1m2aSandbox

First off, I’m leaving last
week’s poll up for another week, and we’ll talk about
baby’s first words next Monday. I’m dealing with a sick
kid here and am too tired to think of anything else.


Yes, Maddie’s definitely got a cold, as evidenced by a
sleepless night for the whole family last night; Maddie would whine
fitfully for a couple minutes, fall silent for 10-15 minutes, and
then whine again. All night. Poor lambie was so stuffed up she
simply couldn’t get comfortable and get to sleep. Around 5
a.m. it turned to a more insistent cry, so we went in for a little
damage control and comforting.


While Maddie and I snuggled in the rocking chair having a bottle of
milk, Daddy put a bed pillow under the mattress at one end of
Maddie’s crib, so that when she lay back down her head would
be elevated. In the past, we’ve simply raised the mattress
setting one notch instead on one end, but didn’t have the
time or, frankly, the motor skills at 5 a.m. to do that. So when
she went back to bed – 11 books and a bottle of milk and an
hour later – she was able to fall asleep for a couple
hours.

Maddie and I seem to be coming down with a
cold, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow (hopefully) to hear
the current poll results as I take a bit of a sick day.


Meanwhile, my brother sent me a link to href="http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-10-19T210728Z_01_N19206647_RTRUKOC_0_US-LIFE-NANNIES.xml&src=101906_1831_ARTICLE_PROMO_also_on_reuters">
this article and I'm interested in your opinion. What
do you think of women who put "How's My Nanny" bumperstickers on
their strollers, in the hopes that strangers will contact them with
reports of negligence? Does this seem to be a great way to keep an
extra eye on your baby, or a sign you don't trust your caregiver?
If you were a nanny, would this insult you?


I have to confess, I'd feel insulted if I were a nanny; on the
other hand, I've often longed for a phone number to be printed
across the foreheads of some of the tots I see on the playground,
so their moms could hear how poorly they are treated by their
nannies.


What do you think?

For the past few Fridays, I’ve been
talking about the finer points of life on the playground. target="_blank"
href="http://www.1mother2another.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=417&Itemid=46">
Two weeks ago I discussed the kinds of moms and dads you
can expect to run into during play time; href="http://www.1mother2another.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=423&Itemid=46">
last week I gave some practical tips for navigating
swing time.


This week, we’re all about the most delicate part of getting
around the playground – dealing with other people’s
kids.


One of the most frustrating aspects of playground time is how much
you interact with other children, and how little control you have
over them. Not all parents have the same opinions on child-rearing
that you do, and keeping your child safe and happy during play time
without getting into a fight with a caregiver can be very tricky
sometimes. And if you live in an area like I do where English is
not the primary language and there’s a collision of cultures
– you hear much more Spanish, Hindustani, and Romanian most
days than you do English – then you feel even more on your
guard.

I’ve noticed over the past few
months that Maddie’s transitioned from a fearless,
why-not-try-everything baby into an anxious, jumpy toddler. Having
something scare her wouldn’t be so bad in itself; it’s
important for her to learn that there is danger out there. But
whereas she once had a baby memory –easy in, easy out, and
it’s forgotten in five minutes – now she’s got
Toddler Elephant Memory, and she won’t let go.

Recently Maddie’s been mimicking one
more thing Mommy does – taking care of Baby.


A couple weeks ago, Brian noticed Maddie walking around with her
baby doll, sounding unhappy. She was holding Baby Doll up to her
shoulder, making a steady, whimery/whiney kind of noise.


Brian said, “Maddie? Are you OK?”


Maddie looked at him, put her finger to her lips, and said,
“Shhhh.”


Apparently Baby Doll was crying, and Maddie was comforting her. A
few pats on the back, and Baby Doll was all better: Maddie smiled,
said “Dah!!” and threw the dolly down on the floor,
walking away.

OK, so I’ve got a Bad Mommy
confession to make.


Actually, not a Bad Mommy confession as much as a Bad Owner
confession.


You know how my daughter simply LOVES Kitty? Can’t get enough
of her? And Kitty, while in some way flattered, can only take
Maddie in small doses?


I’ve been feeling rundown and tired with seasonal allergies,
and Maddie with her new “Up!” command was really
wearing me down. I couldn’t get the dishwasher emptied, lunch
cleaned up, dinner started, anything. She was in a real
“Mommy! Attention!” mode.


I needed a break, ok? Anywhere I could get it.

With several different girlfriends in
various stages of pregnancy, the topic of morning sickness seems to
be never far from the table. So last week’s poll was an
attempt to glean a bit of wisdom from you gals, and give my
mommies-to-be the comforting news that they aren’t alone.


If there’s one thing the poll showed, it’s that every
pregnancy is different. Out of six possible answers, the votes were
split completely evenly between five of them. Of course there were
those people who didn’t get morning sickness at all; we try
not to be envious and move on.


But as for the rest, it’s whatever works, baby. Some said
managing their diet and getting enough exercise kept the morning
sickness under control. Other moms just gritted their teeth and
counted down the puking days until 14 weeks and they were out of
the first trimester. There were moms who said they ate whatever
they could possibly keep down, healthy or balanced or not, while
still others said they ate as little as possible to avoid throwing
up more.