Friday, October 30, 2009

One Second

Hey, no I haven't fallen off the planet. This week has been busy. I was going to post last night, but I got drafted into "helping" make Zoe's costume. She's going to be Dorothy. No, we didn't use a pattern. No, it's not an actual "dress", more of a skirt and smock. Yes, I cut lots of corners and with a little magic it looks pretty good. I wasn't too worried about getting it "perfect" because it's only a Halloween costume.
But, it got me out of the house, got me some time with Kat, got Boo some time with Zoe and was fun. I am amazed that I threw the thing together in just about an hour after we got started. It's a good thing this girl has no hips.... or waist... or anything other than toothpick. She'll be cute.
I also put the "finishing touches" on my scarecrow costume for work. It's cheep. It's a little cheezy, but it'll work. And I'm sure 80% of the people won't dress up, they never do. But it's fun.
Right now I'm having a few problems with Boo and his costume. He doesn't seem to like the dragon that Abi bought him last year and was too big. (I have pics of the one time I got it on him... but they're on the camera.) Last night we tried Zoe's old dragon on, and it was a little better, for about 5 minutes. We may not even be going out. It all depends on the weather and Zoe. I'm not taking Boo out myself, but if Zoe and family are going, we'll tag along.
Sunday is Mel and Ant's joint family birthday party. That should be fun. I miss those kids. And Joan too!
Anyhow, I'm running late for work but figured I'd better post something before all 3 of my readers give me up for dead :P

Oh, and Go Phills! Too bad they didn't take game 2, but from what I hear and looking at the score and recap (I didn't watch... I was afraid to) game 1 was a blast! 3 more guys, just 3 more wins and you can take some time off.

Peace to all and may your lives be full.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Boo Update

