Christmas cards. Then the Christmas photo card. The Christmas letter updating you on the fam. And now, because Dave and I are complete slackers and the internet is wonderful, the Christmas blog. So, if you are reading this, it's likely that you are a family member or a friend, because, well, I can't imagine that total strangers read this blog. :) So to all reading, Merry Christmas.
As I type this, it's 5am. I've been awake since 4:30am. Ian is asleep, so why am I up? Because I absolutely can't wait to see the look and excitement on Ian's face when he sees that the rather sizeable pile of presents in the living room is for him. And some of it wasn't under the tree before now. No, he doesn't really understand Santa. We've been letting him open a present here and there and he doesn't really understand why we're giving him presents, but I don't think he questions it too much. And he gets so excited when he opens them. I love watching him. So, really, I can't wait to see how he reacts to that pile. And next year, he'll probably start to realize that Santa comes on Christmas Eve and that will be even more fun.
So what's in my stocking this year? Have I been naughty or nice? Well, Dave and I are getting some pretty large things, like a new armoire and a dresser that my grandfather built being refinished and a new sewer line (just what I always wanted), but those don't fit under the tree. We have some nice new bedding and we took a mini-vacation to Kansas Ctiy. So overall, I'd say we're having a pretty great Christmas. What really excites me, though, really is the other stuff that doesn't go under the tree. The people. (Warning: I'm about to get mushy).
This year, I'm so happy that I have my husband, a guy who really does treat me like a queen. My partner in crime, the love of my life, and my biggest cheerleader. The guy that knows all my faults and loves me anyway. My son Ian. The child I really never thought we'd have. The most amazing, life-changing little person ever. I definitely don't think I'm one of those supermoms, but I do know that in the love department, I'm up there. So, yes, even though there are days when it gets old repeating "Ian don't touch" or "No Ian, don't pet the fish!" a million times, I'm still so unbelievably grateful to have him. My family. I have the most loving, supportive, wonderful family. We honestly have each other's backs. We're a small bunch, which probably prevents family feuds - not very impressive when a debate would mean 4 against 4. Even though we don't live close to each other, we're still extremely close. I know that we'll always be there for each other. I know that my grandparents were watching us in church last night, probably laughing hysterically that Ian was playing peek-a-boo and turning the pages of the missal of the person behind us, much to my chagrin. Dave's family. I married into a crazy, eclectic, great bunch of people who really treat me like family. My friends. I'm so lucky to have met so many awesome people in my life. I can honestly say that there are people who have touched my life everywhere I've lived. My friends are my extended family. They help me maintain my sanity, for sure. And the people who make my career a joy - my students. Ok, maybe not every single one of them, but I have taught some pretty amazing people. I mentor some really amazing people. And they're shaping me too. I'm lucky enough to have a career where I'll never stop learning. And I would mention my fabulous co-workers, but I already did - they're friends. What can I say - I work in a freakishly nice environment! Ok, so enough mushy rambling. I just consider myself to be the luckiest, most blessed person on earth. I have so much love and joy in my life.
I hope everyone gets what they wanted for Christmas this year. I will post later about our trip to KC and post pics from today. Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Say hello to my little friend...
So, there's this new man in my life. He hasn't taken the place of Dave or Ian, but he's with me 23.6/7 (no showers for Bob). We sleep together, we eat together, I tell him what's for dinner and he tells me what to do. He's pretty awesome, and I'm in love...with my insulin pump.
Now, this love affair is a pretty new thing to me. Starting in college, I had a 6 year relationship with a pump that shall remain nameless (mainly because I never gave it a name). He was just a means to give insulin, really. There were programmable basal rates, but that was really it. He didn't have a brain or a soul like Bob. I had to tell him EVERYTHING. And putting him on was a pain - literally. The infusion sets were rather harpoon-like, long, and had to go in at an angle. Psychologically, I wasn't ready to be hooked to something 24/7 - it was a constant reminder of a disease that I tried really hard to forget that I had. So I gave it the old college try. And after 6 years, I decided to go back on shots. Me and shots, we're cool. I'm a pro. I will whip it out and inject table-side at restaurants before you even know what I'm doing. So going back to my comfort zone was nice. I was cool with it.
While I was pregnant with Ian, one of the evil bloodsugar nazis suggested that maybe I should go on a pump. I believe my reaction at the time was something like hanging up the phone and bursting into tears, convinced that I was the worst diabetic pregnant woman they'd ever seen. The relationship between me and that group is a subject of a whole 'nother blog. Suffice it to say that my endocrinologist thought I was doing great with MDIT (multiple daily insulin therapy) and said that if I didn't want to change, I didn't have to. Sold. I was already dealing with so much other stuff, diabetes-wise, I thought that if I had to learn one more new thing that I'd be giving birth in a padded room at a nice institution. Then I discovered this blog - Six Until Me.
This blog talks about a lady that could be my twin. About the same age, kids about the same age, same length of time with diabetes. But she has a pump and a CGM (continuous glucose monitoring). I started reading - WHY did no one tell me what these things were capable of? My inner geek was so excited! I had to have one! Fortunately, BCBS agreed to Bob, but not to the CGM (jerks). And now I have this pretty purple guy who knows how much 1 unit of insulin drops my bloodsugar, what my carb ratios are for different meals (I have two different settings), my different basal rates, AND gets my bloodsugars wirelessly beamed to him from my fancy meter. There were also no iPhones when I was in college - in fact, I'm pretty sure we used carrier pigeons - but now I have apps that tell me how many carbs I'm eating. I do a bloodsugar, tell Bob what we're eating, and he can correct for a low or a high (I set a goal range) and take into account what we're eating. It took a couple of weeks of doing a lot of bloodsugars, but he's pretty well set now.
