Odysseys and Oddities

So Sylvie's first birthday is in just about 2 months. We'll be having a party for her, and I want to do a theme. Of course I understand this is totally for me, because she's 1, and she could care less...but I want it to be cute and fun for the older kids. So mostly, the "theme" involves how I'll design the invitations, how to decorate the cupcakes/cake, and possibly what kinds of food and/or goodies we'll have.
It will almost definitely be at the park near us, and will only involve maybe 20 people (10-12 adults, 6 - 8 kids), all family or neighbors.
Tell me what you think, and feel free to add comments/ideas/whatever. I'm excited and a little sad about this - we're not having anymore, so this will be my last first birthday - *sob*

Poll #1607580 First Birthday!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8

Theme for Sylvie's first birthday

(does anybody else read Something Positive???)

Anyway...since the friend frenzy in p101 brought a few mutual friendings, I thought I'd follow what I've seen y'all do, and have a short intro post.

I'm Jennifer (or Jenn, or Jenni..I've probably answered to just about every variation on Jennifer there is, at one time or another). I just turned 40 on the 14th, and I have two little girls, who are 4.5 years (Madeline) and 10 months old (Sylvie). I also have a husband (Matt), three cats (Ellie, Rosie, and Jewel), and a fish (Mr. Pickle).

My posting here has been pretty sporadic for a while now, mostly because OMG NEED MORE HOURS IN THE DAY!!! I work full-time for a major computer services corporation, although I work from home. The baby stays home with me, but I wish I could go back in time and slap myself silly for ever thinking that was a good idea. This has essentially resulted in my every moment being taken up by either work or child care, leaving no time for things like cleaning the house, no less posting on LJ! I do usually manage to find time to read and comment though, just can't find a decent enough block of time to write up a coherent post.

I have a bachelor's degree in History/Anthropology (graduated summa cum laude - yay me!), and was into the home stretch of my Master's degree in Information Science when I got pregnant with Squishy. I just have too much on my plate to add school back in right now, so it's on hold at the moment.

I love to read. I'll read just about anything, but I have a deep fondness for speculative fiction. Lately I've been reading a lot of non-fiction, mostly on the history of various things - mathematical subjects, tea, food, manners, etc. I adore etymology.

I like to cook (particularly bake), do crafty things, take photos, garden, and I love computers. I have a million things I want to try and nowhere near enough time to do even half of them.

I am Jewish, although I've never been a truly observant Jew. I've always been more of a secular, or cultural, Jew than a religious one. I know a good bit about Judaism, particularly its history, but not so much about observance.

I greatly dislike fundamentalists of ANY stripe - and by fundamentalist, I mean anyone who is unable to understand that there is another way to do things/believe/live than the way they themselves might be doing it.

I'm a liberal who mostly votes Democrat, although I've found I'm much more conservative when it comes to financial matters and local issues, and liberal when it comes to social issues. However, at the moment, I can't see much of anything good about the Texas GOP, as I've just recently read their platform and find myself horrified by it. I do try not to offend, but this is *my* journal and if I get worked up enough, I am not shy about expressing it. *g*

Anyway...welcome everybody! Oh, and if you're curious, some pics of my small ones behind the cut:
( Pictures of spawn! )

Today I lost my daughter. I got her back, or I wouldn't be so glib about it, but holy crap it scared me to death.

We were playing a game that we've played before, where she is outside in front and runs up and rings the doorbell and I yell "Who is it?" she yells "Nobody!" and I go looking for her out the windows while she giggles madly. Baby was being a basket case, so I was yelling to her from the glider while I nursed the baby. She had VERY strict instructions that she was not to go past the sidewalk, or beyond the edges of our house on either side.

After a few repeats of the doorbell-ringing, things got quiet for a few minutes, maybe 3 or 4? Less than 5, for sure. I figured she was in the front yard poking interesting things with a stick, or pulling my roses off the bush, her usual pastime. But I called for her, and she did not answer.

So out the front door I went, baby still nursing away. Hollered again. Again no answer. Stomach was sinking rapidly, blood pressure rising, heartbeat increasing. Pulled baby off breast (commence irate screaming), retrieved shoes, started hollering madly for Maddie. No answer.

Across-the-street neighbor was outside, and started off down the street looking too. I visited next-door neighbor's house to see if she was there, and they come outside to look too.

Next stop, the neighborhood park (a couple blocks away). Halfway there, check with a group of kids outside playing if they've seen her, and no, they haven't (and they've been there much longer than she's been gone), so it's pretty clear she didn't go that way.

Head back to my street really starting to panic because there aren't any other ways she could have gone that don't involve crossing several streets, etc.

Just rounding the corner and here comes across-the-street neighbor with her in his arms. She's FINE. She'd seen some kids playing at the top of our street (we live on a cul-de-sac), and had run up "real quick" to say hi, and then gone into one of their backyards. She couldn't hear me calling, and I couldn't see her due to a slight curve in the street (couldn't see that the kids were outside either, or I'd've headed there first).

From the time I first called for her and she didn't answer, until I saw her with the neighbor was 10 minutes, tops. It was the LONGEST ten minutes of my life. I was practically running down the street, carrying a naked, bawling infant, and I was on complete auto-pilot. My brain just kept stuttering "Gone, she's gone, she's gone" over and over again, and I couldn't consciously think of what to do next.

She kept saying "Mommy I'm sorry I scared you, Mommy I'm sorry you lost me. I jsut wanted to go play with the other kids in their yard."

