Losin it.

I’ve been on a diet for nearly a month and have lost about 15 pounds. As a result I’ve gone from still looking pregnant to just having a prominent pot belly. Good stuff. I am now 10 pounds over what I weighed when I got pregnant with Ray, and 20 pounds over what I weighed when I got pregnant with Noah. So 10 from each of them - like a souvenir. I’m eager to lose some more weight but need to back away from the dieting for awhile before I go postal. It’s not easy to diet AND nurse a beast. Of course the nursing is why the weight dropped off so quickly. I couldn’t really go the starvation route so I was just eating VERY healthfully. Lots of produce and protein. Very few carbs and no naughty snacks or sugary stuff. What a drag.

Aside from the weight loss the other good thing to come out of the diet is that I was forced to be creative with dinner once again and return to the land of the recipe. I started making every dinner with a recipe, no matter how simple. The result was more flavor and a ton of deglazing. And I have Mark Bittman and Everyday Food to thank for a lot of new methodology.

The boys are sick once again. It seemed inevitable since every kid they had been hanging out with came down with something. Tis the season I guess. Noah missed school today and so I spent all day with two snotty, whiny boys. The best kind.

In the last week Ray has gone from luggage that I had to just carry around and reposition while trying to entertain Noah to another boy that needs to be entertained. Or else he might crawl away in search for power cords and dustbunnies. It’s crazy. I have TWO CHILDREN. Ack. And I have to keep the occupied and interested. Unfortunately they are not at all interested in the same things yet. I can not wait until they can play TOGETHER.

And Ray has started squealing. Loudly and shrilly. It’s a happy sound but maybe not for all who hear it. I also keep meaning to mention that Ray loves to take a bath. Seemingly more than anything else in the world. He can be at his most tired and miserable, but then bath time comes and he is instantly rejuvenated. And he doesn’t care if you dump water over his head while his eyes are open. He hardly seems to notice. He’s naked and he’s wet and what more could he possibly ask for aside from a washcloth to chew on. At his age I think we bathed Noah 2 or 3 times a week because they really just don’t require more. But Ray gets a bath every night – for FUN.

We’ve been doing a lot of thinking and talking about Noah and schooling lately. He won’t start kindergarten for 2.5 years but the hunt for where is already haunting me. But we’re also thinking about what sort of preschool option would be best for him for the upcoming school year. I’ve been really happy with the program he’s in at the moment, but I think next year he might benefit from more. More time and more teaching. So we’re considering a preschool program that he could attend for three 6 hour days – (Oh how I wish I could find something that offered 4 hour days, but I can’t!) and one with more structure and education. It would be a big change for him but I think he’d adjust maybe better than I would. The big change however is the cost. Though it will 4.5 times as many hours the new program would be 8 times the cost. Can we afford it? Yes and no. It all depends on how worth it we think it is. Another perk of possibly more school for Noah is that I would have some alone time with Ray. And I think he and I deserve it. We’ll see how it pans out.

This weekend we hung out with Patrice, Sean and Ms. Bella. Noah had such a blast playing with Bella. They were just running, giggling, pretending. It was really a joy to watch. And a joy not to be the one entertaining him. I am amazed how social he can be with some children and in some surroundings and how introverted in others. As a rule he’s better one on one with another child than in a group. I’ve tried to pin his social anxiety on Mark but as Mark pointed out he’s more nervous interpersonally. It turns out I am the one who is shy with groups. I can remember countless preschool and kindergarten reports saying that I made one close friend and clung to them for dear life. And that’s still how I am. I quake at the thought of going to anything without a “wingman.”

My mom complained that I’ve been favoring Ray lately in photos and videos so I’ll have to do something to correct that soon. It’s just that I’m noticing the most change in him at the moment. Soon enough I’ll have to get another one of Noah’s performances up for all to enjoy.