Kirk's halfway through his first week at new daycare. So far it's going as well as can be expected. He cries when he's dropped off and isn't taking the best possible naps. But he's happy with the kids and other than his continuing toy stealing habit, he's being a good boy. I felt like I was the bad guy since I dropped him off the first two days and Mr. b "rescued" him by picking him up. But today Mr. b dropped him off, too, so he got to witness firsthand how much Kirk cries.
It's just been a helluva week for the boy. Friday was his last day with Auntie and since it was also Mr. b's birthday, he slept over there so we could have a party. Saturday evening we all attended a wedding reception. Sunday we went to the zoo in the afternoon and our new kitty arrived that evening. Monday he started a new daycare. And last night Mr. b had previously arranged for a babysitter so we could go out. We decided to skip a movie and just do dinner; the poor little man needed to see his Mommy and Daddy at bedtime.
And on top of all that? I think he's got a small cold. I had a throat thing earlier this week but it never turned into anything. Kirk's got a runny nose and went to bed an hour early tonight. Well, he clearly needed it. He'll adjust. And humans have to learn to deal with change.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Nocturnal Musings
Kirk has found a new method to assist himself in his quest to fight sleep. He pulls on his eyelids. It's both cute and painful to watch. He really yanks his eyelids out far! He grabs ahold of his lashes and yoink!
It's nice that he's starting to amuse himself in his crib instead of just screaming bloody murder. Oh, it doesn't happen every time. But we definitely hear him playing with his mounted crib toy (which is actually an ancient nursery rhyme themed thing that was handed down for my crib) about half the time that he doesn't want to fall asleep. For the last couple of nights we've also heard his Baby Tad singing away. Hee!
The only problem with having something like Baby Tad in the crib is when it comes on in the middle of the night. Having "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" blasting over the monitor tends to startle you awake. I already had to remove a duck that repeatedly played its song whenever it was bumped. At least Tad needs more than just a passing jolt to start in.
It's nice that he's starting to amuse himself in his crib instead of just screaming bloody murder. Oh, it doesn't happen every time. But we definitely hear him playing with his mounted crib toy (which is actually an ancient nursery rhyme themed thing that was handed down for my crib) about half the time that he doesn't want to fall asleep. For the last couple of nights we've also heard his Baby Tad singing away. Hee!
The only problem with having something like Baby Tad in the crib is when it comes on in the middle of the night. Having "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" blasting over the monitor tends to startle you awake. I already had to remove a duck that repeatedly played its song whenever it was bumped. At least Tad needs more than just a passing jolt to start in.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Developmentation
Kirk has been oddly clingy/cranky the last couple of days. He'll be perfectly happy playing by himself. Then suddenly he's screaming for our attention. And only holding him on your hip while standing is good enough. It's really weird but sitting with him on your lap or playing with him on the floor won't do the trick. I have to wonder what's up. Is he sensing the impending daycare change? Is he going through a reversion signalling a new development? (He's definitely free-standing for longer and longer and even taking an accidental step on occasion.) Is he exercising a new sense of individuality? Is he just "being a butt"?
It's so much fun watching his play developments though. He's figured out that he can place a ball on the top of the Pound a Ball and then smack it with his hand to send it through. No hammer use yet but that'll come with time. He drives his various trucks and trains, including a totally kickass F-150 that plays "We Will Rock You", and he makes vroom noises while pushing them along. He climbs up his little transforming step/chair and is so very proud of himself for sitting on the top of the two little steps. It's just beyond adorable and I love watching his experimentation and discovery.
It's so much fun watching his play developments though. He's figured out that he can place a ball on the top of the Pound a Ball and then smack it with his hand to send it through. No hammer use yet but that'll come with time. He drives his various trucks and trains, including a totally kickass F-150 that plays "We Will Rock You", and he makes vroom noises while pushing them along. He climbs up his little transforming step/chair and is so very proud of himself for sitting on the top of the two little steps. It's just beyond adorable and I love watching his experimentation and discovery.
Inheritance
I've made jokes that the real title of Eragon is "Harry Skywalker and the Dragonrider of the Rings". Eldest is even more blatantly Tolkienian than its predecessor. And yet I was totally sucked in.