Oh, and then on the way into the house, she closed her fingers in the front door. Had a moment of panic over how quickly they'd bruised up, thinking OMG, did she just break 3 fingers??? before I realized it was leftover pigment on her skin from the painting she'd been doing earlier. It all came off in the bath :-)

So all is well, but damn, that was scary.

I find it completely inconceivable that my husband actually got angry (not furious, just .... angrily irritable?) with me because I want to donate money to the effort in Haiti.

I said something to him about a poll I saw on CNN, where 56% of the respondents said they're not donating. He said "Well, I'm not donating" and I said I was (not as much as I'd like, especially since I haven't been paid since beginning of December), and he got really quiet. So I asked what was up, and he said it irritates him that I'd give money to something like that ("something like that" being Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross").

Really? REALLY? W.T.F.??????

I don't get it. Why would you NOT give something? Those people's lives have been devastated, those that survived have nothing, the country itself is very poor, there are children who have lost parents & entire families, parents who have lost children....I can't even imagine.

In Judaism, charity is very important. It's a mitzvah, a commandment, to take care of those in the community (and the community is the entire world!) who are in need. Tzedakah is an integral part of daily Jewish observance, and even as a mostly secular Jew, it's something that I've always been aware of and tried to incorporate as much as possible. It's also not just money, but time and attitude - you don't give because you *have* to, but because it is the right thing to do. We have to take care of each other.

There are many stories & examples of Jews who, upon receiving charity, promptly turned around and gave to someone who was worse off than they themselves. Despite the financial bind we are currently in, we have it pretty good. We have a house, food, heat, clean water, access to medical care...we can afford to give up a few treats so that we can help others.

This just makes me more determined to get Squeaker involved as soon as possible in charitable endeavors. And the little one too, as soon as she's ready.

This is the list of books I read this year - it's pretty pitiful, partially due to failing to keep track very well, and partially because I just didn't have as much time to read as I'd have liked.

As usual - clicky the ticky if you've ever read any of these books.
( cut to save the FL )

So. My last entry talked about the bad things that could potentially be coming up in October. We seem to have dodged the bullet on some, but dang if all the little crap isn't trying to bury me.

Let's start at the beginning, with the best thing! October 12, daughter #2, formerly known as Spike, made her appearance. Everything went fine, everybody was health and happy, and delivery & recovery was smooth & uneventful for all involved. Sylvie Nox was 8 lbs, 14 oz, and 19.75 inches - big, but not huge, and the exact same size as her sister.
( Pictures, you say? )

You know, I should just label October as one of *those* months, and leave it at that. And yes, I know we're not actually IN October yet, but.....last year, October was pretty rough, and it appears that this year will be the same.

Good things : Of course, Spike will be arriving on October 12, that's a pretty powerful positive! And October is generally a beautiful month in North Texas, and autumn is my favorite season. I'll be on maternity leave before Spike's birth, so I may actually have a little time to relax, besides being able to get a lot done.

Bad things : M will most likely be getting laid off just before the baby is born. And, at the end of the month, my father will go to Sloane-Kettering in NYC to find out why his PSA is rising again. Increased PSA now mean either there was a bit of normal tissue that was missed during his prostatectomy, OR the cancer has returned. Or it could also mean pretty much nothing - the tests he's doing are really super-sensitive and the levels they are detecting are really low. Apparently the literature on this subject is quite contradictory, which is why he's going to Sloane-Kettering to see the current expert on this particular situation.

So right now, October is sort of split between very good things and very bad things. Last year, I lost my cat and had a series of medical & household misadventures. Hopefully this will not be an worsening trend!

Not as if it was unexpected....but damn.

Requiscat in Pace, Patrick Swayze....

Found via brigidsblest.

DBAD

So, I'm on vacation this week, and Squeaker is off school (this would be WHY I'm taking vacation this week - otherwise, I'd be saving it up until the week before my maternity leave starts!). I have a few things planned, but I'm looking for more ideas. I had originally planned that two days I would be taking her to Adventure Kids for a few hours so I could get some things done, but given M's upcoming job loss, that didn't seem the greatest idea at this point.

Yesterday, we went downtown to the Farmer's Market, and spent a large chunk of the day there (thanks for the inspiration, J!). Today, we went to Main Event in Frisco, and burned up some leftover game cards that M had from a couple of corporate events he attended there.

Tuesday, we will be going to see Ice Age 3 with my sister and her kids, and then spend the rest of the day at their house (& pool!!!). Squeaker's never been to a movie in the theatre before, but she ADORES Ice Age, so I'm predicting a great day that day =)

We're also supposed to go and spend one day/afternoon with a friend of mine and her kids at their house, for a "Slip-n-Slide" party.

One day, I want to take Squeaker to the Museum of Nature & Science, which has a terrific Children's Museum. That will likely take the entire day, as it will take us more than an hour to get there.

So, that's 3 days. Just have to come up with ideas for the rest of the week! Unfortunately, a lot of the things I'd *like* to do with her, are too expensive (the Dallas World Aquarium or the zoo), too hot (can't go to the playgrounds because the equipment gets so hot it burns the kids!), or I'm just not up for (being 7 months pregnant in July in Texas SUCKS, I tell you!).

We have the local lake, and also the community pool, which we will definitely take advantage of. But it's also predicted to be rainy at least part of the week. I want to do some of my freezer-stocking this week, in prep for when the baby comes, and I can usually convince her to help me with that. But does anybody have any neat activity ideas for 3-year-olds?

I'm both looking forward to and dreading this week. I love spending time with my daughter of course, especially when I can do it whole-heartedly (ie not trying to both work and pay attention to her), but I'm afraid I won't be able to find enough for us to do that will keep us both engaged and entertained.