Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Sayer - Update... Erm, Um... Hey, It's an UPDATE!

Dear Sayer,

Now, before you get all "My Mommy doesn't love me as much as she loves my sisters!" consider this... you are SPOILED.  Ask your Daddy.

So spoiled, in fact, that if you're having a cranky day?  You get snuggled.  If you look at me and stick your lip out?  You get snuggled.  If you glance up and grin at me?  You get snuggled.  I can't help it.  And it's mighty difficult to type with a totally squirmy baby in my arms.


And squirmy you are... I almost miss the days when you'd curl up on my lap and stay put.  Now it's quite like wrangling a spider monkey.  But in exchange, you're doing all sorts of cool stuff down on the ground.  You've slowly progressed from that desperate looking army crawl into actual hands and knees movement.  Almost overnight, you started being able to get yourself back into a sitting position from lying down.  That one has saved all of us some sanity.  (Though it still totally freaks me out when I watch you crawling everywhere and then turn around again to see you sitting calmly in the middle of the floor. Stealthy).



You love, love, love your Mama, but that shouldn't be any surprise.  I kind of have a crush on the grocery store lady..  anyone in charge of my food pretty much has my heart.  Glad to see it's an inherited thing.

When you're not clamoring for a hug from me, you're reaching for Daddy.  He's been saying forever how much I spoil you and yes, he may be right... but you're a smart little one because man, he will pick you up any time you do that, no doubt.



You like climbing all over anyone who is in your path and when you're excited?  You bite.  You also bite when you're scared.  And sometimes when you're sad.  It is not pleasant.  If you could knock that out, your food source/snuggle giver would be mighty pleased.

You weigh a few pounds shy of your 24 pound sister... I'm guessing that by the time she's 2 and you're 1?  You'll be the same size.  Don't pick on her... she can bite too.



You're almost 8 months old.  Some things haven't changed a whit since you were a sweet, dimpled newborn.  You still love to be worn in a sling, you still love to nurse, you still love to sleep best when I'm nearby.  But other things?  Not so much.  You love table food of most types, I can't put you down and expect you to stay put, and you smile at almost anything and anyone.



So, while this might be the only update for a little while, know that when I'm not writing?  You've probably finagled your way into my arms.

(And onto my laptop/phone/drink/any forbidden object within sight.  Yeah, I'm getting used to being a means to an end).

Love,

Mama

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Spring

Spring gives us all a little bounce in our step



With hair flying in the breeze



Or in your face


But no matter... spring has sprung!  And we are all happier because of it.

Dentist Time

I am not a fan of going to the dentist.  (I used to say that I was not a fan of the dentist, but actually, I like my dentist a lot.  He's a good guy.  It's not totally his fault that I'm absolutely phobic about his profession). 

Anyway, apparently, kids need to go to the dentist.

I know, right?

So, on Monday,  I put on my big girl pants and a brave face and took Bean for her first appointment.  This particular office was great.  They rewarded her for every step of the way (sitting in the chair, letting the dentist count and clean her teeth, etc.) and didn't push when things got difficult (like the xray).  She had a fantastic experience and is actually looking forward to going back. 

Guess my brave face worked. 

But with the good experience came some bad news.  Turns out, the kid has cavities.  Three, to be exact. 

The dentist was very nice about it and definitely didn't try to make me feel badly about it having happened...  but that didn't stop me from feeling awful about it anyway.

I do what I can to protect my kids.  Obviously, I can't protect them from everything, and I know that... But I thought I had this one in the bag.  We eat very little in the way of sweets, especially gummy sweets... I brush her teeth well at least once a day... She takes vitamins... She doesn't drink soda... She really doesn't even drink a lot of juice... Never goes to bed with anything but water...

So why does she have three cavities?

Who knows.

Even if it isn't something I could have prevented, it still makes me feel crummy.  And maybe it's not so much that I feel like I should have been able to prevent it as it is a transference of my fear.  I have issues dealing with dentistry, so she will too.

