Mommy FTW

Update on Tuesday August 2nd – the sprinklers are ON!!

Update on Wednesday July 27th – DPR announced at the meeting Tuesday evening that they are working on the drainage problem at present and hope to re-lay the concrete/cement on Thurs/Fri this week. They hope to turn the sprays on again on Monday August 1st to test whether the problem has been fixed.

Original post – It seems like all the moms in NW DC are asking “When are they going to open the spray park at Chevy Chase Playground?!”  It’s so hot out, and it’s hard to be patient.  Today I sent a tweet to the Mayor (@mayorvincegray) asking if he could help and at least get some information about when they plan to fix the drainage issue.  I just got his response: DPR tells me that work to repair should start Monday and take a couple of weeks. I understand impatience in this heat!

So there you have it – I wish I had better news to report!  In the mean time, check out the other DC sprinkler parks – I posted a list just the other day.  And, don’t forget about the Wilson Aquatic Center.  It’s a great way to beat the summer heat.

Still not open - and it sounds like it will be awhile.

FYI – There will be a community meeting with DPR regarding Livingston Street Park on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 6:30 PM. During this meeting DPR will review the additions to the park, areas that need attention, and the timeline for repairs or remaining installations (spray park, sand box, benches, etc.).

Who: DPR Staff, Director Aguirre, CM Mary Cheh and Community
When: Tuesday, July 26, 2011
6:30 PM
Where: Chevy Chase Community Center Multi-Purpose Room
5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW

This week Cameron, Violet, and I, went to check out the sprinklers at Friendship Park (Turtle Park).  He had a blast, so I wanted to find out where we could find more “Spraygrounds.”  I contacted the DC Department of Parks and Recreation on twitter (@DCDPR) and they pointed me to a list of all the Sprinkler parks in the District. Here’s the list:

Cam cools off in the Turtle Park sprinklers

14th and Girard Street Spray Park - 14th and Girard Street, NW
14th and Park Road Spray Park - 14th Street and Park Road, NW
Benning Stoddert Spray Park - 100 Stoddert Place, SE
Columbia Heights Spray Park -  1480 Girard Street, NW
Friendship Spray Park - 4500 Van Ness St., NW
Lafayette Spray Park - 5900 33rd Street, NW
Palisades Spray Park - 5200 Sherrier Place, NW
Petworth Spray Park - 801 Taylor Street, NW
Riggs LaSalle Spray Park - 501 Riggs Road, NE

UPDATE – As of Today, 8/2/11 the sprinkler park at Chevy Chase Playground is OPEN.  For more info: http://mommyftw.com/the-sprinklers-are-on-at-chevy-chase-livingston-playground/

For more information on hours of operation and contact phone numbers for the sprinkler parks, check out the Washington DC Department of Parks and Recreation website.

By the way, if your toddler is a little water shy, check out an earlier post I wrote about helping your toddler warm up to going in the sprinklers.

UPDATE – Yesterday we went to check out the Palisades Spray Park and the water was NOT on. I talked to some people at the park and they said it is usually NOT on – so if you are looking for some sprinkler fun, I wouldn’t bother heading over there!  Check out Friendship Park instead.

My 2.5 year old toddler isn’t really keen on spending the day indoors even if it’s hot or rainy (and neither am I!)  But my 3 month old little girl doesn’t do too well in extreme heat, so I’ve been on the look out for places to go near by that are fun for him, comfortable for her, and affordable for me.  I already wrote about the Rock Creek Park Nature Center, which is a favorite of ours – but recently I checked out the Wisconsin Place Community Recreation Center at the suggestion of some moms.  It was a greet find for us, so I wanted so share with my readers.

The Wisconsin Place Community Recreation Center is located at 5311 Friendship Boulevard in Chevy Chase, MD – just over the Maryland line in the same building as the Whole Foods and Bloomingdales. They have a children’s play area with a few oversized blocks (see pictures) and some toys. The guy at the front desk told me that on Monday and Wednesday mornings they move the kid’s stuff into the basketball court and let the kids play there – which is where we ended up. It’s nothing amazing – but Cameron had a great time running around with the other kids. The cost was $5 for us to enter, but you can get a yearly membership which is what I plan to do. It’s $30 a year for Montgomery County residents, and $45 for non-county residents.

