We have had quite the busy holiday season this year. It started at Thanksgiving, the first one we have been here for since 1998. The weekend after Thanksgiving we had Christmas with my sister and parents, since the latter are in California for the winter. Then we had the Slipka Christmas, a dinner party and the Kelzer Christmas, all before the actual holiday. Yikes. Christmas Eve was fairly quiet; Chad had the day off and we finished some shopping and cleaned up the house. Christmas Day we had Chad's parents, brother and his family and Chad's grandparents over. Opened presents (not many for us, since they gave us our monstorous TV this year) and had a lovely pork loin for dinner.
And the busyness just doesn't seem to stop. A friend of mine is in town from California, so will hopefully be seeing her today and tomorrow. Friday is New Year's Eve, and we are going to a friend's house for a wicked lobster dinner (steak for Chad). Bringing the boys, who will hopefully sleep and allow us some grown-up time.
Now I just need to get a groove on my resolutions! Big Number One is to: LOSE WEIGHT AND GET IN SHAPE. Charlie is almost 6 months old, it is time. I have been setting January as my start time since he was born, and it feels good to be embarking on it. I am actually starting in late January, since we are going to California mid-Jan, and I want to make a habit of this, not start and stop. Joining the Y, my sister is going to as well, and they have licensed daycare there, so it couldn't be better. We took a look around yesterday and I feel really good about this. Chad and I used to belong to Lifetime (before children) and I never felt like I fit in. I felt good at the Y. There weren't too many hotties (enough to make me feel like I could be one, but not enough to make me want to hide), there were LOADS of old people, so no need to impress them! All in all, it was good. Hope it continues that way!
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Monday, December 13, 2004
Bananas for Bananas
Well, in the wide world of solids, Charlie has moved into Canada (what?). I tried bananas on him yesterday, and ooooh boy, did he love them! Sure, he seemed to say with his eyes, that rice cereal stuff was new and interesting, but bananas are tasty! And he sure is easy to please! A little breastmilk and mushy banana, and the kid is in heaven. He ate is up so fast, I had to make 3 bowls of it for him! Well, baby-sized bowls, but still. I really want to give him avocado, but since there is that 3 day rule, I have to wait. I keep forgetting about all of the rules! I want it to be like Jack is now...just throw whatever at him and see how he likes it.
In other news, Jack and Charlie were really cute this afternoon together. Charlie was in his exersaucer, which he is really starting to get the groove of now, and Jack should have been napping, but wasn't quite ready, so he was goofing around. Anyway, Jack went up to Charlie and was kissing him, and laughing and it was SO CUTE. I took several pictures and almost was crying. It is so wonderful to see my two sons so obviously loving towards each other, and equally enamoured. And it is such a blissful age, with no fighting over anything and just a joy to watch them together. This afternoon (can't say "today" because this morning was filled with lots of crying in the car...Oh well, will take what I can get) has been what I envisioned staying home would be. Lots of fun, sweet, loving children who are also goofy and funny. And now they are both napping...Yeah!
And lastly, Charlie seems to have given me a rest from his sleepless nights (or last night was a fluke). After 5 nights in a row of waking billions of times crying, he slept last night from 7 until 4:30 am, took the pacifier and went right back to sleep until 6:23, then back to sleep again until 9 this morning (when I probably woke him because I needed to get dressed!). It was wonderful, and I am guessing that his teething jaunt is over for the moment. Jack used to be horrible for a week, then fine for a week or two, and then a tooth would pop out, so maybe that will be Charlie's gig as well. I am just hoping that it is all over for awhile, since I am horrible to live with, horrible to talk to and horrible to be. Oh yeah, I want one more kid. Bring it on.
And by the way, Charlie is 5 months old today!
In other news, Jack and Charlie were really cute this afternoon together. Charlie was in his exersaucer, which he is really starting to get the groove of now, and Jack should have been napping, but wasn't quite ready, so he was goofing around. Anyway, Jack went up to Charlie and was kissing him, and laughing and it was SO CUTE. I took several pictures and almost was crying. It is so wonderful to see my two sons so obviously loving towards each other, and equally enamoured. And it is such a blissful age, with no fighting over anything and just a joy to watch them together. This afternoon (can't say "today" because this morning was filled with lots of crying in the car...Oh well, will take what I can get) has been what I envisioned staying home would be. Lots of fun, sweet, loving children who are also goofy and funny. And now they are both napping...Yeah!
And lastly, Charlie seems to have given me a rest from his sleepless nights (or last night was a fluke). After 5 nights in a row of waking billions of times crying, he slept last night from 7 until 4:30 am, took the pacifier and went right back to sleep until 6:23, then back to sleep again until 9 this morning (when I probably woke him because I needed to get dressed!). It was wonderful, and I am guessing that his teething jaunt is over for the moment. Jack used to be horrible for a week, then fine for a week or two, and then a tooth would pop out, so maybe that will be Charlie's gig as well. I am just hoping that it is all over for awhile, since I am horrible to live with, horrible to talk to and horrible to be. Oh yeah, I want one more kid. Bring it on.
And by the way, Charlie is 5 months old today!
Friday, December 10, 2004
Big Week for Charlie!
Wow, this has just been such a big week for the wee one, I can hardly stand it. On most levels, I am proud and excited for him, but there are a few lurking feelings of sadness. And I am still hoping to have another one! I can't imagine if I thought that this would be the last time that I would see one of my children doing things for the last time.
Anyway, first up was that the big guy rolled over! Yup, on Tuesday night. Daddy was out of town for work (as he always tends to be for these big moments...Wonder if they are guilt-tripping him!) and so bathtime was a little crazy for me! Charlie was awake and kinda fussing, so I laid him in his crib, on his tummy, thinking that that might entertain him for a bit. (Jack was in the tub.) Anyway, when I went to check on him, he was half rolled over already, trying to look/grab at his mobile! It was like a slow-motion roll. He finished it soon after, and I got quite misty-eyed, I say. And nope, he hasn't done it since.
Then, yesterday was his first experience with solids! Now this has been a hard one for me. I am so proud that he is nursing well, since it didn't go well with Jack, and I have been reluctant (i.e. scared) to mess with it. Plus, I love looking at his big boy-ness and knowing that it all came from me! But he was waking in the night a LOT, and there is new evidence that starting more like 5 months is ok for allergies, and add to that that I worry if I wait too long, he will not like textures and become picky (yes yes, too much time on my hands), so I bit the bullet. And he liked it! I made him homemade rice cereal, which I like the consistency of better, and then mixed it with the breastmilk, and it went good. It is hard to remember how to do this all, though. But Charlie seemed to like it, and today when he had his dollop, he opened his mouth big and wide! Such a sweetie. It didn't help so much with the sleeping thing (more on that in a sec), but I think it was the right decision. Plus, after his first feeding, he was gagging for some boobie, and as he was eating, I thought "nope, not any different than yesterday".
And last big milestone is teething, me thinks. I think that is why he is getting up SO MUCH in the night. He has been really fussy lately, is not ready for a huge poop, so I doubt it is that, and I put some oragel on his gums and he seemed happier. Then some Tylenol, and he was great. Plus, when he isn't fussy and waking up all night, he sleeps. A lot. So, I think it is teething. My plan is at the first fuss tonight, douse him with Tylenol and see how that goes. Cross your fingers. I am such a wicked woman right now, with 4 nights of about 2 hours of sleep (well, uniterrupted, and then little catnaps after that) and I just feel dead. But this new milestone is pretty sad as well. My little guy with teeth! I definately have to have one more kid. There is no way that I am ready to be done with all of this. No sleep or not.
Anyway, first up was that the big guy rolled over! Yup, on Tuesday night. Daddy was out of town for work (as he always tends to be for these big moments...Wonder if they are guilt-tripping him!) and so bathtime was a little crazy for me! Charlie was awake and kinda fussing, so I laid him in his crib, on his tummy, thinking that that might entertain him for a bit. (Jack was in the tub.) Anyway, when I went to check on him, he was half rolled over already, trying to look/grab at his mobile! It was like a slow-motion roll. He finished it soon after, and I got quite misty-eyed, I say. And nope, he hasn't done it since.
Then, yesterday was his first experience with solids! Now this has been a hard one for me. I am so proud that he is nursing well, since it didn't go well with Jack, and I have been reluctant (i.e. scared) to mess with it. Plus, I love looking at his big boy-ness and knowing that it all came from me! But he was waking in the night a LOT, and there is new evidence that starting more like 5 months is ok for allergies, and add to that that I worry if I wait too long, he will not like textures and become picky (yes yes, too much time on my hands), so I bit the bullet. And he liked it! I made him homemade rice cereal, which I like the consistency of better, and then mixed it with the breastmilk, and it went good. It is hard to remember how to do this all, though. But Charlie seemed to like it, and today when he had his dollop, he opened his mouth big and wide! Such a sweetie. It didn't help so much with the sleeping thing (more on that in a sec), but I think it was the right decision. Plus, after his first feeding, he was gagging for some boobie, and as he was eating, I thought "nope, not any different than yesterday".
And last big milestone is teething, me thinks. I think that is why he is getting up SO MUCH in the night. He has been really fussy lately, is not ready for a huge poop, so I doubt it is that, and I put some oragel on his gums and he seemed happier. Then some Tylenol, and he was great. Plus, when he isn't fussy and waking up all night, he sleeps. A lot. So, I think it is teething. My plan is at the first fuss tonight, douse him with Tylenol and see how that goes. Cross your fingers. I am such a wicked woman right now, with 4 nights of about 2 hours of sleep (well, uniterrupted, and then little catnaps after that) and I just feel dead. But this new milestone is pretty sad as well. My little guy with teeth! I definately have to have one more kid. There is no way that I am ready to be done with all of this. No sleep or not.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Christmas Traditions
I kind of wanted to get down our traditions, and what I want to start, while I was thinking of it, and I saw a poll post on my "Born In" Message Board, so wanted to use it! I also want to record some of Charlie's firsts!
Are you doing anything extra special for baby's first Christmas? Not really. I did buy him a Santa hat and bib that both say "My First Christmas".
Are you having a big family Christmas get together? Traveling? Or just a quiet Christmas at home? My parents are off to California for the winter, so we had our Christmas last night. It was fun. We opened the boys' presents first (most of them, they were kind of out of sorts), then had dinner (steak, baked potatoes, an awesome salad and bread), finished up the boys' presents, then got them ready for bed and opened our presents. We also played Pictionary from some Christmas Crackers we brought back from England.....Oh, 3 years ago! It was fun. Then, we have the Slipka Christmas on Dec 17, but the boys won't be going to that, as it starts at 7 pm. Sun, Dec 19th is the Kelzer Christmas. Then Christmas Eve is just us; Lin and Matt might come over for a bit in the evening, just so I can see one of my blood relatives on one of the days! And Christmas Day we are hosting Chad's immediate family (and probably Grandma and Grandpa Kelzer, too).
