Like a waterfall in slow motion, Part One
3 years ago
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish my mother a VERY happy birthday today! I'm so sorry I can't be there to share it with you, but I'm thinking of you. Dad has something from Micah, Elliot and me for you hidden at the house. Let's hope he can find it! Unfortunately, I did not have time to pick out cards yet - but, hey, how much advanced preparation can you really expect from me? Just know that I love you. Thank you for everything you do - you mean the world to me, and we'll celebrate together when I come home.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Pumpkins, music, and epi pens, oh my!
We got home around 2, and Micah kept me running the rest of the afternoon while Elliot was at a conference. Micah was exhausted, but he just wouldn't nap. Elliot came home around 5:45, and I crashed on the couch for a while Elliot fed Micah dinner and played with him. We then put Micah to bed at his usual bedtime.
Monday was a federal holiday, and Micah was not in daycare. So, Elliot and I took him to a special "Columbus Day" performance of the Little Maestros at Kidville where we got to spend time with some friends. He had a great time - crawling around, dancing and laughing. He just LOVES Kidville! He even spent some time crawling around in their playspace. We came home around 12, and he napped for 3 1/2 hrs!!
Naturally, Tuesday was insane. I had to leave in the afternoon for a conference in Miami. To make matters worse, I had forgotten that my driver's license expired (I learned that on my last trip when they weren't going to let me through the airport), so I had to get up early to get it renewed. I was up and out of the house before 8:00 am. I waited in line forever, finally got it renewed. Of course, I also had to squeeze in an appointment at 9:45, so I went racing down after I finished at the MVA. Naturally, traffic was HORRIBLE - it took me 45 minutes to make a 15 minute trip. I finally got to the office, and Elliot was there waiting with Micah (he needed to hand Micah off to me so he could go to a meeting). Unfortunately, Micah had a big old stinky diaper going on (Elliot conveniently didn't smell it before he left), and Micah did not want to sit still for mommy. Oh - and did I mention it was Micah's nap time AND Elliot forgot to bring a bottle for me to feed him? Yeah, that was a fun appointment!
She was worried about what to do when she landed, so I told her I'd call my friend Tammy (with whom I would be staying) who is a thoracic surgeon and double check with her what she had to do next. Upon landing, I called Tammy who said it was all good, but encouraged her to continue taking benadryl for the next 24 hours. I felt like such a mom - I was explaining to this girl how to transfer her prescription refill down to Florida, and I gave her benadryl from my stash in my purse to take with her, and I made sure she found her boyfriend who was picking her up. She seemed so scared - she was only 22!!
When I finally arrived at Tammy's (that was an adventure - according to Garmin, her building doesn't exist!), we went out to dinner. We ate at a place called Yuca, and it was delicious. I was so exhausted, though, and when I got back to her condo, I did some work, then went to bed at 1:30. On a side note, I have decided that Garmin sucks in Miami. The Garmin seems perpetually confused, it has a hard time finding the satellite, it calls out turns and directions at the last second, it changes its mind about the route a number of times, and sometimes, you do what it says and then it decides it no longer likes the route! I don't think I could keep the Garmin in Miami.
Tammy and I woke up this morning, grabbed breakfast together and then I came to the conference. I sat in boring meetings all day, and finally left a bit early. They have a networking event tonight, but I think I'd rather stay back and go out to dinner with Tammy. Tomorrow is my presentation in the afternoon, and then I will be flying back home!
Monday was a federal holiday, and Micah was not in daycare. So, Elliot and I took him to a special "Columbus Day" performance of the Little Maestros at Kidville where we got to spend time with some friends. He had a great time - crawling around, dancing and laughing. He just LOVES Kidville! He even spent some time crawling around in their playspace. We came home around 12, and he napped for 3 1/2 hrs!!
Naturally, Tuesday was insane. I had to leave in the afternoon for a conference in Miami. To make matters worse, I had forgotten that my driver's license expired (I learned that on my last trip when they weren't going to let me through the airport), so I had to get up early to get it renewed. I was up and out of the house before 8:00 am. I waited in line forever, finally got it renewed. Of course, I also had to squeeze in an appointment at 9:45, so I went racing down after I finished at the MVA. Naturally, traffic was HORRIBLE - it took me 45 minutes to make a 15 minute trip. I finally got to the office, and Elliot was there waiting with Micah (he needed to hand Micah off to me so he could go to a meeting). Unfortunately, Micah had a big old stinky diaper going on (Elliot conveniently didn't smell it before he left), and Micah did not want to sit still for mommy. Oh - and did I mention it was Micah's nap time AND Elliot forgot to bring a bottle for me to feed him? Yeah, that was a fun appointment!
