We are still introducing new foods to Mary. Emma was easy - she ate anything. Mary, on the other hand, has a definite opinion about what should be considered food. We tried peas the other night. I might mention that I don't really like peas unless they taste very fresh. When I opened the Gerber package of mashed peas, I was struck by the amazingly fresh smell of the peas and I had to get a second a third opinion of the freshness. So I had my Mom and Jim smell the peas. They both heartily agreed that those peas smelled incredibly fresh; almost edible even. So I mixed in a little rice cereal to thicken them and happily wandered over to feed them to Mary. After the first few bites, Mary would squeeze her eyes shut and shudder, but she still ate her mouthful. Since I apparently did not pick up on her discontent after the first couple of bites, she began all out pea warfare. This consisted of finely spraying the entire contents of her mouth by doing raspberries the minute she got her mouth full of peas. Jim was in the kitchen getting some dinner together and I offered, graciously, to finish making dinner if he wanted to take the pea artillery. No go. He was happy to laugh at me from a safe distance.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Friday, January 28, 2005
Parental Speak
I want to address the Parental language that arises when a couple has a baby. I don't mean the "I'm very disappointed in you.." Speech that comes much later. I am referring to talking through the baby. For those of you who cannot figure out what I am saying, or have never heard this, I will give an example:
Mommy, who is holding the baby, says, "Tell Daddy what we did today!", as she points the baby, or the baby's head in the general direction of Daddy. Daddy, fresh home from work, addresses the baby directly.
"Oh! What did you and Mommy do today?" Then, the 'baby' answers,
"We had a play date and went to the park, Daddy!"
"Ooooo! Who did you see on your playdate?"
"We saw Johnny and Julie and went down the slide!"
"Really! Did you have fun?"
I would go on, but I think you get the general theme. There is another version of talking through the baby, which involves a lot of guilt and is primarily used by Mommy to ask Daddy to do something he wouldn't otherwise do. Observe:
Mommy says, "Daddy, could you get up and get Mary her bottle?"
or
"Mary, wouldn't you like Daddy to get you a bottle?"
Sometimes Daddy will answer back in Parental speak, especially when he doesn't feel like doing the requested task.
Daddy: "Mary, Daddy has had a long day and does not want to get up."
Please note that in my household, this is usually said while Jim is trekking across the kitchen and scowling.
There is one other way that parental speak occurs using the baby. Mommy might say something to get sympathy for the baby:
"Emma, tell Daddy about your boo-boo when you fell off your stool today."
In each case it is imperative that the child cannot actually talk. This would ruin this method of communication. Once the child can talk, there is a whole new level level of parental speak. Mommy might ask the child a question that she knows the child will answer a particular way to. Such as, "Emma, do you want Daddy to get you more milk?" To which the child is supposed to answer 'yes'. Thus said, Daddy cannot refuse without offending the child.
I would like to point out that this is a hypothetical situation and any resemblance, real or implied, to actual persons is purely coincidental. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Other names have not. Emma says "bye!".
Mommy, who is holding the baby, says, "Tell Daddy what we did today!", as she points the baby, or the baby's head in the general direction of Daddy. Daddy, fresh home from work, addresses the baby directly.
"Oh! What did you and Mommy do today?" Then, the 'baby' answers,
"We had a play date and went to the park, Daddy!"
"Ooooo! Who did you see on your playdate?"
"We saw Johnny and Julie and went down the slide!"
"Really! Did you have fun?"
I would go on, but I think you get the general theme. There is another version of talking through the baby, which involves a lot of guilt and is primarily used by Mommy to ask Daddy to do something he wouldn't otherwise do. Observe:
Mommy says, "Daddy, could you get up and get Mary her bottle?"
or
"Mary, wouldn't you like Daddy to get you a bottle?"
Sometimes Daddy will answer back in Parental speak, especially when he doesn't feel like doing the requested task.
Daddy: "Mary, Daddy has had a long day and does not want to get up."
Please note that in my household, this is usually said while Jim is trekking across the kitchen and scowling.
There is one other way that parental speak occurs using the baby. Mommy might say something to get sympathy for the baby:
"Emma, tell Daddy about your boo-boo when you fell off your stool today."
In each case it is imperative that the child cannot actually talk. This would ruin this method of communication. Once the child can talk, there is a whole new level level of parental speak. Mommy might ask the child a question that she knows the child will answer a particular way to. Such as, "Emma, do you want Daddy to get you more milk?" To which the child is supposed to answer 'yes'. Thus said, Daddy cannot refuse without offending the child.
