Trying Not To Text Like Buddy The Elf
1 day ago
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Behind every cloud
I had planned on doing a picture post but DH is traveling so I decided to veg out last night, watch a little TV and stay up a bit late reading an awesome book. It's the latest Anne Bishop if anyone is interested.
We had a wonderful weekend with very minor temper tantrums by Cameron. Either we are getting better at managing (really distracting) her or she's just gearing up for another big one. Lots of errands were run and DH had his baseball draft. This Sunday is the start of me being a baseball widow for the next 8 months. Perhaps a month less if the Yankees don't make it to the post season. Hey, a wife can dream! DH finally broke down and bought a new flat screen TV for his office and a new couch. The TV is already in place and the couch should be delivered in the next week or so. That means I can have the main TV all to myself!
The one errand we didn't accomplish was to pick out new glasses for me. 7 years ago I got laser eye surgery. It was absolutely the best thing I ever did. I was able to pay for it with pre-tax dollars and loved being able to see in the shower or the clock when I rolled over. I had, to put it mildly, very poor eyesight. My glasses were coke bottles so I primarily wore contacts. About a year before the surgery the contacts started to really bother my eyes if I had them in for longer than a few hours. Faced between scheduling an expensive procedure and wearing my coke bottle classes, I decided to go with the surgery.
I had a feeling that my eyesight wasn't 20/20 any more. But I haven't been to the eye doctor since the last eye surgery follow up. I do have some problems driving at night. I get a halo effect from lights. But DH usually drives so it wasn't that big of a deal. I scheduled my appointment for this huge facility right down the road.
The nurse took me back through a warren of corridors (I think this place could have seen 100 patients at one time!) and began administering my eye test. Are they really nurses? Perhaps eye technicians? Anyway, she immediately began clicking her tongue when I couldn't read below the second line. I said, "These letters are really small. I bet most people can't read them." She responded, "Yes they can." Crap. I knew that this wasn't going to be a good appointment. After scaring me she dilated my eyes and then the doctor came in. He was super nice and his wife was also an eye doctor (Harvard). He also told me that his daughter was going to Harvard in the fall. For what, you may ask? Nuclear physics. Yikes. Smart girl.
The doctor told me that my eyes weren't too bad but my left one was worse than my right which was why I couldn't see well at night. "It's actually a good thing," he told me seriously, "That means in a few years when you are in your 40s and you start to become far sighted you won't need reading glasses." Gee, thanks. I happen to only be in my early thirties, dude. I had to write my birth date down a million times on the forms I filled out. Do the math!
It turns out that I will only need glasses for driving at night which is great. I don't plan on wearing them very often because I remember distinctly when I was 8 and got glasses for the first time. After about a week once I took them off everything was blurry. I don't plan on going through that again. And the silver lining is that despite failing eyesight today apparently I will not require reading glasses in ten years when I'm in my forties.
Has anyone else regressed from their eye surgery? Contemplating getting it?
We had a wonderful weekend with very minor temper tantrums by Cameron. Either we are getting better at managing (really distracting) her or she's just gearing up for another big one. Lots of errands were run and DH had his baseball draft. This Sunday is the start of me being a baseball widow for the next 8 months. Perhaps a month less if the Yankees don't make it to the post season. Hey, a wife can dream! DH finally broke down and bought a new flat screen TV for his office and a new couch. The TV is already in place and the couch should be delivered in the next week or so. That means I can have the main TV all to myself!
The one errand we didn't accomplish was to pick out new glasses for me. 7 years ago I got laser eye surgery. It was absolutely the best thing I ever did. I was able to pay for it with pre-tax dollars and loved being able to see in the shower or the clock when I rolled over. I had, to put it mildly, very poor eyesight. My glasses were coke bottles so I primarily wore contacts. About a year before the surgery the contacts started to really bother my eyes if I had them in for longer than a few hours. Faced between scheduling an expensive procedure and wearing my coke bottle classes, I decided to go with the surgery.
I had a feeling that my eyesight wasn't 20/20 any more. But I haven't been to the eye doctor since the last eye surgery follow up. I do have some problems driving at night. I get a halo effect from lights. But DH usually drives so it wasn't that big of a deal. I scheduled my appointment for this huge facility right down the road.
