*~*Sorry May '04 Mamas, I just can't wait! August is TOO HOT!*~* - Page 6

[elsanne]

Oh, TC: for shame! I, myself, wake up two hours before my kids get up, unlatching myself gently from tandem nursing all night long, and I meditate on how to be a better mother. When they awake, I warmly greet them and make them free-range eggs and cut them a slice of the fresh-baked bread I had prepared the night before. Neither has seen the screen of my computer ever in their lives, so as not to mess with their developing brains, and much less a TV screen.

We spend all day engaged in various developmental activities and I also exercise daily, aerobic and strength, while cutting vegetables for the night's meal (after asking the vegetables to honor us with their nutrients) and finally, have lots of energy for nooky when hubby gets home.

hah!

the real version to follow...

[Mama Faery]

Elsanne, have I mentioned that I you??? : You DID make an organic cotton futon! That kind of excuses you from all sorts of bad behavior!
(speaking of that, one of my favorite comedians, the late Mitch Hedberg, had a bit where he talked about eating a carrot along with something junky, like an onion ring...it makes it okay to eat the crap if you have a carrot going down too saying "It's okay, he's with me!" Hahaha! Okay, maybe it's funnier if you actually SEE the bit. )

Okay, our non-crunchiness...wait...is this related to our kids or to everything?? Well, I guess I'll start with what I remember. There's a LOT! :
Occasionally (like once or twice a month), I like fast food. : Like, I'm talking Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's. ::: And, to top that, I'm a hypocrite, because I would NEVER EVER let Rowan eat that stuff...I usually sneak it when he's asleep or no one else is in the car with me.
I don't even like DH to know I eat it. Ack!

TV. We watch a goodly amount here. So funny how high-and-mighty some mamas get about TV (myself included!) saying "NO WAY would my child EVER spend ANY time in front of a screen before age 'x'!" And then...they watch an episode of Sesame Street and it's all over. He does not use the computer at all (I have a friend whose kiddos play Sesame Street games on the pbs website with her, and they are Rowan's age, approximately. I just don't let Rowan because I don't want him to mess up the computer. ), but he sees me use it, and often yells "MAMA NO CU-PUTER!" Anyway, it is mostly PBS kids and the occasional 20-30 min. movie, though when he's sick all rules go out the window.

While Rowan does not eat *junk* food, per se, he DOES eat sugar, homemade cookies, pudding, yogurts, etc. Pretzels and goldfish crackers are pretty common snack food here too. Also, I sometimes make "convenience foods", like pizzas, fish sticks, and even (gulp) HOT DOGS. They're usually more 'natural' than the usual fare (Amy's and Annies and the like) but we've also had Kraft slices in our grilled cheese sandwiches. The horror!

I sometimes swear in front of him. I have yelled at him, I have also held him down a bit firmly to change a diaper when he kicks me. We've tried time-outs (they don't work) and he does not co-sleep (not like it was really OUR choice, but hey)
While not exactly *materialistic*...DH and I like to shop. I have a LOT of clothes (thrift store stuff motsly, but still), and shoes. Ah, shoes...and makeup I hardly wear (except to work) and jewelry. yeah.

We use strollers on occasion. We have plastic toys, and a couple of Licensed Character(tm) toys (Two Elmo things, as far as I remember). Sometimes, I even use DISPOSABLE DIAPERS!!!
I've also left him overnight with DH, and we are planning on leaving him with the IL's for the WHOLE weekend next week. Not sure if that's crunchy, but sometimes it seems like it's up there with everything else.
There are probably more things, but I honestly cannot remember. Because there are SO MANY!

Wow, I am a horrible mother. I'm surprised I don't get kicked off MDC right NOW!

