As spring turned into summer, the heat started rising and rising, and all the local pools opened. But, we don't have (free) access to any local pools. And I'm cheap. And lazy. So, instead, I decided to put up our very own splash pool outside.
There are just a few things to note about this situation.
1. We live in an apartment complex.
2. We live on the top floor.
3. We do have a downstairs neighbor.
I tried to do this the smart way. We bought the smallest kiddie/wading pool available (splashing all summer from home for only $6.99? Yes, please!) I thought about putting a tarp down on our deck first...but I neglected to do that when I first started filling the pool. Of course, I decided it needed to be done once Bug dumped nearly a whole bucket full of water down to our neighbor's patio below. So, I emptied the little pool and got out our tent tarp. It easily covers the whole splash area (which is pretty much the whole deck, minus some room for our camp chairs/mini grill/tiny stack of firewood/bag of charcoal).
With the tarp down and in place, I was able to fill up the pool again. And then I sat out there with a book while Bug made big splashes, and Gizmo crawled in and out of the pool. (Of course, I also had to keep getting Gizmo and returning him to the pool when he tried to touch anything he shouldn't...mostly our baby bird nest....which is another post that I'm hoping to get up soon.)
Within a week of having our splash pool up, an apartment complex notice went out reminding upstairs neighbors that what they did above would affect those below (pinpointing water as one of the things to be polite about). Er...we were feeling guilty, and a little like the notice was directed at us. But, then the hubby talked directly to our neighbor about the water. She said she noticed a little (I'm assuming the initial non-tarp dump) but it wasn't bothering her. Phew! Of course, she is so nice, she probably wouldn't tell us. But, I think the splashing has been kept very minimal now that we have the tarp down.
All in all, I'm probably a horrible neighbor. But there is no denying that I'm an awesome mom! (If only I could now keep Bug from deliberately peeing in the pool!)
Showing posts with label Giggle and Play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giggle and Play. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tra la la
[All posts this week have been scheduled. I am on "vacation" (accompanying my husband on a business trip) right now in the Dallas, TX area. Probably dying of heat. I will, hopefully, blog all about the trip when we get back. Including the insanely long drive, the insanely hot heat, the insanely boring days, etc.]
We now have a piano in the house. We actually traded our Wii (and all games/accessories) for my mom's piano. We figured, "Hey, we never play our Wii, and we want a piano. Mom never plays the piano, and might want a Wii." My youngest sister is a little upset about the trade...even though she never played the piano. But, I figure she'll be ok, because she has a guitar, and she's really good at playing that!
The piano is OLD. And it looks it. Living through years of torture from my and my sisters, plus whatever torture before then...and now the torture of Bug! The piano started out as -my- grandma's piano. I'm not sure exactly when she got it, but I think the piano was made in 1963. It was never fancy. My mom acquired the piano when my sisters and I were all really young. We all had piano lessons (mine lasted for four years, and I still can't hardly play! Goes to show that practice really is important!) and we all abused the piano. It has water stains on it from being used as a side table. The keys are dirty and discolored. Some of the keys are chipped. And four of the black keys have come off (but that has mostly been Bug's doing). Chips, dents, scratches, water marks, and more. Plus, the thing hasn't been tuned in YEARS! And it has been through a couple of moves, too. So, it sounds pretty miserable. Oh, and the E flat key sticks.
Since we have had it in our home, I have been doing my best to train Bug to treat it nicely. The first rule for Bug to learn: The piano is NOT a train track! He seems to think it is a nice track to run his toys across (hence the four black keys that have come off). We also remind Bug to -only- use his fingers on the keys and to be soft. That means no toys of any sort. That means don't bang your head on it. Don't stand on it. Don't pound. Use your fingers and be soft!!!! I think it might take awhile before he remembers that particular rule! Rule three, no climbing on the piano. It might offer a pretty nice view of the room when you are sitting on the very top, but it isn't very nice to climb on a piano! Rule four, you are only allowed the play the piano from 8am to 8pm. We live in an apartment building. I really don't want my neighbors to have another reason to hate us (you know, on top of all the other noise that Bug tends to make). Hopefully he will learn to treat the piano nicely. And maybe I will start practicing again and finally learn how to play!
Also, we are planning on painting the piano bright red, to make it look more inviting. (Since fixing it up to look like a nice piano is not a monetary option.) I found this great link on painting a piano (via Progressive Pioneer). Can't wait until it's done!
We now have a piano in the house. We actually traded our Wii (and all games/accessories) for my mom's piano. We figured, "Hey, we never play our Wii, and we want a piano. Mom never plays the piano, and might want a Wii." My youngest sister is a little upset about the trade...even though she never played the piano. But, I figure she'll be ok, because she has a guitar, and she's really good at playing that!
The piano is OLD. And it looks it. Living through years of torture from my and my sisters, plus whatever torture before then...and now the torture of Bug! The piano started out as -my- grandma's piano. I'm not sure exactly when she got it, but I think the piano was made in 1963. It was never fancy. My mom acquired the piano when my sisters and I were all really young. We all had piano lessons (mine lasted for four years, and I still can't hardly play! Goes to show that practice really is important!) and we all abused the piano. It has water stains on it from being used as a side table. The keys are dirty and discolored. Some of the keys are chipped. And four of the black keys have come off (but that has mostly been Bug's doing). Chips, dents, scratches, water marks, and more. Plus, the thing hasn't been tuned in YEARS! And it has been through a couple of moves, too. So, it sounds pretty miserable. Oh, and the E flat key sticks.
Since we have had it in our home, I have been doing my best to train Bug to treat it nicely. The first rule for Bug to learn: The piano is NOT a train track! He seems to think it is a nice track to run his toys across (hence the four black keys that have come off). We also remind Bug to -only- use his fingers on the keys and to be soft. That means no toys of any sort. That means don't bang your head on it. Don't stand on it. Don't pound. Use your fingers and be soft!!!! I think it might take awhile before he remembers that particular rule! Rule three, no climbing on the piano. It might offer a pretty nice view of the room when you are sitting on the very top, but it isn't very nice to climb on a piano! Rule four, you are only allowed the play the piano from 8am to 8pm. We live in an apartment building. I really don't want my neighbors to have another reason to hate us (you know, on top of all the other noise that Bug tends to make). Hopefully he will learn to treat the piano nicely. And maybe I will start practicing again and finally learn how to play!
Also, we are planning on painting the piano bright red, to make it look more inviting. (Since fixing it up to look like a nice piano is not a monetary option.) I found this great link on painting a piano (via Progressive Pioneer). Can't wait until it's done!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Public Park Pet Peeves
This past Friday was absolutely gorgeous! I mean, October 30th and 78 degrees!?! I had the windows open and the back door open, too, but I still wanted to get out into that beautiful fall weather. Luckily, it was my week to have our car (being a stay at home mom in a single car family can be difficult sometimes)! I was able to throw our junk in the car (take off our jackets, "Why on earth did we even bring those?") and set off for the closest park, dubbed "The Helicopter Park". It is a Veteran's park, and has a huge helicopter on one corner of the ground. Aside from the fact that the park doesn't have much shade, I like it fairly well.
Erm...well....except for all the things I hate about the park. I don't like to be so negative about enjoying a day at the park, but I have some serious public park pet peeves.
1. Every public park should have great shade. It doesn't matter quite as much in the fall, I guess. But in the summer, that park is horrid! There is no escape from the blistering heat. It is almost so bad that I don't even want to go in the summer. Plus, what kid wants to scorch his bum just by riding down a slide while wearing shorts!?
2a. Smokers. Gah!!!! I dislike smokers at my public park more than anything! I can't even begin to tell you. Smoking in general is one of my biggest pet peeves, even outside of public parks. I am one of those infernally rude people who hack and cough loudly when they walk by smokers. I know, it is horrible...but so is blowing your nasty smoke into my clean and healthy lungs! This hate of smoking is compounded ten fold when it is at a park around kids. Especially my kid. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS A WINDY DAY AND YOU ARE LETTING YOUR SMOKE BLOW INTO THE WHOLE STINKIN' PLAY GROUND!!!! I hate it. Hate it. HATE IT! It takes every ounce of my energy to not go up to the smoker, knock their cigarette out of their hands and crush is with a super stomp and twirl. Ohio has a law against smoking within 50 feet of any public building (not that it is ever enforced..stupid cheap law that should be wonderful)...don't you think that it should be illegal to smoke at a park where children are, too?
