Well, I neglected to mention that last week our lovely friends the Bumps came to town for the weekend and we all had a fabulous time. They brought cookies and birthday presents and played a lot with A. He was quite sad when everyone went home and C went back to work and it was only me and him.
I'm tired. He's asleep, so I feel like I should blog, but I'm not sure what to blog about.
He's doing super great in swimming. We signed him up for classes--the place we've been taking classes is moving to a swim school where we pay monthly instead of in sessions, so that'll be good for him. And they'll still have the advanced class in the morning so all of us can go, which is nice.
Group is going well. Last time the teachers told me to get out and they'd talk him down from crying. He screamed and cries and I went to a more far-away room where I couldn't hear him, but he did great. He follows directions, cleans up, participates in the activities, so that's all super. One of the other parents (a grandma, actually) told me, "He is really smart. I've been watching him and he's very smart." Yes, I know. It makes me wonder what all the rest of the kids are in there for.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Speech pathologist (finally)
We met with the speech pathologist today. It's the same song and dance we've done the rest of the time: A plays while she asked me questions, then she played with him for a bit. She confirmed what everyone else has been saying; A has a mild to moderate developmental delay in speech.
She's the gate-keeper to all the services, though, so now we get to be on the track for services. He's wait-listed for the Communication Group, which is like the group he goes to now, only smaller and specifically for speech. He'll get a hearing test the next time the hearing test cavalcade rolls into town (once every two months). C and I will get to attend a parenting class to determine how to help A.
The one new thing today was a referral to Regional Services. The department we've been going to is a stop-gap measure to help kids who are a little behind catch up so they're prepared for preschool/kindergarten. There's another department that offers more extensive services for kids who need more help. A is borderline between the groups, mild to moderate. The criterion he's being assessed against is the 24-27 month old criterion, and he's at the beginning of the range. So the pathologist asked me if I wanted to get the paperwork rolling to get him into Regional Services or if I wanted to wait and see how he did in his groups.
I thought about it for maybe thirty seconds, then said, "Let's get the paperwork started." I know that it's a lot harder to get someone into a program than it is to take them out of it, and even if he does great, I want him to have all the resources he can.
He seems to be liking Group; there's lots of toys and books there for him to play with. He's not done at the end of class and has to be convinced that it's time to go home. The facilitators say he's doing really well, pays attention, remains on task, cleans up. I still waver (worry) about the qualities of the other parents, but he's getting playtime with other kids and attention from trained teachers, and I figure that can't hurt.
Oh, and he's got two new words: baby and bear.
She's the gate-keeper to all the services, though, so now we get to be on the track for services. He's wait-listed for the Communication Group, which is like the group he goes to now, only smaller and specifically for speech. He'll get a hearing test the next time the hearing test cavalcade rolls into town (once every two months). C and I will get to attend a parenting class to determine how to help A.
The one new thing today was a referral to Regional Services. The department we've been going to is a stop-gap measure to help kids who are a little behind catch up so they're prepared for preschool/kindergarten. There's another department that offers more extensive services for kids who need more help. A is borderline between the groups, mild to moderate. The criterion he's being assessed against is the 24-27 month old criterion, and he's at the beginning of the range. So the pathologist asked me if I wanted to get the paperwork rolling to get him into Regional Services or if I wanted to wait and see how he did in his groups.
I thought about it for maybe thirty seconds, then said, "Let's get the paperwork started." I know that it's a lot harder to get someone into a program than it is to take them out of it, and even if he does great, I want him to have all the resources he can.
He seems to be liking Group; there's lots of toys and books there for him to play with. He's not done at the end of class and has to be convinced that it's time to go home. The facilitators say he's doing really well, pays attention, remains on task, cleans up. I still waver (worry) about the qualities of the other parents, but he's getting playtime with other kids and attention from trained teachers, and I figure that can't hurt.
Oh, and he's got two new words: baby and bear.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Global group
That's what we went to today. It's like mini-preschool. All the kids in the class are two, but he's the youngest and smallest. They have some structured arts and crafts activities, some free play time, they wash their hands and get cookies and water, then they read books and sing songs and are done. There's only five kids, all boys, and two teachers.
He did good. He needed some reassurance at the beginning that I was still around, and when they came out to wash their hands, he latched on and wouldn't let me go, so I came back in for the last part of group. But he had fun and threw a tantrum when we tried to go.
The other parents waiting in the hall give me the shivers. Really. The one teaching her baby to play with the light switch, the one reeking of cigarette smoke who yelled at her five-year-old for waking up the baby after the mother started a tickle fight, yeah, they scare me. But they are there at the center, waiting while their kids get enriched, so they're doing something.
