Moving In

Ready or not, White Plains, here we come!

Moving Day 2

Until break time that is.

Moving Day

And everyone is doing her part.

A Day on the Island

While Mom and Dad checked out the house and packed, Belle spent the day with Grandma Helene and Grandpa Richard, and together, they visited Grandma Ann.

Smiles

Belle is becoming a stellar greeter at day care. Craig drops her off without fuss, and she is smiling and happy to see me when I pick her up. Until recently, though she was fine while at day care, she fussed when Craig left, and she whined anxiously when I walked in to get her (as if she couldn't get into my arms fast enough). These past few days, she's been fine at drop-off, and smiling at pick-up.

Belle's happiness is uplifting.

Only happy times...

We signed the lease at the end of June 2007. I moved in July 1 and Craig in early August while I was home in Avon, CT preparing for our August 5 wedding. We stayed in the apartment together for the first time on our first day/second night as a married couple.

I don't quite know to whom to attribute the well wish, but I know I heard when we moved into this apartment, from which we are moving out on Monday, "May you only have happy times while you live there."

Thinking about our four-plus years here, we really did have many good times. This apartment served as our first marital abode. It's here where we celebrated Craig's brother Mitchell's engagement to Julie. In fact all of our brothers and sisters-in-law, as well as our four parents and four grandparents, enjoyed wonderful visits here. We celebrated each of the three of our birthdays in Apartment 10D at least once, and Craig and I celebrated four anniversaries here. It was in this home that we planned our around-the-world extravaganza. Here is where I labored through Belle's impending birth, not knowing that it was Belle who was about to be born. This apartment served as Belle's very first home, and it's where Craig and I began learning how to be parents. Nearly two-dozen different people from at least four countries spent the night here; I can tell from the notes in the guest book I started once we started hosting overnight guests.

I know Craig and I had our tiffs, and I'm sure we were all sick from time to time. Those first few weeks of motherhood sure were challenging, of course, and there have been other times of stress (now, for example, as we prepare to move). But overall, I can almost only recall wonderful, exiting, truly life-changing times that we enjoyed in this apartment.

So, to whoever wished us "only happy times" in Apartment 10D, thank you. Your, and our, wish came true.

And we are soon to greener pastures....

"One man's junk is another man's treasure"

In an effort to expunge our apartment of unnecessary items, I have advertised the sale and giving away of furniture, appliance and knick knacks on the ever-helpful Upper West Side Moms' listerve and Craiglist. I am astonished by how quickly items for which we have no use have been claimed. A Black & Deck Dustbuster that we never actually used for the whole time we lived in this apartment was claimed within minutes of my post advertising it. A used computer desk ultimately had three hits, and we made a few bucks off of it thanks to its good condition. Items not worth advertising, I simply offer to our neighbors by putting them on the table near the mail room (an unofficial "up-for-grabs" space). Each item, from an unopened bottle of Bath and Body Works fragrance to erasers in the shape of ducks, have gone within hours.

I am so thrilled to get rid of the items, and quite ecstatic to send the items to happy homes. It certainly is true that one man's junk is another man's treasure.

Belle walks the dog

Our neighbors have two huge dogs, the larger of which weighs 90 pounds (more than four times Belle's weight). My brave little girl ignored her size disadvantage and played along when the dog's owner offered her the leash. Here, Belle walks the dog!

Status update

So, I'm officially a working mom. It hasn't been an easy two months, but that has as much to do with personal struggles as with my new juggling act as mom and teacher.

Everything is different at school this year, and it has been a real challenge to figure out the new schedule, courses, classrooms, procedures, and technology. My teaching is suffering a bit from me trying to learn these new ropes, but I am doing my best. Would my transition back to work have been easier had nearly everything in my professional life not changed? Yes. Could I handle the changes better if I weren't exhausted from running from school to my other full-time job as a mom? Maybe. All in all, I am doing fine and, yet again, relying on the kindness of...well, not strangers, but colleagues to help me relearn how to be a teacher at my school.

Indeed, my transition back to school has been facilitated- my return to work eased and my day-to-day life at work positively enhanced- by the wonderfulness of my colleagues. I am so lucky to work with such intelligent, kind, considerate, fun people. I am not sure I could have made it through these first two months of school without my fellow teachers checking in with me professionally and personally: catching me up on new procedures, introducing me to new administrators, asking me about Belle, referring me to movers for our upcoming relocation to our new home. I simply could not make it through the school days/weeks/months/semesters without the kindness of my colleagues. I am so lucky.

