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Sunday, March 23, 2008

The Getting-Your-Crap-Done Meme

Cali tagged us for this meme some time ago, but I am only getting my sorry ass to do it.

Here are the rules:

Step 1. Reference back to the blog that sent you.
Step 2. Make a list of 5 things that you have to get done this week, no matter how small.
Step 3. Get 2 other people off their asses to get their shit in order.

So I guess I can't list "doing this meme" as one of my things. Heh.

Here is my list:
1. Make some progress, any progress on the giant Home Study Autobiography that intimidates me, but stands in the way of my legal rights to my son.
2. Bring lots of Stuff to school for Jo's daycare (extra Pack n' Play, diapers, wipes...).
3. Drag out the test prep materials from my file cabinet since my students' state test is in about a month. Blech.
4. Decide whether we can go to California in May. Commentary on cross-country travel with a 5 month old?
5. Go the grocery store, because Co can't last too long without her seltzer.

I tag: One of His Moms and Cutest Little Babymakers.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Less Annoyed

*The visit with my mom turned out to not be so bad. She apologized for being flaky about getting together in the evening. The apology degenerated pretty quickly into her whining, "But I'm a person too!" (Meaning, a person who needs to go to political conferences.) That's fine; I just wish she could be the kind of person who was a grownup, and with whom we could make reliable plans. Oh, well. She showered Jo with three-month birthday gifts, mostly books because she is my mom, but also this tasty rattle:


*The Babies R Expensive item was not broken, just poorly constructed. Ultimately, after a phone call to the company, I prevailed over the cheap plastic crap. And I do not have to go back there. Thank God.

*Last weekend was our small, local, and adorable St. Patrick's Day parade. We took Jo, all decked out in his green (he is 1/8 Irish after all!). Here's the wee lad:


The parade featured Irish setters, Irish dancers, a green trolley, and horses with shamrocks painted on their butts.

*Last night we took Jo to his first Purim services. For several years now, Purim services at our congregation have been preceded by a parade that involves a motley crew of us walking around the block with noisemakers, costumes, and decorations, including a trussed up folding chair on which we carry "Queen Esther," who is played by a rotating cast of children of both genders. Co and I play a role by ordering paraphernalia from Orient*l Tr*ding such as masks, crowns, and bubbles, to make the parade as festive as possible. This year someone called us the "Purim fairies." We only stayed for a little bit of the service because all the noise was a bit much for our little boychik. (When the story of Purim is told, you're supposed to drown out the name of the villain with noisemakers, booing, etc.) So we took him home to cuddle his boob in peace.

*I'm home today for Good Friday. Jo and I celebrated by going to a queer parent's group while Mommy got some work done. Jo enjoyed watching the big kids (the other babies were 9 months, 13 months, and 15 months), which I hope bodes well for day care, where he'll be hanging with two year old twins. After the meeting, Jo and I picked up prescriptions at the drugstore (our local pharmacist was appropriately delighted with the baby), filled the car with gas, and got the oil changed. I felt like such a mom rockstar!

Seriously: going back to work has been rocky. I love my job, and I get home most days by 4pm, so it could be a lot more traumatic than it is; but I have had days when I thought Jo preferred Co; when I ached with jealousy because she and Leo's Mom took a walk in the sunshine with the babies; whenever I have to ask Co a question about Jo's routine or habits, my heart plunges. So it really felt wonderful to be able to be his full-time mama, even for a few hours, and know he and I could handle it. I can't wait until this summer!

*A colleague gave me this handmade onesie. It's nice when people know you....



*I included some photos of Jo in this post by CCB's special request. We're flattered! I wouldn't have thought people wanted more of the little tyke. But since our public is clamoring, here's some cute stuff and some footage.

Co adores this picture:


She took several videos of our talkative little guy. In this one he rolls around on his Gymini, babbles, and eats his fingers:


Talking & Finger Chewing from L.O. on Vimeo.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Photo Friday & Annoyances

Last week, I entered two pictures into Photo Friday, but I didn't get a chance to blog about them. Somehow, I feel like that is cheating. (I know that's crazy.)

So, here is this week's entry. I feel a little lame resorting to so many Jo pictures for Photo Friday, but this one really did come to mind when I saw the theme: both because he's swinging in the picture, and because he I had titled it "Man In Motion." I would like to name more of our pictures after 80s songs.



**********
"Why is Elmo blue?"
--overheard at Babies R Expensive: a mom said it to her toddler, when he showed
her a Cookie Monster rattle

I actually said aloud, "It's Cookie Monster." The woman replied, "Oh honey, I think the lady's right." Yep.

As I've said before, Babies R Expensive itself is highly annoying, but I needed to return a gift item (we got two of the same thing). Then when I got our new purchase home, it was broken. So I have to go back there again. I'm thrilled.

*******

Jo turned three months old on Thursday!! He is big, and beautiful, and delightful. My mom decided to come into town to see him in honor of his three-month birthday. I was pleased and found myself dropping it into conversation that Jo's Grandmom was coming for his 3 month birthday. Then she found a political conference going on in our city this weekend. She (and her husband) came by at noon, and left for the conference by three. She called at 7 to talk about coming back to our place for dinner and to hang out with the boy...but then she called back a few minutes later to say that they'd run into someone and her husband just had to debrief the conference over dinner. (Because she'd mentioned dinner earlier, we hadn't mobilized to feed ourselves.) But they'd only be about twenty minutes. A full two hours later, she called and said they were coming over. Co told her she was doing no such thing (I made her answer the phone; she was polite, though, 'cause that's my Co).

I am feeling neglected and bitter, but fortunately, my sweet baby doesn't know the difference. The first time she does that to him when he is aware, is the last time she sees him.

Here is the sweet 3 month old she is missing out on.



Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Teething??

Jo will be three months on March 13. He is very, very young. But he has been physically advanced in practically every other way. (He is probably over 14 pounds by now; he has held his head up and pushed up with his hands [on his tummy or on our chests] in ways that people have told us are advanced for his age.)

And now we are wondering if our little prodigy is teething early. On Monday night he screamed and screamed and screamed for no apparent reason, for two hours. I share this story knowing that Jo is a very mellow baby, and that was the first time we've dealt with such a situation; many of you have put up with much longer, and much more frequent, screamfests. But it was very out of character for our babe.

Then we noticed: he's drooling more. Today he had some diarrhea. He has been gnawing on his hands. The drooling and the hand-gnawing are listed as things he starts doing more of at his age, but they can also be signs of teething.

I gave him one of his teething toys (which we stuck in the fridge on Monday night) and he went to town.

More experienced parents, could he really be teething?? And is there a way to tell (I mean, other than, say, a tooth appearing)?