Not enough hours in the day

My blogging has grown intermittent as of late, I know. About two months ago I started a new job and I am absolutely loving it. Great, right? The problem is that the quality and quantity of hours I'm putting in has increased dramatically leaving me a mushy brained woman at the end of the day and barely able to keep up with Cameron until her bedtime.

My morning routine starts at 6 AM. I usually sleep pretty well so I rarely need a full snooze to get my ass out of bed. While I'm showering, doing my hair (hot rollers if I shower the night before), putting on my suit and make up, DH gets up around 6:20 to get Cameron ready. We meet up in the kitchen around 6:35 and I start the car to get it warmed up while Cameron has a few muffins (she has been eating muffins for the past 4 months every single morning. OCD much?). Ideally we are in the car at 6:45 so I can drop Cameron off and get to my desk by 7:30. I am like a Swiss watch when it comes to the morning routine. I get stressed out when we are even 5 minutes late.

I work through lunch and have very little downtime for procrastinating which means I have to save things like online shopping, looking up stuff for personal reasons, etc., for the evening. Which basically means it doesn't get done which is why I haven't booked my tickets to Portland, ME for our 2 week summer vacation. Which is totally stressing me out because there are only two flight times and they don't work with a toddler sleep schedule.

I typically leave work around 4/4:30. I prefer 4 if I can do it because that gives me the option to get a run in before DH brings Cameron home from school. If I don't run then I have to pack my breakfast, lunch and snack for the next day. Preparing that much food takes time but keeps me on track with my weight. I also pick out my work outfit and hang it on the bathroom door. I have been doing that for years and it really saves time! Cameron is home by 5:30 and we usually play outside for 30-45 minutes before the rest of the evening activities occur.

Cameron's bedtime has been creeping towards 7:15 and I have a feeling that soon we will have a 7:30 bedtime for her. We still don't have family dinners so that means DH and I aren't eating until 8 or even 8:30 sometimes. But we haven't figured out how to prepare a family dinner and still get in quality playtime with Cameron before her bath/dinner/bedtime routine. Any advice from been there, done that parents?

Finally, my DVR is mocking me with the number of TV shows it has recorded for us to watch. We usually get one show in and then it's time for bed for this old lady...I like to be in bed by 9:30 with lights out at 10. 8 hours of sleep is a minimum requirement for me!

I feel bad sometimes because Cameron also has a long day at school - 7 AM to 5 PM. But I figure she gets a nap and is basically playing all day so how hard can that 10 hour day be?

I realize that my schedule isn't that arduous from a work perspective. I rarely have to work in the evenings or weekends and typically keep it to 45 hours a week. How the heck do parents who have to work longer hours do it? I'm tired all the time and I'm in the best shape of my life! How do other parents handle it?

The post where I tell you how much I hate sandboxes

As Cameron transitioned into her new 2 year old room she was also transitioned into a new playground. It is bigger with more equipment so initially I was happy with the change. Then Cameron started coming home covered in sand.

At first it was just in her shoes and encrusting her socks. She never complained about it so it usually wasn't until bedtime while removing said socks and shoes that the piles of sand were discovered. And scattered all over the changing pad, dresser and floor. Good times.

Monday was bath night. We usually only give Cameron a bath every other night (and sometimes stretch it to three) because 1.) I am lazy and 2.) there is still some lingering trauma from the pooping in the tub incident. She requires a lot of soothing and ignoring her "no, no, no" and "all done" comments so bath time is somewhat stressful for me. I stripped Cameron down for her bath, emptying out her socks and shoes of sand. When it came time to remove the diaper I found it to be absolutely filled with sand. It was stuck to every crevice of her bottom and made me very thankful that I had a full tub of water waiting.

I put Cameron in the tub and set to work removing all sand from her nooks and crannies. The only problem? Cameron was convinced that the sand coating the bottom of the tub was poop and she promptly freaked out. I kept reassuring her that it was sand and refused to let her leave the tub. Not only did I have to make sure all her girl parts were clean she had a ton of sand in her hair that was adhered to her scalp because of how sweaty she gets during play time outside. It required two hair washings (and Cameron hates to have her hair washed) and I still didn't get it all. The next morning I found sand in her bed and sleep sack (yes, we still use a sleep sack to avoid night time escapes).

I know that there is nothing daycare can do about this. I did complain about the sand filled diaper because I felt like someone should have caught that. But otherwise, if Cameron wants to roll around in the sand box, there is nothing I can do about it aside from refusing to ever install a sandbox in my yard. And to think this is a girl who refused to go to the beach this summer!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Two things have been nagging at my mind that bring up the oh-so-relevant song from Miss “Crazy Hat” Aretha Franklin. Over the past two days Cameron has been spending a lot of time in the Toddler room. I’m actually kind of happy about that, despite a complete meltdown on Monday night due to tiredness, because Cameron thrives when she is with older kids. As I mentioned previously she is the oldest by a few months in the Waddler room which I think lead to some of the pushing and biting incidences. And not to curse it but those behaviors haven’t reared their ugly heads in about two weeks. I guess it was just a phase! I’m sure it will come back around again but for now I will revel in it.