I am also lucky to have a helpful and supportive husband. Craig has been really great about helping me and us out since I became a working mom. He helps with dinners (he once made a week's worth of Moroccan beef stew on a Sunday; other times, he's prepared a meal so I just have to put it in the oven to cook it) and also with cleaning. He also accepted the harder/est job of dropping Belle off at day care (I have the significantly more pleasurably task of picking her up). Most importantly, he took on the task of preparing us for our house purchase and move to the 'burbs. I tried to help a little, mostly with finding us home owners' insurance, but Craig quickly relieved me of that responsibility and added insurance to his long to-do-list. He took care of the mortgage; communicating with the real estate lawyer; acquiring our new (used) car (a minivan, which he drives- thank you, Craig!); car, renters and home owners' insurance-- all things business have been out of my mind and off my shoulders. Craig's really been a wonderful copilot and a big source of support.

I am happy to report that Belle seems to be doing well with her child care provider. Rather than enrolling Belle at a traditional day care center or hiring a private babysitter/nanny, we have Belle in a Family Day Care setting at a home very close to my high school. The child care provider is state licensed and certified to care for up to four children during the day, but so far Belle is one of only two full-time children. This means that Belle gets some socialization, as there is always another baby and sometimes three other toddlers, but also care and attention and love and the ability to play in a safe environment. While she still fusses when Craig leaves (mostly because Daddy is leaving, not because she is unhappy; she actually reaches out for the day care provider when Craig carries her into her home), but she seems happy when I pick her up.

I find it is important for me to still feel like a mom and enjoy play time with Belle. I have rushed back to NYC after school to make mommy and me music classes, play-dates and visits to parks and playgrounds. I am lucky that I can incorporate such fun times into my schedule as a teacher (early morning start time, but later afternoon free time). I recently resumed my relished role as co-director of the school plays, and I plan to continue to preserve Belle-time after play rehearsals and on days when there isn't or I don't attend rehearsals. It's all part of the juggling act.

Bottom line: I and we are fine. Craig is the best partner in parenting, and really in life (good choice, Seren), and I work with wonderful people. Perhaps the reason why "it takes a village to raise a child" is because it takes many people to support and sustain the child's primary care givers. And I am lucky to be surrounded by great villagers : )

Belle and Aunt Julie

That's aw-nt Julie, since Uncle Mitchell's wife is not a bug.

Poor Belle

While Mommy and Daddy have Jacques Torres hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie, Belle is eating kale cheese puffs. She's ok with it.

Chilling with the toys and books

Another lazy Sunday morning.

Walking and hugging

Belle is so affectionate, and she loves to hug. She sure enjoyed a day with Grammy and Grampy last week!

We are homeowners

We closed on a house in White Plains today. Our house. We are officially homeowners. And we're soon to be suburbanites.

Yup, we are really grown-ups now: a marriage certificate, a baby and (very soon) a mortgage.

It's for me!

Belle speaks to Gagga on the phone. She really grabbed the phone and put it to her ear, as she's seen her parents do so often.
No words yet, but she's accepting phone calls.

Ithaca is Gorges

A souvenir from our Ithaca trip in August.

His, hers and hers

Playdate with Sawyer

Belle enjoyed a playdate with her "boyfriend" Sawyer. He showed off his very cool train whistle:



And he put his arm around her shoulder, though Belle was too busy playing to appreciate his charm:


The two cutie-pies played together nicely (Sawyer was a wonderful sharer and let Belle play with all of his toys):

Three's company

Belle and I rushed back to NYC for a much-needed playdate at the Hippo Playground in Riverside Park.

Belle played with Dorothy and Jennifer, who all seemed to enjoy the slide (walking up it more so than sliding down it):



Dorothy got her hands on a doll's stroller meant for a baby to push. Belle hopped into it and Dot pushed her around the playground. When Belle was ready to push the stroller, Jenny got into it and enjoyed the ride as Belle, only a few weeks her senior, pushed Jenny around the playground:





How I enjoyed the time, brief though it was, with my walking mom friends Hillary and Anne. And what fun the little ladies had (until Belle had a bit of a meltdown near dinner time).

Oh, and all the little girls were in pink (Craig teases me about dressing Belle in pink, but I challenge any mother to a baby girl- especially when it's her first baby- to dress the baby in less than 75% pink).

First words?

