Saturday, January 28, 2012

Update - bullet style.

Trying to get to bed early tonight so here's a dump...
  • There must be an instruction in the secret kid handbook that says not to eat crusts. It's not something I've ever displayed, and yet, Little One follows it.
  • Little One adores oranges, especially the "Cutie" brand Clementines. What she doesn't adore is my telling her she can't have any thanks to the worst diaper rash she's had in a LONG time. I'm just trying to keep her acidic pass-through to a minimum and she doesn't understand the short-term benefits.
  • The diaper rash also lead to my getting peed on last night while comforting her mid-diaper change. Well, she hit not only me, but the play mat I was using as a changing pad, the floor, and the quilt on the bed under the mat (not soak through, over splash). It did a fantastic job of delaying bed time for both of us since I wanted to wash everything before it set in, and needed to spray the carpet for the same reason.
  • We got to spend the past few days with the group of friends we made at breast-feeding class and I feel so fantastic for getting to be with other mommies who get it and with whom there's no longer that getting-to-know-you stress; and for how nicely all the kids interacted.
  • DH and I are talking more and looking more at moving closer to his work so he's not spending the better part of 2 hours commuting daily on top of the crazy-long hours he works. The houses we're looking at are not cheap, and I realize that not everyone has the same taste, but I have to wonder why so many of these expensive houses have white kitchens and rooms full of wallpaper?! At least we agree that if we're going to spend X amount on a house, we don't want to have to spend another 1-2% of the purchase price on changing them. We did see one house we both agreed had potential until we realized that where it was located in the neighborhood meant having to give out full page directions on how to reach it - take the 2nd right then the 3rd left then the 1st left and the 2nd right....jeez!
  • At her 18 month appointment LO was 33.5" tall and almost 27 lbs which put her just about 93 and 80 percent respectively. No wonder she's so hard to hold when she's upset - she's greater than 50% of my height now! My mom brought, at her last visit, the growth chart they had in my room growing up; according to it, I didn't hit either of those numbers until I was 2.5-3 years old. I still haven't quite wrapped my mind between reality and that I was expecting a kiddo who fell a bit lower on the ranges. Especially since there was some concern from the OB about her size on the sonograms, then there was the preemie factor. I don't think anyone would have guessed she'd sprout so quickly!
  • Unlike one of her friends, she doesn't parrot/repeat back words, but I know they're soaking in since she occasionally comes out with something which surprises me (she correctly identified a "9" as nine, completely out of the blue!). But it still is currently driving me insane that she calls every color YELLOW! She can say brown also, but doesn't even try for red, green, blue...etc.
  • Her most recent accomplishment: climbing on top of the breakfast table twice today. Up on the chair than from chair to table. At least she's given up playing with the timer for our family room lamp (knock on wood).
  • Oh, she is working hard on bringing the terrible twos early. Falling down tantrums when she doesn't get her way on what seem to be minor things to me, but important enough to hold the line.
  • There's been no improvement on the car seat front, though I have started resorting to bribery - fries are a big treat, so they worked the 1x I could offer them; I also will offer some yogurt bites by putting one in my mouth for her to take like a little birdie which is different enough to get her attention; occasionally I can find something interesting with which to distract her but those items usually have a one use limit. Worst case, I have to crawl in the back and physically press her into the seat. Dealing with her and the car seat does not bring out my best parenting moments. It also seems the harder she fights it, the quicker she is to crash once we are on the road, so realizing that has helped my frustration levels, but it is still hugely embarrassing to deal with in public.
  • DH and I are discussing 2x week preschool for her in the fall. They take diaper-using 2 year olds and just happen to be located almost in our neighborhood. I'm hoping there aren't any red flags at my visit next week - I really need, and she needs, some time apart. It's not that I don't love her to pieces, I just need time to do things on my own and she needs more interaction with other kids than I can provide now that two of our friends have moved out of town.
  • I am now the only official employee on payroll at work. The other employee is working on getting his contractors license back, and will be treated as a contractor. Times are tough for custom builders. I'm not terribly worried about my position, I've cut back on my hours to something like a max of 6 hours/week if I have childcare for LO, and my bosses wife doesn't seem inclined to pick up the remaining duties I complete. One of these day's I'll be able to catch up (I was almost there before LO was born and then it all went to hell) and then she might be willing to take over. Until then, it seems to be working nicely for all of us.
  • DH and my 10th wedding anniversary is in March, and I have NO IDEAS! I thought our trip in April was the present to both of us, but DH keeps saying he has a great idea for and anniversary present, but can't find what he's looking for...it's a little nerve wracking!

Okay, it's quarter after 10 and I need to head to bed since I am on call until DH gets home in the afternoon/evening tomorrow. So much for weekends being a time for relaxations, as a SAHM all the days just seem to run together!

2 comments:

  1. I think sending LO to spend some time in a community is a great idea. George loves it, I have a bit of time to do stuff I need or want to, it's great for learning interaction and authority and doing things as a team and learning songs and whatnot they do in there. And the 'crafts' you are given by your child (even though the work was minimal) will melt your heart.

    Does she like tv? Could a dvd player or you know, a movie player device, keep her entertained in the car? I have heard a lot of parents resorting to this trick when trips by car get difficult. Maybe it works with LO too?

    Moving is a nightmare. Add a toddler and you lose years of your life. And not from the end part, no, no, years from the lovely, youngy part. Just so that you know. Although not spending hours commuting but with your family is incredibly nice and helping. Best of luck.

    As for size, yeah, you can totally tell she was a premie. :-) Good job!

    Hope the rash goes away soon and stays where ever it is going. Oranges are yummy. I can totally relate.

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  2. Don't worry about it, as far as Aidan's concerned the only two colors worth noticing are blue and green. He'll occasionally notice silver too, but only if it's a car color.

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