Last weekend Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl was on a network channel so I decided to commit it to TiVo. I hadn't seen it yet since I haven't been an avid moviegoer in the past few years. Hearing it was pretty scary for kids, I was reluctant to let G watch it with me. However, G hasn't been affected by any movies he's seen so far in his life. I have raised him to be very conscious that what he sees on a screen is simply a story (minus the news.) And so, I let him watch the movie with me, skeleton pirates at all. I made sure to check in with him during the movie and ask him if he was scared at all and he'd reply, "No Mom, it's just a story."
Still, the brain has a way of retaining images and regurgitating them in dreams. Naturally I was a little nervous that he would show up in our room at 2 am with dreams of skeletal pirates.
Nope. Really he *was* fine with it. But... yesterday something did scare him and it wasn't what I expected.
Yesterday morning I was breastfeeding NJ back in my bedroom while G watched Noggin in the living room. Suddenly G came running back to my room.
G: "Mom! There are people outside and I am scared."
Me: "Where are these people?"
G: "Outside on the sidewalk talking."
Me: "Well, if someone knocks, don't answer the door without me. You're fine in the house. Come get me if you get scared again."
He wandered off, back to his television program. I didn't hear any commotion outside or knocks on our door. My immediate thought was that many of our neighbors have yard service, and we see people come and go for that reason. I know I have been caught off guard durnig the day to hear loud male voices in close range, when it was simply a crew working next door. This activity doesn't usually scare G. Later I asked him more about what made him so nervous.
Me: "So, tell me more about these people that scared you... ."
G: "Well, I forget what they are called."
Me: "What were they doing? What did they look like?"
G thinks a moment: "You know those people who come and tell you about Jesus and wear blue backpacks?"
Me: "Ah, Mormons. With white shirts and ties?"
G nods: "Yeah, Mormons. They scare me."
I chuckle at this and later told M proudly: "No, a ship full of skeleton pirates doesn't scare my son, but Mormons... Mormons scare him. I guess we're raising him right after all."
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
The Surreal Life
I finally started putting more of NJ's clothes into the closet. I still have to organize them and I probably haven't yet gotten quite all of them hung up yet, but it's a step. This is a step into creating NJ's Room. The Nursery.
When I was still pregnant, people used to ask "Do you have The Nursery set up yet?" and I would casually reply, "No." NJ doesn't need a room of her own yet. Heck, she's not even in her co-sleeper yet. I like having her safely beside me because it makes all this more real to me. I have two kids. I have a baby. There is now a new life I am responsible for. When she ooches over next to my preferably naked torso so all she has to do is open her mouth and get The Boob, I feel connected to her. In these moments I feel like perhaps, just perhaps, this year hasn't been as surreal as it has occurred for me.
I sit and watch NJ quite a bit during the day, not in the same way we did when G was an infant. When G came along, M and I would watch him sleep, standing by the crib in complete awe of what we had created. With NJ it's different. I watch her and my life becomes more real, more delicate. Her presence means so many things. That my mother is gone and just how precious the bond is between mother and child. That I suddenly have a FAMILY, it's just not just M and I with G... a powerful threesome, each other's sidekicks. That I am getting older. That I should have my shit more together because life is no longer manageable, but a tremendous juggling act. That I don't know quite as much as I thought I did, which wasn't much in the first place.
Last night G was goofing off and just about to drive M and I crazy when he fell off the recliner with a loud thump. I was sitting next to him and saw him in my peripheral vision dive into the taut red leather and rebound onto the hardwoods below. G jumped up, startled with a look of guilt for not having listened to his father and I. I watch him start to open his mouth and tell me he was fine. Instead a loud howl of pain let loose and his face contorted to match the sound. I set NJ down and scooped my 40+ pound boy and comforted him. He managed not to crack his head, but rather stopped his fall by using the knuckles on each hand. As he howled, I watched him, amazed by his size. I used to watch a tiny face howl in front of me. How surreal to see that familiar expression of my son crying, but on a face the size of my own. When did this happen? When he he get so old? Where did my baby go?
In the next blink, NJ will be this big. It's hard to imagine now, at this moment. It's hard to fathom where I am. Who I am. What has happened. How Time has progressed.
Life is so very strange. Is it just me or do other people feel this way?
When I was still pregnant, people used to ask "Do you have The Nursery set up yet?" and I would casually reply, "No." NJ doesn't need a room of her own yet. Heck, she's not even in her co-sleeper yet. I like having her safely beside me because it makes all this more real to me. I have two kids. I have a baby. There is now a new life I am responsible for. When she ooches over next to my preferably naked torso so all she has to do is open her mouth and get The Boob, I feel connected to her. In these moments I feel like perhaps, just perhaps, this year hasn't been as surreal as it has occurred for me.
