Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
First dog show with grandma...
Justin's mom is a breeder/groomer/dog show-er. She breeds and shows chihuahua's. She was in town this weekend for a show and she entered Henry and her dog Poppy into the costume contest. They won. Henry kissed his trophy when he got it. Henry will be talking about this one for a loooooooong time.[slideshow]
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Kitty contd...
I went to talk to some of the neighbors this evening to see if any of them had seen Kitty. Our cat was very well known on the block because he's so friendly and will go into anyone's house. The next door neighbors let him in , the neighbor across the street let him in, etc. He's also extrememly large so he was pretty noticeable. Anyway, the next door neighbors are ridiculously nice. It's three guys who are filmmakers and they work from home. They are in their mid 20's (I feel so geriatric around them) and are just so so kind and friendly. The neighbor James told us that yesterday they saw Kitty get chased by two large dogs and he ran into our backyard and climbed about ten feet up a tree. He was stuck there so they went to get a ladder but he fell (landed on his paws) and then he ran under their house (a favorite spot of his). Justin and James spent about an hour searching under there tonight but no luck.
We told Henry. He is sad but of course doesn't really get the seriousness of it--that he will probably never see Kitty again. He was so sweet with that cat. He loved him dearly. He always always mentioned Kitty as a member of the family. He talked about his cat at school. He was so cute ordering Kitty around like Justin and I and he was also so nurturing and would lay down with him and cuddle on the floor--give him kisses. I want to write more about Kitty and my memories but right now I'm just too sad.
We told Henry. He is sad but of course doesn't really get the seriousness of it--that he will probably never see Kitty again. He was so sweet with that cat. He loved him dearly. He always always mentioned Kitty as a member of the family. He talked about his cat at school. He was so cute ordering Kitty around like Justin and I and he was also so nurturing and would lay down with him and cuddle on the floor--give him kisses. I want to write more about Kitty and my memories but right now I'm just too sad.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Happier Daddy Time
H and E were very content to do their own thing tonight while I was making dinner. It was so quiet at one point, I went to see what horrendous scene was just beginning or just ending....and found this.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
But I just saw her...
Last month a mother I know died. She had stage IV breast cancer. She discovered this when her daugher Nella, who goes to Henry's school, was 9 months old and she was still nursing. Her oldest daughter is in the 4-5 year old class and Nella is in the 2-3 year old class, so Henry knows them both. We went to her birthday party 2 weekends ago--her mom died on Sept 20th. I was sitting next to Nella when she blew out her candles and I got choked up because I was so sad her mom was missing it. I also wanted to scoop her up and cuddle with her because if I died and left babies behind I would want some other mother to love on my kids.
As soon as I found out Adelea died I could not stop saying over and over, "But I just saw her." I JUST saw her. She would often drop off her kids (late) at the same time I did, and we would chat in the breezeway, joking about what slacker-moms we were, always being late. I remember her telling me about living in Germany and I remember her telling me about her part time job that paid nothing but maintained her sanity (sounded familiar). She had huge dimples and the bluest eyes I've ever seen and she was always smiling. I know people do that when someone dies--they bring up these amazing things about the person and they go on and on about it, but I would have said those things before her death. I didn't even know she was dying. She looked so good. Tan, carefree, YOUNG. She was only 32. Her death must have come very quickly b/c she was still dropping off her kids the week or so beforehand. She was bald, but I figured she was just cool like that. Her hair was always shaved very short so I thought nothing off it when it was suddenly bald--(it's Austin).
I wanted to attend her funeral but I couldn't do it. I had Eleanor with me and I would have been a sobbing mess. The family requested donations be made in her honor to Henry's school. They are building a separate playground for the 2 year olds and dedicating it to Adelea. Right now the dad and children are being surrounded by love and support. I plan to make myself useful at some point to this family who does not really know me and in the interim, I will steal looks at those two beautiful babies flanking Henry's classroom and hope they are doing alright.
As soon as I found out Adelea died I could not stop saying over and over, "But I just saw her." I JUST saw her. She would often drop off her kids (late) at the same time I did, and we would chat in the breezeway, joking about what slacker-moms we were, always being late. I remember her telling me about living in Germany and I remember her telling me about her part time job that paid nothing but maintained her sanity (sounded familiar). She had huge dimples and the bluest eyes I've ever seen and she was always smiling. I know people do that when someone dies--they bring up these amazing things about the person and they go on and on about it, but I would have said those things before her death. I didn't even know she was dying. She looked so good. Tan, carefree, YOUNG. She was only 32. Her death must have come very quickly b/c she was still dropping off her kids the week or so beforehand. She was bald, but I figured she was just cool like that. Her hair was always shaved very short so I thought nothing off it when it was suddenly bald--(it's Austin).
I wanted to attend her funeral but I couldn't do it. I had Eleanor with me and I would have been a sobbing mess. The family requested donations be made in her honor to Henry's school. They are building a separate playground for the 2 year olds and dedicating it to Adelea. Right now the dad and children are being surrounded by love and support. I plan to make myself useful at some point to this family who does not really know me and in the interim, I will steal looks at those two beautiful babies flanking Henry's classroom and hope they are doing alright.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
First tooth!!!! 11 months old today!!!
Our blog is undergoing some changes so stay tuned for more pics. But Eleanor got her first tooth!! She was so fussy on Thursday and now I feel terrible for not recognizing the signs. In hindsight it's obvious she was teething but by now I stopped even suspecting teeth. Her sleep was not off (in fact she slept ever longer than usual--13 hours last night with an hour and a half morning nap and a two hour afternoon nap). She's been really packing it in with sleep this past week--maybe she was in pain and just wanted to tune out? My sleep books say teething does not affect sleep --and it never seemed to with Henry.
Eleanor pulled herself up on the train table today, which is not an easy thing to do. She's also doing this caveman bear crawl thing because she wants to stand up and walk so badly but she can't yet so she stands up with her arms on the ground still. It's hilarious. As for regular crawling she's getting smoother and faster everyday.
I took Henry to a Halloween Howl last night at The Austin Nature Center. We met up with his friend Moses and they had a great time tackling each other in the dino (sand) pit and sharing the flashlight. They roasted marshmallows and played in green slime. Henry pet his first snake and a hissing cockroach. On the drive home he was really fascinated by the Austin skyline, "Mom, look! The CITY!" The moon was almost full. I can count on one hand how many times Henry has seen outside in the dark so he was VERY excited by all the lights.
This afternoon we went to Mayfield Park and Jack Black was there with his family. He looked absolutely ridiculous and at first I did not know it was him and really wanted Henry nowhere near him. Once I realized who it was I just wanted to ignore him. I'm terrified of being an idiot fan. I once met Henry Thomas at a bar (the guy who played Elliot in E.T) and my friend insisted I talk to him and finally I did (I was 23 at the time) and he was happily talking to me but I said, "Well, I won't keep you from your friends." and he said, "No, it's fine. My friends don't mind". But I spun my bar stool back around while he probably sat there starring at the back of my head thinking, "What a weirdo" and walked away.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
More Polaroids
Eleanor and I have been going on a lot of walks in the wagon now that it is perpetually between 70-80 degrees every night...and we often go by this very cute, well-maintained house just down the street from us. Last night, the woman who lives there and two guests (her daughters?) were on the front lawn when we went by...and E was charming them up pretty good. When we turned around and came back, the older woman came dashing across her lawn with the hat seen below in her hands. She puts it on E's head, which Eleanor would usually immediately rip off but never did, and the "awwwww"s really start flowing. Ms. Neely has lived in that house since 1968. She makes these caps for the cancer patients at Dell Children's Hospital also just down the street.
