MRI today - long and short of it, I'm apparently a little claustrophobic. Didn't think I was, but when they slooooooooooooowwwwwwwwllllllly wheel you into the tight metal tube and you can't see the end of it, you get a little freaked. Thank god when I got to the end it was open so I could relax, but then my hands started going numb because I was smushed up in there pretty tight. I had the guy take me back out so I could change the position of my arms, and that made it a lot better - just needed to do some deep breathing to get through the next 10 minutes. If I had to I wouldn't need a valium or something to do it again, but let's just say it's not something I would choose to do if I had to pick between that and a walk on the beach.
Results hopefully on Monday or Tuesday.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Talk about a spurt
(hehehe...that sounds vaguely dirty...)
Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, not much to report except that I'm going for my MRI tomorrow, and it feels like whatever the steroids were supposed to do for my back they've finally started to do this evening, which means I can sit here and type this without standing up and hobbling around the room every 30 seconds. Hopefully the doc will have not-so-scary news tomorrow, like, news that can be fixed with not-so-heavy drugs or a shot to the back or something, as opposed to surgery.
In other news, Alex had a great TKD class - 3 stickers! He also told Scott, "Seriously, Dad, why did you leave your hair all over the sink?" Because Scott forgot to clean up his whiskers from shaving. It was very cute. And again, my little black anal-retentive heart melted just a little.
And in the actual "spurt" news, Emma seems to have hit a large-motor growth spurt. Not only did she officially start crawling yesterday, tonight she SAT UP IN HER CRIB. All by herself, pushed from her tummy to her butt. Again, very cute. And while I was cleaning out the hamster cage on the floor, she was (very adorably) peeking her little face over the bumper on her crib, after pulling it down with her little fingers so she could see what I was doing. I melted.
She went in to the doc today so we could check out what we thought was an ear infection, and we now officially have Emma's first illness. She had a little sniffly cold for a couple of weeks, and that turned into the ear thing. She's on antibiotics, but it's not bad at all. My mom and I took her in today and everyone who watched us would have thought my mom and I were going to the doc, since Emma was so happy and cheerful and giggly and smiley - and my mom is hobbling along on her cane and I could hardly walk because of my back thing.
Anyway, off to watch a movie. Can't wait for Emma's first word!
Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, not much to report except that I'm going for my MRI tomorrow, and it feels like whatever the steroids were supposed to do for my back they've finally started to do this evening, which means I can sit here and type this without standing up and hobbling around the room every 30 seconds. Hopefully the doc will have not-so-scary news tomorrow, like, news that can be fixed with not-so-heavy drugs or a shot to the back or something, as opposed to surgery.
In other news, Alex had a great TKD class - 3 stickers! He also told Scott, "Seriously, Dad, why did you leave your hair all over the sink?" Because Scott forgot to clean up his whiskers from shaving. It was very cute. And again, my little black anal-retentive heart melted just a little.
And in the actual "spurt" news, Emma seems to have hit a large-motor growth spurt. Not only did she officially start crawling yesterday, tonight she SAT UP IN HER CRIB. All by herself, pushed from her tummy to her butt. Again, very cute. And while I was cleaning out the hamster cage on the floor, she was (very adorably) peeking her little face over the bumper on her crib, after pulling it down with her little fingers so she could see what I was doing. I melted.
She went in to the doc today so we could check out what we thought was an ear infection, and we now officially have Emma's first illness. She had a little sniffly cold for a couple of weeks, and that turned into the ear thing. She's on antibiotics, but it's not bad at all. My mom and I took her in today and everyone who watched us would have thought my mom and I were going to the doc, since Emma was so happy and cheerful and giggly and smiley - and my mom is hobbling along on her cane and I could hardly walk because of my back thing.
Anyway, off to watch a movie. Can't wait for Emma's first word!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ladies and gentlemen...
we have a CRAWLER! Yes, that right there dear guests is a certifiable, butt and elbows in-the-air scooter on hands and knees!
She did it last night on the bed, and I thought, naw, it's just because she can get extra purchase on the cushy 4-inch memory foam, but lo and behold, today ON THE FLOOR she crawled! Like, 12 times! AND she's starting to pull up on her crib, which resulted in a very quick plea to the hubby to MOVE DOWN THE MATTRESS, ALREADY.
She's such an amazing baby. Of course, all moms say that about their kids. BUT MY KID IS DIFFERENT. DUH.
Anyway, it's so much fun to watch her because she's so focused. I remember when Alex was this age. I could sit him on the floor with a handful of toys and watch him promptly throw everything every which way and end up with everything spread everywhere all over every spot in the room (how about I use the word "every" one more time because I don't think I've used it enough in this sentence). He had a gleeful chaos about the way he played. He still does, although, thank god, he's actually gotten pretty good - and less pissy - about cleaning up his hellhole when he's done with it. He also had (has) a tendency to only play with toys for an average of 1 minute apiece. Which is why his room ends up the mess it is - he'll play with something, lose interest, drop it wherever he happens to be, pick something else up, play, lose interest, lather rinse repeat.
Sidenote: I received a brochure on ADHD from our pediatrician awhile back. The picture on the cover was a child playing - in gleeful chaos, no less! - in a room that looked EXACTLY like the room my wonderful son had left behind that afternoon. Toys strewn everywhere, clothes hanging outside the hamper, bed unmade and blankets askew...you couldn't walk in that room. Anyway, he's gotten better.
So back to Emma. She has been MUCH slower than Alex to reach all of the milestones - which is to say, she's right on track. While he was insanely, ridiculously early. On everything, physical and verbal, up until he was about 3. Emma has taken her sweet time, and I've gone through my daily, "Chill out, Marce, she's doing fine, Alex was just early" mantra. I also noticed that with him, I loved how fast he hit every milestone, just because they all came so quickly and it was so much fun to see the next thing coming - next week. With Emma, it's been so much fun to see the next thing coming - next month. And I love it just as much - I'm cherishing the babyness of her, while I cherished the growing-up of him. And the playing. Oh, the playing - I'm so loving watching her play.
