I am one of those people who obsesses over some item until a decision has made.
Since December I have been contemplating what to do with the whole double stroller issue.
Since Z will still be fairly young, we will need a way to easily transport her and C at the same time. Also, C will be using Z’s Chicco carseat (because I am not going to buy a whole new seat!).
The first problem is that Chicco does not make a tandem or even double stroller that fits with the KeyFit 30.
Second is that there are only three strollers that actually will work with the Keyfit. I don’t know about you guys, but we used the Universal stroller to cart around the bucket for the entire year when Z used the car seat. We carted her into and out of stores and doctors offices, etc. And she isn’t ready to be walking around unassisted. We will need to keep her contained! She would totally be running wild if she could….
Since the Peg Perego Duette is over $700 – that is out of the question.
There are two Kolcraft strollers that could work.

The Universal Express Rider has less bells and whistles, but is $100 bucks less and folds up easier….I think I will try that first…

I went to the Big Baby Store to check out this other Kolcraft. I don’t like that the seats are so small and you have to take the seats off to fold it up – which seems like a pain….still it has more cup holders and the kids can face each other….I don’t know how much that matters. I think it looks cooler, but I think I will wait and try out the simpler one first….

So that is my obsession and my plan – oh know which stroller! Oh my! Hey – it is better than worrying about jobs and unemployment and all that crap.

I sort of feel bad for C, because he really is sort of like ‘the prince of whatever’s left’…(You know – Mary Engelbreit – Princess of Quite A Lot and the Prince of Whatever’s Left – That is totally Z and C….
So since he isn’t getting a brand new carseat – I decided to check out replacement covers…
I found someone on Etsy to make C one, and here are the fabrics that will be used:

Whimsy Criss Cross

And it will be sort of like this:

I also had the lady make a blanket that matched the cover. I think this is princely enough for the kid. Now just to see what double stroller we end up with.
So that is what I do at 3 in the morning when I can’t sleep – pick out fabrics and color schemes that will go with either stroller….

I haven’t done this for a while!

Lori says that ‘Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one.’
Here is mine for this week….
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This weekend’s gospel was that of the Prodigal son. I cantored at the Saturday mass. The hymns that were chosen were very pretty. I kept thinking about how there was an Indigo Girls song that would have been perfect….it is called ‘You and Me of the 10,000 Wars’. A line from it says ‘Still you held your arms open, for the prodigal daughter, I see my eyes in your eyes through my eyes, still waters….’

So on the way home from the store with the Zerker I put the song on because I really wanted to hear it. It has always reminded me of my that time in my life when I felt so out of place at home – felt like I had no home – and how we all seem to go through that as we grow up and move on.

I sang to my heart’s content – and the Zerker crooned with me – with her own style of lala baba lala…babble….and I looked into her eyes through the rear view mirror and I knew it was a perfect moment. I think I understood the actions of the father in the story of the Prodigal son for the first time.

Friday I got an email from the university I applied to….I got accepted to Grad School. I will be starting a Masters in Human Computer Iteraction and Design.

I am completely excited about it. It sort of feels like this culmination of all my years at the same company…like I was spending this time so I could be prepared for this next amazing experience.
I have worked at the same software company for 9 years this June. I am only 32. That is a long time at one place. I am planning on staying working there while I go to school. At this point with Nadie being out of work it isn’t really an option to go to school full-time.
I know many may think I am insane, attempting this beginning when my second child is 3 months old and my first is not even two.
I know there will be sacrifices.
I ask not for judgement. I think we each have our own path. I think valuing education and making sacrifices for our family will set an example for my children. I know it is not the same as having a SAHM – but I am not a SAHM. I am working full-time now and will continue to be full-time into many things. My goal is not to take the time away from the kids. My goal is to better use the other time that I have. I don’t want to watch as much tv. I will post less on facebook. I will be more involved in all that we do. All of my life I have excelled more when I was more involved. I need to be more involved in things. Plus – I will never achieve my goal of becoming a PHd and maybe professor without starting school again.

In my application I had to write a personal statement. While I won’t bore you with the boring details of the various positions I have had during my career so far, I would like to post a portion of what I said….

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A watershed event sets a new course. I experienced one of these events last year when I became a mother. Prior to that I had been going along without much direction but to do my best at my job, cherish my family, and try to be a good person. The birth of my daughter caused me to really step back and assess my goals in life. She reminded me that every day is important, and that there is no time to waste. The creation of life and watching hers unfold each day reminded me that I too am unfolding, and I am a force of creation. All things are possible if I just choose to take part.
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Another interesting turn of events is that I not only got accepted, but was offered a partial financial support. This financial support would require 10 hours of work throughout the week. It would also mean that I would probably have to take at least 2 classes next fall. My plan before was to take just one. I think I need to talk to the department before I accept it. I also need to talk to my boss. Perhaps we can work out a flex plan for my work schedule to accommodate – at least try it for a few months to see if it works. Also, with Nadie being out of work, I can’t really plan on not working full-time because we need the money to keep our house going, so I may not be able to accept it. I hope that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be considered for future support.

