Foto Finish Friday: Week 21

Roddie Report: Mama's Boy

Rod has become a Mama's boy like I've never seen!  Well, maybe I have, but Norah never went thru a phase where she so strongly wanted me and no one else.  I'm assuming it's a phase at least, and loving every second, knowing it could end at any time! 

I first really noticed his clingy-ness when I took Norah to the potty at church a few weeks ago, and Rod was fussy and crying the whole time we were gone.  The minute Rod saw us heading back towards them he started reaching out to me, nearly diving out of poor Matt's arms as I got closer.  I felt a bit bad for Matt, but the reality is that going to Church these days is somewhat about surviving, so I just took him and the mass went on.

There have been plenty of other instances, but the one that really got us both was one night last week. It was Matt's turn to get up with the kids overnight, but he called out to me for an assist.  Apparently he was changing Rod's diaper on the couch in the living room, and Rod decided to pee, on him, as little boys do.  The problem was that it was not once, not twice, but three times, soaking Matt, the changing pad, the soft and indeed Rod himself!  I got some dry jammies, helped clean up and then went back to bed as Matt sat down to give Rod his bottle.  It wasn't long before I realized it wasn't going well, so I got up to see if I could help.

Again, Rod reached out for me.  I took him and he immediately settled down.  We sat down together and he drained his bottle and fell back to sleep.  I guess sometimes only your Mommy will do.

The Pros and Cons of having a Big Sister

Norah is really growing into her role as Big Sister.  She helps to feed Rod, she even mixes up his food.  She loves to give him Cheerios, and often jumps to pick up his sippy cup when he drops it.  They both love it when she pushes him in the swing, even if she does get knocked over once in a while.  I also hear my own words reflected back to me almost daily as Norah "mothers" Rod.  I was very pleased when I realized that a) he was strong enough to sit up in the wagon without falling over (strapped in of course) and b) even better, Norah was happy to pull him around the yard!  Hooray!  All in all, I think Rod really enjoys having a big sister.

I guess time will tell how much he likes getting his hair styled...





Norah News: Growing Up

The other morning I was watching Norah.  We were on our way to school and work, but I just couldn't resist taking a moment to watch her as she poked around outside on the way to the truck.  I don't recall what she was wearing, other than her raincoat (feels like that's all we've worn for months!) but she looked so old, so grown up.  She's still not 4 feet tall, but I guess it was where she was standing with no solid point of reference, but she just looked like a real, grown up person.  Then I noticed Roadie, her small stuffed dog, who has accompanied us everywhere for nearly 2 years, and I remembered that she's only 3... and I smiled to myself, no need to grow up too fast little girl. 

I wanted to take a picture, but obviously that would have ruined the moment, for me and for her.  Turns out last night I inadvertently snapped one that pretty much brought the same feelings to mind.  My sister Erin, who's getting married this fall, ordered some shoes for her wedding here in the US, and had them shipped to us.  Totally blanking on what could be in the package addressed to me, I opened it up to find some really cool sparkly shoes.  It was love at first sight for my little-big girl, who insisted she try them on.  Pictures were snapped and sent off to Auntie E, and it was only afterwards that I noticed Roadie in the background again, looking out for my girl.

We packed the shoes away amongst chatter about the sparkly shoes Norah must have to wear to Auntie Erin and Uncle Eric's wedding.  As we did so, I prayed to myself that the years to her own wedding don't pass too quickly, but at the same time knowing in some ways they will, life's like that.

Foto Finish Friday: Week 20

We're No Different than Anyone Else!

I haven't blogged much because I've been feeling a little dark this past week or two.  The weather has largely been crappy - cold, dark and rainy when we're more than ready for spring - but it's been more than that.  It's a combination of things really.. but sleep deprivation and overall uncertainty certainly play the largest role.  As I mentioned in my previous post, Rod has been sick again, with diareah, for a prolonged period with no identifiable source.  I am not terribly worried that there is something really big wrong with him - if you saw him, you'd never even know he was sick - but the daily wondering if he's going to get sent home from school and who will need to miss work is getting exhausting - not to mention the regular old Mommy guilt that I can't be with him when he is sick.  On top of that, both Matt and I are facing new things at work - him a new project and me yet another new organization, that has us both a little on edge, as neither one of us is particularly good at going with the flow. 