She will sit in one place and focus on one toy. Pick it up, mouth it, turn it around, stare at it, tap it on something, shake it, shriek a little if she really likes it. If it makes noise, she'll dance (OH, the DANCING! Another whole post in itself). She will play and play with that one toy until she has figured out everything that it does, and then she'll put it down. But she won't just put it down, she looks for somewhere to put it. I bought her a shapesorter barn the other day, and now she puts everything in there. It has a barn door that she opens and closes, and not only does she put the shapes and letters that belong with it in there, she tries to shove all of her toys in there too. When she plays with that barn, she will take something out, look at it, mouth it, then put it back in. Take something else out, look at it, tap it on something, put it back in. None of this, "I'm done, where can I randomly throw this thing?" stuff, no, she's very organized. If she takes it out of a container, she puts it back IN the container. (My anal-retentive heart just let out a little SQUEE!) She also will try really hard to make things go back the way I put them originally - stackers and such she will try over and over to make them stack the way I showed her they're supposed to go. She hasn't succeeded at that one yet, but she's close.
I sat on the floor with her (painfully, might I add, I don't sit well right now) for 20 minutes tonight. I talked to her, I named things as she picked them up, I said, "Open!" or, "Close!" every time she opened or closed the barn door. And she smiled at me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
In other news, Alex had the belt ceremony tonight, where he was promoted to orange belt. I'm so proud of my two amazing kids. I bought a new book tonight called, "You're My Wish Come True." I read it to Alex earlier and he said, "I'm your wish come true, right Mom?"
Definitely, Alex. You and Emma both.
She did it last night on the bed, and I thought, naw, it's just because she can get extra purchase on the cushy 4-inch memory foam, but lo and behold, today ON THE FLOOR she crawled! Like, 12 times! AND she's starting to pull up on her crib, which resulted in a very quick plea to the hubby to MOVE DOWN THE MATTRESS, ALREADY.
She's such an amazing baby. Of course, all moms say that about their kids. BUT MY KID IS DIFFERENT. DUH.
Anyway, it's so much fun to watch her because she's so focused. I remember when Alex was this age. I could sit him on the floor with a handful of toys and watch him promptly throw everything every which way and end up with everything spread everywhere all over every spot in the room (how about I use the word "every" one more time because I don't think I've used it enough in this sentence). He had a gleeful chaos about the way he played. He still does, although, thank god, he's actually gotten pretty good - and less pissy - about cleaning up his hellhole when he's done with it. He also had (has) a tendency to only play with toys for an average of 1 minute apiece. Which is why his room ends up the mess it is - he'll play with something, lose interest, drop it wherever he happens to be, pick something else up, play, lose interest, lather rinse repeat.
Sidenote: I received a brochure on ADHD from our pediatrician awhile back. The picture on the cover was a child playing - in gleeful chaos, no less! - in a room that looked EXACTLY like the room my wonderful son had left behind that afternoon. Toys strewn everywhere, clothes hanging outside the hamper, bed unmade and blankets askew...you couldn't walk in that room. Anyway, he's gotten better.
So back to Emma. She has been MUCH slower than Alex to reach all of the milestones - which is to say, she's right on track. While he was insanely, ridiculously early. On everything, physical and verbal, up until he was about 3. Emma has taken her sweet time, and I've gone through my daily, "Chill out, Marce, she's doing fine, Alex was just early" mantra. I also noticed that with him, I loved how fast he hit every milestone, just because they all came so quickly and it was so much fun to see the next thing coming - next week. With Emma, it's been so much fun to see the next thing coming - next month. And I love it just as much - I'm cherishing the babyness of her, while I cherished the growing-up of him. And the playing. Oh, the playing - I'm so loving watching her play.
She will sit in one place and focus on one toy. Pick it up, mouth it, turn it around, stare at it, tap it on something, shake it, shriek a little if she really likes it. If it makes noise, she'll dance (OH, the DANCING! Another whole post in itself). She will play and play with that one toy until she has figured out everything that it does, and then she'll put it down. But she won't just put it down, she looks for somewhere to put it. I bought her a shapesorter barn the other day, and now she puts everything in there. It has a barn door that she opens and closes, and not only does she put the shapes and letters that belong with it in there, she tries to shove all of her toys in there too. When she plays with that barn, she will take something out, look at it, mouth it, then put it back in. Take something else out, look at it, tap it on something, put it back in. None of this, "I'm done, where can I randomly throw this thing?" stuff, no, she's very organized. If she takes it out of a container, she puts it back IN the container. (My anal-retentive heart just let out a little SQUEE!) She also will try really hard to make things go back the way I put them originally - stackers and such she will try over and over to make them stack the way I showed her they're supposed to go. She hasn't succeeded at that one yet, but she's close.
I sat on the floor with her (painfully, might I add, I don't sit well right now) for 20 minutes tonight. I talked to her, I named things as she picked them up, I said, "Open!" or, "Close!" every time she opened or closed the barn door. And she smiled at me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
In other news, Alex had the belt ceremony tonight, where he was promoted to orange belt. I'm so proud of my two amazing kids. I bought a new book tonight called, "You're My Wish Come True." I read it to Alex earlier and he said, "I'm your wish come true, right Mom?"
Definitely, Alex. You and Emma both.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
NOOOO!!
OK, admittedly, Hollywood has run out of ideas. They're so stretched that they have made careers out of remaking old ideas. But this? This is just WRONG. You do NOT remake CLUE! That would be like someone remaking The Rocky Horror Picture Show. YOU DON'T MESS WITH A GOOD THING, HOLLYWOOD.
Dlisted
Seriously, that movie made me fall in love with Madeline Khan. "Flam-flames...on the sides of my face...burning..." I use that one all the time...
