Craziness
Work is crazy busy! I'm on 7 projects right now and I'm only half-time! I don't work on each project every week, but trying to keep them all in my head is just a little crazy. I like having 3 projects maximum. I'm way over extended. Today, after a frustrating phone call, I just needed to get my head back in my life, so I went to the grocery store. I've been feeling out of touch with the family because I've been so swamped. There is something comforting about going to the grocery store to me.
One of the things at work is something brand new. It's something I'm trying to start up, but there is another piece related to it that someone else is starting and we're trying to see where I fit with his work. I'm not sure if I do, or if I want to fit, but it seems odd to not have me involved because the two projects are in the same domain.
My Mom has pneumonia or bronchitis. They aren't sure yet which. The treatment is the same for either, so the diagnosis doesn't really matter. It's so scary as people age.
Things that make me melt!
Last night, K (21 months) said "Kiss, Mommy..." and then leaned over and kissed me. I melted into a big puddle!
T (6 months) often kneads my breast like a little kitten as she nurses.
T does a little nose wrinkle and smile when she sees me. That makes me melt too. I call her cute T or Sweet T when she does that. (Those are two of her real honest-to-gosh nick names.)
N (4) and I read a new book Hoodwinked that we really like about 5 times in a row last night. She's so much fun to read to and she's trying to learn to "cackle." Her cackle never sounds witchy enough, it's just sweet.
There are so many sweet things they do. I wish I could capture it all. I wish life wasn't always so crazy! But I do llike the chaos too. Without it, I'd probably be bored.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Empathy goes a long way in a relationship.
I have a person in my life who doesn't seem to have much empathy. Actually she does have a lot of empathy for some things, but not for things in my life and this pisses me off. It really makes me not want her in my life at all. I realize the things I discuss with her are completely out of her control, but she is defensive or dismissive and not empathetic. She is younger than me so I want to share with her how important empathy is, but if I do, she will most likely get defensive. I hope that someone else can share with her how important empathy is.
I haven't read the "Men are from Mars..." book, but other people have summarized it for me. One difference that I've been told is cited in the book is that when a complaint or issue is raised, men and women have different reactions. Men usually start trying to "fix" things and women usually empathize. Most of the time, women want that empathy and that is why it is easier for women to be friends with other women and men with other men. Perhaps if this person was a man, I wouldn't object to her behavior, but because she is a woman, and because I know she is capable of empathizing and showing great caring and understanding in certain domains, I have such a negative visceral reaction to her lack of empathy.
Whenever I have a bad interaction with her, I try my hardest to not get upset. From talking with her, I know she never thinks twice about our interactions, and that's part of the problem too.
I haven't read the "Men are from Mars..." book, but other people have summarized it for me. One difference that I've been told is cited in the book is that when a complaint or issue is raised, men and women have different reactions. Men usually start trying to "fix" things and women usually empathize. Most of the time, women want that empathy and that is why it is easier for women to be friends with other women and men with other men. Perhaps if this person was a man, I wouldn't object to her behavior, but because she is a woman, and because I know she is capable of empathizing and showing great caring and understanding in certain domains, I have such a negative visceral reaction to her lack of empathy.
Whenever I have a bad interaction with her, I try my hardest to not get upset. From talking with her, I know she never thinks twice about our interactions, and that's part of the problem too.
With 3 kids, you can't be a germophobe...
however I'm a recovering one.
One of my earliest clear memories is when I was around 3 and 1/2, when one of my brothers touched the glass I was drinking from, and GASP, he had touched the rim. I refused to drink out of that glass any more and demanded that it either be washed or that I be given a new one. I was convinced that he had contaminated the glass and that I would get sick. (Yea, I sound like a neurotic kid.)
My fear of germs goes way back as you can tell. It is deeply rooted in my psyche. When I was in my twenties, I didn't think I wanted kids because of how many germs kids have.
Now I have to be content to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer, and hope for the best. Kids can get 8-10 colds a year. If you multiply that by 3 kiddos, we're going to have a lot of yuck in the house for the next few years. Fortunately, adults only get around 2 or so a year since theoretically we've been exposed to more along the way to adulthood. Last year, I had 2 colds, and we didn't have one in preschool yet, but I was pregnant and that depresses the immune system. This year I've had the two colds that the little ones have had too. I'm hopeful that I'm done now since I've had my two colds.
I'm going into the next week and 1/2 with major trepidation. It's raining and wintry and it's supposed to be that way until at least next Tuesday. That means more germs contained in the small preschool room. No recess (I'm a big believe in outdoor play WHENEVER possible since the sun's ultraviolet rays kills germs faster than you can say lickety-split). I really dislike picking N (4) up when they don't get recess. It just feels so stale in that room.
I think I'm going to go buy a gallon of hand sanitizer! It can't hurt right?
One of my earliest clear memories is when I was around 3 and 1/2, when one of my brothers touched the glass I was drinking from, and GASP, he had touched the rim. I refused to drink out of that glass any more and demanded that it either be washed or that I be given a new one. I was convinced that he had contaminated the glass and that I would get sick. (Yea, I sound like a neurotic kid.)
My fear of germs goes way back as you can tell. It is deeply rooted in my psyche. When I was in my twenties, I didn't think I wanted kids because of how many germs kids have.
Now I have to be content to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer, and hope for the best. Kids can get 8-10 colds a year. If you multiply that by 3 kiddos, we're going to have a lot of yuck in the house for the next few years. Fortunately, adults only get around 2 or so a year since theoretically we've been exposed to more along the way to adulthood. Last year, I had 2 colds, and we didn't have one in preschool yet, but I was pregnant and that depresses the immune system. This year I've had the two colds that the little ones have had too. I'm hopeful that I'm done now since I've had my two colds.
I'm going into the next week and 1/2 with major trepidation. It's raining and wintry and it's supposed to be that way until at least next Tuesday. That means more germs contained in the small preschool room. No recess (I'm a big believe in outdoor play WHENEVER possible since the sun's ultraviolet rays kills germs faster than you can say lickety-split). I really dislike picking N (4) up when they don't get recess. It just feels so stale in that room.
I think I'm going to go buy a gallon of hand sanitizer! It can't hurt right?
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Another little girl cracks me up...
We're constantly running late around here. With 3 little ones, that's not unusual. I'm always telling them to "chop chop." Tonight, K (21) months wanted to nurse before going to bed, and I told her that we needed to snuggle with N (4) first. I told her to tell N to hurry. She said, "N____ hurry!" Then she said, "N_____, Chop Chop!" I was rolling.
Blog Duel
A wise woman once said that change is hard no matter how small. I've been thinking of switching to TypePad for some time now and last night I got an account over there and imported all the entries from here.
I still have to categorize things and fix some of the links that lead back to here, but what do you think? Should I stay or should I go (to TypePad)? The only real feature that TypePad has that Blogspot doesn't is categories. I'm not sure if categories are worth $4.95 a month to me. It's also weird to see purple instead of pink.
I played with TypePad a year ago and I really liked it, but now I've gotten Blogspot all set up and I know its quirks. Blogspot isn't as reliable as TypePad so for the money I'll also be buying more service and more reliability. Anyway, take a peek 3 Little Girls at TypePad and let me know what you think. (I know very few of you comment, but if you don't mind I'd really like to hear from you on this one!)
I still have to categorize things and fix some of the links that lead back to here, but what do you think? Should I stay or should I go (to TypePad)? The only real feature that TypePad has that Blogspot doesn't is categories. I'm not sure if categories are worth $4.95 a month to me. It's also weird to see purple instead of pink.
I played with TypePad a year ago and I really liked it, but now I've gotten Blogspot all set up and I know its quirks. Blogspot isn't as reliable as TypePad so for the money I'll also be buying more service and more reliability. Anyway, take a peek 3 Little Girls at TypePad and let me know what you think. (I know very few of you comment, but if you don't mind I'd really like to hear from you on this one!)
Saturday, February 25, 2006
She just cracks me up
Miss N (4) lives in the N____-iverse (part of her name followed the last half of universe) .
It's a special universe governed by her rules. She often isn't aware of what is occurring in our universe because hers is a parallel universe. Anyway, we've discussed painting toe nails because pedicures are one pleasure in which I indulge fairly frequently. She's always left her universe and come to our universe to admire my freshly painted toes and comment on them.
She's been curious about the process of a pedicure and I've explained it to her. I've also told her when she's older we can paint her toe nails and we can get pedicures together. I don't know if I've ever put a number on the "older" part of it, but I'm guessing I haven't. Today, while I was trimming her toe nails, she was being sweet and calm and I thought I'd offer a chance for some more mother daughter bonding. I offered to paint her toe nails. She said, "No, not yet Mommy. Not till I'm older."
It's a special universe governed by her rules. She often isn't aware of what is occurring in our universe because hers is a parallel universe. Anyway, we've discussed painting toe nails because pedicures are one pleasure in which I indulge fairly frequently. She's always left her universe and come to our universe to admire my freshly painted toes and comment on them.
She's been curious about the process of a pedicure and I've explained it to her. I've also told her when she's older we can paint her toe nails and we can get pedicures together. I don't know if I've ever put a number on the "older" part of it, but I'm guessing I haven't. Today, while I was trimming her toe nails, she was being sweet and calm and I thought I'd offer a chance for some more mother daughter bonding. I offered to paint her toe nails. She said, "No, not yet Mommy. Not till I'm older."
If the pants fit...
Wear them! I found a new pair of black pants and got them yesterday. I really like them. I didn't opt for the "warm" criteria because yesterday and today have been warm. I went with the cropped pants option. They are cute and figure-flattering. They will work well for work and for being Mommy.
Now, I have to decide if I should also by the long pants version of them. If I want the long pants version, do I want it in navy or black? If I buy the long pants version, do I buy the size I'm in currently or the next lower size because I (hopefully) won't be in this size for too much longer. I'm still shrinking... (however, I do have to accept that I have hit a serious weight plateau and get my butt in gear and work harder now).
(Weight plateaus happen. They suck, but all they mean is that I need to take an extra aerobics class a week or take an extra walk or something each week until my metabolism can "kick it up" a notch.)
Oh the "weighty" topics I deal with here... (pun intended!)
Now, I have to decide if I should also by the long pants version of them. If I want the long pants version, do I want it in navy or black? If I buy the long pants version, do I buy the size I'm in currently or the next lower size because I (hopefully) won't be in this size for too much longer. I'm still shrinking... (however, I do have to accept that I have hit a serious weight plateau and get my butt in gear and work harder now).
(Weight plateaus happen. They suck, but all they mean is that I need to take an extra aerobics class a week or take an extra walk or something each week until my metabolism can "kick it up" a notch.)
Oh the "weighty" topics I deal with here... (pun intended!)
At 7 am..
At 7 am when I'm up before everyone else, I feel like a Mom. I make my cup of tea and try to steal a few minutes of time for me. I love knowing that my husband and all of my little ones are slumbering away upstairs, and I hate having to get up early in the morning, but this time, it's mine. No one else is awake and no one is demanding.
Before I had kids, I used to laugh when I'd hear how women who were Moms loved to get up early. Now I understand why. I don't love to get out of bed at o'dark hours, but I do love the time that is all mine. Before I had kids I used to do a lot of things differently.
