New background - yay!
I cannot believe how wiped out I was last night when I went to bed. Somehow, if Travis and I both go to bed at 10 and get up at 6:30, he gets 8.5 hours and I'm lucky if I get 7. Ridiculous. It's such little things now, but my body is trained to be awake in a snap that it's hard to feel rested. Also, yesterday, I ran two miles, did 5 loads of laundry (haul downstairs, wash, dry, haul upstairs, fold, put away), and cleaned the kitchen. I ordered pictures to send to Trav's brother and my grandmother, and kept Emily from inadvertently killing Audrey. It was a busy weekend!
Big milestone for Emily - this morning she greeted me with a big smile and announced that her undies were clean and dry! No more pull-ups for this girl at night!! She'd been dry for at least a week, and last night I was too tired to get up and get a clean pull-up when getting her ready for bed, so we tried it. Her smile was SO big and pretty. It was awesome to see her experiencing self-pride like that.
It's amazing what a big thing sleep is at our house. If Emily gets it (like today, when she slept until 7:45) we have a great time! when she doesn't (up at 6, for example) she whines and lays around. It's night-and-day, really. She can be polite, cheerful, clever, and thoughtful and kind to her sister, or on a tired or stressed day, she'll be completely the opposite. I am so thankful for the well-rested days to remind me that this is who she really is, who she's becoming, and that the days of hitting and whining are limited if I can keep my chin up.
Audrey is on the verge of getting her top teeth, and fighting off the end of this cold. I'm dreading that this sticky snot might clog up her ears, and I really don't want to deal with another ear infection. So far, I think we're doing okay. She's so engaging and adorable. She's eating her solid foods really well, and very much likes water from a sippy cup, which is great because she's not a fan of nursing when she's all stuffed up like this. I would imagine that'd be difficult!
I think we'll head to Ashby Park again today - the free wading pool in Beaverdale. We were there on Thursday, and had a great time. It's a beautiful day today, and it looks like it'll be nice all week. It's funny that we've gotten so much rain, because it's been pretty nice weather except we've had a LOT of thunderstorms. Our sump pump runs a lot, and the pipe that was put in last summer to deal with the water problem in the basement seems to be working great, because there's a steady stream of water coming from it. Sure glad we fixed it, but still pissed at the previous owner for not disclosing that. They knew it was a problem, and they finished the room and put a desk in front of it, just letting the mold grow. Let's just say that was some pretty disgusting drywall when we tore it out!!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Real Life
It appears that I've been living an incredibly sheltered life. I think I knew this, but I am realizing more and more every day that it's a very fragile, sheltered existence that I lead. There is only one member of my family who's in a bit of trouble right now, and everyone else is happy and healthy. Throughout my extended network of friends and distant family, over the past few months, there has been a kidney transplant rejection, a brain tumor, a death from Alzheimers, and the ongoing care of an infant with severe birth defects. A friend of a friend lost a 2-year-old son who was strangled by the cord for their blinds. The wildest story came from my hometown where a family lost a 20-something son in a construction accident last November, and his mom wanted to live long enough to meet his unborn daughter in April but died of cancer less than two weeks before her birth... and then a few weeks later, the dad won $1M in the lottery! I am feeling like this blog has been very shallow as I complained about things like cleaning up after my girls while all this is going on in the real world. It's amazing how many different worlds there are to be in. There's the one that's getting doused in oil right now, which I also can't wrap my mind around. There are friends welcoming healthy infants, but also those who want to and can't. There's Mommo and Poppo celebrating 61 years together this weekend, and there's the daily grind of grocery shopping, work politics, and childcare. And then, there's all this suffering, which I think is probably a more accurate reflection of the world. It was a whole year ago that my grandpa died, and I want to reach out to my grandma but I'm not really sure how. I can't even fathom the depths of her loneliness. I guess, in a feeble attempt to console myself, I will take this opportunity to say how much I am consumed by the suffering and loneliness of those I love, even though they're far away or separated from my everyday life. And, once again, I'll renew my commitment to savor the joy I have in my life, every day, because it has been selfish of me to overlook it. It really is an amazing life I lead. Someday it'll be my turn to have my life turned upside-down, and I hope I can handle it as well as my friends have.
On to the girls:
Emily bit Audrey today. She put Audrey's finger in her mouth, and bit down until she screamed. I came running, and asked what happened, and she calmly told me just exactly what she did. I think this is normal for how a 2-year-old brain works ("if I do this, what will happen?") but man, what a sociopath! She has been incredibly difficult in the evenings after she's at daycare, and I am not suspecting anything triggering it more than the stress of being away all day snapping into the comfort of being home with Mom, plus the exhaustion of a long day. She hits, she throws toys, and she's off the wall in general. They're never teachable moments, either, so it's just a matter of keeping her from doing too much damage before we can get her safely into bed. I'm so glad I don't work fulltime - I couldn't handle more than 2 evenings a week like that!