I sit and watch NJ quite a bit during the day, not in the same way we did when G was an infant. When G came along, M and I would watch him sleep, standing by the crib in complete awe of what we had created. With NJ it's different. I watch her and my life becomes more real, more delicate. Her presence means so many things. That my mother is gone and just how precious the bond is between mother and child. That I suddenly have a FAMILY, it's just not just M and I with G... a powerful threesome, each other's sidekicks. That I am getting older. That I should have my shit more together because life is no longer manageable, but a tremendous juggling act. That I don't know quite as much as I thought I did, which wasn't much in the first place.
Last night G was goofing off and just about to drive M and I crazy when he fell off the recliner with a loud thump. I was sitting next to him and saw him in my peripheral vision dive into the taut red leather and rebound onto the hardwoods below. G jumped up, startled with a look of guilt for not having listened to his father and I. I watch him start to open his mouth and tell me he was fine. Instead a loud howl of pain let loose and his face contorted to match the sound. I set NJ down and scooped my 40+ pound boy and comforted him. He managed not to crack his head, but rather stopped his fall by using the knuckles on each hand. As he howled, I watched him, amazed by his size. I used to watch a tiny face howl in front of me. How surreal to see that familiar expression of my son crying, but on a face the size of my own. When did this happen? When he he get so old? Where did my baby go?
In the next blink, NJ will be this big. It's hard to imagine now, at this moment. It's hard to fathom where I am. Who I am. What has happened. How Time has progressed.
Life is so very strange. Is it just me or do other people feel this way?
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Knock on Wood, Any of Us Will Do
I don't know what has happened today, but something has. I AM HAVING A MOMENT TO MYSELF.
Egad.
Chloe is over today playing with G and they are having a smashing time. You wouldn't think it, but adding one has been easier than hauling just two of them around. Go figure.
Chloe and G keep each other occupied and NJ has been sleeping. It's been heaven! We ate lunch at McD's (where else?) and got G's hair cut by Ms. Connie, the only person allowed to touch his head, and then a brief shop at Babies R Us. Yowza! Perhaps I will run out and adopt a five year old sibling for G. (Nah, borrowing works just fine.)
Now, if I can just get NJ to sleep tonight...
Egad.
Chloe is over today playing with G and they are having a smashing time. You wouldn't think it, but adding one has been easier than hauling just two of them around. Go figure.
Chloe and G keep each other occupied and NJ has been sleeping. It's been heaven! We ate lunch at McD's (where else?) and got G's hair cut by Ms. Connie, the only person allowed to touch his head, and then a brief shop at Babies R Us. Yowza! Perhaps I will run out and adopt a five year old sibling for G. (Nah, borrowing works just fine.)
Now, if I can just get NJ to sleep tonight...
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
A Month of Sundays
Sundays are days of rest. I can't say my days are filled with rest necessarily, but they do feel like they are on the edge of something beginning.
A month ago today I gave birth to NJ and the time has flown by. She doesn't seem like she's a month old, she still seems brand new. We're still doing "get to know each other" dance that is so wonderful and at the same time stressful.
NJ is growing like a weed. We don't get a whole lot of eyeball time around here. She's a sleeper and a fusser. Quiet eyeball time is nice when it happens.
My quiet is broken, time to get back to the babe and head to bed. :-)
A month ago today I gave birth to NJ and the time has flown by. She doesn't seem like she's a month old, she still seems brand new. We're still doing "get to know each other" dance that is so wonderful and at the same time stressful.
NJ is growing like a weed. We don't get a whole lot of eyeball time around here. She's a sleeper and a fusser. Quiet eyeball time is nice when it happens.
My quiet is broken, time to get back to the babe and head to bed. :-)
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Splat Went the Alternative
I received this email in my inbox today. I think I will cry now.
July 12, 2006
Dear Valued Customer!
Thanks for doing your shopping online at Albertsons.com. In an
effort to focus our attention on our in-store shopping
experience, this service will no longer be available in your
area as of July 21st. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may
cause you.
Although we'll be discontinuing this service, we want you to know
that Albertsons values your loyalty. We understand that grocery
shopping is just one of the many things you need to accomplish in
your day. That's why we're committed to providing you with clean
stores, fresh products and superior customer service.
In short, the best shopping experience possible.
We hope to see you in your local Albertsons store soon!
Albertsons, LLC
New Ideas at Work
Guess my grocery exploits will be late nights and weekends. *sighs*
July 12, 2006
Dear Valued Customer!
Thanks for doing your shopping online at Albertsons.com. In an
effort to focus our attention on our in-store shopping
experience, this service will no longer be available in your
area as of July 21st. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may
cause you.
