So the bully didn't show today.
The soccer coach was there to help out.
And I have to say, Chase really loved it.
She was out there kicking freely, without fear of being knocked over from behind.
After soccer, we went to a new coffee shop.
Perk & Play in Stapleton. http://www.pandpcoffee.com/
It was amazing. There were SO many toys there.
Chase self-entertained for 1.5 hours. AMAZING.
We're going back tomorrow. This time, I'm taking Hubs.
The rest of the day was a little on the "ho-hum" side.
But we did have date night! Superb.
Oh, and Chase ended up with a big raised hive on her left bum.
I called the pediatrician and he approved giving her a Benadryl.
I checked it again before she went to bed and it was gone - fabu!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Rest Of The Day
So we went to the dog park, where the wind was so wild that we could only stay a little while, which was still long enough to be able to have the sand from the park find its way into our eyes, nose, and teeth. From there, we headed home and Chase played in the back yard.
The highlight of the day? When Chase emptied three puzzles into one pile and then set to work putting them back together. Very cool, my girl!
The highlight of the day? When Chase emptied three puzzles into one pile and then set to work putting them back together. Very cool, my girl!
My Day
So for all those people that think that being a stay-at-home mom is so glam, I'd like to share my day (thus far) with you.
First of all I'm sick at the moment (or is it allergies?)
6:30 a.m. - Awake
7:00 a.m. - Morning rituals (brushing hair & teeth, changing clothes - which has become a bit of a traumatic thing, Chase doesn't like to take her PJs off anymore). Sitting on the potty, which hasn't led to anything in two days.
8:00 a.m. - Making Chase breakfast, quick chat with Hubs before he goes to work
8:30 a.m. - Dog pukes everywhere. Three times.
9:00 a.m. - Make some media calls for my client.
9:15 a.m. - Make some lemon bars for our housekeeper.
9:30 a.m. - Huge diaper. Prepare snacks/diaper bag.
9:45 a.m. - We're in the car and she can't decide what she wants to listen to. Every time I put something in the stereo that she likes, she says, "Mama, no!" So I turn it off. And she gets really upset. And I ask her if she wants to go to the zoo. And she says, "no" and then I look at her and she whispers, "yes."
10:00 a.m. - Arrive at the zoo, only to find all parking places are taken and I have to park in the intestines of the garage. Carry Chase to the zoo. We spend the first half hour quite close to the entrance, as Chase loves to things over and over again. Like walk on curbs. Or run down ramps. Or climb stairs. Or slide her hand all-the-way-along-a-rail-until-she-runs-out-of-room.
And now she's gotten to the point where she'll say, "Mama, No!" and push me to where she wants me to stand. And then continue her routine.
12:00 p.m. - We finally leave the zoo. And Chase is SO sad. And the sun is burning - it's 82 degrees today. And yes, it is supposed to snow tomorrow.
12:20 p.m. - We're home and Chase won't eat any part of lunch that I prepared for her. Nor will she sit down and read books (which usually results in a nap). Instead, she is fixated on bubbles - so out we go, into the back yard, with Taggart, to blow bubbles. And Taggart is barking, so I let him into the main part of the yard, and then he works at digging up my vegetable garden.
12:30 p.m. - I have basically given up on Chase taking a nap. Or eating lunch. She plays outside, while I watch her through the screen door.
1:00 p.m. - ENORMOUS explosion in her diaper. So big I decide to just throw her pants away, rather than salvage them. But in taking them off, it just gets everywhere.
1:30 p.m. - Finally clean and now asking over and over for new pants. new pants. new pants. new pants. new pants. new pants. "Yes, yes," I say, "new pants." By re-stating her words, I hope she will understand I hear her.
1:35 p.m. - We sit down to read a book. "Soy, mama, soy, mama." So off I go to get soy. And then we read.
1:40 p.m. - Chase falls asleep.
1:50 p.m. - Housekeeper arrives.
1:55 p.m. - I pick up around the house like a crazy woman. And hope Chase will nap until at least 2:30 p.m.
And that's been my day so far. I don't know how women with children find the time to (1) work, (2) have friends, (3) get nails done, (4) get hair cut - etc. I'm in shorts and I desperately need to shave my legs. Ah well.
First of all I'm sick at the moment (or is it allergies?)
6:30 a.m. - Awake
7:00 a.m. - Morning rituals (brushing hair & teeth, changing clothes - which has become a bit of a traumatic thing, Chase doesn't like to take her PJs off anymore). Sitting on the potty, which hasn't led to anything in two days.
8:00 a.m. - Making Chase breakfast, quick chat with Hubs before he goes to work
8:30 a.m. - Dog pukes everywhere. Three times.
9:00 a.m. - Make some media calls for my client.
9:15 a.m. - Make some lemon bars for our housekeeper.
9:30 a.m. - Huge diaper. Prepare snacks/diaper bag.
9:45 a.m. - We're in the car and she can't decide what she wants to listen to. Every time I put something in the stereo that she likes, she says, "Mama, no!" So I turn it off. And she gets really upset. And I ask her if she wants to go to the zoo. And she says, "no" and then I look at her and she whispers, "yes."
