Christmas Present Buying

I was going to attempt and head out this past Friday for my first ever Black Friday shopping spree. Unfortunately Nathan had other ideas and was a fussy, fussy baby the night previously. We can't blame it ALL on Nathan as we were staying with Jeff's father and step-mother in Randolph for the night and Nathan has been fighting a cough for the PAST TEN DAYS!! As a result, Nathan was an ANGEL all day at Thanksgiving dinner. He was passed from person to person and he only fussed slightly, and everyone marveled at what a "perfect baby" he was. Well that night, there was payment demanded for his wonderful behavior. He had NOT napped during the day - 31 people all oohing and aahing over him was WAY too over-stimulating for a 5 month old, and he was WIDE AWAKE. Needless to say he didn't sleep that night, and in fact he was so awful that Jeff did something he has only done twice before.

He brought Nathan to bed with us. Now if you know Jeff you know how strongly he feels against NOT bringing Nathan into the bed with us, so for Jeff to cave in on this issue means we were past the point of rational thinking. So the next morning there was no way in hell that I was waking up at 4:30am to shop. AND.. well we're broke. We're broke, broke, broke. Yeah, I know... what else is new???

But the whole broke thing really got me thinking about Christmas. As I get older I find the less I truly want under the tree, and instead I've been looking at several different sites and checking out toys for Nathan. So far Nathan has about 5 different toys and we've decided to stop there - after all, Nathan IS a baby and its not like he's keeping a score card about what he's getting. I plan on getting a few more books for his library, and that's about it. But for Jeff it's a different story. I just ordered two gifts for him and I've limited my budget to $150. Now that may seem like a lot, but in the past I've tended to go a little crazy with gifts at Christmas. I just like buying things, I like the whole process of thinking about what the perfect gift is, where to find it, and buying it and wrapping it. And I especially love watching people open the gifts. This time round I'm going to be looking for great gifts for Jeff that also don't cost a lot. It's going to require a lot more creativity from me, and I'm paying more attention to sales/bargains and the such so I can not only get more ideas about what to get him, but the best prices as well.

I've also crossed some people off my list. My sister and I for example decided last year not to exchange gifts and instead go out to dinner with each other. Karen is in London right now, so getting time with her is infinitely more precious than something material. I don't really exchange gifts with friends anymore (I think we're all in the same boat right now money wise!!), so the gifts also go to the following:

• My cousin
• My father
• My mother
• Jeff's mother
• Jeff's niece Alli and nephew Brian
• A $20 gift card for our postman (if you saw the hill of death we live on, you'd know the man deserves a little thank you for hiking up here to deliver our mail!)
• And I also need to get little gifts for the women who watch Nathan at Daycare. I'm thinking Dunkin' Donuts gift cards.... Though Jeff thinks this isn't necessary since we pay a LARGE sum of money for the privilege of taking him there....

Here's my question? What's your budget for the holidays? Do you exchange gifts with certain people, or with everyone? Who makes the list??

Thoughts on Spanking

I read a pretty interesting article on spanking, and according to the poll, about 49% of parents do spank their kids. You can reference the article here (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?blogid=46&entry_id=51890). Now, I'm not a huge fan of statistics in general because personally I feel that statistics can be skewed to show favor to just about any argument, it's all in the way the numbers are presented. BUT, I did find it interesting to read all the different thoughts. Since I work in a pediatric dental office I see all manner of children. Well behaved, badly behaved, really badly behaved and so on. And the really badly behaved are bad. Real bad. I'm not talking about our special needs patients who obviously have reasons behind their behavior and different standards of behavior, I'm talking about kids who get away with EVERYTHING. I had one kid bat a balloon over my head repeatedly.. it bounced OFF my head several time IN FRONT OF THE CHILD'S MOTHER WHO SAID NOTHING! Not a word, not a peep, not even an ATTEMPT to discipline or correct her child. You know, that half assed "No Johnny, that's not nice" comment when the parent very obviously DOES NOT MEAN IT. Nothing. This parent let their little terror run rampant through the reception area, and she did it because hey! It's not HER house.. and what does she care if little Johnny causes havoc and destruction somewhere else. Because dammit, she's going to sit and read People magazine and find out all about the stripper who apparently had an affair with Fergie's husband and really there is nothing more important than that!

