Toddlerhood

Holy sh*t. I have a toddler on my hands. I mean that in the sense that I now have a small person who is no longer content to play happily with toys or eat her dinner of whatever was on the menu. No, now she points, grunts and whines about seemingly everything, insists on eating my dinner even if it's what was already on her plate, arches her back to avoid getting in the carseat and generally demands attention only to reject it once I give it to her. It's going to be a long few years ahead, I can feel it.

On the other hand, with this new found independence and intellect comes an increasing awareness of what she does want. Like she likes to hand me a book and sit in my lap while we "read"/flip the pages. She likes to play in the bath water. She likes to sit in chairs of all shapes and sizes to turn around and smugly see what the view is like.

Andy is so desperate to play with Meg and she largely ignores him a lot of the time, much like he will do to her in a few years. It's nice to see what comes around, goes around.

Block party

I have vivid memories of the block parties growing up. We had a big block with lots of kids and it seemed the yearly block party was the highlight of the social season when we were in elementary school. They seemed to peter out as we got older, but the memories lingered. That's one of the reasons I wanted to organize a block party here in Fairfax.

I talked to my next door neighbors who were down with the idea. I then made a flyer with both our names on it. Since they're in there 70s and know everyone, I thought it would be a good mix of us (younger, newer to the block) and them (older, longer residents). I put out the flyers like six weeks ago asking for RSVPs. Doris and Ernie were out of town until this week so I was nervous that only a few people had said yes or no. We started talking it up more and it helped that a new family with four kids under the age of 7 moved in last week. In total, we had about 35 people show up, with maybe 15 kids of all ages. I was happy with the turnout and happy to get to know some of my neighbors better, especially since a lot of them have young kids in between my kids' ages.

It's been a long an exciting Memorial Day weekend. Other nuggets:

1) I bought Meg her first pair of real shoes. I love that there are like 10 pairs of cute girl shoes for everyone one pair of boy shoes.

2) Andy, Meg and I volunteered at the church Friday helping sort clothes for their first food and clothing distribution. Andy and I went back Saturday and helped in the kids' area letting kids color et al while their parents registered and were helped. It was really cool to be a part of that and I liked being able to volunteer with Andy.

3) I booked a flight for me and Andy to visit my Dallas family next weekend for a few days. Bjorn is going to stay here with Meg. Initially I thought about just bringing Meg, but Andy is old enough to really enjoy the trip and she's young enough that it wouldn't be a relaxing visit at all with me having to chase her everywhere. Next time.

4) Mark is home from college and has brought more clothes than I even thought he had. They are now strewn about his room and all over the laundry room. Bjorn said he wasn't going to wash them and I think Mark is trying to wait out his reserve.

5) The pool opened and we all went for a little while. Andy really loves it, but still refuses to put his head under water. I think I'm going to get him lessons this year.

6) I watched the Sex and the City movie via Netflix. And cried. Three times. I am a total sap.

7) Meg has another ear infection. I took her in on Friday to get her on and off goopy eyes looked at and sure enough, another ear infection. I didn't ask about tubes. This time.

8) Oh, and Frances, the duct cleaning went well. They were here about three hours with industrial vacuum cleaners. They said it was pretty bad in there. You're apparently supposed to get it done every three years. They also sucked out the dryer vent, which is good. Let's hope it also helps with Andy and Mark's allergies.

Parent/teacher conference

I had a parent/teacher conference at Andy's school this week. I know, sort of ridiculous as he's FOUR. It was the second one he's had there, I think, but the first with this new teacher in the class he's been in maybe six weeks or so. Generally he's doing well. He knows all his upper case letters and all but two of his lowercase letters as well as all his numbers. I could have told them that.

What I didn't know is that he's apparently quiet(ish) at school. I find this remarkable since he's soooo talkative at home. Since he broke up with his BFF/frenemy by moving up to the next class, it's taken him a little time to find his niche. Right now he's good friends with a little boy whose parents we know (score) and another little girl that the boy is friends with. I know them from birthday parties and they seem like nice kids so that's a plus. He also likes to tell me though, "I'm every body's friend." I love that. And I love that he seems to be progressing well.

I don't love right now is his pattern (like last night) of coming to my room at 5-ish claiming bad dream. I have been having a devil of a time sleeping lately. Either I have trouble falling asleep or else I wake up too early and can't go back to sleep so this early morning wake-up does not please me. This morning he came to our bed, insisted on getting in. Then between his wiggling and Bjorn's snoring, I finally left for Andy's bed for half an hour for some general peace and quiet. Needless to say I'm tired today. What is my obsession with sleep, theirs and mine? Seriously.