Before I had kids, I used to laugh when I'd hear how women who were Moms loved to get up early. Now I understand why. I don't love to get out of bed at o'dark hours, but I do love the time that is all mine. Before I had kids I used to do a lot of things differently.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Little did I know...
I was looking through my journals to find out the N & K weight stats at 6 months and I ran across this...
I loved being pregnant.
Now that I'm not pregnant, I can't remember anything about what it felt like.
I'm thinking about wanting to have a 3rd baby.
I don't know whether I will be able to or not as I hard problems getting pregnant with #1 and I'm older.
I had problems, and I wish there was no such thing as infertility. Everyone who wants a child should get to have one (or more). Life should be fair.
My husband thinks we should stick with 2.
He doesn't like chaos.
I thrive on chaos so I imagine I'd love having 3.
My little girls crack me up.
I think they are adorable.
I plan to dress them in matching outfits.
I hope they forgive me for this when they are older.
I wrote this in October of 2004 right before I got pregnant with T (#3) on my own without even trying. Little did I know what was coming. I love that my body did it all on its own. I still remember all the pain of trying to get pregnant and not being able to when I was trying for #1. I never thought I'd have a surprise pregnancy. Never ever, never ever. Though I was shocked, I was so happy too.
I have already dressed all 3 in matching outfits. I really hope they forgive me.
Now that I'm not pregnant again, I once again can't remember what it's like to be pregnant even though I have been "in the family way" 27 out of the last 57 months. It's so wild. I remember it way too fondly. The only thing I remember accurately is how worried I was. Pregnancy is such a worrisome time for me. I worry constantly. About things that are very improbable. In my last pregnancy, I was worried about Hanta virus. I couldn't stop worrying about it. I know there is a very very low probability of getting it (there have been less than 400 cases since 1993), and yet, I couldn't stop.
I googled everything about Hanta. I must have done 17,000 web searches. I found an abstract that talks about 5 women who got the disease while pregant. Okay, I'll stop now.
My obsession with Hanta began when a deer mouse made its way into our house. We got rid of him/her, but I was freaked. I have to thank that little deer mouse because s/he opened a can of worms that eventually led to us moving. We didn't move because of the mouse, but because we reconsidered everything and decided with 3 little girls it no longer made sense to live where we were living.
What else should I talk about? (Not today, but future)
K (21 months) update
N (4) update
Our new house remodel (help! I need help with colors!)
Work stuff (exciting!)
How I like to pretend to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer during my aerobics class on kick-boxing songs. (What, don't you?)
I loved being pregnant.
Now that I'm not pregnant, I can't remember anything about what it felt like.
I'm thinking about wanting to have a 3rd baby.
I don't know whether I will be able to or not as I hard problems getting pregnant with #1 and I'm older.
I had problems, and I wish there was no such thing as infertility. Everyone who wants a child should get to have one (or more). Life should be fair.
My husband thinks we should stick with 2.
He doesn't like chaos.
I thrive on chaos so I imagine I'd love having 3.
My little girls crack me up.
I think they are adorable.
I plan to dress them in matching outfits.
I hope they forgive me for this when they are older.
I wrote this in October of 2004 right before I got pregnant with T (#3) on my own without even trying. Little did I know what was coming. I love that my body did it all on its own. I still remember all the pain of trying to get pregnant and not being able to when I was trying for #1. I never thought I'd have a surprise pregnancy. Never ever, never ever. Though I was shocked, I was so happy too.
I have already dressed all 3 in matching outfits. I really hope they forgive me.
Now that I'm not pregnant again, I once again can't remember what it's like to be pregnant even though I have been "in the family way" 27 out of the last 57 months. It's so wild. I remember it way too fondly. The only thing I remember accurately is how worried I was. Pregnancy is such a worrisome time for me. I worry constantly. About things that are very improbable. In my last pregnancy, I was worried about Hanta virus. I couldn't stop worrying about it. I know there is a very very low probability of getting it (there have been less than 400 cases since 1993), and yet, I couldn't stop.
I googled everything about Hanta. I must have done 17,000 web searches. I found an abstract that talks about 5 women who got the disease while pregant. Okay, I'll stop now.
My obsession with Hanta began when a deer mouse made its way into our house. We got rid of him/her, but I was freaked. I have to thank that little deer mouse because s/he opened a can of worms that eventually led to us moving. We didn't move because of the mouse, but because we reconsidered everything and decided with 3 little girls it no longer made sense to live where we were living.
What else should I talk about? (Not today, but future)
K (21 months) update
N (4) update
Our new house remodel (help! I need help with colors!)
Work stuff (exciting!)
How I like to pretend to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer during my aerobics class on kick-boxing songs. (What, don't you?)
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Bonus, baby
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
T update
#3 T (6 months)
Miss T is officially scooting and is so close to actually crawling. I'm scared of what life will be like when she is on the move. I'm hopeful that she will be mellow and like to be near where her sisters and I are, and that she won't go crawling off and getting into trouble all the time. Neither of her sisters were mellow, but a girl can fantasize right?
T is trying to learn to turn on her mobile. I will lay her in her cradle for a few minutes and she loves to push the buttons. Occassionally she'll get it to go on and play the music and spin. She is delighted then.
She still sleeps snuggled up next to me and I am not sure when that will change. She loves to snuggle so much it's kind of crazy. I'm not really worried about getting her out of the bed and into her own space. It will happen someday. Right now, I am just enjoying all the snuggle time I get with her. All night everynight. I remember, at first, when she was so tiny that I didn't move at all because I was scared I would smush her. Now we both turn and move and sleep very comfortably.
She just had her 6 month check-up. She weighs 16 pounds 6 ounces 75th weight and 26 and 3/4's inches long. At 6 months, K was 17 pounds 10 ounces and 27 inches; and N was 17 pounds 9 oz and 26 3/4 inches. T is my skinny baby. She nurses like crazy, but she's always been long and skinny. She was born long and skinny. She has enough baby chub on her so she's not too skinny, but she's just not "chub, chub." She's got delicious little chubby legs, but barely any chub on her arms or stomach.
T's motto is all smiles all the time. Even when she was sick and in pain from her ear infection she was just full of smiles.
Miss T is officially scooting and is so close to actually crawling. I'm scared of what life will be like when she is on the move. I'm hopeful that she will be mellow and like to be near where her sisters and I are, and that she won't go crawling off and getting into trouble all the time. Neither of her sisters were mellow, but a girl can fantasize right?
T is trying to learn to turn on her mobile. I will lay her in her cradle for a few minutes and she loves to push the buttons. Occassionally she'll get it to go on and play the music and spin. She is delighted then.
She still sleeps snuggled up next to me and I am not sure when that will change. She loves to snuggle so much it's kind of crazy. I'm not really worried about getting her out of the bed and into her own space. It will happen someday. Right now, I am just enjoying all the snuggle time I get with her. All night everynight. I remember, at first, when she was so tiny that I didn't move at all because I was scared I would smush her. Now we both turn and move and sleep very comfortably.
She just had her 6 month check-up. She weighs 16 pounds 6 ounces 75th weight and 26 and 3/4's inches long. At 6 months, K was 17 pounds 10 ounces and 27 inches; and N was 17 pounds 9 oz and 26 3/4 inches. T is my skinny baby. She nurses like crazy, but she's always been long and skinny. She was born long and skinny. She has enough baby chub on her so she's not too skinny, but she's just not "chub, chub." She's got delicious little chubby legs, but barely any chub on her arms or stomach.
T's motto is all smiles all the time. Even when she was sick and in pain from her ear infection she was just full of smiles.
Something I learned on Saturday
On Saturday, N (4) and I were going through files on my computer. She and I were looking at all the little .mpg movies I took of her and K (21 months) when K was first born. They are small (320 X 240 or so), but so cute and I'm so glad I took them. I take lots of pictures, but the videos capture so much more. We had so much fun looking at them.
I prefer to take video with my high resolution DV camera, but I have now learned that the little .mpg ones are more than worth the space that they take on the camera memory card. (I hate having to download the camera very often. Taking movies makes me have to download more frequently, but knowing how much I will treasure the movies in the future will make those extra downloads worth it!)
I prefer to take video with my high resolution DV camera, but I have now learned that the little .mpg ones are more than worth the space that they take on the camera memory card. (I hate having to download the camera very often. Taking movies makes me have to download more frequently, but knowing how much I will treasure the movies in the future will make those extra downloads worth it!)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Random Random -- Cats and Blogs
Topic 1
Cute Cat Blog
Cats in sinks
There's a link to this one from Cats in sinks, but Kitten war deserves its own link from my blog.
Plus, it's an interactive game that you can play with your little one(s). Both K (21 months) and N (4) love to look at the pictures with me and choose the cutest kitty.
Plus plus, when I sent it to my Mom, she said she never got to the end.
If you have any favorite kitty sites, let me know.
Topic 2
I do have several semi-intelligent blog posts started, but I just never have enough time to finish them... EVER. It's frustrating. (I actually have 100+ blog posts saved as drafts because I start but can't finish either because they are too personal and should actually just be in my own journal, or because it requires too much thought to make them work. How many blog posts do you have in draft form in your blog?)
Cute Cat Blog
Cats in sinks
There's a link to this one from Cats in sinks, but Kitten war deserves its own link from my blog.
Plus, it's an interactive game that you can play with your little one(s). Both K (21 months) and N (4) love to look at the pictures with me and choose the cutest kitty.
Plus plus, when I sent it to my Mom, she said she never got to the end.
If you have any favorite kitty sites, let me know.
Topic 2
I do have several semi-intelligent blog posts started, but I just never have enough time to finish them... EVER. It's frustrating. (I actually have 100+ blog posts saved as drafts because I start but can't finish either because they are too personal and should actually just be in my own journal, or because it requires too much thought to make them work. How many blog posts do you have in draft form in your blog?)
Memos...
I make plans, I make schedules, I try to make life as organized (ha!) as possible around here, but the 3 little girls I work for never read my memos! Life around here never seems to go as I planned.
Speaking of reading, today I'm reading about emergent literacy. What is emergent literacy you ask? Well, Whitehurst and Lonigan (1998) call emergent literacy the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are presumed to be developmental precursors to conventional forms of reading and writing and the environments that support these developments (p. 849).
I'll be back later to talk more about literacy and skills necessary in young children... (if I can work it into the Agenda for the day, and if the little girls I work for read the Memo about the agenda...) And perhaps even some more bonus information... (once again if the little girls allow)
Whitehurst, G. J., & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child development and emergent literacy. Child Development, 69, 848-872.
Speaking of reading, today I'm reading about emergent literacy. What is emergent literacy you ask? Well, Whitehurst and Lonigan (1998) call emergent literacy the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are presumed to be developmental precursors to conventional forms of reading and writing and the environments that support these developments (p. 849).
I'll be back later to talk more about literacy and skills necessary in young children... (if I can work it into the Agenda for the day, and if the little girls I work for read the Memo about the agenda...) And perhaps even some more bonus information... (once again if the little girls allow)
Whitehurst, G. J., & Lonigan, C. J. (1998). Child development and emergent literacy. Child Development, 69, 848-872.
Monday, February 20, 2006
What I need...