These are just so not the people we hang out with. I usually run with the mommies who debate organic vs. local and Montessori vs. Waldorf. It reminds me of what my mom used to say: the only time in your life you ever have all levels of society together is in the public school system.
A needs a nap and we need to go to the store. Store's lost every day this week, but it's going to win today.
He did good. He needed some reassurance at the beginning that I was still around, and when they came out to wash their hands, he latched on and wouldn't let me go, so I came back in for the last part of group. But he had fun and threw a tantrum when we tried to go.
The other parents waiting in the hall give me the shivers. Really. The one teaching her baby to play with the light switch, the one reeking of cigarette smoke who yelled at her five-year-old for waking up the baby after the mother started a tickle fight, yeah, they scare me. But they are there at the center, waiting while their kids get enriched, so they're doing something.
These are just so not the people we hang out with. I usually run with the mommies who debate organic vs. local and Montessori vs. Waldorf. It reminds me of what my mom used to say: the only time in your life you ever have all levels of society together is in the public school system.
A needs a nap and we need to go to the store. Store's lost every day this week, but it's going to win today.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Developmental Assessment
At A's two-year check-up, (he's fine, btw), I talked to our pediatrician about A's speech. He used to use more words than he does now; he used to use two-word phrases and he stopped. This is one of those autism signs that gives me the heebie-jeebies, but he's still very tuned into people and situations, so I thought, no, not autism.
But it's something.
And our super-cool pediatrician agreed that it was odd and so last week we started out on the journey of assessment.
And so here we are. I figured I'd blog before it got to be too much to describe. He's got the first of the playgroups tomorrow. We have a more in-depth meeting next week with a speech pathologist who will assess him in more detail and set goals.
The last specialist recommended a specific communication-focused play group, an audiology test, and a parenting class for us to be able to help him specifically with communication, but all of those have to be seconded by the speech pathologist.
The audiology test is to make sure he's hearing us since the specialist noted a delay between when A hears a request and when he acts on the request. The suspicion around here is that the delay is the time A takes to decide whether or not he's going to follow a request, but it's good to get him tested anyway.
We're all ambivalent here. I'm glad we got early intervention; I just want to know what's up with him. C still thinks, much like walking, that A just needs to decide he wants to talk and he'll talk. I think assessment is always a good thing, and the earlier the better. But every specialist has taken great pains to tell me: he's smart. He's really really smart. And I say, well, duh.
But it's something.
And our super-cool pediatrician agreed that it was odd and so last week we started out on the journey of assessment.
- Tuesday: initial screening: a questionnaire, asked verbally of me, to determine a general development level in five categories: gross motor, fine motor, personal/social (interactions), cognitive (problem solving), communication. He's off the charts for everything but communication, where he's in the 12-24 month category. Ouch. Come back tomorrow to meet with a speech specialist.
- Wednesday: not the speech specialist. This is a more thorough general screening, done by someone who questions me and plays and talks with A. He's in the 30 month range for everything but communication, where he's in the 15-18 month range. Come back tomorrow and meet with another specialist to do a speech assessment, plus we're going to put A into some monitored play groups to make him play with other children and force him to develop communication skills in self-defense.
- Thursday: Speech assessment, general. This is one-hour where the specialist talks mostly to A and some to me and asks him to say things, accomplish tasks, play. He's in the 15-18 month range for expressive communication (him talking) and the 18-21 month range for receptive communication (him listening to what people say).
And so here we are. I figured I'd blog before it got to be too much to describe. He's got the first of the playgroups tomorrow. We have a more in-depth meeting next week with a speech pathologist who will assess him in more detail and set goals.
The last specialist recommended a specific communication-focused play group, an audiology test, and a parenting class for us to be able to help him specifically with communication, but all of those have to be seconded by the speech pathologist.
The audiology test is to make sure he's hearing us since the specialist noted a delay between when A hears a request and when he acts on the request. The suspicion around here is that the delay is the time A takes to decide whether or not he's going to follow a request, but it's good to get him tested anyway.
We're all ambivalent here. I'm glad we got early intervention; I just want to know what's up with him. C still thinks, much like walking, that A just needs to decide he wants to talk and he'll talk. I think assessment is always a good thing, and the earlier the better. But every specialist has taken great pains to tell me: he's smart. He's really really smart. And I say, well, duh.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Flying baby boy
By his second birthday, A has been on twenty flights. I saw a blog post by a friend and thought, gosh, I wonder how many flights A has been on so far. Twenty.
