Monday, May 31, 2010

Birthday and Memorial Time!

Happy Memorial day.  I hope everyone took time to give thanks to those who have given so much to ensure our safety and freedoms.
We celebrated by having a picnic and celebrate Boo's second birthday!  Yep, that's right, my boy turns 2 tomorrow!  Where does the time go?
Actually, I guess I should back up to last night.  Last night Boo and I spent down at Amma and PopPop's house.  Boo slept on the trundle bed, with enthusiasm actually, and I slept on the day bed in Amma's sewing room.  Poppa decided to stay home and get some stuff done around the new apartment.  Boo and I were staying there so that we could go swimming with Amma in the morning.  Boo slept very well, me, not so much as usual.
Anyhow, in the morning Boo spent a little time reading with his PopPop, something enjoyed by everyone.  Then we went to Amma's Y to go swimming.  Boo had a grand time.  He was a little fussy now and again, but over all did very, very well.  I had a lot of fun and it was great to catch up with Erin.  I really like her and have fun talking with her when I get the chance.  I think the difference was that this pool is much warmer than our pool.  Our pool stays a bit on the cool side due to swim team.  Oh well.  In the summer he'll be glad for the cool temperatures of outdoor pools when it's hot and sticky out.
After swimming the three of us went out to breakfast and my boy at like a horse!  He ate a good bit of my pancakes (they had strawberries in them, but he didn't want those parts...), half my orange juice and most of a serving of frosted shredded wheat.  You'd think I never feed the boy!

Anyhow, after that he and I came home, and he napped in the car.  After we came home, we picked up Poppa and a few things, and headed over to Aunt Kat's.  Poppa and I then dissapeared to go pick up some boy birthday presents.  We probably spent too much again, but we only bought 1 thing that wasn't on the list and 2 things were actually replacements of things that were either lost or destroyed.  We got him a "sit-n-spin", which I'm pretty sure he'll love.  I hope it works well on the carpet, but I think it will.  We also got him a Sesame Street DVD (not on the list), a replacement Elmo, some Duplo blocks to replace those that were destroyed and a box of new crayons to replace the ones that were mutilated.  He got a really cool "Little People" castle set, Toy Story 3 race car and stacking block train from friends at the picnic.  I'm sure they'll all get played with well.

The picnic was a fabulous success.  I think we had over 20 people show up at various points in time.  It was great.  I wasn't planning on doing something big, but it was really nice to get everyone together.  Some of the best parts was the fact that my friend Ian from high school came with his daughter Lulu (who seemed to form a good friendship with Zoe and Katie and the others).  I hadn't seen Ian in well over 10 years, probably closer to 15.  It was nice to catch up a bit.  The other wonderful part is that Steve is home on leave for a few weeks and was able to stop by.  He brought the boy a Flyer's Orange shirt and shorts (both too big, but he'll grow into them.  The shirt fits well enough, but the shorts will probably fall right off his skinny butt.) as well as a new Phillie's T-shirt.  I thanked Uncle Steve profusely for the wonderful clothes.  It was a good thing too, because by the time Steve got there, Boo had managed to half drink, half spill a good bit of Poppa's iced tea down his front.
A pleasant surprise was Dave and the two kids showing up.  He said he would maybe come, so I figured it was a 50-50 shot.  It was nice to see him and the kids.
I think everyone had a good time.  There were several times when tempers got short, but I think the heat and humidity got the best of everyone at one point in time or another.  But, yes, it was a wonderful day.

In other news, Saturday and Sunday we finished moving out of the old apartment.  It sucked.  I'll freely admit I cried before the last time I shut that door.  I have so many good memories of that place and I still feel like our time there came to a close too quickly.  I turned in the keys Sunday after doing a quick cleaning.  Part of me would love to take her to court to try and recoup some of the losses we've had over the last few months, but the bigger part really just wants to see this done with.  We'll see how I feel about it in the morning.
The pictures I just posted on Flickr have some pictures of the new place I took before we moved anything in. It looks much more like a real home now that we have everything moved in, even if it's not unpacked.  A lot of it is, but that's the joy of being able to move a few things at a time and recycle boxes.  The bad thing is, I'd bumped up the air before heading out today, and well, it's now over 85 degrees in the apartment and not cooling down.  The air is moving slightly , but it's not cooling.  Gak is getting a fan and will be calling the landlord in the morning.  Ugh. I was so hoping to have a cool apartment to come home to.  Oh well.  It could be worse.