I would like to point out that this is a hypothetical situation and any resemblance, real or implied, to actual persons is purely coincidental. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Other names have not. Emma says "bye!".
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Things That go Bump
I am woefully behind in blogging, so I will attempt to catch up while watching a show on the French Revolution on the History channel. It’s really very interesting – really!
Toddler lesson for Mommy: Emma likes to put things on her head and will continue to do so despite my best attempts. Her latest thing to put on her head is a mesh bag that holds her Little People toys. I used a mesh bag with the foresight that this might happen, so I was not terribly worried. After a sufficient amount of covered head play I decided that she might choke herself or something and removed the bag from the room. Not to be outdone, Emma located a canvas tote (with her name on it) and put that over her head to walk around for a while. A mesh bag has nice little holes over it that allows a clearness of vision that a canvas tote does not afford. She promptly, and not surprisingly, thumped herself on the head by running into a random table.
Emma is doing a lot of new things lately. She has recently discovered light switches. She can’t really reach them by herself (OK, she has a long way to go), so she cleverly uses tools to get to her target. Her first choice (if not her best) is her little push car riding toy. Well, it has WHEELS, so it is incredibly portable and useful when examining the power of various different light switches. It is also just the right height, if a toddler stretches way up on tippy toes and leans precariously against the wall, while twisting around to watch the light go on and off with the subsequent movement of the switch. I don’t think I need to elaborate any further.
My darling bumpy head daughter is finally using more words. She chatters constantly all day long and sometimes through the night. She talks about everything while pointing and directing, especially while playing. I don’t have a clue what she is saying. Her babbling has no notable structure or resemblance to English, but she is enthusiastic and confident that her point is being made. It is adorable. Some of the real English words she is saying lately are: bath, backpack (thanks, Grandmamma!), stairs, outside, TV, food, and please. She hasn’t had much reason to use many words, since she manages to convey a lot of information with her carefully chosen base vocabulary, sprinkled liberally with pointing and sign language that she knows. This includes: MINE, no, yes, mama, dada, boo-boo and THAT. These pretty much allow her to communicate anything she wants.
Mary is 6 months old now. I am ready for her to eat real food, feed herself, sit by herself, and walk. In essence, I have thought until now that twins would be harder than 2 babies of separate ages. However, now I see that at least with twins you can put each stage behind you. However, with this I feel like the baby stages will never end. Don’t get me wrong; Mary is a wonderful, sweet, lovable bag of snuggly, smiley baby. I love my Mary in a way that surprises me, since I thought I could never love a child as much as I loved Emma. But let’s move on now, people. I am ready to be done with baby food and bottles. And when do they start going to school all day?
Well, the Revolution is nearly over and my bedtime is near.
Toddler lesson for Mommy: Emma likes to put things on her head and will continue to do so despite my best attempts. Her latest thing to put on her head is a mesh bag that holds her Little People toys. I used a mesh bag with the foresight that this might happen, so I was not terribly worried. After a sufficient amount of covered head play I decided that she might choke herself or something and removed the bag from the room. Not to be outdone, Emma located a canvas tote (with her name on it) and put that over her head to walk around for a while. A mesh bag has nice little holes over it that allows a clearness of vision that a canvas tote does not afford. She promptly, and not surprisingly, thumped herself on the head by running into a random table.
Emma is doing a lot of new things lately. She has recently discovered light switches. She can’t really reach them by herself (OK, she has a long way to go), so she cleverly uses tools to get to her target. Her first choice (if not her best) is her little push car riding toy. Well, it has WHEELS, so it is incredibly portable and useful when examining the power of various different light switches. It is also just the right height, if a toddler stretches way up on tippy toes and leans precariously against the wall, while twisting around to watch the light go on and off with the subsequent movement of the switch. I don’t think I need to elaborate any further.
My darling bumpy head daughter is finally using more words. She chatters constantly all day long and sometimes through the night. She talks about everything while pointing and directing, especially while playing. I don’t have a clue what she is saying. Her babbling has no notable structure or resemblance to English, but she is enthusiastic and confident that her point is being made. It is adorable. Some of the real English words she is saying lately are: bath, backpack (thanks, Grandmamma!), stairs, outside, TV, food, and please. She hasn’t had much reason to use many words, since she manages to convey a lot of information with her carefully chosen base vocabulary, sprinkled liberally with pointing and sign language that she knows. This includes: MINE, no, yes, mama, dada, boo-boo and THAT. These pretty much allow her to communicate anything she wants.
