Ivy is 3 Months!!!

"He he, I just pooped my pants"

 
"I am swaddled and I can't get up"

Ave Maria

*Crucifix sold separately

Weekend in (just 3) Pictures

Big Dreams...

This is an actual conversation that took place during our drive to work this morning.

Me: God, I really don't want to go to work today.

Gene: You want to play hooky?

Me: Really? What would we even do?

Gene: You can come to my work.  I can probably even get you a cubicle right next to me.

Me: Really? What would I do at your work?  Would I still do my own work or would I help you with your work?

Gene: That's up to you.  You can probably help with my work.

Me: Gene, I am serious, do you realize that in the six years we've been together we never once just woke up one morning and called in sick, just to do something crazy.

Gene:  Why would we do that when we can just take a day off?

Me: You're missing the point, it would be spontaneous.

Gene: Oh, I see.  So then what would we do?

Me: I don't know, maybe hop on a flight to Florida?

Gene: Florida? For one day?

Me: Ok,  yeah maybe not Florida.  Manhattan?

Gene: Here is what we would end up doing... we would start the day off with brunch....

Me: Followed by Ikea....

Gene: Then maybe Costco...

Me: This is so funny, yet so sad

8 Mistakes That Most New Parents Make

I don't think you need to be a new parent to make some of these mistakes.  I was definitely guilty of #1 with both of the girls.  

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1. Buying into the “Supermom” complex and not accepting help
No one can do it all — not even you — so it’s more important to just ask for the help that you need instead of piling too much onto your plate. If you’re doing everything at once, you’re not doing anything well.

2. Not taking care of yourself
You can’t help anyone else — especially your child — if you’re not healthy and happy. Spending a little time focusing on yourself — whether it’s a hobby, exercising, or just putting on a little pick-me-up makeup — can drastically improve every other aspect of your life, including parenting.

3. Not leaving the house
It’s easy to coop yourself up like a hermit during those tumultuous first months, but that just fuels a vicious cycle of isolation and a downer attitude. As difficult as it seems to shower and pack the diaper bag — just do it. Keep the diaper bag packed at all times (replenishing as you need), invest in some dry shampoo, and go get some fresh air.

4. Stressing about milestones
If you’re following those “what your baby should be doing” guidelines like a religious text, put down the book (or step away from the computer) and take a deep breath. Every baby develops at his or her own rate — faster at certain areas, slower at others — and there’s absolutely no reason to stress that Sophia was crawling at 6 months but your 9-month-old Liam is still scooting. In the scheme of life, those 3 months are a blink. Trust your pediatrician’s advice and stop stressing about the rest.

5. Stressing about everything else
When you bring a life into this world, suddenly life gets a lot scarier — from political turmoil to environmental pollution. Emotions intensify, “what ifs” buzz in our subconscious, and diseases are lurking on every surface. It’s impossible to completely stop this illogical yet compelling stress, but do your best to put everything into perspective.

6. Not documenting enough
Just keep snapping pictures, ladies. Snap, snap, snap. And I wish that I would have written more of my experiences during those fleeting first months.

7. Neglecting your relationship
Your children will eventually learn to walk away — strongly, independently — but hopefully your partner will still be there, holding your hand.

8. Not listening to your gut
Every person in your life — whether you know them or not — will be dishing out advice on everything from sleep training to parenting techniques. If something doesn't feel right to you, it probably isn't right for you. Listen to your mommy instinct.

Binky goes where???

Violet is going to kill me one day for this post...

I was holding baby Ivy, while Violet was prancing around naked after her bath.  She saw Ivy's pacifier on a chair near by and said, "Paci goes in the butt".  She then proceeded to sit in the chair and directly on top of the paci.  My hands occupied with baby Ivy, all I could do was scream, "GENE!!!!!"  Alas, it was too late.

Family Fun with Four

With one week left of my maternity leave, we decided to pack our bags and head out east for some family fun with four.  We left Monday night and the ride was easy as can be as both girls snoozed in the back seat while Gene and I munched on McDonald's chicken sandwiches and fries.  It's become a bit of a ritual (and a bit of a guilty pleasure) to stop at Mickey Ds on the way to the Hammies.  We arrived late at night and after putting both girls to bed, we had a glass of wine/beer and passed out.

