This is a short story about a cute girl I saw jogging last week, or was it the week before? It may have even been the week before that, but it was definitely sometime in August.
There I was, sitting at the light at 173rd and Walker ... waiting. It had been a rushed morning like usual and I'd just dropped T off at day care and was on my way home to pick up The Scoot to carpool to work. The light was taking forever - long enough for me to notice the little mom jogging with her two kiddos. I watched her cross the adjacent street as I slowed to a stop and continued watching her as she crossed the street in front of the car in front of me.
As I watched a number of things went through my head ...
"I have a Phil and Ted's tandem stroller just like that, but it's bright green"
"I used to have jogging pants just like that!"
"She looks a lot better wearing those jogging pants than I did."
"If I jogged I'd probably lose my last few pounds of baby weight."
"That toddler in the back seat looks older than T."
"What pretty curls! My niece has curls like that."
I watched her as she reached the other side and waited to cross and go back up the south side of Walker road and thought ...
"She looks like she has naturally curly hair in braids"
"no wait, that's just regular hair in messy braids. Cute!"
"Her braids must be messy from jogging - mine would be"
"That blue stroller looks really faded. I bet she uses it all the time."
"My sister has a stroller just like that."
"Hey! That IS my sister!"
I rolled down the window, yelled her name, and waved. I can't believe it took me what must have been minutes to recognize my own sister and the hand me down jogging pants I'd given to her the previous weekend.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
All About Me from A to Z
Somehow I got behind. I'd blame it on lack of sleep, but really I was just procrastinating. My sis sent me an online coupon for a free photo book from Paper Coterie and I only managed to submit T's customized "All About Me from A to Z" book 1.5 hours before the coupon code expired (at 10:30pm - way after my bed time). It's a very cute ABC book with a picture of T for each letter of the alphabet. I'll post pictures of the book sometime after it arrives ... hopefully not months after. Several of these ridiculously cute pictures of T were included in the book.
T is for Tickle! 8/4/2011
W is for Wagon. 8/14/2011
Z is for Zany. 8/15/2011
T is for Tickle! 8/4/2011
W is for Wagon. 8/14/2011
Z is for Zany. 8/15/2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Adventures in Teething and Sleep Deprivation
I haven't blogged for a while, mostly because T is teething and I'm too tired to hang out on the computer after work. We worked so hard on our bedtime routine and it really seemed to be working. T was consistently sleeping 5-6 hours for his first stretch and even gave us 7 a couple of times and 8 once! I was chipper and well rested and thought things were headed totally in the right direction. My bliss ended when T's gums started to swell.
I thought it was just going to be a couple of teeth, but I found a couple of teeth had broken the gums last Monday and there is still no end in sight. He has two full bottom teeth from a couple of months ago, and one little nubby tooth on the bottom and one on the top. There are at least 3 more hugely swollen bumps in his top gums. He doesn't like it when I poke around to investigate so I can't say for sure how many are working their way through, but if they are coming in somewhat symmetrically I'm expecting six more before he's done with this round. I complain about my discomfort, but obviously he's got the real raw end of the deal. On top of teeth boring through his gums, he's also got a very runny nose. The congestion and/or pain had him up every hour from 7:30-10:30 and then he screamed intermittently from 10:30 - 11:30 while we tried to calm him and sooth him back to sleep. It's very unusual for him not to go right back to sleep with a little help. Exhausted from the ordeal, he slept for four hours. It's only like this when he's truly miserable. We're going on three weeks of misery and sleep deprivation and I'm starting to wonder if it will ever end. We're still carrying out our standard bed time routine, but we've abandoned the middle of the night "no cry" sleep training and just do what it takes to make him feel better. Poor kiddo.
Despite his growing pains, he really is a trouper. In general he's only slightly irritable with occasional break downs like last night. He still smiles and laughs plenty and has started clapping his hands. Last week he started making a really excited sound - a long intake of breath that sounds like he's just seen or experienced the coolest thing ever. Sometimes he follows this sound with clapping. It's so fun to see him communicate with something more than tears and laughter. Here are some of the things he's doing
Sometimes T doesn't know which parent he wants. I'll pick him up and he'll reach for The Scoot ... then he'll reach back for me. Sometimes we hug him at the same time and sometimes we pass him back and forth really fast which makes him laugh. When he's in pain he reaches back and forth because he thinks one of us can fix it and when we can't he wants to try the other one... again. We hate not being able to fix it.
I thought it was just going to be a couple of teeth, but I found a couple of teeth had broken the gums last Monday and there is still no end in sight. He has two full bottom teeth from a couple of months ago, and one little nubby tooth on the bottom and one on the top. There are at least 3 more hugely swollen bumps in his top gums. He doesn't like it when I poke around to investigate so I can't say for sure how many are working their way through, but if they are coming in somewhat symmetrically I'm expecting six more before he's done with this round. I complain about my discomfort, but obviously he's got the real raw end of the deal. On top of teeth boring through his gums, he's also got a very runny nose. The congestion and/or pain had him up every hour from 7:30-10:30 and then he screamed intermittently from 10:30 - 11:30 while we tried to calm him and sooth him back to sleep. It's very unusual for him not to go right back to sleep with a little help. Exhausted from the ordeal, he slept for four hours. It's only like this when he's truly miserable. We're going on three weeks of misery and sleep deprivation and I'm starting to wonder if it will ever end. We're still carrying out our standard bed time routine, but we've abandoned the middle of the night "no cry" sleep training and just do what it takes to make him feel better. Poor kiddo.