2b. Cigarette butts. Like smoking at parks isn't enough, many smokers then choose to litter the stubs of their nasty addiction among the wood chips of the play ground. My curious 18 month old can then pick up the incredibly disturbing piece of trash, while I frantically try to get him to drop it before it makes it to his mouth and pull out wipes from the diaper bag. Lovely.
3. Mothers (or grandmothers) that are overprotective of MY kid, even though I am two feet away. My mother-in-law, bless her ever-loving heart, would probably fall into this category. (This weekend, at trick or treating, she offered a tissue to a couple of young, red nosed kids.) It may seem like a kind and loving thing to do, to be an attentive mother to a child that isn't yours. BUT...it definitely has a way of making the real mother feel like she is failing at her calling in life. Bug is very adventurous, and will climb on the playground and slide down slides by himself. I stand close by all the time. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop other well meaning ladies from "helping".
4. Unfenced pond with a steep slope. Toddlers can run. Fast. But they can't stop very easily, especially if they are running down an incline. If my legs were any shorter, I would be jumping into the pond to rescue Bug, because he is almost faster than I am. Sure, a duck pond looks nice (just ignore all the crap on the ground). The only problem is the sign that says to not feed the water fowl (what fun is that?)....the steep slope with lots of rocks...the lack of fence...the unsanitary ground conditions...the potential drowning hazard. Maybe they should just save some money on the blue dye and fill in the pond with dirt.
5. Busy parking lot that is really close to the play ground. Remember how I said Bug is almost faster than I am? Well, he is. And it takes him about two seconds to run into the parking lot of our busy park....
...When I finally reach him, I figure it is about time to go home.
Erm...well....except for all the things I hate about the park. I don't like to be so negative about enjoying a day at the park, but I have some serious public park pet peeves.
1. Every public park should have great shade. It doesn't matter quite as much in the fall, I guess. But in the summer, that park is horrid! There is no escape from the blistering heat. It is almost so bad that I don't even want to go in the summer. Plus, what kid wants to scorch his bum just by riding down a slide while wearing shorts!?
2a. Smokers. Gah!!!! I dislike smokers at my public park more than anything! I can't even begin to tell you. Smoking in general is one of my biggest pet peeves, even outside of public parks. I am one of those infernally rude people who hack and cough loudly when they walk by smokers. I know, it is horrible...but so is blowing your nasty smoke into my clean and healthy lungs! This hate of smoking is compounded ten fold when it is at a park around kids. Especially my kid. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS A WINDY DAY AND YOU ARE LETTING YOUR SMOKE BLOW INTO THE WHOLE STINKIN' PLAY GROUND!!!! I hate it. Hate it. HATE IT! It takes every ounce of my energy to not go up to the smoker, knock their cigarette out of their hands and crush is with a super stomp and twirl. Ohio has a law against smoking within 50 feet of any public building (not that it is ever enforced..stupid cheap law that should be wonderful)...don't you think that it should be illegal to smoke at a park where children are, too?
2b. Cigarette butts. Like smoking at parks isn't enough, many smokers then choose to litter the stubs of their nasty addiction among the wood chips of the play ground. My curious 18 month old can then pick up the incredibly disturbing piece of trash, while I frantically try to get him to drop it before it makes it to his mouth and pull out wipes from the diaper bag. Lovely.
3. Mothers (or grandmothers) that are overprotective of MY kid, even though I am two feet away. My mother-in-law, bless her ever-loving heart, would probably fall into this category. (This weekend, at trick or treating, she offered a tissue to a couple of young, red nosed kids.) It may seem like a kind and loving thing to do, to be an attentive mother to a child that isn't yours. BUT...it definitely has a way of making the real mother feel like she is failing at her calling in life. Bug is very adventurous, and will climb on the playground and slide down slides by himself. I stand close by all the time. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop other well meaning ladies from "helping".
4. Unfenced pond with a steep slope. Toddlers can run. Fast. But they can't stop very easily, especially if they are running down an incline. If my legs were any shorter, I would be jumping into the pond to rescue Bug, because he is almost faster than I am. Sure, a duck pond looks nice (just ignore all the crap on the ground). The only problem is the sign that says to not feed the water fowl (what fun is that?)....the steep slope with lots of rocks...the lack of fence...the unsanitary ground conditions...the potential drowning hazard. Maybe they should just save some money on the blue dye and fill in the pond with dirt.
5. Busy parking lot that is really close to the play ground. Remember how I said Bug is almost faster than I am? Well, he is. And it takes him about two seconds to run into the parking lot of our busy park....
...When I finally reach him, I figure it is about time to go home.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween
Halloween is finally here. I must admit, this year is WAY more fun that last year was. Last year, Bug was only six months old. He didn't care about candy or costumes or carving pumpkins or going from house to house for trick or treating. THIS year, however, Bug cares about all of that. He is your basic toddler. That means he is curious about everything and into everything. He loves sweet treats and getting messy. And he even loves seeing everyone dressed up in costumes. He just stares and stares, wondering why people look funny.
This year, we dressed Bug up as Avatar Aang. If you don't know who that is, you are seriously missing out. Avatar is an adorable Nickelodeon anime-type show. I love watching it. And it was going to be so easy to turn Bug into Aang that I couldn't resist. So....I shaved his head. Bought him a yellow pullover sweater. Made him a red cloak. The best thing about his outfit is that he can wear most of it on any other day, too! (In fact, he is wearing a pair of red sweat pants that he wore for Halloween last year. Except last year they were huge on him and this year they are getting too small!) And he stood incredibly still while I painted a blue arrow on his head!
These pictures were taken at our church's Trunk or Treat this past Tuesday. So tell me...do you think Bug makes an excellent Aang, or what!? (And believe it or not, he isn't eating candy in these pictures, he was sucking on his cloak. Weird kid.)
Compared to Aang as Aang
[photo removed, click to get the picture]
The whole family:
The husband and I were going to go as Peace and Quiet (a hippie and a mime), except the hubby didn't want to be a hippie...and I wanted to actually dress up! So we decided to both go as mimes. It was fun. And, I tell you what, the hubs should make a profession out of it! He was hilarious the whole evening; picking on people, staying quiet, juggling and doing all sorts of mime things! Now, if only he had let me do his makeup for him!
This year, we dressed Bug up as Avatar Aang. If you don't know who that is, you are seriously missing out. Avatar is an adorable Nickelodeon anime-type show. I love watching it. And it was going to be so easy to turn Bug into Aang that I couldn't resist. So....I shaved his head. Bought him a yellow pullover sweater. Made him a red cloak. The best thing about his outfit is that he can wear most of it on any other day, too! (In fact, he is wearing a pair of red sweat pants that he wore for Halloween last year. Except last year they were huge on him and this year they are getting too small!) And he stood incredibly still while I painted a blue arrow on his head!
These pictures were taken at our church's Trunk or Treat this past Tuesday. So tell me...do you think Bug makes an excellent Aang, or what!? (And believe it or not, he isn't eating candy in these pictures, he was sucking on his cloak. Weird kid.)
Bug as Aang:
Compared to Aang as Aang[photo removed, click to get the picture]
Oh, yeah. I did a good job on this costume!
The whole family:
The husband and I were going to go as Peace and Quiet (a hippie and a mime), except the hubby didn't want to be a hippie...and I wanted to actually dress up! So we decided to both go as mimes. It was fun. And, I tell you what, the hubs should make a profession out of it! He was hilarious the whole evening; picking on people, staying quiet, juggling and doing all sorts of mime things! Now, if only he had let me do his makeup for him!
Monday, October 26, 2009
One, two, WHEEEE!!!!
Bug is a climber. Seriously, I should encourage him to join the circus when he gets a little bit older. I have no idea how he does it. If the wall has a .002mm indent, he will use it as a foothold and climb. He fears no heights. Actually, he fears nothing. Maybe he would fear not being able to climb? I don't know? The kid is crazy.
And it gets better...after he has climbed (on top of side tables, kitchen tables, computer desk, dresser, coffee table, chairs, step stools, four inch wide headboard...) he likes to jump. And I must admit, I probably encourage this behavior. I can't help it. When Bug gets up to the summit of Mt. Whatever, he turns and looks at me with such pride. And then he holds out his hands.
So, I count. One. T-Bug jumps while I am totally unprepared and I nearly drop him on his head-wo. Three! And Bug enthusiastically calls out, "Tee!" or "Whee!" Sometimes, Bug will climb up, bounce and "count" while he waits for me to outstretch my arms. His counting sounds like this: "Uh, Ooh, TEE!"
