Mama Tried

Christmas 2008

Peppermint Ice Cream, originally uploaded by hannahcooks.

Nathan is under the impression that visiting Grammy's means eating lots of ice cream. Our trip to the Blue Bell Creamery did not do much to dispel that idea.

The week in Houston flew by so fast- Nathan was delighted to see his uncles and aunts again and his Grammy and Grandpa. We went to a Rockets game and Nathan stayed awake for the whole thing, including double overtimes. (I changed him into his pjs and thanked Grandpa for booking a suite- Nathan got so punchy he had to run around in circles a lot- but mainly he wanted to watch the "BALL!!!" Even the visit of Rockets Power Dancers and the dessert cart could not lure him away from the "BALL!!!" for long.)

Nathan also really enjoyed seeing his cousin Parker- Parker knocked over a trash can at one point, which cracked Nathan up, and from then on when I would mention Parker, Nathan would say, "Trash!? Hahahahaha!" Nathan would also demand Parker sit in his chair if he entered the room while Nathan was having his snack. Fortunately Parker could usually be enticed to do so.

Nathan was so sad to leave although upon being reunited with his toys and his dog, found a way to get through it.

Holiday Overload

We went a little overboard for Nathan's Christmas this year. I prefer to think about all the things I was tempted by (dirt cheap train tables which seemed to be everywhere, basketball hoop for backyard, backyard play house and/or swing/slide set) and decided NOT to get because really, we got him way too much.  

I was going to get him just a play kitchen. But then, of course, you have to get play food and play pots and pans.  And then I realized if we were putting a play kitchen in the playroom it needed to be more organized, so we had to get some storage. And while we were at it, a table and chairs (so Nathan doesn't have to do all his coloring standing at the coffee table), and an easel.  And had I known how much Nathan would love the easel, I would have reconsidered holding off on the kitchen til his birthday.  Seriously, he is drawing constantly. On the other hand, the kitchen will require a little less hands on supervision, so it's probably fine that he has both.

He also has a ridiculous amount of stuff under the tree- a Little Tikes schoolbus, and a ton of books. And I shipped a couple of o-Balls and a stuffed Oscar the Grouch (twash!) to Grammy's, so he will have presents on actual Christmas. (I suspect he would have had presents on actual Christmas had I not sent anything.)

I'm justifying some of these things because they will get used by the new baby, too. But any more and I could run a preschool out of the playroom.  For his birthday he's getting one thing and one thing only, I swear.

At the library today

I saw a book titled something like, "Managing Pregnancy and Work" and I laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Because unless you are a construction worker or a professional wrestler or a preschool teacher, I think pregnancy and work is probably much easier than managing pregnancy and being home with a toddler. I am trying to recall if I ever said, "Oh, it is so difficult when I am so ravenous and have to go downstairs for a candy bar which I can eat right then, instead of waiting til naptime to stuff my face with junk so as not to set off a tantrum."  Or, "Man, going down the hall to this private bathroom stall to throw up is so difficult, I wish I was at home with a toddler pointing and laughing at me."  Or, "I am so exhausted, it is so awful that I have to shut my door and sit for five minutes when I could be falling asleep while letting my son watch an extra episode of Wonder Pets."

All of which is to say I am due to have another baby in June.  We are excited about it, but things are definitely different the second time around. I am way more tired. (One book helpfully points out this is because I am OLDER than I was before.)  I throw up daily. (With Nathan I think I maybe puked five times, tops.)  And, you know, Nathan thinks it is hilarious when I throw up.   I also thought I had terrible gas but the nurse says that it's just my pelvis stretching.  I have a new ob, who seems nice, but is not as briskly professional and competent as my old ob. He is more jovial and patient, which I suppose are good qualities, too, but I always felt like if I were trapped in an elevator with my old ob and she had to deliver the baby with her bare hands, she could.  Probably the new guy could, too, and probably that's not going to happen anyway.  His nurse was horrified to learn I was taking Trader Joe's prenatals and made me switch to a prescription brand and for that I am eternally grateful.  Not because I don't think the TJ's ones are just as good (my old ob said they were and Nathan seems fine), but because the prescription ones are so easy to swallow. Who knew?

Tantrum Update

I feel I owe it to Nathan to put down for posterity that his tantrum stage only lasted a few days. It also seemed to coincide with his stomach bug, after which he returned to being absolutely sunny and delightful 95% of the time. 

He is talking more and more, and several of his new words took me a while to interpret. "Coe" for "crayon" (or "coloring," I can't tell.) "Ai-sh," for "lights" or "Christmas." (I think lights, but he also says "Ai-sh twee" when he sees a Christmas tree.")  He also strings together his recognizable words with gibberish, which for all I know actually means something too.  Two people this weekend have commented on his advanced speaking abilities- one a woman who informed me her two year old grandson couldn't speak nearly as well (and all he was doing was pointing to all the Ai-sh and Coes he saw while waiting in line at Joann's) and the other a Trader Joe's checker who appeared to have no real grasp on what normal toddlers should be doing, since "hi" and "bye!" blew him away.  

Nathan is not actually an advanced talker, I don't think- he is probably right in the dead center of the wide range of normal- but he is a much better talker than he was even a month ago. I can't get over his ability to actually tell me what he wants to do. Even though what he wants to do is usually go outside and blow bubbles for hours. 

Nathan's Holiday Book Review

Jingle Bells- this book consists of the following three pages: 1) Jingle Bells. 2) Jingle Bells. 3) Jingle All the Way. Nonetheless, Nathan LOVES it. He likes to carry it around and shake it. (It does jingle. Sort of.)

Santa Mouse- this is a childhood favorite of mine (I do an interpretive dance version every year for our family's Christmas Eve program.) Nathan really enjoys it up until he realizes a few pages in that no one is going to give this mouse a cookie.

Merry Christmas, Curious George- this just arrived as a present from Nathan's great-grandmother. I was going to keep it under the tree til later but Nathan saw it sticking out of the bag and grabbed it. He LOVES Christmas trees and demanded to read it immediately. "Twee! Twee! Twee!" And then there is a monkey jumping on the bed, as a bonus. 

Ten Christmas Lights- this one lights up, and was an immediate favorite. Nathan insists on sitting where he can see the real tree while reading this. It was all he really wanted to read, in fact, until the library trip where we picked up---

My Hanukkah Book of Numbers- Oh, MAN, does Nathan love this book. He will sometimes hold Ten Christmas Lights and make me light it up while I read My Hanukkah Book of Numbers. Even though he clearly doesn't get it all (he thinks the 10 yarmulkes are balls) and I don't like how it goes from 1-10, to 12, to 15, to 20, this book clearly shows that Christmas doesn't have the automatic edge. Except when Christmas involves Maisy. (Below.)

Merry Christmas, Maisy- I do not really love the Maisy books and I especially don't love how in this one Maisy's trampy duck friend has a dress that lifts up to show that her underpants say "Jingle Bells" on them.  Nathan loves Maisy possibly even more than Spot, though, and would not be deterred when he saw this at the library.

The Hanukkah Mice- I thought this would be a hit since it involves all the things Nathan has come to love from the Hanukkah book of numbers (latkes, gelt, dreidels) as well as mice and flaps to lift. Nathan is totally uninterested in it. It does have things like "Hanukkah candlestick" instead of menorah and "chocolate coins" for gelt, so perhaps he feels it is not Jewish enough for him.