Month: October 2009

Penguins!

You know that my child is obsessed with penguins, right?? I mean, OBSESSED. “Happy Feet” is her favorite movie. She drags her sad, threadbare “Kenga” around, no matter that it has remnants of avocado on it. There is a candy store near Damen and Belmont that has a huge, human-sized penguin in front of it, to which she screams at every time we drive by, which is a lot.

Did I tell you about our new rule for Christmas? Apparently, Vann mentioned this to me last year but I just don’t remember…but a mom I know told me that they give their kids 3 gifts a piece, just like baby Jesus was given by the Magi. I heard this and thought it was SO cool, and actually selfishly, really good for me, as we all know I struggle with limits when it comes to gift-giving.

So, from here on out, Charlie (and Baby B) will receive 3 gifts from us, not including her “Santa”, of course. We always had Santa and stockings when I was growing up (who am I kidding, we still do, and I’m 31!) so that is a very important tradition to me. I introduced stockings to Vann the first Christmas we were married, and I think he would admit he feels great pressure trying to come up with creative ideas (especially under a $100 budget)…but I LOVE it! It’s so much fun picking out little things and seeing his face when he opens it on Christmas.

At any rate, yes, we’d like to buy a kitchen for Charlie but that will have to wait…we’ll pool money and put it aside and buy it when we have a house to put it in. We still need a “Santa”, however, especially since this is the first year she’ll wake up in her own bed. I ran across this plush penguin on Amazon.com. It came yesterday, and I think it might be too difficult to wrap, so…can you just see her face when she sees this??

My Big Girl

I really have to brag on Charlie today. After last week’s ballet class, the teacher Ms. Leslie, announced that all of the mommies would need to sit in the waiting room the following week so the girls wouldn’t be distracted. I thought that this would be a tremendous failure. Charlie has been so clingy in class that I assumed there was no way she would ever participate in class if I wasn’t sitting in there.

Boy, was I wrong! This morning I set her down next to her friend Emilyn and did a disappearing act…and found that as long as she couldn’t make eye contact with me through the glass (I ended up sitting near the wall and Ms. Kim was my look-out) she was great! She actually participated (as much as any 2 year old would) and had a smile on her face the whole time. It was amazing!! I was a little concerned about what would happen if Charlie couldn’t keep her hands to herself (a.k.a. if she smacked some other little girl) but then thought about preschool, etc. and figured that if someone chooses to teach 2 year olds they must be prepared to deal with discipline, acting out, etc., right? I mean, at some point, I have to trust that those “teaching” her know what they’re doing, don’t I?Ms. Leslie handed out dum-dum’s wrapped in paper towels (made to look like ghosts) at the end of class, and you should have seen the look on her face when she emerged with all the other girlies. So proud of herself, she broke into a huge smile, yelled “Mommy, ballet!” and ran over to me, sucker in hand. What a big girl!! Guess you just need to get out of the way and “give them room”, as my friend Kathryn so wisely said.

Allie

This cat is my nemesis.

No, seriously. She is. Of course, I love her, and she’s part of our family, but some days I just want to ship her off to the nearest pound. Vann loves her. They are quite the pair…and she really only has love for him. They like to bond together by nestling in on the couch. It’s really heartwarming.

What is not heartwarming, is what a pill she is. I have to shut her out of the office during Charlie’s naptime because she will either A. knock things off the desk, B. walk back and forth on the desk, swishing her tail in your mouth (and lipgloss, on days that I actually make an effort), or c. gnaw on the mess of computer cords under the desk. She can’t just be low-key like Siena and lay in my lap, or perch somewhere hoping for a scratch on the ear.

Here’s the other thing: she’s the scratcher around here. For some reason, Siena limits hers to the magazine rack and an old clothes hamper in our bedroom. Allie loves our new chair. So much so, that I have shrouded it in afghans TRYING to get her to just. leave. it. alone. The common scenario: She crouches in the corner of the room, pointing her beady little eyes at me. She saunters by the chair, and just when I think she might just pass it by, she pounces on it, digging her claws deep inside the microsuede and freezes, all the while knowing I’m up on my feet and throwing the nearest pillow/stuffed animal/shoe at her.

This picture is of Allie laying in the laundry basket that was full of CLEAN clothes yesterday. You might wonder WHY our pantry is a catch-all for everything and I can’t leave anything out in the open…well, she and Charlie, they are a team, and they seek to drive me bananas.

Now, Siena…there’s nothing you can say that’s negative about that little peanut. God really broke the mold when they made her. She’s practically perfect in every way.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

For Today, October 13th…

Outside my window…Brrr! 39 degrees! It’s definitely fall, y’all!!

I am thinking…that I feel anxiety about having two kids. How in the world am I going to do this?

