DH and I decided that we would go shopping early on Black Friday - something neither DH nor I have ever done, but we're extra poor this year so if anyone was getting Christmas presents this was the only way to go.
The alarm went off, and I hit snooze. The alarm went of again, and I hit snooze again. I hate shopping and getting up early to do it is not on my list of fun things to do. Anyway, we finally got up and I went to get Handsome out of bed. My poor Handsome. He had developed a cold overnight so he was hoarse and wheezing. I was terrified he had pneumonia because I'm that type of mom. It's a good thing that it developed over night because otherwise I would have blamed myself for waking him up so early and taking him shopping.
We all bundled up and went to Walmart. The place was elbow to elbow with people. The main thing that I wanted was a more selfish want. I wanted a Christmas tree. We can't afford one, but Walmart had one on Black Friday for $25! We also bought Christmas presents for Handsome and a couple DVDs that were on sale.
So now I have a Christmas tree. I love it! It is a little Charlie Brown - esqe, but it is my Christmas tree and I've never had my own before. So far Handsome has done really well with not messing with the tree. He'll point at it and ask what it is, but there haven't been any overt attacks of the Christmas tree.
And as for the cold, he didn't speak at all, because he had no voice. He had silent laughs and silent cries. We gave him warm tea with honey to help his throat, Tang for vitamin C, and yogurt for his immune system. I tried to keep a water sippy cup with him at all times. We had to give him Tylenol at one point because the fever started to bother him. He did sleep well though, so I was thankful for that.
Oh, and we found another word that Handsome knows: Bear. When we were at Walmart he started pointing to a display of teddy bears and saying "Bear! Bear!" Too cute.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thanksgiving was really good this year. We stayed home and a really good friend of mine from college, who was also DHs best man at our wedding, came over with his girlfriend. I cooked turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and warmed up some rolls. I of course made sure I had my sparkling grape juice as is my family tradition. My father never had alcohol in the house, so as a substitute we drank sparkling grape juice. I still love that stuff. DH, who can't drink any alcohol because of the medicine he is on, drank that sparkling grape juice like he was dying of thirst. :)
This was the first year that Handsome actually got to eat a Thanksgiving meal. Last year Handsome was still exclusively breast feeding. We set up his highchair at the end of the table and put a sampling of all the food on his little tray. He used his fork like a champ and ate most of what we put on his plate. His favorite of course was the sweet potato casserole. We snuck the meat in with the sweet potatoes so that he would at least eat a little meat.
He did really well with our friends, playing and laughing with them, which made me really happy. He laughed almost the entire day - well, after his belly was full.
And I was proud of myself because I didn't eat too much and I even started the dishes before I was exhausted so most of the kitchen was clean and all the extra food was in the fridge before we went to bed. Yay!
2008 was a very good Thanksgiving.
This was the first year that Handsome actually got to eat a Thanksgiving meal. Last year Handsome was still exclusively breast feeding. We set up his highchair at the end of the table and put a sampling of all the food on his little tray. He used his fork like a champ and ate most of what we put on his plate. His favorite of course was the sweet potato casserole. We snuck the meat in with the sweet potatoes so that he would at least eat a little meat.
He did really well with our friends, playing and laughing with them, which made me really happy. He laughed almost the entire day - well, after his belly was full.
And I was proud of myself because I didn't eat too much and I even started the dishes before I was exhausted so most of the kitchen was clean and all the extra food was in the fridge before we went to bed. Yay!
2008 was a very good Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Blankets, Pooh, and sleeping
I started putting a blanket on Handsome when I put him down for bed. Nights are getting cold here and I'd rather not have to run the heater so much. Last year we put a space heater in his room, but I was always afraid it was going to catch fire. Yes, I'm paranoid. So he lays down nicely for me to put the blanket, but maybe ten minutes later he's already rolled out from underneath it or thrown it out of the crib.
He's also had those little blankies with the bear heads in his crib with him. He likes to lay on top of them much like he likes to lay on top of feet. Odd. Nevertheless, by morning time the crib is empty of blankets. Last night he was holding Pooh around bedtime, so I let him sleep with Pooh. This morning Pooh was still in his crib. We love Pooh.
