54 posts tagged “the princess”

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Fun with water

We had the best baby playdate. I am so glad that I decided to split my playdates up into big kids for SkyWalker and babies for the Princess. It's working out really well. There are only a couple of other babies that come so it's a much calmer atmosphere than when there's a bunch of big kids running around. The Princess gets a little overwhelmed when that happens. She had the best time today. All three "babies" played with the water table and had the greatest time splashing each other and themselves. It didn't even matter that the Princess was the only girl... they all had a blast and so did we watching them! When SkyWalker wasn't whining about wanting to be pushed on the swing he enjoyed watching them play and I think he liked having the little jobber following him around. He looked like such a big boy and I got a little vision of what it would be like for him to have a little brother in addition to his sister. Although she's certainly no girlie-girl. SkyWalker whined a little bit and I always hate when that happens. I know that I just have to stand my ground and be firm and he'll be fine in a few minutes, but it's still just embarrassing when that happens when we have company. 


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I'm waiting for Vader to finish working out so we can watch a movie. It's almost 9 already which means I will probably fall asleep during the movie. I might fall asleep right now actually.

1 comment Tags: good times, playdates, the princess, baby playdates

Bedtime can't come fast enough

I have a million things on my to-do list today. I have already swept up Isaac's dead skin, so now I still need to do laundry. And then more laundry. And clean the pee off of the guest bathroom floor. And straighten up the kitchen. And pack. And drain the pool. 


The Princess is not cooperating. 

The past few days she has skipped her morning nap and taken a nice long 2 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon. Glorious. Not today, the day I need to get a million and one things done. She slept a tiny bit in the car this morning and I wonder if that has thrown her off. She only napped for about 45 minutes after lunch. I can't drain the pool with her at my side. And I don't want to let her crawl around outside since it just stopped raining. Which also means that there's more water in the pool for me to drain. Gah! 

Vader came home last night and looked at the pool. He's going to get some sand and help me set it up. In the meantime I need to drain it so it doesn't become a malaria breeding ground and get it back in the garage so it doesn't blow away. I'm not sure how I'm going to get that done today. 

In the loose thread section, I have stopped nursing the Princess. I made it to July and am very happy about that. July 1 was our last day. It was a little sad but I'm enjoying her 8 am wake ups. :-) (As long as big brother doesn't wake her up earlier by slamming the stair gate on his way to snuggle in bed with me).

SkyWalker is demanding that he be allowed to do his e-mail now. Let me leave you with this gem from my son after releasing gas from some part of his body: "People burp, fart, cough and say happy birthday to your HAIR! HAHAHA"

Post a comment Tags: nursing, naps, pool, the princess, my kid is funny

Done now

I'm done now. No more surgeries please. kthxbye. 


The Princess has reflux. If you recall from here and here the Princess was born with 2 ureters on the right kidney. One of them was not emptying into the bladder correctly. So they did surgery and wound up putting the two of them in a new spot right next to each other. Seems as if the weaker of the two ureters now has reflux. 

Options:

A) Wait and see. Do nothing. Keep her on amoxicillin and see if it resolves itself. 
B) Traditional surgery.
C) Deflux--outpatient procedure in which they inject a substance to bulk up the weak muscle around the ureter in the hope that it will function better. 

A) would be great if she was born with reflux, but she wasn't. This is because her ureter is weak. I can't see it resolving itself and the doc said the odds weren't great. We run the risk of needing to do surgery anyway, only when she is older and I am either pregnant or already have another baby.

B) 90% success rate. But another surgery... another incision. Another night in the hospital. Another recovery. 
C) 80% success rate. No side effects. Outpatient and she's back to normal as soon as the anesthesia wears off. if it doesn't work she can still have traditional surgery. It it does work she's only had to go through a procedure. 

Vader and I haven't discussed it yet since he went to work immediately after we left the doc's office. I'm leaning towards option C. The surgeon stressed that all 3 options are acceptable and that there was no immediate rush to do anything. She's not in life-threatening danger. The kidney itself looks great. No damage is being done and as long as she doesn't get more infections she's okay. Looks like we'll be on the amoxicillin for a while. We have to e-mail the surgeon and let him know how we want to proceed. 

I am SO done with this crap. Only I'm not. And that's the sad part. 

4 comments Tags: surgery, reflux, the princess, kidney dilation, ureters

Creak

That is the sound my back is making. But it is worth it. 