Okay, snark aside, Rowan is now pretty much 100%! Last night we went to a county fair and had an awesome time (he had cotton candy for the first time! SUGAR! It's one of my favorite fair foods. ) looking at all the animals, riding the big slide and the WAY-too-fast carousel with DH (halfway through it, I saw him go "whoah! Whoah!!" And Dh had to sit him down in one of the benches on the ride. Eek) and we got home late, but he slept from 9-5am!!, and then nursed and went back to sleep till 8. Aww yeah, he's back. I can't decide whether he had coxsackie or roseola. Or both. :
We saw the doc Friday morning because the fever had come back Thursday night, and it was indeed viral (strep test negative) and then I remembered, hey, some little sores appeared on my left hand the day before! The doc looked and said "yeah, that could be coxsackie!" Whee. : No other symptoms in me, and no sores on Rowan. But today, after nearly 2 days fever-free, he has a sort-of rash on his face, and around his groin (but not on the torso). So anyway. I don't care. Everyone's fine, darn it!

Oh, on guns; I don't want them in the house. If he ends up making one out of blocks or whatever, I will try to talk to him about it (don't ask me what I'll end up saying...) and I actually was pretty at DH at the beginning of the summer when everyone was playing with water guns without my knowledge. I'm over it, and we can get some other kind of water squirty thing, but not gun-shaped ones. beyond that, I haven't thought much about it yet. Seeing as we are leaving Rowan with DH's parents from Fri-Sun this coming week (omg I am PSYCHED! Um...does that make me not crunchy too?) I may have to mention it to them, Rowan's "Papa" tends to do semi-violent gestures at times, like pretending to 'punch' him, holding up his fists, etc. : NOT okay in my book. *sigh* AND, they just got a new minivan, with a *built-in DVD player* Oh. Em. Gee. We haven't addressed it yet but we're gonna have to.
Oh, anyway, I got off-track. I just had to pat Rowan back to sleep. Naptime, and then I have an appointment for a haircut, yay!
Then, work tonight. Eh. But then I don't have to work again till next month.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

[elsanne]

Oh, *phew*. I was beginning to worry I had offended.

[Mama Faery]

Um, dude...!


Okay! The question of the day/week is: Anyone reading anything lately? Parenting books, fiction, non-fiction, magazines, religious tracts, whatever!

I am reading a bunch of stuff, depending on where I am in the house or what I feel like reading. I read a LOT. So, books currently all over the house are:
*The new one by Douglas Coupland, jPod. (I didn't even know he had a new book out! My library had it so I was psyched!) So far, it's brilliant. I may be biased though, because I ADORE pretty much everything he's written.
*A collection of essays from this weird counterculture "fashion" magazine in New York called "Blackbook": The Revolution will be Accessorized. I originally checked it out because Douglas Coupland had a piece in it, but I am reading the whole thing and loving it.
*You Are Your Child's First Teacher--I forget the author right now, but it's a Waldorf-inspired-or-based book that I just started on recommendation of a few people I know. I'm sure several of you have heard of it, I'm sure MDC has some glowing reviews of it somewhere. Heh. I think I'll like it but I literally just cracked the cover last week.
*The Complete Tightwad Gazette--I love this, I have been reading it for months now so obviously I'm taking my time but the tips and ideas and thoughts in this book are really valuable!

Then, of course, there are all the myriad magazines all over the house: Rolling Stone, Mothering, Cookie (something I will not renew again, but hey, it was worth trying!), InStyle (a holiday gift subcription from a friend last year that is pure fluff and I love it!), DH's Mental Floss and Popular Science, and even Scientific American magazines are entertaining as well.

I bet I'm leaving something out. Oh, I occasionally pick up something truly awful from the grocery store (Like, Star, InTouch, some terrible celebrity tabloid like that, with People being at the top of that food chain...which isn't saying much! : )

Okay! There's a discussion topic for us! I love checking in with this stuff every so often.

Alternate question: Any worthwhile movies/shows you're watching sometimes, after the bebes are sleeping? We saw Closer last night, it was really good. We're also finishing up season 6, I think, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We've seen the ones we're watching before, but we're finishing the series up for old times' sake. We also just saw Spirited Away, which didn't blow me away as much as everyone seems to think it should have.
Ah well.

Okay, Off to read a bit more while Rowan is still sleeping! Have a great day, everyone!

[elsanne]

Okay, wow. So now I'm SURE I offended. Because, of course, it all comes back to me (despite what miss Sarah may believe).