Tomorrow I'm getting the ducts cleaned in the house to hopefully alleviate some of Andy's allergies. Heaven knows when those were last cleaned. Certainly not by us.

Birthday!

We drove to Cape May, New Jersey, yesterday for a 20 hour visit to surprise our friend who turns 40 next month. It was so great to see them after they abandoned us for New Jersey last year so it was great fun when her mother invited us and some other friends up during their family vacation to surprise her. We had a blast catching up with friends, but Andy had the most fun riding bikes with Mia and Liam, playing emergency and jumping on the air mattresses. It was so great to see them playing together like no time had past. Meg was also lapping up all the extra attention of all the additional family ready to hold her, play ball and tell her she was so beautiful and perfect.

Meg had a hard time settling into sleep in the pack and play and probably wailed for about 45 minutes before finally going to see. Andy finally conked out on the air mattress around 9:30. The big kids were exhausted. After an exhaustive reading of Texts from Last Night over many glasses of beer and wine and lots and lots of laughs, I finally turned in around midnight. Just in time for the town air raid noise to go off for the town's volunteer fire department. Meg then woke up and refused to go back to sleep for anything. I tried to hold her in bed, I gave her water, I tried putting her back down, I tried feeding her, I tried a bottle of milk, I tried driving her around. Nothing. With a house full of 15 other people, I couldn't really just let her cry like I might have at home. Instead, Bjorn took her into the car and she finally conked out and so did Bjorn. What a hero, seriously, sleeping in the car. We were all exhausted today.

We are planning another trip to the beach with friends later this summer and I'm a little worried that she hates the pack and play so much that we're doomed. I have thought about letting her sleep in it in her room a few nights to get her used to it. Any other ideas?

Pajama party

It's warm and humid here, most likely in anticipation of rain again, so I've been trying to put Meg is some cooler clothes for night. I have gone shopping for short sleeved shirts and shorts recently, but I thought I was okay on pajamas. Turns out much of what I have is fleece and therefore probably too warm. I dug into the closet and found a few pairs of Andy's old 18-24 month and 2T pajamas. Some of them I remember so fondly of him at that age that it warms my heart to see her wearing them. I imagine she'd be thrilled to realize they were Andy's, too. Now I'm wishing I hadn't given away so much of his clothes as about now, she'd look just adorable in blue pajamas wish fishies on them. Precious darling angel baby.

Andy is getting smarter by the minute. We have started playing "memory" and that kid is amazing at it. He also just loves it, which I love. I also like that we can play while I have TMZ on in the background.

We're going to visit some friends for the weekend at the beach. I think the weather is going to suck, but who cares! I am in desperate need of a change of scenery. I realized I haven't taken the kids (or myself) really anywhere interesting since the Christmas debacle in Dallas where Meg was sick and up all night practically the entire time we were gone.

I have decided I am in a funk and, in my natural fashion, I'm driving Bjorn practically batsh*t with my continued stream of things I want to do. Like helping the poor in our neighborhood through the church, taking a vacation to somewhere anywhere, taking classes at Mason (turns out since it's been six years since my last graduate class, I have to reapply), taking tennis lessons. He smiles and tries not to roll his eyes, but I need some ideas of fun stuff to do, places to go, people to see. What you got?

Back in business

I bought a new laptop back in January probably, but in typical Bennett family fashion, I have yet to dismantle my old computer and was keeping it standing (and on most of the time) mostly to pay bills and upload pictures. Of course, now that I have a new fancy FAST laptop, the old one has lost appeal to me. It doesn't help that it's in a corner of the basement vs. the laptop where I can watch Diego and post at the same time. That's the reason there haven't been many pictures lately and also why I have missed a few bills. And if you know me, I love to pay bills on time. Seriously.

So I have finally gotten the software to upload pictures here. Sure, it took me about an hour to figure out where on my hard drive they were stored, but I did it! Next up, getting a better routine for bill pay.

Meanwhile, we're still planning a beach vacay this summer. We've settled on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, to meet our friends. I can't wait. I really need the time away and as you can see, the kids love sand. Any recommendations from you out there?

Awesome!

Andy's new word is "awesome." He says it all the time right now, some of it when it's actually appropriate. It's adorable yet totally annoying all the same.

Me: Andy, let's go to the library and get a new DVD. Would you like that?
Andy: Awe-some!

Me: Andy, can you change out of your pull-up from last night, please? I think it smells like pee.
Andy: Awe-some!

