It happened just like that. For nine months I was pregnant. And on Christmas Eve my little love bug was born. It has now been nine months and we can't imagine our life without him.
I'm not sure where the time has gone, but it feels like the little guy has always been with us. I am amazed by his development and parts of me wish I could freeze time. I really do love this age and am trying to cherish all the "moments."
I think it's really cool that he is nine months old in the ninth month of 2009. Similarly, the babe turned seven months old on the seventh day of the seventh month of 2007.
To mark this special occasion, I splurged on a chocolate torte cake for tonight. My husband and I will raise a chocolate filled fork to celebrate our good fortune. We are blessed.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The First Time
This has been a week of many first times.
On Monday the little guy crawled. Not only did he crawl, but he did it on a web video call with my parents! My father got to witness his grandson crawl for the first time. Smashing!
The little guy had been scootching around and doing the commando crawl for some time but to see him up on his knees and hands moving forward was an amazing thing. Watch out, because this kid is officially on the go.
Then on Tuesday night the little guy only woke once during the whole night to eat (in addition to a few pacifier plugs). We have been on a two times a night schedule for a very long time. We had also been on a wake up at 3:30am and scream until around 4:30am (when I gave in and fed him) schedule for a few nights which was getting pretty exhausting. Looking back I think it was linked to his "just about to crawl" stage of development.
Another crazy thing happened Tuesday night. The babe came in and told my husband she had to pee. So off they went to the toilet at 11:30pm. Amazing. My hubby has been telling her that if she needs to pee at night she can always come and get him and they can go to the potty together. Guess it is starting to sink in!
Then on Wednesday afternoon the babe went poop in the potty upstairs unprompted and unassisted for the first time. She had just had a "time out" and I had gone up to open the door and get back on track with her. She said she wanted to stay in her room looking at books, so I let her. I was in the living room with the little guy when the babe came down the stairs and said "I went poo poo." My heart sank as I thought about the very messy clean up job . Then she said "in the potty." My heart then lept, despite my confusion. She has never used the potty upstairs without our involvement. So up we went, and indeed there was a poop in the potty. I was thrilled. She was thrilled. It was a beautiful thing.
Fast forward to this morning. After a relatively peaceful night, I went in to get the little guy when I heard his whimpering cries in the monitor. I walked in and TA DA...he was sitting up in his crib. Wow. How did that happen? He has never sat up in his crib. I suppose we might want to move the crib down to its lowest setting now. Before I know it he will be standing in there. Then jumping. Then trying to climb out.
The firsts will continue to happen and I will continue to cherish them.
On Monday the little guy crawled. Not only did he crawl, but he did it on a web video call with my parents! My father got to witness his grandson crawl for the first time. Smashing!
The little guy had been scootching around and doing the commando crawl for some time but to see him up on his knees and hands moving forward was an amazing thing. Watch out, because this kid is officially on the go.
Then on Tuesday night the little guy only woke once during the whole night to eat (in addition to a few pacifier plugs). We have been on a two times a night schedule for a very long time. We had also been on a wake up at 3:30am and scream until around 4:30am (when I gave in and fed him) schedule for a few nights which was getting pretty exhausting. Looking back I think it was linked to his "just about to crawl" stage of development.
Another crazy thing happened Tuesday night. The babe came in and told my husband she had to pee. So off they went to the toilet at 11:30pm. Amazing. My hubby has been telling her that if she needs to pee at night she can always come and get him and they can go to the potty together. Guess it is starting to sink in!
Then on Wednesday afternoon the babe went poop in the potty upstairs unprompted and unassisted for the first time. She had just had a "time out" and I had gone up to open the door and get back on track with her. She said she wanted to stay in her room looking at books, so I let her. I was in the living room with the little guy when the babe came down the stairs and said "I went poo poo." My heart sank as I thought about the very messy clean up job . Then she said "in the potty." My heart then lept, despite my confusion. She has never used the potty upstairs without our involvement. So up we went, and indeed there was a poop in the potty. I was thrilled. She was thrilled. It was a beautiful thing.
