Something all mothers aspire to. The pinnacle of achievement. The epitome of challenge. Hurdling obstacles, scaling mountains, reaching for the impossible, putting in the ultimate supreme effort, and yet somehow managing, against all odds, to reach it. The satisfaction is unmatchable.
I cut two kids' fingernails AND toenails today!!!!
Dave and I went out tonight, for our usual favorite dinner-and-movie date. Dinner was at a fairly nice, but still casual, restaurant in Palo Alto, and it was late, past 9:30pm by the time we sat down. We were shocked -- horrified! -- to see a family with three small children there. It's a nice enough place that you don't expect to see little kids there at any hour, but let alone that late.
And we saw the quintessential bad behavior that gives all parents a bad name. Children chasing each other and laughing while running around the tables, bumping into the chairs of other diners. Lots of loud noises and screaming. And the ultimate: a mom following a toddler around the restaurant with a plate and a fork, slipping forkfuls of food into the toddler's mouth when she was distracted. Holy cow!
Well, for once, I end the day feeling like a good parent. Especially since the care my kids were under tonight was far superior -- since it wasn't my care they were under. Instead, they were tended to by the ultra-capable Peggy. They and their nice short neat fingernails.
6/1/07
Friday, June 01, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
5/31/07 Mom's day "off"
Day off? Do moms ever have a day off? No, but at least I had a few continuous hours off from the younger two today. This still leaves me with a 1pm pickup and Gabriel all afternoon, but I'm rather enjoying that.
First, the day started with a miraculous event. I hadn't set clothes out for the boys, as I usually do. But when they got up this morning, the first thing they did was go to their dressers and pick clothes out for themselves and started getting dressed! Without prompting, cajoling, threatening, bugging, reminding or anything, they got dressed! Hmm, I'd better keep their dressers stocked with folded clothes. Half the time that I set their clothes out, I pluck them from a pile of clean, unfolded laundry.
Katrina has been nothing short of utterly delightful lately, even after a day away from home and shorter naps. Wakeups have been about half-and-half between waking up at 6am for good, or waking up at 5am, nursing, then going back to sleep until 7:30 or so. The latter is preferable!
Here she is practicing babbling and making goofy sounds and faces. Not her best, but the best I could capture.
Hive report: almost gone! A scratch or injury still raises up red, but the white raised marks are almost completely gone. She has a weight check next week; I'll ask then about if a 3-week-long hive episode could possibly be a food allergy.
One thing the hives inspired was trying out soy yogurt. She luuuuvs that! And I know why, too, having licked the spoon myself. It's very sweet, much sweeter than dairy yogurt. Full of "expressed cane juice," which is a nice way of saying "sugar." I hope we can get back to dairy yogurt before she gets too hooked. Then again, being a big fan of sugar myself, there could be worse things than soy yogurt.
5/31/07
First, the day started with a miraculous event. I hadn't set clothes out for the boys, as I usually do. But when they got up this morning, the first thing they did was go to their dressers and pick clothes out for themselves and started getting dressed! Without prompting, cajoling, threatening, bugging, reminding or anything, they got dressed! Hmm, I'd better keep their dressers stocked with folded clothes. Half the time that I set their clothes out, I pluck them from a pile of clean, unfolded laundry.
Katrina has been nothing short of utterly delightful lately, even after a day away from home and shorter naps. Wakeups have been about half-and-half between waking up at 6am for good, or waking up at 5am, nursing, then going back to sleep until 7:30 or so. The latter is preferable!
Here she is practicing babbling and making goofy sounds and faces. Not her best, but the best I could capture.
Hive report: almost gone! A scratch or injury still raises up red, but the white raised marks are almost completely gone. She has a weight check next week; I'll ask then about if a 3-week-long hive episode could possibly be a food allergy.
One thing the hives inspired was trying out soy yogurt. She luuuuvs that! And I know why, too, having licked the spoon myself. It's very sweet, much sweeter than dairy yogurt. Full of "expressed cane juice," which is a nice way of saying "sugar." I hope we can get back to dairy yogurt before she gets too hooked. Then again, being a big fan of sugar myself, there could be worse things than soy yogurt.
5/31/07
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
5/30/07 Swim class screwup
WAH! I'd been so looking forward to our perfectly-timed class with our longtime favorite swim teacher, Gina.
But, it turns out, we were on the schedule for an earlier time (and hence late today), and, Gina isn't teaching on Wednesdays! I was so bummed. Especially since having Julian and Katrina in the class means I need extra help from the teacher we do have. But our teacher also runs the swim school, quite often during the lessons. Today I spent a good 5 minutes (out of 20) holding Julian and Katrina while waiting for him to resolve something. This was especially hard since Julian was crying and really really needed my full attention. (He got over it in playtime.)
The good news, however, is that I signed Julian and Katrina up on Mondays also, with Teacher Gina. It's at noon, not necessarily the best time, but there's a good chance Katrina won't be napping then. 3 out of 7 Mondays, however, I'll have to bring Gabriel with us, and hope that he won't be too sad about not joining his sister and brother in the water.
It's worth it though; we've had Gina for years, and she was very supportive and sweet last summer when I was so miserably pregnant. She gave me specific orders to come back this summer with the baby, which she was completely convinced would be a girl. She wouldn't hear of the other possibility.
The other good news is that Katrina had a grand time in swim class today, not crying at all. Despite swimming only once a week, she now totally "gets" jumping into the water, scrunching up her little face in anticipation right before going under. She is almost able to jump off the side, impeded partly by the tiny lip at the edge of the pool, but she can jump in from a step in playtime. With all the wiggling and kicking she does on land, she should take quickly to swimming!
More comments today about how little Katrina is, and surprised reactions when I tell them she's almost 8 months old. When I look around at other babies in swim class, I can see why. She seems littler and littler as her behavior matures faster than her petite little body. We're developing a series of 'P' nicknames for her -- the boys love calling her Pixie Peanut, and now we've tacked on Pipsqueak (thank you Stacey for that one!).
I survived another afternoon today, partly because I got Julian in his room for a nap. He never took one, but at least he was out of the picture for an hour. That makes a huge difference in my ability to deal with the boys for many hours.
People often ask how it is with 3 kids, and my answer hasn't changed: it's not 3 kids, it's 2 boys that gets me. Young boys, close in age, the older one having the much stronger personality, and the younger one being 3. Not the ideal scenario. That said, whenever I see or read something about the deep bond that many grown men have with their brothers, I feel warm and happy that they have each other, and a tiny pang of regret that there isn't another brother in the mix. For a fleeting moment, that is, until the inevitable crash, cry and ensuing chaos shatters my fraternal reverie.
No photos today. Taking advantage of extended daylight, I made a hasty escape this evening, and tackled part of the PG&E trail at Rancho San Antonio. 4.5 miles, about half of that hills. I'm pooped.
5/30/07
But, it turns out, we were on the schedule for an earlier time (and hence late today), and, Gina isn't teaching on Wednesdays! I was so bummed. Especially since having Julian and Katrina in the class means I need extra help from the teacher we do have. But our teacher also runs the swim school, quite often during the lessons. Today I spent a good 5 minutes (out of 20) holding Julian and Katrina while waiting for him to resolve something. This was especially hard since Julian was crying and really really needed my full attention. (He got over it in playtime.)
The good news, however, is that I signed Julian and Katrina up on Mondays also, with Teacher Gina. It's at noon, not necessarily the best time, but there's a good chance Katrina won't be napping then. 3 out of 7 Mondays, however, I'll have to bring Gabriel with us, and hope that he won't be too sad about not joining his sister and brother in the water.
It's worth it though; we've had Gina for years, and she was very supportive and sweet last summer when I was so miserably pregnant. She gave me specific orders to come back this summer with the baby, which she was completely convinced would be a girl. She wouldn't hear of the other possibility.
The other good news is that Katrina had a grand time in swim class today, not crying at all. Despite swimming only once a week, she now totally "gets" jumping into the water, scrunching up her little face in anticipation right before going under. She is almost able to jump off the side, impeded partly by the tiny lip at the edge of the pool, but she can jump in from a step in playtime. With all the wiggling and kicking she does on land, she should take quickly to swimming!
