One Perfect Mess

Archive for April, 2009

I’m not ashamed to admit it, my feelings are a little hurt nobody ever tagged me for 25 random things. But I’m so random dammit. They are missing out! So, since this is my blog and some days I have a heck of a time thinking of things to write about and I loooove documenting the tiny little details of my children’s lives so I can go back and read about it when they are no longer speaking to me… wait where did this sentence start? Anyway, without further ado here are 25 random things from my little Peanut’s first 3 1/2 months.

1. He likes to eat, a LOT
2. He always kicks the right sock off first (according to his dad)
3. He scootches like nobody’s business
4. He thinks squeaky toys are the bomb
5. He has his granddad’s toes
6. His belly button took forever and a day to heal
7. He will not take a bottle or paci although we think we might be making headway in paci negotiations
8. The boy is LOUD. He screamed LOUD for the first two months of his life and now he laughs LOUD and squeeeees LOUD
9. He is happiest first thing in the morning
10. It is in your best interest to feed him first during nighttime feedings before attempting to change his diaper. He will LOUDLY let you know that he disapproves otherwise.
11. He likes to suck on his upper lip. Random, no?
12. He refuses to sleep in his crib unless his fuzzy blue blanket is under him.
13. He gets very frightened when someone sneezes.
14. His favorite time of the day is getting his hair washed
15. He gets a really big smile on his face right before he spits up everywhere.
16. He refuses to go to sleep for the night until his sister does.
17. He is ticklish under his chin
18. He loves to be fussed at
19. He wakes up nearly every morning having managed to get his entire sleeper dirty (see #3)
20. He will conk out every time if his daddy bounces him on the bouncy ball
21. He sleeps best with lots of white noise. It has been raining for several months in my bedroom.
22. He doesn’t nap more than 30 minutes at a time unless in the car
23. He stays awake for shopping trips until you get to the check out. Then he falls asleep every time.
24. He loves to watch his big sister
25. He likes to chew on his t-shirt

Stay tuned for random things about other family members…

Top 10 Ways I am a Bad Mama

10. I drink caffeine, lots of it both while pregnant and breastfeeding.

9. My kid loves McNuggets

8. Which she insists on eating in her car seat on the way home. I don’t know where she learned that.

7. She also enjoys chocolate milk and even dum dum duuummmm juice on occasion.

6. Both our children have always slept with blankets

5. My daughter has known how to turn on the TV by herself since she was able to sit up and reach the buttons.

4. My toddler does not attend any sort of organized class because she’s not even two years old and I’m not particularly concerned yet about her preschool entrance interviews and the ramifications the right preschool can have on her Harvard entrance exams.

3. We eat dinner every night in front of the TV. My children think Jon Stewart is funny.

2. The Weebles was nourished in utero primarily by breakfast burritos while the Peanut was mostly built with chocolate chips.

1. I spend way too much time on the internet leaving my little ones to tear up the house entertain themselves

Today has been a really great day. The weather is just beautiful and we’ve both gotten a lot done AND had fun with the kids. A lot of times we only manage one or the other. The Weebles spent the morning hanging out with her grandparents while Andrew and I ran separate errands. Then Andrew steam cleaned the wood floors and I finished up the new guest room while the kids napped. This afternoon we went over to Raleigh to the playset warehouse and got a better idea of what kind of playset we are looking for. The Weebles really enjoyed the slides and the “weeeeee!” (swings). Her little fingers must be tired from all the signing “mo! mo!” Unfortunately it is really easy to get carried away with all the options so we’re going to have to reign ourselves in a bit to start. Here’s hoping for an even better day tomorrow!

I am SO ready for this weekend. Gorgeous weather has the next two days full of promise for getting the kids out of the house. The problem is there are just so many things I’d like to do and it is going to be hard to choose which to do and which to leave for another time. While I’d like to run around like a mad woman getting tons of things done, I also sort of look forward to the idea of a lazy weekend around the house. What to do, what to do? I had thought about starting the weekend today and getting out with the kids this morning but I never could decide what would be best for us to do. I’d like to take the kids to the mall to get The Weeble fitted for shoes at Stride Rite, I need to get the oil changed in the van before we leave for the beach, I’d really love to go over to the indoor playground showroom and pick out a swing set for the back yard and I’d also love to hit up Home Depot and pick out the new washer and dryer I have been dreaming about. Yay for the UNC Basketball Stimulus Check! Of course I also want to finish up the attic and get the office/guest room back in order. Then I can start decorating the Peanut’s new nursery. What? He’s only four months old. He likes bunking in with us thankyouverymuch. I’d better go ahead and figure some things out or the whole weekend will be spent trying to decide!

