Thank you to my friend from college Kelsey, for giving me a blogging lesson. You get an A for teaching! If you can teach me how to insert a hyperlink through an e-mail, you must be a genius!
Now, can you teach me how to get my archive to look like everyone elses? You know, with the number of entries for each month listed next to it.
Be careful...now that you've taught me one thing, I'll be driving you crazy!!!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Memories...
I have started a new project to keep myself busy (can you feel the sarcasm oozing through your computer screen). Okay, so I'm plenty busy. Except for the rare times when both children are sleeping (right now). I SHOULD be cleaning my house. But that is no fun. I'd rather write about the mind-numbing subject of my life. ;)
So I'm printing out my old blog. I'm sure there is a technological way to download the blog into a computer file, blah blah blah. But I can't even put links in my entries...how in God's name would I figure out how to permanantly archive my old blog? So I'm doing it the old-fashioned way. I bought fancy paper and page protecting sheets and a pretty binder with a flower on it. And I'm printing out every page of my old blog.
It is so much fun. I have to thank my sister Kate for getting me started doing this. I am having a BLAST reading through my old entries. And I'm only up to November 2005! So many cute phrases that Andrew said that I'd forgotten. So many tantrums...I realize reading these how much better Andrew is now than he used to be. This is better than a dumb old baby book. I have actual memories written down!
Some of my favorites so far:
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/09/andrews-2-today.html
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/09/pictures-from-waterfront-park.html
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/09/ouchies.html
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/10/getting-love-back.html
I can't wait to see what November holds...!
So I'm printing out my old blog. I'm sure there is a technological way to download the blog into a computer file, blah blah blah. But I can't even put links in my entries...how in God's name would I figure out how to permanantly archive my old blog? So I'm doing it the old-fashioned way. I bought fancy paper and page protecting sheets and a pretty binder with a flower on it. And I'm printing out every page of my old blog.
It is so much fun. I have to thank my sister Kate for getting me started doing this. I am having a BLAST reading through my old entries. And I'm only up to November 2005! So many cute phrases that Andrew said that I'd forgotten. So many tantrums...I realize reading these how much better Andrew is now than he used to be. This is better than a dumb old baby book. I have actual memories written down!
Some of my favorites so far:
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/09/andrews-2-today.html
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/09/pictures-from-waterfront-park.html
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/09/ouchies.html
http://giselles.blogspot.com/2005/10/getting-love-back.html
I can't wait to see what November holds...!
Monday, January 29, 2007
The dentist
Andrew went to the dentist today for the first time ever. And guess what...he was an ANGEL. He sat right down in the chair and became a zombie as he was sucked into the movie showing above the chair. In fact, the dental hygienist kept trying to talk to him to make him feel better (this is my special toothpaste...this is my whirrly toothbrush...this is a special napkin to keep your sweatshirt clean). Andrew's response? To open his mouth and crane his neck to see the movie around her head. I kept waiting for him to say, "Here, my mouth is open. Do whatever you want...pull teeth, color them purple, stitch my tongue to the roof of my mouth. But for the love of God, woman, move out from in front of the TV!!!"
The dentist was a very nice, grandfatherly man. I chose this practice because it has a pediatric and an adult dentist. See, unlike you people who live near family, I have to take my kids with me to appointments. So I figured this dentist would have toys. And now I'm convinced it will be okay, because they have tv's. :) Next week when I go to the dentist, I'm sure Andrew will be zombified the entire time.
Andrew was such a champ. The whole time he was getting his teeth cleaned, he gave the thumbs up sign. The dentist thought that was a riot, until I explained that Andrew does that when he is anxious. By the end, we were at 2 thumbs up. Brave little guy. They cleaned, picked, AND did fluoride! What a pro! I had a moment of such pride. You don't really get that when they are little. But I watched him just being my wonderful little boy...so cooperative, so amazing...and I just swelled up with pride. What a neat person he has become...and I get to call him mine?!?! When he got to sit back up, and he actually thanked the dentist unprompted...I thought my heart would burst. I just wanted to hug and squeeze him and cover him in kisses...but I'm already not allowed to do that. Only 3, and already embarrassed by his mother.
Unfortunately, Andrew has picked up another bad trait from me. He already had to be cursed with my personality...isn't that enough? Now we've discovered he has gotten my enamel. The doc has some funky laser that measures enamel. It is bad if it is over 25 (whatever that number means). Most of his teeth were in the 7-15 range. But his two back molars on top? 99 and 77!!! He's only had those teeth for about 7 months?!?!? They already have brown spots on them...which will lead to decay soon. But the dentist doesn't like to give fillings to 3 year olds (no kidding), so Andrew will come back every 3 months until they need to be filled.
I appreciate the dentists advice. But why do I feel like I'm dealing with a used car salesman? Or one of those guys in pioneering days who sold lemon juice and claimed it was a magical elixir that would cure indigestion? I just thought it was awfully convenient having a magical little laser that brings patients back twice as frequently. Maybe I just don't want to deal with the fact my baby is going to have to have fillings.
So that's our dentist adventure. Next week I'll tell you about my own dentist adventure. I got a peek at the adult dentist...he is HOT! I may break out the makeup for this appointment. A preview: Ooooo, baby, look at me. I'm an overweight stay at home mom of two. Aren't I all you've been looking for and more?
***note to parents: I am not looking for a new man. Jeff is all the man I can handle. I just thought the dentist was some nice eye candy. If Jeff gets to ogle bikini clad girls on vacations, can't I have my fun too?
The dentist was a very nice, grandfatherly man. I chose this practice because it has a pediatric and an adult dentist. See, unlike you people who live near family, I have to take my kids with me to appointments. So I figured this dentist would have toys. And now I'm convinced it will be okay, because they have tv's. :) Next week when I go to the dentist, I'm sure Andrew will be zombified the entire time.
Andrew was such a champ. The whole time he was getting his teeth cleaned, he gave the thumbs up sign. The dentist thought that was a riot, until I explained that Andrew does that when he is anxious. By the end, we were at 2 thumbs up. Brave little guy. They cleaned, picked, AND did fluoride! What a pro! I had a moment of such pride. You don't really get that when they are little. But I watched him just being my wonderful little boy...so cooperative, so amazing...and I just swelled up with pride. What a neat person he has become...and I get to call him mine?!?! When he got to sit back up, and he actually thanked the dentist unprompted...I thought my heart would burst. I just wanted to hug and squeeze him and cover him in kisses...but I'm already not allowed to do that. Only 3, and already embarrassed by his mother.
Unfortunately, Andrew has picked up another bad trait from me. He already had to be cursed with my personality...isn't that enough? Now we've discovered he has gotten my enamel. The doc has some funky laser that measures enamel. It is bad if it is over 25 (whatever that number means). Most of his teeth were in the 7-15 range. But his two back molars on top? 99 and 77!!! He's only had those teeth for about 7 months?!?!? They already have brown spots on them...which will lead to decay soon. But the dentist doesn't like to give fillings to 3 year olds (no kidding), so Andrew will come back every 3 months until they need to be filled.
I appreciate the dentists advice. But why do I feel like I'm dealing with a used car salesman? Or one of those guys in pioneering days who sold lemon juice and claimed it was a magical elixir that would cure indigestion? I just thought it was awfully convenient having a magical little laser that brings patients back twice as frequently. Maybe I just don't want to deal with the fact my baby is going to have to have fillings.
So that's our dentist adventure. Next week I'll tell you about my own dentist adventure. I got a peek at the adult dentist...he is HOT! I may break out the makeup for this appointment. A preview: Ooooo, baby, look at me. I'm an overweight stay at home mom of two. Aren't I all you've been looking for and more?
***note to parents: I am not looking for a new man. Jeff is all the man I can handle. I just thought the dentist was some nice eye candy. If Jeff gets to ogle bikini clad girls on vacations, can't I have my fun too?
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Expectations
Jeff and I want to be able to sleep in until 7:00. Andrew usually wants to be up before that. So I finally put a digital clock in his room and told him if he wakes up, he can read books until the clock says "7" and then he can knock to come out. This morning, the knock came at 7:01. So I'm hoping he understands...but maybe it was just a coincidence this morning. ;) He ran to our room to wake Jeff, and Jeff took his time waking up. Andrew pestered his dad, then pointing out when Jeff's clock had TWO sevens (7:07). Now Daddy really has to get up. Jeff told him he'd get out of bed when the clock had THREE sevens. Andrew ran into Lily's room (where I was nursing Lily) to check this out with me. I told him Daddy was tricking him, and Andrew ran back to tell Jeff he was on to him.
We've also been trying to fill out a little chart for Andrew. I picked out a few things I want Andrew to work on...Dishes in the sink, Trying new foods, Cleaning up toys, and Helping dress/undress. He gets a sticker when he accomplishes these things. If he fills up a row, he gets a sucker. If he fills up the whole chart, he gets to go to Chuck 'e' Cheese. It has worked amazingly so far. He's earned 3 suckers (2 for dishes in the sink and one for Dressing), and he's almost all the way there to earn Chuck e Cheese. He actually tried SALMON the other night. Amazing.
And finally, Andrew has his own expectations. This morning we were getting breakfast ready, and Andrew was playing with Lily's swing. The conversation went something like this:
A-"Mommy, why is this Lily's swing?"
G-"Well, it used to be yours, but you got too big. Soon Lily is going to be too big for it, and we'll put it down in the basement."
A-"Then the boy baby can use it."
G-"What boy baby?"
A-"The boy baby you are going to grow in your belly."
Oh...I guess Andrew expects a baby brother. I told him to go tell his dad. Freak him out a little. Jeff's response..."Your vote is duly noted."