It's strange reading--and enjoying--a book that you can objectively tell just isn't quality writing. I could *sense* the over-thought put into the turns of phrase, the word-a-day calendar vocabulary, the alliteration, and hyper descriptive language. But I didn't notice that at all times; I did in fact get absorbed into the story. I predicted all the "twists" but that didn't make them less enjoyable. I preferred the chapters focusing on Eragon's cousin Roran to the chapters focusing on Eragon himself. Roran was on the more interesting and unique Hero's Journey in my opinion. Eragon was just going through Yoda training on Dagobah.
Another mildly annoying thing was the Silmarillion, ahem, influences. The dwarve's mythology was lifted almost directly from Tolkien's Ainur and Valar stories. Not to mention the Beren and Luthien parallels. Plus the contant borrowing of proper names. I'd end up saying the Middle-Earth names in my head because Paolini's versions were so close. There would be an inversion of some letters from a mountain's name and then, presto! A sword's name!
However, by the end of the book I found myself totally excited for both the upcoming movie version of the first one and the (hopefully soon to be published) promised third book. There are some very original ideas and some extremely fun uses of real history, like the economic power of lace. I look forward to finding out what happens next.
It's strange reading--and enjoying--a book that you can objectively tell just isn't quality writing. I could *sense* the over-thought put into the turns of phrase, the word-a-day calendar vocabulary, the alliteration, and hyper descriptive language. But I didn't notice that at all times; I did in fact get absorbed into the story. I predicted all the "twists" but that didn't make them less enjoyable. I preferred the chapters focusing on Eragon's cousin Roran to the chapters focusing on Eragon himself. Roran was on the more interesting and unique Hero's Journey in my opinion. Eragon was just going through Yoda training on Dagobah.
Another mildly annoying thing was the Silmarillion, ahem, influences. The dwarve's mythology was lifted almost directly from Tolkien's Ainur and Valar stories. Not to mention the Beren and Luthien parallels. Plus the contant borrowing of proper names. I'd end up saying the Middle-Earth names in my head because Paolini's versions were so close. There would be an inversion of some letters from a mountain's name and then, presto! A sword's name!
However, by the end of the book I found myself totally excited for both the upcoming movie version of the first one and the (hopefully soon to be published) promised third book. There are some very original ideas and some extremely fun uses of real history, like the economic power of lace. I look forward to finding out what happens next.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Enough already!
Does she seriously not get that shit like springing a last minute doctor's appointment in the afternoon that will require us to rearrange our pick-up schedule on us is a major factor in us leaving? Counting the days.... I am so ready for a break from my sister.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Dupes
I finally returned Kirk’s duplicate toys from his birthday. Oddly enough, I then turned right around and bought a duplicate blanket! It’s the blanket he’s settled on for his "transitional object". Meaning, that’s the thing that calms him, that he snuggles into, that makes him smile no matter what/where/when. So we wanted to have a second one to leave at the new daycare. Hopefully that’ll help his transition.
We broke the news to my sister on Thursday. She cried but took it well I thought. She grabbed on to "high gas prices" as the leading reason for our defection. But she’s obviously still dwelling on it. Just this morning she asked if there wasn’t another reason, something she did or could change. I reiterated that it was the drive, that all three of us are sick of the drive. And it’s true. Kirk starts crabbing about 2 or 3 miles from the finish line either direction. She did mention that she’d noticed that he doesn’t seem as thrilled with riding in the car as he used to.
But that’s just another thing. She takes him on errands. All. The. Time. She schedules her own life with no regard for business hours. We have to alter our own work schedules because of simple doctor’s appointments. But this Fall she’ll begin coaching soccer again. And then it’ll get even worse. I know she’s getting pressure from her husband. He apparently both predicted that we were going to leave soon and has also been telling her that she’s "too nice" which I have to interpret as "not charging enough money". But seriously Vlad, she’s not frickin’ licensed! The casual family daycare concept goes both ways.