The moral of this post, other than to introduce you to Bob, is that if you have diabetic friends *type 1* and they aren't on a pump and are adults (still not sure about how I feel about these for little kids), tell them to read this. If they have any questions about pumping, tell them to call me. Really, it's been life-changing. Or, you know, in the words of Wilfred Brimley - "If you have dibitis..." :)
Now, this love affair is a pretty new thing to me. Starting in college, I had a 6 year relationship with a pump that shall remain nameless (mainly because I never gave it a name). He was just a means to give insulin, really. There were programmable basal rates, but that was really it. He didn't have a brain or a soul like Bob. I had to tell him EVERYTHING. And putting him on was a pain - literally. The infusion sets were rather harpoon-like, long, and had to go in at an angle. Psychologically, I wasn't ready to be hooked to something 24/7 - it was a constant reminder of a disease that I tried really hard to forget that I had. So I gave it the old college try. And after 6 years, I decided to go back on shots. Me and shots, we're cool. I'm a pro. I will whip it out and inject table-side at restaurants before you even know what I'm doing. So going back to my comfort zone was nice. I was cool with it.
While I was pregnant with Ian, one of the evil bloodsugar nazis suggested that maybe I should go on a pump. I believe my reaction at the time was something like hanging up the phone and bursting into tears, convinced that I was the worst diabetic pregnant woman they'd ever seen. The relationship between me and that group is a subject of a whole 'nother blog. Suffice it to say that my endocrinologist thought I was doing great with MDIT (multiple daily insulin therapy) and said that if I didn't want to change, I didn't have to. Sold. I was already dealing with so much other stuff, diabetes-wise, I thought that if I had to learn one more new thing that I'd be giving birth in a padded room at a nice institution. Then I discovered this blog - Six Until Me.
This blog talks about a lady that could be my twin. About the same age, kids about the same age, same length of time with diabetes. But she has a pump and a CGM (continuous glucose monitoring). I started reading - WHY did no one tell me what these things were capable of? My inner geek was so excited! I had to have one! Fortunately, BCBS agreed to Bob, but not to the CGM (jerks). And now I have this pretty purple guy who knows how much 1 unit of insulin drops my bloodsugar, what my carb ratios are for different meals (I have two different settings), my different basal rates, AND gets my bloodsugars wirelessly beamed to him from my fancy meter. There were also no iPhones when I was in college - in fact, I'm pretty sure we used carrier pigeons - but now I have apps that tell me how many carbs I'm eating. I do a bloodsugar, tell Bob what we're eating, and he can correct for a low or a high (I set a goal range) and take into account what we're eating. It took a couple of weeks of doing a lot of bloodsugars, but he's pretty well set now.
The moral of this post, other than to introduce you to Bob, is that if you have diabetic friends *type 1* and they aren't on a pump and are adults (still not sure about how I feel about these for little kids), tell them to read this. If they have any questions about pumping, tell them to call me. Really, it's been life-changing. Or, you know, in the words of Wilfred Brimley - "If you have dibitis..." :)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
I'm not dead, just lazy...
Lest you'd given up hope that I'd ever update my blog (more likely you never noticed that I quit updating), worry no more. No promises, but I will try to update a little more regularly. This may be a multi-parter, since I haven't blogged since, oh, June. Or July. Awhile. Anyway...
On the Dave front, Hill's is going well! Really well. Which is soooo awesome. Last time this year, we were searching Chronicle of Higher Ed and I was getting teary-eyed during faculty meetings thinking about leaving ESU. Much better situation this year. He got his official uniform, too. He brought home one to show me and I immediately coined his uniform shirt a "stripper shirt" because it has snaps (no buttons in a plant - they could fall off). It's a nice uniform, though. The best thing is, he's enjoying it. And that is awesome.
Ian is a very adorable bundle of toddler energy. At his 18 month checkup, he was 33" tall and 23lbs. We're thinking that he's grown since then, because all those cute little jeans I got him in September are starting to look like high-waters. Time to move to 24mo jeans. I can't believe he's going to be 2 in February! His vocabulary is expanding by the second, he loves movies and books. His favorite things involve Cars or Thomas the Train. He's pretty good at telling us what he wants, which is great, unless you don't want him to have it. He's persistent, to say the least. But overall, I think we won the lottery.
Confession time - I started this post in OCTOBER!! It's December 20th, just for the record. It's been a little bit crazy this semester. The A&P course got a pretty big revamp with a night session on Mondays, more tests (which means more grading for me), and overall just a great class of people who ASK QUESTIONS! I always love my fall classes because it's made up of mostly nursing students. I always feel like I connect with them. We had a great semester. On the research front, my first grad student defended successfully and is now in Indiana working for a toxicology laboratory. Two more grad students should be writing this semester and leaving - one hopefully for a Ph.D. program at Alabama, and one hopefully for a teaching job. My undergrads are fantastic and two will be staying with me for Master's degrees (yay!). And my newest grad student will start her research this summer. Doing something neither of us really knows how to do. Hey, the blind leading the blind got me a Ph.D., so I'm not going to worry too much. On the whole, A&P and other responsibilities (LA&S Dean Search committee, learning the SAC office) kept me from being as active in the lab as I want to be. Thank God for amazing students! I've told them I wouldn't abandon them this semester.
So that's it for now. I will update you all on Bob, the new love of my life, soon.
On the Dave front, Hill's is going well! Really well. Which is soooo awesome. Last time this year, we were searching Chronicle of Higher Ed and I was getting teary-eyed during faculty meetings thinking about leaving ESU. Much better situation this year. He got his official uniform, too. He brought home one to show me and I immediately coined his uniform shirt a "stripper shirt" because it has snaps (no buttons in a plant - they could fall off). It's a nice uniform, though. The best thing is, he's enjoying it. And that is awesome.