Anyhow, it's after 10:00.  I should try and get some sleep so I can go to work in the morning.  Go look at all the pictures I just put up on Flickr.

Peace to all and may your parties be good, your birthdays fun and your air conditioning working.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Big Boy Beds

Wednesday night was a momentous night in the new apartment.  Boo not only slept in his bed, but actually started and ended the night there!
As you can see, he was half off the bed in the morning, but he was still sound asleep.  Earlier in the evening I decided I should probably put the bed back together.  We were playing in his room and he was happily bouncing on his mattress.  I asked him where he wanted his bed, and he kept pointing to the wall where I was sitting.  So, I moved the mattress there and he was quite happy to move there.  Even put his head on the pillow and proudly said "bed!".  Since he was so happy on the mattress, I decided not to put the bed back together again right now.  Maybe in a couple of months, maybe by this time next year, who knows.  Eventually he'll be in a "bed" instead of just a mattress on the floor, but for now, this is what he wants.
I wasn't sure he was going to sleep on his bed Wednesday night.  Amma was over to keep an eye on the boy because Gak and I needed to get more stuff done at the old apartment (which should be done by tomorrow, but that's a whole different story...).  He was happy playing on the mattress and she asked if he was going to sleep there, and he said "no".  Well, that's his answer to everything, even when he means yes.  It has been for 6 months now.  Anyhow, I told her it was up to her if she put him to bed on his mattress or in the pack-n-play that we'd been using since Friday.  So, she decides to try him in his bed.
We get home a few minutes after he goes to bed.  We were standing there quietly and suddenly his door opens and he says "keek-a-boo!" in a happy voice.  So, I calmly take him back to his bed, tell him it's bed time, lie him down, kiss his head and tell him to go to sleep.  He's pouting at me and saying "no", but he doesn't fuss too much.  Within about 20 minutes, he was asleep, curled up on the mattress, looking very cute and extremely small.  He stayed that way all night until almost 8:00!  (I took this picture at about 7:30 in the morning.)
Yesterday was also Boo's 2-year checkup.  Yep, that's right, 2-years.  His birthday isn't until Tuesday, but when I had his appointment scheduled for originally will be in our benefits limbo as we switch over.  Therefore, to avoid the hassle, I moved it up a week.  My boy is growing well.  He's 25.5 lb (which is almost no weight change) and 34" tall.  Dr. M wasn't worried about the lack of weight gain, since his % is still good and he hasn't lost any.  He did fuss a good bit, but also cooperated for her as well.  When we were answering her questions and describing what he can do, she said that it sounds like a lot of things they typically expect to see out of a 2.5 year old.  He's just exploded in the last month or two, which has been amazing to watch.  And in general he's such a happy, easy going boy, too, which has us spoiled rotten.  Sure, he gets whiney and stubborn and wants things his way, but his tantrums don't usually involve kicking or biting or any other destructive behavior, just a lot of complaining.

So, that's the good news.  The bad news is, that most of the furniture still at the old place that we wanted, we don't want any more because it's been infected and it's just not worth the risk.  That really put us between a rock and hard place.  We could just leave the crap there and kiss our deposit good-bye, or we could pay $300-$400 for a junk company to come haul it away and hope to salvage some of our deposit.  (I know she'll keep some of it... there is some paint damage and I probably won't get it "clean enough"... but that's a different story...)  Legally, she can't keep all of it unless it's for actual repairs and she's supposed to furnish us a receipt.  I'm not going to hold my breath or push my luck.  So.... we decided to go with the junk company.  It sucks, it sucks really bad.  Because now we not only need new (or at least new to us) furniture, but we've got to pay to get rid of the old stuff.  So, yeah, we'll probably be out the whole deposit at any rate, but at least this way, hopefully we won't be out the deposit plus the cost of new dressers for the family.  Everything will be picked up and hauled away tomorrow afternoon.  I'm hoping it'll take up less space than I think it will, but I'm not going to hold my breath.  I just want it gone and to be able to finally close this chapter.