I am reading "Lady Chatterley's Lover", DH Lawrence. Just finished "confessions of an ugly stepsister", Gregory Maguire--FUN! I am now hunting for "wicked" by the same author.

This is me after this weekend:: : : : : :

I plan to elaborate on my blog right after I finish this. Egads! No huge big news, just more of the same: This is sooo haaaard...(my theme song)

[mcsarahb]

Dear Sir, I hereby request that my description to this filthy thread be discontinued based on the offensive material that has lately graced its pages.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Citizen






Actually, I'm just buried under schoolwork, went out of town this weekend, and am slightly depressed. Back soon!


*mwah*

[mamameg]

Your "description", Sarah???

I'll be back later after I get Sultan off to school. First day back!!!! :

Just a bit excited.

[elsanne]

Oooh yaaah Megan in da HOUSE!!!

wooty root toot!

Sarah: "description". duuuuuh!

[mcsarahb]

I SAID, I'm BUSY! And SWAMPED! And DEPRESSED! So LAY OFF!



























Love you all. Really. Harrrrrrumph.:

[jstar]

i don't know how you could feel swamped sarah. i mean really :















(hust hoking of course). man i took a graduate level mechanical engineering course when i was pregnant and i have never cried so much for a class before (hello hormones). it scared me away from graduate school until isaac is like......12.


lack of posting = busy weekend. i personally was out tilling oats in my back yard for homemade vegan granola. don't know what you slackers were up to


in reality i'm drinking a cuppa and my kidlet is watching the cat in the hat drinking COW milk. i love it because he always says COW MILK> not just milk. don't get the 2 confused. milk comes from mamas and COW MILK comes from.... cows

actually our weekend was mellow. i became obsessed (ocd is a funny thing) with these rummer houses they have in portland. i was previously obsessed a few years ago with the eichler houses in california and figured out we could never afford one because they are 800K. i had NO IDEA that this guy rummer had copied them exactly in oregon and built some 600 or so of them. theyre all in the burbs. so saturday morning we did family driving around the burbs looking at rummers dh decided they look like trailers. i think the dilapadated ones do but the ones that have been fixed up are COOOOOOL. i think you would freeze your ass off with all that glass but we freeze our booties off in our uninsulated house anyway (but we are not moving. this was merely for entertainment purposes)

i planted a couple of japanese maples and a few other things in the yard with my little helper. (we went to the nursery and bought a few things and isaac kept putting things on the cart. i made him put several back but let him keep a few. and then when we got home he showed daddy exactly which ones he picked out. i was impressed!) dug up some grass (and i have a lot more to dig up for new beds). went to the mdc picnic. went to salem last night to see my cousin-in-law's band play. it is *adorable* he is only 16 and he's on tour with his band. the rest of them are 25+. its the first time he's been north of CA. and they're driving around this huge mobile home. i hope he gets to hang out with us today but we realize he's at the mercy of the rest of the band. he's a really amazing drummer and he's homeschooling now so he can do the band. i'm excited for him

books & mags. i need to buy jane eyre and read it by sept 18th for my book group. just read a kinda trashy quick read 'the nanny diaries' everything i don't want to be as a mom but i cried at the end. hah. read the first few pages of the 1st harry potter. i haven't read any or seen any of the movies. sunset magazine <3 parents (with a grain of salt of course but i have actually found it quite informative in terms of their developmental sections and i'm debating about renewing the subscription because it is realllllly cheap). bust once in a while. instyle once in a while but it just makes me want to shop. everyday food but i'm not so into it and am not going to renew. and i have an AAP child development book by the bed i read once in a while. mostly got it out for the 2 year old discipline/expectations sections. it is very middle of the road. i think i got this book free somewhere (probably from my ped). can't remember. i know i got another book free from my insurance company which just struck me as odd.

i should get moving and go to dh's office for a bit.


yay for school starting mamameg! how are the little ones? is big sis a big helper?


dh is not really ready for #2 in our grand plans september was our goal to ttc. now i'm like ok august is close enough, lets get this show on the road! and he's giving me the 'wait a year' thing. hmmmmmmmmm. i pointed out you do have to wait a year because it takes just about that long to grow one he's freakin because i want to quit my job and be a s-h mama for 2 or 3 years until isaac is in kindergarten. and then go back to work. i think we both know this would be financially insane for us. but so is daycare for 2.

