Happy Halloween

Hiatus

I am taking a week-long hiatus while I suppress some recent urges - namely those to put The Husband through a wood chipper every time he rolls his eyes at me or tells me I'm handling The Baby wrong.

As I pushed Addy in her stroller down the street today. I woman walking her dog stopped me and remarked in amazement that we were the only two people walking down Carrollton Avenue - a usually busy thoroughfare for joggers and walkers with their dogs and babies.

A friend sent me a link to a great article that sums up the city pretty well right now. The New Orleans Symphony Chorus is reconvening on Tuesday of next week to start rehearsals for The Messiah. I'm looking forward to being part of a community again.

Thanks for reading!

Here it Comes

Every year when the weather dips below 70 degrees, the cats go bonkers. In one day they expel all of the energy stored up from a summer of trying to avoid movement in the Delta heat. Fortunately the sudden burst of energy runs its course quickly and they resume their positions on the freshly washed and folded clothes in our laundry baskets.

For us, the cold weather means cranking up the floor furnace and crossing our fingers that it will work properly this year - or at least keep us from freezing. This year I bought a carbon monoxide detector - not for my safety or The Husband's but we have a little one to think about now. I am going to be such the sucker. People trying to hawk their wares will see me coming for miles. How can one possibly get sick from carbon monoxide in a house as well ventilated as ours? You can see the ground through the cracks in the floor for chrissakes! Not to mention, we don't have much a roof left.

The Husband and I have gotten incredibly lazy. We keep Addy in bed for as long as possible. We're well beyond the six hours that some parents report. Oh no. Last night we were in bed for twelve hours except for the thirty second diaper change somewhere around 6:30 AM. We do pay for this during the day however because she no longer takes big naps - only a couple of cat naps. This would make it difficult to get things done except there are two of us. Take right now for example, I reached the end of my rope only a few moments ago when Addy made sounds that would make one believe that I was somehow boiling flesh off her body. Daddy time.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do once The Husband returns to work full time. I have images of gourmet meals but it will most likely be hotdogs and donuts nightly. I can always blame limited menu choices on the fact that our Whole Foods has not yet reopened. That will only play for so long. Whole Foods, oh how I miss your pristine produce and pretentious shoppers (myself included).

Sunday Smiles

Derelict

The night before last, we were returning from a ride across the lake when we got a call from three friends who were in town surveying the damage left by Katrina and grab what was left of their stuff. Two of them had not even seen Addy yet so it only made sense to go meet them and show her off ... at 8:30 PM ... outside of a bar.

Today we had visitors in for the day and escorted them downtown for beignets at Cafe du Monde. Now, one cannot visit New Orleans for the first time and miss Bourbon Street so off we went, stroller and all. Fortunately you can drink in the streets here or I might have had to tie Addy to a fire hydrant.

Milestones

Today is one those days that I have been pooped on and spit up on before 10:oo AM and I still can't wait to spend the day with my daughter.

I think that Addy has tears now. I noticed her eyes glisten during a strenuous diaper filling excersise. This kinda made me sad but at least it was her bowels and not something I did that made her shed her first tear.

Addy smiled for the first time in the tub today. She's enjoyed her baths but never relaxed enough to smile. She also made a monumental mess on the kitchen counter when she realized just how much fun splashing could be.

Language Barrier

When a random truck manned by Spanish speaking city contractors rolled by two days ago to pick up bags of trash, The Husband dutifully pulled our trash bins to the curb. When the workers pointed to the bins, The Husband said, "si" and our trash along with out bins were promptly disposed of. I am now in the market for two new trash cans.

Despite our recent setback involving the bins, I am thrilled to announce that our refrigerators arrived today!!! This is very exciting. No more coolers. No more ice. Yes to fresh produce! I have never been more excited to go grocery shopping. Oh and let's not forget the andvantages of frozen breastmilk. Freedom.

Dear Adelaide: Month Two

Dear Addy-Lou,

As you gain control over your motor skills you no longer look like you are throwing gang signs at us. This is unfortunate as I was hoping that you could prove to be the youngest diplomat in the hood. As I type this, Daddy is walking you around the house, opening cupboards, singing songs and trying to get you to fight the baby in the mirror. Any developmental problems you have will be blamed solely on him.

