Cabin Boy (or, "Nursery Sneak Peak")

Hubs and I have been slowly piecing together our old guest bedroom to make a space for George Harrison's arrival. With less than 2 months (and the holiday season!) to go, it's definitely still a work in progress. But here are the tidbits I can share:

-- I don't do themes when it comes to kids' rooms. Or, hell, any room. You will not see recurring cartoon character/nautical/sports team motifs. I suppose Pottery Barn kids does make a mint on folks who like that kind of thing, but I don't want to inundate my poor son with a pre-planned "here's what you must like because you are a little boy" anything. We make a room we like that's functional, and kid can make changes when he's older and has some sort of preference. Rant over.

-- Any sort of strange cobbling of a "design concept" for this room is centered around a metal kitchen cart from Ikea. Photo below. Yup, it's aqua. Yup, it's actually going to be in his room and has an actual purpose.  And yup, I'm stoked it has wheels.

-- Of course we're re-using some of HD's old stuff (crib, rocking chair, etc).  That's just non-negotiable, old fashioned, good sense.

-- So I'm obviously unenthusiastic about themed stuffs in a baby's room. This naturally made finding baby bedding a joyful and completely simple task.  Apparently anything that's not themed for little boys is either red, pastel and/or navy blue, or white. Or some combination thereof. Thank God for buying a la carte pieces and putting together our own crib "set". Going with varying patterns in grey and aqua, below is a photo glimpse at what we've got.

-- I totally purchased a bitchin' black & white baby quilt with mustaches all over it.

-- Yes, we will throw a little pirate homage into the decor. Because obviously.

Oh the Tides, They Are A-Changin' (or, "Election Day")

Am I weary of TV campaign and proposition ads?  Yes.  Am I tired of having to read everyone's political opinion and not-so-friendly discourse on Facebook?  Yes.  Do I think my vote matters?  Of course (hell, I handled my research and ballot 2 weeks ago in a fit of excitement).  Do I believe that any one proposition, candidate, or political party can provide all the answers?  Bitch, please.  I'm not that naive.

For the past 3 years, I stopped voting for myself.  I stopped thinking about what was best for my current life situation, or solely based on my own ideals.  I do more research on each candidate and ballot measure than I did for the first 9 years I was able to vote.  For the past 3 years on into the rest of my life, I vote for my children.  I vote for my daughter's right to handle her own body. I vote for my kids' civil liberties, and those of their future friends and peers.  I vote for their public education and their environment and over economic and foreign issues they will inherit long after you or I see any true progress on them.

I feel my son twitching and cartwheeling around in my gut, and I pray that I do my part to give him the best possible world to live in.  I pray that all of these kids will one day be proud of what their parents and teachers and elders have done before them.  We may have been here first, but they are going to be the ones taking care of us someday.  Don't screw it up for them.

Cabin Fever (or, "Daylight Savings Is the Death of Me")

http://instagr.am/p/Rm_Fvzsz13/

I just typed out a full 4 paragraph post on my phone, and managed to lose it before posting.

I dislike my stupid out of date phone, I heartily loathe the Blogger app, and as the you can tell from my post title, I care very little for Daylight Savings.  and on the tech-hating side is posting pics as well, hence the Instagram link (my handle is dreadpiratemama; feel free to follow).  Long story now condensed a whole hell of a lot:

-- kids ages 0-7 are dictators who don't understand sleeping in, and don't roll with schedule changes very well

-- if you love "falling back" and this whole (now mythical to me) extra hour of sleep, you may want to consider never having children

-- HD made things way harder than normal by having her first real nightmare last night...inconsolable sobbing-turning-hiccuping kind of deal where she (very weird for her) insisted on getting in Mama & Daddy's bed

-- (aside from the 1st 2 months of HD's life) Hubs & I decided long ago that co-sleeping was not the best idea for for our family...last night just drove that notion home.  being 30 weeks pregnant shoved onto 1/4 of a queen bed with a furnace-level body of a 2 year old wedged against you will do that

