Three words in a row!

Finally! I heard a very clear three-word sentence out of Kiddle last night. He went upstairs to get his Word World cow and a few minutes later I heard him saying, "Where cow go? Where cow go?" as clear as day. Way to go Kiddle!

What? Aren't you going to miss me?

A big step forward for Kiddle today ... for the very first time he didn't cry when I dropped him off at preschool. Lord, that only took two months of twice weekly meltdowns. I have my fingers crossed for Thursday. Let's hope it's a trend, and not a one-time anomaly.

It's all over now ...

Lord help me. Kiddle can climb out of his crib.

The first time was yesterday after his nap and I happened to be in the room. Then this morning I heard him wake up around 7:00 ... and a few seconds later came toddling into our room.

Actually it's shocking that he hasn't done it earlier. The kid can climb anything. And I've seen him pull up on his knees on the crib rail to get something off the bookshelf next to his bed. So it's really not a surprise -- but something I was hoping to put off as long as possible. I think I'll leave his bed as is this week while Mr. P is away, then take the side off when he gets back.

I see long evenings of putting the kid back to bed 41 zillion times in my very near future.

I found the key to his motivation.

Kiddle has never willingly participated in a diaper change in his life. That's not to say that he always resists a change, but I've certainly never been able to say, "Come over here so I can change your diaper," without him running the other way or at least ignoring me.

However ... tonight we were at B&N and Kiddle was playing with the Thomas train set. I caught a whiff of some serious stinky butt and said, "Kiddle, I need you put down the trains so we can go to the bathroom and change your diaper. We'll come back and play more when we're done."

Do you know what that little varmit did? He immediately laid down on the floor next to the train table -- still clutching a train car in each grubby little hand -- as if to say, "Go ahead. Change me right here." Um, sorry bud. Nice try.

Second day of preschool ...

and as suspected it was a bit worse than the first day. Kiddle started yelling NOOOO as soon as I pulled into the parking lot and it took him about 15 minutes to stop crying once I left. He was great out on the playground, but started crying again when they came inside. He was crying when he got to me. Argh.

I spoke to the director for a few minutes after class. She was basically wondering if it was ok with me if his teachers ignored him rather than trying to comfort him. YES! He doesn't know them so holding him is probably making it worse, plus he can be a bit dramatic (related to my mom and sister, perhaps?), so letting him work it out himself is most likely the best course of action.

My fingers are crossed hoping for some improvement next week.

Ahoy Matey!

Well, this afternoon was much better than the morning. Here's Kiddle and Little K dressed up as a pirate and Super Bunny. Guess who's the pirate?

First day of preschool ...

and I wish I had a better report. Lots of crying unfortunately.

I had hoped it would go smoothly. Last Tuesday we got together seven of the nine kids in his class for a playdate at the park. And on Thursday we went to an open house at the school so Kiddle could see his classroom and meet his teachers. He did well at the open house (I was in the room with him), but today he cried when I dropped him off and an hour later when they brought the kids up to where we were waiting, I could hear him wailing the entire way. Poor Kiddle.

But he didn't cry the entire time, at least. Laurie said he stopped within a few minutes and settled in with some markers, but he did have a hard time when they transitioned from one activity to another. And then when they got the kids' stuff together to bring them upstairs to us, he completely freaked out. I'm sure he thought they were taking him somewhere without me.

So hopefully he will react better on Thursday. But I suspect it might be worse because then he'll know I'm leaving him there. I'm not really surprised by all this; he's never been dropped off before and he's also in an intense stranger anxiety phase right now. We continue the gradual phase-in process for a couple of weeks. Thursday the kids are only there for an hour again. Next week is longer while we also add valet drop-off and pick-up (although somehow I doubt he'll react well to someone reaching into the car to take him! I'll probably be walking him in for awhile), then we're finally up to the full three hours in the third week. Six hours a week to myself! Woo hoo!

Mush Mouth

Big week ahead! Today was Kiddle's first speech therapy session and tomorrow is his first day at preschool.

I had him evaluated just before we went to Oklahoma. While he's had quite an explosion of new words in the last couple of months and he's finally consistently attempting to mimic what I say, he's just not understandable by anyone except me. And I can't understand him when he says something out of context. He hasn't seemed terribly frustrated so far. Mostly, I think, because his three best words -- more, done and no -- cover a wide range of situations. The therapist we met with in July thought he had a typical two-year-old boy delay, and while we don't need to be terribly worried about him, he does need some help.

