Monday, May 16, 2011
A Little Thing
One of the most common phrases out of Sammy's mouth lately is, "Mommy, when the twins come out of your belly..." followed by some question about what life will be like in the near future.
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Little Things, Refreshed
Welcome to the new design of The Little Things! (If you're reading on a reader, e-mail, or Facebook, please click over and take a look.)
I explained the purpose and meaning of this upgrade at the end of my post, yesterday. I don't plan to substantially change anything about the content of my blog, but I'm hoping that the new look and tagline will inspire me to stay focused on my purpose: "Finding meaning in my everyday experiences."
Thanks again go to Lisa VanDamme, for helping me understand what I am doing here. And I would also like to thank Tori Press, of Red Queen Design Studio, who designed my new banner - isn't it beautiful? You can't blame Tori for any inconsistencies in the rest of the design, though. I'm responsible for that, and I know it still needs some tweaking. But if I had waited to get it just perfect, I'd have never made the change.
I explained the purpose and meaning of this upgrade at the end of my post, yesterday. I don't plan to substantially change anything about the content of my blog, but I'm hoping that the new look and tagline will inspire me to stay focused on my purpose: "Finding meaning in my everyday experiences."
Thanks again go to Lisa VanDamme, for helping me understand what I am doing here. And I would also like to thank Tori Press, of Red Queen Design Studio, who designed my new banner - isn't it beautiful? You can't blame Tori for any inconsistencies in the rest of the design, though. I'm responsible for that, and I know it still needs some tweaking. But if I had waited to get it just perfect, I'd have never made the change.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
20 Weeks
I'm 20 weeks and 1 day along now, and feeling great!
I'd be feeling even better if I could manage to slow down and get more sleep, but we have been incredibly busy since we returned from our trip. (I have the next installment about half-written - hold tight.)
We've been to three movies in the past two weeks. This is just crazy. We usually see one movie a year if we're lucky. But there was a "parents night out" babysitting thing at Sam's gym which we took advantage of (we saw Source Code which was ok), then Sam had a friend sleep over (yes, she is at that age already) and we took them to see African Cats (which was also just ok), and that's when we noticed that Atlas Shrugged was still playing here and there, so we got a babysitter and saw that with some friends. (Too bad that one didn't even rise to the level of ok.)
On Friday, we bought our new car, the Honda Odyssey! It is so full of technology and good design that I feel privileged to drive it. We got the remote engine starter and a tent that attaches to the back and other accessories to make it even cooler. There are two things I don't like about it, though. First, it's hard for me to get in and out of it. This might be partially my big belly, but I think it's more about being short. I was so used to my RAV4, which is the perfect SUV for short people, and I was spoiled. Also, the Odyssey is really hard to park. I'm sure I'll get better at it, but nothing will change the fact that it is so wide it takes up almost an entire parking spot. Sure, it has sliding doors for the kids, but I still have to get in, and it is a rare thing when I can open the driver's door past the first notch. This makes getting in and out even more difficult.
Oh, one other thing I don't like about my new car - apparently, it is invisible. Twice in the first few days, people came really close to crashing into me. Once someone turned left in front of me, causing me to have to slam on my brakes almost to the point of squealing tires. Then, a taxi came into my lane on the freeway and I had to slow way down to avoid a crash. I honked at him and he followed me until I turned off on a side road. Strange. I'm a very defensive driver and these things don't happen to me often. But worst yet, yesterday, on my way to the dealership to get the accessories installed, someone actually did hit me. I had pulled over to put the dealership address into my GPS (I was being safe, goddamn it!) and I stopped in a parking lot in the lane so that I was blocking some parked cars. But the lot was very quiet and I figured if someone needed to get out they'd honk. I could have parked in a spot, but, well, you know, parking that car is really hard! Bad call. I put my car in park and put on my hazard lights. Ten seconds later, a woman backed out of her spot and rammed right into the side of my car. I cried for ten minutes. I cried the entire time we were exchanging information, and then pulled into a parking spot and cried some more. The damage isn't too bad, but my side and front bumpers will need to be replaced. My perfect, shiny, new toy will never be quite the same. Luckily, the woman was honest and her insurance company has already accepted full liability. Now I just have to go through the hassle of getting it repaired. Sigh.
More importantly, buying this expensive vehicle that would be totally useless if we weren't about to have three children has not made me more paranoid about losing the twins. Maybe the 20 week ultrasound was the real turning point for me.
Besides all of that, we're also getting our new deck stained (we had to wait through the winter for the wood to dry out), and we planned a quick trip to see the grandparents in early June, and we got rid of a ton of stuff from our basement including a refrigerator, and we attended Jean Moroney's Thinking Tactics Workshop (which was excellent - I wish I had more time to write about it, but if you have the chance, you MUST go), and Sam started up swim lessons again, and I made a little progress on my homeschooling plans, and I contacted some people about some ideas I have about a new Big Project I'm working on (Montessori-related), and I got my hair done, and had two moles removed, and had my final meeting of the year with Sam's teacher, and, somewhere in there, I finished unpacking and got caught up on the laundry. Oh, and Adam got a motorcycle!