Although we'll be discontinuing this service, we want you to know
that Albertsons values your loyalty. We understand that grocery
shopping is just one of the many things you need to accomplish in
your day. That's why we're committed to providing you with clean
stores, fresh products and superior customer service.
In short, the best shopping experience possible.
We hope to see you in your local Albertsons store soon!
Albertsons, LLC
New Ideas at Work
Guess my grocery exploits will be late nights and weekends. *sighs*
Monday, July 10, 2006
The Bad Mother
We took our first foray into the public world today. As a mom with two kids. I think I have now really earned the title of Mom instead of Sidekick of Little Kid. This is just one of the things I am currently learning about the difference between having one child and two children.
With one child, you runs errands and have someone to chat with, someone to explain things to, someone you can reason with to some extent. With two children, "No" simply means "No" and the child just needs to get over it with an explanation. Mom had no time for explanations. Mom is just trying to find the right brand of toilet paper while the baby is crying and the child is finding the coolest thing he can't live another second without on that particular aisle.
So went this foray to the grocery store with G and NJ. It took us 45 minutes just to leave the house. NJ was screaming at the top of her lungs and G just had to find his lightsaber. (Why do we need a lightsaber to go to the grocery store?!?!?) NJ fell asleep in the car, thankfully. She's one of those babies, the car-sleeping kind, unlike G who can't bear to miss a moment of life.
As we hit the fruits and veggies area, I am thinking this won't be too bad. In and out, a slam dunk. NJ woke up in aisle 2. She's shrieking her head off again so I pull her out of the carseat carrier, steering the cart with one hand. G attempts to ride on the outside of the cart at times, and when he's not I am trying not to run over him. Within a few aisles, G gets bored and starts looking for those little trinkets hung on most of the aisles. Trinkets kids love.
G: "Mom, what's this?"
Me: "It's a squishy ball."
G: "I wish I could have this squishy ball."
Me: "You don't need that squishy ball."
We had this same conversation over the orange personal fan with light up blades, the hotwheels cars, toy airplanes, a potato shooter, a Spongebob Squarepants bottle with external straw and a pocket flashlight. Each item became more interesting than the last and each plea more desperate than the last. G was quick to point out the most interesting features of the item and tell me just how useful each item would be to us. "This sized flashlight could fit in my pocket and I could have it with me in case the electricity goes out." *blink, blink* *nod, nod*
"No."
By the frozen food aisle we are all nearly in tears. NJ announced she was done and demanded to know where the hell was The Boob. G was tired of being told "No" and was woefully sucking on the collar of his shirt, eyes red and puffy. I was wondering how long it would take to check out and get it all home and if M was gonna be home to help me unload the whole mess, kids and groceries.
It took $324 and sacked groceries in two baskets to get everyone and everything outside to the car. G climbed into his booster seat as I placed NJ's carrier in the base. I loaded a few groceries and climbed in the car myself. Off I went towards home, frantically calling M and praying he was close to home. He wasn't.
We got home and I convinced G to help me unload the groceries from the car into the kitchen. He obliged, as I promised to give him chore money for doing so. (So he can go back and get that orange personal fan with the light up blades cause it was the LAST ONE!) I brought NJ's carrier in to discover she wasn't strapped in. I had taken her out at the store a couple of times to appease her, but hadn't rebuckled any straps. Dammit. Due to overwhelm, I pulled a Bad Mother a la Britney.
I finished kicking myself mentally about that one. Moms have done these things and learned lessons from them throughout the raising of children. I learned my lesson, to check the buckles on both kids before starting the car. No assumptions.
With one child, you runs errands and have someone to chat with, someone to explain things to, someone you can reason with to some extent. With two children, "No" simply means "No" and the child just needs to get over it with an explanation. Mom had no time for explanations. Mom is just trying to find the right brand of toilet paper while the baby is crying and the child is finding the coolest thing he can't live another second without on that particular aisle.
So went this foray to the grocery store with G and NJ. It took us 45 minutes just to leave the house. NJ was screaming at the top of her lungs and G just had to find his lightsaber. (Why do we need a lightsaber to go to the grocery store?!?!?) NJ fell asleep in the car, thankfully. She's one of those babies, the car-sleeping kind, unlike G who can't bear to miss a moment of life.
As we hit the fruits and veggies area, I am thinking this won't be too bad. In and out, a slam dunk. NJ woke up in aisle 2. She's shrieking her head off again so I pull her out of the carseat carrier, steering the cart with one hand. G attempts to ride on the outside of the cart at times, and when he's not I am trying not to run over him. Within a few aisles, G gets bored and starts looking for those little trinkets hung on most of the aisles. Trinkets kids love.