Tuesday
We woke up bright and early (as if we had any other options) and got the girls dressed and ready for a day jam packed with activities.  The first stop was breakfast at Goldberg's Famous Deli, home to the best sunflower flagel you have ever tasted. It's so good that we came here nearly every morning for breakfast.  As we devoured our bagels, Ivy slept peacefully in her car seat.

After breakfast we stopped by the grocery store, bought a loaf of white bread and headed to the pond to feed the ducks.  We later learned (from the tour guide at the Natural History museum) that the worst possible thing you can feed the ducks is white bread.  Ooops.  After tossing an entire loaf into the pond, we drove to the playground at Hither Hills beach.  

Before we knew it, it was time for our favorite activity again: EATING.  We found a seafood joint by the name of  St. Peter's Catch and indulged in some delicious shrimp tacos.

After Lunch we decided to go back to Hither Hills to play in the sand and enjoy the views.

We wrapped up our day by going into town (E.Hampton) and stuffing our faces with ice cream. Yum!

Wednesday

The day started off like most of our days on this vacation...at Goldberg's!  After breakfast we drove north to New Haven and took a ferry to Shelter Island.  The ride was about 2 minutes long and it felt like you can reach out and touch Shelter Island from New Haven.  Gene and I kept wondering why they didn't just build a bridge. The Island itself is rather small and felt pretty deserted on this very gloomy Wednesday afternoon. 

It was time to feed Ivy so we found a little pond and Gene and Violet hung out with the duckies while I nursed.  Next on the agenda was a hike through the Mashomack Preserve.  Ivy was in the Bjorn and Violet was given a special all-terrain stroller, which Gene pushed up and down the path.  By the end of our short (1.5 miles) hike, Violet was sound asleep in her stroller and Ivy was snoozing in the Bjorn.  

It was nearly 4pm, so we took the ferry back to the South Fork and went to eat at The Corner Bar in Sag Harbor.  After slurping down a half a dozen oysters, I made sure to leave some room for the fresh fish of the day, which was drowned in butter and lemon sauce - just how I like it!  Gene had a burger. Borrring!  Another day came to a close as we drove back home to watch movies, relax and get the girls ready for bed.

Thursday

We decided to switch it up that morning and eat breakfast at Babette's.  In the summer, this place is a big celebrity hot spot but on this Autumn weekday, we were pretty much the only ones there.  Besides the fact that it was empty, this was also the first time in my life that I paid $24 for some eggs.  I walked out of there feeling seriously swindled, paying $75 bucks for two breakfast dishes and some coffee.  After breakfast we visited the duck pond for our daily feeding and nearly got attacked by some very hungry birds.  Next stop was Hank's Pumpkin Town, which is an orchard and maze park with a ton of different kid's activities (playground, wagon rides, pumpkin picking, etc.).  Getting Violet to leave that place was not easy, but after some bribing, we headed back home for her lunch and nap.

Violet fell asleep on the way home so we decided to drive to Montauk Point Lighthouse since that's the furthest east we can go.  Once there she woke up and we quickly realized that after seeing the Lighthouse there isn't much else to do.  It was a gorgeous day, so we went to a nearby beach.

After the beach, we were famished so we found a place that turned out to be our favorite dining experience of the entire trip.  Inlet Seafood Restaurant had the most amazing views of, that's right you guessed it, an inlet.  Not only were the views amazing, but the food was to die for!   Gene had a whole fried fish and I had an amazing cod fillet, both so fresh that they were swimming in our mouth. I also had the oysters, which were local and A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

After watching the sunset, we headed home exhausted from yet another jam-packed day.

Friday

After getting ripped off at Babette's, we went back to our pal Goldberg for breakfast.  With bellies full, we drove to the Bridgehampton's Children's Museum, which turned out to be one of the most impressive (and well-kept) museums I have seen in a while.  It had over a dozen exhibits, one more fun than the next.  I have to admit, I actually ran around the place myself excited to play with all the toys.  Violet also had a blast and she even got to dress up as her favorite character - Fireman Sam!

The rest of the afternoon (and evening) was pretty mellow and we spent most of it at home relaxing and watching TV.  For dinner, we picked up food at Bostwick's, which Gene loves, for some unknown reason.  Their food tends to be greasy and heavy and generally bleh.  I guess Gene's palate isn't as refined as mine.  