Two!
That's right; he's two.
The grandparents came out for the weekend and we had a birthday party at the zoo that went well, I thought. We fed the giraffes, had some lunch, opened presents, had cupcakes. Low-key, good for a two-year-old (especially one low on naps).
Yesterday he and I didn't do much since we were still in recovery mode from the weekend; I don't think any of us got enough sleep. But he's now got piles of toys (not like he was lacking before) and he was happy to play with the new toys and watch his new Elmo DVD over and over and over again.
And over.
And over.
I can't believe he's two. Two! He's a walking, talking little boy with opinions, when two years ago, we had this tiny, tiny thing that couldn't hold his head up. Yesterday, within the space of two minutes, he climbed up on the counter (using his brand new Tonka truck) and poured a ramekin of cooking oil on the kitchen floor. I would have chosen some other way to highlight his independence and abilities, but ornery is what being two is all about. Two years ago, it took all our combined efforts to nurse; last night he had meatballs and corn chips for dinner like they were going out of style. He ate seven mini-meatballs. Good grief.
So happy birthday, beautiful baby boy of mine.
The grandparents came out for the weekend and we had a birthday party at the zoo that went well, I thought. We fed the giraffes, had some lunch, opened presents, had cupcakes. Low-key, good for a two-year-old (especially one low on naps).
Yesterday he and I didn't do much since we were still in recovery mode from the weekend; I don't think any of us got enough sleep. But he's now got piles of toys (not like he was lacking before) and he was happy to play with the new toys and watch his new Elmo DVD over and over and over again.
And over.
And over.
I can't believe he's two. Two! He's a walking, talking little boy with opinions, when two years ago, we had this tiny, tiny thing that couldn't hold his head up. Yesterday, within the space of two minutes, he climbed up on the counter (using his brand new Tonka truck) and poured a ramekin of cooking oil on the kitchen floor. I would have chosen some other way to highlight his independence and abilities, but ornery is what being two is all about. Two years ago, it took all our combined efforts to nurse; last night he had meatballs and corn chips for dinner like they were going out of style. He ate seven mini-meatballs. Good grief.
So happy birthday, beautiful baby boy of mine.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Napping again
But I've been doing a lot so the nap will end soon so this will be fast, fast.
A is doing super. He's picking up a lot of words recently, elephant and giraffe and hello (finally). He just comes out with them out of the blue, apple and banana (nana). I think he's used to having all his needs anticipated that he hasn't had to say a lot of words, so I've been trying to be less proactive and reactive to him so he has to ask.
He's into the occasional temper tantrum right now. He's into throwing things and that's bad when we're already down one monitor in this house due to him throwing things. He got a lot of timeouts with Dad for throwing things at people, cats, and screens this weekend.
We go to the Zoo frequently in the evenings now, since the zoo is on extended hours for the summer. The weather is perfect; the air is cooler and the animals are more active. It's a lot of fun.
He adores ice cream. Loves it. Sat in the kitchen with us and polished off two bowls of roasted banana ice cream last night.
Today was swim class, where he is a rock star. He loves to kick around the pool holding onto a noodle to keep him up, and thought he was doing well enough today that he let go of the noodle and dunked himself. Oops.
And we are still getting our CSA share. Yesterday we made a zucchini-basil-squash blossom frittata and a batch of mint ice cream which will become mint stracciatella when I churn it, maybe tonight.
A is doing super. He's picking up a lot of words recently, elephant and giraffe and hello (finally). He just comes out with them out of the blue, apple and banana (nana). I think he's used to having all his needs anticipated that he hasn't had to say a lot of words, so I've been trying to be less proactive and reactive to him so he has to ask.
He's into the occasional temper tantrum right now. He's into throwing things and that's bad when we're already down one monitor in this house due to him throwing things. He got a lot of timeouts with Dad for throwing things at people, cats, and screens this weekend.
We go to the Zoo frequently in the evenings now, since the zoo is on extended hours for the summer. The weather is perfect; the air is cooler and the animals are more active. It's a lot of fun.
He adores ice cream. Loves it. Sat in the kitchen with us and polished off two bowls of roasted banana ice cream last night.
Today was swim class, where he is a rock star. He loves to kick around the pool holding onto a noodle to keep him up, and thought he was doing well enough today that he let go of the noodle and dunked himself. Oops.
And we are still getting our CSA share. Yesterday we made a zucchini-basil-squash blossom frittata and a batch of mint ice cream which will become mint stracciatella when I churn it, maybe tonight.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Down for a nap
He's just stopped fighting me and is now napping, which means I can blog.