He's also had those little blankies with the bear heads in his crib with him. He likes to lay on top of them much like he likes to lay on top of feet. Odd. Nevertheless, by morning time the crib is empty of blankets. Last night he was holding Pooh around bedtime, so I let him sleep with Pooh. This morning Pooh was still in his crib. We love Pooh.
Terrible twos.... err... one and a halfs...
My precious, patient, always laughing, always smiling baby has grown into a whining, crying, stubborn toddler. It comes from the fact that he wants to do everything himself. He wants to feed himself, brush his own teeth, put on his own shoes, chose his own clothes, choose his own meal.... Well, you get the idea. Now, don't get me wrong, it isn't constant. He is still full of laughter and smiles and intense concentration. It's just that the whining has grown more common and his frustrations have multiplied.
I know all of this is because he is starting to become more independent. He wants to be able to do everything on his own and learn as much as quickly as possible. He wants to be in control of something. He has to use the spoon or the fork himself and he knows what he wants to eat. The problem right now is primarily communication. He knows maybe ten words, but he doesn't use them very often and mostly only uses them after DH and I do.
Time-out is a beautiful thing.
Add to the frustrations that he's been getting up earlier in the morning. Grumpy, sleepy child. And then he's been waking up crying after we put him to bed. Grumpy, sleepy parents.
I know all of this is because he is starting to become more independent. He wants to be able to do everything on his own and learn as much as quickly as possible. He wants to be in control of something. He has to use the spoon or the fork himself and he knows what he wants to eat. The problem right now is primarily communication. He knows maybe ten words, but he doesn't use them very often and mostly only uses them after DH and I do.
Time-out is a beautiful thing.
Add to the frustrations that he's been getting up earlier in the morning. Grumpy, sleepy child. And then he's been waking up crying after we put him to bed. Grumpy, sleepy parents.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
New Words
No - (self-explanatory)
Nen - "chicken" in Dagaare
Sheh - same word for both shoe and sock.
I'm liking this talking thing. I'm assuming there are other words that he says that we just don't recognize yet. I know there are a ton in Dagaare that I don't understand and DH hasn't classified as words yet.
And you know what he learned last night? The meaning of, "Please put that back where you got it, Handsome." Yay!! I had to walk with him and help him for a few times, but then he finally understood and started putting things back all by himself and laughing all the way from the sheer joy of understanding eachother. I love being witness to the learning process. It's a beautiful thing to see a child's mind blossoming.
Handsome is such a blessing. I love him more and more every day. When I see the pain around me of friends losing their children, I just want to hold Handsome even tighter and cry. I want to cry for the joy of having my own miracle and for the thought of how painful it would be if I ever lost him. I don't know what I would do. I think motherhood teaches empathy. The day the two lines show up is the day our hearts and minds change forever. I cry for children that scrape their knees and even for children laughing with joy. The depths of my joy and sorrow have stretched beyond anything I've ever felt before. Being a mother is the greatest gift from God and I thank Him every day for the gift I have been given.
Nen - "chicken" in Dagaare
Sheh - same word for both shoe and sock.
I'm liking this talking thing. I'm assuming there are other words that he says that we just don't recognize yet. I know there are a ton in Dagaare that I don't understand and DH hasn't classified as words yet.
And you know what he learned last night? The meaning of, "Please put that back where you got it, Handsome." Yay!! I had to walk with him and help him for a few times, but then he finally understood and started putting things back all by himself and laughing all the way from the sheer joy of understanding eachother. I love being witness to the learning process. It's a beautiful thing to see a child's mind blossoming.
