Today I thought I would finally talk to Logan about what Thanksgiving is all about. "It's a holiday that helps us remember to be thankful for what we have. I'm thankful for daddy and you and Auden, and for all the rest of our family. I'm thankful John and Brittany are doing better. I'm thankful I get to stay home with you this year and that we have a nice, safe place to live. What are you thankful for, Logan?"
"Cake."
Daddy is Home...well, sorta.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Pink eraser and palpitations
We just returned from my parents' house for a pre-Thanksgiving get-together. It was good seeing everyone, and Auden continued to melt everyone's hearts; Logan was resident jester. Auden is becoming more lively by the day--he loves to stand up (assisted, of course) in your lap and smile. He giggles at his elephant toy and grabs on to it (and daddy's face) with both hands.
And Logan...Well, you can always predict that he will do something unpredictable. We were just hanging around my mom and dad's house, and Logan got into Papa George's office supply drawer--one of his favorite things to do. Logan took off with one of those pencil-top erasers. He put it on his pinkie finger, and proudly showed everyone around how stylish his new prosthetic finger tip was. I should have known what was coming, but I didn't. After he had shown me his hot pink rubber finger bling, he put it in his mouth. "Spit that out right now, mister!" I panicked a little because when he put the eraser in his mouth, he was looking up at me, and I was afraid he would choke on it. Well, he put his head down, but no eraser came out. He looked up at me again with a surprised look on his face and said, "Mommy, it's in my belly!" In disbelief, I made him open his mouth and I looked inside--no eraser. I looked around on the floor to see if it had somehow bounced out of sight. No eraser. It really was in his belly. Great. He hadn't choked on it, and it was small enough that I figured it would have an easy enough time making an exit. At least it wasn't sharp or poisonous, right? All I would have to do would be to search through his poop for a bright pink eraser. Yet another thing I never in my life thought I would be doing. Well, the eraser made its way out the very next day. Apparently, the bowels aren't as fond of erasers as they are of chewing gum, which stuck around in his system for more than a week. Ah, the joys of having a toddler.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
A-OK!
Good news! Logan's heart is just fine. The news came this morning and I couldn't be more relieved! Thanks to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts!
Luckily, we had a built-in celebration--we had a play date with several moms I used to teach with who are also now stay-at-home moms. The kids all played together well, and though there were half a dozen toddlers in the same room, no one was hurt, and they all shared their toys fairly well. No huge tantrums. Yay. But we did marvel at the fact that pre-school and kindergarten teachers have to handle at least twice the number of kids. Solo. And get those kids to learn stuff, not just prevent them from bopping each other on the head. I thought teaching high school was tough some days, but at least most of my kids had the ability to be rational most of the time. So, here's a bit shout-out to all you teachers of little folks. Kuddos to you!
Luckily, we had a built-in celebration--we had a play date with several moms I used to teach with who are also now stay-at-home moms. The kids all played together well, and though there were half a dozen toddlers in the same room, no one was hurt, and they all shared their toys fairly well. No huge tantrums. Yay. But we did marvel at the fact that pre-school and kindergarten teachers have to handle at least twice the number of kids. Solo. And get those kids to learn stuff, not just prevent them from bopping each other on the head. I thought teaching high school was tough some days, but at least most of my kids had the ability to be rational most of the time. So, here's a bit shout-out to all you teachers of little folks. Kuddos to you!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Children's books are funny
Logan loves his books--a trait I hope he keeps forever. And I especially like it that he's interested in many of the same books I loved as a kid. I had what I thought were clear memories of my favorite childhood books...until I started reading them to Logan. Now I look at them sometimes with a befuddled expression, wondering, "So what was the message this author was trying to get across?" I leave you with my new impressions of a few of Logan's (and my former) favorite books:
Scuffy the Tugboat, the tale of a pompous little toy tugboat that isn't happy to be a mere toy in a toy shop, but wants "bigger things" for himself. Sorry to spoil the ending, but he eventually makes it to the ocean, is overwhelmed and frightened, and is saved by the toy store owner. Scuffy happily returns to the toy store after his escapade. So, I ask, what is the moral of this story? Don't bother adventuring too far away from home, because you'll probably just have the pants scared off of you anyway?
