Day 24- My first mommy friend EVER

Hi! Long time no update!

So, this weekend, we went to a birthday party of one of Charlotte's very first friends. Priya turned four, and was part of a playgroup that I joined when I first had Charlotte. This playgroup was incredibly meaningful to me, as I had no friends with kids at the time, and it was nice to just have some women to talk to about poopy diapers and crying and so much more. We all ended up being pretty good friends, and now, it is such a joy to get together with them.

Here is a pic of me and Kate with my VERY first of the mommy friends, Keisha. Keisha lived in my building when I first had Charlotte. We first became friends when she ran up to me and excitedly said "I'M PREGNANT!". Note: I did not even know her at the time, I was just carrying Charlotte in an infant seat. Keisha's warmth and willingness to share with me made us instant friends, and our children still love each other.

I miss you Keisha! It was great to see you and all the other mommies!!!

Day 23- Manicurist from hell.

Let's go back in time a bit.

The year? 2003. The place, Forest Hills.
There I am, cutting my little 5 month old infant's nails, when suddenly, I hear a sharp cry. Yes, I mutilated my little Charlotte. She only cried for a minute, although she bled for quite a while, and I took a picture of my baby with her first band-aid to commemorate the experience.


Now, let's fast forward...
The year? 2007. The place, Little Neck.
Once again, I attempt a manicure on one of my children...except this time, it's THREE month old Kate! Same yelp, same blood, different band aid. (I guess I wasn't stocked with Backyardigan bandaids when Charlotte was little) Here's a pic of Kate post butchering.


Maybe I should stick to marketing. I guess I'll never be a manicurist. :(

Congratulations Kev & Ivey!

Beautiful wedding, beautiful instant family!

STOP! Hammertime!

Isn't it depressing that the youth of today don't know MC Hammer? No recollection of the gold lame pants...the hammer dance, 3-5-7...its just sad.

Day 22- CLEAN SWEEP

Have you ever watched a show, and felt like you were going to have an anxiety attack because it was too close to home? Well, I watched Oprah's "REORGANIZE" show which featured people who lived in complete clutter, and I nearly lost my lunch! I mean, normally, I live in a perpetual state of "messy not dirty". Things on the table, toys on the floor, lots of laundry to be done. But lately, with the addition of a new child, and therefore new stuff, clutter has gotten out of control. Case in point:


WOWSA. Now, true, these pics were taken MID clean sweep, but still, it shows the amount of STUFF we've got going on in this small space. And so, on one special Sunday, Charlotte and I decided to reorganize. And so, we did:


What a fun day this was. While Dave worked (and Kate napped), Charlotte and I bonded through the art of organization. We attacked every room, and while there's still some work to be done, it's not disorganized anymore. When our sitter Sasha came over that night, she was totally impressed...and since she's a neat freak, I really considered that the stamp of approval.

Hurray for Charlotte and Carrie...the Organization Nation!

Day 22- Happy Birthday Bubbe!!!

Bubbe turned 92 today! Isn't that awesome!?!




We celebrated at Aunt Bella's, our favorite Little Neck restaurant...where we take all of our favorite family members to have yummy home cooked meals with amazing service. We all had a great time!

Day 21- Formula.

I never really considered myself to be a "nature mommy". I always felt rather ambivalent about breastfeeding. I breastfed Charlotte and supplemented with formula from the time she was three days old, and I didn't feel an ounce of guilt.

However, with Kate, I was fortunate enough to be able to exclusively breastfeed her. It came easier, she wasn't quite as hungry, and it just seemed to work. Yet now, with going back to work and a variety of social functions to attend, I decided that it was time to supplement with some formula.

Of course, I didn't think that this would bother me at all. I have NOTHING against formula! In fact, I was always more offended by the lactation consultants than in favor of them...I felt pushed and pressured with my first baby. But now, as I knew my daughter was receiving her first half formula/half breastmilk bottle from our new, amazing babysitter, I felt really sad. I felt like I failed. :(

Yes, I know that this is silly. She is still going to be 90% breastfed...it's only for when I am out or can't pump enough. And who cares????? My Charlotte did very well with a formula/bfing mix.

When I came home today, I stared at my beautiful baby. She was sleeping peacefully. When she got hungry, I was so happy to just lay with her and breastfeed her. When she pooped successfully, I was thrilled. I think you just love your kids so much, you just want them to have the best thing, always. It's just defining that "best thing" for you and your family that's the hard part. There's never an easy answer. There's always guilt. There's always sacrifice. But, if you're lucky, there's always a lot of love too.

P.S. Similac Sensitive seems to be great! So far so good!

Conversations with Kate: The Miniseries, Part 1

Day 20-- L'Shana Tova!!!!!!

Today is the first day of the Jewish New Year-- 5768, I think! I'm wishing all of you a sweet and happy New Year. Here is a pic of my cousins, sans Reinstein crew...it's a cute pic, and its nice to celebrate holidays with family!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Introducing...the HOOTER HIDER!!!!