When I dropped Cameron off this morning, she was happily saying “ma-ba” (aka her teacher Miss Melba) when I ran into the Assistant Director. Apparently a new Director has been hired but I haven’t met her yet. I stopped the AD as she was heading into the office. Here is a transcript of our conversation:

Me: Cameron has been spending some time in the Toddler room. That’s great because I think she really likes it but does that mean you are starting to transition her into that room? (Note: most kids don’t start there until they are at least 18 months, Cameron will be 17 months next week)
AD: We have visits of a few hours before we start the full Transition process.
Me: Well, I think it’s great that you are planning to move her over because she loves being there (Note: although I’m not sure that two days is a solid indicator) but is there some reason you didn’t talk about it with me and my husband before you started the visits?
AD: [silence]
Me: In the future I really need to understand when you are planning to make changes to Cameron’s daycare situation.
AD: [silence, coupled with a look that indicates I killed her cat]
Me: OK, well thanks for your time.

Really? Is my request so unreasonable? I think not. I confirmed with Miss Melba that a notice is SUPPOSED to go out when the transition process begins. I appreciate that the AD thought Cameron was just “visiting” but let’s call a spade a spade, shall we? DH and I should have been asked to come in, sit down and talk about the transition plan. Instead, there was silence. I was perfectly polite (IMO) in my interactions with the AD but I can’t excuse her for not following the process. She is the AD and although she’s been there less than 2 months she should know the process. Plus, the ratio goes up in the Toddler room and we’re supposed to get a reduction in tuition. Perhaps that’s why it’s been radio silence?

The other situation that I’m dealing with at work is my interactions with an administrative assistant who sits RIGHT NEXT to me. She doesn’t support my particular group but she does support a peer group. When I first arrive in my new space I tried to chit chat with her. No response aside from grunts. I assumed that was the way she was but then I hear her laughing and talking and being very friendly with lots of other people on the floor. I don’t talk too loudly on the phone, I don’t bring weird smelling food to work and I keep to myself. Is there some reason that this woman appears to dislike me from the very beginning? It’s a bit insulting to my ego because I’ve always prided myself on being very friendly and supportive of all layers of the organization, especially administrative assistants.

As anyone who works in a large (or even small) company can tell you, administrative assistants are the secret weapons. BigFinance is very complex and sometimes it’s hard to know where to go to get things done (ordering business cards, reserving conference rooms, etc.). That’s why I absolutely need this woman to like me. She is the only person who can book conference rooms on my floor. The rest of my team sits 14 floors below (including the admin) so if I need a conference room on my floor, she is it (a whole other rant on why we can’t book our own conference rooms…stupid bureaucracy). I hold the door for this woman, no response, not even a thank you. If I’m going to the kitchen or out to lunch I ask if she needs anything. A grunt in response.

Normally I would just let it go (although it does prick the ego as I mentioned before) but I need to get this woman on my side. So, dear readers, any suggestions on this situation or the daycare one? For daycare I was thinking about setting up time with the new Director but she started this week, so is that too early?

Starting up toddler discipline

It’s time for DH and me to bite the bullet and start disciplining Cameron. I would have preferred to wait until she was a little older and just use the tried and true method of redirection until then but then this week happened.

On Sunday I had a lovely play date with my friend Amanda and her son Holden. It was so cute to see how excited Holden was by Charlie and he was constantly petting the dog. So that part went well. What didn’t go well was when Cameron decided anything Holden had she needed RIGHT THEN and WITH FORCE. There was toy grabbing, pushing and a couple of close calls with biting. I don’t mind if Cameron stands up for herself but being a bully is not something I want to encourage and I don’t think that redirection and/or ignoring her is cutting it.

Monday we got a sad face on Cameron’s daily daycare report and a note telling us that she was very aggressive with her friends, pushing and grabbing toys. Tuesday was a repeat. I spoke with her main teacher who told me that occasionally she will put Cameron in a crib if she is being too aggressive but only if she (the teacher) was changing diapers and couldn’t intervene directly. Her teacher assured me that it is a phase and she sees it all the time, especially with bright children. While appreciate the stroke to my parenting ego I can’t just let this go. Cameron was also pushy with her cousins on vacation so this has been a phase for more than a few weeks and I worry about it morphing into habitual behavior.

There are a few things running through my mind:

• Is this because Cameron is an only child and doesn’t have to share her toys at home? Well, she has to share at school and we have fairly regular play dates and outings to the splash park so I don’t think that is really the right question. Although perhaps I could use it as an argument to convince DH to have another?
• Is this because Cameron is the oldest child in her room (by a few months)? This one carries a little more weight with me. Cameron needs to learn her limits from other kids, not just adults. But as the oldest by a few months she is a lot bigger, faster and naturally more aggressive. The challenge is that she won’t move up to the next room until 18 months so we have at least another 2 months of this to manage/correct until then. And of course once she starts to Transition you KNOW that I will have other issues…ah, the joys of parenting!
• Do we really need to start formal disciplining with a toddler? I’m not opposed to this but I’m looking for experiences from my readers about time outs, good discipline/parenting books about toddlers and even general empathy. Please reassure me that my child is not going to turn out to be a sociopath!!

Struggling with daycare decision

Internet, I have good news and bad news from the daycare front. The good news? Cameron was accepted into the JCC pre-school program I mentioned in earlier posts. The bad news? I’m not sure I want to move her out of her current daycare. I’ll pause here for gasps of shock. Yes, I have turned into that wishy-washy parent that can’t make up her mind. Let me lay out the pros and cons and ask you, my dear Internet friends, to weigh in and help me grow a spine and make a decision.

