Let's call it a day

One minute, I'm on maternity leave, living the life of childish, sun-kissed days, and basking in the option to go running until 8pm. In the blink of an eye, it's dark from 4pm til 7:30am, I'm up to my eyeballs in work, and the fresh produce and meat in my fridge seem to taunt me as if to say "Heh heh, you're not gonna cook US!" (and they're right).

Edie rocking her trademark red cowgirl boots
at the Festival of Trees

Life got intense quickly. I knew this would be one very challenging year - new baby, toddler, sole responsibility for 90% of daycare pick up and drop off, Dave's graduate program which requires many weekends at the library, not to mention training for a half marathon, and my newish full time job that is straight up busy.

Morning cuteness that melts my heart.

Those born of the Leonard clan (my mom's side of the family) can do busy. We were genetically coded to thrive amidst the crazy, the stressful, the challenging times. We are interested in everything. We commit to and hold ourselves accountable for a lot, both internal and external demands, despite our full plates (see half marathon training, above). My dad's side of the family are no less hard workers, but they generally embrace the slower lane, complete with tea breaks and afternoon naps. My Grandma Rita would've had you drawn and quartered if she caught you napping on a sunny day. She was a wonderful woman, but had incredibly high standards and, in her prime, had little tolerance for leisure.

Edie helps Emmeline snack on some puffs. She is so good at being a big sis.

Is it terrible that I dream of taking a sick day to curl up on the couch, to eat banana bread (that someone else baked) and drink hot chocolate (that someone made me) while binge watching t.v.? That sounds delicious.

Instead I orchestrate a symphony of getting myself and the girls ready for daycare. We leave the house armed with enough luggage to sink the Titanic, and hopefully our cat Frankie doesn't escape through the front door (we lose a few minutes capturing and tossing her back inside). Once in the car, I pass Edie her (dry) toothbrush from the front seat. We listen to Christmas music on Pandora on the way to school, and wave to the crossing guards. Once we've all disembarked the car, kids, gear, and moods in check, I think "This is not for the faint of heart. I wonder how a non-Leonard manages", I finesse a toddler (me: "C'mon! Off the jungle gym!", her: silent defiance) and a bundled-up baby into their respective rooms. Edie takes off her gear, scrubs in, and writes her name in the sign-in book.

These tasks would take an adult one minute, but add in the toddler factor and we're talking a good 20 minutes of coaxing and refocusing from the books, baskets of bean bags, what have you, before we get to the infant room; Edie always helps me drop off Emmeline. We take off our shoes, scrub Emmeline in, dress down, sign in, manage a day's worth of food, and kiss goodbye. Edie does quality control on all the infant room toys during this time, making sure their bouncy balls and pop-up musical toys are in good working order.

Attempt at multi-tasking doesn't go so well
- see the bottle not being fed? 

 

When I return home an hour later, I breeze past the (trashed) living room, clear out the sink, and let out a deep sigh before heading to my desk. Some mornings, when our routine has gone relatively well, I think, "Yeah I'm killing it! I fed, bathed, dressed, AND entertained two little ones, and got a few sips of coffee in between". Other days, the sheer energy it takes to get everyone where they need to be in somewhat sane order bests me. Kiddos - 1, Shawna - 0. It feels like I've worked a half day by 9am.

I know my woes are not unique. Every family on our street, in our town, anywhere have these days studded with minor chaos. I've lowered the bar in terms of what needs to get done in a day. If I eat a piece of fruit, go for a run, spend time on the floor with my kids, or have a decent conversation with Dave, it's a successful day.

The girls were largely unimpressed with the Claus family

Tonight I should've worked, but instead I went running with my mom, had dinner with Dave, and blogged. That's some good Shawna time, so work will have to wait. Until I'm staring at the piles of it tomorrow morning, stressed.

These are the halcyon years. The salad days.

We cut the cable cord

Dave and I have been hunting for a new t.v. show since we got rid of cable a few months ago in favor of an AppleTV, with access to Netflix and Hulu streams. Dave tells me we are definitely getting cable back when cash flows in more freely. I can get behind that. Not that he has much time to veg, but he's a sports-watchin' kind of guy. I do miss live t.v. once in a while, for Sunday football or news on for background noise, but I was sick of being a Comcast sucker, paying them more and more each month for a commodity we used relatively infrequently (or rather, paid for 500 channels and watched 3 of them).

Not happening for us

From what I hear, t.v. is thriving these days, thanks to certain networks picking up well-written, bold concept shows. We're both interested in The Americans, a Reagan-era drama about married KGB spies, masquerading as a normal family in DC suburbs, but it isn't on Netflix or Hulu, we don't want to pay extra for it. Same goes for Homeland, a show with rave reviews starring Claire Danes as a stellar, albeit bipolar, CIA agent. I've loved Claire since her days as Angela Chase in My So Called Life, when I identified with her teenage angst and hopeless crushes. Angela led me to embrace denim overalls as fashionable; she rocked them, and other 'edgy' Contempo Casuals separates circa '94.