The nurse took me back through a warren of corridors (I think this place could have seen 100 patients at one time!) and began administering my eye test. Are they really nurses? Perhaps eye technicians? Anyway, she immediately began clicking her tongue when I couldn't read below the second line. I said, "These letters are really small. I bet most people can't read them." She responded, "Yes they can." Crap. I knew that this wasn't going to be a good appointment. After scaring me she dilated my eyes and then the doctor came in. He was super nice and his wife was also an eye doctor (Harvard). He also told me that his daughter was going to Harvard in the fall. For what, you may ask? Nuclear physics. Yikes. Smart girl.
The doctor told me that my eyes weren't too bad but my left one was worse than my right which was why I couldn't see well at night. "It's actually a good thing," he told me seriously, "That means in a few years when you are in your 40s and you start to become far sighted you won't need reading glasses." Gee, thanks. I happen to only be in my early thirties, dude. I had to write my birth date down a million times on the forms I filled out. Do the math!
It turns out that I will only need glasses for driving at night which is great. I don't plan on wearing them very often because I remember distinctly when I was 8 and got glasses for the first time. After about a week once I took them off everything was blurry. I don't plan on going through that again. And the silver lining is that despite failing eyesight today apparently I will not require reading glasses in ten years when I'm in my forties.
Has anyone else regressed from their eye surgery? Contemplating getting it?
Friday, March 26, 2010
That wasn't the kind of precociousness I was hoping for...
Cameron had her 12 month well appointment this morning. Her stats:
Length: 29 inches (50%)
Weight: 19 lbs 15.4 ozs (35%)
Head: 45 cms (65%)
As her doctor predicted at the 9 month appointment, Cameron has fallen into the toddler trap of increasing activity and a minor eating slump. She has definitely lost her big belly but only grew 1/2 an inch in the past 3 months.
Last evening I was treated to the first of what are sure to be many temper tantrums. Cameron was arching her back and screaming while I held her. Upon DH's advice I put her on the ground where she proceeded to kick and scream and roll her way around the room. For 15 minutes. Yes, at the ripe age of one year, one day, my child learned how to throw a stellar temper tantrum. According to our doctor Cameron is starting early. Also early on the development scale? Throwing food on the ground with vigor and verve.
It would have been nice to have Cameron talking or walking to demonstrate her precociousness. Instead she has decided to highlight her stubborn streak. I blame DH.
Length: 29 inches (50%)
Weight: 19 lbs 15.4 ozs (35%)
Head: 45 cms (65%)
As her doctor predicted at the 9 month appointment, Cameron has fallen into the toddler trap of increasing activity and a minor eating slump. She has definitely lost her big belly but only grew 1/2 an inch in the past 3 months.
Last evening I was treated to the first of what are sure to be many temper tantrums. Cameron was arching her back and screaming while I held her. Upon DH's advice I put her on the ground where she proceeded to kick and scream and roll her way around the room. For 15 minutes. Yes, at the ripe age of one year, one day, my child learned how to throw a stellar temper tantrum. According to our doctor Cameron is starting early. Also early on the development scale? Throwing food on the ground with vigor and verve.
It would have been nice to have Cameron talking or walking to demonstrate her precociousness. Instead she has decided to highlight her stubborn streak. I blame DH.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
It's only a phase but how long of a phase?
Despite only turning 1 yesterday, Cameron has been in full on toddler mode for the past 2 weeks. She has been constantly doing the following things:
- Crying. And not just whining crying. No, instead she brings out the streaming tears and the quivering lip. She cries when she wakes up from a nap. She cries when she goes down for a nap. She cries when she is put in her car seat or taken out of it. And of course she bawls when I put her down or walk away for a minute. She even cries when DH picks her up instead of me.
- Refusing to eat. I try to follow the advice and give Cameron 4 foods, two of which she will usually eat and two new/nutritious options. I usually give her the carb/veggie options first because if I put the fruit down then she would eat nothing but the fruit. But of course Cameron is smart and whines and cries and after about 10 minutes of waiting for her to eat the non-fruit option I put the fruit down on her tray. She scarves it down and whines for more. So obviously the girl is hungry!
- Throwing food. Related to refusing to eat. If Cameron doesn't like the food it becomes a projectile launched at the ground. And the girl has an arm. Dropped food is no longer relegated to the immediate vicinity. Charlie likes that because he is a wimp and refuses to come over the wood laminate floor and eat the dropped food right around the high chair. We say "no" in firm voices but Cameron will just laugh and do it again.