I am so tired, but now is the only time I have to do all of these things. And they're all really good things that I want to do. So blogging is taking a backseat, yet again. In fact, I was considering taking an official break from blogging, until someone posted a quote on Facebook that reminded me of how valuable it is to me. The quote was about travel, which made me tune in:
Of course, this reminded me of what I'm trying to do by journaling our Italy trip. But it also reminded me of the purpose of my blog. My blog is my way of integrating my experiences. It's my way of making everything in my life meaningful, by tying all the Little Things to my greater values. I didn't even know that this was what I was doing, until Lisa VanDamme helped me to understand it. In her Making Poetry Part of Your Life course from OCON 2010, she taught us how to first understand the words of the poem, then to isolate what is important about it, then to abstract away from the concretes to understand the universal meaning (which, in poetry is often just a particular emotion or type of experience), and finally, to find a moment from our own lives that has the same meaning. She taught us that once we had internalized a poem this way, it would always be there as a concrete reminder of that meaning, so that in the future, when these moments occurred, we could recognize them and bring all the depth and beauty of the poem into the experience. She called it living life "through the artist's lens." She taught us that this is how we could find meaning in everyday experiences. And after class, she came to me and told me that that was how she saw my blog.
It was the greatest compliment I've ever received about my writing, even though, in some ways, I don't feel that I live up to it. But she was right - this is what I am trying to do. And so I won't quit blogging. And, finally, ten months later, I'm ready to reveal The Little Things' new design and tagline to reflect what I learned in that class. Tune in tomorrow.
I'd be feeling even better if I could manage to slow down and get more sleep, but we have been incredibly busy since we returned from our trip. (I have the next installment about half-written - hold tight.)
We've been to three movies in the past two weeks. This is just crazy. We usually see one movie a year if we're lucky. But there was a "parents night out" babysitting thing at Sam's gym which we took advantage of (we saw Source Code which was ok), then Sam had a friend sleep over (yes, she is at that age already) and we took them to see African Cats (which was also just ok), and that's when we noticed that Atlas Shrugged was still playing here and there, so we got a babysitter and saw that with some friends. (Too bad that one didn't even rise to the level of ok.)
On Friday, we bought our new car, the Honda Odyssey! It is so full of technology and good design that I feel privileged to drive it. We got the remote engine starter and a tent that attaches to the back and other accessories to make it even cooler. There are two things I don't like about it, though. First, it's hard for me to get in and out of it. This might be partially my big belly, but I think it's more about being short. I was so used to my RAV4, which is the perfect SUV for short people, and I was spoiled. Also, the Odyssey is really hard to park. I'm sure I'll get better at it, but nothing will change the fact that it is so wide it takes up almost an entire parking spot. Sure, it has sliding doors for the kids, but I still have to get in, and it is a rare thing when I can open the driver's door past the first notch. This makes getting in and out even more difficult.
Oh, one other thing I don't like about my new car - apparently, it is invisible. Twice in the first few days, people came really close to crashing into me. Once someone turned left in front of me, causing me to have to slam on my brakes almost to the point of squealing tires. Then, a taxi came into my lane on the freeway and I had to slow way down to avoid a crash. I honked at him and he followed me until I turned off on a side road. Strange. I'm a very defensive driver and these things don't happen to me often. But worst yet, yesterday, on my way to the dealership to get the accessories installed, someone actually did hit me. I had pulled over to put the dealership address into my GPS (I was being safe, goddamn it!) and I stopped in a parking lot in the lane so that I was blocking some parked cars. But the lot was very quiet and I figured if someone needed to get out they'd honk. I could have parked in a spot, but, well, you know, parking that car is really hard! Bad call. I put my car in park and put on my hazard lights. Ten seconds later, a woman backed out of her spot and rammed right into the side of my car. I cried for ten minutes. I cried the entire time we were exchanging information, and then pulled into a parking spot and cried some more. The damage isn't too bad, but my side and front bumpers will need to be replaced. My perfect, shiny, new toy will never be quite the same. Luckily, the woman was honest and her insurance company has already accepted full liability. Now I just have to go through the hassle of getting it repaired. Sigh.
More importantly, buying this expensive vehicle that would be totally useless if we weren't about to have three children has not made me more paranoid about losing the twins. Maybe the 20 week ultrasound was the real turning point for me.
Besides all of that, we're also getting our new deck stained (we had to wait through the winter for the wood to dry out), and we planned a quick trip to see the grandparents in early June, and we got rid of a ton of stuff from our basement including a refrigerator, and we attended Jean Moroney's Thinking Tactics Workshop (which was excellent - I wish I had more time to write about it, but if you have the chance, you MUST go), and Sam started up swim lessons again, and I made a little progress on my homeschooling plans, and I contacted some people about some ideas I have about a new Big Project I'm working on (Montessori-related), and I got my hair done, and had two moles removed, and had my final meeting of the year with Sam's teacher, and, somewhere in there, I finished unpacking and got caught up on the laundry. Oh, and Adam got a motorcycle!
I am so tired, but now is the only time I have to do all of these things. And they're all really good things that I want to do. So blogging is taking a backseat, yet again. In fact, I was considering taking an official break from blogging, until someone posted a quote on Facebook that reminded me of how valuable it is to me. The quote was about travel, which made me tune in:
"The difference between travel and tourism is simple. A tourist experiences disconnected sights and sounds and enjoys them without drawing meaning. A traveler roams the earth, digests what he sees and hears, and collects them in a framework of understanding, which he both brings to his travels and deepens with travels. The former is a pleasant interlude in your life. The latter is about life itself." --George Friedman of STRATFOR (HT: Jason Crawford)
Of course, this reminded me of what I'm trying to do by journaling our Italy trip. But it also reminded me of the purpose of my blog. My blog is my way of integrating my experiences. It's my way of making everything in my life meaningful, by tying all the Little Things to my greater values. I didn't even know that this was what I was doing, until Lisa VanDamme helped me to understand it. In her Making Poetry Part of Your Life course from OCON 2010, she taught us how to first understand the words of the poem, then to isolate what is important about it, then to abstract away from the concretes to understand the universal meaning (which, in poetry is often just a particular emotion or type of experience), and finally, to find a moment from our own lives that has the same meaning. She taught us that once we had internalized a poem this way, it would always be there as a concrete reminder of that meaning, so that in the future, when these moments occurred, we could recognize them and bring all the depth and beauty of the poem into the experience. She called it living life "through the artist's lens." She taught us that this is how we could find meaning in everyday experiences. And after class, she came to me and told me that that was how she saw my blog.
