Teeth!

Violet is getting her chompers! At 4.5 months of age, her little gums got very swollen and two little white caps emerged.  Apparently teeth coming in is very painful because babies tend to get very fussy.  Violet is no exception to this rule.  Putting her to sleep requires tons of rocking, dancing, singing and acrobatics.

I vaguely remember getting my 'adult' teeth and THAT was not a fun experience.  The worst part was when the baby teeth would start to move around and there was nothing but a tiny piece of skin keeping them attached to the gums.  I think every kid would use their tongue to push the tooth around until it finally broke free.   Then there were also the various ways of getting the tooth out, one of which was tying a string to the tooth and the door handle and then sharply pulling on the door.  I think this only happened in Russia though and even that little fact I am not too sure about.

Besides her brand new bottom teeth, Violet has grown in so many ways.  Each day we find her doing something new and it's so exciting to see the world through her eyes.  She finds amusement in little things like the fact that she can hit her toys and they make a squeaky noise.  When she is amused, she gives us the biggest grin you can imagine.  If she is REALLY amused, she laughs uncontrollably.   One of her favorite things is when Gene imitates young babies.  He came home from work one day and was telling me how he saw a newborn in the pharmacy and it was so tiny that all it did was flail its little arms and legs.  Then he proceeded to demonstrate what the baby did by shaking his head, arms and making a babbling noise.  Violet saw this and her laughter filled the entire room.  She laughed so much, I was expecting milk to come out of her nose.  I have to admit, Gene imitating a newborn IS pretty funny.

I am officially an adult

Many things make you an 'adult' and I use the term loosely because no matter how many of those things I check off the list, I don't quite feel like a grown up.  Married: check.  Baby: check. Turned 30: check.  This leaves: home purchase.  Last week, Gene and I made our first offer on an apartment and man is it scary!!!  Not only did we bid on an apartment, we bid on an apartment that doesn't yet exist.   Yes, we might soon be proud owners of a condo in a new development.  We will be giving up a little bit of space but in return we get something that is TRULY ours. 

One of the most exciting things about this potential purchase is that we get to stay in our neighborhood which I LOVE LOVE LOVE.  Not only that, but we are zoned for P.S. 29, which is a very big deal.  This would also be my very first time living in an apartment where everything is brand spankin' new.  

Ok fingers crossed...

Thhh thhh Thiiirty

Many of my friends have already turned the BIG 3-0 and amazingly enough, they survived!  I always thought thirty was SO old, but now that it's days away, I am one of those dumb fools proclaiming that 30 is the new 20.  No people, 30 is still 30 and most of us are pretty much old farts by the time we turn 30.  OK, so maybe not most of us, as many of my friends are still partying, drinking, smoking and enjoying the club scene well into their thirties.  However, they are few and far between.

Some of you are reading this and think I am nuts.  You are probably in your thirties.  The rest of you probably think I have a very valid reason to be afraid.  Let me clarify a few things.  It's not that you start to have less fun in your thirties but your priorities often shift and it's a completely different type of fun.  Now that I am married and with a baby, I enjoy simple things like spending time at the beach with Violet, Gene and our families. Previously my beach experience always included booze and a friendly game of chicken, where I would not only hope to win, but I would strive to get bonus points by mutilating my opponent.  Life sure has changed.  I thought it would be fun to put together a sample day of life in my (early) 20s and 30s (today).

6:00 AM 20's: come home

6:00 AM 30's: wake up and feed Violet

8:00 AM 20's: sleep

8:00 AM 30's: wake up, make coffee, change Violet, boot up work email

8:30 - 3:00 PM 20's: sleep

8:30 - 3:00 PM 30's: work, play with Violet, work, feed Violet, work, change Violet, etc.

3:00 PM 20's: wake up and contemplate between breakfast or a beer

3:00 PM 30's: work, play with Violet, work, feed Violet, work, play with Violet, etc.

3:30 PM 20's: settle on a beer and some TV

3:30 PM 30's: realize I haven't eaten yet and grab a piece of fruit from the fridge

4:00 PM 20's: watch more TV

4:00 PM 30's: go for a walk with Violet 

6:00 PM 20's: man, there sure is a lot to watch on TV.  Have another beer? Sure! 