Fast forward to this morning. After a relatively peaceful night, I went in to get the little guy when I heard his whimpering cries in the monitor. I walked in and TA DA...he was sitting up in his crib. Wow. How did that happen? He has never sat up in his crib. I suppose we might want to move the crib down to its lowest setting now. Before I know it he will be standing in there. Then jumping. Then trying to climb out.
The firsts will continue to happen and I will continue to cherish them.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Heads Up
Last night I was exhausted and wanted to get to bed right after the kids. So, once they were both bathed and tucked in, I jumped in for a hot shower and hair wash session. I got out ready to dry my hair, and hit the sack. But the babe was still awake (we had let her have an extremely long nap in the afternoon...woops). She called me in and I obliged. I told her to lie down and I'd come in and check on her after I dried my hair. She agreed to the deal.
As you may have guessed, she was still awake when I was done, so I went in and read her the Itsy Bitsy Spider (well, I sang it). I went downstairs hoping she'd fall asleep quickly. She didn't.
I gave up and went up to bed as it was after 9pm and I really just needed to sleep. So I lay my head down while my husband went to check on the babe. Ahhhh...yummy bed, I thought to myself.
But then I heard my name. My husband called me in to the babe's room and said that she was scratching at her head and complaining her head was itchy. My heart started to beat very fast. We had just received an email from the preschool that there was one confirmed case of head lice (subject line: Heads Up on Head Lice). Oh my. Many thoughts started racing through my head. I am just not ready to deal with this yet. Gross. I am too tired. Please make this go away.
Very calmly and thoroughly, my husband and I looked through the babe's curly mane with a flash light. We spent a very solid amount of time inspecting her hair and scalp and we saw nothing. I put some cream on her head telling her it was medicine and she immediately said she felt better and fell asleep. I went back to bed but had a pretty hard time falling to sleep. Visions of lice infestation were dancing in my head.
Today I went to the drug store after dropping the babe off at the preschool and picked up the complete lice elimination kit. At $27.99, it ain't cheap, but I want to be prepared for if/when it happens. I also bought a new hair brush for myself and am no longer going to share brushes or hair elastics with the babe. Strangely enough, my husband said he and his sister never got lice in school. I however, can remember some unpleasant incidents in my home.
I suppose as a parent I will encounter some really gross things. I hate to say it, but I preferred dealing with poop in the babe's panties on Saturday to dealing with the fear of lice on Sunday!
Thanks to the babe's preschool, here's some facts about head lice
Anyone can get head lice. Lice are tiny insects the size of sesame seeds that live on the scalp and are barely visible to the human eye. They do not live on pets. Head lice can survive on the scalp for a couple of days. They lay eggs, which hatch in 7 to 10 days. Head lice are extremely contagious and are transmitted through direct contact with an infested person or contact with infected items (combs, hats, rugs, stuffed animals.) Lice can’t fly and they don’t jump, so the only way to get them is through direct contact.
The most common sign of lice infestation is itching. If you notice your child scratching his/her head frequently, you should check for head lice. Head lice may be hard to locate because they move quickly and shy away from light. Close inspection of the hair and scalp will sometimes reveal the adult lice but you are more likely to see the lice eggs, which are called nits. Nits look like small white or yellowish brown specks attached to the hair near the scalp. They are attached with a glue like substance and cannot be rinsed off or blown away from the scalp.
Infestation is easy to control if treated immediately and thoroughly with a special medicated shampoo. The medication will kill the lice and nits if used properly. All instructions on the package must be followed carefully. After use, all the dead eggs (nits) must be removed. This is a very time consuming process but it is extremely important. Some products come with a special nit comb for removal of eggs.
In addition to shampooing, the following procedures must be diligently followed:
1. Call your doctor for a recommended treatment, and follow the manufacturers instructions completely.
2. Be sure to remove all nits using a special nit comb.
3. All clothing and all bedding must be washed in hot water (desired temperature of 130 degrees and dried in a hot dryer.)
