I'm sure that Jason and I aren't the first parents to realize that using the restroom in peace and solitude is a thing of the past and if we're lucky of the very distant future, but surprisingly enough we've both grown accustomed to the company -- even if it includes a toy train and a Woody doll.
What's not so easy to get used to is the questions...Charlie is a very curious boy and absolutely fascinated with bodily functions -- to the point that he yells out "poop!" anytime he hears a questionable noise, no matter where we happen to be, and is convinced that that happens every time anyone uses the restroom.
That said, this morning his shouts of "puh-puh" didn't phase me, until he refused to believe my denials, and I realized he was pointing at my hip...well, the "purple" pansy on my hip to be more precise...
How exactly does one explain a tattoo to one's child -- especially if it has zero emotional or spiritual significance? In fact, it doesn't even have a very good story.
When I was twenty-one a girlfriend convinced me to go with her to get a tattoo one Sunday after church (not kidding) since the tattoo parlor was just down the street from my apartment. Feeling oh-so daring, I let her talk me into getting one, too, but lacking any great inspiration, I just picked a flower off the wall and changed the color to purple since I'm not really a pink person.
For a while I semi-convinced myself that like the pansy, I was extremely strong and hardy despite being seen as weak and young, blah-blah-blah...but that was definitely an afterthought.
I don't suppose I particularly regret the tattoo (especially since pregnancy and childbirth didn't turn it into a mini-Monet across my abdomen), but I don't think I'd do it again. Thankfully it remains hidden, since I'm not exactly a crop-top kind of girl. The crazy thing only sees the light of day in the shower and only serves to remind me that my one great rebellion in life was completely meaningless -- I imagine a lot of people can say the exact same thing, though.
I almost wish I'd gone the belly-button piercing route like so many of my girlfriends since you can just yank those out, but at the time that seemed pointless, since I don't where clothes that show my belly (and yes, I do see the fault in that logic).
Back to this morning, I basically just changed the subject, washed my hands and hustled Charlie out of the powder room, but it made me realize that Jason and I are going to have a lot of explaining to do over the next few years -- some innocuous and some a bit more complicated. Thankfully, we're pretty boring.
Swamp
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Awesome!
Amidst all the other fun this weekend, we also erected the coolest swingset ever in our backyard!
Jason and I had been toying with the idea of getting Charlie a swingset for a few months, but weren't sure if we had the space, etc. When BaBa came to visit, our very persuasive little boy showed his BaBa just how much he loved to swing and slide and climb, and together she and Charlie convinced Mommy and Daddy that it was time.
Ever the planners, Jason and I did a lot of online shopping and narrowed our choices down to the Highlander from Sam's Club and another swingset from Lowe's, both of which met our core requirements;
1 - Smallest possible footprint possible to fit in our postage-stamp size backyard
2 - Swings
3 - Slide
I was leaning towards the Sam's Club option, because it had more bells and whistles for the price, a wood roof, rather than canvas, and we'd actually seen it in the store back in the Spring when I had tried to convince Jason to buy it (subtly of course, since Charlie was barely walking).
Last weekend we took a trip to Lowe's to check out their samples and were unimpressed with the quality, so we decided the Highlander was our swingset of choice. Having been to Sam's recently, Jason knew that it was no longer on display, but we drove over for some groceries anyway. Ever optimistic, we asked a staffer if they had any of the swingsets in the back, but were told that they had all been sent back to the distribution center.
Forty-five minutes and $200 later we were headed to the checkout when Jason suggested that we get a mammoth tub of animal crackers for Charlie. Hoping to shorten the time in line, I ran off to find the animal crackers while Jason and Charlie headed to the front.
After much wandering (who would have thought animal crackers would ever be in the bakery?!?!), I found the animal crackers and noticed a slide sitting atop 4 large boxes on a cart in the corner. I walked over and saw that it was the Highlander. Assuming that someone else had ordered it for in-store pick-up, I rushed to the front to trade places with Jason, so he could check out the quality.
Jason quickly returned, looked at me like I was crazy and wondered aloud how I had missed the price tag attached to the slide or the one attached to the cart itself (what can I say -- I was still flustered by the animal crackers hunt!). Then he told me that it was priced $200 less than online since there was no shipping required.
We immediately tracked down a manager and all paraded through the store to the back corner. Dave, the manager, confirmed that the Highlander was in fact for sale and he even took off another $90 just for the heck of it! Jason, Charlie and I were on cloud nine!
Fast forward six days to 8:30 AM Saturday morning and construction commenced. Despite the dire predictions on the website (14 to 43 hours!), Jason, Bob, Garrett and Chad finished the swingset in 12 working hours, even with Charlie's help throughout the process (thank goodness for Donna and Amanda!).
