My sister arrived last night. It was a long weekend for the school where she works as a social worker so my dad arranged a plane ticket for her to come down here and lend a hand. It started snowing here yesterday and now there is layer of ice on top of everything, but her plane still managed to land safely. If she'd waited until this morning I doubt she would have made it here. Timing.
Last night Harper woke up several times, crying, and had a very difficult time falling back asleep. When she woke up this morning it was evident that she had a cold. No fever (yet) but her nose is stuffy and she says her throat hurts and you can tell she is generally uncomfortable -- mostly because of all the whining.
I find it heartbreaking when Harper is sick. Kids can't even take any of the good drugs to help them feel better. If she's crying because I won't let her eat Doritos for breakfast it doesn't bother me at all. But this afternoon she woke up from her nap three times, just sobbing, and it was all I could do not to start sobbing myself. Like all children, Harper requires much more attention when she's sick, so it works out nicely that Shannon is here to provide my mom with some support. Timing.
Hopefully timing will be on our side again and Harper will get over her cold in time to go back to school on Monday.
Nothing else new to report from here on the bed. I appreciate knowing that people are checking in to see how we're doing. I'm still pregnant -- which is great news at this point. I went back to the hospital for some tests yesterday (we were there for three hours!) and the baby is still doing well and there is enough fluid around him, which is something they are watching closely. We go back again Monday, Wednesday, and Friday next week. Hey, at least it gets me out of bed!
Bonus points to anyone who updates his/her blog this weekend -- I appreciate things to read.!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Harper Would Like the Floor
My mom moved Harper's little table into the bedroom today so we could all eat lunch together. Apparently my mom and I were talking too much because Harper piped up and said a very loud, "Excuse me!" So we paused and looked at her. And she didn't say anything. And we kept talking. Then we heard:
"Hey! I didn't say excuse me for a fart, I said excuse me because I wanted a turn to talk!"
Then she sang part of a song about mashed potatoes.
"Hey! I didn't say excuse me for a fart, I said excuse me because I wanted a turn to talk!"
Then she sang part of a song about mashed potatoes.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Being Home Is. . .Hard
I got home at about six last night. My mom had taken Harper to gymnastics so they were not here yet. Rebound was so happy to see me I truly believe he would have burrowed right into me if he could have. I thought his tail would fall off for all the wagging. He laid next to my bed all evening. This morning he seemed thrilled all over again when he realized I was still here.
I had a little time to get settled and then heard Harper come home. I think there is a part of her that is angry with me about this whole thing, as though I chose to be away from her, and I was a little worried about how she would react when she found me at home. But as soon as she saw me she hopped up on the bed and, carefully, gave me a huge hug. I was a blubbering mess most of the day yesterday and that was just one of the things that made me cry. She asked if I was going to stay home for "all the days" now. Being closer to Harper, Matt, and the dog is the best part of being home. It was really strange to only see Matt for an hour or less each day and hardly see Harper at all. But now that I've been here for a day, I can tell that this is going to be a really big adjustment for all of us.
I think people are pretty adaptable. There were difficult things about being in the hospital (more on that another time?) but I was working under the impression that I would be there for quite some time and had wrapped my mind around the "good" things about it pretty successfully. Obviously there was a huge sense of security being right there were there were doctors, nurses, medication, and equipment 24 hours a day, prepared to launch into action should an emergency arise. And they were checking the baby many times a day which was hugely reassuring. It wasn't exciting there, but I had a pretty good arsenal of things to keep me busy, especially once the computer arrived. I had stationery and notebooks, books to read, sudoku and crosswords, and I had convinced myself that I could enjoy the time to do all of those things. I felt lonely at times, but I also had lots of wonderful friends calling to chat with me and I got used to being by myself pretty quickly.
Now that I'm home, I have to readjust my expectations a bit. Obviously I'm grateful to be here because it means the baby and I are really doing okay, all things considered. I am confined to bed, though I'm lucky to be able to get up and go to the bathroom and take a shower. But that's it. And I really have to make myself stick to it, because if I start allowing myself to get up to change the DVD or get something out of my dresser or just check on one thing, before I know it I won't be doing much resting. The line is firmly drawn and I need to follow the rules. I can do that, if it means I can stay here, which I think is really better for all of us in the long run.
Last night and the first part of this morning (Harper had a snow day.) I was feeling a little overwhelmed being here. Of course I am happy to see my family, not be wearing a hospital gown, etc. but all of a sudden there was a lot of noise and a lot of interruption, compared to the steady quiet of my hospital room. Harper kept bopping in and out of here, climbing on the bed (not on me) and trying to get at the computer, etc. She also knows I'm not allowed to get out of bed and has come into the room from time to time and done something minor she's not allowed to do, looking at me as if to say, "You can't touch me, ha haha haha ha!" But for obvious reasons I'm reluctant to ask for her to be kept out of here, especially after hardly seeing her for nine days.
When I was in the hospital I didn't feel too badly pushing that little button and asking a nurse to help me with something or bring me something I needed. Here it just feels different. My mom is helping us this week and she has her hands full with Harper, fixing food, and staying on top of the random things that need to be done around the house. I am understandably reluctant to call her in here every five minutes to fetch things for me, it just feels wrong when I can hear her doing all the things that I pretty much consider my job. We have to find a balance, because I'm not supposed to do that stuff for myself. Sigh. I should mention that I'm supremely grateful to have family that can step in to help us like they have; it's just different. My mom isn't doing anything to make this difficult, it is just a strange situation.
This afternoon Harper was having a fit about taking a nap and my mom was dealing with it just fine. But feeling like my child was being a royal pain and not being able to go in there and help - that just leveled me. And I sat in bed and sobbed. I'm not upset because she was upset; she's three, she's upset often. But I hated that my mom had to deal with that while I just sat here.
Harper came and sat with me and played card games while my mom made dinner tonight. And she came in here for me to read her stories before bed. Those kinds of things feel good. It's the bouncing around in here like a maniac that I could do without.
After a couple of days I'm sure things will level out a bit. But man, there are a lot of frustrating things about this situation.
I had a little time to get settled and then heard Harper come home. I think there is a part of her that is angry with me about this whole thing, as though I chose to be away from her, and I was a little worried about how she would react when she found me at home. But as soon as she saw me she hopped up on the bed and, carefully, gave me a huge hug. I was a blubbering mess most of the day yesterday and that was just one of the things that made me cry. She asked if I was going to stay home for "all the days" now. Being closer to Harper, Matt, and the dog is the best part of being home. It was really strange to only see Matt for an hour or less each day and hardly see Harper at all. But now that I've been here for a day, I can tell that this is going to be a really big adjustment for all of us.
I think people are pretty adaptable. There were difficult things about being in the hospital (more on that another time?) but I was working under the impression that I would be there for quite some time and had wrapped my mind around the "good" things about it pretty successfully. Obviously there was a huge sense of security being right there were there were doctors, nurses, medication, and equipment 24 hours a day, prepared to launch into action should an emergency arise. And they were checking the baby many times a day which was hugely reassuring. It wasn't exciting there, but I had a pretty good arsenal of things to keep me busy, especially once the computer arrived. I had stationery and notebooks, books to read, sudoku and crosswords, and I had convinced myself that I could enjoy the time to do all of those things. I felt lonely at times, but I also had lots of wonderful friends calling to chat with me and I got used to being by myself pretty quickly.
Now that I'm home, I have to readjust my expectations a bit. Obviously I'm grateful to be here because it means the baby and I are really doing okay, all things considered. I am confined to bed, though I'm lucky to be able to get up and go to the bathroom and take a shower. But that's it. And I really have to make myself stick to it, because if I start allowing myself to get up to change the DVD or get something out of my dresser or just check on one thing, before I know it I won't be doing much resting. The line is firmly drawn and I need to follow the rules. I can do that, if it means I can stay here, which I think is really better for all of us in the long run.
Last night and the first part of this morning (Harper had a snow day.) I was feeling a little overwhelmed being here. Of course I am happy to see my family, not be wearing a hospital gown, etc. but all of a sudden there was a lot of noise and a lot of interruption, compared to the steady quiet of my hospital room. Harper kept bopping in and out of here, climbing on the bed (not on me) and trying to get at the computer, etc. She also knows I'm not allowed to get out of bed and has come into the room from time to time and done something minor she's not allowed to do, looking at me as if to say, "You can't touch me, ha haha haha ha!" But for obvious reasons I'm reluctant to ask for her to be kept out of here, especially after hardly seeing her for nine days.
When I was in the hospital I didn't feel too badly pushing that little button and asking a nurse to help me with something or bring me something I needed. Here it just feels different. My mom is helping us this week and she has her hands full with Harper, fixing food, and staying on top of the random things that need to be done around the house. I am understandably reluctant to call her in here every five minutes to fetch things for me, it just feels wrong when I can hear her doing all the things that I pretty much consider my job. We have to find a balance, because I'm not supposed to do that stuff for myself. Sigh. I should mention that I'm supremely grateful to have family that can step in to help us like they have; it's just different. My mom isn't doing anything to make this difficult, it is just a strange situation.
This afternoon Harper was having a fit about taking a nap and my mom was dealing with it just fine. But feeling like my child was being a royal pain and not being able to go in there and help - that just leveled me. And I sat in bed and sobbed. I'm not upset because she was upset; she's three, she's upset often. But I hated that my mom had to deal with that while I just sat here.
Harper came and sat with me and played card games while my mom made dinner tonight. And she came in here for me to read her stories before bed. Those kinds of things feel good. It's the bouncing around in here like a maniac that I could do without.
After a couple of days I'm sure things will level out a bit. But man, there are a lot of frustrating things about this situation.
My Slaves
So I can hear Harper and my mom in the kitchen eating lunch and my mom asks Harper if she's been working hard this morning. That's when I hear Harper say, "I'm so tired of bringing Mommy her milk and water and cereal. . ."
Yes, she has a tough life.
Yes, she has a tough life.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
On the Road
In a stunning turn of events, it appears that I am going home today. Home to my bed, that is.
I'm totally and irrationally freaked out by this development. Especially since I thought they would give me at least a day's warning if I were going to go home. But no, a doctor just came in and said I was going home today and then told me many things, 98% of which went right out of my head. They will have to write this stuff down for me.
I will try to post again later today. . . I'm not sure what time I'll be headed home. My head is spinning right now.
I'm totally and irrationally freaked out by this development. Especially since I thought they would give me at least a day's warning if I were going to go home. But no, a doctor just came in and said I was going home today and then told me many things, 98% of which went right out of my head. They will have to write this stuff down for me.
I will try to post again later today. . . I'm not sure what time I'll be headed home. My head is spinning right now.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Hello World!
I'm still pregnant!
