LizaWasHere

Five Things That Make Me Happy

I was catching up on Cecily's awesome blog, and got inspired to steal her idea.

Spring. Ok, it is snowing again today, and my windshield and front porch were icey this morning, but that's just winter making a last gasp. Spring is really coming, and I feel like a new person. I feel like I'm escaping from hibernation. This week, I spread grass seed on the patchy front lawn (don't tell Noah; I'm trying to get rid of the large empty dirt patch), and I spread wildflower seed on the bare area in front of the porch. Then I came in and created a little window box with carrot, pea, and broccoli seeds. Hopefully in a few weeks we'll move vegetable seedlings outside. This weekend there was sunlight! And warmth! There are daffodils! (This fall, will you remind me to plant bulb flowers? I love early spring flowers. They are my absolute favorites.)

Clementine Oranges. Little and fresh tasting and easy to peel. Fruit! Healthy! What's not to love?

Noah & Josie Singing. Over the weekend, we found ourselves singing Queen's "We Will Rock You." Noah knows most of the lyrics, although he sings "Kicking your hat all over the place!" Still, he sings it confidently and with great enthusiasm. Now, Josie chimes in with the cutest little growling "Rock you!" I have Noah singing it on video, but I haven't managed to catch Josie yet. Her preferred time to sing is on the changing table, or else in the car.

"Dirty Chai." I have a new favorite fancy coffee drink, called a "dirty chai." It's a chai with a shot of espresso, so you get the gingery spiciness of the chai, but the over-sweet quality is cut by the bitterness of the dark coffee flavor. Mmmmm. Deliciousness in a cup. (Also extreme caffeine, which has been seriously necessary lately. Aside to Josie's teeth: Please just come out through her gums already! All of us need sleep, and a child who can tell you in words that her mouth hurts is really too old to be teething.) 

The prospect of home ownership. I really want our house to be ours. I look at it with a totally different set of eyes now. (Hence the grass and flower seeds.) I have attic-finishing fantasies, and front porch painting fantasies, and and and and and ... I miss being a home owner. I'm even excited about becoming a landlord.

Josie is 19 Months Old

Dear Princess Whups-a-Daisy, aka Josie:

Tomorrow you will be 19 months old. Assuming, please God, that you live that long. This month, you have been worrying us enormously on that front. You see, you have no physical fear at all. And probably average toddler coordination. But you couple that with enormous enthusiasm and a passionate desire to do what the big kids or grown-ups are doing.

The result is that you fall down. A lot. You've had 2 purple goose-egg bruises on your forehead this month, one from falling down the stairs at school, and one from tripping headfirst into a filing cabinet at home. You've also fallen backwards several times, scared the bejeezus out of me by: spinning in circles until you were totally dizzy and reeling around the living room, imitating your BFF Clara by balancing on one foot in her "fort" -- only you arched your body AND leg out through the platform doorway, where Clara kept both of her legs well inside, and figuring out how to crawl up onto the ottoman and then stand up, giddy with triumphant glee. You also have scraped knees and knuckles, and an almost fully healed scraped scalp.

You've recently found a love of reading, announcing hopefully, "Book!" several times each day. Your current favorites are several "Little People" lift the flap books, one about a farm, and one about transportation. You also like Go, Dog. Go!, Good Night, Gorilla" and "Funny Face."

You've outgrown your 18 month size clothes over the last 2 weeks -- all your shirts look like crop tops. That's fine with you, as your belly button may be your favorite toy in the entire world. But it also looks cold. We're glad that This Grandma was bitten by the shopping bug and is sending you cute 24-month sized spring clothing this week. I'm planning a trip to the big kids consignment sale to round out your spring and early summer wardrobe, and Noah's too. (I promise we'll go to the nice kids shoe store, too. You and Noah both need your feet measured, and I am very glad that I only paid $5 for the new shoes you got a month ago, which now barely fit.)

Although most of your communication is still in the form of single word commands or questions, or shrieks, you've begun experimenting with sentences. The other day, you announced, "I love shoes!" I laughed so hard I had to call Aunt Anna and share it with her. Aunt Anna knows what you mean. You also (sometimes) tell us, "I have to pee!"

