Finally! Julian's soccer class wasn't rained or soaked out. I didn't get to see personally, but Dave reported that it was a decent class. It's for 2 to 3-1/2 year olds, which is quite a range of ability, and heavily depends on parent participation. Dave said Julian was pretty good at the kicking, but pretty slow at the running, though he is among the youngest in the class. I'm glad that Dave is learning how to teach Julian soccer too, it'll give them something to practice for fun.
The real success was Dave taking Julian to Bobbi's single-handedly after the soccer class. Dave wasn't sure at first; Julian can be pretty pesty with table manners. But without the influence of his brother, he was wonderful. There's always the advantage with Julian that he likes to eat, and eat he did -- bacon, eggs, pancake. Dave does a treat with boys at the end of the meal, by spreading jelly on pancake pieces. This time, Julian wanted to try spreading the jelly himself, using a knife and scooping jelly out of those tiny plastic restaurant containers, then spreading it on the pancake -- and he did really well at it. Gabriel's never even tried!
Meanwhile, I was stumbling my way through an aerobics class at the gym, with Gabriel happily playing in the gym daycare. I'm making an effort to exercise more, but that effort has coincided with a fresh bout of stomach pain, feeling sick and nasty heartburn. It brings me down emotionally even more than physically because it's been going on for so long, and when it returns after even a mild abatement, it's very depressing. I just want to lie down and put a heating pad on my tummy and watch something engaging on TV.
I'm quite certain now (well, 95%) that some of the twitching I've been feeling isn't just little spasms. Some of it is too deep and too consistent not to be the baby. I'll say for certain in a few days, but I think baby#3 made his or her presence known to me, aside from the black eye, at just 15 weeks.
We went to a wedding celebration for our friends Charles and Sara this afternoon, and had a nice time socializing, and for me, lots of yummy little tarts! Sara, the bride, and another woman Tara, are both pregnant with their firsts. It was fun talking to first-timers, with all their newness and anticipation of the whole experience. I haven't thought of pregnancy as fun at all lately, so it was a nice break. I had to chuckle when Charles semi-joked that any arguments about sock color with a toddler would be taken care of forcefully once, and that would be that. Uh-huh, yeah, sure! Good luck with that!
Sara, who's due July 26, says she feels great after yoga classes. If I can't find a pool with lap swim times that will work, yoga might be a very reasonable alternative. Or addition!
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Gabriel and Julian hunt worms
This morning, in an effort to fight fatigue and a relentless "blah" sick icky feeling in my stomach, and motivated by the Title 9 catalog non-models, I dug up my rollerblade skates.
Rollerblades?! Does anyone even know I have them? I bought them years ago, and attempted a few times to skate, but never learned how. I haven't used them since we moved here, but today, I put them on, put Julian in the jogging stroller (remind me next time to reverse the order of that!), and went for a tentative skate around our neighborhood. Ah, how good it felt to get out, wear a T-shirt on a sunny cool day! Skating is a lot easier with a stroller to hold onto. I still can't skate, but I was happy to find that I could skate backward, just as I'd learned in Gabriel's ice-skating class. Julian seemed to appreciate the faster pace in the jogging stroller, too.
When we picked Gabriel up from preschool today, a substitute teacher, Miss Rose, interrupted a phone call and her lunch break just to talk to me, to tell me what a good boy Gabriel was. She said not only was he very well-behaved, but he participated in class, volunteered for stuff, had good "listening ears," answered questions, and got a lot of stickers today. She seemed genuinely impressed and said he was one of the best ones in the class (almost sheepishly, as though she knew she really shouldn't say that, but could since I was the only parent there). That was nice to hear! In fairness, he's among the oldest kids in his class of 3's and 4's.
Teachers at Gabriel's school are routinely surprised to see my relief at his good behavior. They just have no idea how extraordinarily difficult he can be. Even nice teacher Rose said that with her 3-year-old son, who she finds difficult, said that taking away stickers pretty much reins him in. I'm used to this by now though; most people haven't experienced a truly defiant child, and good for them. Then again, teacher Rose's comments today may be the first in a trend: teachers may not often run across kids with Gabriel's attention span, either.
Gabriel is really thriving in his new preschool now, talking about his friends and mentioning things he does there or learns there. It's been great for him getting into more of a regular school environment, even though my hope that it would improve relations between him and Julian have been dashed.
One more comment on tantrums: Stacey mentioned at Coffee that Cassie, who's now 2, had a full half-hour tantrum the other day, and the other moms there were impressed. Not me, of course, and I commented that if a half-hour tantrum was noteworthy, then she really did have an easy kid! Stacey added, "Well, she is just 2." Another mom commented that ignoring tantrums worked best for her. Oh, if only! Gabriel was in full swing by 19 months, and there was no ignoring his 45-50 minute mega-tantrums several times a day. Even Julian has fits as long as half an hour, though happily it's not a regular thing.
Gabriel and Julian enjoyed some backyard time this afternoon, digging and finding "snakes." They were both very excited by their squirmy discoveries, and kept pointing out each new worm to each other, one of which was in some dirt in the back of the dump truck. Poor worms, exposed to sun and prodding...the ultimate sacrifice in the name of a childhood rite!
Spurred by yesterday's nap nightmare, I was very stern and direct with Julian today for naptime. I told him we were reading one book once, and he could have water before we went in his room, but that was it (asking for water just as I'm about to leave is one of his top procrastination strategies). He seemed with the program, but then pushed it at the end, requiring a countdown to get him onto his bed. Testing the limits, he left his feet off the bed. I failed that test, as he got another countdown (I should have stuck to the first one), he still didn't get fully on the bed, so I gave him a quick kiss and said "Good nap!" and left. I heard him crying about his feet still being off the bed, and completely expected I'd have to go back up to calm him so he'd take a nap, but after wailing strongly for about 5 minutes, he suddenly stopped. Then he took one of his glorious 3-1/2 hour naps!
I had some nice alone time with Gabriel during Julian's nap, building a wall out of MegaBlocks, pretending we were cranes, then taking a nap together. And then while Gabriel was still asleep, I snuck in a grownup snack of brie, crackers and apple, reading newspaper articles in full. Luxury!
Rollerblades?! Does anyone even know I have them? I bought them years ago, and attempted a few times to skate, but never learned how. I haven't used them since we moved here, but today, I put them on, put Julian in the jogging stroller (remind me next time to reverse the order of that!), and went for a tentative skate around our neighborhood. Ah, how good it felt to get out, wear a T-shirt on a sunny cool day! Skating is a lot easier with a stroller to hold onto. I still can't skate, but I was happy to find that I could skate backward, just as I'd learned in Gabriel's ice-skating class. Julian seemed to appreciate the faster pace in the jogging stroller, too.
When we picked Gabriel up from preschool today, a substitute teacher, Miss Rose, interrupted a phone call and her lunch break just to talk to me, to tell me what a good boy Gabriel was. She said not only was he very well-behaved, but he participated in class, volunteered for stuff, had good "listening ears," answered questions, and got a lot of stickers today. She seemed genuinely impressed and said he was one of the best ones in the class (almost sheepishly, as though she knew she really shouldn't say that, but could since I was the only parent there). That was nice to hear! In fairness, he's among the oldest kids in his class of 3's and 4's.
Teachers at Gabriel's school are routinely surprised to see my relief at his good behavior. They just have no idea how extraordinarily difficult he can be. Even nice teacher Rose said that with her 3-year-old son, who she finds difficult, said that taking away stickers pretty much reins him in. I'm used to this by now though; most people haven't experienced a truly defiant child, and good for them. Then again, teacher Rose's comments today may be the first in a trend: teachers may not often run across kids with Gabriel's attention span, either.
Gabriel is really thriving in his new preschool now, talking about his friends and mentioning things he does there or learns there. It's been great for him getting into more of a regular school environment, even though my hope that it would improve relations between him and Julian have been dashed.
One more comment on tantrums: Stacey mentioned at Coffee that Cassie, who's now 2, had a full half-hour tantrum the other day, and the other moms there were impressed. Not me, of course, and I commented that if a half-hour tantrum was noteworthy, then she really did have an easy kid! Stacey added, "Well, she is just 2." Another mom commented that ignoring tantrums worked best for her. Oh, if only! Gabriel was in full swing by 19 months, and there was no ignoring his 45-50 minute mega-tantrums several times a day. Even Julian has fits as long as half an hour, though happily it's not a regular thing.
Gabriel and Julian enjoyed some backyard time this afternoon, digging and finding "snakes." They were both very excited by their squirmy discoveries, and kept pointing out each new worm to each other, one of which was in some dirt in the back of the dump truck. Poor worms, exposed to sun and prodding...the ultimate sacrifice in the name of a childhood rite!
Spurred by yesterday's nap nightmare, I was very stern and direct with Julian today for naptime. I told him we were reading one book once, and he could have water before we went in his room, but that was it (asking for water just as I'm about to leave is one of his top procrastination strategies). He seemed with the program, but then pushed it at the end, requiring a countdown to get him onto his bed. Testing the limits, he left his feet off the bed. I failed that test, as he got another countdown (I should have stuck to the first one), he still didn't get fully on the bed, so I gave him a quick kiss and said "Good nap!" and left. I heard him crying about his feet still being off the bed, and completely expected I'd have to go back up to calm him so he'd take a nap, but after wailing strongly for about 5 minutes, he suddenly stopped. Then he took one of his glorious 3-1/2 hour naps!I had some nice alone time with Gabriel during Julian's nap, building a wall out of MegaBlocks, pretending we were cranes, then taking a nap together. And then while Gabriel was still asleep, I snuck in a grownup snack of brie, crackers and apple, reading newspaper articles in full. Luxury!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
gabriel and Julian's lunch
This week, Tonya has been closed, so I brought Julian to the gym on Monday and Wednesday, where he eats his lunch (that I bring) in the childcare. He's so good about this! He sits and eats a much better lunch than I can often get him to eat at home, like rice, broccoli and chicken.