It was the greatest compliment I've ever received about my writing, even though, in some ways, I don't feel that I live up to it. But she was right - this is what I am trying to do. And so I won't quit blogging. And, finally, ten months later, I'm ready to reveal The Little Things' new design and tagline to reflect what I learned in that class. Tune in tomorrow.
A Little Thing
I love maternity clothes. When else does a forty-year-old woman get to wear overall shorts?
Thursday, May 5, 2011
19 Weeks
We're having a boy and a girl!
It's as certain as you can get while they're still inside. We saw their relevant parts over and over again during an hour-long ultrasound, as well as having seen them last week at the OB. Two doctors and one ultrasound technician all came to the same conclusion. Check it out for yourself:
I'm walking on air today!
Of course, this is what we had hoped for, but even if we were having two girls or two boys, it's awesome just knowing. It makes all the difference in the world to me to know their sexes. They have identities now. No more Thing 1 and Thing 2, and we can even dispense with Baby A and Baby B. There is the boy (formerly known as Thing 1 or Baby A), who is lower down, and in a head-down position right now:
And there is the girl (formerly known as Thing 2 or Baby B), who is up higher on the left, and in a breech position right now:
Everything is normal. This was the big, diagnostic ultrasound - the one where we discovered the problems with my first pregnancy - so it was a milestone for us to get through it. I was a bit nervous throughout, but it was also just incredibly awesome to be able to sit and observe our two future children for a solid hour. They were moving around the whole time, too. We saw them yawn. We saw their arms and legs moving around. We saw their four-chamber hearts beating. The coolest thing is that we got to see them drinking the amniotic fluid. Both of them just opened up their mouths and clearly swallowed. The boy's bladder was empty when we began the scan, but after he drank, the tech went back to check and it was full. Awesome!
The tech tried to get us some 3D images, but there was just too much movement in there, and they're too close. Who cares, when you get to see one picture like this:
So, things have been changing quickly lately. I'm growing like crazy, as I mentioned before. I'm starting to grow out of the smaller maternity clothes that I had from my pregnancy with Sam. There is about a pound of baby in me right now (half a pound each) but I've gained about 15 pounds. That's really not all that much, and when I think about how big I was at 20 weeks with Sam, I'm not really all that huge after all. But that will change.
Other things are happening, too. I feel a lot of pressure on my cervix, but the doctor checked and everything is good. It's just that the boy happens to have his head jammed right there. The girl's head is what has been causing me to feel movement high up. Her head is way up on my left side, pretty much at my waistline. My bladder feels like I'm in my third trimester. It's squished so it doesn't hold much, and it's hard to release everything in there properly. I think my lung capacity has shrunk - one flight of stairs does me in. The size of my belly is becoming a physical impediment - already it's harder to reach my feet, and harder to get up from deep chairs or from lying down. I'm also getting nosebleeds (not gushing) and tingly hands, which are normal pregnancy symptoms.
But, really, I'm feeling great. I'm actually feeling better than I did a few weeks ago. There was a kind of awkward stage there for a while, where my body seemed to be adjusting. Now, even though I'm bigger, it feels more comfortable. And I'm really enjoying feeling the babies move. I'm finally back to loving pregnancy! It probably won't last long, though, because with twins, things can get uncomfortable pretty quickly.
Tonight, I went to a meeting of my local Mothers of Multiples group. It was a meeting for new and expectant moms, and it was fun and helpful. Some things were scary - like the woman who had six pediatrician visits in five days, plus a trip to the ER, just because a bad cold was making the rounds in her home. But most of the women weren't freaking out, and they seemed sane, and some of them even bragged about getting their babies to sleep through the night or, at least, on the same schedule. I asked the group if I was crazy to consider travelling when six months pregnant (assuming I get the doctor's ok). Almost all of them thought it would be doable if there was no medical reason not to travel. But they did warn me that I might not want to - I might just be too exhausted from lack of sleep or plain old fatigue. It depends. One woman was 20 weeks along and she said she was in constant pain already. Another said that she cancelled a trip at five months because she would have had to bring along so many pillows and wedges to help her sleep it would have been ridiculous. I know I probably shouldn't predict how I'll feel, but so far, all of my pregnancy experience tells me that I'm going to feel ok. The day before Sam was born, I was squatting, lifting, and bending while boxing up packages for an eBay business that I had started. I was also walking the dog every day in the middle of summer. I was a bit uncomfortable, but it was really not a big deal. I know I won't be like that if I make it to 38 weeks with twins, but, if I'm feeling this good now, I don't see why I won't feel like that at 28 weeks, for OCON.