So, as we approach our 5th anniversary, our relationship is feeling the strain.  We know we need to get out on date nights and nurture our marriage, and we're committed to it, but  that hard part is trying to find the time, and to find it at the same time you have the energy!  We've done a lot of talking over the past couple of weeks on this topic, and that has definitely helped.  We've taken the time to see the other person's perspective and also to appreciate each other.  Sometimes we barely got to sleep before the first of the night time interruptions happened, but I think it was worth it.  But I keep wondering to myself, how do other families manage?

Well, the realization I've come to is that they struggle at times, just like we do.  Sick kids, multitasking, laptops after bed-time and lowering your expectations are all a part of the reality for families with two working parents (I can't speak to other arrangements)  We attended a birthday party last weekend where I didn't know the vast majority of the parents in attendance, but I ended up chatting with several and realizing they were telling me about the same struggles I was dealing with myself.  With this new insight, I looked around, and I heard variations on the same story from co-workers, neighbours, and even my dear friends who I don't get to see nearly enough - had I thought to consider why I don't see them more, perhaps I would have come to this realization earlier!

Sometimes all you need for the sun to come out is to know that you're not struggling alone.  The weather still stinks here in New England, but my outlook has vastly improved.

Roddie Report: 9 Months!

Roddie passed the 9 month mark recently, and I’m a tad overdue to update the family archives here on the Beantown Bugle. He’s a fine example of 9 month behavior as he tries to climb up on everything (and everyone!) Other highlights include:

• Crawling – he is getting very fast! When I went to pick him up yesterday he zoomed across the room and literally threw himself into my arms! I love it!
• Cruising – when bribed with something like Mommy’s lap or an Elmo book, he’ll make his way from one end of the sofa to the other, holding on for support.
• Trying to get up – when he’s moving around on the floor, he’ll often try to get up on his hands and feet only, no knees. He hasn’t quite figured out what to do from here yet, but it’s clear he’ll be on his way shortly
• Misses his Mommy – he has long recognized me upon my return (see above, really, one of the most gratifying parts of being a mom at this stage) but he’s now started to notice when I leave. And so begins the difficult stage of drop off drama – phase 1.
• Says Dadadada? Maybe, its hard to say for sure, but he has certainly kicked it up a notch with his babbling and despite my best efforts, we hear a lot of Dadadada… I am pretty sure more often when Matt is around.
• Teeth – he’s got 4, three on the bottom (middle plus one to the right) and one off center somewhere on the top
• Eating – he was doing great with new foods and had added cheese and cheerios to his repertoire… but he’s been having diarrhea for going on three weeks. We’ve cut back to just the basics and are trying to rule out a sensitivity to his formula. He seems fine otherwise, so thankfully he’s at school, but we’ve tested for anything we can test for and we are all mystified.
• Despite all his numerous illnesses this past winter, he is thriving physically also. You can see from the pictures that he is a robust looking little guy and does not appear sickly. He’s also generally very happy and easy going. As I suspected, his 9 month stats were very similar to Norah’s at year – 30.5” and 19.6 lbs… putting him a little on the tall side and a little on the skinny side.

School Pictures: April 2011

It was school picture time again last month, and since I am behind on posts, the prints are in already.  Since I have a pile of undistributed pictures sitting in the drawer, I decided to quit wasting money and I cut back a lot on what I bought.  Of course I bought a few copies of one of both the kids, and since I haven't had Rod's baby pictures taken yet, I also got some of him alone.  Sorry Norah... when you read this years from now, I am sure you'll understand as there is no shortage of pictures of you, both professional and otherwise.  

So, without further ado, here they are... Norah at 3y2mo and Rod at 8mo. 

Foto Finish Friday: Week 19 - Appendix

Foto Finish Friday: Week 19

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Roddie Report: On the Move - at Night!

Shortly after I put Roddie down last night, he was making a bit of a racket, so I went in to check on him, and this is what I found:

I must say, he was quite pleased with himself, he was up and down, and all around the crib, laughing with squeals of delight the whole time - it's like he didn't realize he could move around the crib!  This new discovery is especially notable because Rod has not yet, to my knowledge, managed to flip over from back to front.  How he managed to get into this position is a mystery, but I suspect the motivation had something to do with the mobile, which he loves, and was hanging just above where is shown in the picture. 

This morning, it was as though it never happened, as he lay, flat on his back in his crib, smiling and cooing and Norah and I.

Foto Finish Friday: Week 18