And I confess, I have thought in my own head that perhaps a spanking is something the demon child needs. But I'm not really a fan of spanking. As a child, I WAS spanked, and I have to say that my memories of it were not pleasant. And yes, I am completely aware of the fact that spanking is a punishment, and NOT supposed to be pleasant. But there seems to be something so undisciplined about spanking, that anger is getting the best of the parent and they are lashing out. So for now, I'm not on board with the spanking as a discipline method. Of course it's so easy for me to say something like that when I have a 4 month old and of course it's not even on the radar screen anytime soon, but Jeff and and I have discussed it and we're both pretty much in agreement that there will be no spanking in this house. Time outs, loss of privileges, of course. And perhaps a visit from Super Nanny if the need ever arises!!!

So my friends, what are your thoughts on spanking? Yes? No? Maybe???

Late Fall Attempt at De-cluttering

Our house is small - something I am sure I have driven home to all of you in the many, many entries I've written. And it's time to start decluttering again. I was looking around our living room/kitchen and there is so much STUFF. Lots and lots of STUFF. Where in the WORLD does it all come from?? I mean, I got rid of the gigantic dog crate, you would think that would open the place up a bit, but nope. There is still tons of STUFF all over the place. First thing I'm going to start with are my books. I stored probably about half the books I own... after a major purge before Nathan was born, and I think it's time to purge again. See, I have weakness for books and I tend to buy like 10 at a time. And I reread my books, but only the really good ones. So its time to go through my stash and get rid of the ones I didn't LOVE.

I've also been decluttering Nathan's room as time moves on. All the clothes he's outgrown have been storied in rubbermaid containers in our basement, and I've already started a large bin for his 6 month clothes. He's like a weed, this kid. It's crazy how fast he outgrows stuff.

How often does everyone else declutter? I tend to do it on an as needed basis, or when my OCD gets out of control and the STUFF makes me crazy....
I also want to go through the tons and tons of paperwork/mail and assorted catalogues that continue to multiple faster than rabbits. BUT, I don't want to go nuts and get all sorts of organzing things because Jeff and I are KIND of looking around for another house. A house where we can maybe entertain... a house where we can store the crap loads of baby crap that you apparently need these days in order to raise a child properly. And a house where there is more than one bathroom!! Ahhhh.. more than one bathroom would be sooooo lovely... so lovely... And a washer and dryer I don't have to exit the house to use! That would also be wonderful!

Oh, and my point was if anyone wants some books, let me know! I can send some your way, otherwise they're going into the donation bin!

Amazing Growing Baby

Holy Crap Nathan is outgrowing his clothes AGAIN! Now I know why my neighbor gets her kids clothing at yard sales and the such.... I cannot believe the rate that Nahan is growing. He's almomst 5 months old and he's wearing 6 months plus clothing. Today he wore 6-9 month sized clothing and was fine. The clothing was a LITTLE big.. but not too much so. Thank God I have a coupon for Carter's, I'm going to have to head on over there tomorrow and see if I can find any deals.

Oh, and HOW in the world does Nathan know when I've put him in something particularly cute and he should perhaps choose that very moment to spit up all over himself??? It's got to be more than coincidence that as soon as he's dressed in something particularly adorable that he takes that moment to upchuck over everything.