We truly couldn't be more thrilled with the new swingset, but throughout the weekend I realized that our original three requirements weren't the half of it. For the perfect swingset you actually need 19 things:
1 - The smallest possible footprint
2 - Swings
3 - A slide
4 - A picnic table
5 - Steps instead of ladders
6 - Beautiful weather
7 - A glider
8 - A telescope
9 - A steering wheel
10 - 308 pieces of wood (in 80 shapes and sizes) -- minus the three O3s without a home
11 - 1,884 pieces of hardware (in 34 shapes and sizes) -- minus the random few pieces left on the table
12 - 3 drills (with extra batteries)
13 - beer
14 - steak soup
15 - 4 dogs
16 - 12 free hours
17 - an incredibly GENEROUS and LOVING BaBa and PaPa
18 - the five BEST neighbors ever
19 - the MOST INCREDIBLE husband/daddy in the world
and let's not forget number 20, a fabulous and adorable one-year-old running around and getting in the way to remind everyone what it's all about (even when the very last step takes 10 times longer than expected because the silly spikes keep hitting rocks!).
This morning when I arrived home after dropping Charlie at school and admired the swingset towering over our backyard, I felt like the most blessed woman in the world. For a long time I thought that Jason and I would miss out on the opportunity to have a swingset, but after less than 48 hours, I can't picture our backyard without it, and after almost 20 months, I can't picture our lives without Charlie. God is so good!
Jason and I had been toying with the idea of getting Charlie a swingset for a few months, but weren't sure if we had the space, etc. When BaBa came to visit, our very persuasive little boy showed his BaBa just how much he loved to swing and slide and climb, and together she and Charlie convinced Mommy and Daddy that it was time.
Ever the planners, Jason and I did a lot of online shopping and narrowed our choices down to the Highlander from Sam's Club and another swingset from Lowe's, both of which met our core requirements;
1 - Smallest possible footprint possible to fit in our postage-stamp size backyard
2 - Swings
3 - Slide
I was leaning towards the Sam's Club option, because it had more bells and whistles for the price, a wood roof, rather than canvas, and we'd actually seen it in the store back in the Spring when I had tried to convince Jason to buy it (subtly of course, since Charlie was barely walking).
Last weekend we took a trip to Lowe's to check out their samples and were unimpressed with the quality, so we decided the Highlander was our swingset of choice. Having been to Sam's recently, Jason knew that it was no longer on display, but we drove over for some groceries anyway. Ever optimistic, we asked a staffer if they had any of the swingsets in the back, but were told that they had all been sent back to the distribution center.
Forty-five minutes and $200 later we were headed to the checkout when Jason suggested that we get a mammoth tub of animal crackers for Charlie. Hoping to shorten the time in line, I ran off to find the animal crackers while Jason and Charlie headed to the front.
After much wandering (who would have thought animal crackers would ever be in the bakery?!?!), I found the animal crackers and noticed a slide sitting atop 4 large boxes on a cart in the corner. I walked over and saw that it was the Highlander. Assuming that someone else had ordered it for in-store pick-up, I rushed to the front to trade places with Jason, so he could check out the quality.
Jason quickly returned, looked at me like I was crazy and wondered aloud how I had missed the price tag attached to the slide or the one attached to the cart itself (what can I say -- I was still flustered by the animal crackers hunt!). Then he told me that it was priced $200 less than online since there was no shipping required.
We immediately tracked down a manager and all paraded through the store to the back corner. Dave, the manager, confirmed that the Highlander was in fact for sale and he even took off another $90 just for the heck of it! Jason, Charlie and I were on cloud nine!
Fast forward six days to 8:30 AM Saturday morning and construction commenced. Despite the dire predictions on the website (14 to 43 hours!), Jason, Bob, Garrett and Chad finished the swingset in 12 working hours, even with Charlie's help throughout the process (thank goodness for Donna and Amanda!).
We truly couldn't be more thrilled with the new swingset, but throughout the weekend I realized that our original three requirements weren't the half of it. For the perfect swingset you actually need 19 things:
1 - The smallest possible footprint
2 - Swings
3 - A slide
4 - A picnic table
5 - Steps instead of ladders
6 - Beautiful weather
7 - A glider
8 - A telescope
9 - A steering wheel
10 - 308 pieces of wood (in 80 shapes and sizes) -- minus the three O3s without a home
11 - 1,884 pieces of hardware (in 34 shapes and sizes) -- minus the random few pieces left on the table
12 - 3 drills (with extra batteries)
13 - beer
14 - steak soup
15 - 4 dogs
16 - 12 free hours
17 - an incredibly GENEROUS and LOVING BaBa and PaPa
18 - the five BEST neighbors ever
19 - the MOST INCREDIBLE husband/daddy in the world
and let's not forget number 20, a fabulous and adorable one-year-old running around and getting in the way to remind everyone what it's all about (even when the very last step takes 10 times longer than expected because the silly spikes keep hitting rocks!).