Ian is a very adorable bundle of toddler energy. At his 18 month checkup, he was 33" tall and 23lbs. We're thinking that he's grown since then, because all those cute little jeans I got him in September are starting to look like high-waters. Time to move to 24mo jeans. I can't believe he's going to be 2 in February! His vocabulary is expanding by the second, he loves movies and books. His favorite things involve Cars or Thomas the Train. He's pretty good at telling us what he wants, which is great, unless you don't want him to have it. He's persistent, to say the least. But overall, I think we won the lottery.
Confession time - I started this post in OCTOBER!! It's December 20th, just for the record. It's been a little bit crazy this semester. The A&P course got a pretty big revamp with a night session on Mondays, more tests (which means more grading for me), and overall just a great class of people who ASK QUESTIONS! I always love my fall classes because it's made up of mostly nursing students. I always feel like I connect with them. We had a great semester. On the research front, my first grad student defended successfully and is now in Indiana working for a toxicology laboratory. Two more grad students should be writing this semester and leaving - one hopefully for a Ph.D. program at Alabama, and one hopefully for a teaching job. My undergrads are fantastic and two will be staying with me for Master's degrees (yay!). And my newest grad student will start her research this summer. Doing something neither of us really knows how to do. Hey, the blind leading the blind got me a Ph.D., so I'm not going to worry too much. On the whole, A&P and other responsibilities (LA&S Dean Search committee, learning the SAC office) kept me from being as active in the lab as I want to be. Thank God for amazing students! I've told them I wouldn't abandon them this semester.
So that's it for now. I will update you all on Bob, the new love of my life, soon.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
San Diego Science
Wow - the conference is almost done. It's definitely been a good meeting, but I can't say that it's been my favorite. Socially, my best yet. I finally feel like a scientist. Yes, 3 years after I got my Ph.D. and 7 TS meetings later, I finally feel comfortable going up to people that I admire and having a conversation with them like I actually belong. Don't get me wrong - I'm not their equal, I just feel like I'm finally good enough to speak and not sound like an idiot. So socially and professionally, it was a fantastic meeting.
Science-wise, I've heard some good talks and gotten a few ideas, but my head hasn't totally been in it. I miss Dave and Ian more than I ever thought I could. I wanted so badly to be there for Dave's first day of work - his first foray out of academia in 12 years. Then Ian got sick with an ear infection and Sarah (our amazing sitter) got strep throat. So Lindsay, my wonderful SIL, has been taking care of a sick baby. She says that she and Charlie will not be having kids any time soon - it was an eye-opener. Not that he was bad, just the level of commitment was eye-opening. The 2 hour time difference means that I can't wish Dave a good day when I get up - because that would involve getting up at 4 in the morning here. I've barely talked to Ian - I talked to him today and he said "Mommy" for the first time, not Mama. Lindsay said he was in his cuddly mode - the I'm sick, don't put me down mode. It kills me not being there to rock him. To just sit in the recliner with him sleeping and drooling on my chest while I watch TV. But I'll be home in 2 days. I think next year I'm going to have to bring him and Dave.
I'm proud of my group - our posters were very well received. One, that we hope to write up and publish soon, got a lot of compliments and someone asked my student how she thought of the project - she referred to me. Inside I'm jumping up and down like a 5 year old. Could I actually be doing this well? No one came up to any of my students and asked where they got such a stupid idea - to me that's awesome! I don't know when I'll ever think I've arrived, but right now I feel pretty good. I'm in a good place - a scientist, but one who is still a student, learning from and admiring the giants in the field. Maybe, just maybe I'll be a giant myself one day.
Science-wise, I've heard some good talks and gotten a few ideas, but my head hasn't totally been in it. I miss Dave and Ian more than I ever thought I could. I wanted so badly to be there for Dave's first day of work - his first foray out of academia in 12 years. Then Ian got sick with an ear infection and Sarah (our amazing sitter) got strep throat. So Lindsay, my wonderful SIL, has been taking care of a sick baby. She says that she and Charlie will not be having kids any time soon - it was an eye-opener. Not that he was bad, just the level of commitment was eye-opening. The 2 hour time difference means that I can't wish Dave a good day when I get up - because that would involve getting up at 4 in the morning here. I've barely talked to Ian - I talked to him today and he said "Mommy" for the first time, not Mama. Lindsay said he was in his cuddly mode - the I'm sick, don't put me down mode. It kills me not being there to rock him. To just sit in the recliner with him sleeping and drooling on my chest while I watch TV. But I'll be home in 2 days. I think next year I'm going to have to bring him and Dave.
I'm proud of my group - our posters were very well received. One, that we hope to write up and publish soon, got a lot of compliments and someone asked my student how she thought of the project - she referred to me. Inside I'm jumping up and down like a 5 year old. Could I actually be doing this well? No one came up to any of my students and asked where they got such a stupid idea - to me that's awesome! I don't know when I'll ever think I've arrived, but right now I feel pretty good. I'm in a good place - a scientist, but one who is still a student, learning from and admiring the giants in the field. Maybe, just maybe I'll be a giant myself one day.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Life comes at you fast...
For those who thought that I'd never update my blog, I apologize. We got back from NY and life slapped me in the face and has had me going ever since. This is not to say that bad things have happened - on the contrary, something pretty wonderful has happened, but by the time I get home, focus on Ian for a few hours, and get him to bed, I am brain dead.
To pick up where I left off, our return trip to KS pretty much sucked. It started at a wake-up call at 5am from the airline telling me that our flight was canceled. We were rebooked, but it involved a 3 hour layover in Charlotte, an airport that was WAY too busy to let Ian crawl around and burn some energy. A layover that was also during his nap time, so no nap happened. He also didn't sleep on the last flight. We were in a tin can of a plane, too. Thank goodness there were understanding people and an understanding flight attendant that looked the other way when I spent 30 minutes of the flight swaying with him in the aisle. Anyway, enough whining. I'll also post pics soon. Or sometime. Ok, before Ian's a teenager.