6:00 PM 30's: come home with Violet and spend the next hour or so reading, playing and talking

7:00-8:30 PM 20's: begin calling/texting everyone I know to try to see what everyone is up to that night

7:00-8:30 PM 30's: bathe Violet, feed her and put her to bed

8:30 PM 20's: pre-game

8:30 PM 30's: start cooking dinner

9:30 PM 20's: start getting ready to go out

9:30 PM 30's: start getting ready to go to sleep

10:30 PM 20's: get picked up to go to bar, club, etc.

10:30 PM 30's: watch '24' in bed with the sound off (long story)

11:00 PM 20's: arrive at first bar and enjoy a vodka cranberry

11:00 PM 30's: sleep

1:00 AM 20's: arrive at my second or third bar and enjoy my third or fourth vodka and cranberry

1:00 AM 30's: arrive at my second or third dream

3:30 AM 20's: pound another vodka and cranberry before last call

3:30 AM 30's: wake up to give Violet her pacifier which she lost mid-sleep

4:00 AM 20's: head to a local diner for some disco fries!

4:00 AM 30's: zzzzz....

6:00 AM 20's: arrive home

6:00 AM 30's: day begins again

Now, you might be thinking that the 30s are a complete snoozefest in comparison to the lively 20's but luckily human beings are designed to enjoy each phase of their life in a different way.  Sure there a lot fewer vodka and cranberries in my 30's, but also a lot fewer hangovers.

Hardest Decision Yet

There were tons of tough times after becoming a new mom;  the sleepless nights in the first few weeks, the crying after getting her shots, the times she absolutely refused to eat for hours.  All these things were nothing in comparison to the day I realized I NEED a nanny.  After returning to work on June 30th, I thought I could be superwoman and balance it all.  My thought process was simple: the baby sleeps at least 5-6 hours during the day which is when I can do my work and whatever doesn't get done I can do late at night.  Seems simple enough.  Unfortunately, the one fatal flaw in this plan was that I have no control over when the baby sleeps and of course Violet made sure NOT to sleep during my conference calls.  Not only did she not sleep, but she also decided that she will keep me on my toes by crying for no particular reason.  So three weeks into my return, I finally caved in and started to look for a nanny.
I called an agency and the very same day they had me on the phone with four women looking for work.  After the initial conversations I set up 3 of them with in-person interviews.  They all seemed fine but one stood out a bit more than the rest.  She was a soft spoken woman probably my mother's age who is a pianist by profession and is currently continuing her education at some music school in the city.  She wanted to work 3-4 days a week and focus on her music the remainder of the time.  Her references (all three of them) were solid (not stellar) and the agency assured me she was a good choice and she has been with them for quite some time.  They didn't vouch for any of the other women, so my choice was somewhat clear: either I hire this woman or I keep looking.    I decided to hire her but immediately began to look online for nanny cams.  They have some pretty cool stuff now-a-days.  The camera we got is actually implanted in a digital photo frame and  will stream the video over the web so I can keep an eye on my little bundle when I am at work.  Does this extra security make me feel better?  Not really.  I am still very nervous and anxious to leave Violet with someone other than me.  It's a feeling only a mom can understand.

Cutest Husband Ever!

My 30th Birthday is approaching and what to get a gal that has everything?  This has been my husband's dilemma and while I keep telling him that I really don't want anything, he's determined to make my Birthday extra special.  I have been looking into getting a small, light colored clutch to use for various celebratory occasions and he has asked I go during my lunch hour and pick out something extra special.  This is how that convo went:

Gene: You should get yourself a really nice bag, you deserve it.
Me: Awww, thanks honey.  I guess I can stop by Prada tomorrow and see what I can find.
Gene: Also, make sure you go to Coach.  I know how much you like 'em.
Me: Coach? Ummm, what is at Coach?
Gene: Isn't Coach that really fancy company you like?
Me: I don't think so.  In fact, I don't own anything from Coach, nor do I like them.
Gene: Maybe I am thinking of something else....company with a C...hmm
Me: Chanel?
Gene: Ahhh,  yeah that's it!  Chanel!

Boys are sooo cute!!!!  I might have to get a pair of Louboutins to match my Chanel clutch to celebrate his cuteness!