Isaac and I were displaced all weekend, thanks to my crappy apartment's crappy heating system not working and my crappy landlord not returning phone calls or text messages three days in a row. So we spent all weekend on my parents' fold-out sofa bed, which is about 16 years old and hurts my back and neck somethin' awful. Still, I'm glad we were there because my parents and grandparents provided a lot of help that I'm not sure I would have survived without.
Wanna know why?
Because my kid, my sweet, adorable, lunatic baby, thought it would be totally awesome to wake up at 4am every day this weekend. I wish I were kidding.
On Saturday I managed to give him a bottle and keep him content until about 6:30 when Grandma snatched him up, thus enabling me to sleep in until 8:30. On Sunday, again, he was up at 4am. This time, he wouldn't go back to sleep. And again, Grandma came to the rescue. She apparently gets up at 4am every day, and she heard him, saved me and, again, I got to sleep until 8:30. Today, he was up at 5. Dad came in and hung out with him until about 5:30, when I made him a bottle and got him back to sleep. Still, I went ahead and got ready for work and was here before 7. Surprisingly enough, I'm only on my first cup of coffee. I think there will be plenty more to come, though, before an eventual, unavoidable midday crash.
I have no idea what's going on with Isaac's newfound desire to greet the day before the sun comes up. I really, really hope it has something to do with the fact that we were away from home and that, starting tonight (Lord willing my crappy landlord decides to do something about our heating situation), everything will go back to normal and Isaac will not wake up before 7am any day this week.
His disposition has been great. He's woken up every morning in a good mood, ready to play, crawling all over me, which would be great if it weren't so freakin' early. What a psycho.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
More gushing
I love getting kisses from my Little Man. Whenever I want a kiss, I lean toward him with my mouth wide open and say, "Aaaahhh." That's because, when he first started giving kisses, they were always these huge, wet, drooly kisses that he gave with his mouth open as wide as possible. Now he gives kisses with his lips shut, but he still understands that a wide-mouthed "aaaahhhhh" is the sign that I want one. He leans in and presses his little lips against mine for the sweetest kiss anyone could ever receive.
The very best, though, are the kisses that he gives without my asking for them. Sometimes, especially in the evening after I get him from Gramma's, he'll just look at me and then lean over and press his lips to mine without any warning or reason at all. Those are the absolute best. My kid is pretty awesome, yo.
The very best, though, are the kisses that he gives without my asking for them. Sometimes, especially in the evening after I get him from Gramma's, he'll just look at me and then lean over and press his lips to mine without any warning or reason at all. Those are the absolute best. My kid is pretty awesome, yo.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The best part of my day...
Is when I pick Isaac up after work. As soon as he sees me, his face bursts into a grin, he reaches his arms out and he says, "Uh, uh!" It is so awesome to know how much your kid loves you and misses you when you're gone. It's almost impossible to comprehend. And I am so grateful.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Signs I may be doing something wrong...
So, about a week and a half ago, our TV broke, and I haven't gotten around to fixing it or getting a new one. Isaac is really fond of playing with the remote, and he totally knows if I'm giving him a placebo remote or the real thing. He knows when he's pushing buttons and making something happen on the TV. Since ours has been broken, he'll push the buttons, look up at the TV, push the buttons harder and then grunt in annoyance when nothing happens. Today, he picked up the remote, pointed it at the TV with one hand and let out a little yelp of anger when nothing happened. I'm not sure whether to think he's a genius baby for understanding how the remote works or to think I'm a horrible mother because he understands how the remote works.
Also, last Friday after work Isaac and I went to McNellie's with a group of pals that included my friend Natasha and her son Sam, who is almost exactly two months older than Isaac. Babies tend to be a little handsy with each other, and Sam has certainly grabbed Isaac's shirt and screamed in his face before, but he was on his absolute best behavior this afternoon. When Natasha's husband Aron set Sam next to Isaac so the two could play, Isaac immediately smacked Sam in the face. Sam took it in stride, but when he went to touch Isaac's face -- gently, even -- Isaac burst into tears. Twice. Is he going to be the kid who always packs up his toys and goes home crying? I sure hope not. I don't mind a little sensitivity in a man, but I don't want it to be crippling!
