Monthly Archives: October 2008

Um, yeah.

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Today was my annual visit with my OB/GYN, whom I love to bits and pieces. She is great. I was especially kind of excited about this visit as I wanted to ask about the logistics of TTC in the spring, which is kind of dumb, to be excited to make plans, but what can I say. I am.

Before I got called in, I asked to speak to the billing department, to see what kind of elections I should take for my FSA for 2009 and 2010, assuming Operation Big Sister goes as planned. I am so… well, this:

Office lady: Okay, now just give me your insurance card so I can scan it in and see what your plan offers.

Gretchen: Yeah, it'll be all new to me because last time, my insurance switched halfway through and it was mostly okay, but some was a pain…

Office Lady: Oh, here, I better give you your card back before I forget, because I forget ALL the time. I end up at my own doctor looking through a stack of insurance cards, "let's see, today I'm……"

Gretchen: So like a serial killer, these are your souvenirs?

Office lady: Did you just compare me to a serial killer?

Gretchen: "Oh, Aetna, I remember this one, this one fought back HARD."

Office Lady at the back desk: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

(I should add that it was all in good humor, because everyone affiliated with my Ob/Gyn practice is awesomer than a pile of Obamas, for REAL.)

My doc was awesome, totally on deck with all the right things — get the thyroid stable (it'd crept up at my last check a few months ago, but I was waiting for this appointment to ask about it, since I am not currently trying to get or stay pregnant), call as soon as a positive HPT arrives for betas and progesterone and thyroid checks, and if I want, just go straight to progesterone suppositories this time if I want to, for piece of mind. All the right stuff. I also asked when my Mirena should be pulled in relation to when I'd want to start trying, and in her sweet little Italian accent, she says "you pull it today? You could conceive tomorrow. Very quick." I'm thinking May, I'll go in for a removal and then work in some boots-knocking to our schedules, as I really, really, am ready for another baby.

So is Ingrid. FYI — she's started calling all of her baby dolls "Stister." Totally having the desired effect on her daddy, too. 🙂

Good Day

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Yesterday was a staff day at Ing's daycare, so I had to take it off. One of my coworker/friends also goes to that daycare, so she did too, but, we both had a class to teach. Hers was first, so she brought Finn over in the morning, went and taught, came back, we all went for a long walk (where I extolled the virtues of Maclaren strollers to her — I still don't regret, for one second, buying that Volo…) and then came back where Finn napped and Ing ate lunch, and then I went to teach.  Ing was supposed to nap, but was too excited by all the company, so when I got back she still hadn't slept, but she's at the age now where I know we can wing it, so we all toddled off to the Children's Museum.

And let me just say, the MDM at before-1pm on a Friday is a freaking GHOST TOWN. It was awesome. We were the only people on the third floor, and only saw one other family on the 2nd and 1st floors. It was Jamie's first time there, and Finn is 10 months, and walking (!) so the kiddos had fun. It's so cool to see how Ingrid's museum faves have shifted as she's developed over the last year. Yesterday, for instance, was the first time she really understood the restaurant exhibit, and spent a lot of time there. When we left, it was after 2 (and she generally naps from 12-2) but I hadn't eaten so I stopped at the cafe nearest the museum and ordered two muffins, to go, but Ing wanted to sit at the table. So, we did. She ate most of her muffin, watched cars go by, and we got in the car. It's about a 5 minute drive from there to home, and just before we got to our driveway, she said "What Ingrid doin? What Ingrid doin? What Ingrid doin?" and fell asleep. I got her into her bed, and she slept solidly for about 2 hours.

When she got up, we hit the road again, as we needed to get diapers at Target, and look for orange leggings for her costume, and get some dinner. (Oh, right, this is one of Dave's massive OT weekends, so he wasn't getting home til 11, and today he's working 10a-11p too…) We went back downtown, and I ordered food from the thai place and then we walked up one side of Main st, crossed and back down the other, looking at halloween decorations, and other stuff. At the bottom of Main, across from the Thai place, is where Andy works, and he happened to see us through the window, and it was totally packed but he popped out to say hi to Ingrid, and to see if she wanted a sweet potato fry, and she did, so he went and got her one. By the time she finished her french fry, our food was ready, and we went home. Such a great day.