I see a lot of kids with ADHD...
...at my work. One of the first things I ask about is sleep. I've done so much research about sleep that I feel something akin to fundamentalist Christians--dying to get the word out. Most parents do not realize the role of sleep in behavioral health problems and learning disabilities. If I get a kid in my office who is bouncing off the walls and yet is taking stimulant medication for ADHD, I know a sleep disturbance could be lurking.
I had a dad in my office two weeks ago who was presenting depressive symptoms and I (as always) asked about sleep. He told me he sleeps about 4-6 hours a night. I asked how long that had been going on and he said as long as he could remember. He said, with some amount of pride, he didn't need to sleep as much as others. I begged to differ and listed all the ways in which he was functioning poorly (unemployed, hx of relationship problems, multiple health problems, chronic depression and hospitalizations, etc.). Because of a lack of appreciation for the body's need for sleep, he was not concerned about his 6 year old only getting about eight hours a night (he needs 3-4 more hours than that). The child was a mess. Presenting all sorts of scary symptoms. The dad wanted a psychiatric eval so his kid could get meds. Now, I am not a hand-holding therapist with parents. Sometimes the situation calls for that but for the most part, mental health problems in very young children are typically related to the parenting (not always!!!!!) but typically. And I can narrow that further and say parenting related to diet and sleep. I tell parents, "You wouldn't deprive your child of food, so why do you deprive them of sleep? It's just as important."
Anyone who knows me knows how much of a big deal I've made sleep for my kids. It is not convenient to be home-bound for naps or for early bedtimes, believe me. But the work I did researching sleep back when Henry was a baby and such a terrible sleeper, scared me enough to make it a parenting responsibility on par with feeding, exercising, educating and hugging and kissing my children.
So love and feed your kids. Sleep your kids, too.
Anyway, here's what led me to post this--now back to the usual programming.
Chervin's work isn't the only research to indicate that early sleep disturbances are related to long-term psychological problems.
Researchers have determined that a preschool boy with sleep problems is more than twice as likely to use alcohol and drugs and to smoke by the age of 14. He's more likely to be a bully in middle school and more depressed during high school. And he's also more likely suffer from anxiety in his 20s.
I had a dad in my office two weeks ago who was presenting depressive symptoms and I (as always) asked about sleep. He told me he sleeps about 4-6 hours a night. I asked how long that had been going on and he said as long as he could remember. He said, with some amount of pride, he didn't need to sleep as much as others. I begged to differ and listed all the ways in which he was functioning poorly (unemployed, hx of relationship problems, multiple health problems, chronic depression and hospitalizations, etc.). Because of a lack of appreciation for the body's need for sleep, he was not concerned about his 6 year old only getting about eight hours a night (he needs 3-4 more hours than that). The child was a mess. Presenting all sorts of scary symptoms. The dad wanted a psychiatric eval so his kid could get meds. Now, I am not a hand-holding therapist with parents. Sometimes the situation calls for that but for the most part, mental health problems in very young children are typically related to the parenting (not always!!!!!) but typically. And I can narrow that further and say parenting related to diet and sleep. I tell parents, "You wouldn't deprive your child of food, so why do you deprive them of sleep? It's just as important."
Anyone who knows me knows how much of a big deal I've made sleep for my kids. It is not convenient to be home-bound for naps or for early bedtimes, believe me. But the work I did researching sleep back when Henry was a baby and such a terrible sleeper, scared me enough to make it a parenting responsibility on par with feeding, exercising, educating and hugging and kissing my children.
So love and feed your kids. Sleep your kids, too.
Anyway, here's what led me to post this--now back to the usual programming.
Chervin's work isn't the only research to indicate that early sleep disturbances are related to long-term psychological problems.
Researchers have determined that a preschool boy with sleep problems is more than twice as likely to use alcohol and drugs and to smoke by the age of 14. He's more likely to be a bully in middle school and more depressed during high school. And he's also more likely suffer from anxiety in his 20s.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
And we have liftoff...
She's crawling! She's crawling!!! I saw her do it last night in the bath tub and I realized she didn't want to scootch (army crawl) like she normally does because, obviously, she would go under water. So she could do it if she wanted. I decided this morning I was going to see what would happen if I put my hand under her tummy when she went on fours, and not let her lay flat. So I did that and it worked and then I removed my hand and she stayed up and continued crawling. We were outside in the grass and the "thing" that motivated her to move was a pecan (in it's shell).
When we went inside she was not as happy about crawling on the carpet so I enticed her with one of Henry's Earth's Best Grover bars. She really really wanted it and screamed like a maniac for me to get it for her but I didn't budge. I brought it closer to her and then as she got closer to it I would pull it out of reach (how my mom taught me to swim) and we did this all the way across the room!
The teachers at her school were so excited when I told them. The lead teacher said, "Everyone at GS has been waiting for her to crawl". I know that sounds bad but it was not said offensively. They were very excited and happy for her. Justin told Henry on the way to pick E up that she was crawling and even he was excited. "Oh that's good. I'm so proud of her." And, "Mom's going to be so proud of her!" was what he said when they got home and he saw her do it.
I'm so proud of her!
And..she is saying "uh-oh" correctly! (She's been saying uh-uh when she or anyone else drops something but as of today she figured out the "oh").
She is also standing on her own for a few seconds at a time now, just like how Henry did at 10 months.
And as of today she needs two hair clips. One for each side.
My baby is growing up.
When we went inside she was not as happy about crawling on the carpet so I enticed her with one of Henry's Earth's Best Grover bars. She really really wanted it and screamed like a maniac for me to get it for her but I didn't budge. I brought it closer to her and then as she got closer to it I would pull it out of reach (how my mom taught me to swim) and we did this all the way across the room!
The teachers at her school were so excited when I told them. The lead teacher said, "Everyone at GS has been waiting for her to crawl". I know that sounds bad but it was not said offensively. They were very excited and happy for her. Justin told Henry on the way to pick E up that she was crawling and even he was excited. "Oh that's good. I'm so proud of her." And, "Mom's going to be so proud of her!" was what he said when they got home and he saw her do it.
I'm so proud of her!
And..she is saying "uh-oh" correctly! (She's been saying uh-uh when she or anyone else drops something but as of today she figured out the "oh").
She is also standing on her own for a few seconds at a time now, just like how Henry did at 10 months.
And as of today she needs two hair clips. One for each side.
My baby is growing up.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Sibs...
This morning Henry was telling me how his name was Henry but I call him Bear. Then he said Eleanor's name was Eleanor but she didn't have a special name from mommy. I said maybe we should give her one and he said sure. I asked him what we should call her and he said, "Roast beef." ??????!
He wanted her near him all morning. He was in the laundry basket so I had to put her in there too. They were laughing at each other and being so sweet and funny. He RUNS to comfort her anytime she's upset. Today he said, "Eleanor is a little bit sad in that eye. I will make her feel better." And he started jumping up and down until she began laughing.
