On Saturday morning, we dropped off the kids at Grammy and Poppy's house at 8:20AM, so that we could attend a "quarterly" for our ongoing fostercare training. Basically, we have to attend 12 hours of workshops a year. A quarterly usually satisfies 3 hours or training. Today's topics were autism and epilepsy. The lectures were OK. I'd done enough reading on the topics to the point where I didn't find the speakers' information particularly enlightening. I would have liked a more detailed set of information (e.g., a discussion of tips for handling particular communication barriers, a discussion of how certain diets seem to minimize certain behaviors, etc.).
The neat part of the quarterly was running into three of our classmates. One couple recently received another toddler (so they have two bio kids in elementary school plus the two foster tots). The other person is someone we hadn't seen since April. I was concerned that she and her husband had dropped out, but they'd actually just taken a two-month pilgrimage to India in the fall, came back and fostered two little ones who were reunited with their bio parents (which our friend said was the right and happy thing to have happened), and now are fostering a charming young man who is in preschool. The highlight of the day was going out to lunch with our friend and her foster son. He was cute as a button, and it was beautiful to see them interact.
Jeff and I came home after lunch. Jeff fixed our automatic dog door so that Lily can go out of the house on her own if she needs to use the privy. She doesn't quite get it, but we hope that this will be the answer to our problems with her peeing in the house. Fixing the dog door was a task b/c Lily had chewed up the power cord to it several weeks ago. I spent the afternoon filling out fostercare and adoption paperwork.
We got the kids at 4:30PM. They'd had a good day. Henry had two waffles for breakfast. Miss R ate some but not much. The grandparents took them to Costco where Henry snacked his way around the store. Apparently, there was a lot of food to be sampled and Henry tried it all. When Jeff and I arrived to pick up the kids, they were in Grammy's lap watching Thomas. They yelled "NO!" when we walked into the room. Quite the greeting!
Henry had mangled his new pair of glasses. He'd bent one side pretty good about two days after getting the new pair. To that, he managed to twist the other side. That means it lasted almost 8 days and he's managed to break four pairs of glasses so far. We are looking forward to the arrival of the Flex-On frames. They can't come soon enough in my opinion.
We went to Trader Joe's. The kids received balloons and stickers. Then it was homeward bound. Jeff made the kids salmon, risotto, and french fries for dinner. Henry ate his piece of salmon. He had a second helping of fries. And he had a couple bites of the risotto. Not bad. Miss R had a couple bites of salmon and a second helping of fries. She refused the risotto outright. Sigh.
The kids had a wonderful time wrestling with Jeff after dinner. They climbed on him and then had fun tumbling off together. I read them a story about "Henry and the Elephant" from the Thomas series. Then it was teeth and bed. Before bed, I weighed Henry and he was a little over 29 lbs. I'm hoping that's right. Miss R was just over 24 lbs. Given how little she eats, I can imagine that she's actually gained weight the last week.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Eating Struggles
On Friday afternoon, I picked up the kids after their last round of playground time. I got Henry first. He was at a table reading a book quietly. He appeared quite focused. Miss Marissa said that he had a great day. We then picked up Miss R who was playing with puppets. She seemed to have a good day too. Henry really wanted to go to Trader Joe's for a balloon, but he had to settle for the Walmart, which is the closest grocery store to us that sells goat's milk. He loves shopping.
We left our neighborhood Walmart with cookies for the kids. Miss R ate two cookies, and Henry ate 1.5. We watched a little of Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone before dinnner. Our neighbor Yvonne had given Jeff some beans and rice. Henry loved the beans. Miss R refused to try anything. She eventually tried some of the crust on the hot dog appetizer. Not much though. Henry ate all of his beans and one of the hot dog pieces rolled in crust. We let him watch TV while we waited for Miss R to eat some. She just sat there and refused to touch her food. We let Henry down to watch more TV but told Miss R that we'd only let her down if she tried some of her dinner. She refused. So she sat there. I read. Then, Jeff and I switched places. Eventually, we sent Miss R to bed b/c she looked tired but refused to eat. We aren't sure that this was the appropriate way to handle her food refusals. In fact, the books say that toddlers won't let themselves starve. And yet, we know that our gal is not eating. No, she isn't starving but she isn't growing like she should. So what should we do? We've done the kind offering for the last 9 months. Can't say that really got us anywhere. We are frustrated.
After dinner, I gave Henry the rest of his cookie, which he ate. Then he tried some tapiocca pudding, which he liked. Then, he requested animal crackers. Then, he wanted milk. Although this is a lot more sugar than he normally eats (although other than the cookie, the dessert items weren't as bad as a lot of desserts on sugar), we were pleased that he was eating some foods with calories. Not to mention that he did eat his beans at dinner. I got a lot of snuggle time with him on the floor as we watched the movie and talked about the characters. Then, it was time for bed.
We've decided to restrict the amount of water at bed. While waiting for Miss R to eat something, I read that water can decrease the amount of food kids eat...although Henry's water usually comes right before bed when he isn't going to be eating until the next morning, so I don't know how well that advice really applies.
We left our neighborhood Walmart with cookies for the kids. Miss R ate two cookies, and Henry ate 1.5. We watched a little of Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone before dinnner. Our neighbor Yvonne had given Jeff some beans and rice. Henry loved the beans. Miss R refused to try anything. She eventually tried some of the crust on the hot dog appetizer. Not much though. Henry ate all of his beans and one of the hot dog pieces rolled in crust. We let him watch TV while we waited for Miss R to eat some. She just sat there and refused to touch her food. We let Henry down to watch more TV but told Miss R that we'd only let her down if she tried some of her dinner. She refused. So she sat there. I read. Then, Jeff and I switched places. Eventually, we sent Miss R to bed b/c she looked tired but refused to eat. We aren't sure that this was the appropriate way to handle her food refusals. In fact, the books say that toddlers won't let themselves starve. And yet, we know that our gal is not eating. No, she isn't starving but she isn't growing like she should. So what should we do? We've done the kind offering for the last 9 months. Can't say that really got us anywhere. We are frustrated.
After dinner, I gave Henry the rest of his cookie, which he ate. Then he tried some tapiocca pudding, which he liked. Then, he requested animal crackers. Then, he wanted milk. Although this is a lot more sugar than he normally eats (although other than the cookie, the dessert items weren't as bad as a lot of desserts on sugar), we were pleased that he was eating some foods with calories. Not to mention that he did eat his beans at dinner. I got a lot of snuggle time with him on the floor as we watched the movie and talked about the characters. Then, it was time for bed.
We've decided to restrict the amount of water at bed. While waiting for Miss R to eat something, I read that water can decrease the amount of food kids eat...although Henry's water usually comes right before bed when he isn't going to be eating until the next morning, so I don't know how well that advice really applies.
A Dramatic Tantrum
On Thursday, it was rainy. That meant that the kids stayed in their classrooms all day. Both Jeff and I picked up the kids so that we could take them to Affinity Eye Care, the place that had ordered frames for Henry. Unfortunately, the frames we wanted were way too short. They were the perfect width but the loops didn't reach the back of the ears. They had another pair that looked great on him, but we really want loops at the back so that he won't rip them off his head all of the time. He liked the double mirror. When it was turned to the magnified side, he yelled "I look big!" They are ordering another pair of the flex-ons with ear loops on the sides. Hopefully, it won't take took long.
Henry had fun playing with the sales woman's calculator and pretending it was a cell phone. One of the other customers was cracking up at Henry's antics. Unfortunately, he licked the woman's calculator, which grossed us out b/c we don't know who had touched it AND I'm sure grossed her out (b/c who wants a strange kid licking one's calculator?). Her non-verbals didn't scream out "Yuck!" but that's what mine would have been doing if I had been her.
Afterward, we went to Monkey Business as a "surprise." The kids had a good time. When it was time to get food, however, Henry threw a tantrum that involved him dramatically throwing himself to the floor and rolling 6 feet on the ground. His tantrums are so wearing. The kids ate decently when it came to their grilled cheese sandwiches. Miss R ate most of the the hard-boiled egg whites from Jeff's salad. That was new. We had no clue that Miss R would entertain hard-boiled egg, so we were pleased.
Henry was upset when we left Monkey Business. Miss R was fine. When we neared home, Henry said he wanted to go back.
This morning, the kids were chatting by the time I got to their room. Henry announced that he wanted to go back to sleep. He told me to go away. Miss R, however, was ready to start her day.
Their classes were together on the playground when I dropped them off. That seemed to make my get-away a bit easier.
Henry had fun playing with the sales woman's calculator and pretending it was a cell phone. One of the other customers was cracking up at Henry's antics. Unfortunately, he licked the woman's calculator, which grossed us out b/c we don't know who had touched it AND I'm sure grossed her out (b/c who wants a strange kid licking one's calculator?). Her non-verbals didn't scream out "Yuck!" but that's what mine would have been doing if I had been her.
Afterward, we went to Monkey Business as a "surprise." The kids had a good time. When it was time to get food, however, Henry threw a tantrum that involved him dramatically throwing himself to the floor and rolling 6 feet on the ground. His tantrums are so wearing. The kids ate decently when it came to their grilled cheese sandwiches. Miss R ate most of the the hard-boiled egg whites from Jeff's salad. That was new. We had no clue that Miss R would entertain hard-boiled egg, so we were pleased.
Henry was upset when we left Monkey Business. Miss R was fine. When we neared home, Henry said he wanted to go back.
This morning, the kids were chatting by the time I got to their room. Henry announced that he wanted to go back to sleep. He told me to go away. Miss R, however, was ready to start her day.
Their classes were together on the playground when I dropped them off. That seemed to make my get-away a bit easier.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
"This is the night. It's a beautiful night..."
On Wednesday, Jeff went to get the kids up at 7:30AM. Henry had awoken before he arrived, but Miss R was sound asleep. The kids had gone to bed around 8:30PM the night before. The 11 hours of sleep agreed with Henry who was less whiny than he's been the last couple days.
Grammy and Poppy picked up the kids b/c I had class and Jeff went to Court. We were under the impression that the Court hearing was going to be just about the siblings, but Miss R's caseworker thought that the hearing would involve Miss R too. It was good that Jeff went. It seems like CPS is behind us. Today, I received an email from our family specialist from A Place To Call Home. She said that our application to become certified as adoptive parents has been submitted the Court, which is good news. Jeff and I are going to try to get the rest of the paperwork to Miss R's caseworker from St. Nick's next week so that once we are certified, the ball can start rolling.
The kids had pancakes and sausage for dinner. They ate decently well. I picked up the kids after work. Henry announced, "I'm pooping." After a pause, he said "I want to go to the potty." This was music to my ears. It's about time for that desire to kick in. Unfortunately, we passed by *his* bedroom (formerly my childhood bedroom), which has lots of books. Those proved to be too much of a distraction. The moment had passed, and the potty was forgotten. :(
In the car, the kids argued over who liked Miss Diana more. Henry announced, "I want to play basketball like Nic Wise and play football like an Eagle." When we got home, the kids played around a little bit. After we brushed their teeth, they played in our closet. They pretended that a suitcase was an airplane. They pretended that the cord to a disconnected space heater was a microphone. They sang The Lady and the Tramp song "This is the night" into the cord's end. They improvised a bit. Then it was time for bed.
Grammy and Poppy picked up the kids b/c I had class and Jeff went to Court. We were under the impression that the Court hearing was going to be just about the siblings, but Miss R's caseworker thought that the hearing would involve Miss R too. It was good that Jeff went. It seems like CPS is behind us. Today, I received an email from our family specialist from A Place To Call Home. She said that our application to become certified as adoptive parents has been submitted the Court, which is good news. Jeff and I are going to try to get the rest of the paperwork to Miss R's caseworker from St. Nick's next week so that once we are certified, the ball can start rolling.
The kids had pancakes and sausage for dinner. They ate decently well. I picked up the kids after work. Henry announced, "I'm pooping." After a pause, he said "I want to go to the potty." This was music to my ears. It's about time for that desire to kick in. Unfortunately, we passed by *his* bedroom (formerly my childhood bedroom), which has lots of books. Those proved to be too much of a distraction. The moment had passed, and the potty was forgotten. :(
In the car, the kids argued over who liked Miss Diana more. Henry announced, "I want to play basketball like Nic Wise and play football like an Eagle." When we got home, the kids played around a little bit. After we brushed their teeth, they played in our closet. They pretended that a suitcase was an airplane. They pretended that the cord to a disconnected space heater was a microphone. They sang The Lady and the Tramp song "This is the night" into the cord's end. They improvised a bit. Then it was time for bed.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
"I want Fiber-Os."
