January 29th, 2010

The Last Time

Baby firsts are marked with fanfare and photos, joy and excitement. But the last time? It sneaks away on you. The last time your baby crawled instead of walking, the last time your baby said a word in that cute little baby way, before learning to say it “right”. The last time he slept in his crib.

Two days ago I mentioned to my husband that I wanted him to set up the toddler bed for our 2yo. I didn’t know if he was ready for it, but I wanted to introduce it to him. My husband misunderstood what I wanted and not only set up the toddler bed, but also took apart the crib. The crib that has been the bed for all three of my children in their infancies. The crib I have leaned into so many nights, to pat a back gently or to beg a baby to please, please, please go back to sleep. The crib my mom bought for us when we just half-way through our first pregnancy, and we set up with such anticipation. The crib we no longer need, and cannot even give away, as it is a drop side rail crib, no longer considered particularly safe.

I thought it would be exciting to move my baby up to a big boy bed, but I find myself tearing up as I realize the baby days are truly over in my house. Well, you know, other than that my “big” boy at 2 years old still is addicted to his soother AND still has a bedtime bottle AND still wakes regularly at night! And don’t get me wrong, I have no desire to have another baby, I am more than happy not to start fresh with all that comes with newborns. It’s just a little bittersweet watching all of my babies growing up so quickly on me – just like everyone told me they would.

Well, let’s mark the end of crib days with a picture shall we? Bye, bye crib, you served us well.

Little Boy In The Crib

January 27th, 2010

Work At Home Wednesday

In October of 2007 I left my office job and my wonderful DH bought me a laptop so that I could play online anywhere in the house while taking care of our three boys. Prior to getting my lovely laptop, I had an old, big HP desktop that needed lots of space, had lots of cords and basically was bulky. Good computer, but not exactly movable!

The first year of being a laptop mama, I loved the mobility! I could sit on the couch and surf the web, while nursing the baby, while the 5 yo watched tv and the 3yo played on the floor. I could take the laptop and hide in my bedroom while DH managed the kids. I could take the laptop on vacation to grandma’s house – perfect!

Then I started my business. At first everything continued to work just fine. I didn’t work that much, I opened up my computer when needed and put it away the rest of the time. Then I started getting busier, plus got hooked on Twitter, and now my laptop is on all the time. Most of my work doesn’t require paper (“real” paper anyway!) but I do use a headset frequently, and I do keep a small amount of paper for notes, and a stand for when I do transcribe from physical documents. I have ended up working from the kitchen table more and more, instead of the couch and now I realize I need to change something about my setup.

I do HAVE a proper home office setup. I just don’t like to be in the basement, which was where it fit. I store my files and paper there, I have my printer setup down there (and print wirelessly from the laptop), I keep my business books down there. Shhh, I even have two desks down there. Both are big though, and neither has a keyboard tray, and my wrists are telling me I need a more ergonomic setup. Most importantly, I want to be working in the heart of my home, near the kitchen and the living room. In short, I want a “mobile” office on my main floor that doesn’t take up much space, but is easy to work from! I tweeted about it last week actually, and my lovely friend Tamara shared that even though it’s tight she put a desk into her dining area for the same reason.

So for this week, my plan is to search for a decent and suitable small desk that I can somehow squish into my dining area or living room. Hopefully on wheels so that it can be easily shoved away into a corner when I have company.  I am thinking a trip to Ikea may be in order….(mmm, Ikea, love their meatballs!) Oh wait, stop thinking about food Laurie!

If you work from home I’d love to hear about your setup. Do you have an office? Do you use it? Do you sit at the table and pray no one spills juice near your computer?!

January 19th, 2010

PROMPTuesday: Car Breaks Down on Trip

Courtesy of San Diego Momma’s PROMPTuesday:

Your car breaks down on a major highway during a cross-country trip. What happens next?

Been there…done that! And let me tell you it was an expensive and exhausting experience, lol!  A long, long, LONG, drive from Edmonton, Alberta to Las Vegas. In June. In the heat. With a 2.5 year old while I was 7 months pregnant with #2. Yes in fact, we were crazy!

Several more hours of driving to San Francisco. Cool winds and a much happier pregnant lady. Driving up Pacific Coast Highway to take a scenic route home to Edmonton. Made it as far as Petaluma and truck ground to a screeching halt. Bonus: 3 more days in San Fran waiting for repairs to be completed. Actually got to see the sights.  Bad: mega bucks in repair bills – ouch!

Tired, cranky and late for work, we sped through the beautiful petrified forest, not even stopping for a picture. Barely checked out the beautiful ocean and beach view that was flying by. Got lost one last time before finally making it home!