We've also been trying to fill out a little chart for Andrew. I picked out a few things I want Andrew to work on...Dishes in the sink, Trying new foods, Cleaning up toys, and Helping dress/undress. He gets a sticker when he accomplishes these things. If he fills up a row, he gets a sucker. If he fills up the whole chart, he gets to go to Chuck 'e' Cheese. It has worked amazingly so far. He's earned 3 suckers (2 for dishes in the sink and one for Dressing), and he's almost all the way there to earn Chuck e Cheese. He actually tried SALMON the other night. Amazing.
And finally, Andrew has his own expectations. This morning we were getting breakfast ready, and Andrew was playing with Lily's swing. The conversation went something like this:
A-"Mommy, why is this Lily's swing?"
G-"Well, it used to be yours, but you got too big. Soon Lily is going to be too big for it, and we'll put it down in the basement."
A-"Then the boy baby can use it."
G-"What boy baby?"
A-"The boy baby you are going to grow in your belly."
Oh...I guess Andrew expects a baby brother. I told him to go tell his dad. Freak him out a little. Jeff's response..."Your vote is duly noted."
Saturday, January 27, 2007
A family kind of a day
Today was such an enjoyable one. We are having an "all alone" family weekend...again. I think this is the longest we've gone without seeing one set of grandparents since Andrew was born. Seriously. I think my mom came out every month to California.
I think Jeff and I are pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoying being our little family of 4. It helps that Lily is sleeping so well. Well rested parents mean more energy to play with the 3 year old during the day.
So Andrew slept in until 7:15 today!! Woo-hoo! He hasn't slept past 6:30 in about 2 weeks. We enjoyed our sleep time. Then we had breakfast and lazed around. We finally got dressed and went to Red Robin for lunch. Oh yes...we know how to live. I love their turkey, bacon, avocado croissant sandwich...yummo! Andrew was a blast in the restaurant. He talked the ear off our waitress (she knew his name after just a few seconds). He chatted non-stop through the meal...commenting on the USA flag made from colored baseballs on the wall. He said, "Look, mom. It's the states! With baseballs! This must be a baseball restaurant" At the end he wanted a balloon, so I told him to go ask the host very nicely. He walked back to the hostess desk all by himself and asked for a red balloon. He's so brave!
We then went to B&N bookstore to use up some gift certificates and make some returns. Andrew played trains and Lily fell asleep. We went next door to Petsmart (aka poor man's zoo), and Andrew had a BLAST looking at fishies and petting the cats. We came home and put Andrew down for a nap.
Andrew wouldn't nap, so I took him with me on what was supposed to be my Mommy-only errands. I was disappointed at first I was going to miss out on my alone time...until I had such a great time with my little boy. We went to the library, and he patiently waited for me to pick out my books. Then we picked out his. He decided to show a librarian his "running" shoes...complete with a demonstration of his running skills. She very nicely told him that there is no running in the library. He was MORTIFIED. Covered his face with his hands, almost started crying, froze in his spot like maybe she couldn't see him anymore. Then he ran and hid behind my legs. Is this my child or what? She wasn't even angry...he just hates to be reprimanded. Can't handle criticism. Yup...they may look like Jeff's family...but Andrew at least has inherited my personality to a tee.
We went to Kohl's so I could use my gift certificate there. Andrew was less than pleased...he really wanted to read his new library books. So after we shopped and called Jeff to make sure Lily wasn't demanding food, we went into Starbucks next door. I drank coffee, Andrew ate a muffin, and we read his library books together. We both had such a good time. It's nice to be just the two of us sometimes. But like the good big brother he is, at the end of our time in Starbucks, he said, "Let's go home and see Daddy and Lily. She needs to be fed."
I had really wanted to plan a big outing for Andrew this weekend...the zoo, aquarium, something. But we had such a good time just hanging out together it reminds me that sometimes, all you need is some quality time. Just me and my boy. (BTW...Daddy and Lily had some good quality time at home while we were gone. It's not too often Jeff gets to hang out with his girl all by themselves. Hard to do when your baby is attached at the boob to her mother!)
I think Jeff and I are pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoying being our little family of 4. It helps that Lily is sleeping so well. Well rested parents mean more energy to play with the 3 year old during the day.
So Andrew slept in until 7:15 today!! Woo-hoo! He hasn't slept past 6:30 in about 2 weeks. We enjoyed our sleep time. Then we had breakfast and lazed around. We finally got dressed and went to Red Robin for lunch. Oh yes...we know how to live. I love their turkey, bacon, avocado croissant sandwich...yummo! Andrew was a blast in the restaurant. He talked the ear off our waitress (she knew his name after just a few seconds). He chatted non-stop through the meal...commenting on the USA flag made from colored baseballs on the wall. He said, "Look, mom. It's the states! With baseballs! This must be a baseball restaurant" At the end he wanted a balloon, so I told him to go ask the host very nicely. He walked back to the hostess desk all by himself and asked for a red balloon. He's so brave!
We then went to B&N bookstore to use up some gift certificates and make some returns. Andrew played trains and Lily fell asleep. We went next door to Petsmart (aka poor man's zoo), and Andrew had a BLAST looking at fishies and petting the cats. We came home and put Andrew down for a nap.
Andrew wouldn't nap, so I took him with me on what was supposed to be my Mommy-only errands. I was disappointed at first I was going to miss out on my alone time...until I had such a great time with my little boy. We went to the library, and he patiently waited for me to pick out my books. Then we picked out his. He decided to show a librarian his "running" shoes...complete with a demonstration of his running skills. She very nicely told him that there is no running in the library. He was MORTIFIED. Covered his face with his hands, almost started crying, froze in his spot like maybe she couldn't see him anymore. Then he ran and hid behind my legs. Is this my child or what? She wasn't even angry...he just hates to be reprimanded. Can't handle criticism. Yup...they may look like Jeff's family...but Andrew at least has inherited my personality to a tee.
We went to Kohl's so I could use my gift certificate there. Andrew was less than pleased...he really wanted to read his new library books. So after we shopped and called Jeff to make sure Lily wasn't demanding food, we went into Starbucks next door. I drank coffee, Andrew ate a muffin, and we read his library books together. We both had such a good time. It's nice to be just the two of us sometimes. But like the good big brother he is, at the end of our time in Starbucks, he said, "Let's go home and see Daddy and Lily. She needs to be fed."
I had really wanted to plan a big outing for Andrew this weekend...the zoo, aquarium, something. But we had such a good time just hanging out together it reminds me that sometimes, all you need is some quality time. Just me and my boy. (BTW...Daddy and Lily had some good quality time at home while we were gone. It's not too often Jeff gets to hang out with his girl all by themselves. Hard to do when your baby is attached at the boob to her mother!)
Friday, January 26, 2007
Have I mentioned...
...how much I adore my daughter? She has entered that golden age of babyhood that lasts until they are mobile. Just squealing, cooing, laughing...so interactive. She is happy if she has action to watch (aka. Andrew or other kids). She is happy unless she is hungry or tired. She could care less about dirty diapers. I just love her. I love dressing her! Something I never thought would happen. Coordinating all that purple and vomitous pink (although there are still shades of pink I HATE). I love hearing her cooing and squealing in the morning (after 8-10 hours of sleep), because I know the minute she sees me, she'll just light up and smile and talk to me. Love it. I love that she is ticklish under her arms. Really really ticklish. She now starts giggling before I even undress her because she knows it is coming. So Darn Cute. I really thought I would get a demon child this time, because Andrew was so good. But Lily is so good too. I am so pleasantly surprised...she's laid back, happy, and just so cuddly. I love her I love her I love her.
On the Andrew front...let's see. We got the call that he has a spot in pre-school next year...YEA! Hopefully he'll be potty trained by then. If not...hopefully he'll wear underpants for the 3 hours he's in school and be able to hold it. Jeff went to sign him up last night, and Andrew gave him strict instructions. ("Tell them I'm a really fast runner and that everyone will say hi to me and have my name")
He had a RAGING tantrum today because I was singing to a Beyonce song in the car. Seriously, he was screaming and throwing things in his room (where I dragged him to complete his fit). A total fit that lasted 13 minutes (not that I was counting). I know I'm not a very good singer, but this is ridiculous.
Oh, and yesterday I turned off a movie that was scaring him. He said, "Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it" I LOVE it when he pulls these big words out of nowhere and uses them appropriately.
On the Andrew front...let's see. We got the call that he has a spot in pre-school next year...YEA! Hopefully he'll be potty trained by then. If not...hopefully he'll wear underpants for the 3 hours he's in school and be able to hold it. Jeff went to sign him up last night, and Andrew gave him strict instructions. ("Tell them I'm a really fast runner and that everyone will say hi to me and have my name")
He had a RAGING tantrum today because I was singing to a Beyonce song in the car. Seriously, he was screaming and throwing things in his room (where I dragged him to complete his fit). A total fit that lasted 13 minutes (not that I was counting). I know I'm not a very good singer, but this is ridiculous.
Oh, and yesterday I turned off a movie that was scaring him. He said, "Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it" I LOVE it when he pulls these big words out of nowhere and uses them appropriately.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Hi-5!
We have a new love in our house. And by "we" I mean "Andrew". Last week at playgroup someone mentioned how much their little one loved this kid's show on TLC. So Andrew and I checked it out. http://hi5.ninemsn.com.au/default.aspx (BTW...how do all of you fellow bloggers hide your links behind words? Like you would type Hi-5, and it would be a link? Seriously, I shouldn't be allowed to use a computer.)
It is a little kids' pop group, basically. They sing a lot of songs about using your imagination, and then do little skits. I just looked up a link for this, and I realized that the group has apparently changed since the episodes that we've been watching. The Hi-5 singers on TLC this week are much more multi-cultural. It looks like now it's all white people with one token Asian. Just an observation. Apparently there are no multi-cultural people looking for work in the dance/acting field. Interesting.