You can park in the building parking lot, which isn’t free. But, if you spend 5$ at Whole Foods (including the coffee bar) you can get parking validated for 90 minutes. I’m almost always in need of some coffee or some groceries, so it’s not too hard to think of a reason to shop.

You can find out more about the Rec Center including facility information, hours of operation and fees at the Montgomery County website.

I was pretty bummed last fall when I learned that Chevy Chase Playground (Livingston Playground) was closed for renovation.  But, now that the playground has re opened and everything is brand new (and totally awesome!) I’ve decided it was worth the wait!

One of the big draws of the new space is the water feature (sprayground / sprinklers), but unfortunately, we will all have to wait a little longer for this to open – there seems to be a drainage issue that is still being worked on.  But from what I saw of the water area it looks pretty great.  All the kids were staring at it longingly!  The DPR employee I talked to said he thought it would be ready to go in about a week.  UPDATE – as of 8/2/11 the sprinkler park is open!!

But, let’s cover what is there – There are 4 play structures of various sizes which are perfect for the toddler set. Cameron, at 2.5 could navigate pretty much all of them on his own.  Certainly some of them are made for the littler kids (but he had just as much fun on these).  I tried to include lots of pictures so you could get a feel for the place.

I think his favorite thing was the climbing wall / mountain which after a few attempts he was able to do on his own.  The whole playground surface is covered in soft rubber, which makes for easy falls.  There’s plenty of space to run in between each play area, and lots of trees around (to be fair it was a cloudy day so it was hard for me to really evaluate the amount of shade).  There are a few benches for sitting, although more would be nice.  I didn’t see many trash cans, though there are some.  There are 2 toddler swings and 2 big kid swings.  The toddler swings were in high demand.  There is also another separate playground area for bigger kids which I didn’t check out yet.

If you’re near by, its definitely worth a trip!  There’s plenty of street parking, and once those sprinklers are fully operational I think this will be a favorite summer spot for us (and lots of others too!)

Chevy Chase Playground (often called Livingston Playground because of its location) is located at 4101 Livingston Street Northwest, Washington D.C. It is within walking distance from the Friendship Heights Metro Station (on the Red Line) and, as I said, there is also plenty of street parking.

My two and a half year old son is REALLY into trains, so when I saw a post on another local blog (Go Out and Play) about train rides in the DC area for kids I decided to get him to Cabin John right away to check out the Mini Train!  The morning was, in a word, fantastic.

The Cabin John Mini Train is located at 7400 Tuckerman Lane Rockville, MD – there’s plenty of parking there, and a great playground which I will talk about later.  The train runs Monday – Thursday, 10am – 5:30pm (1st train at 10:30) and Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays, 10am-7pm (1st train at 10:30; last train at 7:30pm) from June 1st – August 28th.  It’s a very affordable outing, costing only $1.75 per ticket (kids under 2 ride free with an adult).  You can also buy a booklet of tickets and get a discounted price.  This is what we did since I know we will be back, and the tickets don’t expire.  FYI, they do take credit cards.  The train ride is about 10-15 minutes and winds through the woods, past the playground (everyone comes over to wave), past a giraffe sculpture, and a groundhog that lives in a hutch.  It’s not that exciting from the adult perspective, but boy did Cameron think it was the greatest!  I follow the Cabin John Mini Train page on Facebook so I can see if there are any weather delays (the train won’t run if the tracks are wet).  Another good thing to know – you can park your stroller at the train station by the railroad crossing sign, so don’t feel like you have to leave it in the car!

After our train ride we went to check out the HUGE playground area.  Most of the playground is shaded, which makes it perfect in the summer.  There are several clumps of play equipment for kids of various ages, as well as some swings.  A lot of the equipment was within Cameron’s comfort zone, and the longer we stayed the more adventurous be became. At first he was so overwhelmed and went from one area to another just checking it out!  I think this is a playground you could take your children to many times and they would still find it exciting.  There’s spots for you to have a picnic lunch, and a bathroom right near by in case you need a potty break.  I would be sure to have some bug spray handy – remember you are in the woods, and it can get a little buggy!

Overall, it was a great and not too expensive way to spend a morning.  We will certainly be back a few more times this summer!

