The last few weeks haven't been the greatest around here. Prior to my last post, I'd been sidelined for two days with a horrendous stomach bug. Then the following weekend, when I'd planned to have a relaxing MLK day with Max, he tried to jump from my arms while going down the stairs, and I slipped and missed the bottom step. For the second time since Max was born, I broke a bone. This time it was a finger, which actually hasn't been too awful. But I really banged up my feet too, and those toes are still bothering me three weeks later. Marc also ran a fever for a few days, Max had a runny nose for quite a while, and now today Hannah is home with a stomach bug too. Sigh. I am quite ready for this cold-and-flu season to be behind us, as well as all of the snow that has accompanied it this year.
Of course, it hasn't been all bad. The inauguration of President Barack Obama was definitely a wonderful day. I watched the coverage on CNN.com and had a blast with the facebook integration feature. It was fun having these people from so many different parts of my life commenting on the events in real time, and it made sitting in my cubicle at work a much less isolating experience. While he hasn't had the smoothest start, I am still very optimistic about what the future holds.
The four of us went to New Haven a couple weeks ago to celebrate Fillis & John's 38th wedding anniversary. We had a fantastic meal at the Union League Restaurant, and I highly recommend their ginger-infused Lemondrop if you're ever in the area. It was great to spend some time with Rachel and Jon before the twins arrive too.
This week we've been seeing signs, as Marc put it, of the light at the end of the "two-daycares-in-opposite-directions" tunnel. It's an astounding 54 degrees here right now, and the tons of snow are finally melting away, reminding us that spring is just around the corner. And beyond that, we've been figuring out summer camp options for Hannah. Even further, tomorrow night is Intro to Kindergarten night at the school she'll be attending. Before we know it, Max will be starting at Gan Yeladim, and hopefully our lives will be getting a shade less complicated. I can't wait.
So hopefully we're getting through the low point of the winter and moving on to better times. Hope you're all defrosting well!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Birthday Blasts
Both Max and Hannah really enjoyed their birthdays this year, and somehow Marc and I survived the intensity of the season, given that Hanukkah had ended just days before.
Max had a family party for his first birthday at my in-laws home in Hartford (a million thanks again!). Most of Marc's family is based in Connecticut, so it was the easiest way to get the most people together. I managed to get Max to take a nap in the morning, and when Marc went to wake him up, Max definitely knew something was up. Max was a great host, wanting to stay by the door and see everyone (plus he could keep climbing the stairs that were also nearby). He sat on my lap patiently while I opened each of his gifts for him, and made a nice display of eating his cake for everyone to take pictures. It was wonderful to get so many people together to celebrate his first year.
Hannah's birthday is just four days later, so we had her fifth birthday party at Kids U in Needham. The party was fantastic, and the staff at Kids U was amazing. I definitely recommend them for a stress-free party experience! The kids ran around a giant climbing structure for about half an hour, then were moved into another giant room for games and dancing, and then we ended with the traditional pizza and cake. Our turnout was a bit lower this year from Hannah's class since some people were still returning home from vacations, but she had a great time. She was a very gracious greeter, got to be the fox in "What Time is it Mr. Fox?" and enjoyed her strawberry cake.
So no more birthdays around here until Marc hits a (somewhat) big one in September. We're hoping to take a trip to Las Vegas, just the two of us, towards the end of the summer to celebrate, but we'll see if we can make that happen. Right now we're trying to plan our first vacation as a family of four - to Disney World. I've worked myself into a frenzy trying to read up on all of the best things to do, but really I'm just excited to go away together. All of the vacations we've taken since Hannah was born have involved an extended family component - visiting my family in Ohio and California, going to the Cape and traveling for weddings for Marc's family. So I am very excited to do a trip that's just about the four of us, and if we get to ride Dumbo too, even better. If you've got any tips for us, feel free to post them to the comments!
Max had a family party for his first birthday at my in-laws home in Hartford (a million thanks again!). Most of Marc's family is based in Connecticut, so it was the easiest way to get the most people together. I managed to get Max to take a nap in the morning, and when Marc went to wake him up, Max definitely knew something was up. Max was a great host, wanting to stay by the door and see everyone (plus he could keep climbing the stairs that were also nearby). He sat on my lap patiently while I opened each of his gifts for him, and made a nice display of eating his cake for everyone to take pictures. It was wonderful to get so many people together to celebrate his first year.
