7/7/07 Strawberry Girl

Every night, I set out the kids' clothes for the next day. This is a selfish practice: the boys are more likely to get dressed quietly and quickly, if things are set out for them. And I can nudge Dave sleepily in the morning to get Katrina and dress her, so I can catch a few more minutes of valuable snoozes.

Betsy dropped off a few girl clothes with the Frog Hollow fruit yesterday (we're splitting a subscription this quarter, and she kindly brings me this delicious fruit every week), so I put the clothes on the stairs. By the time I got around to bringing them upstairs, Katrina was already in bed, so I set them by her door. Somehow only a checked romper made it there (one of the boys probably absconded with the pants, great).

However, this morning, the romper in front of Katrina's door prompted Dave to think I had intended that for her to wear. In fact, I'd meant to check its size and season, then store it with other like clothes.

So, today Katrina ended up in what happened to be perfect for a slightly chilly day, and also was just the right size. It's not normally my style: very pink, very girly, and with a collar, but it was indeed very cute on her, and I do like one-piece romper sorts of things.

I heard Dave calling her "Miss Strawberry" and figured it was a reference to her increasingly strawberry-blond hair, but then saw that this outfit has strawberry appliques. Aww.

Katrina loves this pop-up toy, though so far only knows how to pop things down. She gets very excited when I pop up the 5 animal toys, then one by one, she pushes them back down. She plays with this toy for a long time for a 9-month-old baby!


Every day, it still amazes me. This baby is the most delightful, happy, squealy, giggly, smiley, charming little thing. How did such a wonderful baby get foisted on such an un-wonderful mom who didn't even want another baby? Did the stork make a mistake on the address? Is this Mother Nature's way of making up for Gabriel's toddlerhood? (She already did that with Julian.) Or am I just taking another look at what every mother feels: that her baby is the most amazing, special, incredible being in the world?

7/7/07

7/6/07 Back to normal, whatever that is

A day of cleanup and recovery after the big family visit...it's fun, really, picking up coming across a little ponytail holder, or the leftover desserts (mmm), or ... a whole load of laundry?! Oops! Well, let's hear it for good ol' U.S. Post. Now I know what kind of underwear my brother-in-law wears.

Though I griped bitterly about my dysfunctional kitchen, I had fun having so many people here, and preparing food and snacks and cleaning up (we ran the dishwasher 3 times a day!). Still, I come away feeling that I didn't spend enough time with my niece and nephew. My mother is much better at the balancing act between hosting and visiting. I'm looking forward to getting more experience!

Kid reports:

Gabriel: Temperature last night, fine today. Not too terribly troublesome today, though given to hysterical pesty fits.

Julian: Bloody nose in the minivan on the way to Palo Alto to return the van. A little oversensitive and tired today, but mostly sweet.

Katrina: After an off day yesterday, today beaming and bouncing and full of giggles and silly scrunched-up nose laughing and tongue-sticking-out and many other adorable baby maneuvers. Still verrrry close to first crawling step, but hasn't happened yet.

And me...after days of fighting a migraine, I got to sleep early last night, slept late this morning (thanks Dave), but was still unbearably sleepy and tired and headachy all morning anyway. So I caved and took two Imitrex as prescribed, then went for a long run at Rancho this evening. My run was really too long for not having run for almost a week (Coyote -> Farm -> Rogue Valley -> Chamise -> Ravensbury -> Rogue Valley -> Farm -> Parking, appx. 5? miles), and I never got into an "ahh this feels great" groove. But I have high hopes that the endorphins will finish off what the drug started. A day without a headache would be such a boon. A weekend day, even!

7/6/07

(what's with blogger today, it won't let me enter a title?!)

7/5/07 Whoosh...and they're off

We had another full day together today, and it was time to get the kids OUT. So we trucked everyone to Ortega Park to check out the water feature, and whaddya know, ran into Stacey and Betsy & Co (well, & Kids). Of course, there's a playgroup there, I'd forgotten -- we got lucky and picked the time and place right!

Gabriel brought his rockets from Bonne Maman, a quick hit that attracted all the kids. Somehow, the pump got broken, then lost, while at the park.

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out in the backyard, the boys playing in a sprinkler (it was hot today), more photo session attempts, dinner, dessert, packing up, then saying goodbyes and then driving to the airport.

But it wasn't sad saying goodbye. We had such a nice visit that I feel uplifted and warm and connected, not torn apart. I so, so wish I could see the Engels more often than once a year, but I'm so happy that we have that.

7/5/07

7/4/07 Happy Birthday USA

Today we did the unthinkable in the suburbs: hang out in the front yard. Andreas, my most crafty brother-in-law, set up a swing on the magnolia tree, and the kids took turns begging grownups to push (though Aidan and Gabriel figured out they could push each other). I'm sure the passerby or two found this scene quite odd.

Remi and Katrina will never have a sister or a younger brother, both things my sister and I had, so they'll have to settle for a girl cousine instead, something my sister and I never had (well, one, Perrine, but she was raised in France and we didn't see much of her). Quite a reasonable substitute. They both have October birthdays, and are just under two years apart in age.
Bonne Maman with her granddaughters.

