Forget the fancy stuff....

We don't need an expensive opthalmascope - this is how Dr. Amiya checks our ears. And I'll never again complain about the $15 copay - Dr. Amiya puts the thing up to our ears, taps it and pronounces us good to go home.

The truth about my tupperware cabinet

In today's Tampa Tribune, Judy Hill wrote about Anger Smoldering for Stressed Women Today. I generally like this columnist as she seems to be a more mature version of me, in both age and emotional development. She's rounded edges where I'm sharp corners. But I couldn't get into what she wrote today. If you don't take the time to go read it the essence of the article isn't that far from a Newsweek cover story at the end of February - it's all about women who have a lot going on and are stressed, angry and, at the end of the day, not happy.

Now, it would be disingenuous for me to say I am everywoman. I know I have a good life and I know I get to make choices that for some are not even a consideration. I know I get to stay home, I know we have health insurance, I know we're not at risk of being evicted or of V losing his job. And yet, that doesn't make me different from a lot of the women Newsweek wrote about and presumably some of the women that Hill knows.

I felt this way in February and I feel this way now - having a child has made priorities swing wildly for me. We aren't rolling in money and yet we're not poor. We spend wisely so we have money for the things that are important to us. We don't have a big TV, two SUVs in the driveway, a huge mortgage payment or high-speed internet. We also don't eat out at fancy places three nights a week and we'll drive twenty extra minutes for the produce stand rather than paying big bucks for half-rotten produce at the supercenters near us. Correspondingly, we don't stress about making ends meet. I'm able to not work because we try to keep our finances in check. (And I know that must sound awfully lame to some people, yet it's true.) I think back to my shopping habits right after college - never would I be able to continue in that lifestyle and not work. See those priorities swinging wildly?

I'd like to say I'm proud that Amiya isn't an over-scheduled little tyke, but she's a little young for most things so we've yet to cross that challenge. I feel like I've fallen into a good group of friends here who have pretty similar ideas about this, hopefully this won't be a problem. But I sometimes see Moms at the playground who have one in a karate outfit watching another in a soccer uniform. I'm content to just push Amiya on the swings and cheer when she makes it up the rope ladder. This isn't how I thought I'd be - I imagined her being bilingual by this age, at least. But, once again, those priorities have swung and I'm content to sing the Princess Ariel song with her fourteen times if that's the sort of mood she's in. She only gets to be two once and I only get to hang around with her when she's two once so I'm going to make the most of it.

I always thought the "keeping up with the Joneses" thing was hooey - but I can see that it's not. I would like to challenge people to keep up with the Guptas because the standards aren't all that high. Our house isn't perfectly decorated, our bed isn't always made and (please don't judge too harshly) I'm not sure what that jar is in the very back of our pantry - it's been with us through an apartment in Urbana, an apartment in Rantoul and now our home in Tampa. But I can tell you that my daughter has good manners, she always gets hugs and kisses when she needs them and I'll drop just about anything when she comes running with a book even if it's Clifford and we've read it eight times already that day.

All this isn't to say I only whistle happy tunes. There are some things I'm anxious about, I don't think I'd be human if there weren't. I worry about how possibly one or two new Supreme Court Justices will affect my rights, my daughter's rights, my husband's rights and the rights of a very good friend of mine. I worry about Amiya taking in too much water at the pool and throwing up. I worry about miscarriage and recovering from another c-section. But the bottom line is I've got a wonderful husband, an amazing daughter, a great family and the best friends. My life is seemingly easy and yet there are still choices to be made. Perhaps I'm being sanctimonious, but I like to think I make the choices that are significant to the happiness of my family. So if my tupperware cabinet looks like this when you come to visit, please know that's about the last thing on my priority list. If it looks neat and organized, feel free to ask exactly where my priorities are.

Floaters!

Yep, that's our girl. Floating, floating, floating!

And she's only 2!!!

Yep, I'm bragging. :-)

Princess Amiya

And because she floated, she got to pick her very own tiara with matching earrings. Ah, when Amiya's happy, everybody's happy!

Thwarted!

See these? Snaps up and down the legs. Snaps in the back.

She can't get them off!

Whoo-hoo!!!

I am one of *those* parents.

Today is Amiya's last day of swim lessons. It hasn't come a moment too soon. This marks the end of eight weeks spent in or at the pool and in this Florida heat that's a lot of weeks.

She has made remarkable progress since we've begun. Our happy little family went up to our community pool last night only to see Amiya intentionally shoving herself underwater, swimming to a toy she wanted instead of clinging to the wall, bobbing about on a noodle, truly swimming for 10 feet or so and going down the huge, huge waterslide with her Daddy. All this in 8 weeks, 32 classes or 16 hours of instruction. I haven't loved every bit of it and I say I'm becoming one of *those* parents because I had a long, unhappy conversation with the owner after a teacher did something I specifically asked her not to do. (I was fair enough to talk to the teacher first though, so I'm not one of *those really immature* parents who goes straight to the principal.) I complained, I vented, ultimately I was heard and the same thing didn't happen again. That's good. Despite the complaints I have, I am thrilled with her progress and so is her Daddy. More importantly, Amiya has such confidence and enthusiasm for the pool now. It's been well worth the time and money invested.

