Since I'm behind on posting pictures, instead of picking out the best ones for the blog, I'm just going to get you the link to the pictures I uploaded to Picasa. Enjoy!
Cherry Blossoms 2009
Hiking with Daddy for his Birthday - Note the pictures with Dylan wearing sunglasses; he wanted to be like Mommy and Daddy.
Easter - including a ride on the Easter train with Grandma and Grandpap and a visit with Brenna.
Uncle Matt and Savva's visit
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Dylan's language development
Since I last wrote a "Dylan update," Dylan has been talking in full sentences more and more. Some of our favorites are:
"Look at me!"
"I did it!"
and "Mommy, you need a burp cloth."
Our least favorites are:
"I don't want my shoes on."
and "I don't like it."
He says a lot of almost full sentences too like "I going in silver car." And some full sentences with incorrect grammar like "I take off my shoes off."
I'm surprised that Dylan has learned pronouns so quickly. I say "you" and he understands to respond with "I" at least 50 percent of the time which I think is great for his age. (Although he still refers to almost everyone as "she" even though he may be talking about a boy or man.) But he isn't getting the use of "not" as quickly. When we are getting ready to leave say the playground he says "I don't want to go playground." Maybe he means he doesn't want to "go from" or leave the playground.
Dylan has also starting audibly praying with us at the dinner table. He says "thank you God" and sometimes lists what he's eating. He also sings the "God our Father" song/prayer that he learned in Sunday School with us.
It's so fun seeing him learn a new word. He was riding on a toy with a friend and he yelled "toget-der."
And I think he is finally learning to say "Please" and "Thank you" without us asking him to say it first. Yeah!
"Look at me!"
"I did it!"
and "Mommy, you need a burp cloth."
Our least favorites are:
"I don't want my shoes on."
and "I don't like it."
He says a lot of almost full sentences too like "I going in silver car." And some full sentences with incorrect grammar like "I take off my shoes off."
I'm surprised that Dylan has learned pronouns so quickly. I say "you" and he understands to respond with "I" at least 50 percent of the time which I think is great for his age. (Although he still refers to almost everyone as "she" even though he may be talking about a boy or man.) But he isn't getting the use of "not" as quickly. When we are getting ready to leave say the playground he says "I don't want to go playground." Maybe he means he doesn't want to "go from" or leave the playground.
Dylan has also starting audibly praying with us at the dinner table. He says "thank you God" and sometimes lists what he's eating. He also sings the "God our Father" song/prayer that he learned in Sunday School with us.
It's so fun seeing him learn a new word. He was riding on a toy with a friend and he yelled "toget-der."
And I think he is finally learning to say "Please" and "Thank you" without us asking him to say it first. Yeah!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I feel like I'm planning a wedding...
Moving is not for the unorganized, I tell you that. Thankfully work has been slow so I've been able to knock out some of my to do list there. Here's a taste of what's on my plate....getting quotes from movers (one actually said they'd have to come out to the house to give me an estimate), getting all the paperwork needed for our mortgage application (which requires me to remember way too many passwords at once since all the documentation they need is now electronic), shopping for the new place, and shopping for things needed to fix up our old place. As I said, it feels like wedding planning all over again. Some of it's fun but some is a pain. We close on June 26th and we are looking to move July 2nd or 3rd. I'm taking that week off from work. Prayers and help are appreciated! :)
504
In all the excitement, I miss celebrating my 500th post, so I will have to commemorate number 504. It's been 3 and a half years since starting my blog. Oh blog, the fun we have had.... I'm thankful that you have helped me keep in touch with so many friends. And you've helped me jot down all those cute, fun, and memorable kids that my kids do so that in the event I ever get around to doing their baby books, I will have most of what I need. :) Here's to you Sweet November and to another 500, er 504, posts!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Nursing: Nuisance or Necessity....or it is the answer more Nuanced?
(Aren't you proud of my catchy title?)
