my purple monkey

November 2010

2011-01-24T17:40:00.000-05:00

Independence Day

2010-07-06T15:17:00.007-04:00

Happy Independence Day!

As you can tell with my lack of posts, I'm super busy lately. Watching the 2 kids, working full time (at home-yey!) and keeping up with regular household duties is really a 24/7 job! Working at home and watching him is increasingly difficult with him on the move, and his desire to discover new things, but I'm so lucky to be able to be home with him this long so I'm not complaining.

Roman is now 8 months old. He's 21 lbs and quite a chunker! Sophie has definitely been enjoying him a little more now. He started sitting up around 6 months. Then started crawling at 7 months. Now he is pulling himself up to a standing position and, as of today, cruising. He is also a fan of screaming at the top of his lungs, especially in the early morning hours. He is obsessed with Cheerios and spends many an hour searching the floors for one that may have dropped. He is on the move from waking up between 6am-7am until bedtime at 7pm, with a few naps in between. He is a super happy baby but when he gets tired watch out-super cranky pants. Definitely not as easy a baby as Sophie was, but equally as happy and smiley : ) He really loves to cuddle, something Sophie was never really into. I really look forward to the days ahead when they can really play together. He adores her so.

Sophie is keeping herself busy doing things "all by myself". She is now fully potty trained, except for diapers when sleeping. Boy am I glad about that! I finally convinced her to make #2 on the potty with the lure of getting a "special toy" and once she got over the fear and confusion of how it all happens, she now is using the potty like a pro. With some little accidents here and there. She loves to talk about big plans she has for the day, most of which don't actually happen. She will only wear dresses and must pick it out "all by myself" every morning. She is starting to say some really funny things and we're really realizing she's much smarter than we realized and it's getting harder to convince her to do things we want. Tantrums are common as she has now entered the tantrumy three's, but usually don't last long and can be redirected with some carefully orchestrated redirecting!

We have a busy summer ahead with World Cup finals, Block Island, visits from my brother and my nephew, a trip to Hawaii for myself (YEY!) and then some weddings this fall-including my Brother-in-Law Matthew. Crazy year, crazy summer, crazy busy but crazy fun too.

Ok that's all I have time for-back to work. Sigh.

Four Months

2010-03-07T09:16:00.006-05:00

Yikes I haven't been posting. Maybe because I just don't have ANY free time lately! Roman is now 4 1/2 months and doing well. Although he seems to have picked up a bit of the four month sleep regression lately waking up 2 or 3 times a night rather than 1 which is no fun for us. He did well during the weekdays this past week, but last night started up again. We've been trying to put him to sleep drowsy but awake as recommended, but sometimes he just screams and cries so much I end up picking him up as I fear he'll wake Sophie, or the neighbors! I'll have to be more diligent about it though as he seems unable to fall back asleep on his own lately.

Other than that he is doing well. He weighed in at 15 lbs 1 oz at his 4 month appointment and is now 25" long! He's smiling and laughing, trying to roll over. He successfully rolled from his back to his tummy twice in one day, and then from his tummy to his back another day. But since hasn't done either! He now grabs his feet when he rolls around and squeals a bit which is really cute. Still, he seems so much less animated when compared with Sophie of course, as she is just so incredibly active! I'm still having a hard time juggling my time between the two of them, work and home. I always feel like I'm disappointing someone. Some days I'm so stressed by 5pm and so ready for David to come home, but he's been working late hours lately so often hasn't been coming home until 7 or 8 o'clock. Needless to say once I put them down for sleep I collapse on the couch and veg out with mindless TV.

The weather is finally warming up ever so slightly, 50 degrees this weekend! Even this small increase is just so promising of what's to come.

11 wks

2010-01-11T17:10:00.001-05:00

My big boy

10 weeks

2010-01-07T10:02:00.004-05:00

Roman is now 10 weeks old. Whew! At his 2 month appointment the other day he weighed in at 13 lbs 4 oz and is now 23" long. Yey! He's still eating every 2 1/2 hours during the day and sleeps a solid 9 hours at night. This week we've made it our goal to get him to sleep earlier than midnight, and so far we've been successful! It's actually gone a lot easier than I anticipated. Every night we try to put him down 15-30 minutes earlier. Last night we got him to sleep at 10:40. Score! I'm not sure I want to put him down earlier than 10 though as I do like to get a bit of sleep in the morning and would prefer him not waking before 7AM. At this time in Sophie's life she was sleeping from 8PM-6:30AM, woke to eat, then slept another couple of hours. No such luck here, but hopefully it will be similar to that soon. He can't stay up more than 1 1/2 hours during the day, and he gets tired at exactly that time, like clockwork. He will then sleep for about 45 minutes, wake to eat. And repeat.

It's been so cold out lately that often we are forced to be stuck inside all day. It just doesn't seem worth it to me to bundle everyone up and take them out for a short while when it's 20 degrees outside. Especially since Roman is just getting over RSV and now Sophie has also developed a cold. But being inside is driving us all a little stir crazy to say the least. I can't help thinking if it were Summer we'd be out and about all day. It seems so far away. Sigh.

My maternity leave ends on February 1st. I wanted to take more time but was advised against it by my manager. More for my benefit. So on the 1st I will work from home the first few weeks, then start going into the office 3 days a week and work at home 2. I'm not sure how I'm going to juggle it all. As it is I'm busy from the minute I wake to the minute I sleep. I don't see how I'm going to squeeze a full work day in with it all. I may have to have my nanny come while I'm home to help out with things. But still, nursing Roman every 2 hours is a lot. I'm hoping the feedings will be more spaced out soon. I'm really dreading February.

David was home the week between Christmas and New Years as his company gives everyone that week off. Such a nice perk. Unfortunately between me getting some sort of flu and the freezing cold weather we weren't able to accomplish much nor get outside. Still, having him home was such a huge help. It was also much less lonely that it is when I'm home alone. We were able to have several friend come by for visits which was nice. I look forward to having some adult conversations as I'm with the kids all day long and just need that break!

Sophie is doing well with adjusting to Roman. She still always asks me to come play in her room when I'm feeding him, but understands when I'm telling her I'll be there in a few minutes. She still has a bit of trouble watching David hold Roman though. And always insists I feed him when he does. Too funny!

5 weeks

2009-12-02T14:52:00.005-05:00

Roman is five weeks now and things are finally getting a little more manageable for me. Until this week he was eating every 2 1/2 hours during the day, then at night he starts eating every hour until he finally conks out at 3am. Yes 3am! It's been very difficult for me to keep up with his late night schedule and very tiring in general just having a newborn. Sophie was truly a perfect baby and never fussed, never had gas, always slept and ate right on cue. But poor Roman is the total opposite. Almost daily he still suffers from bad gas pains, usually at night, that are only relieved with vigorous bouncing, hanging over the shoulder or more nursing. They are not as bad as they were before I cut out dairy and chocolate, but he still suffers quite a bit. I'm suffering too trying to eat foods that I hope won't upset him. It's so stressful especially at dinner time wondering if a certain sauce will upset his tummy!

But now he finally has a long 5-6 hours stretch at night where we can all get some much needed rest. It seems that just recently his bedtime has moved back a bit to 1-2AM. Still not ideal, but much better than 3AM! Next week he'll be 6 weeks and I expect the length of sleep to be even a bit longer then. Here's hoping! He still eats every 2 1/2 hours during the day, and then cluster feeds at night from about 6pm until 1am, but I don't mind knowing I have that long stretch of sleep waiting for me at the end of it all!

I've been very stressed out up until this week with the lack of sleep and uncertainty of how to soothe him when he gets fussy or has gas pains. Sometimes I just break down crying right along with Roman. Often I end up waking up David to help out so I can get a much needed break.

Thanksgiving was wonderful as we stayed in LI with David's family and they were such a huge help holding him throughout the day and letting me get some much needed nap time in. David was also able to spend lots of time with Sophie to make her Thanksgiving special. We watched the parade, they played football outside and then collected twigs to make a fire (which we never found the time to do). Still she had such a great time and some nice traditions were started for her that hopefully she will look forward to every year. Unfortunately we had dinner at 2:30 when she was napping so she missed the entire meal! Luckily she had leftovers later and doesn't really know what she missed!

I still have our nanny coming a few days a week to help out which makes things much more manageable for me. But I do plan to try a couple days here and there soon to see how I do! It makes me a little nervous as there is still a lot of time spent feeding Roman (takes about 20-30 minutes at a time) and taking care of him but I'm sure we'll fall into a routine sooner or later.

He had his one month appointment yesterday and weighs in at a whopping 13 lbs 9 oz at 21.5 inches long. I can't believe he's so big! He's already growing out of his 0-3 month clothes but luckily I have 3-6 month ready to go. I must admit it feels good knowing that he is feeding well and that nursing him has been successful this time around, as exhausting as it is.

Three Weeks

2009-11-16T11:27:00.003-05:00

Roman is three weeks old today. And what a rough three weeks it's been. The first two were fine, but this past week has been filled with terrible late night gas pains for Roman, no sleep for Mama or Dada, and a change in his sleeping where he wants to be held ALL THE TIME. No longer does he sleep in the swing, only on our chest or while being held. This has caused me a lot of stress and worry, as well as lots of tears. I just was so unprepared for things not to go well, as Sophie was so easy from day one. But day by day we are learning what he does and does not like. Based on other posts and reading up online, I've learned that certain foods may be the cause of his pain. So as of yesterday I've eliminated ALL dairy and chocolate from my diet, and last night was the first gas pain free night he's had. I really hope that this is the answer as it was just heartbreaking to hear him scream and cry in pain all night long, with little that we could do to relieve him. I was sure he was destined to be a colicky baby, but now I have new hope!

I've also tried putting him to nap on his tummy, a no no I know, but it's the only way he'll sleep. I'm sure to put him on not too soft bedding with no blankets or loose sheets, and I am confident he'll be fine. What a relief it is to have some time to do things without holding him all the time.

The nursing is going pretty well. Already I'm more successful than I was with Sophie as I knew what to expect with the pain and soreness this time around and really tried to push through it. I take Advil around the clock which really helps and little by little it's getting better. Still pain. Still sore. But it's all bearable and hopefully in the new couple of weeks it will get even better. I tried to nurse him at the playground yesterday which was a disaster for me as I was unprepared and found it very difficult to position him correctly as well as feel comfortable doing it out in the open. I think I'll need to get one of those nursing covers to make things easier for both of us. So for now I will time my outings better to where I know he will not need to nurse.

Roman has yet to have much of a personality as it's so early in his life, and we're just looking forward to getting to know him and what his demeanor will be like. Sophie is adjusting well and is enjoying the extra attention from David. I also have the nanny come in during the week to help out with her as I still can't lift her or take her out and about as I'd like. It's difficult for me not to spend the time I'd like to playing with and holding her, but I know that in a few weeks time that will happen again.

PhotoKuo

2009-11-01T14:09:00.003-05:00

Eugene posted a series of beautiful photos he took at the hospital here. I'm so lucky to have such a talented friend. Thanks Eugene!

