Still here

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Eric, Charlotte and I are doing fine, but this working mom thing is tricky. I have been feeling so guilty every morning when I leave Charlotte at daycare. The first two days were fine - I think she was enjoying the novelty of it all - but once reality set in, she was not having it. She has become ultra clingy and cries every time I leave her, which in turn makes me cry and doesn't lead to the start of a very good day for either of us. I love being able to see her at lunch, but then comes the inevitable moment when I have to leave and she starts to cry. It is just so heartbreaking. Add that to the fact that the number of babies in the daycare has just about doubled since the time I enrolled Charlotte and you can probably guess that I've been second-guessing the whole daycare thing.

Thankfully, a much better solution has arisen. My mom has volunteered to drive in to San Antonio on Sunday nights so that she can watch Charlotte Mondays through Wednesdays. On Thursdays and Fridays she will be going to the home of a caregiver that comes highly recommended and lives close to my school. I think it's going to work out beautifully. I will still be able to see Charlotte for lunch, and I'll know that she is receiving the attention and nurturing she needs.

In other Charlotte news, she has finally started crawling (but she still prefers to scoot), is sitting and standing up in her crib (which makes me nervous), waves at everyone and everything, and is all about eating big people food. She still hasn't sprouted a tooth, but I'm sure we'll see one soon.

Day One

Day one of work for me and daycare for Charlotte went well. A few tears were shed this morning (only by me), but I knew she was in good hands. My mom visited a few times during the day, I came by as planned on my lunchbreak (which was awesome), and Eric came by in the afternoon to say hi. The report was that she did very well. The only part that worries me a little is that she only took 2 thirty minute naps - not long at all. Oh yeah, and school went well too. The day flew by.

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Growing up, I was never a fan of this holiday. I would always forget to wear green, and the kids at school would have a little too much fun pinching me. But now, I have a reason to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Seven years ago on this very day, Eric and I had our first date. He showed up at my East Village apartment with flowers and chocolate chip cookies that he baked himself. The cookies won me over. He then drove (a rarity in New York) us to Tequilla Sunrise, a Mexican restaurant in New Rochelle. The food was pretty good by New York standards, and the atmosphere was great. I was recovering from ACL surgery on my right knee and was visibly limping, but Eric didn’t seem to mind. He was such a sweetheart the whole evening. When we were riding home later that night I remember thinking that this was it, that I had found the man I was going to marry. It was strange, really, but I just had this vision of us in the future driving in his car. It all seemed so right. Weird, isn’t it?

So, does anyone else celebrate the first date they had with their spouse? If so, what do you call it – Dateaversary?


(BTW, in response to my previous post – I had no idea how many Bucky fans there are out there. That was my first semi-controversial post.)

Why? (for J-Wild)

Does anyone remember Jim Verraros, John Stevens, Kevin Covais, and Bucky Covington? There were all former American Idol top 12 contestants who lingered on the show a little too long. Better singers and performers were voted off before them, which was puzzling to viewers and even themselves. Sanjaya Malakar is that contestant this year. I can only hope that he’ll be voted off this coming week, but something tells me that he may be around longer than we’d all like (actually, he shouldn’t have even made the top 24 – Simon, Paula and Randy could have saved us from all of this from the get go.). What Sanjaya has going for him (I think) is his appeal to the tweens, who are most likely VERY faithful voters. Unfortunately, if past AI shows are any indication, he’ll be around much too long and someone we love will be voted off much too soon. Still, you gotta love AI. I’m rooting for Melinda and Blake.

In case anyone is in need of some cuteness, here you go. Isn't her hair getting long?

News

I have some rather big news. Starting on Monday the 19th I will be returning to work. Yes, it is a bit sooner than I had originally planned, but this opportunity is too great to pass up. I will be the assistant choir director at Marshall High School, which has one of the best vocal programs in the city and state. I was asked to work with the non-varsity women’s choir as part of the interview process and was very impressed with their technique and sight singing abilities. I was also impressed with their enthusiasm and the contagious energy they passed onto even the most unlikely students. It was quite something to see even the gothic girls singing and dancing to “I Enjoy Being a Girl”. Anyway, I’m looking forward to returning to the world of choral music.

The only thing I’m not looking forward to is leaving Charlotte for most of the day. I looked into several daycare and nanny scenarios and finally decided on a daycare center that is almost literally right across the street from the high school. It is a really nice, clean, friendly place that is owned by a former nurse who smartly decided to make the space completely open, which helps keep the children healthy (and the daycare smell out). I did find a stay at home mom who could watch Charlotte at her house for a reasonable rate, but I decided on the daycare so that I could continue to nurse her. My plan is to nurse Charlotte first thing in the morning, then once again at the daycare before leaving, on my lunch break, and once again right after school. We’ve been practicing this schedule at home and she seems to be doing well. She certainly doesn’t NEED to nurse more than that, but she WANTS to nurse more than that if I’m around. I think she’s going to be fine – in fact I think she’s going to love the stimulation of being around other children – but I’m still a little worried that she’s going to miss me the way I’m going to miss her. Please pray that this transition will go smoothly for both of us.

American Idol & Popular Music

If you’re watching American Idol you may have noticed a contestant that is from San Antonio - Haley Scarnato. It turns out that my brother went to school with her, so she is the first AI contestant that I am in some way connected to. I did, however, see one of my fellow actor/singers from New York briefly during the first few episodes. He didn’t make it to Hollywood, not because he’s bad, but maybe because he’s not different enough. Anyway, back to Haley. She’s good, and I think she should make it to the top 12, but I’m not so sure about how far she’ll go. There’s some pretty tough competition this year. My current favorite girl is Melinda Doolittle, and my favorite guy is Blake Lewis, but Chris Sligh is way up there too. But why, or why are Antonella and Shanjaya still there?

If you’re not watching AI, then all of that means nothing to you. That being said, I’m just wondering how many of you would consider yourself up to date on popular music? I’ve come to realize that I’m definitely not. So far, I haven’t recognized many of the songs that the contestants have chosen to sing, and I hate to admit that I didn’t know many of the Grammy nominated artists this year either. I just don’t listen to the radio anymore, or watch MTV (not that there is much music there anyway), so how am I suppose to stay current? I’m sure I’d like a lot of the stuff out there if I gave it a chance, but I don’t want to spend money on something that I might not like. Where to begin? Advice is welcome.

That being said, I came up with what I think is a pretty good idea for a CD. It should be titled “What the Kids are Listening To” . It would be a mix of the most current music and would be marketed mainly to parents, youth workers, and teachers. This CD would not necessarily be liked by the people purchasing it, but would serve as research – a way to attempt to relate to teens today.