I am thrilled to announce to the blogging community that I am now the proud owner of a "HOOTER HIDER". Yes, this is its actual name...a device created by some mom who is now a millionaire, I am sure. This is simply an apron with a trendy pattern on it, EXCEPT that the top has a wire in it, which enables the apron to stick OUT so you can see your child while you are breastfeeding. (As you can see, Charlotte is very interested in this feature.) Anyway, I paid $35 buckaroos for this thing, and it's worth every damn penny. I mean, can anyone tell I am breastfeeding here? I felt totally comfortable. This will extend my bf-ing for a bit longer, and also, I will continue to be stylish and chic. BRILLIANT!!! This mommy inventor gets the Carrie vote of confidence! I will pay 35 dollars for your silly piece of cloth any day of the week!!! YAY HOOTER HIDER!

Updated Kate!

For those of you who are looking for some soon-to-be-12-week Kate pics...here you go!

Man....I Missed Days!!!

Rather than catching up on specific days, I'm just going to post a few new bloggie entries here, and then start from today on.

DAMN!!!! I've been really good too!!!!

Day 15/16- Happy Birthday Mommy BFF!!!!!

Finally! A picture of mommy BFF! Day 15 of this weekend was my mommy BFFs Birthday, and so, in honor of all Mommy BFFs, I thought that I'd list some of the many reasons it's important to have a mommy BFF:

- You can discuss your children's doodies at length
- You can talk nonstop about your children without feeling weird
- You can use weird words, and its totally understandable b/c your kids use the same language (Helloieeeee)
- You understand each other
- You watch the same tv shows (when you get two seconds to watch tv) because your kids are on the same schedule
- They understand what its like to be married to Daddy BFFs
- They let you cry when you are freaking out over PreK, or when you think you are raising a monster
- They let you lose your patience, and never call you a bad mom
- They never judge.

Thank you Mommy BFF, and Happy BDAY!!!!

On Day 16, I went to brunch with my non mommy friends. This was equally fun and exciting. It's great not to talk about your kids once in a while, and discuss boyfriends, jobs, and life BEFORE kids!

Love to all friends, mommy or otherwise!

Day 14- In the office with Kate

(This stock photo is NOT me, and is being used because once again, my theKbuzz staff has my camera!)

My experiences as a working mother with an infant were completely different with Charlotte and Kate. During Charlotte's first three months, I was home...and I mean, completely, totally home. Staring at her little wrinkled face, I did nothing but love her, bite her tushee, and worry every time she did anything that I hadn't read about in "What to Expect when You're Expecting". When I went back to work, I went BACK to work-- 8:30 - 5:30, with some slight flexibility, but mostly, just full time like any other parent.

Now, with Kate, Dave and I have our own business. And so, I am required (if we want to make any money) to jump back in a bit earlier. However, because it is our own business, I can work from home, breastfeed whenever the heck I'd like, and bring Kate with me without any manager raising an eyebrow. This, to me, is a much better option.

And so, it is with great excitement that I report to you that Friday, September 7th, I spent the entire day in my office with Miss Kate. I watched the contractors build the furniture. I breastfed her under a blanket in the middle of meetings. I took her for walks while I was on conference calls. It was a great day.

I know this won't last beyond a few months...as she gets bigger, she gets more challenging to have at work. I've hired a sitter who is going to be FABULOUS for two days a week. I also have Dave to switch off with. It's going to be great. But for now, I'm celebrating my successful office day with my beautiful, smiling daughter.

:)

Day 13-- FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WOOOOOOOHOOOOO!

Today was Charlotte's first day of school! Even though it was only 1 hour, 10 minutes long....it was great to watch her first day of Pre-Kindergarten, and know that there's light at the end of the no camp/no school tunnel! Turns out she needs it as much as I do!

Here's a pic from class that Charlotte drew today....SO cute! I especially like the depiction of her teeth!!!

My girls at home

As I've mentioned several times before-- the girls have both been home this week. I took some pictures of what they do while they're home.

Charlotte has taken to tying ribbons around her, and creating new looks for herself. Shown here...










Kate, on the other hand, hangs out on Dad or Mom's lap for much of the day! Note the dress hiked above her diaper and her messy clothes on the futon...such is life when you have two in the house at the same time! Cleaning goes on the back burner...well, at least in this house!

Day 12- OY VEY

Day 12 was just an "oy vey" kind of day!!! It was so busy!! Between work, and kids, and stuff to do to get ready for school, I hardly had time to breathe, let alone write!

Thank goodness school starts tomorrow. I am really pooped. Can't wait to go back to working, for Char to go back to school, for Kate to go back to having my attention during the day...

Tomorrow, school starts, but it's only a tease of a 1 hour, 10 minute day. That's hardly school. It's the same thing on Friday, and then Monday....HALLELUJAH!!! School is back! :)

In other news, Kate is enjoying tummy time a bit more. Look for fun pics of full on head lifting to come soon.