I have an Internet connection!
During the moment this afternoon when I realized the Internet was going to work it would have been difficult to say which of those two things I was more excited about. . . I feel like I have been readmitted to the world, even though I'm still stuck in a hospital bed.
I've been composing posts in my head for the last eight days, but now that I can actually put something here I am completely overwhelmed by my jumbled thoughts.
I think I'll fill in some of the details of the past week over the next few days. And I hope you want to know every single detail of my life on bedrest, because I'll be putting it here. I'm bored! What else am I going to do?
Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and left a comment letting me know you were thinking of us -- you have no idea how much that means. It is pretty awesome to know we have such great friends and family and I do believe it helps to have lots of people out there saying prayers and sending general positive thoughts our way.
This blog may feature a little less Harper than usual, but I'll pass along stories when I get them. Here are a couple:
Last night Harper was helping make up some beds at our house and said to my in-laws something like, "I'm really good at this. I could teach this."
Harper has been giving Matt a bit of a run for his money this past week. One day he was taking a shower and when he finished, he emerged to find the carpet in our bedroom was wet. Upon questioning Harper he discovered that she had taken the big plastic cup we use for her bath, filled it with water from the toilet, and tried to pour it over Rebound to give him a bath. I must say, that sort of thing is so much funnier when it happens to someone else. (Sorry Honey.)
I would be remiss if I didn't say thank you to my mother-in-law, Ann, for lending me her laptop with wireless card. You cannot possibly imagine the way the hours flew by this afternoon/evening as I caught up reading emails and blogs. Keep writing people, you are helping me maintain my sanity.
That's enough rambling for tonight, but I'll be back soon.
I have an Internet connection!
During the moment this afternoon when I realized the Internet was going to work it would have been difficult to say which of those two things I was more excited about. . . I feel like I have been readmitted to the world, even though I'm still stuck in a hospital bed.
I've been composing posts in my head for the last eight days, but now that I can actually put something here I am completely overwhelmed by my jumbled thoughts.
I think I'll fill in some of the details of the past week over the next few days. And I hope you want to know every single detail of my life on bedrest, because I'll be putting it here. I'm bored! What else am I going to do?
Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and left a comment letting me know you were thinking of us -- you have no idea how much that means. It is pretty awesome to know we have such great friends and family and I do believe it helps to have lots of people out there saying prayers and sending general positive thoughts our way.
This blog may feature a little less Harper than usual, but I'll pass along stories when I get them. Here are a couple:
Last night Harper was helping make up some beds at our house and said to my in-laws something like, "I'm really good at this. I could teach this."
Harper has been giving Matt a bit of a run for his money this past week. One day he was taking a shower and when he finished, he emerged to find the carpet in our bedroom was wet. Upon questioning Harper he discovered that she had taken the big plastic cup we use for her bath, filled it with water from the toilet, and tried to pour it over Rebound to give him a bath. I must say, that sort of thing is so much funnier when it happens to someone else. (Sorry Honey.)
I would be remiss if I didn't say thank you to my mother-in-law, Ann, for lending me her laptop with wireless card. You cannot possibly imagine the way the hours flew by this afternoon/evening as I caught up reading emails and blogs. Keep writing people, you are helping me maintain my sanity.
That's enough rambling for tonight, but I'll be back soon.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Update From Afar
Hi everyone! This is Erin, Kelsey's friend, updating her blog to let you know why she's suddenly gone quiet.
First off, everyone is OKAY. However, Kelsey is in the hospital due to some prenatal complications. The baby boy remains in place, thank goodness, but Kelsey might remain in the hospital for a while, possibly for the remainder of pregnancy. She is just focusing on keeping that baby inside for a while longer.
She is on bedrest, in good spirits, but missing her family, her home, and also her internet connection. She might have internet by the end of the week, thanks to her brother Jamie. Hopefully she'll be updating this herself soon. (Drums fingers impatiently) (Uh, no pressure, Jamie.)
In the meantime, join me in sending all sorts of good thoughts and prayers out to her and her family. And leave a comment for her! She'll get it soon and appreciates all the well wishes she can get.
Thanks!!
First off, everyone is OKAY. However, Kelsey is in the hospital due to some prenatal complications. The baby boy remains in place, thank goodness, but Kelsey might remain in the hospital for a while, possibly for the remainder of pregnancy. She is just focusing on keeping that baby inside for a while longer.
She is on bedrest, in good spirits, but missing her family, her home, and also her internet connection. She might have internet by the end of the week, thanks to her brother Jamie. Hopefully she'll be updating this herself soon. (Drums fingers impatiently) (Uh, no pressure, Jamie.)
In the meantime, join me in sending all sorts of good thoughts and prayers out to her and her family. And leave a comment for her! She'll get it soon and appreciates all the well wishes she can get.
Thanks!!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Blue's Clues!
My younger brother, Harper's Uncle Jamie, attends school at a university not far from our home. A few weeks ago he'd forwarded me an email about a Blue's Clues even they were holding at the university bookstore. So we all bundled up yesterday morning and headed out to see Blue.
Harper was a little freaked out by Blue herself, and it's kind of hard to blame her, look at the size of that head!
At least it went better than last year's Elmo fiasco.
Harper enjoyed coloring a picture of Blue (for several seconds at least), making her own "Handy Dandy Notebook," and sporting a pair of Blue's Clues ears in the car on the way to lunch.
Unfortunately, on the way home from lunch, she peeled the lighter blue spots of the ears. With each one she'd announce from the backseat that, "The spot came off!" in a woeful voice. My response was something along the lines telling her to stop picking at them. Which she of course denied doing.
Sigh.
Has anyone else every found three-year-old curiosity to border on the destructive side?
Harper was a little freaked out by Blue herself, and it's kind of hard to blame her, look at the size of that head!
At least it went better than last year's Elmo fiasco.
Harper enjoyed coloring a picture of Blue (for several seconds at least), making her own "Handy Dandy Notebook," and sporting a pair of Blue's Clues ears in the car on the way to lunch.
Unfortunately, on the way home from lunch, she peeled the lighter blue spots of the ears. With each one she'd announce from the backseat that, "The spot came off!" in a woeful voice. My response was something along the lines telling her to stop picking at them. Which she of course denied doing.
Sigh.
Has anyone else every found three-year-old curiosity to border on the destructive side?
Friday, February 08, 2008
Everything that is Right with Preschool
Look! Harper is an owl. Harper's wondering if you know that, "Owls sleep at the day and wake up at the night?!" She's pretty excited about that. Also? They say "hoot, hoot, hoot."
I know we didn't have to send Harper to preschool for her to learn either of those things about owls. However there is a big difference between her learning it at preschool and learning it at home. When she learns something at preschool she is proud of it and loves to tell me, just in case I don't know. When she learns something at home (Newsflash: Happens all the time kiddo!) she doesn't necessarily stop to throw herself a parade. Kids these days take so much for granted!
Here is another great thing about preschool: Pajama Day. Last Wednesday was Pajama Day so Harper got to wear her pjs to school -- blew her little mind. And it isn't like we've, ahem, never worn pajamas all day at home either.
Adding to the excitement of Pajama Day was the fact that she was able to bring her stuffed cat, Scout, to school with her. That's Scout peeking out of the backpack.
Every day when I go to pick Harper up from school she greets me by saying how school is so! much! fun! And as we drive home and eat lunch I get nibbles of the details: she was the helper, there were bananas for snack, Brady wore an orange shirt, she painted a boat, they sang the weather watcher song, etc. I'm starting to get a better idea of the structure of her day. It's like being handed pieces of a puzzle, but not the whole picture, and every fifth piece or so really adds to the clarity with which I understand her experience.
It has only been a few weeks, but I am so glad we jumped at this experience, difficult as it seemed it might be, because when Harper gets up in the morning and I tell her it's a school day, her whole face lights up.
(Hopefully you aren't sick of hearing about school yet, because I have LOTS more to say about it, but that's all for tonight.)
*****
I know it is getting to be a little late in the day, but if you're reading this and you haven't done so already, you really should hop over to visit Erin and wish her a happy birthday and speedy recovery from the stomach flu. Erin's good people. She's one of my favorites on the Internet and also in "real life." Get to know her, you won't be sorry.
I know we didn't have to send Harper to preschool for her to learn either of those things about owls. However there is a big difference between her learning it at preschool and learning it at home. When she learns something at preschool she is proud of it and loves to tell me, just in case I don't know. When she learns something at home (Newsflash: Happens all the time kiddo!) she doesn't necessarily stop to throw herself a parade. Kids these days take so much for granted!
Here is another great thing about preschool: Pajama Day. Last Wednesday was Pajama Day so Harper got to wear her pjs to school -- blew her little mind. And it isn't like we've, ahem, never worn pajamas all day at home either.
Adding to the excitement of Pajama Day was the fact that she was able to bring her stuffed cat, Scout, to school with her. That's Scout peeking out of the backpack.
Every day when I go to pick Harper up from school she greets me by saying how school is so! much! fun! And as we drive home and eat lunch I get nibbles of the details: she was the helper, there were bananas for snack, Brady wore an orange shirt, she painted a boat, they sang the weather watcher song, etc. I'm starting to get a better idea of the structure of her day. It's like being handed pieces of a puzzle, but not the whole picture, and every fifth piece or so really adds to the clarity with which I understand her experience.
It has only been a few weeks, but I am so glad we jumped at this experience, difficult as it seemed it might be, because when Harper gets up in the morning and I tell her it's a school day, her whole face lights up.
(Hopefully you aren't sick of hearing about school yet, because I have LOTS more to say about it, but that's all for tonight.)
*****
I know it is getting to be a little late in the day, but if you're reading this and you haven't done so already, you really should hop over to visit Erin and wish her a happy birthday and speedy recovery from the stomach flu. Erin's good people. She's one of my favorites on the Internet and also in "real life." Get to know her, you won't be sorry.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Put it With Some Letters
After all that talk about thrilling topics such as shoes! and painting! you are probably ready for a cute Harper anecdote. Right?
So Harper has been woefully neglected while we've been a) sick and b) cleaning out, so it is hard to blame her for going totally insane over the last few days and becoming nearly unmanageable. Still, she manages to throw some cute in among all the not-so-much. One of the things she was doing to entertain herself yesterday was "drawing" us pictures on a Magna Doodle. At one point last night she drew something for me that was, apparently, really special and thought I should take a picture of it and send it to people.
"How will I send it to people?" I asked her.
"Get the picture and the put it with some letters on it. And put it in the mail."
Harper pauses.
"Then people will say, 'Oh yook! The letter mail came. Wow! That's so great, I can't take my breath anymore.'"
I think she was trying to say it would take their breath away? I have no idea. But it cracked me up anyway.
