I think we are still dealing with the aftermath of the visit from the binky fairy. Nate hasn't asked for his binky since the day after they were "given to the babies" but I know he's not sleeping as well through the night and his naps are not as long. So my poor boy is pretty tuckered out and bit more cranky and "terrible twoish". This morning he was mad at me because I wouldn't let him watch cartoons before going to the sitters. (I know better than to start allowing that because once those cartoons are on, we'd NEVER get out of the house.) So he sat down on the ground and glared at me and then threw himself backwards and started screaming/crying. I tried to talk to him but it just made it worse so I told him I would be in the kitchen and when he was ready from breakfast, he could come see me. About 20 seconds later, he stomped into the kitchen and announced, "I'm mad at you Mommy. You made me fall down." Yes, he was mad at me because and in his anger he flopped himself on the floor so I guess in his mind, that means I made him fall down.
Tonight, Nate was very mad during his bath because I beat him up the stairs. (His competitive streak will be a whole separate post sometime.) So he cried through his bath and started calming down just a little when he was wrapped up in his towel and I was rocking him in his chair. I started singing "You are my Sunshine" to him because that used to calm him down when he was a little baby and I was feeling nostalgic. He stared up at me with his big brown eyes and I could see him just start to relax. I sang it through twice and finish up with "...please don't take my sunshine away." Suddenly, Nate reaches and grabs the air in front of my face and says in his tough guy voice "I just stole your sunshine Mommy." So of course I act horrified for him and the next thing I know, he's thrown my "sunshine" in his mouth and chewed it up. (I guess he was still a little bit mad with me.) When I asked for my sunshine back though, he did spit it into my hand for me so I guess maybe he really does love me after all.
(And by the way, this is my first night with no Olympics in 17 days....what am I supposed to do with my evenings again?)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I'm Yucky Man
"I'm Yucky Man and you're Dr. Shrinky. I going to spray gobbly goo all over this chair and then you're going to shrink it."
I hear that quote several times a day from Nate. It seems like his imagination is really taking off and one of his favorite things do is pretend to be the characters from his favorite Backyardigans stories. Yucky Man (Pablo) and Dr. Shrinky (Tyrone) are two supervillains who are racing superheroes Weather Woman (Uniqua) and Captain Hammer (Austin) to the Tower of Power to try to steal the key to world. Nate almost always chooses to be Yucky Man and Ken or I get to be Dr. Shrinky. (Should we be concerned that he pretends to be the supervillains instead of the superheroes?) He sprays the gobbly goo and we shrink the objects to be teeny tiny. Yesterday at the pool I think the lifeguard got a kick out of hearing Nate call out that it was my turn to shrink her be super tiny. He also likes to pretend to be a pie Samurai. It's been awhile since we saw this episode but it involved Austin and Tyrone trying to make the Great Pie and ninjas Uniqua and Pablo trying to steal it. There is a "fight" scene where the Backyardigans throw pies at each other with spoons and say "Pie ya" instead of "High ya". Nate and I have had many a pie battle in the last month.
Not only does Nate like to pretend to be his favorite characters, he also likes to quote random episodes throughout the day. (I think this is typical guy behavior already. It seems like so many of the guys I know will throw out a movie quote and look at me like I have any idea what they are talking about.) The cutest I think is when he quotes prospector Pablo when he says "Dagnabit".
Nate will also pretend that his hands are tickle spiders named Mr. and Mrs. Spider and they will climb all over Ken and I. The tickle spiders like to drive little cars as well and give them to people as gifts.
And since this weekend, Nate has twice told me about his little sister that is right there next to him. ("Where is she?" I ask and Nate will point to the air right next to him.) He has warned his little sister that she can't play with the phone because it is too sharp and at the pool she was swimming like and alligator like him and wearing an orange bathing suite. I asked what him what her name was and he said it was Baby. I wonder if he knows something that we don't?
Below are a couple of pictures from vacation where Nate was playing Backyardigans with me. (I'm really loving his age right now! Nate is just so much fun to talk to and is a lot more creative than I am.)
This is Nate and his Samurai moves.
Yucky Man spraying gobbly goo on the table.