We had a rock-star Fourth. One of my writing group friends who has a son a month and a week older than A invited us over for a BBQ, and we went and had a good time. Yay! A had a fabulous time playing with all their water toys.
This weekend's excitement was getting our first share of the CSA we joined. C signed us up last week while I was out of town, and wa-la, we have fresh, local, organic produce for the week. Gaze upon and be jealous of our haul. Then go support your own local CSA.
In other news: we started our new swimming lessons today, the advanced toddler class (can't you all just see my motherly pride from here?). There's only three kids in the class and it's taught by who I consider the best instructors there. It's the "next step" class that's supposed to still emphasize water safety while giving them a push towards independence in the water.
And I must say, he had a good time. They put him in a wacky noodle and let him swim around--and he did. He swam around. It was amazing.
We had a rock-star Fourth. One of my writing group friends who has a son a month and a week older than A invited us over for a BBQ, and we went and had a good time. Yay! A had a fabulous time playing with all their water toys.
This weekend's excitement was getting our first share of the CSA we joined. C signed us up last week while I was out of town, and wa-la, we have fresh, local, organic produce for the week. Gaze upon and be jealous of our haul. Then go support your own local CSA.
In other news: we started our new swimming lessons today, the advanced toddler class (can't you all just see my motherly pride from here?). There's only three kids in the class and it's taught by who I consider the best instructors there. It's the "next step" class that's supposed to still emphasize water safety while giving them a push towards independence in the water.
And I must say, he had a good time. They put him in a wacky noodle and let him swim around--and he did. He swam around. It was amazing.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
The Cannoli and the Mouse
Yesterday was also a good day to be almost-two and disgusting.
We went to buy cat food. The store has these chi-chi dog biscuits shaped like cookies and bon bons and what not, complete with little bakery-style bags and napkins to put them in.
A decided to take a big bite out of a cannoli-shaped dog biscuit, which I then bought in mortification. He almost took a bite out of a faux sugar cookie, but the sales girl told me, "It's okay, I'll just rub the teethmarks out of it," when I offered to buy that one as well.
Anyway, if that wasn't disgusting enough, then we went to the zoo. On one of the paths, there's a catchbasin filled with water, and A likes to throw a leaf or two in there when we walk by.
Yesterday, he throws a leaf in and looks down and picks up something else and is about to throw it in when I realize what it is: a dead mouse. Actually, it's a small dead rat, but it could have been a large mouse. Maybe.
So I scream, "No, no, no, no, no," like a banshee, make him drop it, then keep his hand firmly in my grip while I pull the stroller over and rummage one-handed through the diaper bag for the Purell. A begins to cry.
A nice woman with two kids who saw this whole incident stopped and took A's arm and kept him occupied while I looked for hand sanitizer. I found it and doused him with half the bottle. Then I washed his hands at the next bathroom. And I took him to First Aid, where they basically said, "Oh, dead mouse, well, wash his hands with warm water, that's about it." I think they had just gotten through a macaw biting someone, so I understand they were preoccupied.
As a fun fact, the zoo apparently keeps a virologist on staff to study disease vectors in vermin deaths.
I'll be happier when A develops a disgust factor. Yup.
We went to buy cat food. The store has these chi-chi dog biscuits shaped like cookies and bon bons and what not, complete with little bakery-style bags and napkins to put them in.
A decided to take a big bite out of a cannoli-shaped dog biscuit, which I then bought in mortification. He almost took a bite out of a faux sugar cookie, but the sales girl told me, "It's okay, I'll just rub the teethmarks out of it," when I offered to buy that one as well.
Anyway, if that wasn't disgusting enough, then we went to the zoo. On one of the paths, there's a catchbasin filled with water, and A likes to throw a leaf or two in there when we walk by.
Yesterday, he throws a leaf in and looks down and picks up something else and is about to throw it in when I realize what it is: a dead mouse. Actually, it's a small dead rat, but it could have been a large mouse. Maybe.
So I scream, "No, no, no, no, no," like a banshee, make him drop it, then keep his hand firmly in my grip while I pull the stroller over and rummage one-handed through the diaper bag for the Purell. A begins to cry.
A nice woman with two kids who saw this whole incident stopped and took A's arm and kept him occupied while I looked for hand sanitizer. I found it and doused him with half the bottle. Then I washed his hands at the next bathroom. And I took him to First Aid, where they basically said, "Oh, dead mouse, well, wash his hands with warm water, that's about it." I think they had just gotten through a macaw biting someone, so I understand they were preoccupied.