If I am within 5 feet of Bug, I must be prepared to catch him. Because he will jump.
The kid is crazy.
And it gets better...after he has climbed (on top of side tables, kitchen tables, computer desk, dresser, coffee table, chairs, step stools, four inch wide headboard...) he likes to jump. And I must admit, I probably encourage this behavior. I can't help it. When Bug gets up to the summit of Mt. Whatever, he turns and looks at me with such pride. And then he holds out his hands.
So, I count. One. T-Bug jumps while I am totally unprepared and I nearly drop him on his head-wo. Three! And Bug enthusiastically calls out, "Tee!" or "Whee!" Sometimes, Bug will climb up, bounce and "count" while he waits for me to outstretch my arms. His counting sounds like this: "Uh, Ooh, TEE!"
If I am within 5 feet of Bug, I must be prepared to catch him. Because he will jump.
The kid is crazy.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
A Thrilling Week and more
Never fear, blog world. I am still here and still alive. After a week and a half of having my sister and her husband in town, I am finally getting back to a basic routine. (And, hopefully, Bug will be getting to bed earlier than 11pm.)
My sister, Megan, and brother-in-law, Chet, are some of the most fun people I know. They don't have any children yet, which means that they spend all of their time having adventurous fun...well, all of their time outside of full-time jobs and medical school. So, Bug and I (and the hubs, after work hours) had our fill of adventures while they were gracing us with their presence.
Our family (ever since Megan married Chet) has started a tradition of making family videos whenever we are together. Last year, we rode bicycles all over Cincinnati (the video was put to Queen's song Bicycle, which we all hated with a passion by the time the video was finished!) Over New Year's, the rest of the family went to NYC (where Megan and Chet live) and made a video of us all being typical tourists...and getting food poisoning. This week was no exception. And we pulled together a Mockumentary about X-Men rejects. I haven't seen the finished video, but once it is posted on YouTube, I may share it....maybe.
And, speaking of videos...Saturday night, while all of our men were at the Priesthood Session of General Conference, Megan taught the rest of us how to dance the Thriller. We learned it (as best as we could) in an hour and a half. Then we dressed up as zombies and danced for the guys when they got home. And there was a video made. The video is more than embarrassing, but I may share it too. (But you have to promise not to make fun of us!) The Thriller is a HARD dance!!! Megan said it took her about 4 hours to learn it, and she still feels like she could be better. When...or If I put the video up, you will have to keep that in mind as you see us messing up and doing everything a beat behind. However, Bug had a lot of fun dancing to the music, too. And when we would line up at the back of the room to begin the dance, Bug would stand with us and wait for the music to start.
Megan, Chet, my dad, Bug and I went hiking at the Cincinnati Nature Center, too this past week. Our hike was a little bit less than two miles. It was gorgeous and Bug walked for about a whole mile all by himself! He also did a face plant after trying to walk down a hill by himself. He couldn't maintain a walk and ended up running full speed down the hill before he biffed it. But he barely cried and was ready to walk again shortly after.
It has been nice to get some outside exercise. I'm afraid I don't exercise often enough. And I'm feeling it in weight gain and inflexibility. I won't tell you how much I weigh, but it is about 50 pounds more that what I want to weigh. Megan brought (and accidentally left) a Pilates video and I have been doing it for the past couple of days. It is a work out and makes me feel good. I have also started cutting my portions in half. I use a small plate to help remind me to eat less. The more often I eat less, the less I feel like I need to eat. I guess there is nothing wrong with having a "mom" body: wider hips, saggy breasts, belly pooch, and stretchmarks. But, I definitely want to be fit and active and healthy. Plus, I want to be happy with myself.
We also got family pictures taken at Robert Glutz Photography. Bob is a friend of the family and I must say, he has quite the talent for getting toddlers to take great pictures! He danced and ran around with a stuffed animal to get Bug to laugh for the camera, and it totally worked! Bug is probably the most photogenic in the whole family!
Sunday afternoon we had some friends (and new neighbors) over for Conference. They have a daughter who is one month older than Bug. They had so much fun playing together. And they shared a banana (Bug's little friend giving him a bite, and then taking one herself). The whole time Bug was being a perfect little friend (a bit more rambunctious that a girl, but not being a bully) until he decided to bite her arm. As a mother, I can tell you, I was completely mortified!!! I apologized over and over again, told Bug that he had done something very bad, and made him apologize by giving her a kiss. Bug has never bitten another child before, and it terrifies me to think that he is starting now!
Also this past week, a good friend of mine had a baby! I got to go to the hospital and hold her sweet little boy. It made me want another one so badly, I can hardly stand it!!! Hopefully, it won't be too long until that happens.
Now that I've filled you in with all that has been going on this past week, I will be able to get back into the perfect blogging rhythm. Well...that's the plan, at least!
My sister, Megan, and brother-in-law, Chet, are some of the most fun people I know. They don't have any children yet, which means that they spend all of their time having adventurous fun...well, all of their time outside of full-time jobs and medical school. So, Bug and I (and the hubs, after work hours) had our fill of adventures while they were gracing us with their presence.
Our family (ever since Megan married Chet) has started a tradition of making family videos whenever we are together. Last year, we rode bicycles all over Cincinnati (the video was put to Queen's song Bicycle, which we all hated with a passion by the time the video was finished!) Over New Year's, the rest of the family went to NYC (where Megan and Chet live) and made a video of us all being typical tourists...and getting food poisoning. This week was no exception. And we pulled together a Mockumentary about X-Men rejects. I haven't seen the finished video, but once it is posted on YouTube, I may share it....maybe.
And, speaking of videos...Saturday night, while all of our men were at the Priesthood Session of General Conference, Megan taught the rest of us how to dance the Thriller. We learned it (as best as we could) in an hour and a half. Then we dressed up as zombies and danced for the guys when they got home. And there was a video made. The video is more than embarrassing, but I may share it too. (But you have to promise not to make fun of us!) The Thriller is a HARD dance!!! Megan said it took her about 4 hours to learn it, and she still feels like she could be better. When...or If I put the video up, you will have to keep that in mind as you see us messing up and doing everything a beat behind. However, Bug had a lot of fun dancing to the music, too. And when we would line up at the back of the room to begin the dance, Bug would stand with us and wait for the music to start.
Megan, Chet, my dad, Bug and I went hiking at the Cincinnati Nature Center, too this past week. Our hike was a little bit less than two miles. It was gorgeous and Bug walked for about a whole mile all by himself! He also did a face plant after trying to walk down a hill by himself. He couldn't maintain a walk and ended up running full speed down the hill before he biffed it. But he barely cried and was ready to walk again shortly after.
It has been nice to get some outside exercise. I'm afraid I don't exercise often enough. And I'm feeling it in weight gain and inflexibility. I won't tell you how much I weigh, but it is about 50 pounds more that what I want to weigh. Megan brought (and accidentally left) a Pilates video and I have been doing it for the past couple of days. It is a work out and makes me feel good. I have also started cutting my portions in half. I use a small plate to help remind me to eat less. The more often I eat less, the less I feel like I need to eat. I guess there is nothing wrong with having a "mom" body: wider hips, saggy breasts, belly pooch, and stretchmarks. But, I definitely want to be fit and active and healthy. Plus, I want to be happy with myself.
We also got family pictures taken at Robert Glutz Photography. Bob is a friend of the family and I must say, he has quite the talent for getting toddlers to take great pictures! He danced and ran around with a stuffed animal to get Bug to laugh for the camera, and it totally worked! Bug is probably the most photogenic in the whole family!
Sunday afternoon we had some friends (and new neighbors) over for Conference. They have a daughter who is one month older than Bug. They had so much fun playing together. And they shared a banana (Bug's little friend giving him a bite, and then taking one herself). The whole time Bug was being a perfect little friend (a bit more rambunctious that a girl, but not being a bully) until he decided to bite her arm. As a mother, I can tell you, I was completely mortified!!! I apologized over and over again, told Bug that he had done something very bad, and made him apologize by giving her a kiss. Bug has never bitten another child before, and it terrifies me to think that he is starting now!
Also this past week, a good friend of mine had a baby! I got to go to the hospital and hold her sweet little boy. It made me want another one so badly, I can hardly stand it!!! Hopefully, it won't be too long until that happens.
