Momma's Got a Brand New Bag

I was frustrated with carrying a diaper bag and my purse. It was clumsy and inefficient. So I searched for a bag that met the following requirements:

• Was glamorous
• Matched my overnight bag
• Could hold all of my purse-type stuff AND Luke's stuff
• Went on my back

Here's what I found. I love it. It makes shopping with Luke a million times easier. And I've already gotten compliments on it. Plus, I used the long-languishing Fortunoff's gift cards on it, so it was FREE!

There's a Baby in My Pocket

Well, I guess it's not really a pocket, but it's still a neat title. He's actually enjoying being tucked in there, which is great. I still love the Moby Wrap - especially when I'm really walking around the mall or making dinner, but this is great for when he refuses to nap when I'm not at home. Plus he likes to sit up in it as seen here like he's king of a Mardi Gras float. I call him Mayor McCheese when he does that - it looks like he's going to start waving and politicking. I look like a dweeb in the picture, but Luke looks too cute not to share it.

What Dressing in the Dark on No Sleep Does

Brown tights and black boots. *sigh* At least my skirt is brown as well.

It's a Beautiful Day on the Internet, A Beautiful Day on the Internet

You never know what gems you'll find. This morning I've read the following stories courtesy of msn.com:

Astronaut To Wear Boxers Shorts For Science
Homeless Chef Lived In Airport For Years
How Not To Screw Up Your Oscars Speech
Tax Moves That Cry 'Audit Me'
What Killed In-Flight Meals
Top 10 Web Sites You Don't Know About

Snow Day

I'm toasty indoors. Got an angellically sleeping baby on the bed in his little nursing pillow, a husband snoring on the couch and a batch of chocolate oatmeal "milk supply" cookies in the oven.

And I don't have to go to work today.

*sigh*

Coming Around Full Circle

Last night I had my last appointment with the oncologist who treated my Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and got us through that hellish part of my past. Not because I'm done seeing doctors, but because Dr. B. is retiring from the practice. It was not easy to hold back tears. It felt something like a Lifetime movie - here I was, fulled cured with my new baby to show my oncologist as he's retiring. Cue the sappy music. But I really was sad at the prospect of not seeing him again. He was glad to see Lucas and I think he was glad that he was the one who got to tell me that recurrance of the kind of cancer I had is virtually none. It must have made for some closure for both of us. Mom and I gave him some cards and a little token of appreciation for all that he did for us. Below is what I wrote in his card.

Dear Dr. Berger,

How do I say thank you for a miracle? We came to you not knowing what was in store for us, fearing everything. After our first visit (and an impromptu bone marrow biopsy!) our fears were lessened and we had a clearer picture of the road to recovery. You told us what we were facing and how we would treat it. You always gave us all of our options and treated me as a whole person, not just the part of me that was sick.

And now I'm able not only to come to you healthy and still in remissino, but share my son with you - a child I was unsure I was even going to be able to have. So I say thank you. Thank you for my health, for treating me, for giving me all the hope in the world. I wish you nothing but happiness (and a little relaxation!) in your retirement, but will miss you and miss seeing you very much.

All our best,

Tiffany, Tom and Lucas

Bring Your Adorably Cute Baby To Work Week

Back in the Saddle Again

Played my first post-Lucas show last night. It felt great to get out, it felt great to go to the theatre and just play. I lost myself for a few hours and got my chops back in working order again. And it's funny, the show was "Annie." Annie was the first show I saw on Broadway. I must have been maybe 7 or 8 at the very most. My Uncle Frankie took me and I really remember almost everything about it:

When Uncle Frankie called to tell my mother he wanted to take me to see a show, he said, "Go tell your mother I'm taking you to see "Oh Calcutta!" - which he and my mother thought was funny and left me clueless. I remember being so awestruck at being in the city and feeling so grown-up. Uncle Frankie bought me a Shirley Temple at intermission at the glamorous, sparkling bar in the theatre. He bought me a souvenir program that I still have to this day.

And so began my life-long love affair with musicals.

So I was glad that my foray back into the "professional" world of cello-playing was an old favorite.

Mmmm...Food

Now, the story in my family goes, that when I was little, about 2 or so, I'd get the shakes when I'd see Peppermint Patties - they were my favorite. So, when you've got a young'un and you're on your way home after sitting in weather-related traffic for 2 hours and are hungry, and you pass a Burger King, you figure, "I'll get a salad." Which wasn't bad. But then you see your favorite word: "NEW!" and get suckered in to purchasing a York Peppermint Pie. And I have to say, I forsee myself making a detour to the BK in between the sitter's house and my house just to get a few more slices of this stuff. It was incredibly tasty - for a fast food dessert that is. Hey, for .99, you can't go wrong.

