It's been three months since a post, sounds about right for me! I do have a good excuse since Brother of HMB was born on October 25!
On to some long awaited Conversations with HMB:
Jake: Cody what game do you want to play on the iPad?
Me: He wants to play the "drink the booby milk" game.
Jake: I don't think I have that app.
At the zoo -
Random Mom to her kid: Is that a chimp?
Kid: No, it's a monkey.
Jake (butting in): NO, it's an orangutan!!
(It was, indeed, an orangutan).
Chris: Have a good day Jake, I have to go to work and bring home the bacon.
Jake: No, we have bacon at Grandma's!
And last but not least, while checking out his little brother while I was feeding him -
Jake: Look at his little feet! Look at his little hands! Look at his little nose! Look at your big booby!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Crocs, boats, and Beibers
Conversations with Jake:
On the way to the store while in PA, we pass a river.
Me: A river!! What's in the river? (nothing is actually in the river).
Jake: a crocodile! And a boat!
Later in the day we are at a department store that happens to have a life sized cut out of Justin Beiber.
Me: A giant Beiber!
Jake (excitedly): A giant beaver!
On the way to the store while in PA, we pass a river.
Me: A river!! What's in the river? (nothing is actually in the river).
Jake: a crocodile! And a boat!
Later in the day we are at a department store that happens to have a life sized cut out of Justin Beiber.
Me: A giant Beiber!
Jake (excitedly): A giant beaver!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Conversations with HMB
HMB is no longer a baby. He is 2 and a half, moving swiftly from toddler to little boy. He is not just LIKE a real person, he actually IS a real person. It's crazy and hilarious and awesome! My husband, Chris, has been posting some "Conversations with Jake (aka HMB)" on FaceBook and we thought it might be a good idea to start to chronicle some of his funnier moments on a blog.
As my due date with HMB's brother fast approaches, I know my spare time will be even more limited. But a "Conversations with Jake" blog seems more manageable. When he says something funny, I write it down and post! Easy as PIE! I figure I will likely throw in some anecdotes and pictures occasionally. Let's see how this goes....
To start it off:
(Jake sitting on kitchen counter): "Mommy, can I wash dishes?" Me: "Sure". Jake: "Mommy can I have the SpongeBob?" Me: "The WHAT?" Jake points to the sponge: "The SpongeBob!"
As my due date with HMB's brother fast approaches, I know my spare time will be even more limited. But a "Conversations with Jake" blog seems more manageable. When he says something funny, I write it down and post! Easy as PIE! I figure I will likely throw in some anecdotes and pictures occasionally. Let's see how this goes....
To start it off:
(Jake sitting on kitchen counter): "Mommy, can I wash dishes?" Me: "Sure". Jake: "Mommy can I have the SpongeBob?" Me: "The WHAT?" Jake points to the sponge: "The SpongeBob!"
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
I am a FRAUD!
So now, after HOW long without a post, I am just supposed to pick up where I left off? Really? What do I even blog about now? Damn good question! If I knew the answer to that, I would probably blog more!
The fact is, we all know I am a terrible blogger. This blog really had NO direction, basically the ramblings of a mom with a slightly high maintenance baby, now a 2 year old, who had (has) sleep issues and mommy issues but is pretty amazing all the same.
What I will do is leave with some recent funny quotes from HMB:
Grandma Mary: Mommy will be right back.
HMB: But I need her, I really NEED her.
After giving HMB (aka picky eater) a bowl of macaroni and cheese -
HMB: Mac and cheese, I LOVE IT! Thank you!
Boy in Airport pointing to HMB: A baby!
HMB running up to said boy: I am NOT a baby, I am a big boy!
Me: What do you want to name your little brother?
HMB: Tyler! (Where the hell did he get this??)
OK, I realize that written down, the quotes are not nearly as funny as HEARING HMB say them. But since I cannot possily record all the different things he says, this will just have to do for now.
That's a post, as good as it's gets with this blog, I'm afraid. Oh, and for any of my lovely "readers" who do not know, I am, indeed, having another little boy, due at the end of October. But he most likely will NOT be named Tyler, sorry HMB!
The fact is, we all know I am a terrible blogger. This blog really had NO direction, basically the ramblings of a mom with a slightly high maintenance baby, now a 2 year old, who had (has) sleep issues and mommy issues but is pretty amazing all the same.
What I will do is leave with some recent funny quotes from HMB:
Grandma Mary: Mommy will be right back.
HMB: But I need her, I really NEED her.
After giving HMB (aka picky eater) a bowl of macaroni and cheese -
HMB: Mac and cheese, I LOVE IT! Thank you!
Boy in Airport pointing to HMB: A baby!
HMB running up to said boy: I am NOT a baby, I am a big boy!
Me: What do you want to name your little brother?
HMB: Tyler! (Where the hell did he get this??)
OK, I realize that written down, the quotes are not nearly as funny as HEARING HMB say them. But since I cannot possily record all the different things he says, this will just have to do for now.
That's a post, as good as it's gets with this blog, I'm afraid. Oh, and for any of my lovely "readers" who do not know, I am, indeed, having another little boy, due at the end of October. But he most likely will NOT be named Tyler, sorry HMB!
Friday, February 11, 2011
"Sibling" Rivalry
No, this is not a post where I tell you all that HMB will be a big brother! He already IS a pseudo big brother to our little friend Lily. I have been watching Lily, who is just over 6 months old, every Thursday while her mom does some training. And it has definitely been a learning experience for us all!
HMB loves Lily, from the way he says her name to the way he runs to the door when he knows she is coming over. But...he is quite jealous of her, too. I am certainly not surprised since it's been me and HMB for the past two years. He goes from doting older "brother" to bully in two seconds flat! Every toy Lily plays with is ripped out of her hands (unless I quickly intervene), even when said toy IS actually Lily's toy. I even put HMB in his first ever time out for throwing Lily's giraffe at her (it missed Lily, thankfully, and even if it had hit her, it's very soft).
This experience has prepared me for when an actual sibling for HMB does arrive, how to prepare HMB for it, as well as the need to read up on sibling interactions and how to help us all! The times when HMB loves on Lily make it all worth it, he says "Gentle" and pats her foot or arm. And he puckers up for smooches when she has to leave.
One last thing to mention - HMB does not call Lily his sister, instead she is his girlfriend! Of course she is, HMB has a couple of those already! Although I am convinced HMB will be the sensitive, caring best friend and his crushes will go for the bad boys, running back to HMB with their broken hearts...Nice that I have already made my son's future love life into an after school special!
HMB loves Lily, from the way he says her name to the way he runs to the door when he knows she is coming over. But...he is quite jealous of her, too. I am certainly not surprised since it's been me and HMB for the past two years. He goes from doting older "brother" to bully in two seconds flat! Every toy Lily plays with is ripped out of her hands (unless I quickly intervene), even when said toy IS actually Lily's toy. I even put HMB in his first ever time out for throwing Lily's giraffe at her (it missed Lily, thankfully, and even if it had hit her, it's very soft).
This experience has prepared me for when an actual sibling for HMB does arrive, how to prepare HMB for it, as well as the need to read up on sibling interactions and how to help us all! The times when HMB loves on Lily make it all worth it, he says "Gentle" and pats her foot or arm. And he puckers up for smooches when she has to leave.
One last thing to mention - HMB does not call Lily his sister, instead she is his girlfriend! Of course she is, HMB has a couple of those already! Although I am convinced HMB will be the sensitive, caring best friend and his crushes will go for the bad boys, running back to HMB with their broken hearts...Nice that I have already made my son's future love life into an after school special!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Party at 11pm?
A sleep post, surprising! Actually, since HMB got his very own queen sized bed, he has been sleeping better. He still wakes up at night, at least once a night. Sometimes he wants milk, and how can I deny his little cries of "Milk, mommy, milk, mommy", as well as a "Tank too, Mommy" when the milk is delivered??
But last night, a strange thing happened. HMB went to bed after reading books and singing songs, at about 8pm. Of course, as soon as I snuggle in and try to fall asleep at about 11:30pm, HMB cries out and I go in and check on him. "Hi Mommy" he says and pokes my face. He does not fall back asleep. After an hour of laying with him, trying to get him back to sleep, we get up. It's like it's the middle of the afternoon, HMB is playing with toys, wants to read all his books, watch Diego.
Please, please go to sleep! I am TIRED! It's 2am! We finally head back into his room and he FINALLY falls asleep, thank you! Which leads into a very cute thing about HMB - he tosses and turns in his new, big bed and usually ends up belly down with his arms under the pillow (and his head on it). It's pretty damn adorable. In fact, my husband just checked on him, told me all of this and exclaimed "He's like a little person!" Yes, yes he is!