I'm just thankful that this is a long weekend.  Saturday we finish getting stuff out of the old place.  Sunday I'll clean it and bake some cupcakes (not at the same time).  Monday I'm trying to figure out if I can manage to go to the Y with mom.  We're also having a picnic at Kat's house for Memorial day and we're celebrating Boo's birthday with cupcakes and ice cream.  If you want to come, just show up.  If you need directions, let me know!  (I'm not sure why I'm saying this.... there are only about 10 people who read this thing and they'll either be there already or live out of state....)

Anyhow, peace to all and may your beds be slept in, the choices easy and the weekends fun.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Drive By Postin

Just taking a quick second so say that the move hasn't killed us yet.  It's trying hard, but we've been winning so far.
Yes, I've been lazy and haven't updated photos since the first of the month.  I'll get there.
We got so much done yesterday with the help of Joan, Mel and Ant, it is amazing.  Now, to try and have enough energy to fix the rest of it.  Ugh.  We've got until Friday or Saturday really to get everything done.  Most days I think we'll make it, but every once in a while... I'm not so sure.
Anyhow, the network is up at the new place and we've been sleeping here since Friday.   No, the boy isn't in his bed, it is in pieces on the floor of his room.  He's been in the pack-n-play and quite content there.  So, I may be able to procrastinate the changeover for a bit, but I'm not sure.
But, the boy is asleep, and I'm thinking that sounds like a wonderful idea myself.

Peace to all and may your moves be smooth and you through out more than you keep.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

New

So, it's been a week since I last posted.  As usual, it's not because I don't have anything to say, it's because I'm not sure I want to commit it to writing for various reasons and that I'm still working through some of it in my own head.  That and I've been busy.
Last week was filled with business at work.  And general crankiness on my part.  My good friend Abi's mom also passed at the end of last week.  We knew it was coming, as her mom had been fighting cancer (started as breast, moved into her brain) for quite some time and that she really was going downhill fast.  It still sucks.
But yes, I kept turning over and over in my mind how to say what I feel about the new apartment.  The new apartment is lovely.  It's a wonderful space and we actually have neighbors, and they're all friendly so far.  (One even offered to babysit Boo if we ever needed before she's even met him!)  It has a lot of nice amenities and is in a good location and reasonable rent and all that good stuff.
But it's not home yet.
It may not be for a bit of time.  I'm trying to make it home.  I want it to be home, truly I do.  I like the place and think that moving there is a good thing.  I just still feel very hurt and betrayed and forced into it.  In a way, I almost feel like I've been dumped.  No, I'm not in a romantic relationship with either the old apartment or the landlady, you know what I mean.  I mean that I've had a relationship with this space and this landlady for 4 years now.  This is where our son was conceived.  This is where we brought him home to.  This is where we had many, many a Sunday game session with friends.  This is where I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time last year. So, yeah.  It wasn't a perfect relationship.  There were bits of  awkwardness from the start, or almost the start.  But it seems like it all just fell apart at the end and that we were all but forced out the door.  It got to the point where the relationship between us and the landlady couldn't be salvaged, and I really don't want to live somewhere where the landlord or landlady doesn't like me or my family.  I keep asking myself what went wrong.  So, yes, it's almost like we were dumped and like the ending of any relationship, it will take a little time to heal from it and move on.  I think that's the best way I've been able to explain how I feel right now.

