Creative Energy

CR came to my doctor's appointment with me this morning...I went back and forth over leaving him behind to play with EB while I went to my routine check-up, but thought it might be nice for him to get out and about for awhile before lunchtime. Once we arrived, I was happy to find that he managed to keep himself contained and in line by filling cups repeatedly with water...

As we know, I live by a creed that has been passed down from my grandmother, to my mother, and then to me...waste not want not...so needless to say, we floated our way into the exam room after making sure we drank every last drop of his waiting room pastime.

Once we returned home, EB met us to hang out with wee-man for a couple of hours so that I could get a few work items crossed off my list. After venturing down into Mantown to catch up with EB a bit before she left, I witnessed what was the result of a little pent-up energy. Due to the horrendous weather we have been experiencing, combined with taking CR with me to run not-so-kid-friendly errands over the past couple of days, equated to a limited amount of outside, energy-burning activity time.

This is what happened...

He conned EB into bulldozing basically everything he could find in the basement into a corner. It took me literally 20 minutes to find homes for all the objects in the pile.

Sort of funny? Yes. A pain in the arse? Also yes.

Avoiding this sort of inconvenience trumps humor, so next time we have a stretch of bad weather, I am dragging the little guy outside to do laps around the house or something of that nature...anything to keep from having to sort through the tangible representation of his pent-up energy.

...the lion sleeps tonight...

Last night CR managed to practically stay up later than we did.

He has been getting into the habit of staying up and playing in his bed for nearly an hour after he goes down for his afternoon nap - this pushes his actual shut-eye time out an hour, and in turn, his wake-up time out an hour. So basically the lad crashes from 3:30pm - 6pm, and then once we get him into bed for nite-nite time at 8:30pm, he repeats the play action and sometimes stays up past 10pm. Notice the trend? It's not good. He's an annoying little jungle creature up there, crashing his cars, and repeatedly roaring down to his enslaved parents to retrieve any vehicles that have jumped out of his bed.

I suppose we sort of established the rocky foundation in this flawed structure. In order to keep his toys contained within a relatively portable vessel, we piled all of his bedtime pals into a bucket.

You may remember this multi-faceted canister when it served as a hat for CR...

Rather than sitting with him and having him select a few choice cars or trains to keep with him at night, at one point awhile back we handed him the entire felt bee tub - we told him to keep the ones he wanted, and to throw those he didn't onto his floor...not the smartest set of parental instructions.

Instead of tossing the rejects down gently to the rug below, the little menace has taken to hurling the sedans at the door, the far wall, the bookcase...basically with every forceful toss, the little guy is further depreciating the value of our home by adding little nooks and crannies all over the room...a habit we are aiming to break for more reasons beyond the initial problem of his mounting sleep deprivation...

After finally nodding off last night, you can only imagine how tired the little man was this morning when it came time to actually get up and go to school. Apparently he rose briefly before it was time to get up this morning, and in order to avoid waking the heartburn-laiden woman in the next room, B climbed into bed with wee-man, and the pair proceeded to snooze until 8am...

This isn't the first time the father-son team has shared a pillow...

Around the time that we usually leave the house for school was when CR made his way down the stairs for his hot cereal fix...thank goodness it was PJ day in his classroom, as it made getting dressed a whole lot smoother and less of a battle...going from PJs to PJs is an easy case to make.

Tonight he only screamed out once. At that point, we threatened to shut his door and take away all of his buddies, and he wasn't heard from again.

Hopefully he is on a path to a normal sleeping pattern. I put him down earlier for his afternoon nap, and the last peep we heard from his room tonight was 9pm. Tomorrow he is going to accompany me to my 32 week appointment - he'd better be up and at 'em when I go into his room in the morning, and his wrecking-ball cars had better not done too much damage...

Row, row, row your Arc, gently down the street...

Rain. Rain. More Rain. I have had just about enough of it. The side of the road looks more like a river, and our "back yard" has little tributaries trickling out like tree-roots. Today is not a preschool day, so after EB left around lunchtime, CR and I had to get creative. Not creative like my Mom would be (I am sure she would have come up with a much more constructive and educational way to pass the time), but I had to come up with something other than playing in Mantown...my thoughts?

Rain + puddles = happy little boy

We strapped on our rain gear, grabbed an umbrella, and headed outside.

After a stroll around the block, CR decided that struggling with the wind and the umbrella was a bit much, so we resorted to splashing in puddles. Lots of splashing. CR went nuts for nearly half an hour in our driveway. He had a blast.

Now a side note - Mimi, you have been asking about what to get CR for his upcoming birthday. Well, I just thought of another item. As you can see, his raincoat is a bit snug...that's because it is size 6-12 months. I kid you not. I know sizing varies from designer to designer, but come on. That being said, he needs a new rain jacket...that or some human growth hormone...