Pros – Structured as a “school” during the year and camp in the summer. There are tons of enrichment activities offered (art, music, gym, library, swimming lessons, etc.). It is closer to our house but commute-wise I don’t think it will really make a difference (maybe 10-15 minutes less). Of course I say that during a summer commute time which is always easier. I also like the religious aspect of it, not that either of us is religious. It’s more about the teaching of morals, history, etc.

Cons – It will cost $350 more a month (but will also give us year-round access to the community center). We have to provide Cameron’s food which is annoying but doable. The price does not go down as Cameron gets older and the ratios go up. It is a religious school so they do not have to adhere to the same daycare standards as certified daycares. It’s all white kids. Seriously, zero diversity aside from religion, of course. Being a Jewish program they follow the conservative Jewish calendar for holidays which means there are 12 extra days we will need to find other daycare for Cameron - many of those consecutive days. That means an additional cost of approximately $500 (even assuming we can find a drop-in place!). Not to mention the stress of having to change the routine up for those days and asking Cameron to be flexible. This might be the biggest con for me and DH.

When I started frantically looking for another daycare it was because the Assistant Director and Director both left our current school within 2 weeks of each other. But the transition seems to be going OK. My biggest concern about our current place is what they will be doing for education and enrichment activities. Education is less of a concern but they don’t offer any music or language or structured gross motor/fine motor activities. The other thing for us to think about is that in either situation we will have to find new care for Cameron when she starts pre-K or Kindergarten. I don’t know enough about full time vs. part time K programs but I assume after school care will be required. Our current daycare does pick up but not at the schools she would potentially attend. Of course at that point, after 5 years on the waiting list maybe we’ll finally get her into my first choice?

There it is. My dilemma. Any words of wisdom out there? Or questions I should be asking myself or the schools?

A sign from above?

DH is traveling this week. Well, not all week. He left yesterday and will be back tonight. Regardless I am single parenting and actually kind of looking forward to taking Cameron with me to my Weight Watcher’s weigh in tonight. I just love showing her off!

About two weeks ago we learned that the Assistant Director at Cameron’s daycare was leaving. I really liked Miss Kris and was sad to see her leave. Apparently she got an offer for a standalone center (not a chain) a few miles away where she had the opportunity to move up to the Director position in a few months. A new Assistant Director was brought in and I just don’t get the same warm fuzzies from her. Case in point: when I picked up Cameron yesterday I noticed she had scrapes over her eye, down her cheek and on her arm and leg. In reading the accident report Cameron had tripped and fallen on the concrete in the outside yard. I expect accidents especially because Cameron is technically still learning how to walk. What I also expect in the case of a pretty bad injury is a phone call informing me of it.

The past few times that Cameron has been injured I haven’t received a phone call, nor has DH. Those were much less serious injuries so I didn’t make a stink out of them. But the daycare policy is that an accident must be reported via phone (even if it’s a message) to the parents. I confronted (yes, that’s the appropriate level of prissiness I had) the new Assistant Director after I picked up Cameron. She kept saying, “I know I signed the report.” My response, “Yes, I see your signature here but that doesn’t explain why you didn’t pick up the phone and call me.” I never really got an apology which is what I was looking for although she did say that they would be sure and call in the future.

So fine, I’m annoyed. After getting Cameron in her car seat I checked her daily report. Attached to the report was an announcement from the director that she was leaving at the end of the month. She assured us that with the Assistant Director things would be fine until a new Director was found. I’m sure you can imagine my response to that statement after what happened with Cameron. I’m also annoyed because Miss Kris was looking for a Director position so why wouldn’t she have just been offered the role? Then I would feel better about the situation.

I ran into another parent outside and was talking about when her daughter would move up to Cameron’s Waddler room. The parent told me that she was pulling her daughter out of the daycare at the end of the month. I didn’t put my nosey neighbor hat on so I’m not sure why exactly they are leaving. But it got me thinking that this could be a sign that it’s time to step up doing whatever we need to in order to find a new daycare for Cameron. I’ve been toying with joining the KidsChurch for my #1 choice because that would give us an edge. But at #16 on the waitlist it is unlikely we could move Cameron any time soon. There are only 8 spots in her age group and they are currently full.

Another option is the daycare (they call it pre-school) at the JCC we joined. It is about $150 more per month and has a funky structure where there is a school year and then the “summer” weeks are called camp. Regardless it is full time care and not in the opposite direction of work like our current daycare. Plus they would pick up at the local schools so long term it could make more sense. I have a call in and plan on taking a tour with DH if they have openings. Wish us luck!

Wordy Wednesday

Not being able to access my blog and by extension, all of the blogs I read regularly, at work has really thrown me for a loop. Yes, I have an iPhone so I can go on my Google reader and access them that way but have you ever tried to type a blog post on an iPhone? It’s a laborious process and not one that I plan on doing regularly. Instead I will try to come up with witty posts during the work day, email them to myself and post them at night when I get home. Except for one thing: my personal computer has shit the bed. It’s only 5 years old so I’m a little annoyed. It’s a combination of the fan not working and a battery that only lasts 8 minutes. Which means even if I’m plugged into power my computer shuts itself down (stupid fan) every couple of minutes. It’s gotten so bad that I can’t even boot it up entirely before it shuts down. So I’m in the market for a new, basic laptop. I basically read email, edit photos, blog and watch Hulu on my personal computer. A MacBook is too expensive and a NetBook is too small for watching online TV. Any suggestions from my readers for a not too expensive laptop?

