D-Rex

Hey...Daniel here again. It's been a while since we talked. Gotta tell ya, that whole 'baby acne' thing sort of had me running scared. You know, when a guy looks like that, he doesn't like to splash himself all over the internet if he expects to have any parties at his crib.

Since I'm lookin' cute enough to get all the ladies at the yarn store to make that "awww" noise, I figure I'm ready to model my Alice Starmore hat again. I resisted at first. I mean, isn't that hat, like, sooooooo six weeks ago? I tried to tell Mom to get with the times but she was pretty insistent (the head control is coming but I still can't land punches very well so she can do what she likes to me). Turns out this hat is a timeless classic, transitioning seamlessly from late April to early June.

It's also pretty cozy. It doesn't scratch and doesn't mess with my hair at all. The weather is pathetic here today so I can get away with a wool hat out in public. I fell right to sleep in it when I wore it out to drop those creatures they call 'sisters' at school.

Right now, I'm on a mission to grow as fast as I can. It's fun and I'm convinced it will help me protect myself from the 'sisters' so I'm really putting my all into it. They tell me that there will be something called 'winter' and it will be cold but it's wayyyy far away and I don't imagine I'll fit into this hat then. I might be as big as Daddy by then...or bigger. I must get working on a plan to get Mom to make me a bigger one for then.

Ok. Here I am. Are you sure you are ready for the cute?:

Yeahhhh....look at me! I warned ya about the cute so no complaining if you just felt a little faint or anything. Ok, ladies?

When I wear this top Mom calls me D-Rex and then she tells me to say "ROAR" as ferociously as I can. I'm not really about ferocious right now though. I prefer to cuddle and drink lots of milk in my attempt to become with world's fastest growing baby. Those 'sisters' aren't gonna mess with me! Nuh-uh...they can't get me to wear those fairy wings no matter what they do! ROOOOOAR!!! Hmm...maybe I can do a little ferocious once in a while.

Just Checking In

I'm trying to blog regularly even though I don't really have much to say. We are going on vacation to Newfoundland in a month and things promise to be less routine, and more bloggable, then. We are starting to settle into a new normal way of living and that means I'm less frazzled than I was. Daniel is also starting to sleep for longer stretches at night (six or seven hours) so I'm feeling a little more awake as well.

We still haven't gotten any results from the ultrasound of Daniel's sacral dimple. I'm inclined to think that this is a 'no news is good news' sort of situation and just relax unless I'm told to do otherwise. In fact, I'm pretty sure the dimple is growing over as I can definitely see the end of it now. I guess it was just a little thing to freak a mother out.

In other Daniel news, his acne is all but gone. See:

He has some really dry skin around his hairline and on the very top of his head. I don't really think it is cradle cap but I may be wrong. Either way, I've been putting olive oil in his hair, letting it sit for an hour, combing off the dry skin and then giving him a shampoo the likes you only see at the most thorough salons. It's getting better slowly. After the acne, dry scalp doesn't bother me at all.

In even more Daniel news:

He can smile! I love it when tiny babies learn to smile. In fact, I make my face sore grinning and goggling at him in an effort to make him grin. He has even given a chuckle or two and it melts my little heart.

The girlies are doing well. Jillian is super big into playing make-believe and that's new for us. Claire is far too Vulcan (she takes after her mother) to suspend reality long enough to play pretend. Until now, we have never had to treat dolls gently because they are 'babies' or pretend to be "Lucianda" or some other name she fabricates or eat pretend foods or have tea parties. Jillian's new favourite toy is not a new toy at all. She is head-over-heels in love with my old Fisher-Price kitchen set from when I was a kid. That toy doesn't owe my parents a cent. I played with it a lot when I was a kid. I'd insist on having real food to serve my real friends though (like I said, I was pretend-challenged). My nephews used to play with it endlessly at my parents' cottage when they were younger and now Jillian plays with it daily. I have to admit that I'm still a little bit anti-pretend because I will toss back a cup of 'tea' of scarf down a bowl of 'soup' almost as fast as she can hand it to me. In turn, she has started handing me my 'food' like this:


This look says: You will take this 'cake' and you will 'eat' it slowly and with many, many yummy noises and you will tell me how delicious it is and then you will ask for more...got it?

