Spring Fever

The sun is starting to poke through the clouds, and the snow is melting fast. I'm getting the itch to pack away our coats and hats and so looking forward to opening our windows and letting the Spring air in. I've definitely caught Spring Fever, and it shows.

I've been trying to declutter...as always. It seems like a constant battle in my house. I've been busy donating old clothes that don't fit, trying to find new storage solutions for toys and blankets. Cleaning out cabinets and throwing out products I haven't used in a year. I've been pinning away at Pinterest and even convinced Rick to allow us to buy a new couch. (I keep telling him I saved him a lot of money by negotiating a couch instead of a new house. He's not buying it.)

You see, for a while no, Rick and I decided we would put our condo on the market this spring and try to move out the suburbs by the end of 2013. We made the decision based on some financial reasons, family planning reasons (no, I'm not pregnant!) and because I'm desperate for more space, more storage and a yard for Maizey to run around in. This has been our plan for months. Then I had dinner with some girlfriends a couple of weeks ago and came home and told Rick I changed my mind, I'm not ready to move out of the city. I feel too young, I love our life here right now, and I can suck it up and live without a basement or attached garage for another year. So we're staying put for now, and I got a new couch out of the whole deal.


So, let's start with my spring cleaning of the guest room:

We are so lucky that we have a very special visitor coming to stay with us for a little while, so I needed to freshen this space up, clean out the closet and give her some room to feel at home. This room has been my dumping ground since we moved in. The closet was stuffed with everything I couldn't find another space for.

Before

After

The window "shades" were pillows stuffed in the window frame to keep the light out. Seriously, how tacky are we!?

Before

After

And the artwork, well, that's for a whole different post. When Rick and I moved in together, he told me he really felt attached to this one piece of art he owned. An old friend painted it for him, so it seemed sentimental, and I let him keep it. (I don't even know who this "friend" is. He could very well be imaginary). I hung it in our guest room with the door closed so I didn't have to look at it. A couple nights ago, I asked Rick, "who was it that painted it?" and he mumbled some name which I've already forgotten, and told me we could retire the painting. So, in its place I did some crafting and put up a little something to inspire our guests to always feel the love.

Before

After

Onto the living room... for some reason, I've never managed to bring this room together in a cohesive way that makes me feel proud to have guests over. It's been five years of living here, and we've tried various arrangements, bought new furniture pieces, sold old pieces, and repainted. And still, it was a hot mess. Our couches were mismatched, uncomfortable and torn apart from Maizey. We have picture frames, books, toys and so much clutter hanging around, it causes me a lot of anxiety.

(On a side note, I am self-diagnosing myself as Organizationally BiPolar because I go through spurts where I can't organize enough, and then times when I let papers pile up and drawers get stuffed to the point you can't open them)

This pretty much explains it: 

Anyway, here's what our living room looked like before:

And here's how it looks like now:

Two of my favorite new pieces of storage! 

Okay, let's keep it real. This is what it really looks like:

It's still a work in progress, and frankly I think a home should always be. Otherwise, it's a hotel. We still have tons of toys scattered around and too many picture frames on every surface. But this is my home, not my staged house.

I can hardly believe it's been five years that we've lived in this space. It's funny how you become so attached to a space because of the memories that live in the walls and floors of each room. Despite my desperate desire for more space, I get a twinge of sadness thinking our time in this home is drawing to an end. I'm definitely feeling the urgency to make some new memories in here that we can pack up with us when then time is right. I believe strongly, though, that time isn't quite now. And I'm pretty darn thrilled about that.

Around Here

Well, let's get to it. What's going on around here?

If I were a superhero, I'd call myself Rash Blaster. Yup, we have officially conquered the nearly two month battle with the worst diaper rash ever. What started as a little diaper rash, then turned into a possible amoxicillin allergy, morphed into Fifth's Disease and finally landed us a diagnosis of eczema, has been obliterated. Cam's tush is clear, and I feel like I can breathe.

And he is one happy little boy.

