Well folks, our departing time is nigh. The cab picks us up at a bright and cheery 5 am tomorrow morning and then we’re off. There will be sun; there will be surf; there will be Elmo. Did I mention that the Beaches resort has some sort of deal with Sesame Street? You think Big Bird hangs out at the pool swim-up bar?
We won’t be back until next weekend, so until then we bid you adieu.
I leave you with one cute Noah tidbit. It’ll have to hold you over. On Easter Sunday Noah spent a great deal of time playing with my Aunt Jill. Towards the end of the afternoon we realized that he had repeatedly been saying “Babu” and we had no clue as to what he was referring. We soon figured out that he was calling Jill “Babu” but couldn’t understand the reference. My Mom called this week saying that Jill figured it out. Apparently she had been laying down, flying Noah over her head, and then bringing him right up to her face while saying “Aaaaah – Booo!” Silly boy. I hope he continues to use it. How funny it would be if as a grown man he had a Great Aunt Babu? Of course I don’t still refer to broccoli as “fat ladies” though where I got that no one seems to remember.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Too toes for comfort
Should be organizing, packing, planning. Instead I’m sitting here on my big tired butt. In general I’ve been getting much better sleep lately, courtesy of a most likely temporary phase of better sleeping by Noah. But today I’m just utterly wiped out. But the packing and the planning! Can you imagine how much stuff two adults and one toddler need for a weeks washing machine-less vacation? Forget all the clothes – what about the toys, the snacks, the plates, the monitor, the boppy, the stroller etc. I think we’ll need a caravan of Bedouins to help us take our luggage to the check-in counter. We’re gonna need a vacation after getting ready for this vacation. Convenient that it works out that way.
Today we went to Trader Joe’s to buy the boy some snacks for the trip. Though I’ve been told the resort gives us around the clock access to fries and hamburgers, I wanted to bring some dried fruit and crackers for some healthier beachy type snacks. Right next to the Trader Joe’s is a construction site and after shopping Noah and I spent about 20 minutes watching the big machines move dirt and stone around. Thrilling.
Have I yet revealed to you the saga of the sandals? Several weeks ago my Mom bought Noah a pair of sandals and when I tried to put them on his little feet he cried. In the intervening weeks I would occasionally ask him if he wanted to wear his sandals and his response was always a vehement No. When Janette was here last Friday she and I coaxed him into trying them out again, what with all our “WOW! Aren’t they cute? Noah can I see them on you?” And when I got them on his feet he refused to walk. He stood very still pointing at his feet, crying. He even bent down to crawl rather than take one step in those evil toe-baring monstrosities. I thought part of the problem may be that the soles of the sandals were very high and also not very flexible so maybe another pair of sandals would do the trick. On Tuesday I babysat Frannie for a few hours and when Susan came to get her she offered to let Noah try on Frannie’s sandals. Still no go. It was now obvious that Noah just wasn’t enthused about being able to see his toes while he was wearing shoes. I got him a pair of more flexible sandals and he’s been wearing them (GASP!) with socks. He still doesn’t LOVE them but it’s getting better. And hopefully I’ll soon be able to ditch the socks. Meanwhile – I’m certain that the sandal issues are handed down in the genetic material of the Eggerts men. I got Mark a pair of more durable flip flops and last night realized he doesn’t know how to walk in them. It’s quite funny to me, though Mark isn’t too keen on me poking fun at him. (Hi honey!) In general I’ll admit to not liking men in sandals but when you’re going to the beach they are a necessity. Is there some sort of class he can take? Pointers, anyone?
Today we went to Trader Joe’s to buy the boy some snacks for the trip. Though I’ve been told the resort gives us around the clock access to fries and hamburgers, I wanted to bring some dried fruit and crackers for some healthier beachy type snacks. Right next to the Trader Joe’s is a construction site and after shopping Noah and I spent about 20 minutes watching the big machines move dirt and stone around. Thrilling.