The food issues in particular are concerning for me because we're trying to eliminate bottles. We've successfully brought her down to 3 bottles a day and I have a feeling that I can remove the breakfast bottle next week. That still leaves the 3 PM and the 6:30 PM ones. Cameron eats so little for dinner that I wonder if we'll be able to ever eliminate the 6:30 bottle!
I'm looking for validation, advice and commiseration....please tell me I will get back my happy, smiling, laughing baby sometime soon!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Cameron: twelve months old
Dear Cameron,
Today you are one year old. Exactly 365 days ago your daddy and I were thrilled to meet you. And in those past twelve months you have grown and learned and filled our hearts more than we ever thought possible.
Lately we are struggling with eliminating bottles, keeping you from throwing food all over the floor and giving you kisses and cuddles when you inevitably fall and bang your head. It's a good thing you got your daddy's thick head!
We thought you might be walking by your birthday but you aren't quite ready to let go of our hands. Or the couch. Or the table. Or the wall. But we know you'll get there soon which is why mommy spent far too much money on your first pair of real shoes this past weekend.
In month two you spent a lot of time staring at the light. Now you are far too busy to zone out and would much rather prefer climbing all over mommy and daddy.
You discovered your tongue in month 3, forgot about it for a while and are now really into it again. You love to poke it out and wiggle it at Daddy when he is being silly.
Month 4 saw lots of smiles and laughter. Your eyes started to lighten and you became much more of a little person. Mommy returned to work and you started daycare. Aside from Mommy's concerns about your napping (still have that today) you have flourished there.
Month 5 saw the introduction of solid foods. Yum, rice cereal! Now you are mostly eating finger foods and we've started eliminating bottles. You still make this face when I try to get you to eat something other than fruit or Cheerios or gold fish crackers.
You really started moving around in your seventh month. And Mommy knew that we would be chasing you for the rest of our lives. 
Mommy and Daddy
Today you are one year old. Exactly 365 days ago your daddy and I were thrilled to meet you. And in those past twelve months you have grown and learned and filled our hearts more than we ever thought possible.
Lately we are struggling with eliminating bottles, keeping you from throwing food all over the floor and giving you kisses and cuddles when you inevitably fall and bang your head. It's a good thing you got your daddy's thick head!
We thought you might be walking by your birthday but you aren't quite ready to let go of our hands. Or the couch. Or the table. Or the wall. But we know you'll get there soon which is why mommy spent far too much money on your first pair of real shoes this past weekend.
You still love your bath time just as much as you did during your first month of life. Now you can stand up and squirm around. But you love the water and would stay there until your fingers and toes wrinkled.
In month two you spent a lot of time staring at the light. Now you are far too busy to zone out and would much rather prefer climbing all over mommy and daddy.
You discovered your tongue in month 3, forgot about it for a while and are now really into it again. You love to poke it out and wiggle it at Daddy when he is being silly.
Month 4 saw lots of smiles and laughter. Your eyes started to lighten and you became much more of a little person. Mommy returned to work and you started daycare. Aside from Mommy's concerns about your napping (still have that today) you have flourished there.
Month 5 saw the introduction of solid foods. Yum, rice cereal! Now you are mostly eating finger foods and we've started eliminating bottles. You still make this face when I try to get you to eat something other than fruit or Cheerios or gold fish crackers.
In your 6th month we visited your whole family in Massachusetts and Maine. Mommy and Daddy had their first weekend away from you but you and Grammy had a great time.
You really started moving around in your seventh month. And Mommy knew that we would be chasing you for the rest of our lives. 
In month 8 we took you to Hilton Head where you loved nothing more than hanging out in the kiddie pool and bit hot tub. Mommy signed you up for swim lessons as soon as we got home!
In November you started to realize that rolling was slow and commando crawling was the way to go. It was only this past month that you figured out how much faster crawling on your hands and knees is. Sometimes you go back to commando crawling but overall you'd prefer to walk anyway.
We had a small quiet Christmas this past year. While Grammy and Bumpa grumbled you have plenty of time to experience the craziness that is usually our family Christmas. We decided to only get you 2 presents but you got a lot more from friends and family.