What kind of presents do you plan on (asking Santa to bring) for your kids? Let's see, I got Charlie this cute ring stacker, and plan on getting him this crib toy that is a pelican and you can feed him (is pretty cute), some textured blocks and maybe some wooden puzzles. We do this thing where they kids get 3 toys from us for Christmas (not including Santa), to mimic the three gifts brought to baby Jesus when he was born. Chad's cousin does that, and I looked it, since it keeps the presents down from us, especially when there are so many presents from the families. Then for Jack, I got him Superman pj's, a couple personalized books, and I want to get him some bath toys, maybe an easel and maybe a pretend kitchen (or something where he can do pretend play).
Do you have any family traditions that you plan on passing on to your kids? I think we will open all of the presents from us on Christmas Eve, then do Santa and stockings on Christmas Day; that is what my family did. We also drive around one night around Christmas and look at the lights. That is nice. Drink cocoa (boys haven't been into it yet!). We had an advent calendar as kids, maybe since Mom isn't here for Christmas, she would pass that on to me (I made one for Lin last year, so hopefully she won't fight me for it!). No traditions other than that, but my neighbor told me one they did, that I might like to start. They used to put all of their outside decorations up on Thanksgiving, and then let the grandkids turn them on. Maybe we could do a variation of that sometime.
Are you doing anything extra special for baby's first Christmas? Not really. I did buy him a Santa hat and bib that both say "My First Christmas".
Are you having a big family Christmas get together? Traveling? Or just a quiet Christmas at home? My parents are off to California for the winter, so we had our Christmas last night. It was fun. We opened the boys' presents first (most of them, they were kind of out of sorts), then had dinner (steak, baked potatoes, an awesome salad and bread), finished up the boys' presents, then got them ready for bed and opened our presents. We also played Pictionary from some Christmas Crackers we brought back from England.....Oh, 3 years ago! It was fun. Then, we have the Slipka Christmas on Dec 17, but the boys won't be going to that, as it starts at 7 pm. Sun, Dec 19th is the Kelzer Christmas. Then Christmas Eve is just us; Lin and Matt might come over for a bit in the evening, just so I can see one of my blood relatives on one of the days! And Christmas Day we are hosting Chad's immediate family (and probably Grandma and Grandpa Kelzer, too).
What kind of presents do you plan on (asking Santa to bring) for your kids? Let's see, I got Charlie this cute ring stacker, and plan on getting him this crib toy that is a pelican and you can feed him (is pretty cute), some textured blocks and maybe some wooden puzzles. We do this thing where they kids get 3 toys from us for Christmas (not including Santa), to mimic the three gifts brought to baby Jesus when he was born. Chad's cousin does that, and I looked it, since it keeps the presents down from us, especially when there are so many presents from the families. Then for Jack, I got him Superman pj's, a couple personalized books, and I want to get him some bath toys, maybe an easel and maybe a pretend kitchen (or something where he can do pretend play).
Do you have any family traditions that you plan on passing on to your kids? I think we will open all of the presents from us on Christmas Eve, then do Santa and stockings on Christmas Day; that is what my family did. We also drive around one night around Christmas and look at the lights. That is nice. Drink cocoa (boys haven't been into it yet!). We had an advent calendar as kids, maybe since Mom isn't here for Christmas, she would pass that on to me (I made one for Lin last year, so hopefully she won't fight me for it!). No traditions other than that, but my neighbor told me one they did, that I might like to start. They used to put all of their outside decorations up on Thanksgiving, and then let the grandkids turn them on. Maybe we could do a variation of that sometime.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Friday is the Worst Day of the Week
Weird, huh? Most everyone looks forward to Friday. There is a restaurant named after how much people look forward to the day. People celebrate and start their weekend off on Friday. I hate Friday.
Ok, so I do look forward to Friday, just because it usually leads to 2 days where I am not left alone with my wonderful kiddies. Many a Thursday I can be found thinking "Wow, tomorrow is Friday!" But on the actual day, I end up hating Friday.
They are always hard. I seem to wake up, counting the hours until my husband comes home. Even if Jack takes a great nap (like today), or Charlie is wonderfully behaved (not so much today) it still wears me out. The amount of TV Jack watches grows throughout the week, and Friday just seems ridiculously filled with TV to get me (I mean us) through the day. I rarely make dinner, and I am not even sure if we do take-out to supplement. I feel like a deflated balloon by the time my equally deflated husband gets home.
Today seems like the worst Friday in history. It is raining, which means Jack wasn't outside as much as he normally is (I guess this is just prepping me for winter). Charlie is being weird, really fussy and not into any sort of nursing, which makes me wonder what is going on inside him. And Chad came home sick. Poor guy, he has been working his heart out this week, and he finally wore himself out. And I so badly just wanted to let him be sick and lay around (which is something I rarely get when I am sick, btw) but I am fading fast and it is getting hard to do. It is almost 5, so with a little luck, only 2 hours until the kids go down and I can breathe again.
Let's just do away with Friday, ok?
Ok, so I do look forward to Friday, just because it usually leads to 2 days where I am not left alone with my wonderful kiddies. Many a Thursday I can be found thinking "Wow, tomorrow is Friday!" But on the actual day, I end up hating Friday.
They are always hard. I seem to wake up, counting the hours until my husband comes home. Even if Jack takes a great nap (like today), or Charlie is wonderfully behaved (not so much today) it still wears me out. The amount of TV Jack watches grows throughout the week, and Friday just seems ridiculously filled with TV to get me (I mean us) through the day. I rarely make dinner, and I am not even sure if we do take-out to supplement. I feel like a deflated balloon by the time my equally deflated husband gets home.
Today seems like the worst Friday in history. It is raining, which means Jack wasn't outside as much as he normally is (I guess this is just prepping me for winter). Charlie is being weird, really fussy and not into any sort of nursing, which makes me wonder what is going on inside him. And Chad came home sick. Poor guy, he has been working his heart out this week, and he finally wore himself out. And I so badly just wanted to let him be sick and lay around (which is something I rarely get when I am sick, btw) but I am fading fast and it is getting hard to do. It is almost 5, so with a little luck, only 2 hours until the kids go down and I can breathe again.
Let's just do away with Friday, ok?
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
4 Months Old
Yup, that's right, our Chuckster is now 4 months old and all baby. Everything seems so bittersweet with him right now. I am not sure we will have another (I really want to, but don't want to alienate my husband) and everything seems to go so fast. Ah, but I just remind myself that these are the good days. Charlie can't move yet, he smiles a lot, has a definite sleep rhythm down, eats great but isn't on solids and is just a wonderful baby! No teething, no crawling or walking and getting into stuff, no screaming tantrums, no yelling "NO!"....All of those wonderful things are to come. I think right now is really as good as it gets.
So, as with the 4 month old milestone, a trip to see the doctor (or NP in this case) was called for. He is 16 lbs, 12 oz, 26 inches long, which means new carseat is needed! He will move into Jack's convertible one, and we will buy a Toddler Booster thingy. Anyway, the NP was quite pleased with dear Charlie. He was his charming self, which always helps. She gave me some tips on getting him to sleep through the night (for at 16 lbs, he should be able to by now, which means I will be moving him out of our room soon....*sob*!) and we talked about solids. She thinks that he will be ready about 5 1/2 months or so, and we should start right before his next appointment, basically, which works great with what I was looking for. I am worried about allergies, since Chad has them, and I am in no hurry like I was with Mr. Jack. She thought that he should be ready to roll over any day now, and just increase his tummy time a bit to encourage it, so that is good. All in all, good appointment. A few jabs in poor guy's little thighs and we were out of there. And he has been sleeping much of the day, which really cinches things for me! If only time could freeze, just for awhile.
So, as with the 4 month old milestone, a trip to see the doctor (or NP in this case) was called for. He is 16 lbs, 12 oz, 26 inches long, which means new carseat is needed! He will move into Jack's convertible one, and we will buy a Toddler Booster thingy. Anyway, the NP was quite pleased with dear Charlie. He was his charming self, which always helps. She gave me some tips on getting him to sleep through the night (for at 16 lbs, he should be able to by now, which means I will be moving him out of our room soon....*sob*!) and we talked about solids. She thinks that he will be ready about 5 1/2 months or so, and we should start right before his next appointment, basically, which works great with what I was looking for. I am worried about allergies, since Chad has them, and I am in no hurry like I was with Mr. Jack. She thought that he should be ready to roll over any day now, and just increase his tummy time a bit to encourage it, so that is good. All in all, good appointment. A few jabs in poor guy's little thighs and we were out of there. And he has been sleeping much of the day, which really cinches things for me! If only time could freeze, just for awhile.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Belly Envy
I had a bout of pregnancy envy the other day. I saw a picture of a very pregnant woman, and I felt a pang. Now, first you must understand this; I did not so much enjoy my last pregnancy. It had happened so much earlier than we had planned, and I was just getting back into my clothes, and I wasn't ready for all of the giving up stuff for the baby. But hey, what can you do? Since I wasn't really into being pregnant, the fact that I was feeling this jealousy was weird to me. I must be getting far enough away from the pregnancy (and life with a newborn!) where I wanted to be there again. And I am so hoping that we will have one more child. So I can feel that all again, for the last time.
Speaking of pregnancy, my newly pregnant friend, Denise, had her first appointment today. She lost her last baby (who was due 2 weeks after Charlie) and is obviously skittish about this one. All looks good, they saw the heartbeat on the ultrasound and she is measuring 6 weeks, 2 days. I am so happy for her, I am just over the moon. I really want everything to be ok with this baby and for her and her family. She is a fabulous person (besides that fact that she has a great name!).
Speaking of pregnancy, my newly pregnant friend, Denise, had her first appointment today. She lost her last baby (who was due 2 weeks after Charlie) and is obviously skittish about this one. All looks good, they saw the heartbeat on the ultrasound and she is measuring 6 weeks, 2 days. I am so happy for her, I am just over the moon. I really want everything to be ok with this baby and for her and her family. She is a fabulous person (besides that fact that she has a great name!).
Monday, November 08, 2004
It All Goes By So Fast
Charlie will be 4 months old on Saturday. Jack will be 2 in January. Where has it all gone?