So this morning we met with Ronnie. I was concerned about how it would go, considering his current massive dislike of strangers, but he seemed to feel pretty comfortable with her. And, even more impressive, he actually sat in his chair for much of the session. Oh, and did I mention he didn't say one word? Not ONE! At least not until we were leaving and he said "bye bye" clear as day. And at $145 per not-covered-by-insurance session, that was a pretty expensive sentence.

We've got a ways to go, it seems.

A little bit pregnant ...

Pregnant!

I'm shocked because I really didn't think I was (unlike every other month when I say to Mr. P, "I think I really could be pregnant this time."). With Kiddle I strongly suspected I was pregnant about a week and a half into it, but I hadn't really had any of the same signs this time ... except that I must have peed 50 times yesterday. So mostly on a whim today I decided to do a pregnancy test even though I'm not due to start my period for a couple of days. As I was doing it I was thinking that this was a total waste of a really expensive digital test. Imagine my surprise when I checked few minutes later and saw PREGNANT. Holy shit.

I'm thrilled though, because we have been trying kind-of-in-earnest since January and really-in-earnest with ovulation kits for a couple of months. (I know, I know. I said we were going to start trying last July but you have you heard? You have to have sex to get pregnant. Who knew.) I'm especially thrilled because my original goal was to have kids 2 1/2 to 3 years apart and this will put the gap at 3 years 1 month. (Well, my original goal was to have another one before I turned 40, but we passed that point in May. 40 it is! And isn't it the new 30?)

And, with Kiddle's lack of talking, I'm actually glad we're closer to 3 years apart. I think if I was having a baby right now it would be much more of a challenge with him. Hopefully we can get his speech on track by the time this baby shows up: May 14, 2009.

I'm keeping this post in draft form until I'm ready to share, so see you in November!

My Dad the Missionary

My dad left today for another mission trip to the Ukraine. I think this is his fourth trip over there? Third? Not sure, but in recent years he's become very involved in the mission council at our church. You can read all about their trip at the Church of the Servant in Ukraine link on the right.

I'm melting! I'm melting!

Just got back from our two weeks in Oklahoma. Now, I grew up there and am all too familiar with the weather, but ten days over 100 degrees? Too much for me anymore.

The reason we were there at a time that no one in their right mind would choose? To watch my nephew for a few days. My sister appeared in several shows during the local theater's summer season, and while normally my parents do the babysitting duties, they had a week-long trip planned in the middle of it all. So Kiddle and I were on the job.

And we had a great time. In some ways hanging out with two of them is easier than just one. They adore each other so they keep each other entertained. But, it was also like herding cats. You're constantly trying to get one to go somewhere, the other not to go somewhere, do this, don't do that. Fun and stressful all at once. And we kept really busy: the play area at the gymnastics center, the park, the sprayground, the play area at Chick-fil-A (or "chick-a-lay," as my nephew calls it), the science center, Pump It Up.

The last two activities we were only able to do because, in one of those bizarre mysteries of the universe, Mr. P actually had to be in Oklahoma for business while we were there. He's never gone there for work and probably won't ever again. And that week really was when he had to be there; he didn't schedule it around us at all. Crazy.

Overall, the first week was great. Kind of odd and kind of nice to be there for a week without my parents. I say odd mostly because it's not the house I grew up in, so it's still feels a bit like staying at a friend's house instead of your family home. And it's too big. My parents are the only people I know who moved into a bigger house after they got rid of the kids.

More on the second week in another post. Here are some great pics of my nephew at the sprayground (god, I wish we had one around here) plus a bit of video of the two of them. (And, no, I'm not total trailer trash! They don't normally run around in public dressed like that. Did I mention it was 140 degrees?)

That New Car Smell

I have a new car-ar! Woo hoo! (Do you hear the sing-song quality to that taunt?)

Paid off the Mazda 6 last week, but rather than reveling in the No Car Payment feeling for a while, I decided to upgrade to an SUV. I know ... crazy of me with these $4 gas prices, but I really wanted more room and I was just so tired of my car.

So I used my free time during Kiddle's nap yesterday to crunch, crunch, crunch the numbers using a Consumer Reports bottom line report and got lots of coaching from my dad. Mr. P was able to come home around 3:00 (he's the money guy) and we headed out to the dealer.

