Planes, Trains and Automobiles

We made it. B and I are officially in Florida, away from CR, away from the snow, away from our routine. Joyous. We originally were supposed to come down here earlier this month, but Massachusetts weather apparently traveled south, and the Sunshine State saw temps in the 30s...not something you want to travel three hours on a plane to get to.
As mentioned earlier, CR has been struggling with a cold/fever since Monday. We drove down to Ga and Gee's house yesterday, and decided that if he still had a fever this morning, that I would stay behind and come down a day later. Luckily, CR woke up this morning, cool as a cucumber, and when we asked him if Mommy and Daddy could leave, he said, "yeah, I stay with Ga and Gee."
So here we are, staying with our good friend W, after a long day of travel. CR, we love you, and Ga and Gee, and Mimi and Pop-Pops, thank you so much for enabling us to be on this short, but much needed babymoon trip.

My belly button popped early with this pregnancy. When I was pregnant with CR, and my belly button popped out, I was horrified to discover that on the inside of my belly, lives a scary looking little mole. CR is observant, and soon after the mole reared its ugly head, he made up his own reason why the darkened bump looks the way it does...
When I ask him about the baby in Mommy's tummy, he points to the mole, and says that it's the baby's foot, kicking out from the inside...that is the only thing that is cute about this lovely side effect of pregnancy...
(image from here)

Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli, lolli, lolli lollipop...

Bribery. It's something I always said I wouldn't do if and when I became a parent. I used to cringe when I saw parents promising things like toys, or candy, when a child misbehaved or rebelled against doing something. But here I am, full-fledged mommy, and now seasoned barterer.
Since wee-man has been fighting a cold and low fever since Sunday night, I thought it best to take him to see his pediatrician. As any child would react when told they are going to the doctor, he was not overly excited. I found myself promising that he would get a roll of Smarties after his appointment (his favorite candy because he can eat them one at a time, calling out the colors as he pops them into his mouth). As we walked out of the exam room (no ear infection, just a bad cold at this point), he knew it was time for Mommy to pay up.
After a trip to the post office, I decided I needed a quick trim of the locks. And where better to get a fast and, sadly, an appropriately priced haircut than SuperCuts (please muffle your chuckles). And what is even more sad is that as soon as I mentioned where our next stop was going to be, CR's focused little mind served up a memory for yet another place I bribed him in the past in order to get his own hair cut - he immediately knew this place offered a whole basket of lollipops for his flavor choosing enjoyment. I said haircut, he said "ring-pop" (what he calls a lollipop).
How do I get myself out of this place where in order to get my son to do anything remotely against his will, I need to dangle a carrot in front of his face? I hope to chalk this up under "this too shall pass..."

(image from here)

Who's got the cure for the end-of-the-weekend blues?

Another weekend gone. I feel like I blinked and poof, it was over. Maybe it's because I incorporated a few hours of work into what should have been an Outlook and Excel-free couple of days, or the fact that we didn't have a lot on our docket, but at the same time, didn't stop at all to really relax.
At any rate, Saturday we tried skating for the second time. The interest was a bit lacking from wee-man...

He was more interested in sitting. And falling. And jumping. The only break from his antics was caused by his undying love for and interest in a "lift" that was parked next to the rink.

After skating, knowing that we would never be able to leave if he saw the workers readying to wake the vehicle from its slumber, we had to run to the car.
After naptime, we headed out to a bar in Waltham to celebrate B's cousin's (K) birthday. We brought CR, and J and D brought along AW and AM. Dinner arrived a little later than planned, so the kids resorted to their own methods of dealing with their fatigue; AW and CR delved into Cars, while AM took to the floor with her ba-ba and her blanket...not necessarily what one typically sees strewn under their feet when ordering a beer, but it worked for us, buying us a little more time with the fam.

Sunday B took CR to his swim class, allowing me to take my beat-up feet to a nearby salon for a little pedicure love.
That brings us to today. CR has a cold, and it is pouring outside, so much of our day was spent playing in Mantown, building long trains, and playing "horsie" while riding on momma's back...at nearly 23 weeks, moving around the basement on all fours made me second guess my game choice.

