND ALL THAT JAZZ!

2009-01-04T11:11:00.002-05:00

Hi friends! I've been on a mini-vacation from daily life (even though we didn't actually travel anywhere) since just before Christmas, and missed posting in a timely manner for various reasons. I wanted to let everyone know that we hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas/holiday and New Year! After Christmas Eve Children's Mass, where they put on this really adorable homily skit that combined the story of Olive, The Other Reindeer and the Nativity Story, Caroline got a quick-moving stomach bug at about 4 in the morning on Christmas Day, so it was a bit less climactic for her than I had hoped - such is life with a toddler (sigh). We only actually opened a few presents with her that morning, and truthfully are still opening a gift or two each day (the kid is going to begin to think that Christmas never ends and that she gets presents every day - wouldn't that be awesome?). My family came for brunch, Caroline took a big nap, and woke up well and a completely new person, so we did end up heading to my relatives' house for dinner on Christmas Night.

Our New Year's Eve was pretty low-key - Caroline stayed home with my parents and Steve and I headed to our good friends' house for cocktails and apps! So much nicer than having to try to wedge my big pregnant belly into something fabulous to impress the masses! The rest of our week has been pretty uneventful, too. I'll update you on some other specific goings-on in other posts, but in the meantime, Happy New Year!

HOLIDAY PREPARATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS...

2008-12-22T20:21:00.009-05:00

We've been up to alot in the past few weeks as we've been getting ready for Christmas and Hanukkah! Caroline has had fun getting into the spirit of the season with lots of fun activities, most of which involve treats and sweets (her favorite things!). Here are some pictures from cookie baking with JoJo, a Christmas party at pre-school, gingerbread house building with Granddad, and lighting the Hanukkah candles on the second night of Hanukkah with Mommy and Daddy (we lit them on the first night at our good friends' Marc and Emily's house). We hope you are having as much fun as we are - and Happy Hanukkah to our friends who began celebrating last night!

COOKIE BAKING WITH JOJO

DECORATING CAROLINE'S OWN MINI-TREE WITH GRANDDAD

CHRISTMAS SHOW AND PARTY AT PRE-SCHOOL

GINGERBREAD HOUSE BUILDING WITH GRANDDAD

LIGHTING THE HANUKKAH CANDLES

WHAT DO MOMMIES DO ALL DAY?

2008-12-17T16:12:00.004-05:00

My good friend Tina forwarded this article from The Washington Post to me this afternoon, just in time to send a little validation my way! I consider myself lucky to not have (I think) friends like the woman who wrote the letter, but thought it was worth the post anyway, if nothing but to give everyone a little laugh, as well as a little perspective. It's pretty spot-on with what I find myself facing on the day-to-day with my two-year-old. Happy reading (and feel free to click on the article image to enlarge, if necessary)!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???

2008-12-15T20:13:00.003-05:00

I got an email from Pottery Barn Kids this afternoon, advertising a pre-holiday toy sale. When I went to the site to look around, I saw this:

DECKING THE HALLS...

2008-12-07T23:27:00.007-05:00

It's taken me a whole week to post about this, but life's kind of busy these days, isn't it?! We had a busy weekend last weekend getting things together for the holidays. After picking out our tree last Saturday, Steve and I were supposed to head to his company's party and then on to an open house at some friends of ours who live near us, but I wasn't feeling great and so we decided to make it a low-key evening at home, getting out the Christmas decorations and beginning to set things up.

A quick snapshot from the treestand

After a dinner of Chinese food, we trimmed the tree and put out some of our other table toppers, vase fillers, and garland, as well as Steve's ever-growing (and utterly annoying) collection of singing, jingling animatronic animals and snowmen - most of which found a really nice home in the rec room in the basement :) . We also took our menorah out of storage and put it in a place where it will be easy to find when the time comes to light the first candle! Although we are raising Caroline Catholic like her Mommy, we want to make sure that she understands where Daddy and his family came from, too.

Here's Caroline, hanging her first decoration and ornament!

Playing with some decorations - the fabulous animatronic animals are in the background...

Decorating was so much fun this year. Over the past several years, we've often rushed through the process, treating it like something we had to check off our holiday to-do list. This year was so different - mainly because of Caroline's enthusiasm. It was awesome that she could finally participate in some of the set-up, even as she hung thirty ornaments on the same branch and spent a good deal of the time undoing what we had just done. This has been something I've been looking forward to since she was born, and makes me even more excited at the prospect of having another little one to help get into the spirit, understand some of the religion behind it all, learn our extended family's old traditions, and begin new ones with our own young family.

Last Sunday, after dinner with Steve's parents and sister, we decided to drive around our neighborhood for a bit to look at the lights on the houses - just like my parents did with us when we were little. Over and over Caroline exclaimed, "We make Mommy's house Kiss-mas, too?!" and "Oh, gosh! Another lights!" It was too adorable. I have a feeling that we'll be driving around quite a bit over the next few weeks! And, as she has requested, we will be working on getting our own lights and garland up soon...

OH, (PINK) CHRISTMAS TREE!

2008-12-06T16:03:00.005-05:00

While we were in the bathroom at Noodles and Company after her class at Kidville today, Caroline informed me that she wants a pink Christmas tree this year. Upon hearing this, some moms might have gotten excited at the prospect of decking a traditional tree out in all its Lilly Pulitzer-esque glory, with cute ornaments and grosgrain ribbons like this to go along with the theme, but I knew better. My daughter was, I am certain, literally referring to this:

When we arrived at the tree stand after lunch, just picture her initial disappointment when she saw a plain, old sea of green. Thank goodness she got over that quickly when she realized she not only could play hide-and-seek amongst the stands, but that they also sold hot apple cider and popcorn. Maybe it'll be just the pink fix she needs when she sees that we indeed have a few fabulous Lilly ornaments to hang up on our beautiful new frasier fir!

RANDOM THOUGHTS...

2008-12-05T00:33:00.006-05:00

So I am sitting here in my den, and it's 12:30 in the morning. I'm working to print a stationery order for my best friend and business partner Christy, who just had her third adorable baby. She and I timed this whole pregnancy thing perfectly, didn't we? Our newest kids will be close enough in age to hopefully be the best of friends like their mommies, while at the same time there's one of us available to hold down the fort with our company while the other gives birth/recovers. I'm really excited about how her announcement/Christmas card has turned out (I mean, they are such a cute family that coming up with a design and layout was easy):

I want to be able to get these to her tomorrow so that she could send them out ASAP - she's the friend who literally times it so that her card arrives before anyone else's on the first day of December, so it's practically killing her that they are not out yet. She pays no mind that she had a c-section literally nine days ago. I, on the other hand, typically get my act together around the second week in December and have the audacity to print our names on the card rather than sign them myself - even though totally I agree with all those people (like Christy - who made a concession for just this once) who say it's tacky and sends the message that you couldn't be bothered to take the time to write your own name. The truth is, I would do it if I could, but these days the whole idea of finding any more time to put towards Christmas cards could scare me away from sending them at all. Hopefully the recipients can forgive me for this minor indisgretion. But I digress...

Being up so late at night has my mind wandering a bit. I've finished the other designs and layouts I had in the works for this evening, so here's what seems to be helping to keep me up until the printer stops:

1) I really need to get my act together and start thinking about this new baby's room. I have a few ideas, but the poor thing is definitely ranking as "sloppy seconds" on our priority list, which is just plain wrong. Her room is full of boxes from our move that have yet to be emptied or at least relocated, I have no idea what kind of furniture I am going to pick up, and the obsession with which I pursued Caroline's bedding when she was on her way is no longer in existence. I am waiting for an epiphany. As my doctor said at my 28-week appointment on Tuesday, if you have a diaper, a onesie, and a bassinet, you are pretty much set for the first little bit. I know he is right, but I am still determined to not let #2 turn into an afterthought...

2) I am pissed at my Shu Uemura eyelash curler. It has inexplicably broken, a fact that I discovered when I pried it off of my lashes the other day and found them crimped like a bad 80's hairdo. I tried to pick up a new one at Neiman Marcus when I went to my salon nearby to get my hair cut and highlighted yesterday, but they don't sell them there (unbelievably). My eyelash curler is one of my top three items in my make-up case, and the Shu Uemura one really is the best (I have tried them all). Sometimes, I don't agree with the beauty critics when they rave about a certain tool or product (i.e. - What is the BFD with Mabelline Great Lash mascara? I have tried it many times and still don't understand the obsession...), but they are spot-on about this one. My curler is kind of a staple to my morning routine, even when I don't even have time to shower, so it goes without saying that it needs to be replaced - like, yesterday.

See? Even Jodie Foster isn't excited about crimped hair...

3) I'm excited to decorate our house for the holidays. When we bought it, even my Jewish husband Steve thought it had the perfect spot for a Christmas tree (right in the front window of our living room), and couldn't wait to put lights up (even then, the neighborhood just felt like the kind of place where people get into the spirit of things). We buy a real tree, and it's from a stand run by a really nice family at the Catholic church where I grew up and went to grade school. Caroline is getting into the holiday for the first time, which is really cute. I'm trying to temper the whole Santa-which-gets-out-of-hand thing by explaining that it's really a birthday party for a baby named Jesus, but as one of my other best friends Kristy mentioned, she'll probably still miss the meaning and focus on the fact that she might get cake at said party. She knows my two-year-old so well...

Okay, so my printing is done. Now my mind is wandering towards thoughts of sleep. Thanks for staying up with me!

HAPPY (BELATED) THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-30T22:20:00.005-05:00

Things have finally calmed around here and I'm getting on my computer for the first time in several days. I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was relaxing, enjoyable, and filled with good food, family, and friends!

Steve, Caroline, and I hosted our families for Thanksgiving this year. We usually have to split our time between the two (luckily everyone lives in the area) - having dinner with Steve's family and then dessert with mine. As Steve observed, this year was the first in fifteen years (we dated for 8 and have been married for over 6) that we haven't had to drive from house to house. I have to say, hosting almost 40 people while having the luxury of staying put in our own home was well worth the effort!

Our menu was pretty extensive, as we were so lucky that so many people brought delicious contributions to the table. In addition to the standard fare of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, we had a buffet that included marinated filet, different vegetable casseroles, eggplant parmesean, cornbread, homemade cranberry sauce, steamed asparagus, and butternut squash, to name just a few of the dishes - all of which came after some fabulous appetizers and preceded some amazing desserts.

For the first time ever, Steve and I brined, rubbed, and cooked the main turkey. I used a basic brining recipe of sugar, salt, and water, as well as The Barefoot Contessa's turkey breast rub (I doubled it to compensate for the whole turkey) prior to cooking. Although the cooking time lasted for about 45 minutes pasted my estimations (I'm still getting to know the oven at my new house and have decided I am DEFINITELY a fan of my old house's gas oven rather than my new home's electric one...), we had dinner on the table by 6:15. My cousins Mike and Bill marinated and fried two more in a deep fryer out back - I know it sounds like a heart attack on a plate, but trust me, they were DEVINE.

