May '04 Mamas: the month in which we welcome a new Feather! - Page 2

[Maggie Mae]

I'm BAAAAAAAAACK!

Hi May Mamas!!!

Huge to all the May Mamas! I've missed you and been wondering how you all and your little people are doing.

I've been taking a big ol' MDC break lately mostly due to homeschooling and a general need to reprioritize and think more carefully about how I spend my time. The good news is that all is well, and really, the only bad news is that I'm deciding to spend way less time online in general. But thanks to very sweet PMs from Els and HF, I'm checking up on you all and I'm going to hang out and read and even post a bit too! Its all about balance...

So, here goes with the big update! Ben is AMAZING. He's totally talking and even cracking little jokes - today in the library he went around introducing himself to *everyone* as "Bubba" and then laughed hysterically after. He's using complete, mostly grammatically correct, fully understandable sentences all the time. Whoa. He's really into trucks, planes, trains - basically anything with wheels that burns a polluting substance. (About bikes, he could care less!) He's getting really social too and loves hanging out with his buddeis next door. Eats everything except for foods he randomly decides are "So so gross!" As in, "No waffle, mama. Its so so gross!" About sleeping - well, we're not complaining - not too loudly anyhow! Ben's got his own room where he spends about half the night. I'm lazy and would rather have DH bring him in to me instead of hauling my tuckis out of bed to go nurse him in his own room. It'll change when it needs to, in its own good time. So that's Ben!

DD is *LOVING* HS, as am I. She's in a HS-only production of Macbeth and appears to have found her calling. It is an honor to watch her learn and bloom, and to be the first person she turns to for help and questions. We're having a ball. In addition to Shakespeare we're learning about Uganda and dabbling in multiplication and division. My parents are still pretty awful about HS but everyone else is mellow and supportive. Its so wonderful to feel like this huge part of our life is now really *RIGHT*.

As for me, I'm plowing through birth and PP doula training, trying to get all the workshops and things done before we go to India in the fall, leaving only a few births/PP experiences for that year. And yea, India is still on the horizon, albeit still tenatively. DH finds out about funding in April and we'll decide after that. I'm also knitting a bunch. (Wool=Addiction - what can I say! ) And things with DH and I are on a much more even, positive level than I think they were last time I posted.

And that, not-so-briefly, is that! I have little blog now, mostly for kid-news and knitting bragging, and if TC (or someone!) will send me the YG info again, I'll post the URL over there.

I'm looking forward to catching up with all my May Mamas again and I promise to keep you all posted from time to time!

[nuggetsmom]

whoohoo
Maggie Mae is back again.
I admit that I only read up on my may mama's.
I am so so tired todayh and I had a preschool day from h*!!. Everyone was getting into it. And well I have a vent, but it will have to wait for later.
no feather yet I see.

[fiddlefern]

Woo hoo! MaggieMae is back! Glad to hear things are going well. Glad you're enjoying home schooling. And good for you for prioritizing (but I'm glad your're still gonna post now and then and keep us updated.) Definetely let us know when you take off for India.

Jacqueline- I'm sorry you had a sucky day at preschool. Nothing is worse than drama in a co-op setting, where it's not just business, it's personal. I hope things get resolved well.

Claudia- what an exhausting weekend. Oof, mama, I hope you get some good sleep SOON! I'm glad bill had a good time- sounds like a very unique opportunity. It's not every day you get to go to a Superbowl, much less in luxury. But I also hope he gives you a break so that you can have a well-deserved rest. ZZzzzzzz. Oh, and I think the PDX mamas are going to meet at 10 am next Sunday. Is that time at all reasonable for you to travel in to Portland? If it just won't work, I can probably talk dh into the 5 pm time. Let us know. Mwah!

Elsanne- you're half way there, mama.

Rena- glad to hear the lil one is feeling better.

Nighty night- up too late. Must. not. read. novel. Must. go. to. bed. Ooooh will power is hard...

[Mama Faery]

Wow! Maggie Mae! We've missed you!
Thank you for the update and good for you for prioritizing!! Sounds like things are going great in your corner of the world, and that rules. So glad you'll be updating us every now and again.
Ben sounds AMAZING! Whole sentences! Holy moly! Rowan's still in the
"mo!"
"say, more please!"
"mo' pees"
stage of things, hehe, but all in good time. I'm sure the homeschooling and having big sis around is a great inspiration! Rock on!

As for us...y'know, Claudia, Rowan was up from 2:30-4ish last night, for NO explainable reason, since he is pretty much 99% better from his illness last week, nose is no longer stuffed, ears no longer bothering him (that we noticed), etc. DH thinks it was just that he was getting used to all the attention he got last week (I nursed him pretty much whenever, we both came in to pat/comfort him, lots of attention) and is transitioning back to how it was before (pretty much only daddy until 5ish).
Anyway, he's still sleeping now, because it was kind of a long night.
And WOW to the Superbowl opportunity! Bill must have had an AWESOME time! Now, he will be ready to help you out and let you get some much needed rest! Right? Right?!?!