I've recently seen lots of chatter on the mommy blogs and such and I've had some personal conversations on this article from the April Atlantic Monthly. The author refutes the common belief that breastfeeding is sooo much better for your baby and claims that women who do not breastfeed are being oppressed. Since I consider myself to be a breast-feeding advocate, you might be surprised to know that I did agree, to a degree, with her general point. But I found myself wanting to discuss the topic more so I'm blogging about it.
We would all say that any mother wants the best for her baby, but we cannot possibly give, nor would we want to give, our child the absolute "best" in everything. It's physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally impossible. We have other children, a husband, a home, friends, jobs, other family that need our resources and attention too. Granted, giving our attention to these other things often benefits the baby as well but the point I'm trying to make is that there at least exists some things we have to do that prevent us from being the child's all in all and making his or her life perfect. At the risk of reducing motherhood to an economic exercise, I must say that mothers do a cost-benefit analysis for many things, including breastfeeding.
My thinking up until reading the article was that yes, there are definitely circumstances where a mother cannot breastfeed and I was fine with that. I would never judge someone (or even worse, say something to a woman on the street) simply because she wasn't breastfeeding because I didn't know her story. Maybe she couldn't for a good reason or maybe the cost-benefit analysis came up really heavy on the cost side. But I guess I thought and still continue to think to some degree, that the costs do have to be pretty heavy to not breastfeed. The article, convincingly, I think, states that the health benefits to breastfeeding are more marginal than we think. Thus, the benefits side of the cost benefit analysis is lower so I guess I'm coming around to thinking that the cost side wouldn't have to be as high to warrant someone to make the decision not to breastfeed. But it is hard to give up the thinking that (almost) every mother should breastfeed. I think the author is somewhat conflicted herself since she has continued to breastfeed even though she calls it stressful and alienating.
I also have feelings of personal accomplishment that my son and so far my daughter have never had to drink a drop of formula despite some common nursing obstacles. And I admire women who have stuck it out through more difficult circumstances than mine. So in a world where motherhood lacks many things that the society as a whole considers admirable, I guess I'm having a hard time saying these accomplishments are not so great after all. Sure, we can still say the fortitude was admirable, but if you work really hard for something that wasn't that worth-while, you are still seen as being a fool. Okay, so maybe that's going a little too far but I admit, I'm still having a hard time conceding that the nursing accomplishments are anything less than heroic, but I guess that's my own pride.
Speaking of which, here is my stockpile that I had built up before I went back to work. I had almost, but not quite, a gallon of milk frozen at the time and I think I still have about that much. I've been able to replace what I've used.
I've recently seen lots of chatter on the mommy blogs and such and I've had some personal conversations on this article from the April Atlantic Monthly. The author refutes the common belief that breastfeeding is sooo much better for your baby and claims that women who do not breastfeed are being oppressed. Since I consider myself to be a breast-feeding advocate, you might be surprised to know that I did agree, to a degree, with her general point. But I found myself wanting to discuss the topic more so I'm blogging about it.
We would all say that any mother wants the best for her baby, but we cannot possibly give, nor would we want to give, our child the absolute "best" in everything. It's physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally impossible. We have other children, a husband, a home, friends, jobs, other family that need our resources and attention too. Granted, giving our attention to these other things often benefits the baby as well but the point I'm trying to make is that there at least exists some things we have to do that prevent us from being the child's all in all and making his or her life perfect. At the risk of reducing motherhood to an economic exercise, I must say that mothers do a cost-benefit analysis for many things, including breastfeeding.
My thinking up until reading the article was that yes, there are definitely circumstances where a mother cannot breastfeed and I was fine with that. I would never judge someone (or even worse, say something to a woman on the street) simply because she wasn't breastfeeding because I didn't know her story. Maybe she couldn't for a good reason or maybe the cost-benefit analysis came up really heavy on the cost side. But I guess I thought and still continue to think to some degree, that the costs do have to be pretty heavy to not breastfeed. The article, convincingly, I think, states that the health benefits to breastfeeding are more marginal than we think. Thus, the benefits side of the cost benefit analysis is lower so I guess I'm coming around to thinking that the cost side wouldn't have to be as high to warrant someone to make the decision not to breastfeed. But it is hard to give up the thinking that (almost) every mother should breastfeed. I think the author is somewhat conflicted herself since she has continued to breastfeed even though she calls it stressful and alienating.