Claire and Rayanne ain't misbehavin

So back to 2013 t.v. options. In the off chance I have enough downtown and energy to keep my eyes open while on the couch, I'm often overwhelmed by the sheer options of shows. I've heard great things about Downton Abbey, but I just haven't been compelled to invest. We gave up on Orange is the New Black due to boredom. We (mostly) liked House of Cards, a modern DC-based drama about majority whip a.k.a. Kevin Spacey clamoring to the top of federal government at the expense of nothing and no one; the next season will air this winter. We've been dedicated to Mad Men over the years, but it's not in season. Top Chef, the only reality show I can watch without cringing, unfortunately doesn't exist in our cable-less lives.

The very likable Kristin won 2013 Top Chef

I really like documentaries, and my favorite sub-genre is the meth documentary (their teeth! their bad haircuts! I can't look away!), but there are only so many of them. I also have a cursory interest in Breaking Bad or Walking Dead, but Dave doesn't have much stomach for those (you know, your garden variety high-school-chemistry-teacher-turned-meth-maker and zombie dramas). I recently discovered Sons of Anarchy, and convinced Dave to try it even though I had no idea what it was about.

The show began in 2008, and has been FX's most successful to date. We are about 6 episodes into Season 1, and I'm in. to. it. It's about a California-based biker gang who run guns for cash while operating a garage by day. In some episodes, the guys do right by bringing justice to the good and punishing the bad. And by punish, I mean punish. The Sons pursue their own brand of law enforcement, and they are violent - think The Sopranos on Harleys. There are of course side stories about family, love interests, drugs, and hidden histories. I'm getting intrigued and I certainly don't mind watching Jax for an hour. He reminds me of Kurt Cobain. Me-ow!

Oh hey, Jax. Didn't hear you ride up.

Some scenes are a little too gory for my taste, but all in all the Sons story is strong, and I hope we can stick with it (yes, I refer to committing to a show like it's some noble achievement, like training for a big race or finishing a book). I like having something to turn to, to know the story line, to have favorite characters....something we're invested in. Sure beats watching Duck Dynasty, a little gem Dave picked out during our dying cable days in a strategy to, I don't know, lower my opinion of him?

Take it out back and shoot it!

Happy Thanksgiving, and as the cold, short, and dark days carry on, happy t.v. watching my friends!

Only two cups of sugar

I made dinner with an insane amount of butter recently. It's rare that I bust out the recipe box these days, but once in a while I'm inspired to whip something up besides spaghetti. On Tuesday, I made  Brussels sprouts braised in butter, along with lemon chicken doused in butter, and 90-second microwavable Uncle Ben's rice, likely created in a factory with chemical butter flavor (but those food scientists did a pretty good job). My friend Erin gave me the sprouts recipe and I eat them out of the pan like they're French fries.

That's fiber-ful spaghetti, but she doesn't know it.

Speaking of chemically processed food, Edie ate chicken nuggets and her body weight in mandarin oranges for dinner. I realize nuggets aren't healthy, but don't tell me how they're made. They're kind of a kid-dinner crutch and they work, for now anyway. A former colleague made chicken nuggets from scratch - I wondered, aren't you negating the point? They're cheap, they're easy, they're not  made by humans. Same with mac n' cheese. I used to only buy white cheddar Annie's. Now I'm not too proud to put some yellow-ass Kraft in my grocery cart, depending on how thrifty I'm feeling.

Again, spaghetti. Notice a theme?

I've had periods of food snobbery, like when I made fancy dishes from my Cook's Illustrated subscription, or when we tried eating Paleo for a while one week. Those two former versions of my life may be healthy, but I just don't have the budget, time to go to peruse the aisles of a grocery store, or the will/availability to chop veggies and turn on the oven for every meal. I realize it's kind of a sad testament to our busy lives, but time is of the essence so I feed my kid instant oatmeal or Gorilla Munch for breakfast. At least we eat at the table together and I toss in some raisins whenever I can. Okay, Edie eats her cereal in front of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, while I get Emmeline and myself ready...is that so bad?

Edie feeds Emmeline breakfast while I run upstairs for Edie's toothbrush...and hopefully hairbrush!

Edie and I baked bread and made lasagna while Emmeline napped on Sunday, a gorgeous fall day. I had a bunch of produce and meat to use up. I got my best appliance friend, the Slow Cooker, out of storage to make turkey-zucchini lasagna. We needed to eat some butternut squash and bananas before they went bad, so I found a recipe for squash banana cranberry bread (damn I love Google!). It may sound random, but it is delicious, and  I'd done some stealth parenting by sneaking veggies and fruit into a kid-approved bread. Furthermore, I eliminated one of the recommended three cups of sugar. Really, three cups of sugar - is that ever necessary? I gave the leftover pureed squash to Emmeline - she's almost six months, and ready for her first solid foods. Her review? Her face says it all.