Fat deposit or hernia: you be the judge

So Meg's had this little spot on her tummy for weeks now. It's a little spot under the skin above her belly button about the size of a dime. I mentioned it to her doctor a few weeks/months ago. She thought it was likely just a fat deposit, but we'd keep an eye on it. On Friday, the doctor pressed on it a little more (to the extent Meg would let her) and she thinks it might be a mild hernia instead since it seems to only show up when she's standing and flexing her stomach muscles.

My only real exposure to hernias is the kid on my block growing up who had one when he was in elementary school. The doctor explained that in kids that age, the problem ends up more in their testicles, turning them blue and painful, therefore needing surgical intervention. In Meg's case, she likely just has a little piece of intestine sticking through her stomach muscle. We will hope that it goes away on its own as it likely isn't causing any problems. If it ever did cause a problem, the remedy is surgery. According to the Toddler 411 book, umbilical hernias like this rarely require any treatment, but we'll certainly keep an eye on it.

15 months

Meg went for her 15 month check up on Friday. The little darling is 26 pounds and 32 inches tall -- a healthy, growing girl most certainly. Bjorn is excited for her height. He figures if the old wives' tale of double their height at two is correct, then she's at least going to be 5'4" and that's a solid two inches taller than me and makes her the tallest on my side of the family, next to Aunt Tia. She showed off her jabbering sounds and a few steps. Then she had to get three shots. She cried and I nearly did. Poor chicken.

It's been a weird few weeks for me though. I've been having trouble sleeping for some reason. I don't feel stressed necessarily although Bjorn working out of town so much hasn't been so great. Now I find myself stressed about not being able to sleep. How refreshing is that? So I lie in bed mad at myself for not being able to sleep or else I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and have the same thing. It makes no sense.

My doctor had prescribed Ambien some time ago and I've been taking that a little. Of course, now I'm paranoid about getting an addiction to sleeping pills so I lie awake at night and try to go to sleep, then worry about that and then take something. Rather ridiculous. And the catch is that to take Ambien, you have to have an eight hour window to take it so if I don't take it early enough, I'm screwed. So now I'm totally in my head about this. It's so bizarre. Anybody else go through this?

It's so funny to be worried about my own sleep. I swear I have spent the better part of four years worried about my kids sleeping habits so I think my own have been all over the map for so long that I don't know what to do with myself.

She walks! Mostly!

On her 15-month-birthday, Bjorn and I watched her walk six or seven steps, stop to look at something and reload, and then walk four or five more steps. That's walking, right? We were so proud we both sort of teared up. Precious darling angel baby is now a walker. Well, some of the time. When she feels like it.

Bjorn is out of town again tonight. I sure hope he lands some of these deals. Fortunately, Jennifer is coming by to help. It's very convenient with her eight minute commute. Plus, it's nice catching up with her and hearing what's going on. It's hard to believe the biggest of the angel babies (Jennifer) starts her first real job on Monday after moving into her first real apartment last week. And to think I knew her when.

It's funny, Bjorn and I were dating back when I was her age. In retrospect, I can only imagine what the other parents at the soccer and basketball games must have thought of me barely in my 20s standing on the sidelines with a bunch of parents in their 40s. Bjorn was young for the crowd in his early 30s, but they probably didn't know that. I imagine I really did look like some chippie/trophy wife.

I am in need of a vacation and this 90 degree heat has me dreaming of the beach. If you have ideas for beach spots on the east coast, let me know.

Pictures

Jennifer and Andy posing at Ikea where we got stuff for Jennifer's new house.
Jennifer and Andy posing outside her new rented townhouse.

Soccer boy! There's something about this expression I can't quite put my finger on, but I like it.

Hunting for Easter Eggs. I agree with Andy, I don't really understand what a bunny has to do with eggs, but oh well.

Proof that I don't just dress her in pants and t-shirts all the time.

Meg wearing Bjorn's glasses. The resemblance is remarkable.

Our first real allergic reaction

Once you have a kid, you learn more about allergies than you want -- all about what foods to introduce when and what can cause reactions and what to look out for. I was relieved when the allergy test showed Andy had no allergies to foods and cats, just dust and pollen/weeds. Therefore I was quite surprised when Andy came down to breakfast all red in the face and having spots on his chest.