Though today's lunch was a very typical no-brainer, for some reason I felt oddly satisfied that they both had a nice healthy lunch, and ate it all. I'm not sure, but I suspect that Gabriel's new preschool doesn't serve anything with peanuts in it; it's a big trend these days. Certainly it seemed that Gabriel was glad to have a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and fresh strawberries. Other than the bread not being whole-grain (I still haven't found any that everyone consistently likes), it was a nice healthy lunch -- and they both actually ate it, no fuss (that was the best part).
We had swim class again today. As usual, Gabriel was very enthusiastic and excited about it, and Julian hesitant and reluctant, but he's warming up. I think taking the noisy dome off the pool will make a big difference. Last year, Julian warmed up so much that in playtime, he wouldn't quit diving into the water!
Though we had a good swim class and good lunch, I had a hard time with the boys today. Partly, I was very tired and not feeling well today, and my patience has been running very thin with having to give Julian countdowns for EVERY step of the day. Gabriel got upset after swim class when he took his towel off and I wouldn't put it back on him, telling him instead to get dressed, and that kicked off a long snit.
The worst thing is that Julian has been getting increasingly putzy about his naps; making one excuse after another to keep me in there, and getting one countdown after another just to pick a book, sit with me to read it, turn the last page, get into bed, lie down. Oh, for the days when he'd dive down onto the bed after reading a book once! Or, he insists on lying down on the floor, where he's not nearly as comfortable, and wakes up crying. And the past few days, his naps have been much shorter.
Julian's not napping well is a real disaster for me since I'm so tired by the afternoon, and often, so tired of constantly mediating between them. I also think the lack of any real time off from both of them (Tonya's closed this week, and before that, Julian was sick for 3 out of 4 mornings) has been really wearing me down. I'm just not being a good mom to them these days, fresh strawberries for lunch notwithstanding.
I haven't mentioned this yet, but one fun thing for me: Gina's mom, Betsy, is also pregnant with #3! She's due just about 6 weeks after I am, around Thanksgiving. How nice for me that I have a friend to go through this with! We were just saying tonight at Coffee that we both need to pick up our exercising, just to survive pregnancy with two little kids. And how! I want to be one of those women in the Title 9 catalog. That's my inspiration. Now if only my stomach would cooperate....
Though today's lunch was a very typical no-brainer, for some reason I felt oddly satisfied that they both had a nice healthy lunch, and ate it all. I'm not sure, but I suspect that Gabriel's new preschool doesn't serve anything with peanuts in it; it's a big trend these days. Certainly it seemed that Gabriel was glad to have a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and fresh strawberries. Other than the bread not being whole-grain (I still haven't found any that everyone consistently likes), it was a nice healthy lunch -- and they both actually ate it, no fuss (that was the best part).We had swim class again today. As usual, Gabriel was very enthusiastic and excited about it, and Julian hesitant and reluctant, but he's warming up. I think taking the noisy dome off the pool will make a big difference. Last year, Julian warmed up so much that in playtime, he wouldn't quit diving into the water!
Though we had a good swim class and good lunch, I had a hard time with the boys today. Partly, I was very tired and not feeling well today, and my patience has been running very thin with having to give Julian countdowns for EVERY step of the day. Gabriel got upset after swim class when he took his towel off and I wouldn't put it back on him, telling him instead to get dressed, and that kicked off a long snit.
The worst thing is that Julian has been getting increasingly putzy about his naps; making one excuse after another to keep me in there, and getting one countdown after another just to pick a book, sit with me to read it, turn the last page, get into bed, lie down. Oh, for the days when he'd dive down onto the bed after reading a book once! Or, he insists on lying down on the floor, where he's not nearly as comfortable, and wakes up crying. And the past few days, his naps have been much shorter.
Julian's not napping well is a real disaster for me since I'm so tired by the afternoon, and often, so tired of constantly mediating between them. I also think the lack of any real time off from both of them (Tonya's closed this week, and before that, Julian was sick for 3 out of 4 mornings) has been really wearing me down. I'm just not being a good mom to them these days, fresh strawberries for lunch notwithstanding.
I haven't mentioned this yet, but one fun thing for me: Gina's mom, Betsy, is also pregnant with #3! She's due just about 6 weeks after I am, around Thanksgiving. How nice for me that I have a friend to go through this with! We were just saying tonight at Coffee that we both need to pick up our exercising, just to survive pregnancy with two little kids. And how! I want to be one of those women in the Title 9 catalog. That's my inspiration. Now if only my stomach would cooperate....
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Gabriel and Julian's new clothes
It's finally been warming up here, turning into T-shirt time. Somehow I persuaded both boys to try on the Gymboree clothes from Bonne Maman and Papa Paul -- and how cute they are! The shorts are too big around the waist on Gabriel, as I expected, but I'll find a way to take them in. (In fact, I just had to get swim trunks for Gabriel, and bought an 18-month size, and still had to take them in!) I'm just glad to see long shorts on him.Julian's latest phrase, said after I got off the phone today: "What are you talking about?" or, "Who are you talking to?" Nosy!
Gabriel's picked up a very unpleasant new phrase as well: "You're nasty!" or, "you're weird!" I'm not sure how to handle this yet. I've already learned the flip side to making a big deal out of something they say: it becomes such a powerful term that it becomes indelible in their minds. Hopefully, ignoring it will make it lose interest, and most of the time he's just saying it randomly amidst a lot of other chatter to no one in particular. But there are times Gabriel says it angrily, with meaning and eye contact, and that's just plain rude. He's been on timeouts a few times for it today, but for me to time him out for every casual utterance just wouldn't be practical. What would Supernanny do?!
Julian busied himself today picking oxalis flowers (a very pretty weed) from our backyard. Just like his Grandpa Jim; Julian seems to love fresh flowers.He might look innocent, but he's also been really trying my patience lately too. Fortunately, his offenses don't turn into full-scale battle as they used to with Gabriel, but Julian got timed out several times today, and swatted on his botttm once, for hitting me with a straight arm with all his might. His physical might, anyway -- his emotional might withers quickly when scolded, unlike his wily brother. But not enough to prevent him doing it again.
Aside from the various time-out-able transgressions today, both boys were pretty good.
In other news, our red oak flooring is getting installed in our bedroom! I still have a long list of things that need to be decided upon, ordered or bought, but we're getting closer and closer to having our room back. I'm still not feeling anything close to 100%, and various ailments come and go all the time, but it's all been more manageable.
There are always twitches and little muscle spasms around my expanding abdomen (I am really popping out!), but last night I thought I felt some little blips that were deeper inside. I'm not really sure, but it puts me in the zone of "if it keeps up, I'll know what it is." They say you feel a baby earlier with each pregnancy; this one would be at 15 weeks if that's really what it is. I'm happy to say that baby#3 hasn't been on my mind as much, because constant sickness isn't forcing it. And constant attention to rambunctious little boys forces it away!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Gabriel and Julian's first day of swim class
Swim season begins! We had our first day of swim class today, with Gabriel in a semi-private (2 kids) class, and Julian in the usual group of 3 for little kids.
As usual, there was a screw-up in the schedule: the swim school had called me last week to see if I'd be willing to change Gabriel to 9:40am, and I said no. I'd planned long ago to make sure the boys' classes were at the same time. I then asked them to double-check that Gabriel really was scheduled for 10am, no problem. But when we arrived, surprise, Gabriel was on the schedule for 9:40am! Fortunately, the mom of the girl scheduled for a private class at 10am was willing to make that a semi-private, so we're getting what we expected after all.
Gabriel was SO excited about swim class, and was great -- he jumped right in, paid attention to the teacher, was excited and enthusiastic and picked up right where he left off. In playtime, he loved showing off, showing me how he would swim to the side, jump in, and try to dive underwater. I had a hard time getting him out, in fact.
Julian, on the other hand, was hesitant and unsure, not smiling at all at first, and it only went downhill from there. He went along with some things, protesting mildly and sometimes starting to cry, but the few times we put him underwater, he did fine. Teacher Gina said to just take it slow, make it fun for him, and get him used to it again. In playtime, he mostly sat on the steps and shivered, interested in all the kids playing (especially his brother splashing around happily), but not participating. Finally, I got him to crack a smile by playing a game in which he threw Gabriel's goggles into the water and I pretended to be perturbed by saying, "h-HEY!"
Few things demonstrate the most basic difference in these two boys' personalities more than their reaction to the first day of swim class. Even allowing for the age and experience difference, Gabriel's embrace-it-all reaction was very Gabriel, and Julian's reserved and cautious reaction very Julian. So many parents I know assume that their younger child is more bold and confident because they're the second, but I'm quite convinced that kids are just who they are. Not that birth order doesn't matter, but I'm pretty sure the moms who tell me that Julian will become more aggressive than Gabriel are wrong, and just happen to have second-borns who are like that.
I do notice a development in Gabriel's memory though. Last year when he was 3, he seemed to remember some of the swimming itself, but no details. This year, as we entered the parking lot, he said, "Don't hit the fence, Mom!" Great, he remembered the time last year that I hit a pole as I was backing into a spot.
No photos from swim class though; the dome was up over the pool, which means it's too foggy and steamy inside to take pictures.
We went to Tuesday dinner last night because Paul and Elisabeth hosted it at their house. I made a gingerbread cake to bring, and continued a long-standing tradition: the boys got to lick the mixer's beaters! (This is the sort of thing that parents say is easier with just two kids, though I don't recall being permanently damaged over conflicts of there only being two beaters among three kids in my childhood.)
At Paul and Elisabeth's house, Gabriel and Julian were instantly taken with the cats, who would have nothing to do with them and quickly found safe perches out of reach! After they gave up on the cats, they took to a new activity: running around chasing each other shrieking. Great.
