Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has been good. Robert has been growing a lot. I think he is an inch taller now then he was last week. He is also able to "eat" on his own with a spoon. Alice has also done a bunch of firsts. She tied her first knot this week, and also wrote her first capital R.

As for the rest of us we are slowly getting better from the cold/sickness that has kept us incapacitated recently.

Feeling Almost Normal

Thank you for your well wishes and encouragement. I'm doing better. We're all getting better, actually. It occurred to me this morning that my sour mood might be contributing to Alice's recent (and uncharacteristic) crabbiness. When I'm grumpy, she's grumpy/whiny, and that makes me more grumpy. It's been getting worse over the last few days, which proved to me that it has less to do with physical health than I thought. I'm actually getting better physically. So, I decided to "fake it 'till you make it" today and plaster on a grin despite my irritation. I joked around a bit, gave her hugs, made lots of eye contact, and things completely turned around in 30 minutes. Seeing her happy and sweet again suddenly made me feel better as a mom and, strangely, as a person. The day only got better from there. Both of us were happier, more independent, more secure, and WAY less needy. Turns out we're more connected to each other than I thought.

Robert did better today, too. He wanted lots and lots of snuggles. He even snuggled my head while he was sitting on my shoulders. He craves face-to-face contact, too. Such a physical little guy! I'll be sitting on the floor playing and he'll waddle over to me and lunge into my arms. He'll get up chest-to-chest with me, wrap one arm around the back of my neck, and rest his head on my shoulder. It melts my insides every time. If I lie on the floor, he squeals and puts his big, drooly, open mouth on my nose, my chin, my cheek, my eye, my hair, etc. until my head is covered in baby slime. The secretions totally gross me out, but that expression of love is worth the mess. He doesn't express it any other way yet.

By the way, remember that Valentine's Day idea that just popped into Alice's head? We totally did it as soon as she got out of quiet time:

 

Waiting for the treats to cool!

And here's the Babe enjoying the fruits of our labors. The dialogue is unscripted, I swear:

The buttons on the table are from a craft we had started earlier. We had intended to make a necklace, but the buttons were so varied and "beauty" as Alice calls it, that she got distracted from the task at hand. We ended up sorting them and rhyming nonsense words (much more fun in my humble opinion).

Small Miracles

Whether it's the prayers of concerned parents/grandparents, or one of those tender mercies that come when you need them most, Robert slept last night. There was a small disruption about 10pm, but then he slept through to 6am. My throat was also significantly better today. Better than it's been in a long time.

Just in time.

I woke up early this morning to meet my Visiting Teaching companion, Emily, at the house of our Visiting Teachee, Martha, at 7:30am. We loaded ourselves and Robert (10 months), Emily's baby (8 months), and Martha's two children (2 and 10 years old) into my companion's minivan and hit the road towards Chicago. Snow was falling and the wind was bitterly cold. Robert was all smiles in that car full of girls. We made it to the Mexican Consulate in record time, despite the weather, the traffic, and a dysfunctional set of windshield wipers and wiper fluid dispensers that only made the dirty street spray MORE opaque. We had to stop a couple times for Emily to pour windshield washer fluid on the windshield by hand. The kids were unbelievably cooperative, sweet, and easily entertained (that's why I was there...to entertain kids while my companion drove), but it took a lot of energy from me. Good thing I had slept well the night before, eh?

We dropped off Martha at the Consulate and took the kids to a mall to walk around. Well, we tried to anyway. Twenty minutes later, just as we found the mall (which was strangely, and disappointingly NOT an indoor mall), Martha called to tell us she had left some important papers in the car. We drove back to give her the papers. We then headed towards an indoor Playplace at a McDonalds. Um. Chicago construction and traffic made that impossible, too. I've grumbled about Chicago before. We just don't get along.

Anyway, Martha's appointment would be done in 20 minutes or so, so we turned back and found one of those 30-minute-free-parking spots near the Consulate. We changed diapers in the back of the minivan with light snow and an icy breeze racing around the babes' exposed nethers. Poor kids. Then we let the kids "run around" in the car and eat their lunch. Martha called to let us know that everything was done and in order. She was just waiting for someone to hand her the finished document and there was no telling how long that would take. Unfortunately, Emily had to leave right away or she would miss her appointment that afternoon. We had planned for this contingency, but hoped we wouldn't have to use it. Martha and her kids would have to take the shuttle back home. I quickly made the reservation by phone while we unloaded the kids and Martha met us outside. We had to leave quickly, so the shuttle instructions and goodbyes were very brief and hurried. Then Emily and I headed back home.