Right now, I'm a little obsessed with finding a pair of black pants that are, 1) cute, 2) figure flattering, 3) washable, 4) comfortable, 5) stylish enough to pass for work pants and yet casual enough to be fine with a sweatshirt when I'm at home being Mommy, 5) warm, and 6) cheap. Am I asking for too much?
I know I'm not going to be wearing them for very long because of the weight loss thing, and I know it won't be cold here for too much longer, so I really don't want to spend very much money on them. We all have our fantasies... Right now, my fantasies involve the perfect pair of black pants. (In 3-5 pounds I have a great pair of black pants that I can wear to work, but that doesn't help me TODAY.... And I wonder why N says, "But I need it NOW, Mommy!")
I know I'm not going to be wearing them for very long because of the weight loss thing, and I know it won't be cold here for too much longer, so I really don't want to spend very much money on them. We all have our fantasies... Right now, my fantasies involve the perfect pair of black pants. (In 3-5 pounds I have a great pair of black pants that I can wear to work, but that doesn't help me TODAY.... And I wonder why N says, "But I need it NOW, Mommy!")
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Plateau
The scale hasn't moved down since last week, but I'm okay with that. When I am over this cold, I have no doubt I will weigh a pound or two less, because that is how much snot is stuffed up in my nose and ears right now. Yes, it's gross. It's not a terrible cold in terms of colds, but it is a stuffy one. I can see how it turned into an ear infection for K (21 months) and T (6 months).
Oh, yes, that's right, I forgot to write about T's doctor appointment yesterday. She has two infected ears. She is now on antibiotics too. I feel like a bad mother because I failed to keep my children well enough to avoid antibiotics. We eat a very balanced diet. I breastfeed them both, try to make sure they get plenty of sleep, and yet, they ended up with ear infections. I'm sad. The doctor who saw T said she looked great, and then she looked in her ears and said, "Oh." The doctor said that two ear infections a year for each child is average. She was trying to make me feel better.
Anyway, my ears are so stuffy that the world is a much quieter place. That's kind of nice, but I look forward to being able to hear again. The good news is that T slept through the night last night in bed. After the last two nights of me being with her in the rocking chair this was a very welcome change. I'm still tired though.
T is getting very close to crawling. She goes backwards. More soon. We have out of town visitors (my husband's parents) and even though they are out touring around with my husband I should probably get some stuff done and not just blog right now. Or maybe I should take a nap.
Oh, yes, that's right, I forgot to write about T's doctor appointment yesterday. She has two infected ears. She is now on antibiotics too. I feel like a bad mother because I failed to keep my children well enough to avoid antibiotics. We eat a very balanced diet. I breastfeed them both, try to make sure they get plenty of sleep, and yet, they ended up with ear infections. I'm sad. The doctor who saw T said she looked great, and then she looked in her ears and said, "Oh." The doctor said that two ear infections a year for each child is average. She was trying to make me feel better.
Anyway, my ears are so stuffy that the world is a much quieter place. That's kind of nice, but I look forward to being able to hear again. The good news is that T slept through the night last night in bed. After the last two nights of me being with her in the rocking chair this was a very welcome change. I'm still tired though.
T is getting very close to crawling. She goes backwards. More soon. We have out of town visitors (my husband's parents) and even though they are out touring around with my husband I should probably get some stuff done and not just blog right now. Or maybe I should take a nap.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Still More Germs...
Just when you think it's safe to blow your nose again....
2/16
I have gotten the cold. My husband has the start too. I'm hopeful that it's fairly mild. I've got a fairly stuffy head. My ears are off-balance. I hate that! T (almost 6 months) is having coughing fits. So sad. I had to sleep with her in the rocking chair most of the night so that she could feel more comfortable. Our rocker is comfortable, but not as comfortable as our bed. Oh well, at least it was not the hotel bathroom like when K was sick.
K is getting better... After looking at the factors to determine antibiotic use, I decided to that it did make sense to give them to her. If it had been summer, and if she were over 2, I might have decided not to do it. I'm sad we have to do antibiotics, but at least she's 21 months and we made it that long with her with no need for them. N (4) has not had any yet and I hope it remains that way for a while.
After the last two nights of K coming in and nursing and then throwing up all the milk cause she was coughing so hard, I do think I made the right decision. The doctor said as her ears got better the coughing would too. However, I was thinking of changing this blog's tagline to "All throw-up all the time."
2/17
I am sicker. Could it be because I spent most of the night in the rocking chair again? Two nights in a row isn't good for me. T is in some pain and I decided I'd take her in today to get her ears checked. I'm hopeful it's just pressure in her head and not an ear infection, but I want to know. Since it's Friday I want to go in before the weekend. She has her 6 month check-up on Wednesday so it's kind of silly to go in today, but Wednesday is a lifetime away if you think about sleeping in the rocking chair until then. We're not seeing T's regular doctor today so we can't do the check-up today.
My glands are swollen and my head is very stuffy. I hope I feel better after some coffee. Miss N is whining (fake whining) and I'm about to tape her mouth shut (not really, but the fake whining! It drives me crazy!). Okay, a short time-out just reset her and life is better now. Off to a steamy shower for me in hopes that it will help my head.
2/16
I have gotten the cold. My husband has the start too. I'm hopeful that it's fairly mild. I've got a fairly stuffy head. My ears are off-balance. I hate that! T (almost 6 months) is having coughing fits. So sad. I had to sleep with her in the rocking chair most of the night so that she could feel more comfortable. Our rocker is comfortable, but not as comfortable as our bed. Oh well, at least it was not the hotel bathroom like when K was sick.
K is getting better... After looking at the factors to determine antibiotic use, I decided to that it did make sense to give them to her. If it had been summer, and if she were over 2, I might have decided not to do it. I'm sad we have to do antibiotics, but at least she's 21 months and we made it that long with her with no need for them. N (4) has not had any yet and I hope it remains that way for a while.
After the last two nights of K coming in and nursing and then throwing up all the milk cause she was coughing so hard, I do think I made the right decision. The doctor said as her ears got better the coughing would too. However, I was thinking of changing this blog's tagline to "All throw-up all the time."
2/17
I am sicker. Could it be because I spent most of the night in the rocking chair again? Two nights in a row isn't good for me. T is in some pain and I decided I'd take her in today to get her ears checked. I'm hopeful it's just pressure in her head and not an ear infection, but I want to know. Since it's Friday I want to go in before the weekend. She has her 6 month check-up on Wednesday so it's kind of silly to go in today, but Wednesday is a lifetime away if you think about sleeping in the rocking chair until then. We're not seeing T's regular doctor today so we can't do the check-up today.
My glands are swollen and my head is very stuffy. I hope I feel better after some coffee. Miss N is whining (fake whining) and I'm about to tape her mouth shut (not really, but the fake whining! It drives me crazy!). Okay, a short time-out just reset her and life is better now. Off to a steamy shower for me in hopes that it will help my head.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
February 15th
One year ago, I lost my beloved kitty. He was about 18 years old and I'd had him for 16 of those years. For me, he was the best kitty ever. I met him when I was in college, he helped me through grad school and a bad boyfriend. He "officiallly" moved in with my husband before I did.
I think about him all the time now and miss him so much. He was not "just a cat," he was my first child. When I found out he had chronic renal failure (CRF) in March of '03, I didn't know how I would cope or ever get along without him. I don't actually know how I do, but somehow, it has been a year. My life seems a little less without him. But I thank him for all he gave me and taught me. I miss that boy. I miss his sweet kitty face and purr; and all the snuggles he gave me. He fought a valiant fight against CRF for almost 2 years, but he was tired, had cancer, and his body needed a rest. I have his story all documented and I've shared it with many others who also have kitties with CRF. I hope that his story can help other kitties.
He will always live on in my heart.
I think about him all the time now and miss him so much. He was not "just a cat," he was my first child. When I found out he had chronic renal failure (CRF) in March of '03, I didn't know how I would cope or ever get along without him. I don't actually know how I do, but somehow, it has been a year. My life seems a little less without him. But I thank him for all he gave me and taught me. I miss that boy. I miss his sweet kitty face and purr; and all the snuggles he gave me. He fought a valiant fight against CRF for almost 2 years, but he was tired, had cancer, and his body needed a rest. I have his story all documented and I've shared it with many others who also have kitties with CRF. I hope that his story can help other kitties.
He will always live on in my heart.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Oh yea...
It's Valentine's Day... With all the sickness and muck I almost forgot.
I'll write mushy and lovey dovey posts another day. I'm exhausted and stressed. Underneath it all though I am very happy to have the wonderful husband and family that I do. He is the love of my life, my rock, my inspiration, and ruggedly handsome to boot. He is the most wonderful husband ever!
I'll write mushy and lovey dovey posts another day. I'm exhausted and stressed. Underneath it all though I am very happy to have the wonderful husband and family that I do. He is the love of my life, my rock, my inspiration, and ruggedly handsome to boot. He is the most wonderful husband ever!
Hmmmm....
This is really interesting....
(from http://www.drgreene.com/21_923.html) (copying and pasting the text just in case the content goes away on the web)
Big News: Reflux and Ear Infections? !!!
Chronic ear infections are a frustrating problem for many young children. A study published in the February 9, 2002 issue of The Lancet suggests a dramatic new approach to dealing with ear infections. The researchers analyzed the fluid in the ears of 54 children with ear infections (OME). Surprisingly, 45 of the children had digestive enzymes from the stomach (pepsin and pepsinogen) at concentrations 1000 times higher than expected. It appears that when a young child is lying in his back, the acidic liquid from the stomach can flow to the back of his throat and then drip into the Eustachian tube. This would cause irritation and swelling (ear burn?), thus setting up an ear infection. I look forward to seeing if measures to control reflux prove effective for preventing ear infections. I suspect they will.
K is a very spit-uppy kid... I wonder if this tendency in her caused the ear infection.... Hmmm.
(from http://www.drgreene.com/21_923.html) (copying and pasting the text just in case the content goes away on the web)
Big News: Reflux and Ear Infections? !!!
Chronic ear infections are a frustrating problem for many young children. A study published in the February 9, 2002 issue of The Lancet suggests a dramatic new approach to dealing with ear infections. The researchers analyzed the fluid in the ears of 54 children with ear infections (OME). Surprisingly, 45 of the children had digestive enzymes from the stomach (pepsin and pepsinogen) at concentrations 1000 times higher than expected. It appears that when a young child is lying in his back, the acidic liquid from the stomach can flow to the back of his throat and then drip into the Eustachian tube. This would cause irritation and swelling (ear burn?), thus setting up an ear infection. I look forward to seeing if measures to control reflux prove effective for preventing ear infections. I suspect they will.
K is a very spit-uppy kid... I wonder if this tendency in her caused the ear infection.... Hmmm.
More Germs
I took K (21 months) to the doctor. Our doctor is off today so we had to see an on-call doctor who is not my favorite. I feel that he talks down to me and that he is dismissive of my concerns. I've seen him once before and when I found out when I made the appointment that we'd be seeing this guy, I almost didn't take the appointment. I'm glad I did take the appointment though. He said K's ears look awful. This is our first ear infection. N hasn't had one. I feel awful that K has one. I wonder if the flying did it, or if it would have happened anyway. I know it's common for little ones to get ear infections after a cold.