After I was finished, I took him to the car, strapped him in, and had a decision to make - we had class at Kidville at 11:45, and it was already 11:00. I was 10 minutes from the house, and 15 minutes from Kidville. I needed to decide if I should go straight to class, or try to drive home (10 minutes), get a bottle and some lunch food for him to try and feed him in class, and THEN drive back to Kidville (about 20 minutes from the house). I knew from experience, going home would mean Micah would wake up, not nap well, and we would be late for class. I decided to drive straight to Kidville and hope Micah napped and could hold out for his bottle until after we got home from class.
En route to Kidville, I realized I needed to stop for gas (I was on empty and knew I wouldn't have time to refill on the way to the airport). After refilling the gas tank, I realized I was STARVING and stopped for some lunch (Burger King was the only drive-through in the area...so veggie burger it was!). Naturally, I was late getting to class. We went inside, and Micah had fun, but he was very clingy - probably hungry. After class, Micah had a total melt down on the way home - he was sobbing as if to say "Mommy, I'm starving and going to DIE if you don't give me a bottle." It was heartbreaking - I kept telling him I was trying to get him a bottle, but he just did not understand.
When we got home, I realized that it was already 1:15. I gave Micah his bottle, fed him lunch, and started to try and plan the rest of my day. I had a lot on my list, and only a few short hours left to get it all done and get to the airport. Much to my surprise, Elliot showed up relatively on time...only 10 minutes late. I still had to finish packing and load up the car and then I ran off to run one more errand before heading to the airport. I made it to the airport, only to find out my flight was delayed 30 minutes. How annoying!! We finally took off, and the flight seemed to last forever. About 15 minutes before landing, the girl in the seat next to me accidentally ate some salmon (she tasted something the little old lady at the end of our row offered her)...and she is allergic to salmon! She had an epi pen, but didn't know how to use it (apparently, her parents had always administered it in the past). The flight attendants were freaking out when she asked if someone else could give her the shot, so I stepped up and offered to do it. So I grabbed the pen, quickly skimmed the directions, ripped the top off, lined it up, gave her fair warning and hit the trigger. I also had benadryl in my purse, so I gave her some of that.
En route to Kidville, I realized I needed to stop for gas (I was on empty and knew I wouldn't have time to refill on the way to the airport). After refilling the gas tank, I realized I was STARVING and stopped for some lunch (Burger King was the only drive-through in the area...so veggie burger it was!). Naturally, I was late getting to class. We went inside, and Micah had fun, but he was very clingy - probably hungry. After class, Micah had a total melt down on the way home - he was sobbing as if to say "Mommy, I'm starving and going to DIE if you don't give me a bottle." It was heartbreaking - I kept telling him I was trying to get him a bottle, but he just did not understand.
When we got home, I realized that it was already 1:15. I gave Micah his bottle, fed him lunch, and started to try and plan the rest of my day. I had a lot on my list, and only a few short hours left to get it all done and get to the airport. Much to my surprise, Elliot showed up relatively on time...only 10 minutes late. I still had to finish packing and load up the car and then I ran off to run one more errand before heading to the airport. I made it to the airport, only to find out my flight was delayed 30 minutes. How annoying!! We finally took off, and the flight seemed to last forever. About 15 minutes before landing, the girl in the seat next to me accidentally ate some salmon (she tasted something the little old lady at the end of our row offered her)...and she is allergic to salmon! She had an epi pen, but didn't know how to use it (apparently, her parents had always administered it in the past). The flight attendants were freaking out when she asked if someone else could give her the shot, so I stepped up and offered to do it. So I grabbed the pen, quickly skimmed the directions, ripped the top off, lined it up, gave her fair warning and hit the trigger. I also had benadryl in my purse, so I gave her some of that.
She was worried about what to do when she landed, so I told her I'd call my friend Tammy (with whom I would be staying) who is a thoracic surgeon and double check with her what she had to do next. Upon landing, I called Tammy who said it was all good, but encouraged her to continue taking benadryl for the next 24 hours. I felt like such a mom - I was explaining to this girl how to transfer her prescription refill down to Florida, and I gave her benadryl from my stash in my purse to take with her, and I made sure she found her boyfriend who was picking her up. She seemed so scared - she was only 22!!