Claire has been doing well too. She has her moments for sure but she has been better behaved since her surgery in December. Lately she has been into helping and that sometimes raises issues because she likes to think that she is the boss of other kids (or sometimes even us). It can get sort of ugly sometimes. She has been big into asking us a lot of questions about everything but mostly about nature. Yesterday it was about sharks and what they eat and why they want to eat meat and, and, and. The day before it was about ants and what they eat and why spiders eat ants and why birds eat spiders and, and, and. The day before we had a big decomposition/litter chat when she tried to tell me that "the ground is the garbage" (I'd like to get a hold of the little monster at school who told her THAT). The other day she told her father that bees make honey and when he asked how she knew she said "Because they do. BESIDES, I'm four years old you know", as if that explains it all. She thinks this is how to pose for photos (the strange effect is what happened when I tried hitting "auto repair"):


It is a good pouty supermodel look if you ask me.

Our biggest issue nowadays is bedtime. They started sharing a room shortly before Daniel was born. They love sharing the room but they have such different sleep patterns that they are driving DH and I nuts. Claire has always been the sort of kid who embraces bedtime. When we tell her it is bedtime she almost always goes without complaint, asks for a book and then happily goes to sleep. She sleeps like an absolute rock for 12 hours and sometimes gets up grumpy. The grump wears off once she's fully awake but it is easy to set her off till she sheds the sleep.

Jillian is a completely different story. She is a much lighter sleeper and she has always been harder to settle to sleep. She stays up till she's overtired and wired and even then has trouble falling to sleep. She can function on far less sleep than Claire and will wake up between 6:30 and 7 AM regardless of when she goes to bed. She always wakes up in a reasonable mood and just picks up where she left off the night before.

If we put them to bed at the same time, Jillian will keep Claire up for HOURS. She talks and laughs and jumps on the bed and sings and does anything else she can think of. Claire wants to go to sleep but she can't help either talking to Jillian or admonishing her for still being awake. It almost always ends with one or both of them downstairs complaining. The other night Claire got up, put Jillian in the spare bed in Daniel's room, put herself into our bed and went to sleep. When I found them, Claire was almost asleep and Jillian was still bouncing off the walls.

If we put Jillian to bed first, she might fall to sleep and then 20 minutes later Claire goes in and goes to sleep. This would be the perfect solution but it only works out that way about 20% of the time. The other times, Jillian is still awake waiting to parrrrrr-tay with Claire and they're both just up later than if they went to bed together.

If we put Claire to bed first...well...that's never happened. There is no way nosey Claire is going to let Jillian stay up later than her. NO. WAY. This would be the best scenario if Claire would allow it.

In the end, what all this means is that I have two really tired, grumpy kids around here. Frankly, we're grumpy too as we spend hours trying to get them to sleep so we can have a bit of peace before we go to bed ourselves. Yes, Jillian needs less sleep than Claire but she still needs more than she's letting either of them get. She has been going to school in a bad mood and picking more than her usual share of fights with Claire. Claire looks like the walking dead half the time. On the nights when Jillian goes to sleep first and she can go to bed and directly to sleep she is much easier to live with the next day. When she gets less than her 12 hours things are going to go wrong around here before 9 AM. Guaranteed. And when things go wrong with Claire - things go wrong with everyone (her wrath knows no boundaries).

I have yelled, I have revoked priveledges, I have promised treats if they just go to sleep already, I have left them alone. Nothing works. Nothing. Help? Please? Help?

Maybe I do have lots to say after all!

WHOOSH!!!

The two weeks since my last post have absolutely flown by. Nothing really spectacular has been going on but it seems to be all I can do to get through each day in one piece. Aside from the regular grind - making sure everyone is happy and clean and fed - I seem to only have time to taxi the kids to and from school, take Daniel to his frequent, new baby doctor's appointments and occasionally take a walk with a friend. Any other down time is spent staring at the wall trying to gather my wits and my energy for the next phase of the day.