I started the day out praying to the wallpaper gods. By the end I had totally made the wallpaper my bitch. I have one section left to do. Part of it is behind the fridge. I'll have to decide if I will move the fridge out and take the wallpaper or just leave it. Our fridge is at the corner so you can kind of see behind it. I guess it'll depend on how smoothly the rest comes off. 

My "mother's helper" has been here twice so far (including today). The first time the kids started out shy and then warmed up rather quickly. Today there was no hesitation. It's so funny to hear SkyWalker playing with someone else. And the Princess did well too, as long as she couldn't see or hear me. I know I could be saving myself $20 a week by having my MIL come over but I don't want to do that and I think it's better for the kids to be around other people. They both have the tendency to be shy and I'm really trying to break that. 

The thunderstorms woke SkyWalker up last night at 2:30 in the morning. Much crying. Vader had to go up and I think he may have even laid down with him to calm him down. We got rained out of another playground playdate today. It's getting very annoying. 

The Princess has her ultrasound and VCUG tomorrow. Hopefully everything is all clear. I'd really rather she not need another surgery. One is enough I think. Personally I think we've had all the surgeries we should need forever. But I'm sure by the time #4 comes it will be missing an entire kidney. Or have 3 testicles. Something like that. 

1 comment Tags: wallpaper, ultrasound, the princess, kidney dilation

Good times

Highlights from today's baby playdate:


1. SkyWalker poops with the door open and yells "I pooped" so that I can come and wipe him. 

2. SkyWalker uses his scissors to cut up pieces of cord for babies to choke on and stabs himself and oozes blood that I have to bandage. 

3. SkyWalker TALKS to someone. Woo-hoo! He apparently does so much better in smaller group situations (one mom and baby) and when the pressure is off him. It wasn't his playdate. So he was funny and cute and talked and was pretty normal. At one point he was talking about the abacus he has and he said that he does it "with Daddy not with ladies." How funny is that?? At least he's polite and called her a lady. :-) And when our guests left he very nicely said goodbye and followed it up with "Drive your own car!" in case she might get confused and take Mommy's. (He says the same thing to me and Vader when we leave--Drive your car Mommy. Drive your car Daddy.)

The Princess seemed to have a really good time playing too. It was nice to see her interacting with another baby her age instead of just her big brother. I think at one point she wanted to kiss him. She needed to go down for a nap and got pretty cranky but I do think her molars must be getting close to breaking through. It was really nice for her to have a playdate instead of it being big kids and her getting a little overwhelmed and wanting to cling to Mommy. I think it was nice for Mommy too.... 

Remember the maid of honor dress fiasco? Wasn't ready when I picked it up and I had to wait for her to hem it? My mother brought the dress to where we bought it (I brought it down to LI with me so it's there and I don't have to worry about it) and they were shocked at how horrible of a job this woman did. So when I'm down there next I have to go there and have a fitting and they're going to fix it. I probably should ask for my money back but I just paid and left without really inspecting it so it's kind of my own fault. I should have just had the dress altered on LI to begin with but I didn't think about that. 

The Princess sounds like she is trying to kick her way out of her crib right now. I think she's still sleeping. She's just kicking. I'm sure she's going to be climbing her way out much sooner than I am ready for.

I have to work this weekend and all I want to do is sleep. It's not like that would happen if I wasn't working. Vader would be out all day mowing the lawn and it would be just another day for me. Next weekend we'll be clearing out the living room and kitchen in anticipation of the floor refinishing. Which reminds me I have more wallpaper I need to get down before then. Ack!


Post a comment Tags: dress, skywalker, playdates, the princess

Coincidence

How's this for coincidence? Last year I bought Vader a Mini iPod for the hell of it. I only bought the mini because that's what I could afford. The other night he asked if there was a way to make it bigger. Tee-hee. Like software that would expand it. You know what I did. I bought him an 80G Classic. It came yesterday and SkyWalker and I drooled over it because we just have a 30G. I've noticed some odd behavior from my iPod lately. Today the date/time was wrong and I watched the full battery drain in a minute or 2. Yup, I need a new battery. If I was mean I'd keep the 80G and give Vader my 30G and let him get a battery. But I'm not mean. I'm going to get a battery and kit to do it myself and if I kill the iPod ... I have a birthday coming up.