As a fun fact, the zoo apparently keeps a virologist on staff to study disease vectors in vermin deaths.
I'll be happier when A develops a disgust factor. Yup.
Enter the Allergist
A had a rash after playing in the starfish tidepool at Sea World, and the first aid person there said that A may have an iodine allergy. We took him to the pediatrician, who referred us to a pediatric allergist to get him tested.
We saw her yesterday. The pediatrician's office had one of those large plastic mini-houses to play in and lots of riding toys, so A had fun while we were waiting. The allergist told us that actual iodine allergies are pretty rare, and it's usually a reaction to the protein in the animal itself. She didn't have anenome or starfish to test, but she tested all the seafood she had: lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, cod, salmon, clams, oysters, etc. She added in dust mites, peanuts, cat, and dog as a bonus since he's had croup recently.
He ran around the office shirtless with sixteen little dots of oil on his back. Sure enough, a couple of them welled up almost immediately. I was relieved, so relieved, that he could run around the office instead of trying to keep a toddler sitting on a table for fifteen minutes.
A is allergic to cats and dogs. Yes, just like his mom. I felt very badly about it. We're not getting rid of the cats, but I felt terribly irresponsible sitting there not even pretending like I was considering getting rid of the cats to the doctor.
She suggested that we watch A for any lower respiratory diseases, get a HEPA filter for his room, and follow up in six months to see how he's doing. Oh, and that we stay out of the tidepools.
I'm glad he's not allergic to any seafood and I'm really glad he's steered clear of the peanut allergy. I guess that means I can start him on a PBJ now. He just got tested for all the things we hadn't introduced and is free and clear. Maybe a PB & shrimp sandwich?
We saw her yesterday. The pediatrician's office had one of those large plastic mini-houses to play in and lots of riding toys, so A had fun while we were waiting. The allergist told us that actual iodine allergies are pretty rare, and it's usually a reaction to the protein in the animal itself. She didn't have anenome or starfish to test, but she tested all the seafood she had: lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, cod, salmon, clams, oysters, etc. She added in dust mites, peanuts, cat, and dog as a bonus since he's had croup recently.
He ran around the office shirtless with sixteen little dots of oil on his back. Sure enough, a couple of them welled up almost immediately. I was relieved, so relieved, that he could run around the office instead of trying to keep a toddler sitting on a table for fifteen minutes.
A is allergic to cats and dogs. Yes, just like his mom. I felt very badly about it. We're not getting rid of the cats, but I felt terribly irresponsible sitting there not even pretending like I was considering getting rid of the cats to the doctor.
She suggested that we watch A for any lower respiratory diseases, get a HEPA filter for his room, and follow up in six months to see how he's doing. Oh, and that we stay out of the tidepools.
I'm glad he's not allergic to any seafood and I'm really glad he's steered clear of the peanut allergy. I guess that means I can start him on a PBJ now. He just got tested for all the things we hadn't introduced and is free and clear. Maybe a PB & shrimp sandwich?
Friday, June 20, 2008
Leaping Lizard
I owe the world an update. The boy's meds are helping the croup. He's cranky.
But today, we had a lizard run under our front door into the house, which mostly freaked me out. I called my husband, whose great advice was "catch it." I called my friend, who listened as I moaned and groaned and bitched and moved furniture and peered under bookshelves with a flashlight.
Anyway, once the lizard had gone the entire length of the bookshelf and ensconced itself on the slate coasters in the corner under the baby books, I quietly played Jenga with everything on top of the lizard, then used a Tupperware lid to convince the lizard to get into a kid's meal bucket from the zoo. Once it entered the bucket, I slammed the lid on top and took it outside to the sidewalk where I freed the lizard.
So I am a rock star, but a quiet one, because the baby is sleeping and it took him a long time to do so.
The cats were completely useless, btw. Even when the lizard sat on top of the bookshelf, they were not interested at all. No prey instinct. Maybe they don't like lizards, too chewy, not enough meat to be of effort.
But today, we had a lizard run under our front door into the house, which mostly freaked me out. I called my husband, whose great advice was "catch it." I called my friend, who listened as I moaned and groaned and bitched and moved furniture and peered under bookshelves with a flashlight.
Anyway, once the lizard had gone the entire length of the bookshelf and ensconced itself on the slate coasters in the corner under the baby books, I quietly played Jenga with everything on top of the lizard, then used a Tupperware lid to convince the lizard to get into a kid's meal bucket from the zoo. Once it entered the bucket, I slammed the lid on top and took it outside to the sidewalk where I freed the lizard.