Roman Baldeosingh Rotstein

2009-10-29T16:32:00.011-04:00

October 26, 2009 @ 12:58AM
8 lbs, 15 oz
20 1/2" long
Medium brown hair & blue eyes (for now?)

Welcome to our son Roman! I can't believe I've already given birth and am home with baby. What a whirlwind week!

Everything is going surprisingly well. I was disappointed with the C-Section but I always thought that's how it would end, but wanted to do my best trying. It all so happened so unbelievably fast. So fast that I was told by the Dr on call to go immediately to the hospital, which left us no time to have someone watch Sophie so I had to arrive there on my own. Luckily David's sister who was in Atlantic City made it here in record time and David was able to join me as I was still in the triage room.

I woke up at 8:30, water broke 9am, but I was unsure if it did or not. Maybe I was just in denial? We went to get bagels with Sophie and I quickly realized that it was in fact my water breaking so I called the Dr around 11am, after a quick trip to the playground with Sophie of course! It was just such a beautiful day, and it took me by surprise and I thought I really wanted to enjoy one last morning with just our little family of 3. I showered and finally went to hospital at noon, alone, and immediately as I arrived the contractions started fast and furious at 2-3 minutes apart, then 2, then 1-2! The all happened within 2 hours of being in the triage room. I began to stress out as David still wasn't there and I was so scared and lonely. But luckily he arrived just as I was about to be transferred to the delivery room. The pain was RIDICULOUSLY painful and intense, and as soon as they got me out of the triage room and into my delivery room I got the epidural. No, I BEGGED for it. Luckily the anesthesiologist was right there and ready and I screamed and cried through the last couple of contractions as she did it, thinking to myself over and over "this is the last contraction I will EVER feel". I really don't know how people do natural birth. They were 1 minute apart at that point and I just could not take it, I was going out of my mind. So finally the epidural took effect and then all was well and I could relax. It was impossible to watch the Yankee game or sleep or do anything other than wonder what was going to happen next. A few hours later my Dr ended up giving me Pitocin little by little to see if my contractions would strengthen, as I was 4cm and 100% effaced, but baby was still VERY high at -4! After several hours I never dilated past 4 cm and baby never came down, even with much strong contractions. I could have remained and tried if I really wanted to but I knew deep down that in the end this baby would not descend. He was still at a -4! So at almost midnight, as the Yankees won the penant and their entry into the World Series, they prepped the room for surgery. I was a little nervous but really just wanted to get it over with and see baby. The C-Section this time around took an entire TWO HOURS from beginning to end, twice the normal amount of time as I had a lot of scar tissue. It was horribly long and uncomfortable and scary. The shaking and uncomfortable position you're in, combined with the fact that you can feel or see much of anything is really horrible, but in the end all is well. At 12:58AM they finally pulled him out and we heard a series of really loud cries that sounded to me like a cat screeching! The announcement of a big baby boy was made and about 10 minutes later we finally laid eyes on our Roman.

Roman is doing well. The first night home did not go well as he does not like to sleep in a bassinet or anything that isn't moving, and we couldn't find the plug to the swing! So lots of rocking and shaking of the bassinet then eventually David just manually pushed him in the swing until he finally slept for about 3 hours. The breastfeeding is painful but I was definitely more prepared this time and so far it is working out. We went to the Dr today and he gained back 7 oz which is great as he had lost 10 oz in the first 3 days. I am supplementing with a small amount of formula after feedings but hopefully by next week I won't have to do this anymore.

Thankfully David is home for two weeks as it would be impossible for me to do this and juggle Sophie without his help. Basically he takes care of Sophie and I take care of Roman. I feel bad that I can't play with her so much or hold her, and she is definitely feeling the distance as well. But hopefully in a month or so I'll be back to my old self and able to do more with her. Of course I'm feeling guilty but I can only do so much with healing from the surgery and taking care of a newborn.

I feel 100% better than I did when I had Sophie. No depression. No surprises as I knew what to expect this time around. Boy it is so much easier after you've had a baby already. I wonder what I was so stressed out about the first time but luckily that is in the past. It's so nice to feel happy feelings and enjoy the baby rather than be distraught over it all!

2 1/2

2009-10-15T18:49:00.011-04:00

Sophie is now 2 1/2 as of October 13th. I was hoping for #2 to be born on that day as well, but alas, I am still playing the waiting game.

It seems that her tantrums have kicked it up a notch as of this week. Some say she "knows" the baby is coming and she is acting out. I say she is just simply 2 1/2 years old. Several times a day, if not more, she'll flip out over something small and have a full out tantrum, screaming, crying, throwing toys or whatever she's frustrated with. Luckily she rarely exhibits this behavior outside, but it does happen from time to time. I really, really need to get her in some type of daily class as I know she is bored at home. But we're still trying to figure things out with money and time management for when the baby comes.

It's VERY difficult to work from home and take care of her at the same time, so Tuesday's and Wednesday's when I'm home have become increasingly stressful for me. Luckily she still takes a 2 1/2 hour nap everyday so it's during that time that I try to get the most work done. On Wednesday's we go to music class for 45 minutes in the morning which she, and I, really enjoy. She really gets into it, dancing around and playing the different instruments they hand out. It's such a joy to see her having so much fun, and I just wish the class was longer!

For discipline we try the time out route. I can't say it's really working though. I do exactly as Super Nanny instructs, warn them if they repeat bad behavior they will get a time out, she almost always repeats, and I then put her in the naughty chair for 2 1/2-3 minutes. Problem is she doesn't really seem to mind! She usually sits there, not crying, not fussing, just sits there and sometimes calls my name (I try to keep busy in the kitchen and not make eye contact) or yells. This morning I had to put her in back to back time outs, and it was the first time she actually cried. Still, she continues to repeat the behavior day after day, and it doesn't seem she's really learning anything from the time outs. I'm not sure if it's because she's too young? I just know it's VERY frustrating as I have a very limited fuse lately being 9 months pregnant with backaches and big belly and all that. And I always think "how will I do this with a newborn added to the mix?" I know the next year or two are going to be VERY trying on my patience.

Here are some recent pics of her. The last one is a "plane" David made for her by cutting wings and holes for her legs in a cardboard box.

Nervous

2009-10-05T18:54:00.003-04:00

My due date is less than 4 weeks away and I'm starting to get really nervous. Everything is set up, washed, stored and ready. But now that there isn't anything else to do to prepare, I have too much time to worry about the actual baby! In all the rush to get things ready, and with being busy with Sophie and work, I've forgotten about the scariness of labor. We had a talk with the Dr on Friday and she told us all the things we need to know about labor this time around. With a VBAC as a possibility there will be a lot more monitoring this time around, which means they want me at the hospital much earlier than last time. Not what I wanted to hear. I am also Group Strep B positive (again) so I will also need to come earlier in order to get antibiotics. Ugh. I so don't want to rush over to the hospital early as I much prefer to labor at home as long as possible, but we'll see what happens. When contractions are 5 minutes apart for an hour I'm to call then head over. Last time around I stayed home with 5 min contractions for a whopping 16 hours! The whole thing seems a little scarier to me this time around as I'm worried about Sophie and who will be watching her. We have loose plans and it all is really dependent on when it happens. Our nanny can definitely be here to watch her as can David's parents, but it'll take them about an hour or two to get here. And if his parents are here, then they'll miss the birth at the hospital! I just hope we don't have to run to the hospital in the middle of the night. I'm also nervous about staying in the hospital by myself as this time I won't be getting a private room so David won't be staying with me. Well, I could get a private room, if I wanted to pay $750 a night! These hospitals here are really outrageous.

If I don't go into labor by November 4th then there will be a C-section planned for that day. I will be unable to be induced so there would be no other choice. I highly doubt the baby will come that late though.

This coming Friday I will have an ultrasound to estimate the weight of the baby. I feel like this one will be even bigger than Sophie was (9.1) so that's scary too! I have this feeling I will end up getting a C-section in the end, but I will do my best. The end result of a healthy baby and Mommy is what really matters in the end.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2009-09-17T12:48:00.004-04:00

Whew. Summer is over. At least in my mind it is. And 'tis Fall. The season of change. Every year Fall has me itching for some changes in my life, whether it be home, or job. Of course this time around will be quite a change for the entire family-a new baby. I'm 34 weeks now and time is really flying. We have been super busy with getting things ready. Luckily all our baby stuff was stored in David's parents' basement so with one trip out with a rental car we were able to bring everything we needed back. We also were lucky enough to score a (free!) crib courtesy of our temple garage sale. Of course we'll make a small donation for it, but essentially it's free. Sophie isn't ready to leave her crib just yet, as she seems content and never climbs out, so I see no reason to rock that boat. I will be tired enough with a newborn and see no reason to add in a possible waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-wandering-around-toddler to the mix! So for now she'll stay in hers, and baby will have his/her own.

We painted the room last weekend a light yellowish-beige. At first I was unsure but now I think it's a great color. I've been super busy ordering things online-diapers, Fall clothes for Sophie and new baby, as well as creating a list of other things I need to buy (and soon!) for baby. Hopefully I'll be able to launder all the clothes and car seat/stroller fabrics this weekend sometime. I have this feeling that I will deliver early. Not sure what sparked it, but I've felt this way all through the pregnancy, and something keeps urging me not to put these things off. So for a constant procrastinator I think I'm doing really well. Go Simone!

We're also thinking about signing Sophie up for a pre-school soon. I'm very nervous about how I will handle being at home with the two of them. Sophie is quite a handful now and becomes bored at home very easily, especially since I don't have much time to play with her the two days a week I work from home. It's become increasingly more difficult to juggle the two, and often I end up doing the majority of my work during her 2-3 hour naps and later at night. She definitely needs more stimulation in her life so we're thinking of staring her off in a 2 half day a week class and possibly moving her to a 5 day a week morning preschool in January. The thought is so crazy-our baby girl going to school! But I believe she will truly flourish so it's definitely what needs to be done.

Being pregnant the second time around is truly exhausting when you are working full time and running after a two year old. It really is non-stop. The only time I get to relax is for about an hour or two at night after she goes to sleep. And often I try to do some work or clean things up around the apartment that time so then the only rest I get is when I sleep.

Every single person that I know or don't know has told me I'm having a boy. EVERYONE. Because of this I am convinced I am and have even bought newborn clothes that lean more towards blue than neutral. If it is a girl then I'm sure they'll work for her too.

I still can't believe that in less than 6 weeks we'll have another child. We've gotten so set in our routine that I am very nervous about the shakeup to come. From everyone I know the transition of one to two is pure chaos. Just remembering how long it took to either try and nurse or pump for Sophie, I can't imagine how I'll handle that and tend to Sophie's needs too with #2. It's definitely going to be a juggling act and take some getting used to. I'm so glad David will be home the first two weeks to help out, and hopefully I'll get some type of routine down to where I can manage it all.