Now that I've filled you in with all that has been going on this past week, I will be able to get back into the perfect blogging rhythm. Well...that's the plan, at least!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Barefoot Baby
When I was a kid, I used to run around barefoot all the time. It was a summer ritual to come inside once it got dark and pull thorns out of my feet. I guess you could say I was a country bumpkin. But it was something I loved. I loved the freedom of it. There is a mystical power to being natural (perhaps going barefoot as a child was the beginning to my natural/crunchy/hippie style). I have sentimental childhood memories of feeling like I could run through a field and then jump into the sky and fly away, with my clothes dirt smudged and grass stained, and my feet bare.
Bug hardly ever wears shoes. I always knew I wanted to be a mom that would let her kids run around barefoot. I couldn't imagine being a mom that required her kids to wear shoes. And I must admit, I still think moms that do require that are too strict! After Bug was born, we just put little socks on his feet. Then, in the summer, he went barefoot. When winter came around again, we were back to nice, warm socks. Once Bug started walking, it was warm enough again for him to go barefoot. Every now and then, I will put some shoes on his feet. But, more often than not, the shoes get pulled off and Bug is barefoot again!
Babies actually learn to walk better when they are able to walk without shoes. It helps them learn better balance, and helps improve the muscle control in their feet. Plus, shoes are a hassle. They are a pain to get on, and they always come back off.
I often get questions and comments about why Bug doesn't wear shoes. (Usually at church, for reasons unknown.) I just smile and say, "He doesn't need them". Because it is true. Right now, he doesn't need them. Of course, once it starts to get cold again, I will have to get him some shoes. But, I think I will try to get some soft soled shoes, so he will still feel like he is almost barefoot. And, you better believe it, as soon as it warms up again, he will probably be running around barefoot!
Bug hardly ever wears shoes. I always knew I wanted to be a mom that would let her kids run around barefoot. I couldn't imagine being a mom that required her kids to wear shoes. And I must admit, I still think moms that do require that are too strict! After Bug was born, we just put little socks on his feet. Then, in the summer, he went barefoot. When winter came around again, we were back to nice, warm socks. Once Bug started walking, it was warm enough again for him to go barefoot. Every now and then, I will put some shoes on his feet. But, more often than not, the shoes get pulled off and Bug is barefoot again!
Babies actually learn to walk better when they are able to walk without shoes. It helps them learn better balance, and helps improve the muscle control in their feet. Plus, shoes are a hassle. They are a pain to get on, and they always come back off.
I often get questions and comments about why Bug doesn't wear shoes. (Usually at church, for reasons unknown.) I just smile and say, "He doesn't need them". Because it is true. Right now, he doesn't need them. Of course, once it starts to get cold again, I will have to get him some shoes. But, I think I will try to get some soft soled shoes, so he will still feel like he is almost barefoot. And, you better believe it, as soon as it warms up again, he will probably be running around barefoot!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Music Man
At last, my wishes have been granted. I saw a spark of musical talent in Bug! (I've mentioned before that he has a great beat and can dance like nothing else I've ever seen. But, this is the first hint that he may have an instrumental future.) Not that I ever should have doubted that he would be musical, I mean, just look at his genes! Not every day do kids get a mom that has a voice like mine...of course, that seems to be my only musical talent. We all know that if you asked me to learn how to play the cello, it would be equivalent to asking me to turn into a swordfish. Impossible. That being said, I DID play the saxophone when I was in junior high school. I must say, I really did get into the swing of things when we were playing Tequila! for our spring performance. But, then I quit band. I'm not sure I could even get a saxophone to make noise now! And I also have taken about four whole years of piano lessons. They really are serious when they say you have to practice. The only thing I got out of those four years is the ability to read music and know what the keys on the piano are. Give me a year, and I might be able to play all four parts of a short song...provided it doesn't have any sharps or flats. (What key is that, anyway?) But, I can sing!!!
Anyway, this isn't all about my musical aptitude, it is all about Bug. Every morning, I take my temperature, in order to chart for FAM. My thermometer, thus, is always right on the bedside table, protected from the world in its clear plastic case. However, it isn't protected from Bug. He loves playing with the thermometer and the case. (This is leading to something musical, I promise.) Well, the other day, Bug was sitting on the bed, amid mounds and mounds of laundry. I was bringing in yet another mound when I heard a strange whistling noise. It was coming from one of the mounds of laundry on the bed. Strange. I got closer and finally saw Bug sitting there, with his hands on his lap, and the case to my thermometer in his mouth. He was breathing in and out through the two small holes on the bottom of the case, and as he did, it whistled. I was amazed, and I told Bug how incredibly smart and talented he is. He smiled, laughed and whistled some more.
Next stop, buy that kid a recorder. Or should we start with something a little more advanced? How about an oboe?
Anyway, this isn't all about my musical aptitude, it is all about Bug. Every morning, I take my temperature, in order to chart for FAM. My thermometer, thus, is always right on the bedside table, protected from the world in its clear plastic case. However, it isn't protected from Bug. He loves playing with the thermometer and the case. (This is leading to something musical, I promise.) Well, the other day, Bug was sitting on the bed, amid mounds and mounds of laundry. I was bringing in yet another mound when I heard a strange whistling noise. It was coming from one of the mounds of laundry on the bed. Strange. I got closer and finally saw Bug sitting there, with his hands on his lap, and the case to my thermometer in his mouth. He was breathing in and out through the two small holes on the bottom of the case, and as he did, it whistled. I was amazed, and I told Bug how incredibly smart and talented he is. He smiled, laughed and whistled some more.
Next stop, buy that kid a recorder. Or should we start with something a little more advanced? How about an oboe?
Friday, July 10, 2009
Independence Day weekend
I know I'm probably the last person the finally do some sort of post about Independence Day. I kept flip-flopping back and forth about whether or not to actually do a post about our weekend. Then, I decided that too much happened that would make all those perfect moms out there cringe, and I just have to type it all out. For posterity, at least. And to add to my award collection.
Friday, July 3rd, we went to the park for a picnic. We actually just ate a bunch of junk food while sitting in the car. Then we took Bug over to the slides. We had taken him on slides before, and he really enjoyed them. This time, the slides generated a massive amount of static electricity. Seriously, any neighboring farms could hook up their cow fences to the playground and pay kids to go down the slide all day long. The hubs would go down the slide, then come kiss me. Then he would do it again. Every stinkin' time, the shock was massive! By the time we left, I could feel tingly specks all over my face. And we even gave a couple kisses to Bug. He would just look at us with shock on his face (har, har!). Yeah, what the heck was that? That, my son, is called static electricity.
On Independence Day, we went to the Cincinnati Museum Center. It was rainy all day, so it was nice to do something fun indoors. The museum had a dinosaur exhibit that we went to, and it had HUGE (I guess life size?) robot dinosaurs that would move and roar at you when you walked past. Luckily, Bug didn't even cry. But I'm wondering if he will have nightmares about raging dinos of death now. That, my son, is called biological history.
After the dinosaur exhibit, we also took Bug to the children's museum. He had a great time with water and sand and plastic balls. (Even though there were other kids always in the way, and we had to keep moving around if we wanted him to experience more things.) They have a whole area full of balls that you can play with, along with awesome contraptions to make it more fun. Bug's favorite was a vacuum tube that you held a ball underneath, and it would suck the ball up and into a big ball container. It was pretty neat. That, my son, is called physics.
That night, we went to fireworks. Oh yeah, I did mention it was rainy all day? Right? We went anyway. We were sitting pretty far back, but the rainy mist still brought all kinds of ash down on top of us. My face looked like I had crawled through a chimney by the time we walked back to our car (which took us twenty minutes, I might add). And huge clouds of sulfur-smelling smoke rolled over us after a particularly large display. Bug didn't like the fireworks too much. They were pretty, but they were loud. And it was cold. And wet. And ashy. And smoky. And smelly. And late. So Bug hung out underneath the blanket and nursed the whole time. That, my son, is called pyrotechnics.
Then, on Sunday, we were watching the Swiss Family Robinson when Bug stuck his finger in an outlet. Poor little guy cried. But he wasn't seriously hurt. And he had fun playing with the stethoscope we got out to check his little heartbeat. (Don't you all have functional stethoscopes laying around your house?) That, my son, is more than just static electricity!
I'm beginning to wonder if Bug will really like hands on learning by the time he's ready for formal education!?
And to top off the crazy weekend, Bug is teething again. This time, it's a big bad tooth. So, bring on the snot and the whining. We can handle it.