I could seriously just eat her up!

I feel an absurd amount of satisfaction when I cook fresh food just before it expires. If I create a meatloaf the day that the ground pork's about to go, I give myself a high five. An internal high five. In general, I might've lowered my family's dietary standards, as time and energy are at a premium. But I still aim high when possible, and once in a while I'll even puree my baby girl some food.

Running a relay without the baton

We did another race, and this one was big. Not Dave's really real upcoming race, but this was a family affair that required setting an early alarm, securing a babysitter weeks in advance, and some general training. Dave and I completed a marathon relay as part of the Hartford Marathon. The day includes many different races - kids fun run, a 5k, wheelchair race, half marathon, marathon relay, and full marathon. Though the marathon relay has less glory than many of the other events (i.e. we didn't get finisher medals and the only offerings at the food tent when I got there were dry bagels and pears). Anyway, it fit the bill for Dave's amped up training needs, and my lackluster training.

We run this town

I've done the half marathon before, and it's a great course through the Parkville neighborhood of Hartford, into the tree-lined streets of West Hartford, out through photogenic Elizabeth Park, and under the Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, with ample spectators cheering and bands playing. Dave and I did a marathon relay as he's training for the NYC Marathon in a few weeks. His training run for last weekend was a cool 20 miles, so we figured why not train on a course free of traffic and stocked with Gatorade? I'd do the remainder miles, which ended up being about 5.5.



VIP access to the Coachman

Our relay team did well, though not as well as my Dad and Jeff, who schooled us. I won't replay it mile for mile, but it was an absolutely gorgeous day, spirits were high, and Kevin and Jan's Winnebago was stocked with mimosas, coffee, sandwiches, and apple cider donuts for post-race rehab, and an outdoor patio to boot. They bought their camper specifically for pre- and post-race retreat, and it is an awesome resource. Less need for Port-a-Potties, coupled with a warm and dry place to store gear, and the added tailgating element increase the race day experience tenfold. People walk by and look at us longingly like, "Why didn't we think of that?" (here I am rhapsodizing about the benefits but have I done an ounce to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the glorious Coachman? Nope. I'm lame!)

A few things of note: my mom has been cleaning up Hartford Marathon events. 5Ks are her specialty, and this past year she keeps winning for her division (women in a certain age bracket). She's been getting more and more first place ribbons, as she did on Saturday. Did I mention she's beat me substantially the last few races we've done? I pretty much eat her dust, and couldn't be more proud.

Competitive parental units

My mom, sister, and I just registered for the Austin, Texas half marathon. I'm pretty pumped for a few reasons. One, I like the half marathon distance and training is reasonable. I thrive when I have a clear goal. After watching the marathoners finish on Saturday, I concluded that humans aren't designed to run 26.2 miles. It just seems insane. (I still flirt with the idea of running a marathon someday, primarily because I doubt I could do it).

Second, the Lone Star State! I've never been, and I know that Austin isn't the "real" Texas, but I'm excited to go during the short, dark days of February. Training starts in a few weeks, but until then, I'll be racing my mom at a Halloween 5K and cheering for Dave (and Jeff!) in New York City in a few weeks.

Can you spot Dave?

Emmeline's Daily Digest

This will be short and sweet, just like Emmeline.

One highlight of my day is getting the reports from the girls' classrooms. As Edie has graduated to the preschool she has a less detailed report, but Emmeline's are pretty cute.

For example:
Emmeline had a nice day. She liked playing peek-a-boo with a large scarf. Lots of smiles. I helped her bang two small wooden blocks together to music. She had some tummy time and did some reaching for rattles I put in front of her. Outside for some fresh air.

And this from her first day:
Emmeline napped for five minutes while drinking a bottle. When tried to put in crib she laughed and played with eyes wide open.

We love tummy time and mirrors

I save some of these daily digests because they're infinitely cute, but we really don't have the storage space for all. (I've kept some of Edie's too). As indicated above, Emmeline does not sleep much at daycare, but she's happy for the most part, just plum tuckered out by the end of day. When I get there she is usually being held and spoken to warmly by her teacher, a 19-year infant room veteran. I try to soak up as much of my baby as I can.

America's Next Top Mom

I am watching America's Next Top Model for the first time in ages. It is television trash to the max and it's hitting the spot. It brings me back to my Queens days, when Erin and I watched it from some crusty old futon. The contestants' tears are a-flowin' (in between screams of delight) on this season's premier as they convince Tyra on their undying need to be ANTM. A lot has changed since then, but it's comforting to see Tyra is still crazier than a sh*thouse rat.

Edie gives the camera her best serious look

In other news, I'm working full-time, at a new job from home. As an urban planner! I love working from home.  It is a huge task to get the girls successfully out the door, so it's a relief that I don't need to pack my lunch or iron pants. Baby barf on my shoulder? No big deal. The morning routine is a two-hour ordeal, so by 9am I feel that I've already worked a half-day.