But last night, a strange thing happened. HMB went to bed after reading books and singing songs, at about 8pm. Of course, as soon as I snuggle in and try to fall asleep at about 11:30pm, HMB cries out and I go in and check on him. "Hi Mommy" he says and pokes my face. He does not fall back asleep. After an hour of laying with him, trying to get him back to sleep, we get up. It's like it's the middle of the afternoon, HMB is playing with toys, wants to read all his books, watch Diego.
Please, please go to sleep! I am TIRED! It's 2am! We finally head back into his room and he FINALLY falls asleep, thank you! Which leads into a very cute thing about HMB - he tosses and turns in his new, big bed and usually ends up belly down with his arms under the pillow (and his head on it). It's pretty damn adorable. In fact, my husband just checked on him, told me all of this and exclaimed "He's like a little person!" Yes, yes he is!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
He's Two!
Wow, I cannot believe it was just about two years ago that some MONUMENTAL things happened! On January 20th, 2009, the first African-American President of the United States was inaguarated about 5 miles away from my home. DC was a crazy place to be, and a VERY cold place to be. I was sitting, waiting, with a GIANT belly, in the comfort of my warm home, watching it all on television.
Since I was due on January 13th and it was now the 20th, it was a running joke in my family that my baby refused to be born until Obama was offically president. A joke, but I tend to agree! It wasn't until the 22nd that HMB came into the world (after over two hours of pushing, in case you have forgotten from previous birth story post). So technically, he was an HMB even BEFORE he was born!
And now he is two. When you get older, not that much changes in two years. Our faces might have a few new wrinkles, our hair might be longer (or shorter, or darker, or lighter) and some of us might have lost 35 pounds (ok, it was because I actually had a baby, but still!). But for HMB, he two years means a hell of a lot! First, he has gone from 7 pounds 6 ounces to about 27 pounds (official weigh in at the doc's next week). He used to just cry, poop, sometimes sleep, and EAT. Now, he still eats and poops, and sleeps a lot better. But he also says words, and sentences! He knows his full name, and mine and my husband's first names! He can work the DVD player and count to 12 (or so). It's just crazy!
HMB had a very nice birthday, spent at the aquarium with me, my husband, and my husband's mom and his dad, as well as his dad's girlfriend. Then we had dinner, and back at home, CAKE! HMB got an awesome easel from our friends for his birthday, as well as a lot of magnetic of letter, numbers, and animals. Perfect for putting on the fridge, and taking them off the fridge. ANd of course a stuffed Diego, Dora, and Boots from Grandma of HMB.
So here's to another year of the HMB, we love you!
Since I was due on January 13th and it was now the 20th, it was a running joke in my family that my baby refused to be born until Obama was offically president. A joke, but I tend to agree! It wasn't until the 22nd that HMB came into the world (after over two hours of pushing, in case you have forgotten from previous birth story post). So technically, he was an HMB even BEFORE he was born!
And now he is two. When you get older, not that much changes in two years. Our faces might have a few new wrinkles, our hair might be longer (or shorter, or darker, or lighter) and some of us might have lost 35 pounds (ok, it was because I actually had a baby, but still!). But for HMB, he two years means a hell of a lot! First, he has gone from 7 pounds 6 ounces to about 27 pounds (official weigh in at the doc's next week). He used to just cry, poop, sometimes sleep, and EAT. Now, he still eats and poops, and sleeps a lot better. But he also says words, and sentences! He knows his full name, and mine and my husband's first names! He can work the DVD player and count to 12 (or so). It's just crazy!
HMB had a very nice birthday, spent at the aquarium with me, my husband, and my husband's mom and his dad, as well as his dad's girlfriend. Then we had dinner, and back at home, CAKE! HMB got an awesome easel from our friends for his birthday, as well as a lot of magnetic of letter, numbers, and animals. Perfect for putting on the fridge, and taking them off the fridge. ANd of course a stuffed Diego, Dora, and Boots from Grandma of HMB.
So here's to another year of the HMB, we love you!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A New Year, A Better Blog?
Probably not! I really can't make any promises that I will keep this blog up better in 2011 than I did in 2010 (at least the end of 2010). But at least I am here now, right?
Can I do a Year in Review for 2010...maybe. Can I do an update of HMB...definitely. Perhaps both? OK, here goes.
YEAR IN REVIEW 2010:
January - Mom of HMB breaks her wrist playing a vicious game of flag football (but we made it to the Final Four, woo hoo). Had EXTREMELY high blood pressure and heart rate at ER, they told me to check it out. HMB turned 1 on January 22nd! He ate cake and ice cream and got some excellent toys. HMB weighs in at about 22 pounds at his 12 month visit. At this point, HMB was sleeping in bed with us.
February - Mom of HMB found out about crazy HYPERthyroid issues. BOO! Went into hospital for two days, had to stop breastfeeding for two weeks due to radiation. Dad of HMB got him to sleep in his crib! HMB and mom went to CO for two weeks to rest and relax. HMB, who already says mama and dada, says his first realy word - BALL! He also says dog soon after.
When we got back, HMB was once again on the boob. And not sleeping through the night...and not sleeping in his crib. HMB and mom were sleeping on a futon couch together for most of the night. Wow. HMB gets pneumonia and continues to have trouble breathing - asthma! Sadly, best friend of HMB moves to London!
March - Mom of HMB doing better on medication. But she and HMB are still sleeping on the futon couch, sometimes HMB sleeps in his crib for a couple hours.
April - Pretty much the same thing as March.
May - Mom of HMB decides to run a half marathon on Mother's Day...very, very slowly. She also decides to have her unfortunate thyroid removed on May 26th. HMB does well with dad and Grandma. Once again, he sleeps better with mom not in the house, surprise, surprise. HMB gives up the boob for awhile but mom of HMB gives in and he generally nurses at night and before napping.
June - Mom of HMB is healing well and getting her strength back, happily she is able to run again, yay! Dad of HMB has a birthday :) HMB continues to say more and more words. He is OBSESSED with Elmo, which he pronounces Melmo. He loves him. He also loves eating beans and broccoli with dip, and cheese. He also loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny. But HMB is not a huge eater. He still prefers the boob, sigh.
July - HMB is talking up a storm, and running everywhere. He plays with other kids at the gym daycare, he is making friends! The "teacher" says he seems to understand what they are saying a lot better than some other kids. Woo hoo! My kid is smart! Unfortunately, he is too smart because he has mom of HMB still sleeping next to him at night and still giving him the boob.
August - HMB gets sick and we go to the doctor. We realize we missed his 18 month appointment so on top of being sick, he gets some shots. He weighs in at about 25 pounds now. He is still not the best eater but at least he is enjoying food that is good for him!
September - HMB is so verbal and expressive. He is getting into Dora and Diego, which is both cute and annoying. Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night with the Diego theme song stuck in your head! Grandma of HMB and uncle of HMB come to visit. HMB LOVES his uncle and spends lots of time listening to his iPod with him. Every morning, HMB came into the family room where his uncle was sleeping and said "Hi". We put the air mattress on the futon for Grandma of HMB. HMB and I sometimes sleep with her and sometimes with dad of HMB.
October - We keep the air mattress on the futon and HMB and I continue to sleep there most of the night. In fact, despite crazy development in all other areas, HMB seems to have regressed with his sleeping, WHAT? (In mom of HMB news: Finally able to run, pace and mileage getting better and FINALLY losing weight put on during thyroid issues. Also learned medication was too low so increasing synthroid has helped). At the end of the month, HMB and mom travel to CA to see Grandpa of HMB on mom's side, as well as Great-aunts, uncles, and cousins. And the Giants win the WORLD SERIES, woo hoo!!
November - Mom of HMB has a birthday :) HMB family travels to PA for Thanksgiving and had a great time. Grandpa of HMB and his fiance had gone to Disney World and HMB got some exciting presents - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse figures, cars, a t-shirt, Phineas and Ferb figures, etc. HMB and mom are still sleeping on air mattress/futon but we decide to take down the crib because it's honestly a waste of space!
December - HMB and mom travel to CO to see another uncle of HMB graduate from college. We have an awesome time!! We come home on Christmas Eve and have a nice, quiet Christmas at home. Grandma of HMB on dad's side comes after Christmas and watches HMB on New Year's Eve - thanks Grandma! We get a new KING SIZE bed and give HMB our queen. Yes, our almost 2 year old has a queen size bed. For Christmas, I give myself the present of my boobs. Yep, I FINALLY stop, once and for all, night time nursing. And in the past couple weeks, HMB has slept through the night twice - twice more than the past 6 months. Wow!
OK, so I think I made up for the lack of posts for the past year in this one post. I wish all my lovely readers (if I have any left) a very Happy New Year!!!
Can I do a Year in Review for 2010...maybe. Can I do an update of HMB...definitely. Perhaps both? OK, here goes.