More comments today about how little Katrina is, and surprised reactions when I tell them she's almost 8 months old. When I look around at other babies in swim class, I can see why. She seems littler and littler as her behavior matures faster than her petite little body. We're developing a series of 'P' nicknames for her -- the boys love calling her Pixie Peanut, and now we've tacked on Pipsqueak (thank you Stacey for that one!).
I survived another afternoon today, partly because I got Julian in his room for a nap. He never took one, but at least he was out of the picture for an hour. That makes a huge difference in my ability to deal with the boys for many hours.
People often ask how it is with 3 kids, and my answer hasn't changed: it's not 3 kids, it's 2 boys that gets me. Young boys, close in age, the older one having the much stronger personality, and the younger one being 3. Not the ideal scenario. That said, whenever I see or read something about the deep bond that many grown men have with their brothers, I feel warm and happy that they have each other, and a tiny pang of regret that there isn't another brother in the mix. For a fleeting moment, that is, until the inevitable crash, cry and ensuing chaos shatters my fraternal reverie.
No photos today. Taking advantage of extended daylight, I made a hasty escape this evening, and tackled part of the PG&E trail at Rancho San Antonio. 4.5 miles, about half of that hills. I'm pooped.
5/30/07
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
5/29/07 First full-time day
Today was the first day of a new schedule: Katrina and Julian at Tonya's all day, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for the summer.
I've been so looking forward to getting some continuous time and making momentum on some projects...but that anticipation was dampened by an unexpected, but really, expected emotion: I missed my baby!
Katrina gained a bad rep from her earlier months; right now she is the picture of a sweet, adorable, delightful, fun, outgoing, utterly joyful baby. And you know that takes a lot for me to say, as I'm not all that big on babies!
(Note that my oh-so-darling 3-year-old barely merited a whit of thought all day.)
She did great at Tonya's, playing happily all day despite marginal naps. When I picked her up, she beamed at me, made her happy crackly sounds, and reached for my face with both hands. Awww. Maybe I did this wrong -- I should put both boys at Tonya's all day! Well, that's coming soon enough, when Gabriel starts at Collins CDC in mid-June.
Before Gabriel starts his new schedule, I have a fun few weeks in which I get him to myself for two afternoons a week. This was timely today, since we had a kindergarten orientation to go to at his school. This was moderately useful, and would have been moreso if we weren't in such a big room with such poor acoustics. Most of what they talked about in terms of readiness for kindergarten didn't apply or isn't an issue (e.g. Gabriel being scared and crying the first day). We didn't get to tour the classrooms, but at least saw where they'd be, and Gabriel got to play in the playground right outside where his class will be.
Gabriel's real excitement this afternoon was discovering a clock-making kit he got for Christmas last year (or the year before, I think!). Mr. Numbers here no longer remembers how to read analog clocks, because digital clocks exist. He learned a long time ago that it's much easier to read a digital clock, so now has to think about it to read an analog one, if he will at all.
(From a cognition perspective, that's actually rather interesting. He was truly reading the analog clock, rather than recognizing a hand pattern and applying it to a developed concept of time, as an adult would. You and I don't really "read" analog clocks, we glance at them and identify the time. They're faster to tell time on them, much like analog speedometers are easier to use than digital ones. So no wonder it's harder for him to read an analog clock, because he's reading it and not re
ally telling time on it. )
Nevertheless, making a clock was great fun for him. He loved the instructions to draw a circle on heavy paper around a dinner plate, then cut it out (he excitedly told Dave about this feat of engineering later). Then I went through with him how to find the center of the circle and make a hole, then he colored the clock, then meticulously glued the numbers on. Finally, I snapped the hands onto the little clock mechanism. He's very proud of it. Maybe now he'll remember how to tell time!
5/29/07
I've been so looking forward to getting some continuous time and making momentum on some projects...but that anticipation was dampened by an unexpected, but really, expected emotion: I missed my baby!
Katrina gained a bad rep from her earlier months; right now she is the picture of a sweet, adorable, delightful, fun, outgoing, utterly joyful baby. And you know that takes a lot for me to say, as I'm not all that big on babies!
(Note that my oh-so-darling 3-year-old barely merited a whit of thought all day.)
She did great at Tonya's, playing happily all day despite marginal naps. When I picked her up, she beamed at me, made her happy crackly sounds, and reached for my face with both hands. Awww. Maybe I did this wrong -- I should put both boys at Tonya's all day! Well, that's coming soon enough, when Gabriel starts at Collins CDC in mid-June.
Before Gabriel starts his new schedule, I have a fun few weeks in which I get him to myself for two afternoons a week. This was timely today, since we had a kindergarten orientation to go to at his school. This was moderately useful, and would have been moreso if we weren't in such a big room with such poor acoustics. Most of what they talked about in terms of readiness for kindergarten didn't apply or isn't an issue (e.g. Gabriel being scared and crying the first day). We didn't get to tour the classrooms, but at least saw where they'd be, and Gabriel got to play in the playground right outside where his class will be.
Gabriel's real excitement this afternoon was discovering a clock-making kit he got for Christmas last year (or the year before, I think!). Mr. Numbers here no longer remembers how to read analog clocks, because digital clocks exist. He learned a long time ago that it's much easier to read a digital clock, so now has to think about it to read an analog one, if he will at all.
(From a cognition perspective, that's actually rather interesting. He was truly reading the analog clock, rather than recognizing a hand pattern and applying it to a developed concept of time, as an adult would. You and I don't really "read" analog clocks, we glance at them and identify the time. They're faster to tell time on them, much like analog speedometers are easier to use than digital ones. So no wonder it's harder for him to read an analog clock, because he's reading it and not re
ally telling time on it. )Nevertheless, making a clock was great fun for him. He loved the instructions to draw a circle on heavy paper around a dinner plate, then cut it out (he excitedly told Dave about this feat of engineering later). Then I went through with him how to find the center of the circle and make a hole, then he colored the clock, then meticulously glued the numbers on. Finally, I snapped the hands onto the little clock mechanism. He's very proud of it. Maybe now he'll remember how to tell time!
5/29/07
Monday, May 28, 2007
5/28/07 An unmemorable Memorial Day
Memorial Day. Commemorating veterans, old, and regrettably, the daily new. The long-lost 49er rally and the GS trials we used to do, sniff. War movies on TV. Department store sales. And, the unofficial start of summer.
In our case, the holiday meant another day struggling to survive the onslaught of children, and, in my case, a migraine. This time, I took the Imitrex exactly as prescribed: first one pill, then a second two hours later. Judging by this experience, it does seem to address the pain, but that's it. All the other weird and uncomfortable things from the misfirings in my head are still there. The lack of pain is an improvement, but what does it take the get rid of the vice grips, the strange visual perceptions, the sensitivity to light and sound?
My usual remedy to everything is exercise. Mercifully, the Y was not only open today, but Childwatch was on its regular schedule. So I brought all three of our mini-monsters to the Y and pushed my way through a half-hearted workout. When I picked them up, the miniest monster was asleep in the stroller. The Childwatch lady seemed quite pleased with herself. It's not their fault. If a baby is tired, baby shouldn't be there, and I guess lots of moms want them to go to sleep there. I'm not among those.
Indeed, Katrina's 10-minute snooze took the edge off, and she didn't take an afternoon nap until 5:00pm. Great! Fortunately, she was in a great mood when we woke her up, and she went to bed easily around 8:30pm.
After the Y, I took the boys to Supercuts, and was thrilled to find it almost empty. No wait! In under 20 minutes, the boys had gained a degree of respectability and we were on our way home. Meantime, Katrina had a blast at Supercuts, putting on her best adorable-baby show, beaming at everyone, and absolutely relishing the fawning and cooing over her from the underworked ladies. I don't know what got into her.
Maybe it was this hand-me-down denim skirt I put on her today, her first skirt. Skirts are silly on a baby, but this one has handy slits to make it fall right when she's sitting. Provided it's not on backward, as it is in this photo.
Of course, the real reason for the skirt is that I've fallen so behind in laundry and had to dig through more hand-me-down bags that I hadn't gotten to yet. But I like it.