Have I yet revealed to you the saga of the sandals? Several weeks ago my Mom bought Noah a pair of sandals and when I tried to put them on his little feet he cried. In the intervening weeks I would occasionally ask him if he wanted to wear his sandals and his response was always a vehement No. When Janette was here last Friday she and I coaxed him into trying them out again, what with all our “WOW! Aren’t they cute? Noah can I see them on you?” And when I got them on his feet he refused to walk. He stood very still pointing at his feet, crying. He even bent down to crawl rather than take one step in those evil toe-baring monstrosities. I thought part of the problem may be that the soles of the sandals were very high and also not very flexible so maybe another pair of sandals would do the trick. On Tuesday I babysat Frannie for a few hours and when Susan came to get her she offered to let Noah try on Frannie’s sandals. Still no go. It was now obvious that Noah just wasn’t enthused about being able to see his toes while he was wearing shoes. I got him a pair of more flexible sandals and he’s been wearing them (GASP!) with socks. He still doesn’t LOVE them but it’s getting better. And hopefully I’ll soon be able to ditch the socks. Meanwhile – I’m certain that the sandal issues are handed down in the genetic material of the Eggerts men. I got Mark a pair of more durable flip flops and last night realized he doesn’t know how to walk in them. It’s quite funny to me, though Mark isn’t too keen on me poking fun at him. (Hi honey!) In general I’ll admit to not liking men in sandals but when you’re going to the beach they are a necessity. Is there some sort of class he can take? Pointers, anyone?
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
Take a peep
On Friday Ms. Janette and baby Jules came to visit us. Jules is 11 months old and on the precipice of walking. Janette and I did a lot of catching up and comparing notes while keeping our third eyes on the boys. God how I wish Janette would move back to Philly. Any time she mentions even the slightest possibility of being in town more often I get my hopes up. Friday night it took us two hours to get Noah to bed. Though he always has issues waking in the middle of the night, he rarely has issues going to sleep (other than the fact that I have to nurse him). But for some reason, the last couple of nights have been a bit more of a battle. He seems to be in the throes of getting his upper molars – and with that comes sinus issues like runny noses, headaches and the rubbing of eyes. So I’m willing to blame the resistance to sleep on the teething. Of course I’m willing to blame anything on teething. Certainly the reason we are still in Iraq has to do with teething.
On Saturday I set out downtown to get my haircut at American Mortals. After my shearing, which I’ve been told went successfully though at first I had my doubts, I met Mark and Noah who had taken the subway to hang in the park across the street from the salon – Washington Square. Mark had been trailing Noah around and around as Noah pointed out the birds, the trees, the motorcycles. After I joined them I picked up burritos at El Fuego and we ate in the park. Noah proceeded to take his food and move to his own bench. He’s such a loner. Filled to the brim with yummy Mexican goodness and thoroughly wiped, Mark and I took the still very energetic boy home. Luckily he calmed down once he was chilling in the stroller. Nap time commenced once we got home at which time I headed to the nail shop across Girard to get my annual springtime pedicure. And a crappy one at that. In my enthusiasm to have prettier toenails I always forget just how bad they are. When I returned home I learned that Noah woke up after a paltry 20 minute nap and was still a bit out of sorts. Teething, I guess. Or Iraq. Anyway – we went to the Rec center playground, had dinner and went to Walmart to buy a broom. And of course it was a madhouse. And of course we bought a lot of other crap. And of course they were out of brooms. The checkout line was so long that Noah and I walked to Home Depot, bought brooms and walked back while Mark checked out. And then bath and bed.
I spent Easter morning cleaning the kitchen. And then made a mess of it while making a side dish to take to my Mom’s for dinner, but only after Mark dropped pizza face down on the freshly mopped floor. Why bother? Then we headed to Mom’s to join my Grammy, Aunt Jill, cousin Tammy, her husband Tom and their two kids Aelan and Evan – as well as Mark’s Dad, his wife, and Mark’s Grandmother. It was a nice full house. The kids really enjoyed the new play set my mom had installed last week and also had a little fun with the egg hunt I put together. I hid plastic eggs filled with super balls, cars, plastic animals and whistles. I spent most of the time free to chat while Mark and my Aunt Jill took turns watching over the little captain. I heard he went down the slide approximately 35 times. Dinner was nice as was the company. I like being in a house bustling with people, knowing your kid is somewhere else, having fun and being looked after by someone who loves him. Noah got some candy, clothes, a lamb and a bunny for Easter – though Mark’s Grandmother insisted the fuzzy white animal with a cotton ball tail and long pink floppy ears that she bought him was a dog. And when a 96 year old woman tells you a bunny is a dog, well… then it’s a dog. I see Easter in the pagan sense - as a celebration of spring, rebirth and fertility. Oh and peeps. Stale peeps to be exact. And I certainly have room in my celebration for Easter dogs too.
