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Archive for the ‘Daily Life’ Category

Busybody? Or Bored?

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In the neighborhood where I grew up, there was a lady who was known as The Busybody. I'm not sure if I was told, but I always knew not to reveal much to her, about anything. (And because this is St. Louis, I'm not even going to use her first name here.)

Now that I'm home all day most days, I think she was driven to her hobby by boredom. Recall, too, that this was back in the dark ages, i.e., before cable TV, and there's only so much dusting and laundry a person can do before things get koo-koo upstairs.

I've learned a lot about my neighborhood without expending much effort. Here's a partial list:

– I know which houses have been bought, which are coming on the market, and which are rentals.

– There are two baby boys due to be born in the next six months. One mom is feeling fine, the other gets migraines.

– I know who cares enough (or perhaps was badgered long enough by the neighborhood association) to make repairs.

– There is a dainty, gorgeous orange tabby cat named Kenny who follows his owner when he's walking the dog, whose name is Beckett.

– That house that was raided by the FBI? I know why. It's not that exciting. Kind of a letdown, actually.

– One lady has trained her dog to pee on her deck. She rinses it off afterwards. (The deck, not the dog.)

– When the mail arrives later than 11, the regular mail carrier is on vacation.

– The UPS guy has lovely green-brown eyes and will bring your packages inside if you show up at the door toting a baby.

Just think what I could find out if I really put my mind to it.

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Morning Glory

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This was the view from our deck this morning as I was hanging out with the baby for a few moments before the day got rolling and I realized it’s probably going to be another Teething Special. I’ll be mentally revisiting
this image for sustenance all day.

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Peepers

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Not too long ago, I dug some samples of daily wear contacts out of the back of the bathroom vanity drawer. It had been quite some time since I’d worn them, and I was getting tired of taking my glasses off every time I wanted to snuzzle* the baby.

Well, Shazam! I could see everything so clearly it was startling. I stood on the front porch looking at the trees, gaping at all the leaves. When the baby woke up from his nap, I went to get him, taking a moment at the nursery door to marvel at how crisply I could behold his loveliness. I picked him up, brought him to my face for a kiss, and disaster struck. He was totally out of focus.

At previous eye appointments, I’ve been told I don’t need reading glasses just yet, but now I want to look into bifocal contacts. I’m due for an exam, so I’ll inquire about them and report back. In the meantime, if anyone’s tried them, please let me know.

*Because I have a reputation to uphold: This is not a typo. Snuggle + nuzzle = snuzzle.

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Baby Mamoush (not his real name) has been fond of noodling with his hands from day one. These days, they’re in more or less constant exploration mode: Fingering the burp cloth during feedings; reaching for lightswitches; and turning toys over for inspection.

The other day, I was changing his diaper. He’d been playing with the washcloth I give him on the changing table to keep him from flipping over, but then his hands went wandering South. And then he came across his Special Purpose (thank you, Steve Martin, for perhaps the best euphemism ever).

I said, very seriously, “Careful with that, you’re going to want it later.” He looked at me and kept exploring. “Gentle…” (It seemed like the optimum time to introduce that word.)

He grabbed a big handful of Special Purpose. He pulled it upwards. He was not being gentle, but I decided to rely on his sense of self-preservation to kick in should he get too rough. He yanked again. A huge smile spread across his face. He giggled. Then he did it again. Grab. Pull. Giggle. Again.

I will admit to being amused, but on top of that, I was relieved. Because I really don’t want to have to call the pediatrician to ask how to treat infantile self-injury of the Special Purpose.

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Seven and a half months ago, my baby was legally blind. Now he makes eye contact with me from across the room.

When he was born, he would look around for the source of a sound. Now he giggles when I sing “Pattycake” to him.

He always liked to noodle with his hands (hence the early nickname of Mr. Burns). This morning he held and inspected a spoon for a good five minutes.

And as of today, I’ve been married for five years.

All utterly mind-blowing. In the best possible way.

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Skin Deep

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Like many women, I enjoyed the best complexion of my life during my pregnancy. My clear, glowing skin was used by a coworker to (correctly) predict the sex of my baby. I didn’t give my skin care regime any thought, because it was working just fine.

Two weeks after delivery, I did a double-take after a glance at my reflection. My once plump and dewy cheeks were drawn and dry. For the first time in my life, I thought I looked old. I may have cried (I can’t remember — sleep deprivation). I couldn’t believe nobody had warned me about this. If I ever write a book about having a baby, this experience will be in there.