Today, before Dave left for work, FedEx dropped a box that was clearly labeled, and clearly a ROKU! Happy Anniversary to ME! I set it up after Dave left, and let me just say TEH AWESOME. I'm watching Airline, right now, that A&E show about working for Southwest, which is totally geeky, but I love it. Ingrid and I went to swim class, where she did great, and she ate most of her lunch before proclaiming "I need a nap now." She's sleeping — when she wakes, we have plans to go to the library, and to a Halloween event at the civic center ("Pumpkins in the Park," a fundraiser for UCP, where people have a contest, I think? of pumpkin carving….)

Anyway. What a great set of days. When Dave is crazy busy like this, it's kind of sweet to have Ingrid-Mama time, and I definitely try to do a lot of out of the house stuff, so that Ing doesn't dwell on 'where daddy at?"

So, yeah, life is good. and the ROKU is as cool as I knew it would be.

Because life moves too fast

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Ing and I were home alone the other night, and I was making Cream of Wheat on the stovetop when the phone rang. I knew the phone was somewhere accessible in the living room, so I asked Ingrid to go get it for me, and she headed off to do that, but never found it. She came back OUT of the living room, though, holding her partially eate graham cracker to her head. I looked at her and sort of gave the “WTF?” look, and she said “Graham Cracker Telephone! Hello?! Hi Grammy. It dinnertine. blah blah blah” and had this whole conversation with my mom on her graham cracker telephone. Of course, she won’t talk to my mother on the ACTUAL telephone, but whatever.

She also likes going for walks after dinner, and now it’s dark at that hour, so walks are predicated with “Is it dark out dere? (yes) Is it cold out dere? (yes)” and then making sure her little baby has a blanket, we all have hats, and she has mittens. We see almost no one on our walks these days, probably because of the dark and cold, but I almost love it more that way. While I’m distanced quite a bit from public school right now, and NCLB bitching, etc, I have seen the No Child Left Inside phrase bandied about, and I just love it. Love Love Love. I was recommending the anti-homework book to someone last week, and talking about how kids with homework have so few opportunities to be with their families. Ingrid is learning on these walks — whether it’s investigating a slug on the garden edging by the steps, or looking for the moon or stars and talking about whether it’s full or not, or noticing the evolution of the beech tree on our path, as it ripens, drops its nuts, and then totally clutters up the sidewalk — that’s all way more important than some busywork word-search-for-science crap.

I am totally going to be That Parent, and refusing homework and raising a bigass stink about it if it’s pushed. Seriously.

Happier note: Ing will either be a peacock or a turtle at Halloween. I’ll keep you posted.

Writing stuff

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There’s a book festival this weekend, and one of the first events is a discussion on writing for children. As I am known to whine about, here, there, and elsewhere, I am really missing the writing life. I talk about it with Dave, and online, but it’s just this itch I can’t seem to reach to scratch. Pathetic, I know.

Earlier this week, Dave and I were talking about Ingrid and her love of books (seriously, the kid DEVOURS books, it’s her favorite thing to do, ever, if we took away every toy in the house and left books behind, she’d be THRILLED) and one thing led to another, and we decided we’re going to write HER a book, for Christmas. Dave is a pretty creative guy, and when he colors with Ingrid he always draws these little characters for her, and what we’re going to do is do a little illustrated book and scan it, upload to shutterfly, and have them print it. I think it would be a neat tradition to start.

The other session I want to attend is with one of the authors of “Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing our daughters from marketers’ schemes,” because it’s a topic I feel pretty strongly about. There are other sessions that I’d like to check out, too, with readings from local authors, signings, etc, and it just looks like a cool day.