And, she's a happy little one because she got a tattoo. (Taking after her Uncles already!) It's the SwimKidsUSA logo and her teacher gave it to her yesterday. Amiya's just amazed because unlike the sticker she usually gets, this thing sticks forever!

Please Send: Pajamas with Snaps

Amiya has taken to stripping lately.

We put her in her crib fully dressed for the night. Long bottoms, long sleeved tops. Usually the tops button in the back, but not always - sometimes they button up the front. It doesn't really matter, buttons are no challenge for this girl. In the morning I find her naked except, mercifully, for her diaper.

She thinks this is really, really funny. Every morning she acts coy when I ask where her pajamas are - until we make eye contact and then a big grin breaks out on her face. It's not a big deal, except that we worry about her being cold with the a/c vent right above her crib.

So, Friday morning will see Mommy and Mia off to the outlet stores for pajamas that snap - snap at the waist, snap up the legs, snap at the back, it's not really important. At this point, she can't figure out the pushes and pulls of snaps so that's what we'll go with. Hear that noise? That's Mommy, knocking on wood.

Virus? What virus?

Today was a wonderful day to be a parent (if we look past the time spent at the doctor's office). Amiya was in a great mood, full of cuddles, giggles and wiggles. She wanted to be with one of us all the time and not just to play or to pretend, but mainly for some hugs and kisses. She pretended to be snoring in our bed this morning, she climbed up and over her Daddy to be next to him on the couch as you can see above, and she spent the better part of an hour on Mommy's lap while watching Strega Nona and Stone Soup. If I didn't like our pediatrician more I might suspect he's gone bonkers with the long hours he works - this doesn't seem like a little girl who's sick.

I may be getting a job.

It would seem that this is a prudent course of action considering recent expenses.

Consider this:

7/4/2005

Amiya to the after hours clinic for an ear infection. We knew what it was (green stuff coming out of her ear - what else could it be?). $15

7/4/2005

Pick up both oral amoxicillan and ciprodex drops from the neighborhood pharmacy. $40

7/13/2005

Amiya to regular doctor to verify that all is well. Ear still a little funky. Another course of ciprodex prescribed. $15 for 10 minute visit to the doctor.

7/22/2005

Original ciprodex finished, pick up second course. $25
Interestingly, Amiya spikes not one, but two fevers. Make appt. with doctor at his request.

7/23/2005

See doctor. Ears are "pristine." Left tube is working its' way out, thus being why the ear was infected. Do not need to use ciprodex (!!!!!!!). Amiya has "ulcers" on her tonsils, just a virus needing to work its' way through her system. $15 for 5 minute visit.

Later same day: Mommy and Daddy jubilant as local pharmacy decides it will take unopened bottle of ciprodex back.

So, let's do the math:
$15 x 3 = $45
$40 x 1 = $40
$25 x 1 = $25
+ ____
$110
- 25
____
$ 85

That's right. Therefore, I need to get another job. Not because I want to or we need to but because I want this. I think I could be trained to detect an ear infection and then I should be able to call the doc and tell him what it is. He knows me - when he called yesterday he said, "Hey Christy - what's up?" This isn't a doctor who thinks I'm psycho or whacky, I'm smart enough to call and tell him what's going on with my kid. If I had this, we'd be $45 richer. (And please understand I'm not even getting into all of the prior $15 co-pays for 10 minute appointments.) By this point, it would have paid for itself and we would have spent just a wee bit less time in the sick room at the doctor's office. Now, if I could only find amoxicillan at Sam's Club I would be the thriftiest Mom around.

I might even just get this one - what do you think?

Too smart for her own good.

My nose is not a dainty, petite, feminine nose. I've come to terms with the fact that from my Father I inherited my nose, not my Mother's cute little nose. I take pains to alternate to which side I wipe after a sneeze as my Father's nose tilts slightly to the side after so many years of nonchalant tissue usage. My nose is my nose and I plan on keeping it.
All this leads up to Thursday night at dinner.

I was sitting by Amiya and remarking on her nose. It's cute, well-proportioned and at the moment in question, covered in ranch dressing. I told her how cute I found it and that I, in fact, am quite in love with her itsy-bitsy nose. She told me "Tanks, Mommy!" and then went on to tell me that Daddy's nose was also very cute. I, stupidly enough, asked her how my nose was. She said, "It's fine." and went back to her dinner. WHAT? So, I pursued, even more stupidly. "Is it a cute nose, Amiya?" "It's fine, Mommy." I'm ashamed to say I didn't cease there, but kept asking. Silly, silly me. She makes no bones about the fact that my nose is fine, but definitely not up there with the noses of Amiya and Daddy. Fine then, I guess.

What on earth???

A free message on your answering machine (It's just like NPR, but Amiya is so much cuter than Carl Kasell) to the first person who can figure out what Amiya is pretending to do in this picture. Anyone? Anyone? Just click the comments button, it's not really that hard.

