Back in January, I went to see an orthodontist at the recommendation of my dentist because of all the movement in my bottom teeth that's starting to mess with my top teeth, too. My dentist was thinking a retainer should cover it. The orthodontist said 15 months of braces to the tune of a really ugly price tag. And of course, my insurance won't cover adult braces. This plan is so good for everything else, but it doesn't cover adult braces?! ARG! This pill would be much more swallowable (is that word?) if insurance covered a little... ::sigh::
Railroad Tracks will be coming your way soon, I guess. I'm so putting this off....
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Bessie
Bessie is back!
Yes, Steve's nickname for me when I'm breastfeeding, Bessie (the cow), is back. And really, I don't argue because that is what it feels like... I'm constantly pumping for or feeding Elektra, every 3 hours or less. I've got at least 5 more months of this because the American Pediatric Association (I think that's what it's called) recommends at least 6 months of breastfeeding to provide 90-some percent of the antibiodies and such to the baby. But as time passes, I'll be attached less often to the pump over the course of the day as Elektra's feeding needs change. I look forward to being done this part of my responsibilities as Mommy; I am ready to have my body back entirely!
Moooooo.
Yes, Steve's nickname for me when I'm breastfeeding, Bessie (the cow), is back. And really, I don't argue because that is what it feels like... I'm constantly pumping for or feeding Elektra, every 3 hours or less. I've got at least 5 more months of this because the American Pediatric Association (I think that's what it's called) recommends at least 6 months of breastfeeding to provide 90-some percent of the antibiodies and such to the baby. But as time passes, I'll be attached less often to the pump over the course of the day as Elektra's feeding needs change. I look forward to being done this part of my responsibilities as Mommy; I am ready to have my body back entirely!
Moooooo.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Dana Swan Field - a Haverford dedication
On Saturday, Steve gave me a gift... a chance to go up to Haverford on my own while he watched DJ. I went to Haverford to watch the dedication of the new turf field and the subsequent field hockey game. Haverford dedicated the field to a man with a long Haverford legacy, Dana Swan, a coach, Athletic Director and Admissions Officer at Haverford. And for the first time in I can't tell you how many years, I was excited to return to campus.
This event was important to me on two levels: 1. The fact that the field was dedicated to Dana Swan and 2. Because the turf field is going to be used primarily for women's sports, field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.
Dana Swan is the reason I got into Haverford. I knew, once I toured the campus, that Haverford was where I wanted to go to college. But my interview with Dana Swan - a 45 minute long interview in which my parents started wondering what was wrong as none of my other college interviews went that long - was the highlight of my college search, application, and admission process. Not only was the interview special, but so was the phone call I received personally from Dana Swan to offer me admission to the school. He called the dorm phone one night while I was working in the computer center. The message he left was that he'd call again.
When he did call again, he told me that I was the first person to come off the wait list, and would I be interested in attending Haverford. There was no question nor any hesitation in my mind. Of course I said yes! Then I asked about sending in a deposit. He said, "We don't take deposits. Your conversation with me is binding under our Honor Code." Upon hanging up the phone, I knew I'd made the right decision for my college future.
Subsequently, I played field hockey for my 4 years at Haverford. Our field was a grass field just outside the Observatory (women's lacrosse played and practiced there as well in the Spring). It had more divits from our practices and games as well as from the squirrels trying to bury their nuts for winter (and then dig them back up). Playing teams on any field that was remotely better than ours threw us for loops. When we'd play teams on tuf, we'd have to get up at 4:30AM to travel to a turf field for 5-7AM practice the week before the game. Ugh. And invariably, we'd lose those games anyway.
So this turf field is a huge step for the field hockey program. It can only serve to boost recruiting and the level of play of the team. Eventually, it will become a self feeding cycle... level of play will help recruiting and recruiting will help the level of play. But for now, Haverford has invested in its athletic program in a huge way; if you build it, they will come. I hope.
The field hockey game was against Rowan - formally known as the College of New Jersey. They had changed their name to Rowan right before we played them for the first time when I was a Senior. We traveled to Rowan and promptly were demolished by a bunch of girls who decided it was a good idea to wear blue eye shadow, mascara, glitter, etc. ::roll eyes:: This time, Haverford played Rowan much better than we did, despite Tropical Storm Hanna doing her worst. The field held up fantastically and although Haverford still suffers from issues that we had when I played, it was nice to see us score on Rowan.
I introduced myself to the coach after the game. She's very energetic and seemingly very nice. She invited me to their tailgate in the new athletic center. I had planned to go look at the new athletic center anyway, so I stopped in. I chatted with one senior's parents, and then decided to take a walk around campus, despite the ridiculous storm whipping around outside. I was in my rain gear, so I didn't care about being out in the weather.
The campus walk was a nice trip down memory lane, but also a nice way to confirm that I don't belong anymore. The school has built some very nice additions to the campus that I so wish I had when I was there (huh, just like McDonogh and its athletic and performing arts centers), so clearly the school is making strides both in athletic and academic facilities, as it should.
