Badawadowatsits

DD likes to make up words right now. This is the name she gave to my tummy, badawadowatsits. I have no idea...

Dear Santa -

Letter to Santa from DD:

Dear Santa -

My name is [DD]. I have been a very good girl this year. I would like you to bring me a rollercoaster, a bratz curly straw, a princess cury straw, some ponies [MLP], Toola-Roola. My sister [AB] has been good too. She would like a pony, an apple-blueberry pie. I would also like Fluttershy, some pony pajamas, and a pony shirt, a pony bicycle and a Dora bicycle. That's all I want for Christmas.

Love,
[DD]

Compliments

I got two compliments yesterday. One from my mom and one from Z guy. My mom and I were talking about children and whether or not they turn out like you think they will. As adults, will they be as artistic, loving, gentle, shy etc as they were as children. She mentioned that I turned out to be a better mother than she expected. That really made me smile. Although I should have said it at the time, I'm sure that my take on motherhood is a reflection of her.

Z guy commented during dinner that I am really in my element right now. It was dinner time and DD and AB don't always eat so well so sometimes we play games to help get the food down. I was making funny noises and faces (whatever works). Z guy thinks that I haven't matured much past the two year old stage. I decided to take that as a compliment.

Latch On, Latch Off

Because she's been sick, AB has not been so interested in eating anything, just nursing - a lot. It's good for her so I don't mind at all. Mostly I think she wants the comfort of nursing. I don't remember this so much with DD but AB seems very possesive of her boobies. She likes to pat me and snap the elastic on my bra while she's nursing. I think she does this to keep herself and me awake.
When I hold her, if she can, she will reach in my shirt and grab a hold of one - Like, it's mine, stand back! And sometimes when she is nursing she gently caresses the boob she's attached to. Sometimes she'll also pinch it.

Speaking of pinching, we are working our pincher grip. AB loves to pick up broken cheerios.

We are finally transitioning AB out of the family bed and into the crib. It is an awkward and sad time (for me). She is just getting over being sick and she's only 8 months old. We did not move DD into her crib until she was 9 mo. old. I know, one month, big deal -well, it is to me.

Dinner Conversation

An excerpt from our dinner conversation:

Mama: DD, see how mama mixes her peas with her casserole? Yummy! Some people eat their food separately and some people mix them up.

DD: I want mine separate.

Mama: Well, that's good too. Uncle J keeps all his food separately on his plate.

DD: Yeah. He likes the green ones (peas).

Mama: Yes, he does like the green ones. He likes all green vegetables.

DD: But not E. She does not like green ones.

Where did she come up with this stuff?

Okay, I buy it

Haymaker

You are one of life’s enjoyers, determined to get the most you can out of your brief spell on Earth. Probably what first attracted you to atheism was the prospect of liberation from the Ten Commandments, few of which are compatible with a life of pleasure. You play hard and work quite hard, have a strong sense of loyalty and a relaxed but consistent approach to your philosophy.


You can’t see the point of abstract principles and probably wouldn’t lay down your life for a concept though you might for a friend. Something of a champagne humanist, you admire George Bernard Shaw for his cheerful agnosticism and pursuit of sensual rewards and your Hollywood hero is Marlon Brando, who was beautiful, irascible and aimed for goodness in his own tortured way.


Sometimes you might be tempted to allow your own pleasures to take precedence over your ethics. But everyone is striving for that elusive balance between the good and the happy life. You’d probably open another bottle and say there’s no contest.

What kind of humanist are you? Click here to find out.

As seen from Overread.

O Spotted One

We have a dalmation that will be 11 years old this coming March. Two years ago, we noticed that she was dragging her rear feet on the knuckles. It wasn't too bad then so we didn't do anything about it. When her annual exam came up in February she was getting worse, so we mentioned it to the doctor who checked her feet. He placed her rear feet on the knuckles then watched to see if she noticed. The normal response by a dog is to pick their feet back up and place them pad side down. Our RaRa only did this after a few seconds with the left foot. The vet said she probably had a problem disc, either a collapsed or compressed disc, and would need surgery. Surgery is very expensive and he could not guarentee that the problem would be resolved. Apparently, nerve damage only gets worse over time and we had waited a while before reporting the problem. So we chose not to have the surgery but have been giving her prednisone, a steroid, which is supposed to ease the pressure on her disc.

