I need your brain power.

Ok, kids. Follow me along in this fantasy. It could earn you 10 whole dollars.

I have this far-fetched notion that somehow I can make some sort of profit from my blog. I know, I know. There are thousands of “mommy blogs” out there and they all dream of McDonalds or HP knocking on their internet portals wishing to advertise for real dollars. While it’s more than a long shot for me, I thought it would be a fun one at least.

So, I want to hop on this dream train and throw my self into the ring of bloggers hoping for an income source that doesn’t require me to hire a nanny. This is where you, my readers (all 4 of you), come in.

I need to come up with a new blog name that doesn’t involve my name. I also want to start referring to “my baby” as Lolo so as to at least conceal her true identity just a bit. I realize that any smart Internet dude or lady could easily uncover my name and location; I just don’t want to make it quite so obvious.

Here are the rules:
1. It has to be an available “.com” domain name. (Check GoDaddy.com to see if your ideas are available.)
2. It should not use any language that would refer to my identity.
3. The spelling of the site name should be fairly obvious in case someone mentions the name verbally. But, if it’s a catchy spelling, that also may not matter.
4. It has to be fun. But, it doesn’t necessarily have to invoke images of babies, pacifiers and bottles.

I am hoping to come up with some nonsensical sounding word that means nothing but is still memorable. But, it could also be something like “bananabear.com … which is already taken by the way.

The winner will receive a signed ten dollar bill that you can use to buy two lattes at Starbucks or frame for your bathroom wall.

E-mail me with your ideas. You can submit more than one entry per person, and the deadline is June 30th. Once all entries are in, I will take some time to decide and then will announce the winner.

Happy brainstorming.

She asked for my digits.

On Friday I attended my second beer and babies event and it was a blast. There were at least 30 moms (yes, 30) wearing their infants and carrying a pint around this huge bar with tons of couches for diaper changes and feeding.

I can also tell you that there is nothing quite like taking your wee child in a Bjorn to use the restroom in a bar. But, we made it (and I used the sink for leverage in case you were wondering).

There is such a sense of community amongst the moms here that I finally feel like I “get Brooklyn.” I know that I will be able to create the same thing in Maplewood because it’s also so family centric, but I’ve met so many cool chics in the last few weeks that I know it’s going to be hard to say goodbye.

In fact, one of the extra hip chicas in my moms group on Mondays asked for my phone number. Yes, she wants my digits so we can get together. It seems so simple, but it’s taken two years for me to really feel like I am a part of this neighborhood. I would have bought a Bjorn years ago and just toted a onesie-clad sack of flour in it if I had known I could meet people so easily that way!

Ah well, at least I know that I have the oomph to start moms groups and activities on my own and can take that chutzpah with me to NJ.

Below are some pics from the Beer and Babies event. (photo credit: Keren)

Inside My World.

A few people asked what really goes on at “Baby and Me” yoga. I think the class title invokes images of infants learning how to do “downward facing dog” when really she’s just an observer to all the other mamas contorting themselves. Hopefully, one day she will be into taking yoga herself. But, for now, she is simply getting in a lot of practice doing her “happy baby pose“.

And, I will only assume that you all are very curious what it looks like to trek across Brooklyn (or at least my well tread 12 square block homebase) with a baby and dog. Some days I feel like I should coordinate all future clothing purchases with the Bjorn. You know, cinching all your shirts at the upper body isn’t all that flattering post-birth, but hopefully everyone is instead focusing on the cute baby cinching my body. Below is a picture of me and Lolo outside of our favorite subway stop along the F line. Zoe didn’t feel like being in this shot.

Matt Calls Me Queen Bee

I’m on my way to becoming Queen Bee Mama in Brooklyn as I am on my way out the door of the borough. I always knew that having a child would be the key to a social life here in Brooklyn, but it’s amazing how true it has been.

I joined a new mothers group on Mondays and have kibitzed with 3 other moms who all have similar stories of struggling with breastfeeding, lack of sleep, new mother hormones, crying about not having enough Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, crying about no clean socks, crying about the orange juice having too much pulp in it … you get the idea. It was nice just to talk and bond with women who have had the exact same experiences you’ve had. It means my hysteria was completely normal, so to speak!

Tuesdays and Thursdays are my “Baby and Me” yoga classes and many of you would be surprised how much of a “Chatty Kathy” I have become with strangers. When the alternative is talking to yourself all day, you’ll reach out and talk about the cracks in the sidewalk given the chance.

I also started a “New Moms Coffee Klatch” at Starbucks on Wednesdays and hosted about seven moms this week as we quickly took over the majority of the chairs in the place, much to the chagrin of the many Mac Book squatters. Glares from indie bloggers and freelance writers don’t phase me though. If they get too close, they will have to deal with spit up and that would just ruin their expensive jeans.

And, best of all, I attend “Beer and Babies” happy hour at a local bar on Fridays. A mom in the neighborhood called up two bars that open fairly early in the afternoon to see if they wouldn’t mind 7-10 hormonal women with babies in strollers showing up each Friday from 3pm to 5pm for a little chit chat over beer. Surprisingly, both pubs were cool with the idea and now expect a rotating crew of mamas each Friday to show up and plop their burp cloths on the bar. Maybe someone can convince them to upgrade their bathrooms to include a changing table.

So, given time, I know I would be running this town … well at least the better half of the town. But, alas, I will have to start fresh in New Jersey. But, mark my words; they will know the Korn clan soon enough in Maplewood especially with a barky dog to announce our arrival.

Holy Sleep Crusties In My Eyes

Sleep Log
PNP: 7:30 PM – 4:30 AM
PNP: 5:30 AM – 6:30 AM

(key: PNP=Pack N’ Play)

Down The Street From Tony Soprano

I feel like I can finally write something about this since the more papers we sign, the more final everything gets.