We had a wonderful weekend with far too much booze, much socializing and plenty of fun with Cameron. I would have blogged about it but see above. We have joined a local community center that has an awesome splash park for the little ones. You would have thought that it would be prime picture time and you would be right except for one thing. Both times we went I forgot my camera. Oops! I promise pictures after we go again (weather permitting) this weekend. Cameron has been very tentative about going up to the spraying water and interacting with the other kids. She’s definitely one of the younger ones but it also highlights a personality trait DH and I have commented on in her. She is very much an observer at first. Cameron needs to stay with me or DH, sitting on our laps for a few minutes in a new situation before she’ll start exploring. Sometimes she sticks to our side like glue for an entire situation. With all the noise, water and kids running around the splash park I have no doubt it will take more trips before she is comfortable. I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking about next steps in education and child care for Cameron. First of all, my morning commute sucks. It takes me 45-60 minutes to handle drop off, fight traffic and be at work by 8 AM. Pick up in the evening traffic would be worse and I run the risk of having meetings that run up to 5 PM so we have to stick with me doing the drop offs and DH doing the pickups.

The other concern that I have is about the educational program at her school. Cameron’s daycare uses the High Reach Learning program which is a nice philosophy but doesn’t include formal music, language (foreign) and art programs. But wait, you might be thinking, Cameron is only 14 months old. True, but before I blink she’ll be 2 and ready for pre-school. The other daycares we are STILL on the wait list for have special teachers for the areas I listed not to mention my top choice has an indoor gymnasium and the kids get physical activity regardless of the weather. The problem is that there are really only two daycares with the programs I like right in our area. My commute would be even worse if we settled on something outside our neighborhood area. Sigh. DH says he loves Cameron’s current school and I think it was great as an infant and waddler. But now that she is getting closer to “school" age I want more for her in terms of education and enrichment. And I’m willing to pay for it. Has anyone else struggled with this?

That really bites

DH had a late meeting yesterday so I was the one to pick Cameron up from school. It was kind of crazy when I got there as they had just consolidated two classrooms (waddler and infant) and it seemed like every single baby was crying. Per usual Cameron had decided that her Pebble's ponytail wasn't for her and removed the band creating a major bouffant. If she had a little gel she would have been channeling Elvis.

The teacher told me that there had been an incident so I had to sign the report form. I didn't immediately pick up on the use of the word "incident" vs. "accident". I pulled out the report with Cameron in my arms attempting to grab at the paper. I glanced down and saw the words "fight" and "bite". Immediately I started laughing. I said to the teacher, "So, Cameron got her first bite today, huh." The teacher was impressed I took it so well but I knew that biting was only a matter of time. I'm just glad it wasn't Cameron doing the biting! One of the mom's in my play group told me about a phone call she got when her son was bit 4 times (!) in the same day. Cameron had two little teeth marks on her left arm but they were gone by this morning.

Here is the report:
Cameron and her friends were playing on the playground happily. Suddenly Cameron and the other child argued over the toy and the other child bit her on the left arm. We washed the area and applied lots of TLC.

Like most daycares, ours has a policy that you don't share the name of the child doing the biting with the bitee. To date, Cameron hasn't been much of a biter. She likes to pinch me sometimes (and always the boob like she knows that's the worst spot) but aside from some quasi kisses that don't quite go the right way, she keeps her fangs barred. Neither DH or I involve any mock biting with our play so I'm sure that helps. I'm also sure that Cameron will be the biter at some point. I just hope it won't become a regular occurrence.

Any funny stories about biting that you want to share?

Language development

This week has been a rough one primarily because Cameron was sent home from daycare AGAIN yesterday for a suspected case of pink eye. Second time this has happened. I was home already battling my own illness but still forced to be on multiple conference calls. DH picked her up and I made a doctor's appointment. Diagnosis? Double ear infection, no pink eye. While I am glad that we got a diagnosis on the ear infection (apparently it was pretty bad) I am disappointed in how frequently Cameron has been sent home over the past 6 weeks. Example A. So of course I decided it was time to have a little chat with the Assistant Director. It wasn't satisfactory but I'm glad I unloaded. Only time will tell if my complaints have a direct correlation with how often we are called to pick her up in the next few weeks. The girl still has two more molars coming in...

Getting off my high horse I thought I would copy A. and provide an update on Cameron's current language development. She is regularly calling DH "Dada" and irregularly calling me "Mama". I can understand her when she says, "All done" or "Again" but a person off the street would just think she was babbling.

DH swears that Cameron said, "apple juice" last week but I think it was a fluke. Also a fluke was "bottle" as clear as day about three weeks ago, never to be repeated. I try to hold her evening bottle (last one!) away to make her say it but she throws a fit so that doesn't work. Charlie is another word that I know she says but it kind of changes regularly.

Cameron definitely understands a lot more than she speaks. Key examples include:

• Give that to Mama.
• Where's Charlie?
• Where are your socks? Your shoes?
• Do you want to go outside?
• Where is your swing?
• Time to get into your car seat.
• It's time for school.
• Are you hungry? Do you want some dinner?
• Where's your paci?
• It's time to change your diaper.
• Do you want milk?

As I'm sure you can imagine, some of the statements or questions result in excited noises. Others, I'm looking at you diaper change (!), result in crying and throwing herself around. I have done exactly zero research on how Cameron compares in her language development with other toddlers. I assume she is statistically average and don't worry about it. Of course, now that I've written it down, I have to ask the experts (aka my readers) do you think she's on track? Any funny words that your kids starting saying early that just made you shake your head or laugh?