Dlisted
Seriously, that movie made me fall in love with Madeline Khan. "Flam-flames...on the sides of my face...burning..." I use that one all the time...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
My son, the black belt (to be)
I know, I know, where are the pictures? Well, honestly, we've been busy, and I keep forgetting the camera. So until I get my head screwed on straight, you're just going to have to make do with words. Lots and lots of 'em. Well, later. Tonight I hurt like hell so you're only getting a few.
So yesterday at Taekwondo Alex got his letter of invitation for Black Belt Club. I don't know if I've mentioned this (*cough* only a dozen times *cough*) but Black Belt Club is a BIG DEAL. Today, after class, a new nunchuk and baton, and $319(!), Alex is now officially on track for a black belt. Master said that Alex has demonstrated a strong commitment and incremental improvement, as well as being very smart (duh) - and, well, he wants it. Alex really really wants his black belt someday. And this whole TKD thing is working out EXACTLY the way I'd hoped it would - he's more focused, he's trying hard and he's really improving. So now he can go to 4 classes a week, plus black belt club class and sparring on Saturdays. Which basically means he can go to class every day except Sunday. We won't be DOING that, of course, because, my god, *I* can't handle getting him to class every day - I really can't expect a four year old to handle that. We'll most likely be going 4 times a week TOTAL - *including* club class and Saturdays. And if he finds that he wants to do something else in addition, we'll cut back on that. But he loves it, and he's doing so well - I don't want to discourage it.
Anyway, that's it, except for this whole leg thing. I mentioned that my hip/leg thing is back, but this time is different, and worse, and all kinds of ouch ouch hurts dammit can't sit anymore kind of OW. The doc said it's definitely sciatica and they're scheduling an MRI to see if it's simply S-I joint inflammation from the pregnancy or (cue scary music) a BULGING DISC. 'Cause that's what every busy mom with a busy son in busy Taekwondo and a busy 9 month old baby wants to hear. The prospect of BACK SURGERY! Woo hoo!
I'm gonna go lie down. And take some more vicodin.
So yesterday at Taekwondo Alex got his letter of invitation for Black Belt Club. I don't know if I've mentioned this (*cough* only a dozen times *cough*) but Black Belt Club is a BIG DEAL. Today, after class, a new nunchuk and baton, and $319(!), Alex is now officially on track for a black belt. Master said that Alex has demonstrated a strong commitment and incremental improvement, as well as being very smart (duh) - and, well, he wants it. Alex really really wants his black belt someday. And this whole TKD thing is working out EXACTLY the way I'd hoped it would - he's more focused, he's trying hard and he's really improving. So now he can go to 4 classes a week, plus black belt club class and sparring on Saturdays. Which basically means he can go to class every day except Sunday. We won't be DOING that, of course, because, my god, *I* can't handle getting him to class every day - I really can't expect a four year old to handle that. We'll most likely be going 4 times a week TOTAL - *including* club class and Saturdays. And if he finds that he wants to do something else in addition, we'll cut back on that. But he loves it, and he's doing so well - I don't want to discourage it.
Anyway, that's it, except for this whole leg thing. I mentioned that my hip/leg thing is back, but this time is different, and worse, and all kinds of ouch ouch hurts dammit can't sit anymore kind of OW. The doc said it's definitely sciatica and they're scheduling an MRI to see if it's simply S-I joint inflammation from the pregnancy or (cue scary music) a BULGING DISC. 'Cause that's what every busy mom with a busy son in busy Taekwondo and a busy 9 month old baby wants to hear. The prospect of BACK SURGERY! Woo hoo!
I'm gonna go lie down. And take some more vicodin.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Out of the mouths of babes
Alex: I’m sad
[Looks down at his baby hippo which he’s cradling]
Scott: Why are you sad?
Alex: My baby hippo died.
Scott: How’d it die?
Alex: The bad guys shot him and punched him and he died.
Scott: Oh, well we can get him the best medical care in the world.
Alex: I need to talk to my Pink Panther Master, he can fix it.
Scott: How?
Alex: He’ll drive to Marysville and pick up the Benadryl.
Scott: And that’ll work?
Alex: Yes, it’ll make him alive again.
[10 seconds pass]
Alex: YAY he’s back!
[Looks down at his baby hippo which he’s cradling]
Scott: Why are you sad?
Alex: My baby hippo died.
Scott: How’d it die?
Alex: The bad guys shot him and punched him and he died.
Scott: Oh, well we can get him the best medical care in the world.
Alex: I need to talk to my Pink Panther Master, he can fix it.
Scott: How?
Alex: He’ll drive to Marysville and pick up the Benadryl.
Scott: And that’ll work?
Alex: Yes, it’ll make him alive again.
[10 seconds pass]
Alex: YAY he’s back!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Pondering
If your second child turns out completely different from your first, and your personality is inherently analytical, why must you feel guilty about noticing and enjoying the differences?
Piss Me Off, Why Don't You
Come thisclose to rear-ending me because you were following me so closely you could have been licking my tailpipe. And make me feel guilty about stepping on the brakes. Ass.
Love This!
I really can't believe the kinds of things people will do to food. It almost makes me not want to eat cake.
Almost.
Cake Wrecks
Almost.
Cake Wrecks
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Couples stuff
I rarely do these things, but I'm running low on material (and energy) this evening, so here ya go: more about me and Scott.
Did you go to the same school?
We both graduated from WSU. We met there. How we met is another story, one we'll save for later.
Are you from the same home town?
Not even close. I was born on the east coast, Scott in the south. If we consider hometown being where we spent the largest portion of our lives, then we were a lot closer than that.
Who is smarter?
Scott is far smarter than I am but won't admit it (he doesn't think he's smarter than anyone, which just goes to show that common sense and intelligence often have an inverse relationship). I think we're both smarter than the average bear but I go around telling people that. He doesn't.