It’s another beautiful day and once Noah wakes up from his nap we’ll head to the park. We spent a great deal of the morning running cars down a makeshift ramp crafted from items in the pantry. I’m hoping with a few more design efforts I can do a much better job on my craftsmanship.
We leave for vacation in less than a week, so the next couple of days are going to be a mad scramble of planning, packing, excitement and fear. I need to stop worrying about what toys and snacks to pack, the plane ride, and the possibility of an over-tired over-stimulated toddler throwing a public temper tantrum or two. And once I figure out how to stop worrying I’ll be set. For life.
Oh and a quick note on the last post. I will raise Noah to be a hugger if it kills me. The problem is that no matter how great it is for your 30 year old son to give you a hug as a sign of affection – it can’t possibly match up to the feeling of a 17 month old suddenly stopping in the middle of playing, running toward you full speed with arms open and hugging you because you are obviously the most important, awesome, lovely thing in the whole wide world and he just needs to be close to you. It’s a feeling like nothing else and I treasure it and him every day.
On Saturday I set out downtown to get my haircut at American Mortals. After my shearing, which I’ve been told went successfully though at first I had my doubts, I met Mark and Noah who had taken the subway to hang in the park across the street from the salon – Washington Square. Mark had been trailing Noah around and around as Noah pointed out the birds, the trees, the motorcycles. After I joined them I picked up burritos at El Fuego and we ate in the park. Noah proceeded to take his food and move to his own bench. He’s such a loner. Filled to the brim with yummy Mexican goodness and thoroughly wiped, Mark and I took the still very energetic boy home. Luckily he calmed down once he was chilling in the stroller. Nap time commenced once we got home at which time I headed to the nail shop across Girard to get my annual springtime pedicure. And a crappy one at that. In my enthusiasm to have prettier toenails I always forget just how bad they are. When I returned home I learned that Noah woke up after a paltry 20 minute nap and was still a bit out of sorts. Teething, I guess. Or Iraq. Anyway – we went to the Rec center playground, had dinner and went to Walmart to buy a broom. And of course it was a madhouse. And of course we bought a lot of other crap. And of course they were out of brooms. The checkout line was so long that Noah and I walked to Home Depot, bought brooms and walked back while Mark checked out. And then bath and bed.
I spent Easter morning cleaning the kitchen. And then made a mess of it while making a side dish to take to my Mom’s for dinner, but only after Mark dropped pizza face down on the freshly mopped floor. Why bother? Then we headed to Mom’s to join my Grammy, Aunt Jill, cousin Tammy, her husband Tom and their two kids Aelan and Evan – as well as Mark’s Dad, his wife, and Mark’s Grandmother. It was a nice full house. The kids really enjoyed the new play set my mom had installed last week and also had a little fun with the egg hunt I put together. I hid plastic eggs filled with super balls, cars, plastic animals and whistles. I spent most of the time free to chat while Mark and my Aunt Jill took turns watching over the little captain. I heard he went down the slide approximately 35 times. Dinner was nice as was the company. I like being in a house bustling with people, knowing your kid is somewhere else, having fun and being looked after by someone who loves him. Noah got some candy, clothes, a lamb and a bunny for Easter – though Mark’s Grandmother insisted the fuzzy white animal with a cotton ball tail and long pink floppy ears that she bought him was a dog. And when a 96 year old woman tells you a bunny is a dog, well… then it’s a dog. I see Easter in the pagan sense - as a celebration of spring, rebirth and fertility. Oh and peeps. Stale peeps to be exact. And I certainly have room in my celebration for Easter dogs too.
It’s another beautiful day and once Noah wakes up from his nap we’ll head to the park. We spent a great deal of the morning running cars down a makeshift ramp crafted from items in the pantry. I’m hoping with a few more design efforts I can do a much better job on my craftsmanship.
We leave for vacation in less than a week, so the next couple of days are going to be a mad scramble of planning, packing, excitement and fear. I need to stop worrying about what toys and snacks to pack, the plane ride, and the possibility of an over-tired over-stimulated toddler throwing a public temper tantrum or two. And once I figure out how to stop worrying I’ll be set. For life.
