Well, obviously, the title is a joke. There wasn't a real puppy mill at the pool but there were 2 moms with a litter of kids each and kind of treated them like you see dogs in puppy mills treated. You know, sadly over looked and allowed to pretty much do whatever they can do in a tiny area no matter who else is in the area or how offensive the puppies actions might be. And to further my puppy mill references, there was even a bitch feeding her puppy on the tit at the pool! (now that might seem offensive, but it is a completely acceptable way to describe a mother dog feeding her puppy) Fully covered, but it still completes my puppy mill analogy.
Now I know you are reading this and thinking to yourself (a) Rea must really hates kids, especially a family with more than one kid or (b) oh shit! she's gone off her meds and none of this is going to make any sense to anyone outside of the voices in her head. I can assure you neither of those things are true and I'll tell you the whole story. And I promise, by the end, you too will hate the "puppy mill mom" like K and I did. See, I forgot that part, huh...I wasn't alone during this! Haha
K and I decided last night we needed to get the kids (and ourselves) out of the house. After some discussion we decided to take them to the pool at White Beach, which though kind of a drive, is usually empty and has a kiddie pool perfect for our toddlers. We left this morning a little after 10am and made it to the pool around 11am. Just in time to see (a) a van of kids unload (greaaat) and (b) a sign that says "Pool Closed from 1130am to 1230pm Daily for Lap Swim". We quickly changed the kids and hoped for at least a few minutes in the pool before having to leave and hit either the beach or the playground by the campgrounds. As it turned out, the kiddie pool was not affected by the lap swim, so we were all able to stay in the pool area.
We had Nixon and little Miss Macy, who's been mentioned in previous blogs. Another family had 2 boys probably between the ages of 5-8 years old....in the kiddie pool. The family who unloaded as we arrived?? Yeah one mom with: an infant in a carrier (the titty baby), a toddler a little younger than Nixon, what looked like twins around 4 years old and 2 much older child (a boy and a girl I'd say looked to be around 7-10 years old). Again all...in...the...kiddie...pool. Which is a figure 8 shaped pool. And is only 1'10" deep, and maybe 8 feet long. It's really not a big pool, because it's a KIDDIE POOL!!!
We get Miss Macy and Nixon to the pool, and the older kids are jumping into the pool, swimming under water, splashing each other and generally showing that they do not belong in that pool. I put Nixon's floaty vest on him (so to even the most ignorant person, the fact that a kid is wearing a padded bright yellow with flames on it vest would say "This kid is not used to water!") and put him in the pool, while I sit on the edge of the pool so he can hang on to me while getting comfortable. As soon as he is in the water, the older kids are jumping into the pool behind him and splashing us! Nixon starts to kind of freak out, and seeing this PMM ("puppy mill mom", from here on out), spoke "Not everyone wants to be splashed." Then went back to her iPhone and rocking the infant in the carrier with her foot.
I wish I could say that was the worse but it wasn't. Nixon got pushed, from under water, by one of the older kids swimming underwater and not paying attention to the little kids. One of PMM's own kids got his arm stuck in the draining area around the pool and was crying and quite upset. She never moved and waited for an older sibling to go help him (or for him to drown, I'm really not quite sure which end result she was hoping for). K and I got dirty looks from her because we wouldn't listen to her oldest child ramble on about "watch me", "look what I can do", "did you see me?", "where you watching?", "okay, I'll do it one more time, but you have to watch me, are you watching...look here I go". Honestly, I felt bad for the kid, because she just wanted someone to pay attention to her. I also wanted to say "Seriously kid, your siblings are almost drowning my son who actually did come out of my vagina and is kind of really important to me so I'm sorry if I'm not looking at you because you feel like I have enough time to look at you". I did NOT say that, but I was totally thinking it! Apparently PMM felt that since I only had one child to watch I should be honored to be entertained by her eldest child. Sorry, this mommy doesn't care that much about a child that didn't come from my vagina. (But K, I love Miss Macy! Just like I love my nieces and nephews! They're all exceptions to that rule)