[sidenote: Dave just came into the room with a look of disgust at the tv. My glorious half-hour of trashy indulgence is over...]

To spend more time with my girls, I'm trying an experiment this week. My alarm goes off at 5am, and I sneak downstairs and put in an hour of work in my home office. If I get work out of the way early, I can shave an hour off at the end of the day and pick up my darlins' from daycare. I get the coffeemaker ready the night before, which, even though Dave used to do this in Seattle, seems revolutionary. Anything that increases efficiency is top priority in my book.

Edie teaches Emmeline a thing or two

My plan only works if the girls sleep till 6am. Ready for Shawna's Deep Thought of the Night? Even with the flexibility of working from home, balancing a full-time workload is tough. Each girl needs a lot of time, attention, and love, and the work needs a lot of time and attention. There is limited quantities of time and energy to go around. I've said before that we love our daycare: they provide top notch service, they treat the children with love and respect, and the teachers are truly dedicated to early childhood education (the wonderful teachers and daycare providers of the world have a special place in heaven). I trust the girls are in good hands, but I miss them a lot.

The conundrum is that we work to afford our lifestyle and childcare. We need childcare because we work. Even if my employer granted me a part-time work week, childcare is not prorated accordingly. So if I were to work four days a week, tuition wouldn't be 4/5ths of the price. It might be 92%. I'm sure there's a granny running a home daycare in East Bucktooth, CT with legit prorated costs, but I've found nothing within a reasonable distance. So full-time daycare and workweek it is, until I find the magic solution otherwise. I guess when our kids go to public school, we won't need to pay childcare and can ease up on the work schedule. Conundrum indeed.

Speaking of lack of time and energy, I should probably go to bed so I can spring up at 5am and let the roosters know it's time to rise.

Smoothie date in WH Center

High on Life!

Tonight I ran my first post-baby race with my Mom, Dad, (uncle) Kevin, and Dave. In hindsight, it was fantastic. During the race, I was struggling to feel strong and graceful. The 5k "scramble" coursed along the Connecticut River, on a paved trail and through the woods. Race conditions: hot and sweaty, not too big a crowd, and overall pretty quiet. As mentioned, I've been running a bit - a few miles here and there, nothing significant, but felt it was time to register for an organized event and get officially back in the game. I fare better with a clear goal, and have lots of supportive family who consider races social events.

The race was tricky because I didn't have my iPhone with music or the sports tracking app that notes my distance and pace. There were no mile markers (or none that I saw), and I had no watch. (Guess I was taking the minimalist route.) All I could see were the people passing me, and I felt like I was sucking pond water. But I also felt that I was running pretty hard. I thought of the Runners World magazines I've been leafing through, and their 'rah rah running' attitude, and powered through.

I love you Emmeline

The course had looped around so I figured at least we were halfway done. Then a bunch of elite runners (you know, the guys with lean, chiseled bods) lapped me, and I thought, You've got to be kidding. I have to loop around again?! My soul was crushed. I started repeating a mantra: "I love you Edie. I love you Emmeline" to keep propelling forward. It was difficult to not walk, but I didn't. I came upon a guy walking, and I said out loud "C'mon you can do it!", which sounds cheesy but he started running again, and thanked me cheering him on. I told him it felt good to hear those words myself. Cheering crowds go a long way for a runner's mental state; a quiet course is harder to keep the energy up.

I love you Dave

My goal was to finish under 30 minutes, and I crossed the finish line at 26:40. I was impressed! Throughout the race, I had NO idea where I stood, but you have to remember that you don't see all those behind you. I met up with Dave, my Mom, Dad, and Kevin at the finish line/beer tent. Mom and Kevin both placed for their divisions, and we hung around the Hartford waterfront drinking Harpoon and eating Moe's burritos. It was a great ending, and my mom wrangled me into running another 5k on Sunday.

I love you Edie, and Curious George!

By the way, those elite runners who lapped me? They got off track and had to loop around to get back on the course. Yep, that's why I don't want to lead the pack....

Gone woodchuck huntin'

This blog is dedicated to Becky, who suggested not so subtly that I need to update it. I am fully aware that it's as stale as yesterday's Elmwood Bakery donuts, but I swear I have a good excuse. School, work, babies, toddlers, the sun is shining. I promise I'll up my blogging game when my class ends on Sunday. I will even post pictures.

For now, here are some recent highlights.
1. Emmeline is my little pork chop, my happy girl. She learned to laugh, although she's still working on it. Dave and I went away to Chicago a few weeks ago, and she must've ate round the clock while we were gone. She is also a spitter and a cat-napper, both distinct from Edie. Her favorite pastime is bathing, and her favorite food is milk, hands down.

2. Edie and I have been tracking a woodchuck/beaver in our backyard each night around dinner. We spy on him as he munches grass, stands on hind legs, and does his herbivore-type things. We spy from the yard and from windows around the house. I need to look up what this critter is. Edie suggested maybe a monkey or a polar bear, and my Animal Encyclopedia wasn't much more helpful. It has a bushy tail so I'm thinking it's not a beaver. And why would a beaver be in our backyard with no water?

