Saturday, September 27, 2008

Evening

We spent the early evening working off the sugar from our french toast at brunch at the near by park. It is right on the lake near our house. The migrating geese are plentiful this time of year and amazing in their numbers and volume. We threw rocks into the lake, played on the playground and carried some nice driftwood logs home to use when we rebuild our stairway. I have so much gratitude sometimes for my family and life.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Fall Is Here

With the cool mornings and sunny days, we are spending all our time outside.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Gargantua

I took Monito for his 15 month checkup. He's still on track to be a star rugger player. 98th percentile for height, 93rd for weight. His head is, as it has always been, off the charts.

This is my first attempt at posting from my new Blackberry phone. Fingers crossed.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Grandparent Love, School Love

My dad is fighting aging tooth and nail. His PT has given him core strengthening exercises which he is diligent about. The babies love to help him, and are now mimicking his every move.

Today, I tried out pigtails on Pequita for the first time. It was adorable. Her hair is so curly, they were actually like little squiggly pig tails, hugging her scalp.She is so excited to have nursery school coop to go to by herself. We pack a special bag with a change of clothes, extra diapers, water, and a special toy. She likes to carry it herself, and screams if Monito touches it. We walked out to the car discussing what was going to happen - she's still getting used to being left somewhere without Mama or me. She was disturbed today the whole way downtown as Monito's car seat was empty; she kept saying Bubba? Bubba? and pointing to his spot. No amount of explaining that he was home with Grandma quieted her fears, so we sang all the way to the coop which helped her forget a bit. She was happy to hear me return at 11 am, after an hour of acupuncture and the better part of an hour spent lounging in a coffeehouse alone - alone! She led me around her play space and showed me her favorite toys. So independent she is sometimes.

I am sorry my parents are gone. I already called them to tell them to move up the schedule to relocate here; if they wait a few more years, the kids will miss out, as will they. The plan is for them to move into the house we own across the street, and keep a pied a terre in Boston, so they have a home near each grandchild. I love raising a kid with a village around. Everyone wins.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Week in Review

Boy, since it is so hard to update the blog, maybe I should try for a digest form.

It is definitely autumn here. Yes, we may have a hot day every now and again, but it is hovering around 71 or so each day, sunny, and cool at night. We are very excited about pumpkins this year. Below is Monito kissing the one he selected from the farm stand. I can't wait to actually carve them into jack-o-lanterns and light them - the kids will go nuts!

We also harvested some of our Concord grapes. I have used my steam juicer to extract the juice, and we have around three gallons ready for me to can. Um, once I learn how to can. We also have around three gallons of tomatillos, 1 gallon of ground cherries, and 4 gallons of cherry tomatoes from our CSA u-pick fields. I have really got to get busy in the kitchen!


There is much playground time, as well. Pequita is evolving into quite the jungle gym rat. She wants to do what the big kids do, and is stretching my tolerance of panic and fear as she scrambles up and down precarious equipment with her new found brevity and coordination. I am just amazed. She scoots up ladders, vaults over large gaps, dangles from high places before artfully dropping the mulch ground. I can't believe she isn't even two for another few weeks.


We hosted the first day of Wednesday nursery school at my house. The kids were super, and Monito worked out fine, even though he isn't a full part since he's younger. I was worried that he or Pequita would insist on nursing a lot during the 2.5 hour morning, but they were both so intrigued and stimulated by 4 kids in their house that they barely noticed me. Play-Doh, swingset, instruments, story time, trains, puzzles and more. I was exhausted. It is set up with 5 kids, 6 parents rotating in pairs, and is held on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9 - 11:30 am. We will follow the same structure every class, but each week will have a different theme. This month is animals, so we sing songs about barnyards, do craft projects involving lamb cutouts and cotton balls, and read books about animals. Mondays are held at our friend's house downtown, and Wednesday's are held chez moi. If the kids adapt really well, we'll start having other parents host it, but we wanted to keep it simple at first. So far, so good. On the days that I am not hosting, I take Monito with me and leave Pequita with her friends. On school days at the Homestead, we just include Monito in with the other kids. He starts getting tired a bit earlier than the older kids, and his attention span is a tiny bit shorter, but all in all it is pretty effortless to add him in. He is so used to following right behind his older sister that he is a trooper.