We also used the holiday as an excuse to get our butts in gear and finish up as much of the house and decorating as we will be doing for a bit (aside from the new baby's room), so that occupied our time too. I have always been a proponent of planning an event in order to motivate myself to hang up more pictures and pull another room together. Add to that a stubborn-double-ear-infected toddler and we had the makings of a busy week! It all came together though and we had a wonderful time. Hopefully, our guests did, too! The one regret I have is that I didn't really take any pictures of the event, as I was too busy hovering over the unmotivated turkey to get any really good shots. Oh well - mental note for next time, right? Now on to the next phase of the holiday season... :)

FUN CRAFTS FOR THE KIDDIES!

2008-11-24T13:26:00.003-05:00

My very good friend Megan is always looking out for me. She knew that today, since we had to cancel our play date because Caroline's sick, I might be looking for something to fill our time. She sent me a link to this craft site where you can use, um, let's just call them "familiar household items" to get some decorating done for Thanksgiving. Pottery Barn and William Sonoma it is not, to say the least. The site's creators are either a) really resourceful and creative, b) really twisted and a bit disturbed, or c) a bit of both. You be the judge... :)

SOME GAME DAY SHOTS FROM THE PAST TWO WEEKS (AKA - GO 'SKINS!)...

2008-11-24T00:03:00.003-05:00

Here are some shots of some of the Redskins' favorite fans from the past two weeks... You'll notice that in the last two, Caroline's still in her pj's, recovering from her ear infection (but still never one to shy away from being fashion forward, even when under-the-weather)!

November 16 - Redskins vs. Dallas (Unfortunately, we lost!)

November 23 - Redskins vs. Seattle (We WON! - It must have been the tutu and Uggs that did the trick...)

IT WAS HER EARS!

2008-11-23T23:53:00.002-05:00

So I was really concerned, as you know, about the whole "Caroline-turning-into-a-rabid-animal-at-preschool" issue from last Tuesday. As much as the teachers tried to reassure us it's "normal" and that they are viewing it as an isolated incident, the parent and teacher in me knows that no matter what, it wasn't cool and certainly makes her teachers' jobs harder (not to mention Steve's and mine!).

Well, it turns out I noticed a pattern but thankfully, not with the biting... On Thursday, when I went to pick her up, she wasn't acting like herself at all - very whiny, glossy-eyed, and not hungry. When I got her home, I took her temperature, and sure enough, she had a fever. A trip to the doctor's later that afternoon confirmed an ear infection, which I wasn't surprised about at all given that she's had this head cold for almost 2 weeks.

Driving home that afternoon, it all started to click when I thought back to the past few times Caroline's gotten sick - her behavior totally deteriorated in the days leading up to the illness itself (i.e. - trying to take off all her clothes at ballet class the day before she had her febrile seizure). Not that the whole biting thing should be excused, but I think I've put together another piece of the puzzle that is my toddler. I'll definitely have to file this one away for next time...

MY DAY WAS LIKE A REALLY BAD COUNTRY SONG...

2008-11-18T23:11:00.005-05:00

...in which the singer croons about things like finding out his dog died and his wife is leaving them just as he gets home from a night in jail after a bar fight or something. You know how a day starts off on the wrong foot and then it's like someone out there thinks you haven't been put in your place quite enough? That was my day. Here's the running list (just to vent for a second...):

1) I woke up 1 hr. and 15 min. late. Not too late to get Caroline to school, but late enough that I had to skip most of the things I had planned to do before leaving the house.

2) I lost my engagement ring for 20 minutes, and couldn't leave the house without it because our housekeeper was coming (thank God) and I knew that if it wasn't found right then, it likely would have disappeared forever with the laundry, trash, or whatever.

3) Once the ring was found, my running shoes were also missing and they were pretty much the only thing that could go on my feet this morning (too cold in DC for flip flops or ballet flats, one of my Uggs were wet - don't ask, and my feet were a bit swollen). Queue five minute hunt for said shoes...

4) We got off to school late (although I did make up for lost time while most likely getting a speeding ticket by the speed camera on the way - it nabs you if you are even 5 miles over...stupid cameras).

5) I didn't get any of my errands that I had planned to do during school done because of late wake-up (I had to take care of the early-morning stuff instead).

6) I did stop off for a vanilla latte (my favorite) to cheer myself up, only to spill it all over the ground under my car while climbing out.

7) When I went in to pick up Caroline school, I got the words that any parent dreads hearing: "We need to talk to you for just a second..." Remember the post where I told you the story about how she bit my finger after I told her she couldn't ride her wheelie bug down the stairs? And how I was convinced it was just me who she wanted to bite? Um, guess what - I was WRONG. Silly novice mommy. A little girl tried to take a bike away from her on the playground and after Caroline told the girl "no" several times to no avail, she decided to step it up a notch. There wasn't any blood or crying involved, but no matter. My kid's a biter. At least for today, anyway (hey - a mother can dream, right?). Oh, and she also likes to rip pages out of books, apparently.

So what I've accomplished today is pretty minimal - the laundry isn't done, the errands aren't run, I have had no caffeine fix for the day (I know - good for the baby, but BAD for the mommy, in my opinion...), and I had to spend part of my evening creating a sticker chart to reward my daughter for every time she "uses her words" - rather than her teeth - to solve her problems (at least the teacher in me knew how to do this last one...). It's been an AWESOME day... I'm off to bed in the hopes that tomorrow just has to be better!

TEN-SECOND TOM...

2008-11-17T22:48:00.003-05:00

So I was listening to a conversation that Caroline was having on the phone with my sister Suzy this weekend. It went basically like this (as they always do...):

C: "Hi Suzy! How you?"
S: "Hi Caroline! I'm fine. How are you?"
C: "I fine Suzy! What doing, Suzy?"
S: "I'm studying for my CPA exam. What are you doing?"
C: "You drive Suzy car?"
S: "No, I'm at my house right now."
C: "Where Suzy car go?"
S: "It's parked in front of my house."
C: "Um, hi Suzy! How you?"

...and so on and so forth. A good deal of the time, conversations with Caroline go like that (like the time we spent the 15-minute ride to school running through the list of people in our family who wear their seatbelts in the car... again and again and again). It occurred to me that she, like most toddlers, is totally Ten-Second Tom from one of my favorite movies, "50 First Dates" :

**REMINDER: Be sure to stop the music player to the left prior to viewing!**

STORY TIME!

2008-11-11T13:57:00.003-05:00

Last night, we decided to grab the video camera and record Caroline during her bedtime routine. We've been slackers lately on the video front, so we wanted to save it for her for when she gets older. I thought it would be fun to post it here for you to check out, too!

**Don't forget to stop the music player to the left of the screen before viewing...**

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

LOVE HURTS...

2008-10-22T23:29:00.005-04:00

So I was debating whether to even post about this because who wants to show the utterly beastly side of their own child, but in the interest of transparency, I figured what the hell. You, my loyal readers, won't judge me or my abilities as a parent (even though I definitely questioned myself this morning!). Here's what transpired:

We were getting ready for Caroline's Ballet Tea Party class at Kidville. Yes, they wear tutus, and yes, Caroline likes going, but it's really the cookies and juice at the end of class that pursuades her to put on her little black leotard and tights each week. But I digress. I was getting myself dressed in my bedroom. I turned to see Caroline taking advantage of the fleeting freedom of having the gate of the top of the steps temporarily open by trying to drag/ride her ladybug Wheely-bug down the stairs. Um, what?! Of course, I went right over to her and told her that Wheely-bugs aren't for stairs, and tried to take said bug away from her. And do you know what she did in response? The little bugger bit my left index finger! She hasrecently taken to occasionally biting walls, furniture, and her stuffed animals out of frustration, but never an actual human person - that's been too taboo, and she is far more demure around her little friends to ever try it on them. Apparently, she feels comfortable enough with me to conduct her little experiment on me. Grrr. As I told my mother later, we've crossed a threshold.

Not that I'm too concerned about her with her friends and classmates - just the other day I got to see a great example of how she tries to handle conflict with other kids when a little girl at the park tried to take away her Dora balloon. I was actually proud of her then - she used her words and wasn't at all physical. Oh, the joys of being the one she's closest to...

So, back at the homestead: of course, Caroline landed her little self in a rare (for her) time out, which "the experts" suggest should not extend past the child's age in terms of the number of minutes they are in there. But here's where the dilemma/guilt sets in: I just don't think that's effective enough for my kid. She's two, and spends well beyond two minutes screaming and snotting all over the place before beginning to calm down enough to reason with.

My feeling is this: until she is at the point where she's able to at least think about what I'm saying, she's not ready to be out of time out. This time, it lasted about 15 minutes. After the first 10 minutes (which seemed like an eternity), I went in because she sounded a bit calmer and I reminded her sternly, "No biting!" and explained to her that when you hurt someone, you say "I'm sorry" and give them a hug. She responded by playing around and laughing, which landed her back in time out (cue the screaming and snot). At this point, there was no salvaging getting out the door for ballet, which also had me silently cursing - now I had to fill another hour + of our day!

After another 5 minutes, I went back in, and apparently she got the point this time, and immediately said "Hug!" and said "I'm sorry, Mommy" (with a little prompting by me). A quick reminder of "No biting! Biting hurts!" and then we were on with our day, relatively unscathed and with a little life lesson thrown in for fun. When we walked past her Wheely-bug on the way to the elevator to go downstairs to the kitchen, my smart girl showed me she knew how to play my game - she rode the bug into my bedroom this time, instead of to the top of the stairs like the budding Evel Knievel she is. Score one for Mommy!

MY NEW FAVORITE PARK...

2008-10-21T22:45:00.006-04:00

Caroline and her good friend Madison catch a ride on a swing together!

Yesterday, we went to an awesome new park with a group of our little (and big) friends. It's not too far from where we live, in one of my friend's neighborhoods. The park is brand-new, with a fully wheelchair-accessible playground (complete with a rubberized surface!), swings for kids of all sizes and abilities, a picnic area, a Bank Shot basketball court where people in wheelchairs and on their feet can play together, tennis courts, and a dog park, as well as walking paths and open fields. It's truly a place where all people can go to have a fun day outside without feeling limited by any challenges they might face.