Pressure on the disc is what is preventing her from being able to pick up her feet. These days, she is quite a bit worse. We have continued to give her the prednisone but that is causing iatrogenic cushings disease. She's loosing hair and loosing weight. Sometimes she sits there just shivering. She does not seem in any pain, only in embarrasment when she can't get up or when she looses control of her bowels which she does much more frequently lately. She does try to get to the door but by the time she realizes she is is having an accident it is already too late.

Overall she is still in good spirits, still eating everything in sight. I know that we will come to a point this year when we will have to put her down. I am angry that I have to make that decision. If I could see that she was in any pain, it would not be a problem. But she is mostly happy. I'm just saddened and frustrated. I love her so. She was my first child, so to speak. I've had many pets but she is by far the oldest that I have had. My mom had to deal with our family pets when my brothers and I left home. We had two dogs that lived quite a long time, and both of which had to be put down.

Maybe it's the time of the year but this is just bumming me out. Done with post.

Movie Review -The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Well, Z man and I went to see movie last night, alone - woo hoo. We saw the The Chronicles of Narnia. It was a good movie. We both felt the casting was good and that the cg was only okay most of the time. I would recommned it.

It was funny how most of it was very good but there were still points that needed polish. I guess that always happens. Z man also pointed out how much of the book was missing - another tragedy that happens to most books that get turned into movies. I had forgotten much of the book so I enjoyed the story as presented.

I didn't think the witch was very evil. She seemed absent somehow, apathetic almost. Can you be apathetically evil?

oops, kiddies are waking... must go, will post more later.

On Comet!

You Are Comet

A total daredevil, you're the reindeer with an edge! Why You're Naughty: You almost gave Santa a heart attack when you took him sky diving Why You're Nice: You always make sure the sleigh is going warp speed

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Yep, that might have been me

I am so happy that this cold is almost gone. My throat is only sore in the morning but not so sore that I cannot sing. Yeah! I love to sing songs on the way to work. So if you see a crazy person driving next to you singing their heart out, it might be me. Right now I have three playlists that I run between:

• Christmas music (but I get that all day long at work too)
• Folk music (indigo girls, nanci griffith, great big sea - i know, a mixed up mix)
• Classic rock (should be pot rock but right now it has Styx, Steve Miller Band & Heart)

I need to install more music on my ipod.

Daddy Needs a Binky

AB just gave daddy her binky. Stuck it right in his mouth. He claims that she can tell how unsatisfied he is in other areas of his life. I think she sees him drool while watching the boob tube. The world may never know.

Christmas with Family

Nine years ago my husband and I moved from the area we'd grown up in to a great place, but very far from all our friends and family. We've made a few new friends but when we talk about home, it has most often been referring to where we grew up - the buckle in the Bible belt. I miss the cold a little bit. We would occasionally have snow at Christmas when we went home - not so where we live now (although once it snowed for about 10 minutes in a spot very near where we live and it always snows 2 hours from hear - who cares...) .

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. I have soooo many fond memories of family times, music, singing songs, decorated trees, eating and of course finding the gifts that Santa had brought. The time with family made it all the more precious. We used to open a few packages at my Grandma and Grandpa's on Christmas Eve then we would go over to our MamaTeen and Poli's (my dad's parents). Christmas Eve is her birthday, so we would have a small birthday celebration then tear into the Christmas packages. We would anxiously watch for Santa on the Doppler radar on TV (I think they still do this). My Grandma and Grandpa would come over to our house early on Christmas morning to watch us open MORE presents. Boy, do I have some of the best memories of waking up early to see a tree surrounded by packages. I can specifically remember how it was lit in the dark and how the lights cast a strange multi-color glow on everything. We did not have much in general, but we were spoiled rotten on Christmas by everyone.

I've only been away from 'home' and family at Christmas two other times in my life. This year will be the third time and I am somewhat apprehensive. The first time I was away, I went to Venezuela with my then boyfriend. I had a lot of fun (I mean, hey, it was the most beautiful beach and great people) and I didn't miss home so much.

The second time was in 2002. I was very pregnant with my first child and had been advised not to travel. My dad was diagnosed with metastasized cancer a few weeks before Christmas but no one told me until after Christmas. It was a nice gesture, but that year will always be tainted. He died in March of 2003 and I miss him immensely. He was a huge part of my Christmas. In the past years, he and I would make a special trek together to the mall to find presents for everyone soon after I'd arrived back home. He always took lots of pictures - those are all the more special now. He loved Christmas as much as I do; maybe I he influenced me.