Oh and a quick note on the last post. I will raise Noah to be a hugger if it kills me. The problem is that no matter how great it is for your 30 year old son to give you a hug as a sign of affection – it can’t possibly match up to the feeling of a 17 month old suddenly stopping in the middle of playing, running toward you full speed with arms open and hugging you because you are obviously the most important, awesome, lovely thing in the whole wide world and he just needs to be close to you. It’s a feeling like nothing else and I treasure it and him every day.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Growing by leaps
In the past two days I've spent seven hours at the park, so you'll forgive me if I don't have too much to report. My body is also busy trying to fight off a cold, which I was hoping to God was allergies. Not so.
Yesterday morning while I was grocery shopping a woman in her sixties stopped me to comment on how cute Noah was. She asked his age and then said her grandson was the same age. She then said, with a wistful look in her eye, "Oh how I wish my kids were still little." Instantly I felt a little choked up. I felt she was a kindred soul. Here I am with a 17 month old already worrying about him growing up, becoming less cuddly, being less affectionate, pulling away and moving off to enjoy a life of his own. Yeah - I'm clingy. But really I'm excited to watch his progression from my cuddly little tyke to a man, but GOD the hugs. What will I ever do without these hugs.
Yesterday morning while I was grocery shopping a woman in her sixties stopped me to comment on how cute Noah was. She asked his age and then said her grandson was the same age. She then said, with a wistful look in her eye, "Oh how I wish my kids were still little." Instantly I felt a little choked up. I felt she was a kindred soul. Here I am with a 17 month old already worrying about him growing up, becoming less cuddly, being less affectionate, pulling away and moving off to enjoy a life of his own. Yeah - I'm clingy. But really I'm excited to watch his progression from my cuddly little tyke to a man, but GOD the hugs. What will I ever do without these hugs.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The concrete jungle
I wouldn't dare call myself a nature girl. In almost all cases I'd prefer concrete to woodlands. But today we're at my Mom's place awaiting installation of play equipment and we've been taking full advantage of the great outdoors. Noah stomped around in the leaves as we explored the property and down the long driveway, and then walked repeatedly in circles down the ramp, over the path, up the steps on to the deck and down the ramp again. When he threw his juice cup down the ramp I damn near shouted "Eureka!" Instead I said "Let's go get your cars." We spent the next hour pushing the cars down the ramp and exclaiming "CRASH!" when they got to the bottom. It was just so nice to be sitting outside on a warm sunny day and playing. I called Mark to tell him we really need to get our back "yard" sorted out. Once we get it swept up and a bit more play-ready Noah and I could sit out there and play cars for hours, or even just draw at the picnic table. We go to the park almost daily now, but it'll be great to be able to pop out of doors for a little while without all the preparation. And it's a real boost to be outside in the sunshine. I'm always amazed at how much the weather effects my mood.
So another weekend passed us by. Saturday was shopping, shopping and more shopping. We're still getting ready for our trip. It's forcing us to be completely wardrobe ready for summer way before it even gets here. I had a complete meltdown in the Target. My mood started because Noah was cranky because we DARED strap him in a cart that was STILL. He's fine as long there is constant motion, but don't you even think about pausing to consider your purchase options - grab something and keep trucking. But the explosion happened when Mark's shoes disappeared. He'd taken off a ragged pair of black and brown leather Skechers to try on two pairs of brown sneakers. He walked around the corner with one pair on to show me and while he was away from his shoes the Target employee put Mark's shoes in the box and put them on the shelf. A little dumb, right? But not too catastrophic unless the said employee is also not quite right in the head. Though he shelved those shoes MOMENTS ago he could not locate them on the shelf. And he was SO flustered and confused he just kept telling us repeatedly that it was his job to put the shoes away. The three of us then spent a good ten minutes looking for the shoes unsucessfully - us repeatedly describing them and him saying things like "Our Skechers are over here" despite the fact that Target doesn't sell Skechers - and then I flipped out on the guy and in a fairly hostile manner told him to call management to come and look because the whole situation was RIDICULOUS and I can't stand around with a 17 month old in a cart ALL DAMN DAY. Ahem. Anyway - soon there were like 5 Target folk standing around all asking what was going on and then it took the manager all of five seconds to locate the shoes which had been shelved at the bottom rather than at the top where all the size 12 boxes belong. But, aside from that we got some shopping done and all was well.
Since it was past our dinner time we had to make a stop in the Chik-fil-a for dinner. Aside from a mall food court, I had never been in a Chik-fil-a. All I know of them is that they are run by super
Christians, not open on Sundays, and have that sadistic ad campaign where cows tell you to eat chicken. Let me tell you, I LOVE that sadistic super Christian Chik-fil-a. It was clean, courteous, healthier, and tastier. AND it had an amazing looking Little Tykes play zone for the kids. We didn't use it while we were there because Noah was in a wet diaper and in need of going home, but I will undoubtedly be headed there on a rainy day in the near future. AMEN.