YEAR IN REVIEW 2010:
January - Mom of HMB breaks her wrist playing a vicious game of flag football (but we made it to the Final Four, woo hoo). Had EXTREMELY high blood pressure and heart rate at ER, they told me to check it out. HMB turned 1 on January 22nd! He ate cake and ice cream and got some excellent toys. HMB weighs in at about 22 pounds at his 12 month visit. At this point, HMB was sleeping in bed with us.
February - Mom of HMB found out about crazy HYPERthyroid issues. BOO! Went into hospital for two days, had to stop breastfeeding for two weeks due to radiation. Dad of HMB got him to sleep in his crib! HMB and mom went to CO for two weeks to rest and relax. HMB, who already says mama and dada, says his first realy word - BALL! He also says dog soon after.
When we got back, HMB was once again on the boob. And not sleeping through the night...and not sleeping in his crib. HMB and mom were sleeping on a futon couch together for most of the night. Wow. HMB gets pneumonia and continues to have trouble breathing - asthma! Sadly, best friend of HMB moves to London!
March - Mom of HMB doing better on medication. But she and HMB are still sleeping on the futon couch, sometimes HMB sleeps in his crib for a couple hours.
April - Pretty much the same thing as March.
May - Mom of HMB decides to run a half marathon on Mother's Day...very, very slowly. She also decides to have her unfortunate thyroid removed on May 26th. HMB does well with dad and Grandma. Once again, he sleeps better with mom not in the house, surprise, surprise. HMB gives up the boob for awhile but mom of HMB gives in and he generally nurses at night and before napping.
June - Mom of HMB is healing well and getting her strength back, happily she is able to run again, yay! Dad of HMB has a birthday :) HMB continues to say more and more words. He is OBSESSED with Elmo, which he pronounces Melmo. He loves him. He also loves eating beans and broccoli with dip, and cheese. He also loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny. But HMB is not a huge eater. He still prefers the boob, sigh.
July - HMB is talking up a storm, and running everywhere. He plays with other kids at the gym daycare, he is making friends! The "teacher" says he seems to understand what they are saying a lot better than some other kids. Woo hoo! My kid is smart! Unfortunately, he is too smart because he has mom of HMB still sleeping next to him at night and still giving him the boob.
August - HMB gets sick and we go to the doctor. We realize we missed his 18 month appointment so on top of being sick, he gets some shots. He weighs in at about 25 pounds now. He is still not the best eater but at least he is enjoying food that is good for him!
September - HMB is so verbal and expressive. He is getting into Dora and Diego, which is both cute and annoying. Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night with the Diego theme song stuck in your head! Grandma of HMB and uncle of HMB come to visit. HMB LOVES his uncle and spends lots of time listening to his iPod with him. Every morning, HMB came into the family room where his uncle was sleeping and said "Hi". We put the air mattress on the futon for Grandma of HMB. HMB and I sometimes sleep with her and sometimes with dad of HMB.
October - We keep the air mattress on the futon and HMB and I continue to sleep there most of the night. In fact, despite crazy development in all other areas, HMB seems to have regressed with his sleeping, WHAT? (In mom of HMB news: Finally able to run, pace and mileage getting better and FINALLY losing weight put on during thyroid issues. Also learned medication was too low so increasing synthroid has helped). At the end of the month, HMB and mom travel to CA to see Grandpa of HMB on mom's side, as well as Great-aunts, uncles, and cousins. And the Giants win the WORLD SERIES, woo hoo!!
November - Mom of HMB has a birthday :) HMB family travels to PA for Thanksgiving and had a great time. Grandpa of HMB and his fiance had gone to Disney World and HMB got some exciting presents - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse figures, cars, a t-shirt, Phineas and Ferb figures, etc. HMB and mom are still sleeping on air mattress/futon but we decide to take down the crib because it's honestly a waste of space!
December - HMB and mom travel to CO to see another uncle of HMB graduate from college. We have an awesome time!! We come home on Christmas Eve and have a nice, quiet Christmas at home. Grandma of HMB on dad's side comes after Christmas and watches HMB on New Year's Eve - thanks Grandma! We get a new KING SIZE bed and give HMB our queen. Yes, our almost 2 year old has a queen size bed. For Christmas, I give myself the present of my boobs. Yep, I FINALLY stop, once and for all, night time nursing. And in the past couple weeks, HMB has slept through the night twice - twice more than the past 6 months. Wow!
OK, so I think I made up for the lack of posts for the past year in this one post. I wish all my lovely readers (if I have any left) a very Happy New Year!!!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Yikes!
Over a month since my last post, I am a really bad blogger. Wait, I am not even really a blogger at all, I have a blog...and sometimes I remember to write in it.
I would say I will try and be better but I don't know if that's possible?! There are a few reasons why blogging has been hard - first, HMB loves the computer and when I have it out, he wants to "use" it. And by "use" I mean watch the trailer for Finding Nemo (we have the actual movie) or an episode of Dora the Explorer.
Since I work from home, I don't have a time or place I can blog except when HMB is napping or asleep for the night. When he is napping or asleep for the night (more on sleep later), I have a lot of other things I want and need to do, like WORK! So blogging is not high on my list of priorities right now. In fact, I haven't even been good about READING some of my favorite blogs lately. But I am happy that work is keeping me busy, my business partner and I are about to publish our first book - a career development workbook (we are taking pre-orders, reserve your copy NOW!!) and we have been doing a lot of press, which is cool (The Hill Newspaper and Washington Post Express). It's exciting!
So all that being said, HMB is still an HMB in regards to sleep. He does not sleep through the night, usually he wakes up around 2:30am and 5:30am then sleeps until about 8am. IF he decides to nap, he doesn't go to sleep until about 9:30pm. If he doesn't nap, he passes out by about 8pm. But his bedtime doesn't seem to affect when he wakes up, it's so odd! HMBs sleep has always been odd and honestly, I never did anything about it except for reinforce bad habits so I only have myself to blame at this point (21 months later...).
In all other ways, HMB is not really an HMB at all! He is a funny, chatty, curious babe who likes Dora and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and reading Green Eggs and Ham (he calls it "Sam") and Go, Dog, Go. His favorite phrases are "There it is" and "I do it". He is also a very good helper and cleans table after he is done eating, and sometimes the floor, the couch and the tv.
It's so amazing how much they learn at this age, it's something new every day! HMB loves animals and has a complete farm set (ok, he has a couple). He also has a true to life size gecko named Moy and a mini rubbery dinosaur named Joe. Joe and Moy come everywhere with us. If we leave the house, Joe and Moy always seem to come with us. Also, if HMB sees the Geico gecko on tv, he yells "MOY!" We have names some of this other animals, but Joe and Moy are special and HMB truly loves them. In fact, they got a bath with him tonight and he took great pains to wash them with his soap and to make sure they "closed eyes" when he washed the soap off their heads.
As for me, life without the thyroid (almost 5 months) is going all right, even though it's taking time to get my meds right. Running regularly has seriously helped me both mentally and physically and I am grateful to be able to do it as often as I do! FYI I am still wheat and meat free (6 months).
Anyway, since this is a blog about HMB, I will end by saying that he is currently obsessed with whipped cream and if we see it in the store, he wants to buy it and if we have it in the fridge, he wants to eat it. Since I am a permissive parent, I generally give in (whipped cream is really just milk with a tiny but of sugar) and HMB has had whipped cream for breakfast, with or without pancakes! Since HMB also still loves his beans, broccoli and spinach, I'm thinking it's OK that he eats the occasional bowl of whip cream!
I would say I will try and be better but I don't know if that's possible?! There are a few reasons why blogging has been hard - first, HMB loves the computer and when I have it out, he wants to "use" it. And by "use" I mean watch the trailer for Finding Nemo (we have the actual movie) or an episode of Dora the Explorer.
Since I work from home, I don't have a time or place I can blog except when HMB is napping or asleep for the night. When he is napping or asleep for the night (more on sleep later), I have a lot of other things I want and need to do, like WORK! So blogging is not high on my list of priorities right now. In fact, I haven't even been good about READING some of my favorite blogs lately. But I am happy that work is keeping me busy, my business partner and I are about to publish our first book - a career development workbook (we are taking pre-orders, reserve your copy NOW!!) and we have been doing a lot of press, which is cool (The Hill Newspaper and Washington Post Express). It's exciting!
So all that being said, HMB is still an HMB in regards to sleep. He does not sleep through the night, usually he wakes up around 2:30am and 5:30am then sleeps until about 8am. IF he decides to nap, he doesn't go to sleep until about 9:30pm. If he doesn't nap, he passes out by about 8pm. But his bedtime doesn't seem to affect when he wakes up, it's so odd! HMBs sleep has always been odd and honestly, I never did anything about it except for reinforce bad habits so I only have myself to blame at this point (21 months later...).