Emily and I went to see her cousins in their dance recital on Saturday, and she really enjoyed it and did a great job sitting through a 3 1/2 hour show. We told her she'd see Megan on stage, and when there were other dancers there, she kept saying, "Where'd Megan go??" When it was dark in between acts, she said, "It's dark in here! Can't see anybody!" And my favorite quote, which came during a contemporary dance that followed a beautiful and grand ballet routine, "Those people need to go away." She has good taste already!
Audrey is sitting well by herself now, but occasionally tips over and that makes her very, very mad, so she still gets the boppy wherever she sits. She's happy on her tummy, so she's on the right track towards crawling. Her sleeping and eating schedule are quite regular now, and if her breakfast is early enough, she'll actually go back to sleep which is AWESOME. Somehow, both girls are able to choose the days they go to daycare as the days they sleep past 7, whereas every other day that sleeping in would be an option, they're up by 6. We're still waiting on Audrey's top two teeth, but I think that the things I was attributing to tooth pain a few weeks ago were actually her feeling crappy from this cold. Until I caught it myself (this week has been exhausting for me) I hadn't realized how much sinus and throat discomfort came with it. I guess I'm glad I gave her tylenol - it had to have helped a little, I think.
I received an interesting compliment from a co-worker yesterday. He said he had asked around for other people's opinion of me, since he hadn't worked with me before and wondered what I was like, and he said he heard glowing remarks and that the general consensus was that I am very "adaptable." That's nice, I guess, and I'd agree that it's true, but I feel like the fat girl who's told she has great skin. You sure can pretend to be smart! Uh, thanks... Whatever. I can't say that I'll quit trying at my job, because even though I know most of what I do is useless and futile, I can't stop myself from trying my hardest and caring a lot when it becomes glaringly obvious that it it truly is useless and futile. Such a sucker I am. Oh well - they pay well, and I have the amazing luxury of quitting when it is no longer worth me beating my head against a wall.
On to the girls:
Emily bit Audrey today. She put Audrey's finger in her mouth, and bit down until she screamed. I came running, and asked what happened, and she calmly told me just exactly what she did. I think this is normal for how a 2-year-old brain works ("if I do this, what will happen?") but man, what a sociopath! She has been incredibly difficult in the evenings after she's at daycare, and I am not suspecting anything triggering it more than the stress of being away all day snapping into the comfort of being home with Mom, plus the exhaustion of a long day. She hits, she throws toys, and she's off the wall in general. They're never teachable moments, either, so it's just a matter of keeping her from doing too much damage before we can get her safely into bed. I'm so glad I don't work fulltime - I couldn't handle more than 2 evenings a week like that!
Emily and I went to see her cousins in their dance recital on Saturday, and she really enjoyed it and did a great job sitting through a 3 1/2 hour show. We told her she'd see Megan on stage, and when there were other dancers there, she kept saying, "Where'd Megan go??" When it was dark in between acts, she said, "It's dark in here! Can't see anybody!" And my favorite quote, which came during a contemporary dance that followed a beautiful and grand ballet routine, "Those people need to go away." She has good taste already!
Audrey is sitting well by herself now, but occasionally tips over and that makes her very, very mad, so she still gets the boppy wherever she sits. She's happy on her tummy, so she's on the right track towards crawling. Her sleeping and eating schedule are quite regular now, and if her breakfast is early enough, she'll actually go back to sleep which is AWESOME. Somehow, both girls are able to choose the days they go to daycare as the days they sleep past 7, whereas every other day that sleeping in would be an option, they're up by 6. We're still waiting on Audrey's top two teeth, but I think that the things I was attributing to tooth pain a few weeks ago were actually her feeling crappy from this cold. Until I caught it myself (this week has been exhausting for me) I hadn't realized how much sinus and throat discomfort came with it. I guess I'm glad I gave her tylenol - it had to have helped a little, I think.