This morning when I arrived home after dropping Charlie at school and admired the swingset towering over our backyard, I felt like the most blessed woman in the world. For a long time I thought that Jason and I would miss out on the opportunity to have a swingset, but after less than 48 hours, I can't picture our backyard without it, and after almost 20 months, I can't picture our lives without Charlie. God is so good!
Breaking down the boxes -- the fun way!
Here, Dad, let me get my screw driver
Working on the third floor
Showing Garrett how to use the ladder
Shooting the Rapids with Amanda
Need any help, Mr Bob?
First meal at the picnic table
Wake up, wake up -- look what's outside!
Daddy and Chad attaching the slide...almost done!
Mastering the climb
Fall Fun
Weekends are my favorite time! I know that's not exactly a unique or earth-sharttering assertion, but it's definitely top of mind. Both Jason and I had a hard time saying goodbye to Charlie this morning after an absolutely fantastic fall weekend.
We kicked off the fun with a trip to the West Farm corn maze on Friday evening with Bob and Donna. Almost as exciting as the attraction, itself, is the fact that there is something fun to do waaaay up at the Jedburg Exit!
Jason worked from home Friday afternoon, so we were able to head over right around 5:30. For $5 per adult, we spent over 3 hours playing, exploring, petting and laughing. It could have turned bad early, though. We made the mistake of letting Charlie play in the corn box first thing, and he didn't want to get out. The only thing that quieted his screaming (yes, screaming), was the opportunity to run "free" in the hay bale maze. He navigated it with only two wrong turns...I'm thinking he has his mom's sense of direction!
Next up, after the apple sling-shot, Charlie got to stick his hand in a goat's mouth...aka feed it. (I truly cannot imagine going to a petting zoo prior to the invention of hand sanitizer, and I consider myself fairly middle of the road when it comes to germ fears). Following the alternating adoration and fear of the goats, sheep, cow and chickens, we set off into the corn maze around 6:15 or 6:30.
Two hours, many, many, many wrong turns, string cheese, sunset and a short nap later, we exited the corn maze -- having punched our map at every single checkpoint, for which we earned a sticker, and some free food at Chili's -- not to mention the honor of being able to say we survived! In addition, the stellar F.S.I investigators that we are, we deduced that it was the pig, in the tree house, with the corn launcher!
The fun continued Saturday afternoon with the Toy Box daycare Fall Festival. Charlie got his first tattoo (a great big, hairy spider), went on a hayride with Raggedy Ann (aka Miss Jo-Jo), and ate a whole hotdog -- all during naptime, so Jason and I were quite impressed.
With everything else going on, Jason and I almost forgot about trick-or-treating Sunday night -- thank goodness Charlie had Chad to remind us. Our little "Charlie Brown" picked up the routine by the second house, and was a trick-or-treating allstar. We only hit houses of people we knew, realizing that most of the candy would end up around Jason's and my waistlines, not Charlie's, but that was plenty.
By the end of Scrapbook Lane, Charlie was walking back to the wagon after giving a very quiet, "man-man" (thank you), and climbing back in all by himself, urging mom and dad to "Go", while we chatted with neighbors. And by the end of Pavillion he was bidding farewell to each house with a "Happ-een" (Happy Halloween).
One pack of Smartees later and Charlie was circling the kitchen/dining/living room loop at 90 miles per hour, then bouncing off the front door...so much for the whole idea of a "sugar-high" being a myth. I can honestly say that this was my favorite Halloween ever!
And for Charlie's part, he learned two very important lessons this weekend: one, do not get lost in the dark with Bob, Donna, Mom and Dad...we are useless when the sun goes down; two, Halloween really is all about the candy.
We kicked off the fun with a trip to the West Farm corn maze on Friday evening with Bob and Donna. Almost as exciting as the attraction, itself, is the fact that there is something fun to do waaaay up at the Jedburg Exit!
Jason worked from home Friday afternoon, so we were able to head over right around 5:30. For $5 per adult, we spent over 3 hours playing, exploring, petting and laughing. It could have turned bad early, though. We made the mistake of letting Charlie play in the corn box first thing, and he didn't want to get out. The only thing that quieted his screaming (yes, screaming), was the opportunity to run "free" in the hay bale maze. He navigated it with only two wrong turns...I'm thinking he has his mom's sense of direction!