We broke the news to my sister on Thursday. She cried but took it well I thought. She grabbed on to "high gas prices" as the leading reason for our defection. But she’s obviously still dwelling on it. Just this morning she asked if there wasn’t another reason, something she did or could change. I reiterated that it was the drive, that all three of us are sick of the drive. And it’s true. Kirk starts crabbing about 2 or 3 miles from the finish line either direction. She did mention that she’d noticed that he doesn’t seem as thrilled with riding in the car as he used to.
But that’s just another thing. She takes him on errands. All. The. Time. She schedules her own life with no regard for business hours. We have to alter our own work schedules because of simple doctor’s appointments. But this Fall she’ll begin coaching soccer again. And then it’ll get even worse. I know she’s getting pressure from her husband. He apparently both predicted that we were going to leave soon and has also been telling her that she’s "too nice" which I have to interpret as "not charging enough money". But seriously Vlad, she’s not frickin’ licensed! The casual family daycare concept goes both ways.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Tag
Ooh, looks like people are playing this game again. Even though lis and laddical didn't, and I'm sure it's the height of lameness, I'm still going to tag myself and do it again. Not sure if I should tag anyone else though since I'm playing solitaire.
1. Grab the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence (grab next nearest book if fewer than seven sentences found).
4. Post the text of the next three sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag three people.
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
At the gate to each tier, a guard waved them through without comment. They soon left the buildings and found themselves crossing the barren fields at Tarnag's base. Beyond those, they reached the stone quay that edged the still, gray water.
Ah, what the hell. If you're out there, I'm tagging Anabanana, LA, and Diablo.
1. Grab the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence (grab next nearest book if fewer than seven sentences found).
4. Post the text of the next three sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag three people.
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
At the gate to each tier, a guard waved them through without comment. They soon left the buildings and found themselves crossing the barren fields at Tarnag's base. Beyond those, they reached the stone quay that edged the still, gray water.
Ah, what the hell. If you're out there, I'm tagging Anabanana, LA, and Diablo.
Daycare Update
We met with our new daycare provider last night! The lovely and talented angelmamma recommended her to us. She knew that there would be an opening since her own kids go there and her daughter is starting pre-school shortly. Perfect timing! I felt very comfortable with the house, the caregiver, her own two kids. Heck, her husband even gave us some spare cukes from his garden! And it’ll be nice for Kirk to be around kids closer to his own age and some boys. As my mom put it, A1 is going back to school, A2 is starting all-day pre-school--it’s Kirk’s turn to move on.
Of course now I’m totally dragging my feet about telling my sister. I just can’t predict how she’s going to react. Mom thinks I’m preparing for the worst. So what if I am? If she doesn’t freak out then so much the better. But I’m not going to assume it’s going to go smoothly. Mr. b and I have been rehearsing what to say and we’re focusing strictly on the drive. Maybe with a dash of my-promotion-means-I’m-less-flexible-with-my-hours (which isn’t strictly true but still) tossed in for good measure. And we’re going to ask if she’s willing to be our "back-up" should we need it. Fingers crossed!
Of course now I’m totally dragging my feet about telling my sister. I just can’t predict how she’s going to react. Mom thinks I’m preparing for the worst. So what if I am? If she doesn’t freak out then so much the better. But I’m not going to assume it’s going to go smoothly. Mr. b and I have been rehearsing what to say and we’re focusing strictly on the drive. Maybe with a dash of my-promotion-means-I’m-less-flexible-with-my-hours (which isn’t strictly true but still) tossed in for good measure. And we’re going to ask if she’s willing to be our "back-up" should we need it. Fingers crossed!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Party Animal
Mr. b's second band is playing out tonight with a friend's band. So one of their girlfriends had a genius idea: a Before Party. Why hasn't someone come up with this before?! I love it. Sure, as some folks there remarked, it means we're all getting old that we're not having an After Party. But come on, that doesn't negate the brilliance of the idea! And it's perfect for parents. If you've got a sitter, you can go straight home after the gig and not have to stay out til a million o'clock. Or, like I did tonight, you can just bring your kid with you to the Before! Unfortunately, Kirk didn't last long. We had jammies with and his blankie and a bottle and figured I'd get to stay there until 9, maybe 10. I managed to stay out that long a month or so ago at the Mexifest. Alas, tonight I had to leave shortly after 8. Sigh. So now it's bad TV and junk food for Mommy.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Teeth and Toilets
I love watching Kirk experiment with his teeth. He takes bites out of Cheerios! I've started making him sandwiches for meals, like grilled cheese or peanut butter and cheese on toast. Even though I'm only using one slice of bread, I still then cut that into three or four smaller pieces. It's so cute seeing him work on a little wedge of sammich!