We went to the foot doctor again on Tuesday. The X-ray came back normal. He suspects that I'm holding my foot wrong when I walk so instead of the ace bandage I was wearing they made a new one that will give more support to the bottom of my foot. And he wants to see me again in 3 weeks. Good times.

The Princess is not only crawling up the stairs, she is now going down. She crawls up while holding on to the pipe-railing we have (a series of pipes between the upper banister and the bottom so that tiny heads cannot get squeezed into it and also so little hands can reach a railing), and then she climbs down a few steps, and then climbs back up a few and then back down a few so that every trip takes twice as long. If I pick her up there is much drama. She's getting good practice going down the stairs though. She's not doing the butt-thing that most kids do. It's hilarious. She won't walk by herself but give her something to climb and she's all over it. I have a feeling in the fall she will be the one doing gymnastics when big brother is in preschool.

I've contemplated taking them both to swimming classes at the Y. I think SkyWalker would benefit from it and I KNOW the Princess would love it. The only thing stopping me is that I would have to pay the sign up fee again since I quit years ago, I would have to pay the monthly fee AND the swim fee. At least I think that's what it is. Maybe I should check first. If all I'm doing is swim classes maybe I don't have to pay the monthly charge. That's a lot of money when you add it all up.... and while I think the Princess will be fine because I'll be with her, what if SkyWalker decides he doesn't want to do it after all? That would be all too familiar... I wonder if we can try it out first.

Post a comment Tags: ipod, swimming, vader, the princess, foot doctor

Regret

Before the Princess's birthday people asked what we wanted. I had no idea. So we said clothes and some musical things because she is so into music. I'm grateful for everything we received for her, but naturally a month after her birthday there are two things I see she would enjoy. A little bike since she tries to climb on her brother's. And a kitchen set. The two of them had all of my pots and pans out yesterday. She's into all of our cabinets in ways that her brother never was (but now is because of her). I can't keep her away from the stove. When I'm cooking and she's trying to squeeze her way to the oven I can just see a nice kitchen set in the corner with her own cabinets to open and pots to bang. But it's past her birthday and I don't like buying the kids big things without having a real reason.

That is not what I regret.

What I regret is that she is 1 year and 1 month old and I never did her footprint/handprints. Last summer I kept saying "I have to do that, have to do that." It took 3 of us to do SkyWalker's when he was 2 months old. I can't do hers by myself. I couldn't do it last summer and I sure couldn't do it now. I look at her little hands and they've grown so much. She will never be a tiny baby again and I missed that opportunity. I keep saying now that I need to get it done before she gets even bigger... and time just slips away because I never have the help. What makes it worse is that we have somehow lost the little pink sign that the hospital put in her bassinet that had her name and weight and her prints. When I did her scrapbook I confirmed that we just don't have it. So I have nothing. I know I'll get the prints done,  but it won't be the same.

4 comments Tags: regret, the princess

Weaning

I did not nurse the Princess last night. 


I know. I didn't nurse her Wednesday or Thursday night either, so what's the big deal? Last night was the first night I made the decision not to do it. Tuesday night I tried to feed her and she squirmed out of my arms so she could crawl after her brother into the bathroom, climb up the step stool and brush her teeth. Thursday night Vader didn't give her a sippy cup of milk at bedtime and she slept just fine. So last night as it got later and later and closer to bedtime I just decided not to offer. If she still wanted me she could have asked. She didn't. 

She did still nurse this morning and I'll keep that going for the next few weeks. I have to remind myself that I've been doing this for 13 months now. She came out of me ready and raring to go and she did really well. She started to lose interest as soon as she had a taste of big people food, but we still kept it going. I was lucky enough to be home with her all day and not have to pump that often. We did really well and it's a lot to be proud of but it's still a little sad. A couple of people have asked if she's my last. I can see how it would be harder to let go with your last, but I don't see how's it's any *easier* to let go now. She's not my last and I know I'll do it again, but this is about her and me. Not about my breastfeeding future. It's about our relationship changing. She's growing up, getting independent. And as much as we all want that for our children and we try to guide them there, it's still sad when it starts to happen. 

2 comments Tags: nursing, breastfeeding, weaning, the princess

The Princess and the Pee

The Princess peed on the potty.