The Poky Little Puppy: C'mon, you know this one. The puppy breaks the rules and ventures out with his sibs to explore the wide, wide world (very Scuffy-esque), and he avoids punishment by arriving home way past curfew. The consequence of his actions? He eats the dessert that was meant for the entire poochy family all by himself...twice. He finally gets his comeuppance when his puppy siblings destroy his route back home. That night, he gets no dessert. So, again, what's the moral? Go ahead and disobey your mother. Two times out of three, you'll have all the dessert your little stomach can handle?
Little Miss Naughty: I really don't think I need to explain myself about the wrong-headedness of this one.
While the moral message of some of his books might be confusing, Logan continues to show me just how much my actions teach him. We were in the basement this morning, and he was desperately searching for a toy: "Where is it?! I know I put it somewhere. It's got to be here somewhere." After initially shuddering, I chuckled to hear my words voiced so perfectly by my toddler. Just goes to show you how often I lose (or misplace) things on any given day.
Scuffy the Tugboat, the tale of a pompous little toy tugboat that isn't happy to be a mere toy in a toy shop, but wants "bigger things" for himself. Sorry to spoil the ending, but he eventually makes it to the ocean, is overwhelmed and frightened, and is saved by the toy store owner. Scuffy happily returns to the toy store after his escapade. So, I ask, what is the moral of this story? Don't bother adventuring too far away from home, because you'll probably just have the pants scared off of you anyway?
The Poky Little Puppy: C'mon, you know this one. The puppy breaks the rules and ventures out with his sibs to explore the wide, wide world (very Scuffy-esque), and he avoids punishment by arriving home way past curfew. The consequence of his actions? He eats the dessert that was meant for the entire poochy family all by himself...twice. He finally gets his comeuppance when his puppy siblings destroy his route back home. That night, he gets no dessert. So, again, what's the moral? Go ahead and disobey your mother. Two times out of three, you'll have all the dessert your little stomach can handle?
Little Miss Naughty: I really don't think I need to explain myself about the wrong-headedness of this one.
While the moral message of some of his books might be confusing, Logan continues to show me just how much my actions teach him. We were in the basement this morning, and he was desperately searching for a toy: "Where is it?! I know I put it somewhere. It's got to be here somewhere." After initially shuddering, I chuckled to hear my words voiced so perfectly by my toddler. Just goes to show you how often I lose (or misplace) things on any given day.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Our trip to the hosipal
No, I didn't misspell "hospital." That's the way Logan pronounces it. The word "breakfast" seems to allude him, too. It comes out more like "bresick." Ah, it's pretty adorable the way toddlers pronounce things.
Well, that heart murmur of Logan's hasn't gone away since we heard it a month ago, so the doc suggested we have an echocardiogram done. Aside from being an extremely complicated word for me to pronounce, it's basically an ultrasound of the patient's heart. The pediatric cardiologists should be perusing pictures, videos, and sound clips of my son's little ticker tomorrow, and I'm really hoping they'll tell me he'll most likely grow out of this little noisy heartbeat thing. Logan doesn't seem to mind. He didn't seem to mind the whole test thing, either. You see, Logan thinks the hospital is one of the coolest places he knows. He associates it with the helicopter he saw take off just as we were leaving from one of my ultrasounds. And he thinks of the time Grammy Renee and Papa George came to stay with him, and then took him there to see his new baby brother. So every time we drive by the hospital, he asks if we can go there. "Not today, babe," I say, hoping to myself we won't have an unfortunate incident that will bring us there. No, Logan wasn't worried about the hospital. He was worried about shots.
He got a flu vaccine at his last doctor's checkup and was not keen on the idea of having another injection. Despite promises from his dad and I that he would not be given a shot, Logan, who is usually really shy around new people, introduced himself to the ultrasound tech by announcing loudly and plainly: "I don't want a shot." Once she told him she definitely wouldn't be giving him a shot, he relaxed a bit. But he sat wide-eyed through the whole procedure. For once in his life, he didn't wiggle an inch--the ultrasound tech loved him. And when were walking out the doors of the exam room, sucker in hand, he said," That was fun!" Yeah, I guess it was fun, but I don't really want to repeat it.
Even though I had been convinced this whole murmur thing is no big deal, that it's some little anomaly that will fix itself, I have to admit, I welled up a bit when they put the hospital band around his wrist and told him that this was his second hospital bracelet he's ever had. Well, now it's just the waiting game!
