August 29th, 2010

Mom's Stuff:
Well, tomorrow I'm officially back to work. I'm incredibly lucky to be leaving L-P with the best daycare imaginable - his Dad-extraordinaire! I think my two dudes are going to have a great time together, and I already am looking forward to getting home to them every day. While I am totally going to miss my little guy during the day, I am also looking forward to going back to work. Since I started working a bit last week I have realized how much I really, truly missed the intellectual rigor of my job as a teacher. I loved the time I got to sit around and lesson plan last week, and I had a couple meetings with colleagues that were both enjoyable and useful. I keep saying that I have missed grown-ups while staying home with LP, but really that's not the whole story. I got to see a lot of friends (and even made some new ones) when I was a full-time mom but I'm realizing I need a bit more than that. My job as a teacher gives me lots of problems to solve, time to play with language and some purpose to life that I really value. Its not a comparison with the purpose my son gives to my life - the two are so different that you really can't compare or rate them. But my work is part of my life, just as my son is, and, though society might sometimes expect otherwise, I'm O.K. with that.

LP's Stuff:
This baby can really haul! LP is a crawling, standing, jail-breaking, sweet-potato eating machine!! He continues to enjoy pulling himself up to standing, as well as playing with his myriad of toys in his baby pen. Lately he has been pulling himself up in his crib, so when we go in there after naps or in the morning, he is standing up with his arms over the sides, looking expectantly at the door. Time for dad to lower the crib mattress as low as it can go!! LP has also now fully mastered the sippy-cup, which is a good thing because it is how he is going to get his mom milk three times a day now!! He is also fully into his solid food - so much so that he actually keeps his hands down and lets us feed him without getting in the way too much. He still ends up messy (and so do we sometimes) but at least its not a battle!

Food and Fitness:
We are all eating healthier now that dad is in charge. The G-man is an amazing cook - much better than me and also more detail-oriented. Last night he made a wonderful dinner of jerk-spiced portabello mushrooms and sauteed spinach and tomatoes. We have also been making homemade food for LP. By far his favorite is sweet potatoes, but he also likes apples and pears. About a year ago the G-man decided it was worth it for us to get a Vita-mix - the same kind of blender that they have in smoothie places. It was ridiculously expensive for a blender, but we use it everyday for smoothies, and we use it to make our own hummus, soups, and now baby food!! Two sweet potatoes costs $1.40, and we can very easily get the equivalent of 14 baby food jars (at 60 cents a piece) using our Vita-mix to puree it. So, LP will continue to get homemade organic baby food, often from the farmer's market, which should make him quite a happy vegan baby!

Pictures:
LP and mom at Wright's Pond after a little swim
LP - playing with is toys
I can feed myself (the Levey side rears its ugly head!)

August 20th 2010

Mom's Stuff:
I'll be the first to admit it - I'm a control freak. Most of the challenges in my life stem from my "need" to have control over things I have no actual command over. In high school I had a complete meltdown when I broke my hand and couldn't play basketball, although I had been able to fight through the pain of the broken hand just fine before I knew the full extent of my injury. At work I have broken up fights between teenage boys, (or worse, teenage girls), been cussed out and yelled at by co-workers, all of which I have dealt with rather well. But if my free-period gets taken away by a last-minute subbing emergency? Chaos!! Crisis!!! Needless to say, having a baby has been a lesson in how to chill out. LP doesn't really care what my plans were - if he needs something he needs it now. While we have a schedule that he generally follows (he is really a very awesome baby) I am often reminded that I'm not actually the one in charge. And now, just when I was getting used to the idea that this little, cute, innocent being was actually the person who decides when I wake up, when I sit and feed him, when I leave the house, I have to get used to the fact that I will no longer be in charge of the house the way I have been for the last six months. My husband (already the best dad ever!) is taking over baby duty starting next week, and he is going be LP's primary caregiver. He is so much more relaxed and logical about dealing with baby stuff, and he will also have our house, if not spotless, at least well-organized. We have also tried to divvy up housework in a way that makes sense, which means he will continue to be in charge of laundry (because I usually forget to check pockets) and will start to be in charge of dinners (which has usually been my job). We are incredibly happy to have the financial ability to be in this situation, but it is going to be a big adjustment for both of us. I'm lucky to now have two guys in my life that keep me sane and remind me that the curve-balls that disrupt my sense of order not only can be dealt with but can also be the best moments in life.

LP's Stuff:
In the almost four weeks since I last blogged (yikes!) LP has advanced leaps and bounds. During our west coast tour he quickly moved from scooting to crawling, to be followed by sitting up. Now, when you put something he wants away from him, he goes right for it, quick as lightning. At one friend's house we used a yoga mat as a baby treadmill and just lifted him and brought him back to the beginning when he reached the end of the mat. He just got faster and faster every time. Now, at home, we have set up a baby play area that is penned in. LP can just sit and entertain himself for quite a while with all his new toys (most of which were obtained from his Nana and Papa on the aforementioned trip). But then, every once in a while he realizes he is in a pen, and goes to the gate and pulls himself up to standing. He doesn't have the strength to knock down the gate . . . yet. After a week at home he got back to his usual schedule of napping 2-3 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon and he is finally back to sleeping through the night (from 7:30 - 5:30 - other parent friends, don't hate us!) He still loves being around people and he really enjoyed a trip to a local pond today where he got a chance to "swim" (i.e. float with mom!) Our other big accomplishment this week is getting LP to use a sippy cup since he just would not deal with a bottle. We figure that we now, at least, have a way for dad to feed him when I head back to work next week.

Food and Fitness:
Well, I've been somewhat lax about working out, even though I have no excuse with the G-man being home. I'm going to try and get more into next week now that LP is back to a more normal eating schedule. We have been pretty good about cooking, especially with our farmer's market fare. The G-man made some amazing pesto from our basil garden, and I tried a really yummy recipe for spicy italian tempeh and broccoli from Veganomicon. On the menu tonight is tempeh BLT's and salad for mom and dad and "homemade" (i.e. home-blended) sweet potatoes for LP.

Pictures:
Four generations! LP says "Mi italiano!"
LP and his Uncle
Picnic in the park
Baby playpen or baby jail?