But, we've started the moving process.  I'm so glad it's only a handful of blocks away and we can move a few things here and there and don't have to have everything packed up and boxed up and labeled and ready to go on just one day.  I'm horrible at that.
Friday was a very busy day for me.  The first thing was that Gak and I both had eye doctor appointments.  We both got new glasses, mine were ready that afternoon.  That was a good thing because Boo had broken the arm on mine a couple of weeks earlier.  They were able to repair them so I have a spare set though.  (My prescription didn't change a whole lot.  I really like my new frames, they're very different from what I'd been wearing.
The next thing on the list was to pick up the keys to the new apartment and pay the half's month rent for May.  After that was dropping Boo off at daycare and Gak and I had a quick lunch and then dropped him off at work.  Then I had the joy of going up to the Social Security office in Allentown.  You see, I never did change my name to Brady with them.  And since everything else, including my passport is in my married name, not my maiden name, the new corporate won't pay me unless my SSN matches.  So... off to Allentown I went.  Then I had time to pick up a few things, pick up my glasses and do a little bit around the new apartment before I had to pick up Boo and Gak.  So, even though it was a vacation day, it was far from restfull.

The move is going well.  The kitchen is all but moved (the cold stuff is moving today, and there are a few other odds and ends in the kitchen to move yet).  The clothes are all but moved, other than what's at Kat's in storage and the few things for this week.  Everything is getting washed again before being moved.  Paranoia being what it is.  We took Gram's dinning room furniture down to Mom's on Sunday, with the help of Scott and Kat (and Zoe in tow!).  Then we picked up a new bed from my friend Randy at work.  They'd bought a new queen sized bed shortly before his wife got sick.  She can't sleep in the bed any more, and so it was just taking up space in the garage.  He said we could have it just so long as we came and picked it up.  (I'll probably take him out to lunch or something as a thank-you though.)  We need to get a new kitchen table (our little tiny one will do for now) and a new futon/sofa.  We've still got the furniture to move mostly and the linen, storage and junk closets to go through.  But, it's going.  We've got another week or so yet.  We don't have to have everything out of here until the 30th.  (Technically the 7th, but I told our landlady we'd have everything out by the 30th).  We've paid the half-month of May at the new place and the extra week's worth at the old place.  I have to cancel the phone and the DirectTV (unfortunately, the new place is Comcast only... and we're not going to keep the landline, just the cable and the Internet, saving us about $50 or more a month.)  I keep trying to call but either forget until 10:00 at night or get disconnected with Verizon.  It will happen though.
So, yes, we're getting there.  Boo seems to like the new space.  Especially now that some of his toys are in his room.  He really loves the balcony and will gladly proclaim "Outside!" every time he sees it and want to go out there all the time.  We'll see what happens when he has to sleep there.  I'm not putting the crib up, but may keep the crib mattress around for a little while.  We'll have the pack-n-play as a backup.  I'm sure there'll be a few sleep deprived nights, but he'll get the hang of it sooner or later.  I think he's ready to move into a real bed, but not so sure about staying in there to go to sleep.

Anyhow, I'd better get dressed, get the cold stuff packed up and ready to go.  And a boy awake and dressed as well, since we're all heading over to the new place before I go to work.  Oh, and yes, I have pictures and no, they're still on the camera.  Patience.

Peace to all and may your relationships end smoothly and your moves go well.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Thoughts on Motherhood