Bonne Maman loves dresses on little girls, and sewed quite a few for her own little girls many, many years -- well, decades -- ago. And it was a nice hot day, perfect to pull out a cool dress from the closet. Remi's dress was a gift from Bonne Maman (Garnet Hill), and Katrina's dress is a hand-me-down from Remi.

Speaking of dresses, yesterday, Stephanie (also very crafty) modeled for us the first dress she made on her interlock sewing machine. When she came out in the dress, Remi ran up to her and said, "Mommy, Mommy, you look like a princess!" Aww.


Meantime, the boys spent a fair amount of time playing and climbing in the trees, Gabriel largely inspired by Aidan. Here they are playing SpyKids and being Very Serious.
Julian's putting on a wimp hat for this visit -- no rides at Happy Hollow yesterday, didn't want to swing, didn't want to climb trees, and tonight was afraid of the fireworks at Creekside. But he's very cooperative about posing for photos.

We've been having no end of fun planning and preparing meals, and I'm not being sarcastic! Stephanie's dietary limitations due to diabetes have been something of an inspiration. Not to mention, the idea of trucking everyone to a restaurant seems unimaginable -- and despite our 8-seater minivan, we'd still have to take two vehicles! So we've been planning and preparing major meals and making big trips to Whole Foods every day.

Healthy, organic and diabetic-friendly doesn't entirely rule out yummies though. Tonight I baked some chocolate-chip cookies, but not your ordinary chocolate-chip cookies: I used 1/3 the sugar, spelt flour, and bittersweet (73% cacao) chocolate "chips" (more like disks). And oh my are they good. My sister might even be able to eat one.

And, I've discovered that the boys like soynut butter as a substitute for peanut butter. Or, I should say, they don't notice the difference if it looks like a peanut butter sandwich and I "forget" to mention that it's not peanut butter. Why is this important if they're not allergic to peanuts? Because 1) they have a cousin who is peanut-allergic; 2) they have a sister who might be peanut-allergic; and 3) Gabriel's summer camp/daycare, Collins CDC, is peanut-free due to a highly allergic child, so handy-dandy peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for bag lunches are out. But soynut butter -- in. And just as handy and dandy.

Fireworks at Creekside Park tonight -- crowded, but there really is no bad seat. We even found parking nearby and made it in time for the show. Aidan, imagination on full tilt at all times, "conducted" the fireworks show, with very convincing hand gestures and sounds. That was the best show.

7/4/07

7/3/07 Happy Hollow

What a great afternoon! Me and Steph and Mom took all five kids to Happy Hollow this afternoon -- a perfect time, since it wasn't crowded at all. We first walked around the zoo, then went to the park where we had snacks and rode on a few rides.

Feeding animals in the zoo was a favorite, and the merry-go-round in the park got several go-rounds. Remi especially was all smiles on her painted horse. Julian would have nothing at all to do with the merry-go-round, Gabriel went along with it so he could look at the mechanism in the ceiling, and Aidan as usual was just happy.

Unfortunately, my sister's camera didn't have its card, and my camera's battery died! So I didn't get any photos of our excursion on Danny the Dragon, a "train" that winds around various sites and displays. But I really enjoyed that one, mostly because Julian was scared and wanted to sit on my lap. So I had nothing else to do for 10 minutes except hug him.

Katrina hung in for most of the trip, and I deliberately sacrificed her afternoon nap for the event, though she did take a short snooze in the stroller. She loved being out there, and especially liked watching the fish merry-go-round. Next to her younger older brother, who once again, was scared of the ride.

It wouldn't have been the end of the world to take two cars today, but I'm glad we did it all together in the minivan. I'll take as much all together time as I can get.

7/3/07

7/2/07 The hang-out day

Good thing we went out of our way to rent an 8-seater Toyota Sienna minivan, 'cause today we all went...

...NOWHERE!!!!

I even bailed on Katrina's swim lesson.

Let's see. I had a headache (it's Monday, after all). Julian had a temperature. Katrina had a late nap. Gabriel had a big timeout in his room for being too bossy and obnoxious and not letting anyone else play in the tent and tunnel. Everyone else was having fun. I thought about getting us all to Happy Hollow, but it just didn't work. But the day worked well anyway.

My brother-in-law with pruners is a lot like my niece with scissors: be prepared for a lot of clippings. Wow! He spent all day trimming our out-of-control trees and single-handedly increased property values on our block by 10%.

Gabriel declared that he and Remi were friends now. They spent some time playing together in the borrowed tent and tunnel, and apparently a permanent bond has been formed.

Julian was out of it much of the day, napping in the afternoon and fighting a fever the rest of the day, though he seemed fine this evening.

Aidan spent the day outdoors, much of it with his dad watching the arboreal surgery, and much of it hunting bugs.

Bonne Maman made a wonderful blueberry pie with LOTS of help from grandchildren!

