Ugh

What a crap couple of weeks. Not to say there haven't been some good moments, but I have to say this has not been the best of times. And to top off this two-week anniversary of crap, I am sitting here at 6:30 a.m. when I could still be asleep, since no children are awake (Isaac had a 5:30 a.m. shout out, which I could not recover from).
But let's first focus on the positive, shall we? To begin with, while Jon was cavorting in Miami for work, I had a lovely afternoon visit with some dear friends who were visiting the area. We had not seen each other since graduate school, and it was so very nice to catch up and meet their adorable baby girl. Meanwhile, Anna had a wonderful time at the Renaissance Fair with her grandma and did her share of cavorting with the resident princesses and faerie.
Other positive events included a visit to the zoo, getting formal pictures of the kids, and finding out there are more babysitters in our neighborhood than I had thought (always a good thing). Surprisingly, I will also put Jon's four day absence in the positive pile, since we managed to keep busy and had no major breakdowns (children or mommy).

The negative comes down to the soul-sucking nature of illness. To begin with, Anna caught a nasty bug while Jon was away, resulting in a spectacular display of fluid projection. Luckily, the carpet was unscathed. Alas, the toilet was also unscathed. The poor thing was so sick, but managed to be up and about the next day, despite some minor dehydration and some mental scars (i.e., she now "feels like I'm going to throw up" about once a day.)
My own illness has been less dramatic but more tiresome. Now let me be clear: I rarely get seriously ill. [Case in point: when Anna was about 7 months old she got a horrid stomach virus while we were on vacation, which required various trips to various ERs in various countries. This virus managed to spread to Jon, my parents, and my brother with shocking speed, reducing each of them to quivering, vomiting masses for about 24-48 hours. My own symptoms included mild sleepiness and a nap.] So finally going to the doctor last weekend was a big deal, made bigger by various tests and a CAT scan which will cost us hundreds of dollars. The kicker is that there's was nothing obviously wrong. Frankly, I don't think I should have to pay (as much) for expensive tests if they don't turn anything up.
Anyway, my only choice is to wait it out. So I'm waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting...

Back to the positive. My parents are coming on Tuesday! I'm so excited! Anna and Isaac will be thrilled with all the attention, and it will just be nice to have them here. An added bonus: Jon and I will be able to take off for a full 24 hours! We haven't had 24 child-free hours since before Isaac was born. We're not going far, but will be staying in a nice hotel and perhaps even get a hike in, or a massage, or just breakfast in bed. It boggles my mind.

Back from Vacation

On Monday we arrived home from a short vacation in northern New Mexico. Every few years, there is a family reunion on Jon's side and we meet up at a great retreat in the mountains. The drive is about 5 1/2 hours from here (sans children) and I was a little apprehensive about it. However, we stopped for the night at a halfway point, staying at a hotel with a pool. Much splashing ensued. On the way back we elected to drive straight and it *only* took eight hours. Frankly, I was impressed with the minimal fussing and crying that emanated from the back seat. A new toy, a new DVD, and many pit stops were integral. It also helped that I'm keeping Isaac in a rear facing seat for the time being, which encouraged naps. (As soon as Anna turned one, I plopped her in a forward-facing seat, but Isaac seems so much smaller than she did. And anyway, I hear the thing now is to keep kiddos rear-facing until age two. He doesn't seem to care either way.)

Between drives we had a fantastic time. Not a restful time (Mommy doesn't travel well), but it sure was fun. Jon and I went mountain biking down an actual mountain, which was fantastic and a little scary. I was sore for days after that. There was a bit of hiking, some people went fishing, a fun playground was nearby. But most of the value came from the people we were with. Jon has a great family, and everyone is very open and close despite somewhat sporadic face-to-face time. Anna had so many cousins around, and we could just send her out the door to play. It was also nice to have many eyes on Isaac, who is still in his run-wild phase. For me, it was incredible to be around adults all day and have time for actual conversations with both depth and breadth. I suspect Jon felt the same way.

