Things I've Learned the Hard Way

[Tip: Anyone who's not interested in the minutiae of life with little ones should skip to the bottom of this post and enjoy the photo portion only!]

Having two kids in sixteen months is really an experience unto itself. As Finny approaches the age at which Will became a big brother (he's about six weeks away from that marker), my brain has had a little breathing room--just a little--and I find myself being both intro- and retrospective.

So here are some things I've learned about having two closely-spaced babies. Most of these things I learned the hard way, or at least not without some amount of mental resistance.

1. When you can carry your little baby in a Bjorn or an Ergo (aka, for the first seven or so months of his life), that is THE EASY PART. People made remarks about how easy I made it look, but the reality is that--at least compared to now--it WAS easy. Because Finn was a winter baby, I had to nurse him in the car in those early months--but when the weather was warmer, I nursed him right there on the woodchips while Will caroused on the playground. Fitting in frequent feedings was something I had to think about, but not much. I basically followed Will's schedule, and Finn did too.

My point is not, "Pshaw! Anyone can handle two under two!" My point is: It's going to get trickier logistically, so  insofar as it's possible, enjoy the convenience of the baby-as-accessory phase. I'm SO HAPPY that I can look back fondly on those days of Finn sleeping through Will's MyGym classes and playgroups, instead of feeling like I took them for granted.

2. You must use Munchkin straw sippy cups if you don't want milk to spill all over and therefore ruin a $36 lunchbox.

Let me clarify: I didn't mean to purchase a $36 lunchbox in the first place. I was out with the boys one day when it was flurrying, and we were at Legacy Place, and they weren't happy in the stroller, but they were dressed for the weather, and Will was about to start preschool. I grabbed a trendy robot lunchbox whose vinyl looked hardy enough, and I rushed to pay for it, and there was no way I was backing out after she'd rung me up and I was staring at that ridiculous receipt. Neither I nor Will even particularly like robots! And if anything, I go out of my way to avoid looking like a hipster who wants to pay a chunk of change for a trendy lunchbox! But I was stuck!

And then I threw a few of our B-list sippies in there and the milk seeped into the insulation of the lunchbox, and that thing was TOAST. No amount of scrubbing or machine washing could undo that doozy, so I trudged out to LL Bean to buy this lunchbox. I love it--it fits two sippy cups standing right-side-up, and a hard ice pack, and a couple of food containers, and it's not at all trendy.

But the other lesson was, stick with the greatest straw sippy cups ever, which are these Munchkin ones. I know that everyone has a different experience with every cup, but it's so weird to me that one review here says "not for biters," because Will is most definitely a straw-biter, and these are the only ones that have held up in our household. They really also are the most spill-proof we've found, and they're top-rack dishwasher safe, and I trust them. My only complaint is that some of the two-packs have traditional "boy" and "girl" colors mixed in, and I can't always order specific colors.

3. Going to the playground is a workout, and the diaper bag has become all-important again.

I still don't believe the celebrity moms who say they've maintained their figure "chasing after their kids," mostly because I think that since they have people who work for them and help them (which is great!) and many of them still work part- or full-time jobs (also great!), it's hard to buy that they're getting an hour of pure chasing-kid time in per day. But now, I sort of see why they might *think* they are toning their calves on the playground, because one semi-competent mobile kid plus one incompetent and fearless kid equals an epic morning of sprinting in many directions.

In the last two days (our first playground-worthy days of the season!) I have developed a timing strategy for keeping track of both boys without panicking. I've named it (come on, you all know I like to name things) the 5/2 strategy, and it's making me suspect I was a QB coach in a former life.

It's simple: if both boys aren't right next to me, that I need to trail Finny much more closely. The maximum ratio in terms of distance from each is 5:2, so I could be 15 feet from Will but only 6 feet from Finny. You all can do the math.

The more important piece of the 5/2 strategy is the timing, though. I try to keep my attention on Finny for 5 seconds, and then I locate and check in on Will for no more than 2 before returning to my little loose cannon, who thinks that if he just walks off the top step, the next one will magically rise to meet him.