And now, Harper in a raincoat:
So Harper has been woefully neglected while we've been a) sick and b) cleaning out, so it is hard to blame her for going totally insane over the last few days and becoming nearly unmanageable. Still, she manages to throw some cute in among all the not-so-much. One of the things she was doing to entertain herself yesterday was "drawing" us pictures on a Magna Doodle. At one point last night she drew something for me that was, apparently, really special and thought I should take a picture of it and send it to people.
"How will I send it to people?" I asked her.
"Get the picture and the put it with some letters on it. And put it in the mail."
Harper pauses.
"Then people will say, 'Oh yook! The letter mail came. Wow! That's so great, I can't take my breath anymore.'"
I think she was trying to say it would take their breath away? I have no idea. But it cracked me up anyway.
And now, Harper in a raincoat:
Before Pictures
It is February. Littlest is due in early May, but I won't be at all surprised if he arrives in late April. And if it is February? And we have a baby in April? That's like saying the kid will be here in TWO MONTHS!!! TIME TO PANIC!!!
Okay, I understand the flawed thinking there, but Littlest's arrival is starting to feel decidedly closer and we are getting things done. If you have even peeked inside our "guest room" in the last few months you will know that completely emptying it was nothing short of a miracle. And, despite the illness which leveled Matt and I last week, we had to empty the room because today the painter showed up. I really wish I had thought to take before pictures when the room was full, but at least I remembered to do it pre-painting.
The bed in the room is going to become Harper's bed, although the bedding will change. Unfortunately the picture depicts rather accurately the heinous golden/yellow shag carpeting that will not change. We are putting room darkening shades in and updating the paint, but there was simply no budget for flooring. And really, the carpet in a kids' room is likely to be destroyed anyway, right? (Just go ahead and tell me I'm right.) The carpet in our master bedroom is ugly as well and I've gotten really good at ignoring it. So once the new bedding and pretty walls and other furniture are in place, we'll all just agree to avert our eyes from the carpet, okay?
This bedroom is nearly the only room in the house that hasn't been improved in some fashion (flooring, window treatments, paint, etc.) since we moved in three years ago. It will not be magically transformed into a complete room right away. We'll need to do some thinking about what to put on the walls and some sort of fabric to soften the look of the shades, etc. but I think it will still make a huge difference to have the painting done and windows covered.
My mom is coming to visit the last week of this month (Yay! Hi Mom!) and will probably be the last official guest in that room before it becomes Harper's. Her mission might very well be to help me clean out the closet (not as bad as doing the rest of the room, but still, yikes!)
So there you have our "before" pictures and commentary. Oh, and much to Harper's joy, the room will be pink. But, um, not too pink. As far as pink goes we picked a fairly subtle shade.
Okay, I understand the flawed thinking there, but Littlest's arrival is starting to feel decidedly closer and we are getting things done. If you have even peeked inside our "guest room" in the last few months you will know that completely emptying it was nothing short of a miracle. And, despite the illness which leveled Matt and I last week, we had to empty the room because today the painter showed up. I really wish I had thought to take before pictures when the room was full, but at least I remembered to do it pre-painting.
The bed in the room is going to become Harper's bed, although the bedding will change. Unfortunately the picture depicts rather accurately the heinous golden/yellow shag carpeting that will not change. We are putting room darkening shades in and updating the paint, but there was simply no budget for flooring. And really, the carpet in a kids' room is likely to be destroyed anyway, right? (Just go ahead and tell me I'm right.) The carpet in our master bedroom is ugly as well and I've gotten really good at ignoring it. So once the new bedding and pretty walls and other furniture are in place, we'll all just agree to avert our eyes from the carpet, okay?
This bedroom is nearly the only room in the house that hasn't been improved in some fashion (flooring, window treatments, paint, etc.) since we moved in three years ago. It will not be magically transformed into a complete room right away. We'll need to do some thinking about what to put on the walls and some sort of fabric to soften the look of the shades, etc. but I think it will still make a huge difference to have the painting done and windows covered.
My mom is coming to visit the last week of this month (Yay! Hi Mom!) and will probably be the last official guest in that room before it becomes Harper's. Her mission might very well be to help me clean out the closet (not as bad as doing the rest of the room, but still, yikes!)
So there you have our "before" pictures and commentary. Oh, and much to Harper's joy, the room will be pink. But, um, not too pink. As far as pink goes we picked a fairly subtle shade.
A Note About Shoes
I spent a ridiculous amount of time earlier today trying to find these specific shoes on Target's website, but they don't seem to be carrying them at this point in time. Which is a shame.
Anyway. . . In a recent experience that I'm hoping is a perfectly reasonable step on the potty training curve, Harper didn't make it to the toilet in time and peed all over her shoes (among other things). Which is frustrating because they are not canvas, which are clearly throw in the wash material, or that fake leather/vinyl, which is easily wiped/disinfected outside the washing machine. No, these are suede-like and therefore merely wiping them off did not seem like a good solution; however, I was reluctant to put them in the washing machine.
Harper wears these shoes constantly (one of two pairs she wears 98% of the time) and, since I didn't want her feet smelling like a toilet, I decided to take my chances with the washing machine. I ended up putting them through the washer and the dryer and they came out just fine!
I am posting this information for others who may have similar children's shoes (Swistle?) and might someday find yourself wondering if you can wash them. The answer is yes.
You're welcome.
Anyway. . . In a recent experience that I'm hoping is a perfectly reasonable step on the potty training curve, Harper didn't make it to the toilet in time and peed all over her shoes (among other things). Which is frustrating because they are not canvas, which are clearly throw in the wash material, or that fake leather/vinyl, which is easily wiped/disinfected outside the washing machine. No, these are suede-like and therefore merely wiping them off did not seem like a good solution; however, I was reluctant to put them in the washing machine.
Harper wears these shoes constantly (one of two pairs she wears 98% of the time) and, since I didn't want her feet smelling like a toilet, I decided to take my chances with the washing machine. I ended up putting them through the washer and the dryer and they came out just fine!
I am posting this information for others who may have similar children's shoes (Swistle?) and might someday find yourself wondering if you can wash them. The answer is yes.
You're welcome.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Oh Dear
First of all thank you for all of your suggestions accompanying my last post. I will try to remember to update you when we actually take action on any of those items. Right now the nesting/cleaning out has slowed because the plague going around these parts finally landed on our house.
Matt was sick at the beginning of the week and is finally back at work today, though he may have to work from home this afternoon if I don't feel like I can pick Harper up from school. I can officially say that he was totally justified in acting miserable, now that I have been felled by the same bug. I cannot wait for my OB's office to open so I can call to find out which drugs I am allowed to take in some attempt at relief, although I'm afraid I'm not going to like the answer. In case you are wondering the specifics of this virus are fever, sore throat, coughing, headache, and feeling like you might have whiplash. Fun!
I am totally kicking myself because I told several people yesterday that surely Harper and I would be feeling sick already if we were also going to get it and it looked like we had dodged this one. I started to eat my words around 5:30 last night. And now I'm thinking I should basically never be allowed to speak again.
I was also all set to write more about school, which is going swimmingly for Harper, but instead I should probably go get her ready. Don't worry, she is not symptomatic (yet) or I wouldn't send her. And, for some unknown reason, they are off tomorrow so she'll have time to get sick and get better before things start up again on Monday.
I'll be back when sitting up makes me feel a little less like my head is going to fall off.
Matt was sick at the beginning of the week and is finally back at work today, though he may have to work from home this afternoon if I don't feel like I can pick Harper up from school. I can officially say that he was totally justified in acting miserable, now that I have been felled by the same bug. I cannot wait for my OB's office to open so I can call to find out which drugs I am allowed to take in some attempt at relief, although I'm afraid I'm not going to like the answer. In case you are wondering the specifics of this virus are fever, sore throat, coughing, headache, and feeling like you might have whiplash. Fun!
I am totally kicking myself because I told several people yesterday that surely Harper and I would be feeling sick already if we were also going to get it and it looked like we had dodged this one. I started to eat my words around 5:30 last night. And now I'm thinking I should basically never be allowed to speak again.
I was also all set to write more about school, which is going swimmingly for Harper, but instead I should probably go get her ready. Don't worry, she is not symptomatic (yet) or I wouldn't send her. And, for some unknown reason, they are off tomorrow so she'll have time to get sick and get better before things start up again on Monday.
I'll be back when sitting up makes me feel a little less like my head is going to fall off.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Thoughts/Questions Re: Organization, Finances, and Donations
Okay Internet types, I need your help!
Item the First: Organization
Littlest's due date seems to be approaching at a fast and furious rate since we turned the corner into 2008. As a result we are in the thick of rearranging and shifting to move Harper into the "guest" room and spiffy up the "nursery" for the next kiddo. Not surprisingly this has turned into cleaning out many of the spaces throughout the house. We have a bunch of rarely used sleeping bags on a shelf in the family room closet and they are being demoted to the basement. So do we store them in large trash bags (which has me thinking, "Ew! They will be so accessible to bugs and mice, and moisture.") or do we invest in a couple of humongous plastic bins and store them thusly? Past experience has me inclined to vote for bins, but Matt, the more frugal of us except in the part of his brain that desires a Wii, says trash bags. Thoughts? Opinions?
Item the Second: Finances
Okay, to call this a financial question is probably a little extreme, sorry. Here's the thing - I live in a pretty constant state of fear that Blogger will go kerfluey and all these stories of mine will be lost. Which may not be a tragedy to the world at large, but would make me sad because of all the hours lost, all the memories that won't be as vividly recalled, and I think that Harper might get a kick out of reading this stuff someday. I have recently learned about a service that allows you to download blog content into a template and have it printed as a book. I know we are in the digital age and all, but I would feel so relieved to have a copy of all of this that I could hold in my hands. So my question is: Do you think it's worth it to pay for something like that? Would you do it, you know, if you were me? Or do you have another way of preserving things? I know I could cut and paste most of it into Word and save the files on a DVD, but it just doesn't translate well that way.
Item the Third: Donations
Inevitably, with all the aforementioned cleaning out and shifting we are doing, we are coming across a multitude of things that don't feel so much worth saving. Now some of it is in good shape and donating it seems like a no-brainer. But then there is an entire category of items that I just don't know what to do with. For example a Consumer Reports book about baby stuff that has been handed down several times and has a copyright of about 1999. Is that worth anything to anybody? Or am I just passing my problem along to the Salvation Army (or whoever) by donating it?
We recently took a bag of videos to a local library branch after Matt had called and asked if they could use them. He was told they would either catalog and use them or put them in their used "book" sale. However, when I showed up with the bag to drop them off, they were not well received. Oops.