With it being Mother's Day and all this past weekend, and finding out that my friend in Key West is pregnant with their first, I've had lots of time and reason to reflect on motherhood recently.
I've come to a startling observation.  Why, at least for me, does it mean more to hear one of my female friends, especially those who are moms of kids older than mine, tell me I'm a good mom, than to hear it from my own mom or husband?  I love them all.  Their opinion matters, especially Gak's, because, well, to put it bluntly, he's got just as much say in how our son is raised as I do.  (More so in some ways because he gets to spend more time with Boo.)
So, why does it mean more to hear Kat or Joan, or a friend from my crochet board or a female coworker tell me I'm a good mom?  Even if it's with a silly/sweet/sentimental chain email.  Maybe it's because I expect to hear these things from my husband and my own mother.  I know, that sounds a little weird, but I've always known that my mom believes in me and my abilities.  I don't have to "prove" myself to her.  I know there are lots of women out there who would just fall over if they ever got a positive word from either their husband or mother.  I know I left my mother-in-law off this list of people.  That can be such a tricky subject.  Don't get me wrong, I think I have a pretty good relationship with Gak's mom, but I guess I just don't feel like I have to "prove" myself to her either.  Maybe it's be just being too strong-willed and independent for my own good, who knows.
Maybe getting recognition as being a "good mom" from someone who barely knows me (obviously not Kat or Joan who sometimes know me better than I know myself...) means more because they don't see the whole picture, they don't know all my secrets or anything, but only see my parenting through this blog, through things I post on other boards or just seeing me and my family for a brief bit of time at a store or when we go out to eat.
Of course, this brings me to a whole new question, of why is it so important that we feel validated by others in our parenting styles?  Why is it that we seek approval of others for our decisions in this matter?  Does it go back to some deep rooted holdover from our ancient history as hunter/gatherers and tribal living?  Somehow, I think that's a bit of a romantic idea.  Is it because being a mother is the most important job I have right now and that, like with any job or task, there is a need to know you're doing it well?  Is it because we want to know that we're not horribly messing up our child or children's future(s)?  I'm sure there is someone out there who will say that it's our "need" as women to be affirmed and our inherently low self-esteem.  Yeah, OK.  I don't believe that.  As much as I value my husband's opinion, I do not need the approval of any man (well, maybe my father's) to feel complete and competent.  Maybe it's because I've always had my dad's approval and support from day one, but I'm just not seeing that.

Motherhood is such a different journey for every woman on the path.  Even just getting onto that path is different for every woman.  Some are thrust there unwillingly or unwittingly.  Some have the struggle of a lifetime just to find the path, let alone stay on it no matter how much they want to.  For others finding the path and getting on it is no big challenge.  There are many twists and turns and forks on this path, and as parents we can only choose the path that we think is right for us and our family.  I know in our case, Gak plays a vital role in the decision making of the path we go down whether he realizes it or not, and I know I don't tell him that often enough.  In our case, that's the right way, the way it needs to be.  Not every parent has a partner to help find the path, due to many, many factors.  Those are the parents I feel for.  Having someone even just to listen to my hair-brained ideas and point out why they would or would not work, is invaluable.  There are so many choices to make, big and small.  Breastfeeding, formula feeding or a combination?  Co-sleeping, bassinet, crib or something else?  Vaccinate or not?  Public school, home school or private school?  Big day care or nanny or small center or one parent stay at home?  Blue socks or red?  Apples or bananas?  In the end, we can only do what we can do.
In the end, it really shouldn't matter what our friends, family or especially strangers think about our parenting.  In the end what matters is if your child or children are happy, healthy and getting the most out of life?  And even that's a pretty subjective thing.

Which, I guess brings me to another thought.  Why is there so much guilt in parenting?  In the past I steered away from parenting boards and the like.  I remember when pregnant ranting about a few of them from time to time.  I have since found one that, for the most part, I enjoy reading and posting on.  I skip the threads where it seems like they only exist to stir up trouble or force ideas down peoples throats.  I try and be supportive where I can and quiet or polite or informative where I can't.  (Trust me, there have been many, many replies to things that have been typed and promptly deleted...)  So, why should I feel guilty that I have to work outside the house?  Why should I feel guilty that I took time to pump at work so my son could continue to get the breast milk I strongly believe that was the best option for him?  (That comes from many directions.) Why should I feel guilty that my son is in a small day care center, not somewhere like Goddard with it's uber educational program or a sitter who's only watching a few kids?  Why should I feel guilty that I don't force my son to eat things and fight that fight every meal of every day?  Or that I turned him front facing at 15 months when he was well over the 1 year and 20 lb minimum required by law?  Why should I get grief that I vaccinate my son on the pediatricians schedule instead of some slower schedule or not at all?  These are all decisions I made, more often than not with the input, advice and support of my husband and father of our son.  In each case we've made the decisions that have seemed best for our family.  Would I do things differently?  In some cases, possibly, hind-sight being what it is.
I think we should just be able to support each other on this long hard road that we're all traveling.  Parenthood is not easy.  Everyone does the best they can with the information they have at the time.  That's all we can ask.