10:00 a.m. - Arrive at the zoo, only to find all parking places are taken and I have to park in the intestines of the garage. Carry Chase to the zoo. We spend the first half hour quite close to the entrance, as Chase loves to things over and over again. Like walk on curbs. Or run down ramps. Or climb stairs. Or slide her hand all-the-way-along-a-rail-until-she-runs-out-of-room.
And now she's gotten to the point where she'll say, "Mama, No!" and push me to where she wants me to stand. And then continue her routine.
12:00 p.m. - We finally leave the zoo. And Chase is SO sad. And the sun is burning - it's 82 degrees today. And yes, it is supposed to snow tomorrow.
12:20 p.m. - We're home and Chase won't eat any part of lunch that I prepared for her. Nor will she sit down and read books (which usually results in a nap). Instead, she is fixated on bubbles - so out we go, into the back yard, with Taggart, to blow bubbles. And Taggart is barking, so I let him into the main part of the yard, and then he works at digging up my vegetable garden.
12:30 p.m. - I have basically given up on Chase taking a nap. Or eating lunch. She plays outside, while I watch her through the screen door.
1:00 p.m. - ENORMOUS explosion in her diaper. So big I decide to just throw her pants away, rather than salvage them. But in taking them off, it just gets everywhere.
1:30 p.m. - Finally clean and now asking over and over for new pants. new pants. new pants. new pants. new pants. new pants. "Yes, yes," I say, "new pants." By re-stating her words, I hope she will understand I hear her.
1:35 p.m. - We sit down to read a book. "Soy, mama, soy, mama." So off I go to get soy. And then we read.
1:40 p.m. - Chase falls asleep.
1:50 p.m. - Housekeeper arrives.
1:55 p.m. - I pick up around the house like a crazy woman. And hope Chase will nap until at least 2:30 p.m.
And that's been my day so far. I don't know how women with children find the time to (1) work, (2) have friends, (3) get nails done, (4) get hair cut - etc. I'm in shorts and I desperately need to shave my legs. Ah well.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Bullies - Next Steps
So I had a little chitty-chat with our soccer coach. She said, "I know exactly who and what you are talking about," before I could say two words. Apparently, Amber has exhibited the same behavior in another class. The coach told me this was the first time she had ever interacted with other kids. (WHOA!)
So the coach is going to come to the class next Friday and "monitor" the situation. Stay tuned.
So the coach is going to come to the class next Friday and "monitor" the situation. Stay tuned.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Bullies
There is this little girl named Amber. Yes, I'm using her real name. I'm not about to "protect" her identity. I would poster her face all over Stapleton if I could. She is a real bully. It's hard for me to stay calm, cool and collected when I see her near Chase. And yes, she is two-years-old.
Her mom corrects her (a little), saying things like "oh Amber, that's not nice." But she has already pushed Chase twice (from behind) and and today, she hit her with a metal stacking pin (by mistake?) and took a soccer ball from her, ran in front of her when Chase was about to kick the ball (I know this sounds little, but something like this happens EVERY FRIDAY - and she usually targets Chase, probably because Chase just doesn't even flinch and doesn't give her the time of day). Her mom finally got a clue and removed her from the team early.
But before she did, I almost said to Amber, "If you keep this up, you are never, ever going to have any friends. No one is going to ever like you." A little harsh? Perhaps. But it is true. And then I wanted to say to the mom, "I can't believe you allow her to behave like this. What kind of mom are you?"
But then I remembered that I have a couple friends, who have kids that act out and no matter what they try the kids don't seem to respond. So maybe it isn't the mom's fault. I mean I have to give her credit for removing Amber today.
So I did a little research and came up with the following information (from babycenter.com), that I thought was good advice.
- 0 -
I know at 22 months, that is still too young for your child to verbalize. At this age, however, I would not hesitate to start saying things like "Let's choose to not play with "Johnny" right now because Johnny is biting." Then re-direct, re-direct, and re-direct. I believe as parents, each incident at the playground can provide teachable moments. For preschoolers, if I witness a bullying situation, I would come alongside my child and model for him and say to the bully something like "Because you are not playing nice, I choose not to play with you until you start sharing, (stop biting), (stop scratching), etc." and then immediately turn and walk away from the bully. I believe this teaches your child, that he is not the problem here, but it is the bully's problem. This will also teach the bully that his behavior is not desirable and will result in loss of friendship. I would also explain to my child that if the bully changes and wants to be his friend, then it would be wise to give that bully another chance. I believe it is good to teach our children that they do not need to "take mistreatings" from anyone...that hey can always choose the type of friends that "makes good choices".
Her mom corrects her (a little), saying things like "oh Amber, that's not nice." But she has already pushed Chase twice (from behind) and and today, she hit her with a metal stacking pin (by mistake?) and took a soccer ball from her, ran in front of her when Chase was about to kick the ball (I know this sounds little, but something like this happens EVERY FRIDAY - and she usually targets Chase, probably because Chase just doesn't even flinch and doesn't give her the time of day). Her mom finally got a clue and removed her from the team early.
