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In July, I shared with you Bump’s favorite YouTube video. Well, he has a new one, which I have to say is quite addictive. This is so going on my workout play-list. Happy chair-dancing:
- Artist: Of Montreal (they’re actually of Athens)
- Song: “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)”
- LP: The Sunlandic Twins (Polyvinyl 2005)
I am slowly getting more used to our new house, which we shall now refer to as “little cutie” (previous owner’s name for it). For some reason the size is mattering less and less. In fact, it’s somewhat convenient when it comes to cleaning and heating the place, the latter of which we had to do yesterday despite it being mid-August! I have to say the large dry basement really helps with storage. And just knowing it’s there helps. Guess I’m 100% white-bread American: I need to have more square feet, even if it’s only in my head sometimes.
Our first home improvement project is to give Little Cutie a kitchen a face-lift. We plan to install some new appliances, a new Corian countertop with integral sink design, and last but not least refinish the existing cabinets (ourselves). Can I just say the price of new cabinets are hellishly insane? New Corian countertops are also pricey, but I’m willing to splurge there: so long laminate! Plus, Mr. G is confident that the original cabinets are still in very good shape. Yes, they do seem solid in that “older house” sort of way. Let’s face it, I’m somewhat of a princess, so I like things new, shiny, clean, and just so.
First step in this long process will be to install our new gas range, which arrives Saturday. We went with a stainless steel imitation, not because it’s cheaper (which it really isn’t) but because the handy-dandy salesman at Lowe’s said that the mock-stainless is fingerprint resistant. We’re also getting the microwave companion piece that Mr. G will install himself just above the range. This will free up significant counter space. Feng shui here we come (joking).
On an entirely unrelated note, it dawned on me I haven’t posted any pics of Bump lately, so here are some I took in July. Bump was busy “reading” a picture book when I took these, and I think my incessant “look at mommy” pleas confused him a bit — he didn’t know what to do. And when all else fails, reach for Mom I suppose.
(Click on the pictures to behold the full extent of his cuteness).
Bump turned a whopping two on Sunday. We moved into our new house two days prior to that (and stayed in a hotel the first night), so needless to say this wasn’t the most eventful birthday. A colleague of mine, whose son was born five hours before Bump, agreed to host a joint birthday bash for the two boys. Now that I think about it, we did the very same thing for Bump’s first birthday, only then we celebrated his birthday with an old friend of mine from graduate school. Maybe next year we’ll host a Barack/Bump Birthday Bash?
I chose the picture below because frankly the fuzziness best symbolizes my life right now: everything’s unclear, moving quickly, and yet cause for celebration as I make my way into homeownership.
Happy Birthday Bump! (He’s the fuzzy one on the right)
Bump’s absolutely most favorite thing evah (right now) is this video. Mr. G thinks it might actually be Madonna singing. I’ll let you decide:
The bongo drums in the middle of the song are actually quite catchy . . .
Bump goes to a licensed in-home daycare four days per week so that Mr. G can teach and I, of course, can blog. His provider, a young postgraduate (MS in some child-centered “ology”) is great. She’s just getting started, and we were the first family she met for the pre-care screening deal. We love her: she feeds em’ organics, has lots of great books, and lets Bump nap in the crib still (he’s just about to turn 2).
Then today happened. Here’s how it went:
Me upon arriving for the drop of at noon: “[Bump] had his nap really early today, so he’s not tired. He was up for a lot of the night (teething) and crashed around 10:00AM”
Provider (with slight grimace): “Oh. No. Because Finn (baby in her arms) has to sleep at noon. So, um, even if [Bump's] not tired, he’ll still have to sit in his crib (with a doubtful expression on her face).
Me (wanting to be conciliatory and perhaps a bit duplicitous because of that): “Oh, yeah, I understand. He didn’t get a good night’s sleep so I’m sure he’ll eventually nod off.”
P: “Yeah. Because, well…I mean I can push nap-time back a bit. You see, [Bump's] young. Unlike Ellis (four year old toddler), who can play quietly, I just don’t see [Bump] being able to be quiet while awake.”
Me: “Well, um, I would take [Bump] with me [even though I've already PAID for this month], but I have meetings on campus.” [OK, so this wasn't true. But somehow saying "I have to write" seemed too risky that moment.]
We ended things carefully amicable: she reiterated pushing nap-time back, and I said “call me if you find yourself totally stressed out,” which in retrospect I find somewhat too conciliatory.
Question: if I’ve already paid the monthly tuition and if I cannot find anything on her contract stating “children must be dropped off after designated nap-time if it is parent’s opinion that they will not fall asleep by noon,” am I right to assume that I was not being at all difficult or unfair? In other words, who’s right here? As a mother who has occasionally watched more than one kid at a time, I wholeheartedly sympathize with Provider. It’s noon, she’s been watching kids since 7:30AM, and nothing sounds nicer than the 2-hour break she gets after Bump, who naps there like clockwork, arrives. But she’s charging us for the convenience of having somebody care for our tots while we work (or blog). I have a hunch this might happen again tomorrow because Bump isn’t sleeping well (molars) and has napped early all week so far. What is a sympathetic working mom to do????