I've been putting her on it at bath time to get her used to it, when there's a delay between the diaper coming off (big poop) and getting in the tub (waiting for big brother), and because I think she looks so funny and cute sitting on the toilet. Yesterday after breakfast I was getting her dressed, Vader and SkyWalker were in the bathroom brushing teeth and I decided to put her on the potty for the fun of it. I said "Pee" and she peed. Since we were all in the bathroom she got a wild round of applause and squealing from everyone. I knew it was a fluke and just really good timing. I'm not potty training her. She's 1, she can't tell me when she has to go, this is all for fun.

I put her on the potty after breakfast today and said "Pee" and she peed again. 

I still think it's way too early but I'm going to keep doing it mostly because I think it's so damn funny hearing her pee on the potty and her big brother clap and squee.

I've re-evaluated the pacifier thing. I was reading in my Baby Whisperer book about the best approach to do it and I realized something. It's not the right time. It's not because of any crying or because it's too hard. It's not and it won't be. But when I looked at *why* I wanted to do it... I took SkyWalker's away at a year, so I should take hers away too is not a good reason. I don't want her walking around with it. Well, she doesn't. She doesn't use it for playtime. She doesn't get it any other time than in the crib. I don't stick it in her mouth, she picks it up and is in control. At night time I don't have to run in there to put it back in her mouth. She either does it herself or just doesn't need it since I frequently find it thrown on the floor when I get her in the morning. So why am I making a big deal now? Particularly since she's got a cold and we're going to LI soon. Now is not the time. I'm going to continue to not use it in the car unless it's necessary. I had been just automatically giving it her (in her lap) before I even drove away. Now I keep it within my reach and if she starts really fussing I can hand it to her (haven't needed to yet). I also use to give it her in the stroller right away. It was clipped to her blankie so she could get it if she wanted to. Now I keep it up top so if she starts screaming in a store I have it. I think I'll probably wait until the end of the summer when all our traveling is over and then do it for real then. She should be on one nap by then anyway which will make it a little easier. 

Post a comment Tags: potty training, pacifier, the princess

We need to teach her

The Princess has been testing my limits and my patience. It's not the fact that she throws food and her dishes on the floor (she broke her Dora bowl!), it's that she looks at me as she does it and she KNOWS she shouldn't. She's moved past the baby-dropping no coordination thing. This is intentional. I don't care so much about food, the dogs will get that, but it's annoying when she flings her dishes, especially her milk. I was asking SkyWalker what we should do... if we should put her in timeout (no, I wouldn't really, but I wanted to see what he would say). He said "No, [Princess] can't go in timeout. Not like me. I go in timeout when I'm in trouble. [Princess] can't go in timeout." So what should we do? "We need to TEACH her." So funny.


We had our playdate yesterday. It went really really well. There was a lot of conflict and kids fighting over SkyWalker's toys (it's pretty funny hearing 2 boys grabbing SkyWalker's toys and yelling "Mine!". Um, no.) There were some tantrums. Not from my kids, but from the other boys. SkyWalker was very quiet as he always is when other kids are having tantrums. He didn't really talk to anybody, but he did play on the playset with them and play downstairs and he didn't hide in the bathroom so it's progress. The Princess tried hard to be a 3 year old and crawled all over the deck. But then she got tired and needed a nap. It was actually kind of nice to put her down and have just the big kids playing. And the BiG news is that the dogs were outside with the kids the entire time and were absolutely fine! Isaac had his crazy ball and Haze had a stick that the moms threw and they were so good! I was so proud and happy and relieved! We had lunch and one mom who lived on Long Island for a little while (the one starting over since her friends have moved away) was just saying the "right" things. Hard to explain but for the first time in a long time I have some hope. 

I've started weaning the Princess off the pacifier. It's much harder than when SkyWalker was a year. When he was a year I took it away and he didn't even notice. But I've been finding her still sucking on it after she's been asleep for an hour. She only gets it in the crib and in the car. I've stopped giving it to her in the car and she's been okay. I'm starting to take it away for her naps now. Once I break that then I'll take it away at night. I'm sure we'll have a few rough nights. I'm not really sure how she got so addicted to it... I don't even give it to her anymore. It's in the crib and she just puts it in her mouth herself. 

We have a birthday party to go today and another floor guy coming tomorrow. Another busy weekend. I need to make cupcakes today and do some laundry and figure out my June schedule. Oh and dishes and a million other things.

2 comments Tags: dogs, discipline, pacifier, playdates, the princess