But before she did, I almost said to Amber, "If you keep this up, you are never, ever going to have any friends. No one is going to ever like you." A little harsh? Perhaps. But it is true. And then I wanted to say to the mom, "I can't believe you allow her to behave like this. What kind of mom are you?"
But then I remembered that I have a couple friends, who have kids that act out and no matter what they try the kids don't seem to respond. So maybe it isn't the mom's fault. I mean I have to give her credit for removing Amber today.
So I did a little research and came up with the following information (from babycenter.com), that I thought was good advice.
- 0 -
I know at 22 months, that is still too young for your child to verbalize. At this age, however, I would not hesitate to start saying things like "Let's choose to not play with "Johnny" right now because Johnny is biting." Then re-direct, re-direct, and re-direct. I believe as parents, each incident at the playground can provide teachable moments. For preschoolers, if I witness a bullying situation, I would come alongside my child and model for him and say to the bully something like "Because you are not playing nice, I choose not to play with you until you start sharing, (stop biting), (stop scratching), etc." and then immediately turn and walk away from the bully. I believe this teaches your child, that he is not the problem here, but it is the bully's problem. This will also teach the bully that his behavior is not desirable and will result in loss of friendship. I would also explain to my child that if the bully changes and wants to be his friend, then it would be wise to give that bully another chance. I believe it is good to teach our children that they do not need to "take mistreatings" from anyone...that hey can always choose the type of friends that "makes good choices".
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Riddle Me This
Today at dinner, Chase was working on a puzzle - the one my dad made for her that has a picture of us eating raspberries in his backyard. She LOVES it. She can do it all by herself. It's wild.
So anyway, we took it apart (again) and she took the corner piece and lined it up, and then twisted it one rotation, and looked up at Hubs with a devilish grin. He said, "nope, not that way, try again." And so she turned it another rotation (same direction) and looked at him again, with a twinkle in her eye. "Nope, try again," said Hubs. And she did it again - and for those keeping track, that means that the next time she turned it, it would line up properly. But instead, she turned it back the other way - giving Hubs a cheeky grin.
So anyway, we took it apart (again) and she took the corner piece and lined it up, and then twisted it one rotation, and looked up at Hubs with a devilish grin. He said, "nope, not that way, try again." And so she turned it another rotation (same direction) and looked at him again, with a twinkle in her eye. "Nope, try again," said Hubs. And she did it again - and for those keeping track, that means that the next time she turned it, it would line up properly. But instead, she turned it back the other way - giving Hubs a cheeky grin.
More Read Book Peas
Today in Chase's room we were reading books. Actually, I was planning to read three books to Chase (we read a series of about six books three times per day). Instead, she proceeded to stack more and more books onto her lap, saying "more read book peas," after each one. After she stacked about 15 books on her lap, she realized she couldn't get up, so she looked at me and said, "hep peas mama."
Me Home
Today we were working on Chase's alphabet puzzle. I picked up the letter "H," which covers a picture of a house. I said, "H" for house. And Chase looked up at me and said, "Me Home," and gestured at her room, her eyes wide with excitement. I almost fell over.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Recession
And here's a thought on the recession...
Maybe it's because I work in media, but I can't help but think that we aren't doing ourselves any favors by covering the recession every-single-day. All I hear is how bad everything is. How bad the numbers are. How many people are being forced to sell their homes. Yada, yada.
Has anyone thought that maybe, just maybe, we're creating a recession by encouraging people NOT to spend their money? I'm not saying it would go away if reporters stopped covering it, and I'm not saying it's a good idea to cover it up, I just wonder what the psychological impact is on the masses when the media replay gloom and doom stories. What if the media spent a month covering stories of hope, stories of people taking control of their lives and changing them for the better, overcoming odds, etc.
I'm thinking it would bring people hope and happiness - in a time where there is so much worry and concern for the future of our country.
Maybe it's because I work in media, but I can't help but think that we aren't doing ourselves any favors by covering the recession every-single-day. All I hear is how bad everything is. How bad the numbers are. How many people are being forced to sell their homes. Yada, yada.
Has anyone thought that maybe, just maybe, we're creating a recession by encouraging people NOT to spend their money? I'm not saying it would go away if reporters stopped covering it, and I'm not saying it's a good idea to cover it up, I just wonder what the psychological impact is on the masses when the media replay gloom and doom stories. What if the media spent a month covering stories of hope, stories of people taking control of their lives and changing them for the better, overcoming odds, etc.
I'm thinking it would bring people hope and happiness - in a time where there is so much worry and concern for the future of our country.
No, Not Me.
It can't be true. Am I really becoming one of "those" bloggers. The kind that says, "oh yah, I have a blog," but only update it once a month? I hope not.
So here's the scoop. No pictures for ages because Hubs has this mega super computer that now stores all our photos - and I used to be able to know how to use it, but then he purchased (yet another) remote control (because we need one for every device). I'm quite sure he'd buy a remote for the shower, the blender and the toaster if they were available. Anyhoo, until I can unlock the truth from within the remote, my blog will continue to lack our latest pictures.