Actually, they've been getting MUCH more rambunctious lately, Gabriel especially. It's a new thing to have to discipline Gabriel when he's just being happy and playful, but often to an annoying, overly noisy extent. And he's rude -- as soon as I try to talk to him, he runs away, then turns his head and closes his eyes, then runs away laughing again. Most of the crazy play is initiated by Gabriel, but he wouldn't do it without a willing cohort. It's cute most times, but I sure wish I knew how to get them to turn it off, like at people's houses, without having to be so forceful that they end up crying.
As usual, there was a screw-up in the schedule: the swim school had called me last week to see if I'd be willing to change Gabriel to 9:40am, and I said no. I'd planned long ago to make sure the boys' classes were at the same time. I then asked them to double-check that Gabriel really was scheduled for 10am, no problem. But when we arrived, surprise, Gabriel was on the schedule for 9:40am! Fortunately, the mom of the girl scheduled for a private class at 10am was willing to make that a semi-private, so we're getting what we expected after all.
Gabriel was SO excited about swim class, and was great -- he jumped right in, paid attention to the teacher, was excited and enthusiastic and picked up right where he left off. In playtime, he loved showing off, showing me how he would swim to the side, jump in, and try to dive underwater. I had a hard time getting him out, in fact.
Julian, on the other hand, was hesitant and unsure, not smiling at all at first, and it only went downhill from there. He went along with some things, protesting mildly and sometimes starting to cry, but the few times we put him underwater, he did fine. Teacher Gina said to just take it slow, make it fun for him, and get him used to it again. In playtime, he mostly sat on the steps and shivered, interested in all the kids playing (especially his brother splashing around happily), but not participating. Finally, I got him to crack a smile by playing a game in which he threw Gabriel's goggles into the water and I pretended to be perturbed by saying, "h-HEY!"
Few things demonstrate the most basic difference in these two boys' personalities more than their reaction to the first day of swim class. Even allowing for the age and experience difference, Gabriel's embrace-it-all reaction was very Gabriel, and Julian's reserved and cautious reaction very Julian. So many parents I know assume that their younger child is more bold and confident because they're the second, but I'm quite convinced that kids are just who they are. Not that birth order doesn't matter, but I'm pretty sure the moms who tell me that Julian will become more aggressive than Gabriel are wrong, and just happen to have second-borns who are like that.
I do notice a development in Gabriel's memory though. Last year when he was 3, he seemed to remember some of the swimming itself, but no details. This year, as we entered the parking lot, he said, "Don't hit the fence, Mom!" Great, he remembered the time last year that I hit a pole as I was backing into a spot.
No photos from swim class though; the dome was up over the pool, which means it's too foggy and steamy inside to take pictures.
We went to Tuesday dinner last night because Paul and Elisabeth hosted it at their house. I made a gingerbread cake to bring, and continued a long-standing tradition: the boys got to lick the mixer's beaters! (This is the sort of thing that parents say is easier with just two kids, though I don't recall being permanently damaged over conflicts of there only being two beaters among three kids in my childhood.)
At Paul and Elisabeth's house, Gabriel and Julian were instantly taken with the cats, who would have nothing to do with them and quickly found safe perches out of reach! After they gave up on the cats, they took to a new activity: running around chasing each other shrieking. Great.
Actually, they've been getting MUCH more rambunctious lately, Gabriel especially. It's a new thing to have to discipline Gabriel when he's just being happy and playful, but often to an annoying, overly noisy extent. And he's rude -- as soon as I try to talk to him, he runs away, then turns his head and closes his eyes, then runs away laughing again. Most of the crazy play is initiated by Gabriel, but he wouldn't do it without a willing cohort. It's cute most times, but I sure wish I knew how to get them to turn it off, like at people's houses, without having to be so forceful that they end up crying.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Gabriel and Julian's Easter Brunch
We got a nice invitation from Betsy to join her and her immediate and extended family for Easter Brunch today, including an egg hunt for the kids. I was especially grateful for this invitation when Easter Sunday proved to be yet another rainy day!
As soon as we arrived, Gabriel made a beeline for Gina's train table, and all the kids instantly disappeared -- except Julian. He stood in the kitchen with the all the adults, gazing at each one, shifting his eyes without turning his head as he assessed the group one by one. One grownup suggested he was shy, but he wasn't being shy at all -- indeed, it has to be intimidating being SO short in a large group of standing-up adults, and he didn't hide or act fearful at all. He made a point of engaging each grownup in the group with his famous "eye-lock" from his baby days. If not for his innocent 2-year-old face, I'd almost say he looked like a drill sergeant reviewing his troops. It was the funniest thing!
While Gabriel continued to play with trains, Gina pulled out a tablecloth, spread it out on a kid table, and then set up a little tea party from a nice little metal teaset she has. After a nudge from Dave, Julian got right into the game, stirring his "tea" that Gina poured for him. Julian sat and played with the teaset after Gina had gotten bored and moved back to the trains, in fact!
I thought about cousin Aidan and his picnics, and how much fun Aidan and Julian will have doing this sort of thing together. Aidan loves to tell stories and name animals and such, and Julian will be entranced by this...provided Gabriel is too busy with trains to engage Aidan in a big-boy running game.
After brunch came the egg hunt. Fortunately, the rain stopped long enough for Gina's Dad, Vic, to hide eggs in their front yard, and for the kids to hunt for them. This time, Julian knew what to do, but couldn't come close to keeping up with the enterprising and very motivated Gina! Gabriel caught on right away, and was practically running from place to place to find more eggs. All the kids had a great time out there. Julian found a nice blue egg and had to go show Gina, "Look at my AYG, Gina!". I don't think she was impressed.
Another adorable moment was right before we left, and Vic was swinging Gina around in a circle, then Andrew. Julian walked right up to this family scene, looked up at Vic (who is a BIG guy) and said boldly, "How about me?" Vic was surprised, but gladly swung Julian too. No, not a shy child.
I wish I had more Gabriel tidbits, but for the most part, he played with trains the whole time. Surprise, surprise.
I was very envious of the cast at this brunch. Betsy had her (divorced!) mother and father there, her brother and his "friend" (a woman), a longtime college friend, and a cousin and husband who couldn't make it. I sure wish I had so much family and old friends in the area, but then, Betsy grew up here and didn't move away. Sigh. But it did get me to thinking more about our trip this summer, as of yet undetermined. I'm working on it!
As soon as we arrived, Gabriel made a beeline for Gina's train table, and all the kids instantly disappeared -- except Julian. He stood in the kitchen with the all the adults, gazing at each one, shifting his eyes without turning his head as he assessed the group one by one. One grownup suggested he was shy, but he wasn't being shy at all -- indeed, it has to be intimidating being SO short in a large group of standing-up adults, and he didn't hide or act fearful at all. He made a point of engaging each grownup in the group with his famous "eye-lock" from his baby days. If not for his innocent 2-year-old face, I'd almost say he looked like a drill sergeant reviewing his troops. It was the funniest thing!
While Gabriel continued to play with trains, Gina pulled out a tablecloth, spread it out on a kid table, and then set up a little tea party from a nice little metal teaset she has. After a nudge from Dave, Julian got right into the game, stirring his "tea" that Gina poured for him. Julian sat and played with the teaset after Gina had gotten bored and moved back to the trains, in fact!
I thought about cousin Aidan and his picnics, and how much fun Aidan and Julian will have doing this sort of thing together. Aidan loves to tell stories and name animals and such, and Julian will be entranced by this...provided Gabriel is too busy with trains to engage Aidan in a big-boy running game.
After brunch came the egg hunt. Fortunately, the rain stopped long enough for Gina's Dad, Vic, to hide eggs in their front yard, and for the kids to hunt for them. This time, Julian knew what to do, but couldn't come close to keeping up with the enterprising and very motivated Gina! Gabriel caught on right away, and was practically running from place to place to find more eggs. All the kids had a great time out there. Julian found a nice blue egg and had to go show Gina, "Look at my AYG, Gina!". I don't think she was impressed.
Another adorable moment was right before we left, and Vic was swinging Gina around in a circle, then Andrew. Julian walked right up to this family scene, looked up at Vic (who is a BIG guy) and said boldly, "How about me?" Vic was surprised, but gladly swung Julian too. No, not a shy child.
I wish I had more Gabriel tidbits, but for the most part, he played with trains the whole time. Surprise, surprise.
I was very envious of the cast at this brunch. Betsy had her (divorced!) mother and father there, her brother and his "friend" (a woman), a longtime college friend, and a cousin and husband who couldn't make it. I sure wish I had so much family and old friends in the area, but then, Betsy grew up here and didn't move away. Sigh. But it did get me to thinking more about our trip this summer, as of yet undetermined. I'm working on it!
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Julian goes on an easter egg hunt
Julian seemed fine this morning, despite his sorry day yesterday. In retrospect, his persistent temperature all day with no other symptoms at all, all gone today, plus the hives on his hands, makes me wonder if something else is going on.
For the third Saturday in a row, Julian's soccer class hasn't happened. The first week, it was postponed, and the last two weeks, the rain-soaked soccer fields have been closed (is this what it's like to live in Seattle?).
It was cloudy and sprinkling this morning too. In the late morning, Dave took the boys outside to kick a ball around anyway, and I dejectedly checked email. Bing! Turns out, my 2004 mom's group, which is a much larger and more active group than my 2002 group, had an easter egg hunt and potluck scheduled this morning. I checked the clock -- it was 10:55am, and the gathering started at 11am, at a community room at a sports store in Sunnyvale (hastily relocated from a park due to weather). I quickly cut up a cantaloupe to bring for the potluck and grabbed Julian -- just in time actually, since Dave was about to take Gabriel on a bicycle ride.
The 2004 group has quite a few "senior citizens" like me, including two women who are 43 and 44 and who are both hoping to get pregnant with their 2nd. They both seemed genuinely happy for me about our little October surprise, which made me feel good. Unexpected pregnancy stories have to be hard on women who've gone through years of fertility treatment, but they were nothing but gracious and excited for me.