Hannah's birthday is just four days later, so we had her fifth birthday party at Kids U in Needham. The party was fantastic, and the staff at Kids U was amazing. I definitely recommend them for a stress-free party experience! The kids ran around a giant climbing structure for about half an hour, then were moved into another giant room for games and dancing, and then we ended with the traditional pizza and cake. Our turnout was a bit lower this year from Hannah's class since some people were still returning home from vacations, but she had a great time. She was a very gracious greeter, got to be the fox in "What Time is it Mr. Fox?" and enjoyed her strawberry cake.
So no more birthdays around here until Marc hits a (somewhat) big one in September. We're hoping to take a trip to Las Vegas, just the two of us, towards the end of the summer to celebrate, but we'll see if we can make that happen. Right now we're trying to plan our first vacation as a family of four - to Disney World. I've worked myself into a frenzy trying to read up on all of the best things to do, but really I'm just excited to go away together. All of the vacations we've taken since Hannah was born have involved an extended family component - visiting my family in Ohio and California, going to the Cape and traveling for weddings for Marc's family. So I am very excited to do a trip that's just about the four of us, and if we get to ride Dumbo too, even better. If you've got any tips for us, feel free to post them to the comments!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Recent Events
It's been a while since I've updated what we've been up to, so this will be a long one.
Starting with Thanksgiving, the four of us drove out to my hometown of Solon, Ohio. We spent the holiday with my parents, my brother Ryan, and his girlfriend Allison. We had a nice dinner out with my grandfather and aunt, did a little Black Friday shopping, and went to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. It was a short trip, especially because we drove there. We did both legs of the trip all in one day, and the kids held up surprisingly well. I was worried considering how mobile Max has become, but he was a very patient little guy. The kids got lots of gifts, and enjoyed spending time with their grandparents. A nice holiday break.
I came back to a lot of chaos at work. Everyone was hoping for a quiet December, but it has definitely been the opposite. It's good to be busy - I just wish our lives at home could have been a little quieter! But that is almost never the case.
Hannah has been very busy with 4 birthday parties so far this month, plus another 3 more scheduled soon (including her own). Her class is supposed to be the oldest kids in the program, so the birthdays are front-loaded, and Hannah's is actually the last in the class. Hannah comes home each day with tons of new art projects, and her writing has really progressed. She also had her Toe Tappers "peek week" class this week, as well as finally having her turn as Shabbat Helper. But the most exciting development was my discovery of her "shark" teeth: the adult teeth poking through the gum behind the baby teeth that had yet to fall out. She got a special trip to the dentist to have them pulled this week, and had her first visit from the Tooth Fairy.
Max is keeping us very busy as well, making for almost no "downtime" at home. He barely naps and wants to be on his feet at all times, preferably while also carrying a toy or two. While he walks quite well, he's not good at looking down for obstacles, and ends up tripping a lot. We often have to put him in his pack-n-play, or "baby jail," since we can't leave him unattended for a moment. We're also seeing cracks in his constant happy state, as he does not like being told "no" and is struggling to learn how not to hit...he is definitely different than Hannah was at this age! But Max is still the happiest baby I have ever seen, always waking up with a smile, loves clapping his hands, loves playing with drums and making a huge mess at every meal.
The next couple of weeks will be even busier for us. Hanukkah starts tomorrow night, and we'll be having our second (hopefully) annual night with Julie and Mike. (Side note on Hanukkah: Economic crisis-shmisis. These kids are going to make out very well!) We'll also be attending Hanukkah parties at our synagogue and Marc's parents temple in Hartford, plus a family party at Marc's parent's house next Sunday. The kids will be having their first joint installment of "Camp Grandma" for a couple of days this week, and it's going to be VERY odd having them both gone! Marc and I will meet up with them in Hartford next weekend, and then we'll both get some time off around New Year's since Max's daycare is closed.
It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost at an end. We'll be celebrating Max's 1st birthday and ringing in 2009 with family in Hartford, and then having Hannah's 5th birthday party a couple of days later. 2008 has been a tough year for me, and in a lot of ways I'll be happy to put it behind me. But there was also a lot of good things that happened, and I know 2009 holds a lot more in store.
Wishing you all of the best things in this special time of year: time with friends and family, time to take care of yourself, good fun and good food, and lots of busyness. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. And keep remembering: everything will be fine in 2009!