Or maybe not. 

Perhaps this is one of the first of many instances where I realize that my kid is not an embodiment of me. 

I sure hope not, in this case. 

They're taking necessary precautions to make sure it isn't a traumatic experience for her.  So it's likely that she'll head in there, get the teeth fixed, collect her treasure box prize and won't have a worry in the world about it. 

I, however, am going to need a hug.

Dude, this parenting gig is hard.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Seems I Forgot a Few...

So, after my last post on the 5 parenting absolutes, I realized I forgot a few...

6.  Kids falling asleep in the car 3 minutes before you get home.  You've just spent the last 30+ minutes dancing like a marionette, singing show tunes, and throwing toys at to your drowsy children only to get distracted for one brief second.  Then you hear... nothing.  You hear dreaded silence and frantically peer back only to see closed eyes and gaping mouths.  Trails of drool are the harbinger of doom.  Goodbye afternoon nap. 

7.  All hell breaking loose when you pick up the phone.  The kids are sitting quietly, coloring and telling each other how very much they love their each other.  Rainbows and sunshine emanate from their every pore. You quietly get up and slide into another room for a quick phone call.  As soon as the other person says hello, it begins.  "MOM! SHE'S HITTING ME! OWOWOWOWOWWWWWWW! STOP HITTING MEEEEE!  MOM!MOM!MOM!MOM!MOOOOOM!  I WANT A COOKIE! I WANT A CRACKER! I WANT A MILLION DOLLARS AND A PORSCHE! MOOOOOOM!  WHAT ARE YOU DOOOOOING?  MOOOOOM!  WHERE ARE YOU!?"   Hiding from them to finish your phone call is OK.  Hiding from them for the rest of the day?  Probably not. 

8.  Long naps when you have to be somewhere.  Nothing is more unpredictable and more irritating than infant sleep.  You pray daily for a nap that lasts longer than 15 minutes ohfortheloveofeverythinggoodandholy.  Then you have to be at the doctor's/dentist's/etc. at a random time.  15 minute nap?  No problem.   That'll give you plenty of time to get there.  And of course, that's the day the baby decides he'll test out a 2 hour nap.  Of course.  (And depending on how insanely sleep deprived you are, you absolutely will consider eating the $25 appointment cancellation fee as a small price to pay for a period of rest.  But don't think about trying to catch a nap while the baby does... they KNOW). 

9.  Kids repeating the bad word you said in traffic in front of your pastor/grandmom/new neighbor.  "Mama?  What's an 'ass?'"  "Huh?  What?!  SHHHH.  Nothing."  "But Mama, you said, "ass" yesterday in the car!  What's an "ass?"  Oh, hi Pastor Mike/Grandmom/Formerly Friendly But Now Horrified New Neighbor!"  I won't tell if you pretend it's another word for "donkey" and you claim to be explaining the nativity. 

10.  The baby will sneeze, barf or poop on you last clean outfit before you have to go out.  This is a given.  Once you are gussied up and ready to head out on your hot date, DO NOT PICK UP THE BABY.  I don't care how adorably he smiles at you.  I don't care how much you want another snuggle.  That baby will leak all over your spiffy date clothes and laugh while you scramble through piles of laundry for something that doesn't smell like regurgitated cheerios or something that doesn't have iridescent snot trails on the shoulder.  Good luck with that.  Don't say I didn't tell you.

11.  Mysterious worrisome symptoms will disappear immediately upon entering doctor's office.  Your child wakes at 4am complaining of a belly ache.  You reach to pick her up and realize she's got a major fever.  Upon turning the light on, you also see she's covered in spots.  And then, she barfs on you.  Your doctor is concerned and wants to see her first thing in the morning.  As soon as you pull up to the doctor's office and peel off the 11 layers you piled on your feverish, puking, spotty child, she perks up and you notice that not only is she fever free, but her spots are gone and she's complaining that she's hungry.  Goodbye $20 copay. 