Maizey, on the other hand, was sick all weekend and after a very expensive vet bill yesterday, we still aren't positive what's wrong with her. Possibly a parasite, possibly an obstruction, possibly Cam just fed her something. We'll know more later today. If it's not one baby, it's another!

I'm making Chicken Tortilla Soup in the crock pot for dinner tonight. I'll let you know how it is.

I'm reading Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan for book club. I'm just in the beginning, but so far it's interesting.

Looking forward to a quick visit from my dad this weekend, a long visit from my mother-in-law next week, a wedding reunion with my college crew, and a sunny getaway to Florida for Passover to visit my grandparents. Can't wait for Campbell to experience the beach for the first time! 

Oh, and, remember my post back here about my strange continued encounter with the number 22 and its significance? Well check out the deli ticket number we pulled at the grocery store on Sunday! 

Austin Round Up

Well, Campbell and I were on the road (or in the air) again! We headed to Austin last week to support Poppy and the incredible work he is doing for the Jewish Federation of Austin's Men's Division. The Sisters, Cam and I are so proud of the passion my dad has poured into this organization and the blood, sweat and tears he's dedicated to making the Momentum event a success. We were honored to be a part of it.

My dad spoke of the DNA that connects us all, particularly us Jews and how our contributions to charitable Jewish organizations like the JUF help families, senior citizens and refugees who may not know our names or faces, but are incredibly grateful for our help and support. He spoke of his own family who escaped the Nazis because of the Shanghai government's policy to accept Jewish refugees into their ghettos. His words brought me and so many others to tears. So inspiring.

Our visit was full of sunshine, good food and company, and a lot of lovin' on the little man.

Auntie Ash may just be a little obsessed with her nephew and took a lot of selfies of her and the munchkin.

The mister got his first taste of frozen yogurt and l.o.v.e.d it (especially since it had blueberries in it!) 

When we took him to opening day at SnoBeach (how lucky were we to be in town!!) he was not such a fan of the sno-cone. He has so much to learn. 

Me, on the other hand, well, I couldn't have been happier. The taste of my adolescence and the sun shining above made for the perfect afternoon. 

We took advantage of the sunshine and headed to Zilker Park to let Cam run around and let off some steam. He ate it up. Especially the swings, his fave.

Coming from a long line household of Voticky women, the poor guy is subjected to a lot of activities that his father would not be proud of. (And had Rick been present, they would not have happened.)


Like being dressed up...

And too much shopping... (at least we gave him a football!) 

But this kid is such a trooper. He sat through so many meals out at restaurants, shopped till he dropped, and let everyone snuggle on him like he was going out of style.

It was a short visit, without much time for visiting with friends. But it was a perfect amount of Voticky bonding. Our flight home was one of the most successful flights I've taken with him by myself. Before we left for the airport on Saturday, I had pretty much sworn off traveling alone with the little guy ever again. But he proved me wrong and rose to the challenge, and I'm pretty sure we'll be hopping on another flight again soon by ourselves because who can stay away from all the goodness Austin has to offer!?!?

Dad, I couldn't be more proud to be your daughter. You are a true inspiration to our family, our friends, and our community. Thank you for setting such a brilliant example for us all. Love you so much.

Catch Up

It's been a little while since I've written and for good reason. It's been an incredibly busy couple of weeks so let's get started on the catch up session via pictures.

One of my besties from college came to town to celebrate our old roomie, Becca, the bachelorette!

Campbell fell ill with a double ear infection at the end of January and was prescribed Amoxicillin to remedy it. Twenty-four hours later, during a music class, I noticed a rash all over his trunk and immediately took him into the doctor assuming it was an allergic reaction (because if you know me well, you know I am allergic to penicillin and everything else, too). It was not an allergic rash, and he was diagnosed with a little virus. Next day the rash was gone and his ears were better so this momma was happy.

The following week, he had his well-check at the doctor, and he looked great. Two days later, the day before Valentine's Day, he woke up with the most horrendous rash I'd ever seen. All over his body, his cheeks, his ears. Everywhere. It was hot to the touch and he looked awful. Back to the doctor for another diagnosis of a viral rash (later determined to be Fifths Disease or Slapped Cheek). We had to cancel his Valentine's Party for his buddies, and we stayed inside.