Donation Package

I decided on "1,2,3... Hi Baby" as the non-profit I'm going to give to this holiday season (you can see more about them here: http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/organizations/123...Hi_Baby.shtml) and I've started collecting items already. The idea that a mother can't afford to get the necessities for her baby breaks my heart so I've been clipping coupons and watching specials and so far I have the following items:
2 bottles of Johnson's Baby Wash
Desitin diaper rash ointment
6 onesies for 3 month olds
socks size 0-6 months
a swaddle wrap in size large
Saline nasal spray

Not a lot, but I'm hoping to get a few more things like diapers and clothing and maybe some more baby wash and diaper creme. I've got a $5.00 off any purchase of $15 or more at CVS and I may wander down tomorrow during lunch and see what I can get. I may be broke but I can still help out in some small way... and it makes me feel better too! A win win situation all around! I would especially like to make this idea of giving around the holidays a family affair where we all get involved in a charity and gather items to help out, even Nathan will be able to help give. It would kind of be a nice tradition instead of the usual gimme, gimme, gimme that surrounds the holidays.

Keep in mind though, I'm no saint.... I'm already thinking of different things I might possible like for the holidays (cough... spa day.. cough.... cough...) and I am certainly already on the lookout for toys and the such for Nathan. What holiday traditions do you all embrace? Do you volunteer? Give?? Feel free to share, I'd love to see some more ideas!

Foot in Mouth Disease

Every time I open my big mouth in some sort of judgemental or high and mighty statement it seems I am DOOMED to do the very thing that I swore up and down I would not. Before we had Nathan I SWORE I would not be one of those parents who kept the baby in the same room with them. Swore it. SWORE it. And while we have only caved TWICE on bringing him into bed with us, he still sleeps in the same room. In a co-sleeper. Even though he's 4 months old. And now that he's getting too big for the co-sleeper, am I thinking of transitioning him to his crib? No, I am thinking of how to keep him in the room with us. We have a pack n' play that I believe I have mentioned previously, and here he is really enjoying his pack n' play time:

And I am really, really considering having him just start sleeping in the pack n' play in our room. But the pack n' play doesn't really look designed for long term sleeping, and the mattress doesn't seem that great. So what's a mommy to do?? Does anyone have any suggestions?? I know we could move the crib up into our room, but frankly I am DREADING taking that puppy apart and moving it. It was NOT easy to set up and we actually paid extra to have the delivery people do it. Thoughts? Comments?? Feel free to share!

Inability to Sit Around and Do Nothing

You know, I used to be able to do nothing. I'm home sick today and Jeff is home helping to take care of Nathan since I'm scared to death I'll get him sick so I've been avoiding picking him up. I HAVE done the following though:

Put in a load of Nathan's laundry (I swear I do his laundry like 2x a week)
Put away our laundry from yesterday
Dishes (twice)
Fed the dog and took him out
Sterilized Nathan's bottles and pacifiers (can we say soaking in boiling hot water?)
Started holiday shopping lists

I DID take a 4 hour nap though during the day, you know, because I feel LOUSY with a capital L! But I also hate staying home sick. I always feel so sluggish and blah, and while I should be enjoying the fact that I have a day where Nathan is being cared for and I can indulge myself in feeling better, I just can't seem to stop DOING things. I'm actually contemplating cleaning our bathroom because I have a day "to myself". What is WRONG with me???

Leprechaun in Space Movie Night

Well we worked our way through Leprechaun 1-3 and finally made it to "Leprechaun in Space". And oh boy was it worth the wait. It had EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING. Like the writers had a huge brainstorm beforehand and didn't edit out any ideas. They threw it all in. There was:
Alien princess
Leprechaun
Space
DNA regeneration through blood
Androids
Half human/half robots
Crazy Scientists
Love Storyline
Insane DNA experiments
Mutants mixtures of spiders and scorpions
GIGANTIC LEPRECHAUN

It was all in there. Didn't matter that one part of the story was never solved, resolved or followed up. Or explained. The fact that the alien princess could regenerate is never explained, it just IS. And it's an excuse for us to later get a mutant of spider/alien/regeneration person that rips the pants off the lady scientist and spins lots of webs and eats flies and is just generally repulsive. Oh wait, the lady scientist isn't a scientist, she's a DOCTOR.. a doctor of BIOLOGY, meaning she's a BIOLOGIST. I got the serious giggles during that little explanation.

