Lucky Billy!
Daddy got Indian for dinner- a Billy favorite. We made a picnic on the coffee table and all sat around in our purple (go Ravens!) eating Indian. Billy was shoving pakoras in his mouth like they were going out of style.
He loves spicy food. Bland is blah. It can't be too spicy, he has his limits, but he would rather his food be spicy. I sent to daycare white rice with butter and salt and pepper and he apparently didn't like it. They had to add more spice to get him to eat it. Can't blame him for liking things with flavor.
Or course, he refused to eat off of his plate. Daddy's didn't work, either. Only Mommy's plate will do. He ate most of my dinner- tiki masala. And during dinner he kept giving me big hugs and kisses and wanting to cuddle. It was very cute. And I have tiki masala all over my dress shirt now. Awesome.
He had a good day and now he's off asleep with a very full Billy belly.
I know a lot of people believe Friday the 13th is unlucky. Not in our house. It's always been a good day for us. Daddy and I had our first date on Friday the 13th of January many years ago. We also got engaged on Friday the 13th many months later. We laugh in the face of the fates.
So here's wishing you a lucky day!
Friday, January 13, 2012
January 12, 2012 ~ Don't Leave Mom!
Billy is in the clingy phase where he doesn't want Mommy or Daddy to leave. Now, he'll tell other people "byebye" when he's finished visiting with them...often long before Mommy and Daddy are ready for guests to leave. But every time I have to leave him, it's a fight.
Every weekday morning I drop Billy at daycare. This comes with the inevitable part where I have to leave. We've had to come up with a special routine at daycare to keep him calm. I bring him in and we say hello to all of the kiddies already there. Then I hand off his bag and coat to the ladies. At this point Billy knows what is coming and clutches to me with both his hands and his feet, shoes and all. He looks up at me and pleads, "don't leave me, Mommy!"
So, I sit on the floor and pull out some toys and we play on the floor, me in my winter coat with keys in hand. He clings to me, even when attracted by a toy. It takes multiple toys to distract him enough to pry myself from his fingers. Then, when he isn't looking I slip out the door. Sometimes, like today, he sees me and runs at the door screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!"
I always have an extra hug for him, but I can't prolong the process either. It disrupts the class and makes me late for work. I always promise to see him later, but today I had to work late so I didn't see him before bed. It's hard when I want to comfort him, but I also can't have him clinging to me all day and night.
Because he didn't see me this evening I'm sure he'll be extra clingy tomorrow. And I know as soon as I grab his coat in the morning to get ready to go he'll start crying, "don't leave me, Mommy!"
Every weekday morning I drop Billy at daycare. This comes with the inevitable part where I have to leave. We've had to come up with a special routine at daycare to keep him calm. I bring him in and we say hello to all of the kiddies already there. Then I hand off his bag and coat to the ladies. At this point Billy knows what is coming and clutches to me with both his hands and his feet, shoes and all. He looks up at me and pleads, "don't leave me, Mommy!"
So, I sit on the floor and pull out some toys and we play on the floor, me in my winter coat with keys in hand. He clings to me, even when attracted by a toy. It takes multiple toys to distract him enough to pry myself from his fingers. Then, when he isn't looking I slip out the door. Sometimes, like today, he sees me and runs at the door screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!"
I always have an extra hug for him, but I can't prolong the process either. It disrupts the class and makes me late for work. I always promise to see him later, but today I had to work late so I didn't see him before bed. It's hard when I want to comfort him, but I also can't have him clinging to me all day and night.
Because he didn't see me this evening I'm sure he'll be extra clingy tomorrow. And I know as soon as I grab his coat in the morning to get ready to go he'll start crying, "don't leave me, Mommy!"
Thursday, January 12, 2012
January 11, 2012 ~ A Bipolar Post (Not me, just the post!)
This is going to be a bipolar post, and you'll understand once you've finished reading.
This morning was another attack of the Terribles. Billy wanted my comb. Now, Daddy often lets him play with my comb and carry it around the house, which, of course, means that when I need to comb my hair I can never find my comb. I have one simple rule: it stays in the bathroom. Simple enough, right? Nope. I don't get it. Daddy loves my comb and steals it from me. Billy steals it from me- loving it for entirely different reasons I'm sure. It's an old plastic comb that Grandma bought for me long before I could drive. It's missing a tooth in the middle. And in this house you would think it's the Holy Grail of Combs.