We got back to Champaign-Urbana and I immediately hopped in the car to go get Alice (Bobby, Marianne, and Kristin all worked together to get Alice where she needed to go and be. She had a splendid day and told me all about it when we got home. Craft class, dance class, and playing at Will's house...best Tuesday EVER, Mom!)

All of those events just kinda fell into place. It was a long day, but I didn't feel tired until I was home again with both Alice and Robert. Then the whiny, needy, noisy parts of the "witching hour" kicked in and I could feel how much the day had already taken out of me.

I don't know why I'm blogging about this except just to spit it out and make it stop spinning around in my head. I don't feel like I learned anything particularly poignant. I think I SHOULD have learned something from this...some sort of Visiting Teaching miracle or experience I could share in Sunday School, but it's not there. I didn't improve my relationship with either my companion or Martha. I hardly talked to either of them the whole time. We got the job done but I didn't improve any situations or lives. I still feel just as awkward with both of them.

Bummer. All that trouble and nothing to show for it :(

Quick Update

I'm still sick (sore throat, mostly, and fatigue). I'm still grumpy, too, though less so today than recently. Bobby has taken on more over the last couple days to try and give me a break. Unfortunately, he seems to be getting sick now.

*sigh*

In other news, Robert is officially walking more than he's crawling. The poor boy still needs something to help him stand (parental legs, furniture, door frames) but then he's off. He turns, avoids obstacles, and just keeps teetering on until something brings him down. Look for movies soon. Today, he tried running. Yikes! He just wants to keep up with Alice...except for quiet time. He's begun to resist the "trap him in Alice's room with Alice for 90 minutes" gig. Bummer for me. Bummer for Alice. She really, really, really, likes playing with him. I think he's bored of dress-up, and she tends to put all the coolest toys way up high so he can't reach them (i.e. chokey things, fragile books, and noisy toys).

*sigh*

Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has been kind of hard. Both Susan and Robert have been sick the last few days. Susan's sickness has manifested itself as grumpiness. The worst part of it is that she didn't even really recognize that she was sick, just kind of been irritable and in a bad mood for much of the last few days. Once she realize that she was sick and that was why she was feeling bad, she has been a lot nicer. Robert has also been sick. I don't know if it is just teething or something else too, but he has been very very grumpy and not sleeping well. He also has had a fever the last few nights. He has a few molar bits poking through now, so I am hoping that it is just teething.

Other then that not too much out o the ordinary has happened.

Dentist?

Alice's continues to explore career options.

Bang-a-machine

Robert loves the dishwasher. Dirty, clean, it doesn't matter. When it's open, he's there pulling the trays in and out, patting the dishes and trying to maneuver stuff out through the grid openings.

This afternoon, he manages to weasel out a wooden spoon. He's quite proud of himself and gives it a long victory chew. Robert also loves to use hand tools. Mostly for banging. He beats the wooden spoon on the racks, the dishwasher door, and then serendipitously hits a metal pot. Bing! He gasps, giggles and does it again. Again and again. He starts bouncing to his beat, then adds vocals. He hits other things for variety and then returns to the pot. Another victory chew for the spoon and he's all smiles. By this time, I've emptied the dishwasher and I need to fill it with dirty dishes. I move the pot to the floor where he can still reach it with his wooden spoon. He bangs it, singing, a little while longer until he notices the bottom rack is full of glass bowls, pyrex pans, and mason jars. He turns and whacks each item in turn, giddy with discovery. Alice joins the fun, too, showing him other things he can hit.

He's getting oh-so-brave with walking, too. He walked down the hall on his own today. He routinely walks across the living room for toys or snuggles. He still needs furniture or people to help him stand up, but then he'll go wherever he pleases. Maybe by spring, he'll earn a pair of real shoes ;)

 

Quiet Time Inspiration

Alice peeks her head out of her room during quiet time and says:

"Wanna hear what just popped into my head?"

Usually it's a song or a silly name, so I casually reply, "Sure."

"Chocolate covered tree cookies with cow's milk!"

"Oh my."

"Some with peanuts, some with not. I don't want peanuts in mine. Daddy gets ones with peanuts, Mommy gets ones with soy milk and Alice gets cow's milk ones with chocolate and sprinkles. Let's make them today after quiet time!"

"Uh. Well, okay. That sounds fun."

It is Valentine's Day after all. Let's go crazy.