He prescribed a course of antibiotics.... Ten days worth. He said since she was under 2 that this was what was recommended. I am not a big fan of antibiotics unless they are necessary, and I think they might be necessary this time. This is the first course of antibiotics for any of the girls. N's not had an infection that required antibiotics. When she had Croup, she got a steroid prescription to reduce the inflammation, but not an antibiotic. Oh the fun we will have trying to get K to take this medicine. The cough medicine in my eye from this morning makes me really dread giving her the medication.
K is asleep right now. She's a tired girl. She hasn't gotten the medicine yet because the drugstore didn't have it done when we were coming home. Her Daddy will be bringing it home soon. I'm just not sure what to do. I'm not sure whether we'll give it to her or wait. I just read this and part of me kind of wants to wait. Maybe I'll see what we can do with advil and how that works. The part of me that wants her to feel better fast wants to give it to her, but the part of me that looks at the big picture just isn't sure what the best action is. Any advice?
He prescribed a course of antibiotics.... Ten days worth. He said since she was under 2 that this was what was recommended. I am not a big fan of antibiotics unless they are necessary, and I think they might be necessary this time. This is the first course of antibiotics for any of the girls. N's not had an infection that required antibiotics. When she had Croup, she got a steroid prescription to reduce the inflammation, but not an antibiotic. Oh the fun we will have trying to get K to take this medicine. The cough medicine in my eye from this morning makes me really dread giving her the medication.
K is asleep right now. She's a tired girl. She hasn't gotten the medicine yet because the drugstore didn't have it done when we were coming home. Her Daddy will be bringing it home soon. I'm just not sure what to do. I'm not sure whether we'll give it to her or wait. I just read this and part of me kind of wants to wait. Maybe I'll see what we can do with advil and how that works. The part of me that wants her to feel better fast wants to give it to her, but the part of me that looks at the big picture just isn't sure what the best action is. Any advice?
House o' Germs
K (21 months) woke up at 8:08 am, not a bad time for a sick girl. She woke up and nursed at 6 am, and I was delighted! When she woke at 8 she was coughing like crazy. I went in and was greeted by her and then she threw up. It's not sick to her stomach throw up, it's just coughing too much and swallowing too much mucous throw up. (Yes, there is a distinction!)
I remember being a kid and throwing up a lot. I think that sometimes I was sick to my stomach and sometimes it was coughing too much. I didn't know the distinction then. It's interesting the things you learn as a parent.
K kept coughing and coughed up some more mucousy throw up after I got her up. I tried to get her to take some cough medicine. I ended up with cough medicine in my eye. I could get my cat to take medicine better than K. Wow. She's a fighter. After the 3rd attempt to get cough medicine into her I gave up. I probably got .2 of a ml in her and she neede 2.5 ml.
K's not really wanting to eat or drink anything. I've got a doctor's appointment for 3. The nanny is here and I'm going to try to get some work done... There's just one thing I need to do today. It won't take that long and I will go do that in a minute.
The nanny is with K right now. She'll be here until 2 and then I take over with K. I sent T (almost 6 months) and N (4) with the other nanny. I'm hoping that K will take an early nap so that we can go to the doctor's office and have her awake. She's so tired and so not feeling good. I think T is coming down with this now. She's coughed a few times today. I have to hope that I have antibodies to this in my breastmilk and that T won't get as sick.
I feel so terrible for little K. I have a headache and scratchy ears. I hope that I can fight this off and not get sick. Bleh! Off I go to do the one thing I need to do for work. Then maybe I'll just take over and send the nanny home.
I remember being a kid and throwing up a lot. I think that sometimes I was sick to my stomach and sometimes it was coughing too much. I didn't know the distinction then. It's interesting the things you learn as a parent.
K kept coughing and coughed up some more mucousy throw up after I got her up. I tried to get her to take some cough medicine. I ended up with cough medicine in my eye. I could get my cat to take medicine better than K. Wow. She's a fighter. After the 3rd attempt to get cough medicine into her I gave up. I probably got .2 of a ml in her and she neede 2.5 ml.
K's not really wanting to eat or drink anything. I've got a doctor's appointment for 3. The nanny is here and I'm going to try to get some work done... There's just one thing I need to do today. It won't take that long and I will go do that in a minute.
The nanny is with K right now. She'll be here until 2 and then I take over with K. I sent T (almost 6 months) and N (4) with the other nanny. I'm hoping that K will take an early nap so that we can go to the doctor's office and have her awake. She's so tired and so not feeling good. I think T is coming down with this now. She's coughed a few times today. I have to hope that I have antibodies to this in my breastmilk and that T won't get as sick.
I feel so terrible for little K. I have a headache and scratchy ears. I hope that I can fight this off and not get sick. Bleh! Off I go to do the one thing I need to do for work. Then maybe I'll just take over and send the nanny home.
Monday, February 13, 2006
My baby...
My sweet Miss T is almost 6 months old. I just wrote a long post about her newfound ability to push up into the crawl position all the way, fully on her hands and knees and then lunge backwards, and then she lunged forward and did something to my computer and the post is gone. Completely and totally gone. Good advice is to save early and often. Especially when T's laying right next to the computer. She was laying there, smiling up at me and cooing, and looking innocent. Yea right. Poof...All of my work for the last 1/2 hour is gone.
Miss T is really cute. She started pushing up to the crawl position a few days ago. She is getting close to being able to get her self into a siting position on her own. She is such a strong and a seemingly coordinated baby. It's funny, I don't get to watch her as much as I watched N, when N was my only baby, but I feel like I know what T's doing in the same way I knew what N was doing.
As N learned new skills, she screamed and fought her way to her milestones. There was much frustration. When she was trying to learn to crawl she was up on all fours and rocking and screaming and trying to get her arms and legs to move for about 3-4 weeks. It was funny and sad all at the same time. When Miss K was learning to crawl, it seemed like she figured it out with much less frustration. It seems like Miss T is also figuring it out with less frustration too.
I can't believe Miss T is so close to 6 months old. I can't believe how many skills she has. Oh where did my little new born go? I love snuggling and sleeping with her. I feel so lucky that we get a third baby. I am sad that this is my last baby. At some point, there always is a last baby. Even if I had 10 babies, I'd have to be sad about my last baby at some point. It's so much fun to be a Mommy. You get to watch them look at you and see them look at you with such love and adoration. You think they are the best thing since sliced bread and they think the same of you.
It is so very very very cool to be a Mommy.
Miss T is really cute. She started pushing up to the crawl position a few days ago. She is getting close to being able to get her self into a siting position on her own. She is such a strong and a seemingly coordinated baby. It's funny, I don't get to watch her as much as I watched N, when N was my only baby, but I feel like I know what T's doing in the same way I knew what N was doing.
As N learned new skills, she screamed and fought her way to her milestones. There was much frustration. When she was trying to learn to crawl she was up on all fours and rocking and screaming and trying to get her arms and legs to move for about 3-4 weeks. It was funny and sad all at the same time. When Miss K was learning to crawl, it seemed like she figured it out with much less frustration. It seems like Miss T is also figuring it out with less frustration too.
I can't believe Miss T is so close to 6 months old. I can't believe how many skills she has. Oh where did my little new born go? I love snuggling and sleeping with her. I feel so lucky that we get a third baby. I am sad that this is my last baby. At some point, there always is a last baby. Even if I had 10 babies, I'd have to be sad about my last baby at some point. It's so much fun to be a Mommy. You get to watch them look at you and see them look at you with such love and adoration. You think they are the best thing since sliced bread and they think the same of you.
It is so very very very cool to be a Mommy.
Wean.... Part 2
Miss K (21 months) has refused to nurse since early in the morning Saturday morning. She's still recovering from the croup, and is doing a lot better, but is kind of on a food strike. It's really hard to get her to eat or drink anything. I can't believe she won't nurse. I feel terrible. Right before we went on our vacation she and I had a talk. I told her how someday she wouldn't need to nurse any more. She's been my baby who loves to nurse. I asked her what she thought and she didn't really respond.
She nursed fine after our talk (I think it was last Tuesday or Wednesday) through Saturday. Now I feel terrible because she's either self-weaned cold turkey, or is just on a nursing strike. Though I wanted to wean when she was around 2 years, I never expected her to wean before she hit age 2. I feel so terrible. Did she decide to wean because I told her someday she wouldn't need to nurse anymore? Is this just a nursing strike because her nose is stuffy? She's having trouble sucking her thumb, so I'm hopeful that it's just a nursing strike.
Oh, the guilt... It's tough to be a Mom!
I've been pumping lots, Nothing like pumping 10 - 15 ounces first thing in the morning! I don't know if I'm ready for Miss K to wean, but there's nothing you can do when you offer and your toddler says, "Nope!" She won't drink the expressed milk either.
She's saying "Nope" to most foods though so I guess I can't take it too personally. I hope she's feeling better tomorrow and that she eats more, or nurses or something! (I have offered everything I can think of that she might like to eat or drink. I even made a special run to J*amba Juice tonight packing up all 3 girls and going just for K 'cause she asked for it. She drank a little, not worth writing home, or a blog entry, about though.)
On a related note, Miss T had her first taste of solid food yesterday. I mashed some (organic) bananas with breastmilk. She had maybe a speck of banana. She wasn't impressed. That's okay. I guess, it wasn't her first taste of solid food. I gave her a teeny tiny speck of avacado a couple of weeks ago. She really didn't like it. The banana, she didn't like, but it was more of a confused dislike it than a vehement dislike that she gave to the avacado.
It will be odd if Miss K weans now. Then Miss T would be my only nursling and soon she will be eating more and more solids. Oh my babies are growing up. It goes so fast!
She nursed fine after our talk (I think it was last Tuesday or Wednesday) through Saturday. Now I feel terrible because she's either self-weaned cold turkey, or is just on a nursing strike. Though I wanted to wean when she was around 2 years, I never expected her to wean before she hit age 2. I feel so terrible. Did she decide to wean because I told her someday she wouldn't need to nurse anymore? Is this just a nursing strike because her nose is stuffy? She's having trouble sucking her thumb, so I'm hopeful that it's just a nursing strike.
Oh, the guilt... It's tough to be a Mom!
I've been pumping lots, Nothing like pumping 10 - 15 ounces first thing in the morning! I don't know if I'm ready for Miss K to wean, but there's nothing you can do when you offer and your toddler says, "Nope!" She won't drink the expressed milk either.
She's saying "Nope" to most foods though so I guess I can't take it too personally. I hope she's feeling better tomorrow and that she eats more, or nurses or something! (I have offered everything I can think of that she might like to eat or drink. I even made a special run to J*amba Juice tonight packing up all 3 girls and going just for K 'cause she asked for it. She drank a little, not worth writing home, or a blog entry, about though.)
On a related note, Miss T had her first taste of solid food yesterday. I mashed some (organic) bananas with breastmilk. She had maybe a speck of banana. She wasn't impressed. That's okay. I guess, it wasn't her first taste of solid food. I gave her a teeny tiny speck of avacado a couple of weeks ago. She really didn't like it. The banana, she didn't like, but it was more of a confused dislike it than a vehement dislike that she gave to the avacado.
