Another New Year

For those of us who are Jewish, today marks a new year. The year 5769 to be exact. We had a nice Rosh Hashanah dinner at my mom's house last night, complete with the youngest (Caroline and Anna) and oldest (Uncle David) members of the family.



Today, in an attempt at a little religious education, we took the kids to the tot service at Temple Micah. Between the cacophony of kids crying, talking and grabbing at each others stuffed Torahs, I think that Lily sort of got the idea behind the holiday. At least I hope so. She did get some apples and honey after the service was over, so in her book temple (or Shirley Temple as she called it all day) was a grand success.


For those of us who are concerned citizens, today also marked what I hope is a new beginning. The year of CHANGE to be exact. Since Virginia is one of the few states that allows early voting, we took advantage of being off of work and school and cast our ballots. Lily proudly announced, when I turned over my absentee application, that we were going to vote for "A-rock Obama!" After she asked, for the hundredth time, why we couldn't vote for Hillary Clinton. The polling station employees weren't amused and gave me one of "those looks." You know the one...


I fear she thought it slightly anti-climatic (no bells, whistles or prizes...just a silent voting machine). I, on the other hand, thought it was mind blowing that, in this historical election, my first born was able to submit my vote for the first African American Presidential candidate. It did me proud. Anna cooed and drooled from the sidelines.




So on this Rosh Hashanah eve, let me say how grateful I am for all the blessings in my life. And there are many. And let me close my eyes, cross my fingers, and say a little prayer that the year 5769 is one that blesses us all. Starting on November 4th.

Costco - Not for the Faint of Heart

I'm almost too drained to retell my Costco tale from today. It took a Bud Lite and the ultimate in comfort food -- a grilled cheese sandwich from the Metro 29 Diner -- to get my heart rate and blood pressure to normalize. It's only 9:30 on Saturday night but I'm ssssooooo ready for bed.  My day traumatized me just a tad.

Here's the cliff's notes version --

I needed formula and, since Anna will be drinking it for the next 6 1/2 months, I decided that if ever there was a product that you wanted a massive vat of (I've never understood who exactly it is who buys those 10 pound containers or mayonnaise) it's formula.I should have kept going when I realized that the ridiculous traffic jam was actually cars just trying to get in the Costco parking lot. I should have, but I didn't. And, of course, I had both girls with me.

It took 12 minutes to find a parking space and another 20 to walk from said space to the front door.

Although we escaped any major meltdowns inside, we had several near misses when we passed by a mountain of Barbies and Polly Pockets.We were able to stock up on some yummy produce...formula...after school snacks and Mots for Tots juice boxes. And although there were like 5 things in my cart, they rang up at $149.37. Which I paid. After waiting in line for seemingly forever. With a child who claimed she had to pee -- and it was "an emergency!" -- when we were half way through the line. Of course, let's not forget Anna's bottle that somehow exploded all over me, while standing in line. Which meant that I was covered in the gross smelling liquid and she had nothing to eat.

Fine. Comes with the Costco territory. However, as we were leaving I realized that I had no idea where my parking ticket was. The ticket that I needed to get validated. I kept standing in front of the validation dude hoping against all odds that if I stood there long enough the ticket would magically reappear. 

The short story is that I raced to the car (pushing one of those HUGE Costco carts...and remember, I wasn't exactly parked right out front) and searched it. Searched under it. Searched around it.  Searched it again. I went back inside Costco to retrace my steps. I emptied my diaper bag not once but twice. In desperation, I grabbed the girls and went to get a new parking ticket. And I got busted. By a guy who's only English words were "lost ticket...20 dollars...parking booth." Excuse me? If I can get out of $600 in fines from the District of Columbia, there's a zero percent chance that I'm going to pay $20 for a lost parking ticket! 

At this point, though, I was spitting fire. Literally and metaphorically. The trips back and forth to the car, on top of my immense frustration and annoyance, added to the 150% humidity today and, well, I was starting to soak through my shirt.

In the end, I found my ticket. Tucked inside the changing pad. And to thank Lily for being so obedient during my momentary "freak out," I marched her back to that mountain of Barbies and let her pick one out. So that I could make my daughter's day AND, of course, have the pleasure of standing in a horrific line for the second time in an hour.