I plan to try for a VBAC this time around, and my Dr is on board as well. I actually chose the practice based on their pro-VBAC views and I really hope it pays off. I really would like the experience of a natural birth, as well as having less of a recovery period. The thought of not being able to pick up Sophie for 6 weeks after also scares me as I feel bad enough worrying about her feeling left out when the baby arrives. But there are no promises or definite birth plans, so we will hope for the best and do what we can but of course also whatever is safest for me and baby is what will ultimately be the outcome.

Block Island

2009-09-17T12:34:00.032-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I posted. Here are some pics from our annual trip to Block Island. I have to say it was the least enjoyable time out there of all our past trips, if there is such a thing. With the ridiculous heat and humidity (90%) all week, virtually NO breeze, and being pregnant I was just really uncomfortable for a majority of the trip. It was highly unusual as normally we are so chilly in the evenings out there that we need sweatshirts and blankets to keep warm while sitting on the deck after the sun goes down! I think it just really threw me for a loop and others were feeling it too. But of course we did have a great time, with daily trips to the beach late in the day, wonderful homemade dinners in our dining room, and just special time hanging out with our friends, it's always a fantastic time.

Sophie enjoyed the beach immensely and since we've been back has asked to go to the beach on a daily basis. But I must admit I'm a tad bit happy not to have to apply sunblock constantly anymore!

Here are some photos. Mainly of Sophie of course!

The most memorable part of the trip for me was this 7am dip in the ocean with Kelly. There was a very thick fog that covered the island and everything just looked amazing and surreal. The high tide was rolling in and Sophie had a great time playing the the little pools of water that were created as a result.

As Sophie would wake with the sunrise around 6am every morning, we had to get her out of the house immediately as to not awaken the other guests who were still sleeping. One of the days we took her to the airport diner and she enjoyed this ENORMOUS pancake!

Sipping some evening juice on the side deck of the house.

Sunset from our lawn. Unfortunately with the high humidty and haze, we never got to see the sun actually go down past the horizon, nor a really memorable afterglow afterwards. Still, always a beautiful sight.

Enjoying a chocolate ice cream cone that melted WAY too fast in the sun!

Early morning trip to see the Southeast lighthouse.

Trinidad & Tobago

2009-08-08T08:51:00.005-04:00

Well we're back from T & T. What a trip! My biggest concern was whether or not David would actually join us on this trip, with his fear of flying keeping us wondering up until the very end. But with the help of some Xanax and behavior therapy he did it! Trinidad was a great beginning to our trip, and we were all very comfortable at our cousin Andy's townhouse. The first couple of days were filled with a fabulous morning spent at Maracas Beach with AMAZING bake and shark sandwiches, the wedding rehearsal and dinner, and then the big event on Saturday with the wedding of our cousin Tricia and her hubby John. Sophie was selected to be one of the flower girls which was nice. She looked so cute in her dress, like a little angel. But as I expected, she didn't do too well walking down the aisle. In fact, she didn't walk at all! Instead there was lots of screaming and crying with me carrying her down. But it really didn't matter because everything else went perfectly and the bride was so gorgeous she took everyone's breath away!

The following day everyone took a ferry ride to Tobago where we spent 5 days relaxing under the (HOT!) sun. We ended up staying at a beautiful luxury hotel right on the ocean with an amazing pool and view. It was really, really hot which proved to be a challenge for both me and Sophie. It really is hard being pregnant in the Summer as they say! But with many dips in the pool and breaks in the cool hotel room, we managed. Sophie did pretty well sleeping in the pack n play the hotel provided for her, even though it was too small and she was all squished in there! It took her a day or two to get used to it though. Her eating was another issue. She really wasn't interested in the buffet breakfast they provided daily at all. Only drinking some orange juice and a bite of muffin. Most days she had only some milk, oj, raisins, bread roll and some chips for the entire day! She definitely lost weight as towards the end of the trip I could see her little ribs sticking out a bit. But other than that she still had boundless energy-enough to keep her up late almost every night-once until midnight! I wish we had access to a pool here at home as she really enjoyed swimming. We got her some floaties and she was able to swim without assistance for the first time. Boy did she look proud! I definitely want to get her some swimming lessons within the next year so that next Summer she can hopefully swim all by herself. She sure loves the water, just like her Mama : )

It was wonderful spending time with family, although I do wish we could have spent more time with our cousins than we did. But with so much family there it was hard to see enough of everyone.

We're in

2009-06-19T08:11:00.003-04:00

Moved in to our wonderful new apartment on June 8th. It was a whirlwind move as we didn't have the confirmation from the landlord to move in until 9am that morning! We had figured over the previous weekend that it was not a go so we didn't pack up the remaining 25% of our things. But once we got the call, we made a quick decision to go ahead and do it. So we called the movers and they said they could be there in a half hour! Chaos ensued as we packed up stuff like crazy-throwing dishes in boxes, pulling curtains off the wall, and throwing shoes in boxes. The one thing that worked out perfectly was Sophie decided to sleep in that morning until 10am! Normally she is up around 7 and needs to nap around 11 or 12, so this was perfect as she could most likely skip her nap that day, which was fine with us as the crib would be moved and she'd have nowhere to sleep!

The movers were from Oz, who were recommended by a friend, and who I will highly recommend as well. They were super fast, and the foreman was really knowledgeable and really helped us out with our last minute packing. What was estimated to be a 6 1/2 hour move turned into 8 1/2 hours, but it was well worth it to be in the new place so quickly.

We are SO happy here. It's almost double the space. With amenities galore. What seem like luxuries to us are probably pretty standard to most, but New Yorkers go without a lot here. We now have a real separate kitchen, a dishwasher, an elevator in the building and a laundry in the basement! These are all things I've never had (except when growing up in Miami of course) so it's really made my life SO much easier. And the new neighborhood, which is only 3 blocks from the last, is so quiet and peaceful. No more trucks going by, no more crackheads hanging out downstairs on our block making a ruckus. Now the only noises we hear are the occasional practicing by an opera singer somewhere across the way and a trumpet player in the evenings, both who are really good and pleasing to listen to, and not overly loud. Other than that we hear no one else in the building. It's so odd because there are tons of families with children, but the halls are always so quiet.

Sophie is slowly adjusting. She occasionally wakes up at night asking for "more blanket" which is her way of wanting us to come in, put a blanket on her to make her feel more secure. She also wakes up in the morning and after her nap crying as I still think she is surprised to wake up in her new room. And her room is HUGE. Almost too big. Her crib looks lost in there but hopefully soon we'll find the time to decorate it nice and make it feel more homey. Eventually we'd like both children to share this room and use the 3rd small bedroom for something else, maybe an office or something. But for now it's all hers. We still have some unpacking to do, mainly clothes as we need a closet system built in the master closet as the old tenant took their closet shelves/bars with them and it's pretty much an empty room.

I've only tackled painting the living room, which was a nightmare. I've wasted time and money on a few paint choices that didn't work out, but finally decided on a light green that will do, for now. David loves it but I'm still not sold. But I'm happy it's done and can live with it for some time, if not permanently.

Big move, big belly

2009-06-06T06:58:00.015-04:00

We're finally moving! This apartment is pretty much EVERYTHING that was on my wish list. It's on the Upper West Side, only 3 blocks from where we currently live. 3 bedroom, 1 bath pre-war place in an ELEVATOR building with a DISHWASHER and a LAUNDRY in the building! These are all things we've never had the luxury of enjoying while living in NYC. It truly is a dream come true. It will be a bit of a stretch to afford it, but with some cutbacks (cut out 2nd cell phone, reduced Netflix, reduced cable, etc) we can make it work. It's amazing what we go without that so many people take for granted. Mainly, space. But this new place is somewhere between 900-1,000 sq feet. A far cry from the 550 sq feet we have now. And I was lucky enough to find it very quickly as it was only the 2nd place we viewed. I had nightmares of spending hours and hours on Craigslist searching for the right place, viewing hundreds of apartments only to be dissapointed time after time. Luckily we didn't have to go through any of that.

Our lease starts June 15 but the super gave us the OK to move in earlier. Already I've met another Mom in the building who has a set of 2 1/2 year old twins and an older daughter. She was so welcoming as was another tenant I met a few minutes later. This place really seems perfect for us as I've always wanted Sophie to have friends in the building. She is now at the age where she is trying to play with other kids at the park. It makes me sad that she really hasn't had any playdates or friends yet. I can't wait to watch her interact with other kids her age.

Luckily I started packing SUPER early. Something that is pretty uncharacteristic of me. We are about 75% done so this weekend we will complete the remaining boxes. I'm nervous about Sophie settling in but I'm sure she'll be fine. We've already taken her over to the new place several times and told her it's our new house. But she keeps insisting her room is the baby's room! Her room is so enormous compared to her current one (currently 9x10 compared to 11x17!) so I really want to make it feel homey for her and not too empty or lonely.

Unfortunately with all our energies placed on this move and Sophie, my pregnancy has taken a back seat! But I am 19.5 weeks now and am really getting bigger by the day. Pants that fit me last week (with the help of a Bellla Band) are now getting too snug and uncomfortable to wear. But man, that Bella Band is the BEST as far as extending your current wardrobe by a couple of months. I decided to get an amniocentisis this time around, only because of my age. While my numbers from the nuchal scan and sequential screen were great, we still wanted the reassurance that everything was ok. While it was a horrible experience for me to get it, only because I was petrified of complications, we got the results back a week and a half later and everything is fine. This week will be the 20 week anatomy scan which is always exciting as you get to see the baby in great detail and usually leave with quite a nice photo of the little one : )

It still hasn't really hit me that we'll have another little on come end of October. Just so much going on. Can't wait to get settled in and get Sophie comfortable. Then I can concentrate more on the next change coming our way.

#2 due 10/28/09

2009-05-06T20:15:00.003-04:00

Surprise I am pregnant again! 15 weeks today and everything is going well. It was a bit of a surprise and a little earlier than expected for us, but still in the overall plan. I am VERY nervous about handling two children as I hear from many that one is a breeze and more than one complete chaos. We will see come late October/early November. The whole thing seems kind of surreal and not yet real as it's hard to concentrate on being pregnant when chasing after a two year old, dealing with changes at work, planning a big trip to Trinidad in July (and trying to convince my Husband that yes he CAN handle the planeride) and planning a move in two months! I think once we move and are settled then I can concentrate more on baby #2. We will not find out the gender of this one either so it'll be a complete surprise for all!

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-24T08:24:00.005-04:00

Finally warmer weather has arrived. I felt like it would never come. And even though we are fluctuating between warm and cool, anything is better than freezing.

Last weekend we managed to spend two full days in Central Park. Saturday was absolutely mobbed as it was the first sunny day in the 70s. We couldn't even see the end of the line for the zoo! But on Sunday we did finally get to go with Jenny & Erik which was nice. Sophie seemed to really enjoy running around and especially liked feeding the animals at the petting zoo.