I drove home through Tropical Storm Hanna and upon arriving home, Steve and DJ got home just as I did. We settled in, watched the sun come out, and then our power went out. ::sigh:: We went out to pick up dinner and by the time we got home, the lights were back on. It was a nice end to a nice day (despite the weather).
This event was important to me on two levels: 1. The fact that the field was dedicated to Dana Swan and 2. Because the turf field is going to be used primarily for women's sports, field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.
Dana Swan is the reason I got into Haverford. I knew, once I toured the campus, that Haverford was where I wanted to go to college. But my interview with Dana Swan - a 45 minute long interview in which my parents started wondering what was wrong as none of my other college interviews went that long - was the highlight of my college search, application, and admission process. Not only was the interview special, but so was the phone call I received personally from Dana Swan to offer me admission to the school. He called the dorm phone one night while I was working in the computer center. The message he left was that he'd call again.
When he did call again, he told me that I was the first person to come off the wait list, and would I be interested in attending Haverford. There was no question nor any hesitation in my mind. Of course I said yes! Then I asked about sending in a deposit. He said, "We don't take deposits. Your conversation with me is binding under our Honor Code." Upon hanging up the phone, I knew I'd made the right decision for my college future.
Subsequently, I played field hockey for my 4 years at Haverford. Our field was a grass field just outside the Observatory (women's lacrosse played and practiced there as well in the Spring). It had more divits from our practices and games as well as from the squirrels trying to bury their nuts for winter (and then dig them back up). Playing teams on any field that was remotely better than ours threw us for loops. When we'd play teams on tuf, we'd have to get up at 4:30AM to travel to a turf field for 5-7AM practice the week before the game. Ugh. And invariably, we'd lose those games anyway.
So this turf field is a huge step for the field hockey program. It can only serve to boost recruiting and the level of play of the team. Eventually, it will become a self feeding cycle... level of play will help recruiting and recruiting will help the level of play. But for now, Haverford has invested in its athletic program in a huge way; if you build it, they will come. I hope.
The field hockey game was against Rowan - formally known as the College of New Jersey. They had changed their name to Rowan right before we played them for the first time when I was a Senior. We traveled to Rowan and promptly were demolished by a bunch of girls who decided it was a good idea to wear blue eye shadow, mascara, glitter, etc. ::roll eyes:: This time, Haverford played Rowan much better than we did, despite Tropical Storm Hanna doing her worst. The field held up fantastically and although Haverford still suffers from issues that we had when I played, it was nice to see us score on Rowan.
I introduced myself to the coach after the game. She's very energetic and seemingly very nice. She invited me to their tailgate in the new athletic center. I had planned to go look at the new athletic center anyway, so I stopped in. I chatted with one senior's parents, and then decided to take a walk around campus, despite the ridiculous storm whipping around outside. I was in my rain gear, so I didn't care about being out in the weather.
The campus walk was a nice trip down memory lane, but also a nice way to confirm that I don't belong anymore. The school has built some very nice additions to the campus that I so wish I had when I was there (huh, just like McDonogh and its athletic and performing arts centers), so clearly the school is making strides both in athletic and academic facilities, as it should.
I drove home through Tropical Storm Hanna and upon arriving home, Steve and DJ got home just as I did. We settled in, watched the sun come out, and then our power went out. ::sigh:: We went out to pick up dinner and by the time we got home, the lights were back on. It was a nice end to a nice day (despite the weather).
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wrightsville Beach 2008
Note - I was rummaging through all of my posts, and realized I started this post, but never actually finished it! So I will write it now based on what I remember from a year ago...
---------
As is family tradition, we went to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. We stayed with my family at a house that's on the north end of Wrightsville Beach, on the sound side, not ocean side. But we are directly across from a Public Beach Access so we have very easy access to the beach with no driving necessary!
The trip down was pretty uneventful, and DJ did great. It wasn't nearly as difficult on me as I had thought it might be, and we made great time. Despite that, we were all very happy to be out of the car once we arrived.
DJ's cousins were thrilled to see (and play with) DJ, who was very interested in exploring the house. Even though the stairs are shorter than your average stair, we still had to watch DJ like a hawk on them. But those were a huge toy for him, to say the least.
He also discovered the little closet on the top floor loft. It was just his size, and he opened and shut that door millions of times over the course of the week! He liked playing hide-n-seek with it, too. It was his little hideout. He loved it.
We took DJ to the beach a number of times over the course of the week. He didn't mind walking on the sand at all (much to our surprise), but the water made him nervous at first. I'm not sure if the noise of the ocean made him nervous or just it's vastness or what... but he definitely wanted no parts of it initially. DJ and I sat on the edge of where the water came until he was comfortable with it. Then Steve took him in to play... and he had a good time!
DJ playing in the water
DJ and Daddy
As for me, being 8 months pregnant took its toll on me. And true to his nature, DJ was up at the crack of dawn every day and with the pack-n-play in the same room as us, there was no sleeping through it. I was very thankful that my active toddler was taking both morning and afternoon naps, despite the racket (ARG!!!) caused by the construction on the house next door (shingling). I'd nap with him when I could, but still. Chasing him around was a challenge energy-wise as well as physically e.g. getting up off the floor was not a fast action!