Well, this weekend didn't turn out so bad. Saturday was rainy and icky, but yesterday was down right beautiful. The only thing marring yesterday was the fact that I needed to go into the office for a few hours. I didn't get any cases closed, but I responded to one guy who didn't read my original email explaining things, got another to a point where I need help and got a third to a point where I'll just have to follow up with the customer today and hopefully be able to close it. I'm still super disorganized, but eh..... that's nothing new.
I have the best husband in the world though.
Yep. I may grumble and growl and fuss, way too much some days, but he's the best.
I walk in from having gone to the office and to the grocery store to him taking a pan of brownies out of the oven. And not from a box either. He actually went online, found a recipe and made a pan of brownies from scratch. And they're yummy. (No, I'm not just saying that because I didn't have to make them, they really are yummy!)
We did get to go to the park yesterday and it was fun. We missed most of the parade because they turned about half a block before they got to our house, but that's OK. Boo really does enjoy climbing up and going down the slide. He still keeps trying to climb the slide, which is funny because he'll get partway up, slide down on his belly and giggle.
And speaking of Boo and climbing, I think I mentioned something about a milestone review a few days back. Well, I guess I should do that then.
Let's see here... we're still having big issues (at least in my book) about eating, or not eating as the case may be. He still loves strawberries, including the "fruit leather" from Gerber, which is a softer kind then what I get for me, and amazingly enough really is all fruit. Mandarin oranges are also a huge hit, so that's a good thing. This weekend was a horrible eating weekend, especially when it came to protein. He did drink his milk and eat cheese, but.... not much else. I'm getting so tired of making him chicken fingers or grilled cheese... and I don't like giving him the bowls for dinner because that's what he gets a lot for lunch at school. I've tried giving him pieces of whole chicken breast right off my plate after he's pointed to it, no dice. I tried giving him a bite of ribs from last night (just put it on his plate after offering it) again, no dice. I've tried macaroni and cheese (even the blue box like they make at school) or pasta or rice of any description, no go, just tears. I'm really getting tired of this battle, but there's no way other than forward.
But... on brighter, happier notes, I really have a full fledged toddler. He (usually) loves crawling up the stairs into our apartment. Saturday he had some issues, but his shoes were wet and the steps a little slippery and he was tired. He doesn't randomly fall over any more unless he's super tired and then I think it might be on purpose.
He'll "ask" for nap time if he wants one; or if you ask him if it's bed time, he'll go snuggle against his Poppa to get a hug and then walk over to his crib, looking back for me, and rattle the bars. If you ask him if he's hungry, he'll walk over to the gate and look back at you. If you either tell him he needs a bottom change or he decides before you that he needs one, he'll go over to the changing pad looking back for you. Some days he'll ask as soon as he's the slightest bit wet, other days he'll have a 2 lb wet diaper before he notices.... and dirty is really hit or miss, mostly miss. So, maybe in another 6 months or so we'll be ready to try the whole potty training thing, but I'm really not going to push it. I don't really want to try until he's a little more responsive to the "I'm wet" thing, and possibly has a few more words. That and since Gak's the one home with him in the mornings, I will wait until he's ready too. He'll ask for bath by walking towards the gate trying to pull his shirt over his head, and when we get there will use the word "bat".
As far as words go, I've started keeping a list (which is at work) of things he says all the time and words I've heard a few times. Momma and Poppa/Daddy are being used more and more often in the right context. Uh-oh, go and no are favorites. Although, right now "no" means both yes and no. Ball and Bath and Bed are all here, sounding somewhat similar, except that bath has a "t" sound on the end and bed definitely has more of an "e" sound even if the ending "d" is missing. There are a handful of others that come and go like down, more, up, shoes and I think I got an "all done" from him. I also think I got the sign for both "more" and "all done" last night, but I'm not really sure. I've been much more consistent about "all done" than "more" recently. If he's picked those two up, I'll try adding some more. I had given up hope on using signs with him since he seemed so resistant. But, he seems to be showing much more of a language desire these days, and maybe it's just time.
Boo likes to play with balls, he can roll them and toss them over hand (I'm not sure about underhand, I haven't tried to get him to do that myself...) He likes to sit and bounce on his big dragon. We haven't been stacking blocks so much recently, but I'm sure that'll come back. I think his record for stacking on his own with a little prompting was 7. He's really into books again, bringing us the same one about 5 or 6 times in a row to read. Then he'll go and "read" it himself. He may end up being an early reader like his Momma... but maybe not. He likes to color for about 10 seconds at a shot. I got him a huge tablet from Staples and put him, it and the crayons on the floor. He likes that a lot better than trying to stay on a little piece of paper that keeps moving (if I try and tape it down, he'll purposely tear is up and flip it over). I think I've heard him ask by name for the crayons, and crackers. He can climb into and out of the rocking chair in his room and has now been able to climb up onto the sofa a handful of times by himself. He's been able to get down off that for ages now. He likes to take the clean pants out of the basket in his closet and put them into the dirty hamper. (Which makes it challenging at the end of the week to find pants for the boy.)
So, overall Boo is coming along. He's had a real growth spurt as far as physical and verbal abilities since we went on vacation a month ago. (I can't believe it's been a month already!)
I think that's all the big things.

Well, I'd better get ready for work.

Peace to all and may your weekends be good, and your life full of little miracles.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