Sunday was a treat. Mark and Noah spent some quality bonding time while I slept in a bit (to make up for another poor night) and in the afternoon we spent some time in the park as a family, enjoying the scrumptious weather.
Yesterday Noah and I headed out to Qtown to spend some time visiting with Oma and Pa-Jo. We played with the boy, had a nice dinner and took an adventurous walk around the development. Then we spent the night at my Mom's place so we could be here for the possible early delivery of that play equipment - which is still not here despite it being almost 3 pm. Have I mentioned feeling downright energetic? No? I do! Noah slept ALL NIGHT LONG. And it's the second time he did that at Mom's place. It makes me wonder is it that the room is darker, warmer, quieter? Is it the bumpers? WHAT IS IT? If I can't replicate it at my house I might have to move back in. And then I'd miss all my lovely city concrete.
So another weekend passed us by. Saturday was shopping, shopping and more shopping. We're still getting ready for our trip. It's forcing us to be completely wardrobe ready for summer way before it even gets here. I had a complete meltdown in the Target. My mood started because Noah was cranky because we DARED strap him in a cart that was STILL. He's fine as long there is constant motion, but don't you even think about pausing to consider your purchase options - grab something and keep trucking. But the explosion happened when Mark's shoes disappeared. He'd taken off a ragged pair of black and brown leather Skechers to try on two pairs of brown sneakers. He walked around the corner with one pair on to show me and while he was away from his shoes the Target employee put Mark's shoes in the box and put them on the shelf. A little dumb, right? But not too catastrophic unless the said employee is also not quite right in the head. Though he shelved those shoes MOMENTS ago he could not locate them on the shelf. And he was SO flustered and confused he just kept telling us repeatedly that it was his job to put the shoes away. The three of us then spent a good ten minutes looking for the shoes unsucessfully - us repeatedly describing them and him saying things like "Our Skechers are over here" despite the fact that Target doesn't sell Skechers - and then I flipped out on the guy and in a fairly hostile manner told him to call management to come and look because the whole situation was RIDICULOUS and I can't stand around with a 17 month old in a cart ALL DAMN DAY. Ahem. Anyway - soon there were like 5 Target folk standing around all asking what was going on and then it took the manager all of five seconds to locate the shoes which had been shelved at the bottom rather than at the top where all the size 12 boxes belong. But, aside from that we got some shopping done and all was well.
Since it was past our dinner time we had to make a stop in the Chik-fil-a for dinner. Aside from a mall food court, I had never been in a Chik-fil-a. All I know of them is that they are run by super
Christians, not open on Sundays, and have that sadistic ad campaign where cows tell you to eat chicken. Let me tell you, I LOVE that sadistic super Christian Chik-fil-a. It was clean, courteous, healthier, and tastier. AND it had an amazing looking Little Tykes play zone for the kids. We didn't use it while we were there because Noah was in a wet diaper and in need of going home, but I will undoubtedly be headed there on a rainy day in the near future. AMEN.
Sunday was a treat. Mark and Noah spent some quality bonding time while I slept in a bit (to make up for another poor night) and in the afternoon we spent some time in the park as a family, enjoying the scrumptious weather.
Yesterday Noah and I headed out to Qtown to spend some time visiting with Oma and Pa-Jo. We played with the boy, had a nice dinner and took an adventurous walk around the development. Then we spent the night at my Mom's place so we could be here for the possible early delivery of that play equipment - which is still not here despite it being almost 3 pm. Have I mentioned feeling downright energetic? No? I do! Noah slept ALL NIGHT LONG. And it's the second time he did that at Mom's place. It makes me wonder is it that the room is darker, warmer, quieter? Is it the bumpers? WHAT IS IT? If I can't replicate it at my house I might have to move back in. And then I'd miss all my lovely city concrete.
Friday, April 07, 2006
I bet the pygmy marmosets bake all organic.
