Today was an interesting day for me. I'm not sure why, but it was very sentimental.
This morning Kaitlyn and I had some quality time while we were waiting for James to wake up (at 9:30!). I got to sit alone with her while she ate breakfast, which doesn't happen much.
We had a pretty slow morning since James still wasn't feeling up to par. I knew we would be staying home, but when he told me that his ears still hurt, well, I called the pediatrician's office to schedule a re-check. It's been 5 days on Z-pack for him and no such luck with the ears healing. His cough is gone, however. Turns out that when he was re-examined (not by the same doctor, but by the nurse practitioner), she told me that he must have prescribed the Z-pack to get rid of the cough/chest congestion because it was worse than the ears. She said that when a doctor is faced with two choices for an antibiotic, they usually go for the one that will treat the worse symptom with more effectiveness. Whatever, I don't care, just make my child happy again. So she prescribed him Amoxicillin (however it's spelled), and we were on our way. That's the same drug they gave Kaitlyn last week, and it has worked wonders on her... so we should be good. I'm just so glad he told me that his ears hurt and we went back to the doctor!
Before all of this doctor stuff, however, Kaitlyn must have had a bad dream that startled her awake from her nap. I hopped in the shower quick to see if she'd calm back down and fall asleep, but no, she was awake. So I went upstairs after my shower and walked into her room. It was so nice and dark in there. I picked her up, brought her over to her chest of drawers to pick out an outfit, went to lay her down on her changing table and then paused. I put the shirt down, took my baby over to her rocking chair and just sat and cuddled her for 15 minutes. When we sat down, I told her, "Lie your head down on Mommy and let's have a cuddle..." she did, and we just rocked. It was bliss. I never ever want to forget how it feels to rock my baby, she's growing so fast. Like I said... sentimental.
After James woke up from his nap it was time to head out to the doctor's office. I got a snack ready for the kids consisting of yogurt-covered raisins and a few "nem-nems" as Kaitlyn calls them (my kids literally get up on a chair to try to get to the M&M jar on a daily basis), but we were late as usual. Sigh.
We had the appointment, as mentioned above, and then headed back to the van. James absolutely had a fit that I didn't let him get into the van on "his side" where his seat is. ABSOLUTE FIT. I mean screaming, kicking, sinking in his car seat, taking shoes off, throwing them on the floor kind of fit. I ignored him. It was the best thing to do. He kept it up, but I was watching closely to see if he unbuckled himself... he didn't, so we kept driving. We were about 2/3 of the way to Walgreens when he finally calmed down. I sidetracked him by talking about Christmas decorations and baby Jesus, and why we celebrate Christmas, and decorate, and I just kept rambling until his mind got on to something else. By the time we were at Walgreens, he was fine... weird, just weird. James doesn't do that often.
We drove around the parking lot at Walgreens and there were literally no parking spots. That is a very rare occasion... when they don't have parking at Walgreens! So I had an idea, and it proved to go over extremely well with the kids... ice cream! I dropped off the scrip and we headed across the street to Carvel (hindsight- never going there again). When we parked the car and I turned off the engine, James looks at me and says, "I need to put my shoes on again."
I asked him why his shoes were off and he said, "Well I took them off because I was crying." He had the cutest most embarrassed but bashful look on his face. It was so cute. We had a talk about how not to throw our shoes if we're mad, and all was good. On to Carvel.
After finally deciding on vanilla ice cream with mini-"nem-nem's", we finally to got eat our ice cream. I wolfed mine down in about a minute flat and the kids enjoyed theirs thoroughly. James couldn't quite lick the right way to get a lot of ice cream on his tongue so it took a WHILE for him to eat his. At one point he saw more mini-M&Ms and said something hilarious like, "Come here my sweeties!" Awesome, hilarious. Of course neither child nearly finished their ice cream and I should have gotten one for them to share, but whatever, it was fun. :)
We finally got home and had dinner as usual. The kids are so much fun to watch at the dinner table together. Parroting each other is a nightly routine, usually consisting of Kaitlyn copying James. Tonight though, James was asking for more to "wink". That's Kaitlyn's word for drink.
Nathan took the kids up for baths tonight while I finished up the dishes. For about 15 minutes I heard the best sounds ever... the funny laughs and giggles of my kids playing and wrestling with their Daddy. It a very, very sentimental day.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Be cautious of open drawers.