A Trip to the Theater

Well... ask and thou shalt receive.
Yesterday I was really feeling the ugh of not having gone and done anything in ages. Well, I forgot that back in September some time, Kat sent me a message about Mary (Andy's, Kat's Ex, baby sister) being in her college play and wanting everyone to come up. I said sure, figuring her mom could watch Boo for a few while Gak finished up at work.
Well, I totally forgot about it with the ick of reporting month.
Oh, and my phone just randomly died yesterday. (I'll have a replacement by Tuesday...)
So, no one could find me until they called Gak. After a panicked few phone calls, I grab Boo, run through the Burger King drive through and scarf my dinner while I wait for Kat and Andy to pick me up. Boo and Gak had a good evening at home and Kat, Andy and I drove 2 hours in driving rain to go see a play.
I would have enjoyed the evening even if the play had been horrible.
But the play wasn't horrible. I was very impressed by them. Especially considering how small a school Mary goes to. It was great to get out of the house without the boys. (Although, I do wish Gak had been able to go, he would have enjoyed it and theater is his "thing" after all...) It was great to see people I haven't seen in quite some time. I'm really beginning to enjoy Mary now that she's actually "grown up" a bit. I'll admit, when I met her when she was a very small child (2nd child of a 2nd marriage) I just wasn't into her much. She's grown up nicely though.
The play was The Women of Locherby and was a play dealing with grief and tragic events and how it affects people. It takes place 7 years after Pan Am 103 and focuses on an American couple who lost their 20-year-old son and 5 of the Locherby women and their various stories and healing, grief, faith, love and hate. It was very moving and very well done; I don't think there was a dry eye in the house by the time it was done. Of course, being a parent of a baby boy (yes, he will always be my baby) it was very moving... but I've always responded emotionally to things like this. Betty, Mary's mom, said she couldn't even help Mary read lines getting ready for the play. I think this one will haunt me, in a good way, for a while. It's been 2 years and 4 days now since Gak's father died. While not as tragic as the plane crash, it was still fairly sudden and unexpected. Some scenes were very difficult, but cathartic in a strange way. Of course, a lot of the scenes with the mother were hard for me to watch. I still have my son.... but sometimes, like then, the memory of what could have been with the miscarriage intrudes. (Although, if that one had gone to term, I wouldn't have Boo, but some other baby and that's a hard thought too....)
Anyhow, the boy is sleeping, and I should go at least veg out on the couch and possibly nap myself. We got home around 12:30 in the morning and I was up by 7:30, so I'm a little tired.

Peace to all and may your family be healthy, and your heart at peace.

Friday, October 23, 2009

What a Rut Time

I'd love to say that my lack of posting the last few weeks has been because I've been too busy. Even if it was just work, that would be fine.
It's not. It's because I'm stuck in a rut I can't get out of and just don't have the energy, or even anything relevant, to blog.
That's not to say that work isn't busy. It's the tail end of reporting month, so of course it is.
That's not to say I haven't done a few fun things... I have. We had a good weekend last week and I managed to finally finish a sweater I'd been working on for two weeks.
But that's about it.
I'm becoming a shut-in I think. Other than last weekend, it's been a month since I went and did anything, and that was vacation with family.
My schedule M-F, with only slight variance to the exact times is: Wake up and get ready for work. Go to work and attempt to focus on the project in front of me, not what I'd rather be doing/surfing. Go pick up Boo (except Mondays). Take Boo home and play a little and/or feed him dinner. Pick up Gak. Go home and cook dinner. Play with and/or bathe Boo and put him to bed. Fiddle on the computer an hour and go to bed. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Then Saturday has it's own schedule, which I actually haven't done in a few weeks because of the volunteer thing last week and Boo not feeling well the week before or was that fall fest? But it involves laundry, play, pick up Gak from work, run errands and home for the evening.
Did anyone see any mention of getting together with friends in that long list?
No? Me either.
Did anyone see anything other than the mandatory in that list?
No? Me either.
Don't get me wrong. I love my husband and my son. I even like my job most days. (Although, my focus there is so shot that I wonder if it isn't time to find something new.... even though this is still challenging when I pay attention.)
But I have friends. Or at least I think I still have friends. I've exchanged emails a few texts and even a call with some of them.
But I never see them. And it's not because I can't either. Gak is perfectly able to stay at home with the boy for an evening. There are these things called weekends. Heck, Kat's even close enough that we might be able to go to lunch one day... we have before. Why haven't I? Well, it feels like I've just started hiding in my shell again. I used to do this all the time at various points in my life. I was really good at this when we first moved to PA. There were times in college that I'd hide in plain sight, as well as when I was living in OK. I don't like when I put a wall up between me and the world. It just happens and the next thing you know it's been months since I've actually done anything out of my routine and my rut and I'm not sure if anyone is really talking to me any more because I haven't called them in ages.
I'm not really sure how to fix this one though. Everyone else is so busy these days and I've been so obsessed with how I haven't been performing at work, that I'm not so sure I'd want to be around me anyhow.
But... It's Friday. and almost 6am which means I have to do that whole get ready for work thing. And then tomorrow is laundry. And.... nothing. I have nothing on the schedule. And I'm bored. But I'm too tired and out of touch with people to figure out something to do. *sigh*

I'll ponder that for a bit.
You know, I was going to write this post about Boo's milestones he's reached in the past few weeks, but... looks like I had other plans. Maybe tomorrow.....