Anyhow, I just wanted to say that... although, I'm not sure I made any real sense or just made it all the more muddy.  I wish all the parents on this child-raising journey much luck, much love and happy kids.  And yes, I spent most of my time talking about mothers, not because fathers don't have to deal with these issues, but because well, I'm a mom so I see that a little more intimately than what dad's go through and well... our society treats dads different in general.  (That's a whole other topic and one I don't really have time to get into right now, and am not so sure I should at the moment anyhow...)

Peace to you all, parents and not, and the next time you see a mom or a dad having "a day", smile at them and tell them they're doing a fine job.  It may just make their week.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the Mom's in my life.
Yesterday was a good day over all.  My boys took me out to breakfast at Spoor's.  It was quite yummy as always and I ate too much.  Boo even ate about a quarter of a piece of french toast.  After breakfast I dropped the boys off at the apartment and I went and did laundry.  Boo crashed for a nap shortly after getting home and was still asleep when I got back.
Once he woke up he got a bit of a snack (3-4 bites of yogurt that he insisted on using a fork for... 3 bites of a cereal bar and maybe 2 sips of milk).  Then it was time for the highlight of the day.  We went to the movies as a family!  We should have gotten into the theater right as the movie started instead of about 5-10 minutes before.  Boo did very well through most of it.  He would get whimpery not at the scary moments, but at random calm moments.  (Or when I would try and take the drink away, we should have brought his milk with us...)  anyhow, he got to the fussy, "I'm DONE" stage with about 10-15 minutes left in the movie.  So, I know how it probably ended, but no idea how it got there.  Oh well, it was quite enjoyable and will be added to our collection when it comes out on DVD.  It was truly a fun little movie and I will enjoy watching it again.
We then had an early dinner at Red Robin, which was yummy, even with a squirming boy.  We've reached that point where he doesn't want to be in a high chair or a booster but won't sit still yet (even for about 30 seconds it seems...) long enough to eat something.  At home if he gets up from the bench 3 times we tell him he looses his big boy privelages and he gets put into his high chair.  He'll usually fuss about it, but after a minute is resigned to it and will eat something or sit there quietly.  It's a bit tougher at some restaurants.
After eating we stopped in at Target, mostly to browse.  Then we headed up to the Promenade Shops. My goal was to go to LL Bean.  The boys went to the book store.  And yes, I actually bought a pair of jeans a size smaller than I've been wearing for at least the last 5 years, if not most of the last 10.  Yes, I'm satisfied with that.  No, it's not "life changing".  (I've never really bought into the hype that all of your troubles will disappear and you'll be a new perso(!)! as soon as you loose a bunch of weight.  If you have self image problems or other life issues, loosing 10, 15 or 30 lb or more isn't going to fix it over night.  Sure, it may help some people, but I've never seen myself as the bad side of "fat"... not skinny, yes, fat and ugly, no.  There isn't some super happy, super active bubbly person trapped inside me.  I'm me.  I've never let my size get in the way of what I want to do and have actually always seen myself as smaller than I really am... but this is another rant....)
Anyhow, I met up with the boys at the book store and Boo was having a clingy, whiny time of it.  He's been fussy and cranky and out of sorts all week.  I know he knows something is up and it's not sitting well with him.  He's also had a bit of a nasty cough going on (but it sounded better last night...) and his top two canine teeth are about halfway in.  Oh, and he's almost 2.  So, yeah, he's been out of sorts. He's also been sleeping a lot more this week, so I'm guessing he is fighting off a bug of some kind on top of everything else.

But, now I'm back at work today and it's being a painfully unproductive day.  Therefore, I'm going to wrap this up and try and force my attention back to where it should be.  Wish me luck, I'll need it.

Peace to all and may your weekends be good, the movies fun and the jeans fit.