So, the diaper bag. It faded from the spotlight for a while, and now it is back with a vengeance. Here is what seems to be necessary for an hours-long playground visit:

• Diapers and wipes, of course (Although I try not to change diapers while we're out, if I have to, I do it in the car because I am a totally unabashed MINIVAN WORSHIPER and I CAN.)
• Those Munchkin sippies filled with water or milk for the big boy
• Nuby sippies like these for the non-straw-using little boy (least spillage for a straight-up sippy in our usage history)
• Snacks in little containers or plastic baggies
• A book or two to keep them focused while they're sitting down to snack
• Layers and baseball caps
• Sunscreen stick
• CleanWell hand sanitizing spray
• Vaseline (I used this to get jelly off my hands when I was out of wipes AND to dab on Will's hands when he tripped and scraped up his palms today)
• Tissues, napkins, washcloths

The notable items left off this list are things I brought to the park when Will was this age that fall into one of two categories: So Rarely Used That It's Not Worth Packing and/or Huge Pain to Keep Track of When You Have Two Toddlers.


Extra set of clothes/socks, little toy cars or balls of any size, diaper cream, an entire lunch--these all fall into one or both of those categories.

Now for those playground photos:

Right Here Waiting

I have the cutest pictures (and video) of Finn, but I can't post them because the cable for our camera is stashed somewhere "out of the way" while we try to keep the house clean for showings. In the meantime, let me assure you that he is about as wonderful as they get, and if he would only cut out the sudden scream eruptions in the car I would never, ever be allowed to complain about him.

It must be something about going in atypical order from bottlefeeding to breastfeeding, but I surprisingly don't mind waking up in the middle of the night with Finn. We co-sleep, which gave me wicked anxiety dreams when we did it with Will and none at all so far with Finn, and the middle-of-the-night routine at fourteen weeks is so shockingly simple this time. We went from this:

-wake up

-panic briefly re: baby's whereabouts

-realize he is in my arms

-wake Dave up

-Dave warms the bottle and starts the feeding, while I...

-get out the pump parts and fill a new bottle for next time

-(not to mention all the daytime cleaning of bottle parts and measuring out supplementary formula and keeping track of how long the bottle had been in use, AAAAAAHHHH!)

to this:

-sort of wake up, but not really

-sling baby across body

-Dave continues to snore

-feed baby for 10 or 20 minutes, both of us dozing

-slide back down in bed, to sleep

Will and Dave went to New Jersey without us this weekend, leaving us behind because of the afore(much)mentioned car screaming, and I thought I'd be disappointed but also appreciative of some alone time with Finn. Instead, seven hours into the alone time, and all of Finn's giggles and smirks and dimples, even his joyful yodeling when I sing "Mighty Duke of York," have done little to remedy the melancholy I'm feeling because Will isn't by my side.

I miss his latest move, the one where I try to get him to do something silly and he chuckles and says, "Ma-mawwwwww," almost ruefully, like he's in on the joke. I miss his most recently adopted phrases, from "Big! Hug!" to "Blue car!" and "Mama drive," with the accompanying steering-wheel-maneuver hand gestures. And when I walked into the playroom shortly after they had gone, I almost burst into tears because it was so quiet, and his dump truck was going to sit unused for two whole days, and what is the point of this playroom if he's not here to use it?

(I know. He is gone for two days. As my dear friend Ceci reminded me, I can actually "sleep when the baby sleeps" this weekend, and even--gasp--go to the bathroom all by myself! It's just so tough to enjoy being home when my supersized chatterbox toddler isn't here to force me outside or tell me about the "BUS!" with "WHEELS!" and...I need to stop writing about this or I'll be near tears again.)

On a less sentimental note, did you guys know that 1-800-Contacts is actually awesome? I just never thought about using them before, and the other day when I realized I was down to my last pair but didn't have to go back to the eye doctor for another six months, I went online and ordered some and they came not two days later! And a year's supply was WAY cheaper than what I usually pay--and I got free shipping. Of course, when I had to call and ask them a question, I stood there for literally two minutes scanning the order form for their phone number.

Yep.

I was frustrated that I could not find the phone number for 1-800-CONTACTS. Let that one sink in.

So, in summary, I miss my firstborn and my mommy brain still reigns supreme over here. Have a great weekend!

Keeping Me Sane, Take Two, Part Two

New Category Alert: For Breastfeeding

First let me say that I think I'm uniquely positioned to talk about good breastfeeding prep and troubleshooting because I had that nightmarish experience with Will and have now established a wonderful rhythm with Finn. However, as I mentioned in a prior post, that rhythm took a LOT of hard work to establish, even in the months before he was born.