Mary is 6 months old now. I am ready for her to eat real food, feed herself, sit by herself, and walk. In essence, I have thought until now that twins would be harder than 2 babies of separate ages. However, now I see that at least with twins you can put each stage behind you. However, with this I feel like the baby stages will never end. Don’t get me wrong; Mary is a wonderful, sweet, lovable bag of snuggly, smiley baby. I love my Mary in a way that surprises me, since I thought I could never love a child as much as I loved Emma. But let’s move on now, people. I am ready to be done with baby food and bottles. And when do they start going to school all day?
Well, the Revolution is nearly over and my bedtime is near.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Toddler Food Pyramid
All I need to know is if Tater Tots are considered a vegetable and how many consective meals they can reasonably be served at.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Cleaning and Social Services
I spent the afternoon on Sunday doing more cleaning (it never ends). As I was scrubbing the floor in the master bathroom, Mary woke up from her nap and started screaming. I couldn't just pick up and go get her when I was up to my elbows in Pine Sol, so she cried and I finished cleaning the bathroom. By the time I got done, she had fallen back to sleep so I moved on to the next bathroom. Then I imagined this scenario (cleaning gives your mind time to wander):
(Doorbell rings - I answer in sweats and yellow rubber cleaning gloves):
Official looking suited men - "Mrs. Saunders?"
Sweaty me: "Yes"
"We're from Social Services. We've had a complaint regarding child neglect."
"What? There must be some mistake..."
"Is this the household of... Mary Saunders?"
"Well, yes, but I..."
"She logged a complaint today."
"Mary?! Today? But that's..."
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm sorry to inform you that you must surrender your privileges to a clean bathroom."
"Bathroom? Don't you want the child?"
"I dont think so - she screams too much."
"How long do I not have a clean bathroom for?"
"About 2 years"
"Wait! I can't do this! That is too long!!!!"
"We suggest you tend to your children, before things get worse."
Yes, that is what went through my mind. I did get all of the bathrooms cleaned, the laundry done (and put away!!!), all of the bed linens changed and washed, the children bathed, the vacuuming done and dinner made. Here's how I figured the bathroom thing breaks down in this house:
6 sinks (not including the kitchen, which I also cleaned)
4 toilets
3 bathtubs to scrub
3 tile floors to wash
1 enclosed shower
Last night my freshly bathed children went to sleep on freshly cleaned sheets and blankets. When we went to sleep we laid down on clean sheets with clean towels hanging in our clean bathroom. It was a glorious thing.
Too bad it won't last.
(Doorbell rings - I answer in sweats and yellow rubber cleaning gloves):
Official looking suited men - "Mrs. Saunders?"
Sweaty me: "Yes"
"We're from Social Services. We've had a complaint regarding child neglect."
"What? There must be some mistake..."
"Is this the household of... Mary Saunders?"
"Well, yes, but I..."
"She logged a complaint today."
"Mary?! Today? But that's..."
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm sorry to inform you that you must surrender your privileges to a clean bathroom."
"Bathroom? Don't you want the child?"
"I dont think so - she screams too much."
"How long do I not have a clean bathroom for?"
"About 2 years"
"Wait! I can't do this! That is too long!!!!"
"We suggest you tend to your children, before things get worse."
Yes, that is what went through my mind. I did get all of the bathrooms cleaned, the laundry done (and put away!!!), all of the bed linens changed and washed, the children bathed, the vacuuming done and dinner made. Here's how I figured the bathroom thing breaks down in this house:
6 sinks (not including the kitchen, which I also cleaned)
4 toilets
3 bathtubs to scrub
3 tile floors to wash
1 enclosed shower
Last night my freshly bathed children went to sleep on freshly cleaned sheets and blankets. When we went to sleep we laid down on clean sheets with clean towels hanging in our clean bathroom. It was a glorious thing.
Too bad it won't last.
Friday, January 14, 2005
The Book Bug
This entry is only about me. Not about the kids at all, so if that is why you are reading, you should skip this post. If you feel like reading on to see if my non-baby life is half as interesting as my baby laden life, then go right ahead. But really, it is pretty mundane without a toddler and an infant.