Who is the most sensitive?
Ahem. Next question.
Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We like El Toro and Casa Mia. I like Bella Nina's too, but Scott doesn't like it as much.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Vegas. We're hoping to go to Hawaii sometime this year. We should probably get on that.
Who has the craziest exes?
Hmm. Well, Scott only has one ex, officially anyway. And she's pretty normal (aside from the whole "accusing MY ex of sexual harrassment" thing, but that happened before I knew any of the three of them, and that's another convoluted story that I won't get into now). I had 2 serious boyfriends before Scott - one is still a good friend and the other...well, I guess he kind of qualifies. He needed treatment for depression and chronic fatigue, and after we broke up he got caught sleeping with his best friend's wife (the one with 8 kids). So yeah, I guess I win.
Who has the worst temper?
Ahem (cough)...yeah, that would be me. Twice, maybe three times, Scott has lost it since I've known him. And losing it, at the most, constitutes punching a hole in a door. And it's usually me that caused him to lose it. I, on the other hand, think nothing of shrieking and screaming and self-righteously protesting until he calms me the eff down. And god dammit, he's always RIGHT.
Who does the cooking?
HA! Ha HA! Cooking? What's that? I try really hard to make Scott do the cooking. I CAN, I just don't ENJOY it, and therefore avoid it.
Who is the neat-freak?
One of the biggest problems my mother has with us is the fact that neither of us is a neat freak. I'm very organized, and I live in a state of organized chaos. You need something? I will find it. Fast. But don't expect to come over to my house without at least a day's notice, because you will be subjected to clutter and dishes in the sink. We do a thorough cleaning about every two weeks, usually when someone is coming over. But my words to live by are "A clean house is the sign of a wasted life."
Who is more stubborn?
We are each masters of the stubborn. I'm always convinced I'm right, Scott always IS right. I'm scared that we have unleashed this on the world in the form of our (very cute) children - I'm not sure the world can handle that much mule-headed determination and self-righteousness.
Who hogs the bed?
He says I do. I say he does. I win. Because I said so. Dammit.
Who wakes up earlier?
See, this one, if you know Scott, is really just a funny (and unnecessary) question. I have taken to answering his, "I'm going to get up to catch the bus tomorrow at 4:30" statements with a "HA!" Because I can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times he has gotten up at 4:30 in the last 3 or 4 months. Even though he's supposed to be saving gas and money by commuting the hour and a half to work. I get up at 5 a.m. Every morning. Except weekends, when I'm usually up at 6ish with the kids.
Where was your first date?
Our first official date was to Basilio's. But we had already begun "dating" by then, since our situation was a little different. Again, not going into it now. Maybe later. :-)
Who is more jealous?
This is a question I'm not sure about. Yes, a *little* jealousy is healthy in a relationship, but neither of us is a very jealous person. We both recognize that just because we're in a committed, loving relationship, it doesn't mean we're DEAD. We obviously have the "you're not allowed to..." lists, but those consist mainly of the obvious. So I don't think either of us is more jealous.
How long did it take to get serious?
We started dating in October, I realized I loved him in November, we were engaged the following June. And before we got engaged we talked about it for 2 months, bought the ring, then he waited a month to propose. So basically I was always serious. I think he was the same.
Who eats more?
See, to look at us you would think me, but he actually eats twice as much as me. He just has this nervous energy that I think burns all his calories (he fidgets and shakes his leg a lot when he's sitting still, and I think that accounts for the skinny-lankiness of him).
Who does the laundry?
Someone cannot ever remember that he is not supposed to put my shirts in the dryer for longer than 20 minutes, so someone is no longer allowed to do my laundry. He does his own, I do mine, Alex's and Emma's, as well as the towels, sheets, etc.
Who's better with the computer?
Um...maybe you should ask the software developer.
Who drives when you are together?
Scott has this thing about all things being equal. I definitely hear about it if it's been longer than twice since I drove last. I don't mind driving, I just like someone else to do it if I don't HAVE to.
Did you go to the same school?
We both graduated from WSU. We met there. How we met is another story, one we'll save for later.
Are you from the same home town?
Not even close. I was born on the east coast, Scott in the south. If we consider hometown being where we spent the largest portion of our lives, then we were a lot closer than that.
Who is smarter?
Scott is far smarter than I am but won't admit it (he doesn't think he's smarter than anyone, which just goes to show that common sense and intelligence often have an inverse relationship). I think we're both smarter than the average bear but I go around telling people that. He doesn't.
Who is the most sensitive?
Ahem. Next question.
Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We like El Toro and Casa Mia. I like Bella Nina's too, but Scott doesn't like it as much.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Vegas. We're hoping to go to Hawaii sometime this year. We should probably get on that.
Who has the craziest exes?
Hmm. Well, Scott only has one ex, officially anyway. And she's pretty normal (aside from the whole "accusing MY ex of sexual harrassment" thing, but that happened before I knew any of the three of them, and that's another convoluted story that I won't get into now). I had 2 serious boyfriends before Scott - one is still a good friend and the other...well, I guess he kind of qualifies. He needed treatment for depression and chronic fatigue, and after we broke up he got caught sleeping with his best friend's wife (the one with 8 kids). So yeah, I guess I win.
Who has the worst temper?
Ahem (cough)...yeah, that would be me. Twice, maybe three times, Scott has lost it since I've known him. And losing it, at the most, constitutes punching a hole in a door. And it's usually me that caused him to lose it. I, on the other hand, think nothing of shrieking and screaming and self-righteously protesting until he calms me the eff down. And god dammit, he's always RIGHT.
Who does the cooking?
HA! Ha HA! Cooking? What's that? I try really hard to make Scott do the cooking. I CAN, I just don't ENJOY it, and therefore avoid it.
Who is the neat-freak?