She's in love with his lovie-sheet now. He let her hold it in the car on the way to school. That's a BIG deal.
He wanted her near him all morning. He was in the laundry basket so I had to put her in there too. They were laughing at each other and being so sweet and funny. He RUNS to comfort her anytime she's upset. Today he said, "Eleanor is a little bit sad in that eye. I will make her feel better." And he started jumping up and down until she began laughing.
She's in love with his lovie-sheet now. He let her hold it in the car on the way to school. That's a BIG deal.
Old...
We have a serious back-log of photos so I'm trying to catch up. These were taken about 8 weeks ago.
Sibs...
This morning Henry was telling me how his name was Henry but I call him Bear. Then he said Eleanor's name was Eleanor but she didn't have a special name from mommy. I said maybe we should give her one and he said sure. I asked him what we should call her and he said, "Roast beef." ??????!
He wanted her near him all morning. He was in the laundry basket so I had to put her in there too. They were laughing at each other and being so sweet and funny. He RUNS to comfort her anytime she's upset. Today he said, "Eleanor is a little bit sad in that eye. I will make her feel better." And he started jumping up and down until she began laughing.
She's in love with his lovie-sheet now. He let her hold it in the car on the way to school. That's a BIG deal.
He wanted her near him all morning. He was in the laundry basket so I had to put her in there too. They were laughing at each other and being so sweet and funny. He RUNS to comfort her anytime she's upset. Today he said, "Eleanor is a little bit sad in that eye. I will make her feel better." And he started jumping up and down until she began laughing.
She's in love with his lovie-sheet now. He let her hold it in the car on the way to school. That's a BIG deal.
Old...
We have a serious back-log of photos so I'm trying to catch up. These were taken about 8 weeks ago.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Lunches...
Above: I make these 3 nights a week. Four for him, four for her. Below: Staples of her diet.
Pictures!
My friend from HS was in town and came by and brought her beautiful daughter Kennedy. Eleanor was curious.
Leo and Joe came over for a visit and the boys took turns pushing baby Joe in the swing.
Batman love.Camping...
...as close as Henry has come to it anyway. After spending all week talking about it, we "camped" in the back yard on Saturday night. Diane and Henry went to the library and birthday present shopping in the morning and Eleanor was asleep, so I pitched the tent and dug what is sure to be an illegal backyard fire pit. For the rest of the afternoon, Henry kept running back to see if 'the fire was on yet.' After nap, they went to get marshmallows and a new flashlight. And then... just as soon as we could get Eleanor to sleep, we were off to whatever wild adventures awaited us five feet from our back door.
Henry actually did really well about not getting too close to the fire. We talked a lot about how bad it would be to burn our hands...and it worked. He decided he would rather not burn his hands and stayed away. It didn't stop him from throwing every stick he could find into it all night, but I couldn't blame him. I always wanted to (and still do, obviously).
Then we roasted marshmallows, which he ate about half of one before losing interest. Then he and Diane got into the tent and read his new library books by flashlight. Then he and
I got our pillows and our sleeping bags and got ready for bed. He told his usual funny bedtime stories and then started talking about how awake he was. He was not tired at all. After the third mention, I asked if he wanted to go sleep inside. He immediately agreed. That ended our first camping trip. We both fell asleep in his tiny bed until Diane came to get me about an hour later.
First fire
Keeper of the tent door
No photos.
Henry actually did really well about not getting too close to the fire. We talked a lot about how bad it would be to burn our hands...and it worked. He decided he would rather not burn his hands and stayed away. It didn't stop him from throwing every stick he could find into it all night, but I couldn't blame him. I always wanted to (and still do, obviously).
Then we roasted marshmallows, which he ate about half of one before losing interest. Then he and Diane got into the tent and read his new library books by flashlight. Then he and
I got our pillows and our sleeping bags and got ready for bed. He told his usual funny bedtime stories and then started talking about how awake he was. He was not tired at all. After the third mention, I asked if he wanted to go sleep inside. He immediately agreed. That ended our first camping trip. We both fell asleep in his tiny bed until Diane came to get me about an hour later.
First fire
Keeper of the tent door
No photos.Lunches...
Above: I make these 3 nights a week. Four for him, four for her. Below: Staples of her diet.
Pictures!
My friend from HS was in town and came by and brought her beautiful daughter Kennedy. Eleanor was curious.
Leo and Joe came over for a visit and the boys took turns pushing baby Joe in the swing.
Batman love.Camping...
...as close as Henry has come to it anyway. After spending all week talking about it, we "camped" in the back yard on Saturday night. Diane and Henry went to the library and birthday present shopping in the morning and Eleanor was asleep, so I pitched the tent and dug what is sure to be an illegal backyard fire pit. For the rest of the afternoon, Henry kept running back to see if 'the fire was on yet.' After nap, they went to get marshmallows and a new flashlight. And then... just as soon as we could get Eleanor to sleep, we were off to whatever wild adventures awaited us five feet from our back door.
Henry actually did really well about not getting too close to the fire. We talked a lot about how bad it would be to burn our hands...and it worked. He decided he would rather not burn his hands and stayed away. It didn't stop him from throwing every stick he could find into it all night, but I couldn't blame him. I always wanted to (and still do, obviously).
Then we roasted marshmallows, which he ate about half of one before losing interest. Then he and Diane got into the tent and read his new library books by flashlight. Then he and
I got our pillows and our sleeping bags and got ready for bed. He told his usual funny bedtime stories and then started talking about how awake he was. He was not tired at all. After the third mention, I asked if he wanted to go sleep inside. He immediately agreed. That ended our first camping trip. We both fell asleep in his tiny bed until Diane came to get me about an hour later.
First fire
Keeper of the tent door
No photos.
Henry actually did really well about not getting too close to the fire. We talked a lot about how bad it would be to burn our hands...and it worked. He decided he would rather not burn his hands and stayed away. It didn't stop him from throwing every stick he could find into it all night, but I couldn't blame him. I always wanted to (and still do, obviously).
Then we roasted marshmallows, which he ate about half of one before losing interest. Then he and Diane got into the tent and read his new library books by flashlight. Then he and
I got our pillows and our sleeping bags and got ready for bed. He told his usual funny bedtime stories and then started talking about how awake he was. He was not tired at all. After the third mention, I asked if he wanted to go sleep inside. He immediately agreed. That ended our first camping trip. We both fell asleep in his tiny bed until Diane came to get me about an hour later.
First fire
Keeper of the tent door
No photos.Friday, October 15, 2010
Well, there goes Harvard...
A new 4 mos old baby began at E's school this week. I watched her mother try and change her diaper for what must have been ten minutes. She was frantically searching for her wipes. I explained to her that they are community wipes. You bring a pack or two each month and they just use them all --on everyone. Everyone has their own diapers but wipes all go into one community drawer. She was panicked at the thought of some other person's less awesome wipe being used on her daughter so she had a heart to heart with the teacher about it.
I'm not writing this to diss that mom, it's more about...wow...how far I've come. How different it is with the second. I quit my full time job and became a stay at home mom b/c when I picked Henry up from his school one day I found out they'd actually given him a bottle of formula by mistake (well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back). So, I totally know where that mother is coming from but I am so so glad to not be her anymore.