In your eleventh month your sauciness really got going. Your Daddy and I experienced the start of a very wide and deep stubborn streak. But how can we resist a face this cute?
If this picture is any indication you are thrilled that it's finally Spring and we can get out of the house. It's probably the reason you are working so hard to walk on your own. Don't worry, my little munchkin, you will get there!
It has been a wonderful year and we can't wait to see what you do next!
Mommy and Daddy
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The sign of a disorganized mind
I have been doing a lot of thinking about work lately. I've mentally composed and discarded several blog posts about it. Mostly because I don't want to cross any potentially hazardous lines in talking about BigFinance but also because my mind is a whirl and it's hard to concentrate. I pinpoint my issues to one thing: my email inbox has become unwieldy. And that means my job has become unwieldy. I like to file emails and keep everything nice and tidy and up to date. If I have more than 30 active emails in my inbox I know that the work is piling up. And I've hit well over a hundred.
I'm sure many of you are snickering at my email numbers (yes, Mommy, Esq., I'm looking at you!) but to more than triple the number of "active" things I'm following up on means that my mind, like my days, are just spiraling out of control. I think things would be better if I was able to execute on my projects. But we've been in the planning stages for 9 months and every time it looks like there is a break through another problem pops up. I do not exaggerate when I write that not a single piece of the work I'm doing has been easy. Usually there are one or two quick wins that can help boost me through bad times but not for the past 9 months. And that is a long time to go in being frustrated.
I'm also struggling with figuring out my career path within BigFinance. I may have mentioned previously that I am in a rotational program. It is ending in July so I need to figure out if I should stay in my current department or target a new role. I have an offer on the table but it doesn't appear to be the best fit. A lot of uncertainty with the role and very little upside. Plus it's the first job I've interviewed for and I plan on being very picky in finding my next role. How about the rest of you? How have you plotted out your careers? Have you just fallen into roles or was there deliberate thought and action?
I'm sure many of you are snickering at my email numbers (yes, Mommy, Esq., I'm looking at you!) but to more than triple the number of "active" things I'm following up on means that my mind, like my days, are just spiraling out of control. I think things would be better if I was able to execute on my projects. But we've been in the planning stages for 9 months and every time it looks like there is a break through another problem pops up. I do not exaggerate when I write that not a single piece of the work I'm doing has been easy. Usually there are one or two quick wins that can help boost me through bad times but not for the past 9 months. And that is a long time to go in being frustrated.
I'm also struggling with figuring out my career path within BigFinance. I may have mentioned previously that I am in a rotational program. It is ending in July so I need to figure out if I should stay in my current department or target a new role. I have an offer on the table but it doesn't appear to be the best fit. A lot of uncertainty with the role and very little upside. Plus it's the first job I've interviewed for and I plan on being very picky in finding my next role. How about the rest of you? How have you plotted out your careers? Have you just fallen into roles or was there deliberate thought and action?
Monday, March 22, 2010
Family visits
As you may have noticed I've been a bit remiss in posting lately. That's because of the craziness of my work schedule and visits from family. My sister-in-law came to visit us for the first time since we've moved to Charlotte. It was wonderful to see her especially because she is very well versed in gardening and landscape planning. While I was toiling away at work she and DH did a ton of planting and pruning and general clean up. The yard looks great! Still a long way to go especially with planting shade perennials but we'll get there! The day after my SIL left, my mom (Grammy) showed up. A fun time and lots of shopping was had by all.
Here are some photos to tide you over....I can't believe how much Cameron is growing up!
Grammy insisted that the way for Cameron to learn how to sip through a straw was to get a milkshake from McDonald's. As you can see, it totally worked!
Grammy got some great shots of Cameron during swim lessons.
Cameron loves her swing. It doesn't swing quite straight but that is what happens when you use a tree. She still loves it.
Here are some photos to tide you over....I can't believe how much Cameron is growing up!
Cameron clutches the new puppy that Mimi gave her for her birthday.
Cameron hangs out in the chair that Grammy gave her and the hat that Mimi knitted her. Good thing it's big enough to fit next winter!
Grammy insisted that the way for Cameron to learn how to sip through a straw was to get a milkshake from McDonald's. As you can see, it totally worked!
Grammy got some great shots of Cameron during swim lessons.
Cameron loves her swing. It doesn't swing quite straight but that is what happens when you use a tree. She still loves it.
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