I digress. This show is pretty lame. Andrew loves it. And the songs are catchy, damn it. I go around all day singing the Hi-5 songs. So irritating. And Andrew is quickly becoming a groupie. But I guess it's better than Tele-tubbies (see, if I was really blogger-savvy, I would have made that word "Tele-tubbies" link to my old post about Andrew liking Tele-tubbies. But I don't know how to do that. And I don't really know how everyone else knows how to do it, but I can't figure it out to save my life. Well, maybe I could if my life were dependant on blogger. Let's hope for my sake it never is).
It is a little kids' pop group, basically. They sing a lot of songs about using your imagination, and then do little skits. I just looked up a link for this, and I realized that the group has apparently changed since the episodes that we've been watching. The Hi-5 singers on TLC this week are much more multi-cultural. It looks like now it's all white people with one token Asian. Just an observation. Apparently there are no multi-cultural people looking for work in the dance/acting field. Interesting.
I digress. This show is pretty lame. Andrew loves it. And the songs are catchy, damn it. I go around all day singing the Hi-5 songs. So irritating. And Andrew is quickly becoming a groupie. But I guess it's better than Tele-tubbies (see, if I was really blogger-savvy, I would have made that word "Tele-tubbies" link to my old post about Andrew liking Tele-tubbies. But I don't know how to do that. And I don't really know how everyone else knows how to do it, but I can't figure it out to save my life. Well, maybe I could if my life were dependant on blogger. Let's hope for my sake it never is).
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Pictures of Lily- 3/12 months old
Could she be any cuter? Seriously? With those rosy cheeks and fuzzy head?
Whoever invented this thing was working with a thinner baby than poor Lily. Her little thighs get stuck when she gets in and out of it. She smiles briefly once she's in it, but I'm not convinced it is as great as everyone told me.
This is a picture of Lily talking. You can tell it's a funny story. Isn't she cute?
Proof that Lily is NOT always happy. We must take pictures like this so people aren't driven to procreate based on our cute pictures.
That's my girl! So sweet!
Whoever invented this thing was working with a thinner baby than poor Lily. Her little thighs get stuck when she gets in and out of it. She smiles briefly once she's in it, but I'm not convinced it is as great as everyone told me.
This is a picture of Lily talking. You can tell it's a funny story. Isn't she cute?
Proof that Lily is NOT always happy. We must take pictures like this so people aren't driven to procreate based on our cute pictures. That's my girl! So sweet!
How a 3 year old thinks
We went to the library today. I picked out the movie The Incredibles, which Andrew absently nodded yes to when asked ( he was busy with a Living Book on the computer). He chatted it up with some lady in the checkout line ("I am Lily's favorite person. She likes to watch me. Yes, I am handsome. Garcia is my friend. We're both really good football players. Watch me run really fast...") We got in the car, and I asked him if he wanted to go home and watch our new movie. He told me that the little superhero gets pushed by a bigger superhero, so he doesn't want to watch it. (when did he see this movie? I am sure I've never rented it before!) I lamented that I would not have checked it out if I had known he wouldn't watch it. He said, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll watch it when I can pump gas."
Huh? And then I made the mental connections that come so easily to a 3 year old and recalled our previous conversation about pumping gas. A few weeks ago, I stopped to get some gas (I have since gotten gas...my car's gas mileage isn't that good..just stay with me here). As I was getting out of the car, Andrew asked if he could get out and help me pump the gas. I told him he isn't big enough right now...maybe when he turns 6 or 7. We counted out how long that would be (next you'll be 4, then you'll be 5, etc).
This makes me wonder how much of his nonsense chatter actually makes sense to him. Pretty cute. Oh, and Garcia is Jeff Garcia of the Eagles, of course. He apparently lives in our house now, since Andrew sits with him when he watches TV, and plays football, snakes, cars, you name it with Andrew all day long. Andrew's imaginary friend...a professional football player. Jeff is proud. BTW...when asked what he wants to be when he grows up...football player. This kid is seriously going to need some Prozac when football season ends this weekend.
Huh? And then I made the mental connections that come so easily to a 3 year old and recalled our previous conversation about pumping gas. A few weeks ago, I stopped to get some gas (I have since gotten gas...my car's gas mileage isn't that good..just stay with me here). As I was getting out of the car, Andrew asked if he could get out and help me pump the gas. I told him he isn't big enough right now...maybe when he turns 6 or 7. We counted out how long that would be (next you'll be 4, then you'll be 5, etc).
This makes me wonder how much of his nonsense chatter actually makes sense to him. Pretty cute. Oh, and Garcia is Jeff Garcia of the Eagles, of course. He apparently lives in our house now, since Andrew sits with him when he watches TV, and plays football, snakes, cars, you name it with Andrew all day long. Andrew's imaginary friend...a professional football player. Jeff is proud. BTW...when asked what he wants to be when he grows up...football player. This kid is seriously going to need some Prozac when football season ends this weekend.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Boys vs. Girls
Andrew is very big into boys and girls right now. I think it has to do with the fact that our household is evenly split, so it makes it really convenient to break into family subgroups: boys vs. girls. And Jeff and I have played into this on occasion, when it supported our plans ("Let's go do some boy errands, while Mommy and Lily run some girl errands").
Jeff is definitely Andrew's favorite now. After years of being the go-to gal for my son, I am relishing the time off. Daddy has to do EVERYTHING. It's because he's a boy. No, it's really because he's an awesome dad. But Andrew thinks his awesomeness stems from his boy-ness.
Which leads me to my favorite Andrew quote of the day. I gave him some kisses this morning, which he promptly wiped off. (stinker!). I did the big mommy drama of "Why don't you let your mommy kiss you, boo hoo boo hoo, why...WHYYYYY?" Andrew replied, and I quote, "I don't like girl kisses, Mommy, just boy kisses." Tee hee hee.
For the sake of any homo-phobes out in my reading audience...have no fear. He also told me today that he likes that one girl on Hi-5 (an obnoxious kids show we've recently gotten addicted to...and by "we" I mean Andrew). Upon further investigation, I've found out that the "one girl" he likes is the cute blond. Not the other two girls...the perky blond...with a bow in her hair (so said Andrew). Oh, and as another testament to his masculinity, I was playing pretend with Andrew and his plastic snakes, lizards, and frogs yesterday. I decided to have 2 snakes go to a ball and dance with each other (I am still a girl, after all). Andrew promptly attacked my dancing snakes with kamikaze frogs...there was a lot of gore and screaming. Ahhhhh, little boys!
Jeff is definitely Andrew's favorite now. After years of being the go-to gal for my son, I am relishing the time off. Daddy has to do EVERYTHING. It's because he's a boy. No, it's really because he's an awesome dad. But Andrew thinks his awesomeness stems from his boy-ness.
Which leads me to my favorite Andrew quote of the day. I gave him some kisses this morning, which he promptly wiped off. (stinker!). I did the big mommy drama of "Why don't you let your mommy kiss you, boo hoo boo hoo, why...WHYYYYY?" Andrew replied, and I quote, "I don't like girl kisses, Mommy, just boy kisses." Tee hee hee.
For the sake of any homo-phobes out in my reading audience...have no fear. He also told me today that he likes that one girl on Hi-5 (an obnoxious kids show we've recently gotten addicted to...and by "we" I mean Andrew). Upon further investigation, I've found out that the "one girl" he likes is the cute blond. Not the other two girls...the perky blond...with a bow in her hair (so said Andrew). Oh, and as another testament to his masculinity, I was playing pretend with Andrew and his plastic snakes, lizards, and frogs yesterday. I decided to have 2 snakes go to a ball and dance with each other (I am still a girl, after all). Andrew promptly attacked my dancing snakes with kamikaze frogs...there was a lot of gore and screaming. Ahhhhh, little boys!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Cat-napper
I have an announcement to make!
Hear-ye, hear-ye, all those in blogger world. From this day forward, Lillian Jeannette shall be known only as "Cat-napper".
God bless my child for sleeping so well through the night. Seriously, I would choose sleeping all night over no naps any day.
Remind me of that when Cat-napper won't let me get ANYTHING done all day. And when poor Andrew just wants to sit on my lap, but his sister is screaming the moment I set her down to sleep. Cat-napper needs to learn how to nap in her crib.
And, yes, Memere's and Grandma's of the world. I know I could/should let her cry it out. I'm just not there yet. Cat-napper is awfully cute, you know.
Hear-ye, hear-ye, all those in blogger world. From this day forward, Lillian Jeannette shall be known only as "Cat-napper".
God bless my child for sleeping so well through the night. Seriously, I would choose sleeping all night over no naps any day.
Remind me of that when Cat-napper won't let me get ANYTHING done all day. And when poor Andrew just wants to sit on my lap, but his sister is screaming the moment I set her down to sleep. Cat-napper needs to learn how to nap in her crib.
And, yes, Memere's and Grandma's of the world. I know I could/should let her cry it out. I'm just not there yet. Cat-napper is awfully cute, you know.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
The difference between boys and girls
I wasn't anticipating any difference between having a boy and a girl. I mean, I expect Lily to be different EVENTUALLY...but surely not in the first year or so.
I was wrong. Lily proved me wrong. She whipped out a brand new trick this week that is all girl.
She learned how to scream. A bloodcurdling shriek that she pulls out when she's REALLY mad. Andrew never reached octaves this high. Jeff heard it today in the car (what a surprise...she still hates that damn car seat). I believe his comment was, "Oh, nice Lil"
If you aren't sure what scream I'm talking about, just go to a birthday party for a little girl. You'll usually hear it as the little girls chase each other around. It makes your ears hurt. Literally hurt.
Yikes...here we go. Screaming already. I don't know if I can handle this girl stuff. And you know she's going to be a big screamer. She has an older brother for heaven's sake. An older brother who is OBSESSED with touching hair. Lily has a lot of hair. You put the pieces together. Heaven help me!
I was wrong. Lily proved me wrong. She whipped out a brand new trick this week that is all girl.