Starting with Thanksgiving, the four of us drove out to my hometown of Solon, Ohio. We spent the holiday with my parents, my brother Ryan, and his girlfriend Allison. We had a nice dinner out with my grandfather and aunt, did a little Black Friday shopping, and went to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. It was a short trip, especially because we drove there. We did both legs of the trip all in one day, and the kids held up surprisingly well. I was worried considering how mobile Max has become, but he was a very patient little guy. The kids got lots of gifts, and enjoyed spending time with their grandparents. A nice holiday break.
I came back to a lot of chaos at work. Everyone was hoping for a quiet December, but it has definitely been the opposite. It's good to be busy - I just wish our lives at home could have been a little quieter! But that is almost never the case.
Hannah has been very busy with 4 birthday parties so far this month, plus another 3 more scheduled soon (including her own). Her class is supposed to be the oldest kids in the program, so the birthdays are front-loaded, and Hannah's is actually the last in the class. Hannah comes home each day with tons of new art projects, and her writing has really progressed. She also had her Toe Tappers "peek week" class this week, as well as finally having her turn as Shabbat Helper. But the most exciting development was my discovery of her "shark" teeth: the adult teeth poking through the gum behind the baby teeth that had yet to fall out. She got a special trip to the dentist to have them pulled this week, and had her first visit from the Tooth Fairy.
Max is keeping us very busy as well, making for almost no "downtime" at home. He barely naps and wants to be on his feet at all times, preferably while also carrying a toy or two. While he walks quite well, he's not good at looking down for obstacles, and ends up tripping a lot. We often have to put him in his pack-n-play, or "baby jail," since we can't leave him unattended for a moment. We're also seeing cracks in his constant happy state, as he does not like being told "no" and is struggling to learn how not to hit...he is definitely different than Hannah was at this age! But Max is still the happiest baby I have ever seen, always waking up with a smile, loves clapping his hands, loves playing with drums and making a huge mess at every meal.
The next couple of weeks will be even busier for us. Hanukkah starts tomorrow night, and we'll be having our second (hopefully) annual night with Julie and Mike. (Side note on Hanukkah: Economic crisis-shmisis. These kids are going to make out very well!) We'll also be attending Hanukkah parties at our synagogue and Marc's parents temple in Hartford, plus a family party at Marc's parent's house next Sunday. The kids will be having their first joint installment of "Camp Grandma" for a couple of days this week, and it's going to be VERY odd having them both gone! Marc and I will meet up with them in Hartford next weekend, and then we'll both get some time off around New Year's since Max's daycare is closed.
It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost at an end. We'll be celebrating Max's 1st birthday and ringing in 2009 with family in Hartford, and then having Hannah's 5th birthday party a couple of days later. 2008 has been a tough year for me, and in a lot of ways I'll be happy to put it behind me. But there was also a lot of good things that happened, and I know 2009 holds a lot more in store.
Wishing you all of the best things in this special time of year: time with friends and family, time to take care of yourself, good fun and good food, and lots of busyness. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. And keep remembering: everything will be fine in 2009!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Response I Just Received from the MBTA
Dear Ms. Stober,
Thank you for contacting the MBTA Customer Support Department. We*re
responding to your comments regarding the service you experience on the
Green Line. We sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to your
e-mail. Due to a high volume of customer inquiries, we were unable to
respond in a timely manner.
Safety is the number one priority at the MBTA and the behavior you
described will not be tolerated. We have forwarded your comment to the
Green Line Supervisor's Office. Once the driver is identified,
appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
Customer service and satisfaction are top priorities of the MBTA. We
want all of our customers to experience great customer service and a
safe commute when riding the MBTA. Again, I apologize for any
inconvenience that this may have caused you. Thank you again for your
comments.
Sincerely,
MBTA Customer Support Department
Thank you for contacting the MBTA Customer Support Department. We*re
responding to your comments regarding the service you experience on the
Green Line. We sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to your
e-mail. Due to a high volume of customer inquiries, we were unable to
respond in a timely manner.
Safety is the number one priority at the MBTA and the behavior you
described will not be tolerated. We have forwarded your comment to the
Green Line Supervisor's Office. Once the driver is identified,
appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
Customer service and satisfaction are top priorities of the MBTA. We
want all of our customers to experience great customer service and a
safe commute when riding the MBTA. Again, I apologize for any
inconvenience that this may have caused you. Thank you again for your
comments.