Day 11- Recapping BFBG

Here is a video I made that aired on the Jumbotron of Baby's First Ballgame. Why am I posting this for my Tuesday post, you ask? Baby's First Ballgame was on MONDAY, you say to me....that's kind of like cheating!!!

Well, this Tuesday was so busy that I can't even remember what happened today. Amidst meetings, taking care of two shnoopies, building an office from scratch, and working on the Parent's Association of Charlotte's school...well, needless to say, my head is still spinning.

So, for today, Day 11, just watch this video, and remember that Kerpens Rule!

PH Marathon

Life is so surreal. Paradise Hotel is re-airing on Fox Reality for a Labor Day marathon. I woke up from a post-Baby's-First-Ballgame nap and was flipping channels, and there it was. I've watched this show in full twice...the first time, I was in the process of becoming a single mom and watching my friend Dave. The second time, I was holding my boyfriend Dave's hand as we watched the Reality Revealed version. Now, I just woke up next to my husband Dave and watched the "Charla says she's lonely"/"Dave is seen as whipped" segment. Shoot. Why couldn't I have turned it on during the "Dave kicks butt in tennis" piece? Gotta love reality tv.

I'm happy Dave had the PH experience. But I'm far happier that he's now married to me, with two beautiful daughters, and a very nice life. I love you, Dave...xoxo

My favorite Dave and Carrie pic

I just thought I'd post this since I never use recent pics of me and Dave (plus we are usually with our kids), and I absolutely love this picture. It was taken at our friends Lauren and Rich's wedding. It was our first full day away from Kate, which was hard, but also very nice.

:)

Day 10- Baby's First Ballgame

Well, today marked the first ever "Baby's First Ballgame" at KeySpan Park. And while it was EXTREMELY hot, it was a wonderful event. Tons of families came out with their babies in tow, and there were lots of great giveaways for everyone. Kate, the honoree of the day, slept through almost the entire event. It was so hot that I couldn't keep her out in the stands much, so I didn't get to see a lot of our family and friends, but we were so happy that Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time! I'm way too exhausted to write more today, but look for pics of the diaper derby, family first pitch, and other fun stuff soon!

Day 9- Confessions of a PreSchool Drama Queen

In preparing for Baby's First Ballgame, I've been working a lot with baby pictures. In an effort to make sure I include Charlotte, I've also been using a lot of pics of her as the beautiful, amazing four year old that she is.

Well, today, I was uploading and selecting pictures for a slideshow, and she asks for paper and markers. THIS is what she drew, and taped on the door next to me.

"Mommy," she says very seriously.

"This is my broken heart. It's broken because you aren't using pictures of me."

"But Charlotte," I say, "Here are five pictures of you. Look, here you are with Sandy the Seagull. Here you are at our wedding".

"NO!" she screams... "I want a baby picture of me!"

And so, Miss Broken Hearted girl, here is a pic of you at your first ballgame. It was freezing cold, it was an exhibition game in DC, the first game at the Nationals new stadium. Nationals vs. Mets...and the Mets won. I was freezing and miserable. You were exhilarated and thrilled. You stayed through the whole game, screaming "Let's Go Mets". It was April 2005. You were almost 2. You were, and always will be, an amazing daughter, and, perhaps more importantly, an amazing Mets fan.


We love you, and we hope your heart heals soon.

Day 8- Preparing for BFBG

Well, we're two days away from Baby's First Ballgame, and we've been preparing the promotions, video clips, music, and more. It's really fun putting together a promotion that is directly involved with your family (as opposed to our normal work stuff), and we think this one is going to be really terrific.

Now that I know how to make videos, I've gotten a little video happy lately. I recorded Charlotte as an attempt to make a little in-between innings video welcoming fans to Baby's First Ballgame. I decided it was a bit too much...it was pretty redundant with a lot of the other stuff we're doing. However, she was so proud and worked so hard on it, I had to post it. Plus, I included the outtakes. It's cute.

I have to tell you, school/camp vacation is getting to me. I'm totally exhausted. I'm going to give every stay at home mom of multiple children who are not yet in school HUGE hugs when I see them! I need lessons!

WOOOOOHOOOO! It's the weekend of Baby's First Ballgame, and we are so excited to celebrate all the babies of NYC....especially our newest addition, Kate!

Baby's First Ballgame was featured in New York Magazine, New York Metro Parents Guides, and local Brooklyn Papers! We hope to get a great baby turnout! What a terrific day to celebrate LABOR (get it?) Day!

Charlotte's Joke

Charlotte told the following joke today, and I thought it was worthy of a post:

"Mommy, How does a chicken know a monkey's butt?

"I don't know, Charlotte...How does a chicken know a monkey's butt?

"BANANA PEEL!" (she proceeded to burst into hysterics at the punchline of her own joke)


Kids are so weird.