To find out more about the Cabin John Mini Train check out the Montgomery Parks Website, and the Mini Train page on Facebook.  Also, be sure to check out another great local blog, Go Out and Play – What to do in Arlington and Beyond, which is where I got the heads up on this great toddler spot!

It seemed like the last half of May was a monsoon here in DC, and then it got terribly hot – so I was desperate for some indoor fun for Cameron that was easy for me to navigate having Violet in tow. My mom mentioned to me that when I was a kid she used to take my brother and I to the Rock Creek Park Nature Center. The Nature Center is located Just off Military Road near St. Johns College High School (5200 Glover Road, NW DC to be exact). It’s a small building with it’s own parking lot…. and it’s free!

There’s an area with flora and fauna on display that you’d find in the park (some of the animals are stuffed, others live – Cameron loves the Turtles). On Friday afternoons at 4pm kids can meet the live animals and help feed them. Check out the Nature Center website for more about the Ranger Led Programs.

Then there’s a children’s playroom with all kinds of fun things the kids can touch and interact with to help them learn more about life in the park. I completely missed this the first time I went! Cameron wanted to spend a lot of time here exploring, coloring, reading the books, and playing with the puzzles.

Finally, there’s  a planetarium which I’ve yet to check out because I think Cam might be a bit young still. The planetarium holds regular shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. for children five and older (5-7 year olds must be accompanied by an adult) and at 4 p.m. for children seven and older. Also, on Wednesday afternoons year-round there is an after- school show at 4:00 p.m.  Free tickets for the planetarium shows can be picked up at the information desk in the Nature Center.

The Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium is located at 5200 Glover Road, NW DC. It’s open from 9:00 am. – 5.00 pm Wednesday-Sunday. And closed on New Years Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Go check it out and have some fun!

Cameron has always loved swimming.  When we were still living in Brooklyn Cameron and I spent many an afternoon at Clermont Pool at PS 20 cooling off.  Now that we are in D.C. we get swim at Cam’s grandparents house.  The most shallow area of the pool is 4 feet deep (unlike the indoor pool at the Wilson Aquatic Center which has a beach pool that starts at zero depth).  So, I knew I needed to get Cam something to help him swim on his own since I was going to have my hands full with our newborn.  I asked around to my mom friends to see if anyone had a floatie (life jacket, flotation device, etc) they could recommend.  I heard great things about the Sterns Kids Puddle Jumper – and the price seemed right so I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon.

The first time Cam wore the Puddle Jumper in the pool he was a little nervous, still clinging to me.  But as the time went one he became more and more secure in it.  By the end of our hour in the pool he was swimming on his own and jumping in the water.  The next day we went swimming again and he quickly was up to speed and making his way all around the pool.

I love the Puddle Jumper because it’s comfortable for Cameron.  Because of the way it fits around him, it can’t ride up.  It’s very easy for him to move around on his own and work on his kicking and paddling.  I feel confident that he is safe in the water.  It’s easy for me to guide him around with one hand holding the clip at the back to help him work on his swimming.  Overall, I couldn’t be happier – and I think Cam feels the same way!

My son Cameron was born in New York at Columbia Presbyterian hospital – and I have to say my experience at Sibley Hospital here in DC with Violet was much better overall (despite the rather dramatic delivery circumstances!)  Below is a post with what is hopefully some useful information if you are planning to deliver your baby at Sibley Hospital:

Pre Registration:

I’m guessing that most hospitals and OBs tell you to fill out pre registration forms before your due date, so mentioning this isn’t exactly ground breaking.  I only bring it up because it is so important.  You never know if you’ll go into labor early, or if your labor will be super fast like mine!  After sending mine in, I checked with the hospital to be sure that they got them.  I also called my insurance to be sure that all my ducks were in a row on their end.  When I called them I found out that I needed pre authorization from my OB – so it’s a good thing I checked.