[mamameg]

Reading: soooo fallen by the wayside. I red news online and that's about it. My playgroup does a book club too and I resisted for a while, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep up. But maybe I'll jump in when they start the next book. Might be good for me to be held accountable for doing some reading.

Sorry to hear about Moo, HF. We dealt with the death thing a couple of months ago, too. Our cat, Cleopatra, a gorgeous black Manx (no tail breed) had to be put down. She was 17 yrs old and had been enduring a long battle with a hyperthyroid. It just got the point where she was obviously miserable. We had been debating putting her down for a while, but then one weekend, she did nothing buy lie in one spot for a couple of days, and then she peed on the carpet in our bedroom (she NEVER did that before) and we knew it was time. John took her to the vet and did it (she was his cat), brought her home and buried her in the backyard. I've never seen him cry (weep) like I did that day. It was soooo sad. Mia kept aasking him "are you feeling better, daddy?" over and over again. We were honest with her about what happened, telling her that Cleo was old and sick and she died. She didn't seem too phased by it at the time, but since then, she has asked about Cleo and few times and said things like "Cleo died to her mommy." I think she is processing the difference between birth and death. Trip out, huh? Deep stuff for a two year old to be thinking about, but in general, I think children have the capacity to udnerstand much more than we usually give them credit for. Hence, our honesty with Mia about the situation. So yeah... RIP Moo and Cleo.

Speaking of toddler development, Mia is starting preschool in two weeks! She is in an awesome Montessori program and I am so excited for her! She LOVES her classroom and teachers and peers and is constantly talking about "going to school". The fact that her big bro goes has her excited about starting it for herself. I also have a feeling she will bridge the gap and start using the potty. She is always VERY interested in what the Big Girls are doing (at the library, park, etc) and once she sees them using the potty, I think she will be interested, too. Let's hope, anyway.

Big sis is a big helper, but her version of "helping" isn't always so helpful, if ykwim. But I keep her busy with stuff she can do (she's the Official Wipe Holder during Jett's diaper changes) and she's very proud of herself.

Speaking of diapers, Jett has completely outgrown the infant prefolds. Weeks ago, in fact. I need to order some med pocket dipes, but in the meantime, I've been putting some of Mia's LARGE fuzzibunz on him and they actually almost fit him! CHUB ROCK! He has to be ~20 lbs by now. Not even 4 months old. My arm feels like it's about to fall off. Thank goddess for slings.

Movies I've seen lately: Man on Fire (thought it was great, despite the violence) and even better than that was The Machinist with Christian Bale. SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD. I highly recommend it. It deals with sleep deprivation and the effects on the brain, and a whole bunch of other deep psychological stuff that I won't mention because I don't want to give it away. I was literally on the edge of my seat near the end, trying to figure out how it would all come together. Truly Riveting.

Oh my non-crunchyness... let me count the ways. Disposible dipes with Jett (the constant diaper changing was making me : so I gave up, but am trying to get back on the cloth train with him now) and for Mia when we are out and about. Waaaay too much tv for Mia. Occassional fast food. I use too many paper towels, but I'm constatny trying to use less. We have a chlorinated swimming pool (sorry, the idea of a saltwater pool grosses me out). We do timeouts for Mia and not in the most GD manner. But I finder her to be extremely stubborn and the TOs are effective for her and I have to have some sense of control around here. I laid off the TOs for a while (gave some other methods a try), and she became a crazy child. She truly seemed out of control and miserable about it. Non-punitive disciple maight work for some, but I can't wrap my head around it and I'm not willing to live in Chaotic Toddler Running the House Land. I'm sure there are zillions more non-crunchy things I do, but there are too many to list here. :

Jstar, I used to have a hobby of going to open houses just for fun. I love seeing hte insides of other people's homes! No wonder my mom calls me Nosy Rosy. If the shoes fits...