I received an interesting compliment from a co-worker yesterday. He said he had asked around for other people's opinion of me, since he hadn't worked with me before and wondered what I was like, and he said he heard glowing remarks and that the general consensus was that I am very "adaptable." That's nice, I guess, and I'd agree that it's true, but I feel like the fat girl who's told she has great skin. You sure can pretend to be smart! Uh, thanks... Whatever. I can't say that I'll quit trying at my job, because even though I know most of what I do is useless and futile, I can't stop myself from trying my hardest and caring a lot when it becomes glaringly obvious that it it truly is useless and futile. Such a sucker I am. Oh well - they pay well, and I have the amazing luxury of quitting when it is no longer worth me beating my head against a wall.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Another busy weekend
I think I saw all of my aunts and uncles this weekend, which is strange for someone my age, I think. My maternal cousin had his ordination this weekend, so all of that side of the family gathered on Friday to celebrate. He is currently a minister at a church in PA, but had started down the path to ordination in Iowa and just continued here. It was nice to see him and his lovely wife, and my cousin Laura who just moved to Frankfurt, Kentucky. It was such a short visit, so I hope to see them again at Christmas; but again, if I get to see my favorite cousins twice a year, I'll take it!
My dad's family gathered because his aunt was celebrating her 96th birthday in Iowa. She flew here from San Francisco with her son and daughter (my dad's cousins), and it was really great to see them and all of the local (midwestern) extended family. I hadn't been to my aunt's house in Holstein for years, so that was kind of weird. What was also kind of sad was seeing how worn-out my grandmother looked next to her older sister, and I realized just how precious her time here is. I also told my big sister that when I'm 91, she'd better be around for me to call every day! I sat next to Grandma for a while and Audrey flapped and sang and worked on picking up cheerios with her little fingers, so I think she enjoyed that. If any of you are looking for something to experience in your lifetime, consider adding "playing with your 19th great-grandchild" to your list. Truly amazing.
Emily, though, did not come with us to western Iowa on Saturday, because her grandma Sullivan's house was on the way, and she stayed and played there. She had a great time, and didn't feel "left behind" at all, which was my only concern about the plan. We all stayed the night in Barnum, then visited Pat in the morning, and the girls did a great job. It is TOUGH taking two little girls in to visit him, but they really do their best and are very well-behaved. I must say though, speaking of things to experience in ones lifetime, that breastfeeding a baby in a prison is not one that I had on my list!
One of the coolest things: Emily can draw faces now! I asked her the other day to draw me a person, and it was neat to see her thought process come out on paper. But when she drew a face, wow, it was really a face when she was done! The eyes were the same size, symmetrically positioned, the head was a complete circle, and the mouth and nose and ears were all in the right places. She drew several while we were visiting Pat - and inspired by his choice of facial hair, her faces had scribbles on their chins for goatees. My amazing little girl!! I was also very proud of her when I picked her up from Amanda's on Friday, where she did a cutting and gluing project. Amanda said that her rule is kids have to be 3 before they get scissors, but it didn't seem to make sense to keep them from Emily, and she's doing great with them! I am SO proud of her. AND - she can pedal her tricycle now, and coast along on her pedal-less bicycle fast enough that she's starting to play around with coasting and balancing. It's pretty fun to see, except when I have to be outside watching her and inside watching Audrey.
Audrey flapped and smiled at me for probably 10 minutes tonight, after supper, playing out on the porch. I considered getting a camera, but I was selfish and just enjoyed it for myself. What a beauty she is. The other night, I had to turn on the light to give her medicine at 3 AM, and usually in the night I just leave the lights off and try to get the noisy baby back to sleep. But when I looked at her, she wasn't just some loud baby, she was Audrey, and she was beautiful. It took me nearly an hour to get back to sleep, but somehow the memory of her pretty face in the dim light didn't make me that upset about it. Or maybe it's because I'm getting more sleep these days and am gaining back some sense of rationality. I was so afraid it was gone for good!!!
My dad's family gathered because his aunt was celebrating her 96th birthday in Iowa. She flew here from San Francisco with her son and daughter (my dad's cousins), and it was really great to see them and all of the local (midwestern) extended family. I hadn't been to my aunt's house in Holstein for years, so that was kind of weird. What was also kind of sad was seeing how worn-out my grandmother looked next to her older sister, and I realized just how precious her time here is. I also told my big sister that when I'm 91, she'd better be around for me to call every day! I sat next to Grandma for a while and Audrey flapped and sang and worked on picking up cheerios with her little fingers, so I think she enjoyed that. If any of you are looking for something to experience in your lifetime, consider adding "playing with your 19th great-grandchild" to your list. Truly amazing.
Emily, though, did not come with us to western Iowa on Saturday, because her grandma Sullivan's house was on the way, and she stayed and played there. She had a great time, and didn't feel "left behind" at all, which was my only concern about the plan. We all stayed the night in Barnum, then visited Pat in the morning, and the girls did a great job. It is TOUGH taking two little girls in to visit him, but they really do their best and are very well-behaved. I must say though, speaking of things to experience in ones lifetime, that breastfeeding a baby in a prison is not one that I had on my list!