(That reminds me, shopping at Target with Julian and Katrina the other day, Julian ran over to some skirts and wanted to get one -- for himself! No, sweetie, I told him, that's a skirt. "What's a skirt, Mommy?" he asked innocently. I started to answer him, then realized the gravity of the question. He has no idea what a skirt is: I've only ever worn one once around him, for a few hours on Mother's Day!)
I loved this primary-color star onesie on Katrina, from the same trip to Target ($3.99, score!). Later, I realized why I was attracted to it: it was in the infant boys' section! I'm the worst girl mom. Skirts on backward. Boy clothes. Sounds like the way I dress myself.
Oh, time to go...a new episode of SuperNanny is starting! I wonder what she'd say about Gabriel's new harmless attempt at making a point in timeout, which is to strip himself naked and throw his clothes across the room.
5/28/07
Sunday, May 27, 2007
5/27/07 Park BBQ
Today's only redeeming event was going to a park and barbeque. I got to chat with friends, Katrina got to smile at people and do cute-baby stuff, and the boys got to play with friends. There were lots of kids there, so there were various combinations of kids playing, but since the boys see so much of the White family, inevitably they gravitated toward their respective peers.
Julian and Andrew played together a lot today,
as did Gina and Gabriel, "racing."
Gabriel discovered a "forest" in a corner of the park, and was unusually excited, for him, about exploring it. I didn't see this myself, but he was coaxing Gina into places that she wisely thought better of going, though fortunately this particular place was safe. They were looking for dinosaurs, but were very excited to discover a cat too.
On the way home, Gabriel asked again and again about going to explore in a forest, can we go now Mom? This kid needs to go camping. Is this a new side of him, or one that's always been there that I haven't fostered somehow? (Isn't it amazing how modern moms can turn a positive thing into a guilt moment?)
Katrina's morning nap got all screwed up, so she was a ticking time bomb while we were at the park. Fortunately she stayed sunny and happy, but we were pushing it. I called it right and got everyone organized to leave early, and with Gabriel's help, managed to keep her awake in the car. The moment we got home, I nursed her and she went down happily for a 2.5-hour nap. And so did I, as I've been fending off a headache today.
I'd hoped to take Dave to an open house today, but alas, it's impossible to fit in multiple things with a nap-needing baby in tow. (Fortunately, or unfortunately at times, Katrina's inflexibility quells any temptation I might have about having her nap in the stroller or some non-crib location. Such as my shoulder, never an option for her.)
I don't want to lose momentum on this massive remodel project, I just want to get it done! Well, started. Sometimes the only way I can keep up with a project is to make sure I do at least one thing a day on it. If that's just sending an email message, so be it, at least it's something. I guess talking with Stacey and Betsy about the virtues and downfalls of interior windowless bathrooms will have to count for today.
I love living so close to Rancho San Antonio. I hate that millions of other people do too, and that tomorrow, especially being a holiday, going to Rancho would mean spending much of baby's happy window circling the parking lot. Maybe I should find a forest for Gabriel to explore tomorrow. It'd be fun to do that with him...except for that nap-needing-baby-in-tow thing again. Sigh. Caught between two lives. Well, three.
5/27/07
Julian and Andrew played together a lot today,
as did Gina and Gabriel, "racing."
Gabriel discovered a "forest" in a corner of the park, and was unusually excited, for him, about exploring it. I didn't see this myself, but he was coaxing Gina into places that she wisely thought better of going, though fortunately this particular place was safe. They were looking for dinosaurs, but were very excited to discover a cat too.
On the way home, Gabriel asked again and again about going to explore in a forest, can we go now Mom? This kid needs to go camping. Is this a new side of him, or one that's always been there that I haven't fostered somehow? (Isn't it amazing how modern moms can turn a positive thing into a guilt moment?)
Katrina's morning nap got all screwed up, so she was a ticking time bomb while we were at the park. Fortunately she stayed sunny and happy, but we were pushing it. I called it right and got everyone organized to leave early, and with Gabriel's help, managed to keep her awake in the car. The moment we got home, I nursed her and she went down happily for a 2.5-hour nap. And so did I, as I've been fending off a headache today.
I'd hoped to take Dave to an open house today, but alas, it's impossible to fit in multiple things with a nap-needing baby in tow. (Fortunately, or unfortunately at times, Katrina's inflexibility quells any temptation I might have about having her nap in the stroller or some non-crib location. Such as my shoulder, never an option for her.)
I don't want to lose momentum on this massive remodel project, I just want to get it done! Well, started. Sometimes the only way I can keep up with a project is to make sure I do at least one thing a day on it. If that's just sending an email message, so be it, at least it's something. I guess talking with Stacey and Betsy about the virtues and downfalls of interior windowless bathrooms will have to count for today.
I love living so close to Rancho San Antonio. I hate that millions of other people do too, and that tomorrow, especially being a holiday, going to Rancho would mean spending much of baby's happy window circling the parking lot. Maybe I should find a forest for Gabriel to explore tomorrow. It'd be fun to do that with him...except for that nap-needing-baby-in-tow thing again. Sigh. Caught between two lives. Well, three.
5/27/07
Saturday, May 26, 2007
5/26/07 More open houses
Friday, we met with a realtor who claims to be an expert in our area, to get a feel for how much our house is worth. This is necessary information for the "remodel v. move" debate.
It was a productive meeting, and we really like this realtor. He's straightforward and informative. Indeed, my awful kitchen seriously depresses the value of our house, but he did say there were many positives of our house, and many unusual features.
The realtor came prepared with "comps," meaning, comparable houses for sale in the area. Comps for our house are challenging because there really are no houses quite like it, but some are more dissimilar than others. Two of the "comp" houses he showed us (on paper) had Open Houses today, so for fun (??), I took Julian and Katrina for a look.
(Dave took Gabriel to the Watsonville Fly-In and Air Show, getting a preview of what it's like to spend a day being with your kid instead of primarily taking care of your kid, as one does with toddlers and babies. Julian had a mega-meltdown as Dave and Gabriel were leaving without him, disappointed beyond control about being left behind, poor thing. I did my best to make it up to him, though open-housing isn't exactly a fun kid-centered activity.)
Anyway. We got to see what $1.5M in Sunnyvale buys you, which is a larger house than we have, but still, some of the same old problems. A fridge on the other side of a too-small island from the sink. Bathrooms that need upgrading. Major landscaping maintenance. For-show-only bathtubs in master bathrooms. Crummy aluminum windows.
And then there's this. In a $1.5M master bedroom, here's your cable and phone:
In our master bedroom, and entire upstairs, and entire downstairs if we remodel, here's your cable, phone (2), and ethernet, in a single outlet:
Our master bedroom has 5 such data/phone/cable outlets alone, with the intent of not having to string wires around doors. All 9 upstairs data/phone/cable outlets are wired back to a subpanel in the attic (pictured), and homed to a master panel in the basement. Our garage and office also have such outlets, and the rest of the downstairs is poised to. (Yes, of course we can say "wireless," but so far it's only served to augment, not replace, good old land lines.)
Our house has all sorts of customizations that are, in some cases, a little over-the-top. But I like them. That's why I (even we in some cases), made them happen. I like my master bath with two showerheads and perfect bathtub and thermostatic valves (even if the bathroom is too small for a master). I love our underfloor hydronic radiant heat downstairs. I like our funky tilt-and-turn-hopper dormer windows. I like our upstairs wood floors, wood trim and doors; now that I've been open-housing, I see that it really stands out. I like our beautiful, bright, huge, if sorely under-utilized, garage. And I like our ultra-handy data/phone/cable outlets upstairs.
But I also know what I don't like. Open-housing with a three-year-old ranks right up there.
In fairness, Julian can be quite cute and charming too, when people address him directly. But he's mostly resoundingly irritating when I'm trying to talk to someone, and he's pulling on Katrina's feet or winding around my legs and just being a general nuisance, as only a 3-year-old can be.