One small step for us, one giant step for Cameron

I rushed home a bit early yesterday because I had to do some work later in the evening and wasn't about to give up my precious play time with Miss Cameron. DH had already left to pick her up so I puttered around the house for about 15 minutes, changed my clothes, put out my outfit for the next day (totally anal but completely worth it to not be rushed in the morning) and brought in the trash barrels. It's amazing what one can get done in 15 uninterrupted minutes.

I was booting up my computer when I heard Charlie whining, a sure sign that DH and Cameron were pulling into the driveway. As I logged in Cameron and DH walked into the kitchen. I was in the other room but I knew they were in the house because as soon as Cameron sees Charlie she does this adorable screech/giggle. She has definitely warmed up to Charlie a lot over the past month and I'm not sure he likes it.

I walked over and Cameron laughed again at seeing me. I reached out to give her a hug and a kiss. "Guess, what happened today?" DH asked me. "She actually had her morning nap for a change?" I responded. "Nope, Miss Melba told me that she walked on her own for the first time." DH told me proudly.

Of course I made a big deal out of it to Cameron as DH bounded upstairs to check his email. But I did feel a twinge of regret. I wanted us to be the first people that saw Cameron walking. True, she spends a lot more time at daycare during the week than with us but couldn't her teacher have just hinted at it rather than baldly saying she walked? She could have said, "You should try walking with Cameron today, I think she's really close to walking on her own." I would have interpreted that to mean that she had already walked for her teacher but at least I could have lied to myself a little if I got her to walk for me that night.

I immediately put Cameron down to try and make her walk for me. At first she wanted to keep holding on to my hands and the girl has a super strong grip. After walking around the room together a few times I managed to extricate myself and as Cameron stood, swaying slightly, I exhorted her to walk towards me. All by herself. She took one, two, three steps forward before falling forward into my waiting hands. It was so exciting! I will try to get it on film this weekend but considering Cameron only took 3 steps and then wouldn't do it again all night it could take a while to capture it for posterity.

Meanwhile I still have that little twinge that Cameron walked first at daycare but I knew that was the risk we took in putting her in daycare. Plus, I'm a way better mom as a working mom. So it is all for the best. Anyone else have a similar experience with significant milestones for your kids?

And then there were two

DH and I took yesterday off from work because his sister is in town to help us with some landscaping work/garden clean up. I managed to negotiate him dropping Cameron off in the morning so I could sleep in. We have these new curtains in our room and roller shades (instead of those crappy white blinds) and the room is pitch black even in the sunniest of mornings. Boy, is it hard to get up when the entire room is shrouded in darkness!

Because we hung out at a neighbor's house the evening before normal chores, like putting together and labeling Cameron's daycare bottles, didn't get done. DH packed Cameron off and whisked her to daycare, only to find that no bottles were in her bag. I had actually thought about that but didn't mention it to DH when he got up. Rolling over and snuggling into my pillow was a much better idea. Plus, he's a pro so he wouldn't forget, right? Obviously wrong....

I have been toying with the idea of phasing out bottles for Cameron. My plan was to eliminate the 11 AM this week and the 3 PM one next week. Guess what? We went cold turkey instead. I took it as a sign from above and didn't bother to zip over with the bottles. Instead her teachers would feed her from a sippy cup and my hope is that eventually we can just phase the 50/50 formula/milk split to 100% milk and then just have sippy cups for snacks and meals.

Cameron will be 12 months next week (I know!) so the timing seemed good. I have a feeling I'll leave the AM/PM bottles for a while longer until she is completely comfortable with all types of finger foods. How about the rest of you? How have you or do you plan to phase out bottles?

Current Cameron challenges

We really are in a wonderful stage so don't let the title of this post fool you! But like all parents, nothing is ever perfect. First of all, diarrhea was the name of the game with the antibiotic she has been on for the double ear infection. What did that result in? A truly terrible case of diaper rash. Cameron has had very slight cases over the last 10 months but this....this defies words. It it everywhere. And it's not just red, it is truly a rash with the bumps and the swelling. Poor thing. She has been tolerating it well but aside from putting diaper rash cream on every day, is there something else you would recommend?

Another challenge with Cameron is her lack of napping at daycare. Yes, I know I sound like a broken record but it is starting to really impact our evening time. Cameron has usually been napping just once a day and an hour isn't enough. On the weekends she sleeps 2 hours in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. 1/5 of her normal time is miserable for her, me and DH. DH whisks her home and put her right to bed, usually around 4:30 PM. Cameron sleeps for an hour and I go wake her up. Wake a sleeping baby? Damn right. I refuse to impact her 7 PM bedtime. I need downtime too! Cameron is clingy and whiny and doesn't want to eat anything other than her bottle, fruit and goldfish. If I leave the room for a minute she starts full on bawling. It's distressing. Any advice?

Cameron is also going through a big mommy phase. I am trying to mitigate it as much as possible by passing her off to DH but it's harder in the evenings because of how tired and cranky she is. Has anyone successfully managed the mommy phases? I at least don't want her to cry when passing her off!

Lastly we are starting to see the refusal and throwing of food off the highchair tray. I put some pasta down in front of Cameron the other day and she picked up the entire clump and threw it right down. I'll also see her sneak her hand down next to her side to drop other pieces of food onto the chair itself. Smart, crafty little girl. I read Child of Mine and want to adhere to its recommendations that I as the parent provide the food and it is up to Cameron to eat. But I totally cave because I hate to see her eat nothing for dinner which is oftentimes what would happen if I didn't put out more Cameron friendly food. How have other parents handled this? Keep in mind she's only 11 months....is it really time to start those food battles?