I also have feelings of personal accomplishment that my son and so far my daughter have never had to drink a drop of formula despite some common nursing obstacles. And I admire women who have stuck it out through more difficult circumstances than mine. So in a world where motherhood lacks many things that the society as a whole considers admirable, I guess I'm having a hard time saying these accomplishments are not so great after all. Sure, we can still say the fortitude was admirable, but if you work really hard for something that wasn't that worth-while, you are still seen as being a fool. Okay, so maybe that's going a little too far but I admit, I'm still having a hard time conceding that the nursing accomplishments are anything less than heroic, but I guess that's my own pride.
Speaking of which, here is my stockpile that I had built up before I went back to work. I had almost, but not quite, a gallon of milk frozen at the time and I think I still have about that much. I've been able to replace what I've used.
The author of the article mocked this type of showing off along with discussions about how much milk one could pump at a sitting. I think it's fun actually. The author mocked a lot of things like saying that a benefit of breastfeeding is better smelling poop. While these things didn't significantly move my decision toward breastfeeding, I do consider them added bonuses.
Where I more strongly diverge from her opinion is when she talks about how breastfeeding is a painstaking chore. In her experience and in the experiences of a lot of women that she spoke to, breastfeeding seemed much more like an obligation than what has been my experience and the experience of a lot of women I talk to. I think breastfeeding is actually EASIER and more convenient. That and the fact that it's cheaper are the main reasons that I breastfeed so I'm not moved so much by the article's agruments that the health benefits aren't as promenient as we are lead to believe. Even if it was shown that formula was marginally better for your baby, I would probably still breastfeed because of the convenience and cost.
The author takes issue with a few of these reasons so I'm going to take issue with her counter-arguments. She claims that breastfeed is not convenient because it causes a mother to basically be stuck at home or be banished out of the room so she can breastfeed. Although I must admit I did feel like I was stuck at home a few times when Dylan was little, it never got the point where I felt it was oppressive. And even if I had, Dylan grew out of that phase quickly and I also adapted so I could still go out and do things. Lots of times if I needed to be "banished" from a room, I would either enjoy the quiet time or take a female friend with me to talk while I'm nursing. I can see where another woman might have more issues with having to "leave the party" but I don't think that's the case for all women which was the argument the author was making. It may be an issue for some women but don't list it as a negative for breastfeeding in all cases. The author complained about breastfeeding advocates listing positives that didn't seem to apply to her so she should take her own advice and realize that a women's personality plays deeply into whether this aspect of breastfeeding is a positive or a negative. A more objective measure of convenience is the time it takes to prepare the milk versus formula. Breastfeeding clear wins there since you don't have to warm it up and you don't have to worry about forgetting to pack it (and all the stuff like bottles and water and cold packs) to take it along with you. That is a lot less hassle than finding a private place to nurse.
She also cites a fairness issue because the father can't feed and console the baby so most of the baby care is left to the women. This one really annoys me. You can't blame breastfeeding if men aren't fulfilling their responsibilities of parenthood! If the mother is overwhelmed with baby care and is feeling consternation toward her husband for not doing more then that's a problem that needs to be worked out but one that should be independent of the choice to breastfeed or not.
