Lessons on Parenting

I have learned a very important lesson tonight.

Two days ago I brought Tate to the pediatrician's office for his 5 year check-up. All was well until the doctor checked his throat and said, "Oh. He's got some red dots in there. If he gets a sore throat or fever or throws up, you might want to bring him back here right away." I ask why. Doctor says it could be strep throat. Oh. "Ummmm... he threw up a few days ago. But only once and was totally fine right after. No other symptoms and was eating and bouncing off the walls the rest of the day." Doctor looks at me. Looks at Tate. Gets the throat culture swabs out. Positive. Crap. I bring in a symptom-free kid for a well visit and I walk out with strep throat, antibiotics and a 24-hour no contact order.

The lesson I learned tonight is... do NOT wake up Tate to give him a forgotten dose of medicine. After talking gibberish, flopping over and finally seeming like he was awake enough - he took a small swallow, then took in the rest of the dose, swished it around his mouth like mouthwash (uh oh...Tate swallow it.... swallow it) and then promptly and expertly spit it out. All over clutchie. He lied back down and closed his eyes and will not remember it even happened in the morning. He'll be awfully surprised when he sees pink all over clutchie tomorrow.

Oh no no.

I mean really?? Why would she sleep all night two nights in a row? Why would she give her tired, worn-out and very loving mother a break? She decided last night that 12:30am would be a good time to say hi. I think I'd been asleep for 45 minutes when she woke me up. It was very disheartening. Now, I really didn't expect her to sleep through again, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit there was a tiny, teeny shred of a glimmer of hope that she might do it again. But I expected more of a 3am wake up. Not 12:30am. It's the total inconsistancy that is doing me in. This is the worst part of babies.

Now the best part of babies... so cute, sweet smiles, silly giggles, warm and cuddly, witnessing growth and watching them master a challenge, and the relief you feel when they finally and consistently sleep though the night - pure heaven.

My tired, sorry ass.

I don't really have anything else to say other than....

SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!

I awoke at 6am to the glorious realization that I had indeed not been woken up during the darkest hours of the morning to drag my tired, sorry ass out of bed and gather up a warm, sweet, cute baby for snacking and cuddling. Then came the very awake anticipation of forthcoming cries to indeed drag my tired, sorry ass out of bed to gather up the warm, sweet, cute baby for breakfast and cuddling. Her demands did not surface until 7:30am!

What are the odds she can muster up a repeat performance?

Encore... ENCORE!!!

Oops

Hmmm... missed a few days. I blame the party-action happening over here. It's been non-stop. Emily's birthday party, Valentine's Day, my birthday, Tate's kid party, Tate's family party, Tate's birthday and then Tate's party at school. This weekend there is still a family party to celebrate my birthday and my mom's. It's been fun, but tiring. Add to that Simone's move into Tate's room, which requires me to get out of bed once in the middle of the night to feed her, as she has decided that she still enjoys a late night snack and cuddle. Oh and then there is the damn Olympics and late night coverage. Sometimes you just cannot tear yourself away. Time to get back on schedule - with blogging and with life.

Daily Joke

Tate: Why did the chicken cross the meatball?
Me: I don't know. Why?
Tate: Because he wanted to get to eat the meatball and he was hungry!!!! hahahhahahaha

Yup. They are all this bad.

Mom's Birthday

Birthdays used to be all about me. Totally selfish. Whatever I wanted. Then I went and had some kids. Not only that, but I had one kid only 4 days after my own birthday. I remember 5 years ago on this day - I was 11 days from my due date and Dave and I went out to dinner (Redlefsen's for all you RWU graduates) and I sat there soaking in the very last dinner out we would have before our lives changed forever. We relaxed and really enjoyed it, although I was secretly scared that I would go into labor right then and there.

So today, on MY birthday, I spent most of it getting ready for Tate's birthday. Cleaning, ordering, planning, shopping. I didn't even get to go for lunch where I wanted to. However, Dave came home with Thai take-out and sweet, sweet cake and they sang to me, then Tate and I got lots of cuddle time on the couch. The day may have been more about him, but I got everything I needed today as well.

* blog title will live on

FAVORITE PART OF THE DAY
T: eating cake
M: Tate and Dave singing

Do I need a new blog title?

When I started this blog Tate and I would spend a few moments each night talking about our favorite parts of the day. After a while he started telling me his favorite part of the day was "cuddling with you right now." I know... melts the heart huh? It melted my heart for the first several days. Then after three weeks of the same answer - even after we'd done some really cool, fun things that day - I realized he was just being lazy. Sweet. But lazy. I'll ask him tomorrow again and see what he says. If he says "cuddling with you right now" I may have to change the name of this blog.

Tired

Just really tired tonight. Simone awoke at 1am and kept me up until 2:30am then thought it would be really funny to wake me up again at 6am. In an effort to keep Tate from glazing over on the sofa in his underwear playing Wii all day, I set up two playdates for him today. So we were going from 10am until 3pm. Then I decided that I needed to start getting ready for his party this weekend, so I made 80 meatballs and a vat of sauce. And to top it off, after putting the kids to bed I headed out in the cold and snow to Target to begin shopping for party stuff and other house essentials (Just a side note here... don't drop your 12 pack of toilet paper on the driveway in the slushy snow. Kinda ruined.) So why I am still up? Damn Olympic skating.

