Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

Yesterday I was complaining about the size of my laundry room (which really is very small - like a small walk-in closet) when I realized that four years ago I was thrilled just to have a laundry room. Or a house for that matter. That got me to thinking about all the things that just a few short years ago were not even part of my life, but are now things I couldn't live without if I tried. Here are a few of my favorite recently discovered "necessities":

DVR: I love my DVR. I can't believe that I used to watch TV shows when they were actually being aired, commercials and all. Nowadays, I don't even know what night most of my favorite shows are on, let alone the time. They just magically appear on my DVR and when I am done watching them (in their original quality nonetheless), I make them go away with the click of a button. Brilliant! No more masking tape labeled VHS tapes!

Sinus Rinse: Seriously, this has changed my life. I was sitting in the doctor's office last winter with my annual sinus infection when he told me about this. Is it gross? Heck yeah. But it's the best thing to happen to my nose since Abby the dog died and she stopped stinking up the garage.



 High Speed Internet: I can't believe I used to be happy with dial-up. Now I can watch videos of skateboarding dogs to my heart's content. 






The Baby Bjorn Front Carrier: I'm actually wearing this as I type. Thank you, folks at Baby Bjorn for giving me my hands back.







Netflix: When I first heard about Netflix, I thought it was a dumb idea. Now that I have kids every outing is a huge production and it takes us a week to watch a movie. It's like getting a present in the mail every time I see the red envelope.



All Wheel Drive and Anti-lock Brakes: I never had anything but a two wheel drive car with extra locking brakes until I bought my Subaru eight years ago. Winter hasn't been the same since then. Now I would never buy another car without AWD and ABS.

There's just a short list of reasons why I can't live on $300 a month like I did in college. What are some of your favorite "must haves"?

A little modesty please

For the last few weeks I have been shopping... and shopping... and shopping for a flower girl dress for Emily. I keep running into the same problem: the dresses I have found are all immodest. Just like the phenomenon of the two-piece swimsuit for babies, the flower girl dresses seem to look indecent on the toddlers for which they are intended.

Now tell me this doesn't look a little bizarre:

(By the way, this is not the dress I selected.)

I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to spring modest dress on my girls the day we go to pick out the first bra. I figured that if I communicate to them that this is the way we dress from the time they are able to understand, it will be less of an issue. This means no short skirts, low necklines or sleeveless tops (with, of course reasonable exceptions for sports). Now that Emily is aware of clothing, it's important that I start being firm with the modesty rules.

As a result, I am currently looking for a shirt to go under Jane's Easter dress and a cardigan to go over Emily's flower girl dress. Wouldn't it be easier if manufacturers just made dresses with sleeves in the first place? Or maybe they're just trying to squeeze 20 extra bucks for a cardigan out of all the prudes like me.

Sometimes I wonder if I should just let it go for now and start imposing rules when my girls are able to actually able to understand the reasons behind them. But then, that leads to a whole new problem - I have to tell them why they need to dress modestly. It's hard enough for a girl to... develop without having to explain to her that boys are all perverts and that she needs to start wearing clothes that discourage "that kind of attention". Because then you have to explain what "that kind" is and I'm not sure I want to have that talk with a ten year old girl. So that brings me back to square one... looking for a cardigan.

Just watch it... It's cool. I promise

I'm usually  not one to post long videos on my blog, but I had to share this one because it makes me happy. I have been watching tons of videos on the i-LIMB since I first read about it. It is an incredibly advanced artificial hand that just became commercially available in 2008.



At first, I couldn't figure out why I loved this particular video so much. Then it hit me: this guy sees his i-LIMB as a cool new gadget to show off. I also love it because he's doing every day tasks with it. I look forward to seeing Jane with something similar in the future.

Guilty Pleasures

I have two rules about entertainment:

1) I can watch anything on TV just as long as I am running on the treadmill and,

2) I can read anything just as long as I am nursing a baby.

This has led to me watching more episodes of Oprah and reruns of Gilmore Girls than are probably good for me, but at least I come away with a workout, right?