One of the biggest problems my mother has with us is the fact that neither of us is a neat freak. I'm very organized, and I live in a state of organized chaos. You need something? I will find it. Fast. But don't expect to come over to my house without at least a day's notice, because you will be subjected to clutter and dishes in the sink. We do a thorough cleaning about every two weeks, usually when someone is coming over. But my words to live by are "A clean house is the sign of a wasted life."
Who is more stubborn?
We are each masters of the stubborn. I'm always convinced I'm right, Scott always IS right. I'm scared that we have unleashed this on the world in the form of our (very cute) children - I'm not sure the world can handle that much mule-headed determination and self-righteousness.
Who hogs the bed?
He says I do. I say he does. I win. Because I said so. Dammit.
Who wakes up earlier?
See, this one, if you know Scott, is really just a funny (and unnecessary) question. I have taken to answering his, "I'm going to get up to catch the bus tomorrow at 4:30" statements with a "HA!" Because I can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times he has gotten up at 4:30 in the last 3 or 4 months. Even though he's supposed to be saving gas and money by commuting the hour and a half to work. I get up at 5 a.m. Every morning. Except weekends, when I'm usually up at 6ish with the kids.
Where was your first date?
Our first official date was to Basilio's. But we had already begun "dating" by then, since our situation was a little different. Again, not going into it now. Maybe later. :-)
Who is more jealous?
This is a question I'm not sure about. Yes, a *little* jealousy is healthy in a relationship, but neither of us is a very jealous person. We both recognize that just because we're in a committed, loving relationship, it doesn't mean we're DEAD. We obviously have the "you're not allowed to..." lists, but those consist mainly of the obvious. So I don't think either of us is more jealous.
How long did it take to get serious?
We started dating in October, I realized I loved him in November, we were engaged the following June. And before we got engaged we talked about it for 2 months, bought the ring, then he waited a month to propose. So basically I was always serious. I think he was the same.
Who eats more?
See, to look at us you would think me, but he actually eats twice as much as me. He just has this nervous energy that I think burns all his calories (he fidgets and shakes his leg a lot when he's sitting still, and I think that accounts for the skinny-lankiness of him).
Who does the laundry?
Someone cannot ever remember that he is not supposed to put my shirts in the dryer for longer than 20 minutes, so someone is no longer allowed to do my laundry. He does his own, I do mine, Alex's and Emma's, as well as the towels, sheets, etc.
Who's better with the computer?
Um...maybe you should ask the software developer.
Who drives when you are together?
Scott has this thing about all things being equal. I definitely hear about it if it's been longer than twice since I drove last. I don't mind driving, I just like someone else to do it if I don't HAVE to.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
30 glorious minutes
At taekwondo tonight, Alex received a "home task sheet" from the master, and wow, was that a motivator. It's a simple checksheet with things like, "Completed homework," "Took a bath," "Cleaned room," "Kept hands and nails clean and cut," etc. So this evening after getting Emma fed and ready for bed, I let her play on the floor
(sidenote: SHE'S CRAWLING! Sort of. It's the cutest thing - she digs her toes into the floor and pushes her butt up in the air, launches her face into the floor and wiggles forward. I laugh. Hard.)
and while she was playing Alex and I went through each. and. every. item. on the home task sheet. It took him at least 30 minutes, but all I had to do was say, "OK, Alex, the next thing is _________" and off he would go. He was so excited to check off that little box - I got him to hang his uniform, pick up his toys, MAKE HIS BED (holy crap, he's actually pretty good at it too), take out the garbage, clean his ears, wash his face, blah blah blah...all without a SINGLE ARGUMENT. And when we were done, since he doesn't get "homework" or have to do "studying" (what 4 year old does?) we did his BOB books and called it studying.
BOB books are simple 2-letter books that help to teach the alphabet. He has the first 5 memorized. Yes, that's 5 WHOLE BOOKS, and granted, each one is only ten pages with about 5 sentences total, but he has them all memorized. So I go through and point to each letter, say the name, the sound, and the word underneath it, he repeats it, and then he tells me the next 2 sentences, lather rinse repeat.
He has always LOVED his BOB books, but especially so since one day a couple of weeks ago when he did the most amazing thing. We got to the second letter in one of the books and he couldn't remember what it was, so (and those of you who work with me, you especially will appreciate this) he:
1. grabbed the book from my hand,
2. TURNED IT TO THE FRONT so he could see the title,
3. said, "The C-D Book,"
4. TURNED IT BACK TO THE PAGE HE WAS ON(!)
5. and said, "D! D, duh, dog!"
Now, really, it doesn't sound all that spectacular, but when you work in education (at least where I work) you begin to appreciate the little things. And when your 4 year old CHECKS HIS UNDERSTANDING, it's a BIG DEAL. I have 5th graders who don't do that!
For you non-education types, the reason this is such a big deal is because comprehension is based on being able to look back in the passage and clarify your understanding. Adults do that naturally - we've been doing it for years, we take it for granted. But the hard part is getting kids to do it, and it's a large part of what I work so hard for every. single. day. I can't tell you how many times throughout the day that I say, "Did you find your evidence in the selection?," or "Which part of the story told you that?" or "Knock it off." (That last one is just a regular occurrence unrelated to comprehension.)
Anyway, the fact that I work so hard for that at school and came home one night to find that my AMAZING WONDERFUL ALL KINDS OF SMUSHYNESS HAPPYFACE son is doing this ALL BY HIMSELF (wow, I've used a lot of caps in this post) was a HUGE FREAKING DEAL (there I go again) so I made a HUGE FREAKING DEAL out of it. I squealed, I shrieked, I yelled, "YOU CHECKED YOUR UNDERSTANDING!" I kissed him, I squeezed him, I sent him running out to tell Daddy, I yelled some more. (See, I tend to reinforce it when kids do things they're supposed to do. But only a little. Wouldn't want to overdo it.)