G: "Mom, what's this?"
Me: "It's a squishy ball."
G: "I wish I could have this squishy ball."
Me: "You don't need that squishy ball."
We had this same conversation over the orange personal fan with light up blades, the hotwheels cars, toy airplanes, a potato shooter, a Spongebob Squarepants bottle with external straw and a pocket flashlight. Each item became more interesting than the last and each plea more desperate than the last. G was quick to point out the most interesting features of the item and tell me just how useful each item would be to us. "This sized flashlight could fit in my pocket and I could have it with me in case the electricity goes out." *blink, blink* *nod, nod*
"No."
By the frozen food aisle we are all nearly in tears. NJ announced she was done and demanded to know where the hell was The Boob. G was tired of being told "No" and was woefully sucking on the collar of his shirt, eyes red and puffy. I was wondering how long it would take to check out and get it all home and if M was gonna be home to help me unload the whole mess, kids and groceries.
It took $324 and sacked groceries in two baskets to get everyone and everything outside to the car. G climbed into his booster seat as I placed NJ's carrier in the base. I loaded a few groceries and climbed in the car myself. Off I went towards home, frantically calling M and praying he was close to home. He wasn't.
We got home and I convinced G to help me unload the groceries from the car into the kitchen. He obliged, as I promised to give him chore money for doing so. (So he can go back and get that orange personal fan with the light up blades cause it was the LAST ONE!) I brought NJ's carrier in to discover she wasn't strapped in. I had taken her out at the store a couple of times to appease her, but hadn't rebuckled any straps. Dammit. Due to overwhelm, I pulled a Bad Mother a la Britney.
I finished kicking myself mentally about that one. Moms have done these things and learned lessons from them throughout the raising of children. I learned my lesson, to check the buckles on both kids before starting the car. No assumptions.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Look Mom, No Hands!
That should be punctuated as Look! Mom = No Hands.
Having a newborn is a challenge. Having a newborn and a five year old adjusting to having a newborn is even more of a challenge. It's working itself out slowly.
G is having a rough time when it comes to M's time and attention. G wants all of M's attention. He doesn't want to share with NJ and even these days I am questionable. Tonight he didn't want to share M's attention with food. M asked G for a moment to finish eating but a complete meltdown ensued and Bad Cop Mama had to intervene. It got resolved, and not in the way G had expected. Bad Cop Mama always wins, I don't know why he doesn't know this. The negotiations and threats ended with me revealing a surprise gift being mailed, but those collection of McD's Cars from ebay was just the ticket in getting G to chill. When those vehicles do arrive I'll be renamed Hero Mama and all will be right with the world. In the meantime you can bet that G will offer to check the mail every day.
NJ is largely usurping all my time. She wants to be fed (read: suck, suck, snoooooooze, suck, suck, snoooooooze... etc.) and held most of the day. Today I folded as much laundry as possible with one hand. I don't know what I'll do for my next trick. If I could get the dishes washed with no hands, I would. (Monkey feet do no good in this case!) G loves to wash dishes, but it involves more sinking of ships in whatever form than actual soap and scrubbing. By the end of the summer, that may change... muahahaha!
Guess I should go crawl back into bed and snuggle my wee lass. She'll be up before I want her to be, probably just as I am drifting off myself. Such is the newborn life. :-)
Having a newborn is a challenge. Having a newborn and a five year old adjusting to having a newborn is even more of a challenge. It's working itself out slowly.
G is having a rough time when it comes to M's time and attention. G wants all of M's attention. He doesn't want to share with NJ and even these days I am questionable. Tonight he didn't want to share M's attention with food. M asked G for a moment to finish eating but a complete meltdown ensued and Bad Cop Mama had to intervene. It got resolved, and not in the way G had expected. Bad Cop Mama always wins, I don't know why he doesn't know this. The negotiations and threats ended with me revealing a surprise gift being mailed, but those collection of McD's Cars from ebay was just the ticket in getting G to chill. When those vehicles do arrive I'll be renamed Hero Mama and all will be right with the world. In the meantime you can bet that G will offer to check the mail every day.
NJ is largely usurping all my time. She wants to be fed (read: suck, suck, snoooooooze, suck, suck, snoooooooze... etc.) and held most of the day. Today I folded as much laundry as possible with one hand. I don't know what I'll do for my next trick. If I could get the dishes washed with no hands, I would. (Monkey feet do no good in this case!) G loves to wash dishes, but it involves more sinking of ships in whatever form than actual soap and scrubbing. By the end of the summer, that may change... muahahaha!
Guess I should go crawl back into bed and snuggle my wee lass. She'll be up before I want her to be, probably just as I am drifting off myself. Such is the newborn life. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
