Rhetorical Question

Am I too old to watch Real World? 

Am I tool old to still love the Real World this much? 

You don't have to answer. I know the answer.

PS – In other news, I made the big stroller purchase. 

I got the City Mini. It's not as light as I was looking for. But, the fold blew me away. (Like butter baby!) It's got a little loop on the seat – you just pull it and poof – it's folded. Truly a one hand fold, so I'm hoping I can hold Spence on one hip and fold the stroller then carry it in the other when we have to navigate steps and buses. Wish us luck!

Still working on the jeans. Tried a few on last weekend, but might need to order some online – knowing I will almost definitely need to return them – because I don't know when I'm going to get to a store again.

Brooklyn Weekend

Almost every day I question my sanity for living in New York City. When I'm sweating (or freezing) on the subway platform waiting for a train which may or may not come. When I'm circling the block for 30 minutes to find a parking spot. When I write my rent check each month. But, weekends like this one renew my love for the city. The weather was gorgeous and we spent every day out and about seeing all the amazing things Brooklyn has to offer. 

Celebrating the 100th birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge (though that's the Manhattan Bridge we're looking at in the photo – the Manhattan has trains running over it which fascinated my little train fan.)

Walking the boardwalk at Coney Island. Sometimes I forget how close we are to the ocean. Even though I'd never swim in that water, it still has that soothing sound of the crashing waves.

Watching the sea lion show at the aquarium. That darn paci is making a resurgence – we were so good about only letting him have it in his crib or the car, but now when there's a tantrum around every corner, our will is being broken. Spencer 1 – Parents 0

Buying my ticket to ride the Cyclone – what a rush! It's not the biggest coaster, but it's a rickety, crazy ride.

Hello weekend!

I'm in high spirits this morning. My 4-day weekend has officially begun. The weather is supposed to be fantastic. The biggest plan I've made for myself is to grill a hotdog, smother it with mustard and kraut and eat it joyfully. Let the relaxation begin… NOW!

Huzzah! And Shopping Questions

First, the Huzzah! I just made Lifetime at Weight Watchers and I'm silently celebrating at my desk with a delicious egg salad BLT wrap and diet black cherry soda! (For non-WW veterans, lifetime means I maintained my goal weight for 6 weeks and no longer have to pay them for the pleasure of getting weighed and going to meetings.) It feels really good to have followed something through to completion.

Now, the shopping. Two things I'm hunting for and would love opinions…

– Jeans. I wear jeans a lot. Too much probably. So, I don't mind investing a bit 'o money in a good pair. But, from my experience, it seems like the designer jeans (those ones that come in waist sizes instead of normal sizes) don't come big enough for me. I need a jean that works for curves – my waist is much smaller proportionally than my butt and thighs. Gap frustrates me because I find their sizes too inconsistent. Ann Taylor jeans fit me until I wash them then they are too short. Got any ideas of brands I should try?

– Stroller. I'm in the market for a new stroller. We have the Maclaren Quest which has been fine, but it's becoming unwieldy for me when I travel alone. I need a stroller that I can:

• Get down the subway steps with Spencer in it. There are two schools of thought for this – you can either get something super light that you can pick up and carry down (which is what I used to do, but can't really manage anymore with the Quest) or get something with the big air tires that you "bounce" down the steps.
• Fold with one hand. To get on the bus, you have to fold your stroller. So, that means, holding Spencer with one hand and folding/unfolding the stroller with the other.

Secondary considerations:

• It should fold relatively small. I don't want it taking up our whole car trunk when we go on trips.
• It would be nice if I were able to steer it with one hand while holding a coffee or umbrella in the other hand. The Maclaren is not great for either of these activities unless you have ridiculously strong forearms.

Any ideas? After doing a bit of internet research, I've come up with the Micralite as a viable option. It's a bit pricey, but could be worth it if it's good – a think a stroller in the city is almost akin to a car in the suburbs. We use it every day and couldn't go anywhere without it. But, I also wonder if it would be better to just buy a cheapo umbrella stroller that's super light and just use it for travel. Thoughts?

More about sleep (elusive sleep)

It's been 2 weeks since I posted about the sleep deprivation/separation anxiety happening in this casa. It feels like 2 years. At least 2 years…

Last night was a new low as I tried sleeping on the floor next to Spencer's crib with my arm in the air so he could hold my finger while he tried to sleep. It almost worked to dislocate my shoulder to lull him to sleep. He got very, very sleepy. But, then in his sleepy stupor, he got the brilliant idea to start dropping things on me from his crib. Pacis, stuffed animals, books. He laughed hysterically watching my duck and cover. Had it not been 4:30 in the morning, I might have laughed back, but instead I grabbed my pillow, went back to bed and used it to cover my head to drown out his crying.

Every night now it's the same thing. 2-4 hours of uptime when we should all be sleeping. We try to ignore him and let him work it out, but it's impossible. Our apartment is just too small to escape the crying. At around 5am, we all finally get back to sleep then I have to wake up two hours later and Mr. Screamy sleeps in until 9:30 or 10.

