Friday, August 31, 2007

Too Tired to Even Think of a Title for This Post

Last night I revised (a.k.a. reduced) the number of kids I want to have. Just kidding! But it was a tough night. The toughest since becoming a parent. And it's just a little too soon and I'm just a little too sleep-deprived to start laughing at the situation just yet but here's the blow-by-blow with my best attempt at clever commentary. And while reading this I just want to remind you that I have the best husband in the whole world.

At 3:00 yesterday afternoon William woke up from his nap a little extra angry and extremely hot. I knew he had a fever because I had just been doing a bunch of house cleaning so I, myself, was hot and when I kissed his forehead it was burning up. I took his temp twice just to be sure. It was 101. I figured he was getting more teeth so I gave him some Tylenol and called it a day.

At dinner time William continued to be in an extra cranky mood but it was coupled by something that is very unusual for him. He wouldn't eat his dinner. I tried all his favorites but he only wanted to complain and rub his eyes.

So we moved on to bath time and bedtime. Bath time was uneventful. After his bath we took his temp again. This time: 103. I wrote it off as, "he just got out of the bath" and gave him another dose of Tylenol. Bedtime, like dinner, was extremely unusual. Our typical routine after bath is that I nurse him for a couple of minutes and then put him to bed awake but sleepy. William is very easy to put to bed. If he's tired, he won't complain one iota. But last night it was like he had narcolepsy. I tried to nurse him but he fell sound asleep in my arms in one minute flat. William hasn't fallen asleep in my arms since he was five-months-old. I figured it was because of the teeth and Brian and I were in for an evening all to ourselves. [Insert evil laugh here.]

Eleven thirty was when we first heard the wails coming from his bedroom. And from then on I don't really remember all the specific details of the night. I just know that William did not sleep from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. save for a 20-minute gift from heaven at 3:00 a.m. And it wasn't like he was just awake. He was awake and crying. Hard. They kind of sobs where his whole body convulsed. The kind of sobs that made me sob because nothing I did would help make it better.

Normally in these circumstances Brian and I would tag team. You go downstairs with him for an hour while I sleep and vice versa. Today is Friday so it would be easy for Brian to take a sick day or come in a little later. Well, any Friday except this Friday. Today is end of the sales quarter for him and he's got a big deal coming in. Out of the question to stay home. But Brian, being the best husband in the world as I mentioned above and sensing my overwhelming frustration, tag teamed anyway. Even more so than me.

Our one saving grace was Baby Einstein. Supposedly they just came out with this study that said these videos are a determent to babies who watch them. After so much exposure babies can have delayed speech and so on and so forth. William has seen his video maybe two other times before last night. See, these videos have this option on the menu. Repeat Play. And because William hardly ever watches the video it's all new to him. So we strapped him into his too-small-for-him bouncy seat and let the show begin. This bought us about 2-3 hours of sleep. I highly recommend this video to any new parents under the categories, "Last Resort" and "Desperate Attempts."

Now about this time many of you may be asking, "Why didn't you try [fill-in-the-blank]?" Trust me, we tried E V E R Y T H I N G. A bottle. Some food. Tylenol. The boob (different from the boob tube). Letting him cry in his crib. The too-small-for-him swing. Tylenol. The rocking chair. Liquor on his gums. Tylenol. Nothing would cease the aforementioned described state of crying.

Finally after my 2-3 hours of sleep I turned off Einstein and got up with him at 5:30. I made him some cereal but he still was not hungry. So, very simply, I swaddled him up, took him upstairs, turned on his Baby Einstein CD (they've thought of everything, this Baby Einstein) and rocked him. I opened the shades a bit so he could look outside in hopes that he would calm down and overcome his overtiredness so that he could sleep. And after about a half hour he did. I laid him in his crib and he slept until 9:30. At that time, thankfully, he ate something and then calmly went back to sleep which is what he is still doing.

It was a trying time as a parent but we got through it. And that's all I have to keep remembering. Because that's all you can do, is get through it. There's going to more kids and there's going to be more nights like this. Maybe worse. (Possible? Not sure.) But all we can do is pray and get through it.

