Made in Richmond

Friday: Woke up feeling relatively rested for the first time in a long while. Fed the baby. Did a little work. Took a shower. Fed the baby again and headed over the in-laws for a quick visit. Ran a few errands. Home so the baby and I both could get a little rest. Much nursing pain and woe, blah blah blah. Hubs came home for about 5 seconds before having to leave again for an overnight men’s retreat for church. Bathed and fed the baby. Put him down for the night. Lounged and relaxed. Bed.

Saturday: Up feeling much better about the whole nursing thing. Fed the baby. Much cuddling and playing. Took a shower. Left the baby for my mom and went to get a haircut. Came home and visited with my mom for a bit. Put the baby down for a nap while I did some work. Greeted the hubs. Took the baby to Wal-Mart for a quick, tiny grocery run. Home to feed the baby again. Matt and Maura came over for pizza, beer, milkshakes, and good chats. Fun times. To bed late.

Sunday: Up to to feed the baby. Ran a quick errand for church. Home to fold bulletins for church while listening to NPR. Playtime outside in the shade with the baby. Shower. Church. Potluck and meeting after church. Home to put the baby down for the night. Haven’t really had a meal today. Should fix that. To bed soon, I hope.

Sometimes I miss teaching so much that my chest hurts a bit.

And then I remember what teaching actually involved, and I shake my head and laugh. A thousand blessings to those of you who have made that your life career.

I realized recently what I really missed was teaching language arts, particularly the rare occasions when the kids could read novels (We were kind of slaves to our reading program that included such THRILLING stories as Mary McLeod Bethune, The Dream Maker – I can’t even find a link that will convey how BORING that story was. Actually it was a play, and getting the kids to *not* read the stage directions aloud was damn-near impossible.)

Reading novels was the good stuff. Sometimes the kids would read them on their own; other times they would read them in groups; the rest of the time, I would just read them aloud. We rarely had tests or quizzes on these books – I typically used them as a tool to foster longer attention spans in my students and inspire a little stick-to-itiveness.

So, in an effort to relive those days a bit, here are my top five youth fiction recommendations (in no particular order). And you don’t need a kid as an excuse to read them – they are fantastic no matter how old you are.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
SIGH. I love this book so much. It’s a great read-aloud or for the kids to read on their own and just get together and chat about it later. My favorite part is that the chapters are organized by month. For some reason that arrangement made it so much easier for the kids to remember the sequence of events. Plus it is technically “historical fiction,” a concept that is so hard to teach to kids. We could always look to this book as a example when that topic came up.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
I taught 5th grade, and for some reason it is SO HARD to find novels that interest boys that age. But this one worked every. single. year. Luckily, a child’s love for all things puppy transcends gender, so the girls were into it, too. This one is also great because you can show the movie after finishing it. Although, don’t be prepared to get anything done after watching it – the kids will be tearing up and sniffling for the rest of the day.

The Witches by Roald Dahl
I loved reading this one aloud, mainly because of this line from the book talking about how witches can be anywhere:

She might even be your lovely school-teacher who is reading these words to you at this very moment. Look carefully at that teacher. Perhaps she is smiling at the absurdity of such a suggestion. Don’t let that put you off. It could be part of cleverness.

I am not, of course, telling you for one second that your teacher actually is a witch. All I am saying is that she might be one. It is most unlikely. But–here comes the big ‘but’–not impossible.

The looks on their faces were always hilarious. Of course their fear would fizzle out once they heard the phrase “big but,” but it’s nice while it lasts.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Hands down, this was my favorite read-aloud option. Plus, there are thirteen of them, so you can make them last throughout much of the year. During my last year of teaching I would read these to the kids for 10-15 minutes after lunch, and found the books to be the perfect way to transition them from the insanity of the cafeteria to the more settled atmosphere of the classroom. The best part? That Mr. Snicket was very smart in ending pretty much every chapter with a cliffhanger, and the kids would either 1) beg you to keep reading (every teacher’s dream) or 2) settled down all-the-more quickly the next day to find out what happens next.

The Giver by Lois Lowery
If you’re not familiar with this one, here’s the summary from Amazon:

In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community’s Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy.