I am thankful for…long weekends.

From the kitchen…hmmm. Am not feeling super-motivated this week. I AM excited because we’ve decided to cater our Thanksgiving meal to make it easier on everybody. Did some research yesterday, and Whole Foods actually has a pretty good price for a meal for 8 people, fixin’s and all. And you know it will be delish! Mimi is still going to make her famous sweet potatoes, with my fave, marshmallow topping!!

I am wearing…my pj’s, which is also what I wore all day yesterday!

I am creating…sadly, just a to-do list.

I am going…to a great pumpkin patch on Friday with my mom’s group! Yay, can’t wait!

I am reading…still nada.

I am hoping for…a wonderful Christmas.

Around the house…it’s looking better. I cleaned out our pantry yesterday, which you know is our “catch-all” for everything. At least now you can walk inside it. Maybe Mimi can work her magic while she’s here…

A few plans for the rest of the week: Ballet, pumpkin patch, and then a full day on Saturday: breastfeeding class, shopping, and dinner at the Petkus’ house!

Here is a picture I am sharing…Charlie as a pumpkin 2 years ago! Thank goodness for Great Aunt Issy…this outfit she sent was a lifesaver, it was the only thing that would fit our baby girl at the time!!

If you want to know more about the Simple Woman’s Daybook…

Welcome, Wintery Weather

The temp in Chicago has officially dropped. We’ve been winterizing and pictured below is Charlie’s “new” parka (courtesy of last year’s St. Alphonsus sale) and hat (courtesy of Target). When we got home from HomeGoods yesterday (after a last minute Christmas decoration shopping trip–don’t judge) Charlie literally wore herself out running up and down the hallway. It was HILARIOUS. Where does the girl get all that energy??

Slice of Heaven

Well, Christmas came early to the Bischoff house yesterday when Vann and his buddy Stephen brought home our new rocker/glider. It is scrumptious…and as you can see, someone has already claimed it. We were laughing so hard last night…neither one of us wanted to “disturb” Allie so Vann laid on the couch and I sat in the green chair on the other side of the room. Since when do these girls take such precedence??

I am having a difficult time today keeping Allie especially from using it as a scratching post. I know, it makes me cringe, too. Neither one of our girls is de-clawed…and at this point I’m not sure that was the best decision. We can only hope it’s the newness of it and they will move on to something else. Until then, I will most likely be purchasing some furniture tape to deter them.

First Things First…

ALERT: If you are a man, I would recommend you skip this posting, unless you particularly enjoy hearing about the joys of breastfeeding…

So yesterday morning, Ms. Alisha, Ms. Liz, Ms. Megan and I got up very early to hit the infamous St. Alphonsus “Garage Sale” consignment sale for baby and kids stuff. This is our third year, and we always make an event out of it. I picked Alisha up at 6:30 and after a stop at Dunkin’ Donuts we got to the church to be the first few in line (yay!)…the past two years I have scored some great deals, one of which was a full-on parka and snow bib (barely used) for $5. Not sure what I would be looking for this time (considering we are pretty maxed out on clothes for the moment…NOT saying forever!) I figured my strategy should be to walk the wall of toys and gear first, before the place got swarmed.

Here’s the crazy thing: the first thing that caught my eye was a Medela Advanced Breast Pump, barely used, still in the box. The tape was still on the bag’s zipper. I admit, I stood there for awhile, trying to determine if this was a wise purchase…but then I saw the price tag and knew it didn’t matter, this thing was coming home with me.

$5. $5 for a $300 retail value model. I couldn’t believe it!

Here’s the backstory: I had a terrible time breastfeeding with Charlie. So much so, that I gave up after a week or so. No one in my family had bf’d, and at the time I only had a couple friends who had or were, and aside from one class, I didn’t really prepare or learn much about it. I guess I thought it would be much easier than it was. I had a lot of pain and Charlie wasn’t latching and I didn’t want to spend the money on an at-home lactation consultant visit if we weren’t sure it was going to “take”. I did buy a pump, and maybe used it 3 or 4 times. My experience was so bad that I was miserable and crying all the time. After much deliberating, we decided I would be a better mom if I just allowed myself to let it go and move on to formula. Which is what we did.

Now, let me just say that I hear all the time that bf’d babies NEVER get sick or have ear infections…this drives me nuts because Charlie has never had an ear infection and has only been “sick” one time since she was born. She is a happy, healthy child and no worse for the wear because she was formula-fed. It was the best decision for us at the time.

I am not going to sit here and say that “breast isn’t best” because obviously the facts are there to support that it IS…HOWEVER, what I don’t like is how bullied women are when they choose not to bf or have struggles with it. It is not easy for everyone and sometimes isn’t the best for you and your baby.