4. Combs, brushes, barrettes, headbands, or other hair ornaments should be soaked in hot water (130 degrees) for 5 to 10 minutes or sealed tightly in a plastic bag for 30 days.
5. Wash all bed linens, blankets, bedspreads, pillows, and pillow cases (if they cannot be washed put them in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or seal in plastic bag for 30 days.) Wash all coats, jackets, sweaters, hats, scarves, hoods, etc. and dry in a hot dryer.
6. Wash and dry all towels and bathroom mats.
7. Vacuum carpets, upholstered furniture, and mattresses thoroughly and discard vacuum cleaner bag.
8. Vacuum all automobile upholstery and car seats and discard the vacuum bag.
9. Place stuffed animals and cloth toys in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or seal in a plastic bag for 30 days.
10. Don’t forget about headphones, baseball caps, bicycle helmets or any other objects that may have been exposed.
11. Continue to check your child daily for 14 days to ensure that the head lice and their eggs have been eliminated. If signs of lice reappear, it may be necessary to repeat the treatment – check with your doctor.
12. Check the entire family for head lice and treat all those infected. Remember that one remaining nit that hatches will soon lay eggs and you’ll have to go through the entire procedure again.
For further information check www.headlice.org or www.headliceinfo.com
As you may have guessed, she was still awake when I was done, so I went in and read her the Itsy Bitsy Spider (well, I sang it). I went downstairs hoping she'd fall asleep quickly. She didn't.
I gave up and went up to bed as it was after 9pm and I really just needed to sleep. So I lay my head down while my husband went to check on the babe. Ahhhh...yummy bed, I thought to myself.
But then I heard my name. My husband called me in to the babe's room and said that she was scratching at her head and complaining her head was itchy. My heart started to beat very fast. We had just received an email from the preschool that there was one confirmed case of head lice (subject line: Heads Up on Head Lice). Oh my. Many thoughts started racing through my head. I am just not ready to deal with this yet. Gross. I am too tired. Please make this go away.
Very calmly and thoroughly, my husband and I looked through the babe's curly mane with a flash light. We spent a very solid amount of time inspecting her hair and scalp and we saw nothing. I put some cream on her head telling her it was medicine and she immediately said she felt better and fell asleep. I went back to bed but had a pretty hard time falling to sleep. Visions of lice infestation were dancing in my head.
Today I went to the drug store after dropping the babe off at the preschool and picked up the complete lice elimination kit. At $27.99, it ain't cheap, but I want to be prepared for if/when it happens. I also bought a new hair brush for myself and am no longer going to share brushes or hair elastics with the babe. Strangely enough, my husband said he and his sister never got lice in school. I however, can remember some unpleasant incidents in my home.
I suppose as a parent I will encounter some really gross things. I hate to say it, but I preferred dealing with poop in the babe's panties on Saturday to dealing with the fear of lice on Sunday!
Thanks to the babe's preschool, here's some facts about head lice
Anyone can get head lice. Lice are tiny insects the size of sesame seeds that live on the scalp and are barely visible to the human eye. They do not live on pets. Head lice can survive on the scalp for a couple of days. They lay eggs, which hatch in 7 to 10 days. Head lice are extremely contagious and are transmitted through direct contact with an infested person or contact with infected items (combs, hats, rugs, stuffed animals.) Lice can’t fly and they don’t jump, so the only way to get them is through direct contact.
The most common sign of lice infestation is itching. If you notice your child scratching his/her head frequently, you should check for head lice. Head lice may be hard to locate because they move quickly and shy away from light. Close inspection of the hair and scalp will sometimes reveal the adult lice but you are more likely to see the lice eggs, which are called nits. Nits look like small white or yellowish brown specks attached to the hair near the scalp. They are attached with a glue like substance and cannot be rinsed off or blown away from the scalp.