I went to the library today (without the girls) to pick up the next bookgroup book. It looks interesting and I wanted to get reading it since I have not managed to read the last 2 book selections. Since I technically run this group, I figure I should start reading the books again. So we are reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and the library did not have even one of the six copies in. I even tried the large print version. Just in case the computer was wrong (hey- it happens), I went to the aisle to check the shelf - just in case. It wasn't there. But there were some other books that I felt I just HAD to take with me. One of the few things I need in life is books. Not because I don't NEED books, but because I have an inordinate supply of unread books which I have hand picked as ones I REALLY WANT TO READ SOMEDAY. So, with 3 bookshelves full upstairs and an impending bookgroup assignment unfulfilled, I brought home 2 more books. The first book is The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. I have heard this is good and since every other area of my life has been permeated by kids, why not the reading? The other book is A Spectacle of Corruption by David Liss. He wrote A Conspiracy of Paper, which is the first in this series, and a stand alone novel called The Coffee Trader. I just read this last one, which Avis gave me for Christmas. I just couldn't put the darn thing down. It was such a fabulous read that I wanted to get another book by him right away. Trader was set in 17th century Amsterdam and examined the emergence of a trading monopoly on the market. It is a great knot of conspiracies and puzzles about who is after whom and motives that are so intertwined that it is impossible to unravel them. I guess it would be some sort of financial historical thriller. Not my usual light read, but a great one nonetheless. Now I must say, in case someone takes me up on this recommendation, that the end was weak. But up until the last reveal, it was a great story. It reminds me of a book we read for an earlier bookgroup called The Alamo. Suzze will know which book I am talking about. That one had to do with the development of the A-bomb. I'm just writing that so you don't think I was reading a compelling mystery about the Texan revolution against Santa Anna. There was no mystery there that I am aware of. But I'll let you know about these books, so stay tuned.
I went to the library today (without the girls) to pick up the next bookgroup book. It looks interesting and I wanted to get reading it since I have not managed to read the last 2 book selections. Since I technically run this group, I figure I should start reading the books again. So we are reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and the library did not have even one of the six copies in. I even tried the large print version. Just in case the computer was wrong (hey- it happens), I went to the aisle to check the shelf - just in case. It wasn't there. But there were some other books that I felt I just HAD to take with me. One of the few things I need in life is books. Not because I don't NEED books, but because I have an inordinate supply of unread books which I have hand picked as ones I REALLY WANT TO READ SOMEDAY. So, with 3 bookshelves full upstairs and an impending bookgroup assignment unfulfilled, I brought home 2 more books. The first book is The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. I have heard this is good and since every other area of my life has been permeated by kids, why not the reading? The other book is A Spectacle of Corruption by David Liss. He wrote A Conspiracy of Paper, which is the first in this series, and a stand alone novel called The Coffee Trader. I just read this last one, which Avis gave me for Christmas. I just couldn't put the darn thing down. It was such a fabulous read that I wanted to get another book by him right away. Trader was set in 17th century Amsterdam and examined the emergence of a trading monopoly on the market. It is a great knot of conspiracies and puzzles about who is after whom and motives that are so intertwined that it is impossible to unravel them. I guess it would be some sort of financial historical thriller. Not my usual light read, but a great one nonetheless. Now I must say, in case someone takes me up on this recommendation, that the end was weak. But up until the last reveal, it was a great story. It reminds me of a book we read for an earlier bookgroup called The Alamo. Suzze will know which book I am talking about. That one had to do with the development of the A-bomb. I'm just writing that so you don't think I was reading a compelling mystery about the Texan revolution against Santa Anna. There was no mystery there that I am aware of. But I'll let you know about these books, so stay tuned.
Exploding Carrots and Pizza Soup
I've spent a couple of days with my mom here so that I could go get my teeth drilled while she watched the girls. She left earlier today and I was sad to see her go. The MINUTE she left the house (she hadn't even made it to her car) everything got complicated - Mary woke up screaming and would not go back to sleep to finish her nap. Sleeping would have been good because I needed to take a shower. So I changed her. No change. I rocked her. No change. I fed her. Bingo, but now she was not going to go back to sleep. So I took a shower while she played in her swing (read: complained and cried but was drowned out by the music of the swing and the running shower). Emma woke up before I was done and wanted out of her crib, which meant no hair dryer for me. I don't need to go on. The afternoon got more and more complicated - just normal toddler/infant demands. So now I won't go on. But the afternoon stretched into the evening and Jim was not home yet when it was time for dinner.