It will be odd if Miss K weans now. Then Miss T would be my only nursling and soon she will be eating more and more solids. Oh my babies are growing up. It goes so fast!
Yippee skippy....
A colleague just asked me if I'd lost some weight. It always takes a while before people are willing to comment on other people's weight and most people never comment unless the weight is going in the negative direction (a positive thing) but I've finally reached the point where I do look significantly thinner. Yippee!
Only about 12 pounds to go. And I know I'm more muscular than I was before so I probably look more like 8 pounds to go. I finally jumped down to the normal size I usually am.... However, I have about 17 pairs of jeans in that size and I have them marked as to if they are "fat jeans" or not. I am in the "fat jeans" in my normal size. I have a ways to go before I can get into the "skinny jeans." But I'm back in my size! Celebrate all the victories!
Only about 12 pounds to go. And I know I'm more muscular than I was before so I probably look more like 8 pounds to go. I finally jumped down to the normal size I usually am.... However, I have about 17 pairs of jeans in that size and I have them marked as to if they are "fat jeans" or not. I am in the "fat jeans" in my normal size. I have a ways to go before I can get into the "skinny jeans." But I'm back in my size! Celebrate all the victories!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Like fingernails on a chalkboard....
Little T (5.5 months) has 4 teeth most of the way through now. Two on the top and two on the bottom. She has just learned how to grind them. We really wish she'd stop. I'm not sure what part of our body hurts from the sound of the grinding, but basically it hurts us everywhere. We just cringe when she does it. We cringe as if we were hearing fingernails on a chalkboard.
(K did this a lot too when she was getting her teeth. We'd forgotten how much fun the teeth grinding thing is.)
(K did this a lot too when she was getting her teeth. We'd forgotten how much fun the teeth grinding thing is.)
a realization
I was looking at a friend's picture of her kiddos playing in the snow, and I realized that it's been about 6 years since I saw any accumulation of snow at all. That was the last time we went skiing... almost 6 years ago to the day. I guess it snowed the year N (4) was born, but that snow didn't accumulate, and only lasted about 2.5 seconds, so I can't really count it.
N really would like to see snow and play in it. I don't know whether we'll accomplish that this year or not. Maybe we can try.
N really would like to see snow and play in it. I don't know whether we'll accomplish that this year or not. Maybe we can try.
Vacation fun... (Part 2)
Where was I? Ahh... Friday afternoon. When T (5.5 months) woke up we took her outside and K (21 months) too. K played a bit outside near the pool with a ball. K had fun and it wasn't too hard to keep her out of the water. She wanted to go swimming, but she is easily distracted. I brought down empty water bottles and filled them for her and she poured them back into the pool. We also walked around and found all the fountains. K discovered the joy of throwing pennies into them. T was happy to watch and take it all in.
Friday night at dinner, K (21 months) seemed so much better. She ate a lot, and then started running around and having fun. That's the thing with croup, it lulls you into a false security because it's always better in the day. At bedtime though, I started to get worried. K fell asleep around the normal time, but woke up 1/2 an hour later because she was coughing.
At 10, I had her in the bathroom with the shower running hot making it as steamy as possible. We did this on and off all night. I spent way too much time in that bathroom. It's all a blur now, but I think I was up at midnight-ish for an hour or so, then 2:30-ish for another hour or so, then 4 am for 2 hours, and I had to wake dear sleeping husband around 5-ish because T needed to nurse too, so he got to hang for an hour or so in the steamy bathroom with K. K went back to sleep at 6 and slept until 8 ish when I got up with her.
I declared night over and took K out of the room to get some breakfast and coffee! I figured I should let N (4), T and my sweet sleepy husband sleep. Housekeeping was right outside the door and I asked them to put up a "privacy please" sign. I explained 3 people were still sleeping in there. The housekeeper agreed and said she'd call for a sign. The guy who delivered the "privacy please" sign apparently didn't understand that he was just supposed to stick it on the door. He pounded on the door until my husband woke and proudly handed the sign to my husband. Ummmm, not the point. [Insert comment about the intelligence of the man who delivered the "privacy please" sign here.]
After everyone was awake, we decided to go ahead and go home on Saturday afternoon and cut our losses. We'd had a day of fun in the sun. We knew that the dry air wasn't good for K. I knew that I couldn't spend another night up in that little hotel bathroom. If K was going to be up all night again, I wanted the comforts of home. I wanted the rocking chair and our vaporizer and my very very very comfortable bed for the hours I did get to sleep. (Seriously, we have the world's most comfortable bed!)
The flight back wasn't too bad considering K had a cold. There was very little crying even though K's and N's ears hurt. They were such good girls. I think the trip was good, but not great. We learned some things about traveling with 3 though and that's important. For a trip to be great, it takes a lot. It's hard to compete against where we live. We left pretty darn good weather (~75-78) so the warm sunny get away wasn't as necessary this year. Last year when we went to our warm sunny spot it was in the 50's and raining. It's hard to compete against my bed too. Hotel beds just suck by comparison. I heart my bed!
In hindsight, I think I should have cancelled the trip on Monday after N came down with her cold on Sunday (2/5). I'm just not a big fan of travel. We had fun, but I think we could have had as much fun closer to home and with less hassle.
Last year, we met a friend where we went on vacation this year, and that was more fun. Next year, I'm hopeful that my friend can meet us there, and I'll happily go then, but if she can't, I don't think we'll go by ourselves again until the girls are older. The weather is nice enough where we live so that we don't have to fly somewhere to get away from the winter. Flying with 3 little ones is a pain, and I think we should save it for those times when we have to fly. Call me boring, but I just like the even keel.
I want to make sure that it's clear that I had a good time on the trip, but I also want to document the difficulties too so that when I look back at this later that I don't forget that things were hard at times. The hotel was nice, and the weather was really really wonderful. We are also lucky that we could take one of our nannies with us. It's still hard though. Traveling with another adult is difficult, no matter how much you like them. And traveling with the 3 little girls who all prefer Mom to any one else is hard! I love my little girls, but they are so little. They are really cute though. Our nanny was wonderful and I'm so glad she went.
Friday night at dinner, K (21 months) seemed so much better. She ate a lot, and then started running around and having fun. That's the thing with croup, it lulls you into a false security because it's always better in the day. At bedtime though, I started to get worried. K fell asleep around the normal time, but woke up 1/2 an hour later because she was coughing.
At 10, I had her in the bathroom with the shower running hot making it as steamy as possible. We did this on and off all night. I spent way too much time in that bathroom. It's all a blur now, but I think I was up at midnight-ish for an hour or so, then 2:30-ish for another hour or so, then 4 am for 2 hours, and I had to wake dear sleeping husband around 5-ish because T needed to nurse too, so he got to hang for an hour or so in the steamy bathroom with K. K went back to sleep at 6 and slept until 8 ish when I got up with her.
I declared night over and took K out of the room to get some breakfast and coffee! I figured I should let N (4), T and my sweet sleepy husband sleep. Housekeeping was right outside the door and I asked them to put up a "privacy please" sign. I explained 3 people were still sleeping in there. The housekeeper agreed and said she'd call for a sign. The guy who delivered the "privacy please" sign apparently didn't understand that he was just supposed to stick it on the door. He pounded on the door until my husband woke and proudly handed the sign to my husband. Ummmm, not the point. [Insert comment about the intelligence of the man who delivered the "privacy please" sign here.]
After everyone was awake, we decided to go ahead and go home on Saturday afternoon and cut our losses. We'd had a day of fun in the sun. We knew that the dry air wasn't good for K. I knew that I couldn't spend another night up in that little hotel bathroom. If K was going to be up all night again, I wanted the comforts of home. I wanted the rocking chair and our vaporizer and my very very very comfortable bed for the hours I did get to sleep. (Seriously, we have the world's most comfortable bed!)
The flight back wasn't too bad considering K had a cold. There was very little crying even though K's and N's ears hurt. They were such good girls. I think the trip was good, but not great. We learned some things about traveling with 3 though and that's important. For a trip to be great, it takes a lot. It's hard to compete against where we live. We left pretty darn good weather (~75-78) so the warm sunny get away wasn't as necessary this year. Last year when we went to our warm sunny spot it was in the 50's and raining. It's hard to compete against my bed too. Hotel beds just suck by comparison. I heart my bed!
In hindsight, I think I should have cancelled the trip on Monday after N came down with her cold on Sunday (2/5). I'm just not a big fan of travel. We had fun, but I think we could have had as much fun closer to home and with less hassle.
Last year, we met a friend where we went on vacation this year, and that was more fun. Next year, I'm hopeful that my friend can meet us there, and I'll happily go then, but if she can't, I don't think we'll go by ourselves again until the girls are older. The weather is nice enough where we live so that we don't have to fly somewhere to get away from the winter. Flying with 3 little ones is a pain, and I think we should save it for those times when we have to fly. Call me boring, but I just like the even keel.
I want to make sure that it's clear that I had a good time on the trip, but I also want to document the difficulties too so that when I look back at this later that I don't forget that things were hard at times. The hotel was nice, and the weather was really really wonderful. We are also lucky that we could take one of our nannies with us. It's still hard though. Traveling with another adult is difficult, no matter how much you like them. And traveling with the 3 little girls who all prefer Mom to any one else is hard! I love my little girls, but they are so little. They are really cute though. Our nanny was wonderful and I'm so glad she went.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Vacation fun... (Part 1)
We are currently on a short vacation. K (21 months) now has the cold N (4) had. Unfortunately, it's turned into the croup for her. Croup sounds awful. She's a sick girl. She's not as sick as N was when N got croup. N was 11 months old when she got sick and turned into a seal. It was really scary as N had really labored breathing. K is a seal, but she's a little older and bigger and can breathe okay. She won't take any medicine (ibuprofen or sudafed). I may try and get her some cough syrup and see if she'll take it. She's really not interested in eating or doing much of anything.
I noticed a couple of croupy cough sounds from K as we were eating lunch yesterday (Thursday, 2/9) (just after we flew down for our vacation). I cringed, but I thought, maybe it's just a bad cough. I think as soon as I heard the first bark, I knew, but I wanted to pretend that it wasn't happening because I really didn't want it to happen. Later that night (Thursday, 2/9), K was really tired. She didn't "seal cough" again until the middle of the night. She wanted to nurse after she coughed, and of course I let her. She went right back to bed (by 4) afterwards, but I was awake and thinking of all the possible horrible scenarios and what we could do. At 5 am, after pondering everything, I had decided we'd fly back today (Friday), but when we all got up at 9, we decided flying might actually be harder on K than just hanging out here.
We brought one of our nannies with us, so K's been taking it easy and hanging out with her. Right now, T is taking a nap so she's hanging out with the nanny and K. N, her dad and I got to go have lunch together. That was fun and yummy too! N and her daddy are in the pool right now. When T wakes I'll either take her out for a walk or a swim. T went swimming for the first time this morning and liked it. That was fun. The pool is warm and the sun is nice.
When N got sick on Sunday (2/5), I had thought about canceling the trip. So far the trip has been okay for us, and N is doing okay, but K probably won't get to go swimming and that makes me sad. I'm just hoping T doesn't get this cold and doesn't get croup. I don't think that our trip increases the chances (too much) that T will get it.
