Fish Out of Water

It's as if I have a whole new job

I work for a consulting firm, so we all move from project to project and client to client. Depending on the project and the client, you could stay somewhere for years or move around a lot. I've only been at this job since September, and until this week I was working on our main municipal government contract. I worked on two major projects and learned a TON. But a few weeks ago I was told I was going to be moved to a different client - our biggest client, in fact - a large firm in the healthcare sciences field. I was excited because it's always good to work with different people and learn new things, and since those other two projects had basically ended, it was a good time for me to make a transition.

So I started this past Monday, and it couldn't be more different from the old gig. Each of our client relationships has a particular sort of character - at some clients we seem more like consultants, and at others it's as if we work there as part of the staff. This new gig is much more like I actually work there, so it really does feel like I just got a new job again. This week has been all about learning about the project - which is very hard because of constant use of acronyms and abbreviations, as well as a business process that is quite complex. Also I got my new laptop and phone set up, and I have my own cubicle with my name on it. And yes, because I am a huge dork, having my name on it gives me a litle thrill. I've never had my name on an office before!

I am really hoping to make a positive impact on the project and make everyone happy to have me there. I guess we'll see how it all goes!

My four-year-old is.......engaged?

For several months I've been hearing about my daughter's best friend at school, a little boy we'll call Ernie. Each day she'd come home and when we'd ask her how her day went and who she played with, her answer was always the same: "Ernie." Then one day, out of the blue, she said to me, "Mommy, Ernie and I are engaged. He's my fiance." I didn't quite know what to make of that, so I just said OK and figured I'd either hear more about it some other time or never hear about it again.

Sure enough, this kept going - always the little stories about Ernie, always he was the only one she played with at school. They would either play Star Wars - she would be Princess Leia and he would be Luke Skywalker - or they would play Mermaidia (a movie about mermaids put out by the Barbie people in an attempt to bring down the fortress of Disney Princess). So we'd ask her if they were still engaged and she would giggle and say with a little coy roll of the eyes, yes Mommy, we're going to get married when we grow up.

A few weeks ago my husband picked her up at school and called me in the car as I was driving home. "Here, talk to your daughter," he said, and put her on the phone. "Hi sweetie, what's going on?" "Guess what, Mommy! Ernie kissed me today!" ...... "Oh, wow, that's, um, interesting. And what did you do?" "I kissed him back, silly!" Giggle, giggle, giggle. "Where did this happen?" "Under the slide on the playground."

My daughter isn't even five yet and she's already kissing boys. OK, boy, but still! I didn't kiss a boy until I was 14! And no one proposed to me until I was 23! She is waaaay ahead of me already. WOW. I guess what they say is right: kids grow up a lot faster these days.

Last weekend we decided to invite Ernie over for a play date. I wanted to get to know his mom and I knew my daughter had been wanting to have him over for a long time. My husband and I had tea and scones with his mom and really enjoyed hanging out with her. Of course the first thing she said when she sat down was, "So, you know they're engaged, right?" I actually thought this was interesting because part of me was starting to wonder if it wasn't just the imaginings of a very creative little girl. But no, clearly it is mutual because HE told his parents too! She wasn't aware of the kissing so we told her about that. We all had several good laughs about it, and then at some point the play date got very quiet. You know what that means, right?

NAKED!!!!!!! My husband went up to check on them and they were parading around upstairs naked as jaybirds. They actually ran into the bathroom and hid behind the toilet when he showed up. The first thing Ernie said when they were caught was: "It was her idea." And you know what? It was! She came downstairs and gleefully admitted that it was indeed her idea. And grinned from ear to ear as she stifled yet another giggle.

I'll let you know when the wedding is. I wonder if she'll decide to go with white or cream.

Toddler! (Well, she will be when she toddles)

Yesterday was my baby's first birthday! So I guess technically she is no longer a baby. Are kids officially toddlers when they turn 1, or when they actually start to toddle? She can toddle if someone holds both of her hands. She can stand while holding on with one hand, or leaning her chest against something. I can see how much she wants to stand on her own, she's just not quite there yet. Probably a few more weeks for that. I'm figuring she'll be walking in a couple of months. Maybe she'll surprise me and do it sooner. I guess we'll find out soon enough. I remember her big sister could stand without holding on at about 10 months, and she walked at exactly a year. So this one has a couple months to go yet.

We sang her happy birthday and went to brunch but she didn't know the difference. I had really good French toast! The birthday girl was cranky by that point and spent most of the meal yelling and throwing food on the floor. Her big sister whined a lot. It was a pretty typical day with two tired parents and two little girls.

It has been a busy and crazy year since she was born. I can't imagine life without her. Happy birthday sweetie! You should start talking soon so we can finally understand all the stuff you've been telling us.......