By 7:00 I had a spankin' new Mazda CX-9. Platinum silver. Totally loaded: rear-seat entertainment system, rear-view camera, GPS and intelligent key system (which means I don't have to actually put a key in the ignition to start it or use my remote to unlock it). Mr. P was pretty impressed with my negotiating skills. When the finance guy showed me the invoice, said he just wanted to make $300-400 above the dealer price, and I said, "Well, I'd like to give you less than the dealer invoice" with a straight face, Mr. P almost fell out of his chair.

So thanks dear Dad for all your advice! I love my new car! (Of course, I'm headed off to Oklahoma for two weeks in a few days, so not much time to enjoy the newness. Oh well.)

I have a new car-ar!

Trains, Boats and Helicoptors

My parents were just here for another visit (they had free tickets on American as a result of being caught up in the MD-80 fiasco in April) and Kiddle continued his love affair with Ahdah. It's not that he doesn't like his dad or my mom, but for whatever reason my dad is the only person Kiddle will hang out with and not even notice I'm not around. I can't explain it, but I'm not going to fight it.

We had a great visit with them. They're so laid back and don't expect to be entertained. But I was feeling a bit guilty that we haven't done anything really fun the last few times they were here, so we went into the city on Tuesday to see the new Waterfalls public art exhibit. And it was beautiful, interesting and a bit of a let-down all at the same time. We did a half hour Circle Line tour which took you right by each waterfall, but really the best view was from the end of the South Street Seaport where you could see all four structures at one time.

Transportation was the theme of the day. Kiddle was fascinated and a little scared with each new encounter. First was the train ride into the city. I should add here that he doesn't like things that move (shocking, I know, since he's typically a daredevil baby). Last time he rode the little train at the zoo he cried the whole time, and has refused to get on it since then. He even freaks out if you put money in the little truck/car/horse ride-ons at the mall. He'd been on the subway as a baby but this was his first ride as a conscious-of-his-surroundings toddler. And, just as I expected, he wasn't thrilled. Fairly upset, wouldn't get out of my lap. But by the time we got into the city he'd calmed down and realized that trains are ok.

At the seaport, he stood at the railing of the dock saying, "Boat. Boat. Boat." At least until the line started moving to board ... then he was not interested in being a passenger. Of course, once we got underway he decided boats were the coolest thing ever and spent most of the trip running around madly. He had better sea legs than the rest of us (definitely inherited from his dad's side of the family). The river was filled with barges and police boats and speedboats and helicopters and sailboats and trucks and buses crossing the bridges. It was transportation overload and he was in heaven.

Then the return trip on the train was a totally different story: he ran onto the train like he was a seasoned commuter and sat himself down in his own seat with a smug little smile on his face. Such a big boy!

Good News/Bad News

The good news: Our lovely friends tried for ages and ages and ages before having their now-two-year-old daughter. And they've been trying just as hard for a second child. Their last two embryos were implanted last week, so we've all been waiting around with crossed fingers hoping for a good result. And so far so good. Her levels weren't looking great over the weekend but as of Monday they had quadrupled. Two sets of identical twins perhaps?

The bad news: We have some other dear friends who had a baby boy in early May. They found out about halfway through the pregnancy he had a serious heart defect that would require surgery immediately after his birth. They were finally able to bring him home from the hospital mid-June. Then this weekend we learned the devastating news that he didn't make it.

Colin was their second child and I've found myself thinking a lot about the loss of a first child compared to a later one. The death of any baby is so tragic and heart-wrenching, but as I look at Kiddle now I realize how much easier it would be to imagine the growth and potential of a second child, rather than being overwhelmed by the raw in-the-moment newness of your first child. Does that make their loss even harder to bear? Or maybe their daughter is such a vibrant, visceral reminder of happiness that she'll help them get through these sad times. I would imagine it's a little of both, plus a whole lot of other emotions that I hope we never have to experience. My heart just aches for them.

Pool Time

A big part of summer in our town is the pool. I'd never even been before -- not being much of a pool person myself -- but I finally broke down and signed the family up for the summer. I really had no excuse anymore, especially since our house is close enough for us to walk there (and hear all the loudspeaker announcements. "Adult swim. All kids out of the pool!").

I thought I'd put off going until they had regular hours during the week (School doesn't get out here until JUNE 25TH! Can you believe that?!), but when Jack's mom called on Saturday to see if we wanted to go post-nap I realized it would be a good idea to go with a seasoned pro. So we slathered on the block, packed up all our towels and headed out.

One surprise: Living in the Land of No I thought we'd get a dictionary-sized book of rules and regs, but no. Although it would be nice to know for sure when the toddler pool is open. (I think they were simply out of them. And no it's not a manual; just a tri-fold pamphlet, from what I later heard.)