I know there are more... Got any good ones?

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Hey, No One Claimed I Was Supermom

My girl is 4.  When she was a baby, I would schedule every doctor's visit to be within days of her actually turning that age.  4 month appointment?  At the doctors at 4 months and one day.

Then, she got a baby sister.  And the appointment keeping became a little lax.  3 year appointment?  Oh, 3 years and 3 weeks.  Not too bad.  And C's appointments were within a short distance of her age, too.  Bean was a quiet, compliant little companion, so C's appointments were no big deal.

Then the double doozy...  Sayer was born and C became VERY mobile, VERY squirrelly, and fine tuned that mind of her own.  So I did what any sane parent would do... I started scheduling someone to keep the other two kids when I had to take the 3rd to the doctor.

So Bean had her 4 year appointment today.  In mid-March.  Her birthday is in January.  Not awful...  but I have to say, had they not called me with a reminder?  Her 4 year appointment might have well been around her 8th birthday.

That being said, she's growing like a weed...  37.5 pounds and 40 inches.  That's 75th % for weight and 50th % for height.  Apparently, she's taking more after Daddy than me :)

Having her get a shot pretty much almost made me cry, and it goes without saying that she didn't like it one bit.  (The nurse said it was a stinging one).  

She aced a vision test, which was a relief considering her two blind as bats parents.

The doctor asked if I had any concerns regarding her hearing and I paused and he grinned and continued, "No, we don't have a cure for selective hearing yet."   Drat.  He read my mind. 

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Product Review and Giveaway: Yoplait Greek Yogurt

*Giveaway closed.  Congratulations Suzanne!*

I was recently given the opportunity* to taste and review the new Yoplait Greek Yogurt.


The nifty cold pack box came and I was immediately peppered with questions, "Mama, what is that?  What came in the box?  Where's my box?"  So we quickly opened it and of course, the kids pounced.  At first, C was far more interested in the cold pack, but Bean practically dove into the yogurt.


My kids are yogurt fiends.  I opened up a strawberry flavored container and dished it out between the munchkins.  They loved it.  Bean said, "This is all creamy!"  I had a honey vanilla flavored one and it took me a little bit to get used to the thicker texture.  But where I hesitated, my kids did not.

While I may not buy these for myself, with the added protein and no fat, these are definitely yogurts I would buy again for my little yogurt loving kiddos.

Curious?  Leave a comment on this post by Monday, February 22nd. On Tuesday, I'll pick one winner randomly to receive a prize pack including Yoplait Greek Yogurt and a Giant gift card so you can buy more!  (The Giant gift cart is valid at several grocery stores besides Giant... if you want to know which, feel free to email me).

Make sure to leave your email address or enable your profile (here's how to do it (Thanks Amy!) so I can contact you.



*Disclaimer: Yoplait® and Giant provided me with the free product, information, and gift cards through MyBlogSpark.

I'm posting this on WFMW.  Because what works for me is grocery store gift cards and good food for my family.  Check it out!  A pile of links from other bloggers with tips for everything under the moon.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

5 Absolutes of Parenthood

1.  Your kids have a sixth sense.  This sense is the refined ability to be completely content or asleep until the very moment when you set off to do one of the following:  take a nap, use the bathroom, prepare a meal, or eat anything containing sugar.  They will sense the exact moment to wake screaming from their nap, break down the bathroom door, to crawl up your body, or to find you while you're furtively stuffing chocolate chips in your mouth.  This sixth sense never, ever fails.  Occasionally, this sense will also enable them with the ability to know the precise moment you fall asleep at night so that they may let out a blood curdling scream while still peacefully slumbering in their own beds.  