Anyway, I didn't want it wandering so I took it away from Billy. He asked for it back and I told him no. I was holding him at the time. So, he ripped the binky out of his mouth with force and then tried to shove it in my mouth with equal force, I guess to silence me. It was actually quite funny. He still didn't get the comb.
This evening was more Precocious Billy. He tried to eat a handful of dog food. (Hey, if Buddy likes it, it must be good!) He hugged and cuddled with the kitchen garbage can. This is not an exaggeration. They cuddled. It wasn't cute. Thank God I keep the can clean. Yuck! Then I asked him to give something to Daddy. He hid it behind his back and ran away, keeping his back turned from Daddy. Yep. It was that kind of night.
And now to switch gears.
I read on facebook today about a friend of mine from college. She's not a friend that I've kept in touch with, but we are fb friends. I learned today that her infant girl died. I'm heartbroken for her. This woman is a sweetheart. I can't imagine the pain she is in. Her child was here long enough to fall in love and then to lose. It's terrible. But I haven't written to her and I probably won't. We haven't communicated since college and now is not the time. I wouldn't know what to say. Only that I shed a tear for her.
I just finished reading a book in which the author describes losing her baby sister. It's a true story. She talked about walking into the baby's room and the sheets still smelling of baby, of the empty crib, the toys that would never be played with again, the clothes laid out. I had a very difficult time reading those chapters. That baby was 1.5 yrs old and accidentally drowned. She talked about her mother losing herself into the bottle.
It's hard for me to comprehend the grief and I don't want to. I hope to never know. I hope YOU never know, either. But so many mothers (and fathers) do. So tonight I hope you will join me. Say a prayer, have a thought, or whatever you do. Send some prayers to the parentss who tonight have empty cribs and for their children who won't get the joy of growing up.
This morning was another attack of the Terribles. Billy wanted my comb. Now, Daddy often lets him play with my comb and carry it around the house, which, of course, means that when I need to comb my hair I can never find my comb. I have one simple rule: it stays in the bathroom. Simple enough, right? Nope. I don't get it. Daddy loves my comb and steals it from me. Billy steals it from me- loving it for entirely different reasons I'm sure. It's an old plastic comb that Grandma bought for me long before I could drive. It's missing a tooth in the middle. And in this house you would think it's the Holy Grail of Combs.
Anyway, I didn't want it wandering so I took it away from Billy. He asked for it back and I told him no. I was holding him at the time. So, he ripped the binky out of his mouth with force and then tried to shove it in my mouth with equal force, I guess to silence me. It was actually quite funny. He still didn't get the comb.
This evening was more Precocious Billy. He tried to eat a handful of dog food. (Hey, if Buddy likes it, it must be good!) He hugged and cuddled with the kitchen garbage can. This is not an exaggeration. They cuddled. It wasn't cute. Thank God I keep the can clean. Yuck! Then I asked him to give something to Daddy. He hid it behind his back and ran away, keeping his back turned from Daddy. Yep. It was that kind of night.
And now to switch gears.
I read on facebook today about a friend of mine from college. She's not a friend that I've kept in touch with, but we are fb friends. I learned today that her infant girl died. I'm heartbroken for her. This woman is a sweetheart. I can't imagine the pain she is in. Her child was here long enough to fall in love and then to lose. It's terrible. But I haven't written to her and I probably won't. We haven't communicated since college and now is not the time. I wouldn't know what to say. Only that I shed a tear for her.
I just finished reading a book in which the author describes losing her baby sister. It's a true story. She talked about walking into the baby's room and the sheets still smelling of baby, of the empty crib, the toys that would never be played with again, the clothes laid out. I had a very difficult time reading those chapters. That baby was 1.5 yrs old and accidentally drowned. She talked about her mother losing herself into the bottle.
It's hard for me to comprehend the grief and I don't want to. I hope to never know. I hope YOU never know, either. But so many mothers (and fathers) do. So tonight I hope you will join me. Say a prayer, have a thought, or whatever you do. Send some prayers to the parentss who tonight have empty cribs and for their children who won't get the joy of growing up.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
January 10, 1012 ~ Herding Cats
You may have heard someone refer to an impossible task as "herding cats". I bet herding cats is pretty difficult, but probably no where near as difficult as getting a toddler to sit still.