It was hard to come home and get back to the grind, but we're managing. Not much choice, is there?

Spinning, spinning into the future...

In my last post I expressed concern about Anna's upcoming dance recital. I thought it was too much hoopla and too many backstage hours for such a tender age. I still think it was too much hoopla. But I needn't have worried about Anna. She did just fine playing with her classmates, watching the big girls in their costumes, and generally hanging out.
I should have been concerned about myself. Between the pre-rehearsal and pre-show primping, the packing of snacks and "quiet activities" and costumes, the coordination of naps and babysitters, this thing easily took two days of my life and hundred of dollars. And she was on stage for less than 10 minutes over two shows. I had the vague sensation, as I was sitting in the crowded auditorium, that my daughter's dance routine was being held hostage.
But oh, how she loved it! She was a little nervous, but performed wonderfully and wanted to do the whole thing again the next day. Despite my reservations I found myself bubbling with excitement by the time her class performed. It really is something to see your baby on the big stage. So here we are, days after the event, and I debate whether to enroll her with the same studio in the fall.
On the other hand, money doesn't grow on trees. Rec center classes, here we come!

The other notable event of the past couple of weeks was my birthday. I won't tell you the day or my age, but I will give you a hint: they are consecutive square numbers.
Jon's parents looked after the kids and we went for a leisurely dinner in the mountains. Although it was in the 90's in the flat lands, it was downright cold up there. Lovely! As an added bonus, Isaac did not have any meltdowns while we were gone. In fact, he had as much fun as Anna. Little does he know this means more babysitters in his future.

Speaking of Isaac and milestones, he is now 14 months old. Only a year ago he was an infant, a stationary observer of goings on. Now he's a spinning, running, dancing participant (not all of this is welcome as he also climbs the slide). Even Anna seems to have changed a lot recently: losing her baby fat, improving in agility, figuring out "jokes," learning deception (despite obvious flaws, this is indeed a hallmark of mental development), asserting her preferences with increased confidence (often loudly), deftly maneuvering the computer mouse (thumbs down from Mom). She is becoming a little lady, and I sometimes forget to respect her burgeoning self.

The last milestone I'm thinking of is on July 1st (which is also Canada Day!) On that day it will be two years since we bought this, our first house. I really like owning a home, particularly after the tiny apartments we lived in before. We haven't changed much of it, but it is undoubtedly ours. We did not realize how useful the layout or location would be when we bought it - it was simply the best one we saw during our two days of looking. We have been blessed since moving here, and I'm glad we followed God's gentle prod when deciding where and what to buy. I don't know if we'll be here forever, but I'm happy to be here now.

Dramatic Interludes

There have been a lot of ups and downs these past couple of weeks. To begin with, there was a surprising development at Jon's work place that caused us to re-evaluate our long term plans. Thankfully, that situation seems to have ironed itself out for now. We've also cried and rejoiced with friends who have had their lives turned upside down - some in good ways, some in sad ways. Closer to home, there was the cancellation of a weekend retreat that I was really looking forward to, although that may have been for the best. June is crazy busy for us, and we need the time to gear up.

Against the backdrop of these events is the everyday drama and swashbuckling adventures of our kiddos. This week's episode featured mistaken identities (is it Anna or Hannah who is scheduled for swim lessons?), ticking time bombs (in the form of babies who will explode if they wake up and find the sitter instead of mom), dramatic chase scenes (can mommy bike her children to the park before they kill each other?), attempted murder (occurring whenever bike rides took longer than 20 minutes), and extreme eating (how many berries can a baby consume before his health is at risk?). Spoilers: Hannah (oops); bomb failed to go off; yes, but barely; see previous; apparently more than baby currently consumes, however Mom's sanity is at risk due to constant changing of dirty diapers.