For the last eighteen months, I have read only good books - appropriate for my age range (except for the final Harry Potter - I read the first six while nursing Emily and wasn't about to stop short of the end). I have made sure that anything I read could be toted into airport terminals and doctor's waiting rooms without embarrassment. For eighteen months, I saved a guilty pleasure, knowing that I would be able to read it when I started nursing again.

On black Friday, I finally purchased my guilty pleasure - a boxed set of the Twilight novels. Due to shipping delays, I just received it last week. I was in the middle of The Age of Innocence when they finally arrived and I eyed them anxiously as I finished reading the great literary masterpiece. I felt uplifted at the end of the novel as Newland Archer walked away from the Countess Olenska's apartment without going in and then, without pausing to let this amazing book sink in, I dove into the Twilight series.


I am really enjoying reading something fun and fluffy again. Maybe a little too much. But not so much that I wish Chris would become infected by a vampire. The books are also making me feel old. Very old. At times, I want to tell Bella how stupid it is that she is dating a vampire and that no one really "loves" someone after knowing them for two weeks. I have reached the conclusion that there is a reason these books are in the teen section at Barnes and Noble. But, still, they make for great reading in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep and I am dreading being finished with them. Still, next time I have to go to the doctor or get my hair cut, I will be grabbing the waiting copy of David Copperfield to accompany me. I wouldn't want anybody getting the wrong idea...

Grateful

The day before Christmas eve, I took Jane to the doctor for what I thought would be a routine 2 week check up. I was not expecting the first thing out of the doctor's mouth to be, "They've told you about Jane's newborn screening, right?". No, they hadn't. The next sentence was even worse: "Her cystic fibrosis test came back abnormal. It needs to be redone". Of course, the abnormal results couldn't have been on that one where you have a reaction to the chemical in diet coke or the one where you need an injection of something or other and then move on with your life. The bad result had to come on one of the worst diseases known to man. It was one of those experiences where all the oxygen seems to be sucked out of the room. Thus began the three longest weeks of my life.

Since that day we have been waiting to hear back on Jane's retest. Today I finally got the result: all her numbers are normal. Despite the worry, I am actually glad I had this experience for two reasons. 1) I am more grateful for the health of my children and, 2) This helped to put Jane's missing left hand into perspective. I know she can live a full and happy life with one hand. There are things that are much worse and although the challenge she has been given will be difficult at times, it will not be insurmountable nor will it prevent her from doing anything that every mother dreams her children will do.

The world changes drastically when you view it through the lens of gratitude. Today I relized just how fortunate I really am to be blessed with a beautiful, healthy daughter.

Things better forgotten

When you have a new baby in the house, you suddenly remember all the details you forgot with your last child. It's best that we forget because that's the only way anybody would have more than one child. Here are some things I forgot until now:

• You have to burp new babies halfway through feedings. Otherwise, they spit up all over your lap. 
• Sleep deprivation gives you a massive headache.
• Newborns poop like 10 times a day. 
• Babies hate baths for the first couple months.
• For the first little while, you're on a two hour timer that resets every time the baby starts to eat. If you can't get a task done in an hour and a half, it will just have to wait until the baby is at least 6 months old.
• Sleep becomes more important than anything else you have to do. 

I also forgot how much you love your children in spite of all this. And how one wide-eyed look can make up for a whole day of crying and spit up. Someday, when I look back on this time of my life, I hope that's the only part I can remember.

A long, long time ago...

Okay, so it wasn't that long ago, but still, it's difficult to remember my life without Chris. We were married eight years ago today. I have to say, hands down, it was the best decision that I ever made. For eight years, Chris has put up with my eccentricities and loved me in spite of them.

In these past eight years, we have lived in three apartments and then, finally, our first house. We have had two beautiful daughters. We have both graduated college and gone through the stress of the PE exam. We have had our share of disappointment, but looking back, I can honestly say that it has only made our marriage stronger. The past eight years have been the best of my life. It's hard to imagine that it all started when Chris finally overcame his nerves enough to blurt out "Will you go to the movies with me?". Thanks, Chris for plucking up enough courage to ask me on that first date and for everything that has happened since. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Sorry for the picture - I'm about five monts pregnant in it, but it was the only recent one of us together - besides the nine months pregnant one that was taken two weeks ago and I'm not about to share that. I think we should get glamour shots for Christmas.