I wanted to get Billy to pose for some Christmas photos (yeah, I know it's the middle of January.) I need to take the tree down, so I had to get the photos in before I did that. It just wasn't on the priority list.
Anyway, I gave him a bath and got him all dressed up in his Christmas outfit so we could take some photos. But trying to get a toddler to sit still long enough for a portrait photo is a lot like herding cats. And trying to get a toddler to smile for a posed photo is well, like herding cats on speed.
The picture I wanted was a nice standing pose of Billy in front of the Christmas tree. Here's what I got:
Forget the cats. Sometimes it's like herding toddlers.
I wanted to get Billy to pose for some Christmas photos (yeah, I know it's the middle of January.) I need to take the tree down, so I had to get the photos in before I did that. It just wasn't on the priority list.
Anyway, I gave him a bath and got him all dressed up in his Christmas outfit so we could take some photos. But trying to get a toddler to sit still long enough for a portrait photo is a lot like herding cats. And trying to get a toddler to smile for a posed photo is well, like herding cats on speed.
The picture I wanted was a nice standing pose of Billy in front of the Christmas tree. Here's what I got:
Forget the cats. Sometimes it's like herding toddlers.
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9, 2012 ~ Oh My Goodness, Daddy's Guinness
If you ask Billy, any bottle will do. In fact, anything that was originally Mommy's of Daddy's is clearly better than his. So, Daddy's (beer) bottle is clearly cooler than Billy's (milk) bottle.
A few months ago Daddy was foolish enough to sit his beer bottle down while he was grilling dinner. He turned his back for less than 30 seconds and Billy grabbed his bottle and tried to drink from it. Luckily, Daddy was right there and caught him before Billy got any. Daddy hasn't left any beer within reach since. Billy is also always after my soda cans. I don't drink beer. But he waits until I turn my back and goes straight for them. I guess he figures that if he can't have it, then it must be something good.
Daddy doesn't drink beer very often, but he had one tonight while cooking dinner. Of course, Billy wanted Daddy's bottle rather than his milk sippy or his water sippy. Since he was taking an interest in the bottle, Daddy decided to demonstrate how it can be a musical instrument. He took a sip and changed the pitch and tried again. Billy was fascinated by the strange noise, and a little trepidatious.
When it was empty Daddy gave the bottle to Billy to attempt to create the musical sound out of the bottle. Billy took the bottle and held it up to his nose for a long time, getting a good whiff of the former contents. Suddenly, he pushed the bottle away and turned up his nose.
After all that time of wanting Daddy's Guinness he finally had his hands on the bottle, only to realize he really didn't want it after all.
A few months ago Daddy was foolish enough to sit his beer bottle down while he was grilling dinner. He turned his back for less than 30 seconds and Billy grabbed his bottle and tried to drink from it. Luckily, Daddy was right there and caught him before Billy got any. Daddy hasn't left any beer within reach since. Billy is also always after my soda cans. I don't drink beer. But he waits until I turn my back and goes straight for them. I guess he figures that if he can't have it, then it must be something good.
Daddy doesn't drink beer very often, but he had one tonight while cooking dinner. Of course, Billy wanted Daddy's bottle rather than his milk sippy or his water sippy. Since he was taking an interest in the bottle, Daddy decided to demonstrate how it can be a musical instrument. He took a sip and changed the pitch and tried again. Billy was fascinated by the strange noise, and a little trepidatious.
When it was empty Daddy gave the bottle to Billy to attempt to create the musical sound out of the bottle. Billy took the bottle and held it up to his nose for a long time, getting a good whiff of the former contents. Suddenly, he pushed the bottle away and turned up his nose.
After all that time of wanting Daddy's Guinness he finally had his hands on the bottle, only to realize he really didn't want it after all.
Our thoughts and prayers
go out to our Uncle Charles.
May you have a speedy recovery
and may your long road in the hospital pass quickly.
