Sleep deprived

Lu'au has been a horrible sleeper lately. She doesn't want to sleep in her crib. We sometimes put her in her crib and let her cry it out. She then projectile vomits. She doesn't want to go down for naps, and takes about 45 minutes to go to sleep, if we're successful. She wakes up during the night, and again around 5 each morning. It's kind of rough, especially because she's been such a good sleeper before.

At least in the morning, she will often take a bottle and go back to sleep. I know it's probably a bad habit to get back into, but at this point, sleep is more valuable to me.

The other day she woke up. I was dazed and confused and had no idea what time it was. I asked CO what time it was, as the clock is on his side of the bed. He grumbled and managed to reply "four." I quickly (or what seemed like quickly) calculated that it probably could pass for bottle time, and, eager to get more sleep, I stumbled over to get her. I picked her up, carried her downstairs, and started to make her a bottle. It was then that I looked at the clock myself. I grumbled at my sleeping husband, stopped making the bottle, put the baby back in bed, and went to bed myself. Yes, dear, four was part of the number you read on the clock. The time? It was 12:43. Apparently I have to ask for all of the numbers next time.

Thanks for nothing

I'm on email lists for several airlines. They send out "weekly" messages with their top "deals." Each email is divided into two parts - deals from our city and deals from other cities. Great. I'm glad I can fly to Akron for "cheap" (it doesn't look like a deal to me), but really, do you have to rub it in as to which cities have actual good deals on airline tickets? DC only has good deals to ONE city? Why is the "deals from other cities" section 10 times larger than my city?

Miami to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic probably is a bargain at $74 each way. I'd like to go there. But wait, I don't live in Miami. Why in the world do you have to rub it in that people in an already warm climate with good, cheap, food (ie Cuban sandwiches - so yummy) readily available can "get away" for so cheaply while I am stuck in not warm DC with only a deal to Ohio?

(I love you, Jen, and someday will go visit you - apparently there are lots of good deals to be had.)

Stealth

Dear person/people who drive around our neighborhood in two black, domestic-made SUVs, one closely tailing the other,

We realize that you are Important. You must be Important with not one SUV, but TWO SUVs providing you a ride to and from where ever it is that you are going.

I would like to note that I assume you're a politician, due to the fact you have government plates and need two vehicles to "provide security and create jobs" read:" waste gas/create more emissions/whatevs". And I would also like to note that just because you may have some part in the law-making process, it does not mean you can break the laws. Laws like each vehicle stopping at stop signs. I realize our neighborhood has lots of stop signs, and it is annoying for each car to stop, but, as you recall when making the laws, IT'S FOR A REASON. Even the people from Maryland who cut through the neighborhood during rush hour slow down from 40 mph and at least tap their brakes for stop signs (speed limit is 25).

Oh, and FYI, I hope you're not trying to operate any covert business, as having TWO SUVs totally blows your cover.

We will be watching to see if you continue to ride around with your TWO SUVs, the second car ignoring stop signs, and judge how you fared in midterm elections.

Sincerely,

me

November 2

Here it is, the second day of November, and I have nothing exciting to write. I thought I'd try to participate in NaBloPoMo... but alas, little inspires me this moment.

I guess one thing I've been thinking about lately is how busy I am or am not. It seems that in the past several months or so, one thing a month outside the house is about my maximum. And even then, I'm behind on housework, behind on Spouses' Club stuff (I do NOT plan on being on the board again next year!), and slacking on life. I know a good part of that is time management. How do I motivate myself to do what I need to do?

Today's Lesson: Spillage

Today I spilled some rice on the kitchen floor when making lunch. And then I forgot to clean it up. All afternoon I've been walking around in my bare feet and feeling single pieces of rice on my feet. I feel like a modern day, updated version of The Princess & the Pea.

Today's lesson: Clean things up right away.

Even with...

Even with...

• pumpkin spice lattes
• pumpkins and gourds decorating homes around the area
• my birthday come and gone
• apple picking over
• being tired of my summer clothes, ready for fall
  
• leaves changing color and falling to the ground
• cravings (not that kind of cravings) for comfort food
  
• the calendar saying October is almost over
  
• the occasional scent of a fire burning in a fireplace in the neighborhood
  

... it's hard to believe it's fall because my thermostat says 77.

Today's Lesson: Mom Jeans

Today I changed Lu'au's bedding. Changing crib bedding stinks. It's so tight on the mattress that it definitely prevents suffocating your child, but also renders the parents unable to change it without a serious struggle. I probably don't change it nearly enough, but instead, I wait for leaky diapers, snotty noses, or vomit episodes.

Today was a leaky diaper. Everything was wet. Time for a bedding change. So, like most stay at home moms I know, I brought the baby into the room with me and shut the door. I gave Lu'au a few toys to play with and got to business.

I decided to take the mattress out of the crib, change the bedding, then put it back in the crib. I was wrestling the new, clean, bedding onto the mattress when Lu'au came up behind me. She likes to come close to me and pull up to standing while holding onto me. This time was different. Apparently my cute, low-rise, American Eagle jeans had slouched down a bit and I was wearing them plumber-style. Lu'au came right over and poked her little finger in the exposed crack.

It wasn't until then I realized the point of Mom jeans. Perhaps I might be investing in some in the near future.

Letters from on base last week

Dear woman in the car next to me,

I see you're smoking. At the GAS STATION. I know you're IN your car, but please, really, do you have to smoke AT THE GAS STATION? It's kind of windy, and the doors are open. If there was an attendant in the little booth, I would report you, but as there is not, I'm not quite sure what to do. All that I ask is that you please do not blow us all up.