In other news (who needs CNN with headlines like these?) Isaac is no longer nursing. As of last week. After a few nights apart and since I'm no longer pumping at work, my body has stopped producing enough milk to sustain him. And I'm OK with it. I wanted to be able to nurse a year, but I'm more than happy we made it 11 months (tomorrow!). Since I'm not nursing, I've stopped feeding Isaac at night. It's been a little more tiring, since I've had to actually get out of bed (sometimes) to console him when he wakes, but I think the long-term effect is going to be him sleeping through the night. Over the weekend he slept all night until 5:30 Saturday, Sunday and today. Why now he thinks he needs to get up at 5:30am is beyond me, and I sure wish he would cut it out. We're still co-sleeping, and I still love it because, at times, I can just pull him closer and ease him to sleep. I'm sure, at some point, we'll we wean from the co-sleeping as well, but I rather enjoy the extra time with him since I have to work during the day.
Also, last Friday after work Isaac and I went to McNellie's with a group of pals that included my friend Natasha and her son Sam, who is almost exactly two months older than Isaac. Babies tend to be a little handsy with each other, and Sam has certainly grabbed Isaac's shirt and screamed in his face before, but he was on his absolute best behavior this afternoon. When Natasha's husband Aron set Sam next to Isaac so the two could play, Isaac immediately smacked Sam in the face. Sam took it in stride, but when he went to touch Isaac's face -- gently, even -- Isaac burst into tears. Twice. Is he going to be the kid who always packs up his toys and goes home crying? I sure hope not. I don't mind a little sensitivity in a man, but I don't want it to be crippling!
In other news (who needs CNN with headlines like these?) Isaac is no longer nursing. As of last week. After a few nights apart and since I'm no longer pumping at work, my body has stopped producing enough milk to sustain him. And I'm OK with it. I wanted to be able to nurse a year, but I'm more than happy we made it 11 months (tomorrow!). Since I'm not nursing, I've stopped feeding Isaac at night. It's been a little more tiring, since I've had to actually get out of bed (sometimes) to console him when he wakes, but I think the long-term effect is going to be him sleeping through the night. Over the weekend he slept all night until 5:30 Saturday, Sunday and today. Why now he thinks he needs to get up at 5:30am is beyond me, and I sure wish he would cut it out. We're still co-sleeping, and I still love it because, at times, I can just pull him closer and ease him to sleep. I'm sure, at some point, we'll we wean from the co-sleeping as well, but I rather enjoy the extra time with him since I have to work during the day.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Oh, Brother
Brother is officially no longer enlisting in the Marines. He just came home one day and his mind had changed. He told me he realized he wasn't doing it because it was what he wanted; he was allowing himself to be influenced by someone else. I was glad that he realized that and understood that he needs and deserves to make decisions about his future himself. So, what does he want to do?
Music.
Really?
Really.
Ugh.
OK, I love Brother, and I believe that he can do anything as long as he's willing to put in the work. And he's very talented at many things -- he's smart, he's a great writer and he's a good artist. And while he has managed to teach himself to play the guitar, he has no natural talent or ability when it comes to music. He doesn't even know that much about music. He listens to music, but he's not one of those cool, hipster music geeks who knows everything about music and is always listening to stuff that won't be popular for at least five years but when it finally is, it changes the world. He's not that guy. If the kid had been in the band during school I could maybe understand him wanting to pursue music. But he wants to be a rock star and, I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen. It's like the time he decided he wanted to be a WWE wrestler.
He also mentioned being a history teacher, an idea I can definitely get on board with. I told him I think kids who didn't do well in school can sometimes make the best teachers because they understand and can empathize with kids who learn differently or need some extra help. But, the thing is, if he really wants to be a teacher, he's got to go to school himself. And he's got to work really hard and make good grades. And that's going to be difficult for him, not because he can't do it, but because it's going to require a lot of hard work and effort and that's not always something he's willing to put forth. I also worry about how he's going to pay for school. Mom and Dad have no money, his HS grades aren't good enough to get him a scholarship, and I don't know that, if he were to take out a bunch of student loans, he'd be able to pay them back (Brother has not yet mastered the art of the budget). He could maybe get some grants based on his and our parents' incomes, but I still worry that his poor marks will get in the way of any free funding.
