Gametes In Love

• Three nights of teething
• Long drive for a short visit to Sonoma Train Town
• S2 rode a carousel for the first time
• Boys’ first go on a ferris wheel
• G tantrum at the park
• Sushi dinner
• Second time of sleeping in past 8am since S2 was born (for ME!)
• T-ball fail. Again
• Lots of time-outs for G
• Train track build-out
• First (home-made) strawberry milk
• Tasty dinner
• Two very tired and patience drained parents

Me: S2, are you a baby or a little boy
S2: No!
Me: Ok, then what are you?
S2: Monhee!

(maybe I’ve called him a monkey one too many times)

It was my turn to put G down to bed last night. As G asked to snuggle, I told him how I used to snuggle with my grandpa (my mom’s dad) when I’d visit over the summer. Occasionally summer nights will be chilly so to stay warm my grandpa would turn his back to me, and I would press my back to to his broad shoulders. He’d be so warm, and his large back was my insta-oven. If my feet were extra cold (I have ridiculously frigid extremities), he would warm my footsies in between his knees.

G and I tried it after I told him about it. It wasn’t quite as perfect as I remember it being w/ my grand-pa, but we’ll get it over time. I have big shoulders to live up to.

I miss you, Diado!

Scene: S2 is drinking water from a bottle, using a sippy cup top. He then proceeds to let all the water out of his mouth straight onto his shirt. This is after him going crazy jumping off the couch, trying to poke the cat (the same cat that he’s still wearing scars from), tossing apple sauce all over the dining room floor, and knocking things over with his dinosaur tail

Me: He’s been acting like a drunken frat-boy ever since he got home
S: Really, S2? What have you been doing
S2: [lifts his already wet t-shirt]S: Well, now you’re acting more like a frat-girl

This past Saturday S and I took care of a pair of little ones belonging to our friends S&Z. While it solidified, for me, just how quickly one forgets the routines of an infant, it also impressed on me just how incredibly self-sufficient their 3.5 yr old was. He was chill, polite,  mild mannered and incredibly self sufficient. So much so that when they left I kind of felt like there has been this whole world of self-reliance I’ve been denying G and myself… and I’ve been implementing some changes since.

I can’t really tell you why exactly we do as much as we do for the kids. A big part of it is, quite frankly, pure convenience. It’s faster for me to feed S2, not to mention cleaner, or to get G dressed for bed. It’s easier to get G in & out of the car rather than plead, count and threaten while he sneaks up to the front seat and insists on honking the horn and push every single button on my dashboard. But, it’s also, partly holding on to this “littleness” of theirs. They’ll be big and going off to college in, what feels like, a few days and I’m not ready for them to be that grown up. And me so old. Yet, at the same time when they DO go off to college, I’d like to know they won’t be relying on someone to be taking off their jammies each morning… or at least if they do for me to NOT know about it.

As of right now, G gets out of the car by himself, and is in charge of closing the door behind him. He also gets dressed for bed-time on his own. He needs help taking off shirts, more specifically getting the base around his shoulders, but he’ll get it. For the moment, he still thinks doing all this stuff on his own is super cool, and he really IS very proud of himself for doing it. I’m sure in another week this will be an old hat, and I’ll go into the begging, bribing and frustrated sighing routine. Which is why my approach is to start the bedtime dress first. Since he wants TV before bed, and bedtime doesn’t change, the more time he takes getting ready, the less TV he gets to watch. Ha! Morning? I have a feeling he’ll be going to class in his pajamas forever. Or he needs to get dressed in his next day’s clothes the night before. G wakes up like S, which means a whole lot of tardy for first period slips coming our way. Ugh! Maybe I’ll make S sign those and the two of them can commiserate about getting out of the house on time 🙂

So yeah… I know self reliance is a really good thing for the kids long term, even though the frustration that comes with it probably will take a few years off of my life. They better become rocket scientists, is all I’m saying!

After watching Little Man ride our hanging rods I decided to get him a pony. This is his reaction

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlFbdEcJJwA&feature=youtu.be]

He and G then proceeded to play with the box the horsie came in. The box has now gotten more play than the actual horse. Sigh! Next time. I’ll just order a big box.

Warning: this video may contain images of pre-schoolers tantrum-ing and is not suitable for viewing in a work environment, while listening with the volume turned especially high, or in the presence of impressionable minors.

This is what happens when you suggest to your over-tired child that they’re tired and need to sleep.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFtZNKu9D70&feature=youtu.be]

S2 has ear tubes put in yesterday. It’s been an experience, and he was a remarkable trooper.

It didn’t start settling in for me what was going to happen until our pre-op call with the hospital this Monday. When the nurse started talking about fasting, bubble-gum flavored anesthesia, and visiting in recovery it started to hit me. Yet, the scariest part to me, was not the time away, nor the actual surgery, but NOT being allowed to feed him. I felt comfortable with everything else, but the idea of denying him food, and breaking our morning routine was just not my idea of a good time. I dreaded it, and having to hear “Ou-a muk?” (where’s the milk) with him giving me his little palm-up questioning expression as the very first words out of his mouth greeting me was not fun. Yet, he did great!