Anyway, for now, I'm just going to try to enjoy this pregnancy while it lasts. I feel sorry for all men, who will never get to experience growing a life in their bodies. The only experience I could imagine that might compare is seeing the earth from space. It's something that strips away every mundane aspect of life and shows you the essence of what it means to be human. With pregnancy, you get to experience the more animal side of human nature (especially during the birth!). I imagine a trip into space would concretize the rational side. If I'm lucky, I'll get to do both in my lifetime, but right now I'm enjoying what I've got.
It's as certain as you can get while they're still inside. We saw their relevant parts over and over again during an hour-long ultrasound, as well as having seen them last week at the OB. Two doctors and one ultrasound technician all came to the same conclusion. Check it out for yourself:
I'm walking on air today!
Of course, this is what we had hoped for, but even if we were having two girls or two boys, it's awesome just knowing. It makes all the difference in the world to me to know their sexes. They have identities now. No more Thing 1 and Thing 2, and we can even dispense with Baby A and Baby B. There is the boy (formerly known as Thing 1 or Baby A), who is lower down, and in a head-down position right now:
And there is the girl (formerly known as Thing 2 or Baby B), who is up higher on the left, and in a breech position right now:
Everything is normal. This was the big, diagnostic ultrasound - the one where we discovered the problems with my first pregnancy - so it was a milestone for us to get through it. I was a bit nervous throughout, but it was also just incredibly awesome to be able to sit and observe our two future children for a solid hour. They were moving around the whole time, too. We saw them yawn. We saw their arms and legs moving around. We saw their four-chamber hearts beating. The coolest thing is that we got to see them drinking the amniotic fluid. Both of them just opened up their mouths and clearly swallowed. The boy's bladder was empty when we began the scan, but after he drank, the tech went back to check and it was full. Awesome!
The tech tried to get us some 3D images, but there was just too much movement in there, and they're too close. Who cares, when you get to see one picture like this:
So, things have been changing quickly lately. I'm growing like crazy, as I mentioned before. I'm starting to grow out of the smaller maternity clothes that I had from my pregnancy with Sam. There is about a pound of baby in me right now (half a pound each) but I've gained about 15 pounds. That's really not all that much, and when I think about how big I was at 20 weeks with Sam, I'm not really all that huge after all. But that will change.
Other things are happening, too. I feel a lot of pressure on my cervix, but the doctor checked and everything is good. It's just that the boy happens to have his head jammed right there. The girl's head is what has been causing me to feel movement high up. Her head is way up on my left side, pretty much at my waistline. My bladder feels like I'm in my third trimester. It's squished so it doesn't hold much, and it's hard to release everything in there properly. I think my lung capacity has shrunk - one flight of stairs does me in. The size of my belly is becoming a physical impediment - already it's harder to reach my feet, and harder to get up from deep chairs or from lying down. I'm also getting nosebleeds (not gushing) and tingly hands, which are normal pregnancy symptoms.
But, really, I'm feeling great. I'm actually feeling better than I did a few weeks ago. There was a kind of awkward stage there for a while, where my body seemed to be adjusting. Now, even though I'm bigger, it feels more comfortable. And I'm really enjoying feeling the babies move. I'm finally back to loving pregnancy! It probably won't last long, though, because with twins, things can get uncomfortable pretty quickly.
Tonight, I went to a meeting of my local Mothers of Multiples group. It was a meeting for new and expectant moms, and it was fun and helpful. Some things were scary - like the woman who had six pediatrician visits in five days, plus a trip to the ER, just because a bad cold was making the rounds in her home. But most of the women weren't freaking out, and they seemed sane, and some of them even bragged about getting their babies to sleep through the night or, at least, on the same schedule. I asked the group if I was crazy to consider travelling when six months pregnant (assuming I get the doctor's ok). Almost all of them thought it would be doable if there was no medical reason not to travel. But they did warn me that I might not want to - I might just be too exhausted from lack of sleep or plain old fatigue. It depends. One woman was 20 weeks along and she said she was in constant pain already. Another said that she cancelled a trip at five months because she would have had to bring along so many pillows and wedges to help her sleep it would have been ridiculous. I know I probably shouldn't predict how I'll feel, but so far, all of my pregnancy experience tells me that I'm going to feel ok. The day before Sam was born, I was squatting, lifting, and bending while boxing up packages for an eBay business that I had started. I was also walking the dog every day in the middle of summer. I was a bit uncomfortable, but it was really not a big deal. I know I won't be like that if I make it to 38 weeks with twins, but, if I'm feeling this good now, I don't see why I won't feel like that at 28 weeks, for OCON.
Anyway, for now, I'm just going to try to enjoy this pregnancy while it lasts. I feel sorry for all men, who will never get to experience growing a life in their bodies. The only experience I could imagine that might compare is seeing the earth from space. It's something that strips away every mundane aspect of life and shows you the essence of what it means to be human. With pregnancy, you get to experience the more animal side of human nature (especially during the birth!). I imagine a trip into space would concretize the rational side. If I'm lucky, I'll get to do both in my lifetime, but right now I'm enjoying what I've got.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Day in the Life
It's time for another exciting installment of Day in the Life of Amy. It was a crazy, hectic, great day, full of surprises, and, in most ways, totally normal.
- Woke up half hour late
- Got dressed (no chance for shower), got Sam dressed, got Sam breakfast
- Made and drank coffee - made some for Adam too because next I had to...