Your favorite foods lately include clementine oranges, noodles in every form we've tried, kix cereal, and grapes. A former favorite, cheese, appears to be in disfavor. Or so I assume, since you would rather tear it into tiny shreds and grind it into the carpet than eat it. You use the spoon the same way you approach anything else in the physical world -- enthusiastically, but not yet with an equal level of coordination. I think that once you are about 4, we will probably throw away the rug we have under our dining room table. I can't imagine how it could ever get clean. (That's ok, I don't like it anyway.)

You still love singing and dancing, with or without music. One of the cutest ways that shows up is that Noah loves to dance to the Pokemon theme song on TV. You watch him dance through the entire song, and then, when he's done and the song is over, you imitate his rad moves. You also break out in fabulous medleys of the ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, and something I have not yet identified, but which includes "la la la la la."

I love you, sweet girl, and the charming way you smile at me, especially when you are trying to get away with something. And every time I look at your little curls, I melt a little bit. Would you just TRY not to fall or bash your head in? That would be a huge relief.

love,

That Mommy

I Need a Rest from the Weekend

We had an awesomely exhausting weekend.

First, Saturday was the kids' school's annual spring party. Sugar, grandparents, dancing, costumes, friends, a giant gymnasium, and what more could you possibly want? Josie did the cha-cha slide twice; she was so tired that the third time they played it, she couldn't even bounce along, although she did watch everyone else very intently. Noah also had fun with it, although the left-right thing continues to challenge him.

This event was one of Jill's big volunteer projects with the school, so her stress level was high, but now it's over and she spent a vast amount of the leftover Event!Organization! energy on cleaning our dining room.

The kids and I went from the party to another party, at the home of a friend of a friend. Josie tried to crush the friend of a friend's 7 month old baby, bash her own brother's head in with a pair of wii drumsticks, and eat her body weight in mandarin oranges and pumpkin seeds. (Almost literally. She ate FIVE mandarin oranges, and at least 4 handfuls of pumpkin seeds.) (And a chicken roll thing, and a large portion of another child's apple. And some milk.)

I drank 3 splashes of delicious Scotch. If the total volume was a shot, I'd be surprised. Mmm. And Noah ate all of the carrots he could find. And a few chicken nuggets and some coffee ice cream pie.

More importantly, I got several hours of conversational time with friends, and friends of friends. Noah was with the boys he most hero worships, and one of their other dear friends. And Jill got to chill out after the big party and watch a movie at home, without interruption or "help."

Sunday, Josie was up at 4 am. I gave in and got up with her at 4:45. Needless to say, I had a little trouble staying attentive focused awake during church. Josie, of course, fell back asleep by 6. So before going off to nap at church, I did 2 loads of laundry, put away existing laundry, watched half of Blazing Saddles, had a shower, made breakfast, and put together Noah's new Bionicle guy and spaceship. (Between them, 39 pages of directions!)

And in the afternoon, after no one napped, I set up the wii Guitar Hero game that we got at the school silent auction, gave Josie a bath, and Jill and I spent an hour with the current owners of our home negotiating some issues that came up. We feel sufficiently good about that whole conversation that we are once again on track to buy our house and become duplex landlords/homeowners!

Late in the afternoon, Josie introduced us to her newest and most exciting obsession: Going potty. She hasn't quite got the hang of everything yet -- she blows her nose first, then drops the paper into the potty. But she loves sitting on the big potty, insisted on it 3 or 4 times last night, and again when she woke up this morning. This morning, she actually USED the potty.

I need a nap just from retelling the story of the weekend.

5 Teeth

Somebody was Miss Loud Crankypants last night.

From 2:30 to about 4:45 am.

Some mommies were very crabby about it.

This morning, the reason became clear. Josie finally grew another tooth!

The first 4 came in a burst of drooling, rashy energy immediately after her 1st birthday. Since then? Bubkus. I'm now anticipating several more over the next few days or weeks.

Her royal cuteness also suffered a nasty scrape on the cheek this morning. She likes to crawl in the open storage space on our kitchen island, just as Noah did at her age. Only there are these bolt things that stick out. And gouge adorable innocent babies.

Noah is 4 Years and 1 Month Old

Dear Noah,

For the last month or two before your birthday, you often claimed that you would start doing things we wanted you to do, when you were 4. We were hopeful, but mostly skeptical. Why would you suddenly start brushing your teeth independently? What would be different February 10 than February 9?