In all other ways, HMB is not really an HMB at all! He is a funny, chatty, curious babe who likes Dora and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and reading Green Eggs and Ham (he calls it "Sam") and Go, Dog, Go. His favorite phrases are "There it is" and "I do it". He is also a very good helper and cleans table after he is done eating, and sometimes the floor, the couch and the tv.
It's so amazing how much they learn at this age, it's something new every day! HMB loves animals and has a complete farm set (ok, he has a couple). He also has a true to life size gecko named Moy and a mini rubbery dinosaur named Joe. Joe and Moy come everywhere with us. If we leave the house, Joe and Moy always seem to come with us. Also, if HMB sees the Geico gecko on tv, he yells "MOY!" We have names some of this other animals, but Joe and Moy are special and HMB truly loves them. In fact, they got a bath with him tonight and he took great pains to wash them with his soap and to make sure they "closed eyes" when he washed the soap off their heads.
As for me, life without the thyroid (almost 5 months) is going all right, even though it's taking time to get my meds right. Running regularly has seriously helped me both mentally and physically and I am grateful to be able to do it as often as I do! FYI I am still wheat and meat free (6 months).
Anyway, since this is a blog about HMB, I will end by saying that he is currently obsessed with whipped cream and if we see it in the store, he wants to buy it and if we have it in the fridge, he wants to eat it. Since I am a permissive parent, I generally give in (whipped cream is really just milk with a tiny but of sugar) and HMB has had whipped cream for breakfast, with or without pancakes! Since HMB also still loves his beans, broccoli and spinach, I'm thinking it's OK that he eats the occasional bowl of whip cream!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Grandma's Visit
My mom and 17 year old brother came out to DC for a visit last week. It was so nice having them here, not just to visit with but wow, SIX hands and one baby is so much easier!!
My mom was actually supposed to come out for my surgery back in May but she wasn't able to make it out. She rescheduled her trip for the end of August but then wasn't able to come out because my brother got caught with a fake ID. Yep, he did. Having a fake ID is not a good idea WHEN YOU ARE 17, but if you DO have one - a word of the wise to my brother: don't get caught!
So after talking to his teachers and his probation officer (!), my mom decided to have my brother come along! I was upset she wasn't able to come when she originally planned but happy to have my brother come out. He really is a great kid and I am SO happy it happened that way. HMB LOVED him! My brother was sleeping on the couch (my mom got the spare room) and every morning, HMB would shuffle out to the family room and say "Hi" to my brother to wake him up.
My brother was so great with HMB, he was patient and helpful and it was so sweet to see them together. My brother is really into working out and often walked around our place with no shirt (at least we don't have to worry much about his self-esteem) and HMB decided he, too, would wear no shirt. So they hung out together, listening to my brother's iPod, eating goldfish crackers, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was hilarious!
I was a little nervious that HMB would be shy around my mom and brother since it's been 5-6 months since we've seen them. But HMB was chatty with them right away, calling for MaMa (Grandma) and reaching for her "rock" necklaces (HMB is obsessed with rocks). My mom even brought me a camera for my computer so we can Skype, something I have been meaning to get myself since my good friend and HMB's possible future wife moved to London! Skype is amazing and I am happy that HMB will be able to "see" and talk to our loved ones who don't live close by.
Overall, we had a wonderful visit with my mom and brother. We didn't do anything exciting, just hung out and talked, watched some college football, ate some good food, and enjoyed each other's company. We were sad when they left but hoping to get out to CO in early November and again over the holidays. Kids change so fast so lots of visits are IMPORTANT!! Besides, it's nice for us to have that extra help :)
My mom was actually supposed to come out for my surgery back in May but she wasn't able to make it out. She rescheduled her trip for the end of August but then wasn't able to come out because my brother got caught with a fake ID. Yep, he did. Having a fake ID is not a good idea WHEN YOU ARE 17, but if you DO have one - a word of the wise to my brother: don't get caught!
So after talking to his teachers and his probation officer (!), my mom decided to have my brother come along! I was upset she wasn't able to come when she originally planned but happy to have my brother come out. He really is a great kid and I am SO happy it happened that way. HMB LOVED him! My brother was sleeping on the couch (my mom got the spare room) and every morning, HMB would shuffle out to the family room and say "Hi" to my brother to wake him up.
My brother was so great with HMB, he was patient and helpful and it was so sweet to see them together. My brother is really into working out and often walked around our place with no shirt (at least we don't have to worry much about his self-esteem) and HMB decided he, too, would wear no shirt. So they hung out together, listening to my brother's iPod, eating goldfish crackers, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was hilarious!
I was a little nervious that HMB would be shy around my mom and brother since it's been 5-6 months since we've seen them. But HMB was chatty with them right away, calling for MaMa (Grandma) and reaching for her "rock" necklaces (HMB is obsessed with rocks). My mom even brought me a camera for my computer so we can Skype, something I have been meaning to get myself since my good friend and HMB's possible future wife moved to London! Skype is amazing and I am happy that HMB will be able to "see" and talk to our loved ones who don't live close by.
Overall, we had a wonderful visit with my mom and brother. We didn't do anything exciting, just hung out and talked, watched some college football, ate some good food, and enjoyed each other's company. We were sad when they left but hoping to get out to CO in early November and again over the holidays. Kids change so fast so lots of visits are IMPORTANT!! Besides, it's nice for us to have that extra help :)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Some updates
To my few readers, I am so sorry that I haven't posted in a LONG time! I guess as blog readers and writers well know, sometimes life gets in the way and it seems like the summer has been a hard time to be consistent with posting! A few other things that have lead to less posting: my computer charger "died" and I just got it replaced, lots of softball games to be played, and sadly that's really it! We haven't even gone on vacation! I figured I could take this blog to do some updates, both on my recovery and HMB's sleep and overall development.
My revovery: So far, so good! It will be three months on August 26th since I had my thyroid removed and I am finally on a good dose of synthroid. I take 75 mcg Mon-Sat and a half a tab on Sun. Kind of random but that's how it works. I take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait at least 30 minutes before eating breakfast.
Overall, I feel so much better! Compared to a year ago, it is night and day! I will say that when I was on the anti-thyroid meds, I didn't have any symptoms at all. For some reason, even though I no longer HAVE a thyroid, I seem to have a couple symptoms still - some stomach issues, crazy hair loss, and a very strong pulse (not fast, just strong). The doc doesn't seem too worried but even though my levels are normal, she decreased the synthroid that last little but to see if those symptoms disappear.
I plan on seeing a gastroenterologist in the near future to assess my stomach issues and make sure there isn't something else I should be doing. But as I said, I am so much better than I was before - more energy (running every day, woo hoo), no high blood pressure (110/70 at the doc), no tremors, etc. Sadly, I have lost none of the weight I gained when I started taking the medication back in Feb, but I am taking that one day at a time and continue to tell myself that my health is more important. Also, since I lost up to 50% of my muscle mass, I am working on getting that back and as we all know - muscle weighs more than fat :)
HMB and Sleep: The kid is almost 19 months old, he still cannot sleep through the night! He takes great naps, he tosses and turns and gets himself back to sleep, but at night, there seems to be a block! We went through a rough period when both top and bottom molars were coming in when HMB wouldn't even go down in the crib at night. He seems to be feeling better and now will go down in the crib and sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours. Then he wakes up and without that damn handcuff, I sleep walk and get him and lay with him on the couch until about 6am. That's all I have to say about that...
HMB and Growing: At his 18 month visit, HMB weighed in at 23 lbs, 1oz and was 34 in tall. Head size still big at 80th percentile, even though he is about 35th percentile for both height and weight. I was not a big baby/toddler so I am not too worried that he's a little below average. The kid does like to eat - including spinach and broccoli, and any kind of bean!
HMB and Talking: HMB is a talking fool. He will repeat any word you say, most recently "Dude" when I said it last night. He has a bunch of words he uses regularly, too many to count now, which is pretty cool.
HMB is also into mimicking and has started to cross his arms over his chest, as well as squat down low and look at you like his dad does to him. It's pretty hilarious! HMB is a very social kid and loves to be surrounded by attentive, attractive women. He will give hugs and smooches, but prefers high fives and fist bumps. He is also obsessed with "cheersing" with his milk and whatever you are drinking. Also hilarious!
I guess that's about it! Hopefully, you are still checking this blog and didn't give up on me! I will try to be better about it for the rest of the month!!
My revovery: So far, so good! It will be three months on August 26th since I had my thyroid removed and I am finally on a good dose of synthroid. I take 75 mcg Mon-Sat and a half a tab on Sun. Kind of random but that's how it works. I take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait at least 30 minutes before eating breakfast.