Jeff took Lily to the vets this afternoon b/c she had something in her leg and had been limping the night before. Turned out that she'd managed to get a 1-inch cactus spine between the paw and leg joint. So I picked up Henry at 4:15PM. He was excited to see me and gave me a huge hug. Miss Marissa said that Henry had had a really good day. As we passed through the lobby, Miss Cassie (Henry's crush) said goodbye to him. Sometimes when he sees her, he tries to pass by her quickly b/c he gets tongue-tied when she asks him questions. Today, she managed to get him to give her a high five and a hug. I think that he was pleased.
On the playground before we left, he said he was hungry (yeah!). In the car, he announced that he wanted Fiber-Os. When we got through the door, I gave him a bowl of cereal and he told me that he wanted milk too. He sat down at the picnic table and began to eat. I learned that he is ambidextrous when it comes to utensils. He scooped the Os on the right side of the bowl using the spoon in his left hand and then switched to get the Os on the left. He asked for more cereal three times, which I gladly replenished. And he wanted more milk, which I added twice. It is so nice to see our skinny boy eat!
OK, I realize I'm a little biased but I think that Henry would make a great spokeskid for Toasted Oats.
At 5:30PM, Miss R came back from a sibling visit (just one brother this time). He had brought her a stuffed animal bunny. The driver commented on how she didn't like the hills on one of the roads, which is definitely the case. The CPS drivers get their directions from MapQuest. We've told a couple of them that another road is her preferred route for her b/c the dips are less noticeable, but it is rarely the same driver twice within a month's span of time. She was happy to be home.
The kids wanted oatmeal for dinner. Henry polished off a whole bowl plus some Boost. They'd had oatmeal for breakfast. Although we like them to have variety, at this point, we are just happy to see them eat. We gave them a bath tonight and Henry is just so skinny. His ribs and spine are a bit too visible for my peace of mind. Sigh. Miss R is underweight for her age BUT she still has a little bit of a belly and some fat on her thighs, so we know that she isn't undernourished. I think that with her, when all is said and done, she will be a petite young gal, but her bio mom is also petite, so that's not a huge surprise. After their bath, the kids watched a little TV and went to bed.
And now, I'm going to work...
On the playground before we left, he said he was hungry (yeah!). In the car, he announced that he wanted Fiber-Os. When we got through the door, I gave him a bowl of cereal and he told me that he wanted milk too. He sat down at the picnic table and began to eat. I learned that he is ambidextrous when it comes to utensils. He scooped the Os on the right side of the bowl using the spoon in his left hand and then switched to get the Os on the left. He asked for more cereal three times, which I gladly replenished. And he wanted more milk, which I added twice. It is so nice to see our skinny boy eat!
OK, I realize I'm a little biased but I think that Henry would make a great spokeskid for Toasted Oats.
At 5:30PM, Miss R came back from a sibling visit (just one brother this time). He had brought her a stuffed animal bunny. The driver commented on how she didn't like the hills on one of the roads, which is definitely the case. The CPS drivers get their directions from MapQuest. We've told a couple of them that another road is her preferred route for her b/c the dips are less noticeable, but it is rarely the same driver twice within a month's span of time. She was happy to be home.
The kids wanted oatmeal for dinner. Henry polished off a whole bowl plus some Boost. They'd had oatmeal for breakfast. Although we like them to have variety, at this point, we are just happy to see them eat. We gave them a bath tonight and Henry is just so skinny. His ribs and spine are a bit too visible for my peace of mind. Sigh. Miss R is underweight for her age BUT she still has a little bit of a belly and some fat on her thighs, so we know that she isn't undernourished. I think that with her, when all is said and done, she will be a petite young gal, but her bio mom is also petite, so that's not a huge surprise. After their bath, the kids watched a little TV and went to bed.
And now, I'm going to work...
Our Monthy Visit
On Tuesday morning, Henry got up around 7:30AM. I picked him up and took him to my bed for some snuggling. Henry liked that. We had about 15 minutes of exclusive Mommy-Henry time, which was nice. I very rarely get a lot of snuggling time with Henry. He's great with hugs, but snuggling requires staying in one location, which isn't Henry's thing...unless a book is being read to him. Henry declared that he wanted pancakes, waffles, and oatmeal for breakfast. Jeff gave him two out of the three: waffles and oatmeal. I got Miss R out of bed around 8AM. She wasn't excited about getting up, but she didn't protest too much.
The kids were excited to have a visitor, Miss R's adoption caseworker. Henry called her "Miss Christy." The kids were cute while Miss Christy visited. They also decided to shout out "Stupid Eagle!" several times. Jeff and I are, understandably, concerned about appearances and explained that their shouts were a derivation of "Stupid Beagle" from Peanuts (a Snoopy reference). Miss R changed "beagle" to "eagle." Given Jeff's love of the Eagles football team, I of course have not discouraged their use of the phrase "Stupid Eagle!" b/c I think that it is pretty darn funny. Not sure that Jeff does. Miss R also decided to send me to "timeout" during the visit. Not sure what I had done to merit a timeout, but she also told me to "Go away, Mommy!" Now that one, I can explain. Whenever the kids say "Go away!", I proceed to kiss them. Miss R is particularly fond of telling me to "Go away!" and then pretend to be about to run off so that I can catch her and kiss her. Luckily, I think that Christy found the interactions amusing, which is good.
What's left to do to get this adoption done already?
(1) Get certified to adopt (requires A Place To Call Home submitting our paperwork to the adoption judge).
(2) Submit paperwork to Christy. We turned some of the paperwork into her today. But she said that she won't actually do anything with the paperwork until we are "adoption certified." From an agency perspective, I understand why they would wait. No point on acting until they know that people are "approved."
(3) Once certified, Christy will review our application. There are different components of the application. The long part is having the application sent to the Court for approval, which can take 2 months after she sends it along.
I suspect that it would be technically possible to have this done by April (wouldn't it be fun to celebrate Henry's birthday and Miss R's adoption the same month!). But with bureaucracies being what they are, I suspect that June is probably a more likely date. She said that as far as she is concerned based on what she has from CPS, we will be adopting Miss R. That's what our hearts desire. We want to finalize this as soon as possible.
The kids were very cute as they said goodbye to "Miss Christy." They love seeing people to their cars.
Then, it was off to daycare. We dropped Miss R off at her class first. She gave Henry a big hug goodbye and he said "I Love You!" Melts my heart. Then, I dropped off Henry. He was upset about going to school. I wish that he would be more excited about it.
The kids were excited to have a visitor, Miss R's adoption caseworker. Henry called her "Miss Christy." The kids were cute while Miss Christy visited. They also decided to shout out "Stupid Eagle!" several times. Jeff and I are, understandably, concerned about appearances and explained that their shouts were a derivation of "Stupid Beagle" from Peanuts (a Snoopy reference). Miss R changed "beagle" to "eagle." Given Jeff's love of the Eagles football team, I of course have not discouraged their use of the phrase "Stupid Eagle!" b/c I think that it is pretty darn funny. Not sure that Jeff does. Miss R also decided to send me to "timeout" during the visit. Not sure what I had done to merit a timeout, but she also told me to "Go away, Mommy!" Now that one, I can explain. Whenever the kids say "Go away!", I proceed to kiss them. Miss R is particularly fond of telling me to "Go away!" and then pretend to be about to run off so that I can catch her and kiss her. Luckily, I think that Christy found the interactions amusing, which is good.
What's left to do to get this adoption done already?
(1) Get certified to adopt (requires A Place To Call Home submitting our paperwork to the adoption judge).
(2) Submit paperwork to Christy. We turned some of the paperwork into her today. But she said that she won't actually do anything with the paperwork until we are "adoption certified." From an agency perspective, I understand why they would wait. No point on acting until they know that people are "approved."
(3) Once certified, Christy will review our application. There are different components of the application. The long part is having the application sent to the Court for approval, which can take 2 months after she sends it along.
I suspect that it would be technically possible to have this done by April (wouldn't it be fun to celebrate Henry's birthday and Miss R's adoption the same month!). But with bureaucracies being what they are, I suspect that June is probably a more likely date. She said that as far as she is concerned based on what she has from CPS, we will be adopting Miss R. That's what our hearts desire. We want to finalize this as soon as possible.
The kids were very cute as they said goodbye to "Miss Christy." They love seeing people to their cars.
Then, it was off to daycare. We dropped Miss R off at her class first. She gave Henry a big hug goodbye and he said "I Love You!" Melts my heart. Then, I dropped off Henry. He was upset about going to school. I wish that he would be more excited about it.
Monday, January 25, 2010
"Get on the bike, R, and I'll take you to California!"
Given the kids' craziness last night, they went to bed later than usual. Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that they had to get up by 7AM, so I could get them to school by 8:30AM, and get myself to school for a morning appointment. Many tears were shed when Jeff tried to get the kids up. "No! No! No!" rang throughout the house.
At daycare, Miss R was a pain to get out of the car. She's getting as bad as Henry. Plus, she put her shoe on my black shirt when I was trying to unbuckle Henry. Ugh. Henry cried when I took him to the playground. That made me sad.
My parents picked up the kids. They bought them a new Thomas train at Barnes & Noble and bought them the book of "The Princess and the Frog." They went to the eye glass place to get Henry his new pair of glasses (same as the old pair but not twisted...yet). Grammy reported that the kids were good. They had a disagreement, however, when Henry took his bike into a second room and left it. Then he came back to the family room and took Miss R's bike. She wanted it back. He tried to compromise. He wanted her to get behind him on the bike. He told her, "Get on the bike, R, and I'll take you to California!"
According to Grammy and Poppy, the kids had two scwabbles yesterday. One scwabble was whether or not someone had a "boo boo" vs. an "owie." I don't know who was pro-boo boo and who was pro-owie, but apparently it was a loud disagreement. Their second scwabble was over who had the stinkier backside. That debate centered around the theme "No, you have a stinky butt." I'm guessing that we are going to have a lot more fun bathroom debates in the future. I'm going to see if I can get them to use the word "derriere" instead of "butt." It sounds a little less vulgar.
Tonight, I picked up the kids around 7:15PM. Henry, especially, was very tired. They put up a fuss when going to bed, but it didn't take them long to settle down (or perhaps Jeff and I are just getting better at ignoring the protests).
Tomorrow, Miss R has a visit from Christy, her caseworker. Then, it is on to school, so that Jeff and I can get our work done.
At daycare, Miss R was a pain to get out of the car. She's getting as bad as Henry. Plus, she put her shoe on my black shirt when I was trying to unbuckle Henry. Ugh. Henry cried when I took him to the playground. That made me sad.
My parents picked up the kids. They bought them a new Thomas train at Barnes & Noble and bought them the book of "The Princess and the Frog." They went to the eye glass place to get Henry his new pair of glasses (same as the old pair but not twisted...yet). Grammy reported that the kids were good. They had a disagreement, however, when Henry took his bike into a second room and left it. Then he came back to the family room and took Miss R's bike. She wanted it back. He tried to compromise. He wanted her to get behind him on the bike. He told her, "Get on the bike, R, and I'll take you to California!"
According to Grammy and Poppy, the kids had two scwabbles yesterday. One scwabble was whether or not someone had a "boo boo" vs. an "owie." I don't know who was pro-boo boo and who was pro-owie, but apparently it was a loud disagreement. Their second scwabble was over who had the stinkier backside. That debate centered around the theme "No, you have a stinky butt." I'm guessing that we are going to have a lot more fun bathroom debates in the future. I'm going to see if I can get them to use the word "derriere" instead of "butt." It sounds a little less vulgar.
Tonight, I picked up the kids around 7:15PM. Henry, especially, was very tired. They put up a fuss when going to bed, but it didn't take them long to settle down (or perhaps Jeff and I are just getting better at ignoring the protests).
Tomorrow, Miss R has a visit from Christy, her caseworker. Then, it is on to school, so that Jeff and I can get our work done.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Juiced
Jeff picked up the kids and returned home around 8PM this evening. In his words, they were "juiced." I'm quite sure that the grandparents must have given the kids something with sugar (maybe the chocolate almond milk?) b/c they were crazy. I gave Miss R her nebulizing treatment b/c she was already so wired, I figure that the albuterol couldn't make her any more crazy.
The kids had a hug-fest. Miss R would say goodbye to Henry and then they'd give each other a huge hug before parting ways...for about 4 feet. Then, they'd say goodgye again and hug once more. Jeff said that it was quite a different attitude from the car when Henry snatched the paper pirate hat off Miss R's head causing it to rip. That sent Miss R into a tearful tizzy...understandably. Luckily, we had a backup one (the one Henry wasn't using).