With that, Mama Nash is going to take a Labor Day hiatus from her blog. We'll see you all on Tuesday.

UPDATE: If you are just reading this post for the first time or if you're coming back there has been an update to this story. William's fever did not go away this afternoon and with it being a holiday weekend I thought it would be a good idea to take him into the clinic to get checked out. Diagnosis: Severe ear infection. No wonder! He has his first dose of antibiotics in him and some Motrin (better than Tylenol so says Doc). He should be shiny and new by noon tomorrow. The downside: Looks like William has not only inherited all of his father's physical features but also his ear canal. Great.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

You Heard it Here First

I've gotten three request in the past week for the recipe to my Monster Cookies. So here it is for all to see. Just don't leave out the brown sugar like I accidentally did the other day. Whoops!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups M&Ms
1 cup walnuts

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a very large bowl, beat the eggs.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients in order, mixing well.
  4. Spoon drops of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.
  5. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Thinking Ahead

Question: What does it mean when your Christmas list is longer than your grocery list and it's only the end of August?

Monday, August 27, 2007

Summer Reflections, Autumn Anticipations

On this, the last unofficial week of summer, I wonder what it's like for those who live in other regions that don't experience the shift in climate. The subtle signals like feeling a cooler breeze from our bedroom window, the honking of a flock of geese overhead and the darkness of night engulfing us so much earlier. During this time of year, what is it in us Midwesterners that makes us yearn for long sleeve t-shirts with jeans and tennis shoes? Probably the same thing that makes us impatient for tank tops and bare feet in April.

Yes, in this neck of the woods we've come to appreciate our summers because we only get three months of it -- well, that's if we're lucky. (And this year we were!) And while it's sad to say goodbye to our swim suits and flip flops, there's also something exciting and nostalgic about the promises of a new school year, the fall colors, apple cider, football games and Halloween costumes.

So here's my list of my top Autumn anticipations:

  1. College Football Saturdays
  2. Aamodt's
  3. Turning off the air conditioner
  4. Hooded sweatshirts
  5. New TV shows
  6. Our new TiVo!
  7. No pregnant belly this year
  8. Enjoying Oktoberfest beer (see #7)
  9. A Halloween costume for William
  10. Our trip to Madison in November
  11. ECFE classes
  12. William turns 1!
  13. Pot roasts and potatoes
  14. Daylight Saving Time comes later this year (November 4)
  15. Jackie completes her 10-mile race
  16. Pumpkins and mums
  17. Indian summer days and nights
  18. Apple cider, Applesauce and Apple crisp (see #2)
  19. Cleaning out the closets
  20. Bottles of red wine
  21. The return of Girls Night Out (GNOs)

Got more? Share them in the comments section!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Maybe in 18 More Years

Dear Mama,

I have decided that I am going to go back to college with Uncle Joey. He is a lot of fun. He always tips me upside down and he chases the ducks with me and I get to watch them run and fly away really fast. He said that we even get to shoot them someday! Deer too! I will miss you a lot but you never let me sit in the front seat of the car where I can see out the window and push all the buttons and play with the emergency break. Uncle Joey lets me do all of this. Tell dada I will miss him too but golf is boring and Uncle Joey plays hockey and that sounds like it would be fun to go skating on the ice. I will have Uncle Joey send you text messages with pictures of me up at NDSU. See you soon!

love,

William

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

51 Big Ones


Four Things (of many!) I Learned From My Mom About Being a Mother

My mom inspired me to start having children while I was still young, relatively speaking of course. My mom gave birth to me, her first child, when she was 24. I never appreciated having a young mother until I was in my late teens and early 20s and realized that not many daughters go shopping with their moms at The Gap.

She taught me that you can always afford to stay at home with your children if that’s truly what you want to do. My parents made a lot of financial sacrifices early on so that my mom could stay at home with us. I will always be thankful that I was a child who got to smell homemade cookies when coming home from school at 3:00.

My mom taught me that no matter what the whole family must sit down together every night for dinner. The only time we ever really wavered from this was when we got into high school and had extracurricular activities conflicts. But these instances are very few and far between. Even though a lot of our dinner table discussions were cheesy (“Let’s go around the table and say…”) it must mean something that I am even able to remember this.

