Just watching Bitty Girl tonight, I must have laughed 500 times. I wanted to get it on video, but knew she'd stop once she saw the camera.
They were outside in back, The Boy and Daddy were playing catch, and Bitty Girl was trying her best to pretend like she wasn't trying to get in the middle.
First she played in her water table for a while, happily splashing and pouring.
When she noticed the boys weren't paying any attention to her, she switched to her ride-on bike. She zoomed toward Daddy first, very obviously running over his toes on purpose. She alternated between using her tiptoes to zoom and walking/dragging the bike.
Then she switched to riding with one knee up on the seat, imitating Grandma with her scooter after her recent foot surgery. I wish I had a picture of the smug, delighted look on her face when she realized she could do that kind of zooming without falling over. Daddy intervened briefly when she put both knees/feet up on the seat, but then went back to his game.
Now she was getting desperate. She turned the bike on its side in the middle of the court and ran to get a bowl of water and a towel. By golly, if they won't pay attention to me, I'll WASH MY BIKE in the middle of their game.
One of the best parts that I left out at the beginning was her outfit. Green long-sleeved tshirt that she's quickly outgrowing, khaki flowered leggings, pink Merrell mocs on her feet, and her pink flowered bike helmet.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Splinted
The mean green, slightly dirty and stinky cast is no more.
The Boy had his cast taken off today, only to be replaced with a much less cool brown splint. But at least he can take it off. Three weeks more in the splint and he should be good to return to all his dangerous activities.
Juan the cast guy didn't do much in the way of kid-friendly introductions, just wheeled this big saw over, put on his mask and fired it up. The Boy was a little scared but managed to be brave.
And there it is, after having the dirt and wood chips (yes, there really were wood chips inside his cast) washed off. He wouldn't let me take a picture of the dry skin, and chose not to save the stinky cast shell..
They cut off the cast, did another x-ray, and pronounced him splint-worthy. More like splinter-worthy, with all those wood chips in his cast. The doctor showed us the x-rays from today compared to May 5, and called it "remodeling," where the bone has just regrown over the spot of the fracture. Kids are amazing--in three weeks, he said we won't even be able to tell there was a fracture.
We're a little nervous that the splint isn't restrictive enough, like maybe they should have left the cast on for two more weeks. But he's supposed to use it and stretch it at home, just being careful not to fall. His arm is even skinnier than it was before, and it's pretty weak. He preferred the splint on this evening, saying it felt too weird and weak when it was out.
He was so excited to take a bath tonight, although he instinctively set his left arm up on the tub's edge until I reminded him he could get it wet.
He has handled this whole broken arm thing in such a grown-up way, really hasn't fussed or complained about it at all. Not playing t-ball was really hard for him, and at school he's sad about not riding bikes in the gym or climbing on the playground toys. But he knows that another injury means a cast for most of the summer, and somehow he has miraculously grown up to the point where he can understand what that means.
Worried mama just hopes he can really be careful. I always worry, you know.
The Boy had his cast taken off today, only to be replaced with a much less cool brown splint. But at least he can take it off. Three weeks more in the splint and he should be good to return to all his dangerous activities.
Juan the cast guy didn't do much in the way of kid-friendly introductions, just wheeled this big saw over, put on his mask and fired it up. The Boy was a little scared but managed to be brave.
And there it is, after having the dirt and wood chips (yes, there really were wood chips inside his cast) washed off. He wouldn't let me take a picture of the dry skin, and chose not to save the stinky cast shell..
They cut off the cast, did another x-ray, and pronounced him splint-worthy. More like splinter-worthy, with all those wood chips in his cast. The doctor showed us the x-rays from today compared to May 5, and called it "remodeling," where the bone has just regrown over the spot of the fracture. Kids are amazing--in three weeks, he said we won't even be able to tell there was a fracture.
We're a little nervous that the splint isn't restrictive enough, like maybe they should have left the cast on for two more weeks. But he's supposed to use it and stretch it at home, just being careful not to fall. His arm is even skinnier than it was before, and it's pretty weak. He preferred the splint on this evening, saying it felt too weird and weak when it was out.
He was so excited to take a bath tonight, although he instinctively set his left arm up on the tub's edge until I reminded him he could get it wet.
He has handled this whole broken arm thing in such a grown-up way, really hasn't fussed or complained about it at all. Not playing t-ball was really hard for him, and at school he's sad about not riding bikes in the gym or climbing on the playground toys. But he knows that another injury means a cast for most of the summer, and somehow he has miraculously grown up to the point where he can understand what that means.