Soon his whole body was the same color as his cheeks.

By V-Day he was already much better!

He has learned to open the microwave, which has provided countless hours of entertainment, and he's been carrying around his Valentine "man bag" that Nanny sent him.

And the next day, as awful timing as it could have been, Rick and I took off for Snowmass for five days of skiing, spa-ing, and rekindling.

Luckily, Mr. C was in great hands with Mimi and Auntie Candy. Thank you both for taking such good care of my baby!

And then we came late Tuesday night, and when Cam woke up the next morning (at 5:45, crying which is so unlike him) I knew I was in for quite a day. I took him back to the doctor because his diaper rash that we've been battling for a month had grown worse and look infected. Indeed it is and we are currently using every cream, ointment, lotion and potion to try to tame this beast.

 

I can also feel four molars coming in...all at the same time!! Seriously!?! So you can imagine what our day today has been like.

Nevertheless, that's where we stand. A little cranky...Cam more so than me. A little tired...me more so than Cam. But still really stinking cute...

New favorite car pastime -- pulling out the Kleenex one by one.

Here's a little video of his favorite new activity... spinning in circles. He thinks it's the funniest thing since Friends.

Fifteen Months

Dear Campbell,

A couple of days ago, you turned fifteen months old. Since you turned one, many people make it a point to tell me they can't believe you're not a baby anymore. I usually keep my lips sealed when I hear comments like these, because you are absolutely still my baby. You always will be, no matter what number is assigned to your age. My sweet, little baby.

My how you have grown big boy! You are now walking and running and climbing and chasing every second of every day. You are literally on the move from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep at night, and it's so exhausting and beautiful and exhilarating to watch. You are so independent, and I love it. You are very happy to play by yourself and get into trouble on your own. Even when we are out at a friend's house or in a music class with strange people, you are still not afraid to leave my side, and I'm so happy for that. You check back with me every now and again, and sometimes you give my legs a hug and shout, "Mama!" but then you get back to it. Love this about you.

You're eating and sleeping habits haven't changed much. You go through phases of picky eating and eating like a horse. You are mostly taking one nap (from about 12:15-2:45). You are usually in bed around 7:15 pm and up around 7:00 am. All of this of course changes when we're dealing with teething or illness, both of which have plagued our house this past month. You had your first ear infection (double ear infection, might I add!) which scared me quite a bit. Your fever got up to 103.5 and you were just not yourself. Luckily it took about 24 hours and you were feeling like your little monkey self again.

You continue to meet milestones and impress your dad and I daily. You are a talking machine, and truthfully I don't even know how many words you say, because it's a lot. Your favorite and most common ones are: Mama, Dada, wa-wa (water), cah (car), Mo, Maizey, s-yoo (shoe), ha (hat) and Issy (Izzy).

And, some of my personal favorites that you say: peee (play), soo-soo (cereal), boo-boo (blueberry), haw (hot -- this goes for anything that an adult is drinking!), qua-qua (duck), cow, no (more like 'new'), dow-dow (downward dog). And the one that makes your dad and I chuckle daily, is when you want to know what something is, you get super excited and really loudly you say, "OOOh, wa dis?!" (Oh, what's this?!)

You know what sounds several animals make, and you can identify several objects upon sight (baby, cow, duck, train, shoes). You can stack a couple blocks and MegaBlocks to build things. You still love to read books and play with wheels, but your new favorite hobby is putting your barn animals onto or inside of different vehicles. You've also discovered magnets and love putting your magnetic animals all over the washing machine.

You're very attached to Mo, and I'm trying to limit your contact with him to your bedroom. Of course when you were sick, you got Mo 24/7, but I'm internally a little scared of you walking down the aisle at your wedding carrying Mo. So, you're on a Mo diet, and you've been very adaptable about it!