Tomorrow is a little bit of work for me, and a visit from my brother, J, for dinner. Hopefully the little guy feels better, and we can leave the house for more than just a trip to the mailbox.

Guilty pleasures...

Yes, it was a bit chilly out today, but recently I have been beginning to feel like the walls of our house are closing in on us. Mantown has a lot to offer, but day after day of playing in the basement wears thin after awhile. So after a planned playdate fell through, I took CR out to a playground that we had been to before, and I knew some or most of it had direct sun exposure. We got there, and much to my demise, a lot of the playground was still covered in ice. It was no match for us. We climbed up the scrolling ladders, slid down the slides, rode the spring-coiled cars, and swung on the swings.

I thought about getting the little guy some exercise, so I made up a game..."Tag the Tree." To the side of the playground is a wide open field. A perfect setting for our game. The first round I played along, and ran across the entire field with him to "tag" the backstop on the far side. After running back to our point of origin, it was all him. I pointed out a tree, and he ran to it. I pointed out another tree or object, and he ran to it. It may seem a bit elementary, and maybe even a little cruel, but he laughed the entire time, and it achieved just what I wanted it to - rosy cheeks and a tired out little boy.

After playing, we went to a nearby cafe, and enjoyed hot chocolate and a PB&J sandwich.

Once we got back home, we still had some time before nap, so I decided CR needed a little practice for his swimming class. Many of the kids his age in the class jump in the pool and dunk under the water before they are lifted to safety by their parents. We tried this last week with CR, and it was not pretty...water up the nose and lots of coughing. So, we need to practice holding our breath and blowing bubbles in the water. I was not inclined to fill up the bathtub at 2 in the afternoon, so I took out a large mixing bowl and filled it with warm water. I slapped a bib on my dedicated pupil, and we took turns putting our faces in the bowl (if only B could see us now). He did great, until the last dunk, where water came streaming out of his nose, and he threw in the towel.

He is a trooper, I'll give him that...trying out new things that his mother thinks will be beneficial to him...do I really think that it will be? Probably not, but it sure is fun watching him do some outlandish tricks.

It's like negotiating with, well, a two-and-a-half-year-old

Potty training. It has been one of our biggest hurdles as of late, and I am not sure how to handle it. Originally I was not in any sort of rush; I wanted CR to be completely ready for the transition from using diapers and Pull-ups, to removing the "middleman" of sorts and going directly to the source to do his business. Before the holidays, we really had the peeing thing under control. He rarely had accidents, even when wearing underwear to the park - he would signal the need to go, and we would make it home in time to avoid having to change his entire outfit. Once we went home to see the family for Christmas, he seemed to go back to the drawing board. The whole pooping thing has never been on par with what is socially acceptable...I wanted to get over the liquid hurdle before I attempted to deal with solids. But at least at one point we had one battle won...had is the operative word. It's not so much the accidents that occur, but it is the utter refusal on his behalf to even attempt to go anymore. It's like I am asking him to lite himself on fire.
So today, I decided that I would try to reason with him. He is getting to the age where he can partially grasp a concept if it is broken down for him. I told him that instead of screaming "No!" when I asked him to go to the potty, that he think about what if I always said no to him...like when he asks for things he wants (marshmallows, a squeeze yogurt, to wear his PJs after the morning passes by, for a new Cars character...you get the point) - on average, if he has already had a decent meal, or if he asks politely, I often say yes. He did not like my idea...he does not like the word no when it pertains to him (why would he?)
After sitting on our bathroom floor, "reasoning" with him and conceptualizing with him, he stood up, pulled down his pants, and asked to be put on the toilet. I swear a chorus of Hallelujah, Hallelujah rang down from above. With a quick flush, we pulled his undies back up, and he was off...five minutes later, he in turn, pooped in his pants...one point for Mommy, quickly switched over to one point for poop-boy. We will get this...right?

(image from here)

Hooked on a Feeling...for a minute or two...

