Is it over yet?

Whew! The past two weeks have been filled with drama and trauma. I have been home sick with Emma more than in the whole year combined. I almost took her to get xrays as well when she fell off the monkey bars at school as well (she suffered from a bruised back and a sprained wrist).

Oh, and I heard from her tonight that she got a "check" at school (a warning of sorts that the kids did something wrong). What for I asked and, after some hesitancy she tells me... she punched a boy in her class... the boy that has been harrasing her and her friends (i.e., touching their butts and hair, etc.). Ok, so I didnt scold her... he deserves it.

As for Olivia, she is all over the place. She actually stood up on her own today for about a second or two. Look at these legs... I love them...

My daughters husband

The other night hubby and I were talking and reflecting on some comments from Emma - one comment being that "Daddy is a servant" and earlier in the day that "mommies are lucky - they always get to relax".

Wow! Clearly her perspective on our household is much different than it was a generation ago in many homes when the dad worked outside the home and the mom was a homemaker. Hubby said that he thought it would be hard for Emma to find a husband because she would have these expections of men (they would cook, clean, grocery shop, take care of their kids, etc., etc.) and he questioned her finding that. I said that I thought that I think that she SHOULD keep her expectations high and I had higher hope that she would find this all in a significant other.

In observing our friends many of the guys are the main cooks in the family or play a signifant role in taking care of the kids, etc., etc. Based on what I am seeing - and I think my daughter is seeing not only at home but at her friends homes - I hope that she sees that men can play these roles as much as women can.

As for my own hubby I DO greatly appreciate all he does (as my "servant") so I can "relax all the time" - not only the cooking, dishes, grocery shopping, story reading, and a ridiculous amount of child centered play with Emma. I cannot imagine doing this all without him!

What a week...

... oh, wait, it is only Wednesday.

Emma is sick. She was home from school for the first time Tuesday with a fever. She didnt seem that sick - she was apparently taking pictures of her dad and sister.... (nice). They even went to the eye doctors as Emma has been complaining about her eyebrows hurting.

We thought she was better then I pick her up and she looks like this... (note the rings under her eyes!). And yes that is a Wendy's frosty she is eating - I thought it would make her feel better.

I was pretty surprised when I picked her up and she looked like hell (what kind of

mom would send her kid to school looking like that?). Then I get to take her to pick out her new glasses (she had already spied a nice pair of purple wire rimmed ones). We looked and looked but when we finally found the purple ones again she was clearly excited. So purple glasses it is for Emma! Poor baby.

Oh, and one more thing I couldnt resist capturing on film... Olivia's need to lick everything. Ew! Yes, this is her licking the door... right after she scooted her little body over there (crawling isnt exactly what she does - it is more like scooting with one leg stuck under her). Whatever works for her.

Just One Thing

Maybe this is not an overly original idea, but I was reading some posts by Eco Mama and her idea of just changing one thing you do a month to something that is a little more environmentally friendly I thought was a good one. I know it is a little ironic that I am an environmental scientist by trade, but I feel like I am not as environmentally friendly as I could be. I have changed most of our lightbulbs over and we try to recycle the best we can, but I know there are a gagillion things I can do better.

So I am going to attempt to do my own "just one thing" starting this month... I have been changing all my cleaning products, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc. over to more environmentally friendly versions of them.

One thing a month can add up right?

You know you are a dc transplant when...

... you loathe the thought of going to cherry blossom "festival". Ok, so Rochester has about a month of summer each year but in that one month they pack in as much outdoor fun as possible in the form of many festivals, with music, art, and lots of beer and wine.

Every year my co-workers and I walk down to the tidal basin to take in the sights during this time and I am always a bit disappointed. Maybe I am missing something. Where is the beer tent?

Or maybe I haven't been as deprived of the sun and haven't had 8 feet of snow in my yard all year. Maybe that is why in Rochester all the summer festivals seemed like such joyous events. Anyway, set up the beer tent and I will be there!

status report

So the baby is crawling. Apparently trying to stand as well. When I got to daycare this afternoon the teacher said that she was crying because she got stuck... essentially in the downward dog yoga position and she couldnt figure out what to do next.

We also got a note from Emma's teacher - she wants a conference with us to discuss Emma. At this point either that is bad or good (the extremes I am thinking as it is getting to be the end of the year).

... and the baby is crying again...

soundly sleeping????

So, baby sleeps horribly.... even worse than her big sister did if that is at all imaginable. I decided, and surprisingly hubby agreed, that we would consult with a sleep expert. After that big decision the woman still hasnt called me back (although she did email me telling me to call her). Since I have not heard from her I have had to take matters into my own hands. I didnt think I would do this but I have resorted to crying it out. In a way it is easier than it was with Emma (we tried it a bit when she was a baby too) but this time I know what I am in store for if I dont fix this sooner than later. I should have done this a few weeks ago before the baby could sit up/stand/crawl.

Anyway, she has been crying off an on all night. I did check on her and she wasnt hungry so I put her back down. She is asleep for the moment. We did this the other night and she slept for two 3.5 hour chunks of time (got up just twice). That is huge for Olivia (she is usually up at least 5 times). Cross your fingers.