I think we have a solution to his current insistence upon standing during bath time. At first I tried various techniques such as going pantless and sitting on the edge with my feet in the tub so he could hold on to me knees. Still flooded the floor. Mr. b hit upon the best idea though: showering with the boy. I hadn't tried it myself before tonight. We were both filthy from weeding the hostas. I just used Johnson's Baby Shampoo on my own hair so the run-off wouldn't sting his eyes down below me. I think it worked pretty well. He only tried to grab my pubes once and he ended up clean!
We need to keep the door to the bathroom closed at all times now though. Kirk loves playing with the toilet. If the door's open and the lid and/or seat is left up, he'll start splashing around in the toilet bowl. If they're down then he plays with the flusher. Or the plunger. At least he hasn't start spinning out the toilet paper yet.
I think we have a solution to his current insistence upon standing during bath time. At first I tried various techniques such as going pantless and sitting on the edge with my feet in the tub so he could hold on to me knees. Still flooded the floor. Mr. b hit upon the best idea though: showering with the boy. I hadn't tried it myself before tonight. We were both filthy from weeding the hostas. I just used Johnson's Baby Shampoo on my own hair so the run-off wouldn't sting his eyes down below me. I think it worked pretty well. He only tried to grab my pubes once and he ended up clean!
We need to keep the door to the bathroom closed at all times now though. Kirk loves playing with the toilet. If the door's open and the lid and/or seat is left up, he'll start splashing around in the toilet bowl. If they're down then he plays with the flusher. Or the plunger. At least he hasn't start spinning out the toilet paper yet.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
The end of a very beautiful daycare?
This morning I finally admitted to Mr. b that I’m starting to stress out about Auntie Daycare. I knew this day would eventually come and it’s finally here. And he’s ready to start looking elsewhere, too. For him, it’s largely the inconvenience of driving across town. If we’re carpooling, in the morning we take Kirk to my sister’s, then he drops me off, then he goes to work. After a full day of work, he returns to pick me up, then we go over to my sister’s for the boy, then we head home. It’s about an hour and a half each way. So that’s three hours everyday. We can find something closer. We’d gotten used to all the driving. But it’s too much. Mr. b figures it’s worth $10 a day in increased daycare costs for the simple convenience of not having to drive that distance anymore--even adding on another $5 per day in gas savings.
I don’t know how we’re going to afford real daycare. We’ve got four new bills to deal with right now: new furniture, Sears portraits, and each of our student loans that just came back from maternity leave forbearances. Mr. b says not to worry about that, that we should first find a new place and then we’ll figure out the money. But my brain doesn’t work that way.
I just can’t handle leaving Kirk with my sister everyday anymore. Sure, she’ll pick him up or drop him off on occasion and we won’t have that flexibility anymore. But the last time she picked him up was because she had a morning doctor’s appointment that she neglected to tell me about until the day before. So I had to stay home with him until she was done. Last week he was only over there for two days. Monday she was out of town, Thursday Kirk was having his shot reactions, and Friday A2 was sick. I still had to pay her for the full week. I know I’ll have to do that at real daycare but it’s a business so it’ll feel less like I’m getting ripped off. She’s family! Why won’t she give me a break? Besides, with real daycare I won’t have to keep Kirk home because one of the other kids is sick. They won’t be there in the first place.
And there will be defined rules about what the daycare provides and what I provide. My sister recently asked for a $10 per week raise since she feeds Kirk lunch everyday now. That's great. I don't have to make sure she's stocked up with snacks and junk. But apparently diapers weren't included in her request. So I still have to bring those, and wipes. I know for a fact that day care decreases once the child reaches a certain age so she's definitely working contrary to convention there.