Friday, July 3rd, we went to the park for a picnic. We actually just ate a bunch of junk food while sitting in the car. Then we took Bug over to the slides. We had taken him on slides before, and he really enjoyed them. This time, the slides generated a massive amount of static electricity. Seriously, any neighboring farms could hook up their cow fences to the playground and pay kids to go down the slide all day long. The hubs would go down the slide, then come kiss me. Then he would do it again. Every stinkin' time, the shock was massive! By the time we left, I could feel tingly specks all over my face. And we even gave a couple kisses to Bug. He would just look at us with shock on his face (har, har!). Yeah, what the heck was that? That, my son, is called static electricity.
On Independence Day, we went to the Cincinnati Museum Center. It was rainy all day, so it was nice to do something fun indoors. The museum had a dinosaur exhibit that we went to, and it had HUGE (I guess life size?) robot dinosaurs that would move and roar at you when you walked past. Luckily, Bug didn't even cry. But I'm wondering if he will have nightmares about raging dinos of death now. That, my son, is called biological history.
After the dinosaur exhibit, we also took Bug to the children's museum. He had a great time with water and sand and plastic balls. (Even though there were other kids always in the way, and we had to keep moving around if we wanted him to experience more things.) They have a whole area full of balls that you can play with, along with awesome contraptions to make it more fun. Bug's favorite was a vacuum tube that you held a ball underneath, and it would suck the ball up and into a big ball container. It was pretty neat. That, my son, is called physics.
That night, we went to fireworks. Oh yeah, I did mention it was rainy all day? Right? We went anyway. We were sitting pretty far back, but the rainy mist still brought all kinds of ash down on top of us. My face looked like I had crawled through a chimney by the time we walked back to our car (which took us twenty minutes, I might add). And huge clouds of sulfur-smelling smoke rolled over us after a particularly large display. Bug didn't like the fireworks too much. They were pretty, but they were loud. And it was cold. And wet. And ashy. And smoky. And smelly. And late. So Bug hung out underneath the blanket and nursed the whole time. That, my son, is called pyrotechnics.
Then, on Sunday, we were watching the Swiss Family Robinson when Bug stuck his finger in an outlet. Poor little guy cried. But he wasn't seriously hurt. And he had fun playing with the stethoscope we got out to check his little heartbeat. (Don't you all have functional stethoscopes laying around your house?) That, my son, is more than just static electricity!
I'm beginning to wonder if Bug will really like hands on learning by the time he's ready for formal education!?
And to top off the crazy weekend, Bug is teething again. This time, it's a big bad tooth. So, bring on the snot and the whining. We can handle it.
Friday, May 15, 2009
It's a flower...really.
Bug finds the craziest things to play with. I am willing to bet that half of the "toys" in his toy box aren't really toys. They are just random household items that Bug thinks are his toys. I don't let him play with anything that will hurt him or that he could hurt (like scissors, or my razor, or my nice camera). But for the most part, I don't want to fight him over it all, so I let him play with the junk. Who knew a kid would love a whisk so much!?
One of these non-toys that Bug loved to play with was my toothbrush. Well, a new toothbrush, still in the package. All pretty and pink. Just waiting for my old toothbrush to die, so it could fulfill its duty and clean my pearly whites. Bug had pulled it out of one of our bathroom drawers. (That is so annoying, because now everything that was in the drawers, is now cluttering my bathroom counter top. And the drawers are full of Bug's items...and I think one of my socks.)
Anyway, Bug would play with this packaged toothbrush like it was the coolest toy -ever-. He would pound it on anything and everything. He would carry it around like baby baton...I'm sure he even threw it a couple of times. He would dig through this toy box with it. Oh, the memories.
Then, one day, Bug took the packaged toothbrush outside with him.
Just so you know, we live on the top floor of our apartment building. It's only the second floor, but it's still the top. And we have a lovely balcony, with a nice wooded area, lots of birds (including the coolest woodpeckers) and squirrels. Our downstairs neighbor has a little garden that we can look down on from one side of our balcony.
Back to Bug, outside with his toothbrush toy. Soon enough, I heard him whining about something. So, I went out to check on him. And there he sat. On the garden side of the balcony. With his hands and head pressed against the railing. I leaned over the railing to see what he was looking at.
And all I could do was laugh. Hard. And a lot.
For there in that little garden below, was a new flower. A pretty, pink, and packaged toothbrush flower. Stuck in the dirt, sticking straight up. Beautiful. But, I don't think our neighbors would much appreciate the beauty of a toothbrush flower. I ran downstairs, outside, around and discreetly picked the flower, then returned to my apartment. I cleaned off the dirt and returned the "toy" to Bug.
And just today, Bug figured out how to open the package of that toothbrush flower, and I found him with my toothbrush, sans package, in his little mouth.
"Here, Bug, why don't you play with this whisk, instead?"
One of these non-toys that Bug loved to play with was my toothbrush. Well, a new toothbrush, still in the package. All pretty and pink. Just waiting for my old toothbrush to die, so it could fulfill its duty and clean my pearly whites. Bug had pulled it out of one of our bathroom drawers. (That is so annoying, because now everything that was in the drawers, is now cluttering my bathroom counter top. And the drawers are full of Bug's items...and I think one of my socks.)
Anyway, Bug would play with this packaged toothbrush like it was the coolest toy -ever-. He would pound it on anything and everything. He would carry it around like baby baton...I'm sure he even threw it a couple of times. He would dig through this toy box with it. Oh, the memories.
Then, one day, Bug took the packaged toothbrush outside with him.
Just so you know, we live on the top floor of our apartment building. It's only the second floor, but it's still the top. And we have a lovely balcony, with a nice wooded area, lots of birds (including the coolest woodpeckers) and squirrels. Our downstairs neighbor has a little garden that we can look down on from one side of our balcony.
Back to Bug, outside with his toothbrush toy. Soon enough, I heard him whining about something. So, I went out to check on him. And there he sat. On the garden side of the balcony. With his hands and head pressed against the railing. I leaned over the railing to see what he was looking at.
And all I could do was laugh. Hard. And a lot.
For there in that little garden below, was a new flower. A pretty, pink, and packaged toothbrush flower. Stuck in the dirt, sticking straight up. Beautiful. But, I don't think our neighbors would much appreciate the beauty of a toothbrush flower. I ran downstairs, outside, around and discreetly picked the flower, then returned to my apartment. I cleaned off the dirt and returned the "toy" to Bug.
And just today, Bug figured out how to open the package of that toothbrush flower, and I found him with my toothbrush, sans package, in his little mouth.
"Here, Bug, why don't you play with this whisk, instead?"
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Anatomy 101
According to Freud, Bug is still in the Oral Stage. I'm not much of a believer in the Freudian ways. I prefer to stick with Erikson's psychosocial development stages. I do, however, see examples of Bug wanted to learn about and explore his body...and anyone else's, for that matter.
"Where's Bug's head?" I ask. If I am lucky, Bug will reach up and pat his head with both of his hands. How's that for cute? Most of the time, though, Bug will shriek with delight and grab the closest toy (which usually ends up in his mouth).
"Brush you teeth!" has become one of my famous sayings...already! Every time the hubs and I get our toothbrushes ready and start brushing, Bug won't be satisfied until he has his own brush in hand. He thinks it is just a regular toy, and it gets carried around the house, despite my attempts to keep it in the bathroom. Now....where has it gone this time?
"Cabeza, Cara, Hombros, Pies. Hombros, Pies. Hombros, Pies. Cabeza, Cara, Hombros, Pies. Ojos, orejas, boca, nariz!" For those of you don't know already, this is the Spanish version of the song "Head, shoulders, knees and toes". I'm fairly convinced that Bug's first word is going to be in Spanish, and I won't even know that he's said his first word, because I won't understand it!
Perhaps Bug will grow up to be an ENT or a dentist. His little fingers love to probe into any facial orifice they can find. Usually this is my mouth or nose while nursing. And on more than one occasion, I have found him picking his nose...which is usually followed by a demonstration of how he can fit his whole fist into his mouth.
Nursing games. Uhm...we won't go into all that goes on while nursing, it's just embarrassing. Fine, fine. Ok! Quit pestering me about it, I'll tell you. Nosey people. Anyway, Bug likes to twiddle (as most older nursing babies/toddlers do), and fondle, and blow raspberries. And just yesterday, he lovingly grabbed a hold of my belly fat roll and squeezed and kneaded it gently. How sweet.