I do feel an obligation to myself to update the blog so that in a year or so when I wonder what life was like in May 2009 I'll have something to refer to. So, to that end, here's a little nutshell about each of us:

1) DH...working, working, working. Work has been busy and we aren't going to complain about that. With the economy the way it is, busy is a good way to be. He even went to Oregon on business the week before last for THREE NIGHTS and I didn't implode, explode, or sit hugging myself, rocking and muttering in a dark corner of my closet. I was proud of me.

2) Me. I'm up at least once in the dead of the night with Daniel but am surprisingly energetic. I don't get as much time to knit or soak in the tub as I would like. Those are my two big stress outlets and I'm pretty sure it is going to catch up with me pretty soon if I don't make efforts to change things. Daniel is a bit of a snuggler and I absolutely adore it but it is hard to bathe or knit with a wee person on my person. He's cute...it's ok. I'm glad the weather is getting nicer as it is easier to do, well, almost anything in good weather. My seasonal allergies are trying to kill me and kept me from recognizing that I was getting a cold (or maybe a flu but that's a dirty word these days so let's leave it as a cold) till I was up all night with chills and aches.

3) Claire has been back and forth to school, one of her favourite places to be. One day last week I went to pick her up to have her teacher ask me to stick around to hear a funny story about her. I waited till she dismissed the others and then found out that during class, the one little boy who likes to make trouble kept touching Claire's face. Teacher reported that this was done in an attempt to invade personal space and irritate. Teacher did not know if Claire asked the boy to stop or not but she did watch Claire ball up her wee little four-year-old fist, wind up, and punch the little squirt in the belly as hard as she could. Apparently, he was so winded, he could barely create enough volume to tattle on her. The teacher took Claire aside and explained that she had to use her words to try and solve issues of this ilk and not to punch boys in the belly but she says that inside, she was really quite proud that Claire (who is usually quite meek at school) stood up for herself. I was torn between being absolutely appalled at the behaviour and proud of her assertiveness. We had a chat about conflict resolution and another about when you really are allowed to belt someone and since then things have been uneventful at school. Whew.

She is reading at "Level E" at school and even though I don't really know what each level means I know that she can read any "Stage 1" reader that I can get at Walmart or Chapters or the book order. She can also read my emails, mail, the TV guide, greeting cards and signage of any sort. We also have to be careful what we spell nowadays because she can keep track (if it isn't too many letters), sound it out in her head and tell us what we said. Last week I asked DH if he was up for a T-R-I-P to the Z-O-O and she got all bouncy and started squealing "Can we go to the zoo? Puh-leeeeze with one HUNDRED cheeries on top?" (one hundred is a massive number to her).

She also did this:



Went to a Toronto Blue Jays game with her father and uncle who was visiting from Newfoundland. DH decided to take her so I wouldn't be home sick on a Sunday with three children while he was out having fun. Nice of him, eh? I wasn't sure how she would do but apparently she was very well behaved. Chips and chocolate and a big ol' apple juice helped pave the way.

4) Jillian has been trying (I was going to add a "to" and an explanation but "trying" covers the whole situation pretty well). She'll be three next month and, well, we aren't a fan of age three in this house. Claire is pretty dominant and, in retaliation, Jillian has learned how to say "NO!" as well as any graduate of a women's self-defence course. It would be ok - maybe even encouraged - if she kept this sort of thing between herself and Claire but it has spilled over to DH and myself and is making us crazy. The child doesn't even stop to consider any request/question/statement anymore. She just says "NO!" and moves on. She has also been pushing and shoving Claire a lot and that gets her in trouble. Trouble is, Claire knows it gets Jillian in trouble and so she either baits Jillian or refuses to move away from Jillian's abuse so that Jillian will get disciplined. Claire has also taken to whispering things to Jillian like "ask Mommy if we can have a treat?" and, despite all the "NO!" in other situations, like a little minah bird she will come trotting to ask/do whatever Claire wants.