So, yeah, we've made it out of the woods from last week. Rowan is responding well to the antibiotics, no yeasties thus far, only about 5 more days to go with it, I've been trying to keep up with probiotics and yogurt, and we went to his little library-sanctioned playdate yesterday morning and then to ride the carousel in the mall in the afternoon, where I ran into an old yoga-mama friend who is going to have a little "reunion" Sunday with a few yoga-mamas and that we were invited to! So we're going, since this is the weekend that DH is going to be recovering from the big V!!
(yeah, can you tell I'm excited? : He actually is too. We both feel good about the decision but he's worried about the actual procedure. Heh.)

And last night...after some...intimacy , We went to sleep...at 7:45 or so!!! Then my friend called at 9ish wanting to hang out and I was like "um, no" and then we went upstairs at 9:30 to sleep some more!
DH and I NEEDED the sleep, I guess--we were especially thankful for it when Rowan woke up this morning for a couple hours. We're both feeling quite refreshed this morning, we slept a lot!
And I am STILL drinking coffee. :

Today we have a LLL evaluation meeting (the meeting before the meeting, so to speak--since I am on the welcoming committee I have to be there) and then Rowan's best friend is coming over and playing before everyone goes to music class tonight and I get an hour or so to myself (DH takes Rowan nowadays)

Okay, enough out of me! Hmm, where's Heather? I hope everyone has a good day. Much May Mama love to you all!

(and, yeah, I'm starting to come out of the woods myself, can you tell? Thank goodness...)

[orangecanoe]

<--me loving prodromal labor

[mcsarahb]

(((Heather)))

[Sarah'sMama]

Heather, you may not realize it, but I'm stalking you. I check the computer compulsively throughout the day to see if there's any baby news from you. I sure hope the prodromal labor turns into real labor!

[Mama Faery]

Yeah, even *I* spend more time on the internets than I should, hoping to hear more!
Hope you are well!
Hope ALL the mamas have a great day!

[orangecanoe]

Ha! Still here! I slept like a rock last night----wonder if there's anything I can do to convince the babe to come TODAY when I'm so well rested.

[elsanne]

Heather-I had to go online and search "prodromal labor". Can't believe you're still here!

Yay that Maggie Mae is popping back in! Whole sentences???? He &Lily could have some serious discussions. Sol is babbling away these last few days, looong stories & phrases that only she understands with the occasional spanish or english word...

TC that sure does sound amazing about the superbowl tix! What a great opportunity for turbobill.

Renae-sooo glad to hear you are "coming out of the woods". IT sure is a long & hard road, depression/meds/biz. As I understand it, the probiotics will be killed along with the bad stuff while he's still taking antibiotics so they may be a waste until post-treatment...but they sure can't hurt him either! Just so long as you stock him up AFTER the antibiotics.

Sol is in the bath repeatedly saying "wow" to herself in different intonations and volumes.

Yesterday she talked on the phone with my dad for a long time (she's gotten progressively better at this) and as she talked she walked all around the house opening cupboards, moving things, and Viet (who was here) pointed out to me that that's what she sees me do I had to laugh because as soon as I got the phone back, guess what I was doing? Yes, rummaging around, moving things, cooking, etc...

Funny to see ourselves reflected in our kids...ack...I also tend to throw things a lot (not in anger or frustration, just tossing to a better destination) and guess who ALSO throws things, much to my consternation??? Ay ay ay.

[A&L+1]

Hey Heather - if you are still here, I just wanted to reveal my lurker self to say that prodromal labor is real labor - you are on your way s l o w l y and as crazy-making as early labor is, your body has begun the work. I'm sending you all the patience I've got (Lord knows I'm not using it).

Happy birth-is-imminent to you!

[Maggie Mae]

Yay Heather!!! All of my good-birthin-vibes are headed your way... You and your family are in my thoughts. Can't wait to hear from you!

[elsanne]

Lurker Lisa--love your new sig---

[jstar]

i love the word PRODROMAL
eeeep so exciting!!

[nuggetsmom]

OK, I may have to start stalking heather too.

So the sitch at school was that first of all the kids were all hopped up and not getting along which is so so rare in our class. They are really just so easy. To the point where I am almost scared to do a coop with Julia because I know it will be harder. Who knows, maybe the chocolate pudding for snack was what did the kids in.
Anyway, two kids get into it as soon as we get outside for lunch break, and they both want to play with a toy and I point out that they can take turns. After some time I notice that one of the boys is just holding this toy and not playing with it anymore so I said, OK other boys turn. Well the kids who had to relinquish the toy went upstairs and cam back with his mom who asked me when exactly her son would have a turn, in how many minutes?
Well, if N had come to me, I would have referred her back to the mom in charge. That is the authority and I trust that they are fair with all the kids. Misunderstandings happen, but in life we have to learn to deal with setbacks, and the types of setbacks she experiences are just the right size for her. I mean, what make this mom think that her son is so special that we treat him unfairly, and that he can have his mommy come down and make everything his way. Anyway, when lunch break was over, we were going up and two kids (one of whom was Mr special) wanted to latch the gate. I have no tolerance for that sort of thing so I just said "get upstairs, I will latch the gate!". So Mr Specials mom again tries to get him his way and I just said that since there was argument over the gate I was closing it and that was final. This woman is actually very sweet, and I like her but I just feel like she is such a pushover for her kids and they are going to be dissapointed at some point when she can't fix their whole lives for them anymore.
But I was so tired and in general the kids had been so hopped up and just not getting along that I was just unable to process this at all. It just pissed me off. I think I may say something to this mom, but I am going to wait until I can do it calmly and in a very positive way. I need to figure that out first.