She learned how to scream. A bloodcurdling shriek that she pulls out when she's REALLY mad. Andrew never reached octaves this high. Jeff heard it today in the car (what a surprise...she still hates that damn car seat). I believe his comment was, "Oh, nice Lil"
If you aren't sure what scream I'm talking about, just go to a birthday party for a little girl. You'll usually hear it as the little girls chase each other around. It makes your ears hurt. Literally hurt.
Yikes...here we go. Screaming already. I don't know if I can handle this girl stuff. And you know she's going to be a big screamer. She has an older brother for heaven's sake. An older brother who is OBSESSED with touching hair. Lily has a lot of hair. You put the pieces together. Heaven help me!
Fascinating and other odds and ends
We officially only own one house! Hip hip hooray! To celebrate, we went to Friendly's for lunch today. Yea, we really live it up. Andrew ordered hot dogs and mac and cheese...so different from what he eats at home.
Yesterday, Andrew was playing with his cars when he said, "Mommy, this car is fascinating." I don't think he quite knows what it means, but he said it so earnestly and the pronunciation was so perfect...it was ADORABLE. I of course told Jeff the minute he walked in the door. Andrew was playing with snakes (plastic ones, people. It's much too cold for real snakes). He showed us how he linked them together and said, "Isn't this cool, Mom and Dad?" I said, "I think it's fascinating, Andrew." He looked at me very seriously and said, "It's NOT fascinating. It's just cool." So there. I know it doesn't sound that cute typed up. But it was hilarious in person. Trust me.
Have I told you yet that Andrew doesn't say "yes" anymore. He answers "That is correct." or "You are correct." As in, "Andrew, this is a really yummy ice cream cone." "You are correct, Mommy!" Lordy, this child isn't going to have any friends. Pair up this phrase with his thumbs up...yikes. I may as well just home school him.
Andrew likes to make me laugh. He came up with this weird way to say "lotion" and wiggle his body every time I put it on him. It CRACKS ME UP. Every time. So he does it over and over. Also, we were playing football one afternoon and he had a big goober hanging out his nose. So I told him he must play for the Boogers team. He thought that was hilarious. These two things are connected in his brain for some reason. So a visitor to our house may hear this: "Looooootion. I play for the Boooogers!" Seriously, maybe it would be better for Andrew to be in day care.
Oh, and uh, you may want to be VERY careful what you do and say around the boy. His memory is SCARY. He was eating fruit snacks in the car (aka. the bribe that he gets every time he gets into the car). They happened to be creepy crawlies...snakes, spiders, lizards, etc. Here is his conversation with me in the car, "Mom, I'm eating an orange lizard. Remember when we saw a lizard?"
"No, when did we see a lizard? At the zoo?"
"No, remember when Uncle Chad picked one up and it bit his finger?"
Why yes, I do remember that. It happened MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. We have not spoken of this event since. SCARY. And to think, Jeff said "Ah, hell" around him this week. Who knows when that's going to pop up again.
So that's my Andrew. We had playgroup at our house yesterday (very fun, by the way) and 3 of the moms came up to me and said, "Andrew sure likes to have conversations, doesn't he?" Yes, yes he does. Usually about his favorite football teams (the Buckeyes, the Bengals, the Eagles, the Giants, the Dolphins, and the Cowboys...in that order...every time he says it) And just try to convince him that the Buckeyes aren't playing the Gators in a re-match. He won't hear of it. And the Bucks will win the next time...Andrew's sure of it!
Yesterday, Andrew was playing with his cars when he said, "Mommy, this car is fascinating." I don't think he quite knows what it means, but he said it so earnestly and the pronunciation was so perfect...it was ADORABLE. I of course told Jeff the minute he walked in the door. Andrew was playing with snakes (plastic ones, people. It's much too cold for real snakes). He showed us how he linked them together and said, "Isn't this cool, Mom and Dad?" I said, "I think it's fascinating, Andrew." He looked at me very seriously and said, "It's NOT fascinating. It's just cool." So there. I know it doesn't sound that cute typed up. But it was hilarious in person. Trust me.
Have I told you yet that Andrew doesn't say "yes" anymore. He answers "That is correct." or "You are correct." As in, "Andrew, this is a really yummy ice cream cone." "You are correct, Mommy!" Lordy, this child isn't going to have any friends. Pair up this phrase with his thumbs up...yikes. I may as well just home school him.
Andrew likes to make me laugh. He came up with this weird way to say "lotion" and wiggle his body every time I put it on him. It CRACKS ME UP. Every time. So he does it over and over. Also, we were playing football one afternoon and he had a big goober hanging out his nose. So I told him he must play for the Boogers team. He thought that was hilarious. These two things are connected in his brain for some reason. So a visitor to our house may hear this: "Looooootion. I play for the Boooogers!" Seriously, maybe it would be better for Andrew to be in day care.
Oh, and uh, you may want to be VERY careful what you do and say around the boy. His memory is SCARY. He was eating fruit snacks in the car (aka. the bribe that he gets every time he gets into the car). They happened to be creepy crawlies...snakes, spiders, lizards, etc. Here is his conversation with me in the car, "Mom, I'm eating an orange lizard. Remember when we saw a lizard?"
"No, when did we see a lizard? At the zoo?"
"No, remember when Uncle Chad picked one up and it bit his finger?"
Why yes, I do remember that. It happened MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. We have not spoken of this event since. SCARY. And to think, Jeff said "Ah, hell" around him this week. Who knows when that's going to pop up again.
So that's my Andrew. We had playgroup at our house yesterday (very fun, by the way) and 3 of the moms came up to me and said, "Andrew sure likes to have conversations, doesn't he?" Yes, yes he does. Usually about his favorite football teams (the Buckeyes, the Bengals, the Eagles, the Giants, the Dolphins, and the Cowboys...in that order...every time he says it) And just try to convince him that the Buckeyes aren't playing the Gators in a re-match. He won't hear of it. And the Bucks will win the next time...Andrew's sure of it!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Are you amused?
So I was telling my mom about my morning, and she was laughing her A** off. I guess I don't think of my every day dramas as funny...hence I don't write about them too much. But since the pictures I put in her head today made her laugh, I thought I'd share my morning with you.
Let's begin, shall we? Lily didn't want to go to sleep last night. I finally convinced her around midnight. I got up at 6:15 to take a quick shower before Jeff left for work (I like to shower when he's still home, just in case one of the kids wakes up). I come out of the shower...and Andrew is up. Ugh. Jeff gets him while I dry off, and finds him soaked to the bone in pee. Lovely. No more sleeping for Andrew.
Anyone out there with a toddler/preschooler knows that nothing spells disaster like a 3 year old without enough sleep. So he comes downstairs and happily eats 2 pancakes. Gets a star on his chart for putting his dishes away. Starts rearranging stars so that he can cheat and get his prize early. Gets scolded by mommy. We read several books together. Andrew remembers suddenly that he has a boo boo 2 of his fingers (papercuts), which he discovered last night, were treated last night, but the bandaids fell off during the night. Needs new bandaids. Walks around holding his pointer finger out in the air because it just hurts so bad. "Can I watch TV to make my cut heal faster?" When I say no, go play, he sits in his playroom playing. I peek in, and he's playing with his plastic bugs...holding his pointer finger straight out. I am ROLLING my eyes. He then comes into the family room and dramatically lays on the couch. "Mommy, I think I need to lie down so my finger will heal". "Cover me up". He lays down for exactly 1 minute (it took him 1 minute to see that I wasn't impressed). He then says, "Will you take the cover off, I can't do it with my finger".
It is now 7:30 am. Lily wakes up. Laughs and giggles and slobbers all over me. So darned cute. Andrew is still whimpering and sniveling about his stupid finger (we've gone through 3 new bandages already). He comes to me to tell me the latest band aid has fallen off and I tell him maybe the band aid just can't stay on. He finds the old band aid under a chair and puts it back on himself.
I have to get out of the house. It is 9am. People wonder how I get out so early with the kids. Well, when you start at 6:30, 9 am feels like afternoon. So we went to the grocery store. I needed 5 things. Seriously.
It is frickin' cold here (finally), and Lily's little winter onesie is in the washer, so she had to stay in the torture device while we shopped. Most people think of the torture device as a simple, handy-dandy infant car seat. Lily is not impressed with this invention. Unless she is asleep, she HATES it. I usually use the Baby Bjorn for shopping. But again...freaking cold. No winter onesie. Lily is out of luck. I put her in the cart and she proceeds to warn me of impending hysteria with little shrieks and whines.
Andrew did really well. He got his fruit roll-up (aka. bribe) and waltzed around the store with me holding it and drumming it, etc etc. It works like a charm. It's the best $.49 I spend every time I go to the grocery. I only had to take it away one time he misbehaved (on that trip he lay down on the floor of the jam aisle). Now he believes me that he has to be a good boy to get it at the end of the trip. We end up with 10 things in our cart (of course). There is only one check-out line open and the line of patrons is about 6 deep. Lovely. Nothing like having to wait in a long line with an antsy 3 year old and a now crying infant. By the way, if someone has an obviously upset infant in a store, do not engage the parent in conversation. They know their baby is cute/small/has lots of hair/big/has chubby cheeks. No need to make them act polite when all they really want to do is shove a sock into said baby's mouth and get the heck out of the store.
Anyhoo, I decide to be brave and do the self check-out. Again, I only have 10 items. Unfortunately, this is the WRONG choice when you have two children with you. Especially when your 3 year old has never done it before. I had to take the fruit roll-up out of Andrew's hands and scan it and then put it in the bag. Yikes. Andrew usually gets to continue holding it, so he has an absolute screaming FIT that he has to leave it in the bag until everything is scanned. Why didn't I wait and scan it very last, you ask? Great question...let's see how quick you think on your feet in the same situation. As I try to scan my items quickly, I can't find white grapes on the menu. Nice lady working there shows me the code on the bag. Then the machine starts telling me that something doesn't weigh correctly. Nice lady tells me it can't work when my 3 year old is hanging on the bags looking for his fruit roll up.