The coolest part is that it's dedicated to an amazing boy named Mattie Stepanek, whose life was sadly cut short by a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Though he didn't live to see adulthood, Mattie did more to make a positive mark on our world than most people who live to see eighty. Mattie spent his time here spreading a simple message of peace and friendship that only a child's eyes could see or voice could speak, much of which was compiled into several poetry books that he wrote. He inspired so many to live their lives to the fullest while focusing on what was most important, and although he was wise beyond his years, he had a way of sharing his message in a manner that all could understand.

When the park was dedicated this past Saturday, a statue of Mattie in his wheelchair - with his service dog standing at his side - was officially unveiled within a peace garden that's adjacent to the playground. The ceremony was attended by everyone from people in his family, to people who live in the area, to dignitaries and news crews, to Oprah Winfrey, who became a friend of Mattie's several years ago.

His mom, who also has muscular dystrophy, lives in a house across the street from the park. I couldn't stop myself from glancing over there from time to time when we visited the park yesterday, wondering what she thinks of having such an amazing place being named for her beloved son just outside her front door. Being a mother myself, I can only imagine that such a sight is all too bittersweet - a beautiful but painfully constant reminder that her child is no longer here with her.

When we arrived at the park and first went over to look at the statue, I got a bit teary-eyed myself - not because I knew Mattie personally, but because of the effect he has had on my own outlook on life by encouraging everyone to "always play after every storm." Caroline, meanwhile, just noticed that he looked like he was in "Mommy's wheelchair!" and wanted to pet his dog. Then we went off to play with our friends and take in the beautiful day, just as Mattie would have wanted all of us to do. How amazing is it that a simple day at the park could so easily be the most fitting tribute to such a special boy?

BECAUSE I JUST CAN'T SHAKE THE TEACHER IN ME...

2008-10-13T23:24:00.007-04:00

...I just think this is the most fabulous little gift for any beginning writer! I was looking around a really cute site this evening, The Silly Wagon, and stumbled across this stamper in the "Goodies" section. You can choose either an upper/lower case version, or just upper cases. I just love the fact that you can start getting kids to practice writing their names with some guidance but without having to sit there and draw out those little dotted letters yourself. They are great for signing thank-you notes after birthdays and as a take-along when you know you are going to have to wait somewhere. I'm thinking of picking one up just in time for pre-school next fall!

PENNY PRINTS AT SNAPFISH.COM!

2008-10-09T15:19:00.005-04:00

Looking to rid your camera of all those pictures you have yet to do anything with? Well, for the next 3 days you can head to Snapfish and purchase up to 50 4 x 6 prints for just a penny! Any prints thereafter are just .09 each. Enter the code FALLPENNY08 when you check out to take advantage of the offer. If you don't have an account with them yet, it's easy and free. I'm heading over to get prints from yesterday's little golfing adventure! Happy shopping!

OUR FUTURE MICHELLE WIE!

2008-10-08T23:56:00.007-04:00

We are really lucky because our new home is in a neighborhood that's part of a country club, and a membership came with the purchase of our house - a major selling point, especially since we were adding quite a bit to Steve's commute to work every day! This afternoon, Steve got home a bit early, so we decided to take Caroline out to the putting green for the first time.

She used my left-handed Jack Nicklaus Golden Cub clubs, which I totally use all the time (NOT - although I definitely plan to try to get more into it so that I don't become a golf widow). They were actually almost short enough for her, since Steve had the clever idea to get me a set of kids' clubs a few years ago so that I could go to the driving range with him and hit right from my chair. Caroline had a great time trying to putt, rolling the balls back to Daddy when putted to her, and occasionally chucking them from one end of the green to the other. It was too cute, so I just had to post some pictures. Enjoy!

EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

2008-10-06T21:52:00.006-04:00

I was reading an article on AOL this evening about another theory on how to reduce the risk of SIDS. The article, which cited information from a published report in October's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, said that researchers have found a link to fan use in a baby's bedroom as helping to reduce the chance that the baby will succumb to SIDS.

The study used data collected through comprehensive questionnaires and interviews of both parents who had sadly lost a child to SIDS, as well as parents who had not. The bulk of the questions surrounded the condition of the baby's sleeping area, including whether or not a fan was consistently used during sleep. The number of interviewees in both categories were in the hundreds, and this was the first study conducted on this theory, so there's still alot of research to be done.

As I hope all my fabulous readers know, the best place to start in the prevention of SIDS is to place your baby on his or her back to sleep. However, the additional suggestion they are making sounds like an easy one to accommodate in a "can't hurt, might help" sort of a way. It's nice to know that there are so many doctors and researchers continuing to put such a great emphasis on this important issue. Just thought you'd want to know!

THE PINK TOTEBAG IS GETTING A LITTLE BIT "PINK"ER - AND AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME...

2008-09-28T22:47:00.006-04:00

Caroline's future sister!!!

When we went for our "big" ultrasound this week, we got some really wonderful news! In addition to the baby looking healthy, with all its parts well formed and apparently in good working order (thank God!), we also found out that we will be adding another little girl to our family. Caroline will be getting a sister, which is something I have always dreamt of for her. I have 3 younger sisters myself, and there is truly nothing that can compare to that kind of bond. I know that if the baby had been a boy, I would have been so happy that things were as they should be (not to mention - Steve would have been thrilled to have a son and is feeling a bit outnumbered in our house these days). Caroline would have been a terrific big sister to her little brother, but I can't even put into words how I feel now that I know that she is getting a gift that I feel so blessed to be giving her - that of a sister.

This wonderful news couldn't have come at a better time for us. This time of year is bittersweet for me, as it has been for an unbelievable 19 years. While September is typically filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of impending Fall and all the newness and change that it brings, it also happens to be the month when I sustained my spinal cord injury. In particular, today - September 28 - is my anniversary. When I was 13, I had a spinal fusion for scoliosis. During surgery, a number of complications arose and a portion of my spinal cord was deprived of oxygen. When the doctors realized that the monitoring they had been doing to prevent just such an issue was not working properly, they removed the rods that had been placed along my spine, but the damage had been done, and I was paralyzed from roughly the belly button down.

Recovery from something like this takes a long time, but my yardstick for measuring mine hasn't ever really focused on the physical side of things. Sure, it's important to work to regain as much movement as you can to optimize your situation, and I spent a great deal of time in physical therapy over the years to heal. However, for me, the emotional journey that this experience has set out for me has been a far more difficult path to navigate at times. The anxiety and anticipation of all life's wonderful rights of passage, like dating, high school dances, starting college, getting married, or having a baby to name but a few, has always been compounded by the fact that I have this extra baggage in the form of four wheels.

It is a journey that I would not be able to face day in and day out without the support of my own sisters (along with the rest of my family and friends). This makes me value the future relationship that Caroline will have with hers so much. I know that when I was injured, they too were hurt and had to begin their own healing processes. I have the physical scars from my surgery and its aftermath, but the three of them also lost alot on the day I got hurt. They have always been there to help pick me up when I've fallen, both emotionally and physically. They help me turn limits into opportunities, and for that I am so grateful. I only hope that I return the favor to them in my own way. I am so lucky to have them, and I am a better person because of them.

My sisters and me

Like a really bad college roommate (not that I've ever had that!), my injury and I have reached an uneasy tolerance of each other while at the same time maintaining an extremely close proximity. We get in each other's way at times, and are constantly having to find ways to coexist. My chair and the limits it attempts to place on me are what I deal with every day, although I like to think that I push back hard to not let it stop me or my family from living our lives. I have to say that at this point in my life, I have reached an appreciation for the experience that I've been through, as it has helped me to learn things about myself that I don't think I ever would have learned otherwise. That isn't to say that I would even wish it on my worst enemy, but at the very least I can frame what happened to me in some sort of positive light.

Anyway, tonight, I just wanted to give a little shout-out to all the sisters (and future sisters) out there. They get us through some tough times, and for me especially, I had the opportunity on this anniversary to not spend too much time being sad about what happened so long ago, but instead focus on the future and all the hope and promise that it brings...

A FABULOUS BIRTHDAY GIFT...

2008-09-19T22:24:00.004-04:00

One of my best friends, Kristy, recently gave me a birthday gift that I've received so many compliments on! I've been meaning to post about it since she gave it to me since I like is so much.

I just love the colors she chose - the dark stained wood is so cool with the turquoise beading, and it goes without saying that every preppy girl loves a good monogram. You should head over to The Silver Goose and get one for yourself (or a very lucky friend)! Thanks, Kristy!!!

SHE'S ALIVE (AND BETTER!)...

2008-09-19T22:03:00.005-04:00

Wishing we could play outside... but smiling for the first time in two days nonetheless!

Caroline seems to be heading in the right direction with whatever bug we've been dealing with, which is such a relief! She was in good spirits, although a bit tired. She didn't have a fever all day, until late this afternoon (which they told us to expect). It wasn't even that high either - such good news! We were stuck inside again today, but I think tomorrow if she's feeling up to it we'll put on actual clothes and venture out for some fresh air...

SOME NEWS ABOUT A VERY LONG NIGHT...

2008-09-18T22:10:00.004-04:00

This has been a long week for Caroline. She hasn't seemed like herself since Sunday - not eating or drinking well, runny nose, and generally acting kind of difficult and crabby. Even though she did okay at school at the beginning of the week, we didn't have a good start at our first class at Kidville - it's called Ballerina Tea Party, which combines Caroline's two loves: movement and a snack (what's not to love?!). She had a meltdown and we even had to step out for a few minutes - SO uncharacteristic of her. Something was just not quite right, and I knew it.

Well, things finally came to a head last night around 11:30. Caroline had been asleep for a few hours. Steve and I had already gone to bed but were still awake when we heard her gasping from her room. Steve ran in to see what was wrong - at first, he thought she was choking, and was whacking her on the back as he brought her back into our room. When I saw her, I had a strong suspicion about what was going on. She was burning up, convulsing, with her eyes rolled back in her head. Her limbs were rigid, fists clenched, and her lips were blue even though she was breathing and her heart was racing. I had a feeling that we were witnessing our first febrile seizure (which I'd thankfully read about in Your Baby's First Year, Week by Week and Toddler 411), but as Caroline's never had anything like this before, we were obviously really scared.

We immediately rolled Caroline on her side and called 911 to have an ambulance sent to our house. After about three minutes, the episode ended, and Caroline seemed incredibly lethargic and limp, but she was breathing and her heart began to slow down. The paramedics arrived quickly - I've never been so glad to see 8 guys bust into my room in the middle of the night while in my ratty pajamas and messed up hair. When we told them what had happened, they agreed that it probably was indeed a febrile seizure - a benign seizure brought on by sudden extreme changes in body temperature (fever). Caroline had gone to bed only 3 1/2 hours earlier with no signs of a fever, and within that time had elevated to at least 103.2 (they think it probably went even higher, but because she was given Tylenol very quickly, it probably came down a bit before they took that temp).