I am hopeful that the breastfeeding thing works in preventing illness this time in T. I don't know if it prevents illness if I don't get sick. Obviously I've been exposed to N and K's illness, but I might or might not get sick. If I don't get sick, say because I've had the cold before, does my immune system still create antibodies that are passed in the breastmilk? I'm guessing that the breastfeeding thing works even if I don't get sick if I have an immune system reaction and am producing the antibodies as a secondary response. Given how many times I have been sneezed and coughed on, I have to be having a secondary response.
Okay, must go to the pool now.
Friday night and Saturday happenings to be continued....
I noticed a couple of croupy cough sounds from K as we were eating lunch yesterday (Thursday, 2/9) (just after we flew down for our vacation). I cringed, but I thought, maybe it's just a bad cough. I think as soon as I heard the first bark, I knew, but I wanted to pretend that it wasn't happening because I really didn't want it to happen. Later that night (Thursday, 2/9), K was really tired. She didn't "seal cough" again until the middle of the night. She wanted to nurse after she coughed, and of course I let her. She went right back to bed (by 4) afterwards, but I was awake and thinking of all the possible horrible scenarios and what we could do. At 5 am, after pondering everything, I had decided we'd fly back today (Friday), but when we all got up at 9, we decided flying might actually be harder on K than just hanging out here.
We brought one of our nannies with us, so K's been taking it easy and hanging out with her. Right now, T is taking a nap so she's hanging out with the nanny and K. N, her dad and I got to go have lunch together. That was fun and yummy too! N and her daddy are in the pool right now. When T wakes I'll either take her out for a walk or a swim. T went swimming for the first time this morning and liked it. That was fun. The pool is warm and the sun is nice.
When N got sick on Sunday (2/5), I had thought about canceling the trip. So far the trip has been okay for us, and N is doing okay, but K probably won't get to go swimming and that makes me sad. I'm just hoping T doesn't get this cold and doesn't get croup. I don't think that our trip increases the chances (too much) that T will get it.
I am hopeful that the breastfeeding thing works in preventing illness this time in T. I don't know if it prevents illness if I don't get sick. Obviously I've been exposed to N and K's illness, but I might or might not get sick. If I don't get sick, say because I've had the cold before, does my immune system still create antibodies that are passed in the breastmilk? I'm guessing that the breastfeeding thing works even if I don't get sick if I have an immune system reaction and am producing the antibodies as a secondary response. Given how many times I have been sneezed and coughed on, I have to be having a secondary response.
Okay, must go to the pool now.
Friday night and Saturday happenings to be continued....
Friday, February 10, 2006
Sometimes a coincidence is just amazingly cool
This guy had his life saved by a woman in 1999, and then he saved her life recently.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-save07.html
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-save07.html
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Random Stuff
I spoke to my Mom this past Sunday and had a long chat with her and once again, it was a bit depressing. A family friend had a massive stroke. Everyone knows life is unpredictable, but when people are older it becomes even more uncertain day-to-day.
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My back is feeling much better. It's still not all the way there yet, but it is getting better. Because of this, I made a decision to try every other week on the massage and only one chiropractor's visit a week. It's really hard to carve out time for 2 trips to the chiropractor (about 40 minutes total including driving time) plus another hour on one of those visits for a massage. We'll see if my back continues to improve with the less frequent visits or if I'll need to go back to 2 visits a week, and the massage every week.
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T has another tooth. She's 5.5 months and the first one on the top (top right) finally broke through today. This brings her to a grand total of 3. The two front on the bottom and the first top one. The second one on the bottom came through shortly after I wrote that post on 1/10. The two on the bottom are now pretty much out all the way. The top right one has just broken through the top left one will be breaking through any second now it looks like. The next two on the top are showing their outlines in the gums now. K (21 months) also got her teeth really early. N didn't. N's first tooth came in when she was about 9 months. And no, breastfeeding a baby with teeth doesn't hurt. It only hurts when they chomp down and it can hurt a lot if they chomp down and don't have any teeth.
I do have to say that nursing a 21 month old (K) with a full set of chompers does feel a bit dangerous. She's very gentle though now after The incident. One night, not too long ago, she giggled and then she bit me, not hard, but it hurt. A lot. It's a very sensitive area. I shrieked when it happened, stopped the nursing session, and told her there will be no more nursing ever if she does that again. She cried when I said that. Since then, she's approached me with such care and gentleness that it's kind of funny. Sweet K.
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What else... Oh, I made a decision... I'm only going to work on projects that I really really really like from now on, or at least for the next 6 months. When I want to work more I'll probably be less choosy, but for now, I think I need to be very selective. I want to hang with the girls and I have quite a bit of unpaid time coming to me before T's first birthday because of maternity leave. I want to use it! (Or at least that's what I'm thinking now.)
Okay, T wants me to stop typing and snuggle so she can go to sleep.
My back is feeling much better. It's still not all the way there yet, but it is getting better. Because of this, I made a decision to try every other week on the massage and only one chiropractor's visit a week. It's really hard to carve out time for 2 trips to the chiropractor (about 40 minutes total including driving time) plus another hour on one of those visits for a massage. We'll see if my back continues to improve with the less frequent visits or if I'll need to go back to 2 visits a week, and the massage every week.
T has another tooth. She's 5.5 months and the first one on the top (top right) finally broke through today. This brings her to a grand total of 3. The two front on the bottom and the first top one. The second one on the bottom came through shortly after I wrote that post on 1/10. The two on the bottom are now pretty much out all the way. The top right one has just broken through the top left one will be breaking through any second now it looks like. The next two on the top are showing their outlines in the gums now. K (21 months) also got her teeth really early. N didn't. N's first tooth came in when she was about 9 months. And no, breastfeeding a baby with teeth doesn't hurt. It only hurts when they chomp down and it can hurt a lot if they chomp down and don't have any teeth.
I do have to say that nursing a 21 month old (K) with a full set of chompers does feel a bit dangerous. She's very gentle though now after The incident. One night, not too long ago, she giggled and then she bit me, not hard, but it hurt. A lot. It's a very sensitive area. I shrieked when it happened, stopped the nursing session, and told her there will be no more nursing ever if she does that again. She cried when I said that. Since then, she's approached me with such care and gentleness that it's kind of funny. Sweet K.
What else... Oh, I made a decision... I'm only going to work on projects that I really really really like from now on, or at least for the next 6 months. When I want to work more I'll probably be less choosy, but for now, I think I need to be very selective. I want to hang with the girls and I have quite a bit of unpaid time coming to me before T's first birthday because of maternity leave. I want to use it! (Or at least that's what I'm thinking now.)
Okay, T wants me to stop typing and snuggle so she can go to sleep.
Got Calcium?
Many U.S. Kids don't get enough calcium says a new report, so get your kids to drink milk, eat yogurt, drink soy milk with calcium, take supplements, or something! We're very into dairy around here so I hope we can always get enough calcium into the 3 little girls. I take calcium supplements with Vitamin D too and will probably try to get the girls to take some too as they get bigger. My Mom has really bad osteoporosis. I do weight-bearing exercise to prevent the disease and will encourage such activity in the girls too.
(Sorry if this sounds like a PSA, but I just don't want any one to have to have the pain my Mom has from the broken bones in her back.)
(Sorry if this sounds like a PSA, but I just don't want any one to have to have the pain my Mom has from the broken bones in her back.)
Operation No More Throw Up
1. Bath done and have jammies on by 7:30.
2. Have teeth brushed no later than 7:45
3. Bedtime no later than 8:30 pm (In bed, story, lights out, and nursing done.)
It's actually hard for us to get K (21 months) in bed by that early. We are night owls. N (4) is a night owl. T (5.5 months) is too it seems (though it's too early to tell for sure). Over Christmas Break, K was actually sleeping in until 10-ish many of the days so we believed that maybe she was becoming a night owl. However, I think that for her natural sleep rhythms she prefers to go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier than the rest of us.
The past few nights we've gotten K to bed earlier and she has gone down really easily. We need to listen to her natural sleep rhythms. We can't let her stay up late anymore. Throwing up can't be good for her and it's no fun to clean up.
2. Have teeth brushed no later than 7:45
3. Bedtime no later than 8:30 pm (In bed, story, lights out, and nursing done.)
It's actually hard for us to get K (21 months) in bed by that early. We are night owls. N (4) is a night owl. T (5.5 months) is too it seems (though it's too early to tell for sure). Over Christmas Break, K was actually sleeping in until 10-ish many of the days so we believed that maybe she was becoming a night owl. However, I think that for her natural sleep rhythms she prefers to go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier than the rest of us.
The past few nights we've gotten K to bed earlier and she has gone down really easily. We need to listen to her natural sleep rhythms. We can't let her stay up late anymore. Throwing up can't be good for her and it's no fun to clean up.
I wish
I wish you all could hear what I'm hearing right now. Oh, the whining... the drama. I told you N (4) has another cold. She hates it when her nose runs and she wants the whole world to know. She is loud. It's just a cold.
She's saying, "Help! There's water coming out of my nose."
She's saying, "Help! There's water coming out of my nose."
You know you need to pump...
when just thinking about pumping gives you a let down.
One more breastfeeding mom thing... Since I only work 1/2 time, I don't pump at work. I'm usually only at work at work for 3 or 4 hours at a time. It seems like too much of a pain to bring in the pump and then lug it home. I have a handpump, but there are so many parts to it. Since I'm only there such a short time, and the time I get there is precious tosocialize with my co-workers and have conversations with adults do work, I don't want to take time to pump. When I'm full, I leave.
One more breastfeeding mom thing... Since I only work 1/2 time, I don't pump at work. I'm usually only at work at work for 3 or 4 hours at a time. It seems like too much of a pain to bring in the pump and then lug it home. I have a handpump, but there are so many parts to it. Since I'm only there such a short time, and the time I get there is precious to
Monday, February 06, 2006
I love them, but I don't recommend this
I love my little girls. Fiercely. Like a mama bear. However, I don't recommend having 3 in under 4 years. I have a friend who had 4 in under 4 years (twins one time) and I don't know how she does it. (They say, and it's true from my perspective, that N-1 children is always significantly easier than N!) (We're thinking of borrowing a child from a friend for a few days so we can learn how to handle 4 so that when we give the kid back our 3 are easy.)
Anyway... let me re-iterate in case I wasn't clear, I don't recommend 3 kiddos in under 4 years. From my observations of my 3 and seeing my friends who have 2 or more kids, 3-4 years (or more) apart is ideal. Maybe it's not ideal for the kids, and maybe the kids I have will be best friends and I'll be so happy soon, but for the parents, when they are young, it is easier to have them a little more spread than what mine are. I know I'm not the first person who's made this observation, but it is one that I've made. My older 2 are almost 2.5 years apart. They were hard, but the 15 months apart that #2 and #3 are was significantly harder.
We didn't think we were going to have 3. And then when I started to think about having 3, I figured we'd start to think about trying to get a #3 when #2 was about 2 or 3. Surprise. Life had other plans for me and I have two way closer than I'd planned.
I am so happy I have 3 little girls. I love them. I really really love them. They are my life. They challenge me though. I couldn't have had a blog when I only had 2 kids. I was boring then. I mean, yeah, it was challenging, but nothing like this. I am so in over my head sometimes.