Uncle Andreas roughhoused and ran around with all four kids tonight, with baby Katrina watching in fascination. She adoresUncle Andreas, beaming at him all throughout dinner. Julian yesterday said his tummy hurt, and he wanted a hug from Uncle Andreas. Gabriel follows Uncle Andreas around like a puppy dog, peppering him with question after question. I guess they must have been talking about planets, because I failed a quiz from Gabriel: "Which planet has no helium?"

Remi continues to test Aunt Noemi. "Aunt Noemi, where's my mommy?" she asks ever so sweetly as I'm frantically cleaning and preparing dinner. "She's in the backyard with Katrina, sweetie," I answer. Not satisfied, Remi asks again, "can you help me find her?" "She's right in the backyard," I reply, pointing to the door that she's been through 1000 times. "Can you show me where she is?" I'd have gladly played along had I not been up to my elbows in soap suds, but at the moment was unable to play the game. Aunt Noemi fails the test, again.

Katrina's mommy hasn't had much time to make full-on baby food, so Katrina's been getting more and more chopped-up "whatever's around." Tonight it was quinoa and broccoli, for instance. Everyone who feeds her declares that Katrina is a really good eater.

Indeed, the question keeps coming up: is there anything wrong with this baby? She hardly ever cries, sleeps well, eats well, smiles at people all the time, is content for long periods of time....but, she does retain one baby-flaw: she doesn't put her head on your shoulder and cuddle. I love how gentle and interested her cousin Aidan is in her.

Stephanie and I went to the Y together tonight. A rare treat for the sisters to have some time alone together. It's funny, the first years of our lives were dominated by time together, and now, thanks to our own children, we almost never can anymore. It's remarkable that we've come full circle and can share this child-raising experience together.

7/2/07

7/1/07 The test

This morning, my niece, Remi, claimed she'd injured her toe.

"Aunt Noemi, I need a band-aid! Can you get me a band-aid?" Knowing full well what her real intent with a box of band-aids was, and having just sat down to breakfast after working since 6:30am on kitchen and breakfast prep and cleanup, I wasn't about to get up to indulge her. "I'll look in a few minutes, Remi." She moved away, but reappeared in a few minutes and asked again for a band-aid. I put her off again. And then once more. When I was done with breakfast, I found some real kid stickers for my niece, and figured it was all over.

Later, at the table again, Remi sat across from me in her mother's lap. She was eyeing me carefully, waiting for a moment. Then, still wearing her disarming smile, she put out her finger, looked right at me and said slowly and deliberately, "I know you have a band-aid."

She might as well have been an undercover agent whispering to a suspect that his cover has been blown and to quietly leave the building before this gun hidden in his coat goes off, see? This is one sneaky little girl!

Lots of photos today, including from our foray to the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center, but it's too late, I'm too tired, stayed up too long yakking with my sister and brother-in-law, and have had too much port to bother uploading.

7/1/07

6/30/07 Hail Hail The Gang's all here!

Cousins have arrived! So far no broken bones or hurt feelings, but there's plenty of time for that!

Gabriel and Aidan shake hands. I guess they're too old to be prodded into photo-op hugs anymore. Drat.

Katrina, as predicted, is absolutely loving all the activity, and putting on her best adorable-baby show. Her cousins are pretty interested in her too.

Julian and Remi disobey a DIRECT ORDER not to laugh!

Whew, my miserable dysfunctional utterly inadequate kitchen survived dinner for 10 tonight.

Mom and Steph and I made it to Rancho San Antonio tonight though; I for a run and they for a walk. What a great way to end the evening: stick the Dads with dinner cleanup and kid bedtime and go for a lovely walk/run outside!

6/30/07

6/29/07 Bonne Maman meets Katrina

How many moms do you know send their kids away when Grandma comes to visit?

Me!


Well, here's why. I had planned to put both boys at Tonya's this morning, so Mom and I could settle in and have some peaceful time together and with Katrina.

But today was Wheels Day at Collins CDC, and Gabriel talked about it for days. I just didn't have the heart to tell him he was going to spend the morning with a bunch of toddlers instead of riding his bike around a playground all day. So Gabriel went to Collins CDC.

Julian, meantime, went to Tonya's for the morning as planned, but at the last minute I decided to leave him there for the afternoon too.

I'm glad actually; Mom and I had a great relaxed time today, playing with Katrina and planning the big food challenge for the week. Katrina and Bonne Maman had lots of time to get to know each other, and even though Katrina was on the edgy side for her, she totally came through with lots of cute baby behaviors, smiling, clapping and just being adorable. We had plenty of time with the boys tonight, who were unusually well-behaved. Let's hear it for family visits!

6/29/07

6/28/07 Bonne Maman arrives!

Spent all day running around frantically, shopping, cleaning up, preparing. This included some unexpected, but long, long overdue home improvement. Why I waited over 7 years before getting a paper towel holder that doesn't fall down all the time is beyond me.

Grrrh. Last week, our G.C.'s tile contractor and I haggled on the phone about when he'd come here to investigate the leak from our new bathroom, one that's resulted in a foot-square hole in the downstairs ceiling. Thursday, today, was the only day we could find a time that worked for both of us. Despite family arrivals today, I agreed only because he said "First thing -- 8am, OK?" First thing. His words. First thing, 8am. No mean feat with three young children, but we were ready at 8am. First thing.