So, long story long (another bad habit of mine), we had a glorious 30 minutes together tonight, capped off by a round of BOB books that he was very excited to read. He earned 3 stickers at TKD tonight, did a lot of great stuff when he got home, and we read books together while Emma shoved her face into the floor.
It was a good day.
(sidenote: SHE'S CRAWLING! Sort of. It's the cutest thing - she digs her toes into the floor and pushes her butt up in the air, launches her face into the floor and wiggles forward. I laugh. Hard.)
and while she was playing Alex and I went through each. and. every. item. on the home task sheet. It took him at least 30 minutes, but all I had to do was say, "OK, Alex, the next thing is _________" and off he would go. He was so excited to check off that little box - I got him to hang his uniform, pick up his toys, MAKE HIS BED (holy crap, he's actually pretty good at it too), take out the garbage, clean his ears, wash his face, blah blah blah...all without a SINGLE ARGUMENT. And when we were done, since he doesn't get "homework" or have to do "studying" (what 4 year old does?) we did his BOB books and called it studying.
BOB books are simple 2-letter books that help to teach the alphabet. He has the first 5 memorized. Yes, that's 5 WHOLE BOOKS, and granted, each one is only ten pages with about 5 sentences total, but he has them all memorized. So I go through and point to each letter, say the name, the sound, and the word underneath it, he repeats it, and then he tells me the next 2 sentences, lather rinse repeat.
He has always LOVED his BOB books, but especially so since one day a couple of weeks ago when he did the most amazing thing. We got to the second letter in one of the books and he couldn't remember what it was, so (and those of you who work with me, you especially will appreciate this) he:
1. grabbed the book from my hand,
2. TURNED IT TO THE FRONT so he could see the title,
3. said, "The C-D Book,"
4. TURNED IT BACK TO THE PAGE HE WAS ON(!)
5. and said, "D! D, duh, dog!"
Now, really, it doesn't sound all that spectacular, but when you work in education (at least where I work) you begin to appreciate the little things. And when your 4 year old CHECKS HIS UNDERSTANDING, it's a BIG DEAL. I have 5th graders who don't do that!
For you non-education types, the reason this is such a big deal is because comprehension is based on being able to look back in the passage and clarify your understanding. Adults do that naturally - we've been doing it for years, we take it for granted. But the hard part is getting kids to do it, and it's a large part of what I work so hard for every. single. day. I can't tell you how many times throughout the day that I say, "Did you find your evidence in the selection?," or "Which part of the story told you that?" or "Knock it off." (That last one is just a regular occurrence unrelated to comprehension.)
Anyway, the fact that I work so hard for that at school and came home one night to find that my AMAZING WONDERFUL ALL KINDS OF SMUSHYNESS HAPPYFACE son is doing this ALL BY HIMSELF (wow, I've used a lot of caps in this post) was a HUGE FREAKING DEAL (there I go again) so I made a HUGE FREAKING DEAL out of it. I squealed, I shrieked, I yelled, "YOU CHECKED YOUR UNDERSTANDING!" I kissed him, I squeezed him, I sent him running out to tell Daddy, I yelled some more. (See, I tend to reinforce it when kids do things they're supposed to do. But only a little. Wouldn't want to overdo it.)
So, long story long (another bad habit of mine), we had a glorious 30 minutes together tonight, capped off by a round of BOB books that he was very excited to read. He earned 3 stickers at TKD tonight, did a lot of great stuff when he got home, and we read books together while Emma shoved her face into the floor.
It was a good day.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Mama Bear
So I'm watching the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice combo on Friday night (we DVR everything so we can watch it without commercials). At one point this woman comes in with her pink-bedecked baby looking all sorts of adorableness, and it becomes obvious that the mother is upset because she walked out of the bathroom to get the phone WHILE HER CHILD WAS IN THE BATHTUB. Which, well, duh, stupid idiot, IGNORE THE PHONE. But this woman was obviously exhausted and it became apparent throughout the episode that she was not only sleep deprived, but also suffering from not just post-partum depression, but post-partum PSYCHOSIS. 'Cause that sounds fun.
Anyway, the baby is fine, but the woman, despite needles from acupuncture sticking out of her face which are designed to keep her from losing her shit, becomes increasingly disturbed, and, well, in the midst of losing her shit, admits that she held her daughter under the water, "Just for a minute, so I could maybe get some sleep" and let me tell you, I experienced something I have never experienced before.
You know how mothers are said to be able to lift cars off of their children after an accident? It's supposedly called the "mother bear" effect, or something. Well, I didn't have to lift any cars, thank god, but I did immediately get off the couch (I was knitting. Can you believe that? I was in the midst of knitting a blanket for my baby.) and notwalkRUN to Emma's room. I promptly pulled the blanket off of her, lifted my (sleeping. She was SLEEPING and I woke her up.) baby girl from her crib, and sat down in the rocker and proceeded to rock her back and forth, practicing my deep-breathing exercises. It was like my body was so physically and morally opposed to that idea of THAT WOMAN holding her baby under the water that I couldn't even control my own limbs, my body had to go check on my baby to make sure that she wasn't being held under water. It took my brain five minutes to catch up and go, "Holy shit, Marci, calm the eff down."
After I had rocked Emma back to sleep and fought back some tears, I put her back to bed and checked on Alex, who of course was just as peacefully sleeping in his bed.
But at least now I know that if there is ever a threat to my kids, my body will react accordingly. Even if it takes my brain a few seconds to catch up. Which, all in all, is probably a good thing.
I'd probably spend an hour analyzing the best way to approach the situation, and then waffle on the decision I'd made until someone else made the decision for me. I'm just glad my body isn't that analytical.
Anyway, the baby is fine, but the woman, despite needles from acupuncture sticking out of her face which are designed to keep her from losing her shit, becomes increasingly disturbed, and, well, in the midst of losing her shit, admits that she held her daughter under the water, "Just for a minute, so I could maybe get some sleep" and let me tell you, I experienced something I have never experienced before.