[Mama Faery]

Wow, Jacqueline, good for you for doing this coop school thing! Having been a daycare teacher (albeit for a GIANT corporation, but I have the experience!) I have to tell you, dealing with the parents who try to make everything go their child's way is HARD. I hope you find a peaceful way to work out the situation. I would be !
BTW, I think you dealt with Mr Special (and the other kids) pretty fairly! "Exactly how many MINUTES?!" Oh no she didn't!

Anyway. This is me spending more time on the internet than I should, but what the hey, we're going to be out all morning and I'm just enjoying my coffee before Rowan wakes up, so I'm entitled!
We're driving about 45 minutes after breakfast to go have a playdate with my friend, her DD, and the litle boy she watches a few times a week, the DS of another friend! It should be wild and fun! They're all about the same age. Rowan is about a month older. LOTS of June babies in my midst!
The only concern I have is naptime. We'll probably play there all morning, have lunch, and then I have to drive 45 minutes or so BACK home, and I am pretty sure Rowan will fall asleep on the way. What do I do?? When we get home should I just leave him in the car and bring a book (ie., kickin' it OLD school!), risking him waking much earlier than if he was in his crib, or do I take him out of the car when we get home, bring him upstairs, and nurse him back down, again risking the end of the nap?? Will that even work?!?! I've never done it! Eep!
I just don't know! Hehehe. I figure it'll work out, I hope!

And mamas, tomorrow is the day! DH gets the big snip-snip! I'm actually pretty excited. It feels like a momentous thing, I guess because it IS. I am working on a special mix CD for him, all songs "about" vasectomy! Like, "Gimme Back my Bullets" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "The First Cut is the Deepest", the Sheryl Crow version, "Cuts Like A Knife" by Bryan Adams...you get the picture. : I think he will laugh his a$$ off when I give it to him!

Okay, I am going to pour myself a little more coffee and read my email. : Have a great day, everymama!

(and Lisa, HI! Good to see you!)
(oh yeah, and Elsanne! Thanks for the probiotic advice. I did not realize that's how they worked! So thanks! And Sol saying "wow" in different intonations just made me ! So adorable. I cannot believe how amazing these kids are. I was just telling DH how I don't know if it was just that we had such a terrible week last week when he was sick, but now Rowan just seems like 10 times cuter! He was making his two zebra toys dance last night. )

(okay, really going now! Love to you all!)

[emmalola]

hugs to heather! very exciting!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to hear....

And exciting about the big V, renae. While I wouldn't be ready for this big a step in my relationship, I definitely am impressed that you and your dh were able to find a good solution for both of you. I love the mix cd idea.

The lentil is in a coop, and although we hire teachers to do the care, sometimes I think the monthly meetings will do me in. There's this whole hierarchy between the parents who have more than one child or who just have and older child and those of us on our first go-round. It drives me CRAZY!!!

[Sarah'sMama]

Renae, your mix cd sounds AWESOME! You're too funny. I'll be thinking of you and your dh tomorrow. Hope all goes well with the snipping! Make sure to get a big bag of frozen peas for him to sit on!

nugget-sorry you're having issues with the coop. I think the way you handled it sounds great. When posed with confrontation, I usually am on the verge of tears, I'm such a spineless jellyfish.

heather, where's the update for today? Any mw visits lately?

Welcome back MM!

I thought I had more to say, but I'm blanking for now...

[mcsarahb]

Hey Ladies!

Oh Heather, we are all waaaaaaiiiiting for you to have a baaaaaaaaybeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I wish I were there to give you a footrub...

Maggie Mae, glad to see you. We should get Lily and Ben together. They'd have a blast. Lily says the funniest things.

I am a mess lately. Absolutely no time for myself. Going a little crazeeeeeeeee.

More later - gotta run, class is over! :

Sarah

[nuggetsmom]

Renae, your mix sounds awesome. I wonder if it will hurt to laugh :LOL
but I am laughing

A bit of YEAH! news
two of my paintings were accepted into the recent works exhibit of the northern california chapter of the guild of natural science illustrators. It is going to be at a library near here and then move to a library nearer to here. It is really very exciting for me. I hope my stuff is not the lamest stuff there, but it is my style of stuff so who cares!

I am glad that someone is a contact to hear about the new feather.

And, both kids fell asleep for a nap today. It is strangely quiet. I should do something but I can't think what I would do. This happens so rarely.