Maybe if I didn't work. But I love my work. I often wonder if I am selfish because I work. I went to school forever and I do something I love. Maybe it's selfish, but it's important to me and ultimately I think it's important for them to see me doing something I love and being fairly successful at it. I've said this in other posts, but it's something I think about all the time. I always wonder if I've made the right decision to work, but if I ever think about not working, I have a panic attack.
In a few years, it will all be different. It will probably be significantly easier. Each of my little girls will have 2 built-in playmates and hopefully they will get along well. If it's not going to be easier in a few years, don't tell me. I don't want to know. I want to live in my delusional fantasy for a while longer. It keeps me going.
Anyway... let me re-iterate in case I wasn't clear, I don't recommend 3 kiddos in under 4 years. From my observations of my 3 and seeing my friends who have 2 or more kids, 3-4 years (or more) apart is ideal. Maybe it's not ideal for the kids, and maybe the kids I have will be best friends and I'll be so happy soon, but for the parents, when they are young, it is easier to have them a little more spread than what mine are. I know I'm not the first person who's made this observation, but it is one that I've made. My older 2 are almost 2.5 years apart. They were hard, but the 15 months apart that #2 and #3 are was significantly harder.
We didn't think we were going to have 3. And then when I started to think about having 3, I figured we'd start to think about trying to get a #3 when #2 was about 2 or 3. Surprise. Life had other plans for me and I have two way closer than I'd planned.
I am so happy I have 3 little girls. I love them. I really really love them. They are my life. They challenge me though. I couldn't have had a blog when I only had 2 kids. I was boring then. I mean, yeah, it was challenging, but nothing like this. I am so in over my head sometimes.
Maybe if I didn't work. But I love my work. I often wonder if I am selfish because I work. I went to school forever and I do something I love. Maybe it's selfish, but it's important to me and ultimately I think it's important for them to see me doing something I love and being fairly successful at it. I've said this in other posts, but it's something I think about all the time. I always wonder if I've made the right decision to work, but if I ever think about not working, I have a panic attack.
In a few years, it will all be different. It will probably be significantly easier. Each of my little girls will have 2 built-in playmates and hopefully they will get along well. If it's not going to be easier in a few years, don't tell me. I don't want to know. I want to live in my delusional fantasy for a while longer. It keeps me going.
'nother cold
N (4) has another cold. Preschool is a very special kind of germy place I tell her when I pick her up and pour hand sanitizer all over her.
We're supposed to fly somewhere (to beautiful weather) on Thursday. I don't know if we will be able to or not. I don't like to fly if I'm sick and neither does N. I'm hoping that N will be well enough, but then K (20 months) will probably get it sometime between now and Thursday. Who knows if I will. Who knows if my husband will. I think we're really wimpy about illness. We just don't like to be sick anywhere but at home.
More soon.
We're supposed to fly somewhere (to beautiful weather) on Thursday. I don't know if we will be able to or not. I don't like to fly if I'm sick and neither does N. I'm hoping that N will be well enough, but then K (20 months) will probably get it sometime between now and Thursday. Who knows if I will. Who knows if my husband will. I think we're really wimpy about illness. We just don't like to be sick anywhere but at home.
More soon.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
S*x Talk
The book, "Where did I come from?" arrived from Amazon. I like it, but I don't love it. It gives the facts and then it talks a lot about how nice sex is for a man and a woman, and how it feels, in terms that kids might understand. While I think it's important to explain that part too, I don't think my 4 year old needs to know about that yet. Yes, it's important later, and I want to be the one who tells her and not some random kid on the playground, but right now, I just kind of want "the facts." I need to get more comfortable with this too and starting with the facts is easier than talking about how good it feels. We'll use the book and the pictures in it and have a conversation about sex the next time she asks, "How do babies get inside your belly?" but we probably won't read it word for word.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
I FINALLY found my keys
I think I told you I couldn't find my car keys... I couldn't find them for 2 or 3 weeks... I can't remember, but it was a long-ish time. Anyway, I had searched high and low. I had emptied the toy boxes, searched behind the couch cushions; looked in jean pockets and jacket pockets; emptied my purse and cleaned it out; and looked everywhere that was obvious and not so obvious too.
Yesterday, I reached into the pocket of the jacket I was wearing, and there they were. I probably hadn't looked in that jacket. It's the problem having 4 black polar fleece jackets. It's hard to tell them apart.
My husband and I had a good laugh when I pulled them out of the pocket. (He was laughing at me... but that's okay. I was laughing at me too.) (If you can't laugh about stuff like that, you cry, so laughing is better.)
I'm glad I finally found them!
Yesterday, I reached into the pocket of the jacket I was wearing, and there they were. I probably hadn't looked in that jacket. It's the problem having 4 black polar fleece jackets. It's hard to tell them apart.
My husband and I had a good laugh when I pulled them out of the pocket. (He was laughing at me... but that's okay. I was laughing at me too.) (If you can't laugh about stuff like that, you cry, so laughing is better.)
I'm glad I finally found them!
The Spectrum
K (21 months) is my emotional baby with very high highs and very low lows. N (4) was always more even tempered. Oh, she had her moments with lows but not as low as K's. N exhausts me because she has so much energy, but K is different. She just really really has her moments.
Last night she had another moment. I knew it was coming. She was really tired. I was trying to get her in her jammies and she was not cooperating. I had gotten her face washed and a new diaper on her and was working on the jammies. She would scream when I tried to put them on and I was trying to prevent the throwing up from happening. I had been trying to get her ready for bed for about 20 minutes. She was just wearing her diaper and suddenly she said, "Potty... Sit..."
Dilemma for me. If I say no, I'm not encouraging the potty. If I say yes, she won't have any diaper on and we'll be back to square one in the getting ready for bed process. I give in and she sits on the potty. Big mistake. I knew when I said yes that it was a mistake.
Now she's naked as a jaybird and screaming 'cause all she wants to do is throw toilet paper in the potty. She never had to go. I should have just re-directed her attention. I shouldn’t have said yes. I’m a sucker.
I'm trying to get her diaper back on her and the screaming begins in earnest. Okay... I could go on about what happened, but I'll spare you the play-by-play and just end with, yes, she threw up. My ultimate mistake was seeing if she would calm down in her crib. At least it was contained just on the sheet and the waterproof sheet and not on the carpet.
About an hour after she threw up we finally get her to bed.
She's so sweet sometimes. Sweeter than sugar. Sweeter than saccharine. Just a love.
We also have the cuteness factor. She’s so cute. Her new word the last couple of weeks has been “heavy.” She’ll pick up something and say, “Heavy.” She makes it look like whatever she is picking up is heavy.
At least we have the whole spectrum and not just the bad. She is very cute.
Last night she had another moment. I knew it was coming. She was really tired. I was trying to get her in her jammies and she was not cooperating. I had gotten her face washed and a new diaper on her and was working on the jammies. She would scream when I tried to put them on and I was trying to prevent the throwing up from happening. I had been trying to get her ready for bed for about 20 minutes. She was just wearing her diaper and suddenly she said, "Potty... Sit..."
Dilemma for me. If I say no, I'm not encouraging the potty. If I say yes, she won't have any diaper on and we'll be back to square one in the getting ready for bed process. I give in and she sits on the potty. Big mistake. I knew when I said yes that it was a mistake.
Now she's naked as a jaybird and screaming 'cause all she wants to do is throw toilet paper in the potty. She never had to go. I should have just re-directed her attention. I shouldn’t have said yes. I’m a sucker.
I'm trying to get her diaper back on her and the screaming begins in earnest. Okay... I could go on about what happened, but I'll spare you the play-by-play and just end with, yes, she threw up. My ultimate mistake was seeing if she would calm down in her crib. At least it was contained just on the sheet and the waterproof sheet and not on the carpet.
About an hour after she threw up we finally get her to bed.
She's so sweet sometimes. Sweeter than sugar. Sweeter than saccharine. Just a love.
We also have the cuteness factor. She’s so cute. Her new word the last couple of weeks has been “heavy.” She’ll pick up something and say, “Heavy.” She makes it look like whatever she is picking up is heavy.
At least we have the whole spectrum and not just the bad. She is very cute.
Friday, February 03, 2006
A Little bit of Alfred in my life
I love him. I am seriously so happy about him. I smile when I think of him. It is the month of love.
Alfred's cleaned four rooms so far (well, 3 rooms and the landing on our stairs which is rather large). I kind of had him do the landing as an experiment to see if he was smart enough to not fall down the stairs like they advertise. He has "cliff sensors." He did okay on the stairs. At one point one of his wheels fell off the stair edge and he shut himself off and made this "uh-oh" kind of noise. I picked him up and turned him back on and all was well. About 10 minutes later I found him making the same sound and he had sort of slid on to the first step.
He did pretty good, but at this point I just put up a virtual wall for him so he wouldn't keep getting too close to the edge.
He does a very inefficient pattern when going through the room because it means that he will end up going over the swaths he makes many many many times. He is much more thorough of a cleaning machine than I am. The amount of gunk he's gotten out of our carpets is pretty amazing.
My husband remarked to me, "He's getting the carpets so clean you can see the stains on them better now." Yup, it's true. Do you think the company that makes the Roomba would want to use that as a tagline?
It's a good thing this is our rental house! (Oh, in a little while we'll be going to meet with the designer for the remodel. We're starting to figure out more what we want! It's exciting.)
Last night as I went to bed, I stuck Alfred in the playroom/den and he cleaned away to his heart's content. So far, he hasn't "completed his cleaning mission" (the terminology they use in the user guide) before running out of battery. He cleans for about an hour in a room so I call it done and move him on to the next room after letting him re-charge. (He takes about 3 hours to fully re-charge.)
Alfred appeals to my multi-tasking side. He was cleaning and I was sleeping! Granted, technically I wasn't the one multi-tasking, but it felt nice to know that someone is my little helper!
This morning, much like a mother ape lovingly grooming her baby and picking bugs out of his fur and then eating them, I cleaned all the hair and carpet fuzz out of Alfred's little roller bristles. I didn't eat it though.
Alfred's cleaned four rooms so far (well, 3 rooms and the landing on our stairs which is rather large). I kind of had him do the landing as an experiment to see if he was smart enough to not fall down the stairs like they advertise. He has "cliff sensors." He did okay on the stairs. At one point one of his wheels fell off the stair edge and he shut himself off and made this "uh-oh" kind of noise. I picked him up and turned him back on and all was well. About 10 minutes later I found him making the same sound and he had sort of slid on to the first step.
He did pretty good, but at this point I just put up a virtual wall for him so he wouldn't keep getting too close to the edge.
He does a very inefficient pattern when going through the room because it means that he will end up going over the swaths he makes many many many times. He is much more thorough of a cleaning machine than I am. The amount of gunk he's gotten out of our carpets is pretty amazing.
My husband remarked to me, "He's getting the carpets so clean you can see the stains on them better now." Yup, it's true. Do you think the company that makes the Roomba would want to use that as a tagline?
It's a good thing this is our rental house! (Oh, in a little while we'll be going to meet with the designer for the remodel. We're starting to figure out more what we want! It's exciting.)