-- daylight savings especially sucks when you're up so early that the beautiful early morning solace of Starbucks hasn't even opened yet

-- always press "save" when you type anything on a phone that likes to turn off at random

-- passing thanks to my own parents who let me bunk up with them when I had a nightmare -- I now fully feel your pain, and totally understand why you eventually pointed me to my brother's room instead

Twilight Time (or, "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling")

On a typical weekday, we try really hard to eat sitting down as a family.  Since HD is a monstrous talker, it's getting pretty cool to engage her in conversation while we eat. Especially now that conversations are all about how much she loves singing Frankenstein decorations.  But I digress. We usually get supper in (thanks to ingeniously short recipes and/or pre-cooking on the weekend) around 6pm.

Then, it's our fun little 30-45 minutes of family playtime.  Running around in our study, catapulting from the ottoman to the couch. Gazing at the illustrations from Big House in the Little Woods (can't wait to read that one with HD in a few years) and reenacting the scene where Pa pretends to be a mad dog to scare his daughters. Playing with her vintage Fisher Price Little People house, just like the one I remember from my childhood. Lots of giggles, lots of attention, lots of singing. It's a great way to bond as a family and get everyone's wiggles out before bath and bed time.

And while HD's shrieks of glee don't really jive with an old Platters song, Twilight Time is my favorite part of the day.

The Kracken (or, "The Creature from Hell that We'll Refer to as Last Week")

You know those weeks when every little stupid stress in your life compounds into the perfect maelstrom?  When the normal (and normally manageable) little roadblocks pile up to the point that you're suddenly slamming into a wall rather than climbing over the rough patch?  To the point where ever your metaphors for those weeks are overly worked because your brain's been on hyperdrive for way too long?

Yup, we just came off one of them weeks.

Like I (tried to) say, if you take the following items individually, you can handle what life throws at you.  But throw them all into the same 5 day stretch, and you've got a Type A gal like myself cowering in a corner each night with a loaded bowl of ice cream as her only source of solace.  Exhibit A?  HD came down with a fever last Monday night.  Keep in mind that she's never had anything more than a cold, so her dumbass parents take a good 15 minutes to figure out the baby thermometers we had on hand.  Oh, and STILL didn't use them correctly until my lovely mother-in-law (a former nurse) showed us how 2 days later.  No other major symptoms, just massive fever spike every 4-6 hours.  HD's out from daycare the rest of the week, leaving us scrambling for care (in-laws for the win, holla!!!) and poor Hubs trying keep me from her in case she was contagious, since fevers + pregnancy are a huge no-no.  Hubs was the true hero of the week, shouldering a major burden of doc appointments, easing night sweats, and carrying around our very fussy little girl.

Oh yeah, so couple all that with the fact that Oct-Nov is the absolute worst time of year for me at work. Y'all know about benefits open enrollment season at your employer?  The period of several weeks where you can make any changes to your health benefits through your company?  Well, I'm solely responsible for making that magic happen for about 600 employees each year.  In addition to trying to plan for my upcoming maternity leave.  Being the sole benefits rep on the whole HR team, I've been trying to train some co-workers in how to keep up compliant with all federal and state benefits and leave of absence laws for the 3 months I'll be gone (starting from a level 0 knowledge base).  It's a picnic, let me tell you, especially when you already feel like the worst parent ever for not being able to help take care of your kid.

And in the midst of all this, we thought it would be super fun to try to paint the new baby's room.  Ha.  Ha ha ha.

Several doctor visits and 4 days later, we have a categorized urinary tract infection on our hands.  The good news?  Well, she wasn't contagious and we didn't have to worry about baby 2 in ute getting sick too.  Bad news?  Hubs and I felt horrendous -- frigging parents of the century for dealing with something that should be preventable.  The doc mercifully wouldn't let us beat ourselves up about it.  HD was one of the wackadoo cases that exhibit no symptoms other than fever.  Anyway, we were finally able to get her some antibiotics last weekend, and she's been her old self ever since.