Overall, I feel so much better! Compared to a year ago, it is night and day! I will say that when I was on the anti-thyroid meds, I didn't have any symptoms at all. For some reason, even though I no longer HAVE a thyroid, I seem to have a couple symptoms still - some stomach issues, crazy hair loss, and a very strong pulse (not fast, just strong). The doc doesn't seem too worried but even though my levels are normal, she decreased the synthroid that last little but to see if those symptoms disappear.
I plan on seeing a gastroenterologist in the near future to assess my stomach issues and make sure there isn't something else I should be doing. But as I said, I am so much better than I was before - more energy (running every day, woo hoo), no high blood pressure (110/70 at the doc), no tremors, etc. Sadly, I have lost none of the weight I gained when I started taking the medication back in Feb, but I am taking that one day at a time and continue to tell myself that my health is more important. Also, since I lost up to 50% of my muscle mass, I am working on getting that back and as we all know - muscle weighs more than fat :)
HMB and Sleep: The kid is almost 19 months old, he still cannot sleep through the night! He takes great naps, he tosses and turns and gets himself back to sleep, but at night, there seems to be a block! We went through a rough period when both top and bottom molars were coming in when HMB wouldn't even go down in the crib at night. He seems to be feeling better and now will go down in the crib and sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours. Then he wakes up and without that damn handcuff, I sleep walk and get him and lay with him on the couch until about 6am. That's all I have to say about that...
HMB and Growing: At his 18 month visit, HMB weighed in at 23 lbs, 1oz and was 34 in tall. Head size still big at 80th percentile, even though he is about 35th percentile for both height and weight. I was not a big baby/toddler so I am not too worried that he's a little below average. The kid does like to eat - including spinach and broccoli, and any kind of bean!
HMB and Talking: HMB is a talking fool. He will repeat any word you say, most recently "Dude" when I said it last night. He has a bunch of words he uses regularly, too many to count now, which is pretty cool.
HMB is also into mimicking and has started to cross his arms over his chest, as well as squat down low and look at you like his dad does to him. It's pretty hilarious! HMB is a very social kid and loves to be surrounded by attentive, attractive women. He will give hugs and smooches, but prefers high fives and fist bumps. He is also obsessed with "cheersing" with his milk and whatever you are drinking. Also hilarious!
I guess that's about it! Hopefully, you are still checking this blog and didn't give up on me! I will try to be better about it for the rest of the month!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The "Question"
We got pregnant with HMB about a year after we got married. I guess to most people this seems like an acceptable amount of time to wait, or even too soon. I'm not sure but I don't remember getting many "When are you having a baby?" questions at all. But now...woa! I guess once you pop one out, people are very interested in knowing when there will be another one coming. I have fielded this question from friends, family members, and perfect strangers in the past few months.
Now, I am generally one to give out too much information (TMI) even when not prompted or asked. And the inquiries don't really bother me too much. It's just a matter of explaining the reasons, then realizing that I don't have to really justify anything to anyone (good friends excluded because sometimes they just want to know).
Chris (my husband, just in case there is anyone left who doesn't know his name) was talking to a couple of women from our softball team the other day. In their defense, I do think the question was more along the lines of ARE you guys having another baby as opposed to WHEN are you having another one. When he relayed this story to me, he couldn't quite remember the exact words but it was something along the lines of: Well, due to breastfeeding for almost a year and a half and having a hyperthyroid, Susanne hasn't gotten her girly thing back yet...but she's taking some medication to get it back and then...(he stops talking here). Then an awkward pause. Hey, they asked and he answered!
OK, I give Chris props for talking cycles with two women, and I could care less who knows all that information (as a previously mentioned TMI'er). But this is why it's sometimes better to just stay away from that question. Sometimes the answer is long and involved, sometimes people don't want anymore kids. I have thought about the answer to this question a lot after being asked it so many times over the past few months. My answer to people I don't know (at all or very well) is: It's none of your damn business! No, not really! I just say that we would like to have another baby but not right now. Again, due to my TMI nature, if you are a friend or I know you even relatively well, watch out because you WILL get the full story!!
The fact of the matter is, we would like to have at least one more child, a little brother or sister for HMB who will hopefully have the same disposition but sleep better (please please let our next one sleep better). First, I need to get myself healthy and the last year has been a little rough on me. Creating a new life is pretty damn exhausting and I feel like I need to be on the top of my game, not two months out of recovering from a disease that hit me like a ton of bricks.
All that said, I honestly don't care if I am asked that question, I just don't always know how to answer it! Everyone will just have to wait and see!
Now, I am generally one to give out too much information (TMI) even when not prompted or asked. And the inquiries don't really bother me too much. It's just a matter of explaining the reasons, then realizing that I don't have to really justify anything to anyone (good friends excluded because sometimes they just want to know).
Chris (my husband, just in case there is anyone left who doesn't know his name) was talking to a couple of women from our softball team the other day. In their defense, I do think the question was more along the lines of ARE you guys having another baby as opposed to WHEN are you having another one. When he relayed this story to me, he couldn't quite remember the exact words but it was something along the lines of: Well, due to breastfeeding for almost a year and a half and having a hyperthyroid, Susanne hasn't gotten her girly thing back yet...but she's taking some medication to get it back and then...(he stops talking here). Then an awkward pause. Hey, they asked and he answered!
OK, I give Chris props for talking cycles with two women, and I could care less who knows all that information (as a previously mentioned TMI'er). But this is why it's sometimes better to just stay away from that question. Sometimes the answer is long and involved, sometimes people don't want anymore kids. I have thought about the answer to this question a lot after being asked it so many times over the past few months. My answer to people I don't know (at all or very well) is: It's none of your damn business! No, not really! I just say that we would like to have another baby but not right now. Again, due to my TMI nature, if you are a friend or I know you even relatively well, watch out because you WILL get the full story!!
The fact of the matter is, we would like to have at least one more child, a little brother or sister for HMB who will hopefully have the same disposition but sleep better (please please let our next one sleep better). First, I need to get myself healthy and the last year has been a little rough on me. Creating a new life is pretty damn exhausting and I feel like I need to be on the top of my game, not two months out of recovering from a disease that hit me like a ton of bricks.
All that said, I honestly don't care if I am asked that question, I just don't always know how to answer it! Everyone will just have to wait and see!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Meeting of the Toddlers
This past weekend, we had a meeting of the toddlers - HMB met a girl he has heard about (and met once) as well as seen videos of, for about a year now. The girl is my friend Melissa's niece from NYC. For this post, I will call her Brooklyn Niece or BN. She is nine months older than HMB and has more personality than most actresses!
After a softball double-header (of course), me, Chris, HMB, and my mother in law headed over to Melissa's house to hang out and have dinner. But really, Melissa and I were there to see HMB and BN interact! Since we all know HMB has his own personality, we were interested to see how they did together. HMB doesn't go to day care and we haven't been able to go to our playgroup for awhile, so the only kids he interacts with on a regular basis are the kids in the gym kids center (which is about an hour and a half, pretty much Mon-Fri).
When we arrived, BN had just gone down for a nap after an afternoon spent at the waterfront in DC. HMB had not had a nap at all so we finally got him down...and waited for them to wake up and let the fun begin. Despite BN going down for her nap first, HMB was the first the awaken after only an hour of napping. He was in an OK mood, not really that great but I've seen worse! Brooklyn Niece woke up, her parents went into the room (where she was SO NICELY sleeping in a PacNPlay). She told them she "needed a minute". AWESOME! So she stayed in the PacNPlay until she said "I ready" and they came in and got her.
The first few minutes of HMB and Brookyn Niece was precarious, to say the least. BN sat in an arm chair with every possible toy and stuffed animal (including HMB's favorite, the stuffed Cartman doll from South Park). She was playing hard to get! I sat with HMB on my lap at the kitchen table and he started to fling the place mat off the table onto the floor. Brooklyn Niece laughed. He did it again, she laughed again. Brooklyn Niece said "You're so funny, HMB" and the ice was broken!
The rest of the evening was spent with HMB staring at Brooklyn Niece in awe as she serenaded us with a lovely rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at dinner, and mimicked my husband when he talked to HMB. A good time was had by all!
After reflecting on the evening and talking to Melissa about it, nine months is a big difference, as far as verbal development goes. Brooklyn Niece was singing full songs, HMB can say a lot of words but just started to string two together (No more). But they had a great time together, mostly involving HMB gazing in wonder at Brooklyn Niece's energy and spunk! And HMB attempting to show off a bit with some of his own stunts - he had to win the lady over somehow!
Hopefully we will spend more time with Brooklyn Niece in the future!