One of the coolest things: Emily can draw faces now! I asked her the other day to draw me a person, and it was neat to see her thought process come out on paper. But when she drew a face, wow, it was really a face when she was done! The eyes were the same size, symmetrically positioned, the head was a complete circle, and the mouth and nose and ears were all in the right places. She drew several while we were visiting Pat - and inspired by his choice of facial hair, her faces had scribbles on their chins for goatees. My amazing little girl!! I was also very proud of her when I picked her up from Amanda's on Friday, where she did a cutting and gluing project. Amanda said that her rule is kids have to be 3 before they get scissors, but it didn't seem to make sense to keep them from Emily, and she's doing great with them! I am SO proud of her. AND - she can pedal her tricycle now, and coast along on her pedal-less bicycle fast enough that she's starting to play around with coasting and balancing. It's pretty fun to see, except when I have to be outside watching her and inside watching Audrey.
Audrey flapped and smiled at me for probably 10 minutes tonight, after supper, playing out on the porch. I considered getting a camera, but I was selfish and just enjoyed it for myself. What a beauty she is. The other night, I had to turn on the light to give her medicine at 3 AM, and usually in the night I just leave the lights off and try to get the noisy baby back to sleep. But when I looked at her, she wasn't just some loud baby, she was Audrey, and she was beautiful. It took me nearly an hour to get back to sleep, but somehow the memory of her pretty face in the dim light didn't make me that upset about it. Or maybe it's because I'm getting more sleep these days and am gaining back some sense of rationality. I was so afraid it was gone for good!!!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Weekend Update
I wonder if I've ever used the same entry title twice? I wonder if there's an easy way to find out? Eh, I've already quit caring. I've gotta blog quickly - both girls are napping at the same time!!!! Granted, Audrey was up at 6, so we've had a long day together already. This morning, I darkened both of their rooms by covering their windows better, and I'm hoping it translates to sleeping later and/or longer naps.
We had a pretty busy weekend, although it was definitely a nice break. I can see that the pace of our family is only going to increase from here, so it was nice to take it easy. Travis took the day off Friday (his birthday), and went to a bachelor party that night, and Saturday night we had friends over, so Sunday he did nothing at all. I mean, he didn't even shower -- NOTHING. Monday, we packed up a picnic lunch and met some friends at a park in Ames, and had a really nice time being social and enjoying the sunshine (except Emily got sunblock in her eyes, but she's such a good sport she didn't even cry... which would have helped, actually!). It was really nice to do such a laid-back outing. Then we went over to my grandparents' house, and they thoroughly enjoyed watching Emily and Audrey play together. Since they're both nearly 90 years old, I'm savoring every visit to their house, because it's not like I can count on having that luxury 10 years from now, and their house is truly one of my favorite places in the world to be. It was a really wonderful day. For the first time I can remember, I feel like I got the most out of my weekend by balancing productivity and relaxation.
Now on to the funny stories:
People left quite a bit of beer at our house on Saturday night. This morning, Emily opened the fridge and said, "Mom, that's a lot of brown bottles!!" Trav thought that was hilarious. He also thought it was hilarious how clever he was, the way he struck back at me when I was picking on him earlier on Monday. He told Emily to look at me, because "isn't mom pretty? Mom's pretty, isn't she??" Emily turns to me and says, "Mom, you're so pretty." And I went to smile at Travis, and he was giving me the finger. Nice, hon. But Emily kept parroting all day how Mom is so pretty, so I think I totally won that one.
When Emily and I went to use the port-a-potty at the park yesterday, she looked up at me and said, "Mom, let's wash hands." I told her that was a great idea, because it really was a yucky port-a-potty. (She didn't flinch at all, though, pee-wise. What a trooper!). When it was my turn, Emily looked at me sitting there and said, "You almost don't fit on there anymore!" Rather than explaining what cellulite is, I just suggested that she go back to talking about how pretty I am instead. :)
I updated pictures of the girls playing together Sunday morning, and playing out on the back deck this morning. This weather has been FABULOUS. I'll take this weather all summer long, please.