I find outdated books, like the Consumer Reports thing and old textbooks, and video tapes the most troublesome. Can I recycle paperback items? Can I tear the pages out of hardcovers and just throw the covers away? Is there someone somewhere that might actually want my math methods for elementary school textbook from 1997? How about VHS copies of 37 different Disney movies? I don't know!!!
I should probably clarify by saying that I'm not looking to sell the stuff, I just want to avoid adding unnecessary junk to the landfill if it isn't just to someone else.
Your turn. Please use your collective wisdom to guide me. Or at least let me know if you are interested in my old textbooks.
Item the First: Organization
Littlest's due date seems to be approaching at a fast and furious rate since we turned the corner into 2008. As a result we are in the thick of rearranging and shifting to move Harper into the "guest" room and spiffy up the "nursery" for the next kiddo. Not surprisingly this has turned into cleaning out many of the spaces throughout the house. We have a bunch of rarely used sleeping bags on a shelf in the family room closet and they are being demoted to the basement. So do we store them in large trash bags (which has me thinking, "Ew! They will be so accessible to bugs and mice, and moisture.") or do we invest in a couple of humongous plastic bins and store them thusly? Past experience has me inclined to vote for bins, but Matt, the more frugal of us except in the part of his brain that desires a Wii, says trash bags. Thoughts? Opinions?
Item the Second: Finances
Okay, to call this a financial question is probably a little extreme, sorry. Here's the thing - I live in a pretty constant state of fear that Blogger will go kerfluey and all these stories of mine will be lost. Which may not be a tragedy to the world at large, but would make me sad because of all the hours lost, all the memories that won't be as vividly recalled, and I think that Harper might get a kick out of reading this stuff someday. I have recently learned about a service that allows you to download blog content into a template and have it printed as a book. I know we are in the digital age and all, but I would feel so relieved to have a copy of all of this that I could hold in my hands. So my question is: Do you think it's worth it to pay for something like that? Would you do it, you know, if you were me? Or do you have another way of preserving things? I know I could cut and paste most of it into Word and save the files on a DVD, but it just doesn't translate well that way.
Item the Third: Donations
Inevitably, with all the aforementioned cleaning out and shifting we are doing, we are coming across a multitude of things that don't feel so much worth saving. Now some of it is in good shape and donating it seems like a no-brainer. But then there is an entire category of items that I just don't know what to do with. For example a Consumer Reports book about baby stuff that has been handed down several times and has a copyright of about 1999. Is that worth anything to anybody? Or am I just passing my problem along to the Salvation Army (or whoever) by donating it?
We recently took a bag of videos to a local library branch after Matt had called and asked if they could use them. He was told they would either catalog and use them or put them in their used "book" sale. However, when I showed up with the bag to drop them off, they were not well received. Oops.
I find outdated books, like the Consumer Reports thing and old textbooks, and video tapes the most troublesome. Can I recycle paperback items? Can I tear the pages out of hardcovers and just throw the covers away? Is there someone somewhere that might actually want my math methods for elementary school textbook from 1997? How about VHS copies of 37 different Disney movies? I don't know!!!
I should probably clarify by saying that I'm not looking to sell the stuff, I just want to avoid adding unnecessary junk to the landfill if it isn't just to someone else.
Your turn. Please use your collective wisdom to guide me. Or at least let me know if you are interested in my old textbooks.
Bowling Baby
A little while ago Matt and I decided Harper was old enough to appreciate the introduction of Family Night. Certainly we are not as busy as some families, but we are busy enough that it makes sense for us to schedule one night a week that is set aside for all of us to do something together. And whatever the activity, we all give it our total focus, no multi-tasking allowed. We've made Friday night our Family Night, and change it with very few exceptions.
Most of our family nights so far have consisted of popping popcorn and watching movies. We make popcorn and "yemonade!" and then all snuggle together on the couch as Harper asks questions and chats her way through one Disney movie or another. Watching movies together might not be the best choice for family bonding, but night life for three-year-olds is a little slim in these parts, especially mid-winter.
Last night we decided to try something different.
I should preface this by saying that, in his earlier life, Matt was a competitive bowler. A good competitive bowler. He owns his own ball and his own shoes He has actually bowled a 300 game.
I stink. I actually bowled a 27 once, and I wasn't trying to be funny. Matt and I have never been bowling together. Let's not talk about it.
Anyway, Matt has been excited to take Harper bowling for quite some time, while I have felt that age three is perhaps a little young for bowling. However, feeling, as we were, that we needed to have a family night that did not involve singing princesses, we made some phone calls to see if bowling was a viable option.
Much to my surprise, it was! So we bundled up and headed out into the cold Ohio winter to spend Family Night at a bowling alley.
I did not bowl myself last night. Given the fact that I am suddenly feeling very noticeably pregnant and having trouble not running into walls, running toward a slick lane in funky shoes while attempting to hurl a ten (or more) pound ball didn't seem like the best choice of activity. I appointed myself camera-operator and cheerleader for the evening.
Matt walked Harper up to the lane and showed her how to push the ball toward the pins. Do you know how long it takes a bowling ball pushed by a three-year-old to get all the way down the "yane"? A very. long. time.
Harper bowled the first frame, then watched Matt take a turn, and then didn't want anything else to do with it for a couple of frames. As with most things, we found it better not to force her, and after Matt had a couple of turns, she was interested again. By the end of the one game we played she was marching up to the ball-return, carrying the ball up to the lane, and pushing it all by herself.
So we'll call the first bowling outing a successful one!
And now for some video -
Most of our family nights so far have consisted of popping popcorn and watching movies. We make popcorn and "yemonade!" and then all snuggle together on the couch as Harper asks questions and chats her way through one Disney movie or another. Watching movies together might not be the best choice for family bonding, but night life for three-year-olds is a little slim in these parts, especially mid-winter.
Last night we decided to try something different.
I should preface this by saying that, in his earlier life, Matt was a competitive bowler. A good competitive bowler. He owns his own ball and his own shoes He has actually bowled a 300 game.
I stink. I actually bowled a 27 once, and I wasn't trying to be funny. Matt and I have never been bowling together. Let's not talk about it.
Anyway, Matt has been excited to take Harper bowling for quite some time, while I have felt that age three is perhaps a little young for bowling. However, feeling, as we were, that we needed to have a family night that did not involve singing princesses, we made some phone calls to see if bowling was a viable option.
Much to my surprise, it was! So we bundled up and headed out into the cold Ohio winter to spend Family Night at a bowling alley.
I did not bowl myself last night. Given the fact that I am suddenly feeling very noticeably pregnant and having trouble not running into walls, running toward a slick lane in funky shoes while attempting to hurl a ten (or more) pound ball didn't seem like the best choice of activity. I appointed myself camera-operator and cheerleader for the evening.
Matt walked Harper up to the lane and showed her how to push the ball toward the pins. Do you know how long it takes a bowling ball pushed by a three-year-old to get all the way down the "yane"? A very. long. time.
Harper bowled the first frame, then watched Matt take a turn, and then didn't want anything else to do with it for a couple of frames. As with most things, we found it better not to force her, and after Matt had a couple of turns, she was interested again. By the end of the one game we played she was marching up to the ball-return, carrying the ball up to the lane, and pushing it all by herself.
So we'll call the first bowling outing a successful one!And now for some video -
Harper's thoughts on bowling:
The final frame:
(I had to use Google for that last video because Blogger can only upload up to 100MB and the video was 102MB. I wish Blogger would have told me that to begin with when I tried to upload the thing!!! Instead I had to go look it up while the wheel that would seem to indicate progress just spun and spun and spun.)
Did you notice, if you watched to the end, that Matt was upset when he only knocked down eight pins? It happened once or twice, but I don't believe he ever knocked down fewer than eight on his first throw. Sheesh!
Did you notice that bowling shoes for even tiny children are just as hideous as the grown-up versions?
I'd also like to mention that I was so disappointed in the appearance of the "bumpers." I obviously haven't been bowling in quite some time. I remember them being like big inflatable tubes that went in the gutters, now they are just these little rails that pop up only for the child's turn. It's all computerized and stuff. I was hoping for more of an old school bowling experience. And I was also hoping that eventually, when I feel balanced enough to bowl again, I would also reap the benefits of the bumpers because I don't think the inflatable kind went up and down between one person's turn and the next.
Did you notice that bowling shoes for even tiny children are just as hideous as the grown-up versions?
I'd also like to mention that I was so disappointed in the appearance of the "bumpers." I obviously haven't been bowling in quite some time. I remember them being like big inflatable tubes that went in the gutters, now they are just these little rails that pop up only for the child's turn. It's all computerized and stuff. I was hoping for more of an old school bowling experience. And I was also hoping that eventually, when I feel balanced enough to bowl again, I would also reap the benefits of the bumpers because I don't think the inflatable kind went up and down between one person's turn and the next.
Pending
I'm going to tease you to say that I am working on a post, with pictures and video, about bowling with a three-year-old. Blogger is being slow about uploading my exceedingly large video so you'll have to wait just a little longer to enjoy it. I think it will be worth the wait. Stay tunned.
(You are probably wondering why I even bothered writing this little nothing of a post at all. Here's the thing, it drives me crazy to know I have something to share with you and not be able to post it. Even if none of you are worried about when my next post is coming, I am, and I like to pretend you are.)
(You are probably wondering why I even bothered writing this little nothing of a post at all. Here's the thing, it drives me crazy to know I have something to share with you and not be able to post it. Even if none of you are worried about when my next post is coming, I am, and I like to pretend you are.)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Further Thoughts on School
(The pictures in this post are a "honey train" that Harper made by linking her corn popper and a chair with a hula hoop. The train part I understand; the honey part? Not so much.)
It is Thursday evening which means we successfully survived the first week of preschool. And using the word survived is probably a little dramatic because, after the gut-wrenching tearing myself away from Harper the first day, it was pretty much smooth sailing. The whole experience became easier much more quickly than I expected.
I had fairly low expectations for what I would accomplish while Harper attended school this week, figuring I would be distracted and have a difficult time concentrating on much of anything.
Today I got out to do a couple of errands and then sat down in a local coffee shop for a little quiet time. I had my notebook with me (an actual paper notebook, not a notebook computer*) and I sat down to write a little which I obviously enjoy and getting to do it uninterrupted in the light of day is a real treat. I plan to give myself one of the school mornings each week to either read or write with a good cup of (decaf) coffee; at least until the baby comes because then, let's face it, I'll be lucky to get my hair brushed every day.
Writing, for me, has lots of therapeutic benefits and today, as I was working through all my feelings about Harper being in school, I kept getting all choked up. Of the two of us, I am by far having the more difficult time with the transition to preschool.
