Just one more thing

A few material things I am craving at the moment.  I am well aware that these things will not completely cure me of the have-to-go-back-to-work blues, but they’re a nice thought!

• a slice of strawberry shortcake or key lime pie (or both!) from Nantucket Cafe and Bakery
• a massage
• a day to sleep as late as I want — and not feel guilty about getting up and helping with the baby
• pancakes (this one is weird – I only get pancake cravings like 3 times a year)
• hot scones – blueberry or cherry
• a pedicure
• hot bagels, cold cream cheese
• someone to come clean my house

I’m really having trouble with this back-to-work thing.  I love being a stay-at-home mom.  I feel like I do a better job of taking care of my family when I’m not working and I feel like my family is happier when I’m not working.  Alas, stay-at-home-ness is not an option so back to the grind I go.  Maybe I’ll pick up a bagel or a scone for breakfast on Monday … just ease the pain a little.

Killing me softly

I go back to work this Monday.  I’ve spent 8 blissful weeks with my fantastic daughter and I have to go back to work full time and I have learned a few things in this world of parenting, some that I knew before and some that are totally new.  Let me preface by saying that these are merely my own observations of myself so they may or may not be accurate to a third party.  But that being said, what did I learn?

1. I don’t like it when other people watch my kid.  It’s not even that I don’t trust them – I often ask the ladies in the daycare whether they think Natalie’s rash is diaper or more serious, tips on how to get her to sleep, when to start solids etc.  I’m aware that I’m a first time mom.  I’m just very … protective of my time with my daughter.  I can never get enough and I don’t like sharing.  I knew this the first day I dropped my tiny 7-week-old off at daycare and spent the day counting minutes to my break when I got to see her again.

2. Schedule schedule schedule.  Natalie was on pretty much the same schedule all summer – up around 7 or 7:30, bottle, nap at 9, up at 9:30 or so, lunch around 11, nap around 12, up around 2 or 2:15, afternoon meal at 3, dinner at 6:45ish, bath at 7:15, prayers, and in bed by 7:30.  This made for a sunshiney baby and nice quiet nights.  We traveled all of last week and her schedule was thrown off by plane rides, car rides, nights in hotels and strange (to her) houses, weird feeding schedules and naps in moving vehicles.  The last two days have been hellish trying to get her to sleep and be cheerful and not be so clingy because she can’t recognize everything yet so I don’t even know that she knows she’s home.  Tomorrow and Friday we’re going nowhere that can interrupt her schedule so that she can get back online.

3. They can talk!  I have been working all summer trying to get Natalie to say “Hi, dada.”  And she can!  Only, the remote control is ‘dada’ and the dog is ‘dada’ and the pillow is ‘dada’ and so on.  But today when JJ came home and I said, “Say, hi dada!” she actually did.  Of course, she then turned around and said “Hi, dada” to the rattle on the floor.  Take it as you will.

4. Diapers aren’t as bad as I originally thought.  Moving on …

5. I’m glad that my dog and my kid get along.  It would be difficult if they didn’t.

6. My husband is a fantastic father – made even better by the fact that it doesn’t really come naturally to him so he works really hard at it.

7. I have a water bug for a child.  And I’m so proud!

School AGAIN?

In order to keep the required certifications at school, I have to take 3 courses this summer.  One on elementary teaching methods (my class of choice: teaching writing skills), and two Bible courses.  I actually need 3 Bible credits and each Bible course is worth (conveniently enough) 2 credits, so I’m going to have to take two.  I have until October 31 to get everything mailed in.  Actually, I think I have until like October 14 because I think it has to be received by October 31.  Plus, I have to write a paper on the philosophy of Christian education.  The paper is the easy part and I hope to have it done sometime this week.  The other 3 parts – the writing course (which, by the way, costs an outlandish sum of money to enroll in that *I* have to pay for – ugh) will take probably 3 weeks and the Bible courses a couple of weeks apiece.  It’s not that I don’t want to take these courses – they actually all sound like a lot of fun – but that I’m a little annoyed with myself that I’ve waited until I only have 3 months left to do it to try and cram it all in.  Bear in mind, I have known since the fall of 2006 that I was going to have to do this stuff.  Very un-Angela to wait this long.  Life gets in the way, I guess.  But I think if I can get 2-3 hours of work in a day from now until school starts in August, I might actually get it all done.  I guess since my daughter is napping I should get started on Bible course number one.

A good sandwich and a big girl

So originally the thought was to blog about the sandwich I made for lunch today. It was actually that good. But then, I put Natalie down for a nap and a whole new world of things happened. I heard bumping and grunting, but no crying so I went upstairs to check on her. What did I find? Natalie. Standing. STANDING. She was using the crib for support and well … chewing on it. I went for the camera but by the time I got back she had sat back down. The standing prompted a crib modification, namely, lowering the mattress. It was tiring. And now I know why people use the cribs with the droppable sides. I still don’t like them personally because I tend to get my fingers stuck in the up and down parts, but I definitely understand why they’re a good idea.

I still have to mention the sandwich though. I mean, this is how good this sandwich was. It’s a modification of a sandwich I saw Giada De Laurentiis make on Everyday Italian so that it would fit my diet.

Tuna Panini with Arugula

1 can tuna (I like the kind packed in water, but whatever you prefer)
1 package arugula
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 slices low-fat, 2% cheese of your choice (I use mozzarella but again, whatever you prefer)
1 tsp low fat mayonnaise
1 loaf of foccacia sliced

Drain tuna and mix it together with the mayonnaise. Layer tuna, arugula, tomato and cheese on the sliced foccacia. Place on a grill pan or in a panini press and grill until golden brown and cheese is melted.

I should have taken a picture. It was that good.