Lessons learned?

• Hubs is the best partner ever (I already knew this, but it was further proof), a true champ.
• UTIs are not just for folks having lots of sex in their 20s.
• It is scary when your kid gets sick and you don't know what's up, even if you know she's going to be fine.  In 2.5 years, we've never experienced more than a cold with HD.  
• Holy crap, 2 kids sick at the same time is going to make me want to hide under the covers.  
• We're not bad parents, even when it feels that way.  We didn't idle, waiting around for HD to magically get better without seeing the doc.  But we also didn't needlessly freak out and jump to OMGhospitalnow type conclusions.  We comforted her as best we could, and it worked.  And didn't utterly ruin her tiny lady bits in the process.

Impending Second Mate (or," Thoughts on a Second Pregnancy")

Dear Readers,

My apologies for the extreme lack of summer postings.  Important things such as vacations and Breaking Bad viewing really got in the way of nighttime writing.  That, and the whole exhaustion of my first trimester of my second pregnancy.  That's right -- we're expecting a son around mid-January and HD already calls him George Harrison (no, we're not going to actually name him that).  Which means my belly?  May contain a genius Hindu rhythm guitarist.  Anyway, that about catches you up to speed!  Here are some of the thoughts that have been running around in my head about this for the past few months.

• I suppose it's because I know what to expect this time around, but I feel way more pregnant at a way earlier point this time around.  When I was only 18 weeks in (that's 4.5 months for those in a non-preggo mindset) and I was already all, "Ugh, my hips...bleh, I can't sleep...wah wah wah."  Extra whiny, which you know Hubs loves.

• Everything folks say about how you are way less uptight with a second child?  Well, it's true and it starts very early on.  I'm so much more laid back with this pregnancy.  Lifting a 27 pound child without a second thought, chowing on smoked salmon and bleu cheese dressing despite dire warnings from every pregnancy website, etc.  Sort of relieved to not be so stressed about doing everything perfectly by the book this time around.

• Not only did I apparently stain all my previous tops/dresses and not realize it til now, but I'm completely over maternity clothes very early on.  Too expensive, and/or too freaking dowdy.  I look and feel much better in regular clothes.  I'm just buying a size or two up and working it (note -- this only works with tops and dresses).  Only cheap brands or sale clothing need apply, the looser and longer the cut, the better.  I have the feeling I'll appreciate this decision more post pregnancy when I'm attempting to work off the leftover chunkiness.

• Weirdly gravitated towards purple all summer with random stuff we needed to buy.  Lilac and plum new bedding for HD's new big girl bedroom.  Bought a new bathing suit for myself in "brilliant purple."  Violet tennis dress for HD.  Grape colored tennis shoes are now in her closet.  According to my mother (a former psych nurse), schizophrenics are drawn to purple.  Not sure what that indicates about this little baby of mine, but I prefer thinking that George Harrison just thinks lots of royal thoughts.

• Are we doing a maternity photo shoot this time around?  I counter that question with another -- are you crazy?  I fall in the camp of preggos who don't love having their photo taken.  It doesn't matter how I actually look to the outside world, I feel the size of a mack truck.  Pear-shaped body, cellulite, and bags under my eyes were already my biggest body insecurities, but they're magnetized 18-fold by pregnancy.  I don't care to commemorate them for all time, even if peasant dresses and flower crowns would make me feel prettier.  Also?  This be the reason that no photos accompany this blog post.