Let's recap. Baby screaming. Andrew sobbing, grabbing for his snack in the bags. Giselle punching at the checkout machine desperately begging it to work. Nice picture, eh?
Nice lady working there takes pity on me and helps me scan the rest of my items. Machine freezes and transaction cannot go through. Lily is gasping she is screaming so loud. Andrew is asking over and over, "can I have my roll-up? Can I have my roll-up? Where is my roll-up".
We finally get out of the store. It is 9:45am. Dear God, it's only 9:45 am.
So do you think that's funny?
Let's begin, shall we? Lily didn't want to go to sleep last night. I finally convinced her around midnight. I got up at 6:15 to take a quick shower before Jeff left for work (I like to shower when he's still home, just in case one of the kids wakes up). I come out of the shower...and Andrew is up. Ugh. Jeff gets him while I dry off, and finds him soaked to the bone in pee. Lovely. No more sleeping for Andrew.
Anyone out there with a toddler/preschooler knows that nothing spells disaster like a 3 year old without enough sleep. So he comes downstairs and happily eats 2 pancakes. Gets a star on his chart for putting his dishes away. Starts rearranging stars so that he can cheat and get his prize early. Gets scolded by mommy. We read several books together. Andrew remembers suddenly that he has a boo boo 2 of his fingers (papercuts), which he discovered last night, were treated last night, but the bandaids fell off during the night. Needs new bandaids. Walks around holding his pointer finger out in the air because it just hurts so bad. "Can I watch TV to make my cut heal faster?" When I say no, go play, he sits in his playroom playing. I peek in, and he's playing with his plastic bugs...holding his pointer finger straight out. I am ROLLING my eyes. He then comes into the family room and dramatically lays on the couch. "Mommy, I think I need to lie down so my finger will heal". "Cover me up". He lays down for exactly 1 minute (it took him 1 minute to see that I wasn't impressed). He then says, "Will you take the cover off, I can't do it with my finger".
It is now 7:30 am. Lily wakes up. Laughs and giggles and slobbers all over me. So darned cute. Andrew is still whimpering and sniveling about his stupid finger (we've gone through 3 new bandages already). He comes to me to tell me the latest band aid has fallen off and I tell him maybe the band aid just can't stay on. He finds the old band aid under a chair and puts it back on himself.
I have to get out of the house. It is 9am. People wonder how I get out so early with the kids. Well, when you start at 6:30, 9 am feels like afternoon. So we went to the grocery store. I needed 5 things. Seriously.
It is frickin' cold here (finally), and Lily's little winter onesie is in the washer, so she had to stay in the torture device while we shopped. Most people think of the torture device as a simple, handy-dandy infant car seat. Lily is not impressed with this invention. Unless she is asleep, she HATES it. I usually use the Baby Bjorn for shopping. But again...freaking cold. No winter onesie. Lily is out of luck. I put her in the cart and she proceeds to warn me of impending hysteria with little shrieks and whines.
Andrew did really well. He got his fruit roll-up (aka. bribe) and waltzed around the store with me holding it and drumming it, etc etc. It works like a charm. It's the best $.49 I spend every time I go to the grocery. I only had to take it away one time he misbehaved (on that trip he lay down on the floor of the jam aisle). Now he believes me that he has to be a good boy to get it at the end of the trip. We end up with 10 things in our cart (of course). There is only one check-out line open and the line of patrons is about 6 deep. Lovely. Nothing like having to wait in a long line with an antsy 3 year old and a now crying infant. By the way, if someone has an obviously upset infant in a store, do not engage the parent in conversation. They know their baby is cute/small/has lots of hair/big/has chubby cheeks. No need to make them act polite when all they really want to do is shove a sock into said baby's mouth and get the heck out of the store.
Anyhoo, I decide to be brave and do the self check-out. Again, I only have 10 items. Unfortunately, this is the WRONG choice when you have two children with you. Especially when your 3 year old has never done it before. I had to take the fruit roll-up out of Andrew's hands and scan it and then put it in the bag. Yikes. Andrew usually gets to continue holding it, so he has an absolute screaming FIT that he has to leave it in the bag until everything is scanned. Why didn't I wait and scan it very last, you ask? Great question...let's see how quick you think on your feet in the same situation. As I try to scan my items quickly, I can't find white grapes on the menu. Nice lady working there shows me the code on the bag. Then the machine starts telling me that something doesn't weigh correctly. Nice lady tells me it can't work when my 3 year old is hanging on the bags looking for his fruit roll up.
Let's recap. Baby screaming. Andrew sobbing, grabbing for his snack in the bags. Giselle punching at the checkout machine desperately begging it to work. Nice picture, eh?
Nice lady working there takes pity on me and helps me scan the rest of my items. Machine freezes and transaction cannot go through. Lily is gasping she is screaming so loud. Andrew is asking over and over, "can I have my roll-up? Can I have my roll-up? Where is my roll-up".
We finally get out of the store. It is 9:45am. Dear God, it's only 9:45 am.
So do you think that's funny?
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
A nerd or a geek?
I have a funny story about raising Andrew to be like his parents. Not cool. Not stylish. Not ever going to be part of "society" if that means elegant dinner parties and designer duds. I thought this as I was watching Andrew and Jeff dance to Ja Rule last night. Yes, that's right, Ja Rule. Andrew really loves one of the songs on that CD, and thank goodness I don't think they even drop the f-bomb in it. (amazing!). Anyway, in a fit of boredom about 6 pm, we decided to bust a move. And Andrew showed off his amazing dance skills. He asked Jeff to do the "shopping cart" dance.
That's right. We've taught our son how to do the "shopping cart". We've tried the "sprinkler", but I don't think Andrew knows what a sprinkler is. And "fishing" just hasn't caught on. Neither has "the lawn mower". But "shopping cart" is a huge hit. I was laughing so hard, my cheeks hurt, as I watched my son pretend to push and fill a shopping cart to the beat of Ja Rule. Jeff was encouraged by my giggling, and proceeded to do his "trout" dance. If only I knew how to put video clips on this stinking blog. Seriously, I thought I was going to have an aneurysm(try spelling that without spell check).
Anyhoo, I was contemplating starting this entry with a definition of "nerd", to prove the point that we are grooming our son to be the next generation of nerds. Until I looked it up. Then I was quite insulted that people have referred to me as a nerd. That I have referred to myself as a nerd.
nerd, (n), : an unpleasant, unattractive, or insignificant person
Ouch. Insignificant? Unpleasant? So, refusing to abandon what I thought was a really clever way to start a blog, I looked up the word "geek". As in, "band-geek".
geek, (n): a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
Say WHAAAAT? I must have been on a different bus of band geeks. No alternative definitions in my dictionary for either word.
So I feel lost. What word am I searching for? How do you describe a person who doesn't need to follow trends or fads because they are confident in who they are? A person who finds intellectual factoids interesting. A person willing to not drink a beer or smoke a cigarette when the "popular" kids do, or who finds the joy in dancing even though they don't know how to do it "properly"? What is that kind of person called? I always thought it was "nerd" or "geek". I was proved wrong this morning.
Hmmmm, whatever it is, that's what I hope we are grooming Andrew to be. Shopping cart dance and all!
That's right. We've taught our son how to do the "shopping cart". We've tried the "sprinkler", but I don't think Andrew knows what a sprinkler is. And "fishing" just hasn't caught on. Neither has "the lawn mower". But "shopping cart" is a huge hit. I was laughing so hard, my cheeks hurt, as I watched my son pretend to push and fill a shopping cart to the beat of Ja Rule. Jeff was encouraged by my giggling, and proceeded to do his "trout" dance. If only I knew how to put video clips on this stinking blog. Seriously, I thought I was going to have an aneurysm(try spelling that without spell check).
Anyhoo, I was contemplating starting this entry with a definition of "nerd", to prove the point that we are grooming our son to be the next generation of nerds. Until I looked it up. Then I was quite insulted that people have referred to me as a nerd. That I have referred to myself as a nerd.
nerd, (n), : an unpleasant, unattractive, or insignificant person
Ouch. Insignificant? Unpleasant? So, refusing to abandon what I thought was a really clever way to start a blog, I looked up the word "geek". As in, "band-geek".
geek, (n): a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
Say WHAAAAT? I must have been on a different bus of band geeks. No alternative definitions in my dictionary for either word.
So I feel lost. What word am I searching for? How do you describe a person who doesn't need to follow trends or fads because they are confident in who they are? A person who finds intellectual factoids interesting. A person willing to not drink a beer or smoke a cigarette when the "popular" kids do, or who finds the joy in dancing even though they don't know how to do it "properly"? What is that kind of person called? I always thought it was "nerd" or "geek". I was proved wrong this morning.
Hmmmm, whatever it is, that's what I hope we are grooming Andrew to be. Shopping cart dance and all!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Get up, old man!
Jeff and Andrew were playing football yesterday. Big surprise. Change the date at the top of this blog to any weekend, and I could say the same thing. Jeff is a very good daddy...Andrew just doesn't know it yet. Playing football with Andrew has some very strict rules.
RULE #1: Andrew ALWAYS wins.
RULE #2: Nobody else is allowed to score any touchdowns. See Rule #1.
RULE #3: Nobody can tackle Andrew. See Rule #1.
RULE #4: Although he knows what an interception is, Andrew only gets to do these...no one else. See Rule #1.
RULE #5: The rules can change at any time. Andrew is the only rule maker. The opposing team is often not made aware of changes which is always advantageous to Andrew. See Rule #1.
Is it just me, or is the word "rule" starting to look really weird?
Anyhoo...Jeff doesn't like to fall to the ground each time he is set to be tackled (by imaginary players on Andrew's team, I might add). So he lands on the couch. Well, yesterday, Andrew defined the rules of play a bit better, saying, "When you get tackled, Dad, you have to fall on the floor, not the couch or the chairs.". So there! Jeff responded with, "Andrew, I'm not young like you. It hurts me to fall on the ground over and over. I'm just an old man."