Saturday

I think you know where we went for breakfast, but this time we were joined by mom and Peter, who came to the Hamptons the night before.  After Goldberg's we drove back to Bridgehampton to visit the Natural History Museum.   This was Peter's favorite museum when he was growing up, so I was excited to see what all the fuss was about.  When we got there I was confused and kept looking for the museum, but could only find one room with a few stuffed birds.  Turns out that WAS the museum.  It was probably smaller than my studio apartment in Manhattan.  Actually, there was another room downstairs which had a marine touch tank with some tiny fish and a few starfish stuck to the sides of the glass. It was really lame but Violet didn't seem to notice and had a blast touching the barely mobile shellfish.   

We left the dinky museum and drove to Round Swamp Farm where we picked up 4 live lobsters.  Violet was fascinated with touching them and playing with them while we let them swim in our kitchen sink.  Once she went to bed, we ate her little lobster friends.  They were DELICIOUS!  

Mom and Peter's arrival gave us another great opportunity: date night!  We left the two screaming children at home while we wined and dined at Race Lane.   The food was pretty good or so I thought, until the next day, when I saw it smeared on the side of Route 27.  

Sunday

We spent most of the morning getting ready for a VERY long road trip.  Thankfully Gene was able to do most of the packing as I was feeling horrible after Saturday's dinner. Luck was not on our side that day and we spent three hours in traffic before finally arriving home.  Gene drove, the girls slept, and I puked my guts out.  Good times!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day this year was full of fun and adventure.  Here are some of the things we did...

Ice Cream @ Pier 6

A day trip to Governors Island

Swimming Pool at Pier 2 (Brooklyn Bridge Park)

Peach Picking at Alstede Farms

Lounging at home with the girls

First Day of School (Little Seeds)

After the whole Tic Tac fiasco, I had to scramble and find Violet a new school.  We visited about 5 different daycares/preschools and each one had something about it that wasn't ideal.  Whether it was price ($30K for daycare is just nuts!) or location or just an overall vibe, everything out there didn't quite fit our needs.  This was until we found Little Seeds. 

Little Seeds is located on President street (just off Smith st.) inside a brownstone, where each floor is divided by age group.  The bottom floor is a daycare (kids around the age of 1), the second floor is early 2s and the 3rd floor (where Violet's is) is late 2s, 3s and some 4s.  As soon as I entered the bright and airy facility with walls painted a beautiful shade of yellow, I immediately knew this was the place for Violet.  Once I learned that most of their teachers have Bachelor degrees (in some cases even Master's degrees) in Early Childhood Education, that really sealed the deal. A copy of their weekly lesson plan revealed that the preschool really focuses on "continuous individualized enrichment and education for each child in order to reach his or her full potential socially, emotionally and cognitively".  

What also sets this place apart from Tic Tac and what had me really excited was the following:

1. They provide breakfast and lunch. Finally, we don't have to spend half of our morning preparing food.

2. Weekly (sometimes twice per week) trips to Violet's favorite park (Carroll Park).

3. Monthly field trips to places like the aquarium, transit museum, zoo, etc.

Update: Violet's transition has been smooth as can be and when I picked her up the first day she said to me, "Mommy, I like it here."  Since then each day has been great and she loves going to school and seeing her new friends.

Ivy is 2 months!!!

Ivy Kat is just shy of 2 months in this picture, but she already looks so grown up to me.  In just two short months she has learned so many new skills.  She can now:

-smile
-follow objects
-hold her head up really well
-squeal, gurgle and coo
-bat at toys
-respond to sounds

Goodbye Tic Tac!