We moved you up to size five diapers (which, really are a little too big), you're wearing mostly 18 month clothes, and you're wearing size 5.5 W shoes. You're my big boy, and I love it! We saw Dr. T yesterday, and she was so impressed with you. You weigh 26 pounds (90th percentile) and are 31.5 inches long (between 50-75th percentile). She was so impressed with your "advanced speech" as she labeled it and said you're going to be a very smart boy, which we already knew! You checked out completely perfect and healthy. The only concern I asked her about was your refusal to drink more than a sip of milk. She was not the slightest concerned and said to keep trying, so we will, but you're not lacking in nutrients at all, my dear!

You are truly the sweetest little boy I have known. You are very sensitive, and you don't like to be corrected. You are a big mama's boy and love to be held and kissed. You have a really funny sense of humor and love playing games like peek a boo and tickle monster. You are SO ticklish! You love chasing Maizey around, and she has learned to love playing with you, too. In fact, you started giving Maizey her toys in hopes that she'll play with you. You are an excellent sharer (especially for your age) and rarely take toys from other children. You will watch someone closely if they are playing with a toy you want, and then usually you wait for them to put it down before you move in for the swipe. You also rarely cry when someone takes a toy from you. You definitely got your flexibility and laid-backness from your dad. I know all of these things will change as you learn to test boundaries, but I'm loving the fact that you can go with the flow and move on when life hands you lemons. Keep doing that, Buddy, it's so important.

Campbell, it's pretty obvious you are turning into an incredibly smart and loving little boy. Your smile lights up the room, your laugh is contagious, and your sensitive soul is admirable. I tell people all the time, if I could pause time, I'd do it right now. You are just so perfect. I love you to the moon and back, to bits and pieces, and a whole big bunch.

Love always,
Mommy

Numbers 8 and 17

Can you believe it's February!? I can't. Seems like 2013 is flying by just as quickly as every other year. I'm happy to report that I'm ready to knock two more items off of my 30 Before 30 list!

#8: Reconnect with an old friend. 

Truthfully, I'm happy to report that I've reconnected with a couple of old friends, but there's one friend in particular whom I am so happy to have spent some time with recently. My very first year teaching, I worked at a charter school called Octavio Paz (An UNO Charter School). My "supervisor/mentor" was a beautiful, young (about my age!) lady named Carrie. She spent hours with me in my classroom modeling lessons, listening to me cry, giving me feedback and helping me wade through my first year in that heart-wrenching place. When I decided to move on from UNO and got a job in another district, Carrie was the first one I told. She was beyond thrilled for me, knowing UNO was not a perfect match for me. On the last day of school, we held our school staff party at my house and Carrie asked if we could go downstairs so she could tell me something in private. She said she couldn't let everyone know right now, but she wanted me to know that she had just accepted a job at the SAME district I would be teaching at the following year. We would be teaching together again!

Carrie and I worked at different schools in Glenview, but we were both third grade teachers so we met often at district meetings, we collaborated on several committees together and we developed a really wonderful friendship. When I left my job last year after Campbell was born, Carrie and I lost touch. The reality is, when you have a baby, you realize quickly who your real friends are. And, you have to put in a lot more effort to stay connected with the non-mom ones. I tried and tried, but ultimately, I failed at making that effort with many people, but I knew in the end, the "good and important" ones would be there when I tried again.  And, just a few weeks ago, Carrie and I started chatting and realized we hadn't seen each other in person in about a year and decided it was time to put that to an end. So, on a snowy Sunday morning we met at Starbucks. I told Rick I'd be home in about an hour to take over Mommy duties. Two hours later, I called him to apologize because the time had gotten away from us. Carrie and I had so much catching up to do and it literally felt like we hadn't missed a beat. I know she's one of those friends who will always be there ready to pick up where we left off, and it is so comforting to know there are still people surrounding me like that. That's what true friendship is.




#17: Eat oysters

I'm not sure why I put this on my list other than because I've always found oysters to be intriguing and I feel like I've become way more adventurous with my culinary choices since dating Rick. I always have wanted to try oysters, but seemed to chicken out when the time came. Well, the time came and I conquered.