2.  Kids band together.  They speak some sort of kid language and use their powers to befuddle us adults.  Sometimes, they plan to alternate nightly wake-ups to be merely an hour apart, thus forbidding the adults to sleep more than an hour at a time.  If you don't have more than one kid, watch out for kid-pet interactions.  Without fail, at least once, your pet will barf on the carpet several times in the middle of the night.  Your child will time their wake ups to be exactly opposite of your pet's.  Only have one kid, no pets?  You could call yourself lucky, but I'm sure your kid will telepathically contact the neighbor's teenager and work out a schedule of intermittent nightly wakings and a midnight bass party.



3.  Small kids always prefer to eat off of any surface besides their plate at the table.  You could serve the most delicious looking, kid friendly meal on a favorite plate and if there's a 6 day old goldfish cracker chilling on the floor in plain sight, your toddler will be all over that in a hot second.

(Let us not speak of why there may have, in fact, been a goldfish of that age on our floor at one time.  I have three kids.  I HAVE THREE KIDS).


4.  Kids have the uncanny ability to reveal embarrassing facts about you at the worst possible time.  "Hey Ms. Mommy's Boss!  Did you know my mommy has 'oobies!  And my mommy sometimes makes loud toots!  They're funny!  And did you know that sometimes, mommy puts candies in her nose and that looks funny!"

(For the record, that last item may or may not have happened.  Hey, parents will do a lot of things to get a laugh).


5.  Kids can turn on the cute on demand to get themselves out of trouble.  "BEAN!  STOP THAT INFERNAL WHINING BEFORE MY EARS FALL OFF!  ONE MORE WORD AND YOU'RE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"  "Um, Mama?"  "What?!!" "Mama, when we get home, can we snuggle?"

*sigh*   "Of course kiddo."

They know.  THEY KNOW.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Photo Class - Episode 3!

This week's photo assignment on Amy's blog was "Checking Your Corners."  All too often, pictures are plagued by clutter.  Whether it's crazy Aunt Edna's wig sticking up in the corner or the tree that looks like it's growing out of your kid's head, clutter happens in pictures A LOT.

I have to admit, I purposely shoot with a smaller f-stop so that my depth of field is small enough to obscure the things in the background.

Because hey, let's face it, I have three kids.  There's a lot of background stuff.

Anyway, the purpose of this assignment was to shoot purposefully in such a way that there are no distractions from the focal point in your shot.

Here goes!


Taken with a Canon Rebel XTi
Focal Length: 50mm
Shutter Speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/3.2
ISO: 800


Taken with a Canon Rebel XTi
Focal Length: 50mm
Shutter Speed: 1/125
Aperture: f/3.2
ISO: 800

If you like taking pics, definitely join in next class on Amy's blog!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hope

Will he call her for advice before he proposes to his future wife?


Will he promise to beat up the boys that break her heart?

Will she tease him mercilessly before his first date but wait up for him to come home so she can hear all about it?

Will they share inside jokes?

Will they scheme and plot to get their way when mom and dad say no?





Will she put him in a headlock and give him noogies while she's taller than he is?  Will he tackle her with payback when he's taller?

Will they always love each other so much? 

Will they always make my heart feel so full?

Monday, March 1, 2010

Would You Like A Ham-bur-gah?

We randomly try to infuse our every day with random Spanish words.  Nothing serious, but it's fun to hear them come up later.  C now regularly dubs things she likes eating as "delicioso!" which cracks me up. 

So tonight at dinner, Shaun was completely teasing me and trying to get me to roll my r's and say "churro" correctly.  (I think it goes without saying that I absolutely can't).  In between laughing at my ridiculous attempts, he tried to get Bean to say things too. 

"Bean, say, 'Me nombre es Bean!'"

"Ma tootoo la goobay!"

"No, say, 'Me nombre es BEAN!'"

"Gah simmy ley goochana!"

It was a bit like that Friends clip when Phoebe is trying to teach Joey to speak French,



Shaun tried one more time,

"Me nombre es BEAN!"

"Me nonde es TORTILLA!"

Stinker.

(And now that bits and pieces of Spanish are coming back to me, I realize she should have said, "Me llamo TORTILLA" instead :)
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