If you factor out the Costco catastrophe, though, it was a pretty great day. After my pilates class, we packed the girls in to the car and headed down to the Mall to the National Book Festival. Lily got to meet one of her current heroes -- PBS Kids' Super Why -- and we had a fun lunch with David and Jackson in the sculpture garden.  The kids took a tiny "dip" in the fountain afterwards.

To round out the day, Lily got a haircut (an adorable bob that makes her look so old...where did my baby go??) and she and Noah are camping "out" in the living room.

Of course, today was a day that we were supposed to just take it easy. Without any real plans. As if!!!

In the Fast Lane

I remember the day when I realized that I was bigger than my own mother. We were standing next to one another, brushing our teeth in her bathroom, and when I looked at our reflection in the mirror I realized that I was half a head taller. I was in the 6th grade.

Metaphorically speaking, I think that Lily just outgrew me. And she's 3 (right, right....almost 4).

Yesterday morning she inexplicably woke up with an attitude. A sassy one. If I said stand up, she'd automatically fall to the floor. If I suggested pants, she insisted on a dress. You get the picture.

Exasperated, the following ensued...

Me: "Lily, if people don't start listening to their parents, I am going to LOSE MY MIND!"

Lily, "Mommy, I'm pretty sure you already lost your mind."

If this is us at 3 and 33, I can't begin to imagine what's in store for me when she becomes a teenager. Lord help me!

Just say NO, Ben & Jerry!

Those who know me know that I'm definitely a proponent of breastfeeding. I nursed Lily for almost 10 months, and I plan to hang in for as long as possible this time around too. I have all the trendy nursing gear, I own not one but TWO breastpumps (thanks to the discovery of BPA in my Ameda Purely Yours I became the proud owner of a Medela Pump in Style Advanced), and I have spent more money than I care to calculate at the Breastfeeding Center in Washington, DC. Breastfeeding didn't come naturally to Lily or to me, but we stuck with it and I'm happy that we did. (That being said, I totally understand, though, if it just doesn't work out.)

However, I think that too much of a good thing is just, well, gross!

Have you heard the latest about PETA demanding that Ben & Jerry's stop using cow's milk and start using breast milk in the ice cream? Excuse me while I gag!!

Apparently a Swiss restaurant owner recently made waves when he replaced 75% of the cow's milk that he uses in recipes with human breast milk. That he's buying. From nursing mothers. Umm....I'd like to meet these nursing mothers and SHAKE THEM. And then implore them to share their milk producing secrets with me. How do they make enough milk for their babies AND a little fettuccine alfredo?!?

In a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (the infamous brain trust behind the scrumptious ice cream), PETA demanded that they start using human breast milk so that they would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies. "Breast is best!" concluded PETA in their communication.

I mean, really?

Thankfully, the duo declined PETA's request citing that a mother's milk is best used for her child. Phew. After all, would you want to chow down on some "Mamma Garcia" or "Chunky Mommy" or "Bebe de Leche?" Count ME out!

Although, truth be told, when I had 160 ounces of defrosting breast milk on hand after a power failure back when Lily was a baby, the esteemed lactation consultant at the aforementioned Breastfeeding Center suggested that I use it to make pudding. No, I'm not making that up. I wouldn't lie to you. (I chose to just throw it away, as much as that pained me. And still pains me.)

While on the topic of breast milk, though, I'm sad to say that my stash has officially been depleted. Remember the nearly 400 ounces I had saved up before going back to work? It's finally gone. Tomorrow's bottles will contain the last of it. While I'm still nursing in the morning and at night, poor Anna will be singing the Similac blues starting on Thursday.

Then.



And now.


Chicken nugget anyone? It's all white meat!

Make New Friends But Keep The Old

Lily has survived yet another week of Montessori and, by all accounts, is doing remarkably well. She seems to have fully integrated in to her new school, she's learning all the new routines and rules (enthusiastically as noted by her teacher Ms. Jane), and she's making new friends. Heck, she even went to a birthday party Saturday night for a little girl from the new school; two weeks in and already a coveted bday invite!

Anna took her very first dip in the pool (which was, thankfully, heated to bath water temp)

So totally consumed by worry over Lily's transition, it never occurred to me that there might be a transition for Noah and me beyond the obvious -- tuition checks get mailed to a different place and Lily gets dropped-off/picked-up in Arlington, not downtown.

