Reflections

I can't believe how fast the past twelve weeks have gone. Cliche? Yes, but so true.

It is nearing 10 PM the night before returning to work after maternity leave. I'm left reflecting on everything that has taken place over the past weeks. A mosaic of memories, emotions and events that will forever change my life. I will cherish all of them always. For both the ups and downs have made this one of the very best, and most special times of my life.

Reflections...

- Surprise, scared, stressed about having my lil lady so early

- Yearning to hold her and having to wait - but, sooo worth the wait and a moment that I'll never forget

- Joyful that she was healthy and strong, though so small. Perfect little feet, hands, face. So sweet and lovely. Joy of latching on, advancing from each NICU room - another step closer to the door

- Sad to not have her visit my hospital room. Waking every day with anticipation of seeing my beautiful little miracle

- Sad and strange to leave without my baby; empty car seat

- Nervous about how long she would have to stay in the NICU. Making NICU my home, not to miss a minute with my little girl. Wanting her to know that she is loved, absorbing the strength from her mommy's arms. Relieved that she came home in less than two weeks

- Coming home!! The exultation!! A joyous day full of blessings

- Family and friends - and all of their outreach and generosity

- Cuddling at home! Just being home a joy. No commutes to see my lil peanut

- Sleeper smiles, squeaks, groans, grunts and all of the sweet little sounds from my expressive little lady. So much to say, right from the start. Telling us everything in her own way

- How proud I've been of my lil man. What a sweet, loving and caring big brother. Wanting her to reach out to him. Giving kisses and wanting to help. Hearing him say, "my baby"

- Learning what each sound means, playing, singing, talking, cuddling, laughing together

- Amazed at how she has grown - from 3 lb. 15 oz. to 9 lb. 12 oz . (with clothes on)

- Sleepless nights, gallons of caffeine - a warm welcome from my old friend the Chai Tea latte

- Recent emergence of cooing and smiles - moments you live for

- Being home to welcome lil man when he got home. Giving kisses and hugs

- Staking a permanent claim on the couch with lil lady

- Rush of emotions two weeks before

- Sadness, nervousness, anticipation about heading back

- Contentment upon looking back upon the time, grateful for the time, the memories and my little girl

- Love - for life, family, friends and moments to come

- Peace - ready to step back into reality

Favorite Quotes of the Week

"Belly buttons turn into babies." - Three-year-old wisdom

"Parenting is a constant jedi mind trick." - Dad

Truth in Mom's Cooking - from the mouth of a 3 year old food critic

OK, so I am not an accomplished chef... and even saying that I can cook may be a bit of a stretch. While I love great food (usually at the hands of some other great chef from one of the local restaurants or cafes), I find myself to be more of a convenience cook.

As a working mom, now with two little ones under three, I am into quick meals (but do try to put the best quality prepared foods, semi-homemade and homemade meals in front of my family). When I do have some time, I really enjoy cooking, but I have lost my knack due to lack of recent practice and have fallen into the realty of convenience as king. (I'd rather spend time playing with my little ones when I get home versus cooking for an extended period of time).

In fact, in one of my earlier postings, I talk about if my son was grown up and today and had to reflect and tell you about his "normal" family life, he just might tell you (sigh, not proud) that food is cooked in 30 seconds and that the microwave is the medium (oven, what's that? just kidding, we're not that bad. frozen pizzas go in the oven, everyone knows that. :)

But seriously, I am currently home on maternity leave, so I decided to try and change this memory and perception and give my family some home cooked meals. I have been devouring the latest cooking books, blogs and magazines to try and create a new meaning of food preparation (stressing patience and emphasizing the wafting aroma of cooking pastas, meats and veges).

This week, I cooked (not a fancy dinner, but an improvement) some quesadillas. I was standing over the stove, grilling the tortillas to the perfect shade of golden brown, when a little steam (ok, so some smoke), hung over the stove.

My little man looks over at me and said, "Fire!" (At first, I had no idea what he was referring to). He said it a few more times and then I grasped that he was referring to the steam or "smoke" coming from my gourmet dinner on the stove.

He then, with his three-year old ear-to-ear grin, turned to me and asked, "Do you have any smoke?" (you see, he likes to ask us daily, "do you have any (fill in the blank)?" Typically he asks us if we have any toys, because we say "no" and then turn the question around to him - and he proudly says yes - as he has many toys).

Then he immediately followed his question with, "Smoke is for choo-choos."

I couldn't have said it any better myself. At that moment, I realized that a new food critic was born.

Bath time bribe

Looking for an inexpensive and almost sure fire way to get your toddler or preschooler excited for bath time? In a word ... dinosaurs.

My 3 1/2 year old, once a fan of bath time, has decided that he is no longer quite as enthusiastic about getting clean. My sister sent him a gift which quickly has become part of our new bath time ritual.

She sent him a packet of capsules containing, "grow in water" dinosaurs. Yes, the little pill shaped capsules which you submerge in water to grow a thumbnail sized creature. A cheesy birthday party gift you say? Maybe, but this worked like magic and continues to do so every night.

We told our lil man that he'd get to "hatch" a dinosaur egg in the bath tub. This instantly peaked his preschool curiosity. Instead of fighting about the end of play and the inevitable transition to bed time, lead in by the infamous "bath" - he immediately wanted to get into the tub.

A bribe you might be thinking? Maybe, but isn't a little serenity and just a little creativity worth it? Now, every night without a dissenting comment or sound, he happily goes up for bath time so that he can "hatch" a dinosaur egg. He picks out one, by the color of the capsule each night, and declares whether it will be a "mommy", "daddy" or "baby". He excitedly tosses it into the tub and ventures in to see what new, exciting species will emerge.

Now, this is what I call a good value. For us it is definitely worth the $1 for an entire package/page of nightly bath time buddies.

Nicknames

I thought it would be fun to reflect on nick names. While some are unique and hold great personality, others are common - but they all tell a story and have meaning.

Here are some of my favorites. What are yours?

Lil man

Bub

Bub from the Tub

Peanut Guy

Peanut Butter Pie Guy

Lil lady

Beautiful Girl

Siena Bella

Peanut Girl

Post Baby Treats for Mom

Top 10 post baby treats for mom!

10 - Sushi!

9 - Red wine!!

8 - Chocolate (craving dark chocolate. Lots of dark chocolate M&Ms and Mini Three Musketeer bars!)

7 - Getting to blog about new baby

6 - Red wine (yes, I missed having a glass so it's on here twice!!)

5- Putting away some of the maternity clothes

4 - Having my mom here for a month

3 - Taking walks with my lil lady

2 - Grande Non-fat, extra foamy Chai Tea Lattes

1- A beautiful little lady and wonderful family!! All of the smiles, cuddles, snuggling and love!!!

Big Brother's Fav Lil Sister Sayings

"It's my baby." - Talk about a proud big brother!

"You need to pump! We need milk." - lil man's response to when his sister is upset.

"Gentle mommy!" - response to when I hold his sister. We keep telling him to be gentle and he reminds us to do the same.

"Did you hear that? It's a squeak!" - what he loves to say when he hears talking.