And then when you're on your way to work and realize that you haven't eaten anything much in the last 12-14 hours, McDonald's looks good. And again, the siren song of "NEW!" calls you. And you order a McSkillet Burrito. I like breakfast burritos. I like that my egg, cheese and other variables are snug in a little pocket for me to consume. The combo of egg, sausage, cheese, potato, pepper and hot sauce is a definite waker-upper. Delish.

A Turn for the Better????

Last night I got Luke to not only tolerate our new wrap/carrier but he fell asleep in it. I was shocked. Absolutely shocked! Of course he screamed bloody murder when I tried to take him out, but hey, it's a step in the right direction. I got a Moby wrap - this long piece of fabric that I wrap around myself and pop him in. He actually seems to enjoy it. The next step is to try to go shopping with him in it.

I have to admit, I kind of like the fact that he wants to be close to me to sleep. I'm relishing it now because once he's a hulking behemoth of a teenager he won't want to be in the same room with me.

Ahhhhhhh....

Relaxing. How am I relaxing with an 8-week old?? Easy. I'm watching one of my favorite movies:

And I ate my first Valentine treat of the season:

And when I bought said treat, I noticed EASTER CANDY!! My love of Russel Stover's and Reese's Easter candy has been mentioned, but it's worth mentioning again. How can one not love chocolate marshmallow, covered in chocolate, shaped like an egg????

**Not to mention said baby is fast asleep in his carseat.

Not So Bad

Well, today was my first day back at work. And I'm a little ashamed to say.....it wasn't bad. I was glad to wear a dress. I was glad to wear heels. I was glad to stop at Starbucks on my way in and grab a mocha. It felt good to go back to work. It felt good to be needed and have purpose. It felt good to complete tasks.

But I covered Luke in kisses when I got home and ate him up!

AND....after Tommy left for school, Luke behaved well enough in his swing so I could make a real dinner.

Woo hoo!!!

Now That's Multi-Tasking

While Luke was napping, I was able to do the following:

Take a shower.

Actually wash my hair while in the shower, rather than just rinsing to put up in a ponytail.

Apply proper lotion to proper body parts, rather than slathering the same stuff haphazardly all over.

Dry myself off.

Put on all clothing at once.

Apply makeup and do hair.

It was a miracle. I didn't have to nurse a screaming baby while sopping wet and naked.

I think we might be turning a corner here. It seems as though he's quite the busy bee. Loves to look around at his world and is very curious about what's going on around him. I actually think that me going back to work is going to be a good thing - he'll get out, I'll get out and we'll be happy to see each other at the end of the day.

I will however miss the Frasier re-runs, the bad Lifetime movies and crazy infomercials.

And just because he's so cute - here's my little Lucas-bear.

Breakfast of Champions

I've discovered the easiest way to not feel woozy by afternoon. Eating something. Which as simple as it sounds, ain't so easy with a squeaky, reflux-y baby. I was eating toastable, frozen french toast, which is super-tasty with just some margarine. But that was even too many steps to cook. So I discovered Carnation Instant Breakfast and Quaker Breakfast Cookies. The best part is - is that they both come in chocolate type varieties. I mean, does it get much better than a chocolate milk beverage accompanying a warm, giant, chocolate chip oatmeal cookie?? And even better, I can consume both with one hand while nursing or soothing said squeaky baby.

Blasphemy

Sweeney Todd didn't get nominated for Best Picture. I officially hate the Oscars. Up to this time I merely disliked them, but now I hate them.

And He Wouldn't Want Us To Give it Away

...Not Sweeney. Not Sweeney Todd.

Okay. I confess. I'm a huge huge music geek. Tommy laughs at me often for what I come up with sometimes. My poor son will be subjected to car rides with mom blasting Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown and the like. I laugh heartily at the musical-related jokes on Will and Grace. I laugh even harder at the jokes on Frasier that are musically-related.

I've seen Sweeney Todd in many incantations:

1. My first experience with the show was seeing Hofstra University's Gray Wig theatre company do a production of it. My friends were all playing in the pit and I absolutely fell in love with the show and learned as much as I could about it.

2. The original Broadway production - not in person, but via video. The one most people think of when they think of Sweeney. Angela Landsbury really shatters the whole "Jessica Fletcher" persona there. (Yes, yes, I know she played Mrs. Lovett before the 'Murder She Wrote' lady.)

3. My next encounter with the demon barber was playing in the pit for Calhoun High School's production of the show. It was fun, and the music is great and the kids really did a bang-up job. It's an incredibly hard show to sing and coordinate, but they really pulled it together.

4. The in-concert version done by the San Francisco opera. It featured Patti LuPone, George Hearn and of all folks, Neil Patrick Harris (yup, Doogie himself). It was so well-done, creatively staged for an in-concert production and everyone seriously sang their asses off.