Heavy stuff for a 5th grader. I never read this one aloud (there’s references to certain “feelings” happening when the characters turned 11 or 12, and I was not willing to open that can of worms with a group of kids at varying maturity levels), but I would recommend it to my more mature students (emotionally and socially mature, not physically – those things DO NOT necessarily go together). I like to imagine that all of the kids that I passed the book along to are today now super into questioning authority. And Battlestar.

What are your favorite books from that time in your life – you know on the cusp between the simpler times of elementary school and the social gauntlet that is middle school?

Regarding yesterday’s post: First, thank you for the kind and supportive comments and emails. Second, I have set a new goal of definitely nursing until JR’s 6-month check up on May 15th. After that, we’ll just have to see.

I got a haircut today, which meant I had approximately 45 minutes where I didn’t have to worry about a baby, a husband, or a job. I feel like a totally new person.

I don’t understand why strangers think it’s appropriate to comment to me that my baby is fat. I KNOW he’s fat. I’m the one lugging his chunk around all day. And no, he’s not formula fed and no we didn’t start him on rice cereal immediately. He started out fat and he’s probably going to stay that way for a while. DEAL WITH IT.

Ahem.

I’m wearing a dress today. This is a monumental occasion, trust me.

Why do people think it’s ok to give their children baby bottles FILLED WITH SODA?

This is especially weird that I saw this today because my mother-in-law and I were talking about it yesterday when JR and I stopped by for a visit.

Speaking of our visit, while we there JR demonstrated his new habit of screaming when his grandpa talks to him. I want to pull the kid aside and say, “Dude! He’s the one that’s going to let you get an appetizer AND dessert! Cut it out!”

I really, really, really want to go swimming. I haven’t been in about 3 years. I KNOW!

Jergen’s Natural Glow doesn’t smell very good, fyi.

I have to go to a tailor soon to get a bridesmaid’s dress altered. And by altered I mean taken apart and essentially rebuilt. HALP!

The other day, I sent an email to Patience that basically said this:

Please tell me I should keep nursing my baby. Please, please tell me to just stick with it.

And in all her infinite wisdom, Patience didn’t tell me either way what I should do. Because I know it’s a decision I have to make on my own. I hate those.

Nursing has been quite the issue lately. I’ve spent the majority of the last two weeks with plugged ducts. For those of you who don’t know what they are, they are painful, annoying, and, oh yes, PAINFUL.

For the life of me I can’t figure out why they keep happening. I’ve tried everything that I’m supposed to do to prevent them, but alas, there they are, pretty much all the time, making me gasp with pain when receiving a hug from someone or shifting JR to the offending side. It’s gotten to the point where I automatically connect the pain with nursing in my brain and, consequently, kind of dread it when it comes time to feed my kid. If he hasn’t already, he’s going to be able to sense it soon, and that makes me very sad.

Most of me doesn’t want to stop, thinking, “We’ve made it to almost 6 months! It’ll work itself out, and you’ll be so happy you stuck with it.”

But part of me wants to stop oh so much, supported by the rationale of “We’ve made it to almost 6 months! That’s great and I’ve filled his little body with so many good things in that time.” And, despite what some people think, formula isn’t poison.

Oh there is much fretting going on over here. Over the pain, the uncertainty, and that big, fat price tag that comes with those cans of Similac.

I thought I’d cheer myself up this afternoon by eating some tator tots. Because I’m apparently seven years old and that easily amused.

So I loaded up a pan with some tots, popped them in the toaster oven, and went on my way. JR was in the jumper-roo squealing like a maniac, and I was folding some laundry while wrangling RVANews writers via email (all while in my pajamas! I’m amazing!).

Suddenly I look over, and what to my wandering eyes did appear, but a FIRE in my TOASTER OVEN in my KITCHEN in my HOUSE, the same HOUSE where my CHILD was.

So I started screaming. Specifically screaming “WHAT DO I DO. WHAT DO I DO.” I didn’t include a question mark there on purpose because I was more demanding it of the universe than asking for help.

Once my wits returned, I remembered we had a fire extinguisher under the sink. Luckily my fire prevention skills from 4th grade returned, and I recalled the acronym for how to operate a fire extinguisher (PASS: pull pin, aim nozzle, squeeze lever, sweep from side-to-side).

I pulled the pin out and cautiously opened the door of the toaster oven, sure that the fire would come gushing out as it was exposed to more oxygen. Because toaster ovens are known for being air tight. I squeezed the lever and…NOTHING. AS IN NO THING CAME OUT OF THE EXTINGUISHER. Specifically no things that would put out the FIRE.