The post where I admit I was wrong

It has been just over two weeks since Cameron was moved out of the little infant room into the Waddler room. I love that name because it is so apt. Ironic that pregnant women waddle too, isn't it? The plan is for Cameron to stay there until sometime after she hits the two mark. So I had better really like the teachers and the curriculum.

And guess what? I do! I know, I will pause here where you all gasp in shock that I am comfortable and happy with our daycare situation.

I really like the main teacher, Miss Melba. She is extremely engaged with the kids and always on the floor playing or singing to them. There is also a more defined curriculum than the eating, sleeping and pooping that we experienced in the Infant room. They teach them how to eat on their own, sitting in little chairs at a long table with their own bowls and plates and utensils. How freaking cute is that? Cameron is in the high chair but she'll be down there as soon as she starts walking. So basically any day.

Another adorable thing they have the the waddlers do is wash their hands after having their diapers changed. I actually got to witness this and I almost cried it was so cute. Miss Melba flipped Cameron over to her belly and had her move up to the attached sink. A dab of soap, splashes of water and a quick dry with a paper towel. I must try to take a video so I can post it here.

Cameron plays really, really hard all day long. Sometimes that means she only takes one nap. And guess what? I don't stress about it! I know, another shocking revelation from the sleep queen. We still leverage the third nap as a tool to keep Cameron from being overly tired. DH loves that he can just pick her up, she almost conks out in the car and he puts her down for a 45 minute or hour nap.

I'm also convinced that the physical development Cameron has shown over the past week is due in no small part to watching and learning from the other waddlers. She absolutely loves to watch the "older" kids and emulate them. My little munchkin is growing up far too quickly!

A nice tasty treat for Cameron as a reward for pulling herself up.

Annoyance at having her picture taken. AGAIN.
I knew that Cameron would love playing with this enormous packages of toilet paper. Isn't it funny how kids get enthralled with odd things?

A rare Cameron and Mommy shot.

Um, think it is time for us to baby proof? So far we've installed the interior latches for key (aka low) cabinets and drawers and also installed baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. That's it for now. But I'm sure we'll need to do more as Cameron starts really walking.

Moving on up

Tomorrow will be Cameron's last day in the infant room. Sniff. My little baby at ten months old is moving up to the older infant room. Fortunately she already knows the teachers because she's spent some time there. Plus, we will still drop her off in the same room as the older and younger infants are together until critical mass is reached and they separate off into different rooms.

This past weekend DH and I chatted about the timing for moving her to the next room and when I dropped Cameron off on Monday I spoke with her main teacher about it. Coincidentally, Miss Tanya told me she had been thinking the same thing...I guess great minds really do think alike! I wasn't quite prepared for how quickly it would happen but Cameron is by far the oldest in the young infant room, by a few months.

I'm hopeful that it will help Cameron developmentally. She has plateaued a bit with her crawling and pulling up skills. All of the older infants are walking so I have a feeling it will serve as an inspiration to her. Not that we've even baby proofed yet! In speaking with one of her "new" teachers I learned that all of the kids go down for naps right after breakfast and a little bit after lunch. That meshes nicely with Cameron's nap schedule so an added benefit could be longer naps. Of course the correlated effect would be dropping her third nap but I don't know of many other 10 month olds who still regularly take a third nap, do you?

I know that every daycare is set up differently but for those of you who experienced the younger/older infant split, how did your kid(s) handle the transition? Anything I should be aware of or ask about before Monday rolls around?

When a doctor's note isn't enough

Cameron has been sick all week. She's been fever free since Monday but as I wrote in my last post she has a wicked bad sore throat. I'm allowed to say "wicked" as I hail from Massachusetts. DH and I have been layering her pain medications - Motrin and Tylenol. But still she will eat maybe 3 ounces in a sitting if we're lucky.

I thought ahead and got a doctor's note outlining the dosage of the two medicines. Go me, I thought, patting myself on my back. This way the day care will have to give Cameron her medicine. After all, I had a doctor's note.

Nope. No deal. Apparently the day care will not give medicine unless it's a life threatening situation. Not to put my crass hat on or anything but WTF? I totally get that they are trying to avoid liability but what if Cameron had an ear infection and needed antibiotics while in school? Is DH supposed to interrupt his day and make a round trip to the day care to give her the medicine? I say DH because he is much closer than me and would have to be the one to do it.

Has anyone else experienced this with your day care? Do I have any recourse here? Cameron still has a sore throat and I'm worried she will drink even less than she has been for us.

It would be easier if she took a feed bag

For the past couple of months Cameron and I have been in a pretty good groove with her feeding schedule. It was far from perfect but it seemed to work in getting her to nap twice a day for 2 hours and sleep through the night. So really, what more can I ask for?

But of course Cameron doesn't just come from me. No, no. She also has a wide streak of her father in her. DH and I are diametrically opposed when it comes to food and eating. Me? Never met a carb I didn't like. I would rather cut off my arm than miss breakfast. I require breakfast, lunch AND dinner or I become a crazed, grumpy woman. DH on the other hand can sometimes go from breakfast to dinner skipping lunch entirely. When I poke him about what he had for lunch that day I get the following responses:

• "I was too busy to eat." Um, I would make myself un-busy just to eat. Otherwise I would be distracted by the constant grumbling of my tummy.
• "I wasn't hungry." Freak.
• "I forgot." Seriously? Who forgets to eat?