Anyhow, 1st class of the summer done, 2nd one started immediately after. It's pretty cool. It's pretty tiring. It's histology. Nobody has taught histology at ESU in about 6 years, and I've never taught it, so thank God my students are patient. I have a great class and I feel so spoiled - teaching 11 people as opposed to 75 feels luxurious. They're a good bunch. Between teaching and preparing for the meeting I'm headed to now, my days have been kicking my butt. Hence the no blogging. This week, though, I should be able to blog more.
And now, for the wonderful news - Dave is starting Monday as a chemist for Hill's!!! They make Science Diet pet food and are part of Colgate-Palmolive. I can't wait to see how cheap we can get their products - I'm probably going to turn into one of those people from Extreme Couponing. "I've got 611 bags of dog food - our dogs died 3 years ago but I still get it because I can get it cheap!" Ian's bed will have stacks of toothpaste under it. You know, a girl has to have goals. The biggest thing is that this job is permanent. Not temporary. For the last 3 years, we've wondered every year whether Dave's contract would be renewed. This past year, a lot of things happened in his department, and it was 10 months of pure hell. One week he was told that the university considered him permanent, the next week he was told he might be cut to part time. One month he definitely had a job, the next maybe not. I don't deal well with uncertainty. At all. So to say that this is wonderful news is a total understatement. We love Emporia, and we love ESU too (I absolutely LOVE where I work - I couldn't imagine a better place), we've made great friends, and now we don't have to leave. So happy.
The other, extremely recent development doesn't involve us. My SIL, Lindsay, just found out that she will be an assistant prof at Auburn University in Auburn, AL this fall. We are so happy and excited for them, because Lindsay has been through hell with her job too, just for different reasons. I'm very sad to see them move, because it's been wonderful getting to see them so often, but so happy for them. And it's a lot closer to my parents and Dave's parents, so at least we'll probably get to see them whenever we go down to see either family, which isn't bad. Ian adores his Uncle Cha Cha and Aunt Lindsay, so that's a good thing all around.
So today I am patiently waiting on my flight to Denver. We were going to leave in 20 minutes, but now it will be an hour and 20. I still should be able to make my connecting to San Diego though. The gate agent told me we're only landing 30 gates away from where I leave in Denver. No prob. I will totally push old ladies out of the way, knock over small babies, and punch out anyone in my way to make that connecting flight. So far, the trip is downright boring. No Ian to entertain, no ukelele players, no hoochies in 5 inch stilettos. And I have time to blog and recharge my electronics, thanks to workstations and free WiFi in the airport. Come to think of it, this is pretty darn nice. Don't get me wrong, I will miss Dave and the squirt to death. I'm so thankful Linds was able to come stay with them so she could take Ian to daycare in the morning (Dave has to be at work between 6:45 and 7am). Hopefully I will get at least 1 texted pic of Ian a day. No Skyping - last year we skyped and he cried for 2 hours afterward. It should be a really good meeting though. More updates from sunny California when I get there.
To pick up where I left off, our return trip to KS pretty much sucked. It started at a wake-up call at 5am from the airline telling me that our flight was canceled. We were rebooked, but it involved a 3 hour layover in Charlotte, an airport that was WAY too busy to let Ian crawl around and burn some energy. A layover that was also during his nap time, so no nap happened. He also didn't sleep on the last flight. We were in a tin can of a plane, too. Thank goodness there were understanding people and an understanding flight attendant that looked the other way when I spent 30 minutes of the flight swaying with him in the aisle. Anyway, enough whining. I'll also post pics soon. Or sometime. Ok, before Ian's a teenager.
Anyhow, 1st class of the summer done, 2nd one started immediately after. It's pretty cool. It's pretty tiring. It's histology. Nobody has taught histology at ESU in about 6 years, and I've never taught it, so thank God my students are patient. I have a great class and I feel so spoiled - teaching 11 people as opposed to 75 feels luxurious. They're a good bunch. Between teaching and preparing for the meeting I'm headed to now, my days have been kicking my butt. Hence the no blogging. This week, though, I should be able to blog more.
And now, for the wonderful news - Dave is starting Monday as a chemist for Hill's!!! They make Science Diet pet food and are part of Colgate-Palmolive. I can't wait to see how cheap we can get their products - I'm probably going to turn into one of those people from Extreme Couponing. "I've got 611 bags of dog food - our dogs died 3 years ago but I still get it because I can get it cheap!" Ian's bed will have stacks of toothpaste under it. You know, a girl has to have goals. The biggest thing is that this job is permanent. Not temporary. For the last 3 years, we've wondered every year whether Dave's contract would be renewed. This past year, a lot of things happened in his department, and it was 10 months of pure hell. One week he was told that the university considered him permanent, the next week he was told he might be cut to part time. One month he definitely had a job, the next maybe not. I don't deal well with uncertainty. At all. So to say that this is wonderful news is a total understatement. We love Emporia, and we love ESU too (I absolutely LOVE where I work - I couldn't imagine a better place), we've made great friends, and now we don't have to leave. So happy.
The other, extremely recent development doesn't involve us. My SIL, Lindsay, just found out that she will be an assistant prof at Auburn University in Auburn, AL this fall. We are so happy and excited for them, because Lindsay has been through hell with her job too, just for different reasons. I'm very sad to see them move, because it's been wonderful getting to see them so often, but so happy for them. And it's a lot closer to my parents and Dave's parents, so at least we'll probably get to see them whenever we go down to see either family, which isn't bad. Ian adores his Uncle Cha Cha and Aunt Lindsay, so that's a good thing all around.