Sending Harper off to school has made me realize, in a completely new way, how little idea parents have about what goes on in school all day long. When I was a teacher I tried to communicate with the parents regularly. We had a newsletter every week. I sent lots of notes home (mostly about good/celebratory things and not just when there was a problem) and even tried to touch base by phone every so often. The last school I taught at had mandatory conferences three times a year and was a very open place in general so I saw many of the parents on a daily or at least weekly basis. And yet. . . so much happens in the course of a school day that I could never possibly communicate all of it, especially when you consider both the social and educational aspects of what is going on. Harper is only at school for two and a half hours and I feel like trying to figure out her day is akin to putting together a puzzle with only one-third of the pieces present.
I wouldn't have the first idea what to think about it if she were either less willing or less able to verbalize what goes on at school.
I always figured there would come a time when I didn't know every intimate detail of Harper's life. However I wasn't expecting it to hit until age thirteen or even adulthood. The idea that, from this point on, there will always be a part of Harper's life that is seperate from me made me so sad. I know that is what is supposed to happen eventually, from the moment they are born, parenting is about helping your children learn how to be apart from you.
It's just I really wasn't prepared for it to be this difficult.
*I would love to have a notebook computer, so if anyone out there wants to, um, sponsor my non-existent professional writing career by gifting one this way, by all means. . . Because I'm really quite certain the only thing standing between me and the piles of money I could make writing professionally is some sort of portable computer. Lack of talent? Lack of time? These are all issues that I'm pretty sure can be immediately rectified by a keyboard in a pretty package made by Apple. Right?
It is Thursday evening which means we successfully survived the first week of preschool. And using the word survived is probably a little dramatic because, after the gut-wrenching tearing myself away from Harper the first day, it was pretty much smooth sailing. The whole experience became easier much more quickly than I expected.
I had fairly low expectations for what I would accomplish while Harper attended school this week, figuring I would be distracted and have a difficult time concentrating on much of anything.
Today I got out to do a couple of errands and then sat down in a local coffee shop for a little quiet time. I had my notebook with me (an actual paper notebook, not a notebook computer*) and I sat down to write a little which I obviously enjoy and getting to do it uninterrupted in the light of day is a real treat. I plan to give myself one of the school mornings each week to either read or write with a good cup of (decaf) coffee; at least until the baby comes because then, let's face it, I'll be lucky to get my hair brushed every day.
Writing, for me, has lots of therapeutic benefits and today, as I was working through all my feelings about Harper being in school, I kept getting all choked up. Of the two of us, I am by far having the more difficult time with the transition to preschool.
Sending Harper off to school has made me realize, in a completely new way, how little idea parents have about what goes on in school all day long. When I was a teacher I tried to communicate with the parents regularly. We had a newsletter every week. I sent lots of notes home (mostly about good/celebratory things and not just when there was a problem) and even tried to touch base by phone every so often. The last school I taught at had mandatory conferences three times a year and was a very open place in general so I saw many of the parents on a daily or at least weekly basis. And yet. . . so much happens in the course of a school day that I could never possibly communicate all of it, especially when you consider both the social and educational aspects of what is going on. Harper is only at school for two and a half hours and I feel like trying to figure out her day is akin to putting together a puzzle with only one-third of the pieces present.
I wouldn't have the first idea what to think about it if she were either less willing or less able to verbalize what goes on at school.
I always figured there would come a time when I didn't know every intimate detail of Harper's life. However I wasn't expecting it to hit until age thirteen or even adulthood. The idea that, from this point on, there will always be a part of Harper's life that is seperate from me made me so sad. I know that is what is supposed to happen eventually, from the moment they are born, parenting is about helping your children learn how to be apart from you.
It's just I really wasn't prepared for it to be this difficult.
*I would love to have a notebook computer, so if anyone out there wants to, um, sponsor my non-existent professional writing career by gifting one this way, by all means. . . Because I'm really quite certain the only thing standing between me and the piles of money I could make writing professionally is some sort of portable computer. Lack of talent? Lack of time? These are all issues that I'm pretty sure can be immediately rectified by a keyboard in a pretty package made by Apple. Right?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
First Day of School
Today was my baby's first day of school. Over the last couple of days, Harper has been alternately excited and worried about attending. The worried/not wanting to go voice was usually expressed if we mentioned anything about listening to her teachers or pulling up her own pants when she used the bathroom. . .
Come this morning she awoke bright and early and said she was scared about going to school but acted so, so excited. Here she is modeling her new backpack in the kitchen this morning:
And then a final shot of her outside the doors of her school.
The preschool is inside one of the local elementary schools, so it seemed like a big place to leave such a little person.
*******
Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone
Until this morning I never fully appreciated the above quote. Harper was a little shy but didn't show any signs of distress until I actually got ready to walk out the door. The preschool teachers pick the children up outside the office, so I wasn't even able to go to the room with her. Once a teacher tried to take her hand and help her say goodbye to me, she fixed a monkey death grip on my coat and would not let go.
As a person with a long history of both teaching and babysitting, I knew that the very best thing I could do was to just leave. I knew that she was in good hands and would probably forget to miss me once she was in the room with toys and books and other children. I pried my coat free from her hands as Miss D got down to her level and suggested waving goodbye to me. One last kiss and a promise to be back soon and I was outside. I have never felt so much like my heart was being torn in half as when I saw Harper's huge eyes pleading with me through those glass doors, "Please don't leave me Mommy."
I burst into tears as soon as I turned to walk to the car.
I went to pick up hot chocolate and meet Matt's mom for the morning, knowing I would get nothing accomplished on Harper's first day of school, and not wanting to go home and cry for two hours until I could turn around and pick her up. I spent most of the time with my breath half held, waiting for them to call and tell me she was inconsolable and that I needed to come back and retrieve a child who was clearly not ready to come to school.
Of course that didn't happen and, eventually, I got back in my car and drove a long ten minutes back to school to pick up my little girl.
Harper ran over to me as soon as she saw me, a huge smile on her face, and exclaimed, "I had chocolate milk! And I peeled my orange myself! I had a great day!" And I was so flooded with relief that I almost began crying again right then and there.
As we drove home and ate lunch, these are some of the details I learned about Harper's day, in her words:
We cut out circles. I cut mine out all by myself, but a teacher helped me.
After snack time was book time.
We read Frosty the Snowman.
One of the kids is my best friend who really likes me. (Me: What is your friend's name?) I don't know.
I didn't cry at all.
I did everything my teachers asked me.
We yined (lined) up for bathroom time. Then we yined up on the wall when we were finished. Then we yined up for yeaving (leaving) time.
The number of the day was two and two. (That's twenty-two, I figured out after some discussion.)
My teacher is Miss J_. Hey! I remembered my teacher's name!
I hope we do the same stuff tomorrow.
*****
So I think we can safely call the first day a success. As we finished reading stories tonight and I got ready to tuck Harper into bed, she had some final thoughts about school. "Mommy," she said, "I was angry when you left me at school. I didn't tell my teachers or my friends but I felt angry with you." (Oh, just go right ahead and take my heart out!) "But tomorrow I will be happy when you leave because I really like my school."
Go ahead, I'll give you minute to catch your breath.
Here's hoping for another good day tomorrow.
Come this morning she awoke bright and early and said she was scared about going to school but acted so, so excited. Here she is modeling her new backpack in the kitchen this morning:
And then a final shot of her outside the doors of her school.
The preschool is inside one of the local elementary schools, so it seemed like a big place to leave such a little person.
Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone
Until this morning I never fully appreciated the above quote. Harper was a little shy but didn't show any signs of distress until I actually got ready to walk out the door. The preschool teachers pick the children up outside the office, so I wasn't even able to go to the room with her. Once a teacher tried to take her hand and help her say goodbye to me, she fixed a monkey death grip on my coat and would not let go.
As a person with a long history of both teaching and babysitting, I knew that the very best thing I could do was to just leave. I knew that she was in good hands and would probably forget to miss me once she was in the room with toys and books and other children. I pried my coat free from her hands as Miss D got down to her level and suggested waving goodbye to me. One last kiss and a promise to be back soon and I was outside. I have never felt so much like my heart was being torn in half as when I saw Harper's huge eyes pleading with me through those glass doors, "Please don't leave me Mommy."
I burst into tears as soon as I turned to walk to the car.
I went to pick up hot chocolate and meet Matt's mom for the morning, knowing I would get nothing accomplished on Harper's first day of school, and not wanting to go home and cry for two hours until I could turn around and pick her up. I spent most of the time with my breath half held, waiting for them to call and tell me she was inconsolable and that I needed to come back and retrieve a child who was clearly not ready to come to school.
Of course that didn't happen and, eventually, I got back in my car and drove a long ten minutes back to school to pick up my little girl.
Harper ran over to me as soon as she saw me, a huge smile on her face, and exclaimed, "I had chocolate milk! And I peeled my orange myself! I had a great day!" And I was so flooded with relief that I almost began crying again right then and there.
As we drove home and ate lunch, these are some of the details I learned about Harper's day, in her words:
We cut out circles. I cut mine out all by myself, but a teacher helped me.
After snack time was book time.
We read Frosty the Snowman.
One of the kids is my best friend who really likes me. (Me: What is your friend's name?) I don't know.
I didn't cry at all.
I did everything my teachers asked me.
We yined (lined) up for bathroom time. Then we yined up on the wall when we were finished. Then we yined up for yeaving (leaving) time.
The number of the day was two and two. (That's twenty-two, I figured out after some discussion.)
My teacher is Miss J_. Hey! I remembered my teacher's name!
I hope we do the same stuff tomorrow.
*****
So I think we can safely call the first day a success. As we finished reading stories tonight and I got ready to tuck Harper into bed, she had some final thoughts about school. "Mommy," she said, "I was angry when you left me at school. I didn't tell my teachers or my friends but I felt angry with you." (Oh, just go right ahead and take my heart out!) "But tomorrow I will be happy when you leave because I really like my school."
Go ahead, I'll give you minute to catch your breath.
Here's hoping for another good day tomorrow.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Distracted
There are so many things I could write about tonight, not the least of which would be our fabulous weekend with Erin and Calum (go look at her great pictures of their visit!), but I simply can't concentrate because tomorrow we are sending Harper off to school.
Deep in my heart I know that Harper really needs this new level of interaction and emotional and intellectual engagement. I am 99.9% sure that school is going to be a wonderful experience for her.
But tonight?
Tonight I feel a little like I signed a contract to feed her to the wolves.
Deep in my heart I know that Harper really needs this new level of interaction and emotional and intellectual engagement. I am 99.9% sure that school is going to be a wonderful experience for her.
But tonight?
Tonight I feel a little like I signed a contract to feed her to the wolves.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Baby Name Time
Who's ready to talk baby names?