Handsome is such a blessing. I love him more and more every day. When I see the pain around me of friends losing their children, I just want to hold Handsome even tighter and cry. I want to cry for the joy of having my own miracle and for the thought of how painful it would be if I ever lost him. I don't know what I would do. I think motherhood teaches empathy. The day the two lines show up is the day our hearts and minds change forever. I cry for children that scrape their knees and even for children laughing with joy. The depths of my joy and sorrow have stretched beyond anything I've ever felt before. Being a mother is the greatest gift from God and I thank Him every day for the gift I have been given.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sleepless Nights
Last week I put Handsome down for bed as normal, and he laid down just fine. Two hours later he woke up screaming. Nothing DH or I would do would make him fall asleep. I finally laid down on the extra bed in his room and he laid down in his crib, peeking over every few minutes to make sure I was still there. And then he woke up with the sun. I got about three hours of sleep. No idea why he cried so much. Only thing we could guess was that we gave him too much juice so he was hyper and it might have messed with his stomach.
Then a few nights after that wouldn't even let my lay him down without him crying. He cried for hours, only stopping when I picked him up. He finally went to sleep and then woke up a few hours later to cry again. I just went and laid down on the bed in his room again because I was exhausted and had to work the next day.
Another night he woke up at 3am crying. I picked him up and we rocked for a while. He went right back to sleep when I put him down.
Why is he starting this now? He's been sleeping through the night without problems for quite a while now. I have no idea why he is starting this now.
I can feel the "terrible twos" coming on. The stubbornness is starting to exaggerate, he cries when he doesn't get what he wants, and he whines to get what he wants. He is also pushing limits on seeing when DH and I lay down the law. I do have to say though, that he's pretty good with his time-outs. He sits quietly for his time-out and then doesn't continue doing what he did to get himself into time-out.
I need sleep and a long vacation.
Then a few nights after that wouldn't even let my lay him down without him crying. He cried for hours, only stopping when I picked him up. He finally went to sleep and then woke up a few hours later to cry again. I just went and laid down on the bed in his room again because I was exhausted and had to work the next day.
Another night he woke up at 3am crying. I picked him up and we rocked for a while. He went right back to sleep when I put him down.
Why is he starting this now? He's been sleeping through the night without problems for quite a while now. I have no idea why he is starting this now.
I can feel the "terrible twos" coming on. The stubbornness is starting to exaggerate, he cries when he doesn't get what he wants, and he whines to get what he wants. He is also pushing limits on seeing when DH and I lay down the law. I do have to say though, that he's pretty good with his time-outs. He sits quietly for his time-out and then doesn't continue doing what he did to get himself into time-out.
I need sleep and a long vacation.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
So little time
I have been neglecting my poor blog. A good deal has happened, but I just haven't had the time to post. I still don't have the time to post, but here is a synopsis:
1. I'm stressed.
2. DH is stressed, but won't admit it.
3. Handsome is now 15% for height and 70% for weight, so now the doctor thinks he is going to be obese. Remember a mere 6 months ago she was afraid because he was too small?
4. I have decided what I want to be when I grow up, but I suck at it.
5. Handsome is now 18 months - a whole year and a half - old.
6. They just found a cyst in my 8 year old nephew's brain.
7. My bf should be officially divorced in a week and a half!
8. It's cold outside.
I'm sure there is more, but my break is over so time is out. I'll write more soon, I promise.
1. I'm stressed.
2. DH is stressed, but won't admit it.
3. Handsome is now 15% for height and 70% for weight, so now the doctor thinks he is going to be obese. Remember a mere 6 months ago she was afraid because he was too small?
4. I have decided what I want to be when I grow up, but I suck at it.
5. Handsome is now 18 months - a whole year and a half - old.
6. They just found a cyst in my 8 year old nephew's brain.
7. My bf should be officially divorced in a week and a half!
8. It's cold outside.
I'm sure there is more, but my break is over so time is out. I'll write more soon, I promise.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
President-Elect Barack Obama
I stayed home from work yesterday assuming I would face a long line for voting and traffic at weird hours trying to get to the polls. This election was very important to me for so many reasons. I believe the Republicans have had their time and it is time to hand over the reigns for a little while. I believe the economy needs a different theory to run by for a while. I believe we need to leave a country that we more occupy than help protect right now. I believe we need comprehensive health care for all. I believe we need more social acceptance and that Obama would be better to bring each issue about. And on a more personal note, I believe my son needs a man to look up to. If he ever has any doubts that he, as a biracial person, could achieve anything, he now has an example.