We managed to fit in even more fun today, the kind of fun I wouldn't mind repeating. We went swimming at the Y, the four of us--this was the baby's first trip to a pool. Once Auden got over the chilliness of the pool (why does it always get you right at the tummy?), he smiled and had a good time, while Logan was finally persuaded to doggie paddle (with mom assisting) across the pool a couple of times. Then it was home to jump in some leaf piles, watch daddy-o burn some yard waste in the back yard, and turn his nose up at his dinner. It's really all in a day's work for a toddler.
Well, that heart murmur of Logan's hasn't gone away since we heard it a month ago, so the doc suggested we have an echocardiogram done. Aside from being an extremely complicated word for me to pronounce, it's basically an ultrasound of the patient's heart. The pediatric cardiologists should be perusing pictures, videos, and sound clips of my son's little ticker tomorrow, and I'm really hoping they'll tell me he'll most likely grow out of this little noisy heartbeat thing. Logan doesn't seem to mind. He didn't seem to mind the whole test thing, either. You see, Logan thinks the hospital is one of the coolest places he knows. He associates it with the helicopter he saw take off just as we were leaving from one of my ultrasounds. And he thinks of the time Grammy Renee and Papa George came to stay with him, and then took him there to see his new baby brother. So every time we drive by the hospital, he asks if we can go there. "Not today, babe," I say, hoping to myself we won't have an unfortunate incident that will bring us there. No, Logan wasn't worried about the hospital. He was worried about shots.
He got a flu vaccine at his last doctor's checkup and was not keen on the idea of having another injection. Despite promises from his dad and I that he would not be given a shot, Logan, who is usually really shy around new people, introduced himself to the ultrasound tech by announcing loudly and plainly: "I don't want a shot." Once she told him she definitely wouldn't be giving him a shot, he relaxed a bit. But he sat wide-eyed through the whole procedure. For once in his life, he didn't wiggle an inch--the ultrasound tech loved him. And when were walking out the doors of the exam room, sucker in hand, he said," That was fun!" Yeah, I guess it was fun, but I don't really want to repeat it.
Even though I had been convinced this whole murmur thing is no big deal, that it's some little anomaly that will fix itself, I have to admit, I welled up a bit when they put the hospital band around his wrist and told him that this was his second hospital bracelet he's ever had. Well, now it's just the waiting game!
We managed to fit in even more fun today, the kind of fun I wouldn't mind repeating. We went swimming at the Y, the four of us--this was the baby's first trip to a pool. Once Auden got over the chilliness of the pool (why does it always get you right at the tummy?), he smiled and had a good time, while Logan was finally persuaded to doggie paddle (with mom assisting) across the pool a couple of times. Then it was home to jump in some leaf piles, watch daddy-o burn some yard waste in the back yard, and turn his nose up at his dinner. It's really all in a day's work for a toddler.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Auden, the tiny human sprinkler system
It's amazing how many times I've been peed on the past three months. I know, from other mothers telling me, and from my past experience with Logan, that little boys can put on the waterworks quite effectively during diaper changes. But this kid of mine takes the cake. Somehow, despite my tenting his sprayer with a burp cloth or receiving blanket, he still manages to kick it off and make it happen. Showers. All over himself, the wall, the changing table. Thankfully, he usually misses me. It shouldn't surprise me though. After all, his first action as a newborn was to baptize the nurses in the delivery room. I just didn't know that would be a talent that would stick with him quite this long. My favorite, though, is when I'm changing him--usually at 3 or 4 in the morning--and he sends up a shower. While I'm mopping that mess up, he follows it by spitting up all over himself. Even more rarely, I've had all three--explosive baby poop, pee, and spit up. That's when I imagine the hydra myth probably began with a sleep-deprived mother of a newborn who was overwhelmed with her son's dynamic diaper changes.
In other news, Auden has discovered his hands this week. He looked at them and had this amazed expression on his face, as if to say, "Hey, what are these things? And what can I do with them?" He quickly found out what they are and what he can do with them (aside from stuffing them in his mouth) when I hung a toy just beyond his grasp. He batted at and held on to it, grinning with satisfaction. We also think we've heard a couple of giggles issuing from our happy guy. He's definitely becoming more active and interested in his surroundings. The three-month characteristics are beginning to appear.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Funny story
Eric was in bed last night thumbing through Dr. Sears' book, Discipline. I've been reading it lately to find ways to deal with Logan's tantrums. Spoiler alert: There is no magic solution for solving all of your toddler's behavior issues. Drat. Anyway, Eric said, "Hey, this is interesting. It says that toddlers crave order and that you should shelve his toys on shelves instead of heaped in crates or boxes. (We put many of his toys in our toy-chest/ottomans and storage crates.) And it suggests installing eye-level hooks for hanging coats and clothes. That's a good way to teach him how to put his stuff away!"