So, at 8:45am, no tile contractor. That also meant, no nap, no making phone calls, no going out shopping, no getting involved in any uninterruptable task while waiting -- a lot to ask during child-free time.

I called him, containing my irritation.

"Where are you?"
"Umm, Marin County," he answered. (Marin freakin' County?!)
"You were supposed to be here at 8am!"
"I'm travelling down to the Peninsula now, I'll probably get around there around..."
"When did you expect to come here today?"
"I was going to call you today to see when you were free."

Oh yeah RIGHT!! Like I'd ever in a million years agree to that!

Translation: "You're a completely insignificant piece of sh*t who I want nothing to do with and who must lie in wait for me and be at the ready when I'm done picking my nose and scratching my ass." ARGH! That's it, from now on, any appointment I make with a contractor will be preceded with a verifying/reminding phone call the day before.

Miraculously, I got the sunroom/closet/guest room together for Mom's arrival tonight, instants before darting out to the airport. Cleaning, sorting, preparing linens, lights, getting shelves in place. I don't know what I'd have done if her flight hadn't been delayed. Well, yes I do. The piles wouldn't be as neat, but I'd still have been on time to pick her up, ready or not.

I'll bet contractors are never, ever asked to pick up people at airports.

6/28/07

6/27/07 Katrina claps

Katrina has a new trick: clapping her hands together. And really clapping, like, applause!

Naturally, this feat delights her to no end. But no one moreso than her brothers, who are absolutely thrilled that she joins in a clapping game (a little too thrilled -- they can get very carried away and it quickly turns annoying).





She's also really, really working on crawling. Mostly, she slides backward on her rear end, but she's juuust starting to rock, just starting to look like she's working on getting to all fours, and is really reaching out to get things. This results in more than a few face-plants, but such is an occupational hazard of babyhood.


She had a grand time playing with this adorable smiley baby in the mirror today.



Watch out brothers -- you'd better listen to Mom and not leave stuff lying around, 'cause grabby-baby-paws are on their way! She's sneaking up!

More comments today at swim class about the red hair. When wet in the sunlight, it really does look reddish. Not so much indoors though.





Is it encoded in contractors' DNA not to inform people of upcoming plans until the last minute? About the last thing I need in life is a phone call "guess what! we're coming today!" at 8:15am, when Gabriel has to get to Collins CDC by 8:30am for a field trip and I'm packing his lunch, Katrina needs breakfast, and Julian is kicking his pee-soaked Pull-Up to the ceiling. And then have him arrive right as I need to pack everyone up to leave for swim class. It's not fair to our contractor's main #1 carpenter either, who is a really, really good guy and I want to make his job as easy as possible. But I need a little notice to make sure his path is free of pee-soaked Pull-Ups.

Tomorrow night, I pick up Bonne Maman from the airport! Wouldn't it be an astounding treat if she sees Katrina's first crawling steps!

6/27/07

Julian's stats

My miserable Monday was so consumed with minute-by-minute survival that I forgot to mention that Julian's 3-1/2 year old appointment was that day. Perhaps the fact that I had to bring Gabriel too, and it was smack dab at baby's naptime, added to the forgettableness of it all.

But then, there's Julian. Healthy as a little horse. Good eyesight, good motor skills, good cognitive/language/social skills, nothing obviously wrong.

His stats:

Height: 38" (40 %ile, though later amended to "between 25th and 40th")
Weight: 31-1/2 lbs (40 %ile)
BP: 96/54 (taken by the cutest little sleeve!)

I had a Good Mommy Moment when the doc asked about his eating, though really, I can't take too much credit since Julian has always been a very good eater. She asked what he likes for vegetables, and he said "green beans," and for fruit, he said "strawberries." She was very impressed to hear that both boys eat fish, and real fish, not just kid-fish-sticks fish (though they have that too sometimes).

I like boring medical records. Keep it up, Julian!

the reaction

A bad trend has emerged. The night after a day that I've kicked a headache, even if the headache is still lingering, I am filled with spinning mental energy. Too antsy to read or watch TV. So here I sit in the office, at 2am, doing chores that should be supreme sleep-inducers -- putting away tax information, preparing investment account changes, moving money around to cover our still-hefty remodeling bills. Worse than counting sheep. And I only started the office chores to help along the half-Ambien I took in the hopes of shutting my mind down. No good.

Well, I'll get something out of this, which is post about something much more interesting, as anything is more interesting than this, especially if it's kid-related.

6/26/07 A clean-up day

Gabriel started a new swim class today! At a new swim school, DACA. Actually, it's not new; I took him there once, before they moved, when he was a baby, and hated it.

But now, it's great. It's closeby, the pools are well set up for teaching kids and letting parents watch, and the office seems to be pretty organized (even though I'm not crazy about the registration system, which involves leaving a voicemail and they call you back), they have a deck supervisor to answer questions, direct people to classes, get things, and keep things moving along. I guess some people must be pretty fond of cramming things in, because DACA starts swim lessons at, are you sitting down, 6:30 AM!! Though some might argue that Gabriel's 8:30am lesson is pushing it.