The kids had a good time with Grammy and Poppy. They took a 2.5 hour nap and then went to the park. Grammy and Poppy said that they wanted to pick up the kids tomorrow, so today must have gone well.
The kids are asleep now. Only one request each for more water this evening. They didn't go to bed, however, until 9:30PM, so tomorrow is going to feel harsh when they are pulled from bed at 7AM. I'm hoping for a full-day at work!
The kids had a hug-fest. Miss R would say goodbye to Henry and then they'd give each other a huge hug before parting ways...for about 4 feet. Then, they'd say goodgye again and hug once more. Jeff said that it was quite a different attitude from the car when Henry snatched the paper pirate hat off Miss R's head causing it to rip. That sent Miss R into a tearful tizzy...understandably. Luckily, we had a backup one (the one Henry wasn't using).
The kids had a good time with Grammy and Poppy. They took a 2.5 hour nap and then went to the park. Grammy and Poppy said that they wanted to pick up the kids tomorrow, so today must have gone well.
The kids are asleep now. Only one request each for more water this evening. They didn't go to bed, however, until 9:30PM, so tomorrow is going to feel harsh when they are pulled from bed at 7AM. I'm hoping for a full-day at work!
"All Hail Plankton!"
This morning, the kids were picky at breakfast. We suspect that Miss R has decided to adopt Henry's not-so-great eating habits. If she thinks that Henry is rejecting food, she does the same. Again, I ask: How on earth did Jeff and I end up with two kids who don't like to eat?!?
The kids were cute this morning. They had a few scuffles. Henry purposefully tries to rile Miss R. Miss R overreacts. Sometimes, though, they join forces against me when they think that I'm going to land one of them in timeout. This morning, Henry said "I Love You!" to Miss R. She frequently responds with "No!" But this morning, she decided to say "I Love You, Henry!"
Henry ran around with a basket on his head for awhile. Once on his head, he shouted "All Hail Plankton!" which is quotation from the Sponge Bob movie when Plankton, a little guy who has evil plans to take over the world, distributes free bucket hats at his restaurant "The Chum Bucket." The buckets turn the citizens of Bikini Bottom into mindless zombies who shout "All Hail Plankton!"
I confess that Jeff and I were much relieved when the grandparents picked up the kids around 11AM or so. It is the first break that we've had from them in a week. I love them dearly, but it is nice to have a little break from our eneretic crew. I'm using my break to catch up on work. Yeah! And Jeff is on the roof looking for a leak.
The kids were cute this morning. They had a few scuffles. Henry purposefully tries to rile Miss R. Miss R overreacts. Sometimes, though, they join forces against me when they think that I'm going to land one of them in timeout. This morning, Henry said "I Love You!" to Miss R. She frequently responds with "No!" But this morning, she decided to say "I Love You, Henry!"
Henry ran around with a basket on his head for awhile. Once on his head, he shouted "All Hail Plankton!" which is quotation from the Sponge Bob movie when Plankton, a little guy who has evil plans to take over the world, distributes free bucket hats at his restaurant "The Chum Bucket." The buckets turn the citizens of Bikini Bottom into mindless zombies who shout "All Hail Plankton!"
I confess that Jeff and I were much relieved when the grandparents picked up the kids around 11AM or so. It is the first break that we've had from them in a week. I love them dearly, but it is nice to have a little break from our eneretic crew. I'm using my break to catch up on work. Yeah! And Jeff is on the roof looking for a leak.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Princess and the Frog
Jeff took care of the kids mid-morning until mid-afternoon. I tried to get back on track for work. Jeff has been enjoying his time with the kids playing with my old legos.
Miss R's lawyer called and I talked with him for awhile. Nothing new. He wanted to know how the adoption process was coming along. I said that we were still in the paperwork phase. He said that once the case moved to St. Nick's, the process really shouldn't take that long. We are certainly in favor of getting the adoption done sooner than later. I have an inkling that there is some incentive for the agency to drag it out as long as possible b/c once she's off their case load, they probably don't get any funding from the state. But maybe I'm just being too cynical about the workings of agencies that deal with social work. I'm looking forward to the day when I don't have to fill out so much paperwork that no one probably ever reads. Anyway, my talk with him went well. He'll probably come out and see Miss R before the next hearing (a non-appearance, dependency review).
As the kids had been fever free and without fever-reducing medications for 24 hours, we decided to take them to see The Princess and the Frog with Aunt Erin. The kids were surprisingly well-behaved. The last 20 minutes, Henry started talking out louded and had to be shushed a couple times. Thankfully, there were only two other groups in the theater...one with a kid or kids who had blurted stuff out a couple times making us feel better about our kids. At least our kids were no worse than the others. Henry liked one of the songs and got up and danced to it. We managed to get some pretzel and popcorn into Henry and Miss R while they were staring at the screen. Nice to not deal with protest.
Afterward, we let the kids run around the arcade. Henry was intrigued by the flashing lights. That gave me an opportunity to talk with Erin a little bit.
After six days couped up in the house, Henry was ready to let off some steam. His nose wasn't that running today and his cough had died down considerably. After parting ways with Aunt Erin, we took the kids to the mall. I'm loving the fact that they have put hand sanitizer at the entrance! Unfortunately, the play area was way too crowded and contained several kids who were too big for the area as well (not that it stopped them from running over the little kids there). We decided to take the kids walking around the mall. We stopped by the fountain, and I gave the kids four pennies each upon which to make wishes. They don't quite get the "wish" concept yet, but they had fun throwing the pennies. I made the recommendation that they wish for "world peace" while they were at it. We went up the elevator. Walked around. Stopped by the pet store and looked at the puppies and baby gerbels. And then had dinner at Red Robin.
Henry was squirmy but obviously tired too. As he leaned against the wood panel wall of the booth, he said "I love you!" I said, "You love me?" He said, "I love this" as he pointed to the wall. That made Jeff and I feel special.
Miss R ate a decent meal, at least for her. Henry did OK. At least he ate some. Given that they had snacked at the movies, it wasn't a bad meal for them.
Then, it was homeward bound. Henry was upset b/c I told him that the Monkey Business was closed b/c the workers had to go home and sleep. He wasn't buying it. He also wanted to go to "April." The story behind "April" is that he told me that he wanted to go to Disneyland. I told him that if he was good, maybe we'd go in April. He doesn't understand the passage of time and thinks that April is a place. So wanting to "go to April" has become a new theme in his life.
The kids are asleep now. I'm unfortunatley going to have to work tomorrow. My parents really want to take the kids. I think that we are going to let them. We've kept them away this week b/c we didn't want my parents getting sick. But as we think that we are passed the contagious post-fever stage (otherwise we wouldn't have taken them out), we are going to let Henry and Miss R see their grandparents whom they have talked about all week.
Miss R's lawyer called and I talked with him for awhile. Nothing new. He wanted to know how the adoption process was coming along. I said that we were still in the paperwork phase. He said that once the case moved to St. Nick's, the process really shouldn't take that long. We are certainly in favor of getting the adoption done sooner than later. I have an inkling that there is some incentive for the agency to drag it out as long as possible b/c once she's off their case load, they probably don't get any funding from the state. But maybe I'm just being too cynical about the workings of agencies that deal with social work. I'm looking forward to the day when I don't have to fill out so much paperwork that no one probably ever reads. Anyway, my talk with him went well. He'll probably come out and see Miss R before the next hearing (a non-appearance, dependency review).
As the kids had been fever free and without fever-reducing medications for 24 hours, we decided to take them to see The Princess and the Frog with Aunt Erin. The kids were surprisingly well-behaved. The last 20 minutes, Henry started talking out louded and had to be shushed a couple times. Thankfully, there were only two other groups in the theater...one with a kid or kids who had blurted stuff out a couple times making us feel better about our kids. At least our kids were no worse than the others. Henry liked one of the songs and got up and danced to it. We managed to get some pretzel and popcorn into Henry and Miss R while they were staring at the screen. Nice to not deal with protest.
Afterward, we let the kids run around the arcade. Henry was intrigued by the flashing lights. That gave me an opportunity to talk with Erin a little bit.
After six days couped up in the house, Henry was ready to let off some steam. His nose wasn't that running today and his cough had died down considerably. After parting ways with Aunt Erin, we took the kids to the mall. I'm loving the fact that they have put hand sanitizer at the entrance! Unfortunately, the play area was way too crowded and contained several kids who were too big for the area as well (not that it stopped them from running over the little kids there). We decided to take the kids walking around the mall. We stopped by the fountain, and I gave the kids four pennies each upon which to make wishes. They don't quite get the "wish" concept yet, but they had fun throwing the pennies. I made the recommendation that they wish for "world peace" while they were at it. We went up the elevator. Walked around. Stopped by the pet store and looked at the puppies and baby gerbels. And then had dinner at Red Robin.
Henry was squirmy but obviously tired too. As he leaned against the wood panel wall of the booth, he said "I love you!" I said, "You love me?" He said, "I love this" as he pointed to the wall. That made Jeff and I feel special.
Miss R ate a decent meal, at least for her. Henry did OK. At least he ate some. Given that they had snacked at the movies, it wasn't a bad meal for them.
Then, it was homeward bound. Henry was upset b/c I told him that the Monkey Business was closed b/c the workers had to go home and sleep. He wasn't buying it. He also wanted to go to "April." The story behind "April" is that he told me that he wanted to go to Disneyland. I told him that if he was good, maybe we'd go in April. He doesn't understand the passage of time and thinks that April is a place. So wanting to "go to April" has become a new theme in his life.
The kids are asleep now. I'm unfortunatley going to have to work tomorrow. My parents really want to take the kids. I think that we are going to let them. We've kept them away this week b/c we didn't want my parents getting sick. But as we think that we are passed the contagious post-fever stage (otherwise we wouldn't have taken them out), we are going to let Henry and Miss R see their grandparents whom they have talked about all week.
The House of Whine (not the good kind)
On Friday, we decided it was time to call the doctor's office. We had to make sure that Henry's lungs were not getting overwhelmed with the drainage. And we also had to make sure that Miss R wasn't wheezing too much. They squeezed us into the schedule for an appointment with the NP. Henry was super whiny at NP appointment.
The NP decided to give the kids antibiotics (strong ones) to knock the yuckiness out. Miss R was wheezing on one side of her lungs, so we are on a course of nebulizing twice a day again (we've been doing anyone, but now it's official that we *have* to do it). The good news was that Miss R's sats were high. Henry's lungs sounded clear to the NP, but the NP didn't like the sound of his cough.
Henry weighed something like 27 lbs 10 ozs. That's nearly a pound increase from our December visit. Miss R, however, has unfortunately lost weight. We've had a heck of a time getting her to eat. How have we ended up with two kids who aren't interested in food?
It pretty much rained all day Friday. We gave the kids a bath after their sort-of-kind-of dinner. Then, it was bed time.
Jeff is taking care of the kids this morning (Saturday) so that I can catch up on several days of missed work. Oy vey! As the kids haven't had fevers in 24 hours, we are going to take them to see The Princess and the Frog with Aunt Erin after their naps. If they take one, that is. Henry didn't take one yesterday, which probably contributed to his "the sky is falling" attitude when we didn't let him watch TV.
This morning, Henry announced "I don't love Mommy!" when I didn't let him watch TV. Nice to know that love is directly correlated with amount of TV allowed!
That's all from here.
The NP decided to give the kids antibiotics (strong ones) to knock the yuckiness out. Miss R was wheezing on one side of her lungs, so we are on a course of nebulizing twice a day again (we've been doing anyone, but now it's official that we *have* to do it). The good news was that Miss R's sats were high. Henry's lungs sounded clear to the NP, but the NP didn't like the sound of his cough.
Henry weighed something like 27 lbs 10 ozs. That's nearly a pound increase from our December visit. Miss R, however, has unfortunately lost weight. We've had a heck of a time getting her to eat. How have we ended up with two kids who aren't interested in food?
It pretty much rained all day Friday. We gave the kids a bath after their sort-of-kind-of dinner. Then, it was bed time.
Jeff is taking care of the kids this morning (Saturday) so that I can catch up on several days of missed work. Oy vey! As the kids haven't had fevers in 24 hours, we are going to take them to see The Princess and the Frog with Aunt Erin after their naps. If they take one, that is. Henry didn't take one yesterday, which probably contributed to his "the sky is falling" attitude when we didn't let him watch TV.
This morning, Henry announced "I don't love Mommy!" when I didn't let him watch TV. Nice to know that love is directly correlated with amount of TV allowed!