• A prenatal lactation consult--if you're looking in the Boston area, Beth Sargent at Isis Maternity. Knowing she was on my team and knew me personally before Finn was even born gave me a feeling of preparedness.
• A postnatal lactation consult--STAT. I visited Beth at Isis when Finn was 3 days old, and scheduled the visit directly after his first pediatrician's appointment so that if my doctor had been concerned about weight gain, Beth would have reassurances and strategies for me.
• A supportive pediatrician. He might be supportive that you DON'T want to breastfeed, supportive that you do, or just your cheerleader in every way. Mine was non-dogmatically pro-breastfeeding, so when Finn's weight gain was a whole lot slower than Will's initially, he was completely unfazed. He never even mentioned the word formula, only suggesting that if it would make me feel better I could pump an extra bottle to top Finn off at night. However, just as importantly, he wasn't opposed to formula--he asked questions and supported me in my goals.
• (FYI, topping Finn off at night has never really worked for us.)
• A postpartum doula. Jen was helpful in every way, but she made herself available over the phone even before her scheduled weeks began, even before Finn's arrival, in fact. She laughed gently at me when I kept insisting that I had thrush because of completely made-up symptoms I was assigning myself. She told me about other women she'd known who had my experiences, referred me to websites, and all the while helped me run my household of two small kids.
• Makeshift nursing bras. Basically, I cut out the underwire in my larger pregnancy-sized bras and voila! A nice supply of nursing bras. I never used the snap/panel trappings of the "real" (and usually expensive) nursing tops anyway--it's always been way easier to just pull everything up in one quick motion.
• The Brest Friend and Boppy. Leah used to make fun of my pregnancy pillow, the Snoogle, but that was before she caught wind of my new nursing pillow, the My Brest Friend. Oh how I wish I were making that name up. And yet, it really was great in those first three or four weeks when I didn't know WHAT I was doing and Finn certainly had no clue and would just lie there until I shoved his head toward me at the right angle. After that first month, the Brest Friend was too cumbersome and now I use a Boppy when I can get to it, or I prop him on a pillow or a balled-up blanket or nothing at all.
• Having someone teach me how to nurse in a carrier. If you use the Bjorn or an Ergo or a sling a lot, it's great to learn how to nurse in it. The Ergo's easiest for me because the sun flap that comes with it snaps over his head and there's a space on each side that allows me access if I need to position him a little bit. But it's enabled me to nurse him on walks or just without having to lurch him out of his cozy pouch, and that's been helpful.
• Breastfeeding drop-in group (also at Isis, for me)--I only went once but in the weeks following I'd go in every Tuesday and weigh Finn on the same electronic scale, just to pacify my mind. This was a friend's suggestion, which leads me to:
• A friend to mull things over/talk things out with; if you're lucky enough to know her, I highly recommend Bianica. We've even discussed how similar our lives are even though we are many miles apart. She always has reassuring things to say, but more importantly she has practical tips that WORK, like the weekly weigh-in suggestion. Having her as a sounding board has been invaluable.

For the Toddler:

• Friends in the neighborhood. I've already buttered them up in many a post here, but I can't say enough good things about Will's playgroup friends and their parents. In this good weather, we've been spending mornings at the playground, which helps to...
• ...wear out the children! I just bring Will outside (which he demands all the time anyway with his little lisp--he actually climbed on top of the ottoman the other day to unlock the door and chant Out-THIDE, Out-THIDE, Out-THIDE) and hurry him around the neighborhood or let him scale the playground structures. We both see our friends, we get a healthy dose of vitamin D, and he slept through diaper changes on two separate occasions last week because he was Just So Exhausted. Win!
• My parents' house. It's a change of scenery, boasts a variety of novel toys and household items, and is a great bribery tool, as in, "As soon as you have your socks and shoes on, we can go to...Nan and Mamp's house!" This invariably leads to Will padding around the house pointing out things that belong to or remind him of Nan and Mamp, but it also eventually convinces him to stop kicking off his shoes and head down to the car.
• Stuffed animals. They are suddenly very interesting to him, and he likes to kiss them and then pretend that they are kissing each other. (Especially "Soft Elmo" and regular Tickle Me "Elmo.")
• Non-board books. I know! It's a whole new world! Recently he's been loving Dig, Where the Wild Things Are, and this noisemaking monstrosity his godmother got him for Christmas called Snappy Sounds or some nonsense. (Thanks, Auntie Lo!)
• CDs in the car--we have been on a constant rotation of Sara Hickman's "Toddler," a Rockabye Baby compilation of rock songs turned lullaby (think harpsichord-meets-Guns-'n'-Roses. No, really), and Elmo's Sing-along. They keep me and Will sane while we endure Finn's ear-splitting screams of protest.