Plus, frankly, my sister is kinda bitchy with her kids. She always been the difficult kid, the challenging family member, so it's nothing new and it's not surprising. Oh, she’s a good mom and I trust her and all. But Kirk’s getting bigger and he’ll start noticing things like A1 getting scolded for something that’s not a scoldable offense. That bothers me and I don’t want him to have to deal with it. It also bothers me how she tries to parent him during family gatherings. After Kirk’s naming ceremony on Sunday she was all about trying to feed him and change him and just do everything. I know in her mind she thinks she was "helping" since we were also hosting the reception in our house. But dammit, he’s our son, not hers. We’re the ones raising him, not her. I guess it goes hand-in-hand with the hurt I felt when my dad called her with questions and not me. But I also don’t think it’s unreasonable.
I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get our budget figured out. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to find a new daycare provider. I really don’t know how my sister is going to react to "getting fired". Because even though her offer of doing daycare was always supposed to be only temporary, and last only as long as we wanted it to, I know she’s going to view it as getting canned. That’s just how she is. And it’s going to be a big messy family fight with my mom trying not to take sides and my brother and his wife saying "I told you she sucks" and my dad secretly kinda agreeing with my brother but also not wanting to take sides and it’s just going to bite and be even more stress. But I think it’s for the best in the end. I have to at least keep telling myself that.
I don’t know how we’re going to afford real daycare. We’ve got four new bills to deal with right now: new furniture, Sears portraits, and each of our student loans that just came back from maternity leave forbearances. Mr. b says not to worry about that, that we should first find a new place and then we’ll figure out the money. But my brain doesn’t work that way.
I just can’t handle leaving Kirk with my sister everyday anymore. Sure, she’ll pick him up or drop him off on occasion and we won’t have that flexibility anymore. But the last time she picked him up was because she had a morning doctor’s appointment that she neglected to tell me about until the day before. So I had to stay home with him until she was done. Last week he was only over there for two days. Monday she was out of town, Thursday Kirk was having his shot reactions, and Friday A2 was sick. I still had to pay her for the full week. I know I’ll have to do that at real daycare but it’s a business so it’ll feel less like I’m getting ripped off. She’s family! Why won’t she give me a break? Besides, with real daycare I won’t have to keep Kirk home because one of the other kids is sick. They won’t be there in the first place.
And there will be defined rules about what the daycare provides and what I provide. My sister recently asked for a $10 per week raise since she feeds Kirk lunch everyday now. That's great. I don't have to make sure she's stocked up with snacks and junk. But apparently diapers weren't included in her request. So I still have to bring those, and wipes. I know for a fact that day care decreases once the child reaches a certain age so she's definitely working contrary to convention there.
Plus, frankly, my sister is kinda bitchy with her kids. She always been the difficult kid, the challenging family member, so it's nothing new and it's not surprising. Oh, she’s a good mom and I trust her and all. But Kirk’s getting bigger and he’ll start noticing things like A1 getting scolded for something that’s not a scoldable offense. That bothers me and I don’t want him to have to deal with it. It also bothers me how she tries to parent him during family gatherings. After Kirk’s naming ceremony on Sunday she was all about trying to feed him and change him and just do everything. I know in her mind she thinks she was "helping" since we were also hosting the reception in our house. But dammit, he’s our son, not hers. We’re the ones raising him, not her. I guess it goes hand-in-hand with the hurt I felt when my dad called her with questions and not me. But I also don’t think it’s unreasonable.
I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get our budget figured out. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to find a new daycare provider. I really don’t know how my sister is going to react to "getting fired". Because even though her offer of doing daycare was always supposed to be only temporary, and last only as long as we wanted it to, I know she’s going to view it as getting canned. That’s just how she is. And it’s going to be a big messy family fight with my mom trying not to take sides and my brother and his wife saying "I told you she sucks" and my dad secretly kinda agreeing with my brother but also not wanting to take sides and it’s just going to bite and be even more stress. But I think it’s for the best in the end. I have to at least keep telling myself that.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
A for Bee
I really enjoyed Bee Season by Myla Goldberg. It was written in the first person, even when the action was in the past. That drove my aunt nuts but I thought it was fascinating. It must have been so hard to keep all the verbs straight! This story was really so much more than just the tale of an unremarkable young girl with a talent for spelling that gains confidence as she is recognized for her ability. Each member of her family was also a main character. And each of them--speller, older brother, dad, mom--was on their own spiritual journey. Truly amazing. I often found myself wondering if reading about the brother's path (if this book had existed then) would have affected my own when I was at my searchingest in college. Everything was just so rich and real (and very Jewish), even when descending into insanity.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Can I get paid for this post?