After a softball double-header (of course), me, Chris, HMB, and my mother in law headed over to Melissa's house to hang out and have dinner. But really, Melissa and I were there to see HMB and BN interact! Since we all know HMB has his own personality, we were interested to see how they did together. HMB doesn't go to day care and we haven't been able to go to our playgroup for awhile, so the only kids he interacts with on a regular basis are the kids in the gym kids center (which is about an hour and a half, pretty much Mon-Fri).
When we arrived, BN had just gone down for a nap after an afternoon spent at the waterfront in DC. HMB had not had a nap at all so we finally got him down...and waited for them to wake up and let the fun begin. Despite BN going down for her nap first, HMB was the first the awaken after only an hour of napping. He was in an OK mood, not really that great but I've seen worse! Brooklyn Niece woke up, her parents went into the room (where she was SO NICELY sleeping in a PacNPlay). She told them she "needed a minute". AWESOME! So she stayed in the PacNPlay until she said "I ready" and they came in and got her.
The first few minutes of HMB and Brookyn Niece was precarious, to say the least. BN sat in an arm chair with every possible toy and stuffed animal (including HMB's favorite, the stuffed Cartman doll from South Park). She was playing hard to get! I sat with HMB on my lap at the kitchen table and he started to fling the place mat off the table onto the floor. Brooklyn Niece laughed. He did it again, she laughed again. Brooklyn Niece said "You're so funny, HMB" and the ice was broken!
The rest of the evening was spent with HMB staring at Brooklyn Niece in awe as she serenaded us with a lovely rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at dinner, and mimicked my husband when he talked to HMB. A good time was had by all!
After reflecting on the evening and talking to Melissa about it, nine months is a big difference, as far as verbal development goes. Brooklyn Niece was singing full songs, HMB can say a lot of words but just started to string two together (No more). But they had a great time together, mostly involving HMB gazing in wonder at Brooklyn Niece's energy and spunk! And HMB attempting to show off a bit with some of his own stunts - he had to win the lady over somehow!
Hopefully we will spend more time with Brooklyn Niece in the future!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
HMB Takes Manhattan
HMB and I headed up to NYC this past weekend to visit a couple friends from college. The trip was a definite success, beginning with an early departure on Saturday morning (we had a wedding Friday night). HMB slept for the first two hours, we stopped for the breakfast of champions - coffee (for me) and a chocolate milkshake (for HMB). We made it to the city in about 4 hours and had the whole day to enjoy!
We headed to a park near my friend's apartment and HMB had a great time playing in the water (and trying to drink it off the ground) and just running around. At one point, he attempted to play basketball with the grown-ups.
HMB proceeded to nap for 3 and a half hours, until 6:30pm! I normally would never let this happen but I figured HMB would be able to hang late night after that nap. We headed downtown (my friends lives way uptown on the West side) for some Tasti D Lite and fun. HMB loved his yogurt treat, of course, who doesn't love TDL?
I have to admit we didn't do any sight seeing or anything else that most people would find too exciting. We did some "shopping" at Duane Reade, CVS, and Walgreens. And by shopping, I mean we chased HMB around the stores in search of random items. HMB was the luckiest of us all, he got an Elmo (aka Baby Crack) doll and book. We stopped in to visit with my friend's brother in law and adorable nephew. OK, look at the time, it's 10:30pm and we are all a little crabby - HMB because he needs a new diaper and he is tired, and us because we haven't eaten dinner yet. A quick stop at the grocery store and we were on our way back uptown.
Sunday was nice and relaxing, even though HMB woke up early despite his late bedtime. We took him to breakfast at the place we always go to and he packed away a spinach and mozzarella omelet, toast, and some potatoes! After hanging out for a bit, we headed up to a cocktail party (ok, it was more of a gathering of a few people but it involved cocktails). HMB did very well even though the party was held at an apartment that was not baby proofed whatsoever. I think I spent much of my time moving items like candsticks, electronics, and glasses off the table. BUT, HMB was great, he placed with my friend's nephew, ate some cheese and grapes, and charmed the guests.
After saying our goodbyes, we started our journey back home. HMB again did well, napped for awhile, ate some M&Ms (it's true people, chocolate is a good travelling treat) and got home. OK, we actually went straight to the gym so I could run off some of the cocktails and Tasti D Lite we ate over the weekend. Although, let me point out that we did not eat out at all except for our breakfast and we all had egg white omelets with veggies (and cheese). BUT, champagne was brought out to toast my friend, CLC, who just finished nursing school and starts her job next Monday.
All in all, I think we enjoyed our weekend. It was nice to catch up with dear friends, and just get out of DC for awhile (DC, you know I love you). HMB had so much fun and loved being the center of attention (as well as playing with all the fun stuff my friend had, including her computer and wine glasses). He was a good babe, though, and I see many trips to NYC (and other places) in our future!
We headed to a park near my friend's apartment and HMB had a great time playing in the water (and trying to drink it off the ground) and just running around. At one point, he attempted to play basketball with the grown-ups.
HMB proceeded to nap for 3 and a half hours, until 6:30pm! I normally would never let this happen but I figured HMB would be able to hang late night after that nap. We headed downtown (my friends lives way uptown on the West side) for some Tasti D Lite and fun. HMB loved his yogurt treat, of course, who doesn't love TDL?
I have to admit we didn't do any sight seeing or anything else that most people would find too exciting. We did some "shopping" at Duane Reade, CVS, and Walgreens. And by shopping, I mean we chased HMB around the stores in search of random items. HMB was the luckiest of us all, he got an Elmo (aka Baby Crack) doll and book. We stopped in to visit with my friend's brother in law and adorable nephew. OK, look at the time, it's 10:30pm and we are all a little crabby - HMB because he needs a new diaper and he is tired, and us because we haven't eaten dinner yet. A quick stop at the grocery store and we were on our way back uptown.
Sunday was nice and relaxing, even though HMB woke up early despite his late bedtime. We took him to breakfast at the place we always go to and he packed away a spinach and mozzarella omelet, toast, and some potatoes! After hanging out for a bit, we headed up to a cocktail party (ok, it was more of a gathering of a few people but it involved cocktails). HMB did very well even though the party was held at an apartment that was not baby proofed whatsoever. I think I spent much of my time moving items like candsticks, electronics, and glasses off the table. BUT, HMB was great, he placed with my friend's nephew, ate some cheese and grapes, and charmed the guests.
After saying our goodbyes, we started our journey back home. HMB again did well, napped for awhile, ate some M&Ms (it's true people, chocolate is a good travelling treat) and got home. OK, we actually went straight to the gym so I could run off some of the cocktails and Tasti D Lite we ate over the weekend. Although, let me point out that we did not eat out at all except for our breakfast and we all had egg white omelets with veggies (and cheese). BUT, champagne was brought out to toast my friend, CLC, who just finished nursing school and starts her job next Monday.
All in all, I think we enjoyed our weekend. It was nice to catch up with dear friends, and just get out of DC for awhile (DC, you know I love you). HMB had so much fun and loved being the center of attention (as well as playing with all the fun stuff my friend had, including her computer and wine glasses). He was a good babe, though, and I see many trips to NYC (and other places) in our future!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
HMB and the City
HMB and I are taking another road trip, this time to NYC! I am a little nervous about HMB and the car ride, since Chris is not coming with us so there will be no one to sit in the back and keep HMB entertained!
We are heading up to visit two good friends of mine from college, one of whom LIVES in the city and another who is driving down from Massachusetts (or I think she actually lives in RI). Anyway, after college, they both moved to NYC and we have had many, many good times in that crazy city.
As we exchanged e-mails discussing the trip, I started to think about how different it would be with a toddler. We weren't exactly clubbing it up back in the day, but our visits usually involved margaritas, wine, 3am subway rides, and an assortment of random encounters with strange people. I can imagine this visit will be a little different...but GOOD different! I e-mailed my friend and said, "I think it might be weird because I have a BABY!". And she said we are all different now and it might be weird but it will still be fun. And of course she is right!
I read another blog post recently of a friend from high school and she talked about how good friends can live far away from you and you might not talk to them very often, but when you DO see them or talk to them, it's like no time passed at all! I am fortunate that although some of my friends live far away (MA/RI, NYC, CA, and now the UK) I feel this way about them all! I can pick up the phone, send an e-mail, or pick them up from the airport and we can pick up where we left off!
I am also very lucky to have good friends who DO live close by, thank goodness! That doesn't mean I can't try and convince the ones who live far away to all move here! Maybe not in the 100 degree humidity that is the DC summer...Ha, ha!
Anyway, I hope to have fun and exciting stories to post after the weekend all about HMB and the City, to include some good food and probably some margaritas and wine even WITH an HMB!
We are heading up to visit two good friends of mine from college, one of whom LIVES in the city and another who is driving down from Massachusetts (or I think she actually lives in RI). Anyway, after college, they both moved to NYC and we have had many, many good times in that crazy city.