That's all from here.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Still Home Sick
Thursday, Day 4 of Kids Sick Week. Low grade fevers. Runny noses. Coughs. I had a meeting near school, so Jeff took care of the kids for two hours. Henry and Miss R have had the opportunity in recent days to watch Dora the Explorer and Diego. They, especially Henry, seem to like the shows. The shows require some interaction from the audience and seem to try to teach...a bit different from Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Miss R convinced me that she wanted to snuggle at nap time, so I napped with her on my bed. That was nice.
We've kept the kids quiet with lots of TV. They're happy. Quiet as they should be when recovering from illness.
Miss R hasn't been eating much, which concerns us a little. Henry did OK at dinner. Miss R had one bite too many of mac'n'cheese and was about to throw it up. Henry the Copy Cat had a bite in his mouth at the same time and decided to spit it out all over the plate so he could compete with Miss R on the gag reflex front.
The day was quite gloomy outside. Winds were blowing rapidly this morning. We're getting the storms from California. Currently, there's a tornado watch in our area. There's a thunderstorm moving across the county with 80 mile hour winds. While Jeff was putting down the shutters, we had a blackout. Miss R freaked out. We'd just put the kids down for the night. I tripped over the toys in the living room as I made my way to their bedroom. Jeff came to the rescue with flashlights. Then, Henry had a severe coughing fit. I think that he was choking on his drainage. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy. I'm hoping that we'll have some sunny skies and good health some time in the near future.
Miss R convinced me that she wanted to snuggle at nap time, so I napped with her on my bed. That was nice.
We've kept the kids quiet with lots of TV. They're happy. Quiet as they should be when recovering from illness.
Miss R hasn't been eating much, which concerns us a little. Henry did OK at dinner. Miss R had one bite too many of mac'n'cheese and was about to throw it up. Henry the Copy Cat had a bite in his mouth at the same time and decided to spit it out all over the plate so he could compete with Miss R on the gag reflex front.
The day was quite gloomy outside. Winds were blowing rapidly this morning. We're getting the storms from California. Currently, there's a tornado watch in our area. There's a thunderstorm moving across the county with 80 mile hour winds. While Jeff was putting down the shutters, we had a blackout. Miss R freaked out. We'd just put the kids down for the night. I tripped over the toys in the living room as I made my way to their bedroom. Jeff came to the rescue with flashlights. Then, Henry had a severe coughing fit. I think that he was choking on his drainage. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy. I'm hoping that we'll have some sunny skies and good health some time in the near future.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Smart Alecs
Last night, I spent the better part of the evening filling out foster care/adoption forms and whatnot. Jeff took care of the kids. When Jeff told them that it was time for bed, they raced to our bed, hopped in, and pretended to sleep as evidenced by their fake, loud snores.
I stayed up incredibly late getting my class materials together. Managed to get a couple hours of sleep.
On Wednesday, Jeff took the day off work. It sounded like they had a great day. They slept over 2.5 hours during nap time. But they both are still sick with coughs, runny noses, and low-grade fevers which come and go.
When I arrived home, it was almost dinner time. Henry begged for us to have a "picnic." The kids sat at their picnic table, which is attached to their playhouse. For whatever reason, the kids seemed more intrigued by what was on my plate than theirs (it was the exact same food!).
That was about it. The kids hopped in our bed again trying to delay the inevitable. They are in their beds now.
I stayed up incredibly late getting my class materials together. Managed to get a couple hours of sleep.
On Wednesday, Jeff took the day off work. It sounded like they had a great day. They slept over 2.5 hours during nap time. But they both are still sick with coughs, runny noses, and low-grade fevers which come and go.
When I arrived home, it was almost dinner time. Henry begged for us to have a "picnic." The kids sat at their picnic table, which is attached to their playhouse. For whatever reason, the kids seemed more intrigued by what was on my plate than theirs (it was the exact same food!).
That was about it. The kids hopped in our bed again trying to delay the inevitable. They are in their beds now.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sick Days (Plural): The TV Prescription
The past couple days have been rough. I just started feeling somewhat better (although I sound horrible) on Monday.
We kept the kids home on Monday, which meant that I get to start my semester off completely unprepared, which is a lousy way to start off a new year. I'm backlogged on email, student recommendations, journal reviews, manuscript revisions, a book proposal, and having some lectures for tomorrow would be nice.
Henry rather enjoyed staying home yesterday b/c it meant hours and hours of Sponge Bob. Miss R was happy to snuggle with me. The kids acted fine yesterday, but their cough and fevers merited a sick day. Miss R threw up a couple times (drainage). Her fever went up to something like 103.9, but came down with motrin. Henry's didn't quite touch 102.
The kids are home again today. Ensures that I'll be up all night working, which will probably send me into a relapse, but I don't see that I have a choice. I'm currently working on more adoption paperwork (finally sent information that I should have been spent last week...grrrr).
Henry enjoyed watching The Sponge Bob Movie today. If he could be a couch potato, he would. He also got to watch Mickey Mouse's A Christmas Carol.
In the morning, I called the pediatrician's office. One of the ped's nurses called back. She said that we could bring them in but it didn't sound like their lungs were bad enough yet but it was my call. It's so hard. I really want to catch these things before they become "bad enough." But as our medical system doesn't really offer preventative care, I didn't see the point in bringing them in after talking to her. Per her recommendation, I'm giving the kids lots of liquids and juice (would have done that anyway). And fruit. Miss R isn't interested in eating anything...except mandarin oranges. The nurse also said to prevent them from running around. Keep them quiet with books and TV.
Henry will probably start faking illnesses if he thinks that he gets to watch TV b/c of it. Nevertheless, I'm letting the kids indulge. Henry has been doing his best to break the "No sitting right in front of the TV rule." We have his chair set up five feet back. He was trying to inch his chair forward when I was distracted. Always pushing the limits.
The kids are currently taking a nap. When I told them it was nap time, they shouted "No! No! No!" in unison.
As they have fevers today, that means they'll be staying home. I'm teaching tomorrow, so Jeff is going to have to take tomorrow off.
OK. Off to do paperwork. My favorite.
We kept the kids home on Monday, which meant that I get to start my semester off completely unprepared, which is a lousy way to start off a new year. I'm backlogged on email, student recommendations, journal reviews, manuscript revisions, a book proposal, and having some lectures for tomorrow would be nice.
Henry rather enjoyed staying home yesterday b/c it meant hours and hours of Sponge Bob. Miss R was happy to snuggle with me. The kids acted fine yesterday, but their cough and fevers merited a sick day. Miss R threw up a couple times (drainage). Her fever went up to something like 103.9, but came down with motrin. Henry's didn't quite touch 102.
The kids are home again today. Ensures that I'll be up all night working, which will probably send me into a relapse, but I don't see that I have a choice. I'm currently working on more adoption paperwork (finally sent information that I should have been spent last week...grrrr).
Henry enjoyed watching The Sponge Bob Movie today. If he could be a couch potato, he would. He also got to watch Mickey Mouse's A Christmas Carol.
In the morning, I called the pediatrician's office. One of the ped's nurses called back. She said that we could bring them in but it didn't sound like their lungs were bad enough yet but it was my call. It's so hard. I really want to catch these things before they become "bad enough." But as our medical system doesn't really offer preventative care, I didn't see the point in bringing them in after talking to her. Per her recommendation, I'm giving the kids lots of liquids and juice (would have done that anyway). And fruit. Miss R isn't interested in eating anything...except mandarin oranges. The nurse also said to prevent them from running around. Keep them quiet with books and TV.
Henry will probably start faking illnesses if he thinks that he gets to watch TV b/c of it. Nevertheless, I'm letting the kids indulge. Henry has been doing his best to break the "No sitting right in front of the TV rule." We have his chair set up five feet back. He was trying to inch his chair forward when I was distracted. Always pushing the limits.
The kids are currently taking a nap. When I told them it was nap time, they shouted "No! No! No!" in unison.
As they have fevers today, that means they'll be staying home. I'm teaching tomorrow, so Jeff is going to have to take tomorrow off.
OK. Off to do paperwork. My favorite.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Z-O-O
This morning, we decided to go to Joel's for breakfast b/c we didn't have eggs in the house for pancakes. As we got ready, I had the following conversation:
KATE TO JEFF: Do you want to walk around the UofA after breakfast, or go to the p-a-r-k, or to the z-o-o?
HENRY: I want to go to the Z-O-O! The Z-O-O!
JEFF TO HENRY: What's at the z-o-o?
HENRY: The animals!
We were a bit flabbergasted. We sometimes spell out words so that Henry doesn't latch onto them. Park being the one most often spelled. I'm certain that I've never spelled out zoo in Henry's presence.
Henry said and did the sign language for "I Love You, Mommy!" and "I Love You, Daddy!" Miss R soon followed. Nice to start off the morning with so much love in the car!
We had a nice breakfast at Joel's. Then, we headed to Reid Park for some playtime on the slides. Henry, of course, climbed up a ladder that probably wasn't age appropriate and headed down the biggest slide he could find (two stories). Miss R stayed on the smaller equipment, working on her confidence with those gross motor skills. She was very cute. She yelled out "R did it!" after climbing up any step or sliding down a slide.
Henry's cough is becoming more pronounced. Once home, we gave him an albuterol treatment before naptime. He informed me: "I took my medicine!"
KATE TO JEFF: Do you want to walk around the UofA after breakfast, or go to the p-a-r-k, or to the z-o-o?
HENRY: I want to go to the Z-O-O! The Z-O-O!
JEFF TO HENRY: What's at the z-o-o?
HENRY: The animals!
We were a bit flabbergasted. We sometimes spell out words so that Henry doesn't latch onto them. Park being the one most often spelled. I'm certain that I've never spelled out zoo in Henry's presence.
Henry said and did the sign language for "I Love You, Mommy!" and "I Love You, Daddy!" Miss R soon followed. Nice to start off the morning with so much love in the car!
We had a nice breakfast at Joel's. Then, we headed to Reid Park for some playtime on the slides. Henry, of course, climbed up a ladder that probably wasn't age appropriate and headed down the biggest slide he could find (two stories). Miss R stayed on the smaller equipment, working on her confidence with those gross motor skills. She was very cute. She yelled out "R did it!" after climbing up any step or sliding down a slide.
Henry's cough is becoming more pronounced. Once home, we gave him an albuterol treatment before naptime. He informed me: "I took my medicine!"
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A Tribute to Uncle Jim
On Thursday, we went shopping for new glasses. We found a store that can order "Flex-on" frames. They didn't have ones in Henry's size in the shop, but they have ordered them. We also went to the other store where we originally got Henry's glasses. We've re-ordered one of the two pairs as a backup set to the new Flex-on ones. Then, we had dinner with Grammy and Poppy.
On Friday, we picked up dinner and took it to Grammy and Poppy's house. When we picked the kids up at daycare, Miss Diana said that Miss R is doing really well with the potty training! Hopefully, we'll have one child out of diapers soon!
I'm sure that the kids did funny stuff that I'd normally mention, but I'm currently battling bronchitis again and a head cold. My memory isn't particularly keen right now.
On Saturday, we had waffles for breakfast. And fruit. Henry ate a lot of blueberries. Then, he spied that I was eating cherries and wanted some. They were fresh cherries, so it took some time slice the flesh from the pits. Miss R wanted some too b/c Henry was getting some. And she loved them! She had three helpings, which is a rarity when it comes to healthy foods.
Jeff put together the kids' playhouse. That has been a big hit. They played in the house all morning. Henry sang the song "It's the Mickey Mouse club house. Come inside. It's fun inside." Jeff went to Uncle Jim's funeral. I stayed home with the kids because of my cold. There were a few people going to the funeral who have delicate immune systems, and I didn't want to risk it. Henry unfortunately is coming down with my cold. Runny nose. And a cough that makes it difficult for him to sleep. He's been active but he didn't take a long nap b/c of that cough.
In the afternoon, the kids played in the playhouse while Jeff watched the Wildcats b-ball game and I read a book (fiction, not academic work!). We took the kids for a trike ride and walk in the late afternoon/early evening. They got to meet Cinder, a super sweet and bouncy poodle. We also ran into Hal, Annie, and Luke. When strapped onto his trike, Henry proclaimed "I'm a prisoner!" Where does he get these things?
We had a good sit down dinner. If I feed him (reminding him to eat), Henry will take in a decent amount of food. I had weighed him earlier today and I think that he's about 28 lbs 5 ozs. If that's right, that's about a 1.5 lb increase since the third week of December. I think that the keys have been eliminating straight cow's milk in favor of goat's milk and me essentially spoon feeding him. Miss R had been in panties all day. She did a good job until dinner. She had an accident in her booster seat. Given the curvature of the seat, it wasn't a bad place for an accident. We watched Wall-e after dinner. Miss R had her second accident before bed. Unfortunately, it was on our couch. Then it was teeth, books, and bed.