This is the fun part, at least for me. For all you know, this coming baby is already named. Whether that's true or not, I'd still love to hear your input.
So here is what you know:
-the baby is a boy
-his sister's name is Harper
-that's about it
At this point I am not going to say anything about our preferences for traditional vs. nontraditional names. Let's just go ahead and pretend we have no preconceived qualifications for naming this little guy. I will say that our last name ends with and "s" sound so maybe a first name that also ends that way is not a great choice, otherwise it's wide open. Our last name is not difficult in terms of how it sounds in combination with other names.
I am looking for first and middle name suggestions!
Oh, and if you know us in a non-online way, make sure not to use our last name in the comments.
Go!
This is the fun part, at least for me. For all you know, this coming baby is already named. Whether that's true or not, I'd still love to hear your input.
So here is what you know:
-the baby is a boy
-his sister's name is Harper
-that's about it
At this point I am not going to say anything about our preferences for traditional vs. nontraditional names. Let's just go ahead and pretend we have no preconceived qualifications for naming this little guy. I will say that our last name ends with and "s" sound so maybe a first name that also ends that way is not a great choice, otherwise it's wide open. Our last name is not difficult in terms of how it sounds in combination with other names.
I am looking for first and middle name suggestions!
Oh, and if you know us in a non-online way, make sure not to use our last name in the comments.
Go!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Dispatches from the Insane Asylum
First a disclaimer:
I am thrilled to be pregnant. Seriously. We wanted to have another baby and now we have a baby boy on the way and we'll be a family of four and I honestly think all of that is wonderful.
So having said that, I will reiterate that this pregnancy has come with a much larger bunch of crazy-inducing hormones that the first one did. Especially in the last couple of weeks I feel alternately weepy and hostile. What a fun combination! I know I have not been an easy person to live with, for Matt or Harper, and I'm not even crazy in any of the good second trimester ways (no frantic nesting here, just feeling frustrated with myself that I'm not doing it). I feel anxious and overwhelmed by all we have to do to get bedrooms switched and various other household areas in order before Littlest arrives, and yet I am about zero percent motivated to actually get up and do anything about them. Not to mention the laundry, cooking, cleaning up, dusting, vacuuming, etc. that I am running about seventeen steps behind on at any giving moment.
Sigh.
So.
Posting has been light because wouldn't it get old to hear that paragraph over and over and over again each day?
It is not that I'm crying or fuming during every single moment of my life, there are certainly days (hours/minutes) that are better than others.
On Saturday my diploma arrived in the mail, making me realize that I failed to ever appropriately celebrate here. Yay!!! I finished graduate school!
This Friday one of my dearest friends, Erin, will be headed here for a visit. I am so blessed to say that Erin has known and loved me long enough that it won't even matter to her that I am completely off my rocker right now. And it will be fun to watch Harper and Calum play together.
So we're alive over here, moving ahead, and there will be one more of us in a little less than four months. It could be worse.
I am thrilled to be pregnant. Seriously. We wanted to have another baby and now we have a baby boy on the way and we'll be a family of four and I honestly think all of that is wonderful.
So having said that, I will reiterate that this pregnancy has come with a much larger bunch of crazy-inducing hormones that the first one did. Especially in the last couple of weeks I feel alternately weepy and hostile. What a fun combination! I know I have not been an easy person to live with, for Matt or Harper, and I'm not even crazy in any of the good second trimester ways (no frantic nesting here, just feeling frustrated with myself that I'm not doing it). I feel anxious and overwhelmed by all we have to do to get bedrooms switched and various other household areas in order before Littlest arrives, and yet I am about zero percent motivated to actually get up and do anything about them. Not to mention the laundry, cooking, cleaning up, dusting, vacuuming, etc. that I am running about seventeen steps behind on at any giving moment.
Sigh.
So.
Posting has been light because wouldn't it get old to hear that paragraph over and over and over again each day?
It is not that I'm crying or fuming during every single moment of my life, there are certainly days (hours/minutes) that are better than others.
On Saturday my diploma arrived in the mail, making me realize that I failed to ever appropriately celebrate here. Yay!!! I finished graduate school!
This Friday one of my dearest friends, Erin, will be headed here for a visit. I am so blessed to say that Erin has known and loved me long enough that it won't even matter to her that I am completely off my rocker right now. And it will be fun to watch Harper and Calum play together.
So we're alive over here, moving ahead, and there will be one more of us in a little less than four months. It could be worse.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Flashback
The above photo is Harper at about 2 1/2 months, taken in January of 2005. By July we'll be able to compare/contrast photos of Harper and Littlest. (Although, being a boy and a girl, they probably won't be quite as good as Erin's.) Won't that be fun?
Perhaps you are wondering where we've been? I could tell you that I made a resolution to update the blog only once a week in 2008, but that isn't actually the case.
It seems as though this pregnancy has come with a big batch of crazy hormones that I somehow side-stepped when I was pregnant with Harper. That, or being pregnant and having a three-year-old makes you crazy. Either way I've been having a hard time figuring out how to write without spewing very personal boatloads of insanity all over the Internet. I try to be fairly candid on this blog, but I feel there are some things that are just a little too personal or may go beyond the boundaries of what my family is comfortable having shared online.
So how are you?
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Ringing in 2008
Hello from cold, snowy Wisconsin, where we've spent the last week eating well and relaxing at Mugga and Grandpa's condo. We drove up last Thursday and it snowed a good six inches on Friday; perfect timing, as we would not have wanted to be driving in that.
Mugga was a great sport and took Harper out in the snow to catch snowflakes and try to keep boots on in the deep, deep snow (well, it's deep, deep snow for us Ohio folks).
Tomorrow morning we'll pile, with all our holiday goodies, back in the car, and head for home and the realities of 2008.
Many wonderful things are in store for us in the next year, particularly Baby Boy's arrival, and - sheesh! - we have a lot to do to get ready for the changes. Most of what needs to happen has been conveniently put off by saying, "Oh, we'll get to that after the holidays of course."
Time to get to work!
Mugga was a great sport and took Harper out in the snow to catch snowflakes and try to keep boots on in the deep, deep snow (well, it's deep, deep snow for us Ohio folks).
Tomorrow morning we'll pile, with all our holiday goodies, back in the car, and head for home and the realities of 2008.
Many wonderful things are in store for us in the next year, particularly Baby Boy's arrival, and - sheesh! - we have a lot to do to get ready for the changes. Most of what needs to happen has been conveniently put off by saying, "Oh, we'll get to that after the holidays of course."
Time to get to work!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas Isn't Over Until Harper Sings
Here is the video clip I was trying to get off the computer earlier this week. The only Christmas song Harper knows entirely is "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and getting her to stay in one place long enough to catch her singing on video was a bit of a challenge. (Note to self, remember to use the light on the video camera!) Please enjoy this little post-holiday performance:
*****
Harper got way more than her share of Christmas gifts (and we still have round two, up in Wisconsin, to go!) and several of them were pseudo learning games/toys. I have mentioned before that I don' t "work" with Harper on learning things in a let's-sit-down-and-do-flashcards kind of way, but lately her level of interest in numbers and letters (the symbols themselves) has gone way up, so it seems to make sense to encourage her. She's also been expressing and interest in reading her books, by herself, and then doing a very dramatic and sorrowful monologue about how she doesn't know what any of the words say. We have had the discussion about many kinds of reading, and I have told her that she can tell the story based on the pictures or what she remembers, but over and over she replies, "But Mo-om, I don't know the words!"
Trust me, I'm not delusional enough to think that I'm going to actually teach her to read before age four, but she does seem ready to learn some basic concepts.
The other night we were sitting in a restaurant and Harper asked Matt to write her name on that little paper piece that wraps around the napkin and silverware. He wrote her name with a crayon and passed it back to her. She took one look and said, "No Dad! Do it the right way!"
Matt looked perplexed, so I asked him if he used lower case letters (many of which she doesn't recognize yet).
Harper heard me say this and piped up, "Dad, use higher case letters!"
Trust me, I'm not delusional enough to think that I'm going to actually teach her to read before age four, but she does seem ready to learn some basic concepts.
The other night we were sitting in a restaurant and Harper asked Matt to write her name on that little paper piece that wraps around the napkin and silverware. He wrote her name with a crayon and passed it back to her. She took one look and said, "No Dad! Do it the right way!"
Matt looked perplexed, so I asked him if he used lower case letters (many of which she doesn't recognize yet).
Harper heard me say this and piped up, "Dad, use higher case letters!"
Monday, December 24, 2007
Christmas Eve
This is the fun part. . . Harper was so excited she was totally off the wall all day. She did not nap, which is usually disastrous, but worked fine today because she fell asleep right away this evening. Now the gifts are under the tree and I am enjoying a few minutes of satisfied peace before the mania that will likely ensue in the morning.
We have started a tradition with Matt's parents (and sister and Auntie M, depending on who is in town) of going to Christmas Eve Mass, then having a simple dinner at our house. We have potato soup and bread for dinner which is not fancy, but I did make both from scratch this year. Then we just have a quiet evening. Tonight it was just Matt's parents and us for dinner. We did a puzzle with Harper afterward and then played cards once she was in bed. There was Christmas music playing, a fire in the fireplace, and it really did feel to me like our own little Christmas card. I kind of like that we don't really do any gifting on Christmas Eve, especially since there will be three rounds of gift opening tomorrow and another one or two when we drive up to Wisconsin. Don't get me wrong, the gifts are fun! I just enjoy the fact that we, for now, have a wonderful Christmas Eve tradition that isn't even a little about the presents.
We usually go to church very early on Sunday mornings, when there aren't many people there. Tonight we went to a children's service and it was packed!!! It was neat to see the place so full of families and all the children dressed in their best holiday garb. During the first reading Harper leaned over to Nana and asked (in a loud whisper), "Are they talking about Santa Claus?!"
During the gospel and homily of this one mass, the children are all invited to sit up on the altar. Harper got really excited while the priest read the gospel about Jesus' birth. It is probably important to note that they didn't really use Jesus' name; the priest referred to him as a baby and the first born son. When she came back to the pew she told me, "They talked about my baby brother!!!"
Tonight, before bed, Harper chose treats for Santa very carefully. She asked Nana to put her to bed and then sent Nana out to us with two messages:
1) That if Santa should leave any treats on the plate, she would like to eat them herself.
2) That Nana and Dziatku better go home soon so Santa could come!
I can't imagine a year with children when Christmas won't be fun, but this? This is the best one yet.