She turned 2 almost 2 weeks ago and is definitely talking a lot more now. But she's also a lot more cranky! From the beginning she's always woken up a happy baby. No crying, just cooing and calling out our names. But this past week she wakes up once in the night crying for about 5 minutes or so, then falls back asleep. Then she wakes up between 6:30-7 crying and calling out our names. And boy is she CRANKY. The first hour is just a mixture of crying, tantrums, throwing herself on the floor, begging to watch Elmo and just plain old unhappiness. We're not sure what is going on. We think maybe it has something do to with her first molar coming in, but when we ask her if her mouth hurts she says no. She's had a runny nose for the past two weeks too. Who knows, but I just hope it passes. I want my happy morning toddler back! I also constantly feel like I'm walking on eggshells as far as being sure not to do or say anything that will set her off on a tantrum. I'm used to it now, and think I know what sets her off. I almost feel like I have to ask her permission if I can turn on a light, or put her shoes on, etc-as so often SHE wants to do it and if I do it instead watch out! Craziness. But picking your battles is key I think, as is allowing them independence and trust that they can do it themselves.

She is saying a lot more two and three word phrases which is so cute to hear. The other day David was eating almonds and Sophie said "Dada eating nuts". We couldn't believe it! Lots of other phrases too such as "I now sleep", "I climbing up", "I running", "I go outside" and so on. Very cute. Another recent development is her fondness of having no clothes! The minute we get home from an outing she wants all her clothes off, even requesting her diaper off-which is promptly denied. Now that the weather is warmer it's fine, as I read toddlers like to be naked and enjoy the feeling, and it hopefully is just a phase that will pass soon. Even when we put her to sleep at night in her pajamas, she immediately takes them off and goes to sleep. No blanket or anything. I must admit if it was Winter I'd have a big problem with worrying about her being cold but since it's Spring and her room is pretty warm I'll let it slide.

Below are some recent pics-a couple David took in the park and one I took this morning while she was jumping on our bed-no clothes of course!

First Potty

2009-03-23T09:52:00.002-04:00

I bought Sophie a Baby Bjorn potty seat and step stool on Friday to see how she'd like it. Upon putting it on the toilet she immediately wanted to give it a try. I put her on first with clothes, then asked her if she wants her diaper off. Of course she said yes, as she is always ready to take off clothes as most toddlers are. Then she wanted ALL her clothes off, right down to the socks! She didn't do any pee pee or poopies, but she did enjoy feeling like a big girl. She got on, then off, then on, then off repeatedly until she felt comfortable. Then of course she grabbed a nearby magazine and I was able to snap this hilarious shot!

I think it'll be awhile before she actually gets the idea of using the potty for it's intended purpose, but at least she'll get the hang of it and be comfortable for when she is ready!

Let the fun begin!

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T07:46:00.003-04:00

First day of Spring and it's snowing! Well I can remember years back we had a huge snow storm on this day so it's not so much of a surprise. Especially after this dismal Winter we've had. SO glad it's over. Even though temperatures are just in the 40's now, it's still a world of difference from 10's and 20's.

Work has been super busy for both David & I. More so him, but now his busy season is winding down for a bit. Sophie is almost a 2 year old and certainly has MUCH more energy than she did before, if that is even possible. She is literally running around and talking nonstop from morning to night. Still a great sleeper sleeping 11-12 hours a night, with a 2 hour nap midday. Boy I'll miss those nap when they go away. I'm starting to wonder if I should start potty training soon. Lately she's been telling me when she's doing poopies or pee pee, so I think I may get a potty soon to start the process and get her used to it. From all I heard I'm not looking forward to it though!

She definitely has a bit of a language explosion now. I think she runs through all the words she knows every single day, with me trying to add a few a day to her list. Still no three word phrases, but doing great with the two and one words at least. And she just seems so eager to learn what everything is called and how things work. Especially cooking. Maybe she'll be making ME eggs soon. Very exciting to watch.

Jenny & Erik came over last weekend with their great news of being pregnant and due in September. We spent the whole day with them and they got a real taste of life with an almost 2 year old. It's going to be great seeing them as parents as they seem real naturals. Just look at the pic of Jenny reading to Sophie!

Still looking forward to moving in July. I check Craigslist constantly just to see what's out there. But still a lot of research will be involved for school districts, neighborhoods and prices. Still, very exciting. Preferably I'd like to live in the Hell's Kitchen area, close to our work and still within walking distance to Central Park. I can't imagine being too far from our beloved park.

We have a trip to Trinidad coming up end of July for our cousin Tricia's wedding which I'm really looking forward to. Although getting David on that plane is going to be a realy challenge that I'm quite nervous about! Still, really looking forward to being with family and friends and introducing Sophie to everyone and the island.

MIA

2009-01-31T08:25:00.003-05:00

So I know I've been missing in action lately. I guess I haven't really posted on a regular basis since Sophie was born. Such is the life of a new Mom with a 21 month old. I feel like I don't even know how to post anymore : -/ I think being on Facebook also makes one less prone to posting as those status updates are so much easier than writing a whole post!

Sophie has been sick all week. Or has she? On Tuesday she woke up from her nap feeling red hot and crying. Sure enough she had a fever of 100 and was extremely unhappy. Soon after she threw up. All over the couch. All over the rug. Disgusting. I immediately thought she must have the flu since we went to the Manhattan's Children's Museum on Sunday. She ended up sleeping 15 hours that day/night! After that no more throwing up, but she's had a mild fever and now runny nose since. But what's odd is I think all of this revolves around her teething. Since all this began she's been putting her hand in her mouth. And now that I think of it last time she teethed her symptoms also mimicked that of a bad cold. It's amazing what these little ones put up with just to sprout some new teeth!

She's definitely been talking more lately which is so cute. Also lots of hugs, kisses and I love you's. There's nothing like hearing I love you from your toddler. Melts the heart every time.

As Sophie approaches two I'm wondering if we need to find her some group classes or something. Doing the same thing everyday seems to be getting stale, especially in the Wintertime and with such a small apartment. But all the classes here are SO expensive. Most run around $600-$700 for a 16 week session, meeting only once a week for an hour. That comes out to about $40 a class. And after taking the free sample art class with her that one time, I don't think the benefits outweigh the price. So I will continue looking for something affordable and fun for her. But we are also planning on moving in the Summer so I don't want to join a class and then move in the middle of it! Especially since we don't know where the move will take us.

Last month we stopped giving Sophie bottles and she seemed fine with it right away. She now drinks sippy cups around the house, and when sitting in her high chair we'll give her a cup which she is doing well with.

David's Dad is still not home. He is now at a physical therapy center for a few weeks and hopefully will be home soon. It's crazy how long the recovery process is for a bypass and stroke. But little by little he is getting better. Just seems like it's taking forever.

Because

2009-01-11T11:21:00.003-05:00

Now that Sophie watches Sesame Street daily, I too have come to love it once again. I actually find it as entertaining for me as it is for her. So many of the skits are based on nighttime adult shows, whether it be "Law and Order: Special Alphabet Unit" or "Deal or No Deal", there really is something for everyone on this show. And it's great to see my old friends, as well as new ones (Elmo). Looking it up on the Wik I see this was exactly their plan from the beginning-to get adults as involved as the children so they don' t use the show as a babysitter but so they become involved in the learning process right along with their children.

Reading about the creation process, writing and history of the show is fascinating. It is reported that by the time children reach 3 years of age, 95% of them have seen Sesame Street. 95%!

While reading about the variety of characters on the show, I came across the clip below, which has been classified as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Moments in daytime television history. To me, it's just heartbreaking. Bye Bye Mr. Hooper.

Recent photos

2009-01-08T10:55:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year!

Here are a few photos of Sophie taken recently. The first is her wearing her favorite rain boots-which she likes to wear all day around the house, all the time. Another is just her looking cute. The last is her first art project, although to be honest she didn't do much. I took her to a free trial art class recently. For one project they handed out all the precut pieces and a glue stick to make this penguin. I think she may have stuck and restuck the eyes about 20 times. But honestly it was mostly me. Still, it was nice to post her first art piece onto our fridge. And just look how proud she is :-)

Happy Holidays

2008-12-23T11:24:00.003-05:00

Sophie and I are off to Miami today. A lot has been going on this past week. David's Father had a heart attack and subsequently quintuple bypass surgery. Yes, I said quintuple. He is doing better and recovering well. We expect him to come home in the next few days. Then the real recovery and hard work will begin. Needless to say, I am looking forward to a little R & R in Miami for a few days. Although with an active 20 month old, there isn't much!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Yawn

2008-11-20T07:03:00.003-05:00

We've been spoiled. Since Sophie was a wee one, we've been able to sleep in till anywhere between 7:30-8:30AM. Now, not so much. Lately she has been waking earlier and earlier. 7:00. 6:45. 6:30. And now 6:15. We thought maybe the time change. But two weeks before the time changes we start putting her to bed later and later each night until it's a full hour later, which also had her waking a full hour later. Then I thought maybe the neighbors, who's bathroom window looks onto her window, were taking a shower early and waking her. But that wasn't the case as I didn't see their light on when I went to get her. Today I realized it is the heat. Our heat doesn't come on at night. Rarely anyway. It comes on at precisely 6:15AM. I know this because the clank and rattle of our old radiators always wakes me up too. And sure enough, seconds later I hear Sophie begin to stir.

I'm thinking there is no way around this and I'm just going to have to get used to getting up early for the rest of the Winter. Another reason to wish for Spring to come quick.

Restless

2008-11-19T08:02:00.005-05:00

Winter is almost here. The calendar says it won't be here for another month, but the temperatures outside lately say differently. Besides it getting dark around 4:30, another drawback is it's soon going to be too cold for Sophie to play outside for any length of time. And living in this small apartment she definitely needs to get out and about daily or she will go bonkers. As will I.

Yesterday the temperature hovered around 40 degrees, and I decided to take Sophie out one of the many great playgrounds in Central Park. Normally this play is mobbed. There is typically anywhere from 20-60 kids running around. Sometimes so many that I'm worried the big kids will knock her over. But yesterday there was ABSOLUTELY no one there. Not a single child. As I arrrived one mother was leaving. She said she is handing over the keys to the castle to us and we have the run of the place. Is this normal? Sophie seemed fine playing on the jungle gym and sandbox, although when she tried to climb the ladder the metal bars were so cold she promptly asked to come down.

So this leaves me thinking-where will we go when the weather gets really cold. Like 20's/30's cold? There are no indoor playspaces that I know of around here. She can always go for walks in her stroller, but she likes to move around and keep busy, so I prefer her to do some physical play.

So this, in turn, makes me wonder where we will live next. We are definitely moving next Summer when our lease is up, as we need a bigger 2 bedroom or maybe a 3 bedroom for when we decided to have #2. There are things that I really tired of living without, and I've divised a sort of 'Wish List' for the next place. A dishwasher, a laundry in the apartment or at least in the building, and, if we are not on the ground floor, an elevator. My choice would be to stay in the five boroughs, but maybe not Manhattan. While we love the quick commute and variety of things to do here, Sophie's happiness and space has become a priority. There's only so much she can do in this apartment. She can barely push her push toys a few feet before hitting a wall! The whole mystery of where we are going to move is constantly on my mind, as is when we are going to have another one and how we will manage it. I am VERY nervous about raising two kids as opposed to one. It just looks like SO much more work, and I'm still getting the hang of just raising one!