Peace to all and may you not fall into a rut.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

801

Even though the weather was icky and cold and wet most of the time, this was a GREAT weekend.
Saturday morning I told you I was going to be helping paint a school in Philly right? Well, for me there was an added bonus. I wasn't paying too much attention to which school we were going to be going to or where it was located. While we were driving down there, I was looking around thinking this was a nice part of Philly. Then we cross Passmore street.
I do a double take. And then I start to grin.
You see, Passmore is the street that my Gram grew up on. They moved into number 801 (a number that would come up often in her life) when she was starting kindergarten. The closing for the house, and the ice cream and candy store that was run out of the store front basement, was the day the market crashed in 1929. My great-grandparents managed to keep the house and the business through the whole Depression. They had to take boarders for much of the time and PopPop (my PopPop that is... not my dad) did lots of things on the side, but they were able to keep everything going.
So, as it turns out, the very beautiful school we were painting was the very middle school that my Gram and her sister went to, Woodrow Wilson Middle School. The building was built back in 1927, just a few years before Gram started Kindergarten. It's the oldest school still in use by the Philly school district. It's also the most diverse and the highest performing middle school. But... there's a down side as well. Many (I think the number was around 60%) of the students are below the poverty line. 80% of the students get free lunch every day. The school itself was in desperate need of a paint job. Well, we managed to do that with over 300 volunteers and a handful of hours of work. Of course, it was a bit easier than in years past because about 30 professionals from the painters union had volunteered and did all the cut in work and was helping out. It was also easier because the lower half of the walls were covered in a beautiful rose colored marble. They sure don't build schools like they used too... marble on the walls, beautiful tiles on the hallway floors and real hardwood floors in the class rooms.
I had a good time hanging with some coworkers and getting some painting done. Boo had a good time playing with some other kiddos in the art room turned day care. Everyone loved him. I know he stole the heart of my coworker C, and even let Y hold him for a group photo. Yep, he's my very cute, very happy, laid back and well behaved little guy. I'm so proud of him.
After we were done painting, Boo and I headed home, with a slight detour. Can I tell you I love GPS? I hadn't been in these neighborhoods since I was about 12. Anyhow, about 5 minutes after leaving the school, Boo was asleep and I was sitting outside 801 Passmore. The house looks great. If you see the pink blotches in the lower left corner, they are roses. I believe they are still the "fairy roses" that my PopPop planted so long ago now and that I have a bush of growing over at Kat's house. (I got them from Gram when she was moving out of her house in DE. We never actually planted them, but put the bucket they were in beside Dad's memorial and they grew through and took root. We guess that Dad's taking care of them because they've really flourished!)

So, needless to say Saturday was a very good day in my book. Sunday was a good bit of fun too. Even though it was rainy and wet and cold, Boo and I still went down to PopPop's and Am-ma's. (Yes, my dad wanted to be called PopPop like my own PopPop because he really liked the man.) We had a very good day. Mom had called seeing if we still really wanted to go down, and I said yes because Gak said he still wanted the day to himself, and I can understand that. (He'd been up waaaay too late the two nights before playing...) So, mom offered to let me do laundry there, so I took her up on it. Instead of spending $15 on laundry, I took my son and husband out to breakfast at this little place nearby. I didn't really need to eat lunch that day. Boo had a great day making a mess of the cabinets and running around in circles in the house and getting into everything. No, the boy does not sit still. He loves to explore and get into everything. He was also talking up a storm. I think PopPop and Boo had a good time together. We did end up having dinner down there, which is nice because Boo fell asleep for a nap right around 2:30 and didn't wake up until 4:30. I have no idea what all he ate, but he ate a lot that day. He mostly just grazed on whatever was available but did actually have some cheese and oranges and applesauce, so it wasn't all just cereal or cookies. (He found Am-ma's box of spice wafers, which are a definite favorite with him...)