While Emma cried (really, CRIED) and Mary screamed, I nuked the toddler food as quickly as possible. When Emma's carrots were still cold, I put them on 1 minute. Interestingly enough, this is a great way to make pureed carrots. So now the microwave has carrot colored measles on the inside. I just cleaned that microwave on Monday. Moral: let Emma eat cold food, or, more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Jim arrived an hour later with pizza in hand (hallelujah!). Both children were fed and changed into pajamas and Mary was on her way to bed. That left us with Emma and our pizza. She, of course, wanted to share with us even though she had already eaten. So, out came her picnic set that Grandmama just gave her. Out came the thermos, the bowls and the spoons. A lone pizza crust was liberally sprinkled into the 'soup' and the served to us. It was the best pizza soup we had ever eaten.
Now some may be deterred by the ramblings here and the accounts of screaming toddlers and infants. I needn't mention any names, DEREK. But I will have anyone who will read this know that such distractions are equivalent to a mosquito bite in the overall picture. Nothing beats being the center of the universe for a kid. And now that I begin to get a couple of full night rests (that's right - Mary is flirting with sleeping all night), I already cannot remember what was so bad about the last couple of months. Now the first few are CLEARLY detailed in my memory, but the other details are beginning to get glossed over. It is the happy affliction called motherhood.
While Emma cried (really, CRIED) and Mary screamed, I nuked the toddler food as quickly as possible. When Emma's carrots were still cold, I put them on 1 minute. Interestingly enough, this is a great way to make pureed carrots. So now the microwave has carrot colored measles on the inside. I just cleaned that microwave on Monday. Moral: let Emma eat cold food, or, more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Jim arrived an hour later with pizza in hand (hallelujah!). Both children were fed and changed into pajamas and Mary was on her way to bed. That left us with Emma and our pizza. She, of course, wanted to share with us even though she had already eaten. So, out came her picnic set that Grandmama just gave her. Out came the thermos, the bowls and the spoons. A lone pizza crust was liberally sprinkled into the 'soup' and the served to us. It was the best pizza soup we had ever eaten.
Now some may be deterred by the ramblings here and the accounts of screaming toddlers and infants. I needn't mention any names, DEREK. But I will have anyone who will read this know that such distractions are equivalent to a mosquito bite in the overall picture. Nothing beats being the center of the universe for a kid. And now that I begin to get a couple of full night rests (that's right - Mary is flirting with sleeping all night), I already cannot remember what was so bad about the last couple of months. Now the first few are CLEARLY detailed in my memory, but the other details are beginning to get glossed over. It is the happy affliction called motherhood.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Snowy Pajama Day and the Watermelon of Doom
The watermelon of doom was the title of one of the cartoon segments Emma watched today. I never got to find out what little moral came along with a watermelon of doom, since Mary needed to be fed, but I can only imagine what one could learn from a watermelon. Of doom.
Since I was wonderfully productive yesterday, I am dead tired and dragging today. And since Mary slept the entire night on Sunday night, she was up a lot last night to make up for it. Even Steven. So today we are having a pajama day. That means we get to lay in front of the TV with our pajamas on and Mommy doesn't have to put anyone's hair into pony tails or change anyone's clothes. This also means the Emma gets to climb on Mommy continuously. It is fun. Emma is not quite herself and I think she is getting her back molars. Well, more molars, since she has fewer on one side then the other. This teething thing never ends. And just when Emma will FINALLY be done, Mary should start right up where Emma left off. So I should get nearly 4 years of continuous teething between the two girls. Why didn't anyone make some sort of presentation with all of this information before I started having kids? Of course, if anyone had told me about the watermelon of doom I might have acted differently, too.
Since I was wonderfully productive yesterday, I am dead tired and dragging today. And since Mary slept the entire night on Sunday night, she was up a lot last night to make up for it. Even Steven. So today we are having a pajama day. That means we get to lay in front of the TV with our pajamas on and Mommy doesn't have to put anyone's hair into pony tails or change anyone's clothes. This also means the Emma gets to climb on Mommy continuously. It is fun. Emma is not quite herself and I think she is getting her back molars. Well, more molars, since she has fewer on one side then the other. This teething thing never ends. And just when Emma will FINALLY be done, Mary should start right up where Emma left off. So I should get nearly 4 years of continuous teething between the two girls. Why didn't anyone make some sort of presentation with all of this information before I started having kids? Of course, if anyone had told me about the watermelon of doom I might have acted differently, too.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Cleaning Day
Too much to clean. Do not talk to me until I am done cleaning. I have to clean everything today, everything needs to be cleaned. Mary has a well baby 6 month check up today at 10 and she gets some more vaccines. Shots! I hate it when they give my babies shots! Hopefully she will sleep a lot today after the appointment and I can CLEAN all of the bathrooms and the kitchen and mop the floor which seems to be covered in crumbs everywhere I step. This could be from Emma's new found happiness with Oreo cookies, thanks to her Daddy (scowl).