Then lastly, cost. The numbers depend on a lot of things and are probably exaggerated by some but I think a safe bet is about $1000-1200 for the first year. If the mother doesn't work, it's a pretty clear analysis. I would put up with quite a bit of "cost" to get the "benefit" of an extra $1200. With working moms, it's a lot more complicated. But the article's analysis is flawed. She takes into consideration ALL the time that one would spend breastfeeding and compares that to the concept of breastfeeding being "free." As if if the woman were formula feeding she would spend NO time feeding her child. Of course a woman's time is not worth "nothing" but a mother doesn't get paid for feeding her child whether she breastfeeds or formula feeds. A better analysis would be to compare the EXTRA time (other than actual feeding) that it takes to breastfeed a child verses formula feeding. When you're not working outside the home, there is no extra cost but there is with formula. When you are working and breastfeeding you have to take into consideration the time you are pumping when you would be working and earning money instead (which depends on your salary too). And it's not just the pumping but the cleaning the pump and freezing the milk and getting bottles ready,etc. But with formula feeding you have to consider the time it takes to measure the formula, get the bottles ready, and shop for the formula, etc. I actually just ran the numbers and with my salary and my reduced hours for breastfeeding (I only work 7 hours a day so I can still be in the office from 9-5 and have time to pump while I'm there) it's actually costing me more money to breastfeed. But, that's because I made the choice to work less. I imagine that most working breastfeeding moms still work the same number of hours so the sacrifice is time with their families instead of actual dollars (or they are claiming work hours when they are really pumping). If money were really the issue for us, I would probably work more and still breastfeed to save the money. Nonetheless, after writing this it seems like the cost is not so much an issue for me than I thought. But it would still irk me to pay money for something I can produce myself. And if I wasn't working it would save a lot of money.
So I guess that after reading the article and doing my analysis I'm not going to be as quick to judge a mom who choses not to breastfeed. I will still love breastfeeding and will still encourage it as much as the analysis warrants, meaning as so far as it makes sense for a particular woman given the costs and benefits that pertain to her in the analysis above (which don't worry Mom, probably includes most of your WIC clients). Even though I want it to be the best for every women I realize it is not. And I realize that it's not the best for a larger number of women than I previously thought. QED :)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Seven Things Monday
I know I'm going against the "Seven Things Fridays" by doing it on a Monday, but most of the events described below happened on Friday.
1. CVSing and couponing is great until you mess it up and forget to use your $5/30 coupon before your manufacturer's coupons and then forget to use your ECBs (the whole reason I was buying the things at CVS and not at my other stop on Friday - Target).
2. On Friday I bought fingerpaints at CVS thinking I would do this special project with Dylan that he would love. It was my attempt to do something more structured with him than just playing cars and talking. It was also my attempt to feel more like a SAHM on my SAH day. We went outside on the patio and I put newpaper down and then paper and squeezed out the paint on the paper and showed Dylan what do it and he rubbed his fingers in it for 3 seconds and then started whining - "wash hands, wash hands!" I think I get an "F" in knowing-your-child for that attempt. He just wanted to "play out-side" and dig with his shovel in the mulch. As long as it doesn't find a rabbit carcass like he did last week. (I think I'd take the rabbit over the duck though Catherine. :)
3. We did start to wean Dylan off the pacifier on Friday night. He woke up at 5am crying which never happens but he did go back to sleep until 6:30. The last two nights were better. He still gets the pacifier for naps for now.
4. We also moved Dylan out of the high chair and into a booster seat on a chair. I'm so glad we did. It's so much easier and the novelty of it has helped him stay put for now.
5. I had been procrastinating on #3 and #4 as well as potty training Dylan, moving him to big boy bed and moving Lydia into the crib, moving Lydia into her 3-6 month clothes, and a number of other things that I had just thought I would do when we moved. Since it doesn't look like we're going to move any time soon I'm going to just have to start moving on these things.
6. I also forgot to mention in Lydia's update that she sucks her thumb and doesn't really take a pacifier (unless you hold it in for her which kinda defeats the point.)
7. Pictures of #4 and #6 coming soon. I just downloaded 268 pictures from our camera from the last 6 weeks.
1. CVSing and couponing is great until you mess it up and forget to use your $5/30 coupon before your manufacturer's coupons and then forget to use your ECBs (the whole reason I was buying the things at CVS and not at my other stop on Friday - Target).