With all this being said, I do have reservations. Obama has a whole load of problems that he is walking into. We, as a nation, have so much debt and so many new enemies. On top of that he is going to have to face all the people who still harbor racism, follow this Ayers thing and think he is a terrorist, or think he is somehow against this nation he was elected to lead. Every time he speaks before a huge crowd in the USA, I'm going to hold my breath and pray that God keeps him safe.
If McCain had won, I wouldn't have been sad. I like McCain. I don't like the tactics that have been used during the campaign, and I don't like Palin, but I do like McCain. If he had won I just would have prayed that he stayed healthy for the full four year term.
So anyway, I woke up around 9am and got Handsome up. We headed to vote at the local library by 10 am. The line was out the door, but not too long. There were lots of mothers with their children and people of all races and ages. It was chilly and misting outside, but not too bad. Handsome stayed in my arms and drank his milk for the entirety of the line. We had electronic touch screen voting machines that were much better than the machines we had last time. Last time the sensors weren't calibrated so you had to touch in the wrong spot to vote for who you wanted. This time it was very clear, simple and easy. We got our sticker and left and I felt so proud of myself and happy that Handsome could be there with me.
We were slated to volunteer from 5-7pm to try to keep people in line. We got a t-shirt for Handsome that said "THANK YOU for waiting in line FOR ME!" It was too cute because they didn't have toddler sizes so we put it over his jacket and he looked like he was ready to go play football. But once we got to the library, there was no line! We hung around for about thirty minutes and then left because no one was there and it was cold and rainy. I'm assuming everyone voted early thinking it would be too busy after work.
We came home and a few friends came over to watch the results with us. It was overall a very good day. Handsome was able to be there with me to make history. I feel such a sense of pride for him and for his future. My eyes tear up just thinking about it.
Now the reigns are in Obama's hands. I can only pray that he will do the right thing and that American can climb out of the problems we have gotten ourselves into. Please, Lord, guide him and give him the wisdom that he needs.
With all this being said, I do have reservations. Obama has a whole load of problems that he is walking into. We, as a nation, have so much debt and so many new enemies. On top of that he is going to have to face all the people who still harbor racism, follow this Ayers thing and think he is a terrorist, or think he is somehow against this nation he was elected to lead. Every time he speaks before a huge crowd in the USA, I'm going to hold my breath and pray that God keeps him safe.
If McCain had won, I wouldn't have been sad. I like McCain. I don't like the tactics that have been used during the campaign, and I don't like Palin, but I do like McCain. If he had won I just would have prayed that he stayed healthy for the full four year term.
So anyway, I woke up around 9am and got Handsome up. We headed to vote at the local library by 10 am. The line was out the door, but not too long. There were lots of mothers with their children and people of all races and ages. It was chilly and misting outside, but not too bad. Handsome stayed in my arms and drank his milk for the entirety of the line. We had electronic touch screen voting machines that were much better than the machines we had last time. Last time the sensors weren't calibrated so you had to touch in the wrong spot to vote for who you wanted. This time it was very clear, simple and easy. We got our sticker and left and I felt so proud of myself and happy that Handsome could be there with me.
We were slated to volunteer from 5-7pm to try to keep people in line. We got a t-shirt for Handsome that said "THANK YOU for waiting in line FOR ME!" It was too cute because they didn't have toddler sizes so we put it over his jacket and he looked like he was ready to go play football. But once we got to the library, there was no line! We hung around for about thirty minutes and then left because no one was there and it was cold and rainy. I'm assuming everyone voted early thinking it would be too busy after work.
We came home and a few friends came over to watch the results with us. It was overall a very good day. Handsome was able to be there with me to make history. I feel such a sense of pride for him and for his future. My eyes tear up just thinking about it.
Now the reigns are in Obama's hands. I can only pray that he will do the right thing and that American can climb out of the problems we have gotten ourselves into. Please, Lord, guide him and give him the wisdom that he needs.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
My Little Helper
I was in the kitchen this morning washing dishes. I heard Handsome making noise behind me and assumed he was opening and closing the drawers - his favorite past time. But when I looked behind me he was holding the hand vacuum and acting like he was vacuuming the floor!! It was too funny! He used to be afraid of the vacuum, but apparently he has gotten over that fear. Yesterday was a huge house cleaning day, so maybe after watching it at work all day he got used to it and curiosity took over.