Sincerely,
MBTA Customer Support Department
Monday, November 17, 2008
Complaint I Submitted to the MBTA website
Hello,
This is my first complaint to the MBTA in almost 9 years of weekday ridership. I regularly ride both the C and D lines of the Green Line, and was particularly upset about the following incident.
Last Friday, 11/14, there had been an accident in the Green Line tunnel which caused me to be over an hour late for my destination. While these things do happen, it should have served as a reminder for T drivers that they need to be fully present while driving the train.
Unfortunately, that evening around 5 pm I was on the C Line, train 3816b. I boarded at Park Street, and once we exited the tunnel, the driver's cell phone began ringing constantly. Near St. Paul Street, the driver finally answered her phone, while driving the train. She informed the caller that she was driving and not supposed to be on her phone. She ended the conversation, and her phone continued to ring persistently until I departed the train at Englewood Avenue.
Please remind your drivers that they should not, under any circumstances, be using their cell phones while driving the train. In fact, their phones should be turned off and stowed, so that they cannot pose a distraction. There have been too many recent incidents on the T, and while these may not all be attributable to cell phones, the risk seems to be increasing.
I greatly appreciate being able to take the T, and even purchased my home based on its proximity to the T. But lately I have felt that my safety while riding the T is in greater peril, and I would hate to have to stop riding the T.
Thank you for your consideration,
Cheryl Stober
This is my first complaint to the MBTA in almost 9 years of weekday ridership. I regularly ride both the C and D lines of the Green Line, and was particularly upset about the following incident.
Last Friday, 11/14, there had been an accident in the Green Line tunnel which caused me to be over an hour late for my destination. While these things do happen, it should have served as a reminder for T drivers that they need to be fully present while driving the train.
Unfortunately, that evening around 5 pm I was on the C Line, train 3816b. I boarded at Park Street, and once we exited the tunnel, the driver's cell phone began ringing constantly. Near St. Paul Street, the driver finally answered her phone, while driving the train. She informed the caller that she was driving and not supposed to be on her phone. She ended the conversation, and her phone continued to ring persistently until I departed the train at Englewood Avenue.
Please remind your drivers that they should not, under any circumstances, be using their cell phones while driving the train. In fact, their phones should be turned off and stowed, so that they cannot pose a distraction. There have been too many recent incidents on the T, and while these may not all be attributable to cell phones, the risk seems to be increasing.
I greatly appreciate being able to take the T, and even purchased my home based on its proximity to the T. But lately I have felt that my safety while riding the T is in greater peril, and I would hate to have to stop riding the T.
Thank you for your consideration,
Cheryl Stober
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Historical Hangover
As Marc also has pointed out, I finally know what it's like to be a bleary-eyed Red Sox fan staying up way too late to watch championship games. Last night was wonderful. I broke out a bottle of Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) around 8 pm and watched the early predictions roll in. Two glasses of this definitely helped calm my nerves, and I was excited but reserved as the map slowly turned blue. When they called Ohio for Obama, I got tears in my eyes. I was so proud of my home state, finally coming through with a decision I could support. I cheered as the CNN strategists showed that there was pretty much no way McCain could pull it off at that point.
I fell asleep and awoke at some point during McCain's concession, smiled and fell right back to sleep. Marc awoke me shortly before Obama took the stage at midnight. It was a wonderful speech, a wonderful display. I can't wait to see the Obama family puppy. I checked on Max and Hannah, and woke Hannah briefly to tell her that Obama had finally, really, truly won. She smiled too.
I supported Hillary Clinton in the primary, but always said that I would support Obama if he was the nominee, and I'm very happy to have done so. Voting yesterday was amazing, filled with neighbors and friends at the polls and speedy, efficient voting. When the church bell rang at 7 am, people cheered and someone lit sparklers. The enthusiasm was contagious.
Hannah's TK class also elected Barack Obama. Their recent homework assignment was to list some facts about the candidates (boys had McCain, girls had Obama). Hannah had listened to the radio and watched the Obamercial with us, and dictated the following facts, which I wrote down for her and which she copied again:
Barack Obama wants to:
1) keep good schools
2) help people go to the doctor
3) keep people in their homes
While I know she'll grow up and have her own opinions, for now it's nice having her agree with her parents.