Another surprise: It was actually really great there. The toddler pool is perfect for Kiddle right now. (But I'm so thankful I didn't join last year. What an exhausting experience that would have been with a just-found-his-feet walker.) There is quite a bit of shade. And the pool is ringed by a grassy berm so you aren't stuck on concrete for the entire time. (Note to self: take some pool toys so I don't feel so guilty when my little one picks up every little boat and rubber duck he can get his hands on.)

Maybe I will become a pool person after all.

Oh that? Yeah, that's NYC. Did you want to go?

I spend all my time now in the suburbs on a two-year-old's schedule. Which means we don't go far because, well, he's two. And two-year-olds LOVE their schedule. So when we have out-of-town guests now it's a very different scenario than a few years ago. Pre-kid it was all about shopping and sightseeing and theater. Post-kid I seem to forget that Manhattan is all of 20 minutes away and that my guests might want to do something besides go to the park.

My best friend from high school was just in for a visit. Fortunately she's very laid back and had been well warned that our life is quite boring at the moment. It was so lovely to just be able to hang out with her for days on end and really catch up on each other's lives. Something we never get to do even when I go back home for a visit. We did finally drag ourselves into the city to see "Xanadu." Adorable show. Very campy. And, as it turns out, CJ's first Broadway show. (Maybe we should have seen something more traditional for her first show? Oh well.)

So thanks for hanging out with us in the suburbs, CJ! We miss you already and hope that your visit was relaxing, not boring. See you in July!

Two Words! Two Words!

Yay! I finally heard a two-word combo. We were draining the water from Jack's kiddie pool on Friday and Kiddle said "bye bye waa." Progress! Woo hoo!

In the Dark

Oh, how I love electricity! After 30+ hours of living in the dark (and the hot and the boring) I experienced the blissful sensation of my bedside lamp shining in my face at 5:45 am. Yay lights! Yay air conditioning! Yay computer! Yay TV! (Although I'm devastated I missed the first Top 20 episode of So You Think You Can Dance.) Yesterday felt like Kiddle and I were hanging out in a black hole.

And what caused this void of electronics? A wicked storm that tore through here Tuesday night. It seems our neighborhood caught the brunt of it. Huge old lovely trees are down on every block. Little K's backyard has two trees that didn't fall, but have to come down ASAP. One is partially uprooted and leaning on a massive oak; the other will be too unstable on its own because they were already growing in a terrifying V shape. Fortunately no damage for us but we'd been without power since that night.

Friends and Neighbors

I've never really had neighbors that were also friends. Well, except for the time a friend lived in the apartment across the hall from my roommate and me, but that was totally a Melrose Place phase of our life (oh, how I miss those days!).

Anyway, I've already written about our neighbors with the two-year-old daughter (I'll call her Little K from now on). I haven't mentioned that next door to them is another family with a two-year-old as well (he'll be known as Jack). The kids all just turned two within eight weeks of each other. Technically both families live around the corner from us, but we can see into each others' backyards. Little K's backyard is fenced and they have a big swingset/slide so we spend most of our outdoor time in their yard.

On Friday we had our first neighbors' cookout at Jack's house. The kids played in the kiddie pool until they were blue. And the adults ate lots of yummy barbeque and had some drinks. I love having these kids so close in age; they're adorable together. And I love having other moms/friends so close by. It was relaxing and fun and I can't wait to do it again.

I Slept In Until 10:30!!

Last weekend was heaven. Know why?

Because I was away for three whole days ... BY MYSELF. Well, not really by myself because I was with other people. But none of those other people was a three-foot-tall tornado named Kiddle.

I went to Orlando with some friends and had a good old-fashioned girls' weekend. I got a mani/pedi, had dinner without once saying "use your inside voice, please," saw the "Sex and the City" movie (even though I've seen all of one and a half episodes of the show). But mostly we relaxed by my friend's pool and read and chatted. It was great to not be responsible for anyone other than myself for only the second time in two years.

But I missed Kiddle terribly. He's so funny and interesting right now, it just killed me not to know what was going on with him every second of the day. He and Mr. P spent a couple of days upstate with Mr. P's brother and girlfriend -- a great distraction from the fact I wasn't around, plus Kiddle follows his uncle around like a puppy.

It was a good separation for both of us: I got some great downtime and Kiddle has been much more inclusive of Mr. P this week. Well, until last night ... but more on that later.