I have found that having one of those Tide fresh-food-and-beverage-stain treater pens with me at all times is indispensable as a mother of a small child.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Delay
I had to stay at home with Kirk yesterday. He woke up at 5:30am with a fever. Doc said that for one of the three shots he had gotten, the measles/mumps/rubella, any reactions wouldn't happen for 1 to 2 weeks, instead of the standard 48 hours. So sure enough, 9 days later, he's hit. I knew it wasn't a peanut allergy because Mr. b had given the boy peanut butter for the first time last weekend and it was fine. So we had that out of the way. No food allergies to be found. Phew!
But my sister called later on to let me know that A2 was stricken with a very high fever, 104 to Kirk's 101, and had both strep and an ear infection. I don't want Kirk anywhere near that kind of contagion! But I couldn't exactly miss another day of work. So my mom was kind enough to drive down and spend the day with him today. Hopefully it really is just the delayed immunization. It has to be! Kirk just doesn't seem sick. He seems like he's shot-y. But my damn sister has me second guessing myself now.
At least Kirk was still feeling well on Wednesday evening for his first ever photo shoot! We took him to Sears for his 1 year pictures and totally let them sucker us into the big package and everything. But it was so much fun! And I think the grandparents will be glad to have the fancy collages that we got for them.
But my sister called later on to let me know that A2 was stricken with a very high fever, 104 to Kirk's 101, and had both strep and an ear infection. I don't want Kirk anywhere near that kind of contagion! But I couldn't exactly miss another day of work. So my mom was kind enough to drive down and spend the day with him today. Hopefully it really is just the delayed immunization. It has to be! Kirk just doesn't seem sick. He seems like he's shot-y. But my damn sister has me second guessing myself now.
At least Kirk was still feeling well on Wednesday evening for his first ever photo shoot! We took him to Sears for his 1 year pictures and totally let them sucker us into the big package and everything. But it was so much fun! And I think the grandparents will be glad to have the fancy collages that we got for them.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Maybe Some Reservations
I finally finished reading A Cook's Tour, after a mighty long and unexpected delay due to my airplane idiocy. I quite enjoyed it but it was sort of odd reading it after having seen so many No Reservations episodes. Several chapters, especially the Vietnamese ones towards the end, seemed like redos. Although since Cook's Tour the show came first, I guess it's technically the other way round. Still, Tony Bourdain is a funny, funny man. He's strangely snarky while being serious.
And he's trapped in Lebanon. How scary. He's definitely making light of the situation. (There's a list of all his first person commentary links in the TWoP No Reservations thread.) Is there anyone else better equipped to ride out an unexpected war zone than Tony? Probably not many. Synchonicity that I had just come back to his book and now he's in the news.
And he's trapped in Lebanon. How scary. He's definitely making light of the situation. (There's a list of all his first person commentary links in the TWoP No Reservations thread.) Is there anyone else better equipped to ride out an unexpected war zone than Tony? Probably not many. Synchonicity that I had just come back to his book and now he's in the news.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Healthy and Happy
Yesterday was Kirk's one year check up and the latest round of immunizations. He's doing great, remains in the 70th percentile for height and 50th for weight. Even though we all, Doc included, thought for sure he seemed much taller. She did have to pull his weiner head out a bit of its circ. He did not like that. Poor baby. I've got to try harder to keep that back. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would be if he wasn't circumcised! We ended up waiting for nearly an hour and a half because Doc was running so far behind. She apologized profusely and made a nurse give us free Tylenol. On a tip from the nurse we dosed the boy before his shots. They definitely seemed to burn more than the previous ones. And the trauma didn't end there. He had to have a finger prick in the lab for a blood sample for whatever tests.