Okay, I gotta go. Mia has set the table with plates from her kitchen set and is telling me "peppers and grapes for lunch are all ready maaaaaaaamaaaaaaa!"

[mamameg]

Nice to see that I'm still the reigning threadkilla champ. :nana:

[TurboClaudia]

Originally Posted by mamameg

Nice to see that I'm still the reigning threadkilla champ. :nana:

:
fight ya for that title... :

~claudia

[Mama Faery]

Threadkillas!
Eh, I've killed tons of threads in my time, here and elsewhere. I just killed one in my email group of old high-school friends, actually. : I think I basically showed everyone up. Because I rule like that.


Okay! Anyway, yeah. I am having a REALLLLLLLY hard time trying to figure out my Chaotic Toddler who is, in fact, Running Our House. :
Rowan was in (lately, not-so) RARE form yesterday, whining, screaming, tantruming constantly. It got to the point (right before naptime) where I turned around in the car (we were on the way home from a playdate with friends we hadn't seen in over a week) and yelled "Will you please JUST STOP IT?!??!" : He didn't of course, and then when we got home and upstairs he screamed and kicked through his diaper change, and finally I started to cry, and then HE started to cry...and it was just Really, Really Bad. He woke from his nap, and was in a good mood for about an hour. Then, the whining, screaming, tantruming started up again. If I talked calmly, it escalated. If I tried not to respond, it escalated. When I flat-out ignoared him/left the room, it escalated. And, of course, if I raised my voice, it escalated. What's a mama to do?!?!?!
Finally, I resorted to bribes and threats, and it SUCKED. It worked (more than anything else), but there is NO way I want to be that kind of mama. Ugh.

So, I'm a little frazzled today, and last night I was just plain worn out. I hate it when I wake up not feeling exactly excited about the day to come. Rowan is still sleeping and I am drinking my cup (or two) of coffee in my new mug, which reads, "Today I am Bitter". Haha. DH saw it and cracked, "Today?!" Hehe.

I read the Nanny Diaries back when I was a nanny for a mama of two boys who was sorta-kinda like the mamas in that book. She tried, but man, sometimes I was like, "WTF???" It was an entertaining book. I think the authors wrote something else, and I maybe even read it, but I can't remember right now.

Oops, just heard Rowan. I should go.
Preschools; I don't think we can afford one, and that's fine. I really want to look into our local Montessori though.

Money. Oh, mamas, money has been HORRIBLE here lately. And we are perpetuating it, because we SUCK at money management. But we're working on it. Time to stop shopping at Whole Paycheck and time to cut up some credit cards! Yup..

Speaking of money, I did end up getting that tattoo I had talked about a while back. I got it Sunday (before DH told me of how totally severe our money woes were : But then again, I feel dumb because I KNOW we have money problems, but sometimes I can't help myself...especially when tattoos are concerned. Ugh.) and now I feel dumb that I didn't wait but well, spiritually, I guess it was time. It's a snake winding around my left ankle, covering that infinity symbol (but you can see a shadow if it through the snake's body--I like that) and it winds up my inner calf a bit, the tail forming a circle around a blue star-shaped flower I drew. I'll post a pic when it looks less ouchy, and explain the meaning of it all a bit more.

Anyway, stressed, tired, and not sure what we're doing today yet, hoping that Rowan stays asleep a bit longer, and feeling guilty about that (but not too guilty). I hope you all have a good day.

Oh, mamameg, SO sorry to hear about your sweet kitty! Our Julio is only 3 years old, but he's started having some weird bowel problems that I have to bring him into the vet for, and of course I am worried. Anyway, s Mama. I have NO idea how I will explain the big D with Rowan yet. *sigh*

[jstar]

youch. sounds like a BIG tattoo. can't wait to see it!

we had my cousin-in-law's band the craze stay the night last night. well they're sleeping in their humongoid rv outside. it was a blast. nothing says 'rockin tour' like a 2 year old

and wow 9am and i haven't even gotten in the shower yet! isaac is still sleeping but we need to get a move on here

[A&L+1]

Originally Posted by mamameg

she has asked about Cleo and few times and said things like "Cleo died to her mommy."