I am still annoying, to be sure. I am constantly waffling about should I get Eleanor a nanny (it would actually be cheaper) or keep her at her school. I interviewed 17 women and screened 70 applications for a nanny job I posted and I still could not settle on someone. I am probably just going to keep her at her school. I am completely solid on Henry's school. I have never looked back. I could not be happier about that place and Henry feels the same way. I am completely solid on my career. I am so happy I found "my calling" in life and I never waffle on career choice. I am so happy about who I married. I never waffle on that, either (we share politics, religion, music, books, movies, parenting, Midwestern childhoods, and high school--what more can you ask for in a mate?) but I have waffled on who should watch Eleanor for the 12 hours a week both of us are at work, since she was 2 mos old. If I was my therapist I would ask myself what's the payoff? I dunno. Guilt about working?
Double sigh.
I'm not writing this to diss that mom, it's more about...wow...how far I've come. How different it is with the second. I quit my full time job and became a stay at home mom b/c when I picked Henry up from his school one day I found out they'd actually given him a bottle of formula by mistake (well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back). So, I totally know where that mother is coming from but I am so so glad to not be her anymore.
I am still annoying, to be sure. I am constantly waffling about should I get Eleanor a nanny (it would actually be cheaper) or keep her at her school. I interviewed 17 women and screened 70 applications for a nanny job I posted and I still could not settle on someone. I am probably just going to keep her at her school. I am completely solid on Henry's school. I have never looked back. I could not be happier about that place and Henry feels the same way. I am completely solid on my career. I am so happy I found "my calling" in life and I never waffle on career choice. I am so happy about who I married. I never waffle on that, either (we share politics, religion, music, books, movies, parenting, Midwestern childhoods, and high school--what more can you ask for in a mate?) but I have waffled on who should watch Eleanor for the 12 hours a week both of us are at work, since she was 2 mos old. If I was my therapist I would ask myself what's the payoff? I dunno. Guilt about working?
Double sigh.
Well, there goes Harvard...
A new 4 mos old baby began at E's school this week. I watched her mother try and change her diaper for what must have been ten minutes. She was frantically searching for her wipes. I explained to her that they are community wipes. You bring a pack or two each month and they just use them all --on everyone. Everyone has their own diapers but wipes all go into one community drawer. She was panicked at the thought of some other person's less awesome wipe being used on her daughter so she had a heart to heart with the teacher about it.
I'm not writing this to diss that mom, it's more about...wow...how far I've come. How different it is with the second. I quit my full time job and became a stay at home mom b/c when I picked Henry up from his school one day I found out they'd actually given him a bottle of formula by mistake (well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back). So, I totally know where that mother is coming from but I am so so glad to not be her anymore.
I am still annoying, to be sure. I am constantly waffling about should I get Eleanor a nanny (it would actually be cheaper) or keep her at her school. I interviewed 17 women and screened 70 applications for a nanny job I posted and I still could not settle on someone. I am probably just going to keep her at her school. I am completely solid on Henry's school. I have never looked back. I could not be happier about that place and Henry feels the same way. I am completely solid on my career. I am so happy I found "my calling" in life and I never waffle on career choice. I am so happy about who I married. I never waffle on that, either (we share politics, religion, music, books, movies, parenting, Midwestern childhoods, and high school--what more can you ask for in a mate?) but I have waffled on who should watch Eleanor for the 12 hours a week both of us are at work, since she was 2 mos old. If I was my therapist I would ask myself what's the payoff? I dunno. Guilt about working?
Double sigh.
I'm not writing this to diss that mom, it's more about...wow...how far I've come. How different it is with the second. I quit my full time job and became a stay at home mom b/c when I picked Henry up from his school one day I found out they'd actually given him a bottle of formula by mistake (well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back). So, I totally know where that mother is coming from but I am so so glad to not be her anymore.
I am still annoying, to be sure. I am constantly waffling about should I get Eleanor a nanny (it would actually be cheaper) or keep her at her school. I interviewed 17 women and screened 70 applications for a nanny job I posted and I still could not settle on someone. I am probably just going to keep her at her school. I am completely solid on Henry's school. I have never looked back. I could not be happier about that place and Henry feels the same way. I am completely solid on my career. I am so happy I found "my calling" in life and I never waffle on career choice. I am so happy about who I married. I never waffle on that, either (we share politics, religion, music, books, movies, parenting, Midwestern childhoods, and high school--what more can you ask for in a mate?) but I have waffled on who should watch Eleanor for the 12 hours a week both of us are at work, since she was 2 mos old. If I was my therapist I would ask myself what's the payoff? I dunno. Guilt about working?
Double sigh.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A really great day...
October 13th marks one of many different milestones in our relationship. Over the years, and after two children, most of these get marked with a brief mention, a few nice moments of reflection, and then back to the arduous task of keeping our sanity. I expected nothing more yesterday. What I got was an incredible reminder of what this is all about.
Henry, as you know, has become enamored with Silly Bandz. When I got to his school yesterday afternoon, I was immediately greeted by a beaming child with a completely bandz-less arm raised toward me shouting, “I don’t have any more Silly Bandz.” For days he had been wearing what amounts to three packages worth (minus the VERY few he gave away) and those accumulated from the classmates willing to part with some of theirs. “I gave them to everyone in my class.” I looked at the circle of children smiling…listening to their teacher reading a book. They were all wearing Silly Bandz. Henry had a solitary brown one on his arm that Quinn, his very sweet classmate, had given him “because [he] was nice to her.”
I was proud of him. Really proud. All I could think about was getting more bandz™. I remembered that we drive right by Bed, Bath & Beyond on the way to Eleanor’s school. The only reason I thought of that place is because it's pretty much where the bandz all began for us. Henry spent a few weeks coveting Vinny’s collection before Diane saw a giant sign in front of B,B&B that said “WE’VE GOT SILLY BANDZ!” So, Henry and I quickly ran into the store to find some replacements. On the way, Henry started penning the letter he wanted to write to Quinn, unannounced and unprecedented:
“I want to write Quinn a letter. It says, “Dear Quinn, Thank you for being nice.”
When I told Diane this story, she teared up. What seems like a silly gesture is very profound for our three year old who recently went from being the sole existing most important thing on this planet for us to the older one who needs to stop shouting at his sister and be a good listener. He loved those bandz. And he gave them all away.
I finally got mine last night…. after Diane, his entire class, and the various random children at playgrounds and farmer’s markets across this town. I didn’t really earn it, since he overheard me telling Diane I still didn’t have one. He walked in from the other room and nonchalantly said, “You can have one, Dad.” He was clearly oblivious to the snub. Mine is a yellow ship, I think… given to him by someone else. I love it. It is a great reminder of why we had children. And it is a great milestone marker for how far we have come.
Last night as Diane and I were going to bed, we talked about what it means to be parents and how our lives have changed. We talked about our friends who have children, those who just had them…or who are about to…and what that means. I consider myself very fortunate to have had children at a stage in my life when I could appreciate the fact that I am happier and more satisfied when I make the bulk of my decisions for someone else. Not everyone has that opportunity, but I am so thankful I do.
A really great day...