A few nights ago I was sleeping upstairs in the guest room since James was still sick. I heard Nathan call out to me, "Mommy! Help?" So I sprang out of bed and went in James room to see a pile right by his face. He must have done it in his sleep. Poor kid. He didn't even have time to react to the fact that he threw up before Nathan was in there helping him out of bed.
I took the sheets downstairs and did my cleaning... it's amazing how rock hard a stomach becomes after being a Mom dealing with throw up. I remember when James constantly spit up and threw up several times as an infant thinking, "It's really no big deal... it's just milk." It's a little more difficult now with the chunks in it, but some how I manage to think the same thing... "It's really no big deal... it's just pizza a ranch dressing, with grapes." SICK.
I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt to bed and the sleeves got wet, so I went into my bedroom to change my shirt. I noticed that my top drawer was slightly ajar, so I closed it, opened my bottom drawer, got out a new shirt and proceeded to go back upstairs to bed. We got James all tucked back into bed with clean sheets and Mickey since Monkey was now having a "bath" in the clothes washer.
I woke up about 30 minutes later (?) with Nathan at my bedside trying to tell me something. He says, "Did you close a drawer in your dresser?"
"HUH?" I asked.
"Saki was in your drawer in your dresser stuck inside. Now THAT is funny." He says.
Oops. I guess I should watch out for cats nestled in my underwear before I close my drawer in my dresser. LOL. Silly cat.
I took the sheets downstairs and did my cleaning... it's amazing how rock hard a stomach becomes after being a Mom dealing with throw up. I remember when James constantly spit up and threw up several times as an infant thinking, "It's really no big deal... it's just milk." It's a little more difficult now with the chunks in it, but some how I manage to think the same thing... "It's really no big deal... it's just pizza a ranch dressing, with grapes." SICK.
I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt to bed and the sleeves got wet, so I went into my bedroom to change my shirt. I noticed that my top drawer was slightly ajar, so I closed it, opened my bottom drawer, got out a new shirt and proceeded to go back upstairs to bed. We got James all tucked back into bed with clean sheets and Mickey since Monkey was now having a "bath" in the clothes washer.
I woke up about 30 minutes later (?) with Nathan at my bedside trying to tell me something. He says, "Did you close a drawer in your dresser?"
"HUH?" I asked.
"Saki was in your drawer in your dresser stuck inside. Now THAT is funny." He says.
Oops. I guess I should watch out for cats nestled in my underwear before I close my drawer in my dresser. LOL. Silly cat.
Settle down!
Last night we went over to my parents for home-made pizza and salad. Mmmm. The kids are still recovering from ear infections and other issues, so they weren't looking like their normal happy selves (little dark around the eyes).
James and Kaitlyn were playing in the kids' room while Grandma and I were talking. Mom asked me how old Harrison was now, and I said 4, and we talked about how time just seems to fly by. When James heard that I said Harrison was 4, he piped up... "He's 3!" I had to tell him that Harrison had just had a birthday last week, and now he is 4. Mom and I started talking again about how "Harrison is only 7 months older than James and soon James will be three and a half! ... and then pretty soon he'd be 4! My baby is going to be FOUR!" I got so excited. Mom was laughing and chiming in with me and all of a sudden James says while smiling and laughing, "Settle down! Settle down Mom and Grandma!" We just laughed, and laughed and laughed.
James and Kaitlyn were playing in the kids' room while Grandma and I were talking. Mom asked me how old Harrison was now, and I said 4, and we talked about how time just seems to fly by. When James heard that I said Harrison was 4, he piped up... "He's 3!" I had to tell him that Harrison had just had a birthday last week, and now he is 4. Mom and I started talking again about how "Harrison is only 7 months older than James and soon James will be three and a half! ... and then pretty soon he'd be 4! My baby is going to be FOUR!" I got so excited. Mom was laughing and chiming in with me and all of a sudden James says while smiling and laughing, "Settle down! Settle down Mom and Grandma!" We just laughed, and laughed and laughed.
I can do it by myself!
James has definitely turned the corner these last few weeks (although being sick) into a boy who wants to do things by himself. For about a month now, he's been getting up in the morning, undressing enough to get his nighttime diaper off, then putting his jammy pants back on. One morning he even got his own slippers on before coming to wake me up (in the guest room since our room is downstairs).