I can barely remember Jack as a baby. I can remember certain events, so most of my memories of him then center around them. Like, my aunt died when he was just a month old, so we flew out for the memorial service. I remember being on the plan with him, all paranoid about the change of altitude and his screaming, and he was great. I also remember going to visit my family in Ohio with him when he was 10 weeks old, and it was kind of stressful, especially since he wasn't a great nurser, but generally ok. I remember the first time we were on our houseboat, and he was trying to crawl in the back bedroom area. So you see, it is almost like all of his milestones are little photographs or short films in my mind.
I wonder how that will be with Charlie. I remember the night that Chad went to his 10 year high school reunion, and Charlie screamed all night. He was about a month old and I almost had to throw him out the window because I was so distraught (ok, not really, throwing them out the window is what I say, I couldn't actually do it). His baptism and how sweet he was. Him sleeping in our bed (I love seeing him sleep there).
How do people ever handle their kids growing up? I am not even 2 years into this parenting biz, and it is killing me!
I can barely remember Jack as a baby. I can remember certain events, so most of my memories of him then center around them. Like, my aunt died when he was just a month old, so we flew out for the memorial service. I remember being on the plan with him, all paranoid about the change of altitude and his screaming, and he was great. I also remember going to visit my family in Ohio with him when he was 10 weeks old, and it was kind of stressful, especially since he wasn't a great nurser, but generally ok. I remember the first time we were on our houseboat, and he was trying to crawl in the back bedroom area. So you see, it is almost like all of his milestones are little photographs or short films in my mind.
I wonder how that will be with Charlie. I remember the night that Chad went to his 10 year high school reunion, and Charlie screamed all night. He was about a month old and I almost had to throw him out the window because I was so distraught (ok, not really, throwing them out the window is what I say, I couldn't actually do it). His baptism and how sweet he was. Him sleeping in our bed (I love seeing him sleep there).
How do people ever handle their kids growing up? I am not even 2 years into this parenting biz, and it is killing me!
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Milestones
It is all about the milestones at this age, isn't it? Especially for Charlie, but a little bit for Jack as well. Charlie's new milestone is grabbing at things. Last night, as I lay in bed nursing him (it seemed like the hundredth time he had been up that night) I wasn't sure if I should roll over and give him the other gland, when he grabbed for it! It was kind of funny, but mostly incredible! Just when you think they are little blobs still, they do something to surprise you. And he is trying so hard to roll over! It is pretty sweet. I am not sure if he wants to roll over or just rub his stuffed nose or tired eyes on something. Poor little guy (actually, both little guys) are stuffy right now. I really hope it isn't allergies!
As for Jack's milestones, it is mostly talking right now. We are all about the colors. It amazes me what words kids like to say. My friend's son, Ian, is all about the animals. And he was one of the first of our little group (Nolan, turned two last month, then Jack, then Ian whose birthday is in April, then Sanna [her and her mom flit in and out, though) whose birthday is July, then Charlie, now little Maya and Denise's bug due in July) who did the repeating thing. You know, when you say a word, and they repeat it. Of course all kids do it at some point, but Ian was the first to do it for almost everything, and Jack hit that point about a week or two ago. So, Ian was about the animals, and Jack has been more about concrete things, like numbers and colors. His favorite colors right now are yellow ("lel-low" followed by a "YEAH!" since we always say yeah when he is right) and purple ("pah-pah"). Red is always his first guess when you ask him what color something is, and he always argues that orange is yellow. He still loves the counting, which is cute. And he is saying people's names like crazy. He adores his cousin, Marco ("Car-co") and followed him around like a groupie on Halloween. And he is starting to read books. Ok, not really read, but the ones that rhymes that he likes to hear a lot, he is reading to himself now, and imitating the inflections in the voice. One particular is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See".
I guess when you write it down, it does seem like Jack's milestones right now are more than Charlie's. But Jack has an 18 month head start on Charlie, so he is fast and furious right now with new things, while poor Chuck is just trying to get out of the gate. Jack is working on expanding his milestones (and I am working on getting him to expand his use of the word "please"!) whereas Charlie's milestones are huge and earth shattering right now. Both are different, both are exciting, and both are happening right before my very eyes. It is just amazing.
As for Jack's milestones, it is mostly talking right now. We are all about the colors. It amazes me what words kids like to say. My friend's son, Ian, is all about the animals. And he was one of the first of our little group (Nolan, turned two last month, then Jack, then Ian whose birthday is in April, then Sanna [her and her mom flit in and out, though) whose birthday is July, then Charlie, now little Maya and Denise's bug due in July) who did the repeating thing. You know, when you say a word, and they repeat it. Of course all kids do it at some point, but Ian was the first to do it for almost everything, and Jack hit that point about a week or two ago. So, Ian was about the animals, and Jack has been more about concrete things, like numbers and colors. His favorite colors right now are yellow ("lel-low" followed by a "YEAH!" since we always say yeah when he is right) and purple ("pah-pah"). Red is always his first guess when you ask him what color something is, and he always argues that orange is yellow. He still loves the counting, which is cute. And he is saying people's names like crazy. He adores his cousin, Marco ("Car-co") and followed him around like a groupie on Halloween. And he is starting to read books. Ok, not really read, but the ones that rhymes that he likes to hear a lot, he is reading to himself now, and imitating the inflections in the voice. One particular is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See".
I guess when you write it down, it does seem like Jack's milestones right now are more than Charlie's. But Jack has an 18 month head start on Charlie, so he is fast and furious right now with new things, while poor Chuck is just trying to get out of the gate. Jack is working on expanding his milestones (and I am working on getting him to expand his use of the word "please"!) whereas Charlie's milestones are huge and earth shattering right now. Both are different, both are exciting, and both are happening right before my very eyes. It is just amazing.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
From My Brain to Charlie's Ears
I swear that boy can hear what I am thinking. There are so many times when I look at the clock and think "Oooh, Charlie has been sleeping almost an hour. I wonder when he will---" and he starts to wail. Or "Oooh, Charlie is quiet! I guess he is aslee---" and he starts to wail. Ah, looking on the bright side, we have a connection. I just wish it didn't interrupt his sleeping! I wonder how long this connection will last?
In other news, my most wonderful friend, Denise (who lost her pregnancy earlier this year) is pregnant! She will be having a mini-Charlie, since her due date is July 7!! I am SO excited for her, and she and her family really deserve this. She is going to have one of those early amnios, at 10 weeks, in case the rare Down Syndrome baby they had last time reoccurs this time. I really am over the moon about this! Especially since she was due two weeks after me (when pregnant with Charlie) and I am always thinking of that poor baby.
Also, my friend, Jenny, who used to live in my neighborhood, now does not. They built a lovely house in the 'burbs, and combine that with her brand-new baby girl, and I am positively green with envy. I want a big, brand-spankin'-new house in the 'burbs (well, a new one, anyway). I want a baby girl! And I seriously doubt that I will ever have either! Ugh. As we were driving around today, I was taking serious digs at my new friend, and my hubby asked me "Do you want to live out there?". No, I replied, I am just jealous! It was hard to admit, but now that I have, I feel a bit better. Because I don't want to be jealous of my friend, and seriously, I have no desire to live out where she does!! Anyway, we were out near there today, and took a drive around, and I felt SO much better. There were lots of Lexus and BMW and Audi vehicles around, and big, pricey homes (admittedly, hers is what she calls a poor relation to those, but they still abound!) and I just really didn't feel like I fit in. I feel like I fit in where we are (despite the uber-liberalism of our neighborhood). I like our old house, and I like living in the house we brought our boys to. And with the basement livable, I feel like we have enough room (for now). Do I want to be a lovely new house? Yes. Soon? Actually, yes, if I could find a place I would be all over it. But we want 1) our kids to go to a Spanish Immersion school 2) to be close enough to Chad's work but not too much farther from my family and 3) Something affordable . Right now, nothing like that exists. So, the plan is to stay put. And I really am happy with that. I love this neighborhood, especially in the fall with all of the beautiful trees. We have a park across the street, which I think will be even better for us next summer. Nice neighbors that I want to hang out with more. Stuff like that. And as for the daughter thing, not a whole lot I can do about that. I do want one more kid, one last try, but Chad isn't fully onboard. So, I am going to pick myself up and dust myself off, before someone mistakes this envy for my Halloween costume!
In other news, my most wonderful friend, Denise (who lost her pregnancy earlier this year) is pregnant! She will be having a mini-Charlie, since her due date is July 7!! I am SO excited for her, and she and her family really deserve this. She is going to have one of those early amnios, at 10 weeks, in case the rare Down Syndrome baby they had last time reoccurs this time. I really am over the moon about this! Especially since she was due two weeks after me (when pregnant with Charlie) and I am always thinking of that poor baby.
Also, my friend, Jenny, who used to live in my neighborhood, now does not. They built a lovely house in the 'burbs, and combine that with her brand-new baby girl, and I am positively green with envy. I want a big, brand-spankin'-new house in the 'burbs (well, a new one, anyway). I want a baby girl! And I seriously doubt that I will ever have either! Ugh. As we were driving around today, I was taking serious digs at my new friend, and my hubby asked me "Do you want to live out there?". No, I replied, I am just jealous! It was hard to admit, but now that I have, I feel a bit better. Because I don't want to be jealous of my friend, and seriously, I have no desire to live out where she does!! Anyway, we were out near there today, and took a drive around, and I felt SO much better. There were lots of Lexus and BMW and Audi vehicles around, and big, pricey homes (admittedly, hers is what she calls a poor relation to those, but they still abound!) and I just really didn't feel like I fit in. I feel like I fit in where we are (despite the uber-liberalism of our neighborhood). I like our old house, and I like living in the house we brought our boys to. And with the basement livable, I feel like we have enough room (for now). Do I want to be a lovely new house? Yes. Soon? Actually, yes, if I could find a place I would be all over it. But we want 1) our kids to go to a Spanish Immersion school 2) to be close enough to Chad's work but not too much farther from my family and 3) Something affordable . Right now, nothing like that exists. So, the plan is to stay put. And I really am happy with that. I love this neighborhood, especially in the fall with all of the beautiful trees. We have a park across the street, which I think will be even better for us next summer. Nice neighbors that I want to hang out with more. Stuff like that. And as for the daughter thing, not a whole lot I can do about that. I do want one more kid, one last try, but Chad isn't fully onboard. So, I am going to pick myself up and dust myself off, before someone mistakes this envy for my Halloween costume!
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Questions
So, one of the many blogs I read features this Mom and her twin girls. On today's post, she asked people to ask any questions they wanted, and since I am sometimes at a loss for things to write about (apparently my day-to-day life really is boring!!), I am going to use these questions for a few entries here. So, here is question one (in no particular order, of course.