So I am a rock star, but a quiet one, because the baby is sleeping and it took him a long time to do so.
The cats were completely useless, btw. Even when the lizard sat on top of the bookshelf, they were not interested at all. No prey instinct. Maybe they don't like lizards, too chewy, not enough meat to be of effort.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Grumbel growl grumble
Well, I was hoping to have time to write a nice happy upbeat post about our fabulous trip to CO, but since the boy has croup and put a sippy cup top down the sink, lost the Robin Hood DVD somewhere, and partially destroyed an unread magazine, I'm working on getting my blood pressure down. All this happened while I was discovering that Netflix is doing away with Profiles, that is, the ability to keep one queue for the guy who likes obscure anime and sci-fi stinkers and one for me. So now I have to figure out what alternatives there are to Netflix, so I'm already cranky. Boys with croup are also cranky.
Okay. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. More later when I am not so cranky.
Okay. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. More later when I am not so cranky.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Washing is fun
Having a washing machine is such a blessing that I can't even tell you. Thanks to J & T for, well, allowing us to benefit from seriously unfun life upheavals.
Washing machines aside, we went to the new children's museum this weekend and A had a fabulous time. We bought a membership because, well, if the three of us visit twice in the next year, it'll be paid for. I think A and I will go there during the week anyway.
They had a toddlers' gallery that was a virtual forest: trees to climb through and in, big wool boulders and hills to climb on. A liked the clouds on the wall that were all geared together; turn one and a set all rotated together. There was also a fishpond that you could pull back the surface to see the fish underneath.
There's lots of stuff, and it's all hands-on. There was a go-kart ramp with little wooden cars that A loved. Another big hit: a bubble machine surrounded by bowls of soapy water and bubble wands at kid height. Boy, did we have a hard time getting him to leave that. There's a room downstairs that looks like you're in a tank with dolphins, but it's a loud echoing basement room with children screeching like banshees. A wasn't quite so into that.
And I'm up so early because we have to take back the U-haul pick-up used for transporting the washer and go to the orthodontist this morning. C is still snoring away, despite the annoying loud top 40 playing.
Washing machines aside, we went to the new children's museum this weekend and A had a fabulous time. We bought a membership because, well, if the three of us visit twice in the next year, it'll be paid for. I think A and I will go there during the week anyway.
They had a toddlers' gallery that was a virtual forest: trees to climb through and in, big wool boulders and hills to climb on. A liked the clouds on the wall that were all geared together; turn one and a set all rotated together. There was also a fishpond that you could pull back the surface to see the fish underneath.
There's lots of stuff, and it's all hands-on. There was a go-kart ramp with little wooden cars that A loved. Another big hit: a bubble machine surrounded by bowls of soapy water and bubble wands at kid height. Boy, did we have a hard time getting him to leave that. There's a room downstairs that looks like you're in a tank with dolphins, but it's a loud echoing basement room with children screeching like banshees. A wasn't quite so into that.
And I'm up so early because we have to take back the U-haul pick-up used for transporting the washer and go to the orthodontist this morning. C is still snoring away, despite the annoying loud top 40 playing.
Friday, May 30, 2008
His father's son
A and I went to swimming today (A was cranky, cranky, cranky) and then to Sea World. They've just re-opened the children's area, which went from being Shamu's Happy Harbor to the Sesame Street Bay of Play.
The major change is that there are now three actual rides there: a Dumbo knock-off of flying fish, a spinning ride not unlike the teacup ride, and a third that's hard to describe. We went on flying fish last Monday when the Bay of Play opened, but it was pouring and the rides were all shut down before we could ride the other two.
The spinning ride is basically this: you get into a cup-like thing with a wheel in the center. The cups spin around and you can rotate your own cup by spinning the wheel for even more stomach-lurching fun.
Now A has been on one ride, the flying fish ride, which is very gentle and easy-going. He wasn't thrilled; he wasn't scared. It was okay.
But the spinning ride, boy howdy--this is a hit. He got in and started turning the wheel. I didn't tell him to. I didn't show him that it moved the car. He started turning the wheel while we were waiting for the ride to start, got enough motion to confirm that he was moving the cup, and then giggled like mad and kept spinning it. The sheer joy he took in figuring that out, that's C all the way. Then he giggled throughout the entire ride. That might be me.
The problem with twenty-two (!) month olds on rides: they want to go again. Right now. Now now now! Look, all these people just got out and walked away (the fools!) and we can go into their cups and sit before anyone else comes in. Of course, I am from New York and this child will learn the hierarchy of lines and the bellows of hellfire that await cutters. But I did take him all the way through the line so he could ride it again. I think the teacups are going to have to make it back onto our list of things to ride at Disney World.