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Rolling Right Along

Well, it's been almost a week since I posted.  I'm sure the next few weeks are going to be a little sparse.
Part of it is I just haven't had much to say.  Part of it is I'm still neck deep in the chaos that is going on right now, and it's about to get worse for a couple weeks.  You see, we get the keys to the new apartment next Friday.  I'm both excited and sad about that.
I'm excited because we'll have a balcony, a kitchen with some nice amenities, central air and off street parking and someone who seems like a really cool landlord.  I'm sad because I really truly love this space.  I'm not so happy with the landlady (well, that's an understatement) and it's been growing over the last few years.  I'm going to miss the bench in the kitchen and the size of the kitchen, but not the lack of amenities.  I'm going to miss the nice built in shelves/cabinets in the boy's room and the hardwood floors and actually having a dining room.  But I'm going to enjoy having 2 bathrooms.  I'm going to miss, in a way, being right in downtown, but I'm not going to miss being only a block away from a pizza joint or one of the water ice places.  It makes being lazy too easy.  Although, Wawa will be about a block from the apartment when we move... but then again, so will West End Fire Company.  But, I'll take the good with the bad.

I really can't wait to get this move over with though.  If only so that Boo may have a better time of things.  He's been very out of sorts, and not the normal "terrible twos" out of sorts.  He's confused and not sure what's going on and prone to melting down when things are being moved around and out of place right now.  He's also all but given up on baths and has decided to scream through them, refusing to sit.  Therefore, he doesn't get one nearly as often as he should.  It started about 2-3 weeks ago now.  It's a little better, because he doesn't freak out if you tell him he needs one.  (Although, most of the time I don't tell him these days...)  He'll willingly follow me into the bathroom and watch me start the bath, and even happily run to his room to get undressed and then run back to the bathroom.  But, when it comes time to actually put Trey down and get into the tub... the screams come.  We had one good bath last Friday, after we got a new bath toy from Ted and Lonnie, customers at Jim's store who seem to have adopted us.  It's this really cool basketball hoop that suctions onto the tub wall.  It went well until he was a little too rough and pulled it off the wall.  Then all hell broke loose again.  Oh well, at least he let me get his hair washed (and the ick gone) while he happily counted and made baskets.  (Well, he mostly counted, sometimes it was just random numbers, but what do you expect from a 23-month old?)
I'd also like my son to start eating again.  Yes, I know I've lamented this before, but it's different right now.  It's not that he's just refusing things with protein or iron or vegetables, it's that he's refusing almost everything, including his beloved strawberries!  He's eaten even less quantity than usual this week.  Of course, I know he's not feeling 100% and he's had this nasty, soupy cough at night for most of the week.  He's had it some during the day too, but it's worse at night.  No, Benedryl hasn't helped.  I don't want to take him back to the doctor right away, but.... aargh.  And his 2-year checkup is in 2 weeks, so.... why couldn't he just wait until then?  Bah.
So, I'm hoping the move and the settling into the new place will help restore some of the balance in his life.  I know it won't stop the "terrible twos" from happening and trust me, when he gets frustrated or things aren't his way, he lets us know, loudly.

Today should hopefully be a good day.  Tomorrow should be fun too.  Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to buy a new pair of jeans and go to the movies with my boys.  Yep, we're taking Boo to his first movie.  We're finally going to go see "How to Train Your Dragon".  I can't wait.  It's a short movie and several people have told me that their 2-3-year-olds have loved it.  I hope Boo sits through most of it.  I mean, he'll actually watch an entire Sesame Street episode (which Gak uses to great advantage in the mornings, and I don't blame him one bit) when he wants to, so hopefully a 90-minute movie won't be pushing it too hard.  We'll hopefully also be going to Red Robin either before or after.  I think that's a great way to spend Mother's Day.  (Now to figure out what we're doing for dinner today after Gak gets off work....)