We had a great run at Tic Tac daycare, but it was time we moved on to greener pastures.  Actually, our exit wasn't very graceful since we got kicked out by the owner for bringing Violet into school wearing underwear.
Here's the full story I posted on BoCoCa:

We began potty training our daughter a few weeks ago and we wanted to encourage her by having her wear underpants instead of diapers, so that is how we brought her into daycare one morning. The owner/director (Dorothy) quickly took off her underwear, put her in diapers, and told us that she can not be in underwear until she is "fully potty trained". At that point we didn't question what she meant since it was only the beginning of our potty training journey. The following weekend, at home, our daughter spent the entire time in underwear (including naps) and didn't have a single accident, so we were very excited to once again bring her into daycare wearing undies, since in our eyes, being accident free for 3 days was considered "fully potty trained". When Dorothy saw this she was furious and said that we are disrespecting her and her policies and that our daughter Violet is no longer welcome at Tic Tac daycare and we need to begin looking for a new provider. My husband came to pick her up later that  evening and learned that she was giving us less than one week to find a new daycare.  You can imagine our shock as most of you know how difficult it is to find a daycare on such short notice in this neighborhood. We also later learned that her "policy" on potty training is as follows: kids have to be in diapers until they can prove to be accident free in daycare by peeing on a schedule (morning, afternoon, etc.). I don't know about you, but I surely do not pee on a schedule. She has two locations and there isn't a single child in either of them that is diaper free, so something is clearly wrong with her "potty on demand" policy. Aside from issues with potty training, in the one year that we have been there, not a single provider was there for longer than a few months.  I am not sure if people leave willingly or are being fired but there is no stability when it comes to the teachers, which isn't an ideal situation for a young child. Besides being angry and frustrated, I am also really sad because my daughter LOVED her friends at Tic Tac. I hope this posts helps those who are considering Tic Tac for their childcare needs.

I got a ton of responses thanking me for posting the story and warning others. However, it probably won't make a difference since this woman has a wait list a mile long.  That's what happens when there are more kids than daycares in the area. 

After we were kicked out, we learned that two other girls were kicked out for the same reason.  The remainder of the parents weren't happy with what was happening and also began to look for a new childcare solution.  Looks like Dorothy will have to fill a lot of spots pretty soon.  I sure hope her waiting list is long enough.

Every morning on the way to our new "school" (Little Seeds) Violet lists all her friends from Tic Tac who won't be there.  It's really sad to listen to.  She says, "No Gracie, no Evan, no Sam, no Anna, no Logan."  Below is a picture of all her friends (making pizza) who she misses dearly.  Luckily, the end of Tic Tac doesn't mean it's the end of her friendships and we already made plans to see Claire, Grace and Lucy next weekend at the park.

Potty Training

After months of struggle and trying to get Violet to go on the potty, we can finally say that she is potty trained.  In the end, it was so easy.  All we had to do was take off her diaper, put on big girl undies and after one or two accidents, Violet quickly realized that being all dirty and wet isn't really fun.  She gets really excited when she pees or poops on the potty and runs around the apartment yelling, "Mommy, daddy, I did it. I did it... Lollipop?"  It's was previously her reward for going on the potty but now that she goes like 10 times per day, we had to put an end to that.  Violet is really proud of her accomplishments and is even trying to potty train Ivy.  When she sees us change Ivy's diaper, she reprimands her by shaking her finger and saying, "No, no, no Ivy.  Pee and poop on the potty!"

In the last six months Violet has given up her bottle, the paci, became potty trained and started pre-school.  My little girl is all grown up.

Kangaroos in the Hamptons

We were driving through Bridgehampton, (heading to the Natural History Museum) when we spotted two deer near the side of the road.  Gene stopped the car so Violet can look at the deer.  Here's the conversation that followed:

Me: Violet, look! What is that?
Violet: Oh, Wow!  It's a kangaroo!
Me: No, Violet, it's a deer!
Violet: No, mommy, it's a kangaroo.
Me: I know it looks kind of similar to a kangaroo but that's actually a deer.
Violet: No, No, NO!!!  It's a kangaroo!
Me. Sigh. OK, look at the cute kangaroo!

Smooshy

I am not sure how it happened but somewhere along the way, Ivy picked up the nickname Smooshy. It was in the same way that Violet picked up the name Cookie Monster - completely random.  The name made a lot more sense when Ivy was a newborn, because I think all newborns look like smooshies.  Don't you think?

Sparkly Whites

It was Violet's first time at the dentist and she was a real trooper through the whole visit.  Dr. Lau was incredibly sweet and explained everything she was doing, but Violet was too busy watching Dora to even notice she had a cleaning.  

L.O.V.E

Me: Violet, I love you.
Violet: I love you too.
Gene: I love you, Violet.
Violet: Thank you.