As we exchanged e-mails discussing the trip, I started to think about how different it would be with a toddler. We weren't exactly clubbing it up back in the day, but our visits usually involved margaritas, wine, 3am subway rides, and an assortment of random encounters with strange people. I can imagine this visit will be a little different...but GOOD different! I e-mailed my friend and said, "I think it might be weird because I have a BABY!". And she said we are all different now and it might be weird but it will still be fun. And of course she is right!
I read another blog post recently of a friend from high school and she talked about how good friends can live far away from you and you might not talk to them very often, but when you DO see them or talk to them, it's like no time passed at all! I am fortunate that although some of my friends live far away (MA/RI, NYC, CA, and now the UK) I feel this way about them all! I can pick up the phone, send an e-mail, or pick them up from the airport and we can pick up where we left off!
I am also very lucky to have good friends who DO live close by, thank goodness! That doesn't mean I can't try and convince the ones who live far away to all move here! Maybe not in the 100 degree humidity that is the DC summer...Ha, ha!
Anyway, I hope to have fun and exciting stories to post after the weekend all about HMB and the City, to include some good food and probably some margaritas and wine even WITH an HMB!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Obsessed
HMB is obsessed with the refrigerator! We will be playing in the family room and he will casually walk into the kitchen and point, point, point to the fridge! Sometimes I do open it for him. He looks around, takes out a yogurt (even if he JUST had one) and usually plants himself on the little shelf at the bottom.
If I am in the kitchen cooking dinner, HMB will venture in and wait until the moment I open the fridge to get something out and pounce! He likes to re-arrange the salad dressing, taking them from the door to the little ledge mentioned above that he sometimes sits on. Occasionally, HMB will attempt to climb up the shelves in search of milk and other fun items.
I try hard not to let him play in the fridge, knowing how much energy he is wasting by having that door wide open! Secret confession time: when he is playing in the fridge, I am free to make dinner (for 5 minutes) without having to hold HMB, or give him a cracker, or keep him from pulling my shorts/pants down (a new favorite, only at home thank goodness). So I do sometimes relish those 5 minutes and let the door stay open...
Since HMB also has a "transfer Goldfish crackers and veggie chips from one Tupperware container to another" obsession, I can usually distract him away from the fridge. But anytime he is in the kitchen with me and I have to get something out of the fridge, I am very aware of little hands flying out in order to stop the door from closing so he can have his salad dressing party!
If I am in the kitchen cooking dinner, HMB will venture in and wait until the moment I open the fridge to get something out and pounce! He likes to re-arrange the salad dressing, taking them from the door to the little ledge mentioned above that he sometimes sits on. Occasionally, HMB will attempt to climb up the shelves in search of milk and other fun items.
I try hard not to let him play in the fridge, knowing how much energy he is wasting by having that door wide open! Secret confession time: when he is playing in the fridge, I am free to make dinner (for 5 minutes) without having to hold HMB, or give him a cracker, or keep him from pulling my shorts/pants down (a new favorite, only at home thank goodness). So I do sometimes relish those 5 minutes and let the door stay open...
Since HMB also has a "transfer Goldfish crackers and veggie chips from one Tupperware container to another" obsession, I can usually distract him away from the fridge. But anytime he is in the kitchen with me and I have to get something out of the fridge, I am very aware of little hands flying out in order to stop the door from closing so he can have his salad dressing party!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sick and Sleep
The title of this post is exactly what I feel like I post about! My poor HMB went from the stomach bug/flu to a bad cold. Monday and Tuesday, HMB seemed like he was on the road to recovery, he was eating well, drinking his milk, and overall being a happy HMB. Wednesday morning was all right but I noticed the runny nose. OK, could be the teething, since that damn molar still hasn't popped out yet (I suppose it's waiting for the other 3-5 to make an appearance!?). Then the cough started. It's all very familiar since HMB has this very same chest cold just about every 4 months.
With the cough comes even more sleep issues than usual. HMB had been going down in his crib with little trouble (minus the days of the stomach issues). But with a cough, forget about it. I know how I feel when I cough so much that my throat hurts and my eyes water, I can't imagine how tough it is for a toddler who doesn't really understand what's going on!
I called the doctor just in case, since HMB has a history of pneumonia and may or may not have asthma. Of course the nebulizer we bought when he did have pneumonia isn't working! I finally called the manufacturer about it and they were very nice. They suggested a couple things then told me I could bring it back to where I bought it and figure out if I needed it fixed or exchanged. I brought it today and it seemed to be faulty tubing. I also realized I have been putting the medication in the wrong way this whole time and I think I busted the filter! Ah, this poor kid just needs a breathing treatment! Hopefully tomorrow I will get it all figured out. They also suggested warm apple juice (HMB refuses, he doesn't like juice, go figure) and nasal spray.
Anyway, hopefully it will pass soon. I will say that HMB took THREE naps today! We woke up at 6am, he napped in the stroller while I jogged at 9:30am, another nap at 12pm and one more (very short) nap at 3pm! The kid MUST not be feeling well for him to nap three times in a day!! Here's also hoping that I have a more upbeat post in the near future!
With the cough comes even more sleep issues than usual. HMB had been going down in his crib with little trouble (minus the days of the stomach issues). But with a cough, forget about it. I know how I feel when I cough so much that my throat hurts and my eyes water, I can't imagine how tough it is for a toddler who doesn't really understand what's going on!
I called the doctor just in case, since HMB has a history of pneumonia and may or may not have asthma. Of course the nebulizer we bought when he did have pneumonia isn't working! I finally called the manufacturer about it and they were very nice. They suggested a couple things then told me I could bring it back to where I bought it and figure out if I needed it fixed or exchanged. I brought it today and it seemed to be faulty tubing. I also realized I have been putting the medication in the wrong way this whole time and I think I busted the filter! Ah, this poor kid just needs a breathing treatment! Hopefully tomorrow I will get it all figured out. They also suggested warm apple juice (HMB refuses, he doesn't like juice, go figure) and nasal spray.
Anyway, hopefully it will pass soon. I will say that HMB took THREE naps today! We woke up at 6am, he napped in the stroller while I jogged at 9:30am, another nap at 12pm and one more (very short) nap at 3pm! The kid MUST not be feeling well for him to nap three times in a day!! Here's also hoping that I have a more upbeat post in the near future!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Road Trip
Before I start this post, I was inspired by a friend who blogs and has stopped referring to her husband as "my husband" and calls him MM. I also find writing my husband ever time to be long and unnecessary, especially when his name is shorter than the word husband! Since I post pictures and my name is on this blog, I will call him by his first name from now on (Chris). Besides the fact that pretty much all the readers know his name anyway.
OK, now that that's out of way :) Let's discuss the road trip we all took this past weekend. We decided to go to an alumni picnic up in Pittsburgh so Chris could see some of his old college friends and show off his cute HMB (and me?). We planned on making it just a one night trip, leaving Saturday morning and coming back early Sunday morning. Friday morning, HMB was sitting on the couch, before his nap, but after playing at the gym daycare, and puked all over. He had chugged some milk earlier that morning so needless to say, the puke was pretty gross. We changed clothes and HMB had a quick bath before he napped.
Do I freak out yet? This was his first bad vomiting session but it was all milk so it definitely could have been that the milk didn't agree with him, right? Also, the day before we had been running errands and HMB had been in and out of potentially germ-infested shopping carts and at least one public bathroom. So maybe he had a little bug? After the nap, HMB seemed to be completely fine. I stuck him in the jogging stroller and we walked over to a Happy Hour with my former co-workers. He happily played, ate a waffle fry dipped in ketchup and caressed the waitresses leg when she came over to clear some glasses from our table.
Fast forward to Friday night, another puking session. HMB didn't get a bath this time, I was so tired I tossed all of our clothes into the tub, toweled us both off, and back to sleep we went. HMB woke up happy as could be. Do we still go to Pittsburgh? HMB is so happy and he would have so much fun playing, and he seems to be all right except for the puking? Chris and I decided that he was OK and we could still go.
About an hour or so into the trip, HMB throws up again, in the car this time. Fortunately, by some miracle, he mostly puked to his right side, so clean up (with all the wipes I had with me) wasn't too bad. We stripped him down and put a new outfit on him and he was running around the parking lot in no time. We called my mom, and Chris' mom, for some guidance on what to do. Chris' mom decided that he didn't have the flu since he wasn't feverish or even really crabby. Do we go on to the picnic or turn around? Again, we decided that HMB would have a lot of fun playing at the picnic and he was fine otherwise, full of energy, strangely enough. So we stayed our course.