- Put coffee maker in car to return to Bed, Bath and Beyond (this is our second Keurig that is defective) - the damn thing leaked water all over my floors and all over me - cleaned it up
- Left to take Sam to school at 8:45am
- Realized that I left my phone at home - ironic, given how much I ended up using it later, and also, that I thought my day was frantic now
- When dropping Sammy off, confirmed the time for Mother’s Day Tea school event on Friday
- Exchanged coffee maker at BBB and bought spoons (I think Sam has been throwing spoons in the trash can)
- Stopped off at home to pick up phone (can't live without my Droid)
- McDonalds for breakfast because it is fast and right next to my hair salon
- Got my hair done from 10-11:15
- While sitting under the dryer, read this article, Is This A Great Country or What?, which ended up partially inspiring this Day in the Life post by making me think about technology and Target and freeways and how much I was able to do thanks to all of that great stuff people have created
- Phone message from car dealership (On Sunday, I put in 5 requests for quotes from local dealerships and they haven't stopped calling since)
- Quick stop at supermarket for milk, tissue, sugar, salmon (we seriously could not wait one more day for more tissue)
- Home to put groceries away - left phone in the car since I would only be inside for a few minutes
- Let the dog out - still really loving my new deck with stairs so I can let him out and go do other things until he knocks on the door to come back in (he bangs the glass door with his claws - cute!)
- 5 minutes until I have to leave to pick up Sam so I sit at my computer and see a phone message from Adam from just a moment ago (Google Voice is awesome - it transcribes messages and puts them in my email where I notice them before I would ever check the phone)
- Went to the car and got my phone and called Adam back - he rode his new motorcycle to the mall to register it and it wouldn't start back up again - he might need me to pick him up but I need to hold tight until he figures out what he'll do next - luckily the mall is near Sam's school
- Left to pick up Sam from school
- Call from car dealership on the way to school - good price, do they have the color we want? They'll get back to me
- On the way to school, called friend P. to see if she found a sitter for tomorrow night so we could go and see the Atlas Shrugged movie - she said she couldn't find one so I need to try to find one
- In line to pick up Sam from school, called babysitter and left message
- Right when Sam walks up to the car and I need to help her get in, got call from Adam - he is just waiting for a tow and do Sam and I want to bring him some lunch and we can picnic outside on the grass near the bike? Nice idea, but can't do it today
- Off on to the next set of errands - on the way to get gas, got call back from babysitter: yes, she can do it, so now I have to get her the address of P.'s house and time she should come which I'm not sure about yet
- Got gas (yikes, those prices!)
- While pumping, got call from friend A. which I ignored for the moment due to complete overwhelmption (nice word, huh?)
- Burger King for lunch, at Sam's request - it was near Target, our next stop
- At the Burger King indoor playground, I met a mother with twin girls - she was told they would be a boy and girl at 15 weeks but only found out they were two girls when they were delivered, despite the fact that she had an ultrasound once a week throughout the last half of her pregnancy! They never figured it out because the babies were just too squished up in there to see! Holy shit! My only consolation is that all of that happened in Japan, where I'm going to assume they have their heads up their asses to retain my sanity. (Her husband was stationed there but they were evacuated because of the nuclear plant.) All in all, an interesting lunch.
- On the 100 yard drive from Burger King to Target, got the call from Adam that I’d need to pick him up from the mechanic where they were towing the bike in about an hour - actually, I think it took 3 phone calls because he had to call me back once and because I had to pull the car over and get out of the car to hear him because Sam had decided to throw a tantrum because I locked the car doors - she said, "You locked me in!!!!!!!!" even though she is strapped down to that car seat with a gazillion buckles and belts - interesting, how a four-year-old mind works
- Enjoyable trip to Target for a sleeping bag for Sam, which she needed by tomorrow if our Atlas movie plans work out - picked up new leotard and tights for Sam as long as we were there - that girl is growing!
- On the way out, Sam says, "I'm hungry" even though we finished lunch less than 15 minutes earlier - I guess she really is growing - bought her a bag of chips - some days are just junk food days
- In the car, called Adam to let him know we were on the way
- Drove 11 miles to pick up Adam at the mechanic - luckily, no traffic, or this could have been an hour long event
- Sam napped in car
- Once we got to the mechanic, had to wait for Adam, so I napped in car
- Came home with Adam and found that I had left the dog outside for over 3 hours - since I had left to pick up Sam from school - ooops, sorry to my neighbors for what I'm sure was a lot of barking
- It's now 3pm and I remembered that phone call from friend A. and checked - she had left me a message about meeting at the park with the kids at 3:30 - and on this beautiful day, with Sam having already napped, that was a definite GO
- While packing up gear for the park, heard the jingle of the ice cream truck - he usually comes at 8:30pm when kids should be in bed and I had promised Sam that if he came at a decent hour we would get ice cream - so we got ice cream!
- While eating ice cream on the front porch, called friend P. to decide on logistics for movie and dinner tomorrow – she told me I should check with her husband, C. because he thinks we need to get to the theater early
- Noticed that I had Burger King on my white shirt - went inside to change while Sam finished up her Bubble Gum Popsicle (when will she learn that the blue one is not always the yummiest one?)
- On the way to the park, called friend A. to let her know we were coming and received two calls from car dealerships which I didn’t answer
- On the way to the park, called C. and decided on logistics for dinner and movie
- At the park, learned that friend A. has recently begun to consider homeschooling - we had a lot to talk about!
- Many bumps and bruises at the park today, for some reason - maybe the kids were having a frantic day, too
- On the way home from the park, called babysitter but she couldn’t take the info because she was driving so I had to call later
- Home at 5pm - set Sam up in front of the iPad so I could use my computer for a few minutes without distraction - hadn't sat at it all day, with the exception of that one quick check when I got the message from Adam about his motorcycle - thank god for the Droid, which kept me connected all that time
- Wrote up most of this Day in the Life
- Called babysitter and left a message
- Went online to buy the tickets for Atlas and found out that I had the movie time wrong, but I figured a way to work it out and bought tickets anyway - but now I needed the babysitter at a different time
- Called babysitter again and got her the correct time and location - finally!