It's a good thing that we didn't have to go to swimming lessons afterwards. Originally the appointment was last week (Doc was out sick that day) and we would've then gone to the pool. As it was, we managed to go out to eat. It's likely our last restaurant visit for quite some time. Kirk is just too unruly these days. He screams and is desperate to climb out of his chair and move about. So we're take-out people for a while.
Swimming lessons ended on Monday. They were so much fun though. Kirk's younger cousin was in the class with us (his mom had gotten us the lessons for a birthday present) and it was just adorable watching the boys interact in the water. And kind of nostalgic for me to be in the pool with my little brother since we spent so much time in our own pool while kids. The lessons were mainly just water familiarity and playtime for the small babies. It's not like they were going to master the skills expected of their 3 year old classmates! Mr. b and I learned what kind of stuff to practice whenever we have Kirk in the water--blowing bubbles/face in the water, front and back float, kicking. He did get to wear a life jacket and "jump" off the diving board, too. Adorable!
I decided it's a good idea to keep a Little Swimmers in the diaper bag at all times over the summer. You never know when you'll decide to go to the lake. Or drop by a friend's house with a kiddie pool.
It's a good thing that we didn't have to go to swimming lessons afterwards. Originally the appointment was last week (Doc was out sick that day) and we would've then gone to the pool. As it was, we managed to go out to eat. It's likely our last restaurant visit for quite some time. Kirk is just too unruly these days. He screams and is desperate to climb out of his chair and move about. So we're take-out people for a while.
Swimming lessons ended on Monday. They were so much fun though. Kirk's younger cousin was in the class with us (his mom had gotten us the lessons for a birthday present) and it was just adorable watching the boys interact in the water. And kind of nostalgic for me to be in the pool with my little brother since we spent so much time in our own pool while kids. The lessons were mainly just water familiarity and playtime for the small babies. It's not like they were going to master the skills expected of their 3 year old classmates! Mr. b and I learned what kind of stuff to practice whenever we have Kirk in the water--blowing bubbles/face in the water, front and back float, kicking. He did get to wear a life jacket and "jump" off the diving board, too. Adorable!
I decided it's a good idea to keep a Little Swimmers in the diaper bag at all times over the summer. You never know when you'll decide to go to the lake. Or drop by a friend's house with a kiddie pool.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Victory!
Last night, for the first time ever, Kirk fell asleep by his own damn self. I had instituted a 9pm bedtime rule. If he hadn't fallen asleep in our arms prior, well, then it was crib time whether he liked it or not. Generally this then starts off several rounds of 5 minutes of crying by himself, 5 minutes of holding and singing. Last night he cried a little, but never for the full 5 minutes. He played. He stood. He sat. He crawled around. He cried. He played. He cried. He played. He cried. He fell asleep. !!!
He's so cute to peek in on now because of the strange positions he sleeps in. When it was finally quiet enough, at about 9:40, that I felt confident I could open the door, he was facing the wrong direction, curled up half on his belly, half on his side, with his blankets and stuffed animals strewn all about. I have to keep resisting the urge to take pictures of his sleeping cuteness for fear that the flash will disturb him.
He's been falling back to sleep after cranking in the middle of the night for a week or so now. But my relexes are so automatic that with the first cry, I'm up and in the kitchen, making a bottle. Twice now I've had to abort the mission. The first time I got the bottle completed and didn't notice he had gone back to sleep until I was walking into his room to administer it! The second time I had the whole milk poured and warmed and was about to add the formula half when I realized it was quiet again. So now I need to try to resist the urge to get up right away and give him a minute or two to possibly go back to sleep. I'm sure he'll still need a bottle now and again but I do like this new era of sleep for Mommy.
He's so cute to peek in on now because of the strange positions he sleeps in. When it was finally quiet enough, at about 9:40, that I felt confident I could open the door, he was facing the wrong direction, curled up half on his belly, half on his side, with his blankets and stuffed animals strewn all about. I have to keep resisting the urge to take pictures of his sleeping cuteness for fear that the flash will disturb him.