He seems to think that it's all fine and good if he goes to the potty, poops, and wipes himself. Not all fine and good. Yesterday I had to have a little bit of a talk with him about how he can do it himself, but he needs Mommy or Daddy to check to make sure everything is "spotless".... if you know what I mean. :) The other day he helped himself to the bathroom after his nap, took his diaper off and went poop in the potty all by himself. He was so proud! We are so proud of him too... especially after months of telling him that he should only poop in the potty now since he's 3.
One more "milestone" for James was a few nights ago. I put him to bed as usual, tucked him in and came downstairs. When I went to check on him about an hour later, he mysteriously had socks on that he didn't have on when I left the room! Ok... so James is 3. He's tall enough to reach to the TOP drawer of his chest (5 feet high?), pull the drawer open, reach over the top of the drawer and get a pair of socks. He's not even 3 and a half!!!!
When I saw those socks, I grinned and chuckled pretty hard under my breath. I got a bit closer to inspect... one was inside out, and the other had the heel of the sock on the top of his foot. But, he did it himself. I love him so much.
We call Kaitlyn "Miss Independent" and she's really sticking to that lately. She has graduated to sitting at the table with us on a booster seat. Goodbye highchair! She's really enjoying it too, I can see the little glimmer in her eye when we're all sitting around the table. Maybe it's the reflection of me beaming that I see in her eye, but it's there. :) She also is getting VERY good at using her spoon, and gently tipping her bowl to get the remains of whatever is in there... usually yogurt or cereal. Thinking that I need to bite the bullet eventually and risk her spilling, I gave her a cup of water the other night to see how she did with it. She did wonderfully! I just had to remind her that she couldn't shake the cup like she does with sippy cups.
This morning (oh by the way, I'm still waiting for James to wake up, and it's 9:07) when we were having breakfast, she ate all of her cereal and milk with bananas all by herself. She wanted more, so I shared my Cheerios with her. She polished those off and I smiled and clapped for her and said, "Kaitlyn! Good girl!" and she says, "Thank you!" My little drama queen.
After breakfast was over, we headed to the family room. I asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to watch a show, and she said, "BARNEY!" clear as a bell. She doesn't ever really get to pick what they watch, since James is usually around and it's whatever is on Disney or Noggin that plays. But this morning, Kaitlyn is watching Barney!
He seems to think that it's all fine and good if he goes to the potty, poops, and wipes himself. Not all fine and good. Yesterday I had to have a little bit of a talk with him about how he can do it himself, but he needs Mommy or Daddy to check to make sure everything is "spotless".... if you know what I mean. :) The other day he helped himself to the bathroom after his nap, took his diaper off and went poop in the potty all by himself. He was so proud! We are so proud of him too... especially after months of telling him that he should only poop in the potty now since he's 3.
One more "milestone" for James was a few nights ago. I put him to bed as usual, tucked him in and came downstairs. When I went to check on him about an hour later, he mysteriously had socks on that he didn't have on when I left the room! Ok... so James is 3. He's tall enough to reach to the TOP drawer of his chest (5 feet high?), pull the drawer open, reach over the top of the drawer and get a pair of socks. He's not even 3 and a half!!!!
When I saw those socks, I grinned and chuckled pretty hard under my breath. I got a bit closer to inspect... one was inside out, and the other had the heel of the sock on the top of his foot. But, he did it himself. I love him so much.
We call Kaitlyn "Miss Independent" and she's really sticking to that lately. She has graduated to sitting at the table with us on a booster seat. Goodbye highchair! She's really enjoying it too, I can see the little glimmer in her eye when we're all sitting around the table. Maybe it's the reflection of me beaming that I see in her eye, but it's there. :) She also is getting VERY good at using her spoon, and gently tipping her bowl to get the remains of whatever is in there... usually yogurt or cereal. Thinking that I need to bite the bullet eventually and risk her spilling, I gave her a cup of water the other night to see how she did with it. She did wonderfully! I just had to remind her that she couldn't shake the cup like she does with sippy cups.
This morning (oh by the way, I'm still waiting for James to wake up, and it's 9:07) when we were having breakfast, she ate all of her cereal and milk with bananas all by herself. She wanted more, so I shared my Cheerios with her. She polished those off and I smiled and clapped for her and said, "Kaitlyn! Good girl!" and she says, "Thank you!" My little drama queen.
After breakfast was over, we headed to the family room. I asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to watch a show, and she said, "BARNEY!" clear as a bell. She doesn't ever really get to pick what they watch, since James is usually around and it's whatever is on Disney or Noggin that plays. But this morning, Kaitlyn is watching Barney!
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