In other news, I started a new blog. I plan on posting more technology and data visualization related projects at technowonderful…I will still post here. I am just segmenting out work/school related items from this personal/family related stuff.

I hope all is well around the interwebs with you.
Here is your moment of Zen…..

Now I hear the little stinker waking up from her nap. Time for lunch and a walk to the playground!

Yesterday Nadie and the Zerker and I went to SMWC for brunch…it was a little valentine treat.

The Zerker zombie-walked through the halls of Providence Center. She was so good the entire day, from church in the morning to the car ride back home. Ever since we switched to the forward facing car seat her time in the car is greatly improved. Thank heavens!
She is such a good little kid. It almost makes me worry that Charlie will be a bit of a handful!

Love to all….

PS Click on the picture for a funny treat…I couldn’t get it to animate in the post itself!

I know the rest of America is over-joyed that the Saints won the Super Bowl. (like a football game will make all those hurricane victims lives so much better)

Personally – this is how we feel about the Super Bowl at our house….

Oh – losing to the Saints is better than loosing to the Patriots…but that is like saying losing your pinkie is better than losing your thumb…I don’t want to lose ANY APPENDAGES and we never want to lose a SUPER BOWL!!!!

Ok, off to throw my own little pity party and be depressed for the off season…..

So Zoe has been making great strides in walking around on her own. She has figured out how to pop up on her own without needing something to support her as she pulls herself to standing.
One thing we noticed though is that she isn’t saying the words she was saying as much…She won’t say Mama. She is reluctant to say Baba and is pretty much just saying DJAh over and over. Sure she babbles here and there. I am not really worried yet. I am thinking maybe she needs to focus on one thing at a time, and right now she is concentrating on walking and stabilization. She knows what things mean. She stops (sometimes) when we say no. She looks at the cats when we say Kitty.
Perhaps she is deciding on a language all of her own.
Does anyone else have experience with talking and then regressing? Am I perhaps jumping the gun?

I find scatterings and smatterings of the same ideas colliding around my consciousness. I get a magazine that has an article here…I get sent to a link that has a video there…and they are unrelated yet connected….and they are saying what streams across my mind when I walk down the stairs or I drive to work or I brush my teeth.

I think about faith and religion and souls and paths and where things will head and what it all means on a constant basis.
Sometimes I just have to shut it off because I AM NOT GOING TO GET THE ANSWER TODAY.
Its sort of like that Ani song ‘What if no ones watching’….it spooks me, and then I realize it doesn’t matter….
But then there are the days when I have a real crisis of doubt – the last time I wigged myself out I remember the homily at the next day in church seemed to speak to me directly – calming my fears.
And then I read this article by fellow Providence Associate, Brother Barry. It reminds me that my doubt is a blessing, that it increases my faith and keeps it on its toes.
And then I stumbled on this lecture by Richard Feynman (probably the most brilliant scientist ever – Nadie has a man crush on him)….
I think it is interesting that both a man of god and a man of science came to the same answer…living with doubt is better than having all the answers…and especially better than assuming incorrect answers….
signing off to watch further collisions…..

January 9th was the Zerker’s birthday.
We had a little party for her with all of our family and a few friends.

It was lovely.

I can’t believe its been a whole year. It seems like she was just an itty bitty baby yesterday, then again it is like she has always been here.
She has been getting really good at walking around. By her birthday she was doing the zombie walk for a few steps. Then she decided at her party that she was going to show off and walk across the room.
Of course, there is a video for this first amazing year….

I love my little girl.
She is braver every day. Climbing up chairs, falling off of beds, learning how to get down on her own. She had her yearly check up. She is growing right on schedule. She is napping every day. (I think that will change when she goes back to daycare.) She is drinking whole milk. She eats everything you give her, and of course trys to eat things you don’t give her. (She doesn’t understand that boardbooks are for literary consumption, NOT human consumption!!!)
She absolutely adores the dogs. She is amazed at the cats. She talks to them. Doodas and Kittehs. She pretends to read herself books. She got her first pair of Stride Rite shoes. She is finally being cooperative when we change her diapers. She loves toast.
It is hard to believe it can get any better than this….I am sure Charlie will have something to do with me eating those words….I am so blessed.

Win 20 Pairs of Baby Leg Warmers from babySNAZZ!

Today is the last day of 2009.

This year has been full of wonder and awe. I don’t think I can do this year justice with a simple re-cap. I will begin working on the Zerker’s Year in Review next week, and I think that will be a better place to really look at all that has happened with the little girl. Yet, I will say that the first half of carrying Charlie have been cherished, even when the Zerker is bouncing on by belly, biting my arm, or pulling my hair. And I feel more connected to what I do for a living than ever before….All of these things are blessings.

I took the GRE this week. I actually didn’t do that bad for only practicing for a few hours the night before. I think I did well enough to get accepted.

Happy New Year to everyone out there!