Belle loves our building doormen.  They know her by name and she greets them with huge smiles.  Yesterday afternoon, after an exhausting visit to Riverside Park's River Run Playground, Belle enjoyed her usual friendly exchange with the afternoon doorman.  When the elevator arrived and it was time for us to go upstairs and get ready for bed, I said to Belle, "Wave 'bye bye,' Belle."  And Belle waved, and said something that sounded an awful lot like "bye bye."  Just before we got in the elevator, and to see if the words were for real, I prompted Belle again: "Say 'bye bye,' Belle."  She, again, responded with two syllables that sounded like "bye bye."  Craig and I were elated.  We'll see if she can repeat this.  We may have a talker on our hands!

Apples are picked

Hayride back to the car.

Belle and the pumpkins

At a farm in northern westchester. Go pumpkins!

Steps

Not the first steps. This is Sunday morning. The first steps were Saturday afternoon.

Just sleeping

With a leg up.

Playing with the twins

Rug shopping with Daddy

ABC Carpets wasn't boring once Belle was sprung from her stroller. Oh, the walking she enjoyed!

Pacifier Ingenuity

One morning, Seren had set up Belle's bag for day care. The pacifier was attached to Belle's bag, and they were both hanging from the door. The pacifier was capped. Belle needed her fix and figured out how to get it.

A new on/off switch

We've had our tv for 3 or 4 years. On the bottom of a screen is a little light, which I thought was just an aesthetic detail. Thankfully, Belle discovered that the light houses an on/off switch. And the tv goes on and the tv goes off. Especially during SportsCenter.

Tomorrow Has Come

Belle has been walking while holding on to fingers for several months now. When we were asked if Belle is walking, we would answer that she wasn't, but it was likely to happen either tomorrow or in three months. Yesterday, tomorrow came.

Grandma Helene and Grandpa Richard came to visit. At one point, Grandma was holding the ball that Belle wanted to play with. Grandma told Belle to come get it. And she did. Then she walked back and forth and forth and back. It's time to pack everything in our apartment below three feet.

Weddings

There are several ways to look at a wedding. Here's one. But then you notice the bride's father is a correspondent who does satirical segments on CBS Sunday Morning and you know you can look from this vantage point.

Seren and I watched that segment this morning bawling our eyes out. Belle was next to us. And all I could think about was the disbelief that this little girl who this morning looked just like this:



will one day turn into a bride.

Noticed

Twice this week, adults stopped me because they recognized Belle. In other words, Belle was recognized on the street.

I was walking up West End Ave on Wednesday and a young mother with a baby a little younger than Belle stopped me and asked me if my daughter's name was Belle. She said that she remembered Belle from a nursing mothers' group that she and I had attend together back in February when Belle wasn't even six-month-old. She admitted that she didn't remember me, but she remember Belle's smile and name.

Yesterday I was walking up Amsterdam Ave and a man stopped me and said, "I know your baby- I have seen her before." I recalled that we can bumped into each other in a retail store earlier in the week. He said he saw Belle's smile and remembered that he'd seen that smile before.

I guess Belle is a memorable baby.

WPHS class of 2028?

Doug, Tori and baby Stella came to visit this afternoon. Here, Belle and Stella play :)

Grocery shopping is fun!

What a Year!

September 24, 2010.



September 18, 2011.

Parallel Parking

Not to toot my own horn, but this was my finest parallel parking moment (in August- the last time I drove the silver Ford Escape). It was a great spot that allowed me to keep the car on West 86th Street on the Friday before Labor Day while I was in the City (ie, not driving):

Happy Birthday, Belle (again)

Belle celebrated her first birthday belatedly with Uncle Mitchell, Aunt Julie, Uncle Jeffrey, Aunt Joanna, Cousin Noah, Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma Ann.

Aunt Joanna created a beautiful cupcake display including a "1" candle.



And, of course, Cousin Noah and Belle played together:


Noah even gave his cousin hugs and kisses! Too cute :)

Par-tay!

Belle had a blast at Charlie and Marielle's first birthday party on Sunday morning. Here, Belle and Charlie play:



And again, this time Belle is using one of Charlie's toys as a purse:

And then Belle took a break for a hug from Daddy, sporting her pig tails and new cute dress (and, yes, that's a mini-Etch-a-Sketch in her hands):

Grandma Ann, Belle and Craig

3 quick Belle stories

1. I brushed Belle's four teeth tonight with a real (toddler) toothbrush and (baby, fluoride-free) toothpaste. She loved it! She giggled and seemed disappointed when I stopped. Hooray for good oral hygiene!

2. Today I took Belle to a Mommy and Me music class. Before we sang "Old MacDonald had a Farm," the music teacher asked the kids what animal says, "quack, quack." Belle made a Belle sound, as if to imitate "quack" that sounded like "gack" and the music teacher said, "That's right, Belle! A duck!"