UNCLE JIM
This picture of Uncle Jim and Henry was taken in March 2008.
Jim Kluger, one of my parents' best friends, died late on Monday. He'd been battling a host of issues for several months. Uncle Jim spent all major holidays, sporting events, and birthdays with our family. This past Christmas was the first one in years that Uncle Jim didn't have dinner with us. And there's an emptiness not having him with there.
Uncle Jim was one of the funniest people whom I've ever met. He could tell jokes in ways that most people couldn't get away with. About 20 years ago, he received a kidney transplant. He had some hilarious stories involving bodily fluids that would seem crude if told by anyone else. But Jim always had people rolling on the floor laughing.
After college and European travel, I took some courses at Pima to fill my time and to sort out what I wanted to do as I filled out graduate school and law school applications. I took two of Uncle Jim's American history courses, which were excellent. He was a fabulous teacher. He made history exciting.
Uncle Jim was an active man. He participated in the Transplant Olympics several times. That first kidney lasted him 19 years, 9 years above the average for the life a kidney transplant. He received his second kidney transplant this past May from his brother. We really thought that it would work. But other factors were at play.
Uncle Jim was a wonderful cook and loved to socialize. During his hospital stays starting this summer, he was rarely alone. He had numerous friends who visited him often.
I am saddened that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him and hadn't seen him since the summer. Jeff's and my ongoing lung conditions kept us down beginning in July. Someone in our house is always sick, it seems. I was afraid of getting Uncle Jim sick and was hoping that he would recover. I feel like I don't have illusions about death. Death is a part of the "life" cycle of course. But somehow, it just feels like people who have lived their lives well should be granted an earthly stay into their late-80s or 90s if they so desire. In May, before his transplant operation, Uncle Jim was tired, but his wits were about him. He came to Henry's birthday party. I would have liked to have had another decade of birthday parties with Uncle Jim. May he rest in peace.
On Friday, we picked up dinner and took it to Grammy and Poppy's house. When we picked the kids up at daycare, Miss Diana said that Miss R is doing really well with the potty training! Hopefully, we'll have one child out of diapers soon!
I'm sure that the kids did funny stuff that I'd normally mention, but I'm currently battling bronchitis again and a head cold. My memory isn't particularly keen right now.
On Saturday, we had waffles for breakfast. And fruit. Henry ate a lot of blueberries. Then, he spied that I was eating cherries and wanted some. They were fresh cherries, so it took some time slice the flesh from the pits. Miss R wanted some too b/c Henry was getting some. And she loved them! She had three helpings, which is a rarity when it comes to healthy foods.
Jeff put together the kids' playhouse. That has been a big hit. They played in the house all morning. Henry sang the song "It's the Mickey Mouse club house. Come inside. It's fun inside." Jeff went to Uncle Jim's funeral. I stayed home with the kids because of my cold. There were a few people going to the funeral who have delicate immune systems, and I didn't want to risk it. Henry unfortunately is coming down with my cold. Runny nose. And a cough that makes it difficult for him to sleep. He's been active but he didn't take a long nap b/c of that cough.
In the afternoon, the kids played in the playhouse while Jeff watched the Wildcats b-ball game and I read a book (fiction, not academic work!). We took the kids for a trike ride and walk in the late afternoon/early evening. They got to meet Cinder, a super sweet and bouncy poodle. We also ran into Hal, Annie, and Luke. When strapped onto his trike, Henry proclaimed "I'm a prisoner!" Where does he get these things?
We had a good sit down dinner. If I feed him (reminding him to eat), Henry will take in a decent amount of food. I had weighed him earlier today and I think that he's about 28 lbs 5 ozs. If that's right, that's about a 1.5 lb increase since the third week of December. I think that the keys have been eliminating straight cow's milk in favor of goat's milk and me essentially spoon feeding him. Miss R had been in panties all day. She did a good job until dinner. She had an accident in her booster seat. Given the curvature of the seat, it wasn't a bad place for an accident. We watched Wall-e after dinner. Miss R had her second accident before bed. Unfortunately, it was on our couch. Then it was teeth, books, and bed.
UNCLE JIM
This picture of Uncle Jim and Henry was taken in March 2008.Jim Kluger, one of my parents' best friends, died late on Monday. He'd been battling a host of issues for several months. Uncle Jim spent all major holidays, sporting events, and birthdays with our family. This past Christmas was the first one in years that Uncle Jim didn't have dinner with us. And there's an emptiness not having him with there.
Uncle Jim was one of the funniest people whom I've ever met. He could tell jokes in ways that most people couldn't get away with. About 20 years ago, he received a kidney transplant. He had some hilarious stories involving bodily fluids that would seem crude if told by anyone else. But Jim always had people rolling on the floor laughing.
After college and European travel, I took some courses at Pima to fill my time and to sort out what I wanted to do as I filled out graduate school and law school applications. I took two of Uncle Jim's American history courses, which were excellent. He was a fabulous teacher. He made history exciting.
Uncle Jim was an active man. He participated in the Transplant Olympics several times. That first kidney lasted him 19 years, 9 years above the average for the life a kidney transplant. He received his second kidney transplant this past May from his brother. We really thought that it would work. But other factors were at play.
Uncle Jim was a wonderful cook and loved to socialize. During his hospital stays starting this summer, he was rarely alone. He had numerous friends who visited him often.
I am saddened that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him and hadn't seen him since the summer. Jeff's and my ongoing lung conditions kept us down beginning in July. Someone in our house is always sick, it seems. I was afraid of getting Uncle Jim sick and was hoping that he would recover. I feel like I don't have illusions about death. Death is a part of the "life" cycle of course. But somehow, it just feels like people who have lived their lives well should be granted an earthly stay into their late-80s or 90s if they so desire. In May, before his transplant operation, Uncle Jim was tired, but his wits were about him. He came to Henry's birthday party. I would have liked to have had another decade of birthday parties with Uncle Jim. May he rest in peace.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
My, My, My
On Tuesday afternoon, I picked up Henry. Miss R had a sibling visitation, so she was picked up by CPS. I took Henry to Trader Joe's. He had a temper tantrum in the parking lot because he wanted to stay in the car and watch Monsters Inc. Unfortunately, we had left the DVD players in the car after the trip. Henry decided to play the dead weight game in the parking lot. I picked up Henry, kicking and screaming. He didn't want to sit nicely in the cart, so I had to strap him in. He managed to entertain himself by singing "Mamma Mia!" at the top of his lungs, which made one customer laugh. She told him to "Rock on!"
When we got home, Alison from A Place to Call Home had already arrived for the monthly home inspection. Miss R had arrived as well. No real news. We gave her some paperwork. We still have some to fill out. She says that it will take about 6 months to adopt. I don't quite understand why the adoption paperwork didn't get done sooner since we knew that was our goal.
We had dinner and gave the kids a speed bath. That was about it.
On Wednesday, the kids went off to school without too much of a hitch. I dropped them off quickly as I had a telephone meeting and two classes to attend. It was the first official day of term. Grammy picked up the kids after school. They watched Pirates at Henry's request. That made my mom happy as she is a Johnny Depp fan. I didn't get the kids home until 9PM.
On Thursday morning, Henry demonstrated the kids' "My, My, My" phase. Everything is about "my" this or "my" that or "that's mine." Jeff heard Henry say, "No, R. Not yours. It's my train room. Go with Daddy and brush your teeth."
Our plan is to take Henry to get new glasses this afternoon. Hopefully, this weekend, we will have time to put together their big "Christmas" present that arrived January 6.
When we got home, Alison from A Place to Call Home had already arrived for the monthly home inspection. Miss R had arrived as well. No real news. We gave her some paperwork. We still have some to fill out. She says that it will take about 6 months to adopt. I don't quite understand why the adoption paperwork didn't get done sooner since we knew that was our goal.
We had dinner and gave the kids a speed bath. That was about it.
On Wednesday, the kids went off to school without too much of a hitch. I dropped them off quickly as I had a telephone meeting and two classes to attend. It was the first official day of term. Grammy picked up the kids after school. They watched Pirates at Henry's request. That made my mom happy as she is a Johnny Depp fan. I didn't get the kids home until 9PM.
On Thursday morning, Henry demonstrated the kids' "My, My, My" phase. Everything is about "my" this or "my" that or "that's mine." Jeff heard Henry say, "No, R. Not yours. It's my train room. Go with Daddy and brush your teeth."
Our plan is to take Henry to get new glasses this afternoon. Hopefully, this weekend, we will have time to put together their big "Christmas" present that arrived January 6.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Disneyland!
On Friday morning, both kids were feeling well, so I took them to school. Jeff and I decided that if both were well by the end of the day, we'd fly by the seat of our pants, get in the car, and take them to Disneyland. I picked them up around 4:45PM. The director of the daycare told me that Henry had informed the daycare census takers who count up the number of kids in each room every few hours that he was going to Disneyland. When I picked them up, Henry was in a great mood and showed off his new skill...galloping. We went home, Jeff took Lily to a nearby kennel, we packed, and then we headed to California around 7PM. The DVD player kept the kids occupied. We stopped by Carrabas in Mesa for dinner. The meal was nothing short of a disaster. Henry was in a mood and irked that we wouldn't let him wander around the restaurant. We arrived in California around 2:30AM. The kids were asleep. They woke up when we transferred them to the hotel beds, but they settled down relatively quickly.
Henry had told several people that we was going to see the castle at Disneyland. So we decided to make that our first stop on Saturday.
We went to Peter Pan's Flight. Then Miss R had a request for the horsies (which meant King Arthur's Carousel). Next was Toad Hall for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
We went on Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Snow White’s Scary Adventures. The lines were short, which was nice. We were beginning to wonder if the rides were a little overstimulating as the sounds were very loud. From there, we decided that it was time to find a play area, so we headed over to Toon Town to Goofy's Playhouse (playground). After lunch, we saw Donald Duck. Henry gave him a big hug. Miss R was excited to see him, but she preferred to keep a little distance.
We went to "It's a Small World," which still had its holiday decorations. The kids loved it. We visited the Innoventions exhibits. The kids loved the video game of soccer that was projected onto the floor. When they touched the projection of the ball, it would move. Henry got into a tussle with another young boy over the virtual soccer ball. By then, it was time for a nap, so we headed back to the hotel for a couple hours.
After some order-in Chinese, we went back to Disneyland for another round of Small World, Nemo's Submarine, and fireworks. We then headed to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, which includes laser guns to point at targets for points. With some help from Jeff, Henry got a few points. We went on a boat ride in Storybook Land, which was nice. We topped off the evening on an Alice in Wonderland ride. We all slept well!
On Sunday morning, we started off on a Jungle Cruise in Adventure Land. The kids liked the animals. We went on Pirates of the Caribbean twice. Henry liked it. Miss R was not a fan. The one thing that is missing at Disneyland is toddler play areas. There's only so long that a toddler is going to wait patiently in a line and sit on a ride. But at least there was Tarzan's Tree. Miss R climbed all of the way to the top by herself. I carried her down. Henry and Jeff were well ahead of us. Henry met a girl (probably 4). They held hands down the tree. He had fun with his new girl friend. She was unhappy when her father said it was time to go.
We had lunch at the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Henry didn't want to sit down and acted out. Jeff and I questioned our parenting skills b/c Henry was by far the most fidgety toddler in the park. Whereas other kids would sit still and eat, Henry always had to be moving and exploring. After lunch, we went on a Winnie the Pooh ride in Critter Country. The kids got to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger whom they loved. Henry wasn't interested in posing for pictures. He just wanted to hug Winnie and Tigger. We heard lots of "Awwws" from the people in line behind us at Henry's cuteness when he hugged them.
We took the train from New Orleans Square to the Main Entrance. The kids liked the dinosaurs that we saw on the way. Miss R especially liked the deer that we saw.
We decided to search for a play area in California Adventure. On our way to the Tug Boat area, Henry fell asleep for over an hour. So we kept walking until we found a nice bench near the carousel. Henry slept. Miss R showed no signs of drowsiness. She rode the carousel once with Jeff and then four times with me.
We walked to the Bugs area and saw A Bug's Life 3D. Henry claimed to like it, but Jeff asked him if he wanted to do it again. He said "No!" I think that it was a little scary and overstimulating.
We went on a flying ride. Miss R didn't like it. Henry did it again with Jeff, while I went over to the spinning lady bug ride with Miss R. She liked it. We did it again with Henry and Jeff. Henry wasn't a fan. Then we went on a caterpillar ride, which we all found kind of boring. We headed back to the tug boat play area for awhile. It was OK, but not inspiring or interesting. We had dinner, and Henry actually behaved throughout the meal more or less. After dinner, we went on the Monster's Inc. ride, which was a huge hit. We had repeat requests from both kids, so we went on that ride five times in a row. We went to see Muppet Vision 3D, which the kids seemed to like. Not as scary as the bugs show.