Can some please explain to me when publicly correcting your child became taboo?? Nixon got out of the pool and was running around it. Clearly this is unsafe and was not to be acceptable. I told him "Nixon, that's one. You keep running around the pool and you will go in Time Out. Do you want to go in Time Out?" He, of course, said no and left me. All I had to do was watch him and count, with a reminder that 3 was a trip to T.O. He stopped running and would walk, though it was a long gaited walk it was still a walk and not a run, around the pool. K was sitting next to me and we were talking. PMM was sitting on the opposite side of the pool from us and she saw Nixon and I have our discussion and saw me compliment Nixon for walking by me ("Nixon that's awesome! Thanks for walking around the pool. High five!" and "Nixon you are a rock start today for listening and not running!") as he did laps on the outside of the pool. PMM shook her head everytime Nixon walked by and I complimented him, like I was spoiling him or ruining him or something along those lines. Like it was horribly offensive that I might thank my son for listening to me and NOT run around the pool. I get it's not a common approach, but it's my approach and it kept me from yelling at him (too much) and chasing after him (only twice and that was later on). Meanwhile, PMM's litter was still in the pool, with Miss Macy alone this time, being rambunctious and unconcerned for another child's safety. What chafed me was: there was a lifeguard on duty. At several time he should have (in my opinion) come over and asked the older kids to get out of the pool. They were doing unsafe acts, putting other children at risk and were clearly too big for the kiddie pool in the first place. (There's a complaint to the MWR outdoor recreation department coming about that...believe me)
Just when we thought PMM and her litter was leaving....another mom with HER litter (4 kids: infant, toddler and 2 older children, I'd guess between ages 5-9) showed up! More older kids in the pool. More rough housing ensues. Thankfully, they stayed less than 15 minutes and then left to go....well who the hell cares where they went the point is they fucking left! Leaving only the 2 older boys (about 5-8 years old), who thought roughhousing and shit like that was a good idea. Once the pool was empty, Nixon wanted to be in it. I was sitting on the edge (K, with Miss Macy, went to the car to get a drink that she'd left there) and these 2 boys started splashing Nixon and I. I gave them a free pass. Once. Nixon walked to the other side of the pool, and the oldest kid jumped into the pool right over Nixon's head, who he had clearly seen was there, I said "please be careful of the little one." K came back into the pool with Miss Macy and the kids were happily playing in the pool, when the boys started to get really out of control. Their parents totally ignoring the sign that said "Children in the pool must be closely supervised by an adult at all times", were too busy taking, what I can only assume were, facebook photos of each other on the other side of the gate that separates the kiddie pool from the other pool to pay any attention to what was going on until they heard my bitch voice say "Hey, ya wanna knock it off. There are two small children in this pool too". THEN the parents pay attention. Oh, and the lifeguard? Yeah, he came in. To check the pH balance of the water, which given the ages of the kids is a good idea, but it also means he did in fact know how to get into the kiddie pool area so he could have at any time come in and said something to the PMM kids.
We left shortly after that. An hour and a half seemed a fair amount of time in the pool for the kids, who both feel asleep on the car ride home.
I do feel I need to say I don't care how many kids a family has. I do care when you take them out in public and do not interact with them at all, instead expecting them to entertain themselves at the expense of everyone else around you and them. Someone could have been seriously injured and PPM had 2 children who were in potentially dangerous situations, both with drowning a probable outcome and her response was to tell and older sibling to "get your brother". Kids who are over 4 feet tall and jumping into water less than 2 feet deep, is a BAD idea! The bottom of the pool is slippery, if one of those kids slipped...blood and mess and lots of bad stuff. That's what would've happened. She nursed the infant for 10 minutes, the rest of the time he/she was in the carrier with the sun in his/her eyes and PMM was on her iPhone. It's annoying that I take my son to have fun and I get treated like a kid because there are kids in a kiddie pool who are nearly as tall as I am! Yeah, you don't belong in a kiddie pool. Mom needs to get off her ass and play with her kids, not Duggar the responsibility to the older siblings.
And how is it, I put sunscreen on AND still get sunburned?!?!?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
There are some crazy animals around me....oh and we went to the zoo too!
This weekend was as good as it was bad. Mac is back on the midnight shift, after being screwed into staying on day shift somehow for over a year. The good thing about midnights is we see him a little more and it seems Nixon gets more one-on-one morning time, while I get more sleeping time (score!!). The bad thing is, with the way Nixon naps now, he's napping when Mac leaves for work so he misses sending Mac off to work. But a phone call at bedtime seems to have made it a little easier, plus the morning alone time with Mac seems to make Nixon a happy little guy.
Friday and Saturday were pretty much a wash, due to rain. We ran errands but that was about it. So, I mentioned taking Nixon to the zoo on Sunday so he could feed the "new" baby giraffe and the elephant. Now, I know Mac hates the Okinawa Zoo because it's habitats are sad looking (especially the big cat ones....very sad, depressed animals) but he did promise to go at least once to watch Nixon feed the animals. I figured after being cooped up all weekend and having spent the last 2 weeks recovering from his vasectomy and not being able to carry or hold Nixon at all, this seemed like a fun or potentially stupid outing. It turned out to be both.