Andrew didn't really respond to this until later. Jeff had fallen to the floor (who runs this house, I wonder?), and Andrew hollers across the room, "GET UP, OLD MAN!"
Oh, and to add a little Lily story, she has started SQUEALING and the top of her lungs. It is the cutest thing ever. If she were the 1st child, we'd have hours of footage of this event. As it is, we just grin at her when she does it. She's so darn cute. :) And she's slept AT LEAST 9 hours in a row for the last 7 days. Someone shoot me now! I don't deserve this kid. And to think I expected her to be a little devil-child after the angel I had in Andrew. I'm getting my tubes tied next week...lightning doesn't strike 3 times! Who am I kidding, I'm not getting my tubes tied. I'm getting Jeff's tubes tied ;)
RULE #1: Andrew ALWAYS wins.
RULE #2: Nobody else is allowed to score any touchdowns. See Rule #1.
RULE #3: Nobody can tackle Andrew. See Rule #1.
RULE #4: Although he knows what an interception is, Andrew only gets to do these...no one else. See Rule #1.
RULE #5: The rules can change at any time. Andrew is the only rule maker. The opposing team is often not made aware of changes which is always advantageous to Andrew. See Rule #1.
Is it just me, or is the word "rule" starting to look really weird?
Anyhoo...Jeff doesn't like to fall to the ground each time he is set to be tackled (by imaginary players on Andrew's team, I might add). So he lands on the couch. Well, yesterday, Andrew defined the rules of play a bit better, saying, "When you get tackled, Dad, you have to fall on the floor, not the couch or the chairs.". So there! Jeff responded with, "Andrew, I'm not young like you. It hurts me to fall on the ground over and over. I'm just an old man."
Andrew didn't really respond to this until later. Jeff had fallen to the floor (who runs this house, I wonder?), and Andrew hollers across the room, "GET UP, OLD MAN!"
Oh, and to add a little Lily story, she has started SQUEALING and the top of her lungs. It is the cutest thing ever. If she were the 1st child, we'd have hours of footage of this event. As it is, we just grin at her when she does it. She's so darn cute. :) And she's slept AT LEAST 9 hours in a row for the last 7 days. Someone shoot me now! I don't deserve this kid. And to think I expected her to be a little devil-child after the angel I had in Andrew. I'm getting my tubes tied next week...lightning doesn't strike 3 times! Who am I kidding, I'm not getting my tubes tied. I'm getting Jeff's tubes tied ;)
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Dinner, anyone?
You all would be so proud of me. :) I had people over to dinner last night. I am such the hostess, you know. Or maybe you don't know. That hostess comment is dripping with sarcasm.
Ever since we moved in, we've been welcomed by various neighbors. One across the street brought fresh baked bread by the first week we were here, then sent us a Christmas card, and then invited us to come over for New Year's since they figured we didn't have any plans. Isn't that friendly and nice? So I didn't want to think we weren't interested, and I invited them over. They have a 14 month old son and another due to be born in March. And they both work full time. They are really nice and we had such a good time.
A few thoughts about the night:
I realized that eating dinner with Andrew is like inviting a foreign exchange student over for dinner. I found myself explaining his "customs" and "dialect" to our guests throughout the night. Just an observation.
Our house is not baby-proofable. We tried to pick up and cover all the plugs and cover the wires, etc etc. In the end, we baby-proofed the kitchen and family room and blocked off Andrew's playroom. I feel like painting a sign over the door, "DANGER. BABY CHOKING ZONE" I think I'm just going to put a muzzle over Lily's mouth once she becomes mobile. Just strap it around her head. Because the only toys Andrew likes are choking hazards. What am I going to do???
My neighbor is a vegetarian. I planned to make the one vegetarian meal I've ever cooked. I remembered it as being this fabulous bean and veggie pasta. I marketed it that way to my neighbor when I spoke with her on the phone. Then when I went to buy the ingredients I realized...it is glorified spaghetti. Oops. I mean, it's yummy, but my neighbor is probably not going to add it to her rotation of meals. Lesson I learned: don't brag about your cooking skills until you actually get some. I should have known that no recipe I've tried is anything fancy or difficult.
I love having people over. Jeff and I are notoriously lazy about entertaining at our house. We just don't invite people over. But now with 2 kids, I think it is becoming more appealing. I think that's the first Saturday night we've been social since Lily was born (except with family...no offense, guys). I hope to make this another New Year's resolution. Be social!
I think that's all my observations. It'll be interesting to see if I get any better at this entertaining thing. ;)
Ever since we moved in, we've been welcomed by various neighbors. One across the street brought fresh baked bread by the first week we were here, then sent us a Christmas card, and then invited us to come over for New Year's since they figured we didn't have any plans. Isn't that friendly and nice? So I didn't want to think we weren't interested, and I invited them over. They have a 14 month old son and another due to be born in March. And they both work full time. They are really nice and we had such a good time.
A few thoughts about the night:
I realized that eating dinner with Andrew is like inviting a foreign exchange student over for dinner. I found myself explaining his "customs" and "dialect" to our guests throughout the night. Just an observation.
Our house is not baby-proofable. We tried to pick up and cover all the plugs and cover the wires, etc etc. In the end, we baby-proofed the kitchen and family room and blocked off Andrew's playroom. I feel like painting a sign over the door, "DANGER. BABY CHOKING ZONE" I think I'm just going to put a muzzle over Lily's mouth once she becomes mobile. Just strap it around her head. Because the only toys Andrew likes are choking hazards. What am I going to do???
My neighbor is a vegetarian. I planned to make the one vegetarian meal I've ever cooked. I remembered it as being this fabulous bean and veggie pasta. I marketed it that way to my neighbor when I spoke with her on the phone. Then when I went to buy the ingredients I realized...it is glorified spaghetti. Oops. I mean, it's yummy, but my neighbor is probably not going to add it to her rotation of meals. Lesson I learned: don't brag about your cooking skills until you actually get some. I should have known that no recipe I've tried is anything fancy or difficult.
I love having people over. Jeff and I are notoriously lazy about entertaining at our house. We just don't invite people over. But now with 2 kids, I think it is becoming more appealing. I think that's the first Saturday night we've been social since Lily was born (except with family...no offense, guys). I hope to make this another New Year's resolution. Be social!
I think that's all my observations. It'll be interesting to see if I get any better at this entertaining thing. ;)
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Are you still my mommy?
So I went out and got my hair cut this evening (thank God!). I think they cut about 6-7 inches off...quite a change for my boy. Jeff is smart enough not to say anything, even though I know he doesn't like it short. Andrew, however, was simply worried. He kept asking to touch my hair and continually said, "Are you still my mommy?"
My Gym
Well, we've finally discovered My Gym. There was one in Louisville, but with so many other, cheaper options, we never embraced it. If you don't have a My Gym in your area, I think you can compare it to Gymboree. I think. I've always been too cheap to investigate any of them.
So why have I enrolled Andrew here? Is it cheaper? Dear, God, no. It costs more than pre-school, for heaven's sake. But boredom makes the money flow more easily out of my wallet. So here we go.
Andrew LOVES it. Andrew NEEDS it. Did you know that my 3 year old just learned how to jump. Seriously. And he is so cautious, he won't climb things without a hand rail, he can't hang off a bar, much less swing around on one, and on and on.
We went for a free class last week, and Andrew had a blast. He follows directions really well, and tried everything. Okay, almost everything. He is still a cautious kid, after all. But usually the first class of something new, he just sits back and doesn't participate at all. He did great compared to usual. So I signed him up. And he is now the star of the class. Not because of his physical feats...in fact those are quite behind the other, younger children in the class. No, because he is a bit older, and speaks quite well for his age, he cracks everyone up with his little comments. For example:
At the beginning of class, everyone sits in a big circle, tells their name and then answers the question of the day. Last week the question was, "What is your favorite animal?"
So why have I enrolled Andrew here? Is it cheaper? Dear, God, no. It costs more than pre-school, for heaven's sake. But boredom makes the money flow more easily out of my wallet. So here we go.
Andrew LOVES it. Andrew NEEDS it. Did you know that my 3 year old just learned how to jump. Seriously. And he is so cautious, he won't climb things without a hand rail, he can't hang off a bar, much less swing around on one, and on and on.
We went for a free class last week, and Andrew had a blast. He follows directions really well, and tried everything. Okay, almost everything. He is still a cautious kid, after all. But usually the first class of something new, he just sits back and doesn't participate at all. He did great compared to usual. So I signed him up. And he is now the star of the class. Not because of his physical feats...in fact those are quite behind the other, younger children in the class. No, because he is a bit older, and speaks quite well for his age, he cracks everyone up with his little comments. For example:
At the beginning of class, everyone sits in a big circle, tells their name and then answers the question of the day. Last week the question was, "What is your favorite animal?"
It went around the circle with kids shyly whispering their favorite animals after much coaxing from teacher and parent. Then it was Andrew's turn. He says, "Well....actually...my favorite animal is a giraffe". All the moms were cracking up.
He also gives a really dorky thumbs up as he approaches each new activity. I think he's nervous to try something new, and he is looking for reassurance from the teacher that it is all going to be okay. It's really sweet and cute, and also gets the moms giggling.
Lily likes the class too, as she gets to watch lots of toddlers...not just her brother. Very exciting. They are both EXHAUSTED when we get home...which means a little break for me! Well worth the money, if you ask me!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
One mortgage???
Ah, what a feeling! We have a buyer for our house in Louisville! We would be getting a buyout anyway February 1st, but hopefully an actual buyer wouldn't want to fix all the things in the inspection report like the relocation company will. "Front steps need a rail". Yea, after 25 years of not having a rail, it's just not going to happen. It would look like C**P.