We then headed back to Disneyland because Henry had a "Buzz Lightyear" request. I got us FastPass tickets, which meant that we wouldn't have to wait in line but had a half-hour to an hour do something else. Miss R fell asleep at this point, not having napped at all. We decide to go to Small World again. Jeff took Henry once. Then I took Henry.
After Small World, I took Henry on the Buzz Lightyear ride. I hadn't ridden with Henry on it before. I handed him the laser gun and he managed to get to Level 2 all by himself (1700 points!). He really seemed to get it. Then Jeff took him, and Henry obtained 1400 points (Level 2 again!). We have a video game expert on our hands.
We watched the fireworks with a view of the castle. They were fantastic. Henry loved them. Miss R woke up and didn't like them. She cuddled into me. Although the park still had over an hour to go before closing, we decided to go to a store in Tomorrowland and call it a night. Miss R got a Nemo stuffed toy. Henry insisted on getting a Nemo bucket.
On Monday morning, we went to IHOP for breakfast. Again, we had a relatively problem-free meal. We got to the park before it openned and converted our 3-day hopper passes into annual passes. We headed straight to Fantasy Land for a ride on Peter Pan, the carousel, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and Dumbo. Henry went on Dumbo twice. Miss R conveyed that once was enough for her. Both kids enjoyed the train around Storybook Land. Then we fit in one more Peter Pan Flight into our schedule.
We went to Toon Town to let the kids run off some steam. The Chip'N'Dale Tree House was pretty lame. We walked around a "boat" which was OK. The kids played on some cars. We ran into Goofy on our way to his Playhouse (the only toddler playground in the park). Henry gave Goofy a hug and a kiss. Miss R was scared of Goofy and refused to go near him.
We had lunch at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant overlooking the start of Pirates of the Caribbean. The food was excellent. The drinks came with little clip on lights (my drink had Tinkerbell and Jeff's drink had LightningMcQueen on it). The restaurant is dark, lit with Chinese laterns. So the clip on lights entertained Henry. Miss R napped through most of lunch. Toward the end of lunch, Henry decided to go looking for "The Rat!" from Lady and the Tramp under our table. I'm sure that the staff was pleased to hear a child exclaim "Rat!" while in the restaurant.
We then walked to California Adventure to get our picture id cards for the annual membership. It was near the Monsters Inc. ride, which we proceeded to ride twice. We also saw princess Jasmine from Aladdin. Miss R was very fond of her but Henry wasn't really interested. Seems Henry likes the characters in suits while Miss R prefers people to masks.
It was a little after 3PM when we left. Henry fell asleep in his stroller. Miss R was awake. We checked out of the hotel and got on the road at 4:09PM. Big mistake. Monday late afternoons are not a good time on the SoCal freeways. It took us 2.5 hours to drive 68 miles.
We stopped in Blythe, CA at about 9:30PM. We went to a McDonald's that has a play area. The play area was admittedly awesome for toddlers. More stimulating than the playground area at Disneyland or California Adventure (a weakness of both parks). Henry was very funny when I told him that the cubbie holes were for putting shoes.
HENRY: What's that?
KATE: A place to put your shoes.
HENRY: I want to take my shoes off.
KATE: OK. [I helped take off Henry's shoes.]
HENRY: I want to take my socks off.
KATE: OK. [I helped take off Henry's socks.]
HENRY: But...I want to leave my pants on.
KATE: OK. Sounds like a good plan.
The not-so-great part of our stop was that I became unnerved when a suspicious character followed me near the bathroom. I didn't go in. I went back to the play area but kept my eye on him and his friend. Long story short, we think that they were doing drug deals in the bathrooms. Very shifty behaviors. We were trying to get out of the restaurant quickly b/c I felt them eyeing us. Henry then acted up and refused to come down from the two story play area. But we made it out of there. We arrived home around 2:30AM. The kids were asleep.
On Tuesday morning, we got out the door around 9:30AM or so. Henry didn't want to go to school. He was excited to see the babies and told Miss Stephanie from the babies' room that he was going back to Disneyland. He cried and threw himself on the floor as I left. It was very sad. Miss R wasn't excited to go to school, but she didn't protest.
Henry had told several people that we was going to see the castle at Disneyland. So we decided to make that our first stop on Saturday.We went to Peter Pan's Flight. Then Miss R had a request for the horsies (which meant King Arthur's Carousel). Next was Toad Hall for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
We went on Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Snow White’s Scary Adventures. The lines were short, which was nice. We were beginning to wonder if the rides were a little overstimulating as the sounds were very loud. From there, we decided that it was time to find a play area, so we headed over to Toon Town to Goofy's Playhouse (playground). After lunch, we saw Donald Duck. Henry gave him a big hug. Miss R was excited to see him, but she preferred to keep a little distance.
We went to "It's a Small World," which still had its holiday decorations. The kids loved it. We visited the Innoventions exhibits. The kids loved the video game of soccer that was projected onto the floor. When they touched the projection of the ball, it would move. Henry got into a tussle with another young boy over the virtual soccer ball. By then, it was time for a nap, so we headed back to the hotel for a couple hours.
After some order-in Chinese, we went back to Disneyland for another round of Small World, Nemo's Submarine, and fireworks. We then headed to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, which includes laser guns to point at targets for points. With some help from Jeff, Henry got a few points. We went on a boat ride in Storybook Land, which was nice. We topped off the evening on an Alice in Wonderland ride. We all slept well!
On Sunday morning, we started off on a Jungle Cruise in Adventure Land. The kids liked the animals. We went on Pirates of the Caribbean twice. Henry liked it. Miss R was not a fan. The one thing that is missing at Disneyland is toddler play areas. There's only so long that a toddler is going to wait patiently in a line and sit on a ride. But at least there was Tarzan's Tree. Miss R climbed all of the way to the top by herself. I carried her down. Henry and Jeff were well ahead of us. Henry met a girl (probably 4). They held hands down the tree. He had fun with his new girl friend. She was unhappy when her father said it was time to go.
We had lunch at the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Henry didn't want to sit down and acted out. Jeff and I questioned our parenting skills b/c Henry was by far the most fidgety toddler in the park. Whereas other kids would sit still and eat, Henry always had to be moving and exploring. After lunch, we went on a Winnie the Pooh ride in Critter Country. The kids got to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger whom they loved. Henry wasn't interested in posing for pictures. He just wanted to hug Winnie and Tigger. We heard lots of "Awwws" from the people in line behind us at Henry's cuteness when he hugged them.
We took the train from New Orleans Square to the Main Entrance. The kids liked the dinosaurs that we saw on the way. Miss R especially liked the deer that we saw.
We decided to search for a play area in California Adventure. On our way to the Tug Boat area, Henry fell asleep for over an hour. So we kept walking until we found a nice bench near the carousel. Henry slept. Miss R showed no signs of drowsiness. She rode the carousel once with Jeff and then four times with me.We walked to the Bugs area and saw A Bug's Life 3D. Henry claimed to like it, but Jeff asked him if he wanted to do it again. He said "No!" I think that it was a little scary and overstimulating.
We went on a flying ride. Miss R didn't like it. Henry did it again with Jeff, while I went over to the spinning lady bug ride with Miss R. She liked it. We did it again with Henry and Jeff. Henry wasn't a fan. Then we went on a caterpillar ride, which we all found kind of boring. We headed back to the tug boat play area for awhile. It was OK, but not inspiring or interesting. We had dinner, and Henry actually behaved throughout the meal more or less. After dinner, we went on the Monster's Inc. ride, which was a huge hit. We had repeat requests from both kids, so we went on that ride five times in a row. We went to see Muppet Vision 3D, which the kids seemed to like. Not as scary as the bugs show.
We then headed back to Disneyland because Henry had a "Buzz Lightyear" request. I got us FastPass tickets, which meant that we wouldn't have to wait in line but had a half-hour to an hour do something else. Miss R fell asleep at this point, not having napped at all. We decide to go to Small World again. Jeff took Henry once. Then I took Henry.
After Small World, I took Henry on the Buzz Lightyear ride. I hadn't ridden with Henry on it before. I handed him the laser gun and he managed to get to Level 2 all by himself (1700 points!). He really seemed to get it. Then Jeff took him, and Henry obtained 1400 points (Level 2 again!). We have a video game expert on our hands.
We watched the fireworks with a view of the castle. They were fantastic. Henry loved them. Miss R woke up and didn't like them. She cuddled into me. Although the park still had over an hour to go before closing, we decided to go to a store in Tomorrowland and call it a night. Miss R got a Nemo stuffed toy. Henry insisted on getting a Nemo bucket.
On Monday morning, we went to IHOP for breakfast. Again, we had a relatively problem-free meal. We got to the park before it openned and converted our 3-day hopper passes into annual passes. We headed straight to Fantasy Land for a ride on Peter Pan, the carousel, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and Dumbo. Henry went on Dumbo twice. Miss R conveyed that once was enough for her. Both kids enjoyed the train around Storybook Land. Then we fit in one more Peter Pan Flight into our schedule.We went to Toon Town to let the kids run off some steam. The Chip'N'Dale Tree House was pretty lame. We walked around a "boat" which was OK. The kids played on some cars. We ran into Goofy on our way to his Playhouse (the only toddler playground in the park). Henry gave Goofy a hug and a kiss. Miss R was scared of Goofy and refused to go near him.
We had lunch at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant overlooking the start of Pirates of the Caribbean. The food was excellent. The drinks came with little clip on lights (my drink had Tinkerbell and Jeff's drink had LightningMcQueen on it). The restaurant is dark, lit with Chinese laterns. So the clip on lights entertained Henry. Miss R napped through most of lunch. Toward the end of lunch, Henry decided to go looking for "The Rat!" from Lady and the Tramp under our table. I'm sure that the staff was pleased to hear a child exclaim "Rat!" while in the restaurant.
We then walked to California Adventure to get our picture id cards for the annual membership. It was near the Monsters Inc. ride, which we proceeded to ride twice. We also saw princess Jasmine from Aladdin. Miss R was very fond of her but Henry wasn't really interested. Seems Henry likes the characters in suits while Miss R prefers people to masks.
It was a little after 3PM when we left. Henry fell asleep in his stroller. Miss R was awake. We checked out of the hotel and got on the road at 4:09PM. Big mistake. Monday late afternoons are not a good time on the SoCal freeways. It took us 2.5 hours to drive 68 miles.
We stopped in Blythe, CA at about 9:30PM. We went to a McDonald's that has a play area. The play area was admittedly awesome for toddlers. More stimulating than the playground area at Disneyland or California Adventure (a weakness of both parks). Henry was very funny when I told him that the cubbie holes were for putting shoes.
HENRY: What's that?
KATE: A place to put your shoes.
HENRY: I want to take my shoes off.
KATE: OK. [I helped take off Henry's shoes.]
HENRY: I want to take my socks off.
KATE: OK. [I helped take off Henry's socks.]
HENRY: But...I want to leave my pants on.
KATE: OK. Sounds like a good plan.
The not-so-great part of our stop was that I became unnerved when a suspicious character followed me near the bathroom. I didn't go in. I went back to the play area but kept my eye on him and his friend. Long story short, we think that they were doing drug deals in the bathrooms. Very shifty behaviors. We were trying to get out of the restaurant quickly b/c I felt them eyeing us. Henry then acted up and refused to come down from the two story play area. But we made it out of there. We arrived home around 2:30AM. The kids were asleep.
On Tuesday morning, we got out the door around 9:30AM or so. Henry didn't want to go to school. He was excited to see the babies and told Miss Stephanie from the babies' room that he was going back to Disneyland. He cried and threw himself on the floor as I left. It was very sad. Miss R wasn't excited to go to school, but she didn't protest.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
105.9...Not a Radio Station
On Wednesday morning, the kids slept late. Might have something to do with Henry staying up until past 11PM last night. Miss R got up several times too. Jeff was wondering if In-N-Out burgers contain a lot of sugar or something. We'll do an experiment with it again in a couple weeks to see if it was a trigger.
Henry seems enthusiastic about the first half of his meals, but then he'd gladly walk away given the opportunity. I ended up feeding him with my fork, which he seems to like. I showed him my scar from Bitsy...darn cat. He then said to Bitsy, "No, Bitsy! Don't give Mommy a boo-boo!" Glad that he has my back.