Realtors, however, adore smiley petite baby Katrina. Still, she's some work too, as she makes it hard to hold things in my hands, lunging for everything with both arms outstretched, throwing her entire not-quite-14-pounds into the effort like a desert-crossing horse crazed with thirst. It's amazing how much damage such a tiny little person can do.
Ah yes, another thing you get in a $1.5M kitchen:
A range-top on an island, but underneath it is the same exact mess of exposed pipes and vents in a barely-usable prime-access space, with crudely cut contact paper to cover the bare wood on the bottom, as is in the nasty kitchen you're trying to leave behind.
I don't necessarily need a brand-new kitchen, but I also don't need a painful move (painful for the whole family) and leaving behind many things I like, only to get the same sorts of problems. I'm feeling entitled to an upgrade, and am rather cranky about the stunning price tags on these so-so houses.
In fairness, in a $1.2M brand-new house in Willow Glen, you get actual drawers under the range-top, in about the handiest place possible. This sort of uber-function gives me butterflies in my stomach.
And I just love the farmhouse-style sink.
In completely unrelated, far more cheerful news, I went running at Rancho San Antonio tonight, my first run of the week. And what do you think I saw at the end of Coyote Trail? An actual coyote!
5/26/07
It was a productive meeting, and we really like this realtor. He's straightforward and informative. Indeed, my awful kitchen seriously depresses the value of our house, but he did say there were many positives of our house, and many unusual features.
The realtor came prepared with "comps," meaning, comparable houses for sale in the area. Comps for our house are challenging because there really are no houses quite like it, but some are more dissimilar than others. Two of the "comp" houses he showed us (on paper) had Open Houses today, so for fun (??), I took Julian and Katrina for a look.
(Dave took Gabriel to the Watsonville Fly-In and Air Show, getting a preview of what it's like to spend a day being with your kid instead of primarily taking care of your kid, as one does with toddlers and babies. Julian had a mega-meltdown as Dave and Gabriel were leaving without him, disappointed beyond control about being left behind, poor thing. I did my best to make it up to him, though open-housing isn't exactly a fun kid-centered activity.)
Anyway. We got to see what $1.5M in Sunnyvale buys you, which is a larger house than we have, but still, some of the same old problems. A fridge on the other side of a too-small island from the sink. Bathrooms that need upgrading. Major landscaping maintenance. For-show-only bathtubs in master bathrooms. Crummy aluminum windows.
And then there's this. In a $1.5M master bedroom, here's your cable and phone:
In our master bedroom, and entire upstairs, and entire downstairs if we remodel, here's your cable, phone (2), and ethernet, in a single outlet:
Our master bedroom has 5 such data/phone/cable outlets alone, with the intent of not having to string wires around doors. All 9 upstairs data/phone/cable outlets are wired back to a subpanel in the attic (pictured), and homed to a master panel in the basement. Our garage and office also have such outlets, and the rest of the downstairs is poised to. (Yes, of course we can say "wireless," but so far it's only served to augment, not replace, good old land lines.)
Our house has all sorts of customizations that are, in some cases, a little over-the-top. But I like them. That's why I (even we in some cases), made them happen. I like my master bath with two showerheads and perfect bathtub and thermostatic valves (even if the bathroom is too small for a master). I love our underfloor hydronic radiant heat downstairs. I like our funky tilt-and-turn-hopper dormer windows. I like our upstairs wood floors, wood trim and doors; now that I've been open-housing, I see that it really stands out. I like our beautiful, bright, huge, if sorely under-utilized, garage. And I like our ultra-handy data/phone/cable outlets upstairs.
But I also know what I don't like. Open-housing with a three-year-old ranks right up there.
In fairness, Julian can be quite cute and charming too, when people address him directly. But he's mostly resoundingly irritating when I'm trying to talk to someone, and he's pulling on Katrina's feet or winding around my legs and just being a general nuisance, as only a 3-year-old can be.
Realtors, however, adore smiley petite baby Katrina. Still, she's some work too, as she makes it hard to hold things in my hands, lunging for everything with both arms outstretched, throwing her entire not-quite-14-pounds into the effort like a desert-crossing horse crazed with thirst. It's amazing how much damage such a tiny little person can do.
Ah yes, another thing you get in a $1.5M kitchen:
A range-top on an island, but underneath it is the same exact mess of exposed pipes and vents in a barely-usable prime-access space, with crudely cut contact paper to cover the bare wood on the bottom, as is in the nasty kitchen you're trying to leave behind.
I don't necessarily need a brand-new kitchen, but I also don't need a painful move (painful for the whole family) and leaving behind many things I like, only to get the same sorts of problems. I'm feeling entitled to an upgrade, and am rather cranky about the stunning price tags on these so-so houses.
In fairness, in a $1.2M brand-new house in Willow Glen, you get actual drawers under the range-top, in about the handiest place possible. This sort of uber-function gives me butterflies in my stomach.
And I just love the farmhouse-style sink.
In completely unrelated, far more cheerful news, I went running at Rancho San Antonio tonight, my first run of the week. And what do you think I saw at the end of Coyote Trail? An actual coyote!
5/26/07
Friday, May 25, 2007
5/25/07 Ikea Day!
It's hard to imagine in my life, but I made two trips to Ikea today! Possible only because 1) kids in daycare this morning; 2) Dave back from business trip early this afternoon; and 3) I brought along a carpool-lane decoy, in the form of a skinny 5-year-old boy.
Two trips to Ikea.
Three trips to Tonyas: Dropoff, pickup, and then sleepover dropoff.
One trip for takeout dinner.
And very soon, one trip upstairs to bed.
Mmm, that yam-n-turkey dinner sure was fun!
Katrina was downright joyful today. This is why people have babies.
5/25/07
Two trips to Ikea.
Three trips to Tonyas: Dropoff, pickup, and then sleepover dropoff.
One trip for takeout dinner.
And very soon, one trip upstairs to bed.
Mmm, that yam-n-turkey dinner sure was fun!
Katrina was downright joyful today. This is why people have babies.
5/25/07
Thursday, May 24, 2007
5/24/07
Late lunch today, and it was so nice out...so we had a "picnic" out back. The boys said, "Yayyyy!" when I said, "Let's have a picnic!" then, "...what's a picnic?"
Gabriel chose the spot and spread out the blanket (perfectly, of course -- square to the lawn border and without a wrinkle). I reprieved a genuine picnic basket from a get-rid-of pile, since I haven't used it in years, and filled it with sandwiches, watermelon, carrots and chips.
Someone couldn't wait for food and started eating the picnic basket instead!
We talked about part of trees, since Gabriel likes our next door neighbors' big redwood tree (which was once part of our property until the last subdivision in 1979), and about ants and bugs. Katrina very happily ate her baby food sitting on the ground, enjoying this change of pace. Our picnic was a nice little twist on the usual lunch. For once, Mom gets more than a D-!
A marathon of afternoon naps: Julian and Katrina slept until 6pm, when I finally woke Katrina up out of a sound sleep after 3 hours! Dinner was completely ready for them, useless as it turns out, since the boys barely touched it and Katrina was too busy wiggling and smiling and making goofy baby sounds to eat.
So I took the kit'n'kaboodle to the Y and gave the kind Childwatch ladies a turn with my little darlings. A 3-hour nap ending at 6pm should have put Katrina in good shape, but she was wasted when I picked her up at 8:30. She cried the whole way home and I put her right to bed when we got home. The boys were tired too -- while I was nursing Katrina before bed, they actually brushed their teeth!
5/24/07
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
5/23/07 Swim registration
Today was registration day at the Y for swim lessons! I got there just after 8am when they opened, took a number, then anxiously waited for my number to come up before Katrina's morning nap did. I was bouncing her around, hoping to keep her happy for a few more seconds. Then, finally! My turn!
"Oh, you're a Facility Member -- you could have done this at any time, starting two weeks ago. You didn't need to wait on line today!" Boy, did I feel dumb. "New Basic Member" registration referred to YMCA members, not swim program members as I'd assumed. Wake up, Mom! At least the boys will get some formal swim instruction this summer; I've really putzed it this year.
I managed to keep things under control all afternoon and evening, despite the fact that Dave left for a business trip in Dallas this morning.