"Yes," I said, and thought to myself of the numerous pairs of shoes and clothing items of Eric's that are usually strewn all over the living room and bedroom floor. "Will we teach you at the same time?"
"Yes," I said, and thought to myself of the numerous pairs of shoes and clothing items of Eric's that are usually strewn all over the living room and bedroom floor. "Will we teach you at the same time?"
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Halloween and the candy coma
Well, Logan had a blast, this being the first Halloween that he understood the premise of the holiday: "I ring doorbell. Nice person opens door. Nice person hands me candy, or I grab a handful of it out of his/her bowl. I say 'Thank you!' and high- tail it out of there to the next house. Repeat aforementioned steps, ad nauseum." We learned pretty quickly it's more fun trick-or-treating with pals, and fortunately, we had a bunch of them around last night. First we buddied up with Jackson and Mimi; then, we found Zion and his sisters. Finally, he saw his buddy Jade from tumbling class. "Hey, I was looking for you!" he said as he dashed toward her. So the little pirate and Tinkerbell went traipsing along, pumpkin buckets swinging, procuring scrumptious candy.
The day before, we went to a fantastic party at Logan's friend, Evan's house. Evan's mommy did a bang-up job, as usual. It's nice to be a great party planner, but it's even nicer when you're good friends with one. There were games, cute spooky-themed food, and pumpkin decorating. Logan particularly liked the dance contest, and fortunately he had warmed up to everyone by the time it was time to boogie down.
And on Friday, we hosted some of our neighbors at our annual "Trick-or-drink" celebration. It's fun reconnecting with the people on our block. Of course, this year, I was shooting for our snacks and drinks to be pirate-themed but I hadn't gotten the stuff together since Logan had come down with a fever Thursday morning. I wasn't sure we would even have people over if he was sick, but he bounced right back, thankfully. So Friday afternoon was spent frantically cleaning the house and scrounging together the ingredients for our snack and drink ideas. We served "Pirate's blood," a spiked fruit punch, and "Arrrtichoke dip."
I have to admit, after trick-or-treating was over, I was glad to see Halloween go. This is the first year it's really become a full holiday status, what with something going on consecutive days. Now I'm just trying to figure out how I can get rid of all of this excess candy. Eric hasn't yet taken it to school to be used for bribery material for his kids. I have to say, the M&M's are nice for Logan bribes--he'll do just about anything for a candy fix. My little sugar fiend...And I made his first dentist appointment last night. How appropriate.
The day before, we went to a fantastic party at Logan's friend, Evan's house. Evan's mommy did a bang-up job, as usual. It's nice to be a great party planner, but it's even nicer when you're good friends with one. There were games, cute spooky-themed food, and pumpkin decorating. Logan particularly liked the dance contest, and fortunately he had warmed up to everyone by the time it was time to boogie down.
And on Friday, we hosted some of our neighbors at our annual "Trick-or-drink" celebration. It's fun reconnecting with the people on our block. Of course, this year, I was shooting for our snacks and drinks to be pirate-themed but I hadn't gotten the stuff together since Logan had come down with a fever Thursday morning. I wasn't sure we would even have people over if he was sick, but he bounced right back, thankfully. So Friday afternoon was spent frantically cleaning the house and scrounging together the ingredients for our snack and drink ideas. We served "Pirate's blood," a spiked fruit punch, and "Arrrtichoke dip."
I have to admit, after trick-or-treating was over, I was glad to see Halloween go. This is the first year it's really become a full holiday status, what with something going on consecutive days. Now I'm just trying to figure out how I can get rid of all of this excess candy. Eric hasn't yet taken it to school to be used for bribery material for his kids. I have to say, the M&M's are nice for Logan bribes--he'll do just about anything for a candy fix. My little sugar fiend...And I made his first dentist appointment last night. How appropriate.
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