Wow. That's amazing. I gasped when I read that because it does feel like Mia has tapped into something that we just can't understand. Maybe I am I feeling sensitive: I went to a memorial service yesterday for a friend from work. Barely in her forties and she was killed in a rafting accident in her home country Bolivia. Her 15 year old was there in the front row and it was horrible. I am so broke up about it - it's deeply unfair. She was a loved person and the service went on for over two hours as people chose to come up and speak - in English, in Spanish - even in Hebrew.

Well, to prevent the killing of threads, let me get back to the topic at hand: Money and books/movies. As I procrastinate more and more about getting birth work going, I am enjoying my new lucrative job. It’s good to feel that we are doing okay financially – although Jstar, we went to an Eichler open house a week or two ago and it was listed at $960,000 and expected to get multiple offers. Damn, the bay area is too much for this born in the mountains raised in Detroit girlie! Too much money, people, and good weather! We hope that we can find a decent 3 bedroom in the high $600s – how sick is that?

Wow, it’s harder than I thought to be upbeat! I am reading Ayelet Waldman (Love and other impossibilities or something like that). We saw Brokeback Mountain and TransAmerica this weekend (as a rather late effort to catch up with all the other gay people! We were at risk of losing our Home Depot/Good Vibrations privileges). It’s been a fluff time as far as reading goes recently as Alison is starting her new job tomorrow. We are on a People magazine share with some women at work so we get to read about the latest gossip about two weeks after the fact. Suits us just fine, since we don’t watch much tv anyway the gossip is kind of lost on us. What is it about that stuff that is appealing? It’s just fun to read and it makes it easy to hide out in the bathroom while the other person parents. We both admit to “doing the thing” which is pretending to need to be in the bathroom when we don’t. Sometimes this is the best break ever!

Megan – it is so good to hear from you! I bet Mia will love Montessori – and you too. Hopefully you’ll get some good Jett-bonding. He sounds like a cute little chunk. Any new pictures recently? Is he a lot like Mia?

Renae – the tattoo sounds great. I don’t have one, but one of these days I just might get one. I don’t know where on my body to get one. I want it to not show all the time, but not be so hidden that only I (and Alison) can see it. I thought of getting my whole hip area tatttoed all the way around in mermaid scales, but for someone who doesn’t even have a chaste little flower on my ankle that seems a bit extreme.

Eleanor is doing fine in her bigger classroom. It’s been less than a week but I can already see that she is going to develop by leaps and bounds in there. They have a little side room full of short toilets. She’s shown no interest at home, but I think that the potty room will be the turning point. When I pick her up she talks a blue streak and it’s just amazing. Too cute.

Must get work done now. If this long-winded post doesn’t kill the thread, I will check in again later.

s

[mamameg]

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your friend. Your comment about Mia tapping into something we just don't/can't understand is right on. Let me share a story that illustrates how we all might do just that - die to our mommy.

My uncle (my dad's youngest brother) was a very sickly child and had many health problems throughout his life. In his early 30s, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. After a year or so, he became so sick, it was apparent the end was near. My dad, his other brother and their sister spent a lot of time at the hospital with him, to ensure they were there with him when the time came for him to go. On the night they knew he was going to go, they all gathered in the room with him. He had been unconscious for a while at that point. As my aunt tells the story, my uncle opened his eyes for a moment, and at the same time, a glowing white light appeared above his head, and my grandmother's face appeared, looking down upon him. He smiled and clearly said, "Hi mom... I'm ready." Then the light and grandma's face faded, just as life left my uncle's body... and he was gone. My dad and uncle and uant ALL saw it, the same light, the same face... everything.

Whenever I feel down or sad about death, life and the meaning of it all, I try to remember that story. It's clear to me that whatever you want to call it, there is SOME connection between us on earth and the spirit world. And maybe, just like in birth, we die to our mommies in the end.

Okay, now I need a tissue.

Lisa.