We had a pretty busy weekend, although it was definitely a nice break. I can see that the pace of our family is only going to increase from here, so it was nice to take it easy. Travis took the day off Friday (his birthday), and went to a bachelor party that night, and Saturday night we had friends over, so Sunday he did nothing at all. I mean, he didn't even shower -- NOTHING. Monday, we packed up a picnic lunch and met some friends at a park in Ames, and had a really nice time being social and enjoying the sunshine (except Emily got sunblock in her eyes, but she's such a good sport she didn't even cry... which would have helped, actually!). It was really nice to do such a laid-back outing. Then we went over to my grandparents' house, and they thoroughly enjoyed watching Emily and Audrey play together. Since they're both nearly 90 years old, I'm savoring every visit to their house, because it's not like I can count on having that luxury 10 years from now, and their house is truly one of my favorite places in the world to be. It was a really wonderful day. For the first time I can remember, I feel like I got the most out of my weekend by balancing productivity and relaxation.
Now on to the funny stories:
People left quite a bit of beer at our house on Saturday night. This morning, Emily opened the fridge and said, "Mom, that's a lot of brown bottles!!" Trav thought that was hilarious. He also thought it was hilarious how clever he was, the way he struck back at me when I was picking on him earlier on Monday. He told Emily to look at me, because "isn't mom pretty? Mom's pretty, isn't she??" Emily turns to me and says, "Mom, you're so pretty." And I went to smile at Travis, and he was giving me the finger. Nice, hon. But Emily kept parroting all day how Mom is so pretty, so I think I totally won that one.
When Emily and I went to use the port-a-potty at the park yesterday, she looked up at me and said, "Mom, let's wash hands." I told her that was a great idea, because it really was a yucky port-a-potty. (She didn't flinch at all, though, pee-wise. What a trooper!). When it was my turn, Emily looked at me sitting there and said, "You almost don't fit on there anymore!" Rather than explaining what cellulite is, I just suggested that she go back to talking about how pretty I am instead. :)
I updated pictures of the girls playing together Sunday morning, and playing out on the back deck this morning. This weather has been FABULOUS. I'll take this weather all summer long, please.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Birthdays and Baptism
We got Audrey dunked on Sunday, and according to her Grandma Sullivan, it was the most beautiful baptism she'd ever seen. Audrey (and her sister and cousins) were dressed beautifully and behaved really well during the hour-long service leading up to her baptism, and then she smiled and was adorable during the baptism. She tolerated everything really well, including being brought up and down the aisle for the congregation to look at her, and gazed with those big blue eyes as one of the choir members sang "God loves you" directly to her. She typically gets very still and concentrates whenever she hears music, so to have this command performance, well, you could just tell by the look on her face she loved it. Mommo and Poppo stood up to introduce us to the congregation, which was very special for me. About the only person missing from the event was Travis's brother, which I guess just ends up being another incentive for him to not end up in his current situation again. Anyway, it was really beautiful, meaningful, and loving, and even though it was a tiny bit stressful to get up in front of everyone, it was really great. Since it was Pentacost Sunday, the church's "jazz ensemble" played instead of an organ, and it was certainly festive! Emily is probably going to be confused when we go to church and there isn't all of her grandparents and cousins, and saxophones and tubas there. She seems to be picking up some religion at her daycare, because today while she was eating her snack in the dining room I overheard some chatter and asked what she was thinking about. She said, "I thinking about praying." I asked who she was praying for, and she said for her friends. Then she said she had a friend Jesus, and I smiled and said that was really nice. I wonder the two-year-old mind thinks Jesus is, but she seemed happy and I love to see her thinking about other people. What a nice girl! Tonight she played piano for me, and it was really, really fun. She stopped to kiss me on the cheek a couple of times, and said I'm "so nice." Not much could make me happier!