The past month has been filled with a slew of visitors, birthdays (Hubs and Chase, as well as others), and making changes here and there around the house. I have color chips on all the walls (our neighbor has been kind enough to volunteer to help me paint away the buttercup yellow downstairs). I'll tackle the upstairs on my own.
We had 8 yards of dirt delivered. Hubs did a wondrous job of moving it from the front of the house to the back. I have officially planted wildflowers along the boarders and a full vegetable garden (hurray!). I have also planted bulbs out front - I'm SO excited to see how the garden will unfold.
We have also figured out what to do about our kitchen! And we have scheduled the roofers to come out in August.
As for my darling Chase, she is doing very well. I think she may be a bit behind in vocabulary development, but she's making up for it in her puzzle work. We don't even have to help her with her 12-piece puzzles anymore. I need to find something that's a little more challenging for her...
She is also singing up a storm. Not exactly using the right words, but still singing.
She is terrified of the potty. Two of her friends (one older and one younger) are already using it and she just can't seem to make it work for her.
She still loves anything that has to do with travel and the world. We received some world music as a gift for her birthday and she absolutely MUST listen to it every time we're in the car. She also loves a book called "Gigi and Zachary's Around The World Adventure," globes, maps and her child Atlas.
She's still surviving on about a gallon of yogurt a day (no exaggeration), fortified pasta, fruit and corn. She's anti-green-veggie at the moment.
As for Hubs, he's racing around a race track at the moment - at driving school (the kind of driving school where they encourage you to drive fast, not the kind where they send you if you have too many tickets).
And I am settling into Denver now, more than ever. With the sun coming out every day and temperatures in the mid-60s, I can't complain.
I have fallen into cahoots with a marketing gal who is pushing clients in my direction. I did some high-level consulting for the Colfax Marathon (Denver's marathon) and for a baby-planner, who offers families support as they prepare for a child. I'm super close to getting my own gig off the ground, but I am still stumped on a name for my biz. It's driving me nuts. I'll disclose more when I'm closer.
So that's it in a nutshell....
So here's the scoop. No pictures for ages because Hubs has this mega super computer that now stores all our photos - and I used to be able to know how to use it, but then he purchased (yet another) remote control (because we need one for every device). I'm quite sure he'd buy a remote for the shower, the blender and the toaster if they were available. Anyhoo, until I can unlock the truth from within the remote, my blog will continue to lack our latest pictures.
The past month has been filled with a slew of visitors, birthdays (Hubs and Chase, as well as others), and making changes here and there around the house. I have color chips on all the walls (our neighbor has been kind enough to volunteer to help me paint away the buttercup yellow downstairs). I'll tackle the upstairs on my own.
We had 8 yards of dirt delivered. Hubs did a wondrous job of moving it from the front of the house to the back. I have officially planted wildflowers along the boarders and a full vegetable garden (hurray!). I have also planted bulbs out front - I'm SO excited to see how the garden will unfold.
We have also figured out what to do about our kitchen! And we have scheduled the roofers to come out in August.
As for my darling Chase, she is doing very well. I think she may be a bit behind in vocabulary development, but she's making up for it in her puzzle work. We don't even have to help her with her 12-piece puzzles anymore. I need to find something that's a little more challenging for her...
She is also singing up a storm. Not exactly using the right words, but still singing.
She is terrified of the potty. Two of her friends (one older and one younger) are already using it and she just can't seem to make it work for her.
She still loves anything that has to do with travel and the world. We received some world music as a gift for her birthday and she absolutely MUST listen to it every time we're in the car. She also loves a book called "Gigi and Zachary's Around The World Adventure," globes, maps and her child Atlas.
She's still surviving on about a gallon of yogurt a day (no exaggeration), fortified pasta, fruit and corn. She's anti-green-veggie at the moment.
As for Hubs, he's racing around a race track at the moment - at driving school (the kind of driving school where they encourage you to drive fast, not the kind where they send you if you have too many tickets).
And I am settling into Denver now, more than ever. With the sun coming out every day and temperatures in the mid-60s, I can't complain.
I have fallen into cahoots with a marketing gal who is pushing clients in my direction. I did some high-level consulting for the Colfax Marathon (Denver's marathon) and for a baby-planner, who offers families support as they prepare for a child. I'm super close to getting my own gig off the ground, but I am still stumped on a name for my biz. It's driving me nuts. I'll disclose more when I'm closer.
So that's it in a nutshell....
Monday, March 31, 2008
Bye To Grandpa Mark & Fern
And so I dropped my Dad and Fern at the airport this afternoon. I so hated to say goodbye, it was really nice having them in town.
I also have to give them a huge THANKS for all the work they did in our yard. We put them to work yesterday and by the end of the day all our plants were pruned (Thanks Fern!), the (old green rusty) laundry poles were gone (Thanks Dad & Hubs!) and now we have a new watering system - and bed for growing veggies. We're so excited - okay, I am so excited.
Next step? Soil delivery. VERY exciting. And then we order up plants, get them into the ground and sit back and watch our backyard become our own little oasis.