A great way to get the boys to cooperate with the bath-bedtime process is to do something different, such as take a shower in our absurdly oversized Jacuzzi downstairs. They had a great time playing in the shower -- so great that I had a hard time getting them out. A sure-fire way is to turn the water on full cold. Amazing how these boys can hustle sometimes!
Katrina has been truly, thoroughly delightful lately. She loves sitting up and playing with toys, making all sorts of crackly squeaky happy sounds. She's still very smiley and often very silly, and welcomes new situations with a bright, fascinated face. If she cries, it's almost always for an obvious reason -- hungry, tired, needs changing. She's been sleeping through the night more often than not, though "sleeping through the night" means she wakes up at 6am, full of wiggles and kicks and grins. And so the party starts! It's a fun party, but I sure wish I could be fashionably late.
5/23/07
p.s. Day 16 of hives! Now you have to look around for them, but the tiniest scratch still swells up.
"Oh, you're a Facility Member -- you could have done this at any time, starting two weeks ago. You didn't need to wait on line today!" Boy, did I feel dumb. "New Basic Member" registration referred to YMCA members, not swim program members as I'd assumed. Wake up, Mom! At least the boys will get some formal swim instruction this summer; I've really putzed it this year.
I managed to keep things under control all afternoon and evening, despite the fact that Dave left for a business trip in Dallas this morning.
A great way to get the boys to cooperate with the bath-bedtime process is to do something different, such as take a shower in our absurdly oversized Jacuzzi downstairs. They had a great time playing in the shower -- so great that I had a hard time getting them out. A sure-fire way is to turn the water on full cold. Amazing how these boys can hustle sometimes!
Katrina has been truly, thoroughly delightful lately. She loves sitting up and playing with toys, making all sorts of crackly squeaky happy sounds. She's still very smiley and often very silly, and welcomes new situations with a bright, fascinated face. If she cries, it's almost always for an obvious reason -- hungry, tired, needs changing. She's been sleeping through the night more often than not, though "sleeping through the night" means she wakes up at 6am, full of wiggles and kicks and grins. And so the party starts! It's a fun party, but I sure wish I could be fashionably late.
5/23/07
p.s. Day 16 of hives! Now you have to look around for them, but the tiniest scratch still swells up.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
5/22/07 Wacky dinner night
Make-up swim lesson at Water Babies today. Julian was invited into the pool to play too, which he agreed to do only after Katrina and I were in the water and it was maximally inconvenient to get him dressed. Then he rudely informed me that I'd forgotten to get his goggles. OH WELL!
The wrapped-up-in-towels-after-swim-class-photo legacy lives on!
We went to Memorial Park in Cupertino today. It's a very, very nice park, except for two things. One, the parking is scarce and far away. But that's nothing compared to....
...Two, if you're busy feeding your baby, then look around for your 3-year-old, he might be happily sitting at the edge of an unfenced water hazard, poised to stumble into the water and quietly slip beneath its surface, terrified as water floods his lungs and he desperately gasps for air then struggles in terror, blacks out and slowly meeting a painful, invisible, silent end. Then there's the panic his mother is stricken with when she realizes she can't find him, to be replaced with paralyzing horror; agonizing guilt and deep, intense, life-changing grief when his helpless little body bobs to the surface, his face still contorted with his futile underwater screams for her.
Julian sitting peacefully by the water looks like a sweet scene, but the hair on the back of my neck stands up when I see it. Watching him while he looks at the ducks, fine. But shame, shame, shame on me for finding him here. He was chasing another boy, both running and paying attention to the ducks on the land, not to the edge of the water. Swim lessons since 3 months old mean absolutely zilch, he can drown just as easily as a kid who's never had a lesson. This terrifies me.
Shaken and filled with fearful guilt, I herded my errant son back to our blanket and got back to the business of minding my children. He enjoyed sitting with his baby sister, each munching their respective munchables.
Katrina got to show off her adorable new hat today. I love the flower detail on the side -- I know Bonne Maman had fun shopping for this one! The sun was strong today, so I'm glad for its wide brim.
She had fun in a swing at the park too. If I didn't know better, I'd have said she was pumping to get swinging, but it was probably just random wiggling that somehow converged into a rhythm.
Why bother with lunch when there's a perfectly good rubber swing to chew?
Hives still alive and well!
Another mom today at swim class said that her 2-year-old broke out in hives mysteriously also, and they didn't go away for 5 months!! Pediatric allergists threw up their hands and said it was just something in her system that had to work its way out. In Katrina's case, since she's so much younger and hasn't been exposed to as many things, it's probably something more detectable. But now we're going on 15 days of these hives, and while they have improved, they're not improving fast enough to go away for another few weeks, if even. I wish our allergist appointment were sooner, it's not until June 21st, and I'm told we were lucky to get one that soon.
(Just like Gabriel...Katrina's ultra-skinny legs really show up in shorts. She used to have skinny ankles, but now her thighs are about the same as her ankles!)
Tonight Gabriel suggested having scrambled eggs for dinner, so I went along with the game of how silly it was to have breakfast for dinner. I asked "what else?" and he said "Shredded Spoonfuls!" So, that was part of dinner. I stuck in some leftover tater tots (OK, organic "spud puppies" from Whole Foods, but let's face it, they're tater tots), and the ubiquitous broccoli. Then it became funny that we were having dinner food (broccoli) for breakfast. Suckers!!
5/22/07
Monday, May 21, 2007
5/21/07 Opening gifts
I took Gabriel to an ear doctor today, an appointment made long ago regarding his hearing loss. He hasn't shown signs of it lately, but he still does have fluid in his eardrums that almost certainly compromises his hearing. Really, the only treatment is "watchful waiting" -- waiting for him to outgrow it -- or tubes. I think we'll wait until the end of the summer, when the inconvenience of tubes is lower (he'd have to use earplugs swimming) and the necessity of accurate hearing is higher (kindergarten!).
Tonight we opened some little gifts from Bonne Maman. What fun!
First, Gabriel and Katrina played with the mail bag itself.
Tonight we opened some little gifts from Bonne Maman. What fun!
First, Gabriel and Katrina played with the mail bag itself.
Looking at the nice wrapping:
Julian got a little baseball outfit (HOW CUTE!) and Gabriel, a shirt with a truck on it (HOW PERFECT!). Wow! Thank you Bonne Maman and Papa Paul!!
Best of all, Katrina got exactly what "she" asked for: an adorable white hat with a nice wide rim. Yay! Katrina is my first baby who didn't pull hats off as soon as she could grab things, as her brothers did at 3-4 months old...though now she is starting to pull hats off:
Gabriel and Julian think it's no end of funny when she pulls her hat off. I'm not sure she thinks this is such a funny game, but as so often happens, as soon as I put a stop to it, she's smiling and acting like it was the bee's knees.
Gabriel had to sample the hat himself. The tough part was keeping a straight face as I goaded him: "Noooo laughing! Laughing not allowed! "
His shirt is a fabulous color on him, who'd have known he was an orange guy. It's a high-quality Gymboree size 5, so Mr. Little here will wear it for years.
Julian claimed he didn't want pictures, but I nailed the little stinker anyway.
The boys are SO excited about Bonne Maman's upcoming visit over July 4th -- as well as Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Andreas, and of course, cousin Aidan and cousin Remi! I'm really excited to show off my delightful, outgoing baby, well past her fussy period and instead showing signs of a serious attention span, like her brothers. As I suspected, sitting up has gone a long way toward improving her outlook, though of course now, the bar has been raised -- now she wants to get to things. Will she crawl before her brothers (9 months, 9-1/2 months), and better yet, completely walk before her brothers (17 months, 18 months) ?! Oh yes, PLEASE, baby! Show those boys! You go girl!
Errrgh. Another migraine today. This time, I'm trying Imitrex, my first prescription migraine medication. It wasn't looking good at first, but this evening, the pain is lessened, though not all the other symptoms. Migraines are about a lot more than just pain, which is what makes them migraines instead of "normal" headaches. In fact, to call them a "headache" is almost a misnomer, like calling a bullet wound in the torso a "stomach ache." It fills me with frustration again. Why am I cursed with this? What did I do to bring this on? Did I eat something wrong? Was I too impatient with my children? Did I snort with scorn at the wrong letter-to-the-editor in the newspaper? Did I pay our PG&E bill late? Clearly, I'm being punished for something.