We promptly went to the ped for their walk-in sick appointments that only go to 11 and there can be a wait. Fortunately, it wasn't a bad wait, but I was surprised to hear that they think it's the Ceptra that he's been on for a week for a ear infection. I was surprised since he's been on it for a week with no trouble and had even been on it before. Apparently that can be common with these sulphur-based antibiotics. Go figure. She recommended antihistamine today to counteract the reaction and we got a prescription of another antibiotic to start tomorrow for the ear infection that hasn't cleared up yet.

This means now that whenever we go to another doctor or the ER and they ask for allergies, we have to say Ceptra. That makes me a little sad, but fortunately this type of antibiotic isn't that prevalent or in other stuff so we won't have to worry about it too much.

Why, why, why?

Andy asks why about 100 times a day. I know it's normal for this age, but what gets me is when he asks a question he already knows the answer to, and doesn't agree to my answer.

"Mommy, is it afternoon?"
"Yes, Andy, it's 3 o'clock, it's afternoon."
"No it's not. It's morning."
...

I have taken to asking him the question back instead.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?"
"Where do you think he is?"
"At work."

That seems much better than him arguing with me over a question I frankly don't care the answer to. I have also tried this technique"

"Mommy, do cats have tails?"
"Yes, cats have tails."
"No they don't."
...
"Andy, if you knew the answer, why did you ask me in the first place?"
...

He's probably going to be a lawyer, isn't?

Bribery parenting

Andy has been waking up in the middle of the night again. Some nights, he just cries from his bed. Other nights, he gets up and comes to our room. Both are annoying. In fairness, he was sick yesterday with a fever and stayed home with Bjorn.

"I've been a good boy today, right?"
"Yes, yes, you have."
"Since I was a good boy at the pharmacy, can I have a Popsicle?"
Can't argue with the kid's logic.
"Actually Andy, I'll make a deal with you. If you go all night without waking Mommy or Daddy up and staying in your bed, you can have two Popsicles with breakfast."

It actually worked. And was worth every drop. I've been having trouble sleeping lately so it was so nice not to be fighting with him at 5 a.m. this morning.

Soccer day

Today was soccer day. Andy has been practically counting the hours until his first "game" (well, he would if he really understood the concept of hours. As it is, he just asked every day when his first game was and the all day today he was ready to go. I am not sure it lived up to the hype as about half an hour in to a one hour practice/game, he was ready to sit and have a third water break. The bad part about being an assistant coach was I was right there for him to whine to during the practice.

We had an hour long coaching clinic last night. The main message was keep the kids busy with lots of games and don't focus too much on the fundamentals of soccer. Just have fun, keep things moving and you'll be fine. Easier said than done. I have a whole new appreciation for preschool teachers. The 10 kids did great for about the first 30 minutes. Then we had the obligatory water break and they never quite recovered. In their defense, it was 75 and sunny -- by far the nicest day since last fall. I'd give my first effort a C+. We'll do better next week.

In an unrelated note, Meg cannot be without a diaper for a minute without peeing. Sometimes twice. It's a struggle getting Andy undressed at bath time and I sometimes get her dressed to motivate him that she's going to "beat" him into the tub. Sadly, that means she's sometimes naked for all of five minutes. Tonight I got her undressed and she promptly climbed on Andy's bed and peed. I then took the sheets off and as I walked them the FIVE FEET to the hamper, she climbed on the bed and peed again. Thankfully, I have a plastic sheet on his bed.

We went to the doctor yesterday and Andy had an allergy test. It was an interesting thing for them to have a six pronged comb type thing that they scratched onto his back to test for allergens. The good news is he's not allergic to cats or any foods, but he does have reactions to dust mites, pollen and tree molds. He recommends Claritin daily through spring, a vent cleaning and getting rid of the down pillows in favor of polyfill. Fortunately, he doesn't seem too bothered, but it's something we'll have to watch.

She walks!

Well, not walk exactly, but she took two or three steps in a row! Over and over again! She was so excited for the cheering and it was great because Bjorn was here as was his mom to witness it. A nice cap to a nice, but chilly, Easter.

In preparation for the holiday, Meg came down with her XVXI cold of the season last week. She had the typical runny nose and cough, but this time she had a strange new symptom -- red cheeks that she wanted to scratch along with watery eyes. No fever, which pointed to allergies, but with a holiday weekend, it made sense to get into the ped just in case.

I was surprised to hear she had a beginning right ear infection. I was also surprised to hear that the mucus under her cheeks can occasionally cause her face to burn/itch, which is why she was scratching. I know, strange. She's on antibiotics for the ear infections and antihistamine for the itching.