I still want him to pursue culinary school. That was the first idea he's ever had that was his own, that was practical, that was feasible and that he seemed really interested in working toward. After he decided he wanted to be a chef, he cooked dinner almost every night for the family and watched the Food Network religiously (although, so do I). I just think that becoming a chef is something Brother could do and do really well. I think it would be perfect for him. He would have to spend some time in school, but he wouldn't need a four-year degree, and he wouldn't be chained to a desk, filling in Scantron bubbles every day. He'd have very little chance of getting bored, and that's a problem he's always run into in school. And the same would be true if he got a job in a restaurant.
So, if I encourage him (dare I say, even attempt to persuade him) to pursue culinary school, is that the same as when his friend talked him into enlisting in the Marines? At what point do you cross the line that divides guidance and peer pressure? Because the kid certainly needs some guidance and direction, but I don't want to find myself guilty of pushing him into something that he really doesn't want. I also don't want him to work at Warehouse Market for the rest of his life because he's holding out for super stardom.
Music.
Really?
Really.
Ugh.
OK, I love Brother, and I believe that he can do anything as long as he's willing to put in the work. And he's very talented at many things -- he's smart, he's a great writer and he's a good artist. And while he has managed to teach himself to play the guitar, he has no natural talent or ability when it comes to music. He doesn't even know that much about music. He listens to music, but he's not one of those cool, hipster music geeks who knows everything about music and is always listening to stuff that won't be popular for at least five years but when it finally is, it changes the world. He's not that guy. If the kid had been in the band during school I could maybe understand him wanting to pursue music. But he wants to be a rock star and, I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen. It's like the time he decided he wanted to be a WWE wrestler.
He also mentioned being a history teacher, an idea I can definitely get on board with. I told him I think kids who didn't do well in school can sometimes make the best teachers because they understand and can empathize with kids who learn differently or need some extra help. But, the thing is, if he really wants to be a teacher, he's got to go to school himself. And he's got to work really hard and make good grades. And that's going to be difficult for him, not because he can't do it, but because it's going to require a lot of hard work and effort and that's not always something he's willing to put forth. I also worry about how he's going to pay for school. Mom and Dad have no money, his HS grades aren't good enough to get him a scholarship, and I don't know that, if he were to take out a bunch of student loans, he'd be able to pay them back (Brother has not yet mastered the art of the budget). He could maybe get some grants based on his and our parents' incomes, but I still worry that his poor marks will get in the way of any free funding.
I still want him to pursue culinary school. That was the first idea he's ever had that was his own, that was practical, that was feasible and that he seemed really interested in working toward. After he decided he wanted to be a chef, he cooked dinner almost every night for the family and watched the Food Network religiously (although, so do I). I just think that becoming a chef is something Brother could do and do really well. I think it would be perfect for him. He would have to spend some time in school, but he wouldn't need a four-year degree, and he wouldn't be chained to a desk, filling in Scantron bubbles every day. He'd have very little chance of getting bored, and that's a problem he's always run into in school. And the same would be true if he got a job in a restaurant.
So, if I encourage him (dare I say, even attempt to persuade him) to pursue culinary school, is that the same as when his friend talked him into enlisting in the Marines? At what point do you cross the line that divides guidance and peer pressure? Because the kid certainly needs some guidance and direction, but I don't want to find myself guilty of pushing him into something that he really doesn't want. I also don't want him to work at Warehouse Market for the rest of his life because he's holding out for super stardom.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Oh, Brother
So just when I was getting used to the idea of Brother going into the Marines (and very proud of him for losing about 30 pounds to do so), I find out today that the Marines are no longer part of his "plan." I have no idea what his latest brilliant idea is, but I plan to find out tonight (over a free, home-cooked meal at my parents' house). Keep ya posted! LOL.
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