Infestation is easy to control if treated immediately and thoroughly with a special medicated shampoo. The medication will kill the lice and nits if used properly. All instructions on the package must be followed carefully. After use, all the dead eggs (nits) must be removed. This is a very time consuming process but it is extremely important. Some products come with a special nit comb for removal of eggs.
In addition to shampooing, the following procedures must be diligently followed:
1. Call your doctor for a recommended treatment, and follow the manufacturers instructions completely.
2. Be sure to remove all nits using a special nit comb.
3. All clothing and all bedding must be washed in hot water (desired temperature of 130 degrees and dried in a hot dryer.)
4. Combs, brushes, barrettes, headbands, or other hair ornaments should be soaked in hot water (130 degrees) for 5 to 10 minutes or sealed tightly in a plastic bag for 30 days.
5. Wash all bed linens, blankets, bedspreads, pillows, and pillow cases (if they cannot be washed put them in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or seal in plastic bag for 30 days.) Wash all coats, jackets, sweaters, hats, scarves, hoods, etc. and dry in a hot dryer.
6. Wash and dry all towels and bathroom mats.
7. Vacuum carpets, upholstered furniture, and mattresses thoroughly and discard vacuum cleaner bag.
8. Vacuum all automobile upholstery and car seats and discard the vacuum bag.
9. Place stuffed animals and cloth toys in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or seal in a plastic bag for 30 days.
10. Don’t forget about headphones, baseball caps, bicycle helmets or any other objects that may have been exposed.
11. Continue to check your child daily for 14 days to ensure that the head lice and their eggs have been eliminated. If signs of lice reappear, it may be necessary to repeat the treatment – check with your doctor.
12. Check the entire family for head lice and treat all those infected. Remember that one remaining nit that hatches will soon lay eggs and you’ll have to go through the entire procedure again.
For further information check www.headlice.org or www.headliceinfo.com
Monday, September 14, 2009
Alone
My husband is away in Boston on business. He left on Sunday morning and gets back on Tuesday night. It's only 2 nights away but it somehow feels like an eternity.
I am an independent person, and have no problem being alone. I have even lived alone, granted it was many moons ago. I just don't like the nights in this big rental house. Our place has many windows and doors and although I know I am being irrational, I have a seriously difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep. There are so many ways to get into our home that I lie in bed listening for noises I shouldn't be hearing! I have the land line phone, my cell phone, and a flashlight on my bed side table (along with the clock, a lamp, my lip balm, kleenex and 2 baby monitors).
Being responsible for the 2 kids adds a lot of pressure. Ever since the fire in the little guy's room, I am pretty freaked out about bad things happening at night. I was asleep when the fire started, and now that I know it can happen, I have trouble letting down my guard if no one else is around. Needless to say, between the little guy's rather frequent wakings (he's been really congested for a week now and still eats twice a night), and my own paranoia, there wasn't much rest going on last night.
I only have to tough it out one more night. As I sit here and write (it's a little after 9pm), I am so exhausted I just want to go have a hot shower and pass out. But the babe is still awake for some reason and I have to wait it out. I can't get ready for bed if my toddler is still in her bed singing to herself.
Anyway, here's to all the moms out there who are way tougher than I. I certainly have a few things to learn about controlling irrational night fears. It's just too hard to be strong 24-7. Bonne nuit!
I am an independent person, and have no problem being alone. I have even lived alone, granted it was many moons ago. I just don't like the nights in this big rental house. Our place has many windows and doors and although I know I am being irrational, I have a seriously difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep. There are so many ways to get into our home that I lie in bed listening for noises I shouldn't be hearing! I have the land line phone, my cell phone, and a flashlight on my bed side table (along with the clock, a lamp, my lip balm, kleenex and 2 baby monitors).
Being responsible for the 2 kids adds a lot of pressure. Ever since the fire in the little guy's room, I am pretty freaked out about bad things happening at night. I was asleep when the fire started, and now that I know it can happen, I have trouble letting down my guard if no one else is around. Needless to say, between the little guy's rather frequent wakings (he's been really congested for a week now and still eats twice a night), and my own paranoia, there wasn't much rest going on last night.