Now, if only the work week will go this well. We've got 10 days until the end of reporting month and I'm not sure I'm going to make it. Too many odds and ends and things just taking forever. That and for the first 1.5 hours or so when I got to the office, the network was down, so all I could do was twiddle my thumbs. I couldn't even call anyone because I couldn't look up who I needed to call about what!
Oh well, that was resolved and I did manage to push forward on a few things.

Well, I'm off to finish getting ready.
Peace to all and may your weekends be full of pleasant surprises and the work week go smoothly.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Busy Weekend Ahead!

Well, as much as I'd rather be curled up asleep right now, we've got a busy weekend ahead of us.
You see, today is "Philly Cares" and while I neither work nor live in Philly, I am near Philly. (And don't remind me about the 8th inning loss yesterday....) My company, along with many, many others in the area hold this event every year where volunteers go and paint/improve Philly area schools. You may be saying "why can't they do it?", "why should community members and members outside of Philly be doing this?", "why are you spending a Saturday doing this?". Well, the answer is never simple. Would you rather the city spend more money on educational tools and teacher salaries or painting and "extras"? Why can't people in the communities in and surrounding Philly do something nice for the schools to show the kids and faculty that we care and think they're important? Why wouldn't I give my time?
So, in about 20 minutes I've got to get a boy up and dressed, a husband up and dressed (he's going to work, but it's icky out so I'm dropping him off) and me dressed and out the door. I'm meeting up with some people at work and depending on who actually shows up I'll either be moving Boo's car seat into the company van, or putting people into the Durango. We've got to be at the school by 8:30 and we're supposed to be meeting at work between 7:30 and 7:45.
I've done this two other years and had a blast both times. Of course, the last time I went was 2004. Then I was always traveling, and with Gak's Saturday work schedule I just didn't feel right taking the time and making him walk. Then we had Boo. But, they offer day care for the little kids, and older kids are welcome to help (as are friends and family). Gak said he didn't mind and that I should go if I wanted to, so we are. I may have some pictures to post, or I may not.
As if that wasn't enough fun for one weekend, tomorrow morning I've got to get up and do the laundry (or do it tonight after dinner and let Poppa get some boy time?) because Boo and I are going down for a play date with PopPop. We're supposed to be there about lunch time, and we'll stay until a little before dinner. (Unless Am-ma is making something good for dinner and we just might mooch off that *grin*, but then I'd feel guilty for leaving Gak home, even though that's what he wants...)

Anyhow, time's a waisting and I'd better get my self together and out the door! (I'm not waking Boo until the last moment and shoving him into clothes... he'll get breakfast later...)

Peace to all and may your lives be full of adventures of the best kind.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Productive?

Well, I have a husband home again, and that makes me happy. I'm glad he got to go to his brother's wedding, but I did miss him while he was gone. Boo, on the other hand, didn't really seem too put out by it. That, while it may break Gak's heart, is a good thing over all.
Last night I had to stay up kinda late, well, really late for me, to let him in. He'd left his keys here so they wouldn't get lost. This meant I had time last night. I thought about logging my little, well not so little any more, monk in, but I just didn't feel like it. Instead, I worked on something that's been bugging me. A sweater I started before I even knew I was pregnant with Boo. Yep, 2 years in the process. I'd all the pieces except the hood done, so I sewed them all together. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the hood, but I think I will. The sweater is very warm and snuggly, but not too bulky, which is nice. It fits fairly well too, which is a good thing. It may be a "Friday" sweater at work, but mostly a weekender. I decided that I would do the hood after all and made some nice progress on that as well. No, no pictures yet, I was too tired and like daylight for this.