Gabriel liked his lesson, partly because the water was warm. He also really liked the basketball at the end, in which the teacher holds a hoop on a floating stand, and the kids throw a basket into it. I'm not sure what this has to do with swimming, but all the kids I saw in classes liked it.

I had the day "off" from kids today, other than Gabriel's swim lesson (and I really enjoy spending that time alone with him; he was so happy too). Good thing, because I was still rattled from a scary day yesterday. That's how bad I felt: it was downright frightening. I guess I've never had a migraine and a fever at the same time -- not a good combination.

But, going to bed at essentially 8pm, after resting from 2pm on except for only the most critical childcare tasks, and sleeping all night, seems to have taken care of it. I was still weak and tired this morning, so much so that I was planning to skip ballet class (a new Tuesday staple). But at the last minute I decided to go, mostly because the headache wasn't gone, and getting out and doing things can really help. (Serious migraine sufferers can't go out at all, so I'm grateful.) After pushing myself through class, a sound nap and something to eat (after not a bite yesterday), had me good to go. In fact, I got a fair amount done this afternoon. But at dinnertime, I could feel the headache creeping back, and it's barely holding at bay now. That actually scares me now, instead of making me mad.

One thing I did today was sort through my very oldest boxes of junk, the few that survived a flood in the basement of our house in Brooklyn. Most of it was "why on earth did I keep this?" stuff, but when I stored it, I hadn't led nearly as much of a life yet. Still, I came across a few priceless items. One was an autobiography, amusing for someone still in high school, but it must have been an assignment from my English teacher, Frank McCourt. I also found some written thoughts about my future as a writer, and mentioned again encouragement from Mr. McCourt.

(If the name sounds familiar, that's because Frank McCourt later wrote a memoir about his childhood in Ireland, called Angela's Ashes, which won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a poor movie. But I'll always remember him for asking the class, "So. What did you have for dinner last night?")


Another funny thing I found was a bunch of folded-up notes that I inexplicably kept, several of thousands I passed with my friends in high school, often during class, and most often with my friend Liza. Nowadays, kids text-message each other instead of passing notes, but oh, how much must be lost in the medium -- the goofy handwriting, the little doodles, drawings and symbols, the emphases, the playful formatting (like writing the whole note in a spiral), the color of the pens, or even the type of paper (Liza and I had a thing for writing each other notes on graph paper).

I threw away most everything, but kept a few of these notes, as a reminder to myself for when Katrina is in high school of what goes through a teenage girls' mind. Frankly, it's very, very little. I doubt that what goes through teenage boys' mind is sufficient to fill a 3x5 index card. In fact, it probably requires only 3 letters. And you all know which three.

And I sent an amusing sampling of these notes to Liza, who now lives in Minnesota, an environmental attorney whose own daughter who must be 10 or 11 by now. With a letter, hand-written on graph paper.

Fast-forward 25 years....Katrina has learned a few new tricks. She's starting to bang two objects together, taking great delight in the sounds she makes. She's figured out how to push herself backward when she's sitting, sliding on her skinny little rear end. And, I think, she's starting to imitate. She makes this sound and waves her hand, so she started it, but if Gabriel starts it, then she'll do it too.

I captured a bit of all three of them doing this (see Katrina in the mirror). The first of a chorus!




Katrina's in good hands at Tonya's, as Tonya's daughters like holding babies. When I arrived to pick them up today, Tonya's middle daughter was holding Katrina, and they were both having a grand time. Julian was playing out front with Tonya's younger daughter, showing off his artwork for the day.

Oh heaven help me, I can feel this headache coming back. When I die, I want my brain donated to migraine research. Let them pick through what's left of it after raising three children, and maybe find what is miswired to cause this cruelty. To think, mine are mild.

6/26/07

6/25/07 Monday Migraine, with a twist

Major migraine today, again. But this time, with so much stomach upset that I didn't want to take the full dosage of Imitrex. Add to that exhaustion, achiness and a 101 temp. I am seriously hating life right now. Lucky me, I get to spend a crucial child-free day tomorrow in bed.

Thank goodness everyone napped this afternoon at the same time, or I'd have been a goner. When Katrina woke up, I checked on Julian, only to find him sitting in his room, clutching Julius the monkey, coloring quietly in his new coloring book. Love floods for my sweet middleborn.

This message brought to you courtesy of a baby who's been sitting and playing with her brothers' gear toys for no less than 40 minutes. As soon as she goes to bed, so will I. Maybe then the sledgehammers crushing my skull will stop.

6/25/07

6/24/07 Ortega Park

I'd seen enough photos and references on friends' blogs about Ortega Park in Sunnyvale that today that I figured it was as good a place as any to take my little bundles. Gabriel was being unbearably pesty at home, showing all the signs of a bored kid, and he needed to get out almost as much as we needed to get him out.