I hear that quote several times a day from Nate. It seems like his imagination is really taking off and one of his favorite things do is pretend to be the characters from his favorite Backyardigans stories. Yucky Man (Pablo) and Dr. Shrinky (Tyrone) are two supervillains who are racing superheroes Weather Woman (Uniqua) and Captain Hammer (Austin) to the Tower of Power to try to steal the key to world. Nate almost always chooses to be Yucky Man and Ken or I get to be Dr. Shrinky. (Should we be concerned that he pretends to be the supervillains instead of the superheroes?) He sprays the gobbly goo and we shrink the objects to be teeny tiny. Yesterday at the pool I think the lifeguard got a kick out of hearing Nate call out that it was my turn to shrink her be super tiny. He also likes to pretend to be a pie Samurai. It's been awhile since we saw this episode but it involved Austin and Tyrone trying to make the Great Pie and ninjas Uniqua and Pablo trying to steal it. There is a "fight" scene where the Backyardigans throw pies at each other with spoons and say "Pie ya" instead of "High ya". Nate and I have had many a pie battle in the last month.
Not only does Nate like to pretend to be his favorite characters, he also likes to quote random episodes throughout the day. (I think this is typical guy behavior already. It seems like so many of the guys I know will throw out a movie quote and look at me like I have any idea what they are talking about.) The cutest I think is when he quotes prospector Pablo when he says "Dagnabit".
Nate will also pretend that his hands are tickle spiders named Mr. and Mrs. Spider and they will climb all over Ken and I. The tickle spiders like to drive little cars as well and give them to people as gifts.
And since this weekend, Nate has twice told me about his little sister that is right there next to him. ("Where is she?" I ask and Nate will point to the air right next to him.) He has warned his little sister that she can't play with the phone because it is too sharp and at the pool she was swimming like and alligator like him and wearing an orange bathing suite. I asked what him what her name was and he said it was Baby. I wonder if he knows something that we don't?
Below are a couple of pictures from vacation where Nate was playing Backyardigans with me. (I'm really loving his age right now! Nate is just so much fun to talk to and is a lot more creative than I am.)
This is Nate and his Samurai moves.
Yucky Man spraying gobbly goo on the table.
And this is Nate's superhero/supervillain face. Not sure why superheroes and villains make this face but apparently they do.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Bye Bye Binky Bye Bye
We had an unexpected visitor at our house this week. The Binky Fairy came to visit Nate! We've been talking alot recently about big boys vs babies and how big boys get to sleep in big boy beds and wear big boy pants and how they don't need binkies. Maybe some of it is really starting to sink in.
Two nights ago Ken and Nate were out playing with the flying disk (aka a Frisbee) in the backyard. Nate ran up to Ken to tell him a secret and said "Big boys don't need binkies Daddy." So Ken had a little conversation with Nate in which Nate agreed that he was a big boy and would not need a binky when he went to bed that night. Nate said it would be okay for the Binky Fairy to come a get his binkies and give them to little babies who were crying because they didn't have any binkies yet. Ken calls me outside to and relays the conversation to me. So quick as a flash, I run upstairs and sure enough, the Binky Fairy was there gathering the last two binkies out of Nate's crib and off his dresser. (That Binky Fairy must have good ears and fast wings to get there that quickly after an offer of binkies from a toddler.) A quick debate (and look through the guest room closet) led to the Binky Fairy leaving Nate a cool big boy collection of Cars in Nate's crib to replace the binkies.
I ran downstairs and let Nate know that he needed to come inside and see what the Binky Fairy had left him. He raced upstairs and was ecstatic to find the Cars waiting for him in his crib. We tore into them and he spent about 10 minutes lining them up and in choo-choo train formations.
All was good until right after his bath. The usual bath routine is Daddy gets Nate out of the tub,
we wrap him up in his froggy or doggie bath towel, and he runs into his room to get binky and naughtin. (Naughtin is a burp cloth that he named himself and sleeps with every night.) He just stopped in the hallway and had the saddest look on his face when he realized that there were no binkies in his crib. We managed to make it through the bedtime routine by continually talking up how awesome it was to be a big boy. (You know, big boys can ride bikes and play with cars and go swimming and talk. Yes, the most impressive thing about big boys according to Nate is that they can talk and babies cannot. He tells me this at least once a day.) There was some whining as he settled down for the night (it took about an hour instead of just a few minutes) but there were not tantrums or desperate calls out for binky. That night, we only had to go in to soothe him one time so I considered a very successful day one without binky.
Now most of the time Nate is not much of a morning person. I usually hear him fussing around in his crib for about 10 minutes or more before I know he is ready to actually get up. (I hate the mornings I actually have to wake him up to go the sitter's.) Well, that first morning without binky was a rough one for him. He was more crying that fussing so I went in as soon as I heard him up. At that point, he began kicking and flailing about his crib and crying out "I wanna be a baby! I don't wanna be a big boy!" I sat next to him and tried to comfort him (but of course he wouldn't allow me to actually touch him or pick him up) and finally after about 10 minutes he agreed to come downstairs to see if his new big boy Cars could go fast on his race track.