I just wish I could be this productive at work. Despite how busy we are and how much I've got to get done, I've got a huge case of "don't give a damn" right now and am easily distracted by anything remotely shiny. *Sigh* The price I pay for having a boss who really didn't care for 4 years, I got lazy and it's been a hard fight to get back to the top of my game. I'm no where near that yet and it frustrates the snot out of me. Bah.

But, speaking of work, I'd better go get dressed and wake Gak because I hear a boy stirring.

Peace to all and may you be able to get things done.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Wedding Time!

Well, I now officially have a sister-in-law and Boo has a step-cousin. I'd love to say it was a beautiful ceremony and a wonderful experience.
I can't, because I only got to watch the last minute or so of the wedding. Yep, technical difficulties on my end.... including some pages that weren't actually refreshing. Oh well, I got to see the unity candle and the "husband and wife" bit. I wish I'd gotten to see it all though.
I'm very happy that Brian and Tonya are happily together. I think they'll have a good life together. I am so very happy to add Tonya and Aden to the family.

Let's see... what else is going on? My focus at work's been shot off and on for the last week, which isn't helping things any. There's all kinds of drama, but mostly of the normal office variety. I think our three new contractors are coming along quite well. I just wish we could get Ellen some help in sourcing.

Oh, in other news... I donated blood this evening for the first time since... oh.... 2006 some time. Yep, I was finally able to again. First I was deferred for a year because I'd spent 3 days in Mexico. Then I was pregnant with Boo. Then I was nursing Boo. Finally, all the things keeping me from being able to donate have passed. Unfortunately, when they called me a few weeks back to make the appointment, I spaced on the dates, just the fact that it was a Tuesday so Gak should be home and they had evening slots available. Uh... nope... Gak's in Vegas. Oops. So, Boo went with me. He did very well for most of the time, except when he wasn't allowed to be with me because I was being checked in. I totally understand the rule for people over the age of... oh... 5, but 16 months? Oh well. It went quickly once I was finally processed... not sure what was going on there other than some run of the mill chaos.
After that we came home, called Poppa and went to bed.

Then at 9:30 I spent 15 minutes trying to figure out why I kept getting the guy telling me the wedding hadn't started yet when it started at 9:30. I'm just glad I got to catch any of it.

Oh well, it's 10:00 now and I'm tired. Off to my bed.

Peace to all and may technology work in your favor and don't forget your good deed for the day.

(p.s. I would post a pic of Brian and Tonya, but I didn't get any of both of them on my camera... or any of Tonya actually... and I don't have anything newer either... *sigh*)
(p.p.s. I did have a picture from yesterday.... Gak sent it to my work email... so, updated post.)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Vegas Bound

No, I'm not heading to Vegas, Gak is. On Tuesday, I'll have a "new" sister-in-law. Yep, Brian and Tonya are getting married. So, not only am I getting a sister-in-law, but Boo is getting a cousin too. That's a good thing.
This will be the first time since before Boo was born that we've been apart for more than a day or so. It's going to be weird. Gak's leaving tomorrow and will be home Wednesday night. In retrospect, he should have left today, but when we were booking the tickets, this was what he wanted, so this is what we booked. I wish all of us were going, but the finances just couldn't support it and besides, getting off work in October for me is almost impossible. Oh well.

And obviously I haven't kept my promise to myself about making three entries a week. Oh well.

Today was a beautiful fall day. We went to the park and the playground and this was the first time Boo really got to explore and walk around all by himself. We never made it to the swings. Instead we played with the bells and slid on two slides! Boo also took his first tumble and has a bit of an abrasion on his forehead to prove it.
Overall, it was a success.

I'm going to wrap this up here since I've got to get up even earlier than usual tomorrow to take Gak to the airport.

Peace to all and my the events be happy.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Big Boy!