We were (mostly) wrong.

Some of these things are still a struggle, but you DO brush your teeth yourself. And you are officially out of diapers, even overnight. You help Josie, you try to make her feel better when she gets upset, and you (often) share a toy with her. You are an awesome, wonderful big brother.

That's not to say you always enjoy her stalkery tendencies. You don't like her poking you, and when she says, "Noah! Noah! Noah! Noah! Noah!" for the umpteenth time in a row, you ignore her completely.

You were the subject of a great parent teacher conference this week. Although your teacher says that you need to work on following adult instructions more, she also said that academically, you blow her mind. Especially in the math related work, you are comfortably doing the same work that children a year older than you do, and you are starting to do the work usually intended for the children 1.5-2 years older.

In terms of reading and writing, you are also on the verge of a breakthrough. Montessori focuses on sounds, and after one or two more sound group lessons, you'll be ready for a lesson on working with the movable alphabet. Your teacher and I both think writing and reading words is right around the corner. You're enjoying the geometric solids at the moment, and apparently work with them in Montessori textbook fashion -- unlike most of the other real world children in your classroom.

Even though you still sometimes whine and get frustrated, you are moving through those feelings more quickly and with less drama than ever before.

I love you,

That Mommy

Bakugan & Girls. And Boys.

This is an open letter to Sega Toys Co. Ltd., the company who produces Bakugan. (Aside to Jamila: Bakugan is a game and a cartoon series similar to Pokemon, but with figurines that fold up into spheres and pop open on magnetized cards.)

Dear Chairman Suzuki,

My son Noah loves Bakugan, both the television series and the toys. So we recently decided to purchase the videogame.

One of the things I like about the television series is that there are both boys and girls who are action heroes -- humans and aliens. And there are male and female Bakugan. I applaud your egalitarian programming, and it was one of the things that made me comfortable purchasing the Wii game.

This is what  don't understand.

In the videogame, you can create your own Bakugan Brawler, choosing hair, eyes, clothing, even shoes! Why can't you make your character a girl?

Obviously your game is oriented towards little boys. I understand that. But to not even make it an option, well, I feel badly for any little girls whose brothers are Bakugan obsessed. My daughter is too young to actually play the game, but she watches her brother, and it won't be long before she can play too.

I'll certainly do more homework before I buy any more games from your company.

Bribery

We've been trying to bribe Noah.

One of the things that makes me most likely to pull my hair out by the roots, scream, and generally conduct myself as an exemplary mother is when he says, in his whiniest voice, "I can't do it!" Are you hearing that right? It sounds like, "I caaaaaaaaaaaaaan't DO it!" It usually gets followed up with an "Uuuunnnnngggggh!!!"

It could involve anything from putting on boots to putting away toys to playing a challenging game to writing a letter on a piece of paper -- so not only things that we ask him to do, but things he chooses and often begs to do. (Noah begs to do "homework" which almost always involves either writing letters or tracing numbers and letters. While we are thrilled with all this great pre-reading activity, we aren't pushing it.)

Did I mention that it makes me insane?

On Sunday I began offering a bribe. If he would ask for help instead of announcing he couldn't do something, I'd give him a Bakugan. He earned 5 within the first 36 hours, and 3 more the next day. Even his teacher agreed that he seemed to be doing better with asking for help in a positive way.

Unfortunately, we seem to be backsliding.

The fight to end hideous whining? Bakugan Brawl!

Josie is 18 Months Old

Dear Josie,

Today you are 18 months old. It was your first day at the same Montessori school where Noah goes. You were skeptical about the drop-off process, and got seriously pissed off when you realized I was leaving, but your teachers assured me that minutes later you were settling in like a pro, and you had a great day.

The past month has been another one of those amazing leaps in your development. On the charming and attractive side, you have an enormous vocabulary now, and it grows by a word or two every day. I tried to count your words for the toddler program information sheet for school, and I got to about 50 words.

You squeal with joy when Noah and This Mommy wake up in the morning and you see them for the first time, and if they aren't around when you think they should be, you ask every minute or two, "Noah? Mommy? Noah? Mommy?" And just in case I'm not understanding your question, you point to the place Mommy usually sits on the couch, and in the general direction of the tv, then towards the back of the house where you suspect they might be. I get that joyous treatment when I pick you up from somewhere new, but usually just a demand to be picked up and hugged tightly.

