Quantity Versus Quality

So what is it? What's more important? Quantity or quality? Many of my "soap opera" moment in the past couple weeks have amounted to this short but very complex question, quantity or quality?

Health Issues:

Alberto is fine. We went to see Dr. Muinos. Alberto is weighing 22 lbs and is on the charts. Dr. Muinos suggests that Alberto did have a weight loss due to his gastroenteritis (so that's what they are calling the poops these days) along with his reduced caloric intake. However, when I challenged his system by increasing his caloric intake -- pediasure when I wasn't satisfied on how he was eating; his body responded and he gained the weight. Which was going to be his first recommendation -- and I did it before anyone told me to. Why? Because I have crazy mama syndrome and because this seemed like common sense! And it worked. So that is even more encouragement for my crazy mama syndrome.

In this case, it was the quantity of the calories that made a difference. Granted, there was quality in the calories since he wasn't just eating cookies. I suppose, both quantity and quality worked here.

I only exhibit crazy mama syndrome when it comes to Alberto's sleeping and eating. The sleeping and eating is quite consuming. That might be why when it comes to other things, I'm like a deer caught in the headlights.

This might explain why when I saw that the nanny was having her personal phone call and was a little non-attentive to Alberto, I was kind of paralyzed and didn't really know how to respond or react.

But life and circumstances forced me to address this issue. As I was going over my finances, I realized that the nanny was a luxury I simply could not continue. And it was a tough decision. My plan was to keep Alberto home until he was 2 years old. A few months ago, I revisited my plan and thought at least until he's been home for a year. But, my plans and reality sort of weren't seeing eye to eye.

On top of that, my boss has been pressing me to increase my hours to at least 40 hours a week -- something that is nearly impossible to do while taking care of a child. Even though I have argued time and time again that the quality of work I accomplished in the time I gave her was more than most other people accomplish in the same amount of time. But, she wasn't buying it. She wants quality and quantity; no argument.

So, what am I supposed to do?

As much as I want to give Alberto quantity of time, I realize that the quality of that time is not all that great. Mostly because my attention is divided. So after much soul searching and plotting out numbers, I began searching for daycares.

I found a daycare that I think would meet our needs and has a good feel to it. He is going to start there in 2 weeks.

Which forced me to talk to the nanny. Now, I feel bad because she is going to be unemployed, sort of. Granted, I am convinced that she is a survior and will find work in a heartbeat. I let her know what was going on and that I would give her an additional 2 weeks out of consideration for her service. I did ask if she could continue on Mondays to clean the house and since most of the school holidays fall on Mondays, she could watch Alberto those days. Hopefully this works. If not, I actually have back ups. So as far as my childcare goes, what counts is the quality of care that Alberto is getting.

The hair: Well, I am going to take pictures!! I promise!!! I am going to meet up with an old friend on Thursday and promised to torture him with my amazingness -- so I should have some good pictures! Stay tuned!!!

The cookie diet: I suppose the cookie diet was a really great thing for me! (qunatity of food and calories) Everyone that I see that I haven't seen in months, can't believe it's me. Geez, did I look that bad? Good thing I'm meeting up with the "old friend" now and not then!!! Even today when I went by the office after seeing Dr. Muinos, people were commenting on how nice I looked. Keep in mind, I love compliments. But I thought I looked normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Note to self -- gotta watch the image a little bit more on the day to day (quality of how I look and feel). Maybe, it was the bodyshaper I was wearing today. Perhaps, I should buy more of them. I no longer feel as though I am going to faint due to circulation problems. Either they are stretching or I'm getting thinner -- I think they are stretching.

I must admit, though, that on Sunday, I was a perfect candidate for What Not To Wear. In fact, I was certain, as I was pushing my grocery cart into the parking lot, that Stacy and Clinton were going to ambush me. I have no idea how I allowed myself to walk out of the house like that. Let's face it, I looked like I was wearing my pajamas. The hair still looked good -- that was the only thing going for me. In fact, as I approached my car, I even thought that the hairdresser Nick would only have to work with the style and not the color.

Quality is winning over quantity. What good is it to have a lot of junk? My mom instilled in me since I was young that it was better to have one good pair of shoes than to have a bunch of shoes that were no good; basically, it's the real-thing or no-thing -- granted, we never went barefoot (that would be a travesty in a hispanic household).

I suppose my goal is to have quality in the quantity of what I have.

Lessons learned: In the multitude (quantity) of counsel, there is wisdom (quality)-- getting various medical opinions have concluded that my son is fine. Sometimes, life has a way of forcing you to deal with realities and make choices. And finally, it's never a good idea to walk out of grocery store realizing that you are a perfect candidate for What Not to Wear, you never know who you might meet.