Allie and Hart treated us to a wonderful dinner at Epic last weekend, and the waiter was boasting about the freshness of their oysters and Rick gave me that look and says, "wanna knock it off your list!?" I got nervous like a teenager getting ready for prom, but I nodded and we did it. In fact, not only did I eat an oyster, I ate two. I didn't think it tasted like much, to be honest, but I didn't hate them. I'd definitely try them again.

Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law, I'm almost ready to complete #11, and Rick has given me his official list to help me accomplish #21. I've modified #10 for reasons I'll explain later (and because it's my list... I can do what I want). I just ordered parts of #4, and I'm experimenting with recipes for #16. So, basically I'm killing it!

Here's what the list looks like as of today!

1. Go an entire week without straightening my hair
2. Go to a movie by myself
3. Read a book from high school that I never actually read
4. Wear a bikini for the first time. EVER.
5. Get involved in a new organization
6. Get my eyebrows threaded
7. Pay for someone's meal anonymously
8. Reconnect with an old friend
9. Go unplugged for an entire day (no internet or TV)
10. Climb a rock wall*
11. Dress up and have drinks/dinner at the Drake Hotel
12. Visit the Holocaust Museum in Skokie, IL
13. Sing karaoke in public
14. Go to a Chicago landmark I haven't visited
15. Surprise someone
16. Submit a recipe for the Pillsbury bake off
17. Eat oysters
18. Visit somewhere new (city, state or country)
19. Organize something I've been neglecting
20. Try a new class at the gym
21. Watch 5 movies on Rick's Must-See List
22. Take Cam on a special mommy-son date
23. Go camping
24. Learn about a relative/ancestor I don't know much about
25. Grow an herb garden
26. Take a class to pursue an interest
27. Attend a new Summer Chicago festival
28. Get a spray tan
29. Ride the ferris wheel at Navy Pier
30. Let go of insecurities and be truly content with who I am

Around Here

Around here it's been busy lately. Busy good and busy exhausting, but generally just busy. Here's what we're currently up to:

Battling: a double ear infection and nasty yeast rash (Campbell, not me!). Since Cam refuses to take his antibiotics or sit still long enough for me to slather his body with ointment, our progress is slow.

Cooking: I made these pulled chicken sandwiches (you guessed it... in my Crock Pot!) for our Super Bowl party on Sunday. They were a hit!

Reading: Behind the Beautiful Forevers (Book Club #1 book) and Beautiful Ruins (Book Club #2) book. Yes, I'm in two book clubs with two different groups of friends and no, I don't generally read two books at once. But, our "meetings" (I use that term very loosely!) fall three days apart and I'm in a pickle. I'm not hooked on either one yet, but I'm hoping I'll get there.

Watching: Girls. Rick and I finished Homeland and I mourned it for a couple of days. So now I'm looking for other shows to get into, and thinking Downton Abbey may be next on my list. For now, Girls is making me laugh.

Planning: oh man we have a lot going on in the next six weeks. A bachelorette party this weekend, Campbell's Valentine's Party next week, a trip to Aspen (just me and the hubs!!), a short trip to Austin, a wedding I'm standing up in, and a trip to Florida for Passover. It's making my head spin, but it's all happy celebrations so I can't complain.

Wondering: how my little munchkin is possibly going to be fifteen months old on Saturday. He's such a little man now it's unbelievable. Rick and I were trying to count how many words he says last night just out of curiosity and we couldn't. We think it's probably around 25 but every day he says something else and I'm losing count.

We have so much to look forward to, and I'm trying to focus on all that good stuff when I want to cry from trying to force Amoxicillin down Campbell's throat twice a day. I know his illness and strong will are peanuts compared to so many others' problems, so I really am trying not to stress about it. Oh am I thankful for his overall health and happiness. Focus on the good stuff, Gill,...focus on the good stuff.

Baby Boy ate Goldfish and wore his jambes all day yesterday. Whatever makes him happy.