Ortega Park is the closest park to us, and we could in theory walk there, but it's not that nice a walk and would take for-ever with a putzy 3-year-old. However, it's undergone major renovations recently, and is actually a pretty interesting and nice park.

One of the new features is a funky water play area, centered around a giant yellow flower with a crooked stem. There are also poles that spritz water, and fountains that come out of the ground, all on a padded, comfortable surface. I never figured out how to activate the water poles though. I guess they're on a timer, but sometimes it took a really long time for the water to start, and I got squirted enough times that I suspect there's some sort of weight activation.

Anyway, the boys had a great time running around the water. It was a little windy there though, making it cold unless you're in full motion. Julian pooped out pretty quickly and huddled in a towel on the blanket with Katrina, while Gabriel did funny dances standing on a fountain waiting for it to start.



As much as I appreciate Katrina sleeping until 7:30am these days, I'm not liking how it shifts her naps until so late in the day that the afternoon nap ends up being far too short, or, like yesterday, not at all. ~shudder~ -- a baby that doesn't nap. I can't bear the idea. Then again, this baby is pretty much happy and cheerful all the time, nap or not, so it's not so bad.



Gabriel continued to be unbearable at home, and I finally gave him one last warning that one more throwing a track piece into its box, and he was going straight up to bed (which meant NO Thomas video this week, a huge loss). And predictably, he made me carry out that threat. Oh, the howling and screaming as I confiscated his tracks to the garage!! I'm sure our neighbors thought I was beating him to within an inch of his life. And he continued to carry on through the whole curtailed bed-bath process (which I did with his sister happily playing with books sitting on the floor nearby).

But it was crying, not confrontational insult-hurling. Though he cried and cried, he almost seemed relieved. He'd dropped the obnoxious attitude and was sad, instead of defiant. Contrition doesn't come easily in Gabriel-land. I think he was truly very, very tired, and in the end, went right to bed at 6:30pm.


All 3 all day tomorrow. Brace yourself.

6/24/07

6/23/07 Katrina's new habit

Katrina just started a new thing: sticking out her tongue and curling it, practically to her nose sometimes! It's not easy to catch her to photograph it though. Every time I think she can't get any more adorable, she comes up with something.


She's starting to act like she wants to crawl, though hasn't hit upon what to do yet.

The boys had their first swim lesson at the Y today. Gabriel said the water was too cold. And Julian complained the water was too wet.

6/23/07

6/22/07 No-commitment Friday

I was nervous about today -- all three all day. I shouldn't be nervous doing my job!

But, it went great.

First, I took them all to Whole Foods this morning, and got away with it without being asked to leave.

After Katrina's nap, I took them all to my old gym for a weights class, and they all did fine in the gym daycare. There I saw my longtime acquaintance, the marathon runner with her four young children -- she handles all four all day, and that's with a husband who works at home and travels for work a lot. So who am I to complain?

Back at home, I got Julian down for a nap, then Katrina, then came downstairs to find Gabriel asleep on the couch, pillow and blanket and all. So I actually had about half an hour when everyone was asleep.

I took that time to sort through photo albums, as part of my closet-reorganization project. Some needed labelling; others got put in a box for future disassembly. Most have something to do with motorcycle travel and camping.

It was oddly surreal looking through those photos and being in my old life, with my new life (in the form of a just-woke-up rosy, tousled 5-year-old) looking over my shoulder and asking me questions like where the ground stops.

Who am I? Am I the beaten-down, frumpy, scatterbrained, hair-trigger, sullen, slog-through-life suburban housewife mom? Or the brave leather-clad dirt-covered 2-wheeled adventurer tackling a rocky road?

Then....












...and now:


Aw, but look at that adorable baby.

And tonight, Adorable Baby's pesky brothers are on a sleepover, so Dad and I got to sit together and actually talk and play with a crackly, giggly, happy, smiley, charming baby.










It occurs to me that if I were still childless and riding and camping all the time, I might wonder by now what I was missing out on. And as much as I miss my old self, I'm glad I know. And that I'm not missing out on it.

6/22/07

(Photos: Upper: Memorial Day weekend 1999, on a random trail in the Sierras somewhere around Quincy. Lower: 2004 Las Madres picnic, June 9 2007.)

6/21/07 The peanut and peanuts

Today was Katrina's pediatric allergist appointment.

The doc said the hives episode probably wasn't food-related, especially since the suspect food (yogurt) has since been re-introduced with no incident, and also given the length of the episode and how it gradually declined across that 3-1/2 weeks. Hives are an immune response to something, and we'll probably never know what -- just some random viral infection.

Actually, I'd concluded that the rash she had the day before I gave her the first yogurt was unrelated, but now it seems the rash supports the random-infection theory, and the yogurt was the red herring.

But since we were there, we tested her for dairy and peanut reactions. She got 4 pricks on her back, for control (C), histamine (H), peanut (8) and dairy (12). (I am very, very glad her brothers weren't there to see the nurse write on her back -- that'd have give my Magic Marker Monsters all sorts of ideas!!)

And, to my great dismay, she reacted to the peanut, as you can see from the puffy area next to the 8.