I'll finish this list up as soon as we sell our condo, move to our next house and...see you in 2011?

Five Foods

In honor of my recent trolling of the internet to find Easter feast recipes, I started making a list of all the foods I think I like but IN FACT, DO NOT LIKE AT ALL.

1. Muffins.

Whenever I go to Dunkin, I ignore the donuts and go straight for the muffins. They look so inviting and flavorful. I take one bite and am suddenly completely satiated, as if my muffin quota for the month has just been reached. Yes, I do like the crustier tops better than the rest of the muffin, which is just a hunk of bland mush to me. But one bite of the crust, and I'm done. And yet...I always order one. It's a waste of those wax paper bags, and I have to stop.

2. Caesar salad.

Actually, I honestly love Caesar salad, but most fall way short. There used to be a restaurant near my house in Coolidge Corner called Matt Garrett's, and the Caesar there was fabulous. Ditto the Caesar at the old Pizzeria Regina on Harvard street in Brookline. (Ashley and I used to split a half-pepperoni pizza and a Caesar, two Diet Cokes please--yes, Pepsi's fine, gawd, we always forget they only have Pepsi here blah blah.)

Bertucci's Caesar? Absolutely not. If I wanted a pile of old lettuce and over-peppered croutons with a bag of mayonnaise on the side, I would buy those three things at the grocery store, after which I would experience a wave of nausea at the sight of them and have to throw them away.

My sister's brother-in-law makes an awesome Caesar dressing that's barely even creamy and has lots of lemon and garlic in it, but I never make it correctly...to the point where I once bought a shallot thinking it was garlic and started to "press" the shallot into the mixing bowl. But that was senior year of college, so I think I get one big GET OUT OF JAIL FREE card. Right?

3. Soup.

I just crave it more than I like it. The end.

4. Red wine.

Never met one I truly enjoyed. Next!

5. Bananas.

Re-reading this list, I am realizing how odd this all sounds, and in turn, how odd I am. I am such a creeper, as Melissa would say. Who doesn't like soup or bananas? Or muffins? They are such innocuous foods.

Maybe that's the problem.

Anyway, with Will constantly testing different mashed concoctions (which by the way, isn't it so cool to think that when you're a mom you get to witness your child's FIRST EVER fill-in-the-food?), I'm so much more conscious of my own eating preferences.

Anyone else had a revelation that they're eating and ordering out of habit instead of true affinity?

GIST 3

1. Tastefully Simple slushy sangria (thanks, Kerry!).

2. A new HD cable box with DVR for the same price as our old service...so I can record normal-people shows and watch them at my odd hours.

3. Celebrating my grandfather's would-be-100th birthday.

4. Caramel-and-white-striped sheets and duvet cover.

5. Will riding a red Rody. (And, um, alliteration?)

6. Elfa playroom shelves and drawers. So. Organized. Also. Pretty!

7. Taking a very extended break from spending money in order to enjoy what you already have. (See above.)

GIST 2

1. Don, our driver on the Miss Bustonian bachelorette bus this weekend.

2. The way Will sits on my lap and hits the keys on my laptop, just like the true son of a computer engineer.*

3. Essie nail polish in Fiji.

4. Edamame succotash and 365 brand fruit-flavored soda from Whole Foods.

5. The return of Battlestar Galactica, a show that actually answers your questions every couple of episodes (I'm looking at you, Lost).

6. Reading the book Little Hoot to Will while he tries to turn the pages.*

7. Finally conceding defeat to the pro-Facebook contingent, and eagerly awaiting Kerry's FB tutorial.

*I think it's confirmed: Will is a tactile learner. :-)

The After Effect

I did not cheat and take a picture directly after Kellyn did my hair. I waited two days, washed and blow-dried on my own, and then took a series of exceedingly goofy photos. For more ridiculous self-pictures and fun style-related conversation, visit the Noonguide site. And now, for your viewing delight:

I look surprised...about what? I am the one taking the picture, so there's really no basis for confusion. And yet.

Many Looks for Muhlhan

In anticipation of doing a bridal makeup demo with Erin in January, I started perusing some photos of Amy Adams, another beautiful ocean-eyed redhead. Here are some options I came up with, and the accompanying notes. Erin is an...opinionated person, and I'm sure she will make up her own mind (and look gorgeous in doing so), but your thoughts--though they may well go unused--are welcome.