We went in to one of our local hospitals' pediatric ERs, where she was assessed and monitored. They first tried to get the fever under control (since that's what was causing the seizures), and then attempted to identify the cause of it. As my mom likes to say, "First, put out the fire. Then, determine how it happened." They checked her ears, belly, and throat for infection. When nothing remarkable was found, the decision was made to monitor for a bit to see if the Tylenol continued to work. Caroline, meanwhile, was fast asleep on Steve's chest. After a seizure (even a short one like this), kids are exhausted and really disoriented.

Since I hadn't ridden with her in the ambulance, I didn't get to go back into the room with her until a few minutes after her arrival at the hospital. The drive there and the waiting was the hardest - every second felt like a million years. I had the chance to call our pediatrician on call, who was really helpful and supportive. He told me that we had done everything right, and that I was doing a good job of remaining calm, which I appreciated even though the latter was all just smoke and mirrors. My mom and dad luckily met us at the hospital too - my mom's a burn and trauma nurse so it's always comforting to have her around during times like this.

The hospital concurred with everyone else's suspicions that this was a febrile seizure, and helped us to understand what happened and how to try to keep it from happening again. The current working theory is that children under 6 have under-developed myelin, which is the coating of the nerves in their brains. This lack of myelin creates an environment where "short circuits" can happen during times when the body has a rapid rise in temperature, which is when the seizure occurs. As kids get older, the risk of febrile seizures all but disappears, but it is very common in youngsters under 6 or so. Our ER doctor told us that our county alone sees about 20,000 cases of this per year.

While what we experienced is probably the most frightening thing we've ever seen, we have taken comfort in several facts that our doctors have shared with us. First of all (and most comforting), the fact that Caroline has had a febrile seizure doesn't make her more predisposed to developing a seizure disorder such as epilepsy, nor will it cause any sort of brain damage. It does, however, make it more likely that she'll have another febrile seizure when she's sick, which is why we need to be vigilant and proactive if she seems to be coming down with something that could lead to fever (such as giving her Tylenol or Motrin before bed if we suspect she might be heading in that direction). Febrile seizures may have a family link, so if one child or parent in the family has a history of them, the other children are at increased risk of suffering from one - that was a really important piece of information that we received.

The doctors also reassured us that we handled the situation correctly by turning her on her side and contacting 911 for support. They also helped us understand that most often, these types of seizures occur with a common virus, although occasionally they can also be a sign of something more serious, such as meningitis (which they would check for if the fever wasn't coming down after treatment, along with no other obvious signs of infection). Another interesting lesson was that we wouldn't necessarily have to bring Caroline right back in if she had another one - just if she had one within 24 hours. The fact that she is now predisposed to these episodes means that we may learn to manage them at home if they happen again during subsequent illnesses - while being in immediate communication with our primary care physician, of course. If it's obvious that she's spikes a random fever with no other real symptoms and one occurs, a febrile seizure is most likely what's going on. When in doubt about them, however, the best thing to do is to get her in to an ER.

Finally, we learned that she could and should take Tylenol and Motrin concurrently when she has a high fever such as this - they don't interact with one another, and it increases our chances of staying on top of her fever before it has a chance to get too out of control. Obviously, you should consult your own pediatrician about this kind of stuff, but I wanted to put it out there as a potential talking point if you ever need it - I never knew that one before.

Caroline had perked up by the time we were getting ready to leave, even eating a popscicle from the nurse and asking my mom and dad where their dog Oscar was (we thought that was cute - and a very good sign!). After we were discharged around 2:30, we headed home, with a quick detour to CVS for supplies and a stop in a parking lot because Caroline threw up everywhere. I've never been so glad to see barf in my life - it meant that we were dealing with some common virus rather than a more serious infection that was lurking in the background and would have us making a u-turn back to the ER in a matter of hours. We all crashed around 3:30 - with Caroline on her crib mattress on our floor. Steve and I both agreed we didn't mind a little extra company (tonight, for that matter, either - neither of us seem to want to let her out of our sight, which takes me back to the early days!).

Today Caroline missed school and the day was spent was spent laying low, reading books, watching Noggin (whose slogan is "It's like preschool, on t.v." - or so I told myself for the 7+ hours it was on!) and trying to drink fluids. Caroline's favorites so far have been apple juice, "red" popscicles, and a bit of Jell-O. She's been up and down all day, both in temperature and demeanor. You can really tell when the fever is setting in again - she goes from acting relatively normal to literally lying on the floor and falling asleep. We're doing our best to stay on top of it - alternating Motrin and Tylenol every three hours. I also followed up with Caroline's pediatricians to keep them in the loop. We're all tired and looking forward to a good night's rest, with the exception of waking up for meds, we all hope.

Anyways, I know this was a long one, but I wanted to share with everyone because even though I had read of febrile seizures before, when you are in the throes of it (especially if it's your child's first), it's easy to panic. The most important things we learned to remember are to put your child on a flat surface on his or her side, with nothing obstructing their airway (do a finger sweep to move the tongue out of the way if they are gasping and can't seem to get air), and to call 911 or your physician immediately. If you remember nothing else in the situation, file those two steps away in your head. The American Academy of Pediatrics also has a great FAQ sheet that shares more details about what to do when a febrile seizure happens, and how they will be treated by your doctor. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we have a quiet night tonight, and hope that you can file our story away in your head so that if this ever happens to you, you won't feel as scared since you've heard of someone else experiencing this. Goodnight, sleep tight - I'm off to give a dose of Infant Tylenol and heading to bed for a few hours!

THE FUNNIEST PART OF MY WEEKEND...

2008-09-14T14:58:00.003-04:00

Remember to disable the music by clicking on the music player to the left of the screen and pushing "Pause" or "Stop!" Believe me, it's worth the 5 minutes....

"WAKE UP... TIME TO SHOP!" - EDWARD IN "PRETTY WOMAN"...

2008-09-12T23:50:00.007-04:00

So for the first time ever, we had to think "school" when shopping for Caroline's Fall clothes. Lack of time has prevented me from making a big outlet run like last year, but I did find a few good deals out there amidst the bundles of cute stuff. I had some good luck at stores like Mini Boden, Gap Kids, and Lands End, and grabbed one or two staples from Ralph Lauren (on sale, no less)! I resisted the urge to buy everything for Fall and Winter now, as I learned my lesson last year when I overloaded and had too much of one thing and not enough of another. Now we have some wiggle room for growth, as well as my irresistable urge to pick up new cute stuff when Winter hits. Here are a few of my favorites...

from Mini Boden

from Ralph and Gap Kids

from Lands End

SOME PICS FROM CAROLINE'S FIRST DAY...

2008-09-10T21:52:00.016-04:00

Here are a few pictures that I finally got up from Caroline's first day last week. I know I mentioned this in my last post, but didn't want to just squeeze them in there as an afterthought! PS - The backpack was a birthday gift from Caroline's Aunt Lulu...

All smiles on the steps just before we left for the big first day!

A few pictures outside before we got in the car to go (Caroline was bummed she wasn't riding a school bus)...

Two quick pictures with Daddy before heading inside!

Back home, and still all smiles after our first day!

BACK TO SCHOOL... AND BACK FROM HIATUS!

2008-09-09T22:45:00.006-04:00

So we've been more than a little MIA over the past few months! I am so sorry for that - it seems that being a blogger and dealing with a busy summer were a bit too much for me! Things are finally settling down though, and I am back and running - just gotta bite the bullet and not let any more time pass before writing in again. If I wait any longer, I might never be able to catch up! So here's what we've been up to this summer...

1) We've finally moved! Although we're still dealing with some construction (more on that in another post...), unpacking, and decorating, we've got the basic bones of what we need (mainly, an elevator... more on that in another post, too!), and that's what counts. I feel like our workers are going to move in with us and live here forever, but at least they are nice and really good with Caroline. :) BTW, if anyone in the DC Metro area is looking for a really good builder/renovator, we definitely reccommend Hemingway Homes in Bethesda - they have been beyond fabulous! I promise to post some pictures soon, especially of some of the before and after.

2) We sold our other house! We were lucky - even in this market, we got an offer after about 40 days. We went to settlement the Monday after we moved in to our new home. We felt good because it was going to a really nice older couple who could benefit from the one-floor living that the house provided us, and the fact that they had no plans to tear it down and build a McMansion (which is common in our old neighborhood) made me happy - I don't like change, so it's nice to imagine that our house is like the one in one of my favorite children's books, The Little House, where everything around the house changes but the house for the most part stays the same.

3) Steve finished his thesis and is officially finished with his MS in Engineering at Hopkins! It has been a REALLY long road for all of us (him, in particular!), and the past 8 months while he was writing what turned out to be an over-400-page document has been hard. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I had him back again! He even got an A - not that I'm surprised! I am so happy for him about that - it's nice to know that all your hard work and time away from work, family, and friends has paid off. We were really smart with our timing - he defended his thesis on a Friday afternoon, we moved on Saturday, and sold our house on Monday. Nothing like cramming in all the life changes into one weekend, which brings me to my next bit of news...

4) We're expecting our second baby! I'm a little over 16 weeks, or 4 months, along, and I'm due in February. I held back about posting the news when we first found out earlier this summer because I wanted to wait a bit, and then time just got away and life got crazy for me. I'm feeling good after a long first trimester - not sure if it was the baby or the move or both, but I'm glad it's better. We are really excited and although I'm a bit nervous about the whole two-kid thing, I'm sure we'll figure it out. Caroline taught me that. I'll keep you posted on how things are going in the upcoming weeks and months!

5) ...And finally, last but not least, our baby girl Caroline turned two in August and started pre-school last week! I can't believe how fast time has flown - she is such a little person now and totally not a baby. On the first day, after we got her out of the car, she bolted straight for the front door and didn't even notice us following her because she was so excited to get in there. While I have to admit part of me was hoping she'd at least realize that she and I would no longer be hanging out together every day like the wacky sidekicks we've become, I was also really proud of her for jumping right in and gearing up for her next adventure. Ultimately, that's the kind of kid that we are trying so hard to raise, and it was cool to see that spirit in her, even so early in her little life.

Aside from a few trips to the Bay here and there, that's what our summer has basically been all about - house, thesis, baby, getting ready for school. I can't wait until things are put together and we can all calm down - which will probably be just in time for Number 2's arrival. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be, though?!

Until next time - and I promise it won't be too long...

AHHH - AT LAST, A GLIMMER OF LIGHT!