3. Belle and I had a playdate with the twins upstairs. They hadn't played together in a few weeks. The difference in the interaction among the three babies from August to September was striking. The kids actually played together. They acknowledged each others' presence, made each other laugh and shared toys. They really, truly played together! It was a far cry from earlier playdates when "playing together" meant pulling a pacifier out of a baby's mouth and sticking it in her own mouth.

Dinner

Notice how Belle's ankles are crossed, as if she is a dainty little lady.

Reading and Pianoing

An artsy morning.

Shopping!

I took Belle shopping for coats. We only ended up buying the magenta fleece, but Belle was quite cooperative in terms of trying on a raincoat, a winter coat, and a fleece. Of course, Belle was preoccupied with books (how wonderful how much she loves books!) for most of the shopping trip.

Peach lover

This girl loves her fruit! I was eating a peach and before I knew it, Belle was devouring it. I can't complain: there are worse foods for which Belle could clamor.

'A Run for our Money' addendum

I realize, and should have added to the previous post, that all babies have mishegas. I know of babies who can barely tolerate a diaper change and scream bloody murder on a changing table. There are babies who only eat food they can pick up with their fingers. There are cutie pies who won't sit in a car seat or high chair. Belle is pretty easy going in many ways, and I know we are lucky that she is happy and healthy. Just thought I should add this after my previous post about Belle's bath strike and teeth-grinding...

A run for our money

For a sweet, smiley, adorable little bundle of joy, Belle sure keeps us on our toes. For one thing, her bath strike is still going full-force. I have come to really enjoy showering her. She has learned to close her eyes when she's under the shower stream, she smiles when I sing to her, and she think it's funny when I wrap her in her hooded bath towel.

Well, now that Belle has four teeth (two on the bottom and two on top), she enjoys banging them together. It started as tapping; she would tap her top teeth to her bottom teeth. Today, the tapping seems to have segued into grinding. I plan to call Belle's pediatrician tomorrow to learn if baby-teeth-grinding is a cause for concern.

Belle has developed strong opinions. When she wants to do something, she makes her desires known (despite the fact that she can't yet speak a word). She squeals and shouts and even will arch her back to express her dislike for something.

Sweet and cuddly, and yet super opinionated. Belle most certainly keeps us on our toes.

Bulletin board in my classroom

My colleague suggested that I display Belle pics in the classroom we share. Next to the Belle pics is a holiday card with a pic of her kids.
She and I have a deal: I will help her get through her daughter starting college, and she'll help me get through sending Belle to day care.

Ugh

School full-fledged resumed on Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. These past two days of school have been more challenging and more exhausting than I had imagined.

I am a drama teacher so this is going to be a little dramatic. Remember that scene from Shawshank Redemption when the old man Brooks was released from prison after years behind bars where he worked in the library? He struggled to fit in to a society that had changed and evolved since his incarceration and is nearly unrecognizable to him. I feel the same way at school. Administrators and personnel have changed, there is a new schedule, I am teaching in classrooms I'd never been inside, policies and produces are different and I am wasting my time learning about these changes the hard way. I feel like I am learning the ropes all over. I feel like I left school used to horses in the streets and now there are these newfangled motor vehicles on the road and that is confusing to me.

OK, so (spoiler alert) Brooks commits suicide at the end of the scene. (I warned that this would be a little dramatic.) I, on the other hand, am confident that I will learn and adjust and adapt. I hope that I'll be less exhausted when I figure things out and will become more efficient my limited prep time at school, especially since I am trying very hard to keep school at school so that I can be a mom when I am outside of school.

When I finally get to Belle after 3pm, I am relieved and comforted to see her well and smiley. Today was rough, though, because the rainy weather made for a longer trip back to NYC than usual. Then some movie filming on 86th Street occupied a great deal of potential-parking spots, which meant that Belle and I circled the block looking for parking for over 20 minutes this afternoon instead of playing. When we finally got home, I was pooped, Belle was a little cranky, and that all made me feel a little down (and "the rain made the day so gray").

Some of my mom friends who returned to work before I did comforted me by telling me that work is less taxing than caring for (and chasing after) an infant/toddler/wobbler. I haven't found that, though perhaps it's because teaching is no desk job. I am on my feet all day, and I expend a great deal of energy trying to attain and hold the attention of 30 14-year-olds whose minds are still on summer vacation.

I know that the first few days of school are the most tiresome, and that I'll get into a routine in a few weeks. Until then, I'll think lovingly on the days when Belle pooped and puked on me midday; when I chased her up the slide at the playground; when I was as filthy as she after an hour in the Park mid-morning.