Worried mama just hopes he can really be careful. I always worry, you know.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
To Too Two
A letter to Bitty Girl on her birthday...
Bitty Girl, you are TWO.
You have actually been "two" in spirit for months, with all the sassiness and shrieking and "No, Mommys" and changing your mind and random crying fits. But also with the explosion of language, words just pouring out of your mouth, and the capable way you can feed herself and decide what you want to eat and play tea party and feed your babies and feed us pretend food.
You amaze us daily. You can do so many things at two, many that just happened upon us, almost suddenly.
-climb up and down stairs (often with your hands full like Mommy)
-entertain yourself
-play outside
-ride your push trike
-spin around and make yourself dizzy
-repeat EVERYTHING we say
-feed yourself
-pretend that you're feeding us or eating pretend cookies or serving tea, or putting your dollies at seats at your tea party table
-setting a picnic on the kitchen floor, complete with picnic tablecloth, play dishes and food
-remember tiny details, like the fact that we said you could have a cookie after your nap or that you saw the neighbor's cat on the roof yesterday
-be ADAMANT that you want to play at the park, or have your OWN cup or PICK your own snack or do JUST.WHAT.YOUR.BROTHER.DOES
-tolerate being schlepped around in the car to take your brother to school, pick him up at school, go grocery shopping or Target shopping
-play hide and seek with Daddy and your brother (although your hiding quietly needs work)
-pick out your own clothes (mostly dresses and your rain boots)
-light up with an ear to ear smile when Mommy or Daddy gets home
I feel guilty that I'm wishing this stage away. I'm always whining about how hard this is, and how "I think I'll be better suited to being the mom of a 5 and an 8 yr old, rather than a 2 and 5 yr olds." I just think I will be able to handle the craziness of coordinating soccer games and homework better than I can handle naps and potty training and the "everyone needs Mommy and to touch Mommy and to have Mommy hold them and listen to them all at once."
But I can still barely believe it's been two years. Two years since we became a family of four, since The Boy became a big brother, and since the real craziness began.
Bitty Girl, you are TWO.
You have actually been "two" in spirit for months, with all the sassiness and shrieking and "No, Mommys" and changing your mind and random crying fits. But also with the explosion of language, words just pouring out of your mouth, and the capable way you can feed herself and decide what you want to eat and play tea party and feed your babies and feed us pretend food.
You amaze us daily. You can do so many things at two, many that just happened upon us, almost suddenly.
-climb up and down stairs (often with your hands full like Mommy)
-entertain yourself
-play outside
-ride your push trike
-spin around and make yourself dizzy
-repeat EVERYTHING we say
-feed yourself
-pretend that you're feeding us or eating pretend cookies or serving tea, or putting your dollies at seats at your tea party table
-setting a picnic on the kitchen floor, complete with picnic tablecloth, play dishes and food
-remember tiny details, like the fact that we said you could have a cookie after your nap or that you saw the neighbor's cat on the roof yesterday
-be ADAMANT that you want to play at the park, or have your OWN cup or PICK your own snack or do JUST.WHAT.YOUR.BROTHER.DOES
-tolerate being schlepped around in the car to take your brother to school, pick him up at school, go grocery shopping or Target shopping
-play hide and seek with Daddy and your brother (although your hiding quietly needs work)
-pick out your own clothes (mostly dresses and your rain boots)
-light up with an ear to ear smile when Mommy or Daddy gets home
I feel guilty that I'm wishing this stage away. I'm always whining about how hard this is, and how "I think I'll be better suited to being the mom of a 5 and an 8 yr old, rather than a 2 and 5 yr olds." I just think I will be able to handle the craziness of coordinating soccer games and homework better than I can handle naps and potty training and the "everyone needs Mommy and to touch Mommy and to have Mommy hold them and listen to them all at once."
But I can still barely believe it's been two years. Two years since we became a family of four, since The Boy became a big brother, and since the real craziness began.
Happy Birthday to the girl who makes it all worthwhile.....
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Strange memories
Maybe it was just too much time in the car.
Today we did a lot of driving, and we passed a cemetery today, with many flowers and flags and pinwheels blowing in the breeze. The Boy asked why there were so many decorations, and I tried to explain a little about Memorial Day.
I said, "It's a holiday where you're supposed to remember people who have died, and some people go to the place their family members were buried to visit them."
The Boy says, "And then you unbury them?"
Stifling a snicker and an "eew!" I replied, "No, you can't do that. People just go and visit the grave site as a way of showing respect, and the flowers and decorations are just part of that."