You know how mothers are said to be able to lift cars off of their children after an accident? It's supposedly called the "mother bear" effect, or something. Well, I didn't have to lift any cars, thank god, but I did immediately get off the couch (I was knitting. Can you believe that? I was in the midst of knitting a blanket for my baby.) and notwalkRUN to Emma's room. I promptly pulled the blanket off of her, lifted my (sleeping. She was SLEEPING and I woke her up.) baby girl from her crib, and sat down in the rocker and proceeded to rock her back and forth, practicing my deep-breathing exercises. It was like my body was so physically and morally opposed to that idea of THAT WOMAN holding her baby under the water that I couldn't even control my own limbs, my body had to go check on my baby to make sure that she wasn't being held under water. It took my brain five minutes to catch up and go, "Holy shit, Marci, calm the eff down."
After I had rocked Emma back to sleep and fought back some tears, I put her back to bed and checked on Alex, who of course was just as peacefully sleeping in his bed.
But at least now I know that if there is ever a threat to my kids, my body will react accordingly. Even if it takes my brain a few seconds to catch up. Which, all in all, is probably a good thing.
I'd probably spend an hour analyzing the best way to approach the situation, and then waffle on the decision I'd made until someone else made the decision for me. I'm just glad my body isn't that analytical.
Love This!
"I don't hate Valentines Day, I would just rather someone got me a present because it was a Thursday or its rainy out. My perfect guy would often say things like "Hey I was at the store and I bought you Hot Pockets and a stuffed monkey. Wanna watch a horror movie?"."
Saturday, February 14, 2009
College loans
So I'm starting my masters this summer. I'll be working on the Organizational Leadership program, which is a somewhat generic program unrelated (directly, anyway) to education, and is a good stepping-stone for future administration opportunities in both education and otherwise. I found the program through a couple of teachers I work with, who both loved the one night a week classes, as well as the easy commute (it's just down the street from work). It's also somewhat inexpensive, compared to some masters programs I've heard of.
I read an article the other day about college debt, and how it's forcing college students to choose careers other than teaching because the $30k they make a year in teaching won't cover the college loan payments. And then they mentioned the amount of debt these students had - a girl who got a teaching degree (bachelors) and had $80k in debt; another who had her masters and $100k...
My thought is, why in the hell would you go to a college that costs that much when you KNOW you're going into a low-paying field?
Most teachers end up going to school to become teachers from the beginning. I didn't - I wanted to be a vet. I went to my school to do that. After my first year, I realized I didn't know what I wanted anymore, so I came back home, went to community college until I got my AA and had things figured out, then went back to the university.
I went to a community college and a state college for a reason - it costs less. I could have wasted 15 grand a year at the state college trying to figure out what I wanted to do, but it wasn't my money I was wasting, so I decided to go somewhere cheaper. (As long as you get your AA, that usually pays off. Don't even bother if you haven't gotten your AA though - that's a whole other post about non-transferred credits and extra work on your part. GET THE DAMNED AA.)
Oh, and Scott? He paid for college by himself, working 3 jobs. He took out one small loan toward the end, that's it. And he was really hard to convince when I told him I wanted to help pay for college for our kids - he still grumbles about that. He only agreed when I told him that the accounts we were setting up were in our name only and if our kids didn't hold up their ends of the bargain (gpa above 3.2 and working a job to cover other expenses - we've already discussed this at LENGTH) that we could take that money and blow it on a trip to Hawaii. Or something.
Anyway, I'm just shaking my head at this one. People who want to be teachers actually go to colleges that cost 20+ grand a year? Seriously? Why? And this isn't a snarky question, it's an actual, explain it to me so I can understand, type question. We don't get into teaching for the MONEY, people - did you not know that when you decided on colleges?
Any insights?
I read an article the other day about college debt, and how it's forcing college students to choose careers other than teaching because the $30k they make a year in teaching won't cover the college loan payments. And then they mentioned the amount of debt these students had - a girl who got a teaching degree (bachelors) and had $80k in debt; another who had her masters and $100k...
My thought is, why in the hell would you go to a college that costs that much when you KNOW you're going into a low-paying field?
Most teachers end up going to school to become teachers from the beginning. I didn't - I wanted to be a vet. I went to my school to do that. After my first year, I realized I didn't know what I wanted anymore, so I came back home, went to community college until I got my AA and had things figured out, then went back to the university.
I went to a community college and a state college for a reason - it costs less. I could have wasted 15 grand a year at the state college trying to figure out what I wanted to do, but it wasn't my money I was wasting, so I decided to go somewhere cheaper. (As long as you get your AA, that usually pays off. Don't even bother if you haven't gotten your AA though - that's a whole other post about non-transferred credits and extra work on your part. GET THE DAMNED AA.)
Oh, and Scott? He paid for college by himself, working 3 jobs. He took out one small loan toward the end, that's it. And he was really hard to convince when I told him I wanted to help pay for college for our kids - he still grumbles about that. He only agreed when I told him that the accounts we were setting up were in our name only and if our kids didn't hold up their ends of the bargain (gpa above 3.2 and working a job to cover other expenses - we've already discussed this at LENGTH) that we could take that money and blow it on a trip to Hawaii. Or something.
Anyway, I'm just shaking my head at this one. People who want to be teachers actually go to colleges that cost 20+ grand a year? Seriously? Why? And this isn't a snarky question, it's an actual, explain it to me so I can understand, type question. We don't get into teaching for the MONEY, people - did you not know that when you decided on colleges?
Any insights?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
I seriously think too much.
So I go to the dentist today because I've been having this pain in my tooth. Turns out, there's NOTHING WRONG. No cracks, no missing fillings, I don't even have much dental work that could have problems (which is surprising considering my weakened enamel due to some hardcore antibiotics I was on when I was a newborn and my teeth were just forming). Want to know what they think the problem is? Stress. They think I'm grinding my teeth.