So today I am patiently waiting on my flight to Denver. We were going to leave in 20 minutes, but now it will be an hour and 20. I still should be able to make my connecting to San Diego though. The gate agent told me we're only landing 30 gates away from where I leave in Denver. No prob. I will totally push old ladies out of the way, knock over small babies, and punch out anyone in my way to make that connecting flight. So far, the trip is downright boring. No Ian to entertain, no ukelele players, no hoochies in 5 inch stilettos. And I have time to blog and recharge my electronics, thanks to workstations and free WiFi in the airport. Come to think of it, this is pretty darn nice. Don't get me wrong, I will miss Dave and the squirt to death. I'm so thankful Linds was able to come stay with them so she could take Ian to daycare in the morning (Dave has to be at work between 6:45 and 7am). Hopefully I will get at least 1 texted pic of Ian a day. No Skyping - last year we skyped and he cried for 2 hours afterward. It should be a really good meeting though. More updates from sunny California when I get there.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
I'm in a NY state of mind...our trip
Yeah, yeah, this is long overdue. I predicted that when we got back, teaching the last week of class and co-instructing a camp, all while trying to prep for starting histology next week would be bad. And it has been. But today is the last day of class, there's no camp, and I actually just posted a week's worth of ppts, so I feel pretty good. Or I'm deluded into thinking I might have this under control. Either way. The point is, by the time I've gotten home and gotten everything done that needs to be done, I am absolutely, 100% brain dead. So I'm blogging now while watching people take finals - no pics in this post, but they will come later.
So, our trip to NY was good. And a lot of work. But good. The new nephew is beyond adorable, and very sweet. I think in a year, he and Ian will be buds. Ian was really good with him - he kind of petted him like we do with the dogs. But that's ok. I was only allowed to hold Michael while Ian was not around. The first time I held him, Ian was pretty good - he just kept inching closer and closer on the couch and just about crawled onto my lap. So I put Michael down. The second time, I was trying to give Katie a break and let her eat dinner and I took Michael and we walked into the kitchen, out of Ian's sight. Yeah, right. He gave me 2 seconds, then started yelling "MAMA" from his high chair. Apparently I was cheating on him and that was NOT ok. For the most part, Dave and I have determined that there is no part of traveling with a 15-month-old that is easy. It is not vacation. The sun rises about an hour there before it does in Kansas, so guess who was up at 5:30am every morning? Guess who didn't take a nap for 2 straight days because the pack'n'play wasn't his crib, it was too light in the room, atmospheric conditions were off, there were solar flares - you get the picture. Guess who is one cranky little boy when he doesn't nap? Katie and Sean also have these cool things called "stairs" in their house - wood stairs, steep stairs. Going up was fine, going down required assistance. Also, they have 2 dogs that are way curious about Ian. Ian is used to being ignored by our dogs, so this was a new opportunity for him toquasi-torture play. Which usually evolved into Ian getting excited and screeching like a banshee, the dogs barking, and chaos in general.
So, what did we do? A lot of nice visiting, and a lot of great eating. We discovered some cool places. We took Ian to his first (and our first) indoor playground. Best $14 we've EVER spent. We didn't have to worry about the fact that he doesn't walk everywhere yet. No dirt. Very few kids there. And it wore him out - awesome. We got some great videos and pics that I'll post later. We also discovered, conveniently around the corner, Rockland Bakery, a denison of evil. It's like Disney for the carb-addicted. There's a deli room. Then you walk back and there's the dessert room. And then you walk into the bread room. Did I mention these are ROOMS? Not shelves? We went twice. Amazing. If I lived up there, I would weigh 400lbs and eat nothing but bread. Lilly would have to ramp up its insulin production to keep up with me.
A definite highlight was a lunch Monday put on by one of my grad school friends, Anna. Paul, a former roommate and his wife Bridget, another grad school friend, and all our kids were there. So. Much. Fun. I can't thank everyone enough for coming. I hadn't seen these guys in 11 years, but it was like no time had passed. We had a great time catching up.
Another highlight was our trip to Kycuit, the Rockefeller's country estate, in Tarrytown, NY. The house is amazing. The grounds are amazing. I mean, come on, it's the Rockefellers - we didn't exactly tour a trailer in the woods. I kinda wish I was a Rockefeller. The house was built in the early 1900's and was given to the National Trust in the 1970's by Nelson Rockefeller, a 4-time governor of NY. Apparently, giving your share of a legacy to the US government is not cool, at least if you're the other shareholders. He willed it to the NT a year before he died and the family spent that year trying to talk him out of it. It took them 15 years after his death to allow visitors. To get there, you actually park somewhere else and take a shuttle. The house is at the top of a hill that looks out over the Hudson River. The grounds include 4000 acres and a country club that is only for the family and their guests. And when I say country club, I mean something they called the "playhouse" that was built for the kids. Very similar to what many of you probably have in your 4000 acre back yard - 2 indoor pools, 2 outdoor pools, tennis courts, a bowling alley. You know, just the basics. We plan to build Ian one next year. Anyway, now the house and gardens (that cost about $1 million to keep up) are part of the NT and the family can't use them for private functions any more. The clubhouse and golf course (what? you don't have one in your back yard either?) are leased back to the current Rockefellers, a lot of who have their own mansions on the property. Hence the shuttle - there is still family living on the property, so you're not allowed to just wander and drive wherever you want.
Now, this tour is not recommended for children under 5. It is 2 and a half hours long. Recommendations, schmecommendations. We took Ian. Who promptly wanted to get down and play in the big house. Our tour guide politely suggested (we totally got the evil eye when we got on the bus) that perhaps Ian would enjoy the gardens. So Dave took the first shift and was escorted and watched in the Rockefeller garden (one of them, there were a few). I looked at half the house, found out that Rock Sr was a devout Baptist, and there was no drinking, dancing, or entertaining there. No ballroom, which was unusual at the time. I went out to relieve Dave and watched Ian play in one of the fountains. It amused him. I wasn't entirely certain though that we were supposed to touch anything, so every time someone came close I scooped up Ian and totally pretended that I wasn't letting my child play in a historic fountain that was a precise replica of something you'd see in France. No, not us. The ladies assigned to guard us were actually extremely nice, though, and gave me a lot of info about the place. I think they felt bad that I missed most of the house tour. We walked through the art gallery in the basement (and I do mean gallery) and joined Dave in some of the lower gardens. We got to see the coach barn, which was AMAZING. I'm a little bit of a historical romance novel reader and a car junkie, so seeing their carriages that were what I'd always read about and some pretty amazing cars was very cool. Since this part was a little more self-guided and we could keep walking, Ian was a little more interested. And tired. At one point, the tour guide asked if we'd slipped him a tranquilizer. Lady, we would've done that before the tour started if it was an option. Anyway, very cool tour, I have great pics of the gardens (can't take pics of the house) and I'd love to go back - when Ian's 20.