Last night as I went to bed, I stuck Alfred in the playroom/den and he cleaned away to his heart's content. So far, he hasn't "completed his cleaning mission" (the terminology they use in the user guide) before running out of battery. He cleans for about an hour in a room so I call it done and move him on to the next room after letting him re-charge. (He takes about 3 hours to fully re-charge.)
Alfred appeals to my multi-tasking side. He was cleaning and I was sleeping! Granted, technically I wasn't the one multi-tasking, but it felt nice to know that someone is my little helper!
This morning, much like a mother ape lovingly grooming her baby and picking bugs out of his fur and then eating them, I cleaned all the hair and carpet fuzz out of Alfred's little roller bristles. I didn't eat it though.
Thank you my friend
Yesterday, in honor of my birthday, I received in the mail a package from Fat Witch bakery! It is a delicious gift! The packaging is great too! I was cracking up because I received a "Birthday Witch."
I know it's hard for my friend and I to get birthday cards or gifts to each other on time. We're usually very late in getting things to each other. It's not that we don't care, because we do. It's just that life is so crazy. We used to think life was crazy 10 years ago when we were just starting out in our careers. I have to say, we were wrong. It was crazy, but it's certainly more crazy now. And somehow, even with the craziness in her life, she managed to get a gift to me on time! Amazing.
She is my longest running friend. I'll have to tell you the story of how she and I met someday.... Back in 8th grade... because of a boy... I digress... Anyway, Thank you for the Birthday Witch!
And now an ad from our sponsor. This is a link to my friend. She has a book coming out soon on reading to babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Click, order and enjoy! (Then she can send me more brownies.)
I know it's hard for my friend and I to get birthday cards or gifts to each other on time. We're usually very late in getting things to each other. It's not that we don't care, because we do. It's just that life is so crazy. We used to think life was crazy 10 years ago when we were just starting out in our careers. I have to say, we were wrong. It was crazy, but it's certainly more crazy now. And somehow, even with the craziness in her life, she managed to get a gift to me on time! Amazing.
She is my longest running friend. I'll have to tell you the story of how she and I met someday.... Back in 8th grade... because of a boy... I digress... Anyway, Thank you for the Birthday Witch!
And now an ad from our sponsor. This is a link to my friend. She has a book coming out soon on reading to babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Click, order and enjoy! (Then she can send me more brownies.)
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Toy #2
I had a really fun birthday. I was so excited about the Roomba and I didn't think it could really get any better.
After I got my first toy, I went to work, came home, hung with the girls, N (4) wanted hot chocolate so we made some from scratch with cocoa (not hard at all and very very tasty!). Then we played a game and then the evening babysitters came. K (20 months) did not get the memo that all I wanted for my birthday was a day with no crying. She was in fine form. Because of this, I happily left our two babysitters to deal with K and take care of N and T too. (I use 2 babysitters at night when we go out because nights are hard. It's hard for my husband and I so why would we leave one stranger who doesn't love the girls like we do to deal with all 3?)
I went to my aerobics class and bounced like a maniac (fun fun) (remember I am one of those people who like to exercise). After aerobics, my husband and I went out to dinner. It was lovely.
At dinner, we had 2 hours of uninterupted time to talk. It was odd, but odd in a very good way. The fun thing was we got to "geek out." Part of our dinner conversation was discussing whether Q or The Borg would win if they were pitted against each other in a battle. (Yes, we are geeks, but we are very happy.) (The discussion didn't last very long though because Q would win... All he would do would be to banish The Borg from existence because he is all powerful. But because of the whole parallel existence thing he would never actually have to deal with the Borg if he didn't want to.)
At dinner, my husband presented the second present. A new video iPod. It's the black one. I haven't even had time to open it yet, but I'm so excited. It will be great for our upcoming trip. (I'll tell you about that later!)
When my husband and I got home from dinner N (4) & K (20 months) were actually asleep... and they didn't wake up when we got home. And they slept all night and got up at 9:15 and 10 am (N earlier than K). It was amazing!
My husband was wonderful to me on my birthday.* He also brought me roses (a dozen) the night before, and helped put T (5 months) to sleep so that I could get an extra 1/2 hour of horizontal time on my birthday.
Alfred is currently cleaning the dining room. Did I mention that I love him? (Him = Alfred and Him = my husband!)
*He's actually wonderful to me all the time. He just spoiled me with gifts on my birthday.
After I got my first toy, I went to work, came home, hung with the girls, N (4) wanted hot chocolate so we made some from scratch with cocoa (not hard at all and very very tasty!). Then we played a game and then the evening babysitters came. K (20 months) did not get the memo that all I wanted for my birthday was a day with no crying. She was in fine form. Because of this, I happily left our two babysitters to deal with K and take care of N and T too. (I use 2 babysitters at night when we go out because nights are hard. It's hard for my husband and I so why would we leave one stranger who doesn't love the girls like we do to deal with all 3?)
I went to my aerobics class and bounced like a maniac (fun fun) (remember I am one of those people who like to exercise). After aerobics, my husband and I went out to dinner. It was lovely.
At dinner, we had 2 hours of uninterupted time to talk. It was odd, but odd in a very good way. The fun thing was we got to "geek out." Part of our dinner conversation was discussing whether Q or The Borg would win if they were pitted against each other in a battle. (Yes, we are geeks, but we are very happy.) (The discussion didn't last very long though because Q would win... All he would do would be to banish The Borg from existence because he is all powerful. But because of the whole parallel existence thing he would never actually have to deal with the Borg if he didn't want to.)
At dinner, my husband presented the second present. A new video iPod. It's the black one. I haven't even had time to open it yet, but I'm so excited. It will be great for our upcoming trip. (I'll tell you about that later!)
When my husband and I got home from dinner N (4) & K (20 months) were actually asleep... and they didn't wake up when we got home. And they slept all night and got up at 9:15 and 10 am (N earlier than K). It was amazing!
My husband was wonderful to me on my birthday.* He also brought me roses (a dozen) the night before, and helped put T (5 months) to sleep so that I could get an extra 1/2 hour of horizontal time on my birthday.
Alfred is currently cleaning the dining room. Did I mention that I love him? (Him = Alfred and Him = my husband!)
*He's actually wonderful to me all the time. He just spoiled me with gifts on my birthday.
I just read the last post
And I apologize for the excessive use of ! ... Apparently I am very excited. I really really like the Roomba.
2 new toys
Yesterday, for my birthday, my husband spoiled me. I got two new toys! We don't usually do presents, but I apparently had been listing a lot of things that I wanted. It was easy for him to buy for me.
The first gift...
When we got up about 8:30 yesterday he surprised me with a a Roomba!. I'm using it now as I type. It's been cleaning in our living room for the last 40 or so minutes and it looks like it's doing a great job! I've been very impressed with it. I'm now really really really wanting the Scooba!
We named the new Roomba Alfred. We figure it is a good name, and we can sing the Batman song and insert the word "Roomba" in place of Batman.
More about the rest of the day yesterday soon (and I'll tell you about the second new toy which is just as cool as the Roomba!).
(I will also give more updates about the Roomba. I think my floors are going to be sooooo clean! I am so excited.)
The first gift...
When we got up about 8:30 yesterday he surprised me with a a Roomba!. I'm using it now as I type. It's been cleaning in our living room for the last 40 or so minutes and it looks like it's doing a great job! I've been very impressed with it. I'm now really really really wanting the Scooba!
We named the new Roomba Alfred. We figure it is a good name, and we can sing the Batman song and insert the word "Roomba" in place of Batman.
More about the rest of the day yesterday soon (and I'll tell you about the second new toy which is just as cool as the Roomba!).
(I will also give more updates about the Roomba. I think my floors are going to be sooooo clean! I am so excited.)
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Can't decide
I can't decide if I should tell you all that today is my birthday and that I'd like nothing more than lots of comments or if that's cheating in the blogosphere. Okay, I'll let you decide. I'll be back soon to tell you about my birthday present that I just got! I'm so excited.
Representation
N's art has changed a great deal. She is now representing size. Here's one of her latest.
In this picture there are 3 people in this photo... K (20 months), N (4) and their nanny G. K is the smallest figure (on the left), then N, then G. (At the right you can kind of make out a tree and grass at the bottom.)
The text in italics is directly from http://www.talkingpage.org/artic012.html
The study of children's art provides some insight into the integration of their growing perceptual, cognitive and motor abilities. The 2.5 year old grasps a crayon in his hand and scribbles while the 4 year old can draw a recognizable human form know as the "tadpole person." The tadpole person is characterized by a big head, sticks for legs, and no body. The transition from drawing scribbles to the tadpole person usually occurs sometime between the 3rd and 4th year. Increased motor control and eye-hand coordination is one of the factors involved in this achievement. Drawing skills undergo a second transition sometime between the 4th and 5th year and the tadpole person is transformed into a complete person with a body as well as a head. Like the preschool child themselves, their art is delightfully full of life, energy, and creativity. According to one psychologist's review.
This picture shows the typical tadpole person I believe. It is "one of her teachers" at school (according to her).
Here's another one that shows she's making the transition to a more complete person with head, body and etc. (It's kind of funny to me that so many of the people she draws have red hair... We don't actually know any one with "red" hair.)
More quoting from http://www.talkingpage.org/artic012.html
A summit of artistry is achieved at the end of the preschool period... Drawings by youngsters of this age are characteristically colorful, balanced, rhythmic, and expressive, conveying something of the range and the vitality associated with artistic mastery... And the often striking products reinforce a general notion of the child as a young artist--an individual participating in a meaningful way in processes of creation, elaboration, and self-expression. (Gardner, 1980, pg. 11)
Exactly what I think!
In this picture there are 3 people in this photo... K (20 months), N (4) and their nanny G. K is the smallest figure (on the left), then N, then G. (At the right you can kind of make out a tree and grass at the bottom.)
The text in italics is directly from http://www.talkingpage.org/artic012.html
The study of children's art provides some insight into the integration of their growing perceptual, cognitive and motor abilities. The 2.5 year old grasps a crayon in his hand and scribbles while the 4 year old can draw a recognizable human form know as the "tadpole person." The tadpole person is characterized by a big head, sticks for legs, and no body. The transition from drawing scribbles to the tadpole person usually occurs sometime between the 3rd and 4th year. Increased motor control and eye-hand coordination is one of the factors involved in this achievement. Drawing skills undergo a second transition sometime between the 4th and 5th year and the tadpole person is transformed into a complete person with a body as well as a head. Like the preschool child themselves, their art is delightfully full of life, energy, and creativity. According to one psychologist's review.
This picture shows the typical tadpole person I believe. It is "one of her teachers" at school (according to her).
Here's another one that shows she's making the transition to a more complete person with head, body and etc. (It's kind of funny to me that so many of the people she draws have red hair... We don't actually know any one with "red" hair.)
More quoting from http://www.talkingpage.org/artic012.html
A summit of artistry is achieved at the end of the preschool period... Drawings by youngsters of this age are characteristically colorful, balanced, rhythmic, and expressive, conveying something of the range and the vitality associated with artistic mastery... And the often striking products reinforce a general notion of the child as a young artist--an individual participating in a meaningful way in processes of creation, elaboration, and self-expression. (Gardner, 1980, pg. 11)
Exactly what I think!
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