How much do Jack and Charlie interact? Hmm, not a whole lot together. Jack is all about Charlie, though. When we went to the park yesterday, the first thing he did was run over to Charlie in the stroller and kiss him and say "Lubalubalubalub" which is "I love you" in Jack speak. Then he ran off to play. And, recently I have noticed that Charlie looks at Jack, which is a big step for him. Previously he hadn't noticed him so much, even when Jack was in his face!
If you had a weekend away from them, what would you do? Well, if I had a weekend away from them, but with my husband, I would want to go to a romantic cottage. Somewhere right on the water would be fabulous. Just reconnect and sleep late and do lazy things. If I had a weekend TO MYSELF (unheard of), well, probably the same thing! Sleep late, read and write and stay in a cottage on the water! Funny, huh?
What is your favorite part of your day right now? It is the morning. The mornings are usually less frantic, less hectic, less tiresome, less stressful. Jack naps in the morning, Charlie sleeps easier in the morning, I am a little more rested in the morning. I feel like I can focus and do anything in the morning. By afternoon, the tantrums have worn me down, I am counting down to 5 when I can use Jack's one hour of TV time for Sesame Street, plunk him down, and not deal with him (hopefully; sometimes it doesn't work quite like that). Charlie starts sleeping weird in the afternoons sometimes, and that sucks. So, mornings.
Which one of your kids will be the rebel, which one will be the goody two-shoes? Well, as it seems right now, Jack will be the rebel and Charlie my good guy. Jack is so into his terrible twos and climbing all over and throwing tantrums and getting hurt and screaming and demanding, that it is hard to imagine him being a good guy when he grows up! Whereas Charlie is still so sweet, and he when he is fighting sleep, all he wants to do is pull me closer to him, like he can't get enough of me, that it is hard to imagine him being naughty. But who knows what the next 20 years will bring!
How much do Jack and Charlie interact? Hmm, not a whole lot together. Jack is all about Charlie, though. When we went to the park yesterday, the first thing he did was run over to Charlie in the stroller and kiss him and say "Lubalubalubalub" which is "I love you" in Jack speak. Then he ran off to play. And, recently I have noticed that Charlie looks at Jack, which is a big step for him. Previously he hadn't noticed him so much, even when Jack was in his face!
If you had a weekend away from them, what would you do? Well, if I had a weekend away from them, but with my husband, I would want to go to a romantic cottage. Somewhere right on the water would be fabulous. Just reconnect and sleep late and do lazy things. If I had a weekend TO MYSELF (unheard of), well, probably the same thing! Sleep late, read and write and stay in a cottage on the water! Funny, huh?
What is your favorite part of your day right now? It is the morning. The mornings are usually less frantic, less hectic, less tiresome, less stressful. Jack naps in the morning, Charlie sleeps easier in the morning, I am a little more rested in the morning. I feel like I can focus and do anything in the morning. By afternoon, the tantrums have worn me down, I am counting down to 5 when I can use Jack's one hour of TV time for Sesame Street, plunk him down, and not deal with him (hopefully; sometimes it doesn't work quite like that). Charlie starts sleeping weird in the afternoons sometimes, and that sucks. So, mornings.
Which one of your kids will be the rebel, which one will be the goody two-shoes? Well, as it seems right now, Jack will be the rebel and Charlie my good guy. Jack is so into his terrible twos and climbing all over and throwing tantrums and getting hurt and screaming and demanding, that it is hard to imagine him being a good guy when he grows up! Whereas Charlie is still so sweet, and he when he is fighting sleep, all he wants to do is pull me closer to him, like he can't get enough of me, that it is hard to imagine him being naughty. But who knows what the next 20 years will bring!
Monday, October 25, 2004
The Perfect Day
Wow, today was one of those days that I hope to never forget. Not that it was all perfect, mind you. Jack still had his cranky toddler moments, still woke up snarky from his nap, and still refused to shower me with kisses and protestations of love, but it was really a lovely day.
To start off, the weather was beautiful. It was one of those gorgeous fall days, the temperature was around 55 but the sun was out and warm. The leaves are right around peak right now, and plenty of them are on the ground, which Jack loves to walk on and kick around. Anyway, I went to visit my friend, Jenny, and her brand-new baby girl, Maya. Seems like ages already since Charlie was that tiny! And, this is so mean of me, but it was nice to see that Jenny, who I try to model after, in terms of how to parent (only I want to be a more relaxed version, but I still think she rocks), was looking tired and had that just had a baby floppy belly (Jenny is an uber-workout person, and her body is always fantastic). And my sister came over to tend to my wee ones, since I wanted to concentrate on saying hello.
Then, my Mom met us over here, to check out my paint job in the hallway, and new things in the basement. We then trudged over to Lindsay's house to see her gorgeous new bathroom (I am gagging to do mine now!). And, since it was so lovely outside, we all decided to go to Como Zoo. Now, Mom had taken Jack (and Charlie) to this two twice this summer (I went with once), but Jack really wasn't interested in the animals. Not today! First thing we saw was the gorillas, and he was entranced! Then we went into the primate house, and he was loving it! Pressing his face and hands up to the glass, and the monkeys would get close, too! He loved it! It was so fun to see! And, when he would come out of his reverie, he would babble, like he was telling us all about it! On to the seals, then the aquarium (loved the big polar bear and Sparky the seal) and lastly, the big cats! He was especially into the cougar. Oh, it was so sweet! And most of the time I had Charlie in the Baby Bjorn, and he kept making little baby noises and giving me sweet looks! Oh, I just fell in love with my boys more than ever! And I breastfed while I was there! Now, I was proud of that, because I never got to that point with Jack (never felt comfortable nursing him, to be honest) and I didn't really give it any thought today, until I was already doing it! That was such a good feeling to me.
It was just a few hours, but it was so fun. And the fact that it is probably the last nice day until next year helped. But now I am excited for things like Story Hour and the Children's Museum! Maybe I will try and do more of that this winter. Gives us something to do, right?
To start off, the weather was beautiful. It was one of those gorgeous fall days, the temperature was around 55 but the sun was out and warm. The leaves are right around peak right now, and plenty of them are on the ground, which Jack loves to walk on and kick around. Anyway, I went to visit my friend, Jenny, and her brand-new baby girl, Maya. Seems like ages already since Charlie was that tiny! And, this is so mean of me, but it was nice to see that Jenny, who I try to model after, in terms of how to parent (only I want to be a more relaxed version, but I still think she rocks), was looking tired and had that just had a baby floppy belly (Jenny is an uber-workout person, and her body is always fantastic). And my sister came over to tend to my wee ones, since I wanted to concentrate on saying hello.
Then, my Mom met us over here, to check out my paint job in the hallway, and new things in the basement. We then trudged over to Lindsay's house to see her gorgeous new bathroom (I am gagging to do mine now!). And, since it was so lovely outside, we all decided to go to Como Zoo. Now, Mom had taken Jack (and Charlie) to this two twice this summer (I went with once), but Jack really wasn't interested in the animals. Not today! First thing we saw was the gorillas, and he was entranced! Then we went into the primate house, and he was loving it! Pressing his face and hands up to the glass, and the monkeys would get close, too! He loved it! It was so fun to see! And, when he would come out of his reverie, he would babble, like he was telling us all about it! On to the seals, then the aquarium (loved the big polar bear and Sparky the seal) and lastly, the big cats! He was especially into the cougar. Oh, it was so sweet! And most of the time I had Charlie in the Baby Bjorn, and he kept making little baby noises and giving me sweet looks! Oh, I just fell in love with my boys more than ever! And I breastfed while I was there! Now, I was proud of that, because I never got to that point with Jack (never felt comfortable nursing him, to be honest) and I didn't really give it any thought today, until I was already doing it! That was such a good feeling to me.
It was just a few hours, but it was so fun. And the fact that it is probably the last nice day until next year helped. But now I am excited for things like Story Hour and the Children's Museum! Maybe I will try and do more of that this winter. Gives us something to do, right?
Monday, October 18, 2004
Two Peas, Different Pods
I am not sure why, but I always thought that Jack and Charlie would be a lot alike. I am pretty sure it has a lot to do with how close in age they are, and now, that they are both boys, but that totally isn't the case. Now, I realize that they are young yet, and things could completely change, but this is the way I see it right now:
1. This one is pretty obvious: Jack is blonde, Charlie is dark (not sure what color to call it, an auburny-brown, I guess).
2. Jack looks "just like Chad" (everyone says so, anyway) and Charlie is a mini version of my dad (and I look a lot like him).
3. Jack is very outgoing, Charlie is quieter, until he warms up to you, anyway.
4. That sleep thing -- Jack was a great sleeper, still is, Charlie, well, not so good.
5. Jack is very comfortable alone, whereas Charlie doesn't like to be left alone. Could be the age, but I swear Jack was the same as he is now at the same age as Charlie.
6. Jack wasn't great at breastfeeding, but loved the bottle. Charlie -- not so good with a bottle but loves my boobies!
7. Charlie will tolerate being read to (it is too early for me to tell if he likes it or not). Jack always hated it, until just recently (ok, that could be something they have in common).
8. Charlie doesn't sleep in the car, Jack always did!
Ok, that is all I can think of right now. Onto other items!
My friend, Jenny, had her baby today -- a little girl, Maya Grace. I am very happy for them and excited to see her grow up. But a part of me is really jealous. Jenny and her husband didn't want girls (they have a son 3 months younger than Jack), they wanted two boys. But this pregnancy had been so different, they felt that it might be a girl, and were actually looking forward to it being a girl. Anyway, I am really feeling like I will never have that daughter. In fact, I dreamt of it the other night. I dreamt that I was in labor, and scared because it was my last baby, and soon I would know for sure if I would ever have that elusive daughter. Again, I love my boys so much, but I do long for a girl. Chad is still determined to not have any more babies, so who knows what will happen. I just feel really sad about it all right now, I guess.
In other news, I took the boys in for pictures today. For Charlie's 3 month pictures, and then I wanted a couple with the two of them. It was rough! Jack would not cooperate (can anyone say "terrible twos"?) and we only got 2 shots with both of them, both borderline nice, and ended up ordering the better of the two, just because I really wanted one at this age. And Charlie wouldn't smile, big surprise. In the end, we got 2 cute poses (total), but I suppose that is all we needed. And bless Lindsay's heart for going along with me. She really is my best friend.
1. This one is pretty obvious: Jack is blonde, Charlie is dark (not sure what color to call it, an auburny-brown, I guess).