Tickles! Bug is so ticklish on his belly button...and his upper thigh. And he loves to blow raspberries on my belly button. He would probably do it to his daddy, too, but nobody likes the feeling of having a hair stuck in your mouth.
"Toes in your nose" is a favorite game of ours. Kids are just so darn flexible, and they love it when their feet are close to their faces, for some reason. I just love those soft baby feet. Too bad they are getting much more wear and tear now that Bug is walking everywhere. Yep, even babies get toe jam; although, it is somewhat more adorable to see baby toes full of lint than big people toes full of lint.
Diaper changing horror. Good grief! Can't I go a week without having to mention poop? Well, the bodily exploration doesn't end. Poopy diapers are a pain to change. Usually I have to set a wipe aside for Bug's hands. And once his bum is clean, I have to swipe away his hands from his crotch to get his on his clean diaper. Is this Bug moving into one of Freud's other stages???
"Where's Bug's head?" I ask. If I am lucky, Bug will reach up and pat his head with both of his hands. How's that for cute? Most of the time, though, Bug will shriek with delight and grab the closest toy (which usually ends up in his mouth).
"Brush you teeth!" has become one of my famous sayings...already! Every time the hubs and I get our toothbrushes ready and start brushing, Bug won't be satisfied until he has his own brush in hand. He thinks it is just a regular toy, and it gets carried around the house, despite my attempts to keep it in the bathroom. Now....where has it gone this time?
"Cabeza, Cara, Hombros, Pies. Hombros, Pies. Hombros, Pies. Cabeza, Cara, Hombros, Pies. Ojos, orejas, boca, nariz!" For those of you don't know already, this is the Spanish version of the song "Head, shoulders, knees and toes". I'm fairly convinced that Bug's first word is going to be in Spanish, and I won't even know that he's said his first word, because I won't understand it!
Perhaps Bug will grow up to be an ENT or a dentist. His little fingers love to probe into any facial orifice they can find. Usually this is my mouth or nose while nursing. And on more than one occasion, I have found him picking his nose...which is usually followed by a demonstration of how he can fit his whole fist into his mouth.
Nursing games. Uhm...we won't go into all that goes on while nursing, it's just embarrassing. Fine, fine. Ok! Quit pestering me about it, I'll tell you. Nosey people. Anyway, Bug likes to twiddle (as most older nursing babies/toddlers do), and fondle, and blow raspberries. And just yesterday, he lovingly grabbed a hold of my belly fat roll and squeezed and kneaded it gently. How sweet.
Tickles! Bug is so ticklish on his belly button...and his upper thigh. And he loves to blow raspberries on my belly button. He would probably do it to his daddy, too, but nobody likes the feeling of having a hair stuck in your mouth.
"Toes in your nose" is a favorite game of ours. Kids are just so darn flexible, and they love it when their feet are close to their faces, for some reason. I just love those soft baby feet. Too bad they are getting much more wear and tear now that Bug is walking everywhere. Yep, even babies get toe jam; although, it is somewhat more adorable to see baby toes full of lint than big people toes full of lint.
Diaper changing horror. Good grief! Can't I go a week without having to mention poop? Well, the bodily exploration doesn't end. Poopy diapers are a pain to change. Usually I have to set a wipe aside for Bug's hands. And once his bum is clean, I have to swipe away his hands from his crotch to get his on his clean diaper. Is this Bug moving into one of Freud's other stages???
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Welcome warmth!
The weather has turned warm, at last! We have celebrated this by turning on Pandora (some fancy Spanish music. ¡Que capo Carlos Vives!) and dancing away the afternoons. I'm not a very good dancer. Although, my husband may disagree with that. He somehow is blind to how stupid I look and can only see my voluptuous curves and beauty. Go figure.
Even Bug is a better dancer than I am! Every time music is turned on, he puts his hands in the air, bounces around and laughs. He doesn't need curves to be a good dancer! And he can dance to any kind of music. Latin, Billy Joel, Josh Groban, the credit music to Fiddler on the Roof...you name it, he'll dance to it!
Another way we have celebrated the warmth of the impending summer: going coverless and practically naked (not me, just Bug). Yep, we're back into cloth (after taking a couple weeks of 'sposies while Bug was sick and had HORRIBLE poops, then us getting ready to move, then trying to get our washer and dryer back up and in business). And it is so awesome to just slap a prefold on his bum and let him run around. I can feel as soon as he is wet, and he gets all that air circulation on his skin. Sometimes I put a t-shirt on him, too...but most of the time not. Naked babies are so much easier to take care of. And coverless cloth dipes are so much easier to change. Although my hubby is paranoid to even pick Bug up without a cover. But, seriously? How can you resist a cute, little guy with a diaper wedgie???
Oh, how we love warm weather!
Even Bug is a better dancer than I am! Every time music is turned on, he puts his hands in the air, bounces around and laughs. He doesn't need curves to be a good dancer! And he can dance to any kind of music. Latin, Billy Joel, Josh Groban, the credit music to Fiddler on the Roof...you name it, he'll dance to it!
Another way we have celebrated the warmth of the impending summer: going coverless and practically naked (not me, just Bug). Yep, we're back into cloth (after taking a couple weeks of 'sposies while Bug was sick and had HORRIBLE poops, then us getting ready to move, then trying to get our washer and dryer back up and in business). And it is so awesome to just slap a prefold on his bum and let him run around. I can feel as soon as he is wet, and he gets all that air circulation on his skin. Sometimes I put a t-shirt on him, too...but most of the time not. Naked babies are so much easier to take care of. And coverless cloth dipes are so much easier to change. Although my hubby is paranoid to even pick Bug up without a cover. But, seriously? How can you resist a cute, little guy with a diaper wedgie???
Oh, how we love warm weather!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Exasperatingly Funny
Some of the things that Bug does can be very exasperating. Typically, I just laugh. No, actually, I typically get exasperated...and then I laugh after the annoyance wears off. Some of the things that Bug does can be very goofy. Typically, I just laugh. Sometimes, Bug laughs too. And that makes a mother happy, indeed! Here are lots of little things that either exasperate or cause laughter:
Before Bug learned how to walk...Heck, even before Bug was good at crawling, he learned how to get around very easily. He would assume the crawling position (the usual one, on hands and knees) and place his hands on...an item. (Now, I say "item" because it could be any number of different things. Most often, the item was a DVD case, because Bug LOVES to pull all the DVD cases off the shelf and make a big mess. Sometimes the item would be a CD case, or a book, or a piece of paper, or a somewhat slippery and flat toy.) Then, he would push the item across the floor, crawling using only his legs. He would "crawl" until he hit a wall or some other obstacle. After that, he would usually cry, because he couldn't go anywhere else.
As I have relayed in several other posts, Bug loves to eat paper. Oh, paper, you are the bane of my existence! Yet, I need you, obviously, or else you wouldn't be scattered ALL OVER MY HOUSE! I don't know how, but Bug finds the most important papers to snack on. Like receipts. I don't know why those are important, really. But, my husband insists that they are; thus, Bug finds and eats them. And books. Bug doesn't just eat books, first he tears the pages out. Apparently, the pages are more delicious to the taste when they aren't attached to the rest of the delicious pages! Luckily he hasn't destroyed too many books. But he has been found to "feast on the word". Yes, my scriptures were nibbled on...slightly. Luckily, the page that was ripped out to be devoured was a blank page from the very front of my quad. And the page from my husband's scriptures was taped back, using my superior taping skills! That ultra thin scripture paper must be a paper-eating delicacy, because Bug enjoys it the most! Maybe that's why he likes those receipts so much, too?
Perhaps Bug is just going to be one righteous kid. He already folds his arms when we pray. And sometimes he folds his arms when we aren't praying. And sometimes he doesn't fold his arms when we are praying. I haven't figured it all out yet. He decides when and where to be reverent, apparently!
Recently, Bug has figured out how to remove his own diaper. Oh, joy. This isn't a problem when he is dressed, thank goodness. But, when we get out of the shower, it is easiest for me to just throw a diaper on his cute, little bum, then take care of myself. After I'm ready, then I get Bug dressed. Well, that USED to be the easiest for me. I may have to reevaluate. Or just figure out how to make "Fecal Matter" posts more interesting.