Good Shepherd
So today we went back to the church we were married in. Still Catholic, but a 25 minute drive instead of a 5 minute drive. It was SOO much better. The priest that married us wasn't there, but the priest that was there was good.
His speech was still about politics and the election coming up, which almost turned me off from the beginning, but it was different from the last one. There were no accusations of evil. He spoke about how Catholics should not be one issue people. That the main leaders of the church have issued statements to reinforce the fact that we are not supposed to be one issue voters. He did say that abortion is a huge issue and should be one that we focus on. He went on to give statistics on who gets abortions and how many lives are lost. And then he continued. He gave statistics for how many lives have been lost in Iraq - lives that are American and lives that are Iraqi. He gave statistics for how many have lost their lives in Afghanistan. He gave statistics on how many lives are lost around the world due to poverty and hunger. He said that Catholics should value life - ALL life. He said that Catholics should be torn about this election. He said that we all have valid reasons for voting for each candidate and valid reasons for not voting for either candidate. He said that priests that focus on abortion alone and tell their parishioners to vote only on the abortion issue are short sighted.
Just sitting in the church you could feel the different atmosphere. The room was bright and the pews were full. The congregation was not made primarily of older parishioners, but was full of children. Each pew probably had between four and six adults and then at least two children sitting between each adult. The church was decorated with fall colors and the air seemed light. When we went up for communion, they blessed Handsome. (They blessed children back in my churches in Texas, but the church we have been going to never blessed children.)
When we left mass and looked at the cars, half had McCain stickers and half had Obama stickers. Someone had left "values" flyers on each of our cars and there was a woman standing outside the church handing out McCain fliers. A woman from the church standing with her two children was talking to her. She was holding her hand and saying very calmly, "If you are truly a Christian then laws should not be...." I don't know what they were talking about, but it seemed she was in support of Obama and not in support of this woman spreading political propaganda at the church.
This church felt much more open and welcoming. I still have a chip on my shoulder right now, and I'm not sure how long it will take for that to leave, but I must admit this church was a step in the right direction.
His speech was still about politics and the election coming up, which almost turned me off from the beginning, but it was different from the last one. There were no accusations of evil. He spoke about how Catholics should not be one issue people. That the main leaders of the church have issued statements to reinforce the fact that we are not supposed to be one issue voters. He did say that abortion is a huge issue and should be one that we focus on. He went on to give statistics on who gets abortions and how many lives are lost. And then he continued. He gave statistics for how many lives have been lost in Iraq - lives that are American and lives that are Iraqi. He gave statistics for how many have lost their lives in Afghanistan. He gave statistics on how many lives are lost around the world due to poverty and hunger. He said that Catholics should value life - ALL life. He said that Catholics should be torn about this election. He said that we all have valid reasons for voting for each candidate and valid reasons for not voting for either candidate. He said that priests that focus on abortion alone and tell their parishioners to vote only on the abortion issue are short sighted.
Just sitting in the church you could feel the different atmosphere. The room was bright and the pews were full. The congregation was not made primarily of older parishioners, but was full of children. Each pew probably had between four and six adults and then at least two children sitting between each adult. The church was decorated with fall colors and the air seemed light. When we went up for communion, they blessed Handsome. (They blessed children back in my churches in Texas, but the church we have been going to never blessed children.)
When we left mass and looked at the cars, half had McCain stickers and half had Obama stickers. Someone had left "values" flyers on each of our cars and there was a woman standing outside the church handing out McCain fliers. A woman from the church standing with her two children was talking to her. She was holding her hand and saying very calmly, "If you are truly a Christian then laws should not be...." I don't know what they were talking about, but it seemed she was in support of Obama and not in support of this woman spreading political propaganda at the church.
This church felt much more open and welcoming. I still have a chip on my shoulder right now, and I'm not sure how long it will take for that to leave, but I must admit this church was a step in the right direction.
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