October 13th marks one of many different milestones in our relationship. Over the years, and after two children, most of these get marked with a brief mention, a few nice moments of reflection, and then back to the arduous task of keeping our sanity. I expected nothing more yesterday. What I got was an incredible reminder of what this is all about.
Henry, as you know, has become enamored with Silly Bandz. When I got to his school yesterday afternoon, I was immediately greeted by a beaming child with a completely bandz-less arm raised toward me shouting, “I don’t have any more Silly Bandz.” For days he had been wearing what amounts to three packages worth (minus the VERY few he gave away) and those accumulated from the classmates willing to part with some of theirs. “I gave them to everyone in my class.” I looked at the circle of children smiling…listening to their teacher reading a book. They were all wearing Silly Bandz. Henry had a solitary brown one on his arm that Quinn, his very sweet classmate, had given him “because [he] was nice to her.”
I was proud of him. Really proud. All I could think about was getting more bandz™. I remembered that we drive right by Bed, Bath & Beyond on the way to Eleanor’s school. The only reason I thought of that place is because it's pretty much where the bandz all began for us. Henry spent a few weeks coveting Vinny’s collection before Diane saw a giant sign in front of B,B&B that said “WE’VE GOT SILLY BANDZ!” So, Henry and I quickly ran into the store to find some replacements. On the way, Henry started penning the letter he wanted to write to Quinn, unannounced and unprecedented:
“I want to write Quinn a letter. It says, “Dear Quinn, Thank you for being nice.”
When I told Diane this story, she teared up. What seems like a silly gesture is very profound for our three year old who recently went from being the sole existing most important thing on this planet for us to the older one who needs to stop shouting at his sister and be a good listener. He loved those bandz. And he gave them all away.
I finally got mine last night…. after Diane, his entire class, and the various random children at playgrounds and farmer’s markets across this town. I didn’t really earn it, since he overheard me telling Diane I still didn’t have one. He walked in from the other room and nonchalantly said, “You can have one, Dad.” He was clearly oblivious to the snub. Mine is a yellow ship, I think… given to him by someone else. I love it. It is a great reminder of why we had children. And it is a great milestone marker for how far we have come.
Last night as Diane and I were going to bed, we talked about what it means to be parents and how our lives have changed. We talked about our friends who have children, those who just had them…or who are about to…and what that means. I consider myself very fortunate to have had children at a stage in my life when I could appreciate the fact that I am happier and more satisfied when I make the bulk of my decisions for someone else. Not everyone has that opportunity, but I am so thankful I do.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The goings on...REVISED more positive version
Eleanor is not crawling but she scoots and inchworms to get where she needs to go. This has made her a much happier baby. Eleanor has no teeth but can eat anything. Eleanor "talks" non-stop and laughs very easily.
Henry has two best friends at school, Silas and Vinny. He now only plays with them, I think. I asked the teacher about this "triangle" and she says Henry is the pawn, meaning Silas and Vinny are like brothers because they live next door to each other and their parents are friends, and so they are constantly fighting and trying to use Henry to gang up on the other. Awesome.
Henry's thing lately is silly bandz. A teacher at his school had them and gave some to the kids and then they just spread like wildfire. I think it's a teenager or pre-teen thing too. I see lots of kids at my work with them. Henry wears 20 of them on one wrist and based on his approval, he might give you one. I have a purple one. It took me over a week to earn it. Last week we went to a park and he found a girl he liked and offered her one. I'm not entirely sure how much English she spoke, or how much she cared about his silly bandz, but it was a big deal for him to give her that. Then we went to our local farm for eggs on Saturday and he was playing with a little girl, having a very nice time, but when she asked for one he flat out denied her. I guess it must be bestowed and not asked for, who knows. (He gave her one when we had to leave).
Henry's grasp of English continues to surprise and amuse us. It's like when a foreigner speaks English but says something that makes sense but no native speaker would ever say. For instance, "My blanket is not cooperating!" He was very irritated last week when he was watching his morning cartoons and yelled to me in the kitchen, "My back is not comfy!" He sits on the floor but has not yet discovered the art of piling up lots of pillows, but I think we just need to get him a little bean bag.
Sometimes Henry is ridiculously sweet to his sister. Almost anything he does makes her laugh, which endears him to her, but her screaming and grabbiness detracts as well. But this morning he was all about entertaining her and when he left the room, she yelled for him and he said right back, "I'm coming sweetie" and then he came right back and gave her a kiss and a gentle pat on the head. She was beaming again.
Henry has two best friends at school, Silas and Vinny. He now only plays with them, I think. I asked the teacher about this "triangle" and she says Henry is the pawn, meaning Silas and Vinny are like brothers because they live next door to each other and their parents are friends, and so they are constantly fighting and trying to use Henry to gang up on the other. Awesome.
Henry's thing lately is silly bandz. A teacher at his school had them and gave some to the kids and then they just spread like wildfire. I think it's a teenager or pre-teen thing too. I see lots of kids at my work with them. Henry wears 20 of them on one wrist and based on his approval, he might give you one. I have a purple one. It took me over a week to earn it. Last week we went to a park and he found a girl he liked and offered her one. I'm not entirely sure how much English she spoke, or how much she cared about his silly bandz, but it was a big deal for him to give her that. Then we went to our local farm for eggs on Saturday and he was playing with a little girl, having a very nice time, but when she asked for one he flat out denied her. I guess it must be bestowed and not asked for, who knows. (He gave her one when we had to leave).
Henry's grasp of English continues to surprise and amuse us. It's like when a foreigner speaks English but says something that makes sense but no native speaker would ever say. For instance, "My blanket is not cooperating!" He was very irritated last week when he was watching his morning cartoons and yelled to me in the kitchen, "My back is not comfy!" He sits on the floor but has not yet discovered the art of piling up lots of pillows, but I think we just need to get him a little bean bag.
Sometimes Henry is ridiculously sweet to his sister. Almost anything he does makes her laugh, which endears him to her, but her screaming and grabbiness detracts as well. But this morning he was all about entertaining her and when he left the room, she yelled for him and he said right back, "I'm coming sweetie" and then he came right back and gave her a kiss and a gentle pat on the head. She was beaming again.
The goings on...REVISED more positive version
Eleanor is not crawling but she scoots and inchworms to get where she needs to go. This has made her a much happier baby. Eleanor has no teeth but can eat anything. Eleanor "talks" non-stop and laughs very easily.
Henry has two best friends at school, Silas and Vinny. He now only plays with them, I think. I asked the teacher about this "triangle" and she says Henry is the pawn, meaning Silas and Vinny are like brothers because they live next door to each other and their parents are friends, and so they are constantly fighting and trying to use Henry to gang up on the other. Awesome.
Henry's thing lately is silly bandz. A teacher at his school had them and gave some to the kids and then they just spread like wildfire. I think it's a teenager or pre-teen thing too. I see lots of kids at my work with them. Henry wears 20 of them on one wrist and based on his approval, he might give you one. I have a purple one. It took me over a week to earn it. Last week we went to a park and he found a girl he liked and offered her one. I'm not entirely sure how much English she spoke, or how much she cared about his silly bandz, but it was a big deal for him to give her that. Then we went to our local farm for eggs on Saturday and he was playing with a little girl, having a very nice time, but when she asked for one he flat out denied her. I guess it must be bestowed and not asked for, who knows. (He gave her one when we had to leave).