2. On Friday I bought fingerpaints at CVS thinking I would do this special project with Dylan that he would love. It was my attempt to do something more structured with him than just playing cars and talking. It was also my attempt to feel more like a SAHM on my SAH day. We went outside on the patio and I put newpaper down and then paper and squeezed out the paint on the paper and showed Dylan what do it and he rubbed his fingers in it for 3 seconds and then started whining - "wash hands, wash hands!" I think I get an "F" in knowing-your-child for that attempt. He just wanted to "play out-side" and dig with his shovel in the mulch. As long as it doesn't find a rabbit carcass like he did last week. (I think I'd take the rabbit over the duck though Catherine. :)
3. We did start to wean Dylan off the pacifier on Friday night. He woke up at 5am crying which never happens but he did go back to sleep until 6:30. The last two nights were better. He still gets the pacifier for naps for now.
4. We also moved Dylan out of the high chair and into a booster seat on a chair. I'm so glad we did. It's so much easier and the novelty of it has helped him stay put for now.
5. I had been procrastinating on #3 and #4 as well as potty training Dylan, moving him to big boy bed and moving Lydia into the crib, moving Lydia into her 3-6 month clothes, and a number of other things that I had just thought I would do when we moved. Since it doesn't look like we're going to move any time soon I'm going to just have to start moving on these things.
6. I also forgot to mention in Lydia's update that she sucks her thumb and doesn't really take a pacifier (unless you hold it in for her which kinda defeats the point.)
7. Pictures of #4 and #6 coming soon. I just downloaded 268 pictures from our camera from the last 6 weeks.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Lydia Update
Lydia had her 4 month appointment on Tuesday. She weighed 12 lbs. 9oz (25th percentile) and was 24 inches long/tall (40th percentile) although I think the length/height was a little overstated. The doctor said she had a very normal exam and that she is very "strong" and "social." He expects she will be ahead of the game on the motor development. Ah, the mixed blessing of another early crawler/walker.
Lydia still generally sleeps through the night. During last two weeks there have been a number of nights where she's gotten up once and I think it's due to her either being too hot a few nights, being too cold others, not being swaddled (she's getting a little to big and strong for that), or just being hungry because she was off schedule and didn't eat enough the day before. I'm still saying that she sleeps through the night though. I'm still nursing her when she wakes up, but I may stop that if I know it's not hunger. Or not, who knows. Whatever I feel like or whatever is easiest. [That's an attitude that definitely a non-first child thing but only because I have a better idea now of the things that make a difference in the long run and the things that don't. With Dylan I was constantly concerned about the long-term consequences of every little thing I was doing with him. Oh he's never learn this if I don't do that now...etc. I still believe some training or weaning does go easier the earlier you start but it's not as critical as I thought. However, one thing we did totally miss the window on though was the pacifier for Dylan. He still wants a pacifier for sleep. I wish I would have nipped that on in the bud earlier but at the time we were just trying to keep him in his crib. Hmm, maybe we'll try to tackle that one now.]
Lydia is still eating great and has expressed an interest in the food we eat. I still want to wait until 6 months before starting cereal. This is again a "whatever I feel like" attitude because I don't think it matters that much in the long run. Solids are more of a hassle for me and that is my main motivation for putting them off knowing that it's not going to hurt her to wait until 6 months to start. [I wonder if my 30-year old self would have had issues with these statements from my 32-year old self. "Shouldn't you do what's best for the baby and not care at all about yourself, you selfish self?!" She probably would have but at the risk of sounding more schizophrenic I'm going to stop thinking about this.]
I keep saying that Lydia is the happiest and easiest baby ever. She really is. And she is social like the doctor commented. She looks at people at lot and smiles when they look back. She loves attention from anyone, especially her big brother. It's amazing how you see that already. She follows him around and smiles even when he's trying to grab her head or poke her in the eye as he sometimes does when he's trying to give her kisses.
Let's see other things about Lydia - she has really clammy hands and feet, she has lost a lot of hair, she likes being propped up into a sitting position, she does great in the nursery at church and at Bushra's, she likes getting baths, and she still spits up a lot but it doesn't bother her.