Taste of summer

Usually around mid-February I start to get really anxious for winter to end and nature to begin to green outside. I've had enough of the snow, enough of the cold, enough of bulky winter coats. So seeing as a trip to the Bahamas was not in the cards for us this winter, I did the next best thing. I packed the kids in the car and drove to the Botanical Gardens in Providence. It opened in 2007 in Roger Williams Park and it's two large greenhouses filled with lots of tropical green things. We walked in and were immediately hit with heat and forced to take off our coats - ahhhhh. A few more steps in and the smell changed to summer - just like that it felt and smelled like summer. We saw tons of different palm trees, huge cacti, flesh-eating plants, orchids, banana trees bearing fruit, a koi pond and water fountains. The place was practically empty and not very big so Tate was able to run free and explore, as well as throw coins in the fountain. It was blissful.

So the Botanical Gardens will have to suffice for me until we win the lottery and I can spend every February vacation on a tropical beach. It's just as good, right?!?!?!

Happy...

...new room! Simone did great last night in her new room with Tate. Tate did equally as well. One wake up for the girl which only woke up Dave. Both Tate and I slept through it. I had no idea she was up until Dave was at the side of our bed holding Simone saying "Wake up!" So I fed her, put her back in the crib and I awoke at 7am to the sounds of Tate sweetly talking to her through the baby monitor.

...Valentine's Day! Everyone got a homemade card. Tate got chocolates and lollipops. Simone got a new rattle, chew toy. Everyone got lots of love.

...Chinese New Year! Gong hay fat choy!! (I think it's spelled that way - but what do I know, I'm not Chinese.) Simone got to wear her beautiful outfit - handed down from Tate - that Auntie Ali got in Thailand (is that right Ali?) Doesn't she look beautiful?

Kicked to the crib

For 5.5 months Simone has slept beside me in our room. Sometimes peacefully. Sometimes not. But always right next to me - she was always there. Which is a problem in itself... she was ALWAYS there. We were prisoners in our own room. Forced to brush our teeth in the kitchen, fear rolling over in bed, and damn that dog should she have a dream and begin whimpering and barking in her sleep. I was in constant fear of making noise and waking up Simone.

Tonight she has been kicked out. She spends her first night in a crib in Tate's room - now their room. I am sad. I am happy. I am still fearful that a noise will wake her up. But I will go to bed tonight after brushing my teeth in the bathroom, washing my face again, maybe even reading a few pages of a book before turning off the light, and making as much noise as I want getting settled. No... I'm still just sad. She's growing up.

Five guys, seven moms, eleven kids and one baby.

After school today we gathered some of the kids and moms and headed over to Five Guys Burgers for lunch (made famous by Barack Obama), where it seems they pride themselves on how unhealthy their offering is. Unhealthy, yes. But, oh so tasty. We took over a large section of the restaurant with our entourage, set up a couple of kid's tables and ordered up burgers, hot dogs and fries. Those kids were so good and so excited to be having lunch out all together. Tate sat next to his bestest girl and told me that he hopes Obama does not come in for lunch, because he doesn't want to run into any Presidents.

Valentines

During our "major snowstorm" that cancelled school today even though we could still the grass through the snow at 3pm, Tate and I made Valentine's for all his friends at school. They have set up a post office and each kid has a mailbox (decorated paper bag) and they will deliver their Valentines by matching the name on the box with the name on the Valentine. Last year we did the store-bought perforated variety and so this year I felt we needed to step it up. Tate drew one picture, wrote Happy Valentine's Day and signed his name to it. We took it to the office, scanned it in, printed 18 of them, cut up some red paper and then sat down to glue. He did one, then I did one. Then he got up to change the character on Wii, then I asked him to come sit back down and finish gluing. He glued one and then got up again to set up the next MarioKart race. He glued one more then got up again and picked his race car. When I asked him to please come back and finish, he said, "Mom? Can you just do it so I can play Wii?"

I guess I'm lucky I got him to do the one drawing and sign his name.

Dream maker...

Conversation on the playground.

Other mom: So last night Victoria* told me that yesterday at school Tate wanted her to sit next to him and someone else sat there instead and Tate got whiney and said, "But I want Victoria to sit next to me!!" So I said, "Well that must have made you feel good, that Tate wanted so badly to sit next to you."

Victoria: No mom.

Other mom: No?

Victoria: It made me love him even more.

*name still changed - but let me tell you, she is a doll!!!

Shims

When I was pregnant for Simone, one of our concerns was how Tate would deal with a new baby in the house. He was used to being the king, the one and only, the master of his parents attention. Now he'd have to share.

So, along comes Simone, with all her crazy-haired, wide-eyed cuteness and let me tell you.... that kiddo Tate took to her like a fish to water. It was like she'd always been here. He smiles, she smiles. He giggles, she giggles. He always wants to see her and she lights up when she sees him. He constantly says, "Oh look at that Simoney. She's soooooo cute. Isn't she so cute Mommy?" He has a new nickname for her. Shims. And I'm sure there will be plenty more to come. He loves everything about her.