So what comes after our garden transformation? A new roof and new kitchen.
Lots of stuff in the works! Stay tuned...
I also have to give them a huge THANKS for all the work they did in our yard. We put them to work yesterday and by the end of the day all our plants were pruned (Thanks Fern!), the (old green rusty) laundry poles were gone (Thanks Dad & Hubs!) and now we have a new watering system - and bed for growing veggies. We're so excited - okay, I am so excited.
Next step? Soil delivery. VERY exciting. And then we order up plants, get them into the ground and sit back and watch our backyard become our own little oasis.
So what comes after our garden transformation? A new roof and new kitchen.
Lots of stuff in the works! Stay tuned...
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Mo Twah Booberry Yoyo Peas
Chase is talking up a storm these days - and she is constantly coming up with new sentences. Her latest? "Mo Twoh Booberry Yoyo Peas." This means, "more cold blueberry yogurt please."
She is getting too good at hide and seek. Maybe that's because there are only so many places to hide downstairs.
And she has fallen in love with puzzles. She can almost complete a 12-piece puzzle by herself, but she still needs hints like, "I think you might be looking for the dog eyes," or "maybe you want the pig's feet."
I finally got her to kick the habit of listening to the Little Einsteins in the car (it was driving me batty!) - she was gifted a "World Playground" CD, which is SO fabulous. It has children's songs from around the world on it - and they don't make you want to hit your head against the wall.
And I am still trying to figure out this whole school thing. Where to send her. When. Yada yada, yada. Now I'm thinking about investigating the Spanish Montessori immersion school they have here. Could be interesting.
Dad and Fern are out visiting - it's so nice to see them! They spent today skiing at Veil. Tomorrow they're helping us do some landscaping - I'm so excited! Huge thanks to them for coming all this way and helping us get our home ship shape.
She is getting too good at hide and seek. Maybe that's because there are only so many places to hide downstairs.
And she has fallen in love with puzzles. She can almost complete a 12-piece puzzle by herself, but she still needs hints like, "I think you might be looking for the dog eyes," or "maybe you want the pig's feet."
I finally got her to kick the habit of listening to the Little Einsteins in the car (it was driving me batty!) - she was gifted a "World Playground" CD, which is SO fabulous. It has children's songs from around the world on it - and they don't make you want to hit your head against the wall.
And I am still trying to figure out this whole school thing. Where to send her. When. Yada yada, yada. Now I'm thinking about investigating the Spanish Montessori immersion school they have here. Could be interesting.
Dad and Fern are out visiting - it's so nice to see them! They spent today skiing at Veil. Tomorrow they're helping us do some landscaping - I'm so excited! Huge thanks to them for coming all this way and helping us get our home ship shape.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Updates
Steamboat was amazing. Hubs and I decided to pony-up and pay for a sitter for Chase so that I could go snow-shoeing with Renee. We did the actual snow-shoeing in Catamount, just about 10 minutes outside of Steamboat. It was amazing. I love it there - and it was so fabulous to catch up with our friends from London.
I tend to buy new things for Chase when we travel. To keep her busy. This time around, the runaway hit was a wooden train set. Chase played with it continuously. At one point, we looked over and she was actually re-laying the tracks, taking them apart and then putting them back together so the train could go in a different direction.
Chase's actual birthday was filled with lots of presents, a trip to the zoo, a ride in the zoo train (she LOVED it), and a ride on the carousal (she refused to actually ride on any animals and clung to me with all her might).
She also had her 2-year check-up. The one thing that I keep coming back to, which I didn't mention before, is that I told the doctor about her fear of water, but instead of saying, "oh that's normal," or "try this, try that," he told me to go buy an herbal remedy called "rescue remedy" and basically dope her before bath time to take the edge off. Yah, I don't think so. Instead, I sit in the tub and bath all the Einsteins before bathing Chase. I'm sure this too, shall pass.
Her birthday bowling bash is tomorrow. Should be interesting. We're expecting 10 kids total. Who knows how many adults. If everyone shows that's about 30 people. Good thing it's not at our house. Strange thing is I'm a little stressed about it. Given I have coordinated black tie gala events for 100s of people, I keep thinking of things I should be doing, but then I say, "self, you've got to relax, she is just turning 2."
Soccer, meanwhile, is going fabulously. Chase scored three goals today. Okay, so the ball wasn't moving before she kicked it. And it was set just outside the goal (hard to miss).
She is linking three words. She made our dinner last night (manacotti and salad). She took off her clothes (almost all by herself) and put them in the dirty clothes basket.
In honor of her 2-year birthday, I relocated pots and pans to provide her with her own cabinet in the kitchen, complete with dishes, bowls, cups, napkins and utensils. She loves it.
She also LOVES puzzles. We have a wooden, 12-piece, farm puzzle that she can almost put together on her own (clever girl). Hubs was wowed because she was actually looking for each specific piece.
She still adores the Einsteins, although Clifford is moving into the spotlight more and more. Curious George is like an old buddy, as is Elmo.