Thursday was a perfect zoo day. The weather forecast kept worrying me with alternating reports of chilly and rainy weather, but mother nature was more than kind. My Dad (Grandpa Joe or Pa-Jo for short) arrived bright and early on our doorstep at 7:30 am. Noah and I had had another poor night of sleep, so we were just waking. After showering, dressing and coffee we hopped on the trolley just after 10 am. Noah was SO excited to be ON the trolley. I think he said “trolley” just short of 500 times. At the zoo he pointed and stared at the animals while attempting to speak to them in their own language. He seemed a bit miffed that the bears at the zoo didn’t dance like the bear on the Teletubbies, but other than that he had a sublime time. We all did. After Noah awoke from his nap Pa-Jo chased him around the kitchen table, played ball, crashed cars and watched the train DVD with him. Mark came home from work and we all went to the Standard Tap where we were treated to a lovely dinner. Noah got his bath and then he and Pa-Jo both went to bed – Mark and I watched DVR’d Amazing Race and Survivor before hitting the hay. This morning Noah was sad to see his Pa-Jo go. My Dad had been going in our back “yard” to smoke and this afternoon Noah kept pointing at the back door so that I would open it and we could look for Pa-Jo. They had a really good time together and it was really lovely to watch.
What was not so lovely was the horrible sinus headache I had this morning. Noah spent a good deal of time crawling over me while I laid on the floor with a hot wash cloth pressed to my head. Luckily it rained while we took an afternoon nap, alleviating some of the atmospheric pressure or whatnot and I woke up feeling much better. The sleep helped a bunch too. Things still aren’t perfect or even back to passable in sleep land. Noah slept better last night but was so noisy and restless that I spent half the night half awake, tensed up and mumbling a mantra of “please stay asleep... please stay asleep… ”
We went over to Marita and Michael’s for a play-date with Louis this afternoon. I’m really enjoying spending time getting to know them but there is an unfortunate byproduct. Not only did I once again show up at their house without some sort of offering of baked goods or flowers – they sent us home with a loaf of fresh baked bread. And I’m sure it’s healthy and organic and will probably save the world. God. Sometimes I feel SO inadequate. The baking, the gardening, the fact that they are artists – I’m so impressed and feel so lame. I can’t even find time and energy to bake boxed brownies let alone all natural rolled oat cookies made with brown sugar (white is evil). I suck.
What was not so lovely was the horrible sinus headache I had this morning. Noah spent a good deal of time crawling over me while I laid on the floor with a hot wash cloth pressed to my head. Luckily it rained while we took an afternoon nap, alleviating some of the atmospheric pressure or whatnot and I woke up feeling much better. The sleep helped a bunch too. Things still aren’t perfect or even back to passable in sleep land. Noah slept better last night but was so noisy and restless that I spent half the night half awake, tensed up and mumbling a mantra of “please stay asleep... please stay asleep… ”
We went over to Marita and Michael’s for a play-date with Louis this afternoon. I’m really enjoying spending time getting to know them but there is an unfortunate byproduct. Not only did I once again show up at their house without some sort of offering of baked goods or flowers – they sent us home with a loaf of fresh baked bread. And I’m sure it’s healthy and organic and will probably save the world. God. Sometimes I feel SO inadequate. The baking, the gardening, the fact that they are artists – I’m so impressed and feel so lame. I can’t even find time and energy to bake boxed brownies let alone all natural rolled oat cookies made with brown sugar (white is evil). I suck.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Shhh! The walls have ears.
For the last week or so, Noah has been sleeping fairly well. In fact on Friday night he slept straight through the night, with no waking at all. That has happened less than five times in his whole life. When I woke up in the morning I had to peek in and make sure he was still alive. I hadn’t blogged about the good (or should I say slightly more acceptable than crappy) sleep I’d been getting because I didn’t want to jinx it. Last night as we were putting Noah to bed I called Mark’s attention to the fact that things seemed to be getting better. BIG MISTAKE. Last night Noah and I were up from 12:30 am to 4 am. Was it teething? Nightmares? Who knows. But it sucked.
Yesterday I dropped a few dimes at Walmart for more Noah gear. I got him some onesies, pajamas, tees and shorts – the basics for entering the warm weather months which we’ll be getting a preview of in Jamaica (only 17 more days). I also got Noah a travel magnadoodle, some bo-bo “Matchbox” cars, and two new DVDs – “All about… Trains & Planes” and “All about… Old McDonald’s Farm and Horses.” I’d been meaning to buy him some documentary style footage of real life things like trains, trucks and animals for some time and these were $5.50 each. Noah gets TV time twice a day – in the morning as I get dressed and in the afternoon either after his nap or while I start dinner. We watched the Train DVD both times since I got it and he LOVES it. He just stares at the screen mesmerized for a full 30 minutes saying “train… train… trolley… train.” I’m going to start putting his resume in with SEPTA.