Boy Growing Up

I've been reluctant to see Robert grow up. As eager as I am to see him accomplish each milestone, I still find myself a little sad after his second first haircut. The thought of him turning one in a couple months is an enormous turning point. I have long looked forward to it with much anticipation. I also feel like I'm about to lose something.

What am I afraid of losing?

It's not the baby-ness. Not really. Babies are hard, hard, exhausting work. That's why you love them so much and love to see them grow.

No, I'm cool with leaving the baby behind. I'm actually worried about who Robert will become. Why does it worry me so much? Why does it worry me NOW? Why don't I worry about Alice in the same way? I don't know. It's there, though, in the back of my mind. I'm always scrutinizing his behavior for signs of the boy and man he'll become. Well, "always" when I'm not interacting with Alice or cleaning the kitchen or something else. That's frustrating. I don't have the time and brain power to focus 100% on him like I did with Alice. Having another child means giving up a little more control that way. Maybe that's the real reason I'm worried...having a child grow up in my own home that I don't know as well as I want to.

So, Robert will turn one in a couple months. I feel like I've only known him a little while. Then again, he keeps changing, so the boy he is now has really only been around for a little while. Maybe that's why a year seems so impossibly long and inaccurate. Let's see what the next couple of months bring. Walking, for sure. Words? Maybe. Plenty of surprises.

Bobby's Sunday Summary

A lot has happened this week. Robert has started walking a lot more. He now walks short distances by choice. Before he would only walk a little ways if we stood him up and and encouraged him.

Robert also got his first real haircut yesterday. It was just clippers around hit head and some trimming over his ears. He looks different now, a bit like a crewcut.

Yes Robert's eyes are a little bit red. The whole family has been a bit sick the last several weeks. I think we are finally getting over it, but it is still not that much fun. Especially the lack of sleep.

This week we also made valentines. Alice had fun decorating them and writing the names of the kids in her preschool class on them.

Gumball Machine

Here is Alice putting the last few gumballs onto our version of the Gumball Machine Craft from the Frugal Family Fun Blog. Many, many thanks to her Aunt Heidi for bringing this fun little blog to our attention. It's totally Alice. 100%. We created this craft in about 30 minutes, using a 1-inch hole punch and old magazines to make colorful gumballs that we then glued to a brown paper outline of a gumball machine. Alice was heavily involved in every step, directing how she wanted it to look. Once the glue dried, I cut it out and taped it to our kitchen wall. We don't actually chew gum, but this was something she wanted to make the moment she saw it.

By the way, she selected her outfit and accessories that morning with her creative dance class in mind: red velvet dress, thick tights to keep warm, and a bonnet to keep the sun off her face.

Hugs

"Mom! Take a picture of us when we're not looking!"

 

Check. It's a good thing Robert enjoys all her physical affection. Let's see what Alice does when he's old enough to return it :)

Croup

Last night, Robert coughed himself awake several times and only calmed down with nursing. Alice had another episode of croup, too. It happens every time she gets sick these days! This time, though, when I opened her door, I saw her hunched over her barf bucket (she asked for one a few days ago and hadn't used it yet). She said she felt like she had to throw up...I couldn't blame her, listening to how hard she was coughing and struggling to breathe.

Technically, croup is a thickening of the vocal chords that constricts airflow quite a bit. It's a symptom or side effect, not a disease/illness in itself. Alice gets it with every serious cold. She wakes up in the middle of the night coughing and finds it really hard to breathe, which makes her cry, which makes her need more air, which makes it even harder to breathe, which scares her more, and you get the crazy downward spiral from there. I get hysterically emotional (inside, of course, because I'm still Susan), and quite irrational. One time, we decided she should go to the ER. Bobby took her and I stayed home with Robert because I didn't want to be the one to see her die in the car on the way there. Yup, that's irrational.

Anyway, we've learned more about croup since then and it gets less scary with each episode. Alice is learning to deal with it better, too. I help her calm down, we do a breathing treatment, and she falls asleep again. "Less scary" doesn't mean it's routine for me, though. Alice slept until 7:30 this morning, which scared me. That's really late for her. I didn't dare check on her for fear she had asphyxiated in the night and I was too exhausted to hear her death throes. Paranoia remains a regular part of the croup experience for me *sigh*

So, we're all tired today. The "good" thing about Alice's croup is that the first night tends to be the worst. She might have another episode tonight, but it won't be nearly so bad. I hope. There's always wiggle room for surprise, eh?