Isaac continues to develop in a myriad of ways. He's learned how to get down one or two steps without falling, and can follow basic verbal commands. Verbal production is slower compared to Anna, but hey he's a boy. So far he can say Mama, Dada, Anna, ca (for car), and dao (for dog). His "word" for food is something like a lip smack. He's a world class pointer and has finally begun waving. Both our kids were slow at waving, preferring instead to sob when Daddy leaves the house. I'm still amazed at how coordinated he is, and how stubborn. Which brings us to the skill Isaac's been working on the most: The Tantrum.
The Tantrum's form can take the shape of the "wiggly plank" (rigid and wiggly at the same time), or the "head throwback-back arch," or some combination accompanied by ear piercing shrieks that sound as if someone is sacrificing a baby goat. Anna also had her share of tantrums, but she could eventually be distracted. These days I would characterize her as emotional instead of stubborn - everything is a Thing but we can talk her down. Isaac seems more focused, more determined to reach his goal, and if a tantrum is required so be it. So there you have it. Anna has her dad's looks and her mom's dramatic personality, Isaac has his mom's looks and his dad's immutable personality.

Speaking of drama, there is one thing this week that's got my ire up. It's the hoopla surrounding Anna's dance recital. Since January she's been taking instruction at a dance studio (as opposed to the rec center), due to the convenient class times. I figured there would be some sort of costume fee, but it just didn't occur to me that the final cost could possibly be as high as it is. Just money, though, right? What's money in light of Anna's first big stage debut? However, now they're turning the recital practice (yes, the 3 year olds actually need to practice on stage like the big kids the day before the Really Big Show) into another recital. In short, there will be a legion of 2 1/2 to 4 year olds stuck back stage for three hours Friday evening (over the dinner hour, I might add), and three hours Saturday afternoon. They will be expected to do "quiet activities" back stage between their dance numbers. For three hours. That's six hours within a 24 hour period. Is it just me, or is that crazy? And don't try to tell me that there's not going to be pee in those costumes Friday night, because there's no way a stage mom is going to be able to deal with all that potty action. I know this won't matter in 20 years, but sheesh, wouldn't it be nice if Anna's first dance recital were a more mellow experience? Or am I being melodramatic?

Who are you and what do you want?

Weather-wise, it is a wonderful day: overcast, not too hot, not windy, and a little humid. A good day for visiting a Colorado playground, which is generally a place with very little shade and intense sun. SPF 50 is a must at our house.
We just returned from the playground at the time when we were supposed to be leaving. However, babies have a way of throwing wrenches in plans and today's wrench was no morning nap. So off we went. I guess Isaac is still transitioning to a single nap. Or maybe he's teething. Or maybe his cold finally turned into an ear infection. Or maybe he has his cranky pants on. I don't know. What is certain is that he wouldn't go to bed until 9:30 last night, and still woke up at his usual 6:15. And now no morning nap. This makes Mommy cranky.
It's not just the lack of naps that makes me annoyed, but not knowing why they are gone. I've heard that some moms can identify their child's needs simply by the quality of the cry. While not entirely illiterate in the language of Fuss, I am not proficient. So I sit around guessing why he's crying instead of sleeping, and wishing for an otoscope.

C'est la vie. What's important is that they're both (both!) asleep right now and I have some free time. Ah yes, free time. Time to do the laundry, the dishes, clean the bathrooms, etc. Or maybe just eat more cherries. Ah yes, the cherries....

Ring around the Roseola

Both kids are asleep, and I can't seem to motivate myself to do anything. It's been one of those days where you wake up exhausted in the morning and wonder how you will get through the day. The upshot is that Anna got to watch more TV than usual while Mommy lay down. And now it's her turn, I guess. Following her mid-afternoon snack Anna declared that she had drank too much milk and now her tummy said she needed to lie down (on the floor). Thirty seconds later I hear snoring. Coincidence that she had just finished watching Sleeping Beauty?