2. Jack looks "just like Chad" (everyone says so, anyway) and Charlie is a mini version of my dad (and I look a lot like him).
3. Jack is very outgoing, Charlie is quieter, until he warms up to you, anyway.
4. That sleep thing -- Jack was a great sleeper, still is, Charlie, well, not so good.
5. Jack is very comfortable alone, whereas Charlie doesn't like to be left alone. Could be the age, but I swear Jack was the same as he is now at the same age as Charlie.
6. Jack wasn't great at breastfeeding, but loved the bottle. Charlie -- not so good with a bottle but loves my boobies!
7. Charlie will tolerate being read to (it is too early for me to tell if he likes it or not). Jack always hated it, until just recently (ok, that could be something they have in common).
8. Charlie doesn't sleep in the car, Jack always did!
Ok, that is all I can think of right now. Onto other items!
My friend, Jenny, had her baby today -- a little girl, Maya Grace. I am very happy for them and excited to see her grow up. But a part of me is really jealous. Jenny and her husband didn't want girls (they have a son 3 months younger than Jack), they wanted two boys. But this pregnancy had been so different, they felt that it might be a girl, and were actually looking forward to it being a girl. Anyway, I am really feeling like I will never have that daughter. In fact, I dreamt of it the other night. I dreamt that I was in labor, and scared because it was my last baby, and soon I would know for sure if I would ever have that elusive daughter. Again, I love my boys so much, but I do long for a girl. Chad is still determined to not have any more babies, so who knows what will happen. I just feel really sad about it all right now, I guess.
In other news, I took the boys in for pictures today. For Charlie's 3 month pictures, and then I wanted a couple with the two of them. It was rough! Jack would not cooperate (can anyone say "terrible twos"?) and we only got 2 shots with both of them, both borderline nice, and ended up ordering the better of the two, just because I really wanted one at this age. And Charlie wouldn't smile, big surprise. In the end, we got 2 cute poses (total), but I suppose that is all we needed. And bless Lindsay's heart for going along with me. She really is my best friend.
Sunday, October 17, 2004
These Are the Days
My boys are so sweet and getting sweeter everyday.
I have really come to a point with Charlie where I love him. I mean, I have always loved him, he is my son. But now I love him.
The sleep thing has been going great this past week. We have been putting him to sleep in our bed, and although he is only taking hour naps, he is napping! And going down easier and easier everyday. So now that that hurdle is out of the way, I feel like I am really enjoying Charlie for the first time. There was the period after he was born, our babymoon, but that was just euphoria over having a newborn and not being pregnant! Now I am appreciating who he is becoming. Sweet really is the best word to describe him. He smiles often, but not the big, full bodied smiles that Jack had, but sweet, almost shy smiles. And a lot of times he will snort and look away. He just melts my heart.
He is also quite the chatterer, but not for just anyone. Most people, like my sister or mom, have to really work at it, but not me. Last night, Chad and I were arguing, and Charlie just kept interrupting with smiles and chatter. Like he knew we were fighting and he was breaking it up. How can you stay mad when that happens?
He has a great little schedule going now, too. Wakes up, either eats or plays, then does the other one (plays or eats), then back to sleep! He is never up for more than 2 hours (the only thing I was able to glean from the Healthy Sleep Habits book) and it is working great. But if he deviates much from that, there is hell to pay. Like yesterday. I escaped the mayhem for a few hours, and Charlie was due for a nap when I left, but upon returning, he still hadn't napped. It wasn't pretty. Took him over an hour to go to sleep last night. Kind of a mood killer, ya know?
And of course there is my honey, Jack. He is getting so big! My mom cut his hair on Friday, and he looks like such a big kid now! Plus, I think he is growing, as his 2T clothes are starting to really fit him now. He can help put his shoes on, can reach the countertops (and often does), is talking like a madman, counts to 20, and is learning some colors! I just can't believe how time flies.
Oh, and does he love his brother! Jack went to Granny and Geido's (my parents') Thursday to Friday, and when Charlie and I went to pick him up, he ran over to Charlie right away. Barely a second glance for me, he was all about his brother. He was kissing him, and kissing him, and rocking him in his carseat. It was one of the sweetest things I have seen from Jack since he held the girl's hand in the park.
Jack loves being read to right now, especially when he is tired and wants to cuddle. And coloring is quite an obsession for him (he is on my lap right now, doing just that!). I am very happy about the coloring, I must say. My family is very creative, but Chad's isn't, so I have been afraid that Jack, who everyone thinks is a mini-Chad, wouldn't be! I am hoping to nurture that creativity in my kids.
I am really settling in and enjoying this all right now. I remember hearing when I was pregnant that the first 3 months would be hard, and it seems to have been exactly that for me. A friend of mine from high school came over the other day with her 15 month-old daughter, and she kept saying to me "I don't know how you do it". Part of it is that I don't know any better. I got pregnant with Charlie when Jack was just 9 months old. The other part is that you just do. There are good days and bad days, but there aren't a whole lot of them that I would change. I love my boys and our life together. It all seems perfect now and I am glad that we didn't wait any longer.
___________________________________________________________________
So, I just finished that lovely post, including how much my oldest son loves his little brother...only to watch that oldest lob his cup at the other, simply because Charlie was sitting in his own gym. Poor little guy. Jack, for not understanding that the gym was made for infants, and Charlie for getting a cup in the head. These are the days.
I have really come to a point with Charlie where I love him. I mean, I have always loved him, he is my son. But now I love him.
The sleep thing has been going great this past week. We have been putting him to sleep in our bed, and although he is only taking hour naps, he is napping! And going down easier and easier everyday. So now that that hurdle is out of the way, I feel like I am really enjoying Charlie for the first time. There was the period after he was born, our babymoon, but that was just euphoria over having a newborn and not being pregnant! Now I am appreciating who he is becoming. Sweet really is the best word to describe him. He smiles often, but not the big, full bodied smiles that Jack had, but sweet, almost shy smiles. And a lot of times he will snort and look away. He just melts my heart.
He is also quite the chatterer, but not for just anyone. Most people, like my sister or mom, have to really work at it, but not me. Last night, Chad and I were arguing, and Charlie just kept interrupting with smiles and chatter. Like he knew we were fighting and he was breaking it up. How can you stay mad when that happens?
He has a great little schedule going now, too. Wakes up, either eats or plays, then does the other one (plays or eats), then back to sleep! He is never up for more than 2 hours (the only thing I was able to glean from the Healthy Sleep Habits book) and it is working great. But if he deviates much from that, there is hell to pay. Like yesterday. I escaped the mayhem for a few hours, and Charlie was due for a nap when I left, but upon returning, he still hadn't napped. It wasn't pretty. Took him over an hour to go to sleep last night. Kind of a mood killer, ya know?
And of course there is my honey, Jack. He is getting so big! My mom cut his hair on Friday, and he looks like such a big kid now! Plus, I think he is growing, as his 2T clothes are starting to really fit him now. He can help put his shoes on, can reach the countertops (and often does), is talking like a madman, counts to 20, and is learning some colors! I just can't believe how time flies.
Oh, and does he love his brother! Jack went to Granny and Geido's (my parents') Thursday to Friday, and when Charlie and I went to pick him up, he ran over to Charlie right away. Barely a second glance for me, he was all about his brother. He was kissing him, and kissing him, and rocking him in his carseat. It was one of the sweetest things I have seen from Jack since he held the girl's hand in the park.
Jack loves being read to right now, especially when he is tired and wants to cuddle. And coloring is quite an obsession for him (he is on my lap right now, doing just that!). I am very happy about the coloring, I must say. My family is very creative, but Chad's isn't, so I have been afraid that Jack, who everyone thinks is a mini-Chad, wouldn't be! I am hoping to nurture that creativity in my kids.
I am really settling in and enjoying this all right now. I remember hearing when I was pregnant that the first 3 months would be hard, and it seems to have been exactly that for me. A friend of mine from high school came over the other day with her 15 month-old daughter, and she kept saying to me "I don't know how you do it". Part of it is that I don't know any better. I got pregnant with Charlie when Jack was just 9 months old. The other part is that you just do. There are good days and bad days, but there aren't a whole lot of them that I would change. I love my boys and our life together. It all seems perfect now and I am glad that we didn't wait any longer.
___________________________________________________________________
So, I just finished that lovely post, including how much my oldest son loves his little brother...only to watch that oldest lob his cup at the other, simply because Charlie was sitting in his own gym. Poor little guy. Jack, for not understanding that the gym was made for infants, and Charlie for getting a cup in the head. These are the days.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Is Your Oldest Your Favorite?
It seems like people who have more than one kid seem to focus on the first born. There is this journal I read of a woman and her 4 year old son and 1 year old daughter. Most of the posts are about both, but it seems like it really concentrates on the oldest child. And a friend of mine is due any minute with her second, and all she can think about it her first. Her husband is hoping for a daughter (they have a son and don't know the sex of this next one) so that his bond isn't interfered with this next baby. Don't they realize that this is going to be THIER KID? Just like that first one is? Is that first kid so exciting, every new step so wonderful, that the second kid just can't measure up? I just don't get that. I am a pretty big fan of a baby story, and so many people on that show say"I just can't imagine loving this next one as much as I love my first one" or something like that. Why can't you imagine that? I just never got that!
Of course, I am not perfect. I worry that Jack will be more attractive than Charlie, or vice verse. I want them to be equal in all things. But I already find myself creating differences between them, creating their own niches in life. I see Jack as the life of the party. Mr. Popular (but not jerky) and outgoing and gregarious. Much like his Daddy, but without all the unnecessary chatter. And Charlie will be Mr. Serious, College Professor and all that. But really love his Momma and is just a really sweet, quiet guy. Light and day those boys. Or at least that is how it seems so far. Am I creating the people will be, or just insightful so early in the game?
Lastly, the sleep game and my boy, Charlie. It is going ok. We are trying to get him to sleep in our bed. Better, but not great. And only day one.
Sigh.
Of course, I am not perfect. I worry that Jack will be more attractive than Charlie, or vice verse. I want them to be equal in all things. But I already find myself creating differences between them, creating their own niches in life. I see Jack as the life of the party. Mr. Popular (but not jerky) and outgoing and gregarious. Much like his Daddy, but without all the unnecessary chatter. And Charlie will be Mr. Serious, College Professor and all that. But really love his Momma and is just a really sweet, quiet guy. Light and day those boys. Or at least that is how it seems so far. Am I creating the people will be, or just insightful so early in the game?
Lastly, the sleep game and my boy, Charlie. It is going ok. We are trying to get him to sleep in our bed. Better, but not great. And only day one.
Sigh.