Talk about old friends (I've known Lisa since birth) -- Lisa and Lauren joined us!

But when I think about the party we hosted just two weeks ago, versus the party we attended last night, I'm reminded about just how large a transition we've ALL gone through. The children at Lily's school are adorable and couldn't be sweeter. Their parents seem lovely too. But they're just not our "peeps."

I haven't seen these moms and dads at drop-offs and pick-ups for the last 3 1/2 years. I haven't seen their kids learn to walk. I haven't witnessed their pregnancies and siblings being born. I haven't gotten to complain to them about tuition increases, bizarre school policies,or politics. They don't know how hard it was for Lily to transition from one classroom to the next or how totally, deliciously spunky she is under most circumstances. They haven't lived through the ups and downs of Lily's baby and toddlers years with us. They don't know about my tumultuous pregnancy with Anna or what a sweet and happy baby she is. They're just, well, new to us...and, more importantly, we're new to them.

So, to make us all feel a little more at home, we had a playdate today with two of Lily's absolute favorite friends from the Huck -- Katy and Charlotte -- and, of course, their wonderful families. One final splash in Nettie's pool before she closes it for the year.

And while I've been cautioned that Lily needs to build her social network from within the new school, there are a few friends that I doubt we'll ever be able to say farewell to. Even though these girls are not yet 4 years old, their friendship runs deep. Whether or not they're fully clothed.

Politico

Growing up in Washington, DC, I don't think that one can help being political. Of course, having a parent who is a former political appointee in the Clinton/Gore administration doesn't help. And, if you know me, I'm not exactly the shy and retiring type. I have a hard time keeping my opinions to myself. And the McCain/Palin ticket hasn't helped in the least; I want to scream!

Lily has been asking a ton of questions lately. Questions about Bush. Questions about Palin (the Saturday Night Live skit prompted those...lord was that funny). Questions about Hillary Clinton and "A-rock" Obama. Perhaps the fact that we've temporarily abandoned kiddie tunes in the car in favor of NPR has something to do with it. She actually was more interested in the Today Show this morning than PBS Kids Sprout.

I love her curiosity though. I'm pretty confident that she knows more about the election than most other kids her age. Perhaps her interest in politics of late is an early precursor of her future profession? She does want to be famous...

Noah and I have restrained ourselves a bit when answering her questions, but we've been honest with Lily. And I SWEAR that she came to these conclusions on her own. She put two and two together and decided that "George Bush hasn't made this a good place for us to live" and "we can't live here anymore."



Little does she know that we will be packing our bags and heading for our neighbor to the north (O Canada!) if the election doesn't go as we hope it will. As our country needs it to. I've been wanting a pair of Uugs and a new winter coat...perhaps this year I'll have a reason to buy them. I hope not.

Vindication!

I got the most beautiful thing in yesterday's mail. That it was hand delivered to me by my daughter -- with a ear-to-ear-grin on her face -- was icing on the cake.

"Mommy, do you remember when the police were mean to you but you didn't do anything wrong?"

How could I forget. Do you remember?

To refresh your memory, I was pulled over during my last week of maternity leave when I accidentally drove right, smack in to the middle of a police "safety check" in NW DC. The fact that I had a tea-cup dog in my lap, a baby in the back, and suburban license plates on my car sealed my fate. OK, I'll say it out loud even though it's not PC...I think the color of my skin had something to do with it too.

This power-hungry police officer hated everything about me before I even opened my mouth. I told her that if she gave me a warning I'd drive straight home...not pass Go...and put my current insurance card directly in to my car. And I offered to get Geico on the phone to verify my insurance status. She looked at me, smirked, and told me that while it was her prerogative to give me a warning, she was choosing to ticket me. And she actually told me that she "wouldn't talk to nobody on the phone." Apparently proper grammar isn't a Metropolitan Police Department requirement.

So, yes, she ticketed me. Triple ticketed me. To the tune of $630. $100 for "distracted driving" even though my cell phone was on speaker; $500 for operating a vehicle without proper insurance; $30 for failure to provide proof of current insurance. Later that day, I told Lily that I was sad because the police had been mean to me. For no reason. Apparently almost 4 year olds forget nothing. She has spoken about "mean police" often since then.