There's no Hallmark card for that kind of holiday, I'm sure..
Today we did a lot of driving, and we passed a cemetery today, with many flowers and flags and pinwheels blowing in the breeze. The Boy asked why there were so many decorations, and I tried to explain a little about Memorial Day.
I said, "It's a holiday where you're supposed to remember people who have died, and some people go to the place their family members were buried to visit them."
The Boy says, "And then you unbury them?"
Stifling a snicker and an "eew!" I replied, "No, you can't do that. People just go and visit the grave site as a way of showing respect, and the flowers and decorations are just part of that."
There's no Hallmark card for that kind of holiday, I'm sure..
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mother's Day, preschool style
I'm a lucky Mama.
The Boy's preschool class hosted a Mother's Day event last Friday. We were invited to come for the last hour of preschool. They made us wait outside, then each child greeted their mother with "Aloha" and gave her a lei made out of felt flowers and straws.
We sat at the tables set with hand-made placemats and talked while we waited for all the moms to arrive.
Then we were led into the gym, where the kids treated us to a concert of songs they had been rehearsing for weeks. Some funny, like "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee," and some sweet, "I Know a Name." One of his teachers is Hawaiian, and she did a dance about a mother's love for her baby. Then the kids sang "Pearly Shells," complete with hula movements. It goes, "Pearly shells, from the ocean, shining in the sun, covering the shore. When I see them, my heart tells me I love you more than all those little pearly shells."
I cried.
Back in the classroom, our suddenly huge and grown-up kids took our ice cream orders and served us ice cream, cookies, and punch. The Boy now has a chocolate ice cream stain on his cast...
Before we left, we had to find their painting of Mom, along with a questionnaire inside.
Here were his answers..
Mom's favorite drink? Water (I am not kidding - one girl said, "She likes beer." !!!!!)
Her favorite food? Lasagna
What does she like to do with your dad? She likes to go to anniversaries. Something funny is it's usually on my Dad's birthday.
What makes your mom laugh? When I tell funny jokes.
What is her favorite music? She likes the song about sharing we have in the car.
What does she do for fun? Playing with my baby sister.
(Mom needs a social life, evidently, along with a more diverse music library..)
Where does she shop? Fred Meyer
What is your special time with mom? Going to the park and the toy store sometimes.
What do you do with mom before you go to bed? Read stories.
Whew, no big family secrets exposed. I thought question #3 was fairly brave of the teachers, considering what kind of answers it could have prompted.
The Boy's preschool class hosted a Mother's Day event last Friday. We were invited to come for the last hour of preschool. They made us wait outside, then each child greeted their mother with "Aloha" and gave her a lei made out of felt flowers and straws.
We sat at the tables set with hand-made placemats and talked while we waited for all the moms to arrive.
Then we were led into the gym, where the kids treated us to a concert of songs they had been rehearsing for weeks. Some funny, like "Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee," and some sweet, "I Know a Name." One of his teachers is Hawaiian, and she did a dance about a mother's love for her baby. Then the kids sang "Pearly Shells," complete with hula movements. It goes, "Pearly shells, from the ocean, shining in the sun, covering the shore. When I see them, my heart tells me I love you more than all those little pearly shells."
I cried.
Back in the classroom, our suddenly huge and grown-up kids took our ice cream orders and served us ice cream, cookies, and punch. The Boy now has a chocolate ice cream stain on his cast...
Before we left, we had to find their painting of Mom, along with a questionnaire inside.
Here were his answers..
Mom's favorite drink? Water (I am not kidding - one girl said, "She likes beer." !!!!!)
Her favorite food? Lasagna
What does she like to do with your dad? She likes to go to anniversaries. Something funny is it's usually on my Dad's birthday.
What makes your mom laugh? When I tell funny jokes.
What is her favorite music? She likes the song about sharing we have in the car.
What does she do for fun? Playing with my baby sister.
(Mom needs a social life, evidently, along with a more diverse music library..)
Where does she shop? Fred Meyer
What is your special time with mom? Going to the park and the toy store sometimes.
What do you do with mom before you go to bed? Read stories.
Whew, no big family secrets exposed. I thought question #3 was fairly brave of the teachers, considering what kind of answers it could have prompted.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Why I signed on for this crazy ride
So it's Mother's Day. Since I became a mother, I've struggled with the guilty feeling that the perfect Mother's Day gift would really be a day all by myself. And then I find myself feeling irritated that it's just a typical day with extra food, and the kids are still whiny and require a lot of attention. Why did I expect more?