Today I had to go into the home office for the non-profit that I work for. SM could not take CR today, as sadly she had a wake to attend, so I ended up driving the little guy out to my sister-in-law's house so that her nanny could watch him. Side note, their nanny is a superwoman...not only did she watch AW and AM, she gladly took on CR...and to think, I am already beginning to sweat over caring for two...oye.
At any rate, I had a productive late morning/early afternoon at the office, and upon driving back to get CR, I had a feeling that came over me; something that I have not felt for a long time. In looking back at my day, I left CR, and was able to completely remove myself from him for a period of time. I work three out of five days out of the week from home, and when SM comes over, I head upstairs for a few hours and focus on work. The difference between my normal routine and today, you ask? Today I was back in my office element, dressed in work clothes (as opposed to my Lululemons that I rock at home), and engaging in meetings face-to-face with my colleagues rather than over the phone. For the first time in awhile, I was able to feel like my former pre-child state...like a person who worked, but was also a Mom...
I realized, however, that these feelings were fleeting...as I drove into my sister-in-law's driveway to retrieve CR, the feelings of happiness shifted immediately back into my role as a Mom, who is also a person who works...I even felt myself quicken my steps to get to their front door to see him a little quicker.
Tomorrow I am back to working from home, sporting my Lululemons, with occasional belly laughs bellowing out from the little guy right downstairs. Until my next in-office meeting, I am all smiles over where I am right now...there is plenty of time in my life down the road to work in the office. For now, I am happy to be right where I am.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to the Polls we go...

The weather continues to be dreary and miserable here in the Boston area. What started out as snow has switched to rain...cold rain. CR had a blast with SM this morning in Mantown while I worked, and after lunch, we decided to get out, even if it was only for a few minutes. Today marks a big election day in MA, so it was only logical that we use a trip to our local precinct to cast our vote as our outing. We bundled up, and after testing CR's limits with the rain (sometimes he just doesn't like the rain), we jumped in the car and popped over to make our voice heard. I know. Environmentally not the best decision to fire up the family truckster, but in that wee-man wanted no part in the precipitation, and he needed to go down for a nap by 3pm at the latest, we made the split-second decision.
We hit the ward well after lunchtime, so there wasn't a line, and based on the fact that the ballot consisted of only one line item, we barely had a chance to shut the privacy curtain behind us in the booth. Not the most exciting outing, but CR was extremely happy to get the sticker in the end.

Tomorrow is another busy work day for me, but here's to hoping for sunny skies, a bright new day, and an end to all of the political rally calls we have been receiving - Martha and Scott can lose our number now...

Three-Day Weekend - has such a nice ring to it...

The relaxed nature of this morning was undoubtedly the result of a full weekend for our little CR. He slept in until well past 9am. Not unprecedented, but surely not the norm for him. It is rainy and sleeting today, so a reprieve from my normal morning run has been ordered upon me. Pregnant woman skating in running shoes does not equate to a safe situation. So here I sit, typing away with coffee in hand (decaf of course), listening to the sleet against the sliding glass door.
So, back to the reason behind our tired little man. After his nap on Friday, we made our way to All-Star Cafe for a little family dinner outing - we brought along all of his afore-posted cars, and he was a rock-star at the All-Star, even though it was past his bedtime. Saturday morning we took CR ice skating for the first time. He loved it. B is an amazing skater, so he set a great example for CR, gliding around the rink frontwards and backwards - when it came time for CR to try it out, he walked in his skates like a pro, and loved making his way across the ice between his daddy's legs.

After his nap, we made our way to our friends' house for a little play time with S, my friend from college, her husband T, and their two kids W (he is 2 1/2) and L (she is nearly 10 months). They were heading out for the evening, but we managed to get our boys together for over an hour of loud, often above outside voice level of fun.
Sunday morning we headed out to swim class. The class offers wall-kicks, kick-board practice, noodle floating, and waterslide fun. The water is about 85 degrees, so B doesn't mind being in the pool with him. I look ahead to a few Sundays where I will need to take CR when B has plans, and even I won't balk at getting in the water (aside from the whole pregnant body in a swimsuit thing).