I paid the $30 fine for not having my current insurance card and fought the two other tickets by mail. My letter, which my lawyer father proof-read, included language like:

Accordingly, I deny the charge of operating a vehicle without proper insurance and request that the fine from ticket 5818888801 be suspended.

and

While the recent birth of my daughter caused me to overlook the expired paperwork in my vehicle, the attached documents clearly prove that the car meets all safety, emissions and insurance standards set forth by the Commonwealth of Virginia where I live and where the car is registered.

Translation -- back off DC! While you might not like people from the 'burbs driving through your city, deal with it.

I included four attachments and, unlike the ticketing officer, used proper grammar. I reviewed DC's distracted driving law and found a loop-hole that would even get me out of the cell phone infraction. I was on the war path.

And it paid off! Since Noah and Lily beat us home last night, my darling daughter was the one who got to break the news to me. Waving the hearing record in my face, she squealed, "You don't have to pay the tickets. Good job Mommy!"

According to V. Ali, my hearing examiner, "The examiner determined that the ticket should be dismissed for one of the following reasons: there was an error on the ticket, the government was unable to establish the violation or the evidence submitted was sufficient to prove a defense of the violation." Conclusion: the ticket(s) is dismissed.

Ha, ha badge #3545; you jerk of a hostile and irrational police officer! Take that!!

So the only money that the DC Treasurer gets out of me is the modest $30 I already paid. And I can only hope that the ticketing officer hits a big pothole today and spills hot coffee in her lap. What a loser...

Six Flags Sauna

'Tis the season for company picnics at the Six Flags Amusement park, and since this could very well be the last time Fannie Mae rents the park out for its employees we wanted to take full advantage.

Unfortunately it was about twelve million degrees...in the shade...the entire time we were in the park. Even little Anna was drenched in sweat before long.

Luckily, Lily's best buddy, Hank, and his family were able to join us. Seeing the kids "reunite" after not having seen each other since the farewell party last weekend was incredible. Talk about happy kids...proverbial pigs in you-know-what!!

I'm not sure who on the picnic planning committee came up with the idea of adding face painting this year, but it was a great hit. At first. Until the paints mixed with sweat on little foreheads and became a big fat mess.

"Mariposa" Lily

Little Kitty, Lucy

The heat did take its toll. We probably should have left before we took "just one last ride."

And you would think that after being in the insane heat for as long as we were, Lily would have slept for hours. Well, you'd think wrong.

Even though I wasn't able to crash after we got home, I've never loved a shower as much as I did yesterday afternoon.

Real Men Change Diapers

Last weekend was a busy one. Hurricane Hanna drenched our area in ridiculous amounts of rain. Truman was groomed (and even though he goes every 8 weeks...and has for the 6 1/2 years I've had him...he still shakes like a leaf and heaps tons of guilt on me for leaving him there). We hosted some 60 people -- including more than 20 tykes -- at Lily's farewell party. And I took the first step towards reclaiming my body from the ugly wrath of pregnancy...I started pilates.

My cousin Susana swore to me that the class starts off easy and only gradually becomes more difficult. She promised me that I'd be able to do it, even when I told her that I was scared...very, very scared.

Well I survived the rain, the party and even the pilates. I made it through the hour class in one piece. And it only hurt to breathe for 3 days. OK, maybe 4.

While Susana and I were out contorting our bodies and doing the hundreds, Noah and Chad took all four girls to the Original Pancake House for breakfast. Apparently not even a hurricane can keep them away from those flapjacks.

Susana arrived home afterwards to find the boys and the babes "kicking it" on the couch. The bigger girls were probably off getting in to something they shouldn't have been in to. Note to all -- real men change diapers AND feed babies!

As for me, after barely surviving last week's "introductory" pilates class, I'm very, very, VERY scared for tomorrow's.

Motessori-gate, Day 3

As I suspected would be the case, Lily's enthusiasm for her new school has dwindled a bit with each passing day. Noah and I still think that this is absolutely the right place for her to be, but I think that we're all in for a rough September.

Daily Reports:

Day 1 -- LOVED the kids and super nice teachers. Lily adjusted well to the new classroom, rules and schedule. She got a glowing report from Ms. Jane and had lots of positive things to say about school upon pick-up. [2 thumbs up!]