Pshaw. No, that couldn't be happening. I haven't just spent the last week obsessing over a stupid baby shower, trying to make everyone happy. I haven't been worrying about my pregnant friend AT ALL. I haven't been in pain lately because the stupid SI joint inflammation is BAAAAAAAAACK (I see the chiropractor and massage therapist next week THANK THE ALMIGHTY INVISIBLE PINK UNICORN). I haven't been worried about my husband's health or my son's behavior or my daughter's breastfeeding or my master's application (did I tell you I'm starting my masters? I must be effing NUTS) or the fact that I'm just about done with the whole boobage thing altogether...no, I don't have any stress in my life.
So I'm going to bed now (late, because, you know, god forbid I actually am able to fall asleep before 11, when I have to be up at 5). Wish me luck - I'm hoping I still have teeth in the morning, instead of just really sensitive teeny-tiny nubbins.
Hehehe...I like the word nubbins.
Pshaw. No, that couldn't be happening. I haven't just spent the last week obsessing over a stupid baby shower, trying to make everyone happy. I haven't been worrying about my pregnant friend AT ALL. I haven't been in pain lately because the stupid SI joint inflammation is BAAAAAAAAACK (I see the chiropractor and massage therapist next week THANK THE ALMIGHTY INVISIBLE PINK UNICORN). I haven't been worried about my husband's health or my son's behavior or my daughter's breastfeeding or my master's application (did I tell you I'm starting my masters? I must be effing NUTS) or the fact that I'm just about done with the whole boobage thing altogether...no, I don't have any stress in my life.
So I'm going to bed now (late, because, you know, god forbid I actually am able to fall asleep before 11, when I have to be up at 5). Wish me luck - I'm hoping I still have teeth in the morning, instead of just really sensitive teeny-tiny nubbins.
Hehehe...I like the word nubbins.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Updates
Emma got her first fever this weekend. No other symptoms, just a fever, 100.3 at the most. She seems perfectly happy as usual, maybe her poops are a little less solid than usual, but both the fever and poops could be from teething. She's an amazingly easy sickie. She actually fell asleep on my shoulder twice this weekend - that should have been the first clue that she was sick. She loves being held, talked to and kissed, but cuddling, not so much. She has always wanted to fall asleep on her own and not be rocked or anything, so this was a little surprising. And I enjoyed every minute of it.
Alex informed us this weekend that he doesn't have a girlfriend right now because, "I haven't asked anyone yet." When I asked him who his last girlfriend was, he said, "Alexandra. But she broke up." He's apparently not interested in another girlfriend just yet, although we'll see what happens when he gets home from preschool today. :-) He and Scott are finally developing a very close relationship. Part of that stems from me nursing Emma - I'm with her so often that I don't have as much time for Alex anymore, and Scott has been more than willing to pick up the slack. And I'm so glad he has - he is such an amazing dad. I was running around doing chores and such last night and I walked into Alex's room to find Scott sitting on the bed with Emma on his lap and Alex beside him, attempting to read one of those Pokemon chapter-style comic books (you know, the ones you read from back to front, right to left, Japanese style). Alex and Daddy are becoming quite a team, which I'm so glad of, because it makes me feel better about being so close to Emma.
I took my girls, Sydney and Shauna, to the mall on Saturday. It was an amazing trip. I learned so much about them and come to find out, the roles that I had envisioned them taking ended up being completely switched. The one I always thought of as the levelheaded one ended up being the emo, goth, scream-metal rocker chick, and the one that I saw as being the kind-of-ditzy, quiet one was the more level-headed, street-smart, friends-till-we-die type. She's the one who surprised me by buying me a ladybug while I was talking to emo girl, using all the money she had, and she handed it to me saying, "This is for being such a great teacher." I love those girls from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that my influence in their lives helps them find the right paths. One of the nice things about not being their teacher anymore is that I could be a little more candid with them, discussing their lives and talking to them on their level. It was a really great day, and I'm so glad I could share it with them both.
That's all for now. I'm off today, staying home with the sickie, and taking Emma to the doc this morning. More soon.
Alex informed us this weekend that he doesn't have a girlfriend right now because, "I haven't asked anyone yet." When I asked him who his last girlfriend was, he said, "Alexandra. But she broke up." He's apparently not interested in another girlfriend just yet, although we'll see what happens when he gets home from preschool today. :-) He and Scott are finally developing a very close relationship. Part of that stems from me nursing Emma - I'm with her so often that I don't have as much time for Alex anymore, and Scott has been more than willing to pick up the slack. And I'm so glad he has - he is such an amazing dad. I was running around doing chores and such last night and I walked into Alex's room to find Scott sitting on the bed with Emma on his lap and Alex beside him, attempting to read one of those Pokemon chapter-style comic books (you know, the ones you read from back to front, right to left, Japanese style). Alex and Daddy are becoming quite a team, which I'm so glad of, because it makes me feel better about being so close to Emma.
I took my girls, Sydney and Shauna, to the mall on Saturday. It was an amazing trip. I learned so much about them and come to find out, the roles that I had envisioned them taking ended up being completely switched. The one I always thought of as the levelheaded one ended up being the emo, goth, scream-metal rocker chick, and the one that I saw as being the kind-of-ditzy, quiet one was the more level-headed, street-smart, friends-till-we-die type. She's the one who surprised me by buying me a ladybug while I was talking to emo girl, using all the money she had, and she handed it to me saying, "This is for being such a great teacher." I love those girls from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that my influence in their lives helps them find the right paths. One of the nice things about not being their teacher anymore is that I could be a little more candid with them, discussing their lives and talking to them on their level. It was a really great day, and I'm so glad I could share it with them both.
That's all for now. I'm off today, staying home with the sickie, and taking Emma to the doc this morning. More soon.
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