Thanks,

me




Dear self,

When you enter the commissary and cannot find any shopping carts (aka buggies, whatever they call them in your neck of the woods), turn around and go home. If you persist and hunt them down outside, and still cannot find any carts, go home and wait until tomorrow. You see, the commissary has A LOT of carts. If none are available, that means they're ALL IN USE. All of the carts in use means that there are A LOT of people shopping at the commissary today (even though it's NOT a payday). It'll just be better if you come back later.

Not really paying that much attention,

Me

FYI

My kid loves fried rice.

Good news - Bad news

The good news: We won't be visited by vampires anytime soon.

The bad news: The garlic is somehow trapped in the garbage disposal and the whole house smells like garlic.

It is finished.

Thank heaven.

I somehow was convinced to be the Assistant Treasurer for our local CG spouses' club. Sounds easy enough, right? There is no attendance requirement, so if Lu'au is having a bad day, I don't HAVE to be at meetings. They said I was in charge of taking the membership forms and entering them into a spreadsheet to be made into a directory. This could be done, they said, at my own pace with no real deadlines. Cool. Sounds like the perfect responsibility list for me! I'm happy to help, so I said yes. (Surely there are some retired Admirals' wives' dressed in white gloves and pearls, giggling in a corner because they have pulled off another con on an unsuspecting junior officer's wife.)

That whole little "entering membership forms" doesn't really mean *only* that. It means being places to ADVERTISE membership. Like the Coast Guard Day picnic. No problem. I can plan volunteers to be there, coordinate with the Picnic Chair to get us a table... as soon as I can find out who that person is. I can do that.

Oh yeah, the membership kick-off event is a Welcome Tea, usually held at the Commandant's house. And guess who plans that? The ASSISTANT treasurer! Uh... ok. So much for "at my own pace" and "with no real deadlines".

I like planning parties... but this one seemed a little "higher stakes" than most parties I plan. There were about 80 people there - from the Commandant himself (who, ironically enough, I didn't ever speak with) to other Admirals wives & husbands, to other lowly spouses like me.

I tried to plan the best I could and I think things went pretty well overall. I was in charge of announcing new members and I think I missed a few. And then I forgot to ask if there was anyone I missed. Ooops. So much for welcoming someone into the group.

Being the people-pleaser I am, I am really nervous that people weren't happy with the event. That I did something wrong. That I forgot something important. AND IT'S ALREADY DONE. And yet I'm worrying. Worrying that my major (yet still unknown to me) faux-pas will somehow affect my husband's career. Worrying that I shouldn't have agreed to help in the first place. Worrying that I was way in over my head...

So much for day-after regrets. Hopefully everyone had fun. I'll make it up to the new members and send them a letter or email or some sort of concession.

le sigh.

Time management

Anyone who knows me fairly well will realize that I'm not the best at time management. I leave things to the last minute, then rush through them. I never know how long it will realistically take me to get somewhere (especially with a baby!) no matter what Google Maps says. I realize I need to get better at it, and I'm starting to improve.

I discovered today that I have a LONG way to go to compete with some others in the time management field. DC-ers have won the game.

Today, while stopped at a red light, a man got out of his car. That's kind of a cultural no-no. I watched him. As he stepped out of the car, he had something in his hand. Windex. And a paper towel. He proceeded to clean his back window and side windows of his car. He then returned to his seat. All before the light changed to green.

Way to be on top of things...

... fire department.

The neighborhood school's fire alarm went off for most of the afternoon, and only at 9pm did the fire department come to do anything about it. Uh, maybe I don't want my kid going there...

And how is it that if you accidentally pull one of the fire alarm levers that the fire department shows up almost instantly, and then the fire alarm AT A SCHOOL goes off for at least SEVEN HOURS and no one shows up?

FYI

The other day my niece asked me if I am allergic to anything. I said no (it's probably not appropriate to talk about birth control pills with a 4 year old). I asked her if she's allergic to anything. She said yes - "bears and dinosaurs." Come to think of it, those are probably hereditary.

Maybe I should add them to my allergy list... (along with work and housecleaning).

Bad Mommy

Hubby had a wedding to go to/be in over Memorial Day and we decided that it'd be too much for baby Lu'au and I to go along. He went to play in the Mediterranean and we went to see my family in Michigan.

We had tons of fun with my family. We went to the beach (I love Lake Michigan) I went fabric shopping. It was very relaxing and good. Until... my mom got pink eye. Yup, Lu'au's Grandma got pink eye. You know, the one who had been holding her and playing with her all the time? Great. So she washed her hands a ton and didn't hold Lu'au for 2 whole days. Then... on the day we left, Lu'au got pink eye in her right eye with a vengeance. All the while, I got a sore throat. I thought it was due to drier air or something, and focused on baby girl's poor eye.

I'm not sure what exactly happened, but Lu'au's pink eye spread to the other eye. And she got whatever congestion junk I have. And the other day she had a fever. Fabulous. So she has to have eye drops every 4 hours. And off-brand "Tylenol" (Tylenol is bad due to the recall). Her nose runs so I have to suction bulb it clean. All things she HATES. She has trouble sleeping and eating. Aside from her eye drop/Tylenol regimen, there's not much I can do.

Oh, and did I mention she's only gained about 1/2 a pound since her 4 month appointment and she's now a few weeks over 5 months old?

I have a headache, an achy ear (do I have an ear infection?), and am tired from my own sickness and staying up with her...

I tried to call Tricare to set an appointment to get her ears checked (and mine too) for ear infection, but their computers are down.

Mommyhood = fail.

The other day on a walk

~ I saw my stroller twin. She had the exact same stroller (though hers is green and mine is all black) and the conversion bar and the same car seat in the same colors. I wanted to say something, but I didn't. She didn't even notice we were stroller twins.

~ Old men in Porsches don't let women with strollers cross the street before they zoom off... to the next stop sign, 50 feet away...