Next up, after the apple sling-shot, Charlie got to stick his hand in a goat's mouth...aka feed it. (I truly cannot imagine going to a petting zoo prior to the invention of hand sanitizer, and I consider myself fairly middle of the road when it comes to germ fears). Following the alternating adoration and fear of the goats, sheep, cow and chickens, we set off into the corn maze around 6:15 or 6:30.
Two hours, many, many, many wrong turns, string cheese, sunset and a short nap later, we exited the corn maze -- having punched our map at every single checkpoint, for which we earned a sticker, and some free food at Chili's -- not to mention the honor of being able to say we survived! In addition, the stellar F.S.I investigators that we are, we deduced that it was the pig, in the tree house, with the corn launcher!
The fun continued Saturday afternoon with the Toy Box daycare Fall Festival. Charlie got his first tattoo (a great big, hairy spider), went on a hayride with Raggedy Ann (aka Miss Jo-Jo), and ate a whole hotdog -- all during naptime, so Jason and I were quite impressed.
With everything else going on, Jason and I almost forgot about trick-or-treating Sunday night -- thank goodness Charlie had Chad to remind us. Our little "Charlie Brown" picked up the routine by the second house, and was a trick-or-treating allstar. We only hit houses of people we knew, realizing that most of the candy would end up around Jason's and my waistlines, not Charlie's, but that was plenty.
By the end of Scrapbook Lane, Charlie was walking back to the wagon after giving a very quiet, "man-man" (thank you), and climbing back in all by himself, urging mom and dad to "Go", while we chatted with neighbors. And by the end of Pavillion he was bidding farewell to each house with a "Happ-een" (Happy Halloween).
One pack of Smartees later and Charlie was circling the kitchen/dining/living room loop at 90 miles per hour, then bouncing off the front door...so much for the whole idea of a "sugar-high" being a myth. I can honestly say that this was my favorite Halloween ever!
And for Charlie's part, he learned two very important lessons this weekend: one, do not get lost in the dark with Bob, Donna, Mom and Dad...we are useless when the sun goes down; two, Halloween really is all about the candy.
Hayride
Happy Halloween!
Charlie Brown
Check it out, there's candy in here!
Sugar High!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Reunited and it feels so good!
Charlie greeted his long-distance girlfriend, Lakely, on Thursday with a warm "Hewow" then promptly stole her pink princess suitcase before giving her a ride in his wagon and showing her the gutter where he likes to play. Lakely, on the other hand, made sure that Charlie properly admired her bracelet and boots before accepting a ride. It was fabulous!
I don't think you could find a more "boy" boy or more "girl" girl if you tried. Breakfast was a perfect example. Charlie scarfed down 4 blueberry pancakes Saturday morning while Lakely took dainty bites to finish about 1 1/2.
In fact, mealtime was about the only thing Charlie and Lakely did together. They mainly played alongside each other all weekend -- when Charlie wasn't swiping whatever toy held Lakely's interest at the moment. I think that the only thing he willingly shared was a case of the sniffles, that unfortunately kept Lakely from attending the Reuber Halloween bash. Charlie and I were able to go for a bit -- spending the majority of the time beating up the zombies in the front yard --, and Lea made an appearance after we came home, but Lakely got some much needed beauty sleep, instead.
Despite some stuffy noses and a few tears, it was a fabulous weekend, and Jason and I can't wait for them to return (hopefully with Tony this time!). In fact, I'm convinced that in another year Charlie and Lakely will truly enjoy playing together, in another 7 years they will enjoy teasing each other and in 14 years we will just have to make sure they don't enjoy each other too much!
I don't think you could find a more "boy" boy or more "girl" girl if you tried. Breakfast was a perfect example. Charlie scarfed down 4 blueberry pancakes Saturday morning while Lakely took dainty bites to finish about 1 1/2.
In fact, mealtime was about the only thing Charlie and Lakely did together. They mainly played alongside each other all weekend -- when Charlie wasn't swiping whatever toy held Lakely's interest at the moment. I think that the only thing he willingly shared was a case of the sniffles, that unfortunately kept Lakely from attending the Reuber Halloween bash. Charlie and I were able to go for a bit -- spending the majority of the time beating up the zombies in the front yard --, and Lea made an appearance after we came home, but Lakely got some much needed beauty sleep, instead.
Despite some stuffy noses and a few tears, it was a fabulous weekend, and Jason and I can't wait for them to return (hopefully with Tony this time!). In fact, I'm convinced that in another year Charlie and Lakely will truly enjoy playing together, in another 7 years they will enjoy teasing each other and in 14 years we will just have to make sure they don't enjoy each other too much!
All aboard!