2008-06-11T13:24:00.007-04:00

My not-so-little girl reading herself a book in her room

This morning, my good friend Danielle came over with lunch for herself, Caroline, and me so that we could have a chance to catch up. D is an attorney downtown and is working on a big case that goes to trial next month - interestingly enough, to all of you parents out there, about diapers and false advertising! Once the trial wraps up I just may have more to post on that, but I digress. We had a nice little lunch and visit on the deck before heading back inside to the AC. Caroline was entertaining herself by carrying around a little cup with water inside a small basket. As expected, she eventually spilled it, but in one of those "Ahhhhhhh!!!!"/heavens opening up/lightbulb moments, she turned around and said, in her sweet little baby voice but still clearly enough to understand, "Uh-oh - need towel," and proceeded to grab the dish towel that was hanging up next to the sink and mopped up the mess.

As the mother of a toddler, I sometimes lose focus of the impact I'm having on my daughter. You get so bogged down with the mundane day-to-day stuff that you miss the little milestones that add up to the great person you hope your kid will become. I don't get that many of those super-proud, "I did that" moments, but today's will most likely carry me through for some time. Just thought I would share with the masses... Hope your day is as simple/inspired/fulfilling as mine just became!

THE PINK TOTEBAG RECOMMENDS...

2008-06-09T11:45:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone! Sorry for being so MIA over the past couple of weeks - we've been dealing with house stuff and it's been a bit crazy around here. We also had some pretty violent thunderstorms rolling through since last Wednesday, which led to some large-scale power outages. Thank goodness we're back up and running!

So, if you're like me, you spend a good deal of time and money on online shopping. Especially since Caroline came along, the internet has become not only my primary means of keeping my wardrobe up-to-date, but it's helped me take care of birthday and Christmas gifts, groceries, contact lenses, and more. The convenience of having things brought right to my door has definitely overshadowed the urge I have to drag my toddler daughter - stroller, sippy cup, board books, and all - to the mall. Yes, getting out the door is always a good thing, but sometimes, you just don't feel like dealing with the hassle!

The only thing I've never really liked purchasing online is books for my daughter. She loves to read and has built up quite the library of board and picture books over her short life. You go to a site like Amazon, read a few reviews or a summary and maybe see a picture of the cover of the book, but you never really know what you are going to get until you pay for shipping and wait a few days for the box to arrive, only to feel like the book you bought isn't quite what you were looking for. Also, while Steve and I love to take Caroline into bookstores or to the library, sometimes you just want to skip the tantrum when you won't buy her the 24 books she has pulled off the shelves.

Leave it to the people at Lookybook to help shoppers to weed through the junk and find the book that's just right for their little readers! This site features hundreds of authors, illustrators, and books that you can virtually read from cover to cover to see if you really want to buy it. While they obviously don't have every book ever written, they frequently add new ones, and have quite a few of the more famous children's book authors (including a couple of my personal favorites from my teaching days - Tomie de Paola and Patricia Polacco). You can search by subject or genre, save books to your virtual "bookshelf," and once you've made the decision to buy, there are links to sites such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble, in addition to a search engine to find the book at your local smaller bookseller. Love it! Happy shopping!

WHO KNEW SPELLING COULD BE SO ENTERTAINING???

2008-06-02T22:41:00.003-04:00

One of my best friends, Kristy - another teacher, sent this along to me this evening. It might make you pee your pants, so get the Brawny or Depends ready...

**BE SURE TO TURN OFF THE SOUND ON THE MUSIC PLAYER TO THE LEFT BEFORE VIEWING!!!**

FUN FROM OUR FLORIDA TRIP...

2008-05-20T23:12:00.008-04:00

Hi all! Things are settling down around here, and I finally had a chance to upload some pictures from our Florida trip. It's alot of family stuff, but hopefully you won't get too bored sitting through the little slideshow I put together. The trip went wonderfully, and couldn't have come at a better time for us. Caroline was great during both flights (with the exception of a little meltdown prior to take off as we left Washington), which I totally have Dora the Explorer to thank for that! I told the people around us that they had a choice - to listen to the muffled sounds of her DVD, or to our daughter having a meltdown for the duration of the flight. Thank goodness we were all in agreement that the DVD was the way to go...

It was a fabulous vacation, not just with family, but with friends, too! Many of our friends from our beach house days in Dewey Beach, DE also made it down for the weekend, so it was sort of a getaway with the adults/family vacation all rolled in to one - which was perfect! We even found a local dive bar in Ft. Myers Beach called The Beached Whale, which we dubbed Dewey South, as we seemed to find ourselves there two nights of the trip. Even though they weren't serving Starboard Specials or Captains in blue cups, it had the makings of a good story right from the start.

All of the wedding festivities were so much fun. We first had a rehearsal dinner at a restaurant called Snug Harbor, overlooking the sound. Then it was on to The Beached Whale. We had all day Friday to head to the beach and pool, followed by a sunset cocktail reception at Gulf Shore Grill, a Gulf-front bar and restaurant. The wedding was Saturday morning, with a mid-afternoon reception at The Lighthouse, followed by sunset cocktails back at our resort, The Pink Shell (which I would highly recommend to couples or families). We spent the last days of the trip just relaxing with the family before heading home on Tuesday. It was such a nice time!

So, as mentioned, here's a little montage from our trip. REMEMBER: Stop the music player to the left of this screen before playing so that you can here the sound!!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

AT LONG LAST...

2008-05-18T21:04:00.008-04:00

I have finally had a moment to get on here to post! What a week it has been since getting home from our trip to Fort Myers Beach for my cousin Brian's wedding to his new bride, Kara. I'll spare you most of the details, mainly because I'm finally a little less furious and don't really feel like getting myself all worked up again. Let's just say that the installation of the granite countertops, which our friend, who is our realtor, promised to supervise (and who decided that oversight, not to mention the promise he made to us, wasn't necessary and therefore wasn't in our home with these strangers for most of the day), didn't go so well.

We came home from our lovely family vacation to find bottles of Drano and Windex - which had been under the sink - out on the kitchen floor where Caroline made a beeline for them, chunks of drywall missing behind the backsplash that needed to be spackled and repainted, our plumbing disconnected so that when we turned the water on we had floods in not only the crawlspace under the kitchen but also under our sink, and our pantry, and every shelf in the pantry cabinet - which is adjacent to the counters - collapsed and in need of clean-up. We also found the old backsplash out on our deck and the old sink in our garage, apparently left for us to dispose of. Needless to say, it was not a happy scene at our house that night and in the days after.

People often talk about feeling violated when they have had a break-in or after being pick-pocketed or something. That's exactly how I felt upon seeing my kitchen. We had not contracted this work - our realtor had done this on our behalf. People I didn't know were in my home while I was not, and took something that I have loved for almost 5 years - our very first house, the place we brought our daughter home to for the first time - and tore it apart. While our realtor thought he could trust these people - as he had done business with them many times before, and whose children his children often play with - they clearly didn't hold as much value in this place as we do. The realtor has since apologized, and knows that his relationship with the contractor, as well as us, will never be the same.

Fortunately, my father is quite adept at lots of things related to home maintanence, and he helped us to put our little house back together again. He and Steve spackled and painted, cleared out and cleaned up the debris, and things are back to normal again. My Mom and Aunt Karen helped me to reconstruct the pantry while I chased Caroline and worked on packing the other parts of our house. We got everything fixed and ready for the dual baby shower I hosted this past Friday for my good friends Kristy and Michelle, who are due next month - just a week apart! While my trust in some people is still somewhat broken, my home is not, and should be ready to put on the market this week. I'll be posting next about our trip, but I wanted to share why I've been so out of the loop for the past few days...

OFF TO FLORIDA ON A LITTLE VAYCAY...

2008-05-08T00:50:00.005-04:00

We're heading south for the next 6 days for my fabulous cousin Brian's wedding to my future cousin-in-law Kara. We'll be in Fort Myers Beach, to be exact. After the craziness with the house and all the time Steve's been spending on his thesis, it will be nice to get away for a few days as a family. Lots of my family and friends will be there too, which will make the whole trip quite the party!

Interestingly enough, Flo Rida's song "Low" (you know, "Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur..."), has become one of Caroline's favorite songs after listening to it quite a bit with Daddy in the car (it would appear), as just the other day it came on, she sang along to the chorus "Shorty got low, low, low, low..." while smacking her knees and bopping her head to the beat. Hmm. I think we need to watch what we're listening to these days as it seems she's developed quite the little memory... Here's a video from Ellen in case you don't know the song (and therefore still think Steve and I are responsible parents):

**REMEMBER TO STOP THE MUSIC ON THE PLAYER TO THE LEFT BEFORE VIEWING!**

On that note, I'll update everyone on our adventures when I get back. Try not to miss me too much while you are gone!

I HATE GRANITE COUNTERTOP GUYS WHO CAN'T READ A WATCH OR A TAPE MEASURE (AKA MY LITTLE HOME-OWNER RANT)...

2008-05-07T00:46:00.004-04:00

UGH!!! I mean, I know that when you contract work out to people (especially where houses are concerned), you have to allow for the fact that things will most likely wrap up after the promised turn-around date, but I think I've officially met my limit with patience.

As you know, we are readying this house for sale, and one of the things we decided to do was upgrade our countertops to granite. A couple weeks ago, our realtor had a few companies come in to give estimates, and decided on one who would give us a decent price for decent stuff. I guess that translates to "We'll give you a deal if you won't bitch at us when we are several hours late, tear up your kitchen and leave items such as cerrated-edge cling wrap on your floor for your daughter to get into, do something to your dishwasher to make it impossible to close without lifting up your countertop, cut the hole for the sink in the wrong spot, don't call you to tell you what happened, and have to come back 3 days later to redo the job - while you are in Florida for a wedding, mind you." I am so glad that I am not going to be living through a full-scale renovation. I know that for sure I would have become a raging alcoholic, been committed, or both.

WE'RE OFFICIALLY REAL ESTATE MOGULS!

2008-05-04T22:19:00.005-04:00

Our current house, prior to the landscaping done this weekend, and another shot of our new house, with plants in bloom (yay!)

Hee hee... Just kidding. That's what Steve and I have been calling ourselves to help distract ourselves from the fact that we now own two homes (one of which will be sold soon, hopefully!). Our closing this past Friday was uneventful, thank goodness, and we took ownership around 4:00. We have spent this past weekend packing up and moving some stuff to empty out our current house so that it will show better when we put it on the market in the next week.

Fabulous weather made this weekend just perfect. Our current house is looking great, thanks to some contractors who have been making some of the minor cosmetic repairs we needed to make, as well as Steve's best friend Marc, who not only helped him move 2 large U-Haul loads to the new house starting at 8:30 this morning, but also helped us to update landscape the front of the house to give it a bit more curb appeal - all after he spent all day drinking at a wedding in Annapolis yesterday. Tomorrow, the contractors will be back to tinker, and the granite guy will be here to put in new counter tops (the one part of the kitchen that hasn't been updated). Hopefully all this hard work will help us to sell quickly so that Steve and I can breathe a sigh of relief (and I can start thinking about furniture for the new house!).