I also attempted to bake on this trip. Both attempts ended up in culinary disasters. Ok, I thought they were disasters, but they tasted they way they should even though they didn't LOOK they way they should. My Vanilla Butternut Poundcake burned AGAIN in that oven (you'd think I'd learn not to bake in that contemptuous oven), and my carrot cake not only came out flat but it completely fell apart trying to pull them out of the pans. I iced it anyway, and it became Rustic Carrot Cake. It tasted awesome... but was really... flat... and a crumbled mess. Ugh. Hate that oven...
DJ had a great time playing with his cousins, especially Spiro. There is just a boy bond there that can't be explained. It's awesome.
The week went by quickly, but Steve and I were happy to come home to our routine (and DJ being in his own room!). The drive back was a real challenge, with Washington DC traffic wreaking havoc on our ability to get home in a reasonable amount of time (Friday at 4:30 is bad bad bad). DJ was REALLY unhappy, and that shot our nerves in a hurry. But we got through it, not much worse for the wear. ;-)
Meanwhile, my father-in-law had spent the last few days of that week whlie we were gone prepping and painting DJ's new room, so that was a really nice done project to come home to!! Our plan to move DJ into his new room 6-8 weeks before the new baby arrives is coming to fruition sooner than we had hoped!
Next year, we'll have another baby to bring with us to the beach! YAAAY! We think we didn't get any rest this year on our vacation (it's a trip, not a vacation), we're certainly not getting any next year!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Driving in downtown
As I was leaving work yesterday, I pull out of the parking garage at work onto Calvert Street. Calvert Street is one way going North, 4 lanes, with the left most as the left turn lane. Many days. The right most lane is blocked by delivery trucks and such, so this really only leaves me the option of getting into the two middle lanes if I want to go north on Calvert.
By the graciousness of another driver, I’m allowed to pull out on to Calvert into the left of the two middle lanes. I wave my thanks and just as I start to accelerate, an oversized behemoth of a truck that is supposedly classed as merely an SUV, a GMC Yack-on, decides that it’s a good idea to try and turn left from the right hand of the middle lanes. That means this Yack-on was going to turn left into me and into the car to the left of me in the legitimate left turn lane.
So I ask, when, is it EVER acceptable, much less safe, to pull a maneuver like that? I can only think of one situation: a demolition derby. And even then, I believe the courses are figure 8s to encourage the demolition…
At no point was I going fast enough to not be able to avoid this situation; I wasn’t in any immediate danger. But I was amazed by the sheer stupidity that humanity manages to display daily when placed behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle.
To my immense amusement, there was a traffic officer at the intersection who saw this unfold. As the Yack-on tried to complete its turn, the traffic officer stepped in front of the cars in the left turn lane and almost in front of my lane to force the Yack-on to go straight. After a sharp whistle and way too many exaggerated hand gestures from the traffic officer, the Yack-on finally got the message and went straight. This meant that it was now directly in front of me in my lane.
Ok, so maybe it poses less danger to me in this situation, I think. And theoretically, it does. Until we get to the next intersection one block away. This time, the Yack-on DOES, in fact, turn left not from the left-most lane, but from one lane to the right of the left lane.
I quickly look to my left to see if anyone is going straight there (as this is a possibility on this part of the road) and to my immense relief, there is no one. The Yack-on didn’t learn its lesson the first time, and clearly not the second time either. That person’s license needs to be revoked.
By the graciousness of another driver, I’m allowed to pull out on to Calvert into the left of the two middle lanes. I wave my thanks and just as I start to accelerate, an oversized behemoth of a truck that is supposedly classed as merely an SUV, a GMC Yack-on, decides that it’s a good idea to try and turn left from the right hand of the middle lanes. That means this Yack-on was going to turn left into me and into the car to the left of me in the legitimate left turn lane.
So I ask, when, is it EVER acceptable, much less safe, to pull a maneuver like that? I can only think of one situation: a demolition derby. And even then, I believe the courses are figure 8s to encourage the demolition…
At no point was I going fast enough to not be able to avoid this situation; I wasn’t in any immediate danger. But I was amazed by the sheer stupidity that humanity manages to display daily when placed behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle.
To my immense amusement, there was a traffic officer at the intersection who saw this unfold. As the Yack-on tried to complete its turn, the traffic officer stepped in front of the cars in the left turn lane and almost in front of my lane to force the Yack-on to go straight. After a sharp whistle and way too many exaggerated hand gestures from the traffic officer, the Yack-on finally got the message and went straight. This meant that it was now directly in front of me in my lane.
Ok, so maybe it poses less danger to me in this situation, I think. And theoretically, it does. Until we get to the next intersection one block away. This time, the Yack-on DOES, in fact, turn left not from the left-most lane, but from one lane to the right of the left lane.
I quickly look to my left to see if anyone is going straight there (as this is a possibility on this part of the road) and to my immense relief, there is no one. The Yack-on didn’t learn its lesson the first time, and clearly not the second time either. That person’s license needs to be revoked.
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