- Sent email to friends and Adam confirming plans for movie tomorrow
- Spaced out in front of Facebook and email for 15 minutes
- Took care of the one other thing on my calendar for the day – a minor financial transaction
- Cooked dinner - it was relaxing, even though I had to work around a sink full of dirty dishes since I had never unloaded the washer from last night (and yes, there was a sink full of dirty dishes even though we ate fast food for breakfast and lunch because I was still catching up with the dishes from the weekend!)
- Ate dinner - unfortunately, one of my failed experiments (salmon with grapes - yuck)
- Put Sam to bed - she read 3 pages of one of her Little Bear Early Reader books to me - one of the highlights of my day
- Unpacked and checked out the sleeping bag - it will work for tomorrow
- Took tags off new leotard and tights and put them in the laundry basket
- Adam set up the new coffee maker and did the dishes and brought all the clean laundry up from the basement, leaving me time to finish this blog post before I head off to watch last week's episode of Survivor and maybe read an interview or two in 100 Voices before I go to sleep
- Really, really good day. Really, really tired.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Italy Part 2 - First Day in Rome
Before I even begin talking about our trip, I have to introduce you to Rick Steves. His guidebooks are the reason we had such an awesome, hassle-free vacation. I used the books to get a sense of the cities we would be visiting, to understand the neighborhoods where we might want to pick hotels, to choose the most important sights to see, and, most valuably, we used the information in the guides while we were at the sights to help us understand what was important. We didn’t need to spend a whole day at the Vatican Museum because Rick Steves gave us a sense of what we would want to see and what was a waste of time. He offers audio tours that you can download for free, but we preferred the books because they allowed us to edit our sightseeing even further. We’d skim through his chapter on, say, the Borghese Gallery, and we’d know which rooms to focus on. Then, while there, we’d take out the book and read his descriptions of individual works of art, or whatever captured our interest. We found that his understanding of the history, the art, and the culture of each place was excellent. I’ll refer to Rick Steves often during these reports as if he were there in person, advising us. That’s how it felt to us – like we had a good friend and expert along with us on the trip.
I also want you to know that I'm writing these memoirs for myself and my family, really. I want to cement in my mind all the things that we found most important. The same goes for the photos. We don't take many photos of the sights themselves. We buy postcards for that. We try to take pictures of things that are more unique to our own experience: the street performers, Sam chasing pigeons, or the huge plate of pasta with ragu that Sam seemed to order at every meal. So, I'm not sure how interesting this will be to anyone but us. Read on if you wish...
We departed from Dulles at about 6 in the evening, and flew through Amsterdam. The flight there was about 8 hours, and then we had another 2 hour flight to Rome. None of us slept much on the plane, but, despite tossing and turning for hours, Sam did a fine job. I think she handled the flight better than I did. For some reason, I didn’t sleep at all. So my fears of a long flight with Sam were completely unfounded. I still don’t understand why parents are so hesitant to fly with kids. Yes, we only have one, but for the most part, flying with her has been an exciting and joyful experience. I guess it just depends on the child’s temperament. And having said that, yes, I am prepared for two, completely different children. At least, in theory, I’m prepared.
[caption id="attachment_4486" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Our Little Travel Expert"]
[/caption]
We did the smart thing and paid five extra Euros (about $7.50) for the hotel to send their shuttle to pick us up. It was nice to be met at the airport and have confidence that we were going to get to our hotel without getting lost, which I’ve read can be a problem with these tiny hotels. (From now on, I’ll just convert Euros to approximate amount in dollars so you don’t have to do the math.)
We stayed in the Imperial Suites Navona, just north of Piazza Navona, right in the heart of Rome. I can’t say enough good things about this hotel. Here is the little street where it was located:
So cool! Our room was modern and comfortable, even if tiny (which is to be expected in Rome). The staff was so friendly and helpful and everything was easy. Breakfast was served in our room every day at the time of our choosing and they actually offered eggs and meat, which saved us from having to go out for breakfast each day.
I didn’t plan it this way, but staying so close to one of the piazzas, or squares, was a really good thing. We found out how wonderful it was right after checking in. We were starving and went to the first restaurant in sight – less than a block from the hotel. We had the most delicious cappuccino, pizza, and gelato, and our jet lag seemed to disappear. After a quick trip back to the hotel to unpack, we set out for the Pantheon. On the way, we walked through Piazza Navona:
We didn’t know what to expect, but we found a huge, gaudy Bernini fountain, street performers, tons of restaurants, street vendors, lots of people, interesting buildings, and our first taste of the City of Rome. What we were to learn is that, just about anywhere you go in Rome, you will find history, art, ruins, or something unexpected. But Piazza Navona was particularly good for Samantha. On our first walk through the square, she found one of her favorite things of the entire vacation, the white statue lady:
Sam fell in love with this mime, and worked up enough courage to go to her and shake her hand, which is saying something. Sam is typically afraid of people in costumes. But this woman was really good at her craft, and she read Sam like a book and got her to feel comfortable. She was rewarded with a Euro in her hat from Sam, which was another new experience. We were thrilled that Sam was already having a good time. There were other mimes in the square, but none as good as the white statue lady. Sam looked for her every time we passed through Piazza Navona for the rest of our stay. This is what I mean when I say that our travels are even more enjoyable with our daughter along. I would never have paid so much attention to a mime without Sam there, but little events like this made the trip so much richer.
