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Tuesday

Aug242010

7 Quick Tuesday Takes - back to work edition

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 6:30AM

4 Things That Changed At Work While I Was On Maternity Leave:

1. They have new vending machines in the student center. These include a Blue Bunny ice cream vending machine. YUM, not that I plan to utilize the machine since I am trying to lose some weight. (Yes, that's a new development; I'll have to go into it another time.) In addition, all of the machines now take debit/credit cards. For someone who plans to try and kick her Coke Zero addiction, this is a dangerous machine upgrade.

2. Two of the main programs I use for my job got complete makeovers. So not only did I have to remember my passwords, I had to learn how to navigate new systems.

3. There's a new librarian (I work in a room in the library). I like her, though, so that's simply a positive change.

4. I had to make a list on a sticky note and put it on my desk reminding me what I'm actually supposed to be doing at work because I had so totally forgotten my routine.

And 3 Things That Did Not Change

5. It's cold. I wore a dress yesterday with a short sleeve sweater over it and I was cold, even in my area, which runs warmer than the rest of the campus. Must remember this (must remember to bring tea to work, as well).

6. Students are not concerned with flushing properly. I don't know why this is, but it is. It really isn't that hard to push a handle down and make sure a flush is complete, but it seems to escape them.

7. I like the people that I work with and I especially like the tutors that work for me. I hadn't realized that I missed them while I was out until I felt happy to see them when they came in yesterday afternoon.

Candice |

7 Quick Tuesday Takes

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 6:30AM

1. I keep seeing David's Bridal commercials, which is making me miss my wedding dress. I have it - so I don't miss it in that way - but I miss it like I want to wear it. It seems so torturous to buy a dress you love so much but then only be able to wear it for one day.

2. My brother asked me the other day if it's every weird to think I have a baby. I told him honestly that it feels weird every single day. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think, "Wow. I have a baby. I? Have a baby??" I don't feel like a mom, although I guess I must because I am one. Maybe it just doesn't feel like what I thought it would feel like? Although I don't know what I thought it would feel like.

3. I realized this week that I have 15 weeks off from work, not 14. Very cool. My return to work date isn't changing; I just counted the number of weeks wrong. But it feels good that I'll always know that for the first 15 weeks of Nate's life, I was with him every day.

4. That said, I need some time out. I'm starting to burn out on the whole stay-at-home-mom thing, as silly as that seems at only 10 weeks. The problem is, I don't know where I would go to get away and I think I would feel guilty the whole time. I feel like because I only have 15 weeks with Nate before going back to work that I owe him every single second of every single day, which - of course - is not entirely healthy or sane. So I have to figure out a way to deal with this for the next few weeks before I go back to work.

5. Speaking of work, my return date is set because my boss needs me to teach a class starting that day. So, my first day back I'll be teaching. At 8am. And the classes run four days a week (I'll be teaching Reading on Mon/Wed and Writing on Tues/Thur). Eep. From SAHM to 8am four days a week? I am not looking forward to that entirely, although it did feel really good to talk to my boss about going back to work. Augh. It's like now I'm two people - the mom and the worker - and they're not compatible.

6. My car might actually be finally, totally fixed. It started acting funky AGAIN - and after recently spending $2k on it (plus what I spent a few months ago PLUS what I spent on it in the fall), I was ready to pitch a fit. Thankfully, the hubby was able to figure out what was wrong and did the work himself - and now the car seems to be driving perfectly. Dear car gods: please oh please oh PLEASE let this car just simply work for a while?

7. I want to move. The more time I spend at home, the more claustrophobic our apartment feels. I want a place Nate will be able to crawl around freely in when he's ready to start moving, and a place where we'll be able to manage his safety and keep Buster adequately contained but not restricted. Laundry machines would be great, too. And all of this for not much more than we're paying now. So, yeah, shooting for the stars here. But who knows... maybe, just maybe... fingers crossed.

Candice |

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Tuesday

Jun222010

7 Quick Tuesday Takes - to remember

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 4:50PM

There are so many things I want to remember about this time with Nate. I know years from now I'll think of these things and go, "Ohhh yeah! He did used to do that!"

1. He loves his changing table. He gave a few smiles starting at four weeks old, but now he smiles maybe 50-75% of the times I put him down on his changing table. It makes being up at the crack of dawn worth it.

2. He is the great swaddler escape artist. Even in the velcro swaddler, he's got at least one hand out by morning.

3. Everyone comments on how mellow he is. He really only cries if he's hungry, has a dirty diaper, or has gas.

4. ... And speaking of gas. Oh boy, my little boy. He's got some crazy gas. I'm actually going to talk to the pediatrician about it. Maybe a formula change is necessary?

5. His eye color is still a bit indefinable, but definitely looks like it's going to settle on blue eventually.

6. His hair is falling out, so he's got a bit of that old man horseshoe hair (little on top, with a horseshoe shape of hair around the sides and back). And the sides and back are actually a little shaggy!