I knew my skin would change after the baby came. I just had no clue it would happen so fast. But whatever, I picked up a richer face cream and moved on.

Seven months later, I have what I can only describe as a schizoid complexion. It’s so dry it’s flaky. I’m breaking out like I did in high school, only, wait, it’s worse. Those were pimples, and these are almost like boils. And some parts are just itchy. I know this is largely hormonal, but it’s still astonishing and frustrating.

So I’m attacking the situation by treating the symptoms. I used Neutrogena soap for over a decade, but I ditched it for Cetaphil. My lotion and night cream are made for sensitive skin (that’s always been the case). I’m on the hunt for an affordable foundation that covers well without irritating my skin or looking cakey (I’d go natural, but the last time I tried that, someone thought I had cancer). So far, Cover Girl Nature Luxe seems to be the winner there. And I’m going after breakouts with a spot treatment.

It seems to be working, but if anyone has tips or advice on this front, please let me know. I’d really love to benefit from someone else’s experience on this one.

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The Anatomy of a Nickname

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Yesterday my mom heard me call the baby “mamoush,” and asked what it meant. It’s a fair question; my husband is from India, and as you can see from the notes above, the baby does have a slew of non-English nicknames that do mean something.

Not this one, though. Here’s my best recollection of how it came about: I started calling him boo-boo. No idea why, and this was before I was aware of that awful show about the baby girl beauty queen. From there, I progressed to moo-moo. Then baboo, which is still in the rotation, and babushka, which is Russian and Polish for grandma. Which makes no sense for a baby but is fun to say, so I shortened it to baboush. And from there we hopped over to mamoush, which is sticking.

For the moment, anyway.

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Bedtime Buddy Bear

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This is Ned. Yes, I know there are two bears there but shhhhh! Don’t tell the baby! He loves them both equally, and this way I never have to hold my nose when I’m putting him down for a nap. And if one gets lost, there’s no drama or scrambling to replace it, or potential for the baby to reject it because it’s too new.

(Credit where it’s due: Special thanks to my sis-in-law for suggesting this approach.)

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Hello, Old Friends.

About four months after I gave birth to my son, I decided it was time to try on some clothes. In a store. Big mistake. Way too soon. Major tears. And ever since then I've shied away from even my own closet.

But this morning, something possessed me. No clue what it was, unless it was sheer boredom with wearing the same three pairs of pants for the last month. And perhaps a dash of chagrin over all of them being maternity pants.

So I opened a long-neglected drawer and pulled out a long-forgotten pair of jeans. I know. Very bold of me to start there, but like I said: possessed. I pulled them on. I was able to zip them up. I tried another pair. Same deal. I did a little happy dance in front of the mirror. I checked my rear view (acceptable).

It was difficult to believe, but it slowly sank in — I am back in my jeans, even though I'm a good 15 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. There's still a need for tops that provide artful draping, but hey, one step at a time.

And I know, I shouldn't care so much about how I look, because my body just performed a miraculous service and that's the most important thing. But I do care, and besides — those comfy maternity britches aren't in the Goodwill pile just yet.

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Grateful

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Yesterday I took the baby to my old office to meet my former colleagues, and someone asked, “How are you liking being at home?” My answer to this has always been, “I like it better than I thought I would.” Which is true. But here is what I often don’t say, because a) I will probably start crying and b) I may or may not have a tissue in my pocket and c) everyone knows crying is contagious and it’s possible that the ladies are not wearing waterproof mascara.

I am deeply grateful that we are able to have me stay home with our son. I know how lucky we are. I don’t take it for granted. And sometimes, usually during the first feeding of the day, when the world is still and the baby hasn’t yet started squirming off my lap, I take a deep whiff of babyness and weep with gratitude.

And now you’re thinking, “what’s up with that photo up there?” That’s a sand mandala that a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks spent days making here in St. Louis last year. I tried like hell to get there to see them making it, but was only able to see the destruction ceremony. The monk in this photo is about to sweep away days of work; hundreds of hours of crouching and precisely pouring sand. They do this with every mandala they make, because everything changes. Everything goes away.

And that knowledge is what keeps me grateful for every little moment I get with my son.

Except for maybe the poopy diaper moments.

Happy weekend, everyone.

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