The Pantheon was one of my favorite sights in Rome. I’ve never stood in such an old building. It was breathtaking to think that it was built in 120AD. The dome was built of concrete, a material lost during the Dark Ages. The strength of concrete is one of the reasons so many structures from ancient Rome remain standing today. The dome with its oculus (the opening at the top) was beautiful in its own right, as was the floor of the building, which has been repaired, but which I believe retains its original design. There were a lot of statues inside the Pantheon but I wasn’t very interested in them. Adam was excited to see the tomb of Raphael inside, and we both loved the inscription on his sarcophagus: “Here lies Raphael, by whom the mother of all things (Nature) feared to be overcome while he was living, and while he was dying, herself to die.”
Sam was mostly bored, but we didn’t stay long. We walked around the outside and Rick Steves pointed out how the Pantheon actually sits at a much lower level than the current street level of Rome, as do all of the ruins and ancient structures. I’m sure I’d heard this idea before – that modern Rome is built upon the ruins of ancient Rome – but to see the ruins in person, in such a concrete way, made the history so much more real. It’s exciting to walk around the modern streets of Rome and wonder what lies beneath. The Pantheon was awesome!
We made a quick stop in a church nearby: the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, considered the only Gothic church in Rome. We didn’t really know what it was until we went in. It was just close by and we had a little extra time. Inside, we found a Michelangelo statue: Christ the Redeemer. And then we found out that this is where Galileo recanted, but then whispered “And yet it moves.” This is what I’m talking about – in Rome, you really can just stumble upon the most amazing things!
In the square in front of the Pantheon, Sam got her first taste of chasing pigeons, which quickly became one of her favorite activities in Italy.
We also saw a bunch of soldiers or policemen marching around with real big guns. I’m not sure what that was about, but it was clearly a ritual, not a practical exercise:
We walked through the city streets and just took in all of the shops, the street performers, and the buzz of the city. In some ways, Rome could be New York. But then again, maybe not.
We popped our heads inside another church. It looked like nothing on the outside, but it was beautiful inside. I don’t even remember which one it was, but it wasn’t important. It was just so cool that these things were everywhere. Sam was getting bored though, so we moved on.
We had to get used to the Roman traffic. Sometimes it was hard to tell where the sidewalk ended and the street began. We normally don’t make Sam hold our hands walking around, so it was very stressful to keep a close eye on her. I experimented with many methods of walking through the city and we never found anything that worked well for us. If I had to do it again, I would have started the trip with a special rule for Sam that she always hold our hands while walking somewhere. But as it was, we just struggled with keeping her safe and keeping her walking in the right direction.
Since we had eaten a late lunch, we opted for a dinner of appetizers right on Piazza Navona. I ate prosciutto with melon, some strange kind of seafood with suckers and tentacles, and a glass of Chianti. Not exactly pregnancy-approved food! I was unable to escape eating some lunch meat throughout the rest of the trip – sometimes that is the only kind of meat you can get – but I deliberately drank a cappuccino and a glass of wine every day, and that was totally worth it. But I have to say, this first day’s coffee and wine were probably the best of the whole trip.
I haven’t mentioned it because it is so completely normal, but both the meals so far were al fresco, as were almost all of our meals throughout the trip. The food on the piazzas is never quite as good as elsewhere, and it costs more, but the atmosphere, especially at Piazza Navona, was worth it. Sam spent much of the dinner yelling, “Pigeon, come!” and we were able to allow her to leave the table when she was done to wander about the square and chase pigeons or just look around. She made a lot of friends this way.
And that was our first day in Rome. And it was only a half day, really. And we were jet-lagged and a bit disoriented. And it was cloudy and a bit cold. I’m sure I won’t write as much as this for every day we were in Italy. But our first day was really very special – one of the best of the whole trip.
I also want you to know that I'm writing these memoirs for myself and my family, really. I want to cement in my mind all the things that we found most important. The same goes for the photos. We don't take many photos of the sights themselves. We buy postcards for that. We try to take pictures of things that are more unique to our own experience: the street performers, Sam chasing pigeons, or the huge plate of pasta with ragu that Sam seemed to order at every meal. So, I'm not sure how interesting this will be to anyone but us. Read on if you wish...
We departed from Dulles at about 6 in the evening, and flew through Amsterdam. The flight there was about 8 hours, and then we had another 2 hour flight to Rome. None of us slept much on the plane, but, despite tossing and turning for hours, Sam did a fine job. I think she handled the flight better than I did. For some reason, I didn’t sleep at all. So my fears of a long flight with Sam were completely unfounded. I still don’t understand why parents are so hesitant to fly with kids. Yes, we only have one, but for the most part, flying with her has been an exciting and joyful experience. I guess it just depends on the child’s temperament. And having said that, yes, I am prepared for two, completely different children. At least, in theory, I’m prepared.
[caption id="attachment_4486" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Our Little Travel Expert"]
[/caption]We did the smart thing and paid five extra Euros (about $7.50) for the hotel to send their shuttle to pick us up. It was nice to be met at the airport and have confidence that we were going to get to our hotel without getting lost, which I’ve read can be a problem with these tiny hotels. (From now on, I’ll just convert Euros to approximate amount in dollars so you don’t have to do the math.)