I only have to tough it out one more night. As I sit here and write (it's a little after 9pm), I am so exhausted I just want to go have a hot shower and pass out. But the babe is still awake for some reason and I have to wait it out. I can't get ready for bed if my toddler is still in her bed singing to herself.
Anyway, here's to all the moms out there who are way tougher than I. I certainly have a few things to learn about controlling irrational night fears. It's just too hard to be strong 24-7. Bonne nuit!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Many Many Things
I just sat down with my hot lunch. It's almost 2:30 pm. I took a bite of my egg and bagel and opened up the computer.
"Mommy...I went poopy in my diaper."
I suppose I should be happy we're doing so well with the pee pee in the potty that I shouldn't complain about the fact that poop time has been moved to nap time when the babe is in a diaper. She has managed 2 poops in the potty in the past week...which isn't so bad I suppose. But hot lunch and poopy diaper don't go hand in hand.
I'm going to go bullet point to cover as much as I can:
"Mommy...I went poopy in my diaper."
I suppose I should be happy we're doing so well with the pee pee in the potty that I shouldn't complain about the fact that poop time has been moved to nap time when the babe is in a diaper. She has managed 2 poops in the potty in the past week...which isn't so bad I suppose. But hot lunch and poopy diaper don't go hand in hand.
I'm going to go bullet point to cover as much as I can:
- My life now revolves around school. I am so excited about it. I am loving it. It's only been 4 days but I am so pro-preschool I can't even explain.
- I can't get my timing right. I show up early for drop off and then show up early for pick up. I am so paranoid about being branded a "late parent" that I allot a ridiculous amount of time to make the very short trip. Yet I always feel as though I am running late. I suppose I will get this down to a fine science with time.
- Last week I was having trouble sleeping. It was as if I was the one going to school. I would lie in bed at night with a kazillion school related thoughts running through my mind. I can't imagine how the babe feels as she's the one actually going to school for 3 hours a day!
- Every time the phone rings, I am afraid it's the school calling to say the babe has had an allergic reaction. It has made me quite jumpy. I have also been asking the babe what she had at snack time and she has not been giving me much of an answer. She has also been chowing down a massive lunch after getting home from school. So on Friday I spoke with the head teacher who admitted she had been reading all the labels and being extremely cautious. It sounds like there were days when there was nothing for the babe other than juice (which she's not even used to drinking). So I offered to pack a snack for her every day. It looked as though a large heavy weight was immediately lifted off the teacher's shoulders. She agreed that was a great idea. I feel better. Head teacher feels better. And hopefully the babe feels better.
- Every parent in my child's class now knows I am the one with the allergic kid. On the "back to school night" a week ago I informed everyone about the babe's allergies (after another parent brought up his daughter's nut allergy). We had quite a long discussion about birthday food for the class. I said I was happy to make something special for the babe to eat on those days. Another Mom mentioned a bakery that makes stuff to meet your allergy specifications. I informed everyone about my favorite "Cherrybrook Kitchen" mixes available at Whole Foods. Then someone suggested we just do fruit for birthdays. The head teacher finally indicated we should move on and a Mom sitting behind me made a unhappy snort noise indicating that she agreed. I think she felt the discussion was a waste of her time. For a second I felt like I was in high school (as in, not good). But some of the other Moms around me had already asked me a bunch of questions about how I'd discovered the babe's allergies, etc. So that had made me feel better about the amount of time we had spent discussing the issue. I'll admit we were all sitting on tiny wood chairs that were not designed for adult sized bottoms. It was also 8:15 pm. But I'm glad we talked it over...even though I'm not sure what the final decision was.
- The babe has made it through 4 days of school with only one pee pee accident. AWESOME! The teacher even admitted they dropped the ball and had taken her to the playground outside the school without taking her to the potty first. That'll do it.