Most of the gathering was kids eating and moms (and a surprising number of dads) yakking, but the highlight was the Easter Egg Hunt. Egg hunts rarely last more than a few minutes, especially when the group of kids has a lot of very enterprising and determined little girls! Julian was his usual hesitant half-bewildered self when the kids were let loose in the area with eggs scattered around -- he just didn't know what to do. With my help, Julian came away with 4 eggs filled with cheerios and Goldfish, and he really liked carrying his paper-plate "basket" around. Toddlers can be tyrannical, but they are so cute carrying baskets!
I was very glad to have a fun thing for Julian to do on this rainy day. And it's always easier on us to have the boys apart, despite the fact that they play together, really together, happily more and more these days. Still, they might play great for an hour, but you never know when you have to drop everything to make sure no one's bleeding.
For the third Saturday in a row, Julian's soccer class hasn't happened. The first week, it was postponed, and the last two weeks, the rain-soaked soccer fields have been closed (is this what it's like to live in Seattle?).
It was cloudy and sprinkling this morning too. In the late morning, Dave took the boys outside to kick a ball around anyway, and I dejectedly checked email. Bing! Turns out, my 2004 mom's group, which is a much larger and more active group than my 2002 group, had an easter egg hunt and potluck scheduled this morning. I checked the clock -- it was 10:55am, and the gathering started at 11am, at a community room at a sports store in Sunnyvale (hastily relocated from a park due to weather). I quickly cut up a cantaloupe to bring for the potluck and grabbed Julian -- just in time actually, since Dave was about to take Gabriel on a bicycle ride.
The 2004 group has quite a few "senior citizens" like me, including two women who are 43 and 44 and who are both hoping to get pregnant with their 2nd. They both seemed genuinely happy for me about our little October surprise, which made me feel good. Unexpected pregnancy stories have to be hard on women who've gone through years of fertility treatment, but they were nothing but gracious and excited for me.
Most of the gathering was kids eating and moms (and a surprising number of dads) yakking, but the highlight was the Easter Egg Hunt. Egg hunts rarely last more than a few minutes, especially when the group of kids has a lot of very enterprising and determined little girls! Julian was his usual hesitant half-bewildered self when the kids were let loose in the area with eggs scattered around -- he just didn't know what to do. With my help, Julian came away with 4 eggs filled with cheerios and Goldfish, and he really liked carrying his paper-plate "basket" around. Toddlers can be tyrannical, but they are so cute carrying baskets!
I was very glad to have a fun thing for Julian to do on this rainy day. And it's always easier on us to have the boys apart, despite the fact that they play together, really together, happily more and more these days. Still, they might play great for an hour, but you never know when you have to drop everything to make sure no one's bleeding.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Julian foils our plans
So much for our grand plan of a long day together. Dave had a day off work that happened to coincide with a sleepover. Tonya offered to pick Gabriel up from Kids Inc, and she'd keep the boys all afternoon and for the sleepover, so we had the whole day and evening to do something fun like go to the city. A very rare wonderful opportunity!
But, Julian awoke with 101.5 temperature this morning. Foiled! He wasn't going anywhere. Well, except a regular well-baby checkup he happened to have scheduled that day anyway. Dave took him so I could finish our taxes (grrr). Incredibly, despite the fact that he hadn't been eating to his usual high standard for a week, he's still in the 35%-ile for weight. The pediatrician actually thought that the hives on his hands the previous evening might be related to the temperature.
Julian really truly wasn't feeling well, so he spent a lot of time on Dave's or my shoulder, just being held. Then he had a rare treat: he got to watch a LOT of TV! I usually tape 3 hours of PBS on Sunday mornings, even though most of the time they only get to watch half an hour of Thomas. That came in handy, as Julian zoned on the couch, looking so sad and sick. I set aside any squeamishness I had about unlimited unsupervised TV, as that is very rare here, but he really was too sick to play as he usually does. (I can't resist pointing out: always with the adorable crossed feet!)
In the evening, Julian felt a little better, and was allowed into the office for a few minutes. He likes playing with Tux Paint, a drawing program for kids, on our desktop Mac. But the mouse is even more fun to play with as a phone. He put it to his ear and "called" Gabriel (who was at Tonya's on the sleepover). How sweet.
Then, Julian found a calculator and used it as a "phone." I asked who he was going to call, and he said, "Papa Paul! Papa Paul give me orange, and I put it in my MOUF!" I guess Paul and the oranges made quite an impression on him!
Though his fever today definitely dampened Julian's mood (and perhaps mine, but I no longer get completely disappointed from major missed opportunities...that's just life with kids), on the whole it was pretty nice to have him alone all day. He hardly ever cries when Gabriel isn't around to make him cry! It was just as well that Gabriel wasn't around when Julian was so unenergetic and blue, even though I missed the little bugger. It rained all day today anyway, so maybe my great ideas about going to the city wouldn't have happened anyway. And the city will always be there (I say this a few days before the centennial anniversary of the earthquake and fire that levelled the place 100 years ago!).
But, Julian awoke with 101.5 temperature this morning. Foiled! He wasn't going anywhere. Well, except a regular well-baby checkup he happened to have scheduled that day anyway. Dave took him so I could finish our taxes (grrr). Incredibly, despite the fact that he hadn't been eating to his usual high standard for a week, he's still in the 35%-ile for weight. The pediatrician actually thought that the hives on his hands the previous evening might be related to the temperature.
Julian really truly wasn't feeling well, so he spent a lot of time on Dave's or my shoulder, just being held. Then he had a rare treat: he got to watch a LOT of TV! I usually tape 3 hours of PBS on Sunday mornings, even though most of the time they only get to watch half an hour of Thomas. That came in handy, as Julian zoned on the couch, looking so sad and sick. I set aside any squeamishness I had about unlimited unsupervised TV, as that is very rare here, but he really was too sick to play as he usually does. (I can't resist pointing out: always with the adorable crossed feet!)
In the evening, Julian felt a little better, and was allowed into the office for a few minutes. He likes playing with Tux Paint, a drawing program for kids, on our desktop Mac. But the mouse is even more fun to play with as a phone. He put it to his ear and "called" Gabriel (who was at Tonya's on the sleepover). How sweet.
Then, Julian found a calculator and used it as a "phone." I asked who he was going to call, and he said, "Papa Paul! Papa Paul give me orange, and I put it in my MOUF!" I guess Paul and the oranges made quite an impression on him!
Though his fever today definitely dampened Julian's mood (and perhaps mine, but I no longer get completely disappointed from major missed opportunities...that's just life with kids), on the whole it was pretty nice to have him alone all day. He hardly ever cries when Gabriel isn't around to make him cry! It was just as well that Gabriel wasn't around when Julian was so unenergetic and blue, even though I missed the little bugger. It rained all day today anyway, so maybe my great ideas about going to the city wouldn't have happened anyway. And the city will always be there (I say this a few days before the centennial anniversary of the earthquake and fire that levelled the place 100 years ago!).
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Gabriel and Julian go to a rodeo
On this first non-rainy day in weeks, we drove to the San Francisco Cow Palace to see, well, cows! The rodeo is in town for a week, and another mom in my mom's group suggested it as a fun destination for kids. Rhoda and Justin (3-1/2) joined us, as well as Kristi and daughters Erin (3-1/2) and Kate and Allison (18-month-old twins).
We went during the daytime when most of the big rodeo-type events weren't going on anyway, so it was very mellow. Mostly, we went to see the animals and hopefully catch some early trials of sporting events.
And we did! We saw some sheepdog trials first, including visiting the penned-up sheep waiting to be herded. Julian was typically hesitant, but curious. Gabriel said that he didn't want to see cows (recall his toddler-years terror of cows), but he had no problem with any of the big animals and surprised me with how interested he was in them. That is, until a tractor came into an arena to set up for an event -- that trumped any animal!
We walked around the paddocks and saw horses, many varieties of cows; goats, and one animal you'd never expect to see at a rodeo: a camel. (Yes, a camel!) We walked by the "cow salon," where cows were being prepared for show: washed, shaven, fluffed and dried -- I've never seen such pretty cows! ("Mm, looks delicious!" joked Kristi, quoting politically-incorrect Southpark.) Then we went inside to the arena and saw horses "dancing," (really, being turned in circles and doing a choreographed pattern), then chasing a cow. Gabriel and Julian really liked watching the horse run after the cow. Some very nice judges gave all the kids ribbons, which they prized as though they'd won them for something other than being, well, little kids.
The boys' attention started to drift around noon, so we took one last walk through some indoor horse stables, then made our way home. I think they liked the beautiful drive as much as anything. It's been raining so much here that on the first clear day in weeks, the hills were green and lush, the air clear, and it was beautiful. Gabriel is really into "mountains" these days, as well as any body of water, so he had a great time shouting out "LOOK! MOUNTAINS!" as we drove down scenic I280.
As we were driving away from the Cow Palace, though, we drove through downtown Brisbane, a seedy suburb of San Francisco. I was struck by the urban feel of it; groups of people waiting by a bus station, liquor stores, bars on windows, people walking on crowded streets -- even graffiti on street signs. It brought back so much, a familiarity, a realness that I am now comfortably sheltered from in our sterile suburban Brady Bunch land. Or perhaps uncomfortably sheltered from. I've never liked how plain our neighborhood is, and I was fascinated by seeing such a real, gritty, different life, so close to where we live. Or perhaps having been holed up at home for two months having been so sick has made me hunger for any new sights. In any case, it makes me more determined to get out and see more of the world we're surrounded by, and beyond, despite our upcoming October limitation!
The boys were in a great mood when we got home after the rodeo, and so was I. Still, I was tired and took a long nap after Julian went down (agreeably), woken up by Gabriel having to show me his latest pile of rubble (still on the earthquake kick). I ran so late that we ended up going out to dinner, where I mused about how really good Julian is. Stacey was just telling me with great regret that she and Scott have to give up on going out to eat for a while, since Cassie (now 2) is just impossible. I relate to her regret, because it means no breaks from cooking and cleaning up!