7. He's really good for bathtime. He doesn't love it yet, but he doesn't cry. He scrunches up his brow and gives me his, "What is going on here?" face. I hope he grows to really love bathtime. Since it doesn't bother him now, I'm thinking there's hope!

Candice |

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Jun082010

7 Quick Tuesday Takes

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at 5:26PM

1. I can't believe how quickly a month can go. I seriously feel like Nate's only been home a week, not four.

2. I adore morning TV - Charmed on TNT, Today, Good Morning America, Regis and Kelly, Rachael Ray, The View... it's the one thing about being home from work that's consistently enjoyable. You can catch anything on in the afternoon at any time, and it still works if you Tivo it... but morning TV isn't quite the same unless you're watching it in the morning.

3. Formula stinks. I hate how it smells. I know it would probably be remarkably unhealthy if they made it smell like Febreze or something, but I wish it could.

4. Nate and I have been sick for a week now. Ugh. We're both barely sick at this point - he's just stuffed up sometimes and I have a dry (super annoying) tickle in my throat that's making me cough. I don't remember being sick this long - it's been years and years... like, seriously, a decade or more. I have a fantastic immune system, but I'm hoping it beefs up even more as Nate's does so I don't get sick like this as long as he does. I'm sure Nate's hoping I stop using the bulb syringe to suck boogers out of his nose.

5. I still don't have my car. It's still dead. Still sitting in my parents' driveway. This is still remarkably annoying and frustrating, especially when I need groceries and am not sure yet that Nate would hold up to a walk to the supermarket, a quick spin around the store, and then the walk home. It would be so much easier if I could pop him in the car and make a short trip of it.

6. Speaking of easy, while I wish I was using cloth diapers, I now see why someone told me I really can't unless I have a washer/dryer in the house or the money for a laundry service. Nate goes through about 12 diapers a day (sometimes more) and we get to do laundry once a week. There's no way we could deal with 84 dirty diapers sitting in the house every week.

7. We looked at two apartments last week, but neither one fit our needs even though they did on paper. Don't you hate that - when something has everything on your list but it's just not arranged or provided in the way you need? Especially when on a budget - since, sure, we could find what we want for more money; we just don't have more money. So we're just keeping on looking. Ideally, I'd like to move before Nate starts crawling. We'll see if it happens. *crosses fingers while perusing apartment ads*

Happy Tuesday!

Candice |

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Tuesday

May042010

7 Quick Tuesday Takes - the last non-mom one?

Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 7:30AM

1. Last night was my second (and last) chiropractic session before tomorrow's sonogram. If The Force hasn't turned by tomorrow, my OB is scheduling the c-section for Monday. So by this time next week, I could be a mom. This has not sunk in. The chiro session went better than Saturday's. Overall I felt less pressure, fewer pops and cracks, and so on. So now we'll see how the sonogram goes tomorrow night.

2. File under "of all the luck" - yesterday my husband went to borough hall to pay a parking ticket. When he came out what was on his car but... another parking ticket! The block we live on doesn't require the parking passes that much of the town does, which seems to be the culprit. So today the hubby goes to get those AND to see if the ticket can be waived. *fingers crossed*

Update (10am): The ticket is being waived. Yay!

3. Things to complete this week include cleaning the bathroom, fixing the door on the nursery (loose hinge due to stripped screw holes), grocery shopping (I keep having trouble summoning the energy to actually go to the supermarket), finishing packing my hospital bag (probably a very good idea), finish my schoolwork for the semester (woefully and inexcusably behind at this point and feeling utterly wretched about it), tie up all loose ends at work, organize baby feeding supplies at home (where do I put all that stuff??).

You know, just a few little things to do.

4. Speaking of the to-do list, we are one major step closer to deciding on a name for The Force! (Yes, we're possibly having a baby in six days and he doesn't have a name yet.) We made our final lists (mine has 7 names on it, the hubby's has 11 - ha, 7-11). Two of the names are the same, so quite probably we'll choose one of those, but I want to give all the other names full consideration, too, so I'm letting them all sink in and marinate in my brain a bit before I we truly decide that one of the two names we both listed will be the choice.

5. Tonight is possibly my last grad class for over a year, if I go ahead with my tentative plan to not take any classes in the fall or spring so I can spend more time with the baby and figure out exactly how my mommy schedule will work. It feels odd, but I'm excited about this, which tells me it's the right decision for now.

6. My boss had me come to the main campus for a meeting yesterday - except, it wasn't a meeting. It was a surprise baby shower! I got a cute stuffed dog, a baby album, a bunch of feeding stuff, and a Toys R Us gift card. My coworkers are so sweet. (And there was cake, mmm.)

7. Yesterday I bought tickets for Roger Waters The Wall Live. The show is in November, so we've got six months to line up a babysitter. Concerts are one of those things that seem to fade from your 20s to your 30s; I miss seeing shows. These days they're a luxury, both in time and money - but this one was a must for me. Can't wait.

Candice |

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