So this year I tried to have lower expectation. Be more zen about it, embrace the craziness, just focus on how lucky we are. And I was still irritated, they were still whiny, alternating with sweet and delightful, and I'm exhausted like usual.
But I know I'm lucky.
Bitty Girl ate fried chicken, bacon, and deep fried french toast. Oh, and some strawberries. All delicious, by the way. Our arteries will thank us later.
Happy Chicken Leg Day, I mean, Mother's Day!
Ok, maybe I should explain that we ate brunch at a family-owned restaurant near the in-laws, where P. grew up. It's serious food--deep fried, lots of meat and lots of mayo. It used to be just a bar, and they had this annual Christmas Eve open house where they served free food as a way for saying thank you to the customers. A few years ago they opened a restaurant, gave up the Christmas Eve thing, but still make a heck of a brunch. Think bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fried chicken (see photo), deep fried french toast, and a dessert counter piled with brownies, cheesecake, and cookies. Sigh... I think I gained five pounds just writing that sentence.
Then the cousins did a little snuggling. Yes, they're watching tv, but they really did play well together. And we felt lucky to be with family.
So in spite of the whining and the constant face wiping and perma-exhaustion, I'm thankful. My babies are healthy and we have everything we need--wonderful family, jobs, good health, good friends, and deep fried french toast. Yum.
Happy Mother's Day!
So this year I tried to have lower expectation. Be more zen about it, embrace the craziness, just focus on how lucky we are. And I was still irritated, they were still whiny, alternating with sweet and delightful, and I'm exhausted like usual.
But I know I'm lucky.
Bitty Girl ate fried chicken, bacon, and deep fried french toast. Oh, and some strawberries. All delicious, by the way. Our arteries will thank us later.
Happy Chicken Leg Day, I mean, Mother's Day!
Ok, maybe I should explain that we ate brunch at a family-owned restaurant near the in-laws, where P. grew up. It's serious food--deep fried, lots of meat and lots of mayo. It used to be just a bar, and they had this annual Christmas Eve open house where they served free food as a way for saying thank you to the customers. A few years ago they opened a restaurant, gave up the Christmas Eve thing, but still make a heck of a brunch. Think bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fried chicken (see photo), deep fried french toast, and a dessert counter piled with brownies, cheesecake, and cookies. Sigh... I think I gained five pounds just writing that sentence.
Then the cousins did a little snuggling. Yes, they're watching tv, but they really did play well together. And we felt lucky to be with family.
So in spite of the whining and the constant face wiping and perma-exhaustion, I'm thankful. My babies are healthy and we have everything we need--wonderful family, jobs, good health, good friends, and deep fried french toast. Yum.
Happy Mother's Day!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Why 2 years apart might be a good thing
Last night Bitty Girl chose "Once Upon a Potty" for Daddy to read while I cleaned up from dinner. The Boy wanted to listen, of course, as He Who Never Misses a Story.
P. started into the story, dutifully substituting our words of "pee pee" and "poop" for the book's "Wee Wee" and "Poo Poo." Commence snickering, if you are a 5 1/2 yr old boy.
Bitty Girl seemed to enjoy it, although she has shown no interest in the potty after a few early deposits a couple of months ago.
Joshua, the main character in the story, (because of course we only have the boy version--Bitty Girl gets hand-me-down books, not her own new one!) goes through the standard new potty tricks: not having to go, missing the potty, and finally proudly going in the potty.
All of which were hilarious to Mr. 5 1/2 year old. That and the part where Daddy added, "Joshua's mother, who has curly hair like The Boy and Bitty Girls' Mommy..."
Made me think that if they were 18 months apart, or even 2 years apart, the potty book wouldn't be nearly as hilarious to Mr. 4 year old.
P. started into the story, dutifully substituting our words of "pee pee" and "poop" for the book's "Wee Wee" and "Poo Poo." Commence snickering, if you are a 5 1/2 yr old boy.
Bitty Girl seemed to enjoy it, although she has shown no interest in the potty after a few early deposits a couple of months ago.
Joshua, the main character in the story, (because of course we only have the boy version--Bitty Girl gets hand-me-down books, not her own new one!) goes through the standard new potty tricks: not having to go, missing the potty, and finally proudly going in the potty.
All of which were hilarious to Mr. 5 1/2 year old. That and the part where Daddy added, "Joshua's mother, who has curly hair like The Boy and Bitty Girls' Mommy..."
Made me think that if they were 18 months apart, or even 2 years apart, the potty book wouldn't be nearly as hilarious to Mr. 4 year old.
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