So I'm a little tired today (Max waking for a bottle at 4 didn't help matters), but it's worth it. I'm so happy that Barack Obama is President Elect. I know that the road ahead is a difficult one, and I am confident in his ability to lead our country in the right direction and restore our place in the world.
I fell asleep and awoke at some point during McCain's concession, smiled and fell right back to sleep. Marc awoke me shortly before Obama took the stage at midnight. It was a wonderful speech, a wonderful display. I can't wait to see the Obama family puppy. I checked on Max and Hannah, and woke Hannah briefly to tell her that Obama had finally, really, truly won. She smiled too.
I supported Hillary Clinton in the primary, but always said that I would support Obama if he was the nominee, and I'm very happy to have done so. Voting yesterday was amazing, filled with neighbors and friends at the polls and speedy, efficient voting. When the church bell rang at 7 am, people cheered and someone lit sparklers. The enthusiasm was contagious.
Hannah's TK class also elected Barack Obama. Their recent homework assignment was to list some facts about the candidates (boys had McCain, girls had Obama). Hannah had listened to the radio and watched the Obamercial with us, and dictated the following facts, which I wrote down for her and which she copied again:
Barack Obama wants to:
1) keep good schools
2) help people go to the doctor
3) keep people in their homes
While I know she'll grow up and have her own opinions, for now it's nice having her agree with her parents.
So I'm a little tired today (Max waking for a bottle at 4 didn't help matters), but it's worth it. I'm so happy that Barack Obama is President Elect. I know that the road ahead is a difficult one, and I am confident in his ability to lead our country in the right direction and restore our place in the world.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
October Wrap Up
The month of October went in a blur as we celebrated four Jewish holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. We were actually at home in Newton the whole month, which was unusual but nice. The highlight of the month for me was the sukkah party we threw, which went really well. We had many friends come by and spend some time eating and chatting in our sukkah, and we had a great time catching up with everyone.
I also turned 31 this month, which was pretty low key. The four of us went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate, and both children were very well-behaved for a change. It was like they knew to be nice to mommy on her birthday. I also got some lovely presents as well as some time to myself the following weekend in order to enjoy them.
In other news, Max is finished with his helmet. His head looks a lot better than when we started the process back in August, and I'm very happy that we did it. Max seems very relieved to be done with it though, and has been sleeping a lot more in these last few days. While he tolerated the helmet very well, in retrospect it definitely seems like his sleep was impaired by it.
We had a fun Halloween. Hannah dressed as a "Barbie" cheerleader, and Max was an astronaut. I'm not sure which costume is more likely to occur in real life, though. :) I took the kids to trick-or-treating in our village, where all of the stores hand out candy. It's funny though, practically as soon as Halloween was over, Hannah forgot about her candy, and hasn't been asking for it.
Marc is out right now making calls on behalf of the Obama campaign. I am very ready for the election to be over, though I'm sure Saturday Night Live will suffer for lack of topics after it ends. I will also be supporting Obama, and I hope my home state of Ohio will be with me on that one. I think it's the only time I wish I still lived there, so that I could vote! But one moment every four years is definitely not enough to make me move back.
I also turned 31 this month, which was pretty low key. The four of us went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate, and both children were very well-behaved for a change. It was like they knew to be nice to mommy on her birthday. I also got some lovely presents as well as some time to myself the following weekend in order to enjoy them.
In other news, Max is finished with his helmet. His head looks a lot better than when we started the process back in August, and I'm very happy that we did it. Max seems very relieved to be done with it though, and has been sleeping a lot more in these last few days. While he tolerated the helmet very well, in retrospect it definitely seems like his sleep was impaired by it.
We had a fun Halloween. Hannah dressed as a "Barbie" cheerleader, and Max was an astronaut. I'm not sure which costume is more likely to occur in real life, though. :) I took the kids to trick-or-treating in our village, where all of the stores hand out candy. It's funny though, practically as soon as Halloween was over, Hannah forgot about her candy, and hasn't been asking for it.
Marc is out right now making calls on behalf of the Obama campaign. I am very ready for the election to be over, though I'm sure Saturday Night Live will suffer for lack of topics after it ends. I will also be supporting Obama, and I hope my home state of Ohio will be with me on that one. I think it's the only time I wish I still lived there, so that I could vote! But one moment every four years is definitely not enough to make me move back.
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