On the way to school, Henry had a Mamma Mia! request, so I obliged. Henry marched into Miss R's classroom. He wanted to play with their broom and dustpan, which I didn't allow. I talked with Miss Diana. She said that Henry and Miss R find each other on the playground and play together. A couple days ago, they were pretending to make food in a kitchen. Then Miss R ran up to Miss Diana and asked, "Where's the baby food?" Miss Diana told her that she'd better go to the store and get some. So Henry and Miss R pretended to go to the store.
My parents took the kids to Costco after school. They snacked their way around the place. Miss R didn't want dinner. She refused to eat and then crawled up on my mom's lap and fell asleep. When Jeff arrived to pick the kids up, he thought Miss R felt warm.
He came home with them around 8:30PM. I took Miss R's temp with our fancy head thermometer. It was 105.7. We gave her Tylenol and a luke warm bath. At 9PM, I took her underarm (axillary temp) and it was 101 with our old thermometer, but her head temp was 105.9 with the head thermometer. I took my temp with the head thermometer (98.2) and the under arm one (97.7), so we surprised that our thermometers were fine; Miss R was not. So I took her to the ER, while Jeff stayed with Henry. I went to the ER at UMC (where Henry was born) b/c it and TMC are the two hospitals in town with decent pediatric doctors. The ER is in a new facility and has a separate kids' wing, which is nice. The Tylenol must have kicked in b/c they took her temp at 38.3 Celsius, which is about 101. Her pulse was a bit fast (160), so they admitted her. The nurse heard some wheezing in her lungs and Miss R's demeanor was clearly off (withdrawn but irritable if I tried to interaction other than holding her). The first doctor we saw asked about her medical history which I gave with succinct detail. He asked me if I was in the medical field. He recommended a urine analysis b/c urine infections are one of the most common causes of fevers in girls. The next doctor added nasal swabs and a chest x-ray to the to-do list. We didn't get called for the x-ray until midnight, which is about when Miss R's fever broke. They'd given her ibuprofen, which I think contributed to the rapid decrease. Suddenly, Miss R was interactive, which was good. Then, we waited around for two hours waiting for a radiologist to look at the x-rays. The doctors didn't see anything, but they wanted the experts to take a look. When that didn't happen, they sent us home with the diagnosis of "virus." By the time we left, her temp was 36.3 Celsius. After filling out paper work, we finally got into the car at 2:40AM and arrived home around 3:15AM. Miss R didn't protest going to sleep, which was nice.
On Thursday at breakfast, Henry had a meltdown b/c his hash brown patty fell into pieces and he wanted a "big piece." Many tears were shed. I took Henry to school, but Miss R stayed home. We'd let Henry sleep in. This had the effect of him not taking a nap at school. When I dropped off Henry at school, we said "hi" to the babies as we do every day. As I talked with Miss Stephanie from the babies room, Henry told a passing dad "Hi. I'm going to Disneyland and going to see the castle." Miss R's temp was around 100. She watched TV and played with legos. Sadly, we very well may end up canceling our plans to go to California tomorrow in the late afternoon. Sigh.
Miss R did a good job today of telling me when she needed to go potty. I'm excited that she is making such progress on the toilet front...if only Henry would copy her!
Henry was picked up by Grammy and Poppy. They bought him a new train at Barnes & Noble. He was thrilled. They also went to Swensons where he had 1/2 of a large milk shake and downed an entire hamburger patty (no bun). Plus, he had 3/4 of his fries. He got upset with Grammy for eating one of his fries and demanded that she spit it out. As Poppy noted, he is a bit possessive of food for someone who doesn't eat all of his meals.
The kids played in the train room when Henry got home. Then it was teething brushing. I bought Henry some Sponge Bob toothpaste. He hates the taste. He spit it out at me. He wasn't trying to hit me, just trying to get it out of his mouth.
Miss R has gotten into a very annoying routine at night. We put the kids in bed. Then she requests to go to timeout. We put her in timeout. She cries. And then, once two minutes of tears are shed, she settles down and goes to sleep. I don't like this routine. But if I don't send her to timeout, she just cries in her bed, which disturbs Henry's chances of falling asleep. Plus, timeout has certainly turned into something other that what it was intended. Kids shouldn't request to go to timeout. Maybe she things that timeout is a place of meditation/crying. I don't know.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. The last 24 hours haven't been how I envisioned the week.
Henry seems enthusiastic about the first half of his meals, but then he'd gladly walk away given the opportunity. I ended up feeding him with my fork, which he seems to like. I showed him my scar from Bitsy...darn cat. He then said to Bitsy, "No, Bitsy! Don't give Mommy a boo-boo!" Glad that he has my back.
On the way to school, Henry had a Mamma Mia! request, so I obliged. Henry marched into Miss R's classroom. He wanted to play with their broom and dustpan, which I didn't allow. I talked with Miss Diana. She said that Henry and Miss R find each other on the playground and play together. A couple days ago, they were pretending to make food in a kitchen. Then Miss R ran up to Miss Diana and asked, "Where's the baby food?" Miss Diana told her that she'd better go to the store and get some. So Henry and Miss R pretended to go to the store.
My parents took the kids to Costco after school. They snacked their way around the place. Miss R didn't want dinner. She refused to eat and then crawled up on my mom's lap and fell asleep. When Jeff arrived to pick the kids up, he thought Miss R felt warm.
He came home with them around 8:30PM. I took Miss R's temp with our fancy head thermometer. It was 105.7. We gave her Tylenol and a luke warm bath. At 9PM, I took her underarm (axillary temp) and it was 101 with our old thermometer, but her head temp was 105.9 with the head thermometer. I took my temp with the head thermometer (98.2) and the under arm one (97.7), so we surprised that our thermometers were fine; Miss R was not. So I took her to the ER, while Jeff stayed with Henry. I went to the ER at UMC (where Henry was born) b/c it and TMC are the two hospitals in town with decent pediatric doctors. The ER is in a new facility and has a separate kids' wing, which is nice. The Tylenol must have kicked in b/c they took her temp at 38.3 Celsius, which is about 101. Her pulse was a bit fast (160), so they admitted her. The nurse heard some wheezing in her lungs and Miss R's demeanor was clearly off (withdrawn but irritable if I tried to interaction other than holding her). The first doctor we saw asked about her medical history which I gave with succinct detail. He asked me if I was in the medical field. He recommended a urine analysis b/c urine infections are one of the most common causes of fevers in girls. The next doctor added nasal swabs and a chest x-ray to the to-do list. We didn't get called for the x-ray until midnight, which is about when Miss R's fever broke. They'd given her ibuprofen, which I think contributed to the rapid decrease. Suddenly, Miss R was interactive, which was good. Then, we waited around for two hours waiting for a radiologist to look at the x-rays. The doctors didn't see anything, but they wanted the experts to take a look. When that didn't happen, they sent us home with the diagnosis of "virus." By the time we left, her temp was 36.3 Celsius. After filling out paper work, we finally got into the car at 2:40AM and arrived home around 3:15AM. Miss R didn't protest going to sleep, which was nice.
On Thursday at breakfast, Henry had a meltdown b/c his hash brown patty fell into pieces and he wanted a "big piece." Many tears were shed. I took Henry to school, but Miss R stayed home. We'd let Henry sleep in. This had the effect of him not taking a nap at school. When I dropped off Henry at school, we said "hi" to the babies as we do every day. As I talked with Miss Stephanie from the babies room, Henry told a passing dad "Hi. I'm going to Disneyland and going to see the castle." Miss R's temp was around 100. She watched TV and played with legos. Sadly, we very well may end up canceling our plans to go to California tomorrow in the late afternoon. Sigh.
Miss R did a good job today of telling me when she needed to go potty. I'm excited that she is making such progress on the toilet front...if only Henry would copy her!
Henry was picked up by Grammy and Poppy. They bought him a new train at Barnes & Noble. He was thrilled. They also went to Swensons where he had 1/2 of a large milk shake and downed an entire hamburger patty (no bun). Plus, he had 3/4 of his fries. He got upset with Grammy for eating one of his fries and demanded that she spit it out. As Poppy noted, he is a bit possessive of food for someone who doesn't eat all of his meals.
The kids played in the train room when Henry got home. Then it was teething brushing. I bought Henry some Sponge Bob toothpaste. He hates the taste. He spit it out at me. He wasn't trying to hit me, just trying to get it out of his mouth.
Miss R has gotten into a very annoying routine at night. We put the kids in bed. Then she requests to go to timeout. We put her in timeout. She cries. And then, once two minutes of tears are shed, she settles down and goes to sleep. I don't like this routine. But if I don't send her to timeout, she just cries in her bed, which disturbs Henry's chances of falling asleep. Plus, timeout has certainly turned into something other that what it was intended. Kids shouldn't request to go to timeout. Maybe she things that timeout is a place of meditation/crying. I don't know.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. The last 24 hours haven't been how I envisioned the week.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Telling Everyone About Disneyland
Apparently, Henry has been telling everyone at school that he is going to Disneyland. I told Miss Stephanie that we may go this weekend, if we can managed to stay healthy that long. She said that he's been talking about it a lot. We had been thinking about leaving on Wednesday night, but Jeff and I have a lot of work to catch up on, so that's tentatively been revised to Friday night. We stayed up past 4AM last night getting things done.
This afternoon, Jeff took Henry to his eye appointment with Dr. Banuelos. I stayed home in case the appointment lasted an hour and a half like last time. Miss R had her sibling visitation, projected to return around 5:30PM. Jeff called at 4:30PM to say that the waiting room was empty and they saw Dr. Banuelos right away. She didn't notice any changes in his vision (thank goodness) and was pleased that he actually wears his glasses. His glasses got twisted up again at school however. We are going to look into getting him titanium frames.
Jeff came home with Henry after the appointment and stopped by the famed In-N-Out Burger for the first time. That left me free to run errands, knowing that Jeff would return before Miss R got back.
Miss R was hilarious when I got home. We were in the train room and she'd done something so I pouted like she does and stuck out my bottom lip. She sternly told me "No crying, Mommy! No crying!" (complete with finger waving at me).
Miss R LOVED her In-N-Out burger. She even relished the lettuce and tomato on it. Henry was a bit more picky. Dinner took over an hour. Miss R did extremely well. Henry didn't do poorly, but it took a lot of coaxing. Miss R was also a huge fan of my orange jello, which made Henry gag when he tried it.
Miss R had another break through on the potty. She went number two and number one, which means that she's officially a "big girl." Henry, on the other hand, who we know "can" use the potty (he does it at school), insisted that he wanted to go in his diaper. He knew exactly what he was doing. Why is the diaper preferred at home? Henry only knows. I've told him that he doesn't get to move up to Miss Casi's class until he gets potty trained, but I don't think that he's really listening. I wouldn't be surprised if Miss R potty trains quickly and gets moved up before he does. Miss Casi's class doesn't have a diaper changing station, I believe. So Henry has to be out of diapers for the move. It's frustrating knowing that it isn't a matter of him being able to control his bodily functions. It is a matter of him wanting to control his actions and our reactions. Sigh.
The kids had a bath with bubbles, which they enjoyed. Henry told us the story of Lady and the Tramp (at least the part about the rat).
We danced in the living room for awhile. And at 9PM, we took the kids to bed after teeth brushing (Miss R loves the new princess toothpaste). It is now 10:45PM and Henry is still singing to himself. Where does his energy come from? And how can we contain it?!?
This afternoon, Jeff took Henry to his eye appointment with Dr. Banuelos. I stayed home in case the appointment lasted an hour and a half like last time. Miss R had her sibling visitation, projected to return around 5:30PM. Jeff called at 4:30PM to say that the waiting room was empty and they saw Dr. Banuelos right away. She didn't notice any changes in his vision (thank goodness) and was pleased that he actually wears his glasses. His glasses got twisted up again at school however. We are going to look into getting him titanium frames.
Jeff came home with Henry after the appointment and stopped by the famed In-N-Out Burger for the first time. That left me free to run errands, knowing that Jeff would return before Miss R got back.
Miss R was hilarious when I got home. We were in the train room and she'd done something so I pouted like she does and stuck out my bottom lip. She sternly told me "No crying, Mommy! No crying!" (complete with finger waving at me).
Miss R LOVED her In-N-Out burger. She even relished the lettuce and tomato on it. Henry was a bit more picky. Dinner took over an hour. Miss R did extremely well. Henry didn't do poorly, but it took a lot of coaxing. Miss R was also a huge fan of my orange jello, which made Henry gag when he tried it.