Where oh where has my little boy gone? It seems like I turn around three times and instead of a cute little baby who's trying to figure this walking thing out, I've got a full blown toddler racing for Kindergarten! He doesn't even look like a baby so much in the face any more. It's subtle, but his face is slightly different. I don't know if you can see it like I do in this picture taken by Am-ma, but, he looks so grown up here to me.
For example, the last 3 or 4 nights at around 8:00 and bed time, I'll tell him to "go tell Poppa good night, it's time for bed" and amazingly enough, he does! He'll go over to Gak, get a hug and then walk over to his crib and grab the bars as if to climb in. Monday Gak wasn't home, but at about quarter to 8, he was getting fussy and snuggly and not sure if he wanted up on the couch with me or to play and I asked him if he wanted to go to bed. Sure enough, he walked right over to his crib and was trying to figure out how to climb in. No, I'm not ready to move him into a toddler or big bed yet, because last night after he willingly decided to go to bed, he decided that he'd rather be up about 5 minutes later, and was cranky he couldn't get out of the crib. (He also hasn't managed to actually climb out, or even try hard really, so he's just fine where he is.)
Last night was cute. At around 7:30 we were all in the living room playing and/or watching TV. Gak had taken the pants off the boy because they were falling down anyhow (18 months are just a hair big yet....). Boo then walks over to the gate, looking back at me and starts trying to take his shirt off. If that wasn't a clear asking for bath time, I don't know what is! I told him I had to get his towel, so he followed me into his room and then down the hall to the bath room. 20 minutes later, I had a clean boy and he was ready to get out of the tub. He also willingly went to his bed at just about 8 (even though a few minutes later he was trying to figure out why he'd done so...).
Yep, my boy is growing up and making decisions and following directions. He can now find my nose ("bb-beep!"), his ear, his belly button and sometimes his toes. Although, last night in the bath I asked him to find his belly button and he kept grabbing his penis instead. Oops. Oh well, they're right there next to each other when he's sitting in the bath.
Words are still a bit tricky and hit or miss. "Down" has more or less gone away again. "Uh-oh" is still a favorite, and "no" is used for everything, including "yes". "Daddy" is definitely here to stay, even though he still will often use it for either parent. He will use "momma", but not always to call or identify me. He doesn't say "nose" but "bb-beep" instead. That's our fault, since we've been doing that since the day he was born. He'll try some "b" starting sound for ball, but it's way more than one syllable most times. Oh, and he likes throwing the ball, thanks Gak. :P
On the physical front he's all but given up crawling, as walking is now faster. He's also crawled up all the steps into our apartment (about 20!) twice now. Don't worry, either Gak or I was behind him spotting. He did it for me Saturday after we came in from Autumn Fest. I was putting up his stroller and had the door open and he just started crawling up the steps. I let him, figuring that I'd pick him up at the landing. Nope, he kept on going! Gak had him do the same thing last night. You could tell it was hard work and that he was proud of himself when he got up here.
Boo also will eat one or two cashews or almonds if I give them to him, with no reaction. (This is a good thing because I do have some problems with most tree nuts, but not these two in small quantities at the moment...) He'll also eat peanut butter if you make it into a cracker sandwich so he doesn't have to touch the peanut butter.
I actually made a dinner that all of us ate last night! I think that's the first time ever. Admittedly, it was grilled cheese and tomato soup and Boo didn't want any soup. But, we all ate the same thing at the same time. Minor miracle. Last time I tried that with grilled cheese, it was a no sandwich night for Boo. I still dread trying to figure out what to feed him on any given day. I just try and make sure he gets enough fruits, attempt to get some kind of protein into him and that he drinks. I'm horrible about the veggies, but then again, I'm not any better for myself. I really need to try and get at least sweet potatoes or corn back into his diet... I'd love to get something green into all our diets, but I'm not sure how well that'll happen.


Well, enough bragging about my boy. Boo really is growing by leaps and bounds right now. There has been a total explosion of growth and development. (Now, if only I could get the acceptable foods list to grow)

Monday, October 05, 2009

Oops, Still Here....

No, I didn't fall off the face of the planet I promise. No, work hasn't really been all that bad yet for a reporting month. (I did have a lot of "hurry up and wait" though on Thursday and Friday.... but that's nothing new...)
No, I just simply didn't feel like writing. I have things to say and things on my mind, but I just didn't want to write.
I'm sure by now all 3 readers are sick and tired of hearing me berate myself about being a bad momma and having a boy who (still) won't eat... so I'll try and not put so much of that in this post.

