Random thoughts

Just some things running through my head this week...

--Why don't we own more than one umbrella? And why isn't one of those non-existent umbrellas in my car? I got drenched walking into work this morning. Nothing like starting the day looking like a drowned rat. And why does it always rain on days when Chris is home with the kids?

--American Idol--yea, Kris Allen is in the final! Although Adam Lambert will likely win, his performances have gotten a little over the top. I told Chris his rendition of Aerosmith's "Cryin'" reminded me of what Aerosmith would sound like if they turned their music into a Broadway musical, a la "Mamma Mia!" One more week, then on to So You Think You Can Dance. I love my trashy reality TV.


--Bought a couple of new books. Not sure what I was thinking since I don't really have time to read. One inspired by an interview on Fresh Air on NPR (Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman) and the other because I really want to understand more about cooking so I can do more than just follow a recipe (I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown). Both look promising already.

--I'm getting really sick of all the Twitter talk. Twitter isn't new. It's been around for awhile. All of a sudden it's all you hear about on the news and talk shows. Wonder what the next "new" thing will be. That being said, I'm not on Twitter, but I am on Facebook. It helped keep me sane and connected when I was home on maternity leave. It's also helped me reconnect with a lot of college friends I had lost touch with. I wouldn't say it's a substitute for real human interaction and personal relationships, but it's the next best thing.

--We're starting to contemplate what we might need to do to possibly get the house ready to put on the market. I sound pretty confident in that, don't I? We're definitely outgrowing our house, but the thought of going through the home selling/buying process scares the bejesus out of me. In any case, it can't hurt to take care of a few little things, even if we don't end up selling.

--Back to work four days a week starting this week. This morning was rough getting up, even though I slept almost 8 hours. I think it's just a matter of getting used to a working mom routine, instead of a stay-at-home mom routine. It's crazy how fast the days go when I work. I get home with Evan around 5pm, then it's on to dinner, bath, and bed. I'll get used to that eventually.

--Looking forward to spending some time with family over the next month. And a trip to Dallas for a weekend at the end of June for sorority stuff. Hard to believe June is already here.

Over and out...

Happy Mother's Day!

Just to get it out of the way, happy mother's day to all you mamas out there. Thanks for all you do for us! Alright, now on to an overdue update.

I'm honestly not sure where the time goes these days. Lauren has been in daycare for over a month now, and absolutely loves going to school. We're also into the swing of all the school activities...attended a chicken noodle fundraiser and muffins with mom breakfast. Lauren also went on her first field trip to the zoo. She's adjusted really well, and even naps there now on a pretty regular basis. By the time the weekend hits, she sleeps in a little, until almost 8. We really like that. Grandma Darke is going through some withdrawal, but at least she has the little man to cuddle with 3 days a week.


I've been back at work for 2 weeks, and it's really great to be back. Being out allowed me to get out of some of the work I really didn't need to be doing, so I'm starting with a clean slate. Evan also started sleeping until around 5:30 on a regular basis, so I'm going back to work 4 days a week instead of 3 starting this week.

The little guy had his 2 month check-up, and his first round of shots...5 shots and 1 oral vaccine. He did great, and he really is a big boy. He's in the 95th percentile for height (24.5"), and off the charts for weight (14 lbs. 12 oz.). No wonder his 0-3 month clothes don't fit him anymore. He loves interacting with anyone, and is gaining coordination in his hands and arms. We can also prop him up in the corner of the couch now, so hopefully he'll be sitting up on his own before too long. He's also reaaalllly close to rolling over...he almost rolled off of the examining table at the doctor's office!

Spring has officially arrived, so we're working on getting the yard back in shape. The squirrels really do a number on the grass. I may even get some flowers planted this weekend. Chris is happy because he can get out to golf on a regular basis without having to bundle up.

We're also gearing up for the latest visit by Grandma and Grandpa Bilek. This one mixes business with pleasure, since Grandma is in the Columbus Arts Festival. She did great last year, so hopefully this year will be just as successful. Come on out and check out her beautiful pottery June 5-8 near the CCAD campus. She'll be under the "A" of the big "ART" sculpture.