Much love from your family.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
January 8, 2012 ~ The Terrible (Not Quite) Twos
Well, I'm not finished yet with the Daycare Plague sent home to me over Christmas break and have been struck down again by another Daycare Plague. The stomach bug that caught Billy on Friday has now happily taken up residence in Daddy and myself. I keep asking the daycare to send home just the kid and not the plague, but we catch everything that Billy catches. For Daddy, when he gets a cold he gets the sniffles for a few hours and coughs for a day. I get it for at least a week. Billy too. Daddy woofed down Chinese food today with his stomach virus. I had toast. Lucky Daddy.
Because we weren't feeling good we put up the baby gate. It's a rarely used item that I bought only for just such occasions. Billy hates it. He is restricted to the kitchen and den, so that we don't have to chase him all over the house. This plus the stomach bug had him in a less than pleasant mood today.
By naptime Billy had already bitten me on the leg in anger. He didn't get his way. Normally, he just throws his binky on the ground and shouts, "Oh, no!" Sometimes he bites. Sometimes he hits. I cannot convince him out of any of these. Every time he bites I make him sit in the Naughty Spot for ten seconds. He's too young for time out, but I hope that the ten second Naughty Spot can evolve into time out.
He also decided to get into trouble with the dog water today, since he was trapped in the two rooms and the dog water just happened to be in reach. I found him in the kitchen with a collection of fridge magnets in the dog bowl. He had a spoon in his hand and was stirring the magnets like they were in a pot. I was laughing so hard (inside) that I had to get Daddy to come over and punish him. He knows better, but it was really hysterical to see him mixing up his bowl of dog-slobber color kid magnets.
In the afternoon we when over to Grandma's. Daddy was installing a new ceiling light for her. Billy, Buddy and I just went along to see Grandma. Of course, Billy was obsessed with the steps at Grandmas, particularly launching himself down them. He thought it was very funny as I grappled to keep him from falling. They are only a half-flight, so I was letting him practice some, and hold him as he fell down so that he could learn the consequence of jumping down the stairs. I don't think it worked.
But after awhile I kept him away from the stairs and this made him angry. He decided to head-butt me. Usually, I duck and miss when he tries this, but I didn't see it coming. He split my gum open and knocked my two front teeth loose. Suddenly, all that anger over not getting his way had real consequences, not just time out.
Back at home I explained to him how he hurt Mommy and why that's very naughty. He came over and gave me a big hug. I don't know how much he gets and how much is just the lovable little guy being himself. The tantrums are all the time now, and that lovable little guy quickly turns into a momentary demon. I'm hoping he got a big dose of reality today and might have learned to reel it in. Anger is part of growing up and having kids means getting some cuts and bruises along the way.
I was just hoping he might make it to two before the really bad tantrums started...
Because we weren't feeling good we put up the baby gate. It's a rarely used item that I bought only for just such occasions. Billy hates it. He is restricted to the kitchen and den, so that we don't have to chase him all over the house. This plus the stomach bug had him in a less than pleasant mood today.
By naptime Billy had already bitten me on the leg in anger. He didn't get his way. Normally, he just throws his binky on the ground and shouts, "Oh, no!" Sometimes he bites. Sometimes he hits. I cannot convince him out of any of these. Every time he bites I make him sit in the Naughty Spot for ten seconds. He's too young for time out, but I hope that the ten second Naughty Spot can evolve into time out.
He also decided to get into trouble with the dog water today, since he was trapped in the two rooms and the dog water just happened to be in reach. I found him in the kitchen with a collection of fridge magnets in the dog bowl. He had a spoon in his hand and was stirring the magnets like they were in a pot. I was laughing so hard (inside) that I had to get Daddy to come over and punish him. He knows better, but it was really hysterical to see him mixing up his bowl of dog-slobber color kid magnets.
In the afternoon we when over to Grandma's. Daddy was installing a new ceiling light for her. Billy, Buddy and I just went along to see Grandma. Of course, Billy was obsessed with the steps at Grandmas, particularly launching himself down them. He thought it was very funny as I grappled to keep him from falling. They are only a half-flight, so I was letting him practice some, and hold him as he fell down so that he could learn the consequence of jumping down the stairs. I don't think it worked.
But after awhile I kept him away from the stairs and this made him angry. He decided to head-butt me. Usually, I duck and miss when he tries this, but I didn't see it coming. He split my gum open and knocked my two front teeth loose. Suddenly, all that anger over not getting his way had real consequences, not just time out.