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Sweetness and Light
Do you ever have one of those days that are great, even though nothing major happened and there were lots of bad bits? Yesterday was one of those days and my boys are what made it great.
First off, we are still doing the sleep thing with Charlie, and boy, is he stubborn! I guess he has to be or he wouldn't be here....I mean, what are the chances that you have sex ONCE, a couple of days before ovulation, and get pregnant?!?!?! COME ON. Sorry, I digress. So right now we are doing a half sleep in the swing, half sleep (and cry) in the crib. For some reason, I have having a hard time crying it out with Charlie. He is just so sweet and content and then gets so riled up when he is in the crib, that it is hard to do, I guess. And Jack slept anywhere, so we really didn't do cry it out for a long time, so maybe that is it, that Charlie is younger than Jack was. Anyway, there was lots of crying and sleep issues yesterday, which could easily make a day go bad.
But enter my eldest son, Jack. He really is so much fun right now, when he is in a good mood. The day really was prepped for disaster. I knew it would be hard with Charlie. Then, Jack started the morning screaming. Screaming when Chad changed his diaper (Jack had been in the sandbox the previous day, and ingested some sand, I think) and his butt was hurting. I guess (Chad gets him ready in the morning) Jack put his hand in the diaper, and proceeded to rub poop all over himself! Poor Chad, not a nice way to start the day. Then, Jack went on to scream through breakfast. But a little motrin and some alone time, and he was my sweetie again!
It was just a nice day. Jack has been say Mommy lately ("Mah-mee") and I love to hear it. He points to himself when he says it. SO CUTE. And of course I was getting him to say it lots yesterday. He is just a talking maniac! Counting up to thirteen ("tir-teeeeen"); we did lots of that. Singing, he likes to sing "Row, Row, Row your Boat". I don't know, it is hard to pinpoint the one or two things that made it a nice day. I was patient with Charlie, Jack was fairly good. We are still doing the nap dance (when will he nap? now? Now? NOW??) and spent a good portion of the day in his room, trying to see if he would sleep, but he played so nicely.
I don't know, I guess I am rambling, I just wanted to get a day like this on record. Not long now and I will be understanding everything Jack says, and there will be less of this toddler-ness, more kid-like with him. And as frustrating as it can be, trying to figure out what he wants when he can't tell me, it is also sweet and fun and wonderful watching him grow up. Hearing him say "yellow" and "purple" and "eight" for the first time. Watching him walk around with the phone, pretending to talk to people. Just being my sweet little guy and making life so damn good.
P.S. Charlie makes life so damn good, too, but in a more stable way. Jack seems to be more highs and lows right now, where with Charlie, all I have to do is pick him up and he smiles. Doesn't matter if he was screaming his head off moments ago, if he catches my eye, he smiles. His sweet, gentle smile. It is nice having that with him.
First off, we are still doing the sleep thing with Charlie, and boy, is he stubborn! I guess he has to be or he wouldn't be here....I mean, what are the chances that you have sex ONCE, a couple of days before ovulation, and get pregnant?!?!?! COME ON. Sorry, I digress. So right now we are doing a half sleep in the swing, half sleep (and cry) in the crib. For some reason, I have having a hard time crying it out with Charlie. He is just so sweet and content and then gets so riled up when he is in the crib, that it is hard to do, I guess. And Jack slept anywhere, so we really didn't do cry it out for a long time, so maybe that is it, that Charlie is younger than Jack was. Anyway, there was lots of crying and sleep issues yesterday, which could easily make a day go bad.
But enter my eldest son, Jack. He really is so much fun right now, when he is in a good mood. The day really was prepped for disaster. I knew it would be hard with Charlie. Then, Jack started the morning screaming. Screaming when Chad changed his diaper (Jack had been in the sandbox the previous day, and ingested some sand, I think) and his butt was hurting. I guess (Chad gets him ready in the morning) Jack put his hand in the diaper, and proceeded to rub poop all over himself! Poor Chad, not a nice way to start the day. Then, Jack went on to scream through breakfast. But a little motrin and some alone time, and he was my sweetie again!
It was just a nice day. Jack has been say Mommy lately ("Mah-mee") and I love to hear it. He points to himself when he says it. SO CUTE. And of course I was getting him to say it lots yesterday. He is just a talking maniac! Counting up to thirteen ("tir-teeeeen"); we did lots of that. Singing, he likes to sing "Row, Row, Row your Boat". I don't know, it is hard to pinpoint the one or two things that made it a nice day. I was patient with Charlie, Jack was fairly good. We are still doing the nap dance (when will he nap? now? Now? NOW??) and spent a good portion of the day in his room, trying to see if he would sleep, but he played so nicely.
I don't know, I guess I am rambling, I just wanted to get a day like this on record. Not long now and I will be understanding everything Jack says, and there will be less of this toddler-ness, more kid-like with him. And as frustrating as it can be, trying to figure out what he wants when he can't tell me, it is also sweet and fun and wonderful watching him grow up. Hearing him say "yellow" and "purple" and "eight" for the first time. Watching him walk around with the phone, pretending to talk to people. Just being my sweet little guy and making life so damn good.
P.S. Charlie makes life so damn good, too, but in a more stable way. Jack seems to be more highs and lows right now, where with Charlie, all I have to do is pick him up and he smiles. Doesn't matter if he was screaming his head off moments ago, if he catches my eye, he smiles. His sweet, gentle smile. It is nice having that with him.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Updates
Not a whole lot has been going on around here. We had our monthly playgroup yesterday at our house. It is us, and two of my friends from high school and their two boys (and one of the women is due any day now). Our (first) boys are all within 3 months of each other, and had my one friend (also Denise) not lost her baby at 20 weeks, we would have all had a second just 3 months apart. Anyway, at the last meeting, Jack beat up the other kids, and since Charlie was still so young and I was holding him most of the day (we were without the swing, and boy could I tell!) I couldn't deal with things so well. Thankfully, yesterday was better. No beating up, but Jack wasn't in to any sharing. He would take the toys right out of the other boys' hands! So frustrating! What am I supposed to do in this situation? Distraction doesn't work. Time out didn't really work. A nap and some food helped, but it didn't go away.
At least Charlie slept most of the time (swing).
In other news, Charlie will be 3 months old next week, so it is time to get serious about his sleeping. Need to wean him from the swing and into the crib! I have started to read a sleep book, and am actually hoping that it will cure Charlie, but will also help with Jack's sporadic naps. Yup, still playing that game. We shall see. I have to read 300 or so pages before they tell me what to do, so it might be awhile.
Jack is really a counting phenom. He counts up to eleven perfectly, and Chad says he goes even higher. What a sweetie. We are moving on to colors now, just for a little variety.
Nothing exciting, but all fun just the same.
At least Charlie slept most of the time (swing).
In other news, Charlie will be 3 months old next week, so it is time to get serious about his sleeping. Need to wean him from the swing and into the crib! I have started to read a sleep book, and am actually hoping that it will cure Charlie, but will also help with Jack's sporadic naps. Yup, still playing that game. We shall see. I have to read 300 or so pages before they tell me what to do, so it might be awhile.
Jack is really a counting phenom. He counts up to eleven perfectly, and Chad says he goes even higher. What a sweetie. We are moving on to colors now, just for a little variety.
Nothing exciting, but all fun just the same.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Sleepless in St. Paul
Jack has always been a great sleeper. When he was a newborn, he slept wherever we put him, didn't matter location, noise or temperature. He napped great, he slept great at night, except it took him a long time to sleep through the night. Up until now, he has still been taking two naps a day, for around an hour, hour and a half each.
It seems that he is now ready to drop one of those naps. It is hard to know, though! One day he seems ok without it (he does go to bed for the night earlier, though) and the next he seems to need two. But it is starting to be more and more frequent that the afternoon nap does not take place. These are the days I have been dreading!
He went to Grandma and Grandpa's last night, since it was my birthday and Chad and I went out, and they didn't put him down until 8:30! And he didn't have an afternoon nap. Well, Jack always goes down about 7 (not our rule - his!) and without that nap, about 6 or 6:30. It doesn't matter what time he goes to sleep, either, he is always up at 6. So, two hours less sleep last night, and he was ready for his morning nap at 8 this morning (about an hour earlier than normal). He got up about 10, and seemed ready for more sleep a little after noon! So, put him down, but 45 minutes he was still up. So we ran to the store, came home about 1:30, he seemed tired, so tried again. Of course he pooped (the kid LOVES pooping and delaying his naps, I swear) and so I changed him about 2:30, and put him BACK DOWN. He is still up. UGH! I have decided I will give him 5 more minutes (not sure why I bother; I can hear him playing in there) and that will be it. Oh well, that time was nice while it lasted.
Whatever the outcome is, I am still going to give him some "quiet time" every afternoon about 2 for an hour or so. Even if he never sleeps, it kind of revives him nicely. And gives me a break. With winter coming, and therefore no access to the backyard, I will need it!
It seems that he is now ready to drop one of those naps. It is hard to know, though! One day he seems ok without it (he does go to bed for the night earlier, though) and the next he seems to need two. But it is starting to be more and more frequent that the afternoon nap does not take place. These are the days I have been dreading!
He went to Grandma and Grandpa's last night, since it was my birthday and Chad and I went out, and they didn't put him down until 8:30! And he didn't have an afternoon nap. Well, Jack always goes down about 7 (not our rule - his!) and without that nap, about 6 or 6:30. It doesn't matter what time he goes to sleep, either, he is always up at 6. So, two hours less sleep last night, and he was ready for his morning nap at 8 this morning (about an hour earlier than normal). He got up about 10, and seemed ready for more sleep a little after noon! So, put him down, but 45 minutes he was still up. So we ran to the store, came home about 1:30, he seemed tired, so tried again. Of course he pooped (the kid LOVES pooping and delaying his naps, I swear) and so I changed him about 2:30, and put him BACK DOWN. He is still up. UGH! I have decided I will give him 5 more minutes (not sure why I bother; I can hear him playing in there) and that will be it. Oh well, that time was nice while it lasted.
Whatever the outcome is, I am still going to give him some "quiet time" every afternoon about 2 for an hour or so. Even if he never sleeps, it kind of revives him nicely. And gives me a break. With winter coming, and therefore no access to the backyard, I will need it!
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Ode to my Hubs
My husband is convinced that I started this blog to be able to bitch and moan about him any time I want. Just because I mentioned to him that I started one, and I would rather he didn't read it. I was excited, and so I told him, but then I remembered that I didn't want anyone I know to know about this...so I asked him not to read it. I suppose I would feel subconscious, too. But that is not why I started this, which I believe I have already stated...maybe I should let him read this!