Mmmm...blueberry pancakes!
Did I drop this?
Spooky!
Getting a little sleepy...
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Picture Day!
Seeing as I completely forgot picture day back in June and sent Charlie to school sporting a cement truck emblazened onesie and clashing brown flip-flops, I pulled out all the stops this time.
We broke out part of his Christmas outfit (sshhh...don't tell!), hunted down some brown shoes to match his belt, tamed his hair with a bit of Daddy's Fiber and even accessorized with a spider man watch.
Completely unconvinced that he'd make it to his picture session unscathed (he arrives at school at 8:45 and pictures weren't until at least 9:00), I took some pre-shots at home just in case. Based on his condition at the end of the day, I'm optimistic about the official school shots, but we definitely got some fun ones at home, too.
Check out my boys!
We broke out part of his Christmas outfit (sshhh...don't tell!), hunted down some brown shoes to match his belt, tamed his hair with a bit of Daddy's Fiber and even accessorized with a spider man watch.
Completely unconvinced that he'd make it to his picture session unscathed (he arrives at school at 8:45 and pictures weren't until at least 9:00), I took some pre-shots at home just in case. Based on his condition at the end of the day, I'm optimistic about the official school shots, but we definitely got some fun ones at home, too.
Check out my boys!
Like father like son
The only thing as cool as his wagon is worms
Work, work, work...
My little heart throb
Guy Talk
*Sigh*
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
"Those" Parents (again...)
Had an outsider been looking in on our household this weekend, Jason and I might have some explaining to do...
It started off innocently enough. We all went to Chris, Sophie and Calvin's for dinner, where Charlie and Calvin played, all six of us shared a yummy (albeit somewhat messy) dinner, and Charlie even went down to sleep in his pack-n-play at a somewhat reasonable hour, and transitioned just fine to bed when we got home. Textbook parenting...
Saturday was a bit of a different story, though. We kicked off the day by dressing Charlie up in a Halloween costume over 2 weeks before Halloween and letting him play with our classy new yard art:
Next, to avoid the risk of popsicle stains on his clothes, we stripped Charlie down to his diaper and allowed him to run around the neighborhood:
Then we stood by and took pictures while our 19 month old son played Evel Knievel on his bike:
Later, we dressed him up in a garnet leisure suit and paraded him around the neighborhood for our friends, showing off how we'd taught him to say "GoooOOO Chickens!"
To send the weekend out in style, on Sunday afternoon we presented him with a 30+ year old wagon from the attic, that is almost guaranteed to be covered in lead-based paint (which is chipping off by the way):
What can I say? We had an absolutely fabulous family weekend, and if nothing else, I learned a valuable lesson about judging other parents...no matter what I see them doing at Publix, driving down the highway or on America's Funniest Home Videos.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
New... York... CITY!
Well, this is my first second-hand post. Charlie had an absolutely outstanding long weekend with his BaBa in town, while I was gallavanting around New York City with Jana, Kelley and Tracey.
We girls spent the four days eating, drinking, laughing, walking, talking, watching Broadway shows and watching New Yorkers. It was a great time, but I have to admit that I missed my boys very much and wished I could have also been a part of their fabulous fall weekend with BaBa.
Based on the fabulous text messages, phone calls and picture texts I received in NYC, along with the photos and stories shared with me upon my return, Charlie, Daddy and BaBa had very little downtime this weekend. They enjoyed wonderful dinners (Mustard Seed, Taco Boy & Sushi!), multiple parks (even after dark), Charlie's first trip to the pumpkin patch, a haunted hayride and a sunset cruise, not to mention all sorts of smiles, hugs, laughs and kisses.
Other highlights of the weekend include finally starting to say his own name with regularity. In fact, Tuesday morning I pointed at a picture and asked who it was, and rather than grinning slyly at me, Charlie immediately said, "Char-char!" I was so proud. Also, BaBa and Charlie did some geography cramming and if you say, "New York" he chimes in with "CITY!" -- even if he overhears it from the other room. I couldn't have hoped for a better weekend for my boys. Thank you, Debbie!
Despite all of the adventures at home and away this weekend, I have to admit that my very favorite moment came Monday evening when I gave Charlie his souvenir. Amazingly enough, there are street vendors in NYC who sell school buses. Even more amazing is the fact, that the second I saw it, I knew it was the perfect souvenir for Charlie. His shout of "Bus!" when I gave it to him in the car, along with his insistence upon playing with it, carrying it to school, keeping it in his sights at all times and pointing at it and saying "Char-char" put me over the moon.
