Me: This is a stable. It is where animals live and it is where baby Jesus was born. Jesus was born in a stable. Do you know where Mackenzie was born?
Mackenzie, after pausing to think: In a tortilla.
December 18, 2009
December 12, 2009
… a fresh Christmas tree keeping me company in the family room as I work tonight. It smells better than I do.
… a bike trainer in the basement so I can get a workout without braving a freezing dark night for a run.
… Scott returning from his last residency interview! A few more transitional year interviews lurk in January but for now he is staying put.
… seeing good friends finally get the baby they have been waiting for. Adoption is amazing.
… realizing Christmas is just two weeks away!
… hearing my baby (ok, ok, she’s almost 2) thoughtfully say to herself from the backseat, “I love me, Mama loves me, Daddy loves me, *Mackenzie loves me!”
*She pronounces her own name “Mah-seh-ssie.” That also makes me happy. Please, no one teach her how to properly pronounce a k. Thank you.
December 8, 2009
I’m posting this because I think it reflects my interests right now, and I think it will be fun to look back on this in future years.
A medicine ball, maybe two so Scott and I can work out together (8 lb for me, 12 for him). We went to three training sessions with SmugMug’s physical trainer last week in California and they were absolutely the best workouts I’ve ever had. With the weather getting so cold here, running with Mackenzie is not going to last much longer and I need to transition quickly into working out at home. The trainer had us doing an hour worth of kill-your-body exercise without any machines and I’m hopeful I can recreate some of that in my living room. Any Ohio friends interested in getting together to workout?
Chipotle gift card. Their black bean fajita bowl with maximum beans, veggies, guac, salsa, and lettuce and minimal white rice just hits the spot every time. But, it’s absolutely more expensive than cooking from scratch at home so we don’t grab Chipotle very often. Guilt-free fast, healthy dinner though? Mmmm…
Mothering books. The game is on. Mackenzie is a sponge and a mimic and I’m always up for honing my craft. I borrowed “I am a Mother” from a friend recently and I would recommend it without reservation to every mother I know. It’s a short read and just what I needed to restore peace and excitement about my role and the challenges ahead. I’m also highly interested in “A Mother’s Book of Secrets” because the photographer’s blog is one of the few I read from people who I don’t know personally and it never disappoints. Also, all the proceeds from the book go to research in fighting blindness for children. Since the time Mackenzie started sleeping through the night, I haven’t picked up a single parenting book but I know there is lots of wisdom and helpful information out there.
Creative, quality toys for Mackenzie. Did I mention she is a sponge? Especially when it’s cold and we’re cooped up inside, I love having something different to pull out and play with her. Or even better, something she can do alongside me while I’m cooking or cleaning or working. I’ve thought about things like a durable play kitchen, alphabet placemat, toy stroller and baby doll, and simple puzzles. Seriously, gifts for her are truly gifts for me too right now because my life outside of her is work. So she is my fun, my relaxation, my creative time.
Here’s one thing I made for her that we enjoy: I chose ~7 different colors of construction paper and cut out 3 or 4 fish from each. Then I taped one fish of each color to a separate piece of white paper and wrote out the color (paper plates would have been a better choice). I put all the fish and paper in a ziploc bag and she gets it out a few times a week and likes to match up all the fishies and talk about colors and counting.
Time to enjoy Christmas. This is a gift I need to give myself this year. I really need to carve out time to decorate, to cook, to find ways to help others, to share with Mackenzie the magic and joy and meaning of Christmas. She’s old enough to understand. I let Halloween totally pass us by this year because she wasn’t aware of its existence and I felt like life was too busy to add “one more thing” to our plates. Well, Christmas is hands-down my favorite holiday of the year and this is our first at home with our little family so I’m determined to savor it.
December 7, 2009
After nearly a week of no potty accidents, we ventured out to do some fun Christmas shopping for cousins.
We didn’t give it much thought, actually, because before tonight, Mackenzie had survived hours of church, cross country plane flights (both ways), hour-long runs, etc. in underwear without much drama. In fact, on multiple occasions she’d held it for 2 hours or more when confronted with a potty she did not find acceptable. We were so confident about her staying dry on this particular outing that in fact, we didn’t even think to bring a spare change of clothes.
*insert musical chords of doom here*
She unloaded a lot of pee right before we walked out the door, and the first stop was only 12 minutes away. Granted, she had been drinking a lot of water that night, but we were still in a bit of disbelief when she began imploring “Need to go potty!” starting about 8 minutes away from our house. We assured her we were “almost there”.
Well, the first store closed a few minutes before we arrived, so we drove on across the street to our next planned stop. Unfortunately, it was a big street and required waiting at a long light, a U turn, and wrapping around the block to get to the store. By the time we arrived, our reassurances had taken on a frantic tone and just seconds before I leaped out of the card to free her from the car seat and whisk her to the bathroom, we heard a very small voice say cheerfully, “Next time peepee on the potty.”
Yes, the wee child had wet her pants. No, we had no changes of clothes. Yes, we stripped her bottom half in the freezing cold and put a diaper on her and drove straight home in dejected silence.
So for all of you who exclaimed, “Oooh lucky!” when you heard Mackenzie started potty training herself at 22 months, beware. You might get what you wish for, and early (to us) potty-training has definitely caused some challenges!