Well, this has been a long post. I will sign off for now, but stay tuned for pics and video, and a recap of the trip home.
So, our trip to NY was good. And a lot of work. But good. The new nephew is beyond adorable, and very sweet. I think in a year, he and Ian will be buds. Ian was really good with him - he kind of petted him like we do with the dogs. But that's ok. I was only allowed to hold Michael while Ian was not around. The first time I held him, Ian was pretty good - he just kept inching closer and closer on the couch and just about crawled onto my lap. So I put Michael down. The second time, I was trying to give Katie a break and let her eat dinner and I took Michael and we walked into the kitchen, out of Ian's sight. Yeah, right. He gave me 2 seconds, then started yelling "MAMA" from his high chair. Apparently I was cheating on him and that was NOT ok. For the most part, Dave and I have determined that there is no part of traveling with a 15-month-old that is easy. It is not vacation. The sun rises about an hour there before it does in Kansas, so guess who was up at 5:30am every morning? Guess who didn't take a nap for 2 straight days because the pack'n'play wasn't his crib, it was too light in the room, atmospheric conditions were off, there were solar flares - you get the picture. Guess who is one cranky little boy when he doesn't nap? Katie and Sean also have these cool things called "stairs" in their house - wood stairs, steep stairs. Going up was fine, going down required assistance. Also, they have 2 dogs that are way curious about Ian. Ian is used to being ignored by our dogs, so this was a new opportunity for him to
So, what did we do? A lot of nice visiting, and a lot of great eating. We discovered some cool places. We took Ian to his first (and our first) indoor playground. Best $14 we've EVER spent. We didn't have to worry about the fact that he doesn't walk everywhere yet. No dirt. Very few kids there. And it wore him out - awesome. We got some great videos and pics that I'll post later. We also discovered, conveniently around the corner, Rockland Bakery, a denison of evil. It's like Disney for the carb-addicted. There's a deli room. Then you walk back and there's the dessert room. And then you walk into the bread room. Did I mention these are ROOMS? Not shelves? We went twice. Amazing. If I lived up there, I would weigh 400lbs and eat nothing but bread. Lilly would have to ramp up its insulin production to keep up with me.
A definite highlight was a lunch Monday put on by one of my grad school friends, Anna. Paul, a former roommate and his wife Bridget, another grad school friend, and all our kids were there. So. Much. Fun. I can't thank everyone enough for coming. I hadn't seen these guys in 11 years, but it was like no time had passed. We had a great time catching up.
Another highlight was our trip to Kycuit, the Rockefeller's country estate, in Tarrytown, NY. The house is amazing. The grounds are amazing. I mean, come on, it's the Rockefellers - we didn't exactly tour a trailer in the woods. I kinda wish I was a Rockefeller. The house was built in the early 1900's and was given to the National Trust in the 1970's by Nelson Rockefeller, a 4-time governor of NY. Apparently, giving your share of a legacy to the US government is not cool, at least if you're the other shareholders. He willed it to the NT a year before he died and the family spent that year trying to talk him out of it. It took them 15 years after his death to allow visitors. To get there, you actually park somewhere else and take a shuttle. The house is at the top of a hill that looks out over the Hudson River. The grounds include 4000 acres and a country club that is only for the family and their guests. And when I say country club, I mean something they called the "playhouse" that was built for the kids. Very similar to what many of you probably have in your 4000 acre back yard - 2 indoor pools, 2 outdoor pools, tennis courts, a bowling alley. You know, just the basics. We plan to build Ian one next year. Anyway, now the house and gardens (that cost about $1 million to keep up) are part of the NT and the family can't use them for private functions any more. The clubhouse and golf course (what? you don't have one in your back yard either?) are leased back to the current Rockefellers, a lot of who have their own mansions on the property. Hence the shuttle - there is still family living on the property, so you're not allowed to just wander and drive wherever you want.
Now, this tour is not recommended for children under 5. It is 2 and a half hours long. Recommendations, schmecommendations. We took Ian. Who promptly wanted to get down and play in the big house. Our tour guide politely suggested (we totally got the evil eye when we got on the bus) that perhaps Ian would enjoy the gardens. So Dave took the first shift and was escorted and watched in the Rockefeller garden (one of them, there were a few). I looked at half the house, found out that Rock Sr was a devout Baptist, and there was no drinking, dancing, or entertaining there. No ballroom, which was unusual at the time. I went out to relieve Dave and watched Ian play in one of the fountains. It amused him. I wasn't entirely certain though that we were supposed to touch anything, so every time someone came close I scooped up Ian and totally pretended that I wasn't letting my child play in a historic fountain that was a precise replica of something you'd see in France. No, not us. The ladies assigned to guard us were actually extremely nice, though, and gave me a lot of info about the place. I think they felt bad that I missed most of the house tour. We walked through the art gallery in the basement (and I do mean gallery) and joined Dave in some of the lower gardens. We got to see the coach barn, which was AMAZING. I'm a little bit of a historical romance novel reader and a car junkie, so seeing their carriages that were what I'd always read about and some pretty amazing cars was very cool. Since this part was a little more self-guided and we could keep walking, Ian was a little more interested. And tired. At one point, the tour guide asked if we'd slipped him a tranquilizer. Lady, we would've done that before the tour started if it was an option. Anyway, very cool tour, I have great pics of the gardens (can't take pics of the house) and I'd love to go back - when Ian's 20.