First Fudgsicle

2008-11-11T20:29:00.005-05:00

Peak

2008-11-10T07:29:00.005-05:00

Central Park was full peak this weekend. So we went yesterday afternoon so Sophie could witness the beauty first hand, and experience what it's like to play in the leaves! And boy did she have fun. The Japanese maple with the brilliant red leaves was a big draw in the park, with everyone taking photos next to it, and then stealing leaves, or for a greedy few, branches to take home with them.

OVERJOYED!

2008-11-05T08:18:00.002-05:00

I still am in disbelief of last nights historic victory! What an amazing time for our country, for our world! We watched nervously and once they announced PA and OH, we knew we had it. We had the individual votes, and more importantly the electoral votes we needed to win. And oh what a win! Champagne was popped, people were celebrating in the streets, honking their horns, banging on pots and pans, expressing their joy for our wonderful new President Obama. Wow, President Obama. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Now the real work begins to get the respect back we deserve and clean up the shit from the last 8 years. It's a tough road ahead, but I feel confident we put it in the hands of the right person.

YES WE CAN. WE DID. AND WE WILL!!!!

Finally

2008-11-03T20:20:00.004-05:00

Finally, the campaigning will stop.
Finally, the commercials will stop.
Finally, the bullshit will stop.
Finally, we get to vote.
Finally, we get to elect.
Finally, we will earn our respect back in the world.
Finally, we can get ourselves out of Iraq.
Finally, we will have a president we can all be proud of.
Finally, Barack Obama can say Yes. We. Did.

I hope.

Sunday Afternoon in the Park

2008-10-30T07:33:00.017-04:00

On Sunday we spent a gorgeous Fall afternoon in Central Park. We decided to try out Sophie's mini stroller and of course brought along her favorite Teddy (pronounced Tay-Tah by Sophie). Boy did she love the freedom of running around like a big girl! She walked all over the park with Teddy, and if she got tired of pushing him she would lift up the whole stroller and carry him around! If she had a snack, Teddy would have a snack. If she drank her sippy cup, Teddy would get some too! It was so nice to see her sharing. Occasionally she would take a break, which would consist of her stopping, sitting in the middle of the sidewalk for 30 seconds, and then getting up and moving on. And how cute are those pigtails! : )

"Real America"

2008-10-21T22:19:00.001-04:00

A heartbeat away folks...a heartbeat away...

Rosh Hashanah

2008-10-17T08:31:00.002-04:00

Here are some pics from a couple weeks ago when we were out on LI for Rosh Hashanah. I have to admit Sophie looks oh so cute all dressed up! She was pretty good in Temple, keeping busy taking things out of my purse and then putting them back in. Kept her busy for a good hour!

Passed

2008-09-27T21:35:00.006-04:00

Just an update on the Child Protection Act I mentioned a few days ago. Well, it passed the senate and is now approved with 60 co sponsors! I am overjoyed that finally funds will be released and law enforcement hired and trained to help these children and bring these bastards to justice. 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys are estimated to be sexually molested before age 18. It is our duty to protect these children. Thank you Oprah. Thank you Senators. And thanks to everyone who wrote or called their senators to get this passed. You really made a difference.

Growing Up

2008-09-20T08:07:00.007-04:00

I never started a baby book for Sophie. I'm sure I'll regret it, I think even now I am starting to, but I just always thought that I blog about her milestones, so I don't need to. Then I realized recently that I don't blog about her much at all lately! A picture here and there, but that's about it. Maybe when we decide to have baby #2 I'll start a proper book. But until then I'll try and make more Sophie-related-goings-on posts.

She turned 17 months last weekend. For some reason I feel like 18 months will be a big milestone, almost like a birthday. Maybe it's because clothing and toys have a new 18-24 month category? I think also because I've read so many big changes happen after 18 months. More talking, more individual imaginative play, an interest in potty training. We will see! But for now she seems to be a typical toddler of her age-running around, babbling and saying some words (mama, dada, naina (her aunt), cat, keys, cheese, wa wa, ball, box, more, done), grouping and stacking objects, reading her picture books, and imitating lots of behavior. She loves to walk around with her plastic cell phone and pretend to talk. Something she undoubtedly picked up from me and her nanny! She seems truly interested to know the names of things, pointing things out and then looking at me to see what I call it and seeming to store it in her "vault" for later.

Anyhoo, we picked up this great chair from Ikea last weekend and she absolutely loves it. It's definitely her favorite toy in the apartment. I knew when I saw it online that it was something she'd enjoy. It spins, and best of all it has a cover that she can pull down and hide under. I highly recommend it for anyone with a toddler.

Also, something else I wanted to add. What happened to Saturday morning cartoons? I turned the TV on this morning, and found absolutely no cartoons except for the Nickelodeon ones. I don't get it? One of the joys of growing up for anyone in my generation was to wake up early on Saturday morning, get your cereal, and watch a few hours of cartoons. I just don't understand! Not that we let Sophie watch TV yet, but still. Maybe I will create my own Saturday Morning Cartoon show for her with DVD's when the time comes : ) Smurfs anyone?

Thanks, But No Thanks

2008-09-18T14:02:00.005-04:00

EXERPT FROM CBSNEWS.COM...

Earlier at the town hall meeting, a woman rose to speak and said was a Democrat who previously supported Hillary Clinton but now backed the Republican ticket.

“Give us some details and examples of your strategies and plan for economic empowerment for women,” she said.

McCain signaled for Palin to answer the question.

“Well first let me take a shot at that, and I’ll tell ya, I’m a product of Title IX in our schools, where equal education and equal opportunities in sports really helped propel me into the—I guess into the position that I’m in today where,” Palin said.

McCain then interjected, “Could I mention she was a point guard on a state championship basketball team.”

After the crowd’s applause died down, Palin continued: “Sports were very, very important to me growing up, you know just learning about self discipline and healthy competition and about what it takes to win and even how to graciously lose sometimes. But how to win, that’s what it teaches ya. Now, I was a product of Title IX where legislation allowed that equal opportunity. Now if we have to still keep going down that road to create more legislation, to get with it in the 21st century, to make sure that women do have equality especially in the work place, then we’re there because we understand that in this age we have all got to be working together. I respect you so much that you are a Democrat recognizing that John McCain and me as a team of mavericks understand where you’re coming from, and we can work together on these issues. But yup, equality for women, for all, that’s going to be part of the agenda and I thank you for that question.”

This could be our next VP folks. Better send McCain some vitamins to keep him strong n' healthy if they win.

Child Protection Act 1738-Please read this

2008-09-17T11:20:00.006-04:00

I saw the most horrific Oprah show ever on Monday. So horrific that I felt, and still feel, physically ill. The show was on Child Molesters & Child Pornography and their prevalance in the USA. Honestly I think Oprah took it too far, and I saw things that I can NEVER, EVER forget. Things that I can't believe humans can do to one another. Things that I could never imagine even in my worst nightmares. And these things are being done to our children EVERY SINGLE DAY. The horrors that happen everyday in this country, and the world, to innocent children, some as young as only months old, is horrendous. And to make things worse these images and videos are being traded on the internet like baseball cards, and the demand is increasing. I beg of you, I plead with you, please write to your Senators NOW to ask them to sign the Child Protection Bill that is being proposed next week.

This has nothing to do with your political ideas. This has to do with protecting babies and children who are raped and molested daily. Currently our law enforcement only has the ability to go after 2% of these predators. TWO PERCENT. You can click on the link here, which has a sample letter, and simply click on the senate link here to copy and paste the letter to them.

The PROTECT Our Children Act will:

-Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
-Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
-Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.

While googling what news stories I could on this show, I found this unfortunate article from Fox News about how this Bill is in trouble as the Democrats and Republicans are fighting over who would take credit for this act, and also refusing to sign unless they attach other bills onto it, such as legistlation for the interstate commerce of non-human primates. Are you fucking kidding me? You won't pass a bill to go after men who are raping, videotaping and trading images of toddlers because of fucking chimpanzees? This is just too much to handle.

Please do something and write to your senator now. It literally takes 2 minutes. It's the very least we can do.

White Privilege

2008-09-16T21:27:00.002-04:00

While I don't agree with all of this, it is interesting nonetheless...

This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise
9/13/08

For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto is "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college and the fact that she lives close to Russia--you're somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because suddenly your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment to her children is unquestionable, and whose "next door neighbor" qualities make her ready to be VP, while if you're a black candidate for president and you let your children be interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're irresponsibly exploiting them.

White privilege is being able to give a 36 minute speech in which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent, while laying out no substantive policy positions on any issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate candidate, while a black person who gives an hour speech the week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague about what he would do if elected.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're just a good church-going Christian, but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep school, then to Yale and then Harvard Business school, and yet, still be seen as just an average guy (George W. Bush) while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then Occidental College, then Columbia, and then to Harvard Law, makes you "uppity," and a snob who probably looks down on regular folks.

White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average from Yale (W.) and that's OK, and you're cut out to be president, but if you're black and you graduate near the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be trusted to make good decisions in office.

White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash so you can take up with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you go on to call the c-word in public) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values, while if you're black and married for nearly twenty years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called "terrorist fist bumps."

White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president, while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you "dangerously naive and immature."

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the "lesser adversities" faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

Keith Olbermann special comment on September 11th

2008-09-12T20:55:00.001-04:00

Block Island

2008-09-11T22:13:00.003-04:00

RNC

2008-09-04T12:22:00.001-04:00

As I cringed my way through the RNC last night, with all their below the belt low class blows and stupid jokes, I wondered how much of what they were saying was factual. Luckily I found this top story in Yahoo today. Damn shame when they are already telling lies, and they aren't even in the office yet.

It's sad how so many people were already taken with Palin, before they even heard her speak! How can you blindly jump on a bandwagon without knowing the facts first? Without knowing the candidate? This is what is so fucked up about this country. So many don't bother to really know the candidates, they just go with their party of choice. Or if they are male, or female, or black, or white, how many children they have, or whether or not they go to church-or, better yet, someone they want to have a beer with. Please people, learn from the mistakes of the last 8 years and really think about who you are voting for this time around. You screwed us for the last 8 years, let's not run the country completely into the ground.

And don't even get me started on Giuliani. Sorry buddy, but Obama made it a lot further than you in this race.

Look into my eyes

2008-08-14T19:22:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to me...

2008-07-30T21:42:00.000-04:00

Concentration

2008-07-24T18:24:00.002-04:00

Who Fit? Mii Fit!