Since that morning, Nate has pretty much accepted that the binkies are in fact gone. He'll tell people that the Binky Fairy came to took his binkies to give to babies because he a big boy. And it is still taking him longer to settle down for naps and nighttime, but he's going to sleep on his own and sleeping for just about the same length of time. I'm so proud of my big boy but unexpectedly sad at the same time. Ever since he came home from the hospital we've spent the last cuddles of the evening in the glider, looking down at his sweet baby face with him sucking away on that little orange binky. I'll never get to see that again. I wonder if Bug (aka baby #2) will cherish a binky or not?
Here is the last picture we have of Nate with his binky. It was on the car ride home from Myrtle Beach just a couple of weeks ago.
Two nights ago Ken and Nate were out playing with the flying disk (aka a Frisbee) in the backyard. Nate ran up to Ken to tell him a secret and said "Big boys don't need binkies Daddy." So Ken had a little conversation with Nate in which Nate agreed that he was a big boy and would not need a binky when he went to bed that night. Nate said it would be okay for the Binky Fairy to come a get his binkies and give them to little babies who were crying because they didn't have any binkies yet. Ken calls me outside to and relays the conversation to me. So quick as a flash, I run upstairs and sure enough, the Binky Fairy was there gathering the last two binkies out of Nate's crib and off his dresser. (That Binky Fairy must have good ears and fast wings to get there that quickly after an offer of binkies from a toddler.) A quick debate (and look through the guest room closet) led to the Binky Fairy leaving Nate a cool big boy collection of Cars in Nate's crib to replace the binkies.
I ran downstairs and let Nate know that he needed to come inside and see what the Binky Fairy had left him. He raced upstairs and was ecstatic to find the Cars waiting for him in his crib. We tore into them and he spent about 10 minutes lining them up and in choo-choo train formations.
All was good until right after his bath. The usual bath routine is Daddy gets Nate out of the tub,
we wrap him up in his froggy or doggie bath towel, and he runs into his room to get binky and naughtin. (Naughtin is a burp cloth that he named himself and sleeps with every night.) He just stopped in the hallway and had the saddest look on his face when he realized that there were no binkies in his crib. We managed to make it through the bedtime routine by continually talking up how awesome it was to be a big boy. (You know, big boys can ride bikes and play with cars and go swimming and talk. Yes, the most impressive thing about big boys according to Nate is that they can talk and babies cannot. He tells me this at least once a day.) There was some whining as he settled down for the night (it took about an hour instead of just a few minutes) but there were not tantrums or desperate calls out for binky. That night, we only had to go in to soothe him one time so I considered a very successful day one without binky.
Now most of the time Nate is not much of a morning person. I usually hear him fussing around in his crib for about 10 minutes or more before I know he is ready to actually get up. (I hate the mornings I actually have to wake him up to go the sitter's.) Well, that first morning without binky was a rough one for him. He was more crying that fussing so I went in as soon as I heard him up. At that point, he began kicking and flailing about his crib and crying out "I wanna be a baby! I don't wanna be a big boy!" I sat next to him and tried to comfort him (but of course he wouldn't allow me to actually touch him or pick him up) and finally after about 10 minutes he agreed to come downstairs to see if his new big boy Cars could go fast on his race track.
Since that morning, Nate has pretty much accepted that the binkies are in fact gone. He'll tell people that the Binky Fairy came to took his binkies to give to babies because he a big boy. And it is still taking him longer to settle down for naps and nighttime, but he's going to sleep on his own and sleeping for just about the same length of time. I'm so proud of my big boy but unexpectedly sad at the same time. Ever since he came home from the hospital we've spent the last cuddles of the evening in the glider, looking down at his sweet baby face with him sucking away on that little orange binky. I'll never get to see that again. I wonder if Bug (aka baby #2) will cherish a binky or not?
Here is the last picture we have of Nate with his binky. It was on the car ride home from Myrtle Beach just a couple of weeks ago.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
My life the last 7 days
What have I been doing the last seven days? Obsessively watching and tracking the Beijing Olympics. I love everything about them. The events, the athletes, the stories, the hype, the pure competition. (Yes, I blissfully ignore all comments about doping and underage athletes and the fact that professionals compete.) I have always loved the Olympics. There was something magical about Olympic years. (They were also always presidential election years.) Do you remember the winter and summer Olympics used to be held in the same year? I was aghast in 1992 knowing that was the last year for combined winter and summer games. But somehow I adjusted and now I'm actually excited that I don't have to wait four years for the Vancouver Olympics. (They are only a year and a half away!)