My dad is a RN, but when I was growing up, he was a construction worker. (The housing slump that began about 5 years ago prompted him to go back to school.) I think he really misses building houses. Instead, he now takes the opportunity to improve my apartment. It's kind of nice to have a personal maintenance guy. Especially one that is a perfectionist with a good eye! He decided that I needed a wooden security bar for the track of my sliding back door. Although, I am on the second floor. But, safety first, right?! Well, the wooden bar is light enough for Bug to pick up, and carry around. It is very awkward for him, considering it is about a foot taller than he is. But that doesn't stop him, no sirree! He carries the big stick around the house. I wonder what he thinks it is? I know he has lots of associations...like using anything that has buttons (i.e., Wii remote, calculator, TV remote) as a phone. But, I don't use that big stick for anything other than to keep my back door safe from robbers that scale buildings. (I know you read my blog occasionally, dad! If you read this post, I hope you know I am complementing you, but you can have your stick back before Bug damages something!)
Just last night, Bug put one of his socks on his head and looked at me with a big smile. I don't know why he did it, but it was so stinkin' cute! Then, the sock fell off, so he put it on his head again and smiled. Yep, still cute.
And then there are the baby laughs. Gosh, that is a sound I could listen to 24/7. Erm, well, at least 16/7, 'cause I don't think I could sleep with cute baby laughs going on all the time! Bug laughs when I tickle his belly with my hair. And my husband can ALWAYS get Bug to laugh. Really, it's not fair. But it's very sweet.
And when Bug laughs too hard, too long, he gets the hiccups. Adorable!
Before Bug learned how to walk...Heck, even before Bug was good at crawling, he learned how to get around very easily. He would assume the crawling position (the usual one, on hands and knees) and place his hands on...an item. (Now, I say "item" because it could be any number of different things. Most often, the item was a DVD case, because Bug LOVES to pull all the DVD cases off the shelf and make a big mess. Sometimes the item would be a CD case, or a book, or a piece of paper, or a somewhat slippery and flat toy.) Then, he would push the item across the floor, crawling using only his legs. He would "crawl" until he hit a wall or some other obstacle. After that, he would usually cry, because he couldn't go anywhere else.
As I have relayed in several other posts, Bug loves to eat paper. Oh, paper, you are the bane of my existence! Yet, I need you, obviously, or else you wouldn't be scattered ALL OVER MY HOUSE! I don't know how, but Bug finds the most important papers to snack on. Like receipts. I don't know why those are important, really. But, my husband insists that they are; thus, Bug finds and eats them. And books. Bug doesn't just eat books, first he tears the pages out. Apparently, the pages are more delicious to the taste when they aren't attached to the rest of the delicious pages! Luckily he hasn't destroyed too many books. But he has been found to "feast on the word". Yes, my scriptures were nibbled on...slightly. Luckily, the page that was ripped out to be devoured was a blank page from the very front of my quad. And the page from my husband's scriptures was taped back, using my superior taping skills! That ultra thin scripture paper must be a paper-eating delicacy, because Bug enjoys it the most! Maybe that's why he likes those receipts so much, too?
Perhaps Bug is just going to be one righteous kid. He already folds his arms when we pray. And sometimes he folds his arms when we aren't praying. And sometimes he doesn't fold his arms when we are praying. I haven't figured it all out yet. He decides when and where to be reverent, apparently!
Recently, Bug has figured out how to remove his own diaper. Oh, joy. This isn't a problem when he is dressed, thank goodness. But, when we get out of the shower, it is easiest for me to just throw a diaper on his cute, little bum, then take care of myself. After I'm ready, then I get Bug dressed. Well, that USED to be the easiest for me. I may have to reevaluate. Or just figure out how to make "Fecal Matter" posts more interesting.
My dad is a RN, but when I was growing up, he was a construction worker. (The housing slump that began about 5 years ago prompted him to go back to school.) I think he really misses building houses. Instead, he now takes the opportunity to improve my apartment. It's kind of nice to have a personal maintenance guy. Especially one that is a perfectionist with a good eye! He decided that I needed a wooden security bar for the track of my sliding back door. Although, I am on the second floor. But, safety first, right?! Well, the wooden bar is light enough for Bug to pick up, and carry around. It is very awkward for him, considering it is about a foot taller than he is. But that doesn't stop him, no sirree! He carries the big stick around the house. I wonder what he thinks it is? I know he has lots of associations...like using anything that has buttons (i.e., Wii remote, calculator, TV remote) as a phone. But, I don't use that big stick for anything other than to keep my back door safe from robbers that scale buildings. (I know you read my blog occasionally, dad! If you read this post, I hope you know I am complementing you, but you can have your stick back before Bug damages something!)
Just last night, Bug put one of his socks on his head and looked at me with a big smile. I don't know why he did it, but it was so stinkin' cute! Then, the sock fell off, so he put it on his head again and smiled. Yep, still cute.
And then there are the baby laughs. Gosh, that is a sound I could listen to 24/7. Erm, well, at least 16/7, 'cause I don't think I could sleep with cute baby laughs going on all the time! Bug laughs when I tickle his belly with my hair. And my husband can ALWAYS get Bug to laugh. Really, it's not fair. But it's very sweet.
And when Bug laughs too hard, too long, he gets the hiccups. Adorable!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
IBS
I suffer from IBS.
No, not that IBS. I suffer from Inferior Blog Syndrome. It is a lot more common than you probably think. Symptoms include red eyes (from staring at the computer screen too much, trying to think of something great to blog about), back aches (from sitting at the computer too long, trying to think of something great to blog about), head aches (from trying to think of something great to blog about), the irrational fear that your blog isn't worth reading (whether this is legitimate or a delusion is to be determined on an individual basis), frequent writer's block (due to the irrational fear) and the constant desire that something great will happen that you can blog about, almost to desperation (may be made manifest in simple sayings, such as, "I'm gonna blog about that!" to nearly every life event). Et cetera, et cetera.
My condition is such that I spendmost some of my days begging my son to do something worth blogging about. Something funny. Something not depressing. Something not very negative. Something that won't dissuade Future Mama from having a Future Kiddo. And for goodness sake, PLEASE, something that DOESN'T have to do with poop or pee and my carpet!!!
Yet, my condition persists. Bug continues to ruin diaper-free time by harassing my carpet with all matter of foulness. (Which often necessitates turning on the bath water AGAIN just seconds after I got him dried off from his previous washing.)
He just seems so vile sometimes. He looks at me with suspicious innocence then takes a hit from his water-filled sippy cup. It seems as if he is intentionally trying to worsen my condition.
And when Bug actually does something that I feel like I can get a really good story out of (with minimal exaggeration) he SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY keeps me from writing it as eloquently as I so desire. So that when I reread the post that is supposed to bring in readers from near and far, it seems sad and deflated. I'm usually left to hold down the backspace key, muttering to myself, "This story is stoooopid. Was that even funny when it happened?! Nobody will think this is funny other than me and my husband. Or just me. Gosh, if the whole world had just been there, then they would think it was hilarious. But then they wouldn't want to read about it my blog, because they have already seen it..." You get the point.
And that's why I'm not even going to try to tell you about the other night, when Bug climbed up and into the cart on his shopping cart walker toy and sat there, perched, looking at mom and dad with the look on his face that said all of the following: Look what I did. Wow, I'm really high up here. Am I allowed to be here? Even if I'm not, here I am, so HA! I bet I can climb onto the coffee table from here. Oh, mom's starting to get worried. I know I'm such a daredevil. Oh, now mom is ordering dad to get me down. No, you stay there, I'll get down myself. Crud, how do I get down myself? Relax, it's ok. I figured it out. Oooohhh yeah....I'm gonna do that again when you're not looking!!!
Ok, I guess I will tell you. I can only lament that the camera batteries were dead.
Darn that IBS!
No, not that IBS. I suffer from Inferior Blog Syndrome. It is a lot more common than you probably think. Symptoms include red eyes (from staring at the computer screen too much, trying to think of something great to blog about), back aches (from sitting at the computer too long, trying to think of something great to blog about), head aches (from trying to think of something great to blog about), the irrational fear that your blog isn't worth reading (whether this is legitimate or a delusion is to be determined on an individual basis), frequent writer's block (due to the irrational fear) and the constant desire that something great will happen that you can blog about, almost to desperation (may be made manifest in simple sayings, such as, "I'm gonna blog about that!" to nearly every life event). Et cetera, et cetera.
My condition is such that I spend
Yet, my condition persists. Bug continues to ruin diaper-free time by harassing my carpet with all matter of foulness. (Which often necessitates turning on the bath water AGAIN just seconds after I got him dried off from his previous washing.)
He just seems so vile sometimes. He looks at me with suspicious innocence then takes a hit from his water-filled sippy cup. It seems as if he is intentionally trying to worsen my condition.