This is tbe most natural look of the four. The hair is in an updo, but only a semi-formal one. Amy's wearing thin black eyeliner on her top and bottom lids, and her lip is nude, which puts her blue eyes and the tendrils framing her face that much more in the spotlight. It's definitely pretty, but I don't know that there's much else to say about it.

Amy's hair is half-up in this photo, which is a look I adore on Erin. She looks a bit more Hollywood here: bronzed skin, sheer pink gloss on her lips, and a more defined eye with extra liner and mascara on the outside. My favorite part of this makeup is the mascara on upper and lower lashes for a truly glamorous--without being too dramatic--set of peepers.

The first word that comes to mind: dewy. It looks as if Amy's makeup artist may have forgone the matte foundation on this particular night. On the eyes, we see a more muted liner/mascara combo--see how Amy's lashes go out rather than flip up? She's rocking the ingenue image with peachy blush and lip color and a full-on porcelain base tone. The gathered side 'do is actually one of my most adored hairstyles, but it's probably more fit for a bridesmaid than a bride.

If I had straight-up, no-bones-about-it red hair and light eyes (and this hairstyle went with my dress), I would choose this as my bridal look. There is an appropriate balance between matte and shine on the face; the cheeks and forehead are tinted barely with a peachy bronze, but the outer cheeks and jawline are accentuated with a blush that has just the right amount of orange in it to complement the hair. Her eyes scream DRAMA, but with only black liner and mascara and a brown-based shadow that work with the pink-brown mouth to tie the whole look together. Finally, her eyebrows are so well-groomed here, and nicely shaped brows are the classy icing on every va-va-voom cupcake.

So...Erin and everyone else, what do you think?

Guess Who's Wearing Size 3 Diapers?

My eleven-week-old son, that's who. I had to switch from Size 2 after there was a bit of an explosion down under this morning. We are now using chlorine-free Seventh Generation brand because we got such a good deal at Diapers.com, and because I never miss an opportunity to "do good" (for the planet and for Will, at least theoretically) without paying extra cash.

So now young William is in diapers meant for children weighing 16 to 28 pounds. This hefty range blows my mind a little bit, but I will try to ignore it and pretend I am not worried that my son will someday be the subject of a Discovery Health channel documentary on giantism. (Just kidding, I'm really not worried. Most of the time.)

I know it is ridiculous to even mention this, but I don't get anything for talking about any products or websites here. My only reasons for writing about what I like and don't like are to have a record for my own purposes, and to offer suggestions to friends and family who are interested. I would have zero problems making extra money via those reviews, but I doubt that my objectivity will ever be compromised in such a welcome way. ;-)

Our Family Photographer

Our wedding photographer, Brittany Blando, is one of my favorite people EVER. Let me tell you why:

1) When we first met, I told her I wanted Jessica Simpson's wedding day style and she told me, "But you're so much prettier than Jessica Simpson!" (I don't really need to list the next five reasons, do I?)

2) We had so much fun talking about my wedding, taking engagement photos, and getting to know each other in 2007.

3) She went out of her way to be there for much longer than scheduled on my wedding day, endeared herself to all our family and friends, and took spectacular photos.

4) She created our hilarious Us Weekly signature board and our gorgeous wedding album.

5) She was excited to come over and take pictures of me at the end of my pregnancy with Will, and we chatted for hours during the photo shoot.

6) She just sent me this picture from that shoot, and I can't stop staring at the belly and then the baby in my lap and thinking "This used to be that?" Amazing.

Favorite Baby Stuff

Since Will is still asleep two hours later (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), I'm moving our list of Favorite Baby Stuff from the sidebar to a post unto itself. Here it is:

• Pampers Swaddlers diapers: they're cozy even when pulled tight around the tummy, and they're virtually leak-proof (in our experience)
• Baby mittens: any brand or type works to keep hands warm and prevent face-scratching if you're too skittish to clip or file your baby's nails
• Dr. Brown's baby bottles: we tried Avent, Born Free, Medela and Evenflo, but these bottles are worth their slightly more involved assembly requirements
• Snap 'n' Go stroller by Baby Trend: I've covered this one already in another post
• Random humidifier bought at CVS: clears up congestion, warms up the nursery, provides some welcome white noise

I'll add to this list with future posts in the "Faves 'n' Raves" category.