Just don't ask him to help change a diaper. He goes running into the next room screaming, "Noooooo.... I hate the poop!!!!!!"

What if?

Tonight as things were very crazy in the house, Tate acting up and being cranky, Simone not napping and crying instead, dinner trying to get made and work attempting to be done, Dave said the words, "What would we be doing if we didn't have kids?"

So we thought for a bit with small, knowing smiles on our faces and really contemplated this scenario. We decided that we would have been contentedly sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in hand, cheese and crackers on the table, a really nice dinner in the oven, maybe some friends over and watching the start of the Super Bowl. Sounds relaxing, doesn't it? It really does. But then I thought how sad I'd actually feel with an empty house and no kids... like something really important was missing. So we started on a new dream.

Both kids as teenagers and wanting to spend as little time at home with us as possible. And we would be sitting on the couch, glass of wine in hand, cheese and crackers on the table, a really nice dinner in the oven, maybe some friends over, watching the start of the Super Bowl while texting Tate and Simone, "Sure you can stay out an hour later. Just don't wake us when you come in."

To the future! Cheers!!

Failure

Oops. Failure to post yesterday. Two demerits for me. I'm making up for it with a really cute picture and a promise of a real post later today.

Wrap it up.

Simone was all swaddled up and ready for a final feed before going off to sleep tonight. She nursed for a few minutes then started looking around. Then nursed a bit and fussed and nursed and fussed and nursed and fussed. So I burped her with no results. Laid her back down and she nursed and fussed and nursed and fussed and then popped out one of her arms from the swaddle. Then looked around and watched Tate, stared at Daddy, fussed, looked at the TV, fussed and nursed. Then fussed some more and smacked me in the face, clawed my face, listened to Daddy read books to Tate, nursed and fussed and nursed and smacked me in the face a few more times. Then fussed and nursed and fussed and smack and fuss and nurse and look and fuss and smack and smack and smack and fuss...... Are you tired of reading this? Imagine the frustration of living through it for the hour it lasted.

As she is a bit over 5 months now, I've been wondering when I should stop swaddling her at night time. She always seems happy to get into the "baby burrito" and be cozy and warm. But I know that at some point she will want to be free.

Well after all the smacking, fussing and fussing for an hour tonight, she took her free hand, grabbed at the tabs of the swaddle blanket and pulled hard. Hmmmmm.... So I unwrapped her wrapped up arm, she stretched, smiled and then rolled over, closed her eyes and nursed herself to sleep.

I think she has just told me it's time to stop swaddling her. "BABY BURRITO BE GONE," the queen commands.

You're a...heartbreaker.

Conversation at the playground:

Other mom: So last night Victoria* said she loved Tate. I said I'm glad you like him.

Victoria: Nooooo mom.... I LOVE him.

Other mom: Oh. Why do you love him?

Victoria: Because he's handsome, smart and nice.

All the other moms: Oh.... you are in trouble Michelle. He is quite the ladies man! First Hope*, now Victoria... where will it end? ha ha ha ha....

Me: I'm so screwed.

*names changed to protect the reputations of the innocent young loves of my suave 5 year old son

Pants on Fire

Wii rules in this house. And so we have created Wii House Rules. One of the sacred rules is…

NO Wii until you have eaten breakfast.

Playing Wii is such a strong motivator for Tate that it has really helped diminish the challenge of getting him to eat breakfast. We have had a few great weeks of getting a solid meal into his belly to start his day. This helps Dave and I in the morning, as Dave usually gets him breakfast while I’m still in bed. By the time I get up with Simone, Dave had left for work, Tate has eaten, cleared his plate/bowl and is playing Wii. Great!

A few days ago, I got up and Tate was playing Wii and there was no plate/bowl on the table. I ask, “Have you eaten breakfast already?” “Yes, mommy,” was his reply as he barely looked away from racing down a mountainside in the form of a bad ass, spiky turtle on a motorcycle. Great! I sit down with Simone and we play with chewy toys and watch Tate rack up Grand Prix trophys. About a half hour later I venture into the kitchen to get my own breakfast and I see this on the counter…

We now have a new Wii rule…

DO NOT lie to mommy about eating breakfast so that you can play Wii.

One hell of a day.

Rotten. Crappy. Miserable.

That sums up today. Awoken too early by baby. Too many errands while Tate was at school. Broken down car at grocery store. No good naps for Simone. Zero work accomplished. Headaches and stress. Tate meltdowns at the end of the day. And still a crying baby right now who won't go to sleep.

But... Tate zipped his own coat today!

If I wanted to look on the bright side, I guess today wasn't so bad. I'm just not sure I'm bright side material today. Maybe tomorrow.

Blog-a-Thon

Was thinking that I should do another month long blog-a-thon, and what better month to do that in than February!! Only 28 days.

So 28 days - 28 posts.

And yes, this one counts! I even added a cute kiddo photo to make it more legit.