The allergist said this doesn't mean she's allergic, but she is predisposed (I wish I could remember his exact words). So, when she's a year old, we'll take her for a blood test, and depending on the outcome of that, we might introduce a "peanut challenge" in the office, if the blood test indicates a high risk of a bad reaction.

Meantime, there's no reason for me not to have peanut butter. He said that small bits of exposure could actually help her desensitize to it, and I recall my sister trying something like that with my food-allergic nephew (though time ultimately was the best solution, to some things). Katrina certainly has had minor contact with peanuts, mostly from peanut-butter-face-finger-smeared brothers giving her kisses when I had the nerve to turn my head. But, other sources say that allergies develop from exposure, rather than immune response developing from exposure. Obviously it's much more complex than that, and not one-size-fits-all. I'm lost.

Katrina was charming as ever, delighting every information-booth staffer, receptionist, nurse and medical technician we talked to. At least two people mistook her for a boy today (blue pants I guess?), so it's not just the girl factor. People just like being smiled at by babies. Actually, people just like being smiled at -- but only babies smile at any random person for no apparent reason.

Even though Katrina was ready for a nap by the time the back-pricking started, she didn't cry. Then I had to entertain her for 15 minutes sitting on the table, without being able to pick her up. Not easy! But, it was. A game of peek-a-boo had her in giggle fits, and the tissue paper covering the table was crinkly and breezy and great to bat at and chew on.

Predictably, she fell asleep in the car on the way to Tonya's, and woke up when I pulled her out of the car at Tonya's, but went right back to sleep in the pack'n'play at Tonya's. Such a darling baby.

I just realized today that our summer schedule doesn't leave me time alone with any of the three. I've really enjoyed the schedule transition that left me alone with Gabriel in the afternoons, actually, and I really wish I had time alone with Katrina. During her naps, I'll have some time alone with Julian on Wednesdays, but that's not quite the same thing. Still, self-centered as I am, what matters the most to me is time alone with just me, which is what our summer schedule is actually centered around. I don't really need all day though...sometime around 2-3pm, I'm ready to see them. I'm really going to like school days.

Betsy put it very well today, regarding having 3 kids: it's not the oldest one, and it's not the baby -- "It's the three-year-old!" Oh man, I hear it! I feel it! I live it! And it hurts!

6/21/07

6/20/07 The diagnoses

Diagnosis tummy: diastasis recti with an umbilical hernia.

Which is how you say in Latin: "Sorry, hon, that pooch is permanent. You done had too many babies."

The glue ("linea alba") that holds your -- not my anymore -- abdominal muscles together is stretched too thin now, and abdominal contents simply push out. The proof of this is when I lie on my back and lift a leg -- a ridge forms through my belly-button. Multiple pregnancies is the culprit, though not everyone who has multiple pregnancies gets it.

The good news: it's a common, harmless condition.

The bad news: no diet, no exercise, no surgery, no therapies, no drugs, no waiting -- absolutely nothing -- will fix it. No matter how thin or fit I ever get, I will always have this fanny pack around my middle.

If there's a silver lining, I guess it's that it happened as late in life as it did, as my expectations for bodily perfection are lower now anyway. I'm seeing my golden years peek on the horizon; I should be glad I've gotten away with what I have so far. But let's just hope low-rise pants stay in style, 'cause waist-buttoning is out for me forever.

Diagnosis back: mild scoliosis.

Not me, Dave. He didn't see a doctor today for any particular diagnosis, he saw one because I insisted and made an appointment for him. He is 40 now, after all. Men are supposed to get checked. Though the curvature in Dave's upper back is obvious, I hadn't noticed before that one shoulder is lower than another, indicating a spinal curvature. He has a vague recollection of hearing something about scoliosis earlier in life (maybe Laura remembers??). Another live-with-it thing, though the doc recommended against jogging. Not that Dave was in any danger of that.

Diagnosis sanity: severely compromised, and unable to withstand any further trauma.

Due to a schedule that hasn't settled yet, it happened this week that I had all three all day today. This, unlike the diastasis recti that ravages my midsection, is not a harmless condition.

Plus the cleaners this morning.

The kind ladies (who I appreciate so, so much), were scrubbing away upstairs smack dab when Katrina needed her morning nap. For the very first time ever in my dubious career as mother, I took my baby to a gym childcare and said, "Put baby to sleep please!" The Y Childwatch ladies, and Katrina, happily obliged. It was a good solution; I got the boys out of my hair, got out of the cleaners' hair, and got in a short workout before Julian's and Katrina's swim class.

Putting Gabriel into the logistical mix shouldn't, on paper, add much to the effort, as he is basically self-sufficient (can open car doors, strap himself in, un/dress himself, etc). However, while he alone doesn't directly cause problems, the effect he has on Julian is overwhelming. Dealing with the boys together at swim class today was an astounding pain in the ass, as they were constantly shouting together, running together, making obnoxious noises together, ignoring me together, being incredibly annoying together.

By the end of the ordeal of getting everyone dressed, I overheard two other mothers saying to each other, "I'm glad I have girls!"

Then I attempted to take everyone to Trader Joe's.