Day 2 -- Lily woke up and suggested that we do a girl's day instead of school. When I told her that I had to go to work, she immediately turned to Noah and lobbied for a "daddy daughter day." I could see that she was struggling, so I suggested that we all go to drop her off again; Anna and me included. She went along for the ride and reluctantly said good-bye, but only after spotting her new friend, Carley. Noah discovered a happy kid at the end of the day, and he got to meet Coach Mike, whom Lily now raves about. At bed time, though, Lily confided that she'd cried for us during the day...but just a little bit. [1 thumb up]

Day 3 -- Total meltdown, almost from the time she woke up this morning. Lots of tears. Lots of pleading. (Lots 'o mommy guilt.) A wonderfully kind teacher's aid took Lily off Noah's hands upon arrival (more likely she peeled Lily off Noah's leg...literally); hopefully the crying didn't last long after he left. I'm on pick-up duty this evening. My fingers are crossed that she was able to pull it together and have a good day. [no thumbs up]

If her disheveled hair and filthy clothes at the end of the day are any indication of how much/hard she's played at school, she's actually having a wonderful time...in spite of the tears. She certainly hasn't lost her spunk, and she can still make us all laugh. Especially the baby.



Hopefully tomorrow -- with it's proximity to the weekend -- will see an improvement.

Then again, Lily definitely does march to the beat of her own drum. She's a remarkable kid, but she's determined to do things when she wants to do them, on her own schedule.

Her transitions from one classroom to another at the Huck were always fraught with some drama or another. She's just trying to show us who's boss (as if there were any doubts!). For our sake and, really, for hers, though, I hope the painful part of this transition passes quickly.

Blah Blah Black Sheep

Operation "Montessori Transition" has been deemed a great success, at least until the novelty wears off. Thank goodness! I definitely think that I was more nervous than anyone else; I had knots in my stomach all day long. I tried to get her to talk about the day at our Baskin & Robbins dessert stop, but after being followed by the camera at dinner Lily had had enough of my antics. (my apologies, but you'll have to turn up your speakers to hear above the ice cream shop chatter)



Since she won't give you the scoop herself, here are the stats from the day --

Day's rating: Great!!

Teachers: Ms. Jane and Ms. Hannah

New BFFs: Carley and Elisabeth

New "Not Sure I'm Going to Like Her" person: Olympia

Favorite part of the day: SNACK! (overwhelmingly)

As a post-first-day treat, Lily got to pick where we ate dinner. She chose Joe's Pizza & Pasta, an interesting (to say the least) neighborhood spot. Since we arrived a few minutes after 6, we caught the tail end of the blue-haired crowd (Did I forget to mention that Monday nights happen to be all you can eat buffet nights? What a bizarre scene...part elderly crowd...part college crowd...and part family night...weird!).

Lily was in her element and, between bites, sang us the new song she learned today. Still can't believe that between us and the Huck she hadn't learned it before. Perhaps we need to spend a few extra minutes re-learning the words.



Then again, I sort of think her version is better. "Blah, blah black sheep have you any more..."

So Long, Farewell

Huckleberry Cheesecake friends -- highlights

Friday, August 29, 2008 was Lily's last day at Huckleberry Cheesecake. While I still think that we're moving her to a preschool for all the right reasons, it was hard to see her walk through the school, one last time, hugging and kissing friends and teachers good-bye.

I'll never forget going over to tour the Huck when I was 9 weeks pregnant, still very much hiding my pregnancy from the entire world, yet due to ridiculously long waiting lists at any center worthy of our tiny bambino forced to shell out "registration fees" and apply to several places downtown. I actually made calls to these centers from conference room phones at work, nervous that if my calls were ever monitored someone would put things together and figure out that I was pregnant (they already knew that I was a paranoid and neurotic loon!).

We've had some incredible moments along the way; tons of "firsts" that we got to share with Lily's amazingly loving caregivers and teachers since she started there March 1, 2005. All three of us -- Lily, Noah and me -- have made some tremendous friends from within the Huckleberry community.

To give our Huck "peeps" a proper farewell, we hosted a party for Lily and her entire class at Jonah's Treehouse yesterday. I had originally considered doing pony rides in the park across from our house. Not wanting to worry about the weather, we moved it to an indoor play spot. THANK GOODNESS. Just as our party was heating up, so were the winds and rain from Hurricane Hanna. We stayed nice and drying inside, though, and it was the perfect way for Lily to say good-bye. We're enjoying yesterday's memories today, and getting her ready for her first day at Children's House Montessori, tomorrow.

