Eeek - it's December!

And so the end of my maternity leave is in sight - 3 weeks left. Then one week working from home to close out 2010, and I'm officially back in the office after the new year. I mean, it's not like I haven't been working - heck, I've been baking up a storm in an effort to rid our fridge and freezer of various leftover items. I had the idea first to use up all the extra cream cheese from the bris, and made mini cheesecake tarts. Yum. Then after cleaning out and rearranging the freezer (during which I accidentally threw out Sidney's foreskin that was in a little bag, awaiting burial...oops), I found several containers of frosting from previous cupcake bakings. Since we need the freezer room for my growing stash of milk, I decided to liberate some tupperware and bake more cupcakes. I am a genius. Also keeping me busy is STILL dealing with insurance, and ordering our double stroller. Babies R Jerks, as our friend Jeremy called them, made the whole process very difficult (gift cards, completion coupons, free shipping - oh my!), but this beauty is on its way:

Just like with Ivy, I'm all sorts of mixed up about going back to work. I'm looking forward to exercising my brain more every day (I think I may have gotten dumber over the last few months...) and getting dressed in normal clothes, even though none of them really fit and I've really become accustomed to wearing leggings and yoga pants 24/7. It will be nice to be around other adults and out of my house. But then again, my heart aches when I think about not being with Sidney all day. He's been such a wonderful baby, and he'll still be so small when it's time to go to day care. I'm tearing up just writing this...3 months isn't enough, except we can't afford more. I don't care what girls my age were told growing up - you can't have it all, I'm convinced.

Speaking of daycare, this has been the source of much of my stress lately. I was really pissed at Ivy's babysitter, because all along we've talked about sending him there with her, but we found out after he was born that she didn't have space for him! I told her back in April that I was pregnant, and all summer we'd remind her and offer to give a deposit, but she kept saying it was too early. Since we were screwed, we went looking elsewhere and found a really sweet home near Ivy's school. Much more convenient, more organized, everything. But they also don't have space yet, despite telling me originally that they did. Meanwhile, a space opens up at Ivy's current place so we put a deposit down but are hoping a spot opens up at the new place. This has Ivy's babysitter all in a tizzy, to which I say welcome to my world. This, more than anything, keeps me up at night these days, wondering who is going to care for my precious little

baby and then how the hell we're going to pay for it. I just wish we could figure it out so I can enjoy my last few weeks at home.

So when I need a laugh, I just think of this Ivy story:

We have made an effort to call all body parts by their actual names. Okay, so I slipped. I used a non-anatomically correct word for vagina to Mike, and Ivy overheard. She proceed to repeat the word when she realized it got a big laugh out of us. At this point Mike walked away, taking no responsibility for what had just transpired. A few days go by and she hadn't repeated it again, so I figured we were in the clear. Then, on the way home from preschool a few weeks ago, she started singing "'I've got that Shabbat feeling under my _______!"

Mother of the year, right here.

Happy Hanukkah!