At least my children were relatively rewarding today, all three of them. Three. Let's get this straight: three. THREE. (And I wonder why I have headaches?!)
5/21/07
p.s. DAY 14 OF HIVES!!!!! OK, now we're past the "two weeks is within normal limits for an allergic reaction." Looks like another trip to the pediatrician is in order.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
5/20/07 Another house day
I wanted to do some more open-housing today, but it took until 3:30pm to make it happen! In the end, we only got to see one house, in Los Altos, that I didn't like much anyway. I should have known. $1.5 million is bottom-of-the-barrel in Los Altos. Of course, I'm not actually shopping to move yet; more, to decide if we want to move. Seeing other houses helps remind you of what you like about your own house, as well as adding items to a wish list.
Katrina has a slight cough, which wakes her up out of naps muuuch too early. Incredibly, she's been in a really good mood despite that: cheerful, laughing, sweet. I've also found a way to keep her busy for a while if I'm making dinner: give her pieces of cereal. She sits in the high chair, picks up cereal, very carefully puts it in her mouth, chews it a little, spits it out, then repeats the process until she has a gooey heap of half-chewed cereal on her bib. But she does this for over half an hour at a time, so I'm all for it!
I took this video of Katrina yakking the other day, just got around to posting it:
Tonight the boys got to watch Wallace and Gromit (after cleaning up the family room of course), and Katrina joined them for a while. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV for children under the age of 2, but there's my 7-month-old, happily nestled between her brothers, watching claymation.
Headache coming, overall unproductive day, bedtime.
5/17/07
p.s. oh yes, how could I forget: DAY 13 of hives!!! Every day it improves a tiny bit, but it's never hard to find red splotches or raised welts on poor baby's skin.
Katrina has a slight cough, which wakes her up out of naps muuuch too early. Incredibly, she's been in a really good mood despite that: cheerful, laughing, sweet. I've also found a way to keep her busy for a while if I'm making dinner: give her pieces of cereal. She sits in the high chair, picks up cereal, very carefully puts it in her mouth, chews it a little, spits it out, then repeats the process until she has a gooey heap of half-chewed cereal on her bib. But she does this for over half an hour at a time, so I'm all for it!
I took this video of Katrina yakking the other day, just got around to posting it:
Tonight the boys got to watch Wallace and Gromit (after cleaning up the family room of course), and Katrina joined them for a while. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV for children under the age of 2, but there's my 7-month-old, happily nestled between her brothers, watching claymation.
Headache coming, overall unproductive day, bedtime.
5/17/07
p.s. oh yes, how could I forget: DAY 13 of hives!!! Every day it improves a tiny bit, but it's never hard to find red splotches or raised welts on poor baby's skin.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
5/19/07 Disco Boys!
I took the boys disco dancing this afternoon! Baby Loves Disco is some organization that gets nightclubs to put on an event during the day for kids, with (quieter) disco music, snacks, and lots of places to play. Julian danced one or two songs with me,but otherwise, the boys mostly played in the tents and tunnels, and sat and read books, while I danced and chatted with other moms. It was fun!
Then I took the boys to an open house in Willow Glen, an area in San Jose. I've started collecting ideas and resources for the major, MAJOR downstairs remodeling project -- so major, that Dave and I talked about it again last night, and it might be worth moving instead.
So if we were to move, I'd want to fix a few things about our current situation that can't be fixed in a remodel, such as that I really don't like our neighborhood. It's a good safe one, but it's a little isolated, I don't like walking around here, and there are no parks or shops to walk to. Willow Glen has all sorts of houses, lots of mature trees, lots of parks and places to walk around....but then, it also doesn't have what we've come accustomed to here. Here at Parnell Place, we have a large lot, a lot of space between houses, a very quiet street, and we're very close to the highway. And we've customized this house a lot already -- I'm not ready to leave our underfloor hydronic radiant heat!
But it's worth seeing what's out there, and how much it costs (a LOT). The house we saw today wouldn't work (tiny yard), despite the gorgeous kitchen (drool). The small bedrooms upstairs in our current house is another reason to move, but the upstairs non-master bedrooms were no bigger than the boys' room is now.
Julian fell asleep in the car on the way to Willow Glen, and I left him in the car while Gabriel and I quickly toured the house. Then Gabriel fell asleep on the way home. Once again -- watching me dance puts them to sleep!
5/19/07
Then I took the boys to an open house in Willow Glen, an area in San Jose. I've started collecting ideas and resources for the major, MAJOR downstairs remodeling project -- so major, that Dave and I talked about it again last night, and it might be worth moving instead.
So if we were to move, I'd want to fix a few things about our current situation that can't be fixed in a remodel, such as that I really don't like our neighborhood. It's a good safe one, but it's a little isolated, I don't like walking around here, and there are no parks or shops to walk to. Willow Glen has all sorts of houses, lots of mature trees, lots of parks and places to walk around....but then, it also doesn't have what we've come accustomed to here. Here at Parnell Place, we have a large lot, a lot of space between houses, a very quiet street, and we're very close to the highway. And we've customized this house a lot already -- I'm not ready to leave our underfloor hydronic radiant heat!
But it's worth seeing what's out there, and how much it costs (a LOT). The house we saw today wouldn't work (tiny yard), despite the gorgeous kitchen (drool). The small bedrooms upstairs in our current house is another reason to move, but the upstairs non-master bedrooms were no bigger than the boys' room is now.
Julian fell asleep in the car on the way to Willow Glen, and I left him in the car while Gabriel and I quickly toured the house. Then Gabriel fell asleep on the way home. Once again -- watching me dance puts them to sleep!
5/19/07
Friday, May 18, 2007
5/18/07 Day 11
Still breaking out in hives. Still slowing down; now you have to look for them sometimes, but then other times, several hives appear in one area. This is the 11th day!!
What a relief today. Katrina took a 2-1/2 hour afternoon nap, and was in a great mood afterward, and both her brothers took naps too. This made everyone happy, and in the case of a certain un-named child, even made him pleasant and adorable again. Sleep is the best remedy for three-year-old-ness.
5/18/07
Thursday, May 17, 2007
5/17/07 Positive discipline
Katrina needed some outdoor time today, so she sat outside watching her brothers buzz around this afternoon. Gabriel thought her little heart shirt was "adorable."
Thanks in part to Julian not always napping, her brothers buzz around outdoors together a lot -- enough that today our next-door neighbor asked me as nicely as anyone could possibly ask, to start working on the boys not to scream and shout so much. I well understand! I gave my neighbor carte blanche to tell the boys himself if he needs to, and also brought the boys over to talk to our neighbor directly, and promised him I'd start working on them not to shout so much. I'm skeptical it'll have much effect on the boys right away, but at least our neighbor knows we're trying.
I went to a "positive discipline" parenting talk tonight, having coached myself ahead of time to think in terms of "normal" kids (Julian) instead of looking for answers for my extra-hard-head (Gabriel), for whom there are no answers.
Most of the good advice I've heard before, and do make some effort to implement already, but hearing it again will help me think in those terms some more. For instance, if possible, I should try more to put things in terms of what they can do, instead of what they can't. Such as, "show me how you draw with the crayons," if they're throwing them. If nothing else, at least I'll have gone through the motions, then will feel completely justified in my usual course of action: "STOP THROWING THOSE CRAYONS RIGHT NOW OR THEY'LL GO STRAIGHT INTO THE GARBAGE DO YOU UNDERSTAND DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!!!!!!!!!!"
But this talk also included advice that I've come to take issue with more and more over the years, about offering kids choices to prevent battles and give them a sense of control. Of course, we all do that when it's appropriate, and there's no point making a fight out of something that doesn't need to be. But there are times that there are absolutes, that kids just have to do what you say because you told them.
The classic example is about clothing battles. The positive-discipline advice is to let them pick their own clothes. So what if they go to the grocery store in their PJs or wear their Halloween costumes every day for two weeks? Yeah, OK, so what? That's not a conflict yet. That's too easy. It's incomplete.