I am going to go clean SOMETHING before we leave for the doctor's.
I am going to go clean SOMETHING before we leave for the doctor's.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Grocery Privileges
Well, once upon a time I would stop in at the grocery store whenever the whim hit me. Feeling like chicken tonight? Farmer Jack is at the corner. Want some snack food and breakfast muffins? No problem - Kroger is on the way home from work. Now, the pantry has to have dust on the shelves and the refrigerator makes a popping noise when you open it from the vacuum. So today I gathered up the coupons, read the weekly specials, made my list of meals I was going to buy for, and began to get ready to go out. First, Mary had to wake up from her nap which ran late. So she woke up and I stuffed her into her cute little pink fuzzy bear snowsuit. While that was going on, Emma was having a meltdown which caused screaming and throwing oneself onto Momma's leg and clinging to it for dear life. Oh, wait, that would be a stinky diaper. Jim got her changed and into her boots, coat, and hat. Both kids got ferried out to the car and strapped in accordingly while returnables were collected and the double stroller was removed from the back of the Jeep. We made it all the way to the parking lot of the grocery store when we realized, due to Mary's lengthy nap, that it was Emma's lunch time. Jim took a U-turn and we went to the nearest fast food restaurant. After Emma spent a long time sorting out her chicken nuggets between the box and her napkin, we corralled everyone back up and got in the car again. Then we went home.
I am not kidding. We went home. Not grocery shopping. See, it was now prime pumpkining time for Emma (although she seemed mostly a pumpkin all morning). In other words, NAP TIME. Nap time is SACRED. Under any and all circumstances the schedule must be preserved. So we went home. I Tucked Emma in for her nap and nursed Mary. After Mary went down for a nap, Jim said the magic words: "Do you want to go grocery shopping by yourself?". I WENT. I went to the grocery store by myself with no children and no diaper bag. I took coupons that could be sorted and perused and did the glorious grocery shopping. That should be a song - Glorious Grocery Shopping. Then I could hum it while I was pushing the cart up and down the aisles - twice even, if I wanted. So I got every little item on my list and compared prices and scowled over sales versus generic brand values. It was a beautiful thing that took me a very long time. I was so happy that I came home and made lasagna. Now THAT is happiness.
I am not kidding. We went home. Not grocery shopping. See, it was now prime pumpkining time for Emma (although she seemed mostly a pumpkin all morning). In other words, NAP TIME. Nap time is SACRED. Under any and all circumstances the schedule must be preserved. So we went home. I Tucked Emma in for her nap and nursed Mary. After Mary went down for a nap, Jim said the magic words: "Do you want to go grocery shopping by yourself?". I WENT. I went to the grocery store by myself with no children and no diaper bag. I took coupons that could be sorted and perused and did the glorious grocery shopping. That should be a song - Glorious Grocery Shopping. Then I could hum it while I was pushing the cart up and down the aisles - twice even, if I wanted. So I got every little item on my list and compared prices and scowled over sales versus generic brand values. It was a beautiful thing that took me a very long time. I was so happy that I came home and made lasagna. Now THAT is happiness.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
On Call
I knew when I got into this motherhood thing that is was a 24/7 type of responsibility. I just don't think people realize what that means when the children are little (people without kids, that is). It goes without saying that there are 2 AM feedings until the infant gets to a certain point where she will sleep through the night. The qualifications of a baby sleeping through the night are not nearly the same as what *I* might consider as sleeping through the night. A 6 hour stretch is considered sleeping through the night. I personally would like to get an 8 hour stretch, but I guess my opinion was not considered when the rule was written. What the books don't tell you is this: a nursing mother's body has no knowledge of new schedules. The baby can sleep through the night all it wants, 6 or 8 or 10 hours, but the mother still wakes up at 2 AM and still needs to nurse. So my body is still on call, even if it is not needed. This makes sense, because the missed feeding may be an aberration and I may be called upon the very next night. Let me tell you, if you are NOT called upon for a second night, your body is STILL ready. Not only is it ready, but in your half sleep you prepare to nurse a poor, unsuspecting pillow. This does nothing for relieving the need to nurse and then the husband is without a pillow. This can be tolerated until the crack of early morning when the sleeping baby is collected and nursed whether it wants to be or not. In this manner the baby manages to rule the mother even when it sleeps, happily, for 11 hours. This also causes the mother to be very cranky the following day, even though everyone else is happy and well rested (even without a pillow). No matter how cranky or sleepless you are as a mother, and no matter how annoying the on call demand can be, when you look at the little children that you made and how perfect they are in every way, you can not help but dedicate your every waking and sleeping moment to them. This would be considered brain washing in any other situation, but here it is referred to as 'maternal instinct'.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
A Letter to My Girls
Dearest Daughters,
To my truest and deepest loves of my heart, I say; I love you and comfort you when it is needed, even if the hour is dark and jagged. Your dependence on my words and touch are a great joy at any time. But there is a time for a nap, which should be strictly followed and even gladly adhered to. For this is a time when Mommas can shower and primp. It is a time to find a home for all toys to create the illusion that you are ever so content to be with me that you don't need to play with anything else. Naps are a time for your Momma to breathe deep and sit on a chair if she so wishes, for more then 3 seconds. Never has a great woman been made with a lack of sleep. So I tell you, go to sleep my babies. Do not despair when I do not answer your calls and your pleas. For it is time to sleep, and if you do not, you will at least stay in your cribs until the time comes that I am supposed to see your joyous and loving faces once again. For right now, sleep and do not fret. At the very least, do not call at me - give me the pleasure of a few quiet moments.