I just watched Michael Phelps win his sixth gold medal of these games. (He is amazing. I usually like to cheer for underdogs but can you do anything but cheer your heart out for this guy.) Now I'm trying to stay awake to to watch the all around competition for women's gymnastics. This 12 hour time difference is making for some really late nights for me. Baby just gave me a kick so I guess that means it's time for me to get a bowl of Lucky Charms. (That is what you were telling me, right Bug?)
I'll leave you with a picture of what my future Olympic champion. Look at that strength!
I just watched Michael Phelps win his sixth gold medal of these games. (He is amazing. I usually like to cheer for underdogs but can you do anything but cheer your heart out for this guy.) Now I'm trying to stay awake to to watch the all around competition for women's gymnastics. This 12 hour time difference is making for some really late nights for me. Baby just gave me a kick so I guess that means it's time for me to get a bowl of Lucky Charms. (That is what you were telling me, right Bug?)
I'll leave you with a picture of what my future Olympic champion. Look at that strength!
Okay, here I go
Okay, here I go. Starting a blog. What to say, what to say. Oh well, I guess it won't matter too much since there won't be too many people to ever see this.
Who am I? I'm Addie. (Just Addie, not Addison or Adelaide or Adeline. I think my mom once told me that if she had given me a "formal" name it would have been Ada, but I could be making that up.) I've lived my whole life, except for the first 2.5 years which I don't remember too clearly, in Ohio. I grew up in a small town with a small school and a typical suburban life. I went to a state university (Go Redskins! They didn't change the mascot until my sophomore year.) and graduated in four years with a degree in Geology which I have never used and remember little beyond what I learned in the intro class my first year. But by choosing that major, I also ended up with an internship one summer where I met my future husband, Ken . We shared a cubicle for a summer and the rest is history. We were married 3 years and 1 day from the day we met and celebrated our 7th anniversary this past May. Best 10 years of my life. (Which is actually 1/3 of my life now...yikes!). We settled down, bought a house, got a pup, and welcomed the joy of our life, Nate, into the world on November 3, 2005. Life is perfect. (Well, as close to perfect as I think I'm ever going to get.) So since Nate was our experiment and we all seem to have survived and thrived, we decided to give it another go and now I'm almost 24 weeks pregnant with the second little experiment we have created. (Yes, we had an ultrasound and there is ONE healthy little baby in there that is either a boy or a girl. We chose not to find out the gender and even though somewhere in this house there is an envelope that my husband has hidden in which the OB wrote down the gender because she could tell it was either a boy or a girl, neither of us have peeked so we this baby will be a surprise to everyone. Sorry, just had to get that out of the way.) I guess this blog is just to help me keep track of my life and what it will be like the second time around with baby #2. But if you keep reading this blog, I'm sure that you'll see that I'm not always totally sure what I'm doing with baby (I mean big boy) #1.
Who am I? I'm Addie. (Just Addie, not Addison or Adelaide or Adeline. I think my mom once told me that if she had given me a "formal" name it would have been Ada, but I could be making that up.) I've lived my whole life, except for the first 2.5 years which I don't remember too clearly, in Ohio. I grew up in a small town with a small school and a typical suburban life. I went to a state university (Go Redskins! They didn't change the mascot until my sophomore year.) and graduated in four years with a degree in Geology which I have never used and remember little beyond what I learned in the intro class my first year. But by choosing that major, I also ended up with an internship one summer where I met my future husband, Ken . We shared a cubicle for a summer and the rest is history. We were married 3 years and 1 day from the day we met and celebrated our 7th anniversary this past May. Best 10 years of my life. (Which is actually 1/3 of my life now...yikes!). We settled down, bought a house, got a pup, and welcomed the joy of our life, Nate, into the world on November 3, 2005. Life is perfect. (Well, as close to perfect as I think I'm ever going to get.) So since Nate was our experiment and we all seem to have survived and thrived, we decided to give it another go and now I'm almost 24 weeks pregnant with the second little experiment we have created. (Yes, we had an ultrasound and there is ONE healthy little baby in there that is either a boy or a girl. We chose not to find out the gender and even though somewhere in this house there is an envelope that my husband has hidden in which the OB wrote down the gender because she could tell it was either a boy or a girl, neither of us have peeked so we this baby will be a surprise to everyone. Sorry, just had to get that out of the way.) I guess this blog is just to help me keep track of my life and what it will be like the second time around with baby #2. But if you keep reading this blog, I'm sure that you'll see that I'm not always totally sure what I'm doing with baby (I mean big boy) #1.
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