Naked Time

...for Delia and the pets, that is. Naked time started out of necesity many months ago when a diaper rash just wouldn't heal. It's now become part of the well-established routine in the vanEagleGiessen household and, speaking for everyone, it is the best part of the day. Mornings and afternoons are equally chaotic with two working parents, a toddler and a dog. Dinner usually is often a tearful affair with the dog getting most of Delia's dinner. Bathtime is quick and efficient; moods improve as the layers of sand, snot, and food get scraped off. Then we all toddle down the hall to hang out in Delia's room (cat and dog included). We let the dishes sit dirty in the kitchen. Clinic notes and lectures wait in backpacks. The dog's bladder is about to burst, but no matter. It is the only time of the day where we are focused on eachother. We read stories, blow bubbles, terrorize the dog and decompress from our stressful days. Once Delia has nursed, we sing a lullaby and say goodnight. Then it's off to walk the dog, clean the kitchen, pack lunches, return phone calls, grade homework, do paperwork....

Vacation

We've just returned from our first family vacation. We spent a few days on Block Island. BI is a gorgeous little island about 12 miles from Naragansett, Rhode Island. Many people liken its geography to Ireland. It is possible and quite easy to be car free on the island, although a disturbing number of people ferried over their SUVs. We rode our bikes with Delia in tow as far as she would let us. I think she gets a bit bored back there by herself, but her stuffed dromedary helped some. As nice as it was to get away from the responsibilities of home and work, travelling with an infant is not always so easy. She slept quite poorly in a strange environment and our condo was a baby-proofing nightmare. The highlight of the trip was the animal farm located next to our condo. Delia loved to watch and wave at the llamas, camels, bull, donkeys, and kangaroos. Poor Stuart seems a little boring after that crew. We ended up coming home a day early due to rain, sleep deprivation and my new affliction with solar urticaria (sun induced hives). We are now getting ready for Delia's first birthday!

No more ear infections!

Hooray for the ENT! Delia had tubes placed in both ears today and was a real champ. We are hoping that our days of broad spectrum antibiotics and motrin are over. She'll recover at home today and will go back to daycare tomorrow. We've even gotten the green light for swim class on Saturday. Delia is standing on her own and is very close to walking. She has learned how to take off her velcro shoes and, most importantly, learned how to unravel the toilet paper. Despite her often painful ears, she remains very cheerful and full of hugs and kisses for loved ones (and dogs).

Trip to the Beach

This past weekend we went to a friend's lake house in New Hampshire and got to see some friends from our years in Boston. We had good food, wine, conversation and, of course, knitting. From the look on Delia's face, you can tell the water was quite cold. But doesn't she look fantastic? This is one of my old swimsuits, circa 1973, that I found in my parents' attic last week. She now has four teeth, can cruise all over the house and has learned how to go down the stairs backwards. Unfortunately, we are still battling ear infections and the poor kid only had 10 days in between the last two. Although we have conflicting feelings about it, she's scheduled for tubes in 10 days. We will be happy to be antibiotic and ibuprofen free!

Soap Box

I think a lot about the plight of working parents. Returning to work after a baby is a roller coaster for a few months, so I gave myself some time to figure out how I really feel about the situation. It stinks. The maximum allowed leave for a new mom with the Family Medical Leave Act is 3 months. Many new moms who make minimum wage must return to work after FOUR weeks for financial reasons. The FMLA acts takes all the vacation/sick/personal time that a woman has accrued as part of maternity leave, so when she returns to work with a newborn and really needs some flexibility, there isn't any. Many women who return to work are still nursing their babies (and are encouraged strongly to do so by the American Academy of Pediatrics until at least 12 months) and their right to do so is not protected in all states. There's so much going against working parents, it's amazing that so many families make it work.

I've noticed a trend since I've connected with other new parents. Instead of fighting the system and working to make things better for everyone, many moms are part of the 'opt out' revolution. They are not forced to stay home, they opt to. They are not housewives, they are SAHMs (stay at home moms). It's great when families have this option, but when it's increasingly common, it makes things harder for the rest of us. For example:

1) Day Care. We were literally told by one center, "We don't believe infants should spend all day in day care." For whom are they providing care? Our current day care opens after I leave for work and closes when I'm still seeing patients. If it weren't for Alan's flexible schedule, we'd have to get a nanny (which we can't afford).

2) Car Seat Inspections. Our fire station offers the service on Wednesday mornings only. When I pointed out to them that this was extremely inconvenient for working families and that the fire station is open 24/7, I got a not-so-nice response.

3) Support Groups. New moms have a rough time and new parent groups are really important. I think working moms have a double whammy- pulled in many directions and no time for play groups or friends. My community is extremely pro-woman and pro-mom, but all the family programs are on weekdays. There's nothing out there for the women who need it most.

My European friends get 6 mo to 1 year of paid maternity leave, flexibile work options and protection of the right to breast feed and/or pump at work. Why is it that our country hasn't caught on to family friendly policies?

Interested in finding out more about policital activism on famly issues? www.momsrising.org`

The orange dress

So I thought I should finally post on this here blog. The orange dress is one of my favorite outfits that Delia owns. The hat, of course, is what makes it, with its unspecified animal head. Very cute, if I may say so. Delia likes to eat the ties. She's had it for some time and it's remarkable that it fit for so long. Sadly, the days of the orange dress are past.

Delia update

Delia is now nearing 10 months old. She is just about average in size and doing all the things she's supposed to do. She is a very speedy crawler and likes to get into the recycling bins. She is starting to pull up on things and is just figuring out the stairs. She is babbling a lot and we think 'dog' will be her first word. Delia is an extremely happy baby, very affectionate and silly. Her favorite things, in no particular order are: Stuart, Dad, yams, her alphabet books, milk, a good nap, Mom, swim class and Lego. Delia is not so fond of plane trips, ear infections, and beets.