Back at home I explained to him how he hurt Mommy and why that's very naughty. He came over and gave me a big hug. I don't know how much he gets and how much is just the lovable little guy being himself. The tantrums are all the time now, and that lovable little guy quickly turns into a momentary demon. I'm hoping he got a big dose of reality today and might have learned to reel it in. Anger is part of growing up and having kids means getting some cuts and bruises along the way.
I was just hoping he might make it to two before the really bad tantrums started...
January 7, 2012 ~ Trikes and Chopsticks
After not eating much yesterday Billy started off this morning with a lot of food. Let's review:
2 waffles
5 mini sausages
cup of grapes
cup of raspberries
sippy cup of milk
I don't eat this much for breakfast.
After nap I took him outside to enjoy the unseasonable weather. I pushed him around on his Green Piece of Awesome, that trike he got for his birthday. He preferred pulling it around behind him.
We stayed out until dark playing with the trike. I had to drag him inside. If he had his way we would live outside.
But we had to go in because I wanted to take him shopping. First, all of his binkies are at daycare. This is a catastrophe of epic proportions. We have one binky, one back-up binky, on horrible binky that he hates (it's very cheap), and a broken binky in my pocket. Yeah, so we had to go get a pack of binks to get us through the weekend. Mark this in the "reason to quit" column.
I also wanted to get more pjs. All summer Billy wanted to sleep in just a diaper or a shirt and diaper. Even in the fall he would get too hot in more than a short sleeve shirt with sleep pants. And, all of a sudden he has outgrown half of the footed pjs I have. So, on the hunt for pajamas.
Binkies were not a problem. I know where to get them and I know they have plenty. But pajamas? The big baby store didn't have any in his size. ANY. It's not like he was the only baby born last year. C'mon people. So I went to another good place to buy baby clothes. They had only 2 pjs and they weren't footed- 2 piece only. So I bought one, just to have. It's kind of ridiculous. I was told to go online. Greaaaaaaaaaaat.
When we got home Billy had some rice for dinner.
That's right. He tried out chopsticks for the first time. He thought they were awesome and that it was just too funny to eat with sticks. He wanted rice only from Mommy using the chopsticks and not from the spoons.
After dinner he was sleepy so we played on the floor in the den with cartoons on the TV. He curled up on a pillow to watch the TV and I snuggled in beside him. He wrapped his arm around my neck and fell asleep right there.
There's nothing better than a Billy cuddle.
2 waffles
5 mini sausages
cup of grapes
cup of raspberries
sippy cup of milk
I don't eat this much for breakfast.
After nap I took him outside to enjoy the unseasonable weather. I pushed him around on his Green Piece of Awesome, that trike he got for his birthday. He preferred pulling it around behind him.
We stayed out until dark playing with the trike. I had to drag him inside. If he had his way we would live outside.
But we had to go in because I wanted to take him shopping. First, all of his binkies are at daycare. This is a catastrophe of epic proportions. We have one binky, one back-up binky, on horrible binky that he hates (it's very cheap), and a broken binky in my pocket. Yeah, so we had to go get a pack of binks to get us through the weekend. Mark this in the "reason to quit" column.
I also wanted to get more pjs. All summer Billy wanted to sleep in just a diaper or a shirt and diaper. Even in the fall he would get too hot in more than a short sleeve shirt with sleep pants. And, all of a sudden he has outgrown half of the footed pjs I have. So, on the hunt for pajamas.
Binkies were not a problem. I know where to get them and I know they have plenty. But pajamas? The big baby store didn't have any in his size. ANY. It's not like he was the only baby born last year. C'mon people. So I went to another good place to buy baby clothes. They had only 2 pjs and they weren't footed- 2 piece only. So I bought one, just to have. It's kind of ridiculous. I was told to go online. Greaaaaaaaaaaat.
When we got home Billy had some rice for dinner.
That's right. He tried out chopsticks for the first time. He thought they were awesome and that it was just too funny to eat with sticks. He wanted rice only from Mommy using the chopsticks and not from the spoons.
After dinner he was sleepy so we played on the floor in the den with cartoons on the TV. He curled up on a pillow to watch the TV and I snuggled in beside him. He wrapped his arm around my neck and fell asleep right there.
There's nothing better than a Billy cuddle.
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