So, one of my all-time favorite blogs is written by this woman, Julia, who lives near where I do (which makes me think I know her, but I am fairly certain I don't...She is too cool). In a recent post of hers, she wrote 23 things about her husband, and I think it is one of the most romantic things I have every read. So, in honor of my husband, who HAS been driving me nuts lately, and in case he breaks down and reads this soon (love you, honey), here are 13 things I love about him (that is how many I could get to before Jack woke up).
1. He finds me attractive. I am flabby after these two babies, and wasn't so hot before. Many times he comes home, and I haven't combed my hair, much less dressed nice. And yet the man still wants me. I have huge body issues, so for me, this is a big one.
2. He is a sports nerd. Sometimes it annoys me, but I also really like it. I love how he and his dad would camp together (with another father-son combo) and at night they would concoct the perfect baseball team, using players from the Twins over the years. Or name players for every letter of the alphabet. So cute.
3. He really is a good Daddy. He may not remember to pack a diaper bag, or what to feed him for dinner, but he loves his kids. Watching him and Jack play together is really sweet. And I know Jack adores him, since he "calls" him on the phone ALL DAY LONG.
4. He takes care of things. The trash and recycling, the cars, the lawn...These are things I never give one thought too, thanks to him. The bills are also his domain, but they should really be mine. He ain't so great with them, but hey, he tries.
5. He was ready for a minivan before I was. How many other women my age can say that?
6. He has a nice body. Not super built or anything, but I do like watching him get ready for bed!
7. He is very outgoing. I love that I can take him to a party and never worry about him. When my grandfather died earlier this year, he talked more to my cousins than I did!
8. He is asks me how I want his hair cut before he goes. It sometimes annoys me when he disagrees (then why ask?) but I like that he asks. He does it when we are getting ready to go somewhere, too. He likes to dress in what I like.
9. He is pretty easily cajoled out of a bad mood.
10. He moved abroad with me, even though he didn't want to. And he finally realized how much he loved it there before he left.
11. He puts up with a LOT of shit from me.
12. He likes to bring me flowers, and I like to receive them.
13. He is very handy and willing to try things himself. Admittedly, it scares him to do DIY projects himself, but to his credit, he has done it, and done them well.
Well, sort of lame, but I like to think of these things now and then. Now, if the man would just throw some more romance in, he would be golden. But I will keep him anyway.
So, one of my all-time favorite blogs is written by this woman, Julia, who lives near where I do (which makes me think I know her, but I am fairly certain I don't...She is too cool). In a recent post of hers, she wrote 23 things about her husband, and I think it is one of the most romantic things I have every read. So, in honor of my husband, who HAS been driving me nuts lately, and in case he breaks down and reads this soon (love you, honey), here are 13 things I love about him (that is how many I could get to before Jack woke up).
1. He finds me attractive. I am flabby after these two babies, and wasn't so hot before. Many times he comes home, and I haven't combed my hair, much less dressed nice. And yet the man still wants me. I have huge body issues, so for me, this is a big one.
2. He is a sports nerd. Sometimes it annoys me, but I also really like it. I love how he and his dad would camp together (with another father-son combo) and at night they would concoct the perfect baseball team, using players from the Twins over the years. Or name players for every letter of the alphabet. So cute.
3. He really is a good Daddy. He may not remember to pack a diaper bag, or what to feed him for dinner, but he loves his kids. Watching him and Jack play together is really sweet. And I know Jack adores him, since he "calls" him on the phone ALL DAY LONG.
4. He takes care of things. The trash and recycling, the cars, the lawn...These are things I never give one thought too, thanks to him. The bills are also his domain, but they should really be mine. He ain't so great with them, but hey, he tries.
5. He was ready for a minivan before I was. How many other women my age can say that?
6. He has a nice body. Not super built or anything, but I do like watching him get ready for bed!
7. He is very outgoing. I love that I can take him to a party and never worry about him. When my grandfather died earlier this year, he talked more to my cousins than I did!
8. He is asks me how I want his hair cut before he goes. It sometimes annoys me when he disagrees (then why ask?) but I like that he asks. He does it when we are getting ready to go somewhere, too. He likes to dress in what I like.
9. He is pretty easily cajoled out of a bad mood.
10. He moved abroad with me, even though he didn't want to. And he finally realized how much he loved it there before he left.
11. He puts up with a LOT of shit from me.
12. He likes to bring me flowers, and I like to receive them.
13. He is very handy and willing to try things himself. Admittedly, it scares him to do DIY projects himself, but to his credit, he has done it, and done them well.
Well, sort of lame, but I like to think of these things now and then. Now, if the man would just throw some more romance in, he would be golden. But I will keep him anyway.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Sisters
I have always thought that a girl needs a sister more than a boy needs a brother. Therefore, I always planned on having a boy (first) and two girls. Growing up, I always wished I had had an older brother, and my sister is my best friend, so it all made sense.
Now I have 2 boys and no idea what will happen!
My husband is reluctant to have a third (who thinks of having another so soon after having a baby? ME!) but is willing to discuss it. I have always wanted three children, so my mind is set. I would, however, like them to be not as close together as Jack and Charlie.
I am so in love with Charlie. Things are really evening out with him, and he is such a good baby. Just so sweet and a little quiet, I think. Rarely cries. Just a little love and I wouldn't trade him in for the most wonderful girl in the world. But there is a part of me that mourns my perfect family. I may never have a daughter. Even if I do, she will very, very, very likely never have a sister. I might never have the sort of relationship with my daughter that I have with my mother. Then again, I wouldn't have to live the hormone hell that is teenage years with a girl!
I just fear that these boys I have will up and marry and leave me high and dry. My husband is very close to his family, but closest to his dad. His mom calls, and he makes faces and can barely stand to talk to her (well, that might be a tad exaggerated, but he can't stand the smalltalk with her). He isn't very close to his brother, but not distant, either. We just don't do much with them (they live about 15 minutes away) even though their kids are young, too. He and his brother are 4 years apart, and I think part of it is that, and they are just so different. Since there are no boys in my family (except for Dad, of course), I see his family as how ours will turn out. The boys being really close to Chad, but annoyed by me. Spending more time with the in-laws than us (part of the reason for that is because I am home all day, and my parents are retired, so the boys and I see them a lot. Chad's parents both work, and frankly, I don't speak to them 7 times a day!). Spending time with us out of familial obligation, not desire. Ok, this isn't entirely true. My in-laws are great people. I especially love my father-in-law. They are all very nice. My mother-in-law just tends to use guilt sometimes to get us to do things, and that rubs me the wrong way. And, like I said, she kind of annoys my husband.
I guess I just want the relationship with my offspring like I have with my family. I talk to my Mom and sister basically everyday, sometimes more (have already talked to Mom three times and sis two, and will be seeing sis later this evening). I want to be a part of their lives. I don't want to force myself into their lives. I want them to enjoy spending time with us. I want to be really close to my grandkids (to be fair, my in-laws are very close to the boys, too. My father-in-law works from home, so he often comes in the afternoon, picks up Jack and brings him to their house).
There is also a small part of me looking forward to three boys. I have already picked out a name (Chad won't discuss names with me in my 2nd trimester, so I haven't brought them up to him yet) Nicholas James, (Nick) or maybe James Patrick (Jamie). I love both. I see the three of them, growing up together, being sweet boys to their mom. Treating me so sweet, and Chad and the boys doing things together. I imagine them just towering over me, and protective. And then I would hope for granddaughters!
I know I can't control how any of this turns out. I sometimes think I am better suited to boys than girls, anyway. But like I said, there is a little part of me that mourns the family I always dreamt of having. I just must have too much time on my hands to obsess about this.
Now I have 2 boys and no idea what will happen!
My husband is reluctant to have a third (who thinks of having another so soon after having a baby? ME!) but is willing to discuss it. I have always wanted three children, so my mind is set. I would, however, like them to be not as close together as Jack and Charlie.
I am so in love with Charlie. Things are really evening out with him, and he is such a good baby. Just so sweet and a little quiet, I think. Rarely cries. Just a little love and I wouldn't trade him in for the most wonderful girl in the world. But there is a part of me that mourns my perfect family. I may never have a daughter. Even if I do, she will very, very, very likely never have a sister. I might never have the sort of relationship with my daughter that I have with my mother. Then again, I wouldn't have to live the hormone hell that is teenage years with a girl!
I just fear that these boys I have will up and marry and leave me high and dry. My husband is very close to his family, but closest to his dad. His mom calls, and he makes faces and can barely stand to talk to her (well, that might be a tad exaggerated, but he can't stand the smalltalk with her). He isn't very close to his brother, but not distant, either. We just don't do much with them (they live about 15 minutes away) even though their kids are young, too. He and his brother are 4 years apart, and I think part of it is that, and they are just so different. Since there are no boys in my family (except for Dad, of course), I see his family as how ours will turn out. The boys being really close to Chad, but annoyed by me. Spending more time with the in-laws than us (part of the reason for that is because I am home all day, and my parents are retired, so the boys and I see them a lot. Chad's parents both work, and frankly, I don't speak to them 7 times a day!). Spending time with us out of familial obligation, not desire. Ok, this isn't entirely true. My in-laws are great people. I especially love my father-in-law. They are all very nice. My mother-in-law just tends to use guilt sometimes to get us to do things, and that rubs me the wrong way. And, like I said, she kind of annoys my husband.
I guess I just want the relationship with my offspring like I have with my family. I talk to my Mom and sister basically everyday, sometimes more (have already talked to Mom three times and sis two, and will be seeing sis later this evening). I want to be a part of their lives. I don't want to force myself into their lives. I want them to enjoy spending time with us. I want to be really close to my grandkids (to be fair, my in-laws are very close to the boys, too. My father-in-law works from home, so he often comes in the afternoon, picks up Jack and brings him to their house).
There is also a small part of me looking forward to three boys. I have already picked out a name (Chad won't discuss names with me in my 2nd trimester, so I haven't brought them up to him yet) Nicholas James, (Nick) or maybe James Patrick (Jamie). I love both. I see the three of them, growing up together, being sweet boys to their mom. Treating me so sweet, and Chad and the boys doing things together. I imagine them just towering over me, and protective. And then I would hope for granddaughters!
I know I can't control how any of this turns out. I sometimes think I am better suited to boys than girls, anyway. But like I said, there is a little part of me that mourns the family I always dreamt of having. I just must have too much time on my hands to obsess about this.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
The Park
When we bought this house, I was SO excited that there was a park down a block and across the street. "We will never have to buy playground equipment!" I said. I pictured me and my girls (this was before kids, and I always pictured having girls) going there everyday.