On the elevator front, we met with a great builder last Wednesday who not only had great ideas for the shaft and elevator, but also helped us think about things we could incorporate into the design so that we could make our new house even more user-friendly in the future. It was really nice to hear the architect ask questions about what my needs were before I even had the chance to bring them up. Hopefully, their estimate will come in at a reasonable enough level that we can work with them!

All in all, it's been a busy but productive weekend! I think the fact that we are heading forward has helped both Steve and me to feel more confident in our decision to move. As I get a chance to take more pictures, I'll put them up! I hope everyone had a great weekend...

A NEW PLACE TO WASTE...ER...SPEND TIME WITH THE KIDDIES IN ROCKVILLE!

2008-04-29T17:21:00.005-04:00

A staple on the New York City family scene, Kidville is the place to find lots of the resources that savvy parents and children from birth until age 5 need and want. I've been seeing it mentioned for awhile now in Cookie Magazine, and occasionally mentioned in US Weekly (aka "my newspaper") when different celebs and their kids have stopped by. The company, which has four locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, is taking the next step by expanding their franchise so that those of us who live outside of NYC can take advantage of their creative classes, kid-friendly facilities, and more.

Kidville is coming to Rockville, Maryland in September 2008. For those of you who are familiar with the area, it will be located in Congressional Plaza, in the space above The Container Store that was formerly occupied by Tower Records. Although their national website doesn't have updated information about the location, the program guide that arrived at my house already has me excited about what it's going to be like.

They are going to have really fun-sounding classes that have gotten great reviews at the NYC locations, including "Ballet Tea Party" (dance), "Construction Junction" (building and creativity), "Savvy Scientists" (experiments), and "Silver Spoons and Plastic Plates" (cooking), plus lots more. The facility will also house a full-service kids' salon and a boutique. Although the classes are a bit pricey, their sessions are long (16 weeks), and come with a free annual membership so that you can take advantage of any special programs they hold, or use their indoor playground for a full year. They also will have Kidville University (pre-school), host birthday parties, and have several different summer camps (think "Superhero Training Camp"!). I personally can't wait to try it, and it will be closer to our new house. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out!

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL...

2008-04-28T21:16:00.006-04:00

So we are moving. I haven't posted about this yet, as my husband is completely superstitious about it and didn't want me to jinx it or something by writing about it before we went to closing. Something about things going smoothly or whatever.

We found our new house almost by accident. One of our good friends emailed us about a sale that popped up on her neighborhood's listserve, and if I hadn't looked in my spam folder I would have missed it. It was being sold because the couple who lived there were relocating for work and family. It's adorable - a large cape cod that has much more space than it seems from the outside, has 4/5 bedrooms and 4 full baths, has been mainly renovated or updated (and what hasn't been updated is in good shape). The yard is so much bigger than our current house's, with flat land that will be easy on kids and my chair. I can get to all parts of the house, including storage, after we install an elevator (which I am THRILLED about!!!). Steve fell in love with it after we went to see it, and so we were sold. An offer was made, a contract was signed, and that was that! I breathed a huge sigh of relief about not having to live through a renovation here...

Well, as we approach Friday (closing day!!!), things are not as placid as they were when we started this process almost 3 months ago. Living though the stress of waiting for final mortgage approval, changes in the cost of the elevator (one potential contractor seemingly "forgot" to include the reconstruction of an outside stairwell in his initial estimate which is oh, just a piddly little 11-grand more...), packing with a toddler unpacking everything that you put into a box, trying to get this house ready to put on the market, and doing all of the above while Steve is writing his thesis and I'm getting us ready for a trip to Florida for a wedding... Oh, sigh. It's exhausting just thinking about it. Cocktails help. My mom and aunt help. I just can't wait until it's all done and settled and put away. Meanwhile, I am going to go pour myself a glass of wine. I'll keep you posted...

WE HAVE A WINNER!

2008-04-21T23:14:00.008-04:00

As some of you may have read awhile back, we've been going through the great debate of selecting a new stroller that will fit my changing needs in terms of Caroline's size and my wheelchair. This past weekend, we made our choice.

For the past 20 months, our trusty Bugaboo Chameleon has been fabulous, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially those of us who use wheelchairs. Although it is exorbitantly expensive, it has truly been worth every penny for us, as both Steve and I can push it easily. Although it's big, it comes apart into two pieces so that it's simple for me to put into my car. It has one telescoping handlebar instead of two fixed push handles, which is perfect for someone in a wheelchair who has to repeatedly switch hands to push the chair and the stroller. We were also able to buy an adaptor so that we could snap our infant seat right to it when Caroline was little. Most importantly, it's really sturdy and turns easily, which takes some of the strain off of my wrists - a good thing, since wheelchair users often develop chronic wrist issues (and I already have some pain from time to time). It doesn't hurt that it's a really cute stroller, either!

just three of the several set-up options for the fabulous Bugaboo Chameleon

Sadly, some issues evolved over time for us. The major drawback for the Chameleon from a wheelchair standpoint is its weight - the stroller itself weighs a bit over 20 pounds, which is fine with an infant but begins to get heavy as a baby grows. For me, this meant that, despite coming up with a system that attached the stroller to my chair with some large carabiners from a hiking store, I wasn't able to take Caroline out for walks in our hilly neighborhood in her stroller for too many months before she got too big and I had to begin using my Baby Bjorn with her on my lap. The hills, plus the weight of me, the wheelchair, the stroller, and Caroline, got to be too much for my "little stroller that could."

The Bugaboo still worked amazingly well when we were out and about (and continues to be a favorite purchase of ours), but our needs were changing as Caroline got more mobile. I needed something simple, quick, light, and easy to manage so that she and I wouldn't begin to feel trapped close to home as Caroline wanted to spend less time in her stroller while out running errands. We had to come up with the next solution to the ever-evolving challenge of managing a toddler from a wheelchair.

My hunt for our perfect next solution has been exhaustive. I've been to Buy Buy Baby and Great Beginnings umpteen times to test drive, lift, and collapse different models. I've scoured the internet and watched You-Tube videos of people using their strollers to see how easily they maneuver. I continually referred back to this great comparison chart to look at the features I knew we needed. I also talked to friends who are in wheelchairs and looked at some of the (limited) resources that are out there for adapted types of strollers. It's been a somewhat long and frustrating process, since we have to put even more thought into this kind of purchase than the average parent.

It finally came down to two strollers - the new Bugaboo Bee and the Quinny Zapp. Both strollers come from good brands who know their stuff in terms of building something sturdy and maneuverable, which is what kept bringing me back to them on my test drives. Their turning radiuses are quite tight, meaning that I could zip them around store displays and through crowds easily. They are both lighter than my Chameleon (the Zapp is the lighter of the two), and come with canopies and a small underseat bag.

Bugaboo Bee vs. Quinny Zapp

The major draw of the Bee for me is that it has the same telescoping handlebar as its big sister Chameleon, while the Zapp has two push handles (with a bar that spans between them that I could use to push, although it isn't padded). It also has a fully reclining seat and available adaptors with which to attach our infant carrier. The major draw for the Zapp is that it collapses so easily - just push two buttons on either side of the seat to fold the seat down, and then push a button underneath the seat with your hand or foot and it folds into a very small unit that's easy to handle. The Bee was much trickier for me, requiring more leg strength than I have and being set up to require to0 much contorting of my arms to fold with my hands. The Zapp doesn't officially recline, but sits at a bit of an angle so that if Caroline catnaps, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It's also less expensive. The decision was made.

We picked up our brand-new black Quinny Zapp this weekend and immediately took it out for a test-drive. It did well in the mall and was pretty easy to push up ramps (we'll have to see how it handles an incline on neighborhood walks). It was easy for me to lift Caroline into and out of, and maneuvered exceptionally well. When we collapsed it to put in the trunk of our wagon, we had plenty of room for my wheelchair, which was nice because with the Chameleon, Steve had to play a game of "Tetris" every time he tried to fit the pieces of the chair and stroller in the back of the car. Two drawbacks are that it gets tipsy if you hang too much on the handles, and that the underseat bag isn't too spacious. I ended up carrying stuff on my lap, which wasn't too bad. I'm used to feeling like a pack-mule these days with a toddler in tow.

Check out this video of how the Quinny Zapp works:

**Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to turn off the music player before playing the video!**

I've also broken down and bought a baby harness for those times when Caroline just wants O-U-T of the stroller so that I can keep tabs on her. Although I hate to put her in it, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, right? I keep it in my bag and will have it when we're out with the stroller. The real stroller test for us will be a trip to Ft. Myer's Beach, Florida for my cousin Brian's wedding in May. I am excited to see how it handles at the airport - it comes with a travel bag that I think we'll pack it into before gate checking it. I will keep everyone posted!

Being in a wheelchair means that you have to constantly be on your toes, thinking about better ways to do the everyday things that many people take for granted. I've gotten used to this over the past almost 19 years that I've been in a chair. While it's not always fun to have to think about this stuff, I am always happy when I feel like I can pass along a new way to do something to others who might be in my situation. Hopefully then, they won't have to reinvent the wheel (no pun intended!). Maybe something I stumble across can help out my walking friends, too!

A LITTLE SHOE RANT...

2008-04-21T21:43:00.009-04:00

When I headed to our favorite childrens' shoe store with Caroline last week, I wanted to get these for her:

Instead, this is the kind of stuff was overrunning the shelves:

To be fair, there were some simple styles to be found, but alas, they would not fit my daughter's size-6 EW feet. Our very knowledgeable salesman Bill actually chuckled when I asked him if they carried plain white canvas Keds with the rubber toe like I wore back when I was a toddler - before he explained to me that 1) they weren't big sellers these days, and 2) most shoe companies didn't cater to the extra-wide sized toddler shoe set.

So here's my rant: When you walk into a childrens' shoe store these days, why does it look like someone came in and threw up sequins, blinking lights, velcro, and rhinestones all over the girls' shoe section? While I find the Lelly Kellis that my in-laws bought Caroline and the Crocs my sister Suzy gave her for Christmas to be quite cute (and I know she'll love both of them), she won't be able to wear them day to day, hence the hunt for some very classic, white summer shoes. I have looked everywhere, in every price range, from Nordstrom to Payless, Stride-Rite to Chez Target. No luck. Sigh. Here's what I ended up purchasing at the shoe store:

While they aren't my first choice (the butterfly cut-outs aren't quite how I roll...), they aren't too bad, and most importantly, they fit my little nugget's feet the best. Sadly, even the Keds website doesn't sell the sneakers in her width. Maybe I'll just have to settle for a pair of blinking Dora the Explorer tennies instead - not.

ME-ME!

