(Note: I wrote this entry on Monday, but am just now getting the opportunity to get it online. Stay tuned for my next entry on this topic, which I am tentatively naming: "Three things I hate about Reilly's new daycare.")
A first day at a new job can be tough. There are new names to learn, hands to shake, directions to follow. Since I like to be on time to the nth degree, I am now sitting in the parking lot in front of my office at 7:45am, 45 minutes before my first meeting.
I was feeling a little nervous on the drive to work, and feeling a little envious of Reilly. Today is her first day too--first day at her new childcare facility. And even though we told her she was going to "school" this morning, she doesn't know enough about what we're saying to be nervous. She just blinked her eyes at us in the early morning light and whined for her bottle. For Reilly, it was just another morning. She doesn't have to have nerves at the prospect of her new day, though it pains me to think she might be afraid when Shawn leaves her behind at the daycare this morning. I calm myself with the knowledge of how independent she is, and how much she loves other kids.
Well then, off I go to Human Resources for orientation. I can only hope that Reilly understands that though first days can be tough, and there is much to learn, there is also much happiness to be found, and new friendships to be made.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Nontoxic
The other day, Donna gave Reilly a pen and a piece of paper. Reilly proceeded to scribble a bit on the paper. At that moment, she became a Drawer. At once, I was surprised and not surprised--an event that happens quite regularly for this dad.
Motivated by her new found skill, the next day I gave Reilly a large crayon that Shawn had brought back from Germany. She was able to draw a few faint lines on a piece of paper, but the pressure required of the waxy crayon was a little much for her to overcome.
The same day, I bought Reilly some sidewalk chalk to try out. Later, Shawn sat her down at the city park and opened up the box of chalk:
Reilly got to work right away, and she was pretty good at it, getting about 50% of the chalk on the pavement, 40% on her clothes, and about 10% in her mouth. Good thing Crayola makes nontoxic chalk. Reilly's spit was blue for ten minutes afterward.
Motivated by her new found skill, the next day I gave Reilly a large crayon that Shawn had brought back from Germany. She was able to draw a few faint lines on a piece of paper, but the pressure required of the waxy crayon was a little much for her to overcome.
The same day, I bought Reilly some sidewalk chalk to try out. Later, Shawn sat her down at the city park and opened up the box of chalk:
Reilly got to work right away, and she was pretty good at it, getting about 50% of the chalk on the pavement, 40% on her clothes, and about 10% in her mouth. Good thing Crayola makes nontoxic chalk. Reilly's spit was blue for ten minutes afterward.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Week 65 Pictures
We are a 1 camera family, and Shawn has the digital on her business trip, so I have but two pictures for you this week.
Last Sunday, Shawn and I took Reilly to Gulfport to get a cup of coffee and putz around. Here are the shots I snapped outside the coffee shop:
Last Sunday, Shawn and I took Reilly to Gulfport to get a cup of coffee and putz around. Here are the shots I snapped outside the coffee shop:
Friday, October 6, 2006
From Green Tea to Calgary
I was just in the pantry, looking for some green tea, which made me think of my old work pals Ellen and Adriana. At my old job in The City, every day I would get a hankering for green tea around 1:30pm. Since Ellen and Adriana were big tea drinkers, I would walk over to one of their offices to “borrow” a tea bag.
Which person I chose to visit was dependent on the type of tea I was in the mood for. Ellen had the real deal green tea straight from China. The name on the teabag was too strange to not be authentic: “Prince of Peace.” If I wanted loose tea, however, I would go to see Adriana, who had some really fragrant Twinning jasmine tea. To this day, I’ve never had jasmine tea as good as the stuff Adriana had.
The pantry also made me think of Shawn, who is in Calgary today. Shawn is a sucker for any products that say “new” on the label, or that otherwise are outside of the normal realm of the food store. Me, I’ll take my same old box of Triscuits each week, but Shawn likes to be adventurous. I often make fun of her for trying new things, because more often than not, she doesn’t like the special product she bought, and we end up with a half gallon of some strange juice from Africa that tastes like dirt.
For example, today when I was looking for tea, I came across a big tin of powdered Ovalmaltine, which apparently is the Swiss version of Ovaltine. Shawn picked it up when she was in Switzerland, thinking Reilly might like it. Reilly took one sip, opened her mouth, and let it dribble down her chin. No surprise there.
The good thing about Shawn’s adventurous food choices is that sooner or later, she brings something home that is awesome. Right now, I am enjoying a Basler Leckerli with my cup of green tea. The little biscuits taste like licorice flavored shortbread, and are damn tasty. She also brought home bar after bar of Finnish and Swiss chocolate, which is the best I've ever had.
Yesterday when I talked to Shawn, she was in Calgary. She said that she was missing Reilly, and asked me to send her some pictures. When I asked her what she had bought, she said shoes and clothes. Hopefully, she’ll come across some interesting food item and pick it up for us to try. (If not hon, get me some of those ketchup chips chips while you're in Canada. You know how much I like those things.)