He's been falling back to sleep after cranking in the middle of the night for a week or so now. But my relexes are so automatic that with the first cry, I'm up and in the kitchen, making a bottle. Twice now I've had to abort the mission. The first time I got the bottle completed and didn't notice he had gone back to sleep until I was walking into his room to administer it! The second time I had the whole milk poured and warmed and was about to add the formula half when I realized it was quiet again. So now I need to try to resist the urge to get up right away and give him a minute or two to possibly go back to sleep. I'm sure he'll still need a bottle now and again but I do like this new era of sleep for Mommy.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Bikini Season
I wore my preggo bikini last night. In public. Kirk started swim lessons, which my brother's wife had gotten him as a birthday present. But in the madness of out-of-town visitors and party planning, I never got to the store to buy myself a new swimsuit. So I figured I'd see if my 8-months-pregnant bikini fit and it did. And, to my everlasting shock, I didn't look that horrible in it. I had also retrieved the top to a maternity tankini from my 'ternity bin in the basement. That looked horrible with my bikini bottoms. So I just figured what the fuck. I honestly don't care. Sure, I don't have a flat stomach and my thighs are bumpy. Whatever. I'm married, I have a young baby, my husband thinks I'm sexy, I look good in most clothes. And after seeing all the Mom Suits in class last night? I'm even happier that my laziness prevented me from buying one myself. Oh, I bet I'll end up getting a one-piece later this summer anyway. But it sure as heck isn't going to be cut like that. I'd rather have my little muffin top exposed than wear something that unflattering.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
My Big Boy is Still Little
We're trucking along with the one-year-old changes. Mr. b flipped Kirk's carseat around right away. And we're now doing half whole milk/half formula for his bottles. Kirk's check-up is tomorrow and we'll ask about the dreaded peanuts. Right now his diet is pretty much ABP--Anything But Peanuts. I guess I haven't given him fresh strawberries yet but I'm not worried.
Kirk is starting to sleep in other positions than just flat on his back with his arms up. Which should be great for his flat head! He rolls onto his left side almost everytime now when I lay him in his crib. Last night he was so over-tired that he crawled around all loony with the top of his head on his mattress and finally collapsed in a heap with his face planted in a mound of stuffed animals at the foot of his bed. Adorable!
But there are definitely some things he's still too little for. Like movies. He's too old to just pass out in his car seat in the theater. But too little to pay attention for a whole movie. Besides my birthday, when we had a babysitter, the last movie I saw in the theater was Harry Potter. We've been threatening to go to the drive-in again for quite some time and actually did it on Monday. Double feature with Click (I loved it; I cried and prayed for the reset button and it came and I rejoiced and I really loved it) and Nacho Libre (not as good as I was expecting, considering how much I loved Napoleon Dynamite; I liked it well enough but, I don't know, maybe it'll grow on me). Kirk had fun watching all the kids playing before the show started, and climbing around in the car during the previews. But he couldn't fall asleep in my arms. Mr. b strapped him into his seat and he fell asleep pretty much immediately.
Kirk is starting to sleep in other positions than just flat on his back with his arms up. Which should be great for his flat head! He rolls onto his left side almost everytime now when I lay him in his crib. Last night he was so over-tired that he crawled around all loony with the top of his head on his mattress and finally collapsed in a heap with his face planted in a mound of stuffed animals at the foot of his bed. Adorable!
But there are definitely some things he's still too little for. Like movies. He's too old to just pass out in his car seat in the theater. But too little to pay attention for a whole movie. Besides my birthday, when we had a babysitter, the last movie I saw in the theater was Harry Potter. We've been threatening to go to the drive-in again for quite some time and actually did it on Monday. Double feature with Click (I loved it; I cried and prayed for the reset button and it came and I rejoiced and I really loved it) and Nacho Libre (not as good as I was expecting, considering how much I loved Napoleon Dynamite; I liked it well enough but, I don't know, maybe it'll grow on me). Kirk had fun watching all the kids playing before the show started, and climbing around in the car during the previews. But he couldn't fall asleep in my arms. Mr. b strapped him into his seat and he fell asleep pretty much immediately.
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