Lydia still generally sleeps through the night. During last two weeks there have been a number of nights where she's gotten up once and I think it's due to her either being too hot a few nights, being too cold others, not being swaddled (she's getting a little to big and strong for that), or just being hungry because she was off schedule and didn't eat enough the day before. I'm still saying that she sleeps through the night though. I'm still nursing her when she wakes up, but I may stop that if I know it's not hunger. Or not, who knows. Whatever I feel like or whatever is easiest. [That's an attitude that definitely a non-first child thing but only because I have a better idea now of the things that make a difference in the long run and the things that don't. With Dylan I was constantly concerned about the long-term consequences of every little thing I was doing with him. Oh he's never learn this if I don't do that now...etc. I still believe some training or weaning does go easier the earlier you start but it's not as critical as I thought. However, one thing we did totally miss the window on though was the pacifier for Dylan. He still wants a pacifier for sleep. I wish I would have nipped that on in the bud earlier but at the time we were just trying to keep him in his crib. Hmm, maybe we'll try to tackle that one now.]
Lydia is still eating great and has expressed an interest in the food we eat. I still want to wait until 6 months before starting cereal. This is again a "whatever I feel like" attitude because I don't think it matters that much in the long run. Solids are more of a hassle for me and that is my main motivation for putting them off knowing that it's not going to hurt her to wait until 6 months to start. [I wonder if my 30-year old self would have had issues with these statements from my 32-year old self. "Shouldn't you do what's best for the baby and not care at all about yourself, you selfish self?!" She probably would have but at the risk of sounding more schizophrenic I'm going to stop thinking about this.]
I keep saying that Lydia is the happiest and easiest baby ever. She really is. And she is social like the doctor commented. She looks at people at lot and smiles when they look back. She loves attention from anyone, especially her big brother. It's amazing how you see that already. She follows him around and smiles even when he's trying to grab her head or poke her in the eye as he sometimes does when he's trying to give her kisses.
Let's see other things about Lydia - she has really clammy hands and feet, she has lost a lot of hair, she likes being propped up into a sitting position, she does great in the nursery at church and at Bushra's, she likes getting baths, and she still spits up a lot but it doesn't bother her.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Dylan Update
Language and memory are the cool developments that we see with Dylan at this age. He is starting to say some full sentences ("this is ee-da's car seat") but mostly still 2-3 word strings that aren't sentences. Although I've noticed lately that he can string more syllables together if he sings them. For instance, we often sing this song he learned in music class that goes "see the pony galloping galloping down the country lane." Dylan sings "all-ping all-ping countree ane." That is really cool. Oh, and I think he got the "This is..." from this toy we have where you put a piece that has a letter and a food into the toy refrigerator and the refrigerator says very articulately "This is, a, red, ap-ple."
We decided to let Dylan have a movie night on Saturday. We let him watch Toy Story for the first time. He was really into it and we could tell he was feeling the suspense. We was all nervous when Woody and Buzz were trying to make it home and then gave a sigh of relief when they landed in the mini-van at the end.
But Cars remains his favorite movie. Yesterday he said to us "mater, mailbox, tractors." And we were like huh? Then we realized that there is a line in the Cars movie where Mater says (very frantically) to McQueen "hey if anyone asksyou, we was out smashin' mailboxes, k? and then all the tractors come and are running through the streets. My child is reciting lines from movies. You would think he watched the movie every day or something. So then Dylan starts talking about tractor tippin' and so I asked him if he wanted to pretend to be a tractor and tip over. Without skipping a beat, he fell straight backwards onto the floor without bending. (Have I mentioned he's also a nut?)
Now that I think about it, he's also developing a lot in the way of motor skills lately too. He is an expert on climbing almost all playground equipment and is also starting to climb trees too. And he is learning how to dance pretty well. I'd even say he's a better dancer than Daddy, but not Mommy, yet anyways. He still can't give a thumbs up which we think is hilarious (I guess we thought kids could do that by this age.)