5. The brilliant revival that showcased the actors playing the instruments. Brilliant. Loved every minute of it. I sat there just saying, "That's Evita." "I'm actually watching Evita right in front of me." Patti LuPone and Michael Ceveris - Tony winners. I was glued. And like the good music geek I am, had my picture taken with Patti LuPone and got her autograph.

But the most recent is:

6. The unbelievable film version that Tim Burton brought to life. It was absolutely breathtaking from beginning to end. I loved every minute of it. And of course it was heightened by the fact that it was my first post-baby outing that didn't have an errand attached to it. It was just Diane, Mom and I having a girls' evening out. I even smuggled in Taco Bell to really live it up. The entire cast was perfectly...well...cast. The scenery was the uber-drab London done so dismal, but not to the point of being a cliche. The songs seemed like they belonged perfectly, not like "Hey, let's all break into song right now". I'd be super happy and have renewed admiration for the Oscars if this won Best Picture.

So go see it. Now. It's the kind of film that screams to be seen on a big screen with huge, surrounding sound that really gives you every note of the lush score.

Side note: As much as I like the fact that movie musicals are making a comeback (Chicago, Hairspray, etc.) I don't understand why there was a need to movie-cise the musical "Mamma Mia". This was one of the trailers before Sweeney. I mean, I love ABBA as much as the next gal, but really.....

Dear Stony Brook University

This is probably too scathing, but after the treatment Tommy's gotten from Stony Brook, I felt it necessary. We received a "Parent Appeal" for money to support Stony Brook in the mail recently. It was addressed to "Parent of Thomas G. J." Which is interesting, since his father passed away 2 1/2 years ago and his mother lives 800 miles away in Chicago. I was insulted as his spouse and as a fundraising professional. Seriously. This is like Fundraising 101, knowing your donors and who you're soliciting. So I wrote a nice little email to the gentleman who the letter was from. And cc'ed the Director of the Stony Brook Foundation and the Donor Relations person.

Dear Mr. Guarino,

My husband is a student of Stony Brook University. He has not lived with his parents in over 15 years. In fact, he lives 800 miles from his mother and his father is deceased. We recently received in the mail the Parent Fund appeal, addressed to "Parent of Thomas G Jordan". This is very disturbing, both as a spouse of a Stony Brook student as well as a fundraising professional. My husband has felt from day one at Stony Brook that the university does not understand the concept of a "returning student" who does not live at home with his parents and who has different needs and concerns than a student fresh from high school. This point is further illustrated through the appeal we received at home addressed to his parents, who clearly do not live with us. It is clear that Stony Brook does not address the needs of their students individually, but rather operates under the assumption that all students entering Stony Brook are 18 and have just graduated high school.

If Stony Brook wishes to raise funds from the families of its students, perhaps it should do some research as to who their students are and how best to suit their needs while at the school. If my husband's needs and concerns were better addressed by the administration and faculty of Stony Brook, we might be much more inclined to return the support financially.

For your records, the appeal was labelled 105700315, 08AFDM04Parent Fall. I do hope this assists in your fundraising and helps Stony Brook to see how they might better help their "non-traditional" students.

Sincerely,
T. M. J.

I'm Supposed to Do What in 3 Weeks?

Answer me this. How am I supposed to go back to work and leave this little, teeny person who needs his mommy all day? How am I supposed to live with leaving him with someone else and not being able to take care of him myself?

I have to go back to work (since I was given a measly 4 week maternity leave that I was able to tack my OWN vacation to) in 3 weeks. This is awful. It's unfair. It's inhumane. Even dogs don't leave their puppies after 6 weeks.

December 27 - A Day That Will Live in Infamy

How could I have just drifted past this day without noticing? I didn't realize the importance of it until I was driving to Freeport to give a lesson. (I had also forgotten how much thinking I get done while driving more than 5 minutes.)

Three years ago on above date, I had my last chemo treatment. Meaning, 12/27/04 was the "official" start of my remission. Meaning, if Dr. B. still holds to what he said at the beginning of all this, I'm "officially" cured of my Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

It's so weird to even let myself think like this. When I first entered remission I agonized about how I was going to make it 3 years to be considered cured. How could I get through 36 months of thinking about not having to go through all that again? Every day it would creep up in my mind.

But then I started busying myself with shows, lessons, work. And that helped a lot. And then, with this new little guy taking up my time, I really forgot about how close I was. And December 27th just slipped by without me even noticing.

So here I am. Cured. Hopefully for good.

They're Cousins, (Un)Identical Cousins

Here's the meeting of the minds at New Year's Day. Ismaeel was very curious about the new baby - his wee little cousin. As soon as Annie and I sat next to each other he reached right over to touch his cousin. Luke was a little hesitant about this encounter, but he seemed to warm up to Issy!