Henry's grasp of English continues to surprise and amuse us. It's like when a foreigner speaks English but says something that makes sense but no native speaker would ever say. For instance, "My blanket is not cooperating!" He was very irritated last week when he was watching his morning cartoons and yelled to me in the kitchen, "My back is not comfy!" He sits on the floor but has not yet discovered the art of piling up lots of pillows, but I think we just need to get him a little bean bag.
Sometimes Henry is ridiculously sweet to his sister. Almost anything he does makes her laugh, which endears him to her, but her screaming and grabbiness detracts as well. But this morning he was all about entertaining her and when he left the room, she yelled for him and he said right back, "I'm coming sweetie" and then he came right back and gave her a kiss and a gentle pat on the head. She was beaming again.
Henry has two best friends at school, Silas and Vinny. He now only plays with them, I think. I asked the teacher about this "triangle" and she says Henry is the pawn, meaning Silas and Vinny are like brothers because they live next door to each other and their parents are friends, and so they are constantly fighting and trying to use Henry to gang up on the other. Awesome.
Henry's thing lately is silly bandz. A teacher at his school had them and gave some to the kids and then they just spread like wildfire. I think it's a teenager or pre-teen thing too. I see lots of kids at my work with them. Henry wears 20 of them on one wrist and based on his approval, he might give you one. I have a purple one. It took me over a week to earn it. Last week we went to a park and he found a girl he liked and offered her one. I'm not entirely sure how much English she spoke, or how much she cared about his silly bandz, but it was a big deal for him to give her that. Then we went to our local farm for eggs on Saturday and he was playing with a little girl, having a very nice time, but when she asked for one he flat out denied her. I guess it must be bestowed and not asked for, who knows. (He gave her one when we had to leave).
Henry's grasp of English continues to surprise and amuse us. It's like when a foreigner speaks English but says something that makes sense but no native speaker would ever say. For instance, "My blanket is not cooperating!" He was very irritated last week when he was watching his morning cartoons and yelled to me in the kitchen, "My back is not comfy!" He sits on the floor but has not yet discovered the art of piling up lots of pillows, but I think we just need to get him a little bean bag.
Sometimes Henry is ridiculously sweet to his sister. Almost anything he does makes her laugh, which endears him to her, but her screaming and grabbiness detracts as well. But this morning he was all about entertaining her and when he left the room, she yelled for him and he said right back, "I'm coming sweetie" and then he came right back and gave her a kiss and a gentle pat on the head. She was beaming again.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Henry's class...
Here are some snippets from Henry's teacher the last few weeks:
We are continuing to learn about the people in our community. Last week we focused on doctors, nurses, and dentists. This week we've talked about bakers, carpenters, and mail carriers. We talked about how the mail process works. We decided to make our own postcards to send to our families. We painted index cards and I wrote down their message. Tomorrow we will address them and put them in our mailbox. So, be on the lookout for a special message from your little one.
We had a great dance class with Ms. Felicity. I'm really impressed with how well they are taking direction from her. They all seem to have a great time during the class and are staying focused on the activities she offers.
We had a great day. ()'s mom came to talk with us about being a veterinarian. She brought with her one of her dogs, Boomer who very willingly let the class pet him, listen to his heartbeat, brush his coat, and brush his teeth. The class had a wonderful time.
We had a great visit from firefighter Larry and firefighter Chris. They did a nice job of relating to the kids and making them feel comfortable. They demonstrated how they dress in their gear when going out on an emergency. They reiterated to the class that they were the same person under all the gear. We were invited to get inside the truck. All but 2 of our friends took a tour of the inside. We also got to hear the sirens and watch the flashing lights. It was quite an exciting morning. I have a picture of each friend to take home. I've attached them to the cubbies.
We had another great day at St. George's. First, we celebrated our friend, ()'s 4th birthday. ()'s mom, (), came to talk with the class this morning. She is teacher at (). She teaches cooking skills to young adults with special needs. She talked with the class about what she does and showed pictures of her classroom. As a special treat, we got to sample some pumpkin bread made by her students. We are also sending home a sample of the banana bread they made.
After our lunch we put together a sensory dome of various plants. We placed it in the window and will make daily observations of what we see happening. The plants we put in are from various parts of the world. Each had a special trait that will stimulate a certain sense. We hope to start seeing results in about a week.
We've had a fun day. We finished putting together our family tree pictures. We traced our arms to represent the tree and added green finger paint for the leaves. We counted the number of people in our family and added a special heart to the tree to represent each member. Number recognition has been a big focus of our week. You might have noticed this from the questions of the day. We have also been taking turns with our apple tree board and counting with the pop beads. I've put a handout in the folders that suggest hands-on ways you can work with math and science concepts as home.
We had a fun day. We took turns sorting buttons. We talked about different ways to sort them by color, size, shape, texture, and number of holes. They were a great source of entertainment for a good part of the morning. We also enjoyed using the letter stampers in the play dough.
On what a wonderful day we had. With weather like this, you can't help but be in a good mood. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the playground today. We will continue to make this a regular thing provided the weather cooperates. After lunch we did a group painting project. We used roller brushes and painted with fall colors.
We added a new element to our room. I have a sign in/out board specifically for our class. They will locate their name and "sign" in when they arrive and out with they leave. This is another way for them to practice name recognition and to make writing a more meaningful and purposeful experience. Tomorrow is music day with Mr. Neil at 9:20.
We are continuing to learn about the people in our community. Last week we focused on doctors, nurses, and dentists. This week we've talked about bakers, carpenters, and mail carriers. We talked about how the mail process works. We decided to make our own postcards to send to our families. We painted index cards and I wrote down their message. Tomorrow we will address them and put them in our mailbox. So, be on the lookout for a special message from your little one.
We had a great dance class with Ms. Felicity. I'm really impressed with how well they are taking direction from her. They all seem to have a great time during the class and are staying focused on the activities she offers.
We had a great day. ()'s mom came to talk with us about being a veterinarian. She brought with her one of her dogs, Boomer who very willingly let the class pet him, listen to his heartbeat, brush his coat, and brush his teeth. The class had a wonderful time.
We had a great visit from firefighter Larry and firefighter Chris. They did a nice job of relating to the kids and making them feel comfortable. They demonstrated how they dress in their gear when going out on an emergency. They reiterated to the class that they were the same person under all the gear. We were invited to get inside the truck. All but 2 of our friends took a tour of the inside. We also got to hear the sirens and watch the flashing lights. It was quite an exciting morning. I have a picture of each friend to take home. I've attached them to the cubbies.
We had another great day at St. George's. First, we celebrated our friend, ()'s 4th birthday. ()'s mom, (), came to talk with the class this morning. She is teacher at (). She teaches cooking skills to young adults with special needs. She talked with the class about what she does and showed pictures of her classroom. As a special treat, we got to sample some pumpkin bread made by her students. We are also sending home a sample of the banana bread they made.
After our lunch we put together a sensory dome of various plants. We placed it in the window and will make daily observations of what we see happening. The plants we put in are from various parts of the world. Each had a special trait that will stimulate a certain sense. We hope to start seeing results in about a week.