To my truest and deepest loves of my heart, I say; I love you and comfort you when it is needed, even if the hour is dark and jagged. Your dependence on my words and touch are a great joy at any time. But there is a time for a nap, which should be strictly followed and even gladly adhered to. For this is a time when Mommas can shower and primp. It is a time to find a home for all toys to create the illusion that you are ever so content to be with me that you don't need to play with anything else. Naps are a time for your Momma to breathe deep and sit on a chair if she so wishes, for more then 3 seconds. Never has a great woman been made with a lack of sleep. So I tell you, go to sleep my babies. Do not despair when I do not answer your calls and your pleas. For it is time to sleep, and if you do not, you will at least stay in your cribs until the time comes that I am supposed to see your joyous and loving faces once again. For right now, sleep and do not fret. At the very least, do not call at me - give me the pleasure of a few quiet moments.
Sticker Penance
Emma loves stickers. LOVES THEM. She thinks every book should be a sticker book, and tries to pull off any image she sees. We have taken to hiding the sticker books and bringing them out for timed occasions. A person can get VERY tired of playing stickers. Sticker time with Emma is now more odious than diaper changing. It used to be that we would try to get the other person to change a dirty diaper. Now, we get sticker penance. If one of us spends an overage of time on ourselves, causing the other person to be crazy-burdened with Cranky Toddler and Fussy Infant, then that person has to do Sticker Penance. For example, Jim spent a good amount of time getting the high score on Bejeweled and earned sticker penance. He choose, instead, to go out and spend almost an hour to clean up copious amounts of dog doo-doo in freezing cold, drenching rain instead of stickers. It is THAT bad.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Choices
The girls are down for their naps, although they are both complaining greatly. I have a choice of things to do today during the nap time, aside from updating this blog. In no particular order, they are:
I guess they are actually in the order I should consider them, while in reverse they are in the order I will actually do them. It sounds so very lazy and indulgent, but hey, it is! That is the best part about staying at home with the kids. If you don't care that nothing else gets done ever, you can be as lazy as you want.
- Clean bathrooms
- Dust 2nd and 3rd floors
- Scrapbook
- Stamp cards
- Make meager attempts to beat Jim's high score on Bejeweled
I guess they are actually in the order I should consider them, while in reverse they are in the order I will actually do them. It sounds so very lazy and indulgent, but hey, it is! That is the best part about staying at home with the kids. If you don't care that nothing else gets done ever, you can be as lazy as you want.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Another Year Gone
Well I meant to post quite a few times and never managed it. I really wanted to post on the Penultimate Day, but it went by so fast. We used to do a Penultimate Party every year on the 30th, but now we just remember it fondly and go to bed early. It's the side effects of having 2 small children. The sad thing is we are so happy to have nothing planned and have the opportunity to go to bed early. So for the new year we moved Mary to the nursery with Emma. Until now she has been sleeping in her bassinet next to our bed. This would continue to work fine if she would not grow any more, since she is quickly becoming larger than the bassinet. So, despite the fact that she is now yet sleeping the entire night, we moved her to her crib. This first night, Emma spent an hour asking what was in Mary's crib, and then proclaimed "uh-oh!" to let us know that she had woken Mary up by her incessant (and loud) inquiries. The second night when Mary got up to eat, the two girls spent an additional 1 1/2 hours (starting at 3:30 AM) "talking" between themselves. We all got up crabby the next day from lack of sleep.