And finally, my mom taught me the importance of having time away from your children. We were the type of kids who were always ecstatic when we heard that a babysitter was coming. This may be in part because the people my mom chose to sit for us were always so much fun. But in a college psychology class I learned that children who feel completely secure in their relationship with their parents have an easier time being cared for by someone else. When my mom would return from her night or weekend out, we all felt a breath of fresh air.

Happy birthday, mom! I love you!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Drying Out

We had a wonderful weekend with not-so-wonderful weather. It rained and rained and rained and then rained some more. It was supposed to be our last big summer outing. We were going to go out on the lakes and go boating and jet skiing. But instead the closest we got to a sunburn was the carnival lights of the Douglas County Fair. That's right folks. We went to the county fair. Brian and I went with three of my high school friends to play bingo and we won four times. Brian won twice and one of those times we won together and had to split the cash prize. I wish I had a picture to show the true essence of the nothing-else-like-it feeling you get at a county fair but I don't. Those of you who have been to a county fair know what I mean. And just for the record, if you think because you've been to the State Fair it counts, it doesn't. There's not enough dirt and mud there. Not even close.

Today it still feels like the beginning of April and my allergies are killing me so I'm in a bit of a fog right now what with all the pills I'm popping. It's a great day to catch up on the laundry and start a good book. So I think I'll do just that.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Celebration of the Assumption of our Blessed Virgin Mary

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
(Luke 1:39-45)

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Nothing Beats Grandma's Tomatoes


St. Paul Bliss

A huge thanks to my mom for watching William overnight on Friday/Saturday while Brian and I enjoyed our first night away from the baby. We stayed at the historic St. Paul Hotel. It was great. We had pre-dinner cocktails at Kincaid's and then dined at Pazzaluna. I had the most amazing lobster ravioli and also stole a few bites of Brian's veal which was just as divine.

At the end of the dinner we were treated to a complimentary dish of delicious tiramisu. There was only one problem. After the dessert was gone we still had half a bottle of wine left. So, in a moment of rebellion, I watched as the waitress turned her back, gave Brian a quick nod and we hightailed it to the sidewalk and scurried across the street with the bottle under Brian's arm. We finished the wine in our hotel room watching the glistening lights of St. Paul's Rice Park below.

The next morning we treated ourselves to Caribou coffees and pastries from a Twin Cities favorite, Wuollet's Bakery.

Brian and I are so lucky to each have mothers who are not only willing to babysit but are actually begging to babysit. This allowed us to celebrate our anniversary twice this week!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Pretty Toes

A big thanks to Brian's mom for watching William twice yesterday. Once so that I could get a pedicure and a second time so that Brian and I could grab a burger and the new Bourne movie (5 out of 5 stars!) for our anniversary.


Mmmm...M&M


Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Espresso Anyone?

I'm just so excited about the anniversary gift Brian got me that I had to share. It's an Italian espresso maker! He also got me two espresso cups. You know those little cute ones that look like they should be coffee mugs in a dollhouse? Anyway I'm really excited about. There are SO many Giada recipes I need to catch up on now that I have this handy little item which, by the way, is just like the one Giada uses herself.

Three Years and Counting

Today marks Brian's and my third wedding anniversary. I was thinking about how vividly I remember the summer of 2004. How hectic it was with planning, making decisions on every last minute detail, talking to my mom at least every day, buying bridal party gifts, getting fitted for tuxes and dresses, making more wedding-related calls than client-related calls when I was at work and then finally ahhh...the sweet relief of walking down the aisle and knowing that he was finally my husband and I'd never have to go through that process again.

Everyone says that the first year of marriage is the hardest. While I definitely wouldn't describe our first year as difficult I can say that each year I have felt a lot more comfortable in my married shoes. I am in love with being married! My favorite times are when Brian gets home from work. He typically finishes feeding William for me and then throws him in the bath. After William goes to bed I love how we have no planned agenda yet it's always a perfect evening because I am spending it with my absolute best friend in the world. I love how he makes me laugh and I love how I can make him laugh. I love our inside jokes. I love our ability to tease each other and then pretend to be mad. I love crawling on the couch together and him knowing just the right position to fit me into his arms -- even when my belly was expanding!