We've had a fun day. We finished putting together our family tree pictures. We traced our arms to represent the tree and added green finger paint for the leaves. We counted the number of people in our family and added a special heart to the tree to represent each member. Number recognition has been a big focus of our week. You might have noticed this from the questions of the day. We have also been taking turns with our apple tree board and counting with the pop beads. I've put a handout in the folders that suggest hands-on ways you can work with math and science concepts as home.
We had a fun day. We took turns sorting buttons. We talked about different ways to sort them by color, size, shape, texture, and number of holes. They were a great source of entertainment for a good part of the morning. We also enjoyed using the letter stampers in the play dough.
On what a wonderful day we had. With weather like this, you can't help but be in a good mood. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the playground today. We will continue to make this a regular thing provided the weather cooperates. After lunch we did a group painting project. We used roller brushes and painted with fall colors.
We added a new element to our room. I have a sign in/out board specifically for our class. They will locate their name and "sign" in when they arrive and out with they leave. This is another way for them to practice name recognition and to make writing a more meaningful and purposeful experience. Tomorrow is music day with Mr. Neil at 9:20.
Henry's class...
Here are some snippets from Henry's teacher the last few weeks:
We are continuing to learn about the people in our community. Last week we focused on doctors, nurses, and dentists. This week we've talked about bakers, carpenters, and mail carriers. We talked about how the mail process works. We decided to make our own postcards to send to our families. We painted index cards and I wrote down their message. Tomorrow we will address them and put them in our mailbox. So, be on the lookout for a special message from your little one.
We had a great dance class with Ms. Felicity. I'm really impressed with how well they are taking direction from her. They all seem to have a great time during the class and are staying focused on the activities she offers.
We had a great day. ()'s mom came to talk with us about being a veterinarian. She brought with her one of her dogs, Boomer who very willingly let the class pet him, listen to his heartbeat, brush his coat, and brush his teeth. The class had a wonderful time.
We had a great visit from firefighter Larry and firefighter Chris. They did a nice job of relating to the kids and making them feel comfortable. They demonstrated how they dress in their gear when going out on an emergency. They reiterated to the class that they were the same person under all the gear. We were invited to get inside the truck. All but 2 of our friends took a tour of the inside. We also got to hear the sirens and watch the flashing lights. It was quite an exciting morning. I have a picture of each friend to take home. I've attached them to the cubbies.
We had another great day at St. George's. First, we celebrated our friend, ()'s 4th birthday. ()'s mom, (), came to talk with the class this morning. She is teacher at (). She teaches cooking skills to young adults with special needs. She talked with the class about what she does and showed pictures of her classroom. As a special treat, we got to sample some pumpkin bread made by her students. We are also sending home a sample of the banana bread they made.
After our lunch we put together a sensory dome of various plants. We placed it in the window and will make daily observations of what we see happening. The plants we put in are from various parts of the world. Each had a special trait that will stimulate a certain sense. We hope to start seeing results in about a week.
We've had a fun day. We finished putting together our family tree pictures. We traced our arms to represent the tree and added green finger paint for the leaves. We counted the number of people in our family and added a special heart to the tree to represent each member. Number recognition has been a big focus of our week. You might have noticed this from the questions of the day. We have also been taking turns with our apple tree board and counting with the pop beads. I've put a handout in the folders that suggest hands-on ways you can work with math and science concepts as home.
We had a fun day. We took turns sorting buttons. We talked about different ways to sort them by color, size, shape, texture, and number of holes. They were a great source of entertainment for a good part of the morning. We also enjoyed using the letter stampers in the play dough.
On what a wonderful day we had. With weather like this, you can't help but be in a good mood. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the playground today. We will continue to make this a regular thing provided the weather cooperates. After lunch we did a group painting project. We used roller brushes and painted with fall colors.
We added a new element to our room. I have a sign in/out board specifically for our class. They will locate their name and "sign" in when they arrive and out with they leave. This is another way for them to practice name recognition and to make writing a more meaningful and purposeful experience. Tomorrow is music day with Mr. Neil at 9:20.
We are continuing to learn about the people in our community. Last week we focused on doctors, nurses, and dentists. This week we've talked about bakers, carpenters, and mail carriers. We talked about how the mail process works. We decided to make our own postcards to send to our families. We painted index cards and I wrote down their message. Tomorrow we will address them and put them in our mailbox. So, be on the lookout for a special message from your little one.
We had a great dance class with Ms. Felicity. I'm really impressed with how well they are taking direction from her. They all seem to have a great time during the class and are staying focused on the activities she offers.
We had a great day. ()'s mom came to talk with us about being a veterinarian. She brought with her one of her dogs, Boomer who very willingly let the class pet him, listen to his heartbeat, brush his coat, and brush his teeth. The class had a wonderful time.
We had a great visit from firefighter Larry and firefighter Chris. They did a nice job of relating to the kids and making them feel comfortable. They demonstrated how they dress in their gear when going out on an emergency. They reiterated to the class that they were the same person under all the gear. We were invited to get inside the truck. All but 2 of our friends took a tour of the inside. We also got to hear the sirens and watch the flashing lights. It was quite an exciting morning. I have a picture of each friend to take home. I've attached them to the cubbies.
We had another great day at St. George's. First, we celebrated our friend, ()'s 4th birthday. ()'s mom, (), came to talk with the class this morning. She is teacher at (). She teaches cooking skills to young adults with special needs. She talked with the class about what she does and showed pictures of her classroom. As a special treat, we got to sample some pumpkin bread made by her students. We are also sending home a sample of the banana bread they made.
After our lunch we put together a sensory dome of various plants. We placed it in the window and will make daily observations of what we see happening. The plants we put in are from various parts of the world. Each had a special trait that will stimulate a certain sense. We hope to start seeing results in about a week.
We've had a fun day. We finished putting together our family tree pictures. We traced our arms to represent the tree and added green finger paint for the leaves. We counted the number of people in our family and added a special heart to the tree to represent each member. Number recognition has been a big focus of our week. You might have noticed this from the questions of the day. We have also been taking turns with our apple tree board and counting with the pop beads. I've put a handout in the folders that suggest hands-on ways you can work with math and science concepts as home.
We had a fun day. We took turns sorting buttons. We talked about different ways to sort them by color, size, shape, texture, and number of holes. They were a great source of entertainment for a good part of the morning. We also enjoyed using the letter stampers in the play dough.
On what a wonderful day we had. With weather like this, you can't help but be in a good mood. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the playground today. We will continue to make this a regular thing provided the weather cooperates. After lunch we did a group painting project. We used roller brushes and painted with fall colors.
We added a new element to our room. I have a sign in/out board specifically for our class. They will locate their name and "sign" in when they arrive and out with they leave. This is another way for them to practice name recognition and to make writing a more meaningful and purposeful experience. Tomorrow is music day with Mr. Neil at 9:20.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Top Ten Places I Want to Travel With My Kids
The Huffington Post listed top ten places to travel with your kids and I agreed with some, but here is my own list (in no particular order).