Bobby's Sunday Summary

I don't know. This week seems a lot like past weeks. We have had a bit of sickness lately, but nothing serious. Both Susan and I have had a bit of nausea, but nothing serious. Robert also probably had some of it too, but it is hard to tell with someone that small. He just was a lot fussier then usual for a few days, and now seems to be back to normal.

Wildlife in Aina's country

I will be starting a new blog dedicated to Aina's adventures: http://ainasadventures.blogspot.com

Here's the last installment you'll see on this family blog:

This morning, as we drove to church, Alice tells me out of the blue that all the bears are hibernating because it's winter. We talk about other animals that hibernate. Then Alice tells me that all the animals ("am-inals") in Aina's country are dead. They're all dead because it's winter. In the spring, new animals hatch from eggs that were hidden underground. They pop out of their eggs like caterpillars. And then they're caterpillars. There's a lion caterpillar, too, which bites people, but only very small people because it's so tiny.

Then Alice surprises me with this:

Quietly, with excitement in her voice she confides, "I have a lion caterpillar egg."

"Really?! Whoa. What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm going to bury in the ground and cover it with dirt. When it gets warmer like spring, I'm going to unbury it and put it in the grass and run into our house and shut the door.

"So it won't bite you when it hatches?"

"Yeah."

"What will happen?

"It will hatch and be a lion caterpillar."

"What do lion caterpillars eat?"

"Grass."

"Why do they bite people?"

"They bite when they're scared."

"Will he be lonely without his mommy or daddy? Oh wait, is your lion caterpillar a boy or a girl?"

"A girl. No, she won't be lonely. She'll be happy. Just keep small people away like babies and Robert."

"Whoa."

"This is for really real. I'm NOT joking. It really happened."

"Uh...okay."

"Really."

"Oh look! There's the church!"

Aina Narrowly Escapes Death

Alice was singing the "Days of the Week" song this morning (Mrs. Strom covers things I never even think of!) and accidentally skipped a couple days, "Sun-DAY, Mon-DAY, Tues-DAY, Satur-DAY."

"That's funny, four days? I thought we had seven days in a week."

"Hm." (this girlie hates to be wrong) "Actually, Aina only has 4 days in a week."

"Really? Wow."

"Yup. She lives in a different country. They only have four and we have seven." She then tries to name the four days Aina's country, uh, recognizes? but can't decide which. "Y'know, they have four days and we have seven. On the sixth day at Aina's country, everyone dies."

"No way!"

"Yeah. That's why Aina moved to our country Illinois. Now she lives with us and doesn't have to die."

Daddy's a good shoveler

Sorry about all the blog posts lately. The big storm has canceled several things and prolonged others, so we've spent the last 72 hours at home together. Lots of conversation time with Alice. I like it. Anyway, Bobby was out shoveling the snow and ice off of our front walk while the kids and I watched him out the kitchen window. After a few minutes, Alice says, "Daddy's a good snow shoveler."

"He sure is."

"Is that why you married him, Mommy?"

"Hm. Yeah, that's one reason. I married him for lots of reasons, but shoveling snow is a good one."

"I like him shoveling snow, too. I think that's why God put me with you. In this family. I like Daddy's shoveling."

"Good thinking. I'm glad Heavenly Father put us together, too. I love having you in my family."

"I love being with you, too."

Aina has the flu

After hearing the sad news that my class was canceled due to a case of the flu, Alice asked a lot of questions about the flu. Then Aina came down with it. Poor girl. It wasn't the ordinary flu, either. It was the Diarrhea Flu (Robert's been battling his own health issues of late...teething diarrhea).

"Aina has the Diarrhea Flu."

"Oh really?! She's throwing up, her muscles hurt, AND she has diarrhea?"

"Yeah."

"Yikes! What did she do?"

"Her step mom---her mean mom--said she had to stay in bed and couldn't change any of her sheets. But in the morning, her sheets were all clean!"

"Really? What happened?"

"Yeah! I changed them (giggle giggle). And her mean mommy was surprised. And now I'm Aina's mommy. That's why she likes me. And I even let her go to the potty at night (giggle giggle)."

Have I told you about Mean Mommy? Alice has one, too. I haven't met her yet, but I hear stories about her sometimes. I have yet to be mistaken for her ;)

I love the smell of...

...his spit. Robert's spit. I love the way his soggy shirt smells after a long, drooly day of sucking on toys and eating crud off the floor. It's a deep-down kinda love, familiar and sweet. So familiar. Kinda like my childhood blanket.

Just for fun, here's are photos of Robert, Alice, Bobby, and me at about the same age. Ish.