Despite his growing pains, he really is a trouper. In general he's only slightly irritable with occasional break downs like last night. He still smiles and laughs plenty and has started clapping his hands. Last week he started making a really excited sound - a long intake of breath that sounds like he's just seen or experienced the coolest thing ever. Sometimes he follows this sound with clapping. It's so fun to see him communicate with something more than tears and laughter. Here are some of the things he's doing
- Clapping and making sounds to show excitement
- Rubbing his fist across his sore gums
- Pushing things away when he doesn't want them
- feeding himself really well with a spoon when we load it for him
- handing the spoon back for more (sometimes)
- reaching to be picked up or to go to the other parent
- responding to his name
- responding briefly to the the command "no touch"
- crawling like a pro and pulling up on everything
Sometimes T doesn't know which parent he wants. I'll pick him up and he'll reach for The Scoot ... then he'll reach back for me. Sometimes we hug him at the same time and sometimes we pass him back and forth really fast which makes him laugh. When he's in pain he reaches back and forth because he thinks one of us can fix it and when we can't he wants to try the other one... again. We hate not being able to fix it.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Flips and Giggles
These are some old videos that I didn't find the time to post when they were fresh, but they are too fun to leave behind forever.
Flips ... Circus Baby laughs again!
Wax paper ... the funniest thing in the world.
Flips ... Circus Baby laughs again!
Wax paper ... the funniest thing in the world.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Blog of Eternal Stench and other woes
Oh goody! I created my own Bog of Eternal Stench ... read - a diaper pail FULL of water and stinky dirty diapers ripening for days (at least four) in our un-air-conditioned bathroom. Said pail has a lid and either doesn't emit an obvious odor when closed... or I have become oblivious to it. This is my excuse for letting it ripen so long. I simply forgot the stinkies were there waiting to be washed.
Last night, after a long day at work I longed to make dinner, eat, do T's bedtime routine, and crash on the couch, but first I had to put the diapers in the washing machine. I grabbed the 'wet' diapers (mostly dry by now) from the pail in T's room and grabbed the bog of eternal stench from the bathroom and headed down the hall for the washing machine. Scarcely had I stepped from the bathroom and onto the broad expanse of hall carpet when the handle of the of the stinky pail freed itself from its receptacle, dumping about of gallon (literally) of swampy bog water and diapers all over the carpet (and splashing all over me in the process). I'm pretty sure I screamed.
Why do all my best stories revolve around poo?
The Scoot juggled T and heated up leftovers while I got the diaper laundry started, sopped up the mess with several towels, and took a shower. After dinner he rented a carpet cleaner at Home Depot and cleaned the hallway while I put T to bed. I did eventually make it to the couch at 8:30pm ... just and hour before bed time. We watched about half of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We'll finish it tonight ... baring any more unforeseen catastrophes.
As for the other woes ... we all have colds ... the T, The Scoot, and I. On top of that two children in T's class have been diagnosed with Coxsackie (hand, foot, and mouth disease). They originally thought it was chickenpox, but one was Confirmed coxsackie. The incubation period is 3-6 days. I just hope T (and the rest of us) get over the cold before Coxsackie strikes. I think the poor boy spends at least as much time sick as he does well. At least he's usually a good sport about being ill.
Last night, after a long day at work I longed to make dinner, eat, do T's bedtime routine, and crash on the couch, but first I had to put the diapers in the washing machine. I grabbed the 'wet' diapers (mostly dry by now) from the pail in T's room and grabbed the bog of eternal stench from the bathroom and headed down the hall for the washing machine. Scarcely had I stepped from the bathroom and onto the broad expanse of hall carpet when the handle of the of the stinky pail freed itself from its receptacle, dumping about of gallon (literally) of swampy bog water and diapers all over the carpet (and splashing all over me in the process). I'm pretty sure I screamed.
Why do all my best stories revolve around poo?
The Scoot juggled T and heated up leftovers while I got the diaper laundry started, sopped up the mess with several towels, and took a shower. After dinner he rented a carpet cleaner at Home Depot and cleaned the hallway while I put T to bed. I did eventually make it to the couch at 8:30pm ... just and hour before bed time. We watched about half of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We'll finish it tonight ... baring any more unforeseen catastrophes.
As for the other woes ... we all have colds ... the T, The Scoot, and I. On top of that two children in T's class have been diagnosed with Coxsackie (hand, foot, and mouth disease). They originally thought it was chickenpox, but one was Confirmed coxsackie. The incubation period is 3-6 days. I just hope T (and the rest of us) get over the cold before Coxsackie strikes. I think the poor boy spends at least as much time sick as he does well. At least he's usually a good sport about being ill.
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