Miss R had another break through on the potty. She went number two and number one, which means that she's officially a "big girl." Henry, on the other hand, who we know "can" use the potty (he does it at school), insisted that he wanted to go in his diaper. He knew exactly what he was doing. Why is the diaper preferred at home? Henry only knows. I've told him that he doesn't get to move up to Miss Casi's class until he gets potty trained, but I don't think that he's really listening. I wouldn't be surprised if Miss R potty trains quickly and gets moved up before he does. Miss Casi's class doesn't have a diaper changing station, I believe. So Henry has to be out of diapers for the move. It's frustrating knowing that it isn't a matter of him being able to control his bodily functions. It is a matter of him wanting to control his actions and our reactions. Sigh.
The kids had a bath with bubbles, which they enjoyed. Henry told us the story of Lady and the Tramp (at least the part about the rat).
We danced in the living room for awhile. And at 9PM, we took the kids to bed after teeth brushing (Miss R loves the new princess toothpaste). It is now 10:45PM and Henry is still singing to himself. Where does his energy come from? And how can we contain it?!?
Sunday, January 3, 2010
"Congratulations!"
Miss R got up from her nap about an hour before Henry. Jeff entertained her for a little while but then she wanted to go wake Henry up. Miss R had a huge break through today on the potty front. She's been very enthusiastic about sitting on the potty, especially with the new Dora toilet seat, but we haven't seen much action on it. This afternoon, she actually peed, which Jeff said he thought surprised her a bit. She was very happy at having accomplished such a feat. When Henry got up, I told him that Miss R had been a big girl, peed on the potty for the first time, and suggested that he congratulate her. Henry was so cute. He marched right up to her and said "Congratulations! You are a good girl and peed on the potty." He patted her on the shoulder and then gave her a hug. She looked very pleased.
We went to dinner at Grammy and Poppy's house. Miss R told Aunt Carolyn about her accomplishment. Carolyn praised her. I tried to get Miss R to tell Aunt Erin about what she had done, but she was in a "No!" mood. So Henry jumped into the conversation "Yes, R. You were a big girl peeing in the potty." It cracked me up because I hadn't primed Henry to say it. His memory is excellent.
I told Henry in the car before we arrived at my parents that Aunt Carolyn was going back to Washington. When Aunt Carolyn mentioned that she was leaving tomorrow, Henry filled in "...to Washington." He then told her that he wanted to go to Washington. She told him that it was really cold here now, kind of like the "cold section" at Costco.
Henry did not eat much at dinner. The only thing that got a couple bites into him was Uncle Brian telling him that he was watching. Guess he wanted to impress Uncle Brian. Miss R ate some food but it took about an hour before she decided the pasta was worthy of her palate.
We are home now. I think Henry has finally nodded off to sleep. He was singing to himself a song that he made up about Disneyland.
We went to dinner at Grammy and Poppy's house. Miss R told Aunt Carolyn about her accomplishment. Carolyn praised her. I tried to get Miss R to tell Aunt Erin about what she had done, but she was in a "No!" mood. So Henry jumped into the conversation "Yes, R. You were a big girl peeing in the potty." It cracked me up because I hadn't primed Henry to say it. His memory is excellent.
I told Henry in the car before we arrived at my parents that Aunt Carolyn was going back to Washington. When Aunt Carolyn mentioned that she was leaving tomorrow, Henry filled in "...to Washington." He then told her that he wanted to go to Washington. She told him that it was really cold here now, kind of like the "cold section" at Costco.
Henry did not eat much at dinner. The only thing that got a couple bites into him was Uncle Brian telling him that he was watching. Guess he wanted to impress Uncle Brian. Miss R ate some food but it took about an hour before she decided the pasta was worthy of her palate.
We are home now. I think Henry has finally nodded off to sleep. He was singing to himself a song that he made up about Disneyland.
Fabulous Start to the New Year
On Friday morning, Henry, Miss R, and I went to the Reid Park Zoo with Aunt Carolyn. We had a wonderful time. I drove to the wrong parking lot, which meant that we had to walk passed the "train." Henry and Miss R really wanted to go on the train and so we did. The four of us managed to fit into one of the little cars.
The kids were well-behaved, but as always, we had to keep a close eye on Henry. He has discovered how to hang by the rails with his arms and feet up in the air like a monkey. Carolyn has an excellent touch with the kids. They both adore her. We fed the zoo ducks. The only mishap there was Henry putting his hand in some duck poop. Nothing a wet wipe and some hand sanitizer didn't cure. The kids enjoyed the two-person stroller. We didn't make it through the whole zoo (skipped South America). We had a nice lunch. Miss R ate a piece of hot dog by request, which is unusual for her. Afterward, we went to the lake at the park and fed the lake ducks some hot dog bun. We didn't leave until 3PM. The kids fell asleep in the car.
Meanwhile, Jeff got to watch football at my parents' house. Carolyn and I managed to transfer the kids from the car to my parents' bed, where they took their naps. Then, Carolyn and I headed out the door to watch Nine, which was surprisingly well done. When the kids woke up, they had dinner. Then Jeff and I took them home. Jeff and I had taken separate vehicles. Jeff took the kids. When he turned on sports radio, Miss R told him, "No football! I want Mamma Mia!" That's my girl! When Jeff tried to sing along, she told him "No Mamma Mia!" Lately, the kids haven't enjoyed us singing to the music.
On Saturday morning, Henry and Miss R had a shouting match. It started off with yelling. Then Miss R put her finger to her lips and said "Shhhh!" They then had a shushing contest that resulted in giggles. We went for a morning trike ride. The sad news of the morning was that Lily caught a rabbit. I told Lily that she was a bad dog. I know that it is "natural" but our other dogs have managed to ignore that part of their nature. Apparently, Miss R was listening. When Carolyn arrived with lunch, Miss R told Carolyn "Lily bad dog rabbit" several times. While the kids took a nap, Carolyn, Jeff, and I watched a movie, which was fun (three movies in a week!). The kids enjoyed having Carolyn around and showing off their acrobatic skills. The kids ate pretty well at dinner. We watched Swiss Family Robinson afterward. I gave the kids some of the coconut ice cream, which was a huge hit. The kids had chocolate all over their faces. I think that the kids were dancing while I was cleaning up the kitchen. When I came back into the living room, Henry announced that he wanted to dance with Miss R again. Jeff went to the store. He bought Clif bars. I gave the kids one before bed, which they enjoyed. I think we did well on the calorie front. And then the kids played in the ball pit. Henry must be growing b/c he has to squat these days in order to do the back flip into the ball pit.
The kids had another screaming match. I'm pretty sure that Miss R started it. Henry finished it and was by far the louder child. This left Miss R in tears. While I was trying to comfort her, Henry yelled out "You owe me restitution!" several times.
Henry woke me up this morning. He crawled into bed to snuggle. I asked him what he dreamed about. He said "Disneyland!" I asked him what he dreamed about Disneyland. He replied, "The castle!" He spent the morning talking about us going to Disneyland. I keep telling him that if he is a good boy, we'll go on Thursday. He told me several times today that he has been a good boy and wants to go to Disneyland and wants us to get in the car. He is selectively not hearing the word "Thursday." We are hoping that we'll leave for California on Thursday. We are playing it by ear. We haven't made hotel reservations yet and probably won't until Thursday morning if it looks like it is a go! Tentaive plan: Leave Thursday night, return Sunday evening.
Toward the end of breakfast this morning, Henry ran to the train room and brought Miss R a pink football. He said, "This is a pink football. It's your favorite. I'll hold the football and you kick it."
We went on another trike ride this morning. Lily is back on the leash. She simply can't control herself and she's not very good about letting us get cacti out of her.
During lunch, we gave the kids some nuts. Henry tried peanuts, a brazilian nut, cashews, walnuts, and a candied pecan. He loved the walnuts. Miss R, however, loved the peanuts. This is good news b/c it is yet another potential source of healthy fats and calories for two kids who need to gain weight. At the end of lunch, I gave the kids a quarter of a small coconut ice cream sandwich. Henry said it looked like a skunk (b/c it was black and white). He makes the oddest connections between concepts at times.
The kids then took a nap. When they get up, we'll take them to Grammy and Poppy's house for Aunt Carolyn's farewell dinner.
In other news, Henry's imagination has been growing and growing. He really likes pretend. For example, the other day, he pretended that our little bathroom was an elevator. It has a sliding door. And after last night's shouting match, he said that he wanted to be Linus but then changed his mind to wanting to be Lucy. Both kids like to pretend that they are going to the store.
The kids were well-behaved, but as always, we had to keep a close eye on Henry. He has discovered how to hang by the rails with his arms and feet up in the air like a monkey. Carolyn has an excellent touch with the kids. They both adore her. We fed the zoo ducks. The only mishap there was Henry putting his hand in some duck poop. Nothing a wet wipe and some hand sanitizer didn't cure. The kids enjoyed the two-person stroller. We didn't make it through the whole zoo (skipped South America). We had a nice lunch. Miss R ate a piece of hot dog by request, which is unusual for her. Afterward, we went to the lake at the park and fed the lake ducks some hot dog bun. We didn't leave until 3PM. The kids fell asleep in the car.
Meanwhile, Jeff got to watch football at my parents' house. Carolyn and I managed to transfer the kids from the car to my parents' bed, where they took their naps. Then, Carolyn and I headed out the door to watch Nine, which was surprisingly well done. When the kids woke up, they had dinner. Then Jeff and I took them home. Jeff and I had taken separate vehicles. Jeff took the kids. When he turned on sports radio, Miss R told him, "No football! I want Mamma Mia!" That's my girl! When Jeff tried to sing along, she told him "No Mamma Mia!" Lately, the kids haven't enjoyed us singing to the music.
On Saturday morning, Henry and Miss R had a shouting match. It started off with yelling. Then Miss R put her finger to her lips and said "Shhhh!" They then had a shushing contest that resulted in giggles. We went for a morning trike ride. The sad news of the morning was that Lily caught a rabbit. I told Lily that she was a bad dog. I know that it is "natural" but our other dogs have managed to ignore that part of their nature. Apparently, Miss R was listening. When Carolyn arrived with lunch, Miss R told Carolyn "Lily bad dog rabbit" several times. While the kids took a nap, Carolyn, Jeff, and I watched a movie, which was fun (three movies in a week!). The kids enjoyed having Carolyn around and showing off their acrobatic skills. The kids ate pretty well at dinner. We watched Swiss Family Robinson afterward. I gave the kids some of the coconut ice cream, which was a huge hit. The kids had chocolate all over their faces. I think that the kids were dancing while I was cleaning up the kitchen. When I came back into the living room, Henry announced that he wanted to dance with Miss R again. Jeff went to the store. He bought Clif bars. I gave the kids one before bed, which they enjoyed. I think we did well on the calorie front. And then the kids played in the ball pit. Henry must be growing b/c he has to squat these days in order to do the back flip into the ball pit.The kids had another screaming match. I'm pretty sure that Miss R started it. Henry finished it and was by far the louder child. This left Miss R in tears. While I was trying to comfort her, Henry yelled out "You owe me restitution!" several times.
Henry woke me up this morning. He crawled into bed to snuggle. I asked him what he dreamed about. He said "Disneyland!" I asked him what he dreamed about Disneyland. He replied, "The castle!" He spent the morning talking about us going to Disneyland. I keep telling him that if he is a good boy, we'll go on Thursday. He told me several times today that he has been a good boy and wants to go to Disneyland and wants us to get in the car. He is selectively not hearing the word "Thursday." We are hoping that we'll leave for California on Thursday. We are playing it by ear. We haven't made hotel reservations yet and probably won't until Thursday morning if it looks like it is a go! Tentaive plan: Leave Thursday night, return Sunday evening.
Toward the end of breakfast this morning, Henry ran to the train room and brought Miss R a pink football. He said, "This is a pink football. It's your favorite. I'll hold the football and you kick it."
We went on another trike ride this morning. Lily is back on the leash. She simply can't control herself and she's not very good about letting us get cacti out of her.
During lunch, we gave the kids some nuts. Henry tried peanuts, a brazilian nut, cashews, walnuts, and a candied pecan. He loved the walnuts. Miss R, however, loved the peanuts. This is good news b/c it is yet another potential source of healthy fats and calories for two kids who need to gain weight. At the end of lunch, I gave the kids a quarter of a small coconut ice cream sandwich. Henry said it looked like a skunk (b/c it was black and white). He makes the oddest connections between concepts at times.
The kids then took a nap. When they get up, we'll take them to Grammy and Poppy's house for Aunt Carolyn's farewell dinner.
In other news, Henry's imagination has been growing and growing. He really likes pretend. For example, the other day, he pretended that our little bathroom was an elevator. It has a sliding door. And after last night's shouting match, he said that he wanted to be Linus but then changed his mind to wanting to be Lucy. Both kids like to pretend that they are going to the store.
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