The problem arises when the parent has to decide for the kid what they're going to wear for a certain occasion. The speaker had a good answer for that: prepare the kid ahead of time, don't create on-the-spot battles about things kids usually have control over.
But once again, there wasn't a good answer for what happens when the kid just has to do -- or wear -- what you say. I remembered the time that Gabriel absolutely refused to get dressed after a swim lesson. That wasn't about what to wear, it was about wearing clothes at all. Actually, it wasn't even about that, it was about creating conflict, as is always the case with him. Gabriel stood in front of the whole swim school stark naked, cold and only slightly embarrassed, while Julian had lunch, for over half an hour. Eventually he had to get in the car and I was going to take him to Tonya's. He had to put clothes on. Non-negotiable. What does positive discipline have to say about that?
The speaker's answer, as is so often the case, was essentially that it was negotiable: "Well, so put him in the car and take him to daycare naked, so what?" No! Not good enough! I said he had to get dressed, he has to get dressed! "Let him suffer the consequences and learn from it." No! First, I'LL suffer the consequences, not him. Second, he won't learn from this. And Third, HE HAS TO DO WHAT I SAY BY GOLLY!!!! I just flat-out disagree that only safety issues are non-negotiable.
So what happened to my self-coaching that I was going to think of this in terms of Julian?
Well, though Julian is a lot more responsive to classic discipline, I still think that the advice to give choices sidesteps the problems I actually have. I can empower them and give them control all I want, but even with Julian, the problem usually starts where the advice stops. "Save timeouts for egregious behavior." That's fine, but the assumption is that the egregious behavior stops with the timeout. With Julian, the battle has juuust begun, though at least Julian will ultimately back down. I come away again thinking the speaker must have raised girls.
And, of course, there are no pat answers for what to do with a pesty 3-year-old.
Who I never tire of looking at. Whose innocent wide-eyed face is easy to conjure with a voice of mystery and anticipation. Who repeats without fail your answer, with a question inflection, to his often-insightful queries. Who sings all the time, songs he knows, songs he makes up. Who colors or digs for an hour at a time, still sitting with his relentlessly adorable crossed feet. Who always wants to give Mommy a hug and a kiss, and with his full pouty lips is the best kisser I know. Who I love dearly.
Maybe I got something out of the positive discipline talk after all.
5/17/07
p.s. Day 10 of hives! Slowing way down, thank goodness, but still, the tiniest scratch turns red and gets raised up. Advice nurse assures me this is still within normal range, but do get baby tested for allergies. You better believe I will!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
5/16/07 3-year-old for sale
Male, caucasian, dark gray-blue eyes, straight light-brown hair, 31 lbs, 37" tall. Often very cute. Sometimes well-behaved. Suffers from age affliction and associated pest behavior. Verbal skills extraordinary in matters of refusal, resistance, provokation and impertinence. Remarkable vocal ability, both in decibel level and high frequency. Exceptional procrastination and excuse-generating skills. Occasional courtesy a bonus! Comes with carseat and toy monkey. Price negotiable, looking to move fast. No refunds until 4th birthday.
5/16/07
5/16/07
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
5/15/07 Gabriel rides a two-wheeler
Gabriel totally gets riding his bicycle without training wheels!
He made a huge leap today. At first, I was giving him a push to get him started, then he'd pedal a few yards, then put his feet down to stop Fred-Flintstone-style. But Katrina was napping and I had things to do in the house, so guiltily left him to his own devices.
Next thing I knew, he was riding laps around the backyard:
He had one big crash that I didn't see. It must have been bad, since he came inside crying hard. That's very unlike him. In fact, earlier in the day, he'd crashed a tricycle and got a nice scrape on his arm, and came in to inform me matter-of-factly that he needed a band-aid. The bicycle crash must have scared him pretty good. I hope so, because I don't see a whole lot of healthy fear with the bicycle at the moment!
Katrina: DAY 8 of body-covering hives!! But we didn't skip her make-up swim lesson. The hives have slowed down considerably, but see for yourself what "slowed down" means. These photos were taken at a fairly calm hive moment; they pick up after she's been eating, in water, crying, or sometimes after waking up.
She wasn't crazy about the swim class again, though did fine in playtime. The week off really shows, especially on this once-a-week swim class schedule. The twice-a-week-for-three-weeks schedule worked well for the boys, I think. Learn by immersion (hah). Sink or swim (hah hah).
Katrina woke up at 5:30am today, her first wakeup. She needed attention: a leg was caught in the crib slats, and she had a big poop. But mercifully, she went back to sleep until 8:00AM! after nursing. What a difference that makes to my whole day! And hers -- she took two 2-hour naps today. And was happy all day. Now that's more like it, baby!
I still can't believe it. My little boy...riding a bicycle, going to kindergarten. He's really growing up! (note to self: this isn't the time to complain about the lack of night-training....)
5/15/07
He made a huge leap today. At first, I was giving him a push to get him started, then he'd pedal a few yards, then put his feet down to stop Fred-Flintstone-style. But Katrina was napping and I had things to do in the house, so guiltily left him to his own devices.
Next thing I knew, he was riding laps around the backyard:
He had one big crash that I didn't see. It must have been bad, since he came inside crying hard. That's very unlike him. In fact, earlier in the day, he'd crashed a tricycle and got a nice scrape on his arm, and came in to inform me matter-of-factly that he needed a band-aid. The bicycle crash must have scared him pretty good. I hope so, because I don't see a whole lot of healthy fear with the bicycle at the moment!
Katrina: DAY 8 of body-covering hives!! But we didn't skip her make-up swim lesson. The hives have slowed down considerably, but see for yourself what "slowed down" means. These photos were taken at a fairly calm hive moment; they pick up after she's been eating, in water, crying, or sometimes after waking up.
She wasn't crazy about the swim class again, though did fine in playtime. The week off really shows, especially on this once-a-week swim class schedule. The twice-a-week-for-three-weeks schedule worked well for the boys, I think. Learn by immersion (hah). Sink or swim (hah hah).
Katrina woke up at 5:30am today, her first wakeup. She needed attention: a leg was caught in the crib slats, and she had a big poop. But mercifully, she went back to sleep until 8:00AM! after nursing. What a difference that makes to my whole day! And hers -- she took two 2-hour naps today. And was happy all day. Now that's more like it, baby!
I still can't believe it. My little boy...riding a bicycle, going to kindergarten. He's really growing up! (note to self: this isn't the time to complain about the lack of night-training....)
5/15/07
Monday, May 14, 2007
5/14/07 New Yorkers visit
I had a nice visit from my uncle Andre and his friend Stephanie today!
Uncle Andre is visiting Stephanie from New York, where they knew each other from work. She's a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker who's been living in San Francisco for the past 3 years, having moved there from Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. It's one thing to move from New York for your husband's great job opportunity, but entirely another when the job is at Apple! Doh! Needless to say, he has tremendous job demands, on top of a long commute. Not only is Stephanie a misplaced New Yorker, discovering that living in a city doesn't make it New York, but she's also an Apple Widow. We have a lot in common; I wish we had had more time to talk. It was also nice seeing my uncle again, I don't see him often. His sense of humor is reminiscent of my brother's.
Since uncle Andre and Stephanie left around 2pm, I didn't bother getting Julian down for a nap. After extolling the virtues of city life with my guests, I happily indulged in one of the advantages of suburban life, which was the boys playing out back all afternoon. They came in to scarf the remainder of the crackers and fruit I had for our guests, but other than that, they were outside for over 5 hours, digging, playing baseball, sweeping, riding the scooter.
They were both absolutely filthy by the end of it, and Julian had lost a sandal. He looks like a little ragamuffin!
Katrina...she's giving people the impression of being a sweet, mellow baby. And actually, she has so many moments like that these days, it's hard to argue. She was charming for our guests, latching on to my uncle and beaming her big smile at him.
She spent the morning at Tonya's, a good thing because I was in desperate need of more sleep before my guests arrived, after she got me up at freakin' 5:30AM today. AGAIN! She slept through the night, as she's been doing from time to time.....but now can we step it up to sleeping through the morning?