After weeks of dealing with a crazy couple (they wanted to offer us $20,000 less than our asking price and then get $7000 on top of that back for "repairs"), they finally disappeared into the horizon. We were kind of relieved, to be honest. If you ever came to our house in Louisville, it had been very well taken care of...before we moved in of course. But we didn't live there long enough to totally destroy it, and since it is winter, no one could tell what a mess the "gardens" had become. So to ask for $7000 dollars...ludicrous!
In comes our shining prince. A single gentleman offered us $30,000 less than we asked for. Is Lake Forest going down the tubes, or what? It makes our offer from the relocation company seem downright generous. Anyway, we talked him up a bit, so we could get the full amount from the relo company. He wants to close by next week! He has some special bank account that only really really rich people get. Uh...is this a dream? Pinch me. So it looks like all is going to be well in house-selling land.
So now what to do with one mortgage??? Our first line of business is to finish our basement. However, I just spoke with a neighbor, who told me that our town just passed a little easement that requires all finished basements have an exit to the outdoors. Our basement barely has windows. We would have to blast out the ground around the house to create a window large enough to exit out of. And since we live at the bottom of a hill, this would essentially create a huge trench, bringing water right down to our basement. Not a good idea. So we're going to have a contractor come out and see what the real story is. It that is the truth, we may just finish it ourselves and pretend we didn't know about the easement. Or we'll just permanantly turn our dining room into a play room. Yea.
Is this a boring post, or what? Here's a cute Andrew story for those of you who made it this far without passing out onto your keyboard. Today, I started pretending to be a dinosaur. Andrew freaked out and said that he also was a dinosaur. So I said, "Let's go chase people". Andrew runs around our first floor and starts yelling, "Mom! Mom! Here's people!". He'd found Lily in her swing, and was trying to scare her like a dinosaur. (for the record, Lily was just smiling goofily at him...Lordy how she loves her big brother!)
After weeks of dealing with a crazy couple (they wanted to offer us $20,000 less than our asking price and then get $7000 on top of that back for "repairs"), they finally disappeared into the horizon. We were kind of relieved, to be honest. If you ever came to our house in Louisville, it had been very well taken care of...before we moved in of course. But we didn't live there long enough to totally destroy it, and since it is winter, no one could tell what a mess the "gardens" had become. So to ask for $7000 dollars...ludicrous!
In comes our shining prince. A single gentleman offered us $30,000 less than we asked for. Is Lake Forest going down the tubes, or what? It makes our offer from the relocation company seem downright generous. Anyway, we talked him up a bit, so we could get the full amount from the relo company. He wants to close by next week! He has some special bank account that only really really rich people get. Uh...is this a dream? Pinch me. So it looks like all is going to be well in house-selling land.
So now what to do with one mortgage??? Our first line of business is to finish our basement. However, I just spoke with a neighbor, who told me that our town just passed a little easement that requires all finished basements have an exit to the outdoors. Our basement barely has windows. We would have to blast out the ground around the house to create a window large enough to exit out of. And since we live at the bottom of a hill, this would essentially create a huge trench, bringing water right down to our basement. Not a good idea. So we're going to have a contractor come out and see what the real story is. It that is the truth, we may just finish it ourselves and pretend we didn't know about the easement. Or we'll just permanantly turn our dining room into a play room. Yea.
Is this a boring post, or what? Here's a cute Andrew story for those of you who made it this far without passing out onto your keyboard. Today, I started pretending to be a dinosaur. Andrew freaked out and said that he also was a dinosaur. So I said, "Let's go chase people". Andrew runs around our first floor and starts yelling, "Mom! Mom! Here's people!". He'd found Lily in her swing, and was trying to scare her like a dinosaur. (for the record, Lily was just smiling goofily at him...Lordy how she loves her big brother!)
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Some pictures from the last month
Okay, here's the Grandpa torture. Babies 'R' Us actually sells this product. No feet, people. Just a huge sack with a really small head hole. What would possess a person to buy this. Grandpa says he bought it for a joke...but he said that after he saw our reactions. Hmmmm,
Okay, my friend Nita got me these socks as a shower present. I am IN LOVE with them. I kind of didn't discover them until last week, because I got out all Lily's 3-6 month clothes. It looks like she's wearing little slippers, but they're socks! And they don't fall off!!! Love it!
Okay, could my kid BE any cuter?
My handsome boy. We've signed up for classes at My Gym here in town. Andrew does actually get out of the ball pit now that he's 3, but I think it will always be his favorite.
Okay, my friend Nita got me these socks as a shower present. I am IN LOVE with them. I kind of didn't discover them until last week, because I got out all Lily's 3-6 month clothes. It looks like she's wearing little slippers, but they're socks! And they don't fall off!!! Love it!
Okay, could my kid BE any cuter?
My handsome boy. We've signed up for classes at My Gym here in town. Andrew does actually get out of the ball pit now that he's 3, but I think it will always be his favorite.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Addicted
Andrew and Lily cram into the crib together. Is it weird that Andrew has no clothes on while Lily is dressed for the Arctic?
My happy girl .
I had to put the diaper behind her head to better show off her spiky hair. I love it!
My happy girl .
I had to put the diaper behind her head to better show off her spiky hair. I love it!
I think Lily may have an addictive personality. She is IN LOVE with her mobile. Aunt Kate got it for her for Christmas, and we finally put it up yesterday. And she LOVES it. So does Andrew for that matter. It makes him want to get in the crib (hence the picture).
Of course, she may just be thrilled with some entertainment. I won't let her watch TV, even though she desperately tries to turn her head towards it every time we turn it on. Poor thing. I want her to be stimulated by age-appropriate baby toys, that's all. And I just KNEW I had a mobile from Andrew's babydays, so I didn't buy her one. And then I couldn't find all the pieces. But I still wouldn't buy one because I KNEW it was somewhere. Ditto for the toys that are made for babies to sit under and gaze upon. I KNEW it was in a box. Uh, I don't think so. So El Cheapo finally broke down and got some entertainment for the girl. Okay, so I told people to get her it for Christmas. Still El Cheapo!
She is in heaven! And so are we!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
So bummed...
Moving sucks for many reasons, but one of my least favorites is losing things. So many times Jeff or I will say, "well, I know where that would've been in Louisville". We thankfully had a lot of help unpacking...otherwise we'd be searching through boxes galore. But there are some things we just can't find. And they're just so random. Maybe I'll find them someday. Who knows.
We unpacked our last boxes this weekend. Hooray! But now I know that my bottles from Andrew's babyhood aren't around. Neither is the Boppy attachment with toys. But most upsetting is Andrew's 2006 calendar.
I'm not a very sentimental mother. I don't keep locks of hair or record every ounce of spit-up. I'm not a scrapbooker, and I have no qualms about throwing away Andrew's artwork. But I was really good about writing little stories, little events in Andrew's life. I just kept an extra calendar around and wrote stuff in it as it happens. And now I've lost 2006. All those little memories.
I could care less about the bottles or the other junk. I can't get back the stuff written in that calendar. And it makes me sad.
We unpacked our last boxes this weekend. Hooray! But now I know that my bottles from Andrew's babyhood aren't around. Neither is the Boppy attachment with toys. But most upsetting is Andrew's 2006 calendar.
I'm not a very sentimental mother. I don't keep locks of hair or record every ounce of spit-up. I'm not a scrapbooker, and I have no qualms about throwing away Andrew's artwork. But I was really good about writing little stories, little events in Andrew's life. I just kept an extra calendar around and wrote stuff in it as it happens. And now I've lost 2006. All those little memories.
I could care less about the bottles or the other junk. I can't get back the stuff written in that calendar. And it makes me sad.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Sweet Lillian
How about a post about my girl? She's not quite as "entertaining" as her brother, but she doesn't talk back or disobey yet...bonus!
Lily is really turning into the sweetest kid ever. She is an INCREDIBLE sleeper. Last night was the "worst" night in a long time. She woke up after 5 hours, fell right back to sleep for another 6 hour stretch, and is asleep right now. Andrew didn't sleep like this until he was 11 months old!!! It is amazing what a good night's sleep does for your psyche. She nurses really quickly, too, so nighttime feedings are super quick. She is still fussy at night, but one of us can usually soothe her within 45 minutes or so...so not too bad.
She is so smily. She suddenly wants to be entertained...and she fusses if you try to rock her or cradle her. She is done with being a baby...she wants to sit up and watch the world around her. She is ALMOST giggling. Sometimes a little one will slip out when I'm changing her (her sides are very ticklish) or when I say something suddenly to her (she likes surprises). She is starting to like pat-a-cake and of course she is obsessed with her big brother. She follows him with her eyes and just smiles and smiles at him. Not that he cares. All her adoration is unappreciated by him. Jeff and I would kill to be looked at like that, but the object of her affection could care less.
We are a little concerned that her cheeks are getting so big she won't be able to see soon. Those little squinty eyes don't stand a chance against those huge cheeks! And her thighs...holy roly thighs. They are so cute and chunky. And her wrists are slowly disappearing under rolls...and she's just got the starts of that extra joint between her elbow and her wrist. We love fat babies! And her skin...she has the most gorgeous skin! She never had baby acne, and her scaly scalp is totally covered by her mop of hair. Her eyes are definitely blue and she is just cute cute cute. (not that I'm prejudiced or anything)
So that's my baby. I didn't think I would enjoy a second child as much because I couldn't spend as much one-on-one time with them. But I am really enjoying every minute with Lily. I need a thesaurus. Seriously. Can't I think of a better word than "enjoy enjoy enjoy" ? Ah well. I promise I'll post pictures again soon...just as soon as I remember to take the camera out of Lily's room.