Edie wants to name him Emmeline, but I suggested Woodward. Naming him Emmeline could get confusing.

Can we call him Woodward?

3. I went to the driving range with my mom last night. First I had to blow the bug carcasses out of my golf shoes, then find shorts that don't make me hate life, then downed a mini Coke and a mini Twix bar for good measure. We hit some balls; every 10th one went straight or far (not both). Then we had a beer on the patio and watched white guys tee off, which was fun, and do ridiculous "golf stretches", which was funny.

4. I'm taking an online class through UMass' planning program. It's an intensive 6-week course, ripe with discussion forums (interaction with colleagues is mandatory, the more the merrier), academic papers to slog through, poignant essays to write (with citations),  group projects to coordinate, and so on. The class is about planning for climate change adaptation, and it's an intense topic. Some of my peers are incredibly smart and poignant. I thought I was a good writer, but damn it's been 10 years since I was in school. I enrolled as a test of whether I could hack grad school now, and the short answer is: I can't. It was a great, short term test and I'm glad Dave encouraged me to try it. Even though my dream is to pursue graduate school, something would suffer (relationship with my husband and girls, I'd never work out, I'd skate through my coursework, etc). I'll need to defer my grad school dreams, but I'm ok with that now.

5. Dinner is an "each man for himself" thing these days. I miss cooking, but will again in the near future.

6. My mom and I are doing a 5k next week! My first race since October!? I've been running a few miles here and there, finally getting back in the swing of it, and it feels great.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Yep, above is another Edie quote, said after a fun day at Bashan Lake with friends last weekend. It was the best day at the lake this year. We were only on our schedule. There was relatively minimal schlepping. I finally got to go swimming above my ankles (in a new tankini! The world ain't ready for my bare belly yet...or ever?) We ate huge grinders and dished under the beachside tree.

We were all exhausted and feeling good, and spent from the sun. Dave and I were thinking of relaxing on the couch in the air conditioning to watch mindless golf. I doubt that's what Edie was thinking. She was probably thinking of playing 'bagbeans' or having a dance party or making block towers for her Matchbox cars.

Edie demonstrates her big sister skills.

I thought I'd get so many projects around the house done while on maternity leave, but alas, most are still on my to do list. I am embarrassed whenever someone asks which color we are going with, because there are swatches of paint on our front door. From about a year ago. (For the record I like the peacock blue). I thought I'd organize my sauna attic with an array of color coded Tupperware bins. And I definitely thought I'd weed the garden, at least twice. I went in the backyard yesterday and thought "Ew", then quickly went back into the air conditioning. Ignorance is bliss. There are only so many hours in the day!

Did someone order strawbaby shortcake?

What I have successfully done is show my kids and guests what summer in CT is about. Last month Dave's sister came out to visit. She cleaned my house when I wasn't looking, played with the kiddos despite her killer sore throat, and made me healthy lunches. She even bought fancy gelato from Whole Foods, and left it for us. Now that I think of it, we didn't show her any of the sights (Mark Twain house, anyone!?), but we did chat a lot and she played on the floor while I snuck out to yoga once or twice, so that was cool.

Aunt Becky just loves little Edie

When Dave's parents were here, they got some New England eye-candy. We took a scenic Connecticut River boat cruise, a rowdy trip to the lake, a venture to the Connecticut Science Center, and ate lobster rolls and cole slaw at the beloved Blue Oar. Dave and his dad even got to see inside the ER at UConn Medical Center when Edie fell and fractured her collarbone. Never a dull moment, and luckily she's recovering nicely. She's even going to swimming lessons and embracing water like never before. Last year getting her to swim was like pulling teeth. This season it's actually fun. (Emmeline is not really one for swimming but she does enjoy a good bath in her whale tub.)

I heard that to extend summer, put your phone down. In light of that advice, I removed the Facebook app. I didn't want summer to go by while I was scrolling though my Facebook feed. Who cares what everyone else is doing? It's hot. We're going swimming.

The kiddos and the Grandmas

Whip-smart toddlers, 12-minute miles, and suburban rec rooms

Yesterday when I picked Edie up from daycare, she said (in front of her buddies at the snack table), "Mom, your tummy is small!" I thought, Bless you, child. Last week we were watching an ant carry a huge load of food. She claimed, "He's carrying it to his brother's house!" Her favorite colors are purple and blue. I asked if she wanted brown or white rice. She said, "I want purple and blue rice!"

Could I love them anymore? No.

I always think, I gotta write this down. And I do keep a journal for her, and now Emmeline, but there's no way to capture it all. Besides, this blog is my journal.