The major change is that there are now three actual rides there: a Dumbo knock-off of flying fish, a spinning ride not unlike the teacup ride, and a third that's hard to describe. We went on flying fish last Monday when the Bay of Play opened, but it was pouring and the rides were all shut down before we could ride the other two.
The spinning ride is basically this: you get into a cup-like thing with a wheel in the center. The cups spin around and you can rotate your own cup by spinning the wheel for even more stomach-lurching fun.
Now A has been on one ride, the flying fish ride, which is very gentle and easy-going. He wasn't thrilled; he wasn't scared. It was okay.
But the spinning ride, boy howdy--this is a hit. He got in and started turning the wheel. I didn't tell him to. I didn't show him that it moved the car. He started turning the wheel while we were waiting for the ride to start, got enough motion to confirm that he was moving the cup, and then giggled like mad and kept spinning it. The sheer joy he took in figuring that out, that's C all the way. Then he giggled throughout the entire ride. That might be me.
The problem with twenty-two (!) month olds on rides: they want to go again. Right now. Now now now! Look, all these people just got out and walked away (the fools!) and we can go into their cups and sit before anyone else comes in. Of course, I am from New York and this child will learn the hierarchy of lines and the bellows of hellfire that await cutters. But I did take him all the way through the line so he could ride it again. I think the teacups are going to have to make it back onto our list of things to ride at Disney World.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Washing a go-go
Our washing machine was found dead (or at least maimed) Saturday morning, with the un-agitated wet swim stuff in it. I didn't realize how critical washing machines were to houses with children until ours died.
So we spent some time this weekend learning our local laundromats. The Lucky Laundromat takes top honors for their free (and massive, and hot) dryers. The Corner Wash had better seating but the dryers were more costly and less efficient.
A thinks laundromats are fabulous playgrounds. There's open space to run, vending machines and video games to play with, doors to open and shut, and, best of all, lots of carts that are just his size to push around. He spent a fair amount of time the second day rolling carts into rows, then crashing through them and re-aligning them. Life's almost always fascinating when you're almost two.
The washer may have a baby sock crammed into it or the transmission may be going. I'm not the engineer; I don't troubleshoot this crap.
I've suddenly realized that it's near the end of May and we're almost into June, which means we're going on a trip to CO for a wedding, grandparents, and friends. Woo hoo. I need to get someone to watch the cats. Yikes.
So we spent some time this weekend learning our local laundromats. The Lucky Laundromat takes top honors for their free (and massive, and hot) dryers. The Corner Wash had better seating but the dryers were more costly and less efficient.
A thinks laundromats are fabulous playgrounds. There's open space to run, vending machines and video games to play with, doors to open and shut, and, best of all, lots of carts that are just his size to push around. He spent a fair amount of time the second day rolling carts into rows, then crashing through them and re-aligning them. Life's almost always fascinating when you're almost two.
The washer may have a baby sock crammed into it or the transmission may be going. I'm not the engineer; I don't troubleshoot this crap.
I've suddenly realized that it's near the end of May and we're almost into June, which means we're going on a trip to CO for a wedding, grandparents, and friends. Woo hoo. I need to get someone to watch the cats. Yikes.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Things that amaze my husband about the boy
- A likes to take his cars and crawl around the floor making "vroom-vroom" noises.
- He expects a parent to accompany him on these treks.
- A allocates the cars. If he hands you the green VW van, then you drive that one, not the purple hot rod he has chosen for himself. If you switch cars on him, he will straighten you out.
- A repeats new words randomly, like "mermaid."
- A loves piggyback rides.
- A likes to roll a ball inside a pan.
- If A gives you a hug, he'll make you look at him so he can give you a kiss too.
Things that amaze me: A turned down a chance to lick the spoon while I was making strawberry jam. I knew we only tried to feed him healthy stuff, but jeez, the kid doesn't even want to lick a spoon while we're making something sweet. Of course, I was able to find a taker for the jam spoon.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
First dentist visit
Yesterday. He was great.
First of all, I have to mention how much my dentist's office loves my boy. They do. I had braces when I was pregnant so I was in for cleanings every three months and they saw me get huger and huger. The hygienist was due two weeks before me and our kids are eleven days apart. I scheduled my cleaning to be her first day back after maternity leave. We sent the office a birth announcement. Then the braces came off and I needed a fair amount of post-braces work when the boy was tiny, so they saw him a lot. Now that he's bigger, he can't really go along and sit on my lap when I have a cleaning. (Yes, he did, really.) So they were all excited to see him.