When I finally arrived at Tammy's (that was an adventure - according to Garmin, her building doesn't exist!), we went out to dinner. We ate at a place called Yuca, and it was delicious. I was so exhausted, though, and when I got back to her condo, I did some work, then went to bed at 1:30. On a side note, I have decided that Garmin sucks in Miami. The Garmin seems perpetually confused, it has a hard time finding the satellite, it calls out turns and directions at the last second, it changes its mind about the route a number of times, and sometimes, you do what it says and then it decides it no longer likes the route! I don't think I could keep the Garmin in Miami.
Tammy and I woke up this morning, grabbed breakfast together and then I came to the conference. I sat in boring meetings all day, and finally left a bit early. They have a networking event tonight, but I think I'd rather stay back and go out to dinner with Tammy. Tomorrow is my presentation in the afternoon, and then I will be flying back home!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Simchat Torah
This time of year is packed full of Jewish holidays. It starts off with Rosh Hashanah (New Years), followed by Yom Kippur, then Sukkot, the celebration of the harvest (you build an open-top hut and are supposed to dine outside under the stars and enjoy the harvest). Tonight was the start of another special holiday called "Simchat Torah," which means rejoicing of the Torah. "Torah" is the Hebrew word for the bible, which includes the 5 books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is what many Christians refer to as the "Old Testament." The holiday marks the completion of reading the Torah from start to finish, and starting all over again. In synagogue, the final chapter of Deuteronomy is read, and then the first chapter of Genesis is started.
This is considered one of the two most festive holidays during the year. Tonight, we went to the synagogue to celebrate. It is tradition to bring all the different Torahs out of the ark (the place where they are stored) and march them around the synagogue while singing and dancing. We circle the Torahs around the room 7 times (called 7 hakafot, the Hebrew word that means circles). There is a prayer that is sung while each circle happens, and then everyone breaks out with additional singing and dancing for 5-10 minutes before the next circle. Everyone can take a turn holding the Torahs, and there are usually little mini-Torahs for children to carry (and stuffed toy Torahs).
My nieces Paige and Peyton happened to be in town staying with my parents, so all of us went to synagogue together. We had a stuffed Torah (think stuffed animal, but a Torah), and they all took turns carrying it around. Elliot carried Micah in the baby bjorn, and we danced and sang and my nieces ran around. They had flags to wave, and they were handing out candy, and there were shots of vodka and gin for the adults. Kids were running all over the place laughing and playing and dancing and twirling, and it truly was a wonderful evening!
Last year at this time, I was pregnant with Micah. I had just been placed on bedrest, and was unable to go to synagogue to join the festivities. It was so much fun to bring Micah with us this year! He was grinning from ear to ear, he held a flag in his hand the whole night and flapped it up and down, and he was "singing" along with everyone. He loves to make singing noises and he would intermittently squeal with delight. I was amazed he had such a good time - it was after his bedtime, but we got him to take a very late nap today and he seemed to do just fine.
So, chag sameach! (That means happy holiday!) This holiday is the conclusion of our Fall celebrations...next holiday, Chanukah!
This is considered one of the two most festive holidays during the year. Tonight, we went to the synagogue to celebrate. It is tradition to bring all the different Torahs out of the ark (the place where they are stored) and march them around the synagogue while singing and dancing. We circle the Torahs around the room 7 times (called 7 hakafot, the Hebrew word that means circles). There is a prayer that is sung while each circle happens, and then everyone breaks out with additional singing and dancing for 5-10 minutes before the next circle. Everyone can take a turn holding the Torahs, and there are usually little mini-Torahs for children to carry (and stuffed toy Torahs).
My nieces Paige and Peyton happened to be in town staying with my parents, so all of us went to synagogue together. We had a stuffed Torah (think stuffed animal, but a Torah), and they all took turns carrying it around. Elliot carried Micah in the baby bjorn, and we danced and sang and my nieces ran around. They had flags to wave, and they were handing out candy, and there were shots of vodka and gin for the adults. Kids were running all over the place laughing and playing and dancing and twirling, and it truly was a wonderful evening!