He behaved at the surgery center… for the most part, and other than treating the waiting area chairs as a jungle gym and slapping our admitting nurse across the face, he was an angel. We’ll pretend I didn’t mention that last part 🙂

S was worried how our little guy would react to being taken away from us by a complete stranger, but he took off with the anesthesiologist without a problem.

The surgery itself was 15 minutes. I ate a croissant. Used the rest-room. And then we were called in to see him.

It was rough walking into the recovery room and hearing him cry though. Especially since he was still out of it, and it was ultimately like trying to comfort a child that was having a night terror. I felt bad for the adults that were recovering in the same space too: it’s an open room, with curtains for “privacy”. Lemme tell you, curtains are not the same as a calm, soundproof space. We got to take him home within 20 minutes, where he proceeded to nap, eat a ton, and then start causing mischief 🙂

Now… let’s see if this makes an impact on the frequency of ear bugs. Meanwhile, S and I are over-sensitive to what he’s saying. I realize that a speech break-through the next day is unrealistic, but we keep asking if he’s more talkative today than other days.

Here’s a few iPhone pics of his morning

My morning sunshine. I wish I got his “Where’s my milk?” pose though.

Helping me get him ready

The waiting area. Seconds before this…

…became this

Reading Keates. Upside down. It’s ok — it makes as much sense in this direction as rightside up.

On the way to pre-op

Nurse: And what is S2’s REAL name? Us: S2. Nurse: Really?!

Listening to S2’s bugs

Reading the waiting room literature

Yes, you know this and I know this… but apparently my freak-out mind didn’t really catch on.

Let me explain.
Following Neko’s heart shenanigan’s I’ve been keeping a close eye on his food intake, and out-take (if you know what I mean). I’m also trying to weigh him about 1-2 a month. A few weeks ago, I had noticed that Neko was coming in at about 13.5lbs. This was a drop in weight since the 15lb he weighed when we took him in for his first bout of pulmonary edema. He went up to 14lb a few days later, and I’ve been trying not to obsess about it since.

… until S mentioned that Neko felt a little light to him.

So there that evening I went to weigh him on our baby scale, and walked out with my face pale after I saw 6.00 come up even on the digital display. I called the clinic and emailed his vet. His appointment is set for this morning.

And yet tonight, I had a crazy feeling that I needed to re-weigh him. I knew my scale wasn’t “off” from a calibration perspective, but I had a nagging suspicion that 2 toddler-sizes pair of hands may or may not have been playing with my weight apparatus when I wasn’t looking. Sure enough, some 10 fingers (I haven’t dusted for prints) had set my scale to KG. Since I always expect it to be set to LB I didn’t even think twice… especially when a second observer was noting how light our kitty felt.

I re-weighed him immediately. Current weight is 13lb 10oz. Still light and not regaining his weight.

So yeah, I wrote our vet back admitting my mistake (and feeling like an idiot, mind you). I’m not cancelling the appointment tomorrow though. He’s not gaining his weight back, and that still worries me. But on the bonus side, I don’t feel that Neko’s playing kitty poker with the grim reaper anymore.

Oh monkey! How you have come to dread these monthly sticker sessions. Luckily for you, I will torment you with only 3 more of these this year. Unlikely for me, I have 3 more of you do this this year. You see, what I’m hoping for is something like this:

but with a little bit more smile. Instead you give me this:

and this:

(and those were the GOOD out-takes).

S2’s personality is really developing right now. He’s a super sweet little man: helpful, and empathetic. When someone’s hurt, he brings them whatever will make them comfortable by listening to the conversations around them. He’s brought G ice out of the freezer when he had a bump, out of no-where, and runs to fetch G’s loveys when he’s upset. He likes to be a little mischievous, but tells you with his face when he’s trying to be funny. He’s also a flirt. BOY does he like the ladies. And if you’re wearing a low cut shirt, he likes to pull it and look down your blouse… or bathing suit. So watch out ladies — he’s in full on goods inspection mode too. He loves riding bikes, splashing water around, and building whatever tall tower anyone around him has painstakingly built.

Weight: 26lb 4oz
Height: 31.75″

Favorite food: Is it a breakfast good that has carbs? Yeah, he’ll eat that. Anything else? Not so much. We definitely know he’s picky-pants because he’ll accept foods with harder, chunkier textures, but turns his nose at about 99% of anything I give him that does not come out of a jar.

Favorite toy: Still water 🙂 And maybe the toothpaste tube

Favorite activity: Swimming

New accomplishment: Being able to open the front door to the house. Damn kids getting tall before their brains adapt to danger

Number of teeth: Still 11, but at his dentist visit this past Monday, we’re seeing the canines rising

Number of words: 35. Added:

• Box
• Doug (dog)
• Strawberry
• Monhee (monkee)
• Cracker
• Puh-puhl (purple)
• Ouh-daii (outside)
• Buck-uh (Buckles – the buckle lion)
• Tuck (truck)

Naughtiest moment: Biting. Oh the biting :-/

Temper tantrum meter: moderate-high