On a whim back in March (which now feels like years ago), Matt, Lolo and I took a Saturday and a Zip Car to go out to New Jersey to look at houses. After months of putting off suggestions from Matt’s coworkers to check out Jersey for the nice towns and nice prices, we relented and were pleasantly surprised. We found a lot more houses on the market and they were move-in ready … and as a bonus, the houses were larger than similarly priced ones in Westchester. We will finally have an honest-to-God guest room and I can finally burn the air mattress that so many of you have rested your sweet heads upon when visiting the Korns.

So, after a full day of looking in Maplewood and Montclair, we felt like we could put an offer in on three homes. But, we decided to pick our favorite and just go for it. And, what do you know? Our offer was accepted, and since then we have been dealing with home inspections, roofing estimates, lawyers and such. I’ve been hesitant to really talk about it for fear that something would fall through. Maybe all of a sudden their grandmother would want to use the house as a painting studio, or maybe New Jersey has tight border control to prevent Brooklynites such as ourselves from crossing into the promise land of trees and grass and huge packs of diapers at Costco.

So, as it stands now, we are tying up some loose ends and waiting for a few details to fall into place. But, if all goes accordingly, we will be closing on a lovely home in the 07040 zip code around the middle of June. We’re keeping it a surprise for Zoe, so don’t spill the beans.

Below are some pictures of the home as the current owners have decorated it. Notice how they have nice furniture to fill each room? Well, that will be our next project … actually acquiring enough furniture to make it look like someone lives there. But, that’s what IKEA is for. And, you thought they were only kept in business by post college sorority sisters!

Oh yeah, she’s gifted.

Yesterday while enjoying some of her daily “tummy time,” Lolo rolled over several times from her stomach to her back. So, I am positive it wasn’t a fluke. And, sure, she’s got gravity helping her along as her head accounts for much of her body weight. But, I am still pretty sure she is way ahead of her peers. In other words, just as we suspected, she is a gifted child. (Wink.)

She’s getting stronger by the day and uses her hands and arms to prop herself up as she gazes in a mirror (one that is designed to specifically engage her senses, of course) at herself. And, she is just waiting to get on the move so she’s still enjoying skooching forward with the help of a backboard.

Below are two videos of the aforementioned stomach play!

I have pants.

So, Lolo is 9.5 weeks old, and its official that I can no longer bear the idea of wearing maternity clothes. Sure, I can still technically fit into those cords with the stretch panel. It’s just that I don’t want to. It’s degrading. My old skinny clothes simply don’t fit … yet (emphasis on yet). But, I still have the intention of getting back into those little jeans. How I am going to do this, I am not sure. With my only physical activity being “baby and me yoga,” leisurely walks around the neighborhood, and a once or twice weekly trip to the gym, it’s gonna take a helluva long time, that’s for sure. It certainly feels weird having gone to the gym more frequently when Lolo was inside me than when she’s outside of me. But, I do what I can and move on.

So, back to the pants. To show that I am serious about ditching the preggers wardrobe, I took all of my maternity clothes and placed them in a plastic bag (aside from some tank tops that don’t look maternity and thus don’t come with any mental baggage) so I am not tempted to just wear them out of ease. And, I went out and purchased one pair of pants that fit my current body. So, when I get ready in the morning, there is no question what I will be wearing. I will be wearing my pants.

Me: “Matt, have you seen my pants?”

Matt: “Which pants are you looking for?”

Me: “Um, the only pair of pants I have … you know the only ones without elastic.”

Similarly, I have one non-maternity shirt … and it’s long enough to cover my waistband, which is important as a new mother because no one is interested in seeing my mid-section!

9 and 9

I’ve been composing posts in my head for the past several days, just itching to start typing them out. I just haven’t been able to actually sit down at the computer. So much has been going on, and there is so much to update everyone on.

First of all, the bean now weighs 9 lbs. 9 oz., which means that she gained a little over 2 lbs. in a month. While she is still in the 10th -15th percentile in terms of height and weight, the doctor is just pleased with her steady growth. She is right on track for her own special pint-sized development.

And … (drumroll) … we have had several (more than two, but less than 10) days of her sleeping from 8PM-ish to 3AM-ish and then going back down from 4AM-ish until 7AM-ish. The pediatrician suggested that I wake her up more during the day so that she has more of a need to sleep at night since she has been snoozing while we are out and about town. (This is also the reason I have not had as much time to sit down at the computer since she’s been up more during the day.) So far, it’s working and she is responding to this new routine. We even instituted a bedtime ritual that will hopefully also get her into the spirit of going “nite-nite” at the same time each evening. It involves a little baby massage with lotion to calm her down, putting on fun pjs, reading Jamberry and Goodnight Moon and then singing her favorite Raffi tune, “Baby Beluga.” How do I know it’s her favorite Raffi song? I know because it’s my favorite … and you have to like it yourself if you’re gonna sing it eight billion times. Matt has even admitted to singing it in his head at work from time to time.

We also took a “Go Go Babies” movement class at the local family center and she was a super star. She was awake the whole time and impressed all of the other participants. While I was the only mom there among many nannies, it was still very fun. During Lolo’s tummy time, she showed off how advanced she is when she brings her little knees under her and “skooches” forward when given something to push off from like my hands. She is also very skilled at holding her head up and can’t wait to finally use those muscles to face forward in the Baby Bjorn as opposed to facing inward towards my chest.

Spring is also starting to return to Brooklyn with a few milder days here and there … and that’s a good thing because we had to officially retire the newborn-sized bear snowsuit. The sleeves were starting to only reach her elbows and she couldn’t straighten her legs in it anymore. So, farewell fuzzy bear suit, farewell!