After swim class, it was off for some errands, and then home for lunch. After nap, we headed out to B's sister's (J) and brother-in-law's (D) house for a birthday dinner with visiting Mimi and Pop-pops, and playtime with CR's cousins, AW (he is 3 1/4) and AM (she is 1 1/2). CR stayed up until a little after 10pm, so this, along with all of this weekend's activities, drive him to snooze so late into the morning.

B and I are working from home today, and are enjoying a play-visit from our friend T and his son W.
Tomorrow marks the start of another work week, but at least it was delayed a day...now if only the sun would come out...

Cars..Pixar, as creative as you are, you made my child into an addict...

This is a side-post for CR's grandparents (Ga, Gee, Mimi and Pop-Pops). For those days that he is in your care, he will refer to the following cast of characters on a regular basis. For your convenience, I included tagged pictures of each key player to assist you in times of question:

McQueen

Mater

Chick Hicks

King

Sally (not the "real" Sally character, but CR refers to it as such)

Red

Luigi (also referred to as "Yellow" by CR)

Mack

And when he rants, "I want to watch Caarrrrrrs, I want to watch Caarrrrrrs," distract him with his toy cars for as long as possible...may the force be with you.

M.I.T. - Not Mommy in Turmoil (although that does often apply), but the Institute...

Today we looked to our local library for passes to educational outlets around the area. Slim pickings, to say the least, but I was happy to see that the MIT Museum was a possibility. We have been to Harvard's Museum of Natural History, but there is something to be said for seeing a place for the first time...and parking by MIT is a lot easier than venturing to Harvard Square and all the tourist-generated chaos it has to offer. So after picking up our golden ticket to the museum, we jetted over to see what we could see.
The museum itself is not that large, but the collection of moving displays was intriguing, and CR was thrilled that a number of the exhibits that required hands-on (or feet-on) operation. We started out on the second level, and he made an immediate b-line for the only thing he could see at home...a TV with streaming video about fish...

After a few minutes of television watching (heck, it was educational), we made our way into the back room. CR's eyes lit up. There were displays with wheels, and levers and balls, Oh My! He could kick off their motion by pushing what appeared to be an old sewing machine pedal on the floor. His favorite was titled "Margot's Cat," that had a chair that bounced and flipped over a laterally moving board with a cat on it.

My favorite (that also brought a lot of chuckles out of CR) was the wishbone pulling what appeared to be a cart...simple humor, pretty elaborate construction...

For the next half hour, CR paced around the expanse of the room, making sure that all devices were in working position. If he heard one stop, he would rush over and hit the floor pedal to correct the silence...

After an hour and a half, we pulled shoots, and went next door to the Lotte Market - a place where you can find nearly every type of Asian hot sauce, noodle, or sushi supply you could imagine. CR took it upon himself to find the only aisle that had objects he could transform into toys...or hats, for that matter...

Then it was homeward bound for grilled cheese and grapes for lunch. Even with an hour of work still to complete for the day, all I can say is TGIF...happy weekend!!

Ants on a Log? Maybe just the ants...hold the log...

Today was a heavy work day for me. CR spent a few hours with an amazing person who is not only his caretaker, but his friend and mentor. She is my friend, and someone who I am so so fortunate to have in our life (I will refer to her as SM). They played in "Mantown" (our finished basement) while I slaved away upstairs. When I was able to come up for air, CR and I made a picnic lunch, featuring a number of fruits and dairy products. I pulled out a favorite from my childhood, hoping that he would like it as much as I did as a kid. Ants on a Log. A simple delight consisting of celery, peanut butter, and raisins. Despite my attempt to sneak in a serving of vegetables, CR used the celery as a vehicle for the peanuty-goodness...repeatedly dipping it in the dish I had in hindsight stupidly filled with a healthy mound of creamy Skippy love.

Lunchtime is always a surprise...some days he samples things I never thought he would lay his hands on, and others, he drops things like they're hot. Maybe tomorrow I will introduce him to another one of my childhood favs...liverworst...for those who know me, liverworst? Really? Who am I kidding...