Well, this has been a long post. I will sign off for now, but stay tuned for pics and video, and a recap of the trip home.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
A physiology lesson
Weird title for a blog about our trip yesterday, right? Oh no, totally relevant and I will explain everything. So this is how the day went...
5:30am - Dave and I wake up and take turns getting ready. In a perfect world, we'd wake Ian up at 6:45, get him dressed and in his carseat before he even fully work up, and hit the road at 7, with a pitstop at Sonic on the way. In reality, Ian woke up at 6:15. We gave him the rest of the blueberries in the fridge to tide him over. Again, the theory was that eating in the car would kill some of the 2 hour drive and then with a full belly, he'd fall asleep.
7:15am - get to Sonic, order breakfast. 7:30 - on the interstate. Did Ian eat the french toast sticks, the ONLY reason we specifically went to Sonic? NO! He ate the tater tots that came with my combo. Oh well. Can't wait for him to be able to just tell us what he wants - it sure would save money. Anyway, he fell asleep 20 minutes before we got to the airport.
9:20 - get to KCI, find parking, get on shuttle to terminal. Feeling confident - we can do this! It won't be that bad! Millions of people fly with small children - we can too! We check in and I told the nice, helpful checker-inner that we have an infant in arms. She goes through our info and ask us if the gun is in our luggage. We look at her like she's lost her mind. She says "didn't you say you were armed?" Um, not exactly, but some of Ian's diapers could be used as WMD. Had a good laugh and he hands us our boarding passes. Thank GOD I looked at them, because she had checked our luggage to La Guardia but we only had boarding passes to get to Milwaukee. Got that straightened out and we were not having to spend the week in Wisconsin, though I do love cheese.
Wait for flight, keep Ian occupied with walking him from one end of the terminal section to the other. Let him climb on unoccupied seats. Stare out the window. Buy a grapes and cheese snack and a milk for the plane. Finally, time to board! The 6lbs of trail mix was nixed in favor of the grapes and cheese. Big hit! He munched his way through the hour flight. Taking his beloved baba was a smart decision too - he wasn't bothered at all during takeoff and landing because he was so thrilled that I was letting him have unlimited access to his favorite drink in his favorite drinking vessel. iPad games ignored, but flipping the screen back and forth for 20 minutes? Total entertainment.
Get to Milwaukee, change diaper, find lunch. Mostly for Dave and I, since our little chowhound had pretty much eaten for an entire hour. We went to Johnny Rockets and it was the worst JR that I've ever been to. Oh well, it's in an airport - they have a captive audience. Back to terminal, and whereas before there had been no one, there were now 76 million people that we were going to have to share a plane with for 2 hours. Oh goody. Thankfully, we went to a gate that had no one in it and were able to let him play until it was time to board. Also thankfully, all the grapes, cheese, and tots exited BEFORE we got on the plane. Have I mentioned that I love my diaper-demon of a husband? That diaper was so bad it left a vapor trail as he carried Ian to the bathroom.
I should mention at this point that when we first walked past the 76 million waiting to board, there was a guy playing a ukulele. As time went on, that progressed into him playing his ukulele and another guy pulling out a guitar and singing. At the gate. Also, another flight landed and 3 women of questionable fashion sense (5 inch heels, skintight jeans, sunglasses in the Milwaukee airport) walked past us and all stopped to tell us how cute Ian is. Oh goody - my son attracts hookers. At least they were nice hookers, right? We bought another milk for the plane.
We board the completely full plane. It's warm. This is gonna be fun. Ian is exhausted because so far, all he's had is a 20 minute nap. It's 2pm now. Praying that he'd go to sleep, I gave him his baba for takeoff. The plane has direct TV for $6. Credit card swiped without hesitation. Ian drinks his milk, watches a little TV and then wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, falls asleep! Woo hoo!! Visions of a peaceful hour and a half remainder of the flight dance in my head. But, after about 45 minutes, I screwed up. I had to adjust him one too many times. But my legs were going numb and my back was killing me because we were in the row in front of the exit row - so they didn't recline and I was slumping, trying to recreate the human recliner. Oh well. More baba, some puffs, and TV actually made the rest of the flight amazingly good. And then, in the last 10 minutes or so, Dave uttered those fateful words...does he feel wet to you?
Oh no. At first I said no. Dave showed me the wet spot on his jeans. I felt around and realized that he had sprung a leak in the vicinity of his left buttcheek. But hey, we're landing, right? We made plans with military precision - Dave would take Ian and the diaper bag and find a bathroom. I would take the rest of our bags, get the stroller from gate-check, and we would rendezvous at carousel 2 to get luggage. Ok, we can do this - we're so close. And then...the pilot stopped 20 feet short of the gate, so we had to be towed. Then they had to adjust the jetbridge 3 times. All of this adding up to an additional 20 minutes on the plane with a wet spot spreading over the back of Ian's jeans, my jeans getting wetter by the second and some guy in the back who thought screaming "let us off the plane" would hurry things up. Finally, realizing that Ian's diaper was about to burst with the force of the Hoover Dam, he asked the guy next to him to stand up so that we could change him. The guy was really nice and jumped up, and we changed Ian on the plane, in the seat. We didn't put his wet jeans on, so our son had to cruise through La Guardia pantsless. At least he's 1 and this is still socially acceptable, although I could hear his thoughts alternating between "I don't know where we are, but if I don't have to wear pants while I'm here, cool" and "Oh geez, mom, I can't impress the NY ladies when I'm in a t-shirt and diaper!" Dave wanted me to hand the diaper to the flight crew and thank them for their landing ability, but I refrained. Sean picked us up and the drive to their house was uneventful, thankfully. Welcome to NY!!