Dylan has a very expensive boo-boo on his left arm. For weeks I thought it was a bug bite (this was last summer) and then it never went away. At his two year appointment we got some cream from the doctor but after two more months it was still there and then there were more. We've seen a dermatologist 3 times now. The other marks went away but the one that has been there since last year is still there. Tonight is the last treatment and if it doesn't go away after this the dermatologist is recommending having it biopsied and removed by a plastic surgeon (and the one she recommended also does cosmetic surgery - could you see it...sitting in the waiting room next to my son would be a lady waiting to get a... [nancy, stop reading aloud to your girls] boob job!). So far in medicines and co-pays this mark has cost us about $300. I think I'm going to get a second opinion before going the surgery route as it doesn't look like this last treatment is going to work. The doctor said it would leave a scar (which he will probably think is cool later) but I guess I'd be more concerned about him going under. On adults they wouldn't put you under for this kinda thing and they would do it in the office but because he's so young it would have to be surgery. For now i think we'll just keep buying the cool Go Diego band-aids to put Vaseline it on and hope he doesn't scratch it.
Lydia goes to the doctors tomorrow so stay tuned for her update later this week.
We decided to let Dylan have a movie night on Saturday. We let him watch Toy Story for the first time. He was really into it and we could tell he was feeling the suspense. We was all nervous when Woody and Buzz were trying to make it home and then gave a sigh of relief when they landed in the mini-van at the end.
But Cars remains his favorite movie. Yesterday he said to us "mater, mailbox, tractors." And we were like huh? Then we realized that there is a line in the Cars movie where Mater says (very frantically) to McQueen "hey if anyone asksyou, we was out smashin' mailboxes, k? and then all the tractors come and are running through the streets. My child is reciting lines from movies. You would think he watched the movie every day or something. So then Dylan starts talking about tractor tippin' and so I asked him if he wanted to pretend to be a tractor and tip over. Without skipping a beat, he fell straight backwards onto the floor without bending. (Have I mentioned he's also a nut?)
Now that I think about it, he's also developing a lot in the way of motor skills lately too. He is an expert on climbing almost all playground equipment and is also starting to climb trees too. And he is learning how to dance pretty well. I'd even say he's a better dancer than Daddy, but not Mommy, yet anyways. He still can't give a thumbs up which we think is hilarious (I guess we thought kids could do that by this age.)
Dylan has a very expensive boo-boo on his left arm. For weeks I thought it was a bug bite (this was last summer) and then it never went away. At his two year appointment we got some cream from the doctor but after two more months it was still there and then there were more. We've seen a dermatologist 3 times now. The other marks went away but the one that has been there since last year is still there. Tonight is the last treatment and if it doesn't go away after this the dermatologist is recommending having it biopsied and removed by a plastic surgeon (and the one she recommended also does cosmetic surgery - could you see it...sitting in the waiting room next to my son would be a lady waiting to get a... [nancy, stop reading aloud to your girls] boob job!). So far in medicines and co-pays this mark has cost us about $300. I think I'm going to get a second opinion before going the surgery route as it doesn't look like this last treatment is going to work. The doctor said it would leave a scar (which he will probably think is cool later) but I guess I'd be more concerned about him going under. On adults they wouldn't put you under for this kinda thing and they would do it in the office but because he's so young it would have to be surgery. For now i think we'll just keep buying the cool Go Diego band-aids to put Vaseline it on and hope he doesn't scratch it.
Lydia goes to the doctors tomorrow so stay tuned for her update later this week.
This is your wake up call!
On Friday morning after getting up with Lydia around 4:30am and going back to sleep, I was awakened at 5:30am by the voice of Steve Carell/Michael Scott calling me from my living room..."This is your wake up call...Pam, get up." Imagine my confusion. At first I think someone has entered the house. Second, with rationality slowly coming back to me as I wake, I think oh it must be one of Dylan's toys. But then I realize it's Michael Scott. This is funny to me even before I figured out that we had left the computer on the night before after watching the Office episode from the previous week (we are a week behind since we watch it online). Apparently the website refreshed at 5:30am and started playing the episode again. I couldn't believe the irony though of that episode starting with that line and here it was in fact my wakeup call.
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