In other news, Chase was wait-listed (DRAT) at Children's Garden Montessori. She's number 5. I don't know what that means, or how good/bad our chances are... but I'm thinking it might be time to try to figure out something else.
I tend to buy new things for Chase when we travel. To keep her busy. This time around, the runaway hit was a wooden train set. Chase played with it continuously. At one point, we looked over and she was actually re-laying the tracks, taking them apart and then putting them back together so the train could go in a different direction.
Chase's actual birthday was filled with lots of presents, a trip to the zoo, a ride in the zoo train (she LOVED it), and a ride on the carousal (she refused to actually ride on any animals and clung to me with all her might).
She also had her 2-year check-up. The one thing that I keep coming back to, which I didn't mention before, is that I told the doctor about her fear of water, but instead of saying, "oh that's normal," or "try this, try that," he told me to go buy an herbal remedy called "rescue remedy" and basically dope her before bath time to take the edge off. Yah, I don't think so. Instead, I sit in the tub and bath all the Einsteins before bathing Chase. I'm sure this too, shall pass.
Her birthday bowling bash is tomorrow. Should be interesting. We're expecting 10 kids total. Who knows how many adults. If everyone shows that's about 30 people. Good thing it's not at our house. Strange thing is I'm a little stressed about it. Given I have coordinated black tie gala events for 100s of people, I keep thinking of things I should be doing, but then I say, "self, you've got to relax, she is just turning 2."
Soccer, meanwhile, is going fabulously. Chase scored three goals today. Okay, so the ball wasn't moving before she kicked it. And it was set just outside the goal (hard to miss).
She is linking three words. She made our dinner last night (manacotti and salad). She took off her clothes (almost all by herself) and put them in the dirty clothes basket.
In honor of her 2-year birthday, I relocated pots and pans to provide her with her own cabinet in the kitchen, complete with dishes, bowls, cups, napkins and utensils. She loves it.
She also LOVES puzzles. We have a wooden, 12-piece, farm puzzle that she can almost put together on her own (clever girl). Hubs was wowed because she was actually looking for each specific piece.
She still adores the Einsteins, although Clifford is moving into the spotlight more and more. Curious George is like an old buddy, as is Elmo.
In other news, Chase was wait-listed (DRAT) at Children's Garden Montessori. She's number 5. I don't know what that means, or how good/bad our chances are... but I'm thinking it might be time to try to figure out something else.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Chase's 2-Year Check-Up
Just returned from her 2-year check up. She has dropped in weight from 60th percentile to 40th percentile. She has grown (of course) and is now up to 95th percentile for length (compared to 90th percentile), and her head cir. is 75th percentile (basically in line with where it has always been). The doctor was not worried about the weight drop.
We discussed her all-day-buffet eating, and he said there are three types of eaters, and all-day-buffet is one, so not to worry. The biggest challenge is to make sure that each time they eat - that each meal represents one food group. Which I haven't been doing - and certainly makes sense.
She has achieved (and surpassed) her 2-year milestones. She had her second Hep-A, which means she's good to go!
The only thing that the doctor indicated a little concern about? Her sleep pattern. At this age, kids should still be napping at least once a day at a regular time, and going to sleep at roughly the same time (give or take a half hour), and sleeping through the night. He said he wasn't concerned that she wasn't getting enough, he was more concerned that as care givers an erratic sleep schedule can be exhausting. The only remedy is to stay in one place and establish a pattern. Hmmm, doesn't sound likely seeing as how we have travel plans for April and May.
The good news, I guess, is that there are no major time zone changes.
We discussed her all-day-buffet eating, and he said there are three types of eaters, and all-day-buffet is one, so not to worry. The biggest challenge is to make sure that each time they eat - that each meal represents one food group. Which I haven't been doing - and certainly makes sense.
She has achieved (and surpassed) her 2-year milestones. She had her second Hep-A, which means she's good to go!
The only thing that the doctor indicated a little concern about? Her sleep pattern. At this age, kids should still be napping at least once a day at a regular time, and going to sleep at roughly the same time (give or take a half hour), and sleeping through the night. He said he wasn't concerned that she wasn't getting enough, he was more concerned that as care givers an erratic sleep schedule can be exhausting. The only remedy is to stay in one place and establish a pattern. Hmmm, doesn't sound likely seeing as how we have travel plans for April and May.
The good news, I guess, is that there are no major time zone changes.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Long Time, No Post
Okay, so it isn't like I've had nothing to say. I have. I just haven't had the time.
We spent the week following our trip to Europe getting over colds. All of us had one. We were miserable and no fun to be around. We were going to bed at 8:00 p.m. every night, if we could stay up that late.
Then daylight savings happened. And Chase's sleep schedule is SO messed-up, she didn't fall asleep until around 9:00 p.m. last night, not that we would know, we were both zonked out on either side of her. We woke up at 11:00 - she was fast asleep, nestled between us.
So what else? Well, Chase is gorgeous as always. Pictures from Budapest still to come (when I actually have a few minutes).