After much cursing and scurrying and talking to JR in a sing-song voice as to not alert him to the DANGER, I remembered we had another fire extinguisher stashed in the pantry.

Again with the PASS, and luckily this one worked.

And then I promptly called Ross and started crying. Not so much that our house could have possibly burned down, but more about the tots.

Happy Wednesday to all of you, too.

Maura‘s future mother-in-law (and Matt’s mother, a lady who has more pictures of me during my adolescence than my own parents) sent me this picture from the shower this weekend:

It’s a nice picture, and JR looks cute (AS ALWAYS).

But, good grief, I look EXHAUSTED.

Granted, it had been a very busy week and weekend, and I’m fairly sure I’m being more harsh here than most people would. But still. It just kind of provides a visual confirmation of how I’ve been feeling lately.

I’m spread a little thin, I guess you could say. I basically work three jobs, one of them part time, the others sort of hinting at such but really aren’t. Top that off with being the primary caregiver for a growing and boisterous young man, and all signs point to me feeling strung out most of the time.

So strung out that I *might* have had a semi-breakdown at the dinner table tonight. Possibly. And by possibly I mean, yes I did.

Sigh.

So there’s that. I have no clue what to do about any of these things, but I guess admitting there’s a problem is half the battle, right?

Whatcha doing?
Where ya going?
Whatcha think?
Whose gotcha?
Whatcha see?
Whatcha got there?

I had to put the washcloth on there because this here is a family show.

Friday: Up to feed the baby. Out to have lunch with my mom and run a million errands in the fabulous weather. Home again to rest a little. After putting the baby to bed, met up with some friends at Kitchen 64 for a late dinner. Home and to sleep.

Saturday: Spent the night tossing and turning due to MEGA PAIN because of a nursing issue (it’s gross and boring, trust me). Finally dragged myself out of bed to feed the baby. Tried to get some rest throughout the morning. Showered and went to my lovely friend Day’s baby shower. Chatted, ate pretty food, and swooned over little baby things (but not to the point of wanting another one). Headed home to rest a bit. Invited people over for an impromptu dinner and wine drinking fest, all the while still dealing with the MEGA PAIN. Went to bed around 12:00.

Sunday: The MEGA PAIN had subsided but decided that the best way to avoid a relapse of MEGA PAIN was to bring the wee babe with me on my scheduled trip up to Arlington for Maura’s shower. Asked Ross to pack “the diaper bags of diaper bags” as this was our first outing lasting more than a couple hours. Made it out the door EXACTLY on time. Stopped after about an hour to feed the baby in a McDonald’s parking lot. Arrived at the shower right on time. Had a lovely time at the shower and got to meet some wonderful people (and catch up with old friends). Headed home in Northern Virginia traffic but somehow managed to arrive just in time to feed the baby again. Gave him applesauce for the first time. Verdict: tart. Taking a minute to rest and write this before doing the final sprint of bathtime and bedtime. So, so tired.

Have a great week!