My dad called on Wednesday during nursery school and offered to come visit this weekend. He and my mom are aiming to see my kids at least every 8 weeks, and that is now. I said YES! and they arrived on Thursday night. I have been much more productive with extra hands around, the kids have been played with and gotten much more one-on-one time with four adults around, I have stripped the lead paint off of two step back cabinets and gotten a primer coat on both, and my kids have fallen even more deeply and enduringly in love with their GeeMaw and GeePaw. [I'm holding out for Grandma and Grandpa, but that is the closest that Pequita can come these days.]

Tomorrow morning, I get up and ditch Monito with my mom while I get Pequita to nursery school downtown by 9am, then get myself to the acupuncturist by 9:06 to treat my neck spasm [ouch] and then dart back home to get DAVE! the carpenter started again; we are reentering the construction zone way of life, and I couldn't be more pleased. Then back downtown to fetch Pequita, and home again to say goodbye to my parents. Then, god help me, the kids had better nap at the same time, as I am tired already just thinking about all that.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Update

We start gymnastics class tonight.  Both kids are in the 24 - 36 month class, despite Monito's youth.  It is the only way I can do it, and he's pretty huge and agile for his age.  Pequita is beside herself.  Hopefully, given the early evening time, H-Mama will be able to join us after work and get to enjoy it too.

I *do* have gall stones, and will be getting my gall bladder removed via a laparoscopy in mid-Oct.  Joy.  This may just be my 25th major surgery, I'll have to check.  If it is, I think a cake or something might be in order, don't you?  Good thing we still have a freezer full of frozen breast milk.

A group of 5 families start a coop nursery school next week on Monday and Wednesday mornings.  It will be held in our homes, and we'll have 5 or 6 kids to 2 adults, with rotating coverage so everyone gets a couple mornings off a week.  We will have to see if Monito will be with me or can stay in the coop.  There are a couple of issues, and we'll work them out as they present themselves.  I am really excited, as these folks are on the very short list of people I'm comfortable leaving my kids with, and it will be SUPER for my kids to be without me a bit.  I may be able to enjoy some appendage-free activities, too, given a chance to warm up to the idea.

Of course I'll vote for Obama, with pleasure.  I am sick of the politicking, but much more sick of the chokehold the evangelical republicans have had on the country.  I am sorry we have such a crappy choice of a woman VP.  Or it seems she's a crappy choice; who knows, since the McCain people are only letting us have the religious - pro-family crap to stew over.  I want a President who will get us off oil, and get us out of Iraq.  Sadly, I don't think we're going to get that, although clearly Obama is closer to my ideal.  I have fantasies of what he could turn the office space sucked up by the 'Faith-Based Initiatives' people into.  I'd like to see some maverick ideology applied to that.

Pequita uses the potty a lot now when home.  If I leave her bottoms off, she will come get me once an hour or so to lead me by the hand to the bathroom to show me what she's done.  She is pooping like a champ in her littls potty - we are so pleased!  She asks for a little dab of toilet paper and takes care of business, with being allowed to flush as enough incentive.  We haven't ever tried to get her to do this, but do praise and support her fully.  Watch Monito refuse well into puberty.  Wouldn't that just wipe the pleased smugness off my face?

Our grapes in our yard are almost ripe.  We'll pick all that we can reach and make grape juice and jelly.  Happy days!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

U.S.A.

Oh, lordy, my country. I am no longer invigorated by politics. I am saddened, sickened, and overwhelmed. We always bring the kids to the polls to vote, and I follow along as much as I can these days, but oy vey, I am mostly just tired.

http://mommazen.blogspot.com/2008/09/seeing-soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations.html

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

LEEPin Lizards

I survived the LEEP this morning.  One more medical experience to add to my body of knowledge.  Not so bad, but a nagging burning that won't go away deep in my innards reminds me to take it easy.  I spent the day on the couch while H-Mama took the kids to the lake for swimming, then to the farm to fetch our CSA veggies.  I've never been away from the kids for that long in their whole lives - wild, isn't it?  I LOVED being alone in the house.