Perhaps the biggest hurdle we are facing at the moment is that Chase is terrified of water. It just happened. She hates the bathtub. I took her to the swimming pool yesterday (yes, I got into a bathing suit), and she screamed "no, no, no" the entire time. We spent 15 minutes there and then decided it was not worth the drama - or the trauma.
Today I ventured to the gym, for the first time in TWO years. It was fabulous. I ran for 15 minutes and felt pretty good about myself, because it was (1) the first time in two years, (2) at high altitude and (3) the first time in two years. Oh and it was the first time in two years. And then I went to collect Chase from the childcare facility, only to find her sobbing so hard she couldn't breath. And the childcare guy wasn't even paying attention to her. I wanted to grab him by his 24-hour fitness polo shirt and scream at him "why didn't you page me?" But instead I asked him the question in a calm, yet terse voice. He said, "oh, she'd cry and then stop and then cry and then stop." O-MY-GOSH-MAN. So we're never going back. Even if Chase is unhappy, she never screams like that.
So now it's back to trying to figure out how to get exercise - with her. Maybe we should just make monthly trips to Budapest.
We spent the week following our trip to Europe getting over colds. All of us had one. We were miserable and no fun to be around. We were going to bed at 8:00 p.m. every night, if we could stay up that late.
Then daylight savings happened. And Chase's sleep schedule is SO messed-up, she didn't fall asleep until around 9:00 p.m. last night, not that we would know, we were both zonked out on either side of her. We woke up at 11:00 - she was fast asleep, nestled between us.
So what else? Well, Chase is gorgeous as always. Pictures from Budapest still to come (when I actually have a few minutes).
Perhaps the biggest hurdle we are facing at the moment is that Chase is terrified of water. It just happened. She hates the bathtub. I took her to the swimming pool yesterday (yes, I got into a bathing suit), and she screamed "no, no, no" the entire time. We spent 15 minutes there and then decided it was not worth the drama - or the trauma.
Today I ventured to the gym, for the first time in TWO years. It was fabulous. I ran for 15 minutes and felt pretty good about myself, because it was (1) the first time in two years, (2) at high altitude and (3) the first time in two years. Oh and it was the first time in two years. And then I went to collect Chase from the childcare facility, only to find her sobbing so hard she couldn't breath. And the childcare guy wasn't even paying attention to her. I wanted to grab him by his 24-hour fitness polo shirt and scream at him "why didn't you page me?" But instead I asked him the question in a calm, yet terse voice. He said, "oh, she'd cry and then stop and then cry and then stop." O-MY-GOSH-MAN. So we're never going back. Even if Chase is unhappy, she never screams like that.
So now it's back to trying to figure out how to get exercise - with her. Maybe we should just make monthly trips to Budapest.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
"Mommy, YAY!" "Daddy, YAY!"
Possibly the cutest thing ever. Chase has started adding "YAY" to words she really likes. And we are lucky enough that mommy and daddy are on that list.
On that note, she is doing a lot more talking these days. Naming everything she sees. I have to remind myself that she doesn't want everything she names, that she is simply naming items to show me how much she knows.
And speaking of our little know it all, while we were in Budapest Chase counted to 10. Yes, that's right. I'm not kidding. She was just counting rocks - and adding the number to each. It was UN-BELIEVABLE.
She also loves singing to herself - and to others. She was singing to Taggart this morning. Super, uber-doober cute.
On that note, she is doing a lot more talking these days. Naming everything she sees. I have to remind myself that she doesn't want everything she names, that she is simply naming items to show me how much she knows.
And speaking of our little know it all, while we were in Budapest Chase counted to 10. Yes, that's right. I'm not kidding. She was just counting rocks - and adding the number to each. It was UN-BELIEVABLE.
She also loves singing to herself - and to others. She was singing to Taggart this morning. Super, uber-doober cute.
For The Love Of Travel
So we've finally "settled" back in to Denver. Pictures from our trip will be posted soon.
I have to say this trip to Europe was easily the most difficult trip we've made to date. Why? I think it was because Chase is nearly two. This means she (1) actually realizes she has feelings and wants to do things a certain way, (2) likes to walk in the opposite direction of where we need to go, (3) likes to snack all the time, and (4) is getting way too heavy to carry all-day-long.
We thought we had it all figured out. We have a hip carrier that we carefully placed in the car. And then left it in the car once we got to the airport. By mistake. Or should I say, BIG mistake. We tried to buy a stroller for Chase on three different occasions - and each time Chase shook her head, "no," and arched her back when we tried to place her in it. Hubs even tried not so subliminal methods to influencer her, "see?" he'd say to her (arms burning). "That baby is very happy in his stroller. And look, he can even play with toys and read a book while he's in it." Hubs must have pointed out every stroller he saw on DAY 3. Miss Chase was still adamant she would NOT NOT NOT be one of those happy babies. She was quite happy, thank you very much, being so close to us.
So that aside, she was really an amazing little traveler. Oh, and besides the fact she did not sleep through a single night (and got up the first four to color, read, play), she really did very well. Her parents, on the other hand, were so b-l-e-e-p-i-n-g tired by the end of it, we could barely talk to each other without getting snippy. It didn't help we were both sick out of our heads on the last day and couldn't even hear each other - and couldn't talk any louder because our throats hurt.