Time for the next big change in our lives: Lauren starts daycare on Monday. We've been fortunate enough to have Grandma Darke in town to provide excellent, affordable care for Lauren since she was born. Now Lauren's getting to the age where she needs to be around other kids so she's not completely socially inept when she goes to real school. Plus, now Grandma Darke gets to look after Evan. And I'm not going to make her try to watch both of them...they're definitely a handful, and besides, she already did this once with her own kids.

So, it's off to Play and Learn Christian Child Care at the Gethsemane Lutheran Church. It's less than a mile from the house, and they had a part-time opening that coincided perfectly with my return to work. Everyone seems really nice and it's actually fairly affordable. I've been a little bit leery about sending Lauren to a relgiously-affiliated daycare, but there really aren't a whole lot of other options out there. It doesn't seem like they'll be pushing religion down her throat.

So, my baby, now the resident "big girl," is off to school. I have to admit I'm worried sick about how she'll do. Much more worried than I am about how Evan will do once I go back to work. Will she play okay with other kids? Does she measure up to them developmentally? We've been in our own little bubble with her until now. Hopefully we haven't done anything that will make her stick out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the kids. We'll just have to wait and see.

Evan is plugging along. We've gone the last couple of nights without a 2:30am feeding, so hopefully he'll sleep through the night before too long. Right now he'll sleep from about 11 to 2:30, then from about 3 to 5:30, and again from 6 to 8:30. Not bad, but I'd love to get him to sleep from 11 to 5:30. I'm trying to keep myself from falling into the bad habit of sleeping with him on the futon in his room. Some nights it's been the only way to get him to sleep (which means I get to sleep), but I don't want to end up like one of those moms on Nanny 911 that's still sleeping with their kids when they're 4 years old.

The baby acne is still around, all over his face, scalp, and now his shoulders and chest. The pediatrician confirmed there's nothing I can do, and did say it will be at its worst when he's around 6 weeks old (next week). I just hope it goes away soon so I can have cute pics without pimples in them. The smiles have also arrived, especially when he sees me first thing in the morning. It's a great way to start the day.

We're looking forward to visits from Chris' sister Brea, my sister Dorie, and our niece Ryan this weekend. We'll be doing the traditional Easter barbecue to welcome them all on Sunday. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy 1-month Birthday!

Wow. I can't believe it's already been a month since Mr. Evan joined the Bilek clan. In some ways it feels like it was just yesterday we brought him home, but in others it feels like he's been here all along. Here are some things I've learned in the last month:

--Boys can pee really high in the air. Always keep the "hose" covered with something during a diaper change. Even this won't protect you, but you'll just be damp instead of soaking wet.

--It's possible to breastfeed your baby and play with your toddler at the same time. Awkward, yes, but possible.

--Newborns are much easier to take out in public than 2 year olds. Why we didn't realize this with Lauren, I'm not sure.

--I hate baby acne. It looks like it hurts, and there isn't really anything I can do about it.

--I bought about 400 diapers on sale about a week after Evan was born. They're almost gone, thanks in part to diaper changing sessions that go through 3 diapers. See item #1.

--Size 6 diapers (which Lauren wears) look like adult Depends next to Evan's size 1-2 diapers.

--Babies grow really fast. Evan's already outgrowing 0-3 month clothes.

--Baby toys become really interesting to a 2 year-old when she realizes someone else might play with them.


--I actually miss going to work. It's my one break from family life, and pretty much my only interaction with other adults.

--A long, hot shower will do wonders for your mood.

--Friends and family make life much easier. It really does take a village to raise a child.

Two great products. If you have babies/toddlers.

Just had to share my happiness over two products we found. First, the Brights Starts Infant Seat.


This is Evan's daytime home. With Lauren, we set up the gigantic pack'n'play, which took up about half of our living room, just to use the changing tray and bassinet. This time, we don't have that luxury of space...our home office is now in our living room to make room for Evan's bedroom. So, we found this gem. It's about 2 feet off the floor, has a storage bin underneath, and kickstands you can kick up and rock it with your foot. Once he's older, it can also sit up more, but right now it's fully reclined for a nice, baby papasan-type home. Love it.