Forgive my whining, but I'm so tired and so done with this phase. I want to go back to 17 months when we all slept and were happy shiny people. One a positive note, 2 more days of work then I have a 4-day weekend which will hopefully include a few naps.

 

Regrouping

Oy. Between the cold that never goes away, the boy who never sleeps, and some scary health news for a family member, I’m not really feeling able to write much. So instead I will share a few photos from the wedding this weekend. It was beautiful and elegant – totally what I would expect from the bride. It was also the biggest, most extravagant wedding I’ve been to which was fun to experience.

A visit from Spence while I was getting ready. He was a bit scared by the curlers (who wouldn’t be?)

Sneaking in a quick snack with the bride before heading off to the next event

All sari’d up and ready for the Hindu ceremony. Doesn’t the bride look amazing? She had 3 amazing outfits for the day.  I also loved my sari – we all decided to keep them on for the reception instead of changing back to our Western dress. I also like my lipstick – I never wear lipstick, but I now see the benefits!

Letting loose and being my goofy self on the dancefloor. It’s been too long since I felt so relaxed – My husband commented on the dancefloor that he felt like he had the "old me" back. Sad that I can’t be that way all the time, but I’m happy I was able to reconnect with that more carefree self, if only for a few hours.

Q&A

Q: If your child falls jumps out his crib at 3am and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

A: Yes, a very large thud. Followed by the sound of your heart beating so loudly it wakes the neighbors. Followed then by a frantic search for an allen key that will fit the crib so you can lower the mattress at 3:02am. (He’s fine btw.)

Q: Is video taping yourself in the bridesmaids dress you will wear this weekend narcissistic or just neurotic?

A: Both. And definitely wear the spanx.

Q: When will you feel like a human again? To be more specific, when will your sinus infection clear up AND when will you get decent sleep. 4 hours is NOT enough.

A: Maybe Saturday. Grandma and Auntie are coming to the wedding and taking care of the boy for the night. We have a room down the street at a different hotel.

We’re off to DC very early tomorrow morning for a wedding extravaganza. Back in January, I made one of my weight loss goals:

I want to feel confident walking down the aisle in front of 300 people in my slim red bridesmaids dress at a wedding in May.

Well, it turns out it’s more like 400 people and it’s going to be super fancy. I’ve lost 20 pounds exactly since I made that statement, went down 2 dress sizes (resulting in $100 in alterations on said dress), and I hope I will feel confident.  Right now I just feel very tired and sick, so I hope I can snap out it and feel energized by Saturday. I also get to wear a sari for the Hindu ceremony which I’ve been looking forward to for ages for some reason. I just love them! Full report on Monday.

Thank you sleepy people

Dear Internets –

You really came through yesterday. Apparently we’re going through a perfectly routine thing in our household. I was especially grateful for this link from Amy to Moxie’s wonderful take on things:

… 18 months was probably the
lowest point in my parenting career. The first 3-4 months were
excruciating, sure, but I knew they would be rough and I got a lot of
sympathy from everyone who remembered how disorienting and grueling the
newborn phase can be. At 18 months, though, I was just blindsided….He wouldn’t nap. He went from sleeping all night to waking all night.
He had a tantrum every 5 minutes, it seemed, mostly because he wanted
to do everything himself and it just wasn’t possible. He hardly ate. He
whined. He never shared with the other kids and he always tried to yank
out our cat’s fur.

There’s just something abundantly comforting to know others have been through (and survived) the tough moments in parenthood.

And now for some good news… Apparently all that sleep dust ya’ll sprinkled on my blog yesterday worked because Spence slept through the night last night. I’m not naive enough to imagine it’s going to happen again tonight, but a decent night of sleep makes everything seem much more manageable.

Help me sleep please

Dear Internets –

I need some help. My adorable little boy who has been a great sleeper since we did CIO at 8 months doesn’t sleep any more. I’m exhausted. My husband’s exhausted. And we don’t know what to do.

Here’s the situation. For the last 2 weeks (or so), Spencer goes to bed at his normal bed time (between 7 and 8) and falls asleep pretty easily. All is well until he wakes up around midnight. At that point, he is inconsolable. He sits in his crib crying and screaming. The only thing that will make him stop crying is to come out and be with us. He’s immediately fine once he gets in our arms. After hanging out with us for a bit (usually sitting together on the couch reading books), he goes back to sleep in his crib without a struggle. Last night we let him cry for over an hour and a half, not wanting to encourage the behavior, but we finally relented and got him out – I really think he would have cried ALL night.

Things I can rule out:
– teething – no new chompers in sight
– fear of the dark – got him a night light last week just in case

I suspect some sort of an attachment issue. Which makes even more sense if you saw the way he clings to my legs 24 hours a day (or at least those hours we’re together).  Is there anything I can do to help him feel more secure?  I only have two ideas and neither is very appealing – either sleep on the floor beside his crib or bring him into bed with us (last time I tried this I ended up with a fat lip). For the love of sleep, please tell me you have some other ideas for us…