Anyway, in honor of Shawn’s request, here is a little photo strip of some of my favorite shots of her and Reilly:
Which person I chose to visit was dependent on the type of tea I was in the mood for. Ellen had the real deal green tea straight from China. The name on the teabag was too strange to not be authentic: “Prince of Peace.” If I wanted loose tea, however, I would go to see Adriana, who had some really fragrant Twinning jasmine tea. To this day, I’ve never had jasmine tea as good as the stuff Adriana had.
The pantry also made me think of Shawn, who is in Calgary today. Shawn is a sucker for any products that say “new” on the label, or that otherwise are outside of the normal realm of the food store. Me, I’ll take my same old box of Triscuits each week, but Shawn likes to be adventurous. I often make fun of her for trying new things, because more often than not, she doesn’t like the special product she bought, and we end up with a half gallon of some strange juice from Africa that tastes like dirt.
For example, today when I was looking for tea, I came across a big tin of powdered Ovalmaltine, which apparently is the Swiss version of Ovaltine. Shawn picked it up when she was in Switzerland, thinking Reilly might like it. Reilly took one sip, opened her mouth, and let it dribble down her chin. No surprise there.
The good thing about Shawn’s adventurous food choices is that sooner or later, she brings something home that is awesome. Right now, I am enjoying a Basler Leckerli with my cup of green tea. The little biscuits taste like licorice flavored shortbread, and are damn tasty. She also brought home bar after bar of Finnish and Swiss chocolate, which is the best I've ever had.
Yesterday when I talked to Shawn, she was in Calgary. She said that she was missing Reilly, and asked me to send her some pictures. When I asked her what she had bought, she said shoes and clothes. Hopefully, she’ll come across some interesting food item and pick it up for us to try. (If not hon, get me some of those ketchup chips chips while you're in Canada. You know how much I like those things.)
Anyway, in honor of Shawn’s request, here is a little photo strip of some of my favorite shots of her and Reilly:
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Front-facing
As I've stated in a previous entry, Reilly has had some difficulty adjusting to the car seat. By "difficulty" I mean that she cries from the moment I put her in it until the moment I remove her. Sometimes I can bribe her to be quiet with some goldfish crackers or some cheerios, but for the most part, driving with Reilly in the car is torture. I've tried playing her favorite CD, I've tried singing to her, I've even tried drowning her out. Nothing really works.
Both Shawn and I have postulated that the reason she gets pissed off in the car seat is because she is facing the rear of the car. For those who don't know, you are supposed to face a child to the rear of the car until she is 12 months old or 20 pounds, whichever comes last. As you all are aware, Reilly is closing in on 15 months, but she is also only in the 4th percentile for weight, so we've been patiently waiting for her to hit the 20 pound milestone.
I've considered feeding her doughnuts to get her to put on weight (worked for me).
The other day, grandma Donna took Reilly to the local grocery store. When she returned, she pronounced that Reilly was 21 pounds fully clothed. When I asked her how she came to this measurement, she stated that she had weighed Reilly on the Publix scale. The accuracy of said scale withstanding, I decided that was enough for me.
Yesterday, I turned Reilly's car seat around in the backseat and clipped her in. I drove to the playground. She did not cry. When I tilted the rearview mirror to see if she was still awake, she looked right at me and smiled. Later, when I checked her again, she was staring out the window. Turning around the car seat has transformed my devil baby back into her little sweet self, and has turned her harried, grumpy driver daddy back into his NPR loving, safe driving self.
Both Shawn and I have postulated that the reason she gets pissed off in the car seat is because she is facing the rear of the car. For those who don't know, you are supposed to face a child to the rear of the car until she is 12 months old or 20 pounds, whichever comes last. As you all are aware, Reilly is closing in on 15 months, but she is also only in the 4th percentile for weight, so we've been patiently waiting for her to hit the 20 pound milestone.
I've considered feeding her doughnuts to get her to put on weight (worked for me).
The other day, grandma Donna took Reilly to the local grocery store. When she returned, she pronounced that Reilly was 21 pounds fully clothed. When I asked her how she came to this measurement, she stated that she had weighed Reilly on the Publix scale. The accuracy of said scale withstanding, I decided that was enough for me.
Yesterday, I turned Reilly's car seat around in the backseat and clipped her in. I drove to the playground. She did not cry. When I tilted the rearview mirror to see if she was still awake, she looked right at me and smiled. Later, when I checked her again, she was staring out the window. Turning around the car seat has transformed my devil baby back into her little sweet self, and has turned her harried, grumpy driver daddy back into his NPR loving, safe driving self.
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Like father like daughter
Reilly and I are sharing a common problem today: pain.
For Reilly, it is teething, once again. I'm not sure what is coming in now, but the telltale drool and irritability is back with a vengeance. I'm guessing it's her eye teeth.
For me, it is a sore right knee and an equally sore left ankle. Last night I came out of retirement and joined Team TBD for a night of 8 on 8 men's league soccer. I'm proud to say that I scored the first goal. I am less proud to say that I was so out of shape that I had to play goalie for the whole second half.