One thing about Katrina though: it is trivial to get her down to sleep. All you do is put her in the crib and give her the satin blanket. She grabs the blankie, rolls over to her side, starts sucking the blanket, and then settles down to sleep. Naps, bedtime, in her crib, in the pack'n'play at Tonya's...no-brainer. And it's been that way for months now. What a difference from our first baby, when getting him to sleep at this age was a huge ordeal, and continued to be well into toddlerhood.
Day 7 of hives!! Katrina's hives are slowing down, but still, at any moment, it's easy to find raised white marks and red splotches and welts on her. She's not as covered anymore, and they're not as fast and furious, but if today's hives were the first we'd seen, we'd think it was major. WTF?!
I've made enough progress on my closet project to start moving shelves in. Yay! That'll only take, what, 5 weeks? Ugh! I've got to get this done before family visits in July! Projects? Progress? Momentum? Completion? Not compatible with Mom life!
5/14/07
Uncle Andre is visiting Stephanie from New York, where they knew each other from work. She's a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker who's been living in San Francisco for the past 3 years, having moved there from Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. It's one thing to move from New York for your husband's great job opportunity, but entirely another when the job is at Apple! Doh! Needless to say, he has tremendous job demands, on top of a long commute. Not only is Stephanie a misplaced New Yorker, discovering that living in a city doesn't make it New York, but she's also an Apple Widow. We have a lot in common; I wish we had had more time to talk. It was also nice seeing my uncle again, I don't see him often. His sense of humor is reminiscent of my brother's.
Since uncle Andre and Stephanie left around 2pm, I didn't bother getting Julian down for a nap. After extolling the virtues of city life with my guests, I happily indulged in one of the advantages of suburban life, which was the boys playing out back all afternoon. They came in to scarf the remainder of the crackers and fruit I had for our guests, but other than that, they were outside for over 5 hours, digging, playing baseball, sweeping, riding the scooter.
They were both absolutely filthy by the end of it, and Julian had lost a sandal. He looks like a little ragamuffin!
Katrina...she's giving people the impression of being a sweet, mellow baby. And actually, she has so many moments like that these days, it's hard to argue. She was charming for our guests, latching on to my uncle and beaming her big smile at him.
She spent the morning at Tonya's, a good thing because I was in desperate need of more sleep before my guests arrived, after she got me up at freakin' 5:30AM today. AGAIN! She slept through the night, as she's been doing from time to time.....but now can we step it up to sleeping through the morning?
One thing about Katrina though: it is trivial to get her down to sleep. All you do is put her in the crib and give her the satin blanket. She grabs the blankie, rolls over to her side, starts sucking the blanket, and then settles down to sleep. Naps, bedtime, in her crib, in the pack'n'play at Tonya's...no-brainer. And it's been that way for months now. What a difference from our first baby, when getting him to sleep at this age was a huge ordeal, and continued to be well into toddlerhood.
Day 7 of hives!! Katrina's hives are slowing down, but still, at any moment, it's easy to find raised white marks and red splotches and welts on her. She's not as covered anymore, and they're not as fast and furious, but if today's hives were the first we'd seen, we'd think it was major. WTF?!
I've made enough progress on my closet project to start moving shelves in. Yay! That'll only take, what, 5 weeks? Ugh! I've got to get this done before family visits in July! Projects? Progress? Momentum? Completion? Not compatible with Mom life!
5/14/07
Sunday, May 13, 2007
5/13/07 Mother's Day!
This morning, not only did I get to sleep late (well, after Katrina woke Dave and I up at 5:30am, errgh), but then I got to take a shower. In the morning!. And then I got dressed at my leisure, without anyone crying or asking me details about my underwear ("Mommy, why are you putting on two hats instead of a shirt?") What a treat!
Then we all went to a nice restaurant nearby that was having a mother's day buffet. Dave thought of this and made the reservation himself, that was the nicest part of all. There was a tremendous selection of lunch and breakfast food, and a room devoted to desserts (and I guess that was also the best place for the omelette station). The dessert room had an actual chocolate fountain -- melted chocolate coursing down across three tiers, with fruit and wooden skewers to douse the fruit in the chocolate. Decadent!
Katrina woke up much, much too early today: 5:30am. Ugh! And then twice during the night. I really wish I could reclaim my mornings and not be completely dead to the world and hating my existence and counting seconds until I can go back to sleep. I don't get over it until the afternoon, so I'm very unproductive in the morning. Today was a nice break. Thanks, Dad!
Day 6 of hives!!! I think they're slowing down, but not much. Katrina still gets raised bumps all over her, literally head to toe. She wore an overalls outfit today, so I couldn't see her torso easily, but when I did, it wasn't completely covered as it has been. But then, I'd button her back up and discover a fresh set of welts on her feet.
Last week, we went to Midori, our favorite Japanese restaurant, and she munched a little on some tofu before spitting it out with distate. Could this be a soy reaction? The hives started the day after I gave her the yogurt. Is it possible the rash she had the day before the yogurt was unrelated, and that the hives really are a dairy allergy?
The advice nurse assured me that 5-7 days of hives isn't unusual, but really, has anyone ever gone through this?! Six days of breaking out in hives from a spoonful or two of yogurt mixed into fruit and cereal?!! I know it's nothing to worry about, and she doesn't seem uncomfortable from them, but it's still upsetting to see these nasty things all over this tiny helpless baby, new ones all the time.
I remember as a kid asking my mother about Mother's Day, then Father's Day, and then the inevitable, "When is Kids' Day?". She answered, "EVERY day is kids' day." I was very unsatisfied with that answer. Today, I got asked that exact same question, by Gabriel. I knew exactly how he'd feel about my answer. But I still handed down to him the same one I got: "Every day is Kids' Day," but added, "I know it doesn't seem like it to you, huh?" He just looked at me, puzzled.
Here's to moms all over! We had our day -- back to Kids' Day tomorrow!
5/13/07
Then we all went to a nice restaurant nearby that was having a mother's day buffet. Dave thought of this and made the reservation himself, that was the nicest part of all. There was a tremendous selection of lunch and breakfast food, and a room devoted to desserts (and I guess that was also the best place for the omelette station). The dessert room had an actual chocolate fountain -- melted chocolate coursing down across three tiers, with fruit and wooden skewers to douse the fruit in the chocolate. Decadent!
Katrina woke up much, much too early today: 5:30am. Ugh! And then twice during the night. I really wish I could reclaim my mornings and not be completely dead to the world and hating my existence and counting seconds until I can go back to sleep. I don't get over it until the afternoon, so I'm very unproductive in the morning. Today was a nice break. Thanks, Dad!
Day 6 of hives!!! I think they're slowing down, but not much. Katrina still gets raised bumps all over her, literally head to toe. She wore an overalls outfit today, so I couldn't see her torso easily, but when I did, it wasn't completely covered as it has been. But then, I'd button her back up and discover a fresh set of welts on her feet.
Last week, we went to Midori, our favorite Japanese restaurant, and she munched a little on some tofu before spitting it out with distate. Could this be a soy reaction? The hives started the day after I gave her the yogurt. Is it possible the rash she had the day before the yogurt was unrelated, and that the hives really are a dairy allergy?
The advice nurse assured me that 5-7 days of hives isn't unusual, but really, has anyone ever gone through this?! Six days of breaking out in hives from a spoonful or two of yogurt mixed into fruit and cereal?!! I know it's nothing to worry about, and she doesn't seem uncomfortable from them, but it's still upsetting to see these nasty things all over this tiny helpless baby, new ones all the time.
I remember as a kid asking my mother about Mother's Day, then Father's Day, and then the inevitable, "When is Kids' Day?". She answered, "EVERY day is kids' day." I was very unsatisfied with that answer. Today, I got asked that exact same question, by Gabriel. I knew exactly how he'd feel about my answer. But I still handed down to him the same one I got: "Every day is Kids' Day," but added, "I know it doesn't seem like it to you, huh?" He just looked at me, puzzled.
Here's to moms all over! We had our day -- back to Kids' Day tomorrow!
5/13/07
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