5/13 - My sister is 7 weeks postpartum and I'm glad I got her a Mother's Day / birthday gift.
5/14 - Got in the car today and it was mega stinky. Found some horrible goo in the cup holder of LO's carseat that got smeared everywhere. Smelled like vomit. Took the carseat apart and washed the pads. It was stressful putting it back together but I think it's all right now.
Had to take the bus to LO's first swim lesson which was actually pretty fun. So it all worked out but nap schedule was upset. Had to do baby spa time this evening to moisturize after the swimming pool. We don't routinely use lotion but kiddo was reaching inside his diaper and looking very uncomfortable.
Got an extra large patio umbrella in anticipation of outdoor time this summer. Heading to Disneyland on Monday. Packing and meal prepping tomorrow. Feeling optimistic about the end of the semester. Booked a spa day for DH and myself on LO's last day of daycare for the semester.
Selling on the consignment sale this time instead of buying. Want to reorganize a bit and declutter. With LO getting taller and using a chair to climb up higher, there are fewer and fewer safe places for junk to pile up.
5/18 - Our trip to Disneyland went awesome. If you want to read more, I wrote a detailed debrief here: http://bikecar101.blogspot.com/2022/05/metrolink-to-disneyland.html Kiddo was so good on the trains and buses. Now I feel more confident in planning for our 4 hour plane trip in July.
5/19 - Sometimes I feel like I spend my whole life refilling things.
5/21 - Sold some stuff at the consignment sale instead of buying. Volunteered to check and bag orders. It was humbling. Bagging was such hard work. Close quarters. Lonely. Heavy lifting. Sitting on the dirty floor. Bending over a low table. Honestly I have so much more respect for how it all works. My sales were $15 higher by doing a 3 hour volunteer shift. I sold 15 items for a take-home of $208. We have more room in our garage by getting rid of stuff.
Now I have to list and move the remaining items that didn't sell via Buy Nothing. I am so grateful to the volunteers who have sorted and bagged my previous orders. I've shopped 8 consignment sales virtually. Before that it was pre-pandemic and I was still pregnant. On one hand it's amazing how we've all adapted to survive quarantine. But on the other hand, we missed out on so much.
LO had his 2nd swim lesson which he cried through the entire 30 minutes. But when I asked if he was ready to get dunked, he would say "yeah." I'm so in love with his determination.
We were given the recommendation from daycare to get kiddo assessed for speech therapy. I can't help but wonder if his speech delays are anything to do with COVID isolation. I don't want to admit that we need help. As an educator, I feel like I've failed. And also I just started watching Game of Thrones and *spoiler* on Season 1 Episode 5 there is a woman breastfeeding an 8 year old. I worry that my son doesn't talk because I try so often to keep him calm and quiet by breastfeeding.
The Latched Mama podcast had a story about picky eating and they mentioned that pandemic babies don't know how to behave in a restaurant and we are no exception. Some former students took us out for Korean BBQ. Granted they wanted to start eating at 7pm (LO's bedtime) and we didn't get a babysitter because of the pandemic we don't have one. Kiddo was a mess during the meal and we had to run out at 8:30 because it was such a shitshow. Huh. Whatayagonnado? Sorry this was such a ramble. Thanks for reading.
5/23 - Milestone Monday. Cute phrases like "I did it." And "thank you." The language is getting easier to understand.
So helpful at the grocery store. Closes open doors. Climbs in and out of carseat in minivan.
Fetches things by name. Will deliver food to parents. Will agree to diaper changes if wet.
5/25 - Kinda sad. Had a "pinning ceremony" on Zoom today. It was so anticlimactic. But it was fitting for the end of a hard year where we transitioned back to in-person instruction mid-Spring semester. All the Deans and Vice Provost were there but I couldn't see them since I was zooming from my phone. I was breastfeeding and babywearing during the ceremony and it just felt like the extension of what we survived during WFH and the maternity leave during a pandemic. The head of faculty development brought me to tears by saying outloud that the antiracist work we are doing matters and is one way we can keep the university a safe place to learn.
LO was running a fever but I didn't realize it because our Air Conditioner was broken and I thought he was just hot. After the AC got fixed, during the Zoom ceremony, two grown men saw me all tits out behind the camera, I took kiddo's temp and it was 100 deg F. This caused me to be a no-show at My Gym and it was supposed to be our first class and we have 2 weeks unlimited but now the dude is sick.
Had a solo night out at the roller rink to celebrate this anticlimactic ceremony. It was good. The CSUN Oasis Wellness Center has some suggestions to unwind at the end of the semester. One of them was "soul date" which I Googled and turned up no hits. Maybe they meant solo. But I think Rainbow night at Moonlight is definitely a soul date.
5/28 - Kiddo threw up in the carseat today. So scary. I hate when he's behind me and I can't tell if he's breathing. Canceled swim lesson.
On the bright side, now we are home to set out items for Buy Nothing to clear out the garage. Heading to Disney California Adventure on Tuesday. Hope kiddo is feeling better by then.
Another lingering effect of COVID... We still have to make reservations for things that used to not require reservations. For example annual pass holders for the LA Zoo still have to have BOTH a ticket and a reservation. On one hand, it's a blessing because it (maybe) limits the crowds. But on the other hand, it's just one more thing mommy's gotta do to get out of the house.
