Bed Bug

Argh.  My kid has always been a pretty decent little sleeper.  Within the past 6 or so months, he feels as though he must first protest the concept of sleep, but that lasts about 3 minutes, then he is fine.  Usually.  But lately a new issue has arisen that promises to turn both of our worlds upside down.

A while back his caretaker informed me that he had taken a header out of the crib. I may have mentioned this--it totally freaked me out.  Naturally I responded in a calm and collected manner--I promptly emailed every parent I know and asked what the heck do I do.  Of course I knew what to do.  It was time to put him in a big boy bed.  But I couldn't do it.  A big boy bed meant that he would be free.  Unrestrained.  The world was his.  Danger was imminent.  And, as awful as this sounds, it meant the few precious minutes between his bed time and mine weren't, well, mine.  Besides, it had only happened once.

Until now.  That's right, it has happened again.  Not to mention the at least once per day acrobatics that come with him pretending to hurl himself out of the crib and onto the floor.  Plus now he's older and taller, so it is much scarier.  And so, with a sigh, I resigned myself to the fact that he is growing up and so should his sleeping arrangements.

The funny part is, I keep thinking of excuses not to do it today, while at the same time having a coronary that he'll fly again.  It's a weird tug-of-war taking place in my head and my heart.  Really?  THIS is complicated?  What the heck?  Nobody told me that something as simple as "change his bed" would be a life-altering issue full of guilt and worry and irritation.  What if he doesn't sleep?  What if the nanny can't get him to sleep?  What if he hurts himself roaming his room?  Where should I put the night light?  What if he gets out?  When should I do it so it's least disruptive?  Why didn't anyone tell me this about parenthood?  They did?  Oh.  Well WHY DIDN'T I GET IT?  Not that I would change a thing, obviously.  It's just so strange to me that a seemingly small, bizarre event can send shock waves through my life.  Parenthood is strange.

Now excuse me, I have to take a nap under my desk.  Better stock up while I can.

A Fresh Start

Happy New Year carpoolers and fast laners!!!  Here's wishing you a very happy and healthy 2012.

I have been thinking a lot about the whole "new year" thing.  Really, the entire concept is very arbitrary.  Someone at some point in history decided that our lives should be divided into calculable periods.  And, hey, as a control freak, I love that.  It's kind of funny, though, how much stock we put into it.  Birthdays...holidays...years...it is all meaningful to us, and is all some random unit of measurement decided upon by prior cultures.

BUT.  It's all in how you look at it.  This year I decided that the turnover to 2012 would be a real start for me and my many, many friends in need of a new beginning.  And it's been great!  For all 2 days, things have seemed fresh and hopeful.  And I love it.  I really do think it has a lot to do with your mentality on it all, but who knows.  And who cares.  All I know is that so far 2012 has brought new babies for those praying for a little one, new jobs for those floundering, and new hope for me that everything is going to be ok.  I love that we are given this clean slate--regardless of the fact that we choose to do so. 

The other day I mentioned to a friend the fact that we have 366 days in 2012 of opportunity.  (Yes, I suck at math, but this one was intentional--2012 is a leap year).  Anyway, that is a ton of chances for really good things to happen to each of us.  Each day brings the possibility that something awesome will happen.  And most of us already know that we can survive the bad stuff if it happens to be an "off" day, so that's no concern.  So, I'm trying to think of it as each day brings a chance for awesomeness.  We'll see how long that lasts, but for today, it's a good time.  And, really, what more can we ask for than a good day today?

Parenthood or Age?

This is totally what I look like.  Really.
Reprinted from toonbarn.com.

When I was a kid, I was occasionally annoyed by my parents (well, my dad, really) falling asleep on the couch in the evenings.  Well, maybe not annoyed so much as disappointed.  There was so much to do!  There were games and movies and playing and eating that could be done!  How dare they (he) fall asleep when spectacular me was there!

Fast forward a decade or two (fine...or three or four).  Having a kid is tiring.  Being old is tiring.  Multiply the two, and your body doesn't stand a chance.  Which, as you know, I have fully acknowledged over the past several months.  I am going to be tired.  And as much as I love my kid and love spending time with him, I am very lucky that he goes to bed early.  Especially lately, as you will see.  But I have fully acknowledged that it is reasonable for me to want to nap a bit.