I don't like when people look at Emmeline and state, "Enjoy it, they grow up so fast". I never had post-partum depression but that comment just turns my mood towards melancholy. I know they grow up fast. I'm watching Edie grow up fast (almost three!?) Although on days when Edie repeatedly says "I don't wanna", it doesn't seem like they grow up fast enough. A newborn is just a little sack of sugar, and she is starting to engage and coo more, but it'll be fun when she smiles purposely and interacts with us and Edie. Or declares where an ant is going.

The playground's where it's at.

Another amazing toddler development is her association with time. Edie often says, "Hey, we saw that yesterday", meaning any time in the past. We read a book that had a horse, a goat, and a unicorn among other creatures.  She said she saw them all yesterday. I asked if she really saw a unicorn. "Yes, on Abby's Flying Fairy School". She's right! Well, it was a gerbil-corn but close enough.

Niblet, the Sesame Street gerbil-corn

In other news, I went on my first run since December this week! I maintained a granny-like pace of 12 minute mile. I ran then walked another mile, and it felt great. Family friend Mary Ellen stayed home with Emmeline, as she's a bit young to go running with me, but I'm looking forward to jogging stroller days as well. No races for me yet, but I'm volunteering at an 'Extreme Scramble' next week. Watching running events always psyches me up.

Also, we are making some good progress on the basement. And by we I mean my Dad. The walls have been painted purple, the carpet will be installed next Friday, and my pops is busy hanging doors and installing trim as I type. It's not ready for playing in or hosting guests, but will be soon, and we're excited to have more living space. We might not have a proper couch for some time though. Unless we find a decent one for free! 

"Look at that face!" (another Edie quote)

Lastly, Emmeline is a great baby. She sleeps well, and is growing like a weed. She's already challenging her 0-3 month onesies. Dave stayed with her and gave her a bottle last night, while I went out with some girlfriends for Greek apps, white wine, and some good ol' fashioned dishing. I believe Dave and Emmeline may have bonded, just in time for Father's Day.

Parenthood ONL (on 'notha level)

Hello from mama-land. All is pretty well, but two kids is no joke. Some friends take care of their kids full time, and I can see how it'd qualify as a full time job.

Edie's been sick twice since Emmeline was born. On the day she visited us in the hospital, she vomited in the downstairs lobby, the start of a stomach bug. Luckily my parents were able to care for  her and, sadly, keep her at bay from our newborn. This past Sunday she had a runny nose which morphed into a cough and wheeze that requires a nebulizer and meds to open up the airways. She's been home with me and Emmeline this week. Doctors' orders are to lay low, and we can't meet up with friends because I don't want to spread whatever she's got. I'm loving my time with both babes but we're watching more t.v. than I'd like. It is laughable trying to keep a toddler from coughing on a baby. We put a temporary flower tattoo on Edie's forearm; I told her to cough into the flower to make it better.

Edie getting better.

Edie returned to school for half the day, so we'll see how it goes. This morning she declared, "I feel better!" and she sounded better too. As soon as I told her we're going to school, she declared, "But I'm sick!" Funny how quickly they learn to manipulate the situation. Can you blame a girl for wanting to watch Cinderella with her mama and little sister on a dreary day?

Emmeline's a doll; so new and precious. Newborns smell faintly of milk, and it's basically impossible to keep the run-off milk from collecting in their sweaty little necks, even though I bathe and clean her. I'm kinda surprised that I'm so smitten with newborns, but I am. Especially ones who sleep and generally have a good temperament. That could all change on a dime, so every night that I get a decent amount of sleep is a victory. Tonight could be a train wreck, you never know.

Will she take a pacifier? What about a lovey?
Let's ply the girl with comfort objects.

My mom's been a great help. She comes over often and is of service, folding laundry or cleaning up my kitchen or holding the baby while reading to Edie, even if she's here for 10 minutes. What can I say, she's a busy lady. I don't even need to ask, she just looks around, sees, and does. That is the same industriousness that her mom and grandma passed down. My dad has also been here a lot, and he's great day-time company. Being home is nice, but can be isolating. He works in our basement, tinkers around the yard finding projects and weeds to tackle, and we chat while he eats our leftovers. Also, I believe he might've just finished off the gourmet English Muffins that Michelle sent, but I'll let that slide since he does so much to keep our house up. Yeah, I pay my dad in English Muffins.

Memere's got her hands full,
and Edie's got some avant garde bed-head.

On the other end of the spectrum, Dave has been working like a madman ever since his lovely and leisurely paternity leave ended last week. It was fun to hang out without the stresses of the workday overshadowing conversations. I don't think we'd spent that much time together since we had Edie and he had summer's off back in Seattle. We ate delicious turkey sandwiches on soft rolls for lunch (welcome back, deli meat!), and watched Inside Amy Schumer at 2pm.

Now, as the school year winds down, his grad school and work schedule are forming a perfect storm, and once in a while he plays softball (on one league down from an all-time high of three, so it seems reasonable). He recently asked if he could play 18 holes of golf this weekend with some buddies. For the uninitiated, it takes about 5 hours, assuming no beer and burgers post-game. I don't think I responded verbally, just flashed him a look that spoke a thousand words....unfortunately that look will probably make some more appearances in the coming years.