I think we have gone 3 times in 2 years.
Last year, Jack was too young. Then this year, part of the problem was that I was hugely pregnant the first half of this summer, and then had a newborn the second half. I feel like we are just getting into the swing of things right now.
So, my cousin-in-law and her 10 month-old son, Jake, came over today (everyone I know has boys) and I suggested we go to the park. It was a nice day, and there will not be a whole lot of those left up here in the tundra. Off we went, and luckily, the park wasn't very busy. It has a toddler area and a bigger kid area, and usually both are packed, but today the toddler area was pretty calm. So the boys (Jack and Jake; Charlie hung out in the baby bjorn and I forgot a hat for him, by the way, so was trying to hold up my hand to block the sun---the difference between the first and second kid!) went in the swings, and then Jack just ran around while Jake tried to put rock after rock in his mouth. Jack really enjoys older kids right now, and so he would run his cute little high-stepping run, then stop and gape at the kids, then run some more. The boy doesn't actually play at the park, but at least his screaming doesn't sound as shrill as it does at home. They explored the little tunnel, and Jack even held some sweet girl's hand (which is a nice change from all the shoving he was doing at our last playdate). Things were going well.
The boys seemed to be slowing down, so I suggested we walk back to our house. I chase after Jack, who had started his high-stepping routine again and bring him over to the stroller (all the while with Charlie in the baby bjorn, remember). Jack starts to throw a fit. Screaming (not in fun now, but in tantrum mode) and throwing himself back so that he can't sit in the stroller. Fine, I think, he can just walk with us. I ask him to take my hand, but nope, he throws himself to the ground, still screaming. Ugh. I was sweating already, but I am sure my face was red (I embarrass SO easily). Finally, I just pick him up and we start walking, him still SCREAMING. We get several yards, and I try the stroller again (it was just too much holding him and Charlie there). No go. Finally, with Megan's (cousin-in-law) help we just held him down, strapped the poor kid in and almost ran away. I didn't look back, and I am sure no one was thinking we were cruel or anything, but STILL. I just hate those fits.
By the way, Jack half cried/half screamed the whole way home.
Ah, these are the days.
I think we have gone 3 times in 2 years.
Last year, Jack was too young. Then this year, part of the problem was that I was hugely pregnant the first half of this summer, and then had a newborn the second half. I feel like we are just getting into the swing of things right now.
So, my cousin-in-law and her 10 month-old son, Jake, came over today (everyone I know has boys) and I suggested we go to the park. It was a nice day, and there will not be a whole lot of those left up here in the tundra. Off we went, and luckily, the park wasn't very busy. It has a toddler area and a bigger kid area, and usually both are packed, but today the toddler area was pretty calm. So the boys (Jack and Jake; Charlie hung out in the baby bjorn and I forgot a hat for him, by the way, so was trying to hold up my hand to block the sun---the difference between the first and second kid!) went in the swings, and then Jack just ran around while Jake tried to put rock after rock in his mouth. Jack really enjoys older kids right now, and so he would run his cute little high-stepping run, then stop and gape at the kids, then run some more. The boy doesn't actually play at the park, but at least his screaming doesn't sound as shrill as it does at home. They explored the little tunnel, and Jack even held some sweet girl's hand (which is a nice change from all the shoving he was doing at our last playdate). Things were going well.
The boys seemed to be slowing down, so I suggested we walk back to our house. I chase after Jack, who had started his high-stepping routine again and bring him over to the stroller (all the while with Charlie in the baby bjorn, remember). Jack starts to throw a fit. Screaming (not in fun now, but in tantrum mode) and throwing himself back so that he can't sit in the stroller. Fine, I think, he can just walk with us. I ask him to take my hand, but nope, he throws himself to the ground, still screaming. Ugh. I was sweating already, but I am sure my face was red (I embarrass SO easily). Finally, I just pick him up and we start walking, him still SCREAMING. We get several yards, and I try the stroller again (it was just too much holding him and Charlie there). No go. Finally, with Megan's (cousin-in-law) help we just held him down, strapped the poor kid in and almost ran away. I didn't look back, and I am sure no one was thinking we were cruel or anything, but STILL. I just hate those fits.
By the way, Jack half cried/half screamed the whole way home.
Ah, these are the days.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Cast of Characters
Well, since we are still getting to know each other (I like to pretend I have a huge following already), I feel as if I should introduce my dudes.
First off, there is Jack. Actually, his given name is John, but we call him Jack, and by the way, there is no way we would ever do that again! He is 19 months old and just as sweet as can be. Walking, running, screaming...All of those great toddler activities. He has just moved into that stage where he likes to copy whatever an adult is doing. Now THAT is cute! If I am putting on make-up, he pretends along with me(I don't put any on my forehead, but hey, he is still mastering his skills). And mimicking words we use...It was a special day when he repeated my cry of "Shit!" over and over and over. For the most part, I am really enjoying him. Part of me wishes we had waited longer to have another child, so that I could have had more time just me and him. But not much I can do about that now!
Up next is Charlie, the newest member to this land. He is two months old, and we are still figuring out who he is. He seems to be a happy baby, loves to be held, smiley and cooing, but I think he might be more serious than Jack. I know, hard to tell already, but it is a feeling I have, and have had since early on. His hair is just starting to grow in (he was born with hair just around his head, like the guys with bad comb overs) and it is dark! I had assumed he would be a lookalike to his big bro, but that is not the case. I guess there really wasn't any leftover DNA in the womb from Jack's stay.
And then my husband, Chad. He works for a very large private company in their IT department. He is a good husband, very devoted and loyal, hard-working. My mother thinks he is the bees knees. I wouldn't go quite that far, but he is swell. We have been married for just over 4 years now, and marriage really isn't what I thought it would be. Lots of times, I feel way too young and inexperienced to be married. But I also feel like Chad and I have been together forever, and we are happy together. Not every second (nor minute, for that matter), but in general. It has been rough, me being pregnant so much of the last two years, and being thrown into babyland. But we should be hitting our stride soon so I am not worried. Besides, marriage is all about the peaks and valleys, right?
We also have two dogs, Parker and Sadie. Parker is a Shih Tzu, and Sadie is half that, half Pomeranian. Unfortunately, the Pomeranian is dominant in her. She licks SO much! But they are good dogs, and quite good with Jack (less so when he was a baby, and now Charlie too. They run over them in their desire for attention). They put up with Jack's pulling and torture pretty well. There has been some growling and little snaps, but I know if they haven't bit him yet, they probably won't. And they love to go into his room after he is asleep, and cuddle up in bed with him. I am waiting until he stops tugging on them to leave them in all night.
So, that is my motley crew. I always thought I would have more chicks than dudes, to be honest. This sons thing is catching me off guard, but the more I do it, the more I wonder if maybe I am cut out for these guys rather than some gals. My mood swings are bad enough, I can't imagine a mini me!
First off, there is Jack. Actually, his given name is John, but we call him Jack, and by the way, there is no way we would ever do that again! He is 19 months old and just as sweet as can be. Walking, running, screaming...All of those great toddler activities. He has just moved into that stage where he likes to copy whatever an adult is doing. Now THAT is cute! If I am putting on make-up, he pretends along with me(I don't put any on my forehead, but hey, he is still mastering his skills). And mimicking words we use...It was a special day when he repeated my cry of "Shit!" over and over and over. For the most part, I am really enjoying him. Part of me wishes we had waited longer to have another child, so that I could have had more time just me and him. But not much I can do about that now!
Up next is Charlie, the newest member to this land. He is two months old, and we are still figuring out who he is. He seems to be a happy baby, loves to be held, smiley and cooing, but I think he might be more serious than Jack. I know, hard to tell already, but it is a feeling I have, and have had since early on. His hair is just starting to grow in (he was born with hair just around his head, like the guys with bad comb overs) and it is dark! I had assumed he would be a lookalike to his big bro, but that is not the case. I guess there really wasn't any leftover DNA in the womb from Jack's stay.
And then my husband, Chad. He works for a very large private company in their IT department. He is a good husband, very devoted and loyal, hard-working. My mother thinks he is the bees knees. I wouldn't go quite that far, but he is swell. We have been married for just over 4 years now, and marriage really isn't what I thought it would be. Lots of times, I feel way too young and inexperienced to be married. But I also feel like Chad and I have been together forever, and we are happy together. Not every second (nor minute, for that matter), but in general. It has been rough, me being pregnant so much of the last two years, and being thrown into babyland. But we should be hitting our stride soon so I am not worried. Besides, marriage is all about the peaks and valleys, right?
We also have two dogs, Parker and Sadie. Parker is a Shih Tzu, and Sadie is half that, half Pomeranian. Unfortunately, the Pomeranian is dominant in her. She licks SO much! But they are good dogs, and quite good with Jack (less so when he was a baby, and now Charlie too. They run over them in their desire for attention). They put up with Jack's pulling and torture pretty well. There has been some growling and little snaps, but I know if they haven't bit him yet, they probably won't. And they love to go into his room after he is asleep, and cuddle up in bed with him. I am waiting until he stops tugging on them to leave them in all night.
So, that is my motley crew. I always thought I would have more chicks than dudes, to be honest. This sons thing is catching me off guard, but the more I do it, the more I wonder if maybe I am cut out for these guys rather than some gals. My mood swings are bad enough, I can't imagine a mini me!
Monday, September 20, 2004
In the Beginning
After much hemming and hawing, I have decided to embark on my own blog. The journey started for me with reading pregnancy journals, and then I moved onto infertility blogs, and now here! I know, you are probably thinking that I am not infertile (you would be correct), but my interest in their plight is too deep for me to explain right now, suffice it to say, they started me thinking of having my own blog. I wanted somewhere to report and reflect on the life I am living with my sons. A place where I can share in Jack's newest accomplishment or Charlie's newest achievement. Besides picking up the phone and calling my mom, that is. Somewhere where I will look back and remember the little things. I could have just written a journal in a book, I suppose, but being a semi-tech geek (I married a bonafide one), this really appealed to me.
Unfortunately it is nap time, so I don't have anything exciting to report right now (besides the amazing fact that Charlie is asleep). And I don't want to write everything about me in one big post and save nothing for later, so I shall just wrap this one up. OH, and just in time. I hear the not-so-faint rumblings on my first born.
Unfortunately it is nap time, so I don't have anything exciting to report right now (besides the amazing fact that Charlie is asleep). And I don't want to write everything about me in one big post and save nothing for later, so I shall just wrap this one up. OH, and just in time. I hear the not-so-faint rumblings on my first born.
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