• Babymoons?  A stupid word to be sure, but an absolute necessity.  It is so very important to spend a tiny weekend away with your spouse and just enjoy your coupledom before a baby comes. Hubs and I always regretted that we didn't do it when we were expecting HD.  We were smack-dab in the middle of buying a house (closed on the house and moved in my 6th month of pregnancy), so we talked ourselves out of it due to money.  The thing is?  Babymoons don't have to be expensive at all.  Hubs and I just spent a single night in a hotel within 3 hours from our home.  But you could do a day trip together, hit a local spa, go on a hike with a picnic. What matters is that you take the time to get away from your daily routine and go somewhere so you can interact with each other.  Hubs and I talk all the time, but it was really nice to have an evening of conversation that didn't consist of topics such as daycare payments, is HD wearing sunscreen, what's on the grocery list, blahblahblah.  Biggest lesson parents soon forget?  What's good for your marriage is ultimately VERY good for your kids.

• Finally, this was my reaction when I realized that I would be home on maternity leave in front of a TV during the entirety of March Madness.

I'll check in sooner next time with actual goings on, landlubbers.

We Set Sail on the Annum of Tempests (or, "Two Years Old")

Dearest, most dahlin HD--

You are by far the funniest, weirdest, most intelligent and independent kid I could have ever imagined.  You talk and sing non-stop, pulling out large sentences that we didn't think possible for a kid your age (e.g. "Please, Mama, can you play the Ob-la-di song?" or "Harper wants to sit on the couch and drink milk and watch Yo Gabba Gabba").  There is a strong desire in you to do many grown-up things, but then in true toddler fashion you will pull a 3-second reversal and decide to fear your own power.  Case in point?  You lovelovelove to mop (or, "mob" as you call it), but you want to be held if we bust out the dustbuster.

Daddy & Mama are taking full advantage of this as long as we can.

You are currently obsessed with the Beatles.  You have dictated that your new name is Harper-Ringo (you've always dug the drums).  Then there's Daddy-Paul, and Mama-John.  Aunt Jillean just got you the Yellow Submarine book for your birthday, and you you tote it around everywhere.  Song requests for Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and I've Just Seen a Face are very prominent in car rides with you.  Where do you come from???

You love to read books, visit the zoo, and talk about The Lion King, despite the fact that you're only patient enough to sit through no more than 40 minute spurts of the movie.  Legos are your jam right now, which makes your engineer daddy proud beyond belief.  You've mastered "please" and "thank you," which makes your Southern mama proud beyond belief.

We also suspect that your drama queen antics may be your actual nature, and not just natural toddler manic behavior.  I guess only time will tell there.

You turned two this month, and we had a little family party at Golden Gate Park with just the family.  Much more your style to celebrate with a smaller group to ensure that you are constantly the center of attention.  You received a crown and wand and we dubbed you queen for the day.

Mama's not much for decorations or crafty gift wrapping/birthday crown making...but you better believe I will always cook my heart out for you!  We had muffalettas, caprese sandwiches, homemade salsa, French potato salad, and yellow and chocolate cupcakes.  You especially loved the cupcakes and we were stoked that you knew what to do with the candles this year.  You even figured out how to tear open some gifts.

Hands free cupcake eating!  Dainty pirates don't muss their hands unless plundering is required.

After that, we had a blast just running around the playground and riding the carousel.  Aunts and uncles and grandparents all looked on.  

My favorite part was when you first woke up.  Elizabeth, the fairy who lives behind the red door in your room, had left you a wonderful birthday surprise.  You had bunch of balloons hanging out on your bedroom floor, all ready for you to jump and roll in.  They were your absolute favorite part of the day.  Once we got back from your picnic and park party, you insisted on playing in them the rest of the afternoon.  They had floated on over to the guest room at that point, but who cares where they were?  BALLOONS!!!

Dahlin girl, I hope that you maintain your sense of magic, wonder, and enthusiasm as you get older.  I hope that you always work so hard to demand the things in life that you think you deserve (although, with less tears, snot, and squeals).  You have an infectious giggle and are able to make everyone around you (even strangers) smile and act goofy.  As challenging as you are, you are also the major joy in your parents' lives.  It's ok to give us a tablespoon of exasperation, since you help wash it down with so many cuddles and songs and high fives.  Love you, butterbean.