So, anyway, after the service, we went to a park to have lunch, and that's about when my nerves gave out and exhaustion set in, which is a bad combo when hosting a gathering of family. Audrey had had a pretty hard night the night before because it was so hot, and we didn't have the A/C on yet, so she was tired and I was tired (Travis claims he was too, but one night of being awakened once - not even getting out of bed - doesn't count). Emily bonked her chin on a picnic table pretty good, so it seemed like I spent the entire gathering trying to end the tears of one girl or another. Audrey took little catnaps where she could, but every time she woke up someplace unfamiliar she'd scream and be hard to calm down. It was hot and windy, and it took me 45 minutes to get my lunch eaten because I had to keep taking care of kids -- and then I bit the inside of my cheek AGAIN and it bled and it became just too hard to keep eating so I gave up. I wanted to take her picture with her cake, but she was so unstable on the picnic table (not that she's a great sitter anyway) that she fell over backwards and hit her head, so she screamed some more. Then, I went to change Audrey's diaper while she laid down in the stroller on her comfy outfit, and she peed all over it. I lost it, between the stress of the day and the frustration with trying to get my lunch eaten, and then the laughter that ensued from everyone, it was awful. I know there's nothing else to do in that situation but laugh, but I didn't like feeling like I was on display for everyone to witness every roadblock thrown in my way. I don't know if it was the wind or what, but certain family members couldn't understand me at all and I had to keep repeating and shouting at them to be heard. The outfit that she soaked was the only change of clothes that I'd brought for her, so even though she has tons of cute summer things that I've been waiting for her to wear, she spent the rest of the day in an ugly onesie that I had stashed in the car just in case. Travis was finally helpful by taking her away from the shelter and sitting with her until she fell asleep, but that's about all he did to manage the situation. He had been great help getting everything to the park, but once people started eating he just shut down and didn't do anything. I cried a little, but mostly I was just angry, frustrated, and exhausted. But everyone else had a great time and was very supportive of me, and Audrey received very thoughtful and lovely baptism gifts. Emily and her cousins played on the playground and the sand volleyball court (a vast expanse of sand!! what fun!!), so they were happy. Everyone enjoyed talking, and the food was good, so besides me being a basketcase and not being able to manage my overtired state or my exhausted children, it went just fine.
Oh yeah, and I turned 30 last week. We did nothing, except I didn't have to cook supper that night. Travis is turning 29 on Friday, so he's taking the day off to go biking and then going to a bachelor party that night, and on Saturday night, we're having his co-workers over to celebrate. I suppose we could've done something for my birthday, but I didn't feel like planning it and doing all the work for it, especially when it seems I have to do all the work for his birthday so soon after.
Someday I'll escape this sea of sleeplessness and not be such a snarky, unpleasant person. Maybe. I'm told I used to be fun, and I know tons of really great people, so it's probably true. Let's hope my 30's are all uphill, and that these minor woes turn out to be the worst of my issues!!
So, anyway, after the service, we went to a park to have lunch, and that's about when my nerves gave out and exhaustion set in, which is a bad combo when hosting a gathering of family. Audrey had had a pretty hard night the night before because it was so hot, and we didn't have the A/C on yet, so she was tired and I was tired (Travis claims he was too, but one night of being awakened once - not even getting out of bed - doesn't count). Emily bonked her chin on a picnic table pretty good, so it seemed like I spent the entire gathering trying to end the tears of one girl or another. Audrey took little catnaps where she could, but every time she woke up someplace unfamiliar she'd scream and be hard to calm down. It was hot and windy, and it took me 45 minutes to get my lunch eaten because I had to keep taking care of kids -- and then I bit the inside of my cheek AGAIN and it bled and it became just too hard to keep eating so I gave up. I wanted to take her picture with her cake, but she was so unstable on the picnic table (not that she's a great sitter anyway) that she fell over backwards and hit her head, so she screamed some more. Then, I went to change Audrey's diaper while she laid down in the stroller on her comfy outfit, and she peed all over it. I lost it, between the stress of the day and the frustration with trying to get my lunch eaten, and then the laughter that ensued from everyone, it was awful. I know there's nothing else to do in that situation but laugh, but I didn't like feeling like I was on display for everyone to witness every roadblock thrown in my way. I don't know if it was the wind or what, but certain family members couldn't understand me at all and I had to keep repeating and shouting at them to be heard. The outfit that she soaked was the only change of clothes that I'd brought for her, so even though she has tons of cute summer things that I've been waiting for her to wear, she spent the rest of the day in an ugly onesie that I had stashed in the car just in case. Travis was finally helpful by taking her away from the shelter and sitting with her until she fell asleep, but that's about all he did to manage the situation. He had been great help getting everything to the park, but once people started eating he just shut down and didn't do anything. I cried a little, but mostly I was just angry, frustrated, and exhausted. But everyone else had a great time and was very supportive of me, and Audrey received very thoughtful and lovely baptism gifts. Emily and her cousins played on the playground and the sand volleyball court (a vast expanse of sand!! what fun!!), so they were happy. Everyone enjoyed talking, and the food was good, so besides me being a basketcase and not being able to manage my overtired state or my exhausted children, it went just fine.
Oh yeah, and I turned 30 last week. We did nothing, except I didn't have to cook supper that night. Travis is turning 29 on Friday, so he's taking the day off to go biking and then going to a bachelor party that night, and on Saturday night, we're having his co-workers over to celebrate. I suppose we could've done something for my birthday, but I didn't feel like planning it and doing all the work for it, especially when it seems I have to do all the work for his birthday so soon after.