That is the sweet, although exhausting, side of 18 months. Since I came back from being in Atlanta for 2 days, 2 weeks ago, you've clung to me like a cockle-burr. Not only can I not go to the bathroom by myself, I can't even turn my back on you while we're in the same room -- say to look for the tv remote on the mantle, or to adjust the thermostat. If I do, you burst into tears. If I banish you behind the baby gate so I can safely open the oven or wield sharp objects in preparation for dinner, you scream and cry until you're exhausted, then you lie down on the floor and moan with anguish.

Other things you love:

• Noah. Madly and overwhelmingly, you want to play with him, hug him, wrestle with him, and shout his name from the rooftops.
• Running. Outside, inside, in circles, in lines, any time, any place.
• Noah's Stacking Robots. (Hearing you say "robot" is totally adorable!) They make you giddy with glee when you stack them up, and when they fall down.
• Baby. Your pink plastic baby doll. You still love to hug her and to cover her with blankets. And by cover, I mean smother, since you don't seem to care if her feet are exposed, but her head must be completely covered.
• Bakugan. They're Noah's, and you don't especially like it when they open up, you prefer them closed into little balls. But if Noah has them, you must have them too.
• Brushing your 4 teeth. Yes, you still only have 4 teeth. But your oral hygiene is excellent! You are READY for more teeth to populate your mouth.
• The Bath. All we have to say is the word bath, and you are off like a shot, running to the bathroom, gleefully asking, "Bath? Bath? Bath?" You would climb into the tub fully clothed if you could, impatiently waiting for the water and bubbles to fill the tub.

You are so beautiful, my dear, and so smart and funny. And I love you so very, very much.

Love,

That Mommy

Delicious Snow Ice Cream

Noah has been asking to eat snow all winter.

We spent a lot of time discouraging the request, reminding him what kinds of snow are too dirty to eat, and advising only eating snow if it has fallen today or yesterday.

Today, the snow looked amazingly delicious. Huge white flakes poured down like a snowglobe -- we got roughly 4" in 2 hours. And I stuck a big popcorn bowl out on the porch this afternoon, so that we could make snow ice cream after dinner.

Ingredients: Approximately 12" diameter heaping bowl of snow, 1 cup whole milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, generous pour of vanilla, maybe a tablespoon.

Instructions: Mix together everything but the snow until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the snow, then fold together with a large spatula until well mixed. Texture will still be flakey and icey, more like granita or shaved ice than traditional ice cream.

Serve immediately. Makes 4 generous servings.

Try not to laugh when the baby complains "Hot!"

Josie Likes Robots. And We Have News!

I got Noah some incredibly cool stacking robots for his birthday. He likes them ok, but Josie LOVES them.

I wish you could hear the sounds she makes when she sees them.

The other cute verbal thing Josie has begun doing involves Noah's favorite obsession, Bakugan. The way Josie says "Bakugan" is indistinguishable, even for me, from her word for nursing. Only context helps. If she's pointing at the TV or at the actual Bakugan toys, presumably that's what she means. If she's tugging on my shirt, sobbing, or clutching my leg, presumably she's after me.

ON MONDAY SHE STARTS AT NOAH'S SCHOOL! In their wonderful, amazing, charming, delightful, educational, healthy snackful, scary grape candy free toddler program. Woot! Woot! Woot!

Here's Noah at a birthday party for 2 brothers who go to school with him. The parents bravely invited all of the children in both brothers' classes. Noah is second from the left, not enjoying the photography process.

And.

We made another offer on a house.

The house in which we live right now.

It is a duplex, and we would continue renting 1 unit, while hopefully insulating and finishing the attic so that it becomes part of the usable space of the house. (Whether that's offices, master suite, playroom, bedrooms, or what, we aren't sure yet.)

In the long run, we'd move into the upper 2 floors and rent the ground floor unit, but until the nice family upstairs insists on leaving, they can stay in their current space. (We might even try to find a way to convince them to stay longer.)

Ok, time to go meet a beautiful precious baby and potential future Smith College classmate of Josie's. And her mother.