I will not miss the standard holiday rush we have been used to the past several years: scrambling to get home (which involves getting on plane and flying for 4+ hours - only good if you're going to HI), shipping packages, get them wrapped, seeing and spending quality time with everyone. But, I will be a sad all the same. Christmas isn't Christmas without family. I don't know when we'll be going back. Two small children and travel costs are keeping us home for now. Perhaps I should be satisfied with the start of new family traditions and memories.

Highschool

Well, I don't think I really was the arty kid but I did think the whole world was against me. Maybe that's why this quiz said I was the arty kid.

Arty Kid

Whether you were a drama freak or an emo poet, you definitely were expressive and unique. You're probably a little less weird these days - but even more talented!

Who Were You In High School?

He Thinks!

Mr Z and I have been encouraging verbal communication from DD by asking questions like, "What do you think?" The other night, DD asked if she could watch Stitch the Movie (again). I responded by telling her to ask daddy what he thinks. He said, "I think that would be okay." She squealed with delight, "Mommy, he Thinks, he Thinks!"

The Cows of People

Z man pointed out that nursing mothers are the cows of people; did he mean to infer that I am a cow?

I was so very excited the other day to pump (at work) almost 9 ounces for dear Angel Baby. Since I have been sick, production has gone down. So, I was elated to see it go back up. I should have knocked on wood. I am now back to making about 6 ounces during the day. Serious bummer. AB doesn't seem to mind the formula too much. I'm pretty sure that the supply had started to dwindle at about this same age for her older sister and she has turned out fine. Still, I'm bummed. There is a coworker of mine who was able to nurse her daughter until she was 2, at which point she quit. She still has substantial production though she has not been actively encouraging it for more than 6 months. I'm jealous. Some people have all the luck.

Moo moo

Mistress of Hack / Master of Phlegm

Our family has been sick in various forms since the week before Thanksgiving. I was the first to fall ill and am still suffering somewhat; the upper head cold that will not leave. DD has had the runniest nose I've ever seen but as I mentioned before, she has learned to take care of that on her own. Hubby however, has suffered the most with moderate fever off and on for several days over the past week. I hope that we are all well soon, appetites returned in time for the holidays. It's no good to be sick when there are sweets to be eaten and new toys to play with.

I still get the tickly hacking cough that has made my coworkers run from several directions to see if I'm okay. They must like me if they worry so.

Whether I Like it or Not

Yankin me out of this nice warm cot
Sittin me down on this cold cold pot
Makin me pee whether I want to or not
(told to me by my mother)

DD knows this little poem by heart. We've been working on potty training since August. She's been very good with #1, having very few accidents. Apparently she was ready to use the potty much earlier than we realized. With #2, however, she has been more difficult. She would run and hide when it was time to do her business then pop out of hiding and tell us that the deed was done and she needed clean underwear. She did this at her day school as well. We were all more than aggravated with this behavior. So we all began watching her like a hawk upon which she began to hold it - for days and days. We promised gifts to good little girls (hence now when she does her business on the pot she says, "Yeah, I get a pony (my little pony) - yeah, she still says it every time, although we've stopped giving pony gifts for every toilet offering).

Well, here we are now in December and she's adjusting with the #2 business. She only poops at home now but she does it in the potty - TG. But now she's figured out how to hold #1 too so she only goes maybe twice a day at best. "I promise not to get my pony underwear dirty Mommy", she says and I have to let her go after 10 minutes of sitting there (I have other things to do...).

Finally, to the point of this post...the other night it was time for a potty break before bed. She was having a melt-down, crying and kicking her way to the bathroom, promising not to make a mess - "yes, dear, I know you won't make a mess but we must try to go to the potty before bed - it is part of our bedtime ritual". So she's sitting on the pot, mad as a hornet, grumbling. Z man and I are busy getting AB ready for bed and doing other things but we are listening for her to do her thing. All of a sudden, we hear the trickle, trickle, trickle and her saying, "GRRRR, no, no, NO! I didn't want it to come out!" Ah yes, she did have to go. Z man and I are near tears trying not to laugh. We make no comments, no congratulations to DD (for that will only fan the flame). Z man waits a few more minutes to let her have a breather and get herself under control before going to the bathroom to wipe things up.

Sigh, she is soo my daughter - this does not bode well for adolescence.