Last year at this time, I was pregnant with Micah. I had just been placed on bedrest, and was unable to go to synagogue to join the festivities. It was so much fun to bring Micah with us this year! He was grinning from ear to ear, he held a flag in his hand the whole night and flapped it up and down, and he was "singing" along with everyone. He loves to make singing noises and he would intermittently squeal with delight. I was amazed he had such a good time - it was after his bedtime, but we got him to take a very late nap today and he seemed to do just fine.
So, chag sameach! (That means happy holiday!) This holiday is the conclusion of our Fall celebrations...next holiday, Chanukah!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Dance, Dance Dance!
I'm constantly amazed by what a "big boy" Micah has become. He definitely understands words, and he will also mimic me when I talk or do things. If you tell him "No" - he understands (but often chooses not to listen." He loves to dance, so if you say to him "dancing, dancing, dancing" he'll start bouncing and dancing! Here is some video proof:
He also loves to laugh - he laughs all the time, and he has the wonderful big belly laugh that just burbles up from deep inside. I melt each and every time I hear that wonderful sound. He sounds just like he did as a little infant - only louder. I caught a bit of video of him giggling because the dog was touching him. He LOVES interacting with her, and he squeals with delight any time she nuzzles or licks him.
Lately, his new game is to follow me around the house. He also will try and climb up the stairs every chance he gets. He climbs over, goes straight up the stairs, hangs a right around the railing, and usually heads straight to our bedroom to play with his toys. I chase after him multiple times a day - who needs a stairclimber? We have GOT to get those baby gates installed ASAP. We've started telling him it is time to go upstairs for bed or a bath and letting him climb up on his own. We tried to capture that on video tonight, but he was hamming it up for the camera. Here is the footage we did get:
On Sunday, we went to a BBQ at a friend's house. Micah decided to head off on his own and go exploring - up their stairs. Here is some video of Micah in action:
For good measure, here are some pictures. We never made it in for his 9 month pictures - between my computer dying, Micah getting sick, and my business trips, it just didn't happen this month :(. I might go this week for his 9 month pictures, and then go in 2-3 weeks for his 10 month pictures. Not quite accurate, but who cares!
He also loves to laugh - he laughs all the time, and he has the wonderful big belly laugh that just burbles up from deep inside. I melt each and every time I hear that wonderful sound. He sounds just like he did as a little infant - only louder. I caught a bit of video of him giggling because the dog was touching him. He LOVES interacting with her, and he squeals with delight any time she nuzzles or licks him.
Lately, his new game is to follow me around the house. He also will try and climb up the stairs every chance he gets. He climbs over, goes straight up the stairs, hangs a right around the railing, and usually heads straight to our bedroom to play with his toys. I chase after him multiple times a day - who needs a stairclimber? We have GOT to get those baby gates installed ASAP. We've started telling him it is time to go upstairs for bed or a bath and letting him climb up on his own. We tried to capture that on video tonight, but he was hamming it up for the camera. Here is the footage we did get:
On Sunday, we went to a BBQ at a friend's house. Micah decided to head off on his own and go exploring - up their stairs. Here is some video of Micah in action:
For good measure, here are some pictures. We never made it in for his 9 month pictures - between my computer dying, Micah getting sick, and my business trips, it just didn't happen this month :(. I might go this week for his 9 month pictures, and then go in 2-3 weeks for his 10 month pictures. Not quite accurate, but who cares!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Stories....
Sometimes, when Micah is relaxing and cuddling, or just playing, he makes these cooing....pigeon noises. It just makes me laugh. He has also become an expert at "so big!" - we just have to say it, and his hands go up in the air.
Recently, he has started to play peek-a-boo on his own - he grabs a towel or a blanket, and he covers up his eyes and then yanks it back down. It is just so cute to watch HIM decide to play with US.
Micah loves his bath. For quite some time, he has loved to climb the stairs and go straight to the bathroom, but the other morning, while I was getting ready, Micah went into the bathroom and climbed into his bath tub that was sitting on the floor.
We are also starting to have issues with Micah and opening all of the kitchen cabinets. It is time to baby proof the house!
Recently, he has started to play peek-a-boo on his own - he grabs a towel or a blanket, and he covers up his eyes and then yanks it back down. It is just so cute to watch HIM decide to play with US.
Micah loves his bath. For quite some time, he has loved to climb the stairs and go straight to the bathroom, but the other morning, while I was getting ready, Micah went into the bathroom and climbed into his bath tub that was sitting on the floor.
We are also starting to have issues with Micah and opening all of the kitchen cabinets. It is time to baby proof the house!
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