And when Bug actually does something that I feel like I can get a really good story out of (with minimal exaggeration) he SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY keeps me from writing it as eloquently as I so desire. So that when I reread the post that is supposed to bring in readers from near and far, it seems sad and deflated. I'm usually left to hold down the backspace key, muttering to myself, "This story is stoooopid. Was that even funny when it happened?! Nobody will think this is funny other than me and my husband. Or just me. Gosh, if the whole world had just been there, then they would think it was hilarious. But then they wouldn't want to read about it my blog, because they have already seen it..." You get the point.
And that's why I'm not even going to try to tell you about the other night, when Bug climbed up and into the cart on his shopping cart walker toy and sat there, perched, looking at mom and dad with the look on his face that said all of the following: Look what I did. Wow, I'm really high up here. Am I allowed to be here? Even if I'm not, here I am, so HA! I bet I can climb onto the coffee table from here. Oh, mom's starting to get worried. I know I'm such a daredevil. Oh, now mom is ordering dad to get me down. No, you stay there, I'll get down myself. Crud, how do I get down myself? Relax, it's ok. I figured it out. Oooohhh yeah....I'm gonna do that again when you're not looking!!!
Ok, I guess I will tell you. I can only lament that the camera batteries were dead.
Darn that IBS!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Nursing is a funny game
Sometimes, when we are out and about, Bug misses his late afternoon nap. Then, he is super cranky in the evening, and I usually end up putting him down for an evening nap. But then he is waking up when the hubby and I are ready to go to sleep. We will stay up for a little bit longer, and we always try to wear Bug out so he will go back to sleep. Sometimes we will take advantage of Bug being happy and awake to get some "married couple" time to ourselves...because we all know, if we tried to get time to ourselves while Bug was sleeping, he would surely wake up right when it was most inconvenient!
Once we are completely exhausted, and totally ready for Bug to go to sleep, we all lay down in the bed. I prepare to nurse Bug into a blissful state of sleep. He has other plans....especially if he is in between mama and papa. He turns nursing into a game, and I must admit, it is pretty darn cute!
Here are the rules to the game: nurse for 5 seconds. Pull off, make sure to stretch mommy as far as she can go while doing it. Look over at daddy. Smile the biggest grin you can manage. Turn away from daddy quickly, pretending like you are Bashful, the dwarf. Remember to give a little giggle while you are turning! Latch back onto mommy. Bonus points for making a big slurping noise. Begin again, this time, nurse for only 4 seconds and laugh with even more cuteness. Each round, nurse for one second less, and amp up the adorable factor. When you run out of seconds to nurse, then you can nurse longer and finally go to sleep...but not until after you make mommy switch sides.
Luckily, the game hasn't yet added a biting rule, even though Bug got his two bottom teeth in about two weeks ago! Mommy will have to add a penalty if those pearly whites turn dangerous!
Once we are completely exhausted, and totally ready for Bug to go to sleep, we all lay down in the bed. I prepare to nurse Bug into a blissful state of sleep. He has other plans....especially if he is in between mama and papa. He turns nursing into a game, and I must admit, it is pretty darn cute!
Here are the rules to the game: nurse for 5 seconds. Pull off, make sure to stretch mommy as far as she can go while doing it. Look over at daddy. Smile the biggest grin you can manage. Turn away from daddy quickly, pretending like you are Bashful, the dwarf. Remember to give a little giggle while you are turning! Latch back onto mommy. Bonus points for making a big slurping noise. Begin again, this time, nurse for only 4 seconds and laugh with even more cuteness. Each round, nurse for one second less, and amp up the adorable factor. When you run out of seconds to nurse, then you can nurse longer and finally go to sleep...but not until after you make mommy switch sides.
Luckily, the game hasn't yet added a biting rule, even though Bug got his two bottom teeth in about two weeks ago! Mommy will have to add a penalty if those pearly whites turn dangerous!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Love that Play Gym!
A friend from church bought me (or bought Bug, rather) a Gymini play mat as a gift when I had my baby shower. I didn't realize until just about a month ago how daggone expensive those things are...my mom didn't even spend that much money on me!!! Ok, well, maybe mom did spend more than that, but you get my point.
Anyway, Bug has loved the thing since the day he was born! I would lay him down on it to give my arms a rest and he would coo away, even before he could smile! He loves it still, even though he would prefer to be in my arms! Here are some of the funny things he does, or I can help him to do with his play gym:
1. If the mirror that is attached to the gym is behind his head, he will crane his little neck back, just so he can see himself. (*Your so vain, you probably think this post is about you!*)
2. Spin in circles...clockwise. I will Bug down with his head up at one end, and just a couple minutes later, his head is where his feet were. And he always moves clockwise...maybe that means he will always be on time!?!
3. Kick a rattle that I attached, and then try to grab it between his feet. He seriously will grab the rattle between his feet, not his toes, his two little feet. It's amazing!
4. Turn on the music. He loves to stretch out and show me how tall he is getting anyway, but when he gets the music to turn on at the same time....now that is an accomplishment!
5. TRY to roll over. He hasn't quite gotten the whole rolling over thing down yet, but -MAN ALIVE!- he tries so hard! He will roll to his side, and then bury his face into the ground, trying to get his body to follow. It's dang cute, but he may just suffocate himself one of these days if he isn't careful!
6. Spit up. So, Bug was never much of a spitter (I thank my Heavenly Father for that blessing often!). However, it seems that as soon as he is on his little mat, he decides it's ok to spit up! Lovely.
7. Grab at the hanging toys, hold and shake them, then cry 'cause he can't figure out how to let go! It's really pretty cute, until he gets really mad.
8. Stand up, with a limited amount of Mommy's help, by holding onto the arches. He loves to stand, now that he knows he can, he never wants to sit (which makes it a pain to put him in the car seat, "Would you just bend your legs, PLEASE!?!?!?!"). So, I stand him up, put his hands on the arches and hold the mat on the other side to keep him from falling backwards with the mat coming down on top of him. I generally don't even have to touch him, unless he decides to let go with one hand. Then he wobbles around with one hand in the air, like he's in his own version of baby rodeo, before he falls over on himself.
Oh, how wonderful it is to have something so entertaining for the little guy. Although he is probably just as satisfied trying to show me how he can fit his whole fist into his mouth!
Anyway, Bug has loved the thing since the day he was born! I would lay him down on it to give my arms a rest and he would coo away, even before he could smile! He loves it still, even though he would prefer to be in my arms! Here are some of the funny things he does, or I can help him to do with his play gym:
1. If the mirror that is attached to the gym is behind his head, he will crane his little neck back, just so he can see himself. (*Your so vain, you probably think this post is about you!*)
2. Spin in circles...clockwise. I will Bug down with his head up at one end, and just a couple minutes later, his head is where his feet were. And he always moves clockwise...maybe that means he will always be on time!?!
3. Kick a rattle that I attached, and then try to grab it between his feet. He seriously will grab the rattle between his feet, not his toes, his two little feet. It's amazing!
4. Turn on the music. He loves to stretch out and show me how tall he is getting anyway, but when he gets the music to turn on at the same time....now that is an accomplishment!
5. TRY to roll over. He hasn't quite gotten the whole rolling over thing down yet, but -MAN ALIVE!- he tries so hard! He will roll to his side, and then bury his face into the ground, trying to get his body to follow. It's dang cute, but he may just suffocate himself one of these days if he isn't careful!
6. Spit up. So, Bug was never much of a spitter (I thank my Heavenly Father for that blessing often!). However, it seems that as soon as he is on his little mat, he decides it's ok to spit up! Lovely.
7. Grab at the hanging toys, hold and shake them, then cry 'cause he can't figure out how to let go! It's really pretty cute, until he gets really mad.
8. Stand up, with a limited amount of Mommy's help, by holding onto the arches. He loves to stand, now that he knows he can, he never wants to sit (which makes it a pain to put him in the car seat, "Would you just bend your legs, PLEASE!?!?!?!"). So, I stand him up, put his hands on the arches and hold the mat on the other side to keep him from falling backwards with the mat coming down on top of him. I generally don't even have to touch him, unless he decides to let go with one hand. Then he wobbles around with one hand in the air, like he's in his own version of baby rodeo, before he falls over on himself.
Oh, how wonderful it is to have something so entertaining for the little guy. Although he is probably just as satisfied trying to show me how he can fit his whole fist into his mouth!
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