2008-07-17T10:52:00.011-04:00

So I guess I haven't updated much on how I like my Wii Fit. Well so far so good. I started running a few times a week so on my off running nights I try to Wii Fit, which is not always successful. But when I do train with it I must admit I'm a little sore the next day, which means it's working! Still, I find it hard to really work up a good sweat with the aerobics. But the boxing and running in place definitely are the better of the aerobic activities. I'm really enjoying the strength exercises too. Lunges, squats, leg lifts and my favorite the jackknife seem to be doing what they are supposed to be. Nintendo tries to throw a little humor into it too. Sometimes my trainer tells me he's tired from being up too late the night before. Sometimes he doesn't show up at all and I get the elven looking female instead. And last night I noticed his hair is growing and he is now sporting a goofy little ponytail. Maybe he and the female will hook up and one day she'll appear with a little pregnant belly :-P

So I'm happy to say I've lost 14 lbs with the combination of Weight Watchers, running and Wii Fit! I believe the loss can be attributed to all three of these things, in that order. And while I can't say if the Wii Fit has really made me lose any weight, it definitely helps keep me motivated. The WW points system is definitely easy to follow and dare I say kind of fun too. It's still hard to find the time to run as much as I used to but doing it three times a week is better than none. And it's so nice to be back in Central Park in it's fully Summer glory.

Summer Fun

2008-07-16T07:39:00.009-04:00

Spent a wonderful Summer weekend on LI. On Saturday Shaina invited me to a wine tasting excursion she won from a raffle. A limo, which ended up being a passenger van, picked us and 6 of her friends up for a tasting on the North Fork of the island. We were able to visit 3 wineries, one much nicer than the other two. Rafael was definitely the nicest as the other ones resembled more of a bar. But we had a great time getting tipsy and tasting the wines of the East Coast.

On Sunday we went to a family bbq and Sophie had a blast in the pool. She definitely is a water baby and I think we'll try and get her some swimming lessons as soon as possible. She kept trying to dive out of her boat into the water! She also likes to drink pool water. Mmmmm, chlorine.

Long Weekend

2008-07-07T21:32:00.007-04:00

We finally had a nice long weekend to just enjoy each other's company and relax. Unfortunately we had crappy weather, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the outdoors. Here's a few pictures from the Central Park Zoo on Sunday and Sophie enjoying a bike ride with Papa last week in her new bike seat that David got (from me) for Father's Day. She loves it!

I can't say she loved the zoo. At first she was confused and scared. What are these giant cats swimming in the water? Who are all these people and kids? Why is it so hot in this rainforest? WATCH OUT FOR THAT BIRD! But once we got to the Children's Zoo she really enjoyed herself more. Lots of sheep to pet and places to climb.

For Mrs. Kempster

2008-06-24T22:18:00.002-04:00

Withdrawl

2008-06-23T10:33:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I love the following things, in this order:

1. My husband/My child
2. The Cure

I guess friends and family fit somewhere in between the two, but it is incredibly meaningful to me to listen to, and more importantly to see The Cure live. This weekend I did just that. Twice.

I am now in serious Cure withdrawl. Friday we saw them at MSG where I landed me some sweet 12th row floor tickets. Not the 2nd row as I had so many years ago at Jones Beach, but nearly as good. Nearly. Saturday was at Radio City. What a gorgeous venue. Of course both shows were fantastic, MSG much more so as I found it more high energy and danceable. But I could watch Robert sing the National Anthem and I'd be mesmerized.

There's something about seeing them live that just gives me such joy and fills my heart with love. It's probably partly reminiscing about days of long ago, but more than that I just feel every song is filled with such raw emotion and musical genius that I will never tire of them. Everything he does is just so haunting. Although I didn't get some of the songs I longed for, it was still an incredibly fulfilling experience.

So I leave you with the lyrics to Homesick. By the way, Henry took some great videos at MSG. Enjoy.

hey hey! just one more and i'll walk away all
the everything you win turns to nothing today
and i forget when to move when my mouth is this
dry and my eyes are bursting hearts in a blood-
stained sky oh it was sweet it was wild and oh
how we...i trembled stuck in honey honey
cling to me so just one more just one more go
inspire in me the desire in me to never go home

oh just one more and i'll walk away all the
everything you win turns to nothing today so
just one more just one more go inspire in me
the desire in me to never go home

Firefly

2008-06-15T22:25:00.004-04:00

Last night as we headed out to Target for a late night shopping run, I spotted my first firefly of the season. I always find it so very exciting when I see that first green flash of light.

Ah, Summer at last.

Bye Bye Tim

2008-06-13T20:13:00.007-04:00

Like many people I was both shocked and saddened to hear today's news of the death of Tim Russert. He is one of the few political journalist's out there who I truly admired and respected, and who was able to keep any biasness out of his commentary and interviews, a rarity these days. For some reason it really struck me hard. Being so into the political race this year we've been watching Tim almost every night on MSNBC. It's almost like he was part of our family. Every Sunday we would tape Meet The Press and then watch when we put Sophie down for her nap while enjoying our morning coffee. We actually looked forward to it. It's just such a shame that he's gone and it is really a great loss for the news & political world.

And he didn't even get to witness our first Black U.S. President.

YES WE CAN

2008-06-03T21:42:00.005-04:00

YES WE WILL.

FINALLY.

Now if Hillary can just admit defeat, gather up what little pride she has left and leave the podium, we can move on.

Memorial Day at Riverside Park

2008-05-29T18:32:00.001-04:00

Mii Fit? I think not.

2008-05-22T07:33:00.006-04:00

I got my Wii Fit yesterday. Of course right off my plans to do this when I get home from work were crushed when Sophie took over and claimed it as her own. If I just stepped on it she cried in anger!

Once she went to bed, we had a go at it. Immediately we were impressed. I just love how sensitive and accurate the Wii board is. The weight was right on (unfortunately) and my lack of balance was immediately apparent. My Wii Fit age? 47. Yes, 47. I lean too much to the left. Dave leans too much to the right. But, we will fix it. Oh yes wii will.

We only played with it for a half hour or so but already I could feel my upper back aching a little. Proof it was doing something. We sampled some yoga, balance exercises, and aerobics. The running in place is hilarious. You have to follow a mii friend down a trail. As you run all your mii friends cheer you on! Hey Celvyn, you look great! I've given myself 2 months to reach my goal. Let's see if I get there.

Mother's Day

2008-05-16T08:52:00.003-04:00

Had a wonderful Mother's Day. While it was not my first Mother's Day, it definitely felt like my first. Last year Sophie was a month old and I was a frantic, distraught, over tired mess. This year I'm a pro! Or at least I feel like one.

Spent the weekend out on LI enjoying the company of David's family and my Mom who flew up for the weekend. Had a nice brunch, beautiful cards and some really nice gifts! Shaina gave me a personlized photo album of Sophie's first year that she created herself using Snapfish. Really, really nice. David gave me a Bliss gift card, a gift I was secretly hoping for ;-) And my Mom gave me a beautiful beaded necklace. I also got some earrings and a blouse. It's like a second birthday! I love this Mother's Day thing!

Went to the park with the family for a little while and it was so nice watching the family watch Sophie explore. She of course had a great time climbing the stairs and going down the slide. And while she really wanted to go into the tunnel, she just couldn't muster up enough courage to do so. Maybe next time.

Teeth

2008-05-07T20:47:00.003-04:00

My nanny Beverly called me at work this morning. Lately Sophie has been getting up pretty late in the morning, and skipping her afternoon nap. I must admit I like it when she wakes late when I want to sleep in, but when I am leaving for work by 8:30, I do wish I could see her before I go. Anyhoo, Beverly called me and said "Did you know Sophie has teeth?". What????? I was working from home yesterday, and even though she spent most of the day at the park with David and Uncle Andy, I think I would have noticed some teeth! I couldn't wait to come home and see. We've been waiting so long for teeth to come up, that it's turned into a huge event here. And sure enough, I came home and felt around for 2 little teeth that have poked through the bottom of her mouth just in the last day or two. Best part is there was no teething pain!

Now she is trying to bite me. Ouch!

Bdays

2008-04-29T12:19:00.011-04:00

So I guess I'm overdue for posting. Especially since two important birthday's just passed by and all I put up was some photos. But I guess I've been so busy lately that I haven't had the time. Such is life with a one year old.

Sophie's birthday was definitely not what I expected. We invited some friends of the family to come over to celebrate with us. Saturday was spent shopping and preparing food for the big day on Sunday. David had a whole menu written out with homemade finger sandwiches, lots of little desserts and tea. But come Sunday morning, both Shaina and Sophie became ill with flu like symptoms. I was so dissapointed that my baby was going to miss her very first birthday. Luckily she slept most of the day and woke up just in time for us to blow out candles with her and enjoy a bite or two of her cupcake. Poor thing was so miserable, just moaning. But the first birthday really isn't for the child, it's for the family. And we celebrated in her honor the rest of the day. Then of course the rest of the family came down with this mini flu as I call it over the course of the next few days. Myself being hit last at the end of the week.

David's birthday was this past weekend. For his gift I got him the Nikon D40 Digital SLR camera. It's awesome. Right out of the box we took some really beautiful photos of Sophie. Finally a camera we love. With the digital we had we could never get really great indoor shots of her. Always too much flash or too dark with too much blurry movement. Oh how I wish we got this camera a year ago. But at least now we'll start getting some really nice shots of her.

I still can't believe she's 1. The year had many ups and downs, and it took me awhile to really get the hang of motherhood. I definitely think the first 6 months was the most difficult, with the constant feedings and nighttime wakings, but once I got the swing of things (and once she slept throught the night) I was really able to enjoy it all so much more. Now it's just always such a joy to be with her. She always brings a smile to our face and lights up the room with her dimples and laughter. Such a sweet, sweet baby.

Here are some pics we took around the apartment with the new camera. We can't wait to take it for a spin outside. The first one is of Sophie showing off her new Fisher Price Grow With Me Kitchen (thanks for the idea Irene)!

Happy Birthday David

2008-04-26T15:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my amazing Husband. It just keeps on getting better and better!

1

2008-04-16T18:50:00.004-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday to My Sweet Baby Sophie

2008-04-13T22:49:00.001-04:00

Sunday in the Park

2008-04-04T19:31:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday we had brunch with Auntie Shaina and then spent some time at the playground in Central Park. Sophie had a ball watching other kids and discovered sand, the slide and strollers. I don't think she yet realizes that she can't just go and take other peoples toys and snacks!

It was also Sophie's first day walking on her own on the sidewalk. She loved the freedom of exploring. But it was scary constantly steering her away from traffic and the perilous streets of New York.

Earth Hour

2008-03-29T11:41:00.002-04:00

Tonight is Earth Hour! Turn off your lights and have some quiet time by candlelight for one hour tonight from 8pm-9pm. Surely you can spare one hour of your life to save some energy and create worldwide awareness of our global climate concerns. Play a board game, take a bath, read, or take part in some "extra-curricular" activities ;-) Just do it!

Easter Sunday

2008-03-24T21:57:00.007-04:00

Spent a wonderful weekend in LI with the family. David's Aunt & Uncle visited from Trinidad and we also got to see my cousin and family for Easter breakfast followed by Sophie's first Easter egg hunt! She loved playing with the kids and getting lots and lots of attention of course. And after some guidance she figured out that she needed to put the eggs into the basket.
Here she is with her 2nd Cousin Sophie.