We made it to the picnic without any more vomiting and HMB was actually great on the car ride. He took an hour nap and woke up with a smile. As we thought, HMB was in heaven at the picnic. He played in the water with the big kids (prompting another outfit change), ran around the jungle gym/playground and overall had a great time. Chris and I had decided to drive home that same night (about 4 hours) for a couple of reasons - one being we were supposed to stay with a friend who has a 5 month old baby and we did not want to get him sick! We also thought HMB would be better in his own bed in case something did happen, even though puke did not make an appearance at the picnic, thank goodness!
As we said out good-byes and headed over to the car, we noticed something peculiar about the left rear tire. It was flat. I must quickly tell you all about my tire karma. It's bad. I must have done something to tires in a past life because they don't like me. I once had every single tire go flat in one car, all within about a month. When I turned in my last car (the lease was up), I drove Chris' Jeep Wrangler. He had the Jeep for 6 years with no flats. I had the car a month and had a flat (those suckers are HARD to change). I drove Chris' beloved Volvo C70 to my first mom's night out after HMB was born. As soon as I pulled into this amazing parallel space in DC, I heard the sssssss sound. Really? Tire karma is getting me on mom's night??
Anyway, needless to say I have had a lot of experience changing flat tires. I once changed a flat in front of a client when I was doing home-based therapy, in SE DC. It was actually very good for our therapeutic relationship after she saw I was sort of a tire changing bad ass. And although I had not had to change the tire on this car (Ford Escape SUV), I had a bunch of big, strong men to help me out (and the directions on how to do it).
We got the tire changed but realized it was way to late to get it fixed anywhere. The friends we were supposed to stay with told us it was fine to stay with them, especially since HMB hadn't had an incident all day. So we stopped at a SuperWalmart for some food and headed to their place. HMB was asleep as soon as he hit the bed and seemed to be doing all right. At about 1am, I woke up to see HMB writhing around on the bed next to me (Chris was sleeping downstairs on the couch). I was hoping and praying this was not a precursor to some puking. My hopes and prayers were not answered and HMB puked all over the comforter. He didn't seem to be any calmer and I was worried there was more left to come out. I wrapped him in a towel and took him downstairs to get help from Chris. While standing on the hardwood floor, HMB let it all out. Then he was fine, laughing and playing with his dad while I did some major cleaning. HMB and I also took a bath and went back to sleep.
Sadly, this was not the end of the vomiting for the night. However, this time I was prepared!! I had a towel with me and as HMB woke up whimpering at about 4am, I held him and armed myself with the towel. ALL the puke went into the towel! HMB went right back to sleep, I rinsed out the towel, and we all slept until 7:30am.
After some strong coffee and lots of apologizing (our friends were completely fine with everything), we headed to a Pep Boys and got our car flat fixed (there was some metal in the tire). HMB was in a good mood, even eating some crackers and fruit for breakfast. The car ride home was uneventful except for some traffic that made us late for our softball game. And NO PUKING! Let me mention here that we were out of clean outfits for HMB and down to one clean pair of pajamas. Thank goodness for that SuperWalmart, I bought HMB a new pair of shorts and shirt. Even though I couldn't wash them before he wore them, I decided this was better than him going around naked or in long sleeved (but very cute) pajamas in 90 degree weather.
The past couple nights have been rough, I don't know if at night, HMB still isn't feeling well? But he has been an eating machine the past two days so I know he HMB is definitely feeling a lot better overall. We survived our rough weekend and even though I know there will be more, it's nice to get that first one out of the way!
OK, now that that's out of way :) Let's discuss the road trip we all took this past weekend. We decided to go to an alumni picnic up in Pittsburgh so Chris could see some of his old college friends and show off his cute HMB (and me?). We planned on making it just a one night trip, leaving Saturday morning and coming back early Sunday morning. Friday morning, HMB was sitting on the couch, before his nap, but after playing at the gym daycare, and puked all over. He had chugged some milk earlier that morning so needless to say, the puke was pretty gross. We changed clothes and HMB had a quick bath before he napped.
Do I freak out yet? This was his first bad vomiting session but it was all milk so it definitely could have been that the milk didn't agree with him, right? Also, the day before we had been running errands and HMB had been in and out of potentially germ-infested shopping carts and at least one public bathroom. So maybe he had a little bug? After the nap, HMB seemed to be completely fine. I stuck him in the jogging stroller and we walked over to a Happy Hour with my former co-workers. He happily played, ate a waffle fry dipped in ketchup and caressed the waitresses leg when she came over to clear some glasses from our table.
Fast forward to Friday night, another puking session. HMB didn't get a bath this time, I was so tired I tossed all of our clothes into the tub, toweled us both off, and back to sleep we went. HMB woke up happy as could be. Do we still go to Pittsburgh? HMB is so happy and he would have so much fun playing, and he seems to be all right except for the puking? Chris and I decided that he was OK and we could still go.
About an hour or so into the trip, HMB throws up again, in the car this time. Fortunately, by some miracle, he mostly puked to his right side, so clean up (with all the wipes I had with me) wasn't too bad. We stripped him down and put a new outfit on him and he was running around the parking lot in no time. We called my mom, and Chris' mom, for some guidance on what to do. Chris' mom decided that he didn't have the flu since he wasn't feverish or even really crabby. Do we go on to the picnic or turn around? Again, we decided that HMB would have a lot of fun playing at the picnic and he was fine otherwise, full of energy, strangely enough. So we stayed our course.
We made it to the picnic without any more vomiting and HMB was actually great on the car ride. He took an hour nap and woke up with a smile. As we thought, HMB was in heaven at the picnic. He played in the water with the big kids (prompting another outfit change), ran around the jungle gym/playground and overall had a great time. Chris and I had decided to drive home that same night (about 4 hours) for a couple of reasons - one being we were supposed to stay with a friend who has a 5 month old baby and we did not want to get him sick! We also thought HMB would be better in his own bed in case something did happen, even though puke did not make an appearance at the picnic, thank goodness!
As we said out good-byes and headed over to the car, we noticed something peculiar about the left rear tire. It was flat. I must quickly tell you all about my tire karma. It's bad. I must have done something to tires in a past life because they don't like me. I once had every single tire go flat in one car, all within about a month. When I turned in my last car (the lease was up), I drove Chris' Jeep Wrangler. He had the Jeep for 6 years with no flats. I had the car a month and had a flat (those suckers are HARD to change). I drove Chris' beloved Volvo C70 to my first mom's night out after HMB was born. As soon as I pulled into this amazing parallel space in DC, I heard the sssssss sound. Really? Tire karma is getting me on mom's night??
Anyway, needless to say I have had a lot of experience changing flat tires. I once changed a flat in front of a client when I was doing home-based therapy, in SE DC. It was actually very good for our therapeutic relationship after she saw I was sort of a tire changing bad ass. And although I had not had to change the tire on this car (Ford Escape SUV), I had a bunch of big, strong men to help me out (and the directions on how to do it).
We got the tire changed but realized it was way to late to get it fixed anywhere. The friends we were supposed to stay with told us it was fine to stay with them, especially since HMB hadn't had an incident all day. So we stopped at a SuperWalmart for some food and headed to their place. HMB was asleep as soon as he hit the bed and seemed to be doing all right. At about 1am, I woke up to see HMB writhing around on the bed next to me (Chris was sleeping downstairs on the couch). I was hoping and praying this was not a precursor to some puking. My hopes and prayers were not answered and HMB puked all over the comforter. He didn't seem to be any calmer and I was worried there was more left to come out. I wrapped him in a towel and took him downstairs to get help from Chris. While standing on the hardwood floor, HMB let it all out. Then he was fine, laughing and playing with his dad while I did some major cleaning. HMB and I also took a bath and went back to sleep.
Sadly, this was not the end of the vomiting for the night. However, this time I was prepared!! I had a towel with me and as HMB woke up whimpering at about 4am, I held him and armed myself with the towel. ALL the puke went into the towel! HMB went right back to sleep, I rinsed out the towel, and we all slept until 7:30am.
After some strong coffee and lots of apologizing (our friends were completely fine with everything), we headed to a Pep Boys and got our car flat fixed (there was some metal in the tire). HMB was in a good mood, even eating some crackers and fruit for breakfast. The car ride home was uneventful except for some traffic that made us late for our softball game. And NO PUKING! Let me mention here that we were out of clean outfits for HMB and down to one clean pair of pajamas. Thank goodness for that SuperWalmart, I bought HMB a new pair of shorts and shirt. Even though I couldn't wash them before he wore them, I decided this was better than him going around naked or in long sleeved (but very cute) pajamas in 90 degree weather.
The past couple nights have been rough, I don't know if at night, HMB still isn't feeling well? But he has been an eating machine the past two days so I know he HMB is definitely feeling a lot better overall. We survived our rough weekend and even though I know there will be more, it's nice to get that first one out of the way!
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