I had no idea how exciting it would be to have him fall head over heels with something I picked out for him. It may be one of my best "mom moments" so far...I know that we have home runs and report cards and graduations, a wedding and grandkids to look forward to, but I think I will always cherish the first time I found him the perfect gift.
Late night fun at the park...in his spooky ghost t-shirt
Vroom-vroom!
Uh-oh...captured at last
Wooh! This pumpkin hunting is hard work
Ahoy, matey!
The good life
Baba caught me!
Kind of sour...
My very own school bus!
Jana, Mommy, Tracey & Kelley off to Mama Mia
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
What girl in her right mind would be semi-dreading a fun-filled trip to NYC with 3 girlfriends for shopping, shows, food and fun? Only a crazy one.
Well, call me crazy. In approximately 27 1/2 hours I am leaving for my first girls' trip in over four years in one of the most fabulous cities in the world with three of the greatest girls I know -- and Jason has told me not to worry about money! I should be on cloud nine, and 99% of me is, but that one little percent is far from it...that one little percent is sad and confused and worried and scared...
I am going to miss 4 whole days of Charlie's life. I know it sounds insane and controlling and downright nuts, but as much as I want to go, I hate the idea of missing a weekend with him.
To be clear, I am not the slightest bit concerned about Charlie's safety, welfare, health or enjoyment of the weekend. BaBa will be arriving at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon and Charlie will have four straight days filled with laughter, love, hugs, crafts and fun with BaBa and Daddy. Having no doubt that he will have an absolutely fabulous weekend, I'm not worried about him...I'm worried about me.
What do I do when I wake up at 6:45 and no one needs a clean diaper or wants to go wander around the common area splashing in sprinkler puddles and pointing at birds? Is it possible to go 96 hours without folding laundry? How do I know it's lunchtime if no on runs into the kitchen at full speed and barrels into the refrigerator? What if I miss a new word or new owie or new favorite toy or new skill (like this morning when he helped take out the trash!)? What if Charlie misses me? What if Charlie doesn't miss me?
Well, I have a 4-pronged strategy to ensure that I survive and that I don't ruin the weekend for all of us:
Well, call me crazy. In approximately 27 1/2 hours I am leaving for my first girls' trip in over four years in one of the most fabulous cities in the world with three of the greatest girls I know -- and Jason has told me not to worry about money! I should be on cloud nine, and 99% of me is, but that one little percent is far from it...that one little percent is sad and confused and worried and scared...
I am going to miss 4 whole days of Charlie's life. I know it sounds insane and controlling and downright nuts, but as much as I want to go, I hate the idea of missing a weekend with him.
To be clear, I am not the slightest bit concerned about Charlie's safety, welfare, health or enjoyment of the weekend. BaBa will be arriving at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon and Charlie will have four straight days filled with laughter, love, hugs, crafts and fun with BaBa and Daddy. Having no doubt that he will have an absolutely fabulous weekend, I'm not worried about him...I'm worried about me.
What do I do when I wake up at 6:45 and no one needs a clean diaper or wants to go wander around the common area splashing in sprinkler puddles and pointing at birds? Is it possible to go 96 hours without folding laundry? How do I know it's lunchtime if no on runs into the kitchen at full speed and barrels into the refrigerator? What if I miss a new word or new owie or new favorite toy or new skill (like this morning when he helped take out the trash!)? What if Charlie misses me? What if Charlie doesn't miss me?
Well, I have a 4-pronged strategy to ensure that I survive and that I don't ruin the weekend for all of us:
- I'm bringing my sneakers to hit the exercise room when I wake up long before my saner friends.
- I'm planning to beg hugs off Kelley, Tracey and Jana to overcome the inevitable separation anxiety I will start to feel as soon as I've gone 6 straight hours without anyone hanging on me
- I'm leaving plenty of room in my suitcase for random, ridiculous and expensive souvenirs
- I'm allowing myself to order champagne with any meal during which I feel blue
Monday, October 4, 2010
Special Guest
We had a special guest this weekend. Cousin Tyler sent Flat Stanley to explore South Carolina and spend some time with Charlie, so we tried to show him a good time.
Friday night we took him to Wasabi, the japanese steakhouse, with our neighbors Bob & Donna.
Overall, we had a blast with Flat Stanley this weekend and are going to be sorry to see him head back to Kansas City, but hopefully next time he visits he'll bring cousins Tyler and Elizabeth with him!
Friday night we took him to Wasabi, the japanese steakhouse, with our neighbors Bob & Donna.
Saturday morning Stanley came along to Sports Clips for a haircut...
Then Saturday afternoon, we all hit the water for a harbor cruise with Garrett & Amanda.
Stanley even got to see the USS Yorktown.