Anyhow, I'm off to get some other things done before the boy wakes.
Peace to all and may your weeks not be a blur and your weekends fun.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Weekend

Well, it was a weekend.  Of course, like I'd originally thought, since I took Boo into the doctor on Friday, he was feeling much better by Saturday morning.  I still wasn't going to give him any milk and closely watch his solids, but he was almost his normal self.  Because he woke up around 7 and was happy and chipper, I decided to break my rules and take him to swim class.  If he'd had a fever the day before or hadn't been vomit free for almost 18 hours, I wouldn't have taken him.  Well, we're in with the bigger toddlers this time.  He did not want to wear the bubbles, so I didn't make him.  He did not want to get into the water at first, and I'm not sure I blame him on that one.  It was cold.  Well, maybe not cold, but definitely not warm.  He warmed up quickly though and was enjoying himself by the end of the half hour.  If I can ever get him back into the bathtub without screaming at me for the entire time it takes to clean him, we've got to work on blowing bubbles.  He'll kick a bit if he wants, and will even sometimes "reach and pull" a bit with help... if he wants to.  But blowing bubbles seems to be a true mystery to him.  Splashing, on the other hand, he's an expert at.
After swimming we went home for a few, but since he had absolutely no interest in napping and it was beautiful out, we took a walk to the park.  Seeing as though "park" and "slide" are two of his favorite things, I though this would be a good idea.  It was, we had lots of fun.  Saturday they were doing the "Relay for Life" at the park and it was very crowded.  So, it's a good thing that we didn't drive over.  Anyhow, I was hoping he'd fall asleep on the walk back to the apartment after playing for about 45 minutes (we would have stayed longer but I forgot the sunscreen and it was HOT) but no, he didn't.  He did, however, take a nap for me shortly after that.
After he woke up and we picked up Gak from work, we ran a few errands (more like me running us in circles) and instead of me doing laundry (I'm too good at avoiding chores!) we ended up going over to Kat's.  It was a nice afternoon.
Sunday was even hotter and stickier.  Of course, we don't have the air conditioners in the windows at the apartment, so it's really sticky.  This means tempers were short for both me and Gak.  Our plans for the day were blown up quite early when Boo woke up early and needed a nap early.  So, instead of doing laundry 1st thing, we end up doing it later.  Gak and I spent some quality time in EQ together and then some time trying to get rid of some of the junk that's accumulated over the last 4 years. Once Boo woke up, I dropped the boys off at the Q-mart to try and get rid of some things while I took a stinky dinosaur and the laundry to get done and run a few errands.  I pick up the boys after everything was in the dryer.  Luckily we were able to get done with little to no indecent and quickly.
Of course, with the heat and tempers flaring and the stress of this whole situation, the littlest thing set both me and Gak at each other's throats.  Unfortunately for me, there is at least a kernel of truth to what Gak was complaining about yesterday.  There is no acceptable excuse for it, and "I'm sorry" is just a little hollow....
Anyhow, we managed to gather some things together to take over to Good Will.  Unfortunately, they don't take high chairs.  (We were going to get rid of the big high chair because we've never really used it and really won't have room in the new place for it...)  I can understand why they don't take cribs or car seats due to recalls and stuff... and there have been several recalls of high chairs recently as well.  Oh well.  I guess either we'll just store it at Mom's for now or maybe if Chris and Dianne are having a garage sale again this summer, put it up then... or maybe eBay.  Who knows....  Of course, we have a bunch of videos and books to drop off at Kat's, so we do.  Boo loves this because it means that he gets to play with Zoe two days in a row.
It was hot ans sticky and I refused to turn on the stove or oven... so we went out for dinner.  We shouldn't have.  We ate out too much this weekend as it was... but the lure of Friendly's and ice cream was too much.

So, today I have to do the grocery shopping on my way home.  I also have to gather trash and my goal is to go through my yarn and craft supplies in the big closet tonight.  I know there is a lot in there that I can get rid of... probably just right into the trash.  Tomorrow the bug guy comes again.  I'm not sure if this is for another spraying or just a follow-up inspection.  I don't really care.  I just want this nightmare to be over with so I can focus on what's important, my husband and my son.

I've got other things to talk about, but I need to get back to focusing on my work.  I've been playing catchup or been in training all day, so... I'm falling even further behind.  Not a pleasant feeling....

Peace to all and may your weekends be good, your moods not cranky and your behavior to your loved ones kind.