For many months I had an unhealthy fascination with the amount of food going into Cameron's system. I limited my stressing when I was breastfeeding because it's not like I really knew how many ounces she was eating. But when I moved to primarily pumping and then formula feeding I felt my Type A personality rear its ugly head. Despite this Cameron and I got into a groove where she would eat most of her bottle and I would count up the number of ounces she ate over the course of the day and not-so-silently seethe if she dropped below 20 ounces.

Flash forward to this week at day care. Cameron has decided that she doesn't want to eat at least 1/2 of two of her bottles most likely because they were too close together. So last night I made the executive decision that we are changing up her feeding schedule dramatically. Instead of 5 bottles at 5 ounces we are now moving to 4 bottles of six ounces.

Cameron has consistently eaten 6 ounces for her first bottle of the day so 6 ounces appears to be doable as a bottle size. Her new schedule (fingers crossed!) will be:

• 6:45 AM - 6 ounces
• 8 AM - solids
• 9 AM - nap
• 11:00 AM - 6 ounces
• 12 PM - solids
• 2 PM - nap
• 3 PM - 6 ounces
• 5 PM - nap (she really only needs this during daycare days because she doesn't nap well there)
• 6 PM - 6 ounces
• 6:30 - solids?

My biggest issue with the new schedule will be on the weekends. Cameron usually naps 2 - 4 PM which would screw things up. The other general problem will be fitting in the last solids of the day.

What I really like about this new schedule is that it gets us out of the habit of a bottle at bedtime. Now DH and I can create a new bedtime routine with books instead of bottles. Yay for reading! Anyone else able to swing four 6 ounce bottles with two 2 hour naps? When can I stop stressing about food with Cameron? Or is this just the start of a years long battle?

Putting my foot down about nap time

This morning DH and I shared drop off duties for Cameron. I really like this part of the week because usually it is the only time that I get to see Cameron's main teacher, Miss Tanya, who has usually left for the day when I come in to pick her up. Sometimes I send DH in with instructions for Tanya but hey, I'm a mom and I like to talk with Cameron's other primary caregiver too.

Of course Miss Tanya sees me coming and probably wants to hide because I usually do have questions or instructions related to Cameron's care. I can't help it. I know my baby best and I still have residual concerns about having her in a facility with 9 other infants and a 5:1 infant to teacher ratio.

DH and I entered the room and he went off to take Cameron out of her carrier and get her settled. I puttered around putting her bottles in the fridge and new diapers in her cubby. Miss Tanya was changing one of the other babies. We exchanged general pleasantries and then I launched into my question:

Me: Now that Cameron is six months old, do you start putting her down on a nap schedule?
Miss Tanya: Well, usually they just fall into it on their own.
Me: Obviously that isn't the case for Cameron [forced smile]. She naps on a schedule at home but doesn't here. [side note - she slept only 40 minutes at daycare on Wednesday. 40 minutes!]
Miss Tanya: What time do you put her down?
Me: It depends on when she wakes up but her first nap is within 2 hours of her waking up. She was awake at 6 AM so no later than 8:30 AM.
Miss Tanya: That's right around feeding time.
Me, in my head: So freaking what? Can't you put her in her crib for a nap while you are feeding the other kids? And what, you have a feeding schedule but not a nap schedule????
Me: Well, I guess no later than 9 AM then.

Perhaps not the most forceful of conversations but I hope I got my point across. This all came about because I had lunch with my friend Amanda and shared my concerns about Cameron's lack of napping. No other child seems to have issues. Isn't it great to have friends where you can share the details of your baby's life and get interested responses? I mentioned that they let her fall asleep first and then move her to her crib. Is it any wonder that Cameron wakes up and doesn't want to nap?

DH, of course, mentally rolled his eyes when I talked with him about this. He figures it's not a big deal. But it totally is! If she sleeps for me then she should be sleeping at daycare too. The teachers just need to do a better job of putting her down consistently. Sure she may cry for a while but 40 minutes of naps a day isn't going to cut it. So, what do you all think? Am I overreacting or do I need to stay on top of this? Have you run into this issue before and how did you address it with your daycare?

Six month stats

As of 9/28/09 Cameron is:

26 inches long (50%)
16 pounds, 2 ounces (50%)
42 1/2 cms head (50%)

She is perfectly average all around! So everyone who stops me and tells me how little she is can suck it :-) Yes, not nice but it's a little insulting to hear, "She's so little" all the time.

Cameron was a real trooper with the shots. She didn't cry at all for the first shot and only for 30 seconds after the other two. The doctor's office didn't have the combo shot on hand so we did the Rotavirus oral followed by the first dose of the regular flu shot, Hib and DTaP. In a month we'll go back for the second flu shot, Prevnar and Polio vaccines. I decided to give Cameron the regular flu shot because she is in daycare and has already had two colds. There is no guarantee that this year's flu shot is the right "kind" of flu but if there is a chance to avoid illness, I'll take it. I plan on getting my own flu shot this year for the first time in 10 years. The last thing I want is to be sick while taking care of a baby!