The next couple of days should be busy. Tonight the lovely Tracey is going to come by our place for dinner and toddler visitation – and she’ll get double the fun because we’ll be watching Bella for a few hours while Patrice and Sean go to a viewing. Tomorrow morning my Dad will be arriving bright and early so that he can join us on an excursion to the zoo – and then he’ll spend the night so he can head to Atlantic City in the morning. With all this activity planned in the next few days, it would really be a blessing if last night’s wakeful episode were a freak occurrence. Please send us some good sleeping mojo – that is if you have any to spare.
Yesterday I dropped a few dimes at Walmart for more Noah gear. I got him some onesies, pajamas, tees and shorts – the basics for entering the warm weather months which we’ll be getting a preview of in Jamaica (only 17 more days). I also got Noah a travel magnadoodle, some bo-bo “Matchbox” cars, and two new DVDs – “All about… Trains & Planes” and “All about… Old McDonald’s Farm and Horses.” I’d been meaning to buy him some documentary style footage of real life things like trains, trucks and animals for some time and these were $5.50 each. Noah gets TV time twice a day – in the morning as I get dressed and in the afternoon either after his nap or while I start dinner. We watched the Train DVD both times since I got it and he LOVES it. He just stares at the screen mesmerized for a full 30 minutes saying “train… train… trolley… train.” I’m going to start putting his resume in with SEPTA.
The next couple of days should be busy. Tonight the lovely Tracey is going to come by our place for dinner and toddler visitation – and she’ll get double the fun because we’ll be watching Bella for a few hours while Patrice and Sean go to a viewing. Tomorrow morning my Dad will be arriving bright and early so that he can join us on an excursion to the zoo – and then he’ll spend the night so he can head to Atlantic City in the morning. With all this activity planned in the next few days, it would really be a blessing if last night’s wakeful episode were a freak occurrence. Please send us some good sleeping mojo – that is if you have any to spare.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
EAT THIS!
Meal times are becoming a bit insane at our house. Though Noah in essence will eat most things, that doesn’t mean he will eat any one thing consistently. One day can’t get enough broccoli, next day won’t touch it with a ten foot pole. In love with cantaloupe today, tomorrow throws it on the floor. So deciding what to feed the little beast is becoming more and more difficult. But no worries because Noah has decided he’s going to give me some instruction. This morning I asked “Are you hungry? Want to eat?” as I carried him down to the kitchen. “Num nums” (M&Ms) was my reply. I explained we were not having num nums for breakfast. He started pulling on his shirt like he was trying to rip his heart out – which for some odd reason is his sign for hummus. Don’t ask me why. I told him no hummus. When I opened the fridge to get juice Noah pointed at the whole wheat veggie ravioli. Um, no ravioli for breakfast. How about this cocktail sauce then? Ugh.
I also think it might be time to move him from his high chair to a booster seat. He’s started asking to get up from a meal before he’s actually done eating and maybe a change of seat will help. Maybe.
We’ve also developed an after dinner routine. “Chase! Chase!” Noah says while running in place to illustrate his point. Around and around the kitchen table we must go. When we’ll stop, only Noah knows.
I also think it might be time to move him from his high chair to a booster seat. He’s started asking to get up from a meal before he’s actually done eating and maybe a change of seat will help. Maybe.
We’ve also developed an after dinner routine. “Chase! Chase!” Noah says while running in place to illustrate his point. Around and around the kitchen table we must go. When we’ll stop, only Noah knows.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Jammed and drunken
Another weekend flew by. This one was jam packed and we didn’t get any cleaning or household stuff done. But we did have fun.
Saturday we went to the World Café Live for one of their Peanut Butter & Jams children’s concerts. It featured Putumayo’s Asheba playing music of the Caribbean and was quite cute and not annoying like one would fear when they imagine concerts for kids. We’d consider going to another show except that the price was a bit ridiculous and the names of the upcoming acts sound a lot more kiddie kitschy and scary. Plus there was the fact that Noah enjoyed repetitively climbing the stairs outside the venue just as much as the performance itself. He was SO enthralled with them that he threw a fit when we made him take a break from his climbing routine. Who told him he got a say?