It got chilly, though, so Stanley cuddled up in Mom's purse when Charlie and Miss Amanda put their jackets on and played peek-a-boo into the wee hours (past 9:00!)
Finally, we just spent a quiet Sunday afternoon around the house, enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Update...
Just back from the pediatrician...again...
Daycare called around 11:15 to say that Charlie's rash was worse. I missed the call, though, and when I called back at 12:15 he was already down for nap. I rushed around to get everything done and was very unsurprised when they called back around 1:15. Charlie had just woken up and his rash was raised and very red...so off I went in yoga pants...to daycare...then to the pediatrician...in yoga pants. While I am proud to say that I do not have the tush I had (or even half the tush I had) when I was 9 months pregnant, I still in no way, shape or form have a tush that should be seen in public in yoga pants. But I guess that's motherhood.
Back to Charlie...the pediatrician's office had called when I was in picking him up from daycare, so I called back to get his results from the strep test. It isn't "common strep", which causes strep throat, but strep bacteria did grow...so... yeah? Anyway, the doctor recommended that he stay on his antibiotic, and when I asked if it could be causing the rash, which has definitely become worse since he started the new one on Friday, she asked us to come in.
So, after 4 trips to and from the car in pouring rain (approximately 1 hour after I had blown my hair dry) and an hour in the waiting room with a very bored, very active Charlie (all the while wearing yoga pants in public!), we saw Dr. Tripp. Thankfully, she does not appear to think I'm crazy, and even more important, believes that the rash is just part of the whatever virus Charlie has. She even wrote him a note to go back to school tomorrow, since he doesn't even seem to notice the rash and she's certain it isn't contagious.
So, I guess the lessons of the day are:
1 - Never wash all of your jeans at the same time
2 - Never blow your hair dry on a rainy day
3 - If you're really not crazy, the doctor won't think you are
And the best news of all? I don't have to make dinner! We're headed out with our neighbors John & Trish. Woohoo!
Daycare called around 11:15 to say that Charlie's rash was worse. I missed the call, though, and when I called back at 12:15 he was already down for nap. I rushed around to get everything done and was very unsurprised when they called back around 1:15. Charlie had just woken up and his rash was raised and very red...so off I went in yoga pants...to daycare...then to the pediatrician...in yoga pants. While I am proud to say that I do not have the tush I had (or even half the tush I had) when I was 9 months pregnant, I still in no way, shape or form have a tush that should be seen in public in yoga pants. But I guess that's motherhood.
Back to Charlie...the pediatrician's office had called when I was in picking him up from daycare, so I called back to get his results from the strep test. It isn't "common strep", which causes strep throat, but strep bacteria did grow...so... yeah? Anyway, the doctor recommended that he stay on his antibiotic, and when I asked if it could be causing the rash, which has definitely become worse since he started the new one on Friday, she asked us to come in.
So, after 4 trips to and from the car in pouring rain (approximately 1 hour after I had blown my hair dry) and an hour in the waiting room with a very bored, very active Charlie (all the while wearing yoga pants in public!), we saw Dr. Tripp. Thankfully, she does not appear to think I'm crazy, and even more important, believes that the rash is just part of the whatever virus Charlie has. She even wrote him a note to go back to school tomorrow, since he doesn't even seem to notice the rash and she's certain it isn't contagious.
So, I guess the lessons of the day are:
1 - Never wash all of your jeans at the same time
2 - Never blow your hair dry on a rainy day
3 - If you're really not crazy, the doctor won't think you are
And the best news of all? I don't have to make dinner! We're headed out with our neighbors John & Trish. Woohoo!
He's baaack....
Yeah! Charlie's back and the lethargic, crabby, hollow-eyed baby is gone! We couldn't be more thrilled.
After three days of sleeping, fussing and refusing to eat, a second trip to the doctor and a second round of antibiotics (that apparently don't taste as good as amoxicillin), it might have been strep. The test was so faint though, that they had to send it to the lab Friday afternoon and the results won't be back until today.
It is not, however, diabetic ketoacidocis... You see, Thursday and Friday Charlie's breath smelled strongly of rubbing alchohol, and since he was still extremely lethargic, I thought I should look it up online and see if I could find any hints as to what he might have and whether or not he needed to return to the doctor. Well, according to all of the perfectly reliable internet sites I found, breath smelling of rubbing alcohol can be caused by one of two things: 1 - ingesting rubbing alcohol, 2 - diabetic ketoacidosis.
The latter is accompanied by lethargy (Charlie had been napping 4 to 6 hours per day and then sleeping all night -- and this is the kid who barely gets in a 2 hour nap!), loss of appetite (by lunchtime Friday he'd only had half a Dora yogurt!), and severe dehydration (huh? not sure...but probably not).