Isaac's nap is a VERY good thing (going on 3 hours now). He's had a rough time of it lately. Saturday morning he woke up with a low grade fever. Against all current medical wisdom I attributed it to teething, and got my just rewards. We headed to my in-laws as planned, and early in the evening his fever hit 103F. Roseola! The rash came on yesterday, and persists today. As childhood illness go, I'm a big fan of roseola. It's just a fever and a non-irritating rash. The only down side is that it's contagious, so it curbed some of our plans for the weekend. And resulted in about 3 hours of sleep for me on Saturday night. At least, I hope it was the fever that got Isaac up every 1-2 hours and not merely a change of scenery. Otherwise we are SCREWED for our upcoming road trip.

Despite all of this, Saturday was fun. We were up at my in-laws place and Anna got to play with her cousins and hang out with her grandparents. I also brought a wine-blending kit, which we adults had fun with while the kiddies were engrossed with a movie. Or so we thought. About an hour into the film, a pile (a pile!) of recently consumed juice boxes were discovered near several shame-faced children. Questioning went something like this:

"How many boxes did you have?"
Child 1: a million!

"How many boxes did you have?"
Child 2: one
"Did you have two?"
Child 2: yes
"Did you have three?"
Child 2: yes

"How many boxes did you have?"
Child 3: I refuse to answer until my lawyer is present.


It was a miracle that no one peed in their bed.

Baby Days

Isaac's first birthday was this past week. The time has gone so quickly, and now the Lost Year is officially over. It's a more bittersweet event than I had anticipated. He is our last baby, and I am feeling the loss. I will miss holding such a tiny life, the new baby smell, the intense closeness that is unique to an infant. As Jon poignantly noted, children are forever moving away: they leave the womb, the breast, our steadying hands at their first step, our desires at their first "no!", our home as they run out to play, our yard when they ride a bike, our protection when they're off to school. Now I understand why many grandmothers are such prayer warriors - for years prayer is probably all that stood between them and a emotional meltdown.

Isaac's birthday itself was mellow, and I couldn't help but compare it to the day he was born. That day was warm and sunny (I have some lovely pictures featuring my sunburned arms) and we spent the morning at the zoo. Nothing out of the ordinary until about an hour after we got home. At that point my water broke, so once again I missed out laboring at home. No matter - a few hours later Isaac was born and all was well.

On this first birthday, we woke to snow and cold. However, Isaac's first taste of french toast took off the chill, and we headed to the library later on. That was a disaster. The Lost Year may be over, but the Onerous Ones have taken hold. He will not be contained or directed without making his displeasure widely known. Our little outing turned into a grab-and-dash as we took whatever books were close by and got out of there. It wasn't a total write-off, thanks to a nearby playground (sun had come out by then) and some wide open spaces. The swings are always a big hit with our kids, which is a little annoying because we have swings in our yard. What we don't have is all the other cool equipment they tend to ignore.

Anyway, after a marathon afternoon nap (birthday present for Mom?) we had some friends over for carrot cake and presents. (Cake BEFORE dinner - wow!) Isaac wore the same bemused expression the whole time, but seemed to like getting new cars and books. (Tons of baby dolls throughout the house and all he plays with are vehicles and balls. How's that for early gender differentiation?)

Anna was kind enough to blow out the candle before Isaac burned himself, and he tentatively grabbed at the edge of the frosting, unsure of what he was looking at. Things became clear once he had a slice, however.

And that was it! First birthdays are so nice, since the kid has zero expectation or understanding. The whole thing was a bigger deal for Anna, who made a few decorations, set the table, and helped decorate the cake. Gummy bears, anyone?

Looking ahead, I see some fun times. Once Isaac has lost his morning nap (surely by fall, if not sooner) we'll have a lot more freedom to do fun things. He should also be more verbal and I expect fewer meltdowns in public places. I will miss having a baby, but I look forward to knowing the boy.