We got drenched in a downpour on the way to the El and had to change everything head to toe when we got home. I put Noah down for a nap and hit the grocery store – ALONE. Sweet. At 5 pm we went to a cocktail party over at Susan’s place and Noah hung with Frannie and Tripp while I drank a few cosmopolitans and Mark had some dirty martinis. It was fun for all.
The aftermath of the party was not so fun. To state it briefly - Mark is not accustomed to drinking martinis and they were obviously much stronger than he’d expected them to be. It was an honest mistake, one that we’ve both made in the past, but one that is a hell of a lot less acceptable when one has to share in the care of a toddler. After trying to hold it together briefly Mark went upstairs and passed out at 8 pm, leaving me to feed, entertain, and bathe Noah before bed. I wasn’t upset about the mistaken drunkenness, it was a freak accident, but I was rather pissed that Mark wasn’t able to confess he was too drunk from the get-go and go to bed. Of course he woke me up at 2 am absolutely horrified about what had happened. He grew up in an alcoholic home and the LAST thing he would want is to put his child through any of the scenes from that life – so I accepted his apology knowing it won’t happen again. Have you had an episode of accidental overinduldgence while parenting? How did you handle it? It’s super personal and a loaded topic – perfect for blogging. Please share.
Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL. My Mom came and took Noah to the playground while Mark and I went to the Standard Tap for brunch. As always the food was AMAZING. I had a pancetta and jack cheese omelet that came with a stunning side of potatoes gratin. It was so good I almost died. And the bloody mary’s were so spicy and mouthwatering. My God. I wish I was having the same meal right now. Anyway, after we ate we joined Mom and Noah at the park for awhile and then enjoyed a lovely walk home. And then Sunday TV was good to us.
Today is grey, yucky and boring. Noah and I went on our monthly trip to the price club to get mass quantities of staples (meaning essentials, not the clips that fasten paper) like soup, veggies and granola bars. And that brings you up to date.
Saturday we went to the World Café Live for one of their Peanut Butter & Jams children’s concerts. It featured Putumayo’s Asheba playing music of the Caribbean and was quite cute and not annoying like one would fear when they imagine concerts for kids. We’d consider going to another show except that the price was a bit ridiculous and the names of the upcoming acts sound a lot more kiddie kitschy and scary. Plus there was the fact that Noah enjoyed repetitively climbing the stairs outside the venue just as much as the performance itself. He was SO enthralled with them that he threw a fit when we made him take a break from his climbing routine. Who told him he got a say?
We got drenched in a downpour on the way to the El and had to change everything head to toe when we got home. I put Noah down for a nap and hit the grocery store – ALONE. Sweet. At 5 pm we went to a cocktail party over at Susan’s place and Noah hung with Frannie and Tripp while I drank a few cosmopolitans and Mark had some dirty martinis. It was fun for all.
The aftermath of the party was not so fun. To state it briefly - Mark is not accustomed to drinking martinis and they were obviously much stronger than he’d expected them to be. It was an honest mistake, one that we’ve both made in the past, but one that is a hell of a lot less acceptable when one has to share in the care of a toddler. After trying to hold it together briefly Mark went upstairs and passed out at 8 pm, leaving me to feed, entertain, and bathe Noah before bed. I wasn’t upset about the mistaken drunkenness, it was a freak accident, but I was rather pissed that Mark wasn’t able to confess he was too drunk from the get-go and go to bed. Of course he woke me up at 2 am absolutely horrified about what had happened. He grew up in an alcoholic home and the LAST thing he would want is to put his child through any of the scenes from that life – so I accepted his apology knowing it won’t happen again. Have you had an episode of accidental overinduldgence while parenting? How did you handle it? It’s super personal and a loaded topic – perfect for blogging. Please share.
Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL. My Mom came and took Noah to the playground while Mark and I went to the Standard Tap for brunch. As always the food was AMAZING. I had a pancetta and jack cheese omelet that came with a stunning side of potatoes gratin. It was so good I almost died. And the bloody mary’s were so spicy and mouthwatering. My God. I wish I was having the same meal right now. Anyway, after we ate we joined Mom and Noah at the park for awhile and then enjoyed a lovely walk home. And then Sunday TV was good to us.
Today is grey, yucky and boring. Noah and I went on our monthly trip to the price club to get mass quantities of staples (meaning essentials, not the clips that fasten paper) like soup, veggies and granola bars. And that brings you up to date.
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