Today Henry and I went to the library to get new books. I usually check out 5 or 6 at a time and then we read them each, at least 2 or 3X's a day for several weeks before turning them back in. I am rarely sad to see them go so this is an exciting outing for both of us. On our way out Henry decided he wanted to sit on the bench outside and watch the delivery driver load books into the van in front of us. It was all very fascinating and then I started feeling some heavy duty kicking from Eleanor. I tried to shift around to get comfortable but she was really stretching her legs. I told Henry and he put his hand on my belly and about 2 seconds later she delivered a kick right into his hand. He immediately squealed with excitement, "Baby sister kicked me!". It was a moment.
We then went over to HEB and bought stuff to make cookies. Came home, had lunch with dad, jumped off the couch into some pillows a few thousand times and then we both went down for our nap. When we woke up around 2:00 we made the peanut butter cookies. Henry was very helpful, as always. He sat in my lap (what's left of it) on the rug, in front of the oven, so we could watch the cookies expand. Then we ate, drank some milk and went outside to endure day 60 of triple digit temperatures. We first painted the driveway, then a piece of wood, then the wagon. The we went for a ride in the wagon around the block. Then we watered the tree, the first time in my life I have ever done such a thing. It's probably a 50 year old tree but since it's only rained a few times this summer we have reason to worry. (As a side note, it has rained in Dallas and they are on average 8-10 degrees cooler than we are. Austin is really getting it bad this summer). Henry got soaking wet, daddy came home, we played monster trucks, made dinner, ate dinner, I left to go run a postpartum support group that no one shows up to (it's not my group, I'm just subbing so I don't take it personally) and then I came home and kissed the sweet little boy goodnight.
One comment about Henry's personality. He is not temperamental or very emotional and seems to take most things in stride, but damn is he bossy. He is constantly directing us--where to stand, what to do, how to do it. I don't usually mind but by this afternoon I felt like "Hey, wait a minute." I was sweeping the driveway and he wanted me to stop and sit down and paint and he was all, "Stop it mama, stop it. No sir!" Yes, he has started saying, "No sir!" to Kitty when he jumps on the table, and it makes us laugh like crazy but when I start getting it, hmmm...not so funny. Then later he was watering the garden and basically making mud puddles and not getting anywhere near the plants so I took the hose back from him and he said, "I want my dad" in this most pathetic way. He might as well have had a pouty lip. Justin says he does this when he gets his hair washed. He says, "I want my mom" in this horrible awful heart breaking way.
I was wondering lately where Henry gets all this bossiness from and sayings like "Stop it!" when we ourselves do not speak to him this way. And then it occurred to me. KITTY. Our conscientious parenting does not extend to the cat. He frequently is called a jerk (b/c he is one) and Kitty does not get his feelings identified, nor is his behavior positively reinforced, or redirected. He just gets ignored (by me), or "Damn it Kitty. Get off the table!" by all of us. But, you can not blame us. He still wakes Justin up at least 2 times a night to be fed--he's worse than a baby.
We're going to try out MyGym tomorrow. Hopefully it will be less bizarre than Gymboree.
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