So, I called the doctor, related his symptoms and asked if I should come in...all the while picturing weeks, months and years of doctors and procedures and special diets, etc. Since he was so lethargic, they did recommend that I bring him back in, and of course, he perked right up in the waiting room, playing, laughing at the fish and trying to escape to the "well kids" side, terrifying a mother of a small baby.
Since Dr. Tripp is so great, she didn't even laugh at me once we made it to the exam room, but assured me that a child with DK would not be flirting with her, throwing goldfish or reveling in the I Spy books. She did however do the strep test, which came back "inconclusive".
Saturday morning was still a bit iffy, but by Saturday afternoon we saw sparks of our Charlie. He and I took Otis for a walk to the swings, where he insisted that I swing along side of him, and he actually ate some dinner, before topping off the day by feeding the fish with Bob.
Unfortunately for Charlie, he missed out on our guest Saturday evening. A boy in the neighborhood found a Boston Terrier running loose and immediately brought it to our house (shocker!). Amazingly enough it wasn't Otis, but within an hour we'd named the new dog Luis, and he and Otis were leaping furniture and wrestling on the living room floor. Knowing how terrified I would be if Otis were missing, I posted a note on our neighborhood Facebook page, and Luis' real owners came racing up to the door less than an hour later. Apparently Luis (aka Mercutio) had made a run for it right after dinner. Alas, no second dog for us... Otis is still pouting.
Uncomfortable with taking Charlie to the nursery after just 3 doses of the new antibiotic, we all stayed home from church yesterday, but celebrated the return of our ornery little monster with blueberry and banana pancakes, and a full day of Daddy time. By bedtime Jason and I were both exhausted -- apparently Charlie needed to make up for all of the rest he'd gotten over the last few days with constant activity.
After three days of sleeping, fussing and refusing to eat, a second trip to the doctor and a second round of antibiotics (that apparently don't taste as good as amoxicillin), it might have been strep. The test was so faint though, that they had to send it to the lab Friday afternoon and the results won't be back until today.
It is not, however, diabetic ketoacidocis... You see, Thursday and Friday Charlie's breath smelled strongly of rubbing alchohol, and since he was still extremely lethargic, I thought I should look it up online and see if I could find any hints as to what he might have and whether or not he needed to return to the doctor. Well, according to all of the perfectly reliable internet sites I found, breath smelling of rubbing alcohol can be caused by one of two things: 1 - ingesting rubbing alcohol, 2 - diabetic ketoacidosis.
The latter is accompanied by lethargy (Charlie had been napping 4 to 6 hours per day and then sleeping all night -- and this is the kid who barely gets in a 2 hour nap!), loss of appetite (by lunchtime Friday he'd only had half a Dora yogurt!), and severe dehydration (huh? not sure...but probably not).
So, I called the doctor, related his symptoms and asked if I should come in...all the while picturing weeks, months and years of doctors and procedures and special diets, etc. Since he was so lethargic, they did recommend that I bring him back in, and of course, he perked right up in the waiting room, playing, laughing at the fish and trying to escape to the "well kids" side, terrifying a mother of a small baby.
Since Dr. Tripp is so great, she didn't even laugh at me once we made it to the exam room, but assured me that a child with DK would not be flirting with her, throwing goldfish or reveling in the I Spy books. She did however do the strep test, which came back "inconclusive".
Saturday morning was still a bit iffy, but by Saturday afternoon we saw sparks of our Charlie. He and I took Otis for a walk to the swings, where he insisted that I swing along side of him, and he actually ate some dinner, before topping off the day by feeding the fish with Bob.
Unfortunately for Charlie, he missed out on our guest Saturday evening. A boy in the neighborhood found a Boston Terrier running loose and immediately brought it to our house (shocker!). Amazingly enough it wasn't Otis, but within an hour we'd named the new dog Luis, and he and Otis were leaping furniture and wrestling on the living room floor. Knowing how terrified I would be if Otis were missing, I posted a note on our neighborhood Facebook page, and Luis' real owners came racing up to the door less than an hour later. Apparently Luis (aka Mercutio) had made a run for it right after dinner. Alas, no second dog for us... Otis is still pouting.
Uncomfortable with taking Charlie to the nursery after just 3 doses of the new antibiotic, we all stayed home from church yesterday, but celebrated the return of our ornery little monster with blueberry and banana pancakes, and a full day of Daddy time. By bedtime Jason and I were both exhausted -- apparently Charlie needed to make up for all of the rest he'd gotten over the last few days with constant activity.
Helping Mom while home sick
First Milkshake as a reward for being such a trouper at the Doctor
Back in dancing form
You're in my spot!
So lonely...
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