I love the Curious George one that he has because it has a light fleece lining, so it provides a little warmth as well as rain protection. According to Real Simple magazine, the best time to find deals on rain coats is April, so now is the time to ask for one (your unsolicited shopping tip of the day).

So today, despite the rain, being stuck with wee-man indoors was not that painful. Smiling and taking advantage of what the elements have to offer is a better approach than cursing left and right about how much the weather sucks...it does suck, but at least for today we found a little silver lining in the cloud that is expected to accompany us for the next 48 hours...

If you think CR's hair looks a little green in the pictures, it's not because I am trying to make him look like a little Leprechaun because I missed out on St. Paddy's Day...it's because first thing this morning I took him to get yet another haircut, capped off with the green spikes he has now come to ask for when he goes...

The Princess and the Pea

It happened with CR, but I don't remember it happening so early on...the illustrious world of heartburn. Traditional sleep positions are thrown out the window...

Pic of our bed in Harvard Square shortly before CR's arrival...

Pic of our bed at our current residence - pillow tower began at about 29 weeks...

I usually start off in the upright position, and then sometime in the wee hours of the morning I am able to remove the two larger bottom pillows to "comfortably" recline, and in turn use the two smaller ones as support between my legs and under my belly...

A little too much information? Sorry...just another fun side effect of pregnancy...just be thankful it's a mere fairy tale for you. For me? The happy ending to my nightly battle-of-the-belly arrives around 2:30am...

I kind of like them, Sam I am...

Today CR had a Dr. Seuss party at school. I went in to help out with making the themed "Green eggs and Ham," and shockingly enough, wee-man dug the funky-colored ovums.

After snack, all the kids chose a Dr. Seuss book to read, and the parents who came to the bash read to clusters of little people around them...

CR loved to simply describe what was happening in the pages rather than listening to the stories themselves - so he told his own version of the tale...

After storytime, the kiddies dined on red and white cake. This subbed in for CR's lunch....grrrr...oh well, parties don't happen every day (and news to CR - neither does having cake as a meal).

Belly Update - 30+ Weeks

We're getting there...this was taken this past weekend at 30 weeks...as of today, I am 31 weeks along!

Achilles Knee

Today B had his eighth surgery on his right knee. Yes, his eighth. He had it done out at MGH in Waltham, and as rough as we thought the day might be, things rolled along without any major glitches.

We arrived at 12:30pm, and were home by 4pm. Crazy fast.

Pretty much as soon as we arrived, B was taken back for pre-op. I did some work using the hospital computer terminals, and before I knew it, the doctor came out to give me an update on how B's procedure went.

The doctor looked a little surprised to find me sitting there, waiting to hear any news on how B was doing. When B was coming out of anesthesia, he told the attending that I was out for a run, and that they might have to wait to find me...poor disoriented poo. I had not left the waiting room other than to go to the hospital pharmacy to fill B's prescriptions, but in defense of his delirious statement, he wasn't that far off base. The last time B had his knee done, he had it scoped at this same facility. I was abandoned for a number of hours to sit, wait, worry, wait...worry some more...nervous energy is a bitch, so I let the nurse at the front desk know that I had my cell if they needed to speak with me, and that I was heading out for a run. This time, however, on this rainy day at 31 weeks prego, this round lady was staying put.

Things went smoothly. They removed a screw that had been placed in his knee from his last ACL replacement, and cleared out a lot of scar tissue that had been limiting the range of motion in his knee.

On the way home, we chatted about how much CR has grown mentally and emotionally, even over the past few weeks. He went to school this morning and had a great day there (no crying, and he even asked to use the bathroom rather than shrugging his shoulders to rely upon the semi-absorbant nature of his Pull-ups; he always uses the potty at home, but while adjusting to life at school, taking care of bodily functions in the proper manner was not on the table). I picked him up around 11:30am, and after prying him away from the craft he was working on, we did a 5-minute turnaround at home - we arrived, SM walked through the door moments later, I gathered my husband, kissed CR goodbye, and we were off into the rain. It didn't phase CR - no whining, no "where's Mommy" questions, nothing. He laughed and smiled as we rushed out the door. B and I capped off our car ride discussion by saying how proud we are of him...at that, B let out a few loud and exaggerated sighs. Worried that post-surgical nausea had kicked in, I asked if he was okay.

"Just breathing out the toxins."

He's nuts.

Hopefully this is his last surgery for awhile, or forever, for that matter. I am proud of both my boys - cheers to a speedy recovery!

(image from here)

Daddy's home!

Three. Whole. Days.