At the same time, the child can be so cute and sweet and loving that it nearly makes our souls ache. She loves hugs and kisses and has such a lovely nature when she isn't being Miss Independence. The other night DH gave her two little foil wrapped chocolates after dinner and she asked him if she could give one to Claire. Claire was going to get her own as soon as she finished her dinner but Jillian didn't know that. When DH explained that those were for her and Claire would get some in a bit, she declared that she would wait till Claire had her treats before she ate hers.

While DH and Claire were at the ball game last week, Jillian and I had a bit of a spa day. I spent a loooong time straightening her hair for her. She keeps telling us she has short hair and I know it is really quite long, it just looks shortish because of all those gorgeous curls. I thought straightening it would be fun and prove how long it is. Here she is:



I had to use both the blow dryer and flat iron to even get it this straight. She loved it...I hated it. Her hair is much thinner and finer than I thought it was. I figure it isn't done thickening up yet but I still fear it has the texture of my hair (which I wouldn't wish on anyone). It also persists in its curling more than I thought it would. She went to bed that night with straight-ish hair and woke up with her regular curls all over her head.

5) Daniel is now six weeks old. Again...whoosh! He is growing like a weed and is much bigger than the girls were at the same age. He is wearing three month size clothes and I think he'll be into six month clothes before he gets to be three months old.

His acne seems to be clearing up...slowly but surely. His skin is fairly dry now but I'm loathe to put too much lotion or anything on it for fear of setting off some other dermatological nightmare. He still gets pretty red when he gets worked up but I'm hoping that will only last another week or so too.

He is still a really happy, easy-going little guy and mainly only gets upset if he struggles with gas or gets overtired. We realize how lucky this makes us and try not to talk about his lovely demeanor too much for fear of breaking the spell. So...shhhhhh....moving on. He's getting better at holding up his own head and has figured out that he has a tongue (which he sticks out at us) and how to smile (which melts our hearts):



A couple of weeks ago, after his bath, I noticed a small hole on Daniel's bum/back area (just inside the top of the crease in his bum). It wasn't very big but I couldn't see the bottom of it and the whole thing freaked me out. I consulted my cousin, a chiropractor, and she said that it sounded like a sacral dimple and I'd better get him checked out by the family doctor. My family doctor examined him said that the dimple is small and when she really poked at him (he was surprisingly fine with the poking) thought she could see the bottom of the hole but sent him for an ultrasound just to make sure he doesn't have Spina Bifida Occulta. Well, the words "spina bifida" nearly sent me into hysterics but I know enough about medical things to be able to convince myself that he is likely fine and the tests are just precautions to make sure he's ok. His legs are both strong and move equally well and he seems to have good sensation in them and that makes me feel better. Still, he went for the ultrasound last Thursday (he slept through it all) and now we are waiting, waiting, waiting for results. Cross your fingers for us, ok?

Hopefully, I'll be back into a regular blog reading/writing schedule soon. I miss my time in cyberspace.

Baby Acne

Sometimes a macro lens is a cruel, cruel thing:


My sweet, innocent, cute little baby is plagued with the worst baby acne I've ever encountered. The photos don't really do it justice as his face lights up like a Christmas tree whenever he cries. It's baaaaad. The fact that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it makes it worse. Somehow, if I could smear some sort of ointment on him or change my diet or build an altar in my backyard and sacrifice half my yarn stash to some nameless dermatological-fibre-loving deity I'd feel better.

He looks better at a bit of a distance. See:

However, I have a much closer view of him most of the time. I may even be a little obsessed with deciding if it is better or worse than it was yesterday or the day before or even three minutes ago when I last examined him. I know it will go away eventually and he'll be just as smooth and unspoiled as he was when he was four days old. I should just let it goooo, be all zen about it. But I can't. Just can't. Must. Obsess. Gotta go...

Detective Mommy

I am not always the brightest crayon in the box but I pride myself at being closer to the "Purple Pizzazz" end of the spectrum than the "Outer Space" end (Yes, those are real Crayola crayon names). I follow most conversations that do not bore me to tears, I get jokes, I am a good reader, a quick study and I can assemble the craziest thing Ikea has in stock without cursing (as long as I do not lose the precious Allen key along the way).