Someday I'll escape this sea of sleeplessness and not be such a snarky, unpleasant person. Maybe. I'm told I used to be fun, and I know tons of really great people, so it's probably true. Let's hope my 30's are all uphill, and that these minor woes turn out to be the worst of my issues!!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Amazing Emily
I meant to include this in the last posting, but I'm kind of glad to do it separately because there's more to add tonight. Apparently I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, because Emily is sure a big helper when it comes to food prep. It's kind of annoying when I'm doing lots of chopping or frying or dealing with hot pans, because she wants to help and I just can't risk her getting burned or cut, but otherwise it's lots of fun. We came home from grocery shopping yesterday and I had to feed Audrey right when we walked in the door, and Emily started going through the bags. I just held my breath, thinking that it's just food and I can probably fix it all later, but she actually put things in the right places!! She put the yogurt and jam on the right shelf in the fridge (got her stepstool to help!) and with my verbal direction, she put the cheese and tortillas in the right drawer, and had started putting things into the pantry by the time I was done feeding Audrey. When I joined in to help her, she had already put the 5-lb bag of flour right next to the one already on the bottom shelf, which had to be hard for her little arms to do!! I was so impressed!!
So, tonight, while I was cooking, she decided to start playing in the silverware drawer, and again I just let her play... I was too lazy to find something else for her to do! She went into the dining room and put a placemat at each of place, and I could hear her singing "One to mom, one to dad, one to me, one to Audrey!!" She only has one preposition that she uses, so everything is "to" these days. Then she got forks and spoons and again put one at each place, still talking to herself. Isn't that great? Not only was it a big help, but I think that "one for each" is one of those math concepts that's taught in preschool and stuff. It was so neat to see her applying it as part of something fun.
Now if I could just get her to fall asleep before 9 PM at night. These days, we get to choose between an easy naptime after a lousy morning, or no naptime with a lousy evening and easy bedtime. Ugh!
So, tonight, while I was cooking, she decided to start playing in the silverware drawer, and again I just let her play... I was too lazy to find something else for her to do! She went into the dining room and put a placemat at each of place, and I could hear her singing "One to mom, one to dad, one to me, one to Audrey!!" She only has one preposition that she uses, so everything is "to" these days. Then she got forks and spoons and again put one at each place, still talking to herself. Isn't that great? Not only was it a big help, but I think that "one for each" is one of those math concepts that's taught in preschool and stuff. It was so neat to see her applying it as part of something fun.
Now if I could just get her to fall asleep before 9 PM at night. These days, we get to choose between an easy naptime after a lousy morning, or no naptime with a lousy evening and easy bedtime. Ugh!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Vomit rookies!
I'm going to list out the things that Travis and I learned Sunday night after Emily contracted a stomach bug. If you have small children and have not yet gone through this, they're probably good things to know!
1) If she throws up once, she's gonna throw up again. Get a bucket!
2) If you have a plastic-backed mattress pad, you should always have that on the kid's bed instead of in the closet as a spare.
3) If she says she's hungry just after she's thrown up, that just means that more is on the way.
4) Put her hair in a ponytail after the first incident so she only has to get her hair washed the first time.
5) Towels are great to put on top of pillows and sheets because they're easier to clean than a full set of sheets but still nice to sleep on. Also, lots of smaller blankets instead of large comforters are easier to wash.
6) Pepto-Bismol can't be given to kids under 12 because it contains aspirin-like drugs (we didn't learn this the hard way, don't worry). The pharmacist told Travis (at 11:30 at night) that they don't carry the kid-version of Pepto because it's basically the same stuff as Tums.
7) Emily likes Tums.
8) She won't necessarily wake up after she's puked, as evidenced by the small amount I found in her bed in the morning.
Travis and I were going upstairs to cut his hair at about 9:30 Sunday night, and we instead found that Emily was trying to figure out why her bed was suddenly full of food. We had encouraged her to try one bite of asparagus at supper, and it was sitting squarely on her shoulder while undigested pork and bread were mashed in her hair. Poor girl! It's gotta be a strange experience if you've never thrown up before! I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out if it was something I had fed her that made her sick, but in the morning we found out that her daycare provider and her daughter were both up doing the same activities at the same time, so it must've been a bug she picked up. I'm almost relieved, since I hadn't been able to figure out what would make her throw up.
But, yeah, we stumbled through the cleanup, and once she was warm and dry and settling down, she snuggled into my arms and said, very sadly and concerned-ly, "I had chicken all on me!!" How do you not laugh at that??? Especially since we had just done such a stupid job of cleaning up, over and over. The third time she yakked, we got it in the bucket, so we were 1 out of 4 on the evening.