Anyhow, like I said, work's been a bit of hurry up and wait. I can deal with that, but it gets trying. At least I don't have 17 people yelling at me at the moment. I'll leave that to others, who I really do feel for. Namely my replacement as training manager. He's trying to do even more with the training and service and reporting than I ever did... and he's trying to change the system that I fought against for at least 2 years for some things, but even longer for others. I just hope he can get the changes he wants, because they're good ones and ones I tried for myself. (Not that that makes them inherently good, but.... oh, never mind.)

As you can see from the picture at the top, the boy is yet another month old. I actually took this on the second. It's just taken me this long to get around to downloading and uploading the pictures. (And see above about just not being in the mood to post....) I couldn't get a good one of Boo looking at the camera. He has taken to using the dragon as a lounge chair. It's really pretty cute.
Oh, and did I mention, he's another month older. Yep, that's right... my baby, who is now officially a toddler, is 16 months old! When did that happen? Where did that tiny little infant we brought home go? He's turning into a wonderful, spirited, mostly happy little boy.
I can tell we're approaching the big 2 mark though. Over the last several days his temper and stubbornness is getting the better of him and we've had some melt downs and almost mini-tantrums. I'm not looking forward to the full blown thing because, well, he's as stubborn as the rest of the people in this house.
This is why I hoped he'd pick up signing... even though I've been very bad about trying to teach him. (Although, I was very consistent for a while, but he just doesn't seem to care about signing words or speaking them much...) If only he had the words or signs to tell me what he wants, this whole guessing game that is frustrating to everyone wouldn't be so bad. He knows what he wants (most of the time....) but he just can't tell me and I just can't read his little mind some days. This will only get more frustrating.
In other boy news... he's started to bring us his box of crayons, so that he can color. We're keeping him well away from walls and anything else that we don't want color on. He's much more interested in coloring the table than the paper right now. Luckily these crayons clean up fairly well. Nothing more than a few random lines and a lot of crinkled paper, so nothing to send to Nana or home with Am-ma. Soon though.
He's also started throwing his ball. We blame Gak on this one. Gak showed him how and was somewhat encouraging it the other day. Oops. Oh well, he doesn't have any really big, heavy balls that can cause any real damage, other than to our faces. He'll gladly toss/roll the ball back and forth for at least 5 minutes, with is forever in toddler time.

This weekend was Autumn Alive or something like that here in town. Not quite so crafty as the spring one, but still, a nice chance to get out and wander the block. The weather held out wonderfully. It looked like it was supposed to rain off and on Saturday, but it didn't. It was back up near 70, and I thought it wasn't going to be, so Boo and I were in long-sleeve T-shirts. Oops.
Anyhow, I did make a few purchases. A needle-felted ornament for the Christmas tree made by a woman with the wool from her own sheep. (She had bags of fleece and rovings for sale... but since I don't spin and don't know how to needle felt yet, it wasn't quite a temptation...) I did, however, buy a hank of yarn made from the sheering of a local alpaca farm. That was my big splurge. It's a nice creamy color, no dies. Their alpaca are mostly free-range, just separated boys from girls and pregnant girls from non-pregnant girls. They've got lots of space to roam, which is a good thing. I can't wait to find something to do with this hank of yarn other than to pet it.
The last big purchase (haha, $5) was a small thing of apples and some fresh pressed apple cider from the local farm. They have a farm stand out by the Turnpike, but I never think of stopping. I should, I really should. You can taste the skin and all the fresh apple goodness in the cider. Last night I made a pie-plate-less apple pie (and a single serve apple crumble) with the apples. I used a store bought pie crust, because I'm horrible at making them and don't have a food processor, the only way I've ever managed it.
Here, have a slice.



I must be getting on my way. It feels like I only just went to bed, but it's now almost 6 and I've got to get out the door soon.

Peace to all and may your weekends be good and the tantrums to a minimum.