There was also a 1o second gratuitous shot of Alien Princess's breasts because in her culture, if royalty shows their breasts it means you are sentenced to death. It made absolutely no sense, it was just an excuse for her to flash, and is never mentioned again. All in all, it was highly entertaining and Jeff and I giggled our whole way through the movie. So, definitely worth it in the sense of renting. Though I still don't think we needed to watch 1-3 to watch this one. And just in case you want to see it again, here's the preview!

Bawling my eyes out

Did everyone hear about the missing baby in Florida that had been hidden in a chest UNDER A BED for 12 hours??? If not, here's the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/05/florida.baby.found/index.html

I was so glad to hear that she is alive and found safe, but so incredibly sad and mad that her own MOTHER had given her away and then reported her missing. I was also sad to see in pictures how tiny she is. Shannon is 7 months old and she seems TINY in comparison to Nathan. Nathan at 4 months is a chubba chub baby, and I feel like this little girl is itty bitty. I want this baby. I think they should just give her to Jeff and I and she can be Nathan's big sister. Let's face it, for all my complaining and being tired, I LOVE being a mommy. Love it. And since I haven't given Nathan away and had him LOCKED IN A CRATE UNDER A BED FOR 12 HOURS... it looks like I'm up for mother of the year in comparison. Don't think I'm not tempted to call Florida social services and ask if she needs a foster home. Think they'd let us bring her to Massachusetts??

Scary Movie

Jeff and I actually watched a scary movie last night. We not only watched it, but we watched it WITHOUT FALLING ASLEEP, and we enjoyed it! We were pleasantly surprised by the twists, and LIKED IT! This does NOT happen often so I thought I'd share it:





It's called "Trick or Treat" and it's kind of 4 short stories in one. If you are a looking for a good scary movie, rent it, it's worth it!

Halloween

Don't worry, pictures are coming, but I was interested in the contrast between this Halloween and Halloween's of past. This year we took Nathan to Marblehead where the idea was he would trick or treat with his cousins. Well this year it was REALLY warm out, really warm out. And the costume we had picked out was really warm. Cute, but warm. It was a little monster outfit and Nathan was soooo not having it. We took him trick or treating in his jammies because let's face it, he's 4 months old and really will have no memory of this night. BUT we did get a few pictures for the occasion, so that was good. Now here's where the night took a different kind of turn. Jeff and I spent the night in Salem, MA and on my urging, Jeff dressed up as Spock and went out. Last year we went out in Salem with Jeff's cousins David and Judith and had a blast people watching and checking things out. I thought, how much fun for Jeff to do that again this year?? I didn't go, I stayed in Salem with my baby and you know what? I was fine with it! Truly, I was fine with it. I got Nathan all snuggly in his pack n' play and I was out cold on the sofa next to him about 30 minutes later. No scary movie, no nothing... I was passed out. By 9:30pm people. On HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Now Nathan normally sleeps in a co-sleeper next to our bed and it's about bassinet sized, so not that big. The pack n' play however is a pretty good size. And Nathan took FULL ADVANTAGE of his room to kick his feet, squirm, and pretty much make as much noise as possible without crying. He kicked and kicked and thumped his feet and tried to roll over and was just generally a REALLY LOUD SLEEPER. Also, as everyone knows, houses make weird noises at night. And if you don't normally sleep there, you're not used to those noises. There were doors creaking, wind blowing, and generally all sorts of sounds that continually woke me up. Jeff is actually lucky that I woke up at 11:30pm when he and David got back because they didn't have any keys. I remember vaguely thinking it was a little late for trick or treaters before making my way to the door. And poor Jeff and David walked all the way home from Salem center in the rain. He was SOAKED.

All in all it was not a very memorable Halloween.... hopefully next year will be better!!