I am here to admit that yesterday, I was completely baffled by a two-year-old. I eventually figured out what she was talking about but she had to put the dots pretty close together before I could connect them. Granted, she was speaking in riddles and had a few facts wrong but I can't help but think I should have picked up the thread sooner. Here is, more or less, the way the conversation went down. Feel free to imagine my various looks of bafflement and frustration:

Me: Hey girls! Want to watch a movie?
Claire & Jillian: Yeah!
Jillian: I don't want to watch the scary one.
Me: Which one is that?
Jillian: The one with the girl with the red panties.
Me (sure I misheard): Red panties?
Jillian: Yeah. Red panties. I don't like that one.
Me (lost): A movie with a girl wearing red panties?
Jillian: Yeah.
Me (thinking maybe shorts or a skirt but not panties): What else does she wear?
Jillian: Red panties. I don't want to watch that one.
Me (deciding to try another angle): I don't know what movie that is. What's her name?
Jillian: Ummm....Ooglie Dooglie.
Me (frustrated): Ooglie Dooglie? Jilla...are we both talking English? Is this baby talk or are you talking like a big girl?
Jillian: Her name is Ooglie Dooglie! I don't like it!
Me (trying to remember the names of the things on "Yo Gabba Gabba" and "In the Night Garden...soul-sucking programs, both of 'em): Jillian, I don't know any movie with a person named Ooglie Dooglie.
Jillian: She has red panties.
Me (yet another angle): I'm sorry Jillian, I don't know what you are talking about. What else happens in the movie?
Jillian: There's a snake and I don't like snakes so I don't wanna watch that one.
Me (processing...processing...): A girl with red panties named Ooglie Dooglie and a snake.
Jillian: Yeah...that one! I don't wanna watch it.
Me (wondering if it is really a snake or maybe a dragon or a lizard - Kung Fu Panda and Barbie Rapunzel cross my mind): What does the snake do?
Jillian: The girl goes inside the snake. It's scary. I don't like it.
Me (not getting it): Ummmmm....
Jillian: Yeah, Momma...that one...with the snake. The girl goes INSIDE the snake.
Me (lightbulb moment): "Jungle Book"?!
Jillian: NO! The one with the girl with red panties, Ooglie Dooglie, and the snake.
Me: Do you mean Mowgli?
Jillian: No! OOGLIE DOOGLIE!
Me (finally feeling intelligent): Mowgli. Sweetie, that's "Jungle Book" and the girl in the red panties is a boy with long hair and there is a snake but it doesn't hurt Mowgli and it has a happy ending, remember?
Jillian: No...not "Jungle Book"! It's a GIRL with RED PANTIES and she goes INSIDE the snake and it is SCARY and I DON'T WANNA WATCH IT!
Me: Yes, love. I understand now. That movie is called "Jungle Book" and you don't have to watch it if you don't want to.
Claire: I do! I want to watch it! Right now I want to watch it! I like "Jungle Book"!


Kaa the snake and Mowgli in his/her red loincloth/panties (I think they are redder in the movie).

The most amazing thing about this is that Jillian went to a reptile show at her school last week and volunteered to do this:



That is a portion of a 140 pound female albino python named "Marshmallow" that my child voluntarily let a handler twine all around her. She sat there and giggled, squealed, pet and even kissed the snake. When she got home she bragged to everyone that she got to go "inside" a snake. I only got to witness the event because I showed up early to pick her up and told her she could stay till the end. Her teacher took the pictures for me while I alternately felt surges of pride and fought the urge to beat the snake to death with a child-sized chair before it consumed my baby in one huge gulp (I really do love animals and I wouldn't hurt one...unless it was gonna eat my kid...then you're toast, beastie).

For the record, we didn't watch "Jungle Book" despite Claire's pleas. In fact, the conversation about which movie Jillian didn't want to watch took so much out of us that the whole movie idea sort of evaporated and the girls went out into the backyard to play instead.

Early Education

I think this is awfully darned cute"



He'll never lack for stimulation with Madame Claire around.