You started working those neck muscles shortly after birth but now you nearly have the head thing mastered. You’ve also started tracking things with your eyes over the past couple of weeks. It’s amazing to watch you change every day.


People always ask how you are sleeping but I think what they want to know is how WE are sleeping. We sleep well. You wake up once during the night for a diaper change, snack and cuddle. You always go right back to sleep - or at least I do and that’s all that matters.

You had your two month doctor appointment on Wednesday when you weighed in at a whopping 13 lbs., 14 oz. and 24 1/4” tall. You are in the 95th percentile. I thought that maybe your two week delay made you climb the charts but apparently you’re big for a 10 weeker too. You’re HUGE and are outgrowing many of your clothes. We are trying to get all of the use we can out of your small Fuzzi Bunz but will be switching within the week to medium. You are already in 3-6 month clothes which is good since you have so many.


Because Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the legal system here in New Orleans, your father is working 24 hours a week rather than 60-80 hours. This is a great bonus for you and me.

We’re finally able to establish a routine with you (or at least pretend to) now that we are home. Granted, I’m not sure when the lawn is going to get mowed but at least I’ve been able to keep on top of the laundry.

As time goes on, the cats tolerate you more and you thankfully tolerate us and our many fumbles.

Love,

Mommy

Insomnia

It started with a squeaky, gassy baby. Then there was the internal debate as to whether I should keep her in the co-sleeper where she may or may not fall back asleep or pull her into bed next to me. It's not her that is picking up bad sleeping habits, it's me.

Now that I am awake, I might as well pay some bills and shop for baby presents for two pregnant friends.

I am going to pay for this lack of sleep later on ... oh boy.

P.S. When will my kitchen stop smelling like ass?

Blessings

I wrote a post earlier today and it was eaten by the computer monster. I have finally torn myself away from cradling a sleeping Addy and listening to NPR to revisit my thoughts on coming home.

The trip from South Carolina to New Orleans was much easier and shorter than leaving the city. Funny how not having to wait in line for an hour to gas up my car really cut down on the trip length. In addition, I am better at anticipating Addy's needs and was able to plan accordingly.

The trip was pretty uneventful until I got south of Montgomery, AL when I started to notice fallen trees and was reminded of just what I was going to encounter as I got closer to the Gulf. The worst damage visable from the interstate was easily the Mississippi Gulf Coast area. The Husband an I had just visited over the 4th of July weekend and it took all that I had not to exit from the interstate to see just how bad it was. Billboards of casinos that are no longer in existance stood eerily at the side of the highway as well as twisted metal skeletons that once held large pictures advertising country singers that were to be performing in the area. Traffic picked up once I neared the metropolitan area. With part of the interstate closed, people are limited in how they can enter the city. I gassed up once more before getting onto The Causeway, a 27 mile bridge over Lake Ponchartrain.

The same bridge that took us out of our city for over five weeks was bringing us back in. I could blame the hormones but I actually became choked up as I made out the city's skyline in the distance. It was as if I half expected it no no longer to exist. The reality of the extent of the damge hit once I got off the bridge. I began passing places that I visited regularly and they all looked slightly different, empty if not totally altered.

That night we picked up The Husband who was staying with a friend, dropped the cats off at the the house and went back across the lake to assess our situation before moving back into our home. Other than a useless, moldy refrigerator, a small patch of mold on the bathroom ceiling and a few roof leaks, we were in the clear and decided that we would be much more comfortable in our own bed ... as long as the rain held off.

Last night was the third night in our house. I've clicked my heels three times and shouted to the mountain tops how good it is to be in our tiny, rustic home.

There is a Red Cross station down the street that opens every day to give out cleaning supplies, ice, water and MREs. I've gone with Adelaide all but once and every time that I bring her, I seem to be a target for a nosy nurse who has nothing better to do than to question my parenting skills. The last time I went, we had the following exchange:

" Your'e not living with her HERE are you?"
"Yes."
"But what about your house?"
"We had some roof leaks but no flooding."
"You don't have any MOLD?"
"No," I lied.