Tour Info / Single Rooms:

The Sibley Hospital website has a virtual tour of the labor and delivery area which is good to watch.  But you can also take a tour in person which I found to he much more informative.  Email childbirth at sibley dot org and tell them your expected due date, the names of the people who would like to attend, your phone number, and your email address, and they will get back to you with tour availability.  On the tour they will show you the labor and delivery rooms, the nursery area, the triage room, the snack area, and the postpartum recovery rooms.  Even if you’ve had a baby already – if it was at another hospital I would recommend you take the tour. single rooms At Sibley, they have double rooms and single rooms for postpartum recovery.  Double rooms are covered by insurance, and single rooms cost extra (I think it was around $250 a night).  On the tour I asked if it was hard to get a single room (in New York they were pretty short on them) but the tour guide said they always had more than enough, and could even open up extra rooms on another floor if need be.  So as long as you were willing to pay, they would find a single room for you.  Personally, I think spending the money on a single room is more than worth it.  It allows your significant other to stay overnight (you can’t do this in a double) and it gives you more peace and quiet.

Violet in her hospital garb

Ordering Food:

At Sibley you can place an order for food from the cafeteria any time between 6:30 am and 6:30 pm.  There is a fairly extensive menu of choices, and the food is decent (it won’t blow you away, but it certainly wasn’t awful).  You can order as many times a day as you like (one day I was hungry mid afternoon so I got an impromptu grilled cheese) and you can also order more than one thing at once (both evenings I was there I got extra sandwiches for my husband and for Cameron).  Also, you can place your order in advance and just tell them what time you’d like it delivered.  They always tell you it will be 45 minutes for the food, but I never waited more than 30.

Snack Area:

Both the labor and delivery area as well as the postpartum recovery area have a snack room that has various juices, milk, crackers and graham crackers, jello cups, and a few other random bits of food.  This room is open 24-7 and is always well stocked.  I went many times to grab a quick snack so I found this to be really nice – if you aren’t up and about you can ask your nurse to get you something.

Parking:

There is a parking lot at the hospital, of course, but while there I got a little tip from the tour leader – if you happen to leave after about 9:45 at night, the attendant is off duty and the gate will be up, so you can get by without paying.  Also, if you are going to leave in the day and come back at a later time, tell the attendant and he will give you a pass to come and go.  This way you can save a little money.

Classes:

One thing that I was really impressed with at Sibley were the classes that were offered, especially the breastfeeding class.  This class was lead by a great lactation consultant – it was really informative, and even though this was my second baby and I had breastfed before, I learned a lot.  The breastfeeding class takes place every morning at 10:30.  FYI there are also lactation consultants on duty all the time, and they drop in your room a few times a day to see how everything is going and give you one on one help.  There is also a discharge class offered every evening at 8:30 pm that goes over checking out of the hospital, and some basic baby care information.  I think this was more geared towards first time parents, but it was still useful to know the check out process worked so when we were ready to go it all went smoothly and quickly.

Extra Items to Pack:

I’m sure you have a hospital back packed – but I have a few additions you might want to include besides the usual comfy clothes and toiletry items.  The post partum recovery area is a busy place, and your room might be a little loud – especially if it’s near the nurses station like mine.  I was so glad that I brought my eye mask and ear plugs with me, so that when Violet was in the nursery I was able to get some much needed rest.  Also on the sleep front – I sleep with a small pillow between my legs, and it was really nice to have this as a bit of comfort from home.  And, I brought my house slippers so I’d have something to walk around in.  Pack your laptop if you use one all the time (like me!!) a charger for it, and your cell phone and cell phone charger.  Because we already have a son, my husband didn’t spend more than the first night at the hospital, and during the day he was often off with Cameron – so it was nice to have my technology to entertain me (see below about using the free wifi!)  Finally, you might consider bringing your own towell.  The ones they give you for the bathroom / shower are really small and not very soft.

TV vs wifi:

At Sibley they charge you $5 a day to use the TV in your room – but wifi is free.  They say there is only wifi in the cafeteria, but I had no problem accessing it in my room.  I used the wifi to watch Hulu among other things – so why bother paying for the tv!  It was also nice to be able to chat, send emails, and post on facebook while I was stuck in the hospital.

Discharge:

As I mentioned before there is a discharge class at 8:30 every evening.  Be sure to attend so you know what forms to fill out, where to sign them, and what the policies are.  Also, talk to your nurse on duty for your check out day and tell them you are planning to leave.  I was able to work with my nurse to get all my paperwork in order in advance so that check out was quick and efficient.