We too have had our moments at restaurants, but after some initial testiness tonight, Julian sat quietly and ate his chicken penne with broccoli with a grownup fork from a grownup bowl, amusing himself with crayons afterward. Though Gabriel set a very high bar for troublesome toddlers in our eyes, still, Julian is really pretty darned good. That said, Gabriel has been a very very good 4-year old, we have virtually no issues with him, so we have nothing to complain about. He's been delightful lately -- rambunctious and very energetic, but asking a lot of questions and showing new signs of maturity.
I also mused that Julian has really never gone through a difficult period with food, nothing longer than a day or two. My happy guess is that he's not going to be like his grandfather or father when it comes to being very particular about food, which I suspect Gabriel could be (hopefully I can manage that...but how?). Julian is just more open and agreeable about food -- opinionated sometimes, certainly, but for the most part, he happily eats what's in front of him.
But, just as we were finishing up dinner, I noticed hives on Julian's fingers and hands, including on his palms. Where did this come from? Maybe it was some seasoning in his dinner, or maybe a late reaction to something he touched at the rodeo? They didn't seem to bother him, and had faded by bathtime. I guess we'll never know until we see it again, but hives don't show up out of nowhere. Still, it seems he's more skin-sensitive than his tough older brother, as there are other times I'll see red patches or small strange things that go away fast enough not to be of note, but I never see stuff like that on Gabriel.
Tomorrow, both boys will be at Tonya's for the afternoon and then for a sleepover. I think I'll take my newfound freedom from constant pain and talk Dave into going to the city -- we haven't been there in months!
We went during the daytime when most of the big rodeo-type events weren't going on anyway, so it was very mellow. Mostly, we went to see the animals and hopefully catch some early trials of sporting events.
And we did! We saw some sheepdog trials first, including visiting the penned-up sheep waiting to be herded. Julian was typically hesitant, but curious. Gabriel said that he didn't want to see cows (recall his toddler-years terror of cows), but he had no problem with any of the big animals and surprised me with how interested he was in them. That is, until a tractor came into an arena to set up for an event -- that trumped any animal!
We walked around the paddocks and saw horses, many varieties of cows; goats, and one animal you'd never expect to see at a rodeo: a camel. (Yes, a camel!) We walked by the "cow salon," where cows were being prepared for show: washed, shaven, fluffed and dried -- I've never seen such pretty cows! ("Mm, looks delicious!" joked Kristi, quoting politically-incorrect Southpark.) Then we went inside to the arena and saw horses "dancing," (really, being turned in circles and doing a choreographed pattern), then chasing a cow. Gabriel and Julian really liked watching the horse run after the cow. Some very nice judges gave all the kids ribbons, which they prized as though they'd won them for something other than being, well, little kids.
The boys' attention started to drift around noon, so we took one last walk through some indoor horse stables, then made our way home. I think they liked the beautiful drive as much as anything. It's been raining so much here that on the first clear day in weeks, the hills were green and lush, the air clear, and it was beautiful. Gabriel is really into "mountains" these days, as well as any body of water, so he had a great time shouting out "LOOK! MOUNTAINS!" as we drove down scenic I280.
As we were driving away from the Cow Palace, though, we drove through downtown Brisbane, a seedy suburb of San Francisco. I was struck by the urban feel of it; groups of people waiting by a bus station, liquor stores, bars on windows, people walking on crowded streets -- even graffiti on street signs. It brought back so much, a familiarity, a realness that I am now comfortably sheltered from in our sterile suburban Brady Bunch land. Or perhaps uncomfortably sheltered from. I've never liked how plain our neighborhood is, and I was fascinated by seeing such a real, gritty, different life, so close to where we live. Or perhaps having been holed up at home for two months having been so sick has made me hunger for any new sights. In any case, it makes me more determined to get out and see more of the world we're surrounded by, and beyond, despite our upcoming October limitation!
The boys were in a great mood when we got home after the rodeo, and so was I. Still, I was tired and took a long nap after Julian went down (agreeably), woken up by Gabriel having to show me his latest pile of rubble (still on the earthquake kick). I ran so late that we ended up going out to dinner, where I mused about how really good Julian is. Stacey was just telling me with great regret that she and Scott have to give up on going out to eat for a while, since Cassie (now 2) is just impossible. I relate to her regret, because it means no breaks from cooking and cleaning up!
We too have had our moments at restaurants, but after some initial testiness tonight, Julian sat quietly and ate his chicken penne with broccoli with a grownup fork from a grownup bowl, amusing himself with crayons afterward. Though Gabriel set a very high bar for troublesome toddlers in our eyes, still, Julian is really pretty darned good. That said, Gabriel has been a very very good 4-year old, we have virtually no issues with him, so we have nothing to complain about. He's been delightful lately -- rambunctious and very energetic, but asking a lot of questions and showing new signs of maturity.
I also mused that Julian has really never gone through a difficult period with food, nothing longer than a day or two. My happy guess is that he's not going to be like his grandfather or father when it comes to being very particular about food, which I suspect Gabriel could be (hopefully I can manage that...but how?). Julian is just more open and agreeable about food -- opinionated sometimes, certainly, but for the most part, he happily eats what's in front of him.
But, just as we were finishing up dinner, I noticed hives on Julian's fingers and hands, including on his palms. Where did this come from? Maybe it was some seasoning in his dinner, or maybe a late reaction to something he touched at the rodeo? They didn't seem to bother him, and had faded by bathtime. I guess we'll never know until we see it again, but hives don't show up out of nowhere. Still, it seems he's more skin-sensitive than his tough older brother, as there are other times I'll see red patches or small strange things that go away fast enough not to be of note, but I never see stuff like that on Gabriel.
Tomorrow, both boys will be at Tonya's for the afternoon and then for a sleepover. I think I'll take my newfound freedom from constant pain and talk Dave into going to the city -- we haven't been there in months!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Gabriel's beautiful baby
I reminded Gabriel today that we were going to have a baby here, and he said, "Oh good, I like babies!" So I asked him, "Do you want a baby brother, or a baby sister?" and he said, wide-eyed and very sincerely, "A baby sister." Then, after a pause, he added, "A really beautiful one."
Julian went to Tonya's today, having held down his food for 3 days now, thank heavens. I jump every time he opens his mouth wide open, sticks his tongue out and makes a gagging sound -- which he does frequently just to be a goofball!
Though I still have reservations about the preschool/daycare Gabriel is going to, today when I picked him up, he hopped and skipped holding my hand as we walked to the car. It reminded me of his cousin Aidan coming off the airplane when the Engel family came to visit last August; just a happy innocent expression of enjoyment. I remember Sadie's mom telling me how Sadie cried and cried whenever she picked Sadie up from her new preschool (so much so that Sadie is now going back to Tonya's!). It makes such a difference to know that your kid is happy. That, to me, makes his "new preschool" is a success.
Gabriel now remembers the name of some of the kids he plays with, though he always starts with Kenda. His class is mostly boys, so I'm not surprised he finally remembers Bill and Ping and Andrew, and another girl he always says he doesn't know her name. He's so much more interested in the girls! But I'm so glad he's playing with lots of other kids his age. He seems really happy.
Julian went to Tonya's today, having held down his food for 3 days now, thank heavens. I jump every time he opens his mouth wide open, sticks his tongue out and makes a gagging sound -- which he does frequently just to be a goofball!
Though I still have reservations about the preschool/daycare Gabriel is going to, today when I picked him up, he hopped and skipped holding my hand as we walked to the car. It reminded me of his cousin Aidan coming off the airplane when the Engel family came to visit last August; just a happy innocent expression of enjoyment. I remember Sadie's mom telling me how Sadie cried and cried whenever she picked Sadie up from her new preschool (so much so that Sadie is now going back to Tonya's!). It makes such a difference to know that your kid is happy. That, to me, makes his "new preschool" is a success.
Gabriel now remembers the name of some of the kids he plays with, though he always starts with Kenda. His class is mostly boys, so I'm not surprised he finally remembers Bill and Ping and Andrew, and another girl he always says he doesn't know her name. He's so much more interested in the girls! But I'm so glad he's playing with lots of other kids his age. He seems really happy.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Gabriel's "snowflake"
Another rainy day! I took the boys to the park anyway this morning, only to find it soaked and empty. Still, we took a walk around the soccer field and got sprinkled on, getting lucky that the rain picked up for real just as we got back to the car. Even if we get rained on a little, I absolutely have to get the boys out of the house every day.
Gabriel was very taken with a 100-year-old photo in the paper this morning, of a building that had toppled in San Jose from the 1906 earthquake (the upcoming 100-year anniversary of the disaster is a big deal around here). All day he was talking about buildings falling over and the ground shaking, and piling toys up to make rubble, and I talked to him about earthquakes. Later, when Dave got home and I asked him to tell Dad what the ground shaking is called, he said, "a snowflake!"
What really caught my ear in all this earthquake talk was his new acquisition of a figure of speech. He said something along the lines of: "The ground was shaking, and it was, like, 'Oh no!'." Two weeks in a new school and he's already using expressions such as "it was like,..." !! Can valley-girl talk be far away?
Julian's appetite is virtually nil, and his energy is down a little too, but he's been in a sweet mood and seems to be OK otherwise. 48 hours and counting since his last upchuck!
Gabriel was very taken with a 100-year-old photo in the paper this morning, of a building that had toppled in San Jose from the 1906 earthquake (the upcoming 100-year anniversary of the disaster is a big deal around here). All day he was talking about buildings falling over and the ground shaking, and piling toys up to make rubble, and I talked to him about earthquakes. Later, when Dave got home and I asked him to tell Dad what the ground shaking is called, he said, "a snowflake!"
What really caught my ear in all this earthquake talk was his new acquisition of a figure of speech. He said something along the lines of: "The ground was shaking, and it was, like, 'Oh no!'." Two weeks in a new school and he's already using expressions such as "it was like,..." !! Can valley-girl talk be far away?