I know. I shouldn't complain at all. B does not travel for work, and it is rare that he is even home late for dinner, let alone gone for days at a time. We are so lucky in that regard. But when he drove off into the wild abandon for his annual get-away with his college buddies last Thursday, I was sad. Sad because we would miss him, and even more sad that it meant that CR and I were going to be flying solo for the next three days. Ga and Gee came up for a visit on Friday, but other than that, it was just me and wee-man.

Thursday evening I had four of my girlfriends over for some wine and noshing. Granted, as we know I am "with child," and one of my other girlfriends in attendance is also on the wagon for the same reason, so we sipped our allotted tiny tasses of vino with tumblers of seltzer chasers, while the other ladies were able to pour freely throughout the night. CR had a blast, grabbing the attention of four attractive women - he even broke out some of his best Jason Mraz dance moves.

Friday evening we visited with some of my high school buddies - it was a quick visit, but wonderful nonetheless. My girlfriend's daughter had already gone to bed by the time we got to her house, so again, CR was doted upon by the adults.

Saturday was the longest of the days...no plans to speak of, but thank goodness the weather was on our side. We went for a long run in the morning, followed by a few hours of park time. We ran into S, T, W and L, so that added to our happiness for the day. After naptime, CR and I returned to the park, and then meandered down to Whole Foods to grab dinner.

Sunday morning, CR was up and at 'em early, yet again, and we repeated things again with a run and playtime at the park. SM joined us for a bit on her day off, and then it was time for the man of the house to return (insert a roar of glory from the immediate crowd).

CR and I only had a few serious arguments. They stemmed mostly from him not wanting to do what I asked him to...not a shocking revelation. We came out of it unscathed, and I know that even though it was a challenge, that once the little Miss arrives, being left alone with two kids will be that much more challenging. So as much as I dreaded the time B was away, I guess I am happy that it shows me that I can totally manage CR without any help, at 30+ weeks pregnant, nonetheless.

(image from here)

Creativity is her middle name...

Ga and Gee came up for a much-needed visit today. I proclaimed that when I stopped working full-time to stay home with CR, that I would make frequent trips home to CT for visits with both my and B's family tree. At one point we did make it down on a semi-regular basis, but I fell off that mission, and am not happy with myself about it. The utter importance of family is one of the many things that connect B and me. In more cases than not, we would rather have dinner with either sets of parents or siblings than to go out with our own friends (no offense to those friends who actually read my postings - you know we love you too... it's just that you know us well enough to know that we are definitely inclined to take off for the weekend to that state that falls between MA and NYC if given the opportunity).

So you can imagine my happiness when my parents showed up late this morning for an afternoon of good family fun. CR was pretty darn excited about it too...in fact, he woke me up this morning at 6:20am (after going to bed after 11pm last night, mind you) to ask me if Ga and Gee were here yet. This picture was taken shortly thereafter, with CR lining up the kitchen chairs to sit and wait for their arrival.

We walked down to Whole Foods to grab provisions for a picnic lunch, and then it was back to the park to dine on some overpriced, eclectic cuisine (my father's and my eating habits could not be more disparate - I chose a salad with spinach, pecans, raisins, peas, and carrots, while he was lured-in by the prepared food counter with a slice of brisket, potato salad, and a large slice of rare steak...I am definitely my father's daughter, just not in the dietary category).

After some post-consumption park action, we made our way home for some baseball and digger time. The weather was perfect today, so venturing inside before naptime wasn't an option. CR went around the yard, picking up various sticks and twigs, and Ga had the creative vision to make one of the sticks into a fishing pole. With a quick twist of some cooking twine and a paperclip, grapes became bait, and a bowl became a fishing hole. CR loved it. My mother is amazing with him, and I know that CR's imagination blossoms every time he is around her.

That being said, we need to see both the grandparents and great grandparents more...we'd better make sure the SpeedPass is up and running, and that the portable DVD player is fixed...it may not be until Easter, but CT, here we come.

Wait, how did I get back here again so soon?

Different place, same haunting concept...my Monday evening...

I can already see in his eyes that he is hooked like his father...lord help me...

Éire go Brách

This is the only pic I could find off hand with wee-man wearing anything even remotely Irish...dated? Yes. Out of context? Yes. But he is sporting one of the lucky charms on his chest...the pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, blue diamonds and later added purple horseshoes didn't make the cut

St. Patrick's Day. I have a connection to the Emerald Isle, both familial, as well as experiential. Some of my genetic make-up flows back over the Big Pond to the island of Guinness-swilling blokes and bettys, and I spent a year abroad studying at Trinity College in Dublin. In my younger (legal and not so legal) days, I spent hours planted in barstools across Massachusetts on this corned beef and green-laden day. Now? Well, let me re-cap my day in a few phrases...got up, went for a run, went into the office for some monthly meetings for my non-profit employer, came home and played with a nap-boycotting CR, went for a walk to the playground with B and CR for some impromptu playtime with S, T, W, and L, and then onto the store, dined on some tasty grilled steaks, did some work, and am now heading to bed (later than planned)...not so Gaelic-phillic of me, was it? I didn't even get a chance to prostitute my son and dress him up in a god-awful Leprechaun costume...such a sad performance...