He sat in the chair. He would not open his mouth. He did brush his teeth with the free toothbrush. I think everyone in the office came by to coo over him. They made me take pictures.
The dentist showed off his leet ninja dentist skills by saying to me, "Well, he's got eight teeth upper and eight lower, and everything that I can see looks like it's well-aligned and coming in okay, including the molars. It looks like he's got space for those last four. The teeth themselves look good." Since this was all ascertained by peeking at A's teeth between baby talk and toothbrushing, this is good.
So the teeth are good and we'll go back in six months and maybe he'll open his mouth that time. Maybe.
First of all, I have to mention how much my dentist's office loves my boy. They do. I had braces when I was pregnant so I was in for cleanings every three months and they saw me get huger and huger. The hygienist was due two weeks before me and our kids are eleven days apart. I scheduled my cleaning to be her first day back after maternity leave. We sent the office a birth announcement. Then the braces came off and I needed a fair amount of post-braces work when the boy was tiny, so they saw him a lot. Now that he's bigger, he can't really go along and sit on my lap when I have a cleaning. (Yes, he did, really.) So they were all excited to see him.
He sat in the chair. He would not open his mouth. He did brush his teeth with the free toothbrush. I think everyone in the office came by to coo over him. They made me take pictures.
The dentist showed off his leet ninja dentist skills by saying to me, "Well, he's got eight teeth upper and eight lower, and everything that I can see looks like it's well-aligned and coming in okay, including the molars. It looks like he's got space for those last four. The teeth themselves look good." Since this was all ascertained by peeking at A's teeth between baby talk and toothbrushing, this is good.
So the teeth are good and we'll go back in six months and maybe he'll open his mouth that time. Maybe.
Monday, April 28, 2008
I know, I know.
It's been a busy life. Sorry.
The grandparents came to town and much fun was had by all. We went all over town: the Maritime Museum, Point Loma, Sea World. A got sick and threw up spectacularly over all of us, with Grandma jumping in like the saint she is to catch vomit with her hands. But he's recovered and we're looking forward to seeing the grandparents again in June.
Milestones: Last Monday, A floated on his back on his own for the first time. This is a huge thing. He didn't do it for very long before he kicked his way out of it, but he's at least started to get the concept of buoyancy. He's moving up to the toddler swim class next session, sniff.
This last week, A discovered his shadow. We were at the fountain in Balboa Park near the Fleet, and he was running around the fountain in lovely circles. He stopped at the edge and I didn't know what he was looking at until I saw him swinging his arms and watching his shadow. He's watching his shadow all the time now.
It's been hot here, like July hot. We went to the rose garden in Balboa Park yesterday but it was so hot we took A in.
The grandparents came to town and much fun was had by all. We went all over town: the Maritime Museum, Point Loma, Sea World. A got sick and threw up spectacularly over all of us, with Grandma jumping in like the saint she is to catch vomit with her hands. But he's recovered and we're looking forward to seeing the grandparents again in June.
Milestones: Last Monday, A floated on his back on his own for the first time. This is a huge thing. He didn't do it for very long before he kicked his way out of it, but he's at least started to get the concept of buoyancy. He's moving up to the toddler swim class next session, sniff.
This last week, A discovered his shadow. We were at the fountain in Balboa Park near the Fleet, and he was running around the fountain in lovely circles. He stopped at the edge and I didn't know what he was looking at until I saw him swinging his arms and watching his shadow. He's watching his shadow all the time now.
It's been hot here, like July hot. We went to the rose garden in Balboa Park yesterday but it was so hot we took A in.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Sigh.
I went to the plumeria society cutting sale this weekend, which went great and I had a great time and won more cuttings than seems possible and was given even more, blah blah blah, but one of the people there who I really liked died a couple days ago. Nobody in the society heard about it until her obituary ran today.
She was 53. She'd had breast cancer in 2001 and recovered, but the cancer came back and got her liver before she got diagnosed.
Two months ago, she was joking with me at a plumeria society meeting. She was a very cool lady, sweet and sassy and funny, and I will miss her.
She was 53. She'd had breast cancer in 2001 and recovered, but the cancer came back and got her liver before she got diagnosed.
Two months ago, she was joking with me at a plumeria society meeting. She was a very cool lady, sweet and sassy and funny, and I will miss her.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Happy day!
A made it through the night without waking or needing to be snuggled and comforted due to0 immense ear pain, so we're all much, much happier here. I'm not sure he's 100% better, but he's definitely through the worst of it.
Whew.
Whew.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