First day getting out the door in one piece.

Over the last few weeks, having two little kids has instilled a fear of commitment. I make minor plans, and attached to those plans is a footnote that indicates we may be late or bail, and please don't hold it against us! Just getting out the door in one piece means it's a successful day.

Emmeline has arrived!

Dave, Edie and I welcomed Emmeline Ashley to the world in the wee hours of May 2.

Before her arrival, I attempted to blog twice to kvetch about being overdue. But that's pretty boring.  And I wasn't even that bored or overdue, so I scrapped my drafts and decided to hold out for a post about Emmeline's birth story. I believe all pregnant ladies and new mamas love birth stories. Maybe some new dads do, too.

Dave and I picked her name around Christmas. We were driving up I-5 in Seattle, tossing around ideas to complement Edie's name and to honor family. We veer towards vintage, and there's a cutie at Edie's day care named Emaline. It means 'industrious' and we chose the French spelling (for those wondering, Emmeline rhymes with Caroline). People ask if we plan to shorten it to a nickname, as with Edie's, but we don't. We just love the full name, and picked Ashley to honor my little sister, whom I adore. 

We were asked throughout pregnancy all the way into the delivery room if we'd settled on a name. Our lips were sealed! We didn't even tell the midwife or nurse until she was born. Everyone has an opinion, and many feel compelled to share it with expectant moms. We liked having our little secret.

My Saturday due date came and went without so much as a cramp. I stayed busy baking with Edie, napping, and making my "Emmeline: Get Born" mix in the days that followed. On Wednesday, Dave took the day off to attend my post-due date appointment, where they checked amniotic fluid, did a fetal non-stress test, and swept membranes. Sweeping the membranes is a non-invasive form of induction. It starts cramping that ideally triggers contractions, which ideally progress to labor. It's strange but when you're in late pregnancy, you want to be in pain. It means the baby is on its way... and pregnancy is soon over. Hooray!

Around 4pm, we picked up Edie from day care and Dave started playing housekeeping with the class, when I felt some contraction pain. I was like, "Dave, take off that kiddie bandanna, I want to go home". We walked to the park to play and to keep contractions coming. After dinner and Edie's bedtime, they were definitely increasing. We packed up our bags and called my mom to come spend the night with our girl. I kept sitting down, standing up, and swaying through the contractions, then reading my magazine or watching 'Modern Family' in the time in between.

Around 10:30 I called my midwife, Kira. She instructed me to labor on and call when contractions "bring a tear to your eye". An hour later, small talk was painful and reading impossible. I was heavily focused on breathing and not vomiting at the smell of Dave's late-night chicken nugget snack. Kira gave us the green light to go to the hospital.

Admittal to the delivery room was stressful. The lights were on full blast, many people were in the room, the nurse kept missing my veins to get the IV in, and you know, those damn contractions kept crashing down like a wave. Lastly, it is impossible to feel dignified in a hospital johnny. Ugh. Labor may be less painful if I didn't have to wear that open-backed gown.

I was 6 cm dialated when we arrived at midnight, and ready for the epidural. My blood pressure had spiked, but subsided once the epidural took hold, they turned lights down, and everyone but Dave, Kira, and Emily the nurse left the room. We hooked up my Get Born mix and were able to relax a bit. At one point, Dave was sleeping while Kira, Emily, and I discussed eHarmony like we were three friends at a bar. I was tired and wanted to sleep, then developed a fever that they treated with antibiotics.

I got stressed out all over again and decided that labor is the absolute worst, even though I barely felt pain. There are so many twists and turns...you just want it to progress with ease. But then, it wouldn't be called 'labor'.

The baby's position and my cervix weren't ready until my water broke and the nurse drained a liter (a liter!!) of urine, around 3:45 am. After that, labor came on like gangbusters. In an hour, I was ready to push, and did so through about two contractions. She was born at 5:02 am, and it's just amazing to hear that newborn cry and have a squishy, warm new baby placed on your chest and look up at you.

And that's how Emmeline arrived in this world.

Downshifting

Can I get a high five? Maternity leave started at about 4pm on Friday, and over the last few days, I've fully embraced my new, mellower lifestyle. Who knows how long this calm before the storm will last?

Diaper cake and cards from my colleagues

Monday, Edie went to daycare to celebrate Circus Day. They did facepainting, rode bikes on "high wires" and jumped through "rings of fire". I love the imaginative play her school organizes. I also love when she knows games or songs that we didn't teach her. Last week, she belted out "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" after their school-wide Baseball Day. Hearing her sing about Cracker Jacks made my morning.