That didn't bode well when one too many unbearably rude insults by Gabriel (I forget what started it, but I do recall being called a liar) made me turn around and smack him, while in the busy parking lot at the Campbell Trader Joe's. I'm sure the numerous observers, who really were just waiting to park or cross the lot, were truly taken with my honed parenting skills. Great.

One of those observers was standing outside Trader Joe's, conducting a survey of some sort. I looked at her apprehensively, awaiting judgement, knowing she'd seen my transgression. But she smiled at me as I kneeled with the boys and reviewed the rules (which Gabriel claimed he didn't have to abide by) before we went into the "grownup place."

That same someone smiled wryly at me again, about 10 minutes later, when I furiously dragged a foul-mouthed protesting 5-year-old boy out of the store with one hand, yanking a puzzled but agreeable baby along for the ride on my hip, strap the kid forcefully into the car, and open the wagon hatch (the car windows were already open).

I don't know if she smiled when I fumed back past her to retrieve my cart, then head straight to the cashier with what I had, even if it didn't include the #1 thing I went there to get.

And then she smiled at me once again, sympathetically, when she saw me emerge about 5 minutes later, groceries in hand, 3-year-old asking plaintively, "Mommy, are you mad at me too?" I wonder if she smiled too at the tears in my eyes.

It's at times like this that I feel the worst for poor innocent Katrina.

At home, Gabriel went straight to his room until lunch was ready, as I needed a serious time-out from his rude defiant behavior. It took me long enough to get things under control in the kitchen that by the time I went up to release him, he'd curled up in bed and gone to sleep. Good.

Gabriel's time in the pokey allowed Julian to play with sidewalk chalk after lunch, unfettered by Gabriel stepping or kicking the chalk, or bossing him around and telling him he's not allowed to scribble. Gabriel ridiculing Julian's drawing bothers me a lot more than Gabriel crushing his chalk, but it's not really a punishable offense. I address Julian instead, talk to him about his drawing, tell him how cool I think it is, and contradict every mean thing Gabriel says.

Nothing short of a miracle occurred when we got home from the TJ's disaster though. Katrina fell asleep in the car on the way home, usually a nightmare for me because then that's IT for her nap. But she didn't wake up as I unstrapped the boys or unloaded the groceries. I gave it a shot -- and was able to transfer her to her crib and she took a long nap from there! A successful transer! A first!

If any evidence is needed to confirm my insanity, after everyone was up, fed and/or snacked, I took the bunch to Target. What a sucker for punishment. Why would I dare, especially when my patience points and good-momma-karma have been completely drained today? Maybe I wanted a chance at redemption, who knows.

But I succeeded. We pulled it off. Gabriel was in a great mood, and mostly talked excitedly as I shopped and mm-hmm'd him as convincingly as I could, about how he was going to build a motorboat and drive the boat to Africa with a purple pickup truck. He wants to live in Africa when he's grown-up. When I asked him what country he'd want to live in, he said, "Lake Tahoe!"

It also helped that Julian, being my only progeny who hadn't napped that afternoon, was rundown and tired, so he rode in the cart for a while. Between the physical barrier of the cart, Julian's lack of energy to get sucked into a game of Make Mom Hate Her Life, and Gabriel's new enthusiasm for shipbuilding and international travel, the trip to Target went very well.

Katrina, as usual, demanded that several other shoppers join her inner circle with her tractor-beam smile.

I went for a run at Rancho San Antonio tonight, late enough to span sunset and the onset of dusk, when all the animals come out. Deer, rabbits, birds...the whole cast of Bambi was there to see me detoxify my mind and body. I had only good, warm thoughts about my children as I puffed along.

I'd promised myself an easy run, but at the last minute detoured onto Mora trail, to avoid running past the Farm twice...I've run that trail before, but not in that direction. EEEP! STE-EEE-EEE-EEP! I had to coach my feet for every next step. But as difficult as that was, it was a single-minded, focused, nose-to-the-grindstone effort...something I really needed after a full day of dealing with my two sons together.

When I got home, I intruded upon a charming scene: Dave and Gabriel were sitting on our bed, reviewing coin-counting. I'd gotten Gabriel a small coin purse today at Target, and he wanted to put his coins into it, and play more adding-up games. He reminded me today that he had to "buy" breakfast, for instance. He insisted on labelling his new coin purse himself, with his full name, including his middle name James.
(Which reminds me, don't let even the most meticulous 5-year-old use a SHARPIE, you know those permanent markers, on the wooden butcher-block counter. But you knew that. Did I? Hel-LO. How long have I been doing this mom thing?! Do I not get it yet?!)

And here I sit, still sticky from my run, still frazzled and guilty from a traumatic day...well, traumatic afternoon...well, traumatic incident...actually, it was really only a traumatic moment, but it dominated my frazzle. Gabriel is overall such a nifty kid...he's just so (darned) persistent and determined and tough-skinned. He makes me so, so mad, and I love him so, so much.

I should be in bed with a hot water bottle on my head instead of typing now. See earlier reference to Diagnosis: sanity.

6/20/07