And taking a break after the exhausting hunt.

Happy Spring!

2008-03-20T07:42:00.001-04:00

11

2008-03-18T08:28:00.008-04:00

Sophie turned 11 months last week. Already she's seeming more like a toddler and less like a baby. She walks/almost runs everywhere. Seems to turn 'deaf' when we're calling her name or saying no to something she knows not to do, and points to the Cheerios box when she's hungry. Still no real words, although she did say cat about a month ago, which she hasn't repeated much lately. Just a lot of "bah" "dah" "gah"'s.

We finally rented the first season of Heroes on Netflix and it's awesome. We're only 4 shows into the season but I can't wait to see what happens next. Great characters and story. And there's a "Simone" in the show!

I've been doing Weight Watchers to jump start my losing the extra 15 I'm carrying around. I'm not really a member, but Shaina is helping me with the points system and what to do and so far it's going ok. I definitely lost a few pounds as my pants are looser, but we don't own a scale so I won't know until I weigh myself this weekend in LI.

This Democratic race is dragging on forever and seems it's going to go to the bitter end in August. Definitely not what I hoped for, nor anyone else. It's getting dirtier and dirtier, but of course less so at the hands of Obama than the others. But that's to be expected.

Here's a video I just took a few minutes ago of Sophie playing with her Fisher Price Laugh n' Learn Puppy,.Of course I know all these songs by heart now.

LI weekend

2008-03-03T17:54:00.006-05:00

Spent the weekend in Long Island with the family. But our poor Sophie was sick and miserable so it wasn't all fun and games. All last week she had fever, slept terribly waking and moaning every few hours, but not much else. A little throwing up, but she was still eating fine. This weekend she had no fever but LOTS of crying for reasons we couldn't figure out. We finally called the Dr's office Saturday night as we couldn't bare to hear her cry in pain anymore. The nurse said it may be the tail end of a virus and she could be having stomach cramps or the formula could be bothering her. We decided to giver her Tylenol and gas drops and they really seemed to help. Today she seems back to her normal smiling self. It's so horrible to see your little ones in pain. And it really sucks when they can't speak and communicate what ails them. It also sucked because I had to work in the office all 5 days last week so I wasn't able to be home with her to comfort her.

I did get to do some shopping and finally got some new clothes for work. I've been wearing the same old 4 shirts since being back from maternity leave and was in desperate need of something new. I still have the last 15 pounds to lose though, and still plan to take care of it, so I didn't want to spend too much. Man I love Marshall's. I also got a nice haircut from David's Mom. I've wanted some bangs for awhile but whenever I went to get my haircut at a salon it always seemed to look the same afterwards. FINALLY someone understood what I wanted, and best of all it was free! She did a great job and I really love it : )

Snow!

2008-02-22T08:24:00.008-05:00

It's snowing outside. And it's absolutely beautiful. But I must admit I'm happy to be working from home today so I can enjoy it from the comfort of my couch.

I can't believe February is almost over. Soon we will (hopefully) be heading into Springtime (and allergy season) and finally we'll be able to go out and about more often.

We both had President's Day off and what a day it was. Mid 60's! Who'd have thunk it? We took Sophie to the nearby playground in Central Park for her first time actually walking around somewhere other than our apartment. She LOVED it. She just seemed so amazed that she could walk around on her own anywhere she pleased. Of course the real danger was keeping other neighborhood kids from running her over but for the most part they were fine. She still enjoys picking up anything off the ground and trying to put it in her mouth, but such is the actions of a 10 month old.

We're still watching the Democratic race nightly and can't believe it's still such a tight race. I thought they both did well in the debate last night, with Hillary attack on plagarism falling flat but her ending the debate on a high note with her emotional recollection of injured veterans. Still, Obama is our man!

Sophie is pretty much only eating finger foods now. She is quite the independent one. Still there, are some foods we need to give her on the spoon, like yogurt. We have to be quite creative with distracting her to get it in, but you gotta do whatever works. Still, I think she needs more variety in her diet, but with no teeth (still!) it's hard to find mushy foods that work for her. Lately it's been steamed sweet potato pieces, avocado, some black beans, banana, tiny peas and carrots, and LOTS of Cheerios and shredded cheese. Boy do kids love cheese.

Ten Months

2008-02-13T19:44:00.001-05:00

Happy 10 months to Baby Sophie!

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!

2008-02-07T10:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

SUPER FAT TUESDAY

2008-02-05T08:06:00.001-05:00

GET OUT AND VOTE EVERYONE! AFTERWARDS GO GET SLOSHED FOR FAT TUESDAY AND WATCH THE RESULTS UNFOLD TONIGHT.

(but if you're voting for Hillary maybe you should stay home and relax, she'll probaby win anyway ;-)

If you don't know where your polling place is, click here to find out.

And keep this message in mind:

"Over the past three and a half years, and throughout the course of this campaign, Barack's message has not changed. He continues to call on us to reach for our higher selves, to cast aside our differences, and work together towards the solutions we desperately need in this country. He continues to call for a United States of America, he continues to remind us that we are one people, with one voice that can change the world..."

YES WE CAN

img source

YES WE CAN

2008-02-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

Watching this year's primary race is so exhilarating. We've been watching every Primary and Caucus like it's the November election. And this Super Tuesday coming up we'll be glued to the TV for updates. Unfortunately the only channel that broadcasts live results is CNN's "Best Political Team On Television". Not a claim I agree with, but I'll take what I can get. They think they're so fancy with all their new giant touch screen TV's and freshly pressed ties. But at least the information they are providing us with is live and accurate. But please, get rid of that Wolf Blitzer fool.

We were so happy once John Edwards bowed out. Now the race is down to two-a female and an African American. History in the making. But I have to continually remind people that it shouldn't be about race or gender. Constantly people say "I want a woman in the White House", or an African American. Please people, just choose who you think is the best candidate for the job. So much is at stake here! And deciding to choose Hillary because "I want Bill back in the White House" is such a BS reason. SHE will be president, not him. You think that she is doing all this so she can get HIM back in there to run things? Hell no. This woman is on a mission. And she is showing that she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.

We are still backing Obama full force. We've donated to his campaign, a first for us. We just believe in him so wholeheartedly. So much charisma, such a natural born leader, such great ideas. Everytime I watch him speak I am moved. And finally someone who's not trying to shove THEIR values and THEIR god down our throats. Finally some separation of church and state. We may be one nation under god, but we don't all share the same god.

YES WE CAN!

I Like Seamonsters

2008-01-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the t-shirt Auntie Rachel!

Peeping Sophie

2008-01-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

I'm stuck home plagued with Bronchitis all weekend, so I have lots of free time to upload videos!

This is from last weekend when Auntie Shaina was visiting. When one of us goes in the bathroom, Sophie usually knocks on the door until we come out. Now she decided to REALLY see what goes on in that little room...

Dancing fool

2008-01-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

This video is a little long but I just love how she changes the "station". She is too funny. Already a multitasker with her toy in one hand, reading a book, and listening to music!

Thanks to Auntie Shaina for the music toy and video, and Rachel for the awesome books she sent!

Nine months

2008-01-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

Sophie is a big 9 months today. In anticipation of her 9 month birthday, she decided to start walking the other day! It's not full blown walking, but she'll take 6 or 7 steps before losing her balance. It's so weird to see her walking. She really looks like a little toddler now. Also this week she has learned to wave, dance to music (swaying back and forth, she is a Rotstein after all) and bang her leg on the floor to music. It's been quite a week of milestones!

Here's a video Shaina took yesterday of her taking some steps. She seems so proud when she does it. So cute!

Splish Splash

2008-01-08T18:59:00.000-05:00

Sophie had her first real bath today. We got her a blow up tub that fills with water and she absolutely loved it. She's taken a bath or two at Granma's house, but never at ours, or never really enjoyed it at ours until now. She finally has a tub that she feels comfortable in if she slips, which she tends to, and it's a perfect size. Up until now we've just been showering with her, which isn't nearly as much fun as you can't really splash in a shower. And just look at the hairstyles I can do with some shampoo!

Home sick

2008-01-06T09:11:00.000-05:00

Sophie and I are both home with colds. Mine is not so bad, but she's not as lucky. I've been chasing her around with the nose aspirator trying to relieve her of all the goo. I finally have one of those snot nosed kids I always avoided. Not so gross when it's your kid!

She discovered the window the other day and loves to look outside and squeal at people and cars passing by. It's amazing that as crappy as she feels, she's still in great spirits as always.

Off to a great start

2008-01-04T08:35:00.000-05:00

I am so pleased with the results of Iowa's Caucus last night! I've loved Barack Obama since the first time I saw him speak at the Democratic National Convention back 3 1/2 years ago. He just blew me away with his honesty and no nonsense approach of unity and hope and I knew the man was someone I need to pay attention to. Let's hope New Hampshire goes just as well. Although in the grand scheme of things this is just a small blip, it does put him on the map, it does make people take more notice and hopefully then consider voting him as our next leader.

Poor Hillary. She thought she had it all wrapped up. But know what they say about assuming.

In other news, Sophie will soon be nine months. She is still crawling everywhere, standing up and cruising, and lets go for several seconds. She still has NO teeth, but is definitely in pain so maybe one will pop through soon. But David didn't get teeth until 12 months, so maybe this is the one thing she inherited from him :-)

For Christmas we went to Miami. And by we I mean me and Sophie. David is having some anxiety issues and chose not to fly right now. But we had a nice time just the two of us and she was so good on the plane! I was able to get her her own seat (carseat) using my airmiles, so that was a big plus. It was nice seeing everyone and letting Sophie have the run of the house. And of course she got TONS of new toys.

It's absolutely freezing here now, in the teens and twenties, and it's tough staying in so much with Sophie. But she seems very comfortable and content in our little apartment so that's a relief.

Happy 2008 everyone. We made it!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T12:22:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from Miami

2007-12-26T18:23:00.000-05:00

Look ma, no hands

2007-12-21T08:48:00.000-05:00

Happy 8 Months Sophie

2007-12-13T19:56:00.000-05:00

BOING

2007-12-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

Never did I think our 7 1/2 month old daughter would already be sporting pigtails!

The video below was also taken last night after Sophie received her 4th Hanukkah gift, a soft ball that makes a BOING sound when hit hard. She loved watching Papa hit himself on the head with it. Ah violence and pain, so funny.

C is for Cookie

2007-12-07T18:17:00.000-05:00

Sophie celebrates her first Hannukah this week. She loved watching the candles being lit, mainly because she wanted to grab them. We can't find our Menorah though, so we've just been lighting the candles on a plate. She's been getting one toy a night. First night a baby piano, then some Roll-a-Round Balls, and last night her very first Cookie Monster stuffed animal.

David and I have been exchanging gifts every night too, which we normally don't do. It's nice to celebrate together as a family. Sophie will be 8 months next week. Where on earth does the time go? And Christmas is also around the corner, as is our trip to Miami. Gotta get shopping.

Sophie is now standing up and letting go, balancing for about 30 seconds or so before grabbing on or falling. We think walking is just around the corner.