I saw Dr. Murphy, the other doctor in the practice, instead this time and was asking about ear tubes as if it was a fait accompli. He said not to rush into it, as the season is just about over and hopefully by the fall her immune system is that much better. I explained that Andy didn't get tubes until he was nearly three.

"Does he have allergies?"
"Um, I don't know."
Looking at him. "Actually, it looks like he might. Look at his nose. And the bags under his eyes. Does he always look like that?"
"Well, the black eye is from falling off a chair."

He explained that the "shiner" is a classic look among kids with allergies, who often have ear problems because their ears are "sticky." He recommended an allergy work-up, which we're doing next Friday. Supposedly it doesn't involve needles, just a skin reaction test that takes about 20 minutes. I already have to take Meg back to get her ear follow-up. The nice thing about my Fridays off is I almost always get to spend them at a pediatrician.

Soccer part 3

This soccer thing is getting to be a theme. Good thing I like it so much.

Andy is wearing his soccer socks, shin guards and cleats to school today. I am positive I did the same thing at his age (and older, likely). I think my mother even let me wear them to church. And by let, I'm sure I mean she couldn't pry them off my feet for any amount of candy and/or television in the world. Bjorn did have the foresight to take some classic pictures of Andy wearing his soccer gear on his feet...and nothing else. Prime picture for that high school yearbook seniors' picture or his rehearsal dinner slide show.

He's starting to get dressed a little by himself, which is an exciting thing as I know ultimately it will mean he is more self sufficient. In the meantime, it takes him at least twice as long to get dressed by himself with all the associated drama. I do find half the time his clothes are on backwards. I usually just shrug that off, although that's the time that I run into someone I might actually want to impress at the grocery store. The other day he insisted on wearing his underwear on backwards. It was obvious, what with the big "pocket" as we call it on his butt and all the extra fabric in the front, but it's not like he was ever going to unzip his pants, reach through the flap and pee that way.

Bjorn has been traveling a lot for work the last two weeks. I'm excited for him as in theory, all those presentations could turn into sales for him, you know, important opportunities for a sales guy. But we've missed him. Fortunately, both kids have been angels more or less. And by angels, I mean healthy for a week or so. Both seem to be coming down with colds again, and I'm trying t be all zen about it and not a big baby, I mean. They're colds, right? But it's hard to see them unhappy and, truthfully, mama needs her sleep. I know, how lame.

Soccer part 2

Bjorn took Andy to get cleats for soccer today. He ended up spending $40 at Dick's on a package that consisted of Umbro cleats, shin guards, socks and a ball. Andy was so excited that he's sleeping tonight with his socks and shin guards on. "In case anyone tries to kick me in my sleep." Adorable and ironic since if anyone does any kicking at night, it's him.

Sports

Soccer starts in two weeks. And, no, I don't mean me. For the first time in probably 15 years, I'm not currently on a soccer team. I just got burned out playing outdoor, mostly due to my age and out-of-shapeness that I wasn't willing to overcoming for two hours in the sun on a Sunday morning. That part feels weird. As does Andy being signed for soccer. It's a mini-me league that has "games" on Saturday afternoons. And by games, I mean organized playtime. I'm not even sure if there are jerseys, but I'm sure there are trophies.

I even volunteered to be an assistant coach, which both thrills and terrifies me. I always wanted to like coaching. I even went so far as to be help when my dad was my sister Mary's coach back circa 1982. But like my stint as a camp counselor, I was never one with the children and never really acheived that awesome status as a fun coach that also teaches the kids stuff that they really like and listen to. Bjorn did a lot of coaching for Mark and Jennifer in basketball and I loved being a helper to do the quiet tasks like keep the score books and mark off how may fouls every had. I never really aspired to be the one teaching drills. That part filled me with terror.

But Andy needed an assistant coach and I volunteered. Assistant I can probably handle. I think that means making sure parents show up with drinks and snacks after the games. I might even suggest a few drills so long as they don't make me actually run them.

Mark your calendar

I watch Meg take two steps tonight. She can totally walk now if she wants, but right now she's still a little too tentative. It's funny, she'll take steps on her own, but if I reach out to have her walk to me, she smiles big and drops to crawl. I suppose she's not a baby anymore.

Andy, on the other hand, clearly wants to be a baby again. He keeps talking about getting back into Mommy's tummy (sorry, not going to happen). He also insisted I put the pack and play in his room so he can sleep there. So far, he has only slept there for two hours before crying that his neck hurt. He is also spending a lot of time saying, "Ga ga, goo goo, I'm a baby." I had no idea the Freudian stuff started this early.