I think it is going well, don't you?
I think it is going well, don't you?
Grandmama's Entry
Emma's Visit to Grandmama and Pah Pah's House
Emma came to visit for two days during the holidays. She stayed at our house from Thursday night Dec 30 to Saturday evening Jan 1, 2005. As usual, Pah Pah had already thought of things she might enjoy seeing. Friday morning started off with a trip to the Great Lakes Mall. They have a wonderful carousel for the month of December. Emma watched as the horses went up and down and all around. After a few minutes and several "what's that?"b she decide it might be okay to try this ride. Her and Pah Pah went on the ride. Grandmama stood on the side with the stroller and watched. Emma got on a horse near the inside with Pah Pah holding onto her as they went around. Each time she came around by Grandmama, she would wave and smile. She might have been saying hi also, but the music was loud so it would have been lost. It was a pretty good ride and Emma kept talking about it for quite awhile. However, Pah Pah had another surprise for Emma. We then went to the playscape area. The minute her shoes were off, so was she. Emma conquered the giant potato chip and then went on to be the queen of the hot dog. The other kids didn't have a chance.Saturday we headed to the Somerset Mall in Troy. Here Emma saw the moving walkway from one side of the mall to the other side across the street. It is a long covered bridge area. At first she stood still and watched her feet. Then she watched other people walking along on the moving area. She took hold of Pah Pah's hand and started walking. As she came to the end she stepped off with no trouble at all. There are three sections of the walkway and she wanted to go on all of them. Of course we had to come back so she got to "walk" again. Emma discovered pushing her own stroller was a lot of fun. However, if this is any indication of her driving skills in the future I would suggest you stay inside. Emma was a very busy young lady at Grandmama's house. After all, there were lots of things to be done. She had to make sure the crayons worked on the coloring books, the stickers were put on correctly everywhere including Grandmama's face and arms and the singing stuffed animals from Hallmark were all singing at the same time. She would line up the Hallmark items and press the buttons on and off as she felt they should be. I was glad that Christmas is gone and I can now hide those singers until next year. It also was her job to keep the cats in line. They did not seem to enjoy it as much as she did. I am not sure who was more tired by the evening, Emma or her grandparents.
Emma came to visit for two days during the holidays. She stayed at our house from Thursday night Dec 30 to Saturday evening Jan 1, 2005. As usual, Pah Pah had already thought of things she might enjoy seeing. Friday morning started off with a trip to the Great Lakes Mall. They have a wonderful carousel for the month of December. Emma watched as the horses went up and down and all around. After a few minutes and several "what's that?"b she decide it might be okay to try this ride. Her and Pah Pah went on the ride. Grandmama stood on the side with the stroller and watched. Emma got on a horse near the inside with Pah Pah holding onto her as they went around. Each time she came around by Grandmama, she would wave and smile. She might have been saying hi also, but the music was loud so it would have been lost. It was a pretty good ride and Emma kept talking about it for quite awhile. However, Pah Pah had another surprise for Emma. We then went to the playscape area. The minute her shoes were off, so was she. Emma conquered the giant potato chip and then went on to be the queen of the hot dog. The other kids didn't have a chance.Saturday we headed to the Somerset Mall in Troy. Here Emma saw the moving walkway from one side of the mall to the other side across the street. It is a long covered bridge area. At first she stood still and watched her feet. Then she watched other people walking along on the moving area. She took hold of Pah Pah's hand and started walking. As she came to the end she stepped off with no trouble at all. There are three sections of the walkway and she wanted to go on all of them. Of course we had to come back so she got to "walk" again. Emma discovered pushing her own stroller was a lot of fun. However, if this is any indication of her driving skills in the future I would suggest you stay inside. Emma was a very busy young lady at Grandmama's house. After all, there were lots of things to be done. She had to make sure the crayons worked on the coloring books, the stickers were put on correctly everywhere including Grandmama's face and arms and the singing stuffed animals from Hallmark were all singing at the same time. She would line up the Hallmark items and press the buttons on and off as she felt they should be. I was glad that Christmas is gone and I can now hide those singers until next year. It also was her job to keep the cats in line. They did not seem to enjoy it as much as she did. I am not sure who was more tired by the evening, Emma or her grandparents.
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