1. Yellowstone National Park
2. Disney world
3. San Diego Zoo
4. The Grand Canyon
5. NYC
6. San Francisco
7. Skiing in Colorado in the winter
8. White water rafting and rock climbing in Colorado in the summer
9. Paris
10. Someplace Caribbean-ish (I liked Antigua, Curacao and St. Kitts the best).
I've done everything on this list except Yellowstone so here's my top ten places to travel with Justin:
1. St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia
2. Hong Kong and Beijing
3. Italy
4. Vietnam and Cambodia
5. I'd like to return to Seoul w/ Justin to show him where I used to live and then we'd high tail it out of there to go to China
6. I'd like to return to New Zealand and have more than $30 a day to spend..or was it $3???
7. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
8. Ethiopia looked incredible in The Long Way Down
9. I'd like to see Prince Edward Island again
10. Cape Verde
1. Yellowstone National Park
2. Disney world
3. San Diego Zoo
4. The Grand Canyon
5. NYC
6. San Francisco
7. Skiing in Colorado in the winter
8. White water rafting and rock climbing in Colorado in the summer
9. Paris
10. Someplace Caribbean-ish (I liked Antigua, Curacao and St. Kitts the best).
I've done everything on this list except Yellowstone so here's my top ten places to travel with Justin:
1. St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia
2. Hong Kong and Beijing
3. Italy
4. Vietnam and Cambodia
5. I'd like to return to Seoul w/ Justin to show him where I used to live and then we'd high tail it out of there to go to China
6. I'd like to return to New Zealand and have more than $30 a day to spend..or was it $3???
7. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
8. Ethiopia looked incredible in The Long Way Down
9. I'd like to see Prince Edward Island again
10. Cape Verde
Top Ten Places I Want to Travel With My Kids
The Huffington Post listed top ten places to travel with your kids and I agreed with some, but here is my own list (in no particular order).
1. Yellowstone National Park
2. Disney world
3. San Diego Zoo
4. The Grand Canyon
5. NYC
6. San Francisco
7. Skiing in Colorado in the winter
8. White water rafting and rock climbing in Colorado in the summer
9. Paris
10. Someplace Caribbean-ish (I liked Antigua, Curacao and St. Kitts the best).
I've done everything on this list except Yellowstone so here's my top ten places to travel with Justin:
1. St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia
2. Hong Kong and Beijing
3. Italy
4. Vietnam and Cambodia
5. I'd like to return to Seoul w/ Justin to show him where I used to live and then we'd high tail it out of there to go to China
6. I'd like to return to New Zealand and have more than $30 a day to spend..or was it $3???
7. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
8. Ethiopia looked incredible in The Long Way Down
9. I'd like to see Prince Edward Island again
10. Cape Verde
1. Yellowstone National Park
2. Disney world
3. San Diego Zoo
4. The Grand Canyon
5. NYC
6. San Francisco
7. Skiing in Colorado in the winter
8. White water rafting and rock climbing in Colorado in the summer
9. Paris
10. Someplace Caribbean-ish (I liked Antigua, Curacao and St. Kitts the best).
I've done everything on this list except Yellowstone so here's my top ten places to travel with Justin:
1. St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia
2. Hong Kong and Beijing
3. Italy
4. Vietnam and Cambodia
5. I'd like to return to Seoul w/ Justin to show him where I used to live and then we'd high tail it out of there to go to China
6. I'd like to return to New Zealand and have more than $30 a day to spend..or was it $3???
7. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
8. Ethiopia looked incredible in The Long Way Down
9. I'd like to see Prince Edward Island again
10. Cape Verde
Sigh...
Eleanor is going through a really rough time right now. She seems miserable for at least 50% of her day. It's actually very difficult to be around her. The fussing makes me yearn for work days. If there was such thing as colic for a 10 month old, she has it. The only things that distract her regularly scheduled screaming are music and going outside. I pulled her and Henry in the wagon this morning, for at least 30 min and she was clapping and laughing and waving and so happy, the entire time. In turn, that made Henry happy. He kept kissing and hugging her and trying to make her giggle (not a difficult thing to do with her). It was a regular love-fest in the little red wagon. Such a nice reprieve from the usual discontent.
I think the screaming is getting to Henry, too. This morning, out of great fatigue and frustration, I calmly pronounced to Eleanor, "Nobody likes you when you scream like that." Henry, who was playing with his cars, got up and said in a sort of exhausted and pathetic way, "That's right. Nobody likes you." and then he put his head down in my lap and I seriously thought he was about to start sobbing.
I put Eleanor's high chair next to the window to get some sunshine while she ate her breakfast. I was folding laundry and kept hearing this strange sound. When I looked up and saw E craning over her chair, stripping the wood off the windowsill, splinter by splinter, I really had an "Oh my" moment. We're in for it.
Perhaps this is premature. Perhaps I am overreacting. But I feel very afraid.
I think the screaming is getting to Henry, too. This morning, out of great fatigue and frustration, I calmly pronounced to Eleanor, "Nobody likes you when you scream like that." Henry, who was playing with his cars, got up and said in a sort of exhausted and pathetic way, "That's right. Nobody likes you." and then he put his head down in my lap and I seriously thought he was about to start sobbing.
I put Eleanor's high chair next to the window to get some sunshine while she ate her breakfast. I was folding laundry and kept hearing this strange sound. When I looked up and saw E craning over her chair, stripping the wood off the windowsill, splinter by splinter, I really had an "Oh my" moment. We're in for it.
Perhaps this is premature. Perhaps I am overreacting. But I feel very afraid.
Sigh...
Eleanor is going through a really rough time right now. She seems miserable for at least 50% of her day. It's actually very difficult to be around her. The fussing makes me yearn for work days. If there was such thing as colic for a 10 month old, she has it. The only things that distract her regularly scheduled screaming are music and going outside. I pulled her and Henry in the wagon this morning, for at least 30 min and she was clapping and laughing and waving and so happy, the entire time. In turn, that made Henry happy. He kept kissing and hugging her and trying to make her giggle (not a difficult thing to do with her). It was a regular love-fest in the little red wagon. Such a nice reprieve from the usual discontent.
I think the screaming is getting to Henry, too. This morning, out of great fatigue and frustration, I calmly pronounced to Eleanor, "Nobody likes you when you scream like that." Henry, who was playing with his cars, got up and said in a sort of exhausted and pathetic way, "That's right. Nobody likes you." and then he put his head down in my lap and I seriously thought he was about to start sobbing.
I put Eleanor's high chair next to the window to get some sunshine while she ate her breakfast. I was folding laundry and kept hearing this strange sound. When I looked up and saw E craning over her chair, stripping the wood off the windowsill, splinter by splinter, I really had an "Oh my" moment. We're in for it.
Perhaps this is premature. Perhaps I am overreacting. But I feel very afraid.
I think the screaming is getting to Henry, too. This morning, out of great fatigue and frustration, I calmly pronounced to Eleanor, "Nobody likes you when you scream like that." Henry, who was playing with his cars, got up and said in a sort of exhausted and pathetic way, "That's right. Nobody likes you." and then he put his head down in my lap and I seriously thought he was about to start sobbing.
I put Eleanor's high chair next to the window to get some sunshine while she ate her breakfast. I was folding laundry and kept hearing this strange sound. When I looked up and saw E craning over her chair, stripping the wood off the windowsill, splinter by splinter, I really had an "Oh my" moment. We're in for it.
Perhaps this is premature. Perhaps I am overreacting. But I feel very afraid.
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