- Germs. Little kids have lot of them. The babe had a snotty nose on Saturday and Sunday. The little guy got a snotty nose on Sunday and is still ill. We've had pretty rough nights with him the last 2 days. My husband felt off yesterday and is now complaining about a sore throat. I suppose we had better get used to the many diseases and yuckiness that we'll be exposed to now. I don't even want to talk about the swine flu.
- And lastly, I was so tired last Thursday I tried to open my front door with the "unlock" button on my car keys. It didn't work...but wouldn't it have been cool if it had?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
PRESCHOOL!
I have been thinking about how I need to tell you all about our week....but there have been about a zillion other things I had to do. Our phone line is down right now so last night I composed a quick email to those of you who have been in touch. Here's what I shared:
_ _ _ _ _ _
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the calls and love! Our phone lines are down completely now so we can't even get a dial tone. As such, I thought I'd send you a quick update.
The babe was very happy to be at school yesterday for the 1 hour orientation.
She was so happy at school that she threw a tantrum when it was time to go and screamed and scratched me. The head teacher took over seamlessly and calmed her down immediately. I was amazed at how good she was with the babe and felt very reassured that my feisty daughter was in good hands.
The babe was ready for school this morning and wanted to leave before we even had breakfast.We drove over and the little guy and I walked her to the building. A teacher watched the little guy while I brought the babe to her classroom. We opened the door and the babe walked in without saying good bye or looking back. I had to call her to come give me a hug. I told her I'd be back to pick her up at lunch time. And off she went! The little guy and I then went to the dermatologist to have my stitches removed (everything apparently looks good!).
At 12:15 pm the little guy and I picked the babe up but she wasn't quite as happy as when I'd left. The teacher said that she had worked very hard all morning but got a bit tired and upset close to lunch time. Apparently she was missing her Mama. I must admit that made me feel wanted! She quickly rebounded and proceeded to tell me about her day (although she didn't really remember any names, she seemed happy with the amount of activity!).
The most shocking thing was that the babe was still in the clothes and undies I had sent her to school in! NO accidents for the whole morning. She made it all the way home and proceeded to pee in her shorts on the front porch while I unlocked the door, but no accidents at school! And no accidents for the rest of the day at home either. That's some big progress! I will be sleeping better tonight.
All in all the last 2 days have been very intense but very exciting. It's a new phase of life for all of us and I think it will be a welcome change.
Again, thanks for all your love and support.
xo
Christine
_ _ _ _ _ _
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the calls and love! Our phone lines are down completely now so we can't even get a dial tone. As such, I thought I'd send you a quick update.
The babe was very happy to be at school yesterday for the 1 hour orientation.
She was so happy at school that she threw a tantrum when it was time to go and screamed and scratched me. The head teacher took over seamlessly and calmed her down immediately. I was amazed at how good she was with the babe and felt very reassured that my feisty daughter was in good hands.
The babe was ready for school this morning and wanted to leave before we even had breakfast.We drove over and the little guy and I walked her to the building. A teacher watched the little guy while I brought the babe to her classroom. We opened the door and the babe walked in without saying good bye or looking back. I had to call her to come give me a hug. I told her I'd be back to pick her up at lunch time. And off she went! The little guy and I then went to the dermatologist to have my stitches removed (everything apparently looks good!).
At 12:15 pm the little guy and I picked the babe up but she wasn't quite as happy as when I'd left. The teacher said that she had worked very hard all morning but got a bit tired and upset close to lunch time. Apparently she was missing her Mama. I must admit that made me feel wanted! She quickly rebounded and proceeded to tell me about her day (although she didn't really remember any names, she seemed happy with the amount of activity!).
The most shocking thing was that the babe was still in the clothes and undies I had sent her to school in! NO accidents for the whole morning. She made it all the way home and proceeded to pee in her shorts on the front porch while I unlocked the door, but no accidents at school! And no accidents for the rest of the day at home either. That's some big progress! I will be sleeping better tonight.
All in all the last 2 days have been very intense but very exciting. It's a new phase of life for all of us and I think it will be a welcome change.
Again, thanks for all your love and support.
xo
Christine
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