All of this to say, this is one of those things in my life that I want to say I accomplished. I want to experience that “sweet spot” of nursing, the part where you get past the issues and the pain and get to have that intimacy with your baby. For THIS reason, I am giving it another go…and I am resolved and determined to make it work this time. I have been doing some research, and will be going to a refresher class next weekend. I’ve also ordered some books (reco’s from friends) and will have a stockpile of products to combat some of the issues I might experience.

I am hoping and praying for no pain. I know that this isn’t a given, and for every bad story you hear there are just as many good stories. I guess I bring this up on the blog to ask you all to bathe this is prayer and ask God for the support and care I will need to get through the (potentially) difficult first few weeks. Friends say that somewhere around week 3 things get so much easier. I have no expectation for the length of time I will nurse, I just want to experience it as it’s meant to be.

So, I guess I did kind of take it as a sign that I found a breast pump for $5 yesterday. I did ditch the tubing and bottles (Prentice will provide me with those) and all I have to do is give the pump a good cleaning and it should be good to go. It is totally safe to use!!

I told Vann that a friend of mine had one big piece of advice for me: when I come home from the hospital, I am to rest and feed the baby. That’s it. Let my spouse and help (in this case my Mom, who’s coming for 2 weeks after the birth of the baby) take care of Charlie and her needs and I just need to settle into some comfy pj’s and nurse, nurse, nurse. I do admit that the idea of shouldering feedings on my own is harrowing, but I know they will both be there to change diapers and put her back to sleep when I’m done feeding her. It will hopefully be a well-oiled machine around here by Christmas.

Dear friends, I would appreciate all the encouragement and prayers you can send my way!! God is good and I know He will be there in the thick of it…

Best Laid Plans

WHAT a morning. Originally, we planned to go to an apple orchard in Indiana with some of my former small group friends, but the promise of rain and the distance became a concern. Ms. Liz had a fantastic idea…let’s take the kids to this great new coffee shop we’d been hearing so much about, Family Grounds. The premise of the place is fantastic for moms…an indoor playplace for the kiddos (with caregivers on hand) and the ability to sit at a neighboring table and enjoy coffee and conversation with your girlfriends.

I knew that our morning was getting off to a shaky start when I had to text Ms. Liz and Ms. Megan and let them know I was running late. Then, I circled for about 15 minutes looking for parking, and when I found a parking space, schlepped Charlie through the rain about 3 or 4 blocks to the cafe. When I finally got in the front door, the place was swarming with moms and kids. I noticed that a waitress-type person had a pad of paper in hand and was writing down someone’s name…and then heard her say “it’s going to be 45 minutes”. Uh oh. This didn’t look good. I saw Megan and Liz through the glass and waved at Liz as I was waiting in line.

I’m afraid I wasn’t very kind to the employee. Not my finest moment. She told me that it would be a 45 minute wait due to fire code restrictions and I felt like I had been socked in the stomach. Seriously. Charlie could see all the fun stuff through the glass, including a very cool giant playhouse, but wasn’t able to go in and play, and by the time I gave the employee an earful, I was so angry and upset that I hurriedly told Liz we were leaving and trudged back to the car.

You may think that this isn’t that big of a deal, but to a mom who finally got her child dressed and out the door on a rainy day, it was huge. I felt like I didn’t have the appropriate “papers” or handstamp to get into the “cool club”!!

Now, I come to find out that the cafe has been featured in some newspapers recently and we think that’s why it was so swarmed today, that and the weather of course. I do feel badly about the way I spoke to the girl who told me about the wait, but I really think they need to figure out a better system so that moms don’t get separated by the party they are meeting. I mean, how annoyed would I have been if I had been the mom who had paid and was waiting for my friend, only to be told she was sent away and I was stuck there by myself? Luckily, Liz and Megan had each other, but I missed out on the conversation and girl time because the cafe experienced an influx of people.

Luckily, as I was pulling into the garage at home, Ms. Kim called me wondering what we were up to and I simultaneously hit the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through and drove her way as I choked back sobs and explained to her what had happened. We spent the morning there and let the girls play until naptime.

I’m sure I will give Family Grounds another chance, but they really do need to investigate some type of online reservation system. Part of what saves young moms are the connections you make, ESPECIALLY in the city. It is sometimes a huge effort to get you and your child out the door and into LIFE. I know that it is run by Christians and that their mission is true, but they definitely need to iron out some kinks (which I’m sure are things you don’t learn until you are in the thick of things)…

If you do decide to head to Family Grounds, my recommendation would be to get there when they open. Liz later told me that at 9:30 there was hardly anyone there…so it pays to be on time or even early. Ah well…best laid plans, right?? Off to drown my sorrows in a cup of red chai pumpkin spice tea…