Over the past few weeks, though, it's more than nap.  I have been physically INCAPABLE of staying awake.  About 8:30 (yes, I know that's pathetic), no matter where in my house I am or what I am (or should be) doing, I will completely pass out.  We're talking snoring, drooling, offensive sleep.  And there's nothing I can do about it.  For a short time, my paranoid self seriously wondered whether I had been accidentally drugging myself.  I seriously pass out and wake up hours later, in a painful heap on the chair or couch.  And it's completely involuntary.  Sad.

So I guess I owe all adults an apology.  I hadn't realized.  At all.  And it makes me worry about the other involuntary body reactions that are likely coming.  Is this the beginning of the end?  Will I soon end up a drooling mess while in line at the grocery store?  Is an oxygen tank just months away?  Is my physical reaction to parenthood or age?  Either way, good to know there's yet another thing I can't control in life.  Awesome.

The Christma...Er...Holid...Um...Christmas Spirit

As you may have noticed, there are many things that differ in living in a smaller community than a big city.  One of the funnier ones to me at the moment is the whole "Christmas vs. Holiday" debate.

When I lived in Chicago, I found the stories about the "war on Christmas" to be hilarious.  The concept that people find it offensive that people are trying not to be offensive, cracks me up.  I couldn't fathom that anyone cared whether an obnoxious evil empire such as Wal-Mart says "merry Christmas" or "happy holidays."  Either way, aren't they saying "enjoy your time for these few weeks and pretend that your crappy paycheck is bigger than it is so you can buy things here and give us less-crappy paychecks"?  So the whole thing was funny.  Plus I distinctly recall that, when I went to law school (a religion-based school) after years of public schooling, it was cool to see nativity scenes in the halls and have "Christmas" be ok.

Yeah, well, things are a bit different here.  I now work for a government organization--about as "politically correct" as you can get.  Even more, I am in charge of said "political correctness."  So when a few weeks ago my office got a call from my predecessor, asking for his Christmas tree back, I was dumbfounded.  Not only that this guy thought I had his tree hiding somewhere under my desk, but because HE HAD A CHRISTMAS TREE AT WORK.  Don't get me wrong, I had a little one in my firm in Chicago.  The building itself decorated.  But we were a private organization.  The fact that it's ok in government to go ahead and celebrate CHRISTMAS?  Crazy.  But it's more than that.  I am now worried that my Christmas cards say "Happy Holidays."  I truly believe that there will be some people here who will be offended.  They will view my lack of "ho-ho-ho" as a full-on assault on the lives of their children and grandparents.  Even when I sort of bring it up to my superiors, their eyes get big and they immediately make sure we are clear--I am not allowed to touch "Christmas."

Which is fine with me.  I love Christmas.  I am rather spiritual, when the mood strikes me.  And I don't see the big deal, either way.  But every time anyone says "Christmas party," I can't help but take a sharp breath in.  It is hilarious.  How did I become this person?  I finally get to fa-la-la my way around an office, and instead I worry that someone is going to (rightfully, per the law) complain. 

Am I now the Grinch?  Or is he even allowed to exist?  Apparently here, he is.  Which is great, and unnerving, and wrong, and odd.  So if you happen to live here, please don't sue us.  I'll be forced to report you to Santa.

And...We're Back

Hi Folks!
Thanks for your patience over the last several months!  Things have been running and running, in the Carpool lane.  So much for being the "slower" lane.

We're doing well here in Montana and sort of settling in.  My kid absolutely loves everything about his new life.  He has the world's greatest nannies--particularly Grandpa!  He's getting big fast, and has started chatting up a storm.  He loves running around outside, even though it's getting cold here (like really, really cold).  And the whole Christmas light thing is making each day worth living.  So overall he's pretty happy.

I'm doing pretty well, too, though I miss those of you in Chicago (and Arizona) terribly.

I promise to get back on track with my updates here, as there are plenty of crazy stories to go around!!  Thanks for tuning in again and looking forward to our chats!

Hope you are well and stay tuned for more posts soon!