2 happy great-grandmas

Great-grandma Selma and Great-grandma Maxine enjoying Belle.

Walking moms in our lobby!

After Belle's birthday playdate, we grabbed a Walking Moms photo on our way to the playground!

Perspective

I fed Belle lunch outside while talking to our 104-year-old neighbor. Two other neighbors joined us: men who've lived together for years but who only recently were able to marry each other in New York State. One was celebrating his eighty-fourth birthday today. We all talked, and I warned the 84-year-old that Belle was catching up to his age now that she's one. He said he's wait for Belle at 84 to make the catching up easier.

The birthday boy talked of troubles with his computer. The 104-year-old said, "Computer troubles? Who cares."

I suppose when you're spending your 84th birthday with your new husband/long-time partner and you're enjoying a sunny day with your 104-year-old friend, computer issues don't seem like such a big deal.

The short end of the stick

We decided that Craig should drop Belle off at day care because he can do so later than I could (8 or 8:30 instead of 7 or 7:30). And then I pick Belle up at the end of my school day (around 3pm). I have the better deal. Craig most certainly has the harder job. While she crawled away to play and didn't seem to notice that we left on Wednesday, Craig had a very different experience solo on Thursday. Meanwhile, Belle was playing with another little girl when I picked her up at 3:15 this afternoon. Poor Craig. First he had to accept late evenings at work that keep him from saying goodnight to Belle. Now he is learning how to leave her in someone else's care, sometimes in tears. Yup- Craig got the shorted end of the stick.

A Tough Week

It's a tough week in these parts, though it started innocently enough. My cell phone died on Sunday night, so I knew I had to get a new one on Monday. It was two years old, so while I wish it hadn't gone kaput, I was more or less fine with it. I also had a big hearing this week at work, so I had lots of work to do when Irene was here. But on Monday, the office opened late, and I thought I could get more work done at the library than at the office, with less of a commute, so I stayed home. I started my day working at Starbucks, then meeting Seren and Belle for a photo session, followed by a tri-lunch. From there, I went to Verizon and then Verizon store 2 (where I saw Angela Lansbury!).

After Angela time, I went to the library and worked for a few hours, getting my work mostly done. My folks came in to wish Belle a very happy birthday, and she had a very happy birthday. Belle had a cupcake and sushi. She was happy.

I should rewind and mention that the TriCeps had a private birthday cake session Sunday before having a playdate with the twins upstairs (it was a nice apartment for hanging out in on an inside-day). That was her first cake time. and the girl was absolutely wired after the sugar. It was adorable.

Anyway, Wednesday morning, I woke up at 5:18 a.m. to a baby crying in my bedroom. While that doesn't seem noteworthy, Belle doesn't usually wake up in the bedroom. She wakes up in the middle of the night, and Seren moves her to the pack n'play in the living room. I usually sleep through this. So on Tuesday night, Belle slept through the night in our apartment for the first time (she had slept through the night in places where we don't share a room - grandparents' houses, Ithaca).

Unfortunately, Wednesday was a rough morning. It was Belle's first morning at day care, and the first time I had to drop my daughter off so she could spend the day with someone who wasn't Seren. Seren and I were both saddened by the ordeal, but it's necessary. Today, I did the drop off solo and it wasn't much better. I was told to do the drop off like I'm pulling off a band-aid. Obviously, that's easier said to me than done by me. Maybe next week, I'll have it down. In the interim, it's tough.

We also got ourselves a new car this week. We are now the proud owners of a Toyota Sienna. I'll save you the Google search; it's a minivan. We're growing up.

All in all, an eventful week for the TriCeps.

Easing the pain

I am so lucky.  I have wonderful friends and fantastic colleagues.  

My colleagues welcomed me back to school warmly, and comforted me when I unexpectedly burst into tears when asked, "how did the drop-off at day-care go?"  The High School English teachers were especially kind in terms of filling me in on what I'd missed and making me feel right at home; as if I hadn't been away for 15 months.

And then I was called to the School's main office between meetings.  My thoughtful and generous (and out-of-state) high school friend Adrienne sent "Thinking of you and best wishes today!" flowers (see pic) to school.  What a wonderful way to brighten the day (and now our apartment).

Today was tough, but the support of colleagues and friends certainly eased the pain.  And I hope the days will get easier...

Pulling her own weight (or at least pushing her own stroller)

Belle fussed on our way back from the playground: she didn't want to get in her stroller.  "Fine, then," says I, "walk home yourself!"  So she did.