First snow

2007-12-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Three Pumpkins

Our Pumpkin

Sweet Pea

2007-11-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

Turkey & Target

2007-11-26T10:32:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday night at the Macy's Balloon Inflation baby Sophie made her first of many appearances on TV, the nightly local news to be exact. Our little star had two viewings, once on NBC Channel 4 News (where I hoisted her high into the air in order to get her on) and then again on FOX 5 News (standing next to 2 young interviewees). The latter was only her lower half of the torso though. Still, she's slowly making her way onto the big screen!

Thanksgiving was very nice. We didn't have to cook (even better) and everyone got quality time with Sophie, and I got some much needed rest. We shopped our asses off on Friday at Target, Costco, Buy Buy Baby and of course had some White Castle in between to regain our strength. Mmmmm, suburbs. We also had some quality time with my cousins/aunt & uncle and Sophie was thoroughly entertained by her 4 year old 2nd cousin Sophia.

The thought of thinking up gifts and then shopping for them is weighing on my mind. Everyone might just get a whole lotta Starbucks giftcards if we don't find the time to do much more. Mmmmm, peppermint mocha.

And this weekend I learned the following:

Pomegranates have about 600 seeds. And they are awesome, especially now that I know how to harvest them.

I have finally beat Freya on hard in GH2. No thanks to Celvyn though, I did it on my own. It said I rock.

You don't have to really resemble the photo of the person who's Costco card you are holding.

If I lived in the 'burbs I would spend every waking hour shopping, and would weigh about 300 lbs.

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Balloon Inflation

2007-11-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

General Slocum

2007-11-20T11:22:00.000-05:00

There's a saying "you learn something new everyday" and it got me thinking, and I believe it to be true. I'd like to write down what my new thing is each day. Of course this is easier said than done, but I will give it a try. Or maybe I'll add a sidebar to notate it. Who knows.

Today I learned of The General Slocum Disaster while reading a news story on South Brother Island, which was just repurchased by the city for $2 million dollars. What a terrible tragedy, the worst martime disaster in New York's history. 1,021 people, mainly women and children, were killed by a horrible fire on this ship some 103 years ago. A fire that could have been stopped and many lives saved if it weren't for the slow reaction of the crew and faulty saftey equipment.

Anyone who now travels by boat should give thanks to those who lost their lives, as their deaths subsequently created safety measures that have saved countless others as a result.

I will try and remember them next time I am aboard.

LI Weekend

2007-11-18T18:29:00.000-05:00

Friday we went out to LI for Sophie's Baby Naming ceremony at our Temple. Basically it's a regular Friday night service, but at the end the Rabbi announces to everyone Sophie's Hebrew name that we have chosen for her. Since she was born in the Springtime and it's a time of rebirth and renewal, we decided to name her Aviva! It just seemed appropriate and pretty at the same time. The service didn't start until 8pm which is usually her bedtime, so I was worried that she would be tired and cranky. But luckily she napped on the way to the Temple so she was ready to go once we arrived. She stayed up until 11pm partying with everyone! No matter who held her she smiled and played and had a good ol' time. My Mom was even able to fly up for the ceremony which was very nice. After services Indian food was served and everyone loved it!

Sophie also had her first play date this weekend. My Sister's friend brought over a friend's baby Emma who is 10 months. They both played together so nicely! At first they both just looked at each other in amazement that someone else was as small as they are. But they soon played with toys together (or take toys from one another). It was so cute!

Been playing Guitar Hero 3 when I can, which isn't often as we don't allow Sophie to watch TV, so I have to wait until she naps or goes to bed to play. This is probably a good thing as my wrists are so freakin sore from playing too much. So far we love the Co-op mode where Dave and I play songs together. We also like the duel mode where one can play lead, the other bass. Pretty cool.

Sophie turned 7 months last week. Where does the time go? We are starting with a new nanny this week as we have decided to go with someone more affordable for us. Good thing too, as my boss told me last week that I will most likely have no more work from home days starting next year. Of course I was NOT happy to hear this news and I'm sure it's going to be difficult working full time away from Sophie. But I am glad for the time I had home with her and can't really complain as many people have to go back a lot sooner than I did. Still, I'm gonna miss my pumpkin : (

Pattycake

2007-11-10T08:33:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of David playing pattycake with Sophie. Only he sings some creepy version that goes like this:
"My mother punched your mother right in the eye. What color was her blood? RED!"

Wrapped Around Your Finger

2007-11-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

Happy November

2007-11-03T19:46:00.000-04:00

Happy November! I can't believe this year is already on it's way to a close. Where does the time go? Now that I'm working again it really flies by so quickly.

We saw two concerts in October. First was Bruce Springsteen at MSG. Our first time seeing him. I'd always heard he puts on quite a show so I figured it was time to see for ourselves. Wow does that man own the stage. Actually he owned the whole Garden for the 2 1/2 hours he and his E Street band played. So much passion and emotion! Out of all the music they played I only recognized 3 or 4 songs but it didn't matter. He was a joy to watch. The fans were very psyched to say the least. Throughout the perfomance (and before and after) they screamed "Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce" which kinda sounded like "boooooooooooo". Pretty funny.

Halloween night we saw The Police, also at MSG. They were not so good. Not sure if it's because they're too old, too tired, or just don't enjoy playing together but they just had no energy. They were all in costume which was kinda nice, but I wish they changed halfway through as it was just kind of odd watching Sting sing in a black and yellow jester outfit, or Andy Summers jam dressed as Charlie Chaplin. The highlight of the night for us was watching the master Stewart Copeland play drums. The man is a genius. I've never seen someone play with such skill and confidence. He really owned the stage, or, the back of it at least. We sat behind the stage which I really didn't mind this time as the show was pretty dull, but seeing the behind the scenes action and Stewart made it all worthwhile.

Because of the concert we didn't dress up Sophie for Halloween. I know, I know-but it just didn't make any sense to buy a costume and dress her up when she doesn't eat candy or participate in trick-or-treating. Next year for sure, even if we don't do anything.

Sophie is crawling EVERYWHERE and spends most of her time standing up and holding on to furniture while she tries to cruise around. Very cute. I feel like this kid is going to be walking a lot earlier than most. She is so determined to keep moving. And at only 6 1/2 months!

She loves all her baby food (except bananas) and sleeps 10 hours through the night. But getting up at 6am is no fun. Especially now that the time is changing tonight.

First swing

2007-10-25T07:31:00.000-04:00

Che

2007-10-21T20:04:00.000-04:00

Sophie's first real Fall day

2007-10-15T07:45:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful Fall weekend. We didn't do much and really enjoyed it! Saturday we cleaned around the house and then took a bus down to Soho where we met Eugene for some Cuban food.

On Sunday we walked over to DWR to look at potential new beds, then lunch at a great new Hummus place called Nanoosh. I ordered the chicken and hummus lavash wrap. Delicious. But ow! There was a little something that didn't belong in there. It looked like a little white piece of plastic or bone. I told the waitress and they gave me the wrap for free. Nice!

We attemtped to give Sophie cereal but she didn't seem to like it one bit. Made a face each time we'd put it on her lips or in her mouth. We allowed her to stick her hands in it and of course it got all over her and her hair!

Thank you for my hat & sweater Auntie Rachel : ) -Love, Sophie

I'm Six Months Old!

2007-10-13T09:37:00.000-04:00

Today Sophie turns six months old. Wow how time flies. Already she sits up on her own, crawls and pulls herself up to stand!

To celebrate we began 'Ferberizing' her last night. I had always heard that Dr. Ferber's methods were cruel and uneccessary. Not true! This man is the head of pediatric sleep disorders at Boston Hospital and really knows his stuff. We realized that Sophie became so used to and dependent on us rocking and singing her to sleep that when she awoke during the night, she was unable to fall back asleep on her own without our assistance. So after 40 minutes of crying, with us periodically going in to soothe her for 1 minute at a time, she fell asleep! She awoke twice in the night, cried for a little bit, then fell back asleep on her own both times. Brilliant!

Today we will start her on rice cereal which is another exciting event. We have the highchair and spoons all ready.

In non-Sophie related news, I of course downloaded (and paid for) the new Radiohead album InRainbows and I have to say it's pretty good. Not amazing, but very pretty. Still, I think I expected a little more. There just doesn't seem to be an album that can compare to the genius of OK Computer, The Bends or Kid A. But I will undoubtedly give it many more listens and hopefully fall in love with it. Today is also our first full weekend with no plans, and it's so nice to have nothing to do. And with such wonderful fall weather. Finally.

Sleep baby, sleep

2007-10-11T15:50:00.001-04:00

Why oh why won't Sophie sleep lately? From 8 weeks on she was a sleep champ. Sleeping 10 hrs through the night, I thought we had a wonderbaby! But the last month or so she's been waking up once a night. That's fine, I can handle that, because she'll normally cry out, I give her a bottle and rock her, and she goes right back to sleep. Not the case this week. Last night she woke at 9PM, 4AM and 6AM. Each time we had to rock her anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to get her back to sleep! What is going on? And the minute she does wake she immediately gets into her favorite sitting position at the opposite end of the crib, or crawls around. We're thinking of trying to give her rice cereal this weekend and hopefully that will fill her up, but I'm not convinced that she is waking because she is hungry. It seems she just doesn't know how to get herself back to sleep lately. And I have a feeling we're doing things wrong.

It may be time to CIO (cry it out). Something we've been dreading but feel may be necessary for her (and us) to get a good night sleep again. I ordered the Dr. Ferber book from Amazon and can't WAIT to get started!

A is for Apple.

2007-10-08T18:00:00.000-04:00

We went apple picking yesterday in upstate NY with a bunch of friends. As always the traffic there and back was a royal pain in the arse but had fun once we got there and were able to relax a bit. Still, with the mid 80's weather and no skyscrapers to shield us from the bright sun it didn't feel very fall like. But Sophia suggested we do a picnic and that was really a lot of fun. Especially when you can just walk over and pick an apple to cut up and eat your lunch with.

The best part was when a few vanloads of Trini's pulled up and set up a full feast with curry, soca music blasting and even brought out their minivan seats to lounge on. You Trini's sure know how to party!

Sophie's New Toy

2007-10-05T19:17:00.000-04:00

I decided to try out this new video upload feature in Blogger and I must say so far so good.

So Sophie is now crawling as of last Sunday. I can't believe she is already crossing the kitchen floor! She has also discovered the kitties. This video was taken today as she followed Bear around the apartment, trying to pet, pull and chew on her foot. Luckily Bear is a very gentle and loving cat. Magellan, not so much.

And now Sophie has her very first cold. Sucks. She has become the snot nosed kid that I always try to stay away from. But when it's your kid somehow it's not so gross. My poor little Muffin.

I started back to work this week. Working 3 days in the office, 2 days at home. The nanny seems nice and Sophie likes her. But of course I still worry but luckily I had Sophia here yesterday to keep an eye on things which really eased my mind.

Happy Birthday Scottl You and Ithaca are both gorges.