Oh yeah, that physiology lesson? Liquid in = liquid out. Our son's kidneys work. We're thinking overnite diapers for the flight back.
5:30am - Dave and I wake up and take turns getting ready. In a perfect world, we'd wake Ian up at 6:45, get him dressed and in his carseat before he even fully work up, and hit the road at 7, with a pitstop at Sonic on the way. In reality, Ian woke up at 6:15. We gave him the rest of the blueberries in the fridge to tide him over. Again, the theory was that eating in the car would kill some of the 2 hour drive and then with a full belly, he'd fall asleep.
7:15am - get to Sonic, order breakfast. 7:30 - on the interstate. Did Ian eat the french toast sticks, the ONLY reason we specifically went to Sonic? NO! He ate the tater tots that came with my combo. Oh well. Can't wait for him to be able to just tell us what he wants - it sure would save money. Anyway, he fell asleep 20 minutes before we got to the airport.
9:20 - get to KCI, find parking, get on shuttle to terminal. Feeling confident - we can do this! It won't be that bad! Millions of people fly with small children - we can too! We check in and I told the nice, helpful checker-inner that we have an infant in arms. She goes through our info and ask us if the gun is in our luggage. We look at her like she's lost her mind. She says "didn't you say you were armed?" Um, not exactly, but some of Ian's diapers could be used as WMD. Had a good laugh and he hands us our boarding passes. Thank GOD I looked at them, because she had checked our luggage to La Guardia but we only had boarding passes to get to Milwaukee. Got that straightened out and we were not having to spend the week in Wisconsin, though I do love cheese.
Wait for flight, keep Ian occupied with walking him from one end of the terminal section to the other. Let him climb on unoccupied seats. Stare out the window. Buy a grapes and cheese snack and a milk for the plane. Finally, time to board! The 6lbs of trail mix was nixed in favor of the grapes and cheese. Big hit! He munched his way through the hour flight. Taking his beloved baba was a smart decision too - he wasn't bothered at all during takeoff and landing because he was so thrilled that I was letting him have unlimited access to his favorite drink in his favorite drinking vessel. iPad games ignored, but flipping the screen back and forth for 20 minutes? Total entertainment.
Get to Milwaukee, change diaper, find lunch. Mostly for Dave and I, since our little chowhound had pretty much eaten for an entire hour. We went to Johnny Rockets and it was the worst JR that I've ever been to. Oh well, it's in an airport - they have a captive audience. Back to terminal, and whereas before there had been no one, there were now 76 million people that we were going to have to share a plane with for 2 hours. Oh goody. Thankfully, we went to a gate that had no one in it and were able to let him play until it was time to board. Also thankfully, all the grapes, cheese, and tots exited BEFORE we got on the plane. Have I mentioned that I love my diaper-demon of a husband? That diaper was so bad it left a vapor trail as he carried Ian to the bathroom.
I should mention at this point that when we first walked past the 76 million waiting to board, there was a guy playing a ukulele. As time went on, that progressed into him playing his ukulele and another guy pulling out a guitar and singing. At the gate. Also, another flight landed and 3 women of questionable fashion sense (5 inch heels, skintight jeans, sunglasses in the Milwaukee airport) walked past us and all stopped to tell us how cute Ian is. Oh goody - my son attracts hookers. At least they were nice hookers, right? We bought another milk for the plane.
We board the completely full plane. It's warm. This is gonna be fun. Ian is exhausted because so far, all he's had is a 20 minute nap. It's 2pm now. Praying that he'd go to sleep, I gave him his baba for takeoff. The plane has direct TV for $6. Credit card swiped without hesitation. Ian drinks his milk, watches a little TV and then wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, falls asleep! Woo hoo!! Visions of a peaceful hour and a half remainder of the flight dance in my head. But, after about 45 minutes, I screwed up. I had to adjust him one too many times. But my legs were going numb and my back was killing me because we were in the row in front of the exit row - so they didn't recline and I was slumping, trying to recreate the human recliner. Oh well. More baba, some puffs, and TV actually made the rest of the flight amazingly good. And then, in the last 10 minutes or so, Dave uttered those fateful words...does he feel wet to you?
Oh no. At first I said no. Dave showed me the wet spot on his jeans. I felt around and realized that he had sprung a leak in the vicinity of his left buttcheek. But hey, we're landing, right? We made plans with military precision - Dave would take Ian and the diaper bag and find a bathroom. I would take the rest of our bags, get the stroller from gate-check, and we would rendezvous at carousel 2 to get luggage. Ok, we can do this - we're so close. And then...the pilot stopped 20 feet short of the gate, so we had to be towed. Then they had to adjust the jetbridge 3 times. All of this adding up to an additional 20 minutes on the plane with a wet spot spreading over the back of Ian's jeans, my jeans getting wetter by the second and some guy in the back who thought screaming "let us off the plane" would hurry things up. Finally, realizing that Ian's diaper was about to burst with the force of the Hoover Dam, he asked the guy next to him to stand up so that we could change him. The guy was really nice and jumped up, and we changed Ian on the plane, in the seat. We didn't put his wet jeans on, so our son had to cruise through La Guardia pantsless. At least he's 1 and this is still socially acceptable, although I could hear his thoughts alternating between "I don't know where we are, but if I don't have to wear pants while I'm here, cool" and "Oh geez, mom, I can't impress the NY ladies when I'm in a t-shirt and diaper!" Dave wanted me to hand the diaper to the flight crew and thank them for their landing ability, but I refrained. Sean picked us up and the drive to their house was uneventful, thankfully. Welcome to NY!!
Oh yeah, that physiology lesson? Liquid in = liquid out. Our son's kidneys work. We're thinking overnite diapers for the flight back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)