We have started a tradition with Matt's parents (and sister and Auntie M, depending on who is in town) of going to Christmas Eve Mass, then having a simple dinner at our house. We have potato soup and bread for dinner which is not fancy, but I did make both from scratch this year. Then we just have a quiet evening. Tonight it was just Matt's parents and us for dinner. We did a puzzle with Harper afterward and then played cards once she was in bed. There was Christmas music playing, a fire in the fireplace, and it really did feel to me like our own little Christmas card. I kind of like that we don't really do any gifting on Christmas Eve, especially since there will be three rounds of gift opening tomorrow and another one or two when we drive up to Wisconsin. Don't get me wrong, the gifts are fun! I just enjoy the fact that we, for now, have a wonderful Christmas Eve tradition that isn't even a little about the presents.
We usually go to church very early on Sunday mornings, when there aren't many people there. Tonight we went to a children's service and it was packed!!! It was neat to see the place so full of families and all the children dressed in their best holiday garb. During the first reading Harper leaned over to Nana and asked (in a loud whisper), "Are they talking about Santa Claus?!"
During the gospel and homily of this one mass, the children are all invited to sit up on the altar. Harper got really excited while the priest read the gospel about Jesus' birth. It is probably important to note that they didn't really use Jesus' name; the priest referred to him as a baby and the first born son. When she came back to the pew she told me, "They talked about my baby brother!!!"
Tonight, before bed, Harper chose treats for Santa very carefully. She asked Nana to put her to bed and then sent Nana out to us with two messages:
1) That if Santa should leave any treats on the plate, she would like to eat them herself.
2) That Nana and Dziatku better go home soon so Santa could come!
I can't imagine a year with children when Christmas won't be fun, but this? This is the best one yet.
Behold the Power of Stickers
A package of alphabet stickers came in the mail the other day with a magazine offer. Harper found them and proceeded to stick them all over herself.
And she even managed to put one or two on her own back.
She was truly proud. The girl loves stickers, and you will too, once you realize that they actually possess healing powers. . .
Friday morning I woke up with a cramp in the arch of my foot (Oh pregnancy, you are a fountain of endless physical wonders!) and Harper walked into my ow-ow-ow-owing. Apparently a role reversal was in order. She climbed up onto the bed and asked me what hurt. Then she asked to see my foot. I told her I had a cramp and she said, "Oh I see it. I'll be right back."
Then I heard her talking to Matt in the bathroom, telling him she needed something, "to fix Mommy's crimps." She returned with the box of stickers we'd used early on in our potty-training. She carefully peeled off two stickers and put them on the bottom of my foot, asking, "Does that feel better Mommy?"
Of course I said yes.
So remember, the next time you get a "crimp", putting a sticker on it should fix things right up!
And she even managed to put one or two on her own back.
She was truly proud. The girl loves stickers, and you will too, once you realize that they actually possess healing powers. . .Friday morning I woke up with a cramp in the arch of my foot (Oh pregnancy, you are a fountain of endless physical wonders!) and Harper walked into my ow-ow-ow-owing. Apparently a role reversal was in order. She climbed up onto the bed and asked me what hurt. Then she asked to see my foot. I told her I had a cramp and she said, "Oh I see it. I'll be right back."
Then I heard her talking to Matt in the bathroom, telling him she needed something, "to fix Mommy's crimps." She returned with the box of stickers we'd used early on in our potty-training. She carefully peeled off two stickers and put them on the bottom of my foot, asking, "Does that feel better Mommy?"
Of course I said yes.
So remember, the next time you get a "crimp", putting a sticker on it should fix things right up!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
A Holiday Tour
Ah, it has been a long, adventurous (sort of) and overall fun day here in our household. We woke up just in time to see the power go out around 6:45 a.m. It was out for a few hours and then went out for several hours twice more during the day. The second power outage occurred as I was in the middle of dipping pretzels in crock pot melted chocolate -- oops! I dipped at a furious speed and managed to make enough pretzels before the chocolate became too set. I did this by partial daylight and partial candlelight, it was an interesting experience.
Harper had a sleepover at Nana and Dziatku's with her Aunt Meaghan (who is visiting for the holidays), allowing Matt and I a chance to get away for dinner and a movie. We saw National Treasure 2 and it was a lot of fun -- thoroughly enjoyable.
Tonight, I'd hoped to post a video of Harper singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," which is adorable, but alas our video camera does not want to release that video to the computer for some reason. And we are having USB issues -- bleh! However instead of getting too frustrated about it, would you settle for a holiday tour of our home?
The decorations Harper helped to make. The middle kitchen window has become a sort of bulletin board.
The not terribly creative dining room centerpiece and a fluffy dog.
The Santa shelf, a place on our bookshelf normally reserved for various framed photos.
Snowmen along the mantle, which does have a wreath above it too, albeit one far too small for the space.
Our stockings, which my mother made for us. I have two now, my original is at my parents' house. I was so sad at the thought of them hanging my brother and sister's stockings, but not mine, that my mom made me a new one for when I got married and had my own home with Matt. Now that's love. Somewhere she's got a stocking to start for the baby. Oh, our Christmas CDs are there, too!
That jolly Santa holds a votive candle and makes a nice light against the wall when lit.
The other end table holds a Christmas candle, my (new!) holiday coasters, a snowman dish, and Harper's first picture with Santa.
Our Willow Tree Nativity set sits in a very holy place atop the television. . . and please ignore the fact that there's a copy of Knocked Up resting underneath it. (At least we had the sense not to set it next to the angel!)
The Christmas books! This basket might be my favorite of all the holiday items we pull out each year. When I was little my parents hid the Christmas books because I wanted them to be read over and over all year long. In hiding them from me, they inadvertently started a new tradition. I always knew Christmas was getting close when those books came down from the high shelf in the closet. I'll put them away the first week of January and they'll stay packed up until we decorate next year.
Of course it isn't a holiday without Christmas movies. One of these years we'll have to invest in our favorites on DVD because these tapes are getting old. Two of my favorites, sadly, cannot be found on DVD. :-(
This is the very fun Christmas countdown tree my sister, Shannon, gave Harper when she was one year old. The ornaments have little magnets in them and you add one to the tree each day (or three or four at a time, when you forget for a few days). Then you press the star on top to hear a zippy rendition of "Jingle Bells." I know Harper will have fond memories of this tree.
The cheap-o star-topper we've had since getting married. I love it. Look how pretty the light is on the ceiling.
A Willow Tree Angel ornament. (At this very moment the identity of the person who gave this to us is escaping me.)
A Mary Englebreit ornament my sister sent me about seven years ago. Probably from the store at the Mall of America, near where Shannon attended college.
Our skinny, well-loved, Christmas tree, which is looking a little crooked up top this year. I love the Christmas tree lights so much, I like to close the blinds and leave them on all day. There are a lot of lights on the tree!
Harper had a sleepover at Nana and Dziatku's with her Aunt Meaghan (who is visiting for the holidays), allowing Matt and I a chance to get away for dinner and a movie. We saw National Treasure 2 and it was a lot of fun -- thoroughly enjoyable.
Tonight, I'd hoped to post a video of Harper singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," which is adorable, but alas our video camera does not want to release that video to the computer for some reason. And we are having USB issues -- bleh! However instead of getting too frustrated about it, would you settle for a holiday tour of our home?
The decorations Harper helped to make. The middle kitchen window has become a sort of bulletin board.
The not terribly creative dining room centerpiece and a fluffy dog.
The Santa shelf, a place on our bookshelf normally reserved for various framed photos.
Snowmen along the mantle, which does have a wreath above it too, albeit one far too small for the space.
Our stockings, which my mother made for us. I have two now, my original is at my parents' house. I was so sad at the thought of them hanging my brother and sister's stockings, but not mine, that my mom made me a new one for when I got married and had my own home with Matt. Now that's love. Somewhere she's got a stocking to start for the baby. Oh, our Christmas CDs are there, too!
That jolly Santa holds a votive candle and makes a nice light against the wall when lit.
The other end table holds a Christmas candle, my (new!) holiday coasters, a snowman dish, and Harper's first picture with Santa.
Our Willow Tree Nativity set sits in a very holy place atop the television. . . and please ignore the fact that there's a copy of Knocked Up resting underneath it. (At least we had the sense not to set it next to the angel!)
The Christmas books! This basket might be my favorite of all the holiday items we pull out each year. When I was little my parents hid the Christmas books because I wanted them to be read over and over all year long. In hiding them from me, they inadvertently started a new tradition. I always knew Christmas was getting close when those books came down from the high shelf in the closet. I'll put them away the first week of January and they'll stay packed up until we decorate next year.
Of course it isn't a holiday without Christmas movies. One of these years we'll have to invest in our favorites on DVD because these tapes are getting old. Two of my favorites, sadly, cannot be found on DVD. :-(
This is the very fun Christmas countdown tree my sister, Shannon, gave Harper when she was one year old. The ornaments have little magnets in them and you add one to the tree each day (or three or four at a time, when you forget for a few days). Then you press the star on top to hear a zippy rendition of "Jingle Bells." I know Harper will have fond memories of this tree.
The cheap-o star-topper we've had since getting married. I love it. Look how pretty the light is on the ceiling.
A Willow Tree Angel ornament. (At this very moment the identity of the person who gave this to us is escaping me.)
A Mary Englebreit ornament my sister sent me about seven years ago. Probably from the store at the Mall of America, near where Shannon attended college.
Our skinny, well-loved, Christmas tree, which is looking a little crooked up top this year. I love the Christmas tree lights so much, I like to close the blinds and leave them on all day. There are a lot of lights on the tree!
So, there you have it, a tour of our holiday mishmash. Professional decorating it isn't, but most of the items I put out each year I associate with a special person or event. The decorations make me happy and I have a hard time doing anything other than just sitting on the couch in front of that tree in the evening. Hope you are feeling warm and festive, wherever you are!
Friday, December 21, 2007
This Post Brought to You By Insomnia
Okay I'm pretty sure this doesn't qualify as insomnia just yet. . . but one of pregnancy's real cruelties is the fact that you know you aren't getting any sleep once the baby arrives, but being pregnant makes it pretty difficult to sleep before the baby is even here. Sigh.
Harper woke up at 3:30 a.m., calling for Matt, and whining like she could medal in it at the next Olympics. I stumbled into her room (Matt's a really heavy sleeper, which is mostly great as he's the one that gets up and goes to work every morning), gave her a hug, rearranged some covers and told her to go back to sleep. Which she did.
I, however, have been laying (lying?) in bed for the last hour, thinking about how hungry I am. Thank you for that Baby Number Two! I have to sub today so when four-thirty rolled around and I realized falling back asleep would entail being woken from the equivalent of a too short nap, I decided just to get out of bed. I walked into the kitchen, because the baby obviously wanted me to eat a Christmas cookie, and there was a car in our driveway. A car that doesn't belong to us. Huh? I was freaked out for a minute, until I realized it was just the paper being delivered. Apparently our paper arrives at about 4:38 a.m. Ack -- remind me never to think having a paper route would be a good idea!