I also just pulled out a book I bought awhile ago and never flipped through for some reason: Unplugged Play.


This book is full of ideas for fun with your kid, age 1-10, with regular stuff around the house. Other than making me feel stupid for not thinking of these things myself, it's awesome.

Lots of Evan pics in the Kodak gallery!

Welcome to the world, big guy.

Well, Baby Watch '09 did in fact end up with a baby. Things got a little crazy at the end, so here's the scoop.

Nationwide lets expectant mothers take off the 2 weeks prior to their due date. That meant my last day at work was February 13, the day after my birthday. Just as I was wrapping things up at work, Baby Boy Bilek decided to make an attempt at arrival. I was having contractions about 5 minutes apart for a good 2 hours, so I called the doctor at 3am on my birthday and then made a trip to the hospital. After a quick check and walking around the hospital for an hour, they sent me home. False alarm #1 over.

The next week we had false alarm #2. Again, contractions pretty strong and regular, so we sent Lauren over to Grandma's house for the night in anticipation of the big event. As soon as Chris got back home, the contractions went away. At this point, I was really frustrated.

Finally, my doctor scheduled my induction for 2 days after my due date. At 5am. Not really the time slot I would have asked for, but it ended up turning out just fine. We got to the hospital, completed our check-in and got settled into our room. At 6am they broke my water and started Pitocin to get the contractions going. Around 7am I got the epidural, plus a fabulous little drug called Nubain right before that. It made me warm and fuzzy and happy, like having a couple glasses of wine. I highly recommend it. Anyways, around 8am the nurse came in, checked my progress, and said, "We're going to have a baby by 10." Wow. That was fast. I was induced with Lauren, too, but that took 20 hours.

Around 8:30, something went a little funky and a bunch of doctors ran in and made me get on my hands and knees and gave me a shot of something in my leg. Turns out my uterus was hyperstimulated (going a little crazy, I guess), and little Mr. Bilek didn't like it so much. I knew it wasn't anything too serious when I looked back and saw one of the doctors still had a Tim Horton's cup in his hand. If it's not worrisome enough for the doctor to put down his coffee, I guess it's not that big of a deal. All this craziness apparently finished the "prep work," and I started pushing shortly after. Three contractions later, Evan Michael Bilek arrived.




Everyone was surprised by his size: 21.8" long and 9 lbs. 9 oz. Yeah, he was a big guy. Luckily I was still in pretty good shape, so we got to go home the next day. That was one of the bonuses of a 5am induction and only 3 hours of labor. The hospital stay was fine, other than the horribly uncomfortable bed and bad food. Grandma kept Lauren for one more night after we got home, and then it was on to real life.


Grandma and Grandpa Bilek arrived 4 days later, and they were a huge help with Lauren. She's fine with Evan, but has figured out that I can't keep her from doing things when I'm feeding Evan...one of the joys of breastfeeding with a toddler around. I didn't get the baby blues anywhere near as badly this time...only a couple of unexplainable crying fits to date. Evan is actually a pretty good sleeper, so I'm getting anywhere from 6-8 hours of sleep total a night. Not consecutively, of course, but I'll still take it.

So now it's been 2 weeks since he was born. He weighed 9 lbs. 14 oz. at his appointment yesterday, which is a gain of 11 ounces in about a week (he lost 6 ounces before leaving the hospital). It is pretty cool to realize that's entirely because of me. What can I say, he likes mama's cooking.


This time around is a little different. Boys can definitely put some more power behind their pee than girls, so we go through a lot of clothes each day. And diapers and wipes. Chris and I are much less frazzled. I think we just know what to expect and are more proactive at avoiding the crying spells we encountered with Lauren. There's also a sense of knowing that this stage will pass, and then we'll be on to the next parenting challenge, and the next, and the next. I guess it never ends.