But seriously, it was good be out and about again. I found myself with a renewed level of appreciation for our home, our life.
I found there were things I really didn't miss: (1) city air, (2) city playgrounds, (3) rough toilet paper, (4) check out people at the grocery store who are mean, (5) buying things I think are one thing and then finding they are something else (in Budapest I kept meaning to buy yogurt, but ended up with sour cream, quark and something in between. I also wanted to buy milk, but somehow ended up with chocolate milk, cheese that was too strong for Chase to eat, an unidentifiable meat product cut in to slices and sparking water when I wanted still).
But on the bright side of it all, Budapest was really lovely. The weather was warm, the sky was blue. I would, however, compare Budapest to a tired old lady, who used to be exceptionally beautiful, but now has lots of scars. The buildings that were once grand and falling apart. There is little in the way of color (I recall Prague's buildings were all gorgeous terracotta, greens, pale yellows, creams). The streets are larger and straighter (as compared to Prague's winding, cobblestones). Budapest was bigger (sort like how Seattle is to Portland). And there wasn't much in the way of a local art scene (Prague was filled with galleries).
But there was great food (goulash, stuffed cabbage, strudel). And most likely a great night life - although Hubs and I were back at the hotel by 8:30 p.m. each night. If one was young and hip, and without a toddler in tow, one might really enjoy it there.
We were really lucky in the hotel we selected (Hotel Starlight). It was inexpensive and clean. The room was large and had a living room, bedroom and large bathroom. The location couldn't be beat, and there was a playground right down the street that Chase loved. The only down side was that there wasn't a kitchen in the hotel, so we had to fly by the seat of our pants when it came to feeding Chase.
Lessons learned on this trip? We are definitely not doing any "city breaks" again anytime soon. I think from here on out we're going to be resort-bound --- at least for a little while.
I have to say this trip to Europe was easily the most difficult trip we've made to date. Why? I think it was because Chase is nearly two. This means she (1) actually realizes she has feelings and wants to do things a certain way, (2) likes to walk in the opposite direction of where we need to go, (3) likes to snack all the time, and (4) is getting way too heavy to carry all-day-long.
We thought we had it all figured out. We have a hip carrier that we carefully placed in the car. And then left it in the car once we got to the airport. By mistake. Or should I say, BIG mistake. We tried to buy a stroller for Chase on three different occasions - and each time Chase shook her head, "no," and arched her back when we tried to place her in it. Hubs even tried not so subliminal methods to influencer her, "see?" he'd say to her (arms burning). "That baby is very happy in his stroller. And look, he can even play with toys and read a book while he's in it." Hubs must have pointed out every stroller he saw on DAY 3. Miss Chase was still adamant she would NOT NOT NOT be one of those happy babies. She was quite happy, thank you very much, being so close to us.
So that aside, she was really an amazing little traveler. Oh, and besides the fact she did not sleep through a single night (and got up the first four to color, read, play), she really did very well. Her parents, on the other hand, were so b-l-e-e-p-i-n-g tired by the end of it, we could barely talk to each other without getting snippy. It didn't help we were both sick out of our heads on the last day and couldn't even hear each other - and couldn't talk any louder because our throats hurt.
But seriously, it was good be out and about again. I found myself with a renewed level of appreciation for our home, our life.
I found there were things I really didn't miss: (1) city air, (2) city playgrounds, (3) rough toilet paper, (4) check out people at the grocery store who are mean, (5) buying things I think are one thing and then finding they are something else (in Budapest I kept meaning to buy yogurt, but ended up with sour cream, quark and something in between. I also wanted to buy milk, but somehow ended up with chocolate milk, cheese that was too strong for Chase to eat, an unidentifiable meat product cut in to slices and sparking water when I wanted still).
But on the bright side of it all, Budapest was really lovely. The weather was warm, the sky was blue. I would, however, compare Budapest to a tired old lady, who used to be exceptionally beautiful, but now has lots of scars. The buildings that were once grand and falling apart. There is little in the way of color (I recall Prague's buildings were all gorgeous terracotta, greens, pale yellows, creams). The streets are larger and straighter (as compared to Prague's winding, cobblestones). Budapest was bigger (sort like how Seattle is to Portland). And there wasn't much in the way of a local art scene (Prague was filled with galleries).
But there was great food (goulash, stuffed cabbage, strudel). And most likely a great night life - although Hubs and I were back at the hotel by 8:30 p.m. each night. If one was young and hip, and without a toddler in tow, one might really enjoy it there.
We were really lucky in the hotel we selected (Hotel Starlight). It was inexpensive and clean. The room was large and had a living room, bedroom and large bathroom. The location couldn't be beat, and there was a playground right down the street that Chase loved. The only down side was that there wasn't a kitchen in the hotel, so we had to fly by the seat of our pants when it came to feeding Chase.
Lessons learned on this trip? We are definitely not doing any "city breaks" again anytime soon. I think from here on out we're going to be resort-bound --- at least for a little while.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)