House Cleaning

My house is a disaster. There, I said. I am only working three days a week, which you would think would mean I could stay on top of the laundry, dishes, and cleaning of the bathrooms. I cannot. Each weekend, I frantically tidy up, maybe clean a toilet or two, and try to get the laundry put away. By the next day, it once again looks like a tornado went through the place. A tornado named Clare. (They should really name tornados after people like they do with hurricanes. Or maybe not.) Anyway, it is not necessarily Clare making the mess, although she does like to scatter her toys all over the floor, but she is the reason that I cannot get anything done. When I first asked for my adjusted schedule at work, I thought, “How perfect! Two days during the week to run errands, do chores, and hang out with Clare. Then we can just spend the weekends doing things as a family.” HA! HAHAHAHA! How naïve I was. And now that Clare is crawling, she is less happy being corralled in her crib or jumperoo, although she will bounce in that thing for a little while. And naps! These should be the time when I can get things down around the house. But no. For many weeks, every time I would put Clare down for a nap she would immediately wake up. I started letting her sleep on me, which allowed me to catch up on the plethora of shows recorded on my TiVo, but did not allow for much cleaning. This week I put her down in her crib and she stayed asleep – for about 30 minutes. Then she was up, summoning me to her once again.

All of this STUFF is stressing me out. I think I need a bigger house, one where all of Clare’s toys can be in one room, and we can have toy-free room, too. Oh, who I am kidding. If I had a bigger place I would just fill it with more stuff! It is probably time for one of my biannual cleaning binges, where I fill several bags for Goodwill (that then sit in the trunk of my car for months, much to my husband’s dismay.)

Does anyone have any advice on how to keep on top of the cleaning situation? Or do I just need to let it go and not worry about it until Clare starts school?

Also: yes, I could have been cleaning rather than spending time writing this post. Maybe that is part of the problem - I'd rather write (or read, or watch TV, or eat) than clean.

Mess! And cat.

Home Alone

This winter has  been quiet, weather-wise. (I am not complaining, although I do find it some what worrisome.) We finally got some snow overnight, so I thought it would be a good time to introduce Clare to the fluffy white stuff.  Also: I wanted her to wear her adorable snowsuit at least once.

Edited to add: The hat Clare is wearing in this picture came from Japan - and Ben wore it when he was a little boy.

Ben has been at a conference in Las Vegas this week. I was apprehensive about being on my own with Clare. Ben and I split pick up/drop off duties at daycare, and he usually does all the dishes. Also, Ben always gives Clare her bath! Can you believe I have never bathed my daughter? I figured by the end of the week I would be buried in chores and extremely exhausted. I have to say, though, this week went a lot more smoothly than I expected. Except for the cat waking me up EVERY MORNING AND THEN PUKING AND POOPING ALL OVER THE HOUSE. Have I mentioned that I HATE THIS CAT? This morning it was 3 A.M. UGH.

Ahem.

On Monday, I had a stomachache. It was pretty bad, and I concocted an entire story where I woke in the middle of the night with a raging cash of appendicitis (thanks Web M.D.!) and had to call an ambulance, and where would Clare sit in the ambulance? And were would she go while I was in surgery? Would Ben fly back from Las Vegas? And what if I couldn't get to the phone to call an ambulance? What if I passed out? What would happen to Clare?

None of this happened.  We are fine.

On Tuesday, we web chatted with Ben. It took Clare about 10 minutes to figure out that it was her Daddy in the computer. As soon as she realized it, she lunged for the monitor, trying to get to him. It was pretty cute.

Also: I gave Clare TWO baths this week.  During the first one, I managed to pour water right into her mouth. She only coughed for a few minutes. Mommy of the Year over here!

Ben comes back today. I will be glad to see him. I need someone here to keep me out of my head. And to keep Clare clean.

Valentine's Day

Normally, I kind of roll my eyes about Valentine’s Day. My friend Meghann and I used to call it “Black Friday” (and we didn’t mean that in a shopping kind of way) when we were in high school.  Without thinking, I even wore black to work on Tuesday. Maybe I subconsciously reverted back to my high school self for a minute there. God forbid! However, my lack of enthusiasm for the holiday didn’t stop me from stuffing my face at the Valentine’s potluck at work, or from being thrilled with the Valentine’s-themed craft Clare brought home from daycare.

It's a magnet! I tried to rotate it, but it is not working for some reason. All well, you get the idea.

Also, Ben made me cupcakes. That man knows the way to my heart. Thanks for the sugar, my dear, and for all you do. I hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day. Or, if you are not one to celebrate, I hope you had fun ignoring it and watching the season premiere of Cougar Town. (Yes, I love that show. What is not to love about a group of people sitting around drinking wine and doing silly things?)

Yum!

Eight Months

Clare was not very cooperative during this photo shoot. This is the best we got.

"Are you teething, too?"

 This has been a big month for Clare: sitting up, army crawling, eating more and more, and a trip to Florida. She is also getting her eighth (!) tooth. I keep hoping we'll get a break from the teething, but they have been coming in one right after another. On the crawling: she hasn't figured out how to lift her belly off the ground, but she can make it from the living room to the kitchen with no problem, she just drags her belly along the floor.

She has not been as picky about food as she was at first, but some days she is less interested in food than others. I guess she didn't inherit her mother's need to plan her entire day around her meals. (Or, if I am with my mom and sister, to plan the next meal while we are finishing the current one. That might explain why I have been slow to lose the baby weight. ANYWAY.) I still worry that she is not getting the right amount of nutrients, but she probably is. What would I do without something to worry about?

When we were in Florida, her eczema got really bad, poor girl. I am not sure if it was the sun screen or what. I've read that people with a history of allergies in their family (yes, me...and plenty of them) are more likely to have babies with eczema and other problems. I hope this is all she has to deal with allergy-wise, but we'll see.

She is "talking" more and more everyday - I keep waiting for an actual word to come out of her mouth. I just hope it isn't one she hears while Mommy is driving the car.

This last month has been so fun - what a great stage. All of the joy Clare gets out of just about everything is so wonderful. She is so cute and sweet right now, when she can't run away or talk back. I am trying to soak up as much of it as I can.