The Weebles occasionally get to look at my iPod during diaper changes. There is an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba on there that I know we’ve seen on the TV before, but not so much that I have it memorized. (And believe me, I have LOTS of Noggin episodes memorized) She can’t hear it on the iPod of course because I haven’t used my headphones since.. um.. never and I have no idea where they are. Plus can a toddler use headphones? Anyway, I noticed she was singing today while watching it and when I looked to see what episode was on there anyway I realized she was singing the song from that episode. One of the damn oversized muppets doesn’t want to eat their yougurt snack and everyone is trying to encourage him/her to try it. Either my kid is a genius or I really do let her watch waaaaaay too much TV.

For the first time ever both of my children slept through the night last night. I didn’t even wake up to worry until about five. It’s funny how I look forward to the nights that they sleep well and then worry something is wrong when they actually do. I have a video monitor on the Weeble but it was easier to see her on the ultrasound than it is on that blurry piece of junk. I’m tempted to get a different one but haven’t been able to justify the expense. My mind started racing today thinking about life with sleep and all its possibilities. Ha. I try to rein myself in and remember that just because they sleep one night, or even one month doesn’t mean they’ll be doing so the next. Teething, illnesses and even new milestones can leave us back watching the dreaded Oobi in the wee hours. But I’ll take what I can get…

I love being part of the mommy blogger community. I have learned so much and laughed so much and even occasionally cried reading the words of amazing women that are moms just like me. In the darkest days of PPD they gave me something to smile about and more importantly gave me hope that I would find myself again one day. But of course, their words are their real lives and not every day is finding the dog fingerpainted or the camera in the fishtank. Some days are bad. awful. unthinkable. Not a week ago our little community was sent reeling at news of the loss of one of our beloved children Maddie. Now just yesterday we lost another. Maddie was almost the same age as the Weeble. Thalon was the same age as the Peanut. Both were victims of routine childhood illnesses that spiraled out of control. It could have been my child. Days already feel like they are slipping away. I won’t remember exactly how it feels to hold them against me. To feel them breathing as they sleep. Their little sounds, their baby smell. How the Peanut likes to put all his fingers in his mouth except his pinky, or make loud slurping sounds as he chews on his blankie. How the Weebles brings Widget to her brother when he cries to cheer him up, or demands DADDY BUBBLES! in the tub. Or points to the kitchen and says “Peese Mommy, skeem” (ice cream). But unlike Thalon and Maddie’s moms I am able to see them grow another day and for that I am eternally grateful. I wish they still had their little ones to hold close tonight.

The Weebles’ didn’t get a nap today. I came home from work and tried to get her to settle down but it just didn’t happen. Not surprisingly she then passed out in her high chair halfway through dinner. Our bedtime routine is pretty much set in stone in terms of dinner, bathtime and then bedtime. Tomorrow being Easter her bath just couldn’t be skipped. We have family coming in the morning and there isn’t any time to try to get in a bath then. I have never seen another human being so sound asleep. Andrew got her up and undressed. We put her in the tub, washed her hair and gave her a bath. All while she was totally asleep. I was thinking hells yes this is going to be an easy bedtime tonight thank goodness. I really needed it after wrangling with her at lunchtime. We got her out and wrapped her up snug in her towel only to have her wake up as we were about to get her jammies on. And we are talking wide awake here. I immediately snuggled her down and tried to get her good and warm thinking surely she’d go right back to sleep. The girl had been so fast asleep I was actually a little concerned about her just moments before. That was an hour ago. She’s been nursed, read to, cuddled, and even strolled and she is not showing any signs of slowing down. I, however, am about to crumple in defeat. There are more moments than I’d like to admit that I have the urge to throw a temper tantrum. But I want her to go to sleep dammit! I want to read my new magazine and take a bath! Not to mention isn’t it bad for your kid not to sleep? I think I need somebody to put me to bed, I’m cranky.