And the follow-up

There was some hugging and wrestling after the What on Earth? photo. It's a really heartwarming thing to see how Amiya seeks out her Daddy when he comes home from work. Her attention is on Daddy and only Daddy and it's a lot of fun to watch.

Beans beans good for the heart....

Yesterday I went to a new restaurant: Amiya's Restaurant. My name was Talulah (pronounced Taludah!) and my daughter was the server who would only respond to the name The Lady.

The menu at Amiya's was simple, downhome fare which suits me just fine. Chicken and mashed (pronounced mashda) potatoes. Service was even simpler - everyone (Talulah, Bear and Little One) shared one plate and two forks. But, let me tell you, they were the best mashda potatoes I had ever eaten. So, I inquired as to what was in them and was surprised to find that the secret invisible ingredient was green beans! That's right, green beans. Then, a bite of the savory chicken. Mmm. A small bite of this chicken proved it to be the best chicken I had ever eaten and again I asked for the ingredients. Imagine my delight - roasted beans! It seems that Amiya's Restaurant is taking a giant step forward in helping people eat their vegetables by secretly making everything out of beans.

Reservations can be made, but aren't really necessary. This reviewer does recommend bringing your own silverware unless you want stuffed animal fuzz on the community fork. Also, the beverage selection was a little lacking, please consider bringing your own bottle unless you plan on drinking milk, water or Ovaltine with your chicken.

Flower Girl

Finally, a picture of Amiya as one of the flower girls at the wedding. She walked down the aisle on her own, but didn't drop a single flower. When the ceremony started she began yelling for her Grandpa, so I took her towards the back of the area and let her play with her flowers. This is how she spent most of the ceremony - arranging a garden with the beautiful wildflowers that filled her basket. After the ceremony she walked along the runner and picked up the flowers that the other flower girls dropped. Such a frugal little gardener we have!

Uncle Jon-o, Uncle Annie, Uncle Mikhey

(Those are spelt as she pronounces them, just so you know.)

This girl loves her Uncles. She talks about them all the time. And I do mean all the time. She doesn't like to talk to them on the phone, but if they're around, I'm once again chopped liver. (I've become used to this, actually.) She knows where they live if we ask and so we do.

Daddy: "Where does Uncle Jon-o live?"

Amiya: "Alaskha"

Daddy: "Where does Uncle Mikey live?"

Amiya: "Masin" (Madison)

Daddy: "Where does Uncle Andy live?"

Amiya: "Wif Carter" (With Carter. That's Uncle Andy's dog.)

Anyway, we just got some wedding pictures and I think this is one of my favorites. I think Amiya loves these three almost as much as her Mommy does.

Babies and Grandparents

My parents visited from Sunday morning until this afternoon. Amiya had a great time playing and playing and playing. Here you can see Grandma and Amiya mixing "booberry nuffins" in her little baby's basket. They also took lots of tend (pretend) naps and shared lots of snuggles.

The great thing about company is that almost anyone else is more interesting than Mom or Dad and so Amiya makes the most of it. Vinay and I get to sit back, watch and enjoy the little person that we're sometimes too busy to really see. This one has an amazing imagination and a very happy personality. It's fun to just observe without having to participate and makes us appreciate the wonder that is a child when we get bogged down with the mundaneness of diapers, spills and tantrums.

Babies and Grandparents

I thought Amiya had me wrapped around her finger, but I think Grandpa might be even moreso. You can see him here playing with her new doll. Now, I'll be honest and say I don't have memories before kindergarden, but I can tell you that I don't think my Dad played dolls with me. Sure, he was busy then, but I have a hunch that he really likes Amiya. She entertained him and amused him while he was here. He particularly likes the way she says nuffins for muffins and milla for vanilla. It was a lot of fun for Vinay and I try to watch Grandma and Grandpa try to decipher Amiya-speak. They did well and quickly caught on to the grammar of this particular toddler.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

Amiya got this horse from Uncle Jon-o at Uncle Mikey's wedding. She liked to look at it, but she wasn't big on actually riding it. Maybe that's changing.... She was straddling it today and I reached over and squeezed the ear to make it whinny and "gallop." She didn't immediately stop, drop and run as she has in the past, so maybe we're turning the bend?

Looks pretty bad, eh?

But it's not, I swear. It's blackberry juice. Grandma and Grandpa are here today and they brought blackberries with them. Amiya ate like a toddler possessed - contrary to the look on her face, she found them to be delicious and ate at least two cups worth. (Please recall her stomach is the size of her fist.) She loves the blackberry and so we would be very happy to accept donations to the Amiya Gupta Blackberry Fund as they are so ridiculously, hideously expensive that we can't afford to buy them without subsidies from the general reading public.

Anything for cool whip

This child loves cool whip. She'll do anything, or more accurately, eat anything to get her grubby little hands on cool whip. And who am I to mess with the exalted status of this non-dairy concoction? Lately the big thing is diced nectarines with this frothy treat. It goes down quick, easy and with nary a complaint. And that might be just as important as a well-balanced meal.