100 things about my Maura…

1. Maura has super dark brown hair and fair skin.
2. This makes my son love to stare at her.
3. She makes my most favorite pizza ever.
4. She also makes baked goods that are insanely good.
5. She started dating our high school friend Matt about a month before Ross and I got married.
6. She moved to Richmond shortly after graduating from William & Mary.
7. And then we became friends.
8. We used to be able to walk to her apartment from our old house.
9. And then she went and moved up to Fredericksburg to get her Masters and become a teacher.
10. She teaches middle school civics.
11. I know. MIDDLE SCHOOL. She’s impressive.
12. She works harder than most teachers I know.
13. She probably works harder than I ever did as a teacher, honestly.
14. One of the things I miss most about her being Richmond is going shopping at H&M with her.
15. That and the pizza.
16. And the good conversation.
17. The first hand-knit scarf I ever got was from her.
18. I still have it, even though that was almost 6 years ago.
19. She loves hanging out with the ladies.
20. Particularly if it involves snacks and whine.
21. Her mom was a nun.
22. Her dad was a priest.
23. I know!
24. She loves her parents to the point where it makes her cry sometimes.
25. She also loves her siblings an insane amount.
26. And she loves Matt like crazy, which makes me happy.
27. One of the happiest days I can remember is when we found out she and Matt were getting married.
28. He proposed on top of a mountain in Ireland.
29. She doesn’t have a diamond ring.
30. She has a band with sapphires in it.
31. And I love it.
32. She and Matt will be getting married in June.
33. After JR was born, I couldn’t wait for him to meet her.
34. I still have text messages she and I exchanged while I was in the hospital and right after I gave birth.
35. If they ever got deleted, I would cry.
36. She loves beer.
37. She used to live on the top floor of a house in Church Hill that had a kitchen constructed out of Ikea cabinets and a bathroom with the prettiest tile I’ve ever seen. I’m still jealous of that apartment.
38. When Britney Spears gave birth to her first baby, Maura called to congratulate me.
39. We used to write a blog called “The Shallow End” where we would talk about celebs.
40. She loves to sing “Careless Whisper” on Karaoke Revolution.
41. When it comes on the radio, I sometimes call her and hold up the phone to the speaker.
42. She looks incredible in green.
43. She campaigned for Obama.
44. Like hardcore, this-is-a-second-job campaigned.
45. She got to go to the inauguration, and I was super jealous.
46. She once spilled water on her iPod.
47. To be fair, there was a bottle of water in her purse that was slightly open. Her iPod was in there also.
48. She tried to dry it out by putting it in our oven at a very low heat.
49. It didn’t work.
50. She is the middle child in her family.
51. She loves “This American Life.”
52. She has a stud in her nose.
53. When she worked at Starbucks while in grad school, she had to put a note by the door reminding her to take it out before going into work.
54. Ross and I are technically the adoptive parents of her cat, Miso. When she got Miso, she didn’t have her ID proving that she was a resident of Richmond. So we stepped in and then bequeathed the cat to her.
55. She loves her last name (Wilson).
56. She lives in the suburbs.
57. If you knew her in person, you might be surprised by that.
58. Her first apartment in Richmond was in a building called “Stonewall” on Boulevard.
59. If I remember correctly, she ended up breaking her lease because the landlords sucked.
60. I think I’ve spent pretty much every New Year’s with her since we met.
61. Most of them involve Karaoke and lots to drink.
62. Lots to drink.
63. I know I already talked about her hair, but it’s awesome.
64. When I think about cutting mine, I try to picture her hair so I won’t do it.
65. She wears sassy clothes that I love.
66. Like turquoise boots.
67. And big ol’ earrings.
68. Basically, her clothes make me jealous of her.
69. She managed to pick out excellent bridesmaids dresses that we actually will be able to wear again.
70. Her description of the writing in the Twilight series is the most spot-on that I’ve heard.
71. She says, “It’s like it’s written by a girl who’s a junior in high school. The writing is good for being a junior in high school, but still.”
72. We often find out the we’ve been reading the same books without realizing it.
73. That’s one of my favorite things about our friendship.
74. Whenever we see or IM each other, we start with “Hey, friend.”
75. She’s one of the few people I don’t mind nursing in front of.
76. I don’t know if she minds, but she hasn’t said anything about it.
77. She makes a real effort to understand and respect our new schedule as parents of an infant.
78. I don’t know if she knows how much I appreciate that.
79. She loves to chat over hot beverages, particularly chai.
80. She’s going to be an excellent mother someday.
81. Should she choose that path.
82. Until then, she is a fabulous for real aunt to her own nephew and faux-aunt to our little guy.
83. We used to get manicures and pedicures together a lot.
84. I’ve never had the desire to really do this with anyone else.
85. She has a Roomba and loves to talk about it.
86. But not in an annoying way – she’s just enthusiastic.
87. She and I like to talk about celebs we have girl-crushes on.
88. The most recent object of our affection? Jamie from the last season of Top Chef.
89. She used to update her blog.
90. But I guess with teaching our future and planning a wedding, she’s a bit busy.
91. That Maura, she’s always doing something.
92. Like going to the gym. Seriously, always with the gym.
93. She loves things like yoga and pilates.
94. And watching crappy TV while on the eliptical machine.
95. She and Matt also happen to love Bridezillas.
96. She is not a Bridezilla, however.
97. She’s a very easy bride to be around, actually.
98. Really, she’s a very easy person to be around.
99. And I miss her.
100. And I love her lots and lots.