Julian's appetite is virtually nil, and his energy is down a little too, but he's been in a sweet mood and seems to be OK otherwise. 48 hours and counting since his last upchuck!
Monday, April 10, 2006
Julian's tummy
We thought Julian was in the clear Sunday. A late, lazy day started with him eating just a little cereal, and his mood was great. Though it was threatening rain, I took the boys to Serra Park just to get out. Gabriel liked pushing a dump truck around the water poles, and Julian of course liked kicking a ball. I'd have to see other 2-year-olds to know for sure, but my goodness, he does seem good at kicking the ball! They were having so much fun I was almost grateful when it started to rain in earnest and I had a good excuse to get them home and Julian down for a nap.
But Sunday night, Julian woke out of a dead sleep and threw up all over his bed, carpet, pajamas, himself. So I kept him out of daycare again today (Monday) and took him to the pediatrician. She said they've been seeing alot of gastroenteritis, but he has no other symptoms, other than loss of appetite and throwing up every 24 hours or so. So, stay the course: give him only mild foods, try to get him to drink, and see if this passes.
I offered Julian a "little milk" yesterday, and he said, "No, BIG milk!". I guess he's learning his opposites!
Today after Julian's nap, I was perusing a vacation rental Web site, and ended up looking at exotic places that aren't in our immediate future, partly just to show the boys some fun pictures. I asked them, "What do you think about...the BAHAMAS!" and Gabriel said, "Oh, yeah, I love that place!" Then, after a pause, he added, "Do they have any toys there?".
Cross your fingers for Julian's tummy!
But Sunday night, Julian woke out of a dead sleep and threw up all over his bed, carpet, pajamas, himself. So I kept him out of daycare again today (Monday) and took him to the pediatrician. She said they've been seeing alot of gastroenteritis, but he has no other symptoms, other than loss of appetite and throwing up every 24 hours or so. So, stay the course: give him only mild foods, try to get him to drink, and see if this passes.
I offered Julian a "little milk" yesterday, and he said, "No, BIG milk!". I guess he's learning his opposites!
Today after Julian's nap, I was perusing a vacation rental Web site, and ended up looking at exotic places that aren't in our immediate future, partly just to show the boys some fun pictures. I asked them, "What do you think about...the BAHAMAS!" and Gabriel said, "Oh, yeah, I love that place!" Then, after a pause, he added, "Do they have any toys there?".
Cross your fingers for Julian's tummy!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Gabriel's banner day
Today I had a lot of time with Gabriel. Dave took Julian to his first soccer class (which turned out to be cancelled due to rain-soaked fields), while I took Gabriel on Cupertino's annual Big Bunny Fun Run. It's a 5K race that also has a 1.5-mile walking route, which Betsy and I did (walked, that is, and she had Gina and Andrew with her). Afterward, there's a raffle, and food, and a bunny handing out candy.
I couldn't believe how many little kids were running the 5K race -- maybe someday Gabriel and I would run that, who knows! If we could keep up with Gina, that is.
We met Dave and Julian for breakfast at Bobbi's, the first time for all four of us in a long time. Julian had had some cereal that morning, acting like he was starving, so we thought he was past his stomach thing. Nope -- he threw up all over our table, himself and the floor, and we had to ditch our food, strip him down to a shirt, and take him straight home for a bath. He was cheerful and happy all day, but he must have been hungry. Still, all I dared give him the rest of the day was a few pieces of bread and a banana.
Later, Gabriel and Julian played together amazingly well for over an hour -- garbage play. Last year, Bonne Maman gave Gabriel a book called "I STINK!" about NYC garbage trucks, and they've rediscovered the book, and are really into garbage (gee thanks Mom!). They LOVE the alphabetical list of garbage in the book, and now they dump toys into dump trucks and push them around the house pretending they're garbage. We've had to curtail the garbage talk at the dinner table though.
Then Gabriel and I drove to Felton, in the Santa Cruz mountains, for Nick's 4th birthday party, a train-themed party. Perfect! I had hoped to give Gabriel some real lunch there, but instead, he gorged on pinata candy, then a beautiful train birthday cake that Lacy made. He also had a great time in the jump house, and of course, playing with a train table.
Bunnies, candy, jump house, trains, and birthday cake -- it doesn't get much better than that!
I couldn't believe how many little kids were running the 5K race -- maybe someday Gabriel and I would run that, who knows! If we could keep up with Gina, that is.
We met Dave and Julian for breakfast at Bobbi's, the first time for all four of us in a long time. Julian had had some cereal that morning, acting like he was starving, so we thought he was past his stomach thing. Nope -- he threw up all over our table, himself and the floor, and we had to ditch our food, strip him down to a shirt, and take him straight home for a bath. He was cheerful and happy all day, but he must have been hungry. Still, all I dared give him the rest of the day was a few pieces of bread and a banana.
Later, Gabriel and Julian played together amazingly well for over an hour -- garbage play. Last year, Bonne Maman gave Gabriel a book called "I STINK!" about NYC garbage trucks, and they've rediscovered the book, and are really into garbage (gee thanks Mom!). They LOVE the alphabetical list of garbage in the book, and now they dump toys into dump trucks and push them around the house pretending they're garbage. We've had to curtail the garbage talk at the dinner table though.
Then Gabriel and I drove to Felton, in the Santa Cruz mountains, for Nick's 4th birthday party, a train-themed party. Perfect! I had hoped to give Gabriel some real lunch there, but instead, he gorged on pinata candy, then a beautiful train birthday cake that Lacy made. He also had a great time in the jump house, and of course, playing with a train table.
Bunnies, candy, jump house, trains, and birthday cake -- it doesn't get much better than that!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Gabriel's preschool pal
Poor Julian threw up last night's meager dinner of rice this morning, so I kept him home from Tonya's. What a delightful little boy he is when he's not constantly being bugged by his older brother! He played and sang nonstop all morning, never once shrieking, playing so well that he even let me lie in bed for an hour and a half while I tried to fight off a cold.
As we were arriving home from picking Gabriel up from preschool, in the context of attempting to probe him again about friends and playmates at "new preschool," Gabriel volunteered, "There are so many beautiful girls there!" Oh really? Then: "yeah, like Kenda. She's really beautiful!" I guess he played with a little girl named Kenda today -- apparently I've been focusing too much on him playing with other little boys in his class! Kenda is the first name he's come up with from anyone in his new school.
Gabriel and Julian were both really good today, except for two timeouts for Gabriel that devolved into full-out battle. Here's how it goes: he doesn't do something I ask (usually to leave Julian alone), even after a firm warning, backtalks ("Zip it, Mom!"), gets put on timeout, doesn't stay, gets carried to his room and warned that if he comes out, he'll get locked in. Today as I was carrying him upstairs, he was flailing and kicking and trying to hit me with a free arm, so I had to reposition him, and in the chaos, I dropped him. He hit the edge of a carpeted step with his face, just under his eye, causing a nasty rugborn sort of scrape on his face. He was pretty upset, but after blotting it with a cold washcloth and calming him down, I still made him stay in his room, then he refused to apologize to come out, extending his stay. Even when he's genuinely distraught from being confined to his room, he shouts out defiantly, "You're not the boss Mom! I'm not going to play with you!" with the firmest angriest tone he can summon.
Not long after we got past that, the whole scenario replayed itself. What happened to consistency teaching kids that you mean it and they don't repeat the bad behavior?!
During Julian's nap (and mine), Gabriel made another ice cream factory, this time with a lighthouse (inspiration courtesy of a few Thomas the Tank Engine stories). I really like these structures, they're almost artistic, not a word often used in this household.
Later, the whole structure got knocked over and the blocks were everywhere, including in the stairwell. After Julian's curtailed early dinner of mashed potatoes (thankfully he held it down), Dave set Julian to the task of putting the blocks away. Which Julian happily turned into a game of trying to toss the blocks into the box. Perfect job: it serves a real purpose, and kept him entertained for some time! He was so cute doing this. Even when he's not feeling well, and even though he's prone to 2-year-old impossibleness, he's a constant delight. He sang for hours today.
As we were arriving home from picking Gabriel up from preschool, in the context of attempting to probe him again about friends and playmates at "new preschool," Gabriel volunteered, "There are so many beautiful girls there!" Oh really? Then: "yeah, like Kenda. She's really beautiful!" I guess he played with a little girl named Kenda today -- apparently I've been focusing too much on him playing with other little boys in his class! Kenda is the first name he's come up with from anyone in his new school.
Gabriel and Julian were both really good today, except for two timeouts for Gabriel that devolved into full-out battle. Here's how it goes: he doesn't do something I ask (usually to leave Julian alone), even after a firm warning, backtalks ("Zip it, Mom!"), gets put on timeout, doesn't stay, gets carried to his room and warned that if he comes out, he'll get locked in. Today as I was carrying him upstairs, he was flailing and kicking and trying to hit me with a free arm, so I had to reposition him, and in the chaos, I dropped him. He hit the edge of a carpeted step with his face, just under his eye, causing a nasty rugborn sort of scrape on his face. He was pretty upset, but after blotting it with a cold washcloth and calming him down, I still made him stay in his room, then he refused to apologize to come out, extending his stay. Even when he's genuinely distraught from being confined to his room, he shouts out defiantly, "You're not the boss Mom! I'm not going to play with you!" with the firmest angriest tone he can summon.
Not long after we got past that, the whole scenario replayed itself. What happened to consistency teaching kids that you mean it and they don't repeat the bad behavior?!
During Julian's nap (and mine), Gabriel made another ice cream factory, this time with a lighthouse (inspiration courtesy of a few Thomas the Tank Engine stories). I really like these structures, they're almost artistic, not a word often used in this household.