Medicine Meltdown / Let Her Cry

DD has been having strange meltdowns lately. She has been sick for almost two weeks as well so that may be what is pushing her over the edge. The other day she needed to take some medicine which she doesn't like. Z man and I both decided to tackle this one because she started to fuss. Z man promised juice to help wash it down but she wouldn't have it.
She started to whimper and cover her mouth. Tears welled in the eyes. Z man started to back down and said he wouldn't make her take it but I felt that it was more important that we get her to take it because we know better and sometimes she was going to have to do something she didn't want to because we said so. I was trying to work with Z man, to be firm and not aggressively disagree, to show the all important 'united front'. He felt that due to her behavior at that moment, that she would just spit out the medicine, which he said in front of her. I pushed and so I held her hands away from her mouth and he poured the medicine in her mouth. She did spit it out, forcefully, all over his shirt and hers. This made me very angry because earlier today I had given her the medicine and she hadn't made such a fit over it. She picks up on everything and I felt certain that she had heard her father say that she would spit it out, and so she did. I picked her up and moved her rapidly to the bathroom tub, where she spit up more of the medicine. I looked her right in the eyes and told her how disappointed I was in her behavior, that I knew she was a big girl and didn't have to act out this way. I told her that sometimes she was going to have to do things that she didn't want to do and that mommy and daddy know best. I was angry but I don't think I flipped out on her. I was just firm. I asked her if she understood what I was telling her. I knew I had her attention when she said that next time she'd just say, "Ewww" (which is what she says when she doesn't like the taste of something). Then Z man got another dose of medicine and some juice to wash it down and voila everything was fine. She did have to have a bath because the spit up and gotten in her hair. But she had stopped crying and no longer seemed upset one way or the other.

She has told me recently, when I have asked her to calm down, that she needs her tears so I have tried harder to respect her need to get upset. As long as it is not annoying anyone around us, I let her cry it out a bit

AB Milestones

AB is waving to her sister and daddy and trying to say da da. It is so cute to watch her try things and then see the sheer pleasure in her eyes when she succeeds, and when she sees that we understand what she is trying to communicate. She also LOVES the tv remote and the phone. She doesn't want pretend ones. She wants the real ones, the ones that mommy and daddy use.

AB is also making me a liar. Since she began eating solids, fruits have not been her favorite. In fact, she usually declines to eat any further once fruit, any fruit is being served. So I mentioned this to her daycare provider who hadn't noticed this. And guess what! Now she likes the fruits - no problem with them whatsovever. Granted we did give her cranberry chutney over the thanksgiving holiday. That could have made her rethink her take on apples and blueberries. We did get excellent faces from the tart cranberry though. But she's also given me a very similar face for avocado which seems mild in comparison to me.

She is also starting to sleep longer by herself. Once again, I was whining to someone about how she has yet to really sleep very long on her own. Ususally she rolls over, wakes up and realizes that she is alone and the crying begins. She is a much fussier baby than her older sister was. DD never gave me this much trouble that I remember. It could be that she as the older and only child at the time never needed to resort to crying and fussing so. In any event, AB is now, for the last two days, sleeping 3+ hours by herself, on her own. Yippeee ! (but also sad, because this means that she is growing up and away from me).

Movie Review - War of the Worlds, Sahara & Pooh's Heffalump Movie

This really isn't worth the post - All of the movies were letdowns from our perspective. I'm so glad we waited to rent them. Z man claimed War of the Worlds was like sex without the orgasm. All this energy went into it and then no climax. I just have a hard time buying anything that Tom Cruise does these days. He is just not a believable actor IMHO.
Sahara was fun to watch (I mean, who can't enjoy a little Matthew McConaughey eye candy) but the story seemed slow at times. Z man was able to predict certain events in this one, as he often does in mass market movies.
Pooh's Heffalump Movie - this one only gets a poor rating only because it couldn' t keep DD interested. It was cute though and the songs were memorable. Her favorite movies right now are The Goofy Movie, Stitch the Movie and MLP A Very Minty Christmas.

The Nose Knows

Yesterday I took AB to the doctor just to make sure she was okay and didn't have the croup or anything. She is fine - just a cold. DD went with me and she was very well behaved. She is still sick and has a VERY runny nose. Without me saying anything (because i was busy holding AB for the doctor) she found a kleenex, blew her own nose, wiped up residue and threw it away. At times she shocks me because she can be so mature. Of course today, she has been having multiple meltdowns everytime she doesn't get her way. They don't last long but she has the fakish cry with real tears and it is just plain annoying.