2008-04-19T23:01:00.009-04:00

The other day, I was tagged by Mom x2 , one of my new favorite bloggers, to list some unimportant things about me. Although I haven't finished my "100 things about me" list (which is also full of "unimportant" stuff - I got through #50 last week...), I consider it to be in poor form to let this linger for too long! Hopefully, you guys aren't sick of hearing inconsequential things about me (and if, after this, you are left wanting more, check back next week for the last 50 of my "100 things" list!)...

So here are the rules:

1) you link back to the person who tagged you
2) post these rules on your blog
3) share six unimportant things about yourself
4) tag random people at the end of your entry
5) let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs

So here goes...

1) While I wouldn't consider myself to be type-A, I do have this one strange quirk about me - I like to arrange things on my desk in right angles. If I have a stack of papers or something sitting there, it has to be laying straight, lined up with the edge of the desk or something. I know, weird.

2) My husband's cousin is Adam Duritz, the lead singer of the Counting Crows. This is unimportant because (sigh) we have never met him, which of course bummed my sisters out when they realized he wasn't going to be at our wedding (read: not going to get up on stage for an impromptu jam session during the reception). It's still kind of cool though, as we love his band's music...

3) I'm not a huge fan of chips, but I could polish off a large bag of Cheetos on my own in one sitting.

4) I'm fascinated by tornadoes. I have seen 3 in my life, which is alot considering I'm from the DC area and we don't get alot of that kind of stuff. I saw them in Florida. If I could talk enough friends into it, I would totally go on one of those storm-chaser vacations out in the mid-West, where they put you a Suburban, give you a camera and some GPS equipment and let you drive around for a week in the hopes of catching one.

5) I've broken my nose multiple times - on my count, it's been around 7. The first few times, it was sports-related. The last few times...well...don't ask. In the interest of saving my parents from a good deal of eye-rolling and perhaps that "cat face" that my mom makes when she is disappointed in us, let's just say there may or may not have been alcohol/elbows/a curb involved and leave it at that.

6) When I was two, I cut my younger sister's hair. She was one at the time, and was supposed to be having her picture taken the next day for a beautiful baby contest or something. That's not the best part, though. I did it on my parents' bed, and then had enough common sense to hide the evidence by pulling up the covers. They obviously saw my sister's hair and knew what had happened, but didn't find the remains until that night when they climbed into their bed, in the dark, and it got stuck to their backs. Here's what I say: serves you right for letting a two-year-old get a hold of scissors. Just kidding, Mom and Dad.

So I'm tagging...

Tickled Pink Talk

Live*Laugh*Love*Family

100 THINGS ABOUT ME (numbers 1 through 50)

2008-04-14T23:31:00.009-04:00

Since this is meant to be as much a journal for myself as it is to put my life out there for the masses, I thought it would be fun to do one of these lists. I figured that, in order to keep you on the edge of your seats and coming back to visit (because I know you are just dying to know more about my fabulous life - hee hee), I will break this up into segments. Here are numbers 1 - 50. Oh, and by the way, these are in no particular order...

I've been married for almost 6 years.

I met my husband at Homecoming our senior year in high school, but we didn't start dating until the summer before we left for college.
We are together because, despite the occasional argument, as Steve says, "We share a brain."

I am the oldest of four girls, and we're all within 6 years of each other.

When I was in high school, I wasn't the best driver and got into 2 accidents within 4 months.

I'm a much better driver now, I promise (but just in case, I drive a Volvo Cross Country)!

Said Cross Country was my dream car from the time I was in college - I know, so uncool.

Before my wagon, I had a green Ford Explorer that I called Myrtle the Turtle. That should be self-explanatory.

In high school, I had an unhealthy obsession with my eyebrows.

I'm a democrat.

I love the summer but hate being hot.

I still sleep with my teddy bear sometimes - his name is Ted E. Bear (I know, really clever, right), and I even brought him to the hospital when I had Caroline.

I love the look of a martini but prefer a Captain and Coke any day.

I took one year of Latin which at the time I thought was lame, but it actually helped me on my SATs.

I just got bangs in January for the first time since I was 7.

I got them because they are cheaper than Botox and I am starting to get some laugh lines on my forehead that I am not very happy about.

It took me 3 months to learn how to actually style said bangs so that they didn't look like I belonged in a Debbie Gibson video (I wore alot of headbands during that time).

I owned what my sisters refer to as a "Debbie Gibson" hat when I was in 8th grade, but interestingly enough I wasn't actually a huge fan of her music.

I love to laugh.

Three movies from my childhood that I will never get sick of are The Parent Trap (the original one, not the one with Lindsay Lohan), Troop Beverly Hills, and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

Three movies from my adolescence that I will never get sick of are Sixteen Candles, What About Bob?, and Better Off Dead.

I have too many favorites from adulthood to list at this time, but I promise I will try to narrow it down.

I prefer fruity candy like Skittles over chocolate most of the time.

I had to wear a uniform in grade and high school, and didn't mind it.

The quality I most hate is close-mindedness.

The quality I most admire is kindness.

I want to learn to sail one day. Have to figure out the whole wheelchair thing, but I'm sure it will be possible somehow.

I am DEFINITELY an eternal optimist.

I believe in second chances.

I am DEFINITELY not a morning person.

I am usually the last one to leave a party because I never want the fun to end.

This drives my husband crazy, and I am working on it. Sort of. :)

I am terrified of public speaking, except in front of children, which is why I did fine as an elementary school teacher.

My maternal grandmother went to law school when women DIDN'T really do that and then stayed home to raise 7 children because at that time, that's what women DID do, and for that, I admire her.

I love jewelry but tend not to wear too much of it - just my engagement/wedding rings and some diamond studs Steve gave me for my 30th birthday/Caroline's birth.
I have a pretty intense fear of flying.
I don't like to be out of control.
I think #35 and #36 are related.
If God forbid I should ever die before the ripe old age of 100, I want "For A Little While" by Tim McGraw played at my funeral.
I think I shouldn't have started thinking about my fear of flying - see where this takes me?
I used to be a ballet dancer for almost 10 years before my spinal cord injury.
I'm hoping that Caroline will at least be willing to try it out at some point in her childhood.
I was Clara for two years in my ballet company's version of "The Nutcracker."
I co-own a stationery company called Penny-Bear Printing with one of my best friends, Christy.
The company allows me to actually get to do things that I love - draw and doodle and be creative.
I am immensely fearful of change, but having Caroline has helped me learn that no matter what, everything will turn out okay.
I say that I am allergic to broccoli. but actually, I just detest it.
I love shellfish but hate "fish" fish, except maybe as pets.
I could eat Italian every day and never get sick of it.
I hope that one day I will be able to walk again, but if I don't, that's okay, because my life is pretty great as it is.

I'M SO EXCITED BECAUSE...

2008-04-14T23:23:00.004-04:00

...Caroline let me pull her hair up into a ponytail today! Well, a half-pony, but still an accomplishment! She used to wear bows before she noticed them, and then it became a bit of a battle. As you have probably seen, she often looks like a shaggy dog because her bangs grow quickly! However, getting her to sit still for a haircut is a painful experience for all involved (parents, stylist, other patrons, people outside and down the street...), as she screams and cries the entire time. If I can get her to let me pull her hair back every day, we might just grow it out (and how cute would that be???)!

SIGNS OF SPRING (AND SOME EXERCISE, TOO!)...

2008-04-12T16:32:00.010-04:00

Spring has sprung in the DC area, and we couldn't be more thrilled to be outside having fun. Flowers are popping, green is everywhere, and we even had our first Spring thunderstorm last night! After a nice weekend and a birthday party for Steve's 90-year-old Aunt Phyllis, this week started off chilly, with a playdate The Little Gym with our cousins (which was inside, but still fun), but for the past 4 days, the weather keeps getting warmer and warmer, which means we're breaking out the bright colors and getting out into the fresh air. Here are some pictures from our week...

Caroline, Josh, and Aunt Melissa had fun playing on the hammock at Jeannie and Michael's, where we had the birthday party

It was great to see Steve's cousin Brett, and finally meet his wife Elif and their kids Gracie and Blake!

Sunday bubble-blowing with Mommy and Daddy

Having fun with the hoola-hoop, bars, and tunnel at The Little Gym

Cousin Cammy's (and our new) friend, Megan

Cammy's a seasoned vet at The Little Gym, and can do a fabulous somersault all by herself!

Picking "flowers" for Mommy while out in our yard

I am beside myself that Caroline can walk this year (last year, she was crawling and dresses were too tricky), because she can now wear girlie stuff like this fabulous madras skort from Tommy Kids. Isn't it too cute with her Crocs from Aunt Suzy?

PINK PLAYS: "In the Mother 'Hood" Season One: Episode 3

2008-04-12T00:14:00.003-04:00

Not much going on around here this week - promise to put something fun up soon (maybe some pics???). In the meantime, here's another episode of "In the Mother 'Hood" for your viewing pleasure - it's a good one, I promise.

**REMEMBER TO SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN TO DISABLE THE MUSIC PLAYER PRIOR TO VIEWING!***

UM, WHAT?!

2008-04-04T10:23:00.003-04:00

Read what presidential candidate John McCain said in response to "The Hills" personality Heidi Montag's endorsement...

It's good to know that even the presidential candidates are carving out time from their busy schedules to indulge their own guilty pleasures every Monday night at 10 pm...

PINK PLAYS: "IN THE MOTHER 'HOOD - SEASON ONE: EPISODE ONE"

2008-04-01T09:47:00.006-04:00

Alright, TPT readers, it's time for me to pass along another one of my guilty pleasures for your viewing! "In The Mother 'Hood" is a web-based sitcom that stars Leah Remini; Chelsea Handler (my personal favorite); and in the second season, Jenny McCarthy - three of the funniest women alive (excluding my sisters Suzy and Lulu). The show is based on stories submitted to the website by real mothers, so if you're a parent and have a funny story to share, head to the site and enter it - it may end up as an episode of the show! They've currently stopped accepting submissions for this season, but check back soon for Season Three's deadlines. I'm going to post the past several episodes over the next little bit so that you can get caught up - trust me, even if you aren't a parent, it's worth the roughly 6 minutes per episode!

**NOTE: Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the screen to stop the music player before viewing!!!**

BABY GAP LAUNCHES HOME SITE...

2008-04-01T09:01:00.011-04:00

Baby Gap has been offering a very limited selection of bedding for some time now, but this morning, I woke up to find this link in my inbox. They've now expanded considerably their list of offerings to include some stroller and car seat choices, along with a larger range of coordinated bedding, feeding and bathing supplies, nursery accessories, and books and toys. Called "Baby Gap Home," this store is currently available mostly online, athough they've also carved out space in some of their brick-and-mortar locations in CA, NYC, and TX. They plan to add more stores as the concept catches on.