[TurboClaudia]

megan: wow. i may need a tissue, too...

lisa...

marek is watching sesame street right now while i finish my breakfast and type to you all. :

i've been feeling exceptionally large the past week or so, and yesterday baby was in such an uncomfortable position, that i was grumpy the whole day. at least my... ummm... digestion... has returned to a normal daily (and sometimes twice!!!) pattern. seriously, that was driving me more crazy than you can imagine.

i can't believe i'm almost 36 weeks pregnant. don't worry, it'll be a while yet, sherri. no need to start the poll yet... i'm still not ready around the house, but hopefully i will get bill and marek to help me this weekend to sort through the baby clothes and make a final list of stuff we need to get. maybe we'll even make that monster trip to trader joe's to stock up the freezer...

it's so nice and cool here this morning. i hope the rest of august stays like this, as the hotness makes me icky and sweaty and not wanting to wear anything, which is fine at home but not so kosher when going to the grocery store.

renae: sorry mr. R is being a difficult, tantruming, whiny, what-have-you little person. most days, i can relate to that here, too, and that's when i freak out about having this new babe. i actually don't think the idea of having another little one is quite real yet. probably in denial still. ummm... yeah, with this giant belly that punches me and causes me occasional pain. i yelled at M the other day while i was changing his dipe and he was screaming and writhing in imagined pain when i wasn't even touching him. bill walked in right after that and took over. i rarely yell like that, but i had just had enough that day. and bill and i have absolutely noticed a shift in M's behavior to a more whiny, demanding little person. :

i can think of no more to write right now, so have a bee-yoo-tee-full day, everymama...

~claudia

[orangecanoe]

Renae--thought of you today when C was losing her sh*t on the way home from the park because although I would let her walk on the sidewalk, I would not let her walk in the street. : And then she was loooosing it again after we got home (hungry maybe? or just 2? ) I try my darndest to just let those crazy, whacky toddler meltdowns just be. After I've addressed any sort of solution/empathized or what have you, I just let her spin herself out of control and back again. I realized a few weeks ago that I was trying to stop the negative behavior and that was only making things worse. I really wish I had some earplugs some days I tell ya.

Reading these days? Whatever crappy magazines they have at the Y because it sure does make the workouts go faster to be able to page through Good Housekeeping or maintream mommy/baby mags. I should bring a book one of these days, huh?

My confessions...hmm...I actual celebrated a couple weeks ago when C ate almost a half of a BK cheeseburger, because she actually picked it up herself and chewed it w/o gagging or spitting and liked it. So yes, one of my mini feeding therapy goals was for her to be able to enjoy fast food---next are chicken nuggets I think!

Claudia--Sherri can dispense with the poll....Sept. 18th is a lovely day to be born! Glad the weather has cooled off for ya!

Sarah-- *mwah* thinking of you!!

Lisa--*hugs* good luck on the house searchin'....you could get a humungous mcmansion around these parts for that sum!

Megan--that's pretty amazing how she processed that. I think C would have understood, I just know she fixates and I think perhaps I'm less comfortable talking about dying/death day after day, yk?

jstar--v. cool about the band hanging out/camping at your house. so only what 14 more years til isaac goes on tour??


The bestest news here is that C is almost entirely potty trained...well maybe she is entirely...no accidents for a few days now! I sure hope E trains with as little effort on my part. :


Gearing up for a quickie trip to AZ next weekend...not quite sure how I'm going to travel w/ bm and pumping and what not if I'm not allowed to bring ice packs...may just bring them as far as security and throw them out there and then pack w/ newspaper and some frozen/freezer burnt old milk that I probably wouldn't have used and can toss when we get there?? My sister is also coming with us, so C will have her own built in entertainment.


Okay...must make productive use of naptime!

eepss...think I'm forgetting Elsanne! I check in on the bloggy now and again and sorry that some days you're up to your ears in baby/toddler crazies. It does get better (though still crazy now and again) The work stuff sounds fun! Rent to me, rent to me!

[A&L+1]

Hey guys, I just found an article about my friend:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercu...l/15318932.htm

So sad.