We stayed in the Imperial Suites Navona, just north of Piazza Navona, right in the heart of Rome. I can’t say enough good things about this hotel. Here is the little street where it was located:
So cool! Our room was modern and comfortable, even if tiny (which is to be expected in Rome). The staff was so friendly and helpful and everything was easy. Breakfast was served in our room every day at the time of our choosing and they actually offered eggs and meat, which saved us from having to go out for breakfast each day.
I didn’t plan it this way, but staying so close to one of the piazzas, or squares, was a really good thing. We found out how wonderful it was right after checking in. We were starving and went to the first restaurant in sight – less than a block from the hotel. We had the most delicious cappuccino, pizza, and gelato, and our jet lag seemed to disappear. After a quick trip back to the hotel to unpack, we set out for the Pantheon. On the way, we walked through Piazza Navona:
We didn’t know what to expect, but we found a huge, gaudy Bernini fountain, street performers, tons of restaurants, street vendors, lots of people, interesting buildings, and our first taste of the City of Rome. What we were to learn is that, just about anywhere you go in Rome, you will find history, art, ruins, or something unexpected. But Piazza Navona was particularly good for Samantha. On our first walk through the square, she found one of her favorite things of the entire vacation, the white statue lady:
Sam fell in love with this mime, and worked up enough courage to go to her and shake her hand, which is saying something. Sam is typically afraid of people in costumes. But this woman was really good at her craft, and she read Sam like a book and got her to feel comfortable. She was rewarded with a Euro in her hat from Sam, which was another new experience. We were thrilled that Sam was already having a good time. There were other mimes in the square, but none as good as the white statue lady. Sam looked for her every time we passed through Piazza Navona for the rest of our stay. This is what I mean when I say that our travels are even more enjoyable with our daughter along. I would never have paid so much attention to a mime without Sam there, but little events like this made the trip so much richer.
The Pantheon was one of my favorite sights in Rome. I’ve never stood in such an old building. It was breathtaking to think that it was built in 120AD. The dome was built of concrete, a material lost during the Dark Ages. The strength of concrete is one of the reasons so many structures from ancient Rome remain standing today. The dome with its oculus (the opening at the top) was beautiful in its own right, as was the floor of the building, which has been repaired, but which I believe retains its original design. There were a lot of statues inside the Pantheon but I wasn’t very interested in them. Adam was excited to see the tomb of Raphael inside, and we both loved the inscription on his sarcophagus: “Here lies Raphael, by whom the mother of all things (Nature) feared to be overcome while he was living, and while he was dying, herself to die.”
Sam was mostly bored, but we didn’t stay long. We walked around the outside and Rick Steves pointed out how the Pantheon actually sits at a much lower level than the current street level of Rome, as do all of the ruins and ancient structures. I’m sure I’d heard this idea before – that modern Rome is built upon the ruins of ancient Rome – but to see the ruins in person, in such a concrete way, made the history so much more real. It’s exciting to walk around the modern streets of Rome and wonder what lies beneath. The Pantheon was awesome!
We made a quick stop in a church nearby: the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, considered the only Gothic church in Rome. We didn’t really know what it was until we went in. It was just close by and we had a little extra time. Inside, we found a Michelangelo statue: Christ the Redeemer. And then we found out that this is where Galileo recanted, but then whispered “And yet it moves.” This is what I’m talking about – in Rome, you really can just stumble upon the most amazing things!
In the square in front of the Pantheon, Sam got her first taste of chasing pigeons, which quickly became one of her favorite activities in Italy.
We also saw a bunch of soldiers or policemen marching around with real big guns. I’m not sure what that was about, but it was clearly a ritual, not a practical exercise:
We walked through the city streets and just took in all of the shops, the street performers, and the buzz of the city. In some ways, Rome could be New York. But then again, maybe not.
We popped our heads inside another church. It looked like nothing on the outside, but it was beautiful inside. I don’t even remember which one it was, but it wasn’t important. It was just so cool that these things were everywhere. Sam was getting bored though, so we moved on.
We had to get used to the Roman traffic. Sometimes it was hard to tell where the sidewalk ended and the street began. We normally don’t make Sam hold our hands walking around, so it was very stressful to keep a close eye on her. I experimented with many methods of walking through the city and we never found anything that worked well for us. If I had to do it again, I would have started the trip with a special rule for Sam that she always hold our hands while walking somewhere. But as it was, we just struggled with keeping her safe and keeping her walking in the right direction.
Since we had eaten a late lunch, we opted for a dinner of appetizers right on Piazza Navona. I ate prosciutto with melon, some strange kind of seafood with suckers and tentacles, and a glass of Chianti. Not exactly pregnancy-approved food! I was unable to escape eating some lunch meat throughout the rest of the trip – sometimes that is the only kind of meat you can get – but I deliberately drank a cappuccino and a glass of wine every day, and that was totally worth it. But I have to say, this first day’s coffee and wine were probably the best of the whole trip.
I haven’t mentioned it because it is so completely normal, but both the meals so far were al fresco, as were almost all of our meals throughout the trip. The food on the piazzas is never quite as good as elsewhere, and it costs more, but the atmosphere, especially at Piazza Navona, was worth it. Sam spent much of the dinner yelling, “Pigeon, come!” and we were able to allow her to leave the table when she was done to wander about the square and chase pigeons or just look around. She made a lot of friends this way.
And that was our first day in Rome. And it was only a half day, really. And we were jet-lagged and a bit disoriented. And it was cloudy and a bit cold. I’m sure I won’t write as much as this for every day we were in Italy. But our first day was really very special – one of the best of the whole trip.
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