When I went to preview the site before posting, I saw some really cute, modern stuff and trendy, functional brands. One thing that I liked in particular was that the bedding is sold in sets for a comparably reasonable price (I went to Pottery Barn Kids to figure this out, as I would assume that the two stores' target audience is the same), and their sheets are of a highter thread count (300 vs. the typical 200 that you see for most baby bedding). For someone like me who has a kid with very sensitive skin, this is a nice selling point. I also like that they have free returns by mail. So take a look at the site and let me know whether you think this latest Gap venture will take off...

SOME COOL ADAPTATIONS TO SHARE!

2008-03-30T20:59:00.008-04:00

I am a member of The Paralysis Resource Center, which is an online community that was started by the Christopher Reeve Foundation to help connect people facing paralysis to each other. I have met lots of great people there, and one in particular has become a pretty good long-distance friend - a woman named Cheryl. She and I have alot in common - we're both married, have one child, and want to do this whole parenting-from-a-chair thing in as uncomplicated a manner as possible. We connected before Cheryl got pregnant, as she was looking for someone who had some first-hand experience with having a spinal-cord injury and pregnancy. As I had just been through it, I jumped at the chance to help someone else who was facing a similar situation to mine!

Cheryl and her husband welcomed their first son a few weeks ago, and it's been really nice to have someone to compare notes with! Her husband made some pretty interesting adaptations to some of their nursery gear that I thought I would pass on. The crib, in particular, is pretty clever, and goes to show that a little ingenuity can go a long way! Here's what she sent to me:

Here's what their Pali "West Point" crib

looks like when closed (notice the latches?)

Here's what it looks like when it's opened up so that Cheryl can reach in

Here's their Stokke changing table,

which they adapted by removing a lower shelf

so that Cheryl can roll her wheelchair underneath

Sometime, when I get my pictures organized, I will post about some of the solutions we came up with, as we did things a bit differently than Cheryl and Mathew did. Either way, it's nice to have options, as well as a connection to someone else who may encounter similar obstacles and come up with creative solutions. That way, no one is having to reinvent the wheel!

FIVE FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCTS...

2008-03-30T14:06:00.010-04:00

It's been a few days since I've posted - not much exciting going on. As such, I thought that you might want to try a few of my best-kept secrets (if you haven't already!). Here they are, in no particular order:

1) Burts Bees Apricot Baby Oil - has a delicious scent, and is a fabulously versatile product. I use it to take off my eye makeup, as a really great after-bath moisturizer, and a cuticle conditioner.

2) Udderly Smooth Udder Balm - hands-down, one of the best hand creams I have found. Because of the chair's rubber tires and some medication that I have to take every day, dry skin (especially on my hands) is a constant uphill battle. This stuff is inexpensive, and really moisturizes your hands without leaving them greasy.

3) Creative Nails Solar Oil - a ten-second manicure in a bottle, I swear. I am ashamed to say I haven't gotten a manicure since Caroline was born (almost 20 months ago), but with this stuff in my bag, who needs one? It literally makes the ugliest of nails look like you just had them done.

4) Lily Padz Silicone Breast Pads - meant for nursing mothers, but I've found them really useful beyond that! They don't offer alot of support, but if you put them on, they keep everything looking really smooth - and are especailly great under cute summer tops when you don't want to wear a regular bra. I have raved about these to my friends for awhile - worth the investment (even if you don't have a baby...) I promise!

5) Clean and Clear Oil-Absorbing Sheets - a mini-makeup miracle for the bargain price of under $3.00. Use these little blue sheets to blot your face, and they suck up a rather disgusting amount of oil without taking any of your makeup off. They are a summer staple for me!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? OH, WHERE DO I BEGIN?

2008-03-24T09:09:00.007-04:00

Okay, so I don't often post about celebrity stuff, but if you've read my blog, you know that I have this penchant for "The Hills", with all its smarmy catfighting and propensity to provide me with mindless viewing pleasure. I even have gotten Steve to watch it with me on occasion, and though he won't admit it, I think he's hooked too. In fact, the new season begins tonight, and one of the main reasons I am going to tune is because of the two crazy kids pictured above.

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag are a completely dysfunctional couple with a maturity level not unlike the 16-year-olds who Dr. Phil was trying to talk into getting an annulment for their marriage last week on one of his episodes (just for the record, I don't often have time to watch Dr. Phil during the day - it was on in the background, I promise...). They provide so much fodder for Us Weekly on a, well, weekly basis that I would think the magazine must owe them some sort of royalties at this point. When I saw this picture today, I laughed out loud - I mean, dressing up like bunnies to go to a daytime Easter egg hunt that was most likely meant for children? Although with these two, I wouldn't put anything past them. In previous photos, we've seen Heidi sitting on Spencer in a bikini while he does push-ups, riding in a wheelbarrow while picking pumpkins for Halloween, and eating tacos to promote a world hunger relief organization, among others. They love them some good papparazzi! If you haven't seen "The Hills" yet, catch it tonight at 10 - I promise it will become a show that you love to hate (and yet can't stop watching, kind of like a car accident).

HAPPY EASTER!

2008-03-23T22:45:00.023-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday, and we hope you did, too! Since I'm Catholic and Steve is Jewish, I have to give him some pretty big props for pulling it together to not only help get things set for our day, but also to be in the car so early this morning. After 7:30 am mass, we had a nice breakfast for just the three of us, followed by a dinner at our house for 40+ (thankfully with some help from all our guests)! That's how we roll around here... Even though it was 53 degrees outside, it was a gloriously sunny, clear day and the heaters on our deck kept us warm so that it didn't feel too claustrophobic inside (or so we hear...). We also had a quick Easter egg hunt on our lawn for our littlest guests and neighbors - here are some pics from that portion of our day:

Steve starts the hunt with a head-start for the little kids, and cousin Josh finds an egg...

Cousin Camryn and our neighbor Charlie are on the hunt!

The best part about having sisters: cousins Camryn and Morgan pose in their matching dresses!

"Uncle" Marc gives Caroline a ride around the hunt.

Caroline, as always, is on the move - I tried to get a cute pic in her

Tiffany blue and brown dress, but to no avail.

A blue egg for her blue dress... and her "Bunnies by the Bay" coat from Aunt Suzy!

We tried to take a picture of all the kids together, but no such luck. Oh well - there's always next year! No matter what holiday you celebrate, we hope it's as memorable as our was. Happy Easter, and Happy Spring!

IT'S FABULOUS FREEBIE FRIDAY, MARCH 21ST!

2008-03-20T19:58:00.007-04:00

Sadly, this isn't a freebie for everyone out there, but if you are a parent who's in the market for a double stroller, this is for you! At Right Start, when you purchase the Phil & Ted's Single Sport Buggy, you get the doubles kit for free (and it's an $89.99 value). The stroller itself is a bit pricey at $399.00, but Phil & Ted are known for making sturdy, versatile equipment that can handle lots of different scenarios and should last through multiple children in a family. With the doubles kit, you can carry an infant and toddler or two toddlers, and it collapses fairly easily to fit in in the trunk of your car. Additionally, since this is set up similar to a jogging stroller, it is only as wide as a single stroller, which is good for navigating doorways when out and about. While it might seem weird to us to ride so low to the ground, something tells me that a little kid would find this to be the coolest spot in the stroller. We have some friends who own the doubles kit and they say it works just fine for their kids (ages 17 months and 3 years old). Unfortunately for us, this stroller won't fit our current need for something that weighs less than our Bugaboo (they are both around 24 pounds), but I just thought I'd pass this good deal along!

PARTY-PLANNING MADE EASY...

2008-03-20T08:50:00.007-04:00

Here's Caroline on her first birthday this past Summer -

a seemingly small event to plan. Wait until she gets older

and she actually knows what's going on...

This morning, I got my daily newsletter in my inbox from Urban Baby. They had an article about planning the perfect Easter party for kids, with a great link I wanted to share with you. It's for a party-planning site called Peppers and Pollywogs, which is a place to get all kinds of really fabulous ideas for different kinds of parties - from birthdays for kids of all ages, to christenings, to holiday parties for everyone. The site is particularly great because it's sorted into sections that include "goodie bags," "invitations," and "music suggestions." You also can browse vendors by city (if you are interested in hiring one), or email a request for help to come up with an invitation rhyme (albeit for a fee...). As stationery designers and co-owners of Penny-Bear Printing, my partner Christy and I deal regularly with parents who are planning events for their kids. I think Peppers and Pollywogs is an awesome resource for all of us!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

2008-03-17T12:25:00.004-04:00

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE (GREEN) THINGS...

2008-03-17T00:05:00.019-04:00

It's St. Patrick's Day, and whether you have a some Irish blood in you (like me) or are an honorary member just for the day, one sure-fire way to avoid getting pinched is to have a little green on you. Here are some fabulous green recommendations from The Pink Totebag...

At J Crew: cafe' capris or a polished cotton baby-doll top

At Vineyard Vines: seersucker shamrock tie or shamrock flip-flops

At Old Navy: Embellished patent t-strap sandals

At Tervis: Insulated tumblers with a shamrock patch (for all that green beer you'll be drinking)

ERIN GO BRAGH!

FIVE FUN THINGS FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND...

2008-03-16T23:07:00.006-04:00

1) I got to meet my cousin Eileen and her husband's new baby (and my Godson), Nicholas!

2) Saturday afternoon's weather was so fabulous that I joined my other cousins, Mikey and Brian, Brian's fiancee' Kara, and our friend Bob for delicious margaritas on the rooftop patio at Tia Queta - sans baby (she was with Steve's parents). The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Steve could have joined us, but he was working on his thesis - sigh. Later, drinks at our friends' Christy and Mark's house, capped off the night for both of us! A fun day, to be certain!

3) American University (my alma mater) finally made it into the NCAA tournament for the first time in the history of their basketball program! Go Eagles!

4) Caroline's lime green Crocs from Aunt Suzy finally fit - and now she won't take them off. They really are too cute on her.

5) I got to take TWO naps - both Saturday and Sunday (and anyone with kids knows that this IS something to get excited about)!

All in all, it was a good weekend. How was yours?

BUBBLES AND WARMER WEATHER...

2008-03-16T22:48:00.014-04:00

With the warmer weather finally starting to show up around here in the DC area, we've been spending alot of time outside lately! Here are a few pictures from some recent visits from our friend Madison and cousins Morgan and Camryn (PS - Please excuse the messy deck! It's in need of a good sweep and power-wash...):

THE ULTIMATE PEEP SHOW...

2008-03-13T15:12:00.004-04:00

This had me laughing for a good 5 minutes this afternoon. A big thank you to my good friend Tina for passing it along! Happy Almost-Spring (and Easter), everyone!