Lily's farewell party

Wish us luck! I'm sure that Lily will be fine. Me...well, I'm not so sure about me.

Party Lines

With the momentum coming off of the Democratic convention in Denver...and all the buzz surrounding McCain's veep pick of Sarah Palin...I couldn't help but turn to my younger and less jaded daughter for her opinions.

"So Anna, what do you think about the news coming out of Minneapolis right now?"

"As a girl, what do you think about McCain's selection of this 'experienced' woman to be his running mate?"

(notice the middle finger...)

"So you're not a big fan of the moose eating, gun toting, hockey mom from Alaska?"

(she spit up about 2 seconds after this picture was taken)

"What's that you say, Anna? They need a real maverick to shake up Washington? Who could that be??"

"SUPER CUTE TO THE RESCUE!!"

BTW, can you believe that this is the same baby?  Anna was only 3 weeks old when she announced her party affiliation to the world!

Seriously though, if you were remotely fooled by last night's speech...a speech that was written a week ago with a few [fill in candidate's name here] blanks...by one of George Bush's speechwriters...please read this article by Gloria Steinem.  And for those who need a little reminder of the facts, well, let's let the Associated Press do the talking (so that my blood pressure remains remotely close to normal...don't even get me started!).

And I don't just dislike Sarah Palin because we're both almost 5 months post partum and she looks wwwaaaayyyyyy better than I do.  Shame, though, that she and her husband have it in for their sons.  I mean, what's up with the names??

Call me a quitter

It's official. I've stopped pumping. And oh has the guilt permeated my being.

Yes I did a great job of stock-piling our extra freezer at home with hundreds of ounces of milk before returning to work. Yes I had every intention of pumping my milk for Anna for months and months to come. Yes I do plan to continue nursing for as long as we're both willing and able.

But I just can't stand the pump any more. Between client deadlines, meetings and conference calls, my work day pumping session were getting less and less frequent...and were happening later and later in the day. It got to the point where I was pumping just before leaving in the evenings. As a result, my "supplies" were too low to actually nurse my baby at night. Umm...that's so not the point of this endeavor!

Enter, stage right, TONS 'O GUILT!

It's so obvious that Anna prefers milk to formula...and with each missed pumping session I think of her at school, choking down Similac with a "are you kidding me?" look on her face. While I still have a nice supply of milk in the freezer, this stockpile will only last for so long. Maybe another few weeks.

I managed to pump, during the Lily years, for 2 months after returning from leave before quitting. One more reason to feel guilty. I "tried harder" with my first daughter. Poor Anna -- definitely #2.

For those of you who have pumped for babies in the past, you so know what I'm talking about. You feel my pain...figuratively and literally. For those of you who made it longer -- Lisa, you are my hero! -- my hat is off to you. But I'm done. And, secretly, I'm thrilled to be done.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about...well, I'll let Stephen Colbert do the talking!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Having had the benefit of a few days of much needed R&R (I so love long weekends!), I've had some time to reflect on all my rantings about Steve Jobs, Mac products, and the guys who staff the Genius Bars.

Perhaps I was a bit harsh...too quick to judge....and just supremely frustrated by it all. Perhaps my last few postings were better suited for a "Dear Diary..." entry than a blog posting. So, to all of you out in the blogosphere reading today, please bear witness to my apologies.

I am sorry. (Mostly.)

And since, after apologizing, we make Lily say two nice things about whomever she's been mean to, here's my attempt...

1. Mac products...any and all...are WAY cool looking.

2. Steve Jobs pushed the envelope beyond where people thought it could be pushed and, as a result, helped revolutionize the electronics industry around the world. Even if Bloomberg did erroneously publish your obit, Mr. Jobs, and even though I'm still FUMING over my hard drive melt-down, I definitely don't wish you dead. YOU are the genius.

I wonder, though, if my criticism has come full circle.

While my thick, curly pregnancy locks did start falling out before I'd checked out of the hospital after Lily was born, I thought that I'd escaped that this time around. While I'll never have to worry about female baldness, I thought that I'd get lucky enough to keep the extra thick/quick growing hair that had taken over my head during my Anna pregnancy.

Until last week. Around the same time as my public musing about how much I hated Mac. My hair started falling out. In giant clumps.

Karma kickback sure is a bear!