Our team ended up winning 3-2, which places us at 1-0 on the season. Stay tuned for a report on next Monday's game. For now, it's Motrin for me, infant Motrin for Reilly.
For Reilly, it is teething, once again. I'm not sure what is coming in now, but the telltale drool and irritability is back with a vengeance. I'm guessing it's her eye teeth.
For me, it is a sore right knee and an equally sore left ankle. Last night I came out of retirement and joined Team TBD for a night of 8 on 8 men's league soccer. I'm proud to say that I scored the first goal. I am less proud to say that I was so out of shape that I had to play goalie for the whole second half.
Our team ended up winning 3-2, which places us at 1-0 on the season. Stay tuned for a report on next Monday's game. For now, it's Motrin for me, infant Motrin for Reilly.
Monday, October 2, 2006
Good Fortune, and her sister, Guilt
I am sitting at the computer, looking through the sliding glass door to the deck outside, where the shadow of the oak tree shimmers with the breeze. The house is quiet; Reilly is taking her nap, and Leia is next to me on the tile floor, somehow hoping a crumb from my sandwich will fall to her. I am trying to enjoy these moments of quiet and freedom, since I begin a new job next Monday.
Last week I was hired on at a local nonprofit. I am truly thrilled about the job--it's a great fit for me, the people are great, and the pay and benefits are also excellent. Throughout the long and sometimes torturous job hunt, I had up to five different organizations interested me, and ended up with three offers on the table at the same time. I felt fortunate to have three good options to choose from, and also a little proud that I was valued at a potential employee.
It took me two months to find a new job. That seems to be a reasonable amount of time. Since the actual searching, applying, and interviewing only took up about 5% of my time, I had the opportunity to spend the majority of the two months with Reilly. As she approaches fifteen months, I feel fortunate that we have had this time to get to know each other better. She is such a great kid, so smart and sensitive and caring, and so full of energy and life.
Shawn's experience in the last two months has been the opposite of mine. She has been traveling for her job for long stretches of time: gone seven days, home two days, gone five days, home three days, and son on. True, she has had the opportunity to visit Finland and Denmark and Germany and Switzerland, but she has had to walk the streets of Berlin without her daughter, and that makes her sad, and it makes her feel guilty.
Still, her salary has kept us afloat, has helped us pay off our credit card, which was stretched thin in our last few months in The City. Yesterday, her salary helped us buy a new car.* With our good credit, we were able to get a good loan and quick approval. When I looked from the room we were in to the room across the hall, I saw another young couple. They were having trouble financing their car. Their faces were clearly pained as the salesman explained their dwindling options. Once again, I felt fortunate.
This morning, Reilly woke up and I brought her into bed with me for a little snuggle. When she saw Shawn wasn't here, she slid off the bed and walked around the house looking for her. A short time later, she gave up. She didn't seem sad or concerned, but the scene made me feel sad, and a little guilty, that Shawn has been financing my free time; my busy afternoons at the playground, and my quiet moments, such as this.
(*We didn't actually buy a new car. We bought a new used car, a 2003 Toyota Camry LE, white, with 23,000 miles on it. If you're in the market for a used car, try Carmax. We were very impressed with their operation.)
Last week I was hired on at a local nonprofit. I am truly thrilled about the job--it's a great fit for me, the people are great, and the pay and benefits are also excellent. Throughout the long and sometimes torturous job hunt, I had up to five different organizations interested me, and ended up with three offers on the table at the same time. I felt fortunate to have three good options to choose from, and also a little proud that I was valued at a potential employee.
It took me two months to find a new job. That seems to be a reasonable amount of time. Since the actual searching, applying, and interviewing only took up about 5% of my time, I had the opportunity to spend the majority of the two months with Reilly. As she approaches fifteen months, I feel fortunate that we have had this time to get to know each other better. She is such a great kid, so smart and sensitive and caring, and so full of energy and life.
Shawn's experience in the last two months has been the opposite of mine. She has been traveling for her job for long stretches of time: gone seven days, home two days, gone five days, home three days, and son on. True, she has had the opportunity to visit Finland and Denmark and Germany and Switzerland, but she has had to walk the streets of Berlin without her daughter, and that makes her sad, and it makes her feel guilty.
Still, her salary has kept us afloat, has helped us pay off our credit card, which was stretched thin in our last few months in The City. Yesterday, her salary helped us buy a new car.* With our good credit, we were able to get a good loan and quick approval. When I looked from the room we were in to the room across the hall, I saw another young couple. They were having trouble financing their car. Their faces were clearly pained as the salesman explained their dwindling options. Once again, I felt fortunate.
This morning, Reilly woke up and I brought her into bed with me for a little snuggle. When she saw Shawn wasn't here, she slid off the bed and walked around the house looking for her. A short time later, she gave up. She didn't seem sad or concerned, but the scene made me feel sad, and a little guilty, that Shawn has been financing my free time; my busy afternoons at the playground, and my quiet moments, such as this.
(*We didn't actually buy a new car. We bought a new used car, a 2003 Toyota Camry LE, white, with 23,000 miles on it. If you're in the market for a used car, try Carmax. We were very impressed with their operation.)
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