When I was pregnant I didn't think I could love him more. In the morning or at night he would lay his head on my belly and talk to the baby and at those times I swear there was no one else in the world that was more lucky than me to have the husband I do.

But I was wrong. When William was born, that was when I truly realized how lucky I was to have the husband I did. When William was in the NICU for those 10 days following his birth anyone could easily see the love he had for a son he had only known for just a few days, a few hours even. But what people didn't see was how much more he loved me. It sounds selfish to say that you love anyone more than your own children. But that is something I will always remember from those marriage prep classes we took. Our teachers told us God calls us to love our spouse even more than our children. And if you think about it, it makes sense. Children make a marriage a family. But they aren't here forever. And after they leave there has to be something left in that empty nest. So I pray that God continues to bless us with lots of inside jokes, laughter and good conversation.

Finally, to you, my dear husband, here's to 20, 50, 100 more years of marriage happiness whatever life shall bring. I love you.

Pre-baby...

Here comes the baby...


Post baby...

Sunday, August 5, 2007

I ♥ Saturday Mornings

7:20 William awakes from his slumber.

7:23 Brian and I await to see who will get out of bed first to get the baby.

7:25 Brian gets up.

7:26 Brian changes a very full (and most likely very messy) diaper.

7:28 Brian brings William in bed with us.

7:29 Brian and I form human parentheses to prevent William from rolling off the bed. (He's done this twice in the last week off the couch.)

7:30 We pray through our tired and groggy heads that William is tired and groggy too and will want to fall back asleep.

7:32 William lays very still. (Yes! He's going to fall back asleep, I just know it!)

7:35 William steam rolls into me.

7:37 William finds my hair. And pulls. Hard.

7:38 I roll William back into the middle of the parentheses.

7:41 William lays very still. (See! I KNEW he was tired.)

7:45 William starts wildly doing double leg lifts.

7:46 I bring the covers back up and tuck them tight around his body; straight-jacket style.

7:48 William lays very still. (This is it, he's got to be really tired now after all that leg action.)

7:50 William somehow manages to get out of the straight jacket I've created.

7:52 William steam rolls into Brian.

7:54 William finds Brian's nose. And pulls. Hard.

7:55 Brian starts laughing. It's all over.

Saturday Mornings:

William, 21; Mom & Dad, 0

Friday, August 3, 2007

Our Dear Twin Cities

Over the past two days many friends and family have reached out to Brian and myself in the aftermath of the 35W bridge collapse. We are so fortunate to have people immediately think of us when they hear of a "Minneapolis tragedy." Brian and I and all our friends and family (as far as we know) are safe and sound.

In all honesty Brian and I hardly ever use that bridge anymore. But when I was pregnant Brian used to travel over that bridge twice a day; once after he dropped me off at my office and once when he would pick me up in the evening. (When I was pregnant I was a big baby and hardly ever rode the bus like I usually would have.) I asked Brian last night, "When you would drive over that bridge did it ever cross your mind that there was even the slightest possibility that it could fall?" And you know what he said? He said when he was driving over that bridge most of the time he didn't even realize he was on a bridge let alone a bridge over the Mississippi River.

It made me wonder how many people on that Wednesday evening were thinking the same thing as they plundged 60 feet into the river. People on their cell phones. People enjoying their favorite song. People listening to the rush hour radio shows. People with their windows open taking in the hot summer evening. People checking to make sure they had their tickets for the Twins game. People like you and me who drive over bridges every day just on our way home, on our way to work, on our way to a baseball game, on our way through life.

All the major media outlets have been in town to cover this story but they, no doubt, will be gone come Monday morning. Bigger stories to cover. Bigger cities to cover. Long after the rest of the country forgets, thousands of Twin Citians will round the bend on those gridlocked alternate routes. They'll be calling to say they'll be late. They'll be wishing they had left just 15 minutes earlier. And then, suddenly, those beautiful twinkling lights of the Minneapolis skyline will come into view. And we will remember why we live here, why we drive here and why we love our dear Twin Cities.
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