Audrey is sitting up really well on her own now, and we just came back from her 6-month checkup. I'm hoping she reacts well to her shots again like she has the first two times. She's 95th percentile for head size and height, and 90th for weight at just over 18 lbs. I'm glad she's proportionally sized, but what a big girl!! She's had oatmeal cereal 3 times now, and she seems to like it pretty well although she needs some practice of actually getting the food down. Weird to think that learning to eat actually takes practice! So far, she seems to enjoy the experience. Baby Emily HATED the rice cereal, so going with oatmeal to start seems to have been a smart move. It's pretty cute how excited she gets, but we'll see if she's still willing to humor us when we start things like carrots and applesauce.
We had a great Mothers' Day (up until the puking started), with a trip to the park and a picnic lunch. We had a quiet Saturday at home, too, so it was a great weekend. Yesterday, Travis stayed home with the girls in the afternoon since Emily was sick, and I went to work which wasn't too bad either. I got a new project, and on Wednesday and Friday I'll start two different projects - gah! I swear they forget I'm only there half-time. But I got an email from someone who may have a new position available for me, and he said in a couple of weeks he should know more. I hope that pans out, but it's nice that it's going to take a little while because Travis's job transition will for sure take that long, and he's getting antsy (to put it nicely). If my stuff develops before his, well, let's just say it's best that it doesn't!!
1) If she throws up once, she's gonna throw up again. Get a bucket!
2) If you have a plastic-backed mattress pad, you should always have that on the kid's bed instead of in the closet as a spare.
3) If she says she's hungry just after she's thrown up, that just means that more is on the way.
4) Put her hair in a ponytail after the first incident so she only has to get her hair washed the first time.
5) Towels are great to put on top of pillows and sheets because they're easier to clean than a full set of sheets but still nice to sleep on. Also, lots of smaller blankets instead of large comforters are easier to wash.
6) Pepto-Bismol can't be given to kids under 12 because it contains aspirin-like drugs (we didn't learn this the hard way, don't worry). The pharmacist told Travis (at 11:30 at night) that they don't carry the kid-version of Pepto because it's basically the same stuff as Tums.
7) Emily likes Tums.
8) She won't necessarily wake up after she's puked, as evidenced by the small amount I found in her bed in the morning.
Travis and I were going upstairs to cut his hair at about 9:30 Sunday night, and we instead found that Emily was trying to figure out why her bed was suddenly full of food. We had encouraged her to try one bite of asparagus at supper, and it was sitting squarely on her shoulder while undigested pork and bread were mashed in her hair. Poor girl! It's gotta be a strange experience if you've never thrown up before! I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out if it was something I had fed her that made her sick, but in the morning we found out that her daycare provider and her daughter were both up doing the same activities at the same time, so it must've been a bug she picked up. I'm almost relieved, since I hadn't been able to figure out what would make her throw up.
But, yeah, we stumbled through the cleanup, and once she was warm and dry and settling down, she snuggled into my arms and said, very sadly and concerned-ly, "I had chicken all on me!!" How do you not laugh at that??? Especially since we had just done such a stupid job of cleaning up, over and over. The third time she yakked, we got it in the bucket, so we were 1 out of 4 on the evening.
Audrey is sitting up really well on her own now, and we just came back from her 6-month checkup. I'm hoping she reacts well to her shots again like she has the first two times. She's 95th percentile for head size and height, and 90th for weight at just over 18 lbs. I'm glad she's proportionally sized, but what a big girl!! She's had oatmeal cereal 3 times now, and she seems to like it pretty well although she needs some practice of actually getting the food down. Weird to think that learning to eat actually takes practice! So far, she seems to enjoy the experience. Baby Emily HATED the rice cereal, so going with oatmeal to start seems to have been a smart move. It's pretty cute how excited she gets, but we'll see if she's still willing to humor us when we start things like carrots and applesauce.
We had a great Mothers' Day (up until the puking started), with a trip to the park and a picnic lunch. We had a quiet Saturday at home, too, so it was a great weekend. Yesterday, Travis stayed home with the girls in the afternoon since Emily was sick, and I went to work which wasn't too bad either. I got a new project, and on Wednesday and Friday I'll start two different projects - gah! I swear they forget I'm only there half-time. But I got an email from someone who may have a new position available for me, and he said in a couple of weeks he should know more. I hope that pans out, but it's nice that it's going to take a little while because Travis's job transition will for sure take that long, and he's getting antsy (to put it nicely). If my stuff develops before his, well, let's just say it's best that it doesn't!!
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