While she was at daycare, I did some spring cleaning, then went to mid-day yoga with my mom, followed by lunch. When I picked up Edie in my yoga pants she said, "You're not wearing your work clothes!" I said, "Well, I didn't go to work, I was home." Her eyes got real big: "You were...home?" I felt totally caught out by my whip-smart girl. We're planning to keep her in daycare, if not full-time, for a while. We want to maintain some level of normalcy and routine once the baby arrives. I already feel the mom-guilt settling in, but I suspect it'll be the best strategy for all parties involved.

Edie and I visited our local farm

Edie and I have had the last couple of days together, living up our girl time. We meet up with friends in the morning, go out for ice cream treats, play, and indulge in afternoon naps. Needless to say, I'm totally downshifting my pace. I have a to-do list, but my daily goal is to nap; so far I'm excelling. Yesterday we baked an Atlantic Beach Pie, courtesy of a recipe on NPR, and brought it to my parents' house for after-dinner. It was off the hook.

A springtime recipe to hold onto: Atlantic Beach Pie

Being pregnant the second time is different all around. For example, when pregnant with Edie, I had butterflies every day thinking: "THIS MIGHT BE THE DAY!!" Now I'm highly doubtful our baby will arrive early, plus I'm not as anxious about labor/delivery/parenthood in general. Furthermore, I realize how elusive a good night's sleep will soon be, and that's why my current strategy is sleep.

Of course I don't know how this labor and delivery will go down, or what kind of temperament our new girl will have, but here are some things I'm pretty confident about:

1. The human body figures out childbirth, recovers, and forgets the physical pain of labor. (And, there are epidurals for a reason). 
2. No one really stops to review your precious birth plan, so there's no point in creating one. 
3. Once she arrives, the first couple weeks will be a fog. It's better if there is some good late-night programming to dive into (Shark Week during Edie's first few days meant captivating TV at ungodly hours of the night).
4. Family and friends will offer to help, and we'll accept offers big and small. So it's ok that I don't have a freezer stocked with casseroles and lasagnas like books recommend. Trader Joe's makes some awesome frozen dinners, and they ain't going anywhere. Besides, isn't it hot dog season?
5. Edie will probably have a tough time adjusting to a sister competing for our time and attention. She'll eventually adjust, and so will we. 
6. Newborns cry a lot and need to be fed, oh, every 8 minutes. But they are so darn cute and cuddly. And they have that dreamy newborn smell.

I have some random home projects to do, but primarily I'm going to enjoy a slower pace and time with my friends and family.  Life will be chaotic soon enough.

Enjoying an ice cream date with my girl

Soft ground, warm heart

I need to write in my (nonexistent) 2014 calendar, under last week in March: VACATION. I'd like a friendly reminder about the perfect time to escape Connecticut so I don't sit around waiting for the ground to thaw. Maybe I'm just anxiously awaiting our baby. The arrival of Spring and the baby are intertwined.

Freezing buns off, pre-5k

Edie's been incredibly cute, and very into dancing. She didn't want to leave school yesterday because she was having a solo dance party. Today we all relaxed after work to Wilco and watched her best moves (spin around real fast, bonk head on floor, with a smooth transition into downward dog). It's pretty entertaining. I love when she hears music when seated, cannot contain the urge to move, and just goes for it. That is pure Edie.

Twenty five pounds of cuteness

In other news, my cousin and her family are moving back here! I'm super excited about this prospect, because she's one of my besties. Their daughter Camden and Edie, who are 10 days apart, are destined to be besties too. No pressure girls! They've been living in the suburbs of Boston for years, but now that they have two little kids, want to be closer to family and all the support that abounds here in central CT. It's the same magnetic pull that draws young parents to leave cool cities for less cool suburbs. I can attest that it's a hard trade (i.e. have I mentioned how much I miss Seattle coffee and music?), but when you have little kids and demanding jobs and homes that your dad can help improve, leveraging family support is a no brainer (have I mentioned how helpful and invaluable my parents are??).

So far, everything's been falling into place for their move to happen, but we aren't popping champagne yet. It's just something I have in my back pocket to look forward to.

Michelle and baby Shane

My dad has been hard at work renovating our basement. Until a few weeks ago, it was your typical basement. Furnace, washing machine, bunch of knick knacks from the former owner that we ignored. Now that our dining room doubles as a toy box and our office was repurposed as Edie's room, it seemed time to expand the living space.

My Dad had some time, and he's an incredibly talented craftsmen, so we set him to work! We've had the plumber retrofit the plumbing, an electrician and his dutiful son light up the place something beautiful, and now my Dad is hanging sheetrock along the ceiling and walls. It's starting to look like a place we'd actually like to hang out, and I'm pretty jazzed. I have dreams of doing early morning workouts down there, and an organized, well-lit work space, and a futon for out of towners. Or maybe it'll just be another catch-all for baby and kid gear. Padded walls and rubber floors? We'll see.

Happy feets

Guess this all requires money, doesn't it? Not sure that abounds much these days...But, cheers to being broke young parents with dancing toddlers and loving families.

Playing outside while the ground thaws