Later, the whole structure got knocked over and the blocks were everywhere, including in the stairwell. After Julian's curtailed early dinner of mashed potatoes (thankfully he held it down), Dave set Julian to the task of putting the blocks away. Which Julian happily turned into a game of trying to toss the blocks into the box. Perfect job: it serves a real purpose, and kept him entertained for some time! He was so cute doing this. Even when he's not feeling well, and even though he's prone to 2-year-old impossibleness, he's a constant delight. He sang for hours today.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Julian's tantrum
It must be because Steph wrote in email yesterday that Remi had been throwing up. This morning, Julian threw up a little on his pillow, and then at breakfast, he started throwing up his cereal even while he was still sitting in his high chair. Then I remembered yesterday, he said: "My tummy hurts -- I need a band-aid!". And yesterday, he didn't eat a good dinner, and had a loose BM. He's got a touch of something, poor baby.
The last time Gabriel had a bout of throwing up, the pediatrician said he kept throwing up because I kept feeding him -- give him only water until he's gone 24 hours without vomiting. So today I tried to keep Julian from eating, which meant Gabriel too had to forego snacks in the jogging stroller on our hike, and Trader Joe's samples as well.
But when we got home, Julian set off into a massive tantrum from...oh, what was it, I think because he ran down a countdown to get out of the car, and I carried him indoors. Getting him inside from the car has become a battle every time these days. He got SO upset, throwing himself on the floor and screaming, then wailing that he wanted me, then going into new fits when I'd come back to check on him, then coming into the kitchen to scream at the top of his lungs. I tried putting on soothing music and offering him water to drink, but each thing I did brought about a fresh fit. Finally I got him calm by offering to turn off the music, and after some hyperventilating and crying standing next to me, he got out of it. A genuine tantrum from him is pretty rare!
But how was I not supposed to feed him? I never thought I'd feel guilty about feeding my baby! He saw Gabriel eating yogurt and wanted some, threatening another rage. I gave him a little chicken soup broth, but he didn't like it, and he was very on the edge of going into a full-on rage at every step again (seeing the soup, then seeing me take it away -- there's no winning). Finally I gave him a piece of bread, and that settled him immediately. The moment the first piece went in his mouth, he cheered up and started talking happily. After one and a half pieces of bread, he was in a great mood, and then played great with Gabriel until his nap (coming into the kitchen once to tell me "Gabriel build a track for me!"). He's been cheerful ever since, especially after a 3-hour nap. It's pretty hard to take pediatricians' advice not to feed a child for 24 hours when you see this sort of thing.
The new expert on gastric ailments, I myself feel a little better today, not in relentless constant stomach torment, but never even close to right. Tonight I'm going to Coffee with my mom friends, and I'm going to spring the NEWS on them. I'm looking forward to their surprise!
I just snuck out to see what Gabriel and Julian are doing as I type: innocently reading a book together. Anyone want to take bets on how long this harmony lasts? (later note: it lasted about 20 minutes, then they moved to the bathroom to look through catalogs, for a total of about 45 minutes. Not bad!)
The last time Gabriel had a bout of throwing up, the pediatrician said he kept throwing up because I kept feeding him -- give him only water until he's gone 24 hours without vomiting. So today I tried to keep Julian from eating, which meant Gabriel too had to forego snacks in the jogging stroller on our hike, and Trader Joe's samples as well.
But when we got home, Julian set off into a massive tantrum from...oh, what was it, I think because he ran down a countdown to get out of the car, and I carried him indoors. Getting him inside from the car has become a battle every time these days. He got SO upset, throwing himself on the floor and screaming, then wailing that he wanted me, then going into new fits when I'd come back to check on him, then coming into the kitchen to scream at the top of his lungs. I tried putting on soothing music and offering him water to drink, but each thing I did brought about a fresh fit. Finally I got him calm by offering to turn off the music, and after some hyperventilating and crying standing next to me, he got out of it. A genuine tantrum from him is pretty rare!
But how was I not supposed to feed him? I never thought I'd feel guilty about feeding my baby! He saw Gabriel eating yogurt and wanted some, threatening another rage. I gave him a little chicken soup broth, but he didn't like it, and he was very on the edge of going into a full-on rage at every step again (seeing the soup, then seeing me take it away -- there's no winning). Finally I gave him a piece of bread, and that settled him immediately. The moment the first piece went in his mouth, he cheered up and started talking happily. After one and a half pieces of bread, he was in a great mood, and then played great with Gabriel until his nap (coming into the kitchen once to tell me "Gabriel build a track for me!"). He's been cheerful ever since, especially after a 3-hour nap. It's pretty hard to take pediatricians' advice not to feed a child for 24 hours when you see this sort of thing.
The new expert on gastric ailments, I myself feel a little better today, not in relentless constant stomach torment, but never even close to right. Tonight I'm going to Coffee with my mom friends, and I'm going to spring the NEWS on them. I'm looking forward to their surprise!
I just snuck out to see what Gabriel and Julian are doing as I type: innocently reading a book together. Anyone want to take bets on how long this harmony lasts? (later note: it lasted about 20 minutes, then they moved to the bathroom to look through catalogs, for a total of about 45 minutes. Not bad!)
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Gabriel's nickname
Occasionally, someone will ask me if it's OK to call Gabriel "Gabe," and I always say I don't care, it'll be up to him, though everyone calls him Gabriel. But the one person who's taken to calling him Gabe, without permission, is Julian! I don't know where he came up with this, and he doesn't say it all the time, but sometimes when referring to Gabriel or addressing him, he says just "Gabe." It really is up to Gabriel, but I hope "Gabe" doesn't catch on. I like Gabriel.
I have some reservations about Gabriel's new preschool, but overall it's a definite plus. I don't like that you have to pass through one room to get to another; they're all connected by an open doorway and it's disruptive to each class to have to pass through. Also, I get the impression it's more a daycare than a preschool, as when I asked today how everything went, the main thing they told me was about what he ate. All that said, Gabriel's teacher said he's adapting very well; some kids don't eat for a few weeks, or cry a lot, and he's fit right in. She said he doesn't seem to know any of the songs they sing -- I don't doubt that. Monday he requested a "car song," and she also commented that he mostly wants to play with trains. Yep, that's Gabriel.
When I dropped Gabriel off this morning, I left him in the company of three other 4-year-old boys, and when I picked him up, he was running around happily in the play area in the back. Mostly on his own, but if a group of kids started running, he'd leave me to join in. The main thing I wanted him to get was more social interaction, and he's getting it, so I'm happy with that.
More and more often, I hear a new ominous sound from afar: giggling. Total silence, of course, triggers the biggest Mom alarm, but laughing together...? That can't be good. But, today, it was innocent: they'd brought pillows and a blanket into the sunroom, surrounded themselves with toy vehicles, and declared they were taking a nap in the "garage." It is so delightful to see them making up a game and laughing together, thinking they're hiding from me or outwitting me. Little partners in crime!
Later, Julian playfully pushed me, and I told him to try again, and dodged him at the last moment, causing peals of laughter. This quickly transitioned into a chasing game with both boys chasing me, laughing so hard they almost couldn't run straight. That was a lot of fun. I love making them laugh.
A few blog notes: I just changed the template format since Mom was reporting horizontal lines through the text. Dave also noticed some font problems, and also suggested using a different one. I still consider this blogsite experimental, and so haven't publicized it to all family members and friends. I'd like a way to password-protect the posts, and also archive posts onto my own computer. If anyone else has any comments, observations or suggestions, please tell me!
I have some reservations about Gabriel's new preschool, but overall it's a definite plus. I don't like that you have to pass through one room to get to another; they're all connected by an open doorway and it's disruptive to each class to have to pass through. Also, I get the impression it's more a daycare than a preschool, as when I asked today how everything went, the main thing they told me was about what he ate. All that said, Gabriel's teacher said he's adapting very well; some kids don't eat for a few weeks, or cry a lot, and he's fit right in. She said he doesn't seem to know any of the songs they sing -- I don't doubt that. Monday he requested a "car song," and she also commented that he mostly wants to play with trains. Yep, that's Gabriel.
When I dropped Gabriel off this morning, I left him in the company of three other 4-year-old boys, and when I picked him up, he was running around happily in the play area in the back. Mostly on his own, but if a group of kids started running, he'd leave me to join in. The main thing I wanted him to get was more social interaction, and he's getting it, so I'm happy with that.
More and more often, I hear a new ominous sound from afar: giggling. Total silence, of course, triggers the biggest Mom alarm, but laughing together...? That can't be good. But, today, it was innocent: they'd brought pillows and a blanket into the sunroom, surrounded themselves with toy vehicles, and declared they were taking a nap in the "garage." It is so delightful to see them making up a game and laughing together, thinking they're hiding from me or outwitting me. Little partners in crime!
Later, Julian playfully pushed me, and I told him to try again, and dodged him at the last moment, causing peals of laughter. This quickly transitioned into a chasing game with both boys chasing me, laughing so hard they almost couldn't run straight. That was a lot of fun. I love making them laugh.
A few blog notes: I just changed the template format since Mom was reporting horizontal lines through the text. Dave also noticed some font problems, and also suggested using a different one. I still consider this blogsite experimental, and so haven't publicized it to all family members and friends. I'd like a way to password-protect the posts, and also archive posts onto my own computer. If anyone else has any comments, observations or suggestions, please tell me!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Julian's countdowns
These days it seems I'm constantly giving Julian countdowns. Any step along the day: getting his clothes, picking his diaper, climbing into the carseat or his high chair, anything, he will deliberately stop and wait to see what happens. I used to warn him that if he didn't climb into the carseat himself, I'd put him in, but he refined his motion so that he was still seeming to be climbing in, but it would take him forever. So I had to add the countdown. I tell him that if he doesn't do XYZ by the count of 10, then I'll put him in, and I don't have to say it angrily. It almost always works, but I really wish I weren't constantly counting!