So Happy St. Paddy's Day to all - I hope others were able to down some green beer and boiled dinner on my behalf...

Sibling Rivalry

Sure, he looks innocent, but those horns are a dead give-away to what lies beneath. Recently I have noticed a trend in the interaction between CR and me. When we don't see eye-to-eye on things, rather than me getting upset and him conceding to his wrongdoings or disobedient ways, we go back and forth in a sarcastic manner, with deep exasperated sighs and rolling of eyes (okay, so I am the one who rolls my eyes, but if he could do it, I am sure he would as well).

It's like we are carrying on a generational trend, but not really...let me explain.

Mimi and B sometimes bicker like siblings when they fight. When this happens, it's not really like a mother reprimanding a child, but more like two kids arguing over XY and Z topic. Each of them try to get in the last word, and CR and I tend to do the same thing. This is not to be critical of my husband and mother-in-law in the least, as the duo has fessed up to behaving in such a way. It seems as though CR and I are diving head-first into the questionable effective nature for patterns of debate in our family gene pool...B married a woman like his mother, and CR is following in his Daddy's footsteps...not in a "marry your daughter, and date your cousin," Southern sort of way, but in a personality sense.

I guess it's a good thing in a way, because CR does learn right from wrong, but in a playful manner, and he has picked up some of my sarcastic ways along the line as well...he will be good at dishing it out when the time comes. I know I look favorably on it now, but down the road, when the phone rings and it's CR's school principal on the other end, this will all bite me in the derriere, and I will deny ever praising him for his smart-ass ways...

More than one influence...

I would like to draw attention to an addendum to my posting from last week regarding the little man's sparked interest in baseball. There are other baseball fans in the family who will absolutely play a role in schooling our little lad on the finer arts of the game. My father and father-in-law both played the game throughout their lives, and I am sure they will be in the front row of the bleachers cheering on CR in all stages of the game.

We love you Gee and Pop-pops.

Making something out of nothing...

Fridays are one of the days of the week that CR and I are together...uninterrupted and unassisted...for the entire day...

I am always a little giddy to see Friday come our way as the gateway to the weekend, but there is a slight grass stain on that vision...it means that I need to boost myself up and come up with fun things for Mommy and CR to do between the hours of 9am and 3pm (when B leaves for work, and the latter when CR goes down for a nap). A six hour span that will not be spent idly sitting in the house if the weather is cooperative, and also a six hour span where Mommy tries to prevent herself from pulling her hair out (the hair loss is inevitable as soon as I have the baby girl...one of many attractive and wonderful "miracles" associated with the postpartum body...can't wait).

We started out with a jog around part of the Charles. It's been awhile since I've pushed wee-man while running, so this in and of itself was a real experience for both of us. As we made our way down to the river, it was very apparent to me that he knows every inch of the roads in our town...we ran by Starbucks, and he shouted out a request for a hot chocolate...we ran by the toy store, he insisted on stopping...on the return part of our loop, even before we were within eye-shot of these "landmarks," he reminded me of the things that he wanted...so, I was selfish in getting him out for the run, so I figured he should be selfish and have his needs met as well.

First stop, Starbucks for a little hot chocolate

Then next door to the toy store...

where we picked up a new puzzle...

After puzzle time and lunch, CR insisted on playing doctor to Mommy's baby...

Since the weather is supposed to be wretched this weekend and into next week, I wanted to get CR back outside for the rest of our time together before naptime. Originally we were going to just head to the park for a little swing time, and then back home, but I ended deciding that the little guy could use a little exercise before his afternoon slumber...

Looking back to our little game of "tag the tree" from earlier this winter, I decided to give the game a slight urban twist...if you have a ball and an open space, voila! A game of "chase the sphere!"

Throw in a painted-on circle on the basketball court, we made things really urban (or ghetto) with a game of "merry-go-round without the horses."

Back to basics. It's kind of what I tell my friends who are expecting their first child, and I wish someone had given me the same advice before we went out and purchased all of the unnecessary crap for CR - all you really need for a newborn in the beginning is a boob, a diaper, and a blanket of some kind...the same sort of simple advice can apply to raising a child through the years:

1 year-old: pots and pans with lids
1 1/2 year-old: cardboard boxes and paper that rips easily
2 year-old: egg carton and Cheerios for compartmentalizing and counting
2 1/2 year-old: a pair of Daddy's shoes (or Mommy's heels if you are like CR...sorry, B) to clomp around in
3 year-old: a ball and an open space to run

See? This whole parenting thing is a breeze...yeah right...