Keeping Me Sane

Here is a current list of my favorite sanity-inspiring things:

On TV or DVD:

• The Wire (DVDs)
• True Blood (HBO OnDemand, which we get for free this month)
• Ricky Gervais' Comedian stand-up show (also on HBO--I could watch Ricky Gervais scratch his ear for half an hour and still be at least somewhat amused)
• 30 Rock (I actually catch a new episode now and then!)
• One Tree Hill on SoapNet (Don't judge me, it's on from 1-3 p.m., which happens to be prime Will's Awake But Doesn't Know What to Do With Himself As He's Only 8 Weeks Old time in our house.)

For the Baby:

• The wipe warmer--most moms say it's useless, but the difference between a cold and a warm wipe in this house is the difference between angry-bordering-on-hysterical yodel-like shrieks and daffy, cooing smiles. I choose B.
• "Sleep and play" outfits--basically the onesies with long sleeves and long arms--especially the ones with a zip-up front and coverings for the hands and feet. The zipper makes things so much easier for the incessant diaper leak crises.
• The Snap 'n' Go stroller. Thanks to my sister and sisters-in-law for making me register for this and then giving it to me! Our regular stroller is great for off-roading, but it's both heavy and cumbersome; the Snap 'n' Go gets stowed in the trunk of my car and is transportation mode of choice for getting William from the car to the pediatrician's office, to the mall, to Target, and anywhere else I go to spend too much mon--I mean, maintain my child's health and well-being.
• Speaking of Target, the Mommy Hook. This is just a giant-sized carabiner that clips onto your stroller handle and allows you to let the stroller carry the weight of your purse and any shopping bags you may pick up along the way. This gadget is vital when you no longer have lip gloss and your cell phone rattling around in a cute bag and instead are carrying (one of your many gorgeous) diaper bags stuffed to the brim with god-knows-what.
• The Swaddle Me and the Miracle Blanket. Dave's brother tried to teach us how to swaddle back when I was pregnant, but I still have a hard time with it, and sometimes (read: at two in the morning) we are just too lazy to make it perfect. Plus, you ideally need a square blanket, something stretchy but not too stretchy...who has the time, honestly? Will sleeps best when swaddled, and the Swaddle Me literally takes three hand motions to get the Velcro tabs in place and William looking like a little fleece burrito. In the Miracle Blanket, which is a bit more complicated to wrap but still less so than starting from scratch with a regular blanket, the result is more of a Mummy Baby. (Preserved in organic cotton, no less.)

In the Name of Efficiency

• The Charles River walking path just outside my door
• Amy's frozen burritos for lunch...I can manage the microwave one-handed.
• 12-cup coffeemaker with the stainless carafe that keeps its contents piping hot throughout the long day, assuming you remember to twist the cap fully after pouring a cup (and assuming you don't, um, leave the carafe in the refrigerator after you pour the milk, ahem).
• Peapod grocery delivery from Stop 'n' Shop: Don't laugh, I do realize that there is a Stop 'n' Shop located a convenient half-mile from our doorstep, but Peapod pays for its delivery fee in other ways. We don't impulse-buy anymore (cough, Family Size bag of Twizzlers, cough, Dave) and I don't have to nervously wheel a newborn around a grocery store wondering when he's going to wake up hungry. Everybody wins! (Except Dave. He loves Twizzlers.)
• The drive-through McDonald's on our street, where I can get a coffee and interaction with another adult (gasp!) without ever leaving my car/moving my baby/interrupting infant REM...fabulous!
• Awesome friends who bring dinner and breakfast and Scene It and all-around good company to our home and understand when we don't want to (or really, really want to but can't) go out instead. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Lauren and Kerry and Christian and Jay and Ryan and Ashley and Scott and whoever else I'm forgetting.
• Awesome family members who either come from New Jersey bearing economy boxes of diapers and wipes or come from another pocket of Newton or Brookline bearing Starbucks and Tales from the Outside World. Thanks--you are indispensable.

Miscellaneous

• Us Weeklies, hand-delivered by Kerry, complete with mini Post-It notes describing her outrage at the many pictures of Rosario Dawson in the magazine
• Cheery red holiday cups at Starbucks
• Dave, especially when he comes home rejuvenated after a day without babies at the exact moment I am crashing from a day without non-babies

I know many of you haven't figured out how to comment here yet, but I'd love to hear about the things keeping you afloat these days!