It was another rainy day today, so our big outing was to return videos, grocery-shop, go to Subway for lunch, then to Learning Express (a toy store) to buy birthday presents for 3 upcoming parties. Learning Express has several train tables and other toy tables, so it's a great place to take them on a rainy day, except for the problem of getting them out of there! Especially on a rainy day, all this in-and-out of the car proved to be a real pain, since Julian needs a countdown for every entry and exit.
I mused at Subway during lunch how easy this is now -- I've completely abandoned the Restaurant Survival Kit, and can impulsively decide to just stop somewhere for lunch without baby accoutrements. Both boys ate a regular sandwich, and had apple juice out of plastic cups I got there -- no sippy cups, no bibs, nothing (except a high chair since Julian was too short for the bench). It was a wistful musing about our newfound, and soon-to-be-lost, freedom. One thing about impending baby, it makes our current life seem really easy!
We've gone public with the new baby news. I'll be more excited about it when I'm not miserably ill all the time, but a decent day today has given me new hope.
Gabriel has been building things with new sophistication and imagination lately. Yesterday I came across this little Lego train-station scene in the living room. Today, he made an "ice cream factory" out of a set of wooden blocks they got for Christmas last year. He's recently re-discovered these blocks and seems to have a new appreciation for the various shapes and colors and how to fit them together.
It occurred to me while writing to Andrea that Gabriel has never once named a toy. He certainly knows names of toys that already exist (the Thomas characters), but putting names and personalities to toys is just not in his reality yet -- very unlike his imaginative cousin Aidan! Building seems to be his thing -- and, of course, knocking it down later!
It was another rainy day today, so our big outing was to return videos, grocery-shop, go to Subway for lunch, then to Learning Express (a toy store) to buy birthday presents for 3 upcoming parties. Learning Express has several train tables and other toy tables, so it's a great place to take them on a rainy day, except for the problem of getting them out of there! Especially on a rainy day, all this in-and-out of the car proved to be a real pain, since Julian needs a countdown for every entry and exit.
I mused at Subway during lunch how easy this is now -- I've completely abandoned the Restaurant Survival Kit, and can impulsively decide to just stop somewhere for lunch without baby accoutrements. Both boys ate a regular sandwich, and had apple juice out of plastic cups I got there -- no sippy cups, no bibs, nothing (except a high chair since Julian was too short for the bench). It was a wistful musing about our newfound, and soon-to-be-lost, freedom. One thing about impending baby, it makes our current life seem really easy!
We've gone public with the new baby news. I'll be more excited about it when I'm not miserably ill all the time, but a decent day today has given me new hope.
Gabriel has been building things with new sophistication and imagination lately. Yesterday I came across this little Lego train-station scene in the living room. Today, he made an "ice cream factory" out of a set of wooden blocks they got for Christmas last year. He's recently re-discovered these blocks and seems to have a new appreciation for the various shapes and colors and how to fit them together.
It occurred to me while writing to Andrea that Gabriel has never once named a toy. He certainly knows names of toys that already exist (the Thomas characters), but putting names and personalities to toys is just not in his reality yet -- very unlike his imaginative cousin Aidan! Building seems to be his thing -- and, of course, knocking it down later!
Monday, April 03, 2006
Gabriel's first day of "new" preschool
Today Gabriel started at Kids Inc, a preschool/daycare right down the road. We'd been talking about it with him so he wouldn't be surprised, but really, even if he had been surprised, I'm sure he'd have taken it in stride. It was hard to get worried about him not adapting or being anxious or shy. That's just not Gabriel.
And indeed, our lack of concern was justified. When we first arrived, he was cautious, but very interested and introduced himself and told his age when prompted. I familiarized myself and him with the routine (where to put coats, etc), and then his teacher skillfully started to shoo me out, clearly prepared for the lingering parent and the fretful child. In fact, while I was asking her one last question, Gabriel discovered the train table -- he didn't even look at me after that!
When I picked him up, the teacher reported that he'd been just fine, he participated in class, ate his lunch and went along with the program. He took home a little art piece (just some foam animals glued to a paper plate) and the work they'd done that day on the letter D. Though he couldn't tell us anyone's names (his teacher or classmates), he seemed to have enjoyed it, despite the rainy indoor day. All in all, a success.
The best part is that Julian was in a really good mood when I picked him up from Tonya's! I'd forgotten that one of the reasons for a new preschool for Gabriel was so that they have some time apart. My theory that they would fight less was shot within 10 minutes of arriving home, but I'm still optimistic that some separation will have a positive effect on them. I'm sure it did Julian some good to have Gabriel off his back for the morning. And me.
Not relevant to today, but here's Julian watching Nemo while Dave was sick yesterday. Very typical Julian: clutching Julius, his beloved monkey, and always sitting with crossed feet!
And indeed, our lack of concern was justified. When we first arrived, he was cautious, but very interested and introduced himself and told his age when prompted. I familiarized myself and him with the routine (where to put coats, etc), and then his teacher skillfully started to shoo me out, clearly prepared for the lingering parent and the fretful child. In fact, while I was asking her one last question, Gabriel discovered the train table -- he didn't even look at me after that!
When I picked him up, the teacher reported that he'd been just fine, he participated in class, ate his lunch and went along with the program. He took home a little art piece (just some foam animals glued to a paper plate) and the work they'd done that day on the letter D. Though he couldn't tell us anyone's names (his teacher or classmates), he seemed to have enjoyed it, despite the rainy indoor day. All in all, a success.
The best part is that Julian was in a really good mood when I picked him up from Tonya's! I'd forgotten that one of the reasons for a new preschool for Gabriel was so that they have some time apart. My theory that they would fight less was shot within 10 minutes of arriving home, but I'm still optimistic that some separation will have a positive effect on them. I'm sure it did Julian some good to have Gabriel off his back for the morning. And me.
Not relevant to today, but here's Julian watching Nemo while Dave was sick yesterday. Very typical Julian: clutching Julius, his beloved monkey, and always sitting with crossed feet!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Sunday outing
Our Sundays have developed a nice rhythm. I sleep late (that's the best part) while Dave gets up with the boys, though lately even that isn't a major task. Gabriel gets up, takes off all his clothes, goes to the bathroom (I get up briefly to help him with that), puts his pajamas away, then gets dressed (I lay out his clothes the night before). Then he just plays while we go back to sleep. Julian wakes up at some point and yaks and sings in his room, and often we'll send Gabriel upstairs to open his door. Sometimes they play nicely together, but mostly, then the crying and fighting starts.
But on Sundays, Dave lets me sleep late while he plays referee. Then I get up and make a big breakfast for everyone while Dave takes a shower and gets ready for the day. After breakfast, I take the boys out somewhere. I can't imagine a day in which they don't go out -- they'd drive us crazy!
Today, I took them to an animal shelter, just to look at the dogs and cats. I didn't realize there were also some small animals, including a whole room dedicated to rabbits. They loved this excursion, and it wasn't easy to get them away from each room, especially the rabbits. Julian can be nervous about dogs, but he did very well despite some real barkers. We all liked a nice little dog named Charlie Brown, but I knew better than to come home with a stray puppy!
Then we went to a park to have lunch, despite the looming rain. Dave was feeling terrible today, so the more peaceful time he had at home the better. The park we went to fortunately had a little covered breezeway where we could sit while the boys munched their sandwiches and raisins during the brief interludes of sprinkles. They had a good time running around a concrete circle, and looking at a construction site at the park.
I'd like to think visiting the animal shelter made a big impression on them, but really, the highlight of their day was watching a Thomas the Tank Engine episode after dinner. I like that the promise of the video gets them to eat dinner and clean up the living room!
But on Sundays, Dave lets me sleep late while he plays referee. Then I get up and make a big breakfast for everyone while Dave takes a shower and gets ready for the day. After breakfast, I take the boys out somewhere. I can't imagine a day in which they don't go out -- they'd drive us crazy!
Today, I took them to an animal shelter, just to look at the dogs and cats. I didn't realize there were also some small animals, including a whole room dedicated to rabbits. They loved this excursion, and it wasn't easy to get them away from each room, especially the rabbits. Julian can be nervous about dogs, but he did very well despite some real barkers. We all liked a nice little dog named Charlie Brown, but I knew better than to come home with a stray puppy!
Then we went to a park to have lunch, despite the looming rain. Dave was feeling terrible today, so the more peaceful time he had at home the better. The park we went to fortunately had a little covered breezeway where we could sit while the boys munched their sandwiches and raisins during the brief interludes of sprinkles. They had a good time running around a concrete circle, and looking at a construction site at the park.
I'd like to think visiting the animal shelter made a big impression on them, but really, the highlight of their day was watching a Thomas the Tank Engine episode after dinner. I like that the promise of the video gets them to eat dinner and clean up the living room!
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Pillow Play
This morning was Gabriel and Julian's last gymnastics class. They both really loved it, though they're so different in how they approach it. Gabriel's class is for older kids, without parents, and he follows along with almost military conformance. He insists on putting himself in the same place in the line, does all the correct hand motions, and clearly tries to do everything as the teacher demonstrates -- with an impish smile on his face the whole way. Julian, on the other hand, refuses to do the warmup, standing and staring motionless except for wagging his tongue, but then does the obstacle course with enthusiasm.
Julian's latest: I ask him to put something away, and he looks up at me and says, "I don't THINK so!"
I haven't been taking as many pictures lately, but I did snap a few of the boys playing with pillows, mostly throwing them and hitting each other. I have a very high tolerance for roughhousing, but even I sometimes cringe watching them together, pushing, kicking, hitting, grabbing necks, wrestling. Note how Gabriel's feet are poised to jump onto Julian's back!
Julian's latest: I ask him to put something away, and he looks up at me and says, "I don't THINK so!"
I haven't been taking as many pictures lately, but I did snap a few of the boys playing with pillows, mostly throwing them and hitting each other. I have a very high tolerance for roughhousing, but even I sometimes cringe watching them together, pushing, kicking, hitting, grabbing necks, wrestling. Note how Gabriel's feet are poised to jump onto Julian's back!
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