Lily is really turning into the sweetest kid ever. She is an INCREDIBLE sleeper. Last night was the "worst" night in a long time. She woke up after 5 hours, fell right back to sleep for another 6 hour stretch, and is asleep right now. Andrew didn't sleep like this until he was 11 months old!!! It is amazing what a good night's sleep does for your psyche. She nurses really quickly, too, so nighttime feedings are super quick. She is still fussy at night, but one of us can usually soothe her within 45 minutes or so...so not too bad.
She is so smily. She suddenly wants to be entertained...and she fusses if you try to rock her or cradle her. She is done with being a baby...she wants to sit up and watch the world around her. She is ALMOST giggling. Sometimes a little one will slip out when I'm changing her (her sides are very ticklish) or when I say something suddenly to her (she likes surprises). She is starting to like pat-a-cake and of course she is obsessed with her big brother. She follows him with her eyes and just smiles and smiles at him. Not that he cares. All her adoration is unappreciated by him. Jeff and I would kill to be looked at like that, but the object of her affection could care less.
We are a little concerned that her cheeks are getting so big she won't be able to see soon. Those little squinty eyes don't stand a chance against those huge cheeks! And her thighs...holy roly thighs. They are so cute and chunky. And her wrists are slowly disappearing under rolls...and she's just got the starts of that extra joint between her elbow and her wrist. We love fat babies! And her skin...she has the most gorgeous skin! She never had baby acne, and her scaly scalp is totally covered by her mop of hair. Her eyes are definitely blue and she is just cute cute cute. (not that I'm prejudiced or anything)
So that's my baby. I didn't think I would enjoy a second child as much because I couldn't spend as much one-on-one time with them. But I am really enjoying every minute with Lily. I need a thesaurus. Seriously. Can't I think of a better word than "enjoy enjoy enjoy" ? Ah well. I promise I'll post pictures again soon...just as soon as I remember to take the camera out of Lily's room.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Readjusting
I think Andrew is going through withdrawal. He has all the symptoms; the shakes, the irritability, the cravings, the irrational behavior. Sometimes it gets so bad, he just collapses on the floor in a heap. Who am I kidding? He collapses AT LEAST once every 30 minutes. He is in a word: a mess.
He is withdrawing from attention. All the attention that was heaped onto him during our Christmas vacation. Not only did he have both parents for 2 weeks, he had the undivided attention of grandparents and aunts and uncles etc etc etc. We got back home and he had a day of both mom and dad...and now this. Just mom for 2 kids. WHAT?!?!?
So let's see, yesterday was a pretty bad day. Bad enough for me to call Jeff and ask him to skip his haircut and come right home...if he ever wanted to see his son again. Andrew was just pathetic. He was aggressive, throwing toys that didn't play his way, crying and thrashing on the ground in the middle of playing. I tried to play with him a lot...Lily was really sleepy yesterday, so I actually had the time to do it. But he refused to play with me. I'd think of a really cool idea, and halfway to getting it out, he'd collapse on the floor and refuse to move. Huh? What am I supposed to do with that. He was always "too tired to do that, Mommy". We even had a play date in the morning (which I had to literally drag him in and out of his car seat for). At playgroup he refused to interact with ANY of the children. Lovely. So nap time came...and not too quickly. He then tells me he isn't tired. Bull-finny! So I drag him upstairs (my counting didn't work for once). He is up there for 10 minutes and I hear strange noises. As I listen outside the door, I hear money being thrown against the wall. I try to get in the room, and Andrew lies in front of the door so I can't open it. Arghhhhh! I shove him aside and find that he had climbed up to get his piggy bank, opened the bottom of it, and thrown change EVERYWHERE. Then I notice that he has torn all the pictures off his walls (they are just stickable decorations...but still). I was FURIOUS. In 10 minutes he had accomplished this much destruction???? So I glared at him, grasped my hands together so as not to hit the boy senseless, and left the room. He had worn my last nerve...I was shaking with rage. At a 3 year old. Seriously, get a grip. 10 minutes after that, he is knocking on his door, needing a diaper change. He finally fell asleep after that...for about an hour. Ugh. The afternoon was more of the same. Long day.
Today started out better. We had a fun morning of playing outside (56 degrees in January?), going to the grocery, and trying out a class at the local My Gym. But his nap lasted only 40 minutes, and he was a BEAR the entire afternoon. More collapsing, thrashing on the the floor, and just general disagreeableness (is that a word?). The kicker was that Lily was also fussy all afternoon.
On a positive note, at least we had the morning. I'm hoping that the withdrawal symptoms start fading soon. But I have a sinking suspicion that this may not be withdrawal as much as 3 year old behavior. Only 11 months to go! (until he's 4!)
He is withdrawing from attention. All the attention that was heaped onto him during our Christmas vacation. Not only did he have both parents for 2 weeks, he had the undivided attention of grandparents and aunts and uncles etc etc etc. We got back home and he had a day of both mom and dad...and now this. Just mom for 2 kids. WHAT?!?!?
So let's see, yesterday was a pretty bad day. Bad enough for me to call Jeff and ask him to skip his haircut and come right home...if he ever wanted to see his son again. Andrew was just pathetic. He was aggressive, throwing toys that didn't play his way, crying and thrashing on the ground in the middle of playing. I tried to play with him a lot...Lily was really sleepy yesterday, so I actually had the time to do it. But he refused to play with me. I'd think of a really cool idea, and halfway to getting it out, he'd collapse on the floor and refuse to move. Huh? What am I supposed to do with that. He was always "too tired to do that, Mommy". We even had a play date in the morning (which I had to literally drag him in and out of his car seat for). At playgroup he refused to interact with ANY of the children. Lovely. So nap time came...and not too quickly. He then tells me he isn't tired. Bull-finny! So I drag him upstairs (my counting didn't work for once). He is up there for 10 minutes and I hear strange noises. As I listen outside the door, I hear money being thrown against the wall. I try to get in the room, and Andrew lies in front of the door so I can't open it. Arghhhhh! I shove him aside and find that he had climbed up to get his piggy bank, opened the bottom of it, and thrown change EVERYWHERE. Then I notice that he has torn all the pictures off his walls (they are just stickable decorations...but still). I was FURIOUS. In 10 minutes he had accomplished this much destruction???? So I glared at him, grasped my hands together so as not to hit the boy senseless, and left the room. He had worn my last nerve...I was shaking with rage. At a 3 year old. Seriously, get a grip. 10 minutes after that, he is knocking on his door, needing a diaper change. He finally fell asleep after that...for about an hour. Ugh. The afternoon was more of the same. Long day.
Today started out better. We had a fun morning of playing outside (56 degrees in January?), going to the grocery, and trying out a class at the local My Gym. But his nap lasted only 40 minutes, and he was a BEAR the entire afternoon. More collapsing, thrashing on the the floor, and just general disagreeableness (is that a word?). The kicker was that Lily was also fussy all afternoon.
On a positive note, at least we had the morning. I'm hoping that the withdrawal symptoms start fading soon. But I have a sinking suspicion that this may not be withdrawal as much as 3 year old behavior. Only 11 months to go! (until he's 4!)
Monday, January 01, 2007
Traveling fun!
A few snipets from our trip today.
Andrew and Lily were ANGELS. Our flight was delayed a few times...once in the Columbus airport, then once we were on the plane, and then we circled above Philly for a while. The kids were terrific. Here are a few highlights:
Andrew and another 3 year old walking around on their hands and feet mimicking each other. Great entertainment for delayed flights!
Andrew asking if the plane was tired (as we were descending).
The pilot warned us of turbulance. I told Jeff to warn Andrew (Jeff was in between us). I hear Jeff telling Andrew, "Now it's going to be bumpy because of turbulance". "What's turbu... , Dad?" "Well, the air moves in pockets..." At this point I interrupted and said, "Just tell him it's going to get windy so the plane might bump around." I know, I know, I'm stunting the intelligence of my 3 year old. The sad thing is, he probably would've really tried to understand it. And I would've loved the look on people's faces when Andrew told them we had turbulance on our flight. Anyway, I thought it was cute that Jeff was going to explain the physics of turbulant air...to Andrew.
Andrew telling a man on our shuttle all about football. Andrew was wearing a Bengals shirt and the man commented that his team beat Andrew's the day before. Andrew informed him that he shouldn't like the Steelers. He explained that his favorite teams are, "The Buckeyes, The Bengals, The Eagles, The Cowboys, and The Giants". The man patiently informed him that he'd better not say Cowboys too loud in the city of Philadelphia. Or Giants for that matter. Andrew told him back that he liked the stars on the Cowboys. He sure showed that stranger a thing or two. ;)
Andrew and Lily were ANGELS. Our flight was delayed a few times...once in the Columbus airport, then once we were on the plane, and then we circled above Philly for a while. The kids were terrific. Here are a few highlights:
Andrew and another 3 year old walking around on their hands and feet mimicking each other. Great entertainment for delayed flights!
Andrew asking if the plane was tired (as we were descending).
The pilot warned us of turbulance. I told Jeff to warn Andrew (Jeff was in between us). I hear Jeff telling Andrew, "Now it's going to be bumpy because of turbulance". "What's turbu... , Dad?" "Well, the air moves in pockets..." At this point I interrupted and said, "Just tell him it's going to get windy so the plane might bump around." I know, I know, I'm stunting the intelligence of my 3 year old. The sad thing is, he probably would've really tried to understand it. And I would've loved the look on people's faces when Andrew told them we had turbulance on our flight. Anyway, I thought it was cute that Jeff was going to explain the physics of turbulant air...to Andrew.
Andrew telling a man on our shuttle all about football. Andrew was wearing a Bengals shirt and the man commented that his team beat Andrew's the day before. Andrew informed him that he shouldn't like the Steelers. He explained that his favorite teams are, "The Buckeyes, The Bengals, The Eagles, The Cowboys, and The Giants". The man patiently informed him that he'd better not say Cowboys too loud in the city of Philadelphia. Or Giants for that matter. Andrew told him back that he liked the stars on the Cowboys. He sure showed that stranger a thing or two. ;)
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