MOLD. That night I feared that at some point, twenty years down the road, my daughter would develop a strange disease and it would be blamed on our decision to move back into our home too quickly. They would call it Katrina Cancer. My fears were asuaged today however at her eight week check up. The Doctor not only said that the mold would not be a problem but that we could go for walks and he was happy to see families moving back into Uptown. Take THAT Nurse "Doom and Gloom".

As for our neighborhood, it's slowly filling up. Restaurants are starting to open but it's still strange to see so many pockets deserted except for a few military personnel. Only four or five blocks from our house the flood levels were at three to four feet and yards are littered with couches and ripped out carpeting. We got no flooding. One common sight are streets lined with refrigerators which we found out today are not covered by our insurance. I'll take two, please.

It's hard to see so much of the city empty but we did find an open coffee shop this morning and the fact that our pediatrician's office up and running is a great comfort. Every single one of our close friends has high-tailed it the hell out of here (yes, that means YOU) so The Husband and I are bound to go stir crazy in a matter of days. Most of the time I sit and count my blessings. We are undeservedly fortunate.

New Sheriff in Town

Bad Blogger

I am a very bad blogger. It's hard giving equal time to being a mom, evacuee and blogger. I compose darling little bits in my head all the time but they never make it to the computer. I suppose that I could also throw in the fact that I have been away from high-speed internet for some time and quite frankly, I just have little patience for dial-up. Spoiled? Not as much as my daughter.

Speaking of the little cherub, she's asleep right now for her morning nap which gives me a couple hours to shower and buy things online. I will not be showering just yet however because I have no clothes. Our bags were "delayed" from Tucson to Columbia, SC. Normally I would have toiletries and even a change of underwear in my carry-on but I tried to carry as little as possible since I was traveling with an infant. Thank goodness I had left our backup stash of disposable diapers in the car.

Part of the reason why my bags were delayed was because a bird flew into the engine of the airplane that was to take us from Denver to Chicago. Addy and I were re-routed and arrived in SC three ours later than originally planned. It was after midnight by the time I had finished putting a claim for my baggage and figured out the loaner carseat - oh yeah, our carseat was delayed too ALONG WITH THE BOPPY! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITHOUT THE BOPPY?

So to make a long story short, I got to my aunt's house in Spartanburg at 2AM. And oh, FYI there is little worse than sitting in a middle seat between to men, nursing an infant. Everyone is uncomfortable.


** *** **
Oy, this is going to be a very long post...

My husband made it out to the house a couple of days ago. He called me as soon as he arrived. I think that he was looking for support in case it was a disaster. I heard the amazement in his voice as he wondered from room to room. Immaculate. Untouched. Unscathed. Perfect. We did have some ceiling damage which I expected due to new leaks in the roof. We need to get a tarp ASAP but we have an old slate roof and are having a hard time finding someone who will handle it. FEMA apparently does not do slate roofs. Oh, and the bananas? Tiny shriveled masses but fortunately no fruit flies.

We have insurance claims to make for the roof and new refrigerators due to rotted food and severe mold. I expected the backyard and shed (which houses our water heaters and our tenant's washer and dryer) to have flooded but it appears that we did not get as much water as reported - if any.

We are greatly relieved and thankful. We have friends who lost almost everything. We have a lot of friends that are not returning to New Orleans. Given the resources for Katrina evacuees in other states, now is the perfect time to relocate if one is so inclined; checks keep arriving in the mail from FEMA, many states are offering housing, job placement and health insurance. The Husband and I are not interested in leaving just yet. I really want to watch first hand the changes in the city. That said, The Husband's job is not 100% secure and we could very well be looking for a new place to call home within a few months. Any suggestions?


** *** **
Ok, now for a few of my favorite things:

Burt's Bees Buttermilk Lotion. It makes baby smell delicious.

Yummm...





Lily Padz. This is the best thing EVER! I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to sleep without a bra for the first time in WEEKS. I love them and they are a must for every breastfeeding mom.





My mom's new front load, stainless steel drum washer and dryer. It's so fancy and automated. Plus I like to watch the laundry spin. I'll admit it, I'm very easily amused. I neeeeeed one.