I spoke with the doctor about two issues: Cameron's fluid intake and the H1N1 virus. On the feeding front it has been a struggle to get Cameron to eat even 24 ounces a day. It is usually more like 20-21 ounces. But the doctor wasn't concerned so I'm trying to be less worried on my end. It's hard though...

On the H1N1 front I simply asked whether we should be concerned about having the vaccine rushed into production. Her philosophy is that it's the same delivery system as the regular flu shot. I've been leaning towards getting the H1N1 for Cameron (and myself) simply because it really has been making the rounds and I hear it hits a lot harder, symptom-wise, than the regular flu. I'm still not 100% positive but I have some time to noodle on it and come to a final decision. The vaccine won't be out until October and I'm hearing November is more likely.

I'm working from home this week as DH leave on a business trip tomorrow. Cameron is taking what is sure to be a very long nap right now in her crib. Then DH will bring her to daycare. It's nice that we have that flexibility in our working lives to do that. And I know that she will really nap, as opposed to the 20-30 minute stretches she does at school!

Losing the battle of the bottle

This weekend was a bit of a turning point for me in feeding Cameron. DH and I went together to drop off Cameron at school on Friday morning. I work from home most Fridays and it's a nice ritual for us to go together. Plus I wouldn't get to interact with her main teacher unless I had at least one drop off. Miss Tanya works 6 AM - 3 PM shift and I usually do pick up.

I really wanted to talk with Miss Tanya (these Southerners LOVE their "Miss" and "Mister" in front of first names!) because I have become very concerned with Cameron's napping. Or rather I should say her lack of napping. One day I picked her up and she had only slept 50 minutes. 50 minutes! This is from a girl who naps 5 hours a day on the weekend! Grrrr. Anyway, Miss Tanya assured me that they were trying to put Cameron down and swaddled her and rocked her but she just won't sleep. Apparently she will lie in her crib for some "quiet time" but 50% of the time she won't fall asleep. I guess I'll worry about it more if she stops napping for me.

I was also assured that she never cries except when she has been reaching the end of her 4 ounce bottle. It was like a dagger to the heart, people! I have been starving my child. OK, dramatics over. So I have upped her bottles to 5 ounces (3 bottles total at school). And she has been drinking every single drop. What does that mean for me? That she is much less interested in the boob.

Weekdays are fine because I just nurse her twice: wake up and evening. She's always had a final bottle before bed and I'm not messing with that because for 6 nights now she's slept through the night. Damn, I probably shouldn't have written that in case Cameron reads this blog. I pump 3x times and get about 12-13 ounces total. Doing the math I need 19 ounces for school and final bottle leaving me with -6. I have plenty of stored milk that I'm leveraging but that will probably be gone by the time she is six months old.

The bigger problem is that on the weekends Cameron doesn't want to nurse exclusively. She wants the bottle. It gives her more and she works less to get it. And really, who can blame her? I can probably get in an extra nursing session but she'll still want bottles. So it becomes the worst of both worlds. I (or DH) have to give Cameron a bottle and then pump. Basically I'll be doing twice as much work. Is this sustainable? Hell, no. I am considering dropping all pumping once she hits 6 months and nursing 2x and supplementing with formula. But we'll see. Maybe I'll be a glutton for punishment and continue. Plus despite being able to provide only breast milk for 6 months I will still feel like a failure for not making it to a year. I swear this is why women should have a year of maternity leave. It is so damn hard to make breastfeeding work if you work full time. And if WHO and other organizations recommend a year then we really need a year of maternity leave. OK, getting off my soap box.

A couple of questions for my readers. How do I introduce formula? Is it better to mix it with breast milk or just give an entire bottle of it? DH thinks Cameron won't like the taste of formula because she has only ever had breast milk. Is that possible? Will the mixing help with that?

Fussy, busy evenings

I have been warned about fussy evenings, especially with Cameron in daycare. Cameron isn't a fussy baby but she is definitely not getting enough sleep during the day at daycare. She's at about 2-3 hours worth of naps compared to the 5-6 hours she gets at home on the weekends. Sometimes she needs a 30 minute nap as we drive home and get settled. But even then she is usually in bed and asleep by 6:30 PM. Cameron's fussiness manifests itself in her wanting to be held basically from the time we get home from school to the time she goes to bed. Thank goodness there are two of us or we wouldn't have dinner until 8 PM.

Cameron is all tuckered out and needs a little cat nap.

I'm going to go ahead and put on my judgemental hat and ask, "How the heck can parents not put their kids to bed early?" I know parents who keep their babies up until 9 PM and even later. I shudder to think about the havoc that would wreck on Cameron's sweet disposition.

Of course with a very early bedtime for Cameron that means I am squeezing a lot into an evening. I am usually home around 5 PM and have to:

• Start dinner (or DH does - he cooks more than me these days!)
• Feed Cameron
• Wash bottles
• Wash pumping gear
• Prepare bottles for the next day
• Make my lunch
• Prepare my outfit for the next day (I have been doing this for 2 years and I highly recommend it!)
• Put Cameron to bed
• Wash dishes (whoever doesn't cook does this)
• Relax
• Pump before bed

That's a lot to get done by 9 PM! I completely understand the "juggle" that so many people complain about. I'm living it! Why 9 PM? Well, that's when I go to bed. Yes, that's right. I go to bed at 9 PM, read and am usually fast asleep by 9:30 PM. I hate people who are totally fine on 6 hours of sleep. I need 8-9 or am much less effective at work.

How about the rest of you? What do your evening juggles look like? What do other parents do to make things easier in the evenings?