Hello friends and fans!  A lot of people have been asking to hear Violet’s birth story, so I thought I would include it as part of my posts about Sibley Hospital.  Part 2 will cover Tips and Tricks that I picked up along the way that hopefully will make your stay a little easier.

At 11:30 pm on Thursday March 31 I was watching Hulu in bed with my husband an I heard a popping noise, followed by a small gush.  I ran to the bathroom saying “I think my water just broke….?”  My husband looked concerned, but I told him I wasn’t having any contractions.  To be careful we started putting last minute items in the hospital bag.  I called my OB’s answering service.

At 11:34 my OB called me back sounding totally exhausted.  He had just gotten back from 2 deliveries at Sibley.  I told him I thought my water broke, but I wasn’t really having contractions.  He said I should go to the hospital if I started having contractions, and said they would call him when I checked in.  After I got off the phone the contractions started, but they were pretty mild.  We called our neighbor to come over and stay with Cam so we could head to the hospital.

On the way to Sibley Hospital, which thankfully is only about a 5 minute drive from our house, things really started to get painful.  My husband asked me if I wanted to be dropped off at the ER entrance or if we could park in the garage.  I said the garage would be fine, so we headed that way.  According to the ticket we were issued on entrance, we got to the garage at 12:09 am.  By the time we were actually parking I had a change of heart and I jumped out of the car walking as fast as I could towards the ER leaving my husband in the dust.

The check in at the ER seemed to take FOREVER, but apparently it really didn’t.  During the process I was having some really painful contractions, and I felt like I was going to have an “accident” so I started yelling for the bathroom.  I ran towards it and when I got there realized I was bleeding.  My husband went to finish the check in and told them about the blood.  Everyone starts yelling “DON’T PUSH!” which is exactly the only thing I wanted to do.  I was screaming.  They came back with a wheelchair and took me to Labor and Delivery.

They got me in a room, undressed, and IV in, and on the bed.  I was still screaming (from pain, and for the epidural).  They checked me and told me the head was coming out, and it was too late.  My husband says I screamed “NOOOOOOO” which I don’t recall, but it sounds about right.

I kept asking if I could push, and finally they said yes.  It hurt.  A lot.  There were several rounds of pushing, and screaming on my part.  I remember looking down at the staff OB (my doctor hadn’t made it yet) and asking her why she wasn’t pulling the baby out of me.  At the time this seemed like a reasonable request!  I was told I was close, and just needed one more round of pushing.  Then, there was whispering among the nurses and the doc and they told me to stop pushing.  This seemed like a cruel joke.  Apparently, the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck twice and they needed to free her.  My OB walked into the room.  The baby was freed and in one more push, she was out.  It was 12:40 am on Friday, April 1st.

Miss Violet Paige makes her appearance April 1st at 12:40 am.

I felt a huge sense of relief, and shock.  I think for the next hour I kept saying “I can’t believe that just happened.”  My OB checked me out and said I didn’t need any stitches and everything looked great.  I didn’t feel so great, but that didn’t last too long.  The baby was healthy and as happy as a recently delivered baby can be.  She weighed 7lbs, and measured 19.5 inches.  We named her Violet Paige.

Overall, the experience was extremely intense and painful, yet empowering.  I felt like if I could do that, I could do anything.  I could walk pretty much immediately after, and I got to leave the hospital on Saturday.  If I was to have another child (not the plan!) I wouldn’t choose to go without the pain meds, but it certainly did have its upside after-the fact.

Stay tuned for Part 2 – Tips and Tricks for making your stay at Sibley a little easier.  Hopefully this post wasn’t too personal for you guys!    If anyone else has a story they’d like to share, please leave it in the comments.

At least a month ago one of my friends from Brooklyn mentioned to me that Trader Joe’s had a yogurt in a tube product, but I had yet to see it at my local store here in the DC area.  Well, it just appeared!

Ogranic, affordable, and Cameron approved

It’s called Yogurt Squishers – an organic yogurt in a tube similar to GoGurt (which Cam loves) at a better price – somehow everything at Trader Joe’s is always so affordable!  Oh, and FYI I’ve heard that Stonyfield Farm makes some of Trader Joe’s yogurt products… which makes it seem like even more of a deal to this mom.  Keep an eye out for it next time you are shopping!