So what does one do when one can't sleep and it's not even five a.m.? Why, blog, of course! I know all of your days will be more complete thanks to this fascinating early dispatch.
Several people have asked how I've felt with this pregnancy, especially through the first super-secret trimester, and I have a lengthy post brewing which will answer that very question. I will place ample warning at the beginning of said post, because I intend to be very specific and let's face it, not everyone wants to read all those fun details.
*****
It's almost time to go eat some real breakfast (more Christmas cookies?) and think about taking a shower, etc. (I refuse to do either of those things before five a.m. because I am not insane.) But I feel as though I should take a deep breath here because today is going to feel like an official start to the holiday madness in many ways:
1) I believe all the shopping is finished and most of the wrapping, so much stress-induced panic has slipped away.
2) The school where I'll be subbing today is having their all-school-sing this afternoon. If memory serves (from my days of full-time employment there) the children will all be worked into a holiday party/sugar induced frenzy by singing time, and the singing will probably turn into shouting by the end of the afternoon. Good times!
3) Matt's sister Meaghan got into town late last night/early this morning and we'll all be together for dinner tonight, sort of kicking off the festivities.
I hope you are feeling festive wherever you are, and that you have the good fortune not to be in my vicinity around three-thirty this afternoon when I will likely be hit hard with the fact that I've already been awake for twelve hours.
Harper woke up at 3:30 a.m., calling for Matt, and whining like she could medal in it at the next Olympics. I stumbled into her room (Matt's a really heavy sleeper, which is mostly great as he's the one that gets up and goes to work every morning), gave her a hug, rearranged some covers and told her to go back to sleep. Which she did.
I, however, have been laying (lying?) in bed for the last hour, thinking about how hungry I am. Thank you for that Baby Number Two! I have to sub today so when four-thirty rolled around and I realized falling back asleep would entail being woken from the equivalent of a too short nap, I decided just to get out of bed. I walked into the kitchen, because the baby obviously wanted me to eat a Christmas cookie, and there was a car in our driveway. A car that doesn't belong to us. Huh? I was freaked out for a minute, until I realized it was just the paper being delivered. Apparently our paper arrives at about 4:38 a.m. Ack -- remind me never to think having a paper route would be a good idea!
So what does one do when one can't sleep and it's not even five a.m.? Why, blog, of course! I know all of your days will be more complete thanks to this fascinating early dispatch.
Several people have asked how I've felt with this pregnancy, especially through the first super-secret trimester, and I have a lengthy post brewing which will answer that very question. I will place ample warning at the beginning of said post, because I intend to be very specific and let's face it, not everyone wants to read all those fun details.
*****
It's almost time to go eat some real breakfast (more Christmas cookies?) and think about taking a shower, etc. (I refuse to do either of those things before five a.m. because I am not insane.) But I feel as though I should take a deep breath here because today is going to feel like an official start to the holiday madness in many ways:
1) I believe all the shopping is finished and most of the wrapping, so much stress-induced panic has slipped away.
2) The school where I'll be subbing today is having their all-school-sing this afternoon. If memory serves (from my days of full-time employment there) the children will all be worked into a holiday party/sugar induced frenzy by singing time, and the singing will probably turn into shouting by the end of the afternoon. Good times!
3) Matt's sister Meaghan got into town late last night/early this morning and we'll all be together for dinner tonight, sort of kicking off the festivities.
I hope you are feeling festive wherever you are, and that you have the good fortune not to be in my vicinity around three-thirty this afternoon when I will likely be hit hard with the fact that I've already been awake for twelve hours.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Scaredy Cat
I have no idea where it came from at this point, but we have a giant cardboard tube (probably close to five feet long) that Harper enjoys setting up like a slide and passing various toys through for kicks. Today she held it completely vertically and, to our surprise, two pretzel twists fell out. Now we have often cautioned Harper not to eat food off the floor (more specifically, items that have been discovered days after they were originally served) saying that it might have germs on it. When I asked Harper to pick up the pretzels and throw them in the garbage, she refused to touch them, claiming she was afraid of "bug drips." I'm guessing bug drips = germs in Harper-logic?
*****
Tonight, when I was putting Harper back to bed, she suddenly piped up saying she didn't want Santa Claus to come to our house. She refused to give me a reason, but asked, and I quote, "Can you just cancel Christmas Eve?"
Something tells me she would regret that Christmas Morning.
*****
Tonight, when I was putting Harper back to bed, she suddenly piped up saying she didn't want Santa Claus to come to our house. She refused to give me a reason, but asked, and I quote, "Can you just cancel Christmas Eve?"
Something tells me she would regret that Christmas Morning.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
A Reminder to Be Grateful (for me)
I've been having some Scrooge-ish moments lately. Holiday gift-giving is always a little joy-tainted-with-stress situation for me. We can't afford to spend very much on anyone, but really want to give good gifts that people want. I also start to feel guilty about how generous our families (especially our parents) are with us. It seems so lopsided. Sigh.
Really though, much of the Christmas-stress is my own insanity with no basis in reality and I just need to relax and enjoy the season. . . so many things could be worse for us right now.
On the way home from gymnastics today a car turning left drove right out in front of us. There was a man shoveling snow on the sidewalk immediately on our right and oncoming traffic on the left. There was no place to go. I slammed on the brakes, honked the horn, and manage to swerve just enough to avoid both the car and the snow-shoveler, who may have needed to change his pants after the incident. How we made it through that moment with no one getting hit or hurt in anyway is completely beyond me. We were driving on a road where the speed limit is 45 mph. Due to a little traffic I don't think we were going quite that fast, but if you'd been a bystander watching the whole thing unfold, you would have been certain I was going to drive right into the woman's driver's side door and possibly kill her.
After a quick moment, everyone just seemed to get on with their business, but I had to pull over and take a mommy time out because I was sobbing with relief. That probably sounds mellow-dramatic, but it was that close. Harper was in the backseat asking why I was crying and telling me she wasn't scared of cars; which only made it worse because I can't imagine how scary it would have been for her if we had slammed into that car.
So. Deep breath.
The Christmas stuff? My dirty house? The laundry? Not that big a deal.
Really though, much of the Christmas-stress is my own insanity with no basis in reality and I just need to relax and enjoy the season. . . so many things could be worse for us right now.
On the way home from gymnastics today a car turning left drove right out in front of us. There was a man shoveling snow on the sidewalk immediately on our right and oncoming traffic on the left. There was no place to go. I slammed on the brakes, honked the horn, and manage to swerve just enough to avoid both the car and the snow-shoveler, who may have needed to change his pants after the incident. How we made it through that moment with no one getting hit or hurt in anyway is completely beyond me. We were driving on a road where the speed limit is 45 mph. Due to a little traffic I don't think we were going quite that fast, but if you'd been a bystander watching the whole thing unfold, you would have been certain I was going to drive right into the woman's driver's side door and possibly kill her.
After a quick moment, everyone just seemed to get on with their business, but I had to pull over and take a mommy time out because I was sobbing with relief. That probably sounds mellow-dramatic, but it was that close. Harper was in the backseat asking why I was crying and telling me she wasn't scared of cars; which only made it worse because I can't imagine how scary it would have been for her if we had slammed into that car.
So. Deep breath.
The Christmas stuff? My dirty house? The laundry? Not that big a deal.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tidbits
Last night Matt was getting Harper out of the bathtub and I heard her say to him, "I'm shaking like a leaf!" She cracks me up, that kid.
*****
I think we could have 100 Christmas presents for Harper under our tree Christmas morning and I would still be worried that the sight won't be "magical" enough for her. I know, I know, that's completely insane. I just want it to be so special. . . she's at such a good age for the magic of Christmas.
*****
The theme of any snow we get all winter is surely going to be, according to Harper, "My stupid mom won't let me bring snowballs into the house." She tried to sneak snow in today, clutched in her mittened hands and was exceedingly disappointed when I made her dump it on the stoop. I am no fun at all.
*****
Harper is suddenly obsessed with time (Darn it, should have added a clock to the pile of presents!) and asks me often, "What time is it?"
She does not like it when the answer is not an o'clock or something-thirty. When I answer her by saying something like, "It's almost one-o'clock," she'll ask, "What happens at one-o'clock?" I often have no good answer for this. (Christmas gift idea for self -- book of creative answers to three-year-old-type questions.)
Although I taught her to ask, "What time is it?" I miss Harper's earlier incarnation of this question which was, "What minutes is it?"
*****
I subbed in a early childhood center (preschool) today. Kindergarten, I could teach, preschool? That is a very special calling indeed. I do not know how those women do it day after day after day. It is like having 24 of Harper, but there's no TV time, or "play quietly on the floor while Mommy rests her eyes on the couch" time.
Also, it is distinctly more difficult to be in a preschool classroom while pregnant, my brain is already feeling scrambled, and then there's 24 little ones talking over each other all day long.
Parents of preschool age children should have mandatory time helping in a preschool because it sure does make you appreciate having just one of them at home!
(I actually had fun today, despite feeling a little like I'd been run over by a truck before it was over.)
*****
I think we could have 100 Christmas presents for Harper under our tree Christmas morning and I would still be worried that the sight won't be "magical" enough for her. I know, I know, that's completely insane. I just want it to be so special. . . she's at such a good age for the magic of Christmas.
*****
The theme of any snow we get all winter is surely going to be, according to Harper, "My stupid mom won't let me bring snowballs into the house." She tried to sneak snow in today, clutched in her mittened hands and was exceedingly disappointed when I made her dump it on the stoop. I am no fun at all.
*****
Harper is suddenly obsessed with time (Darn it, should have added a clock to the pile of presents!) and asks me often, "What time is it?"
She does not like it when the answer is not an o'clock or something-thirty. When I answer her by saying something like, "It's almost one-o'clock," she'll ask, "What happens at one-o'clock?" I often have no good answer for this. (Christmas gift idea for self -- book of creative answers to three-year-old-type questions.)
Although I taught her to ask, "What time is it?" I miss Harper's earlier incarnation of this question which was, "What minutes is it?"
*****
I subbed in a early childhood center (preschool) today. Kindergarten, I could teach, preschool? That is a very special calling indeed. I do not know how those women do it day after day after day. It is like having 24 of Harper, but there's no TV time, or "play quietly on the floor while Mommy rests her eyes on the couch" time.
Also, it is distinctly more difficult to be in a preschool classroom while pregnant, my brain is already feeling scrambled, and then there's 24 little ones talking over each other all day long.
Parents of preschool age children should have mandatory time helping in a preschool because it sure does make you appreciate having just one of them at home!
(I actually had fun today, despite feeling a little like I'd been run over by a truck before it was over.)
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