The first part of the morning, breakfast at home, was great. I made omelets for Mac and I plus turkey bacon and pancakes. Nixon had the bacon, pancakes and yogurt. I started packing our drinks and snacks for the zoo and even though we left a little late we were on our way. The zoo was far less crowded than the last time I visited on a weekend (which is a plus because Mac hates crowds) so parking was a breeze. Nixon fell asleep about 3 blocks from the zoo, but as soon as he got out of the car and saw where we were he exclaimed "Monkey!! Zoo!!" and proceeded to try to run away from me towards the elevator...Mac was not impressed.
We made it by the ride area, without an epic meltdown! Mostly, in part, due to me carrying Nixon and explaining to him we had a big surprise for him we HAD to get to, so if he was extra well-behaved we'd ride the rides after his surprise. He just pointed to the motorcycle ride-on we rode on together last time at the zoo, "dat one, momma I ride dat one" and the train and the "notty fire truck, momma, dat one" as we walked by. But no fit. I was impressed, but I think Mac was waiting for Nixon to start screaming in protest. We managed to herd him to the kangaroos, so he could show Mac the baby "roos". He took off, running his little Nixon excited lope, and I let him go knowing I was watching him and there wasn't anyone around. Mac, wanted Nixon to stay right next to us. Nixon slowed down and started pointing out the kangaroos to Mac as we walked by the habitat and I pointed out a baby kangaroo to Nixon, who said "bye bye kangloroos" as we left the area.
Now, here is the one really amazing thing that I will miss about Okinawa and it's something that not even my glass half-empty husband can complain about: For the dollar equivalent of $3.60 in yen, Nixon got to feed 3 giraffes, by hand, including the new one year-old baby giraffe! He got up close and even had his hand licked by the baby giraffe as she (I think it's a she) took the greens from his hand. As a mom, I got to see my son RUN up a sidewalk excited because he knew what was inside the building and he couldn't wait to go feed the giraffes! Plus, Mac was with him, so Mac got to see and help Nixon feed the giraffes.
After the giraffes we went to feed the elephant. For a little more (about $4.80....the yet exchange rate is 79yen to $1.00, it was 200yen each to feed the elephant) Nixon got to feed an elephant long green shoots of bamboo looking things. I took pictures and Mac got to help him feed the elephant too. We tried getting a family picture in front of the elephant, but Nixon saw the other elephant in the enclosure next to us and freaked out screaming "baby elephant!!" so no family picture in front of the elephant for me. (I openly and selfishly admit to being disappointed over this, I really wanted this photo of the 3 of us, but I can't force Nixon to sit still and stop screaming when he wants to go see something else).
The hardest part about being the stay-at-home parent vs. the working parent is parenting technique. I know Nixon, so I'm okay with letting him run off some energy at the zoo, even if it means he's a little scattered and flip flopping in what he wants to do. He's 2.5 years old, he's naturally got a short attention span to begin with. I'm used to that. Mac....not so much. And his impatience and annoyance with Nixon's behavior took a toll not only on Nixon, but also on me and ultimately our whole day. It's very hard for me to not snap at him and tell him he's being an asshole by being overbearing or trying to control the entire situation. Instead I stepped back and let the two of them battle it out, because Nixon and I have had plenty of time to "battle it out" without Mac's interference and I really think it's the only way he (Mac) is ever going to find his parenting groove. But damned if I don't feel like I'm giving up at times and failing Nixon, when I know this is actually the right thing to do.
The whole thing boiled down to the fishing pond. I have my way of doing the pond. I buy the carp food and give Nixon the box. Nixon feeds the ducks, fish and pigeons one or two boxes then we're usually good to go. I tend to stand back and watch or snap some pictures, occasionally tossing in some food pellets but for the most part letting Nixon do what he wants with the food.
With Mac with us, it was....different. I bought the food and gave the box to Nixon, but started taking pictures. Mac, totally meaning well, took the box and started showing Nixon how to throw the pellets into the water instead of just dropping them in. At first, Nixon was really into that. And then he wasn't. So Mac got frustrated. Then Nixon got more frustrated. Then I've got a pissed off, melting down toddler and a frustrated, annoyed daddy on my hands at the same time. I can't make it better for both of them, one of them is going to be pissed. I realized, I HAVE to back up and support Mac's decision, even if I don't agree with it. United front and all....damned shared parenting.
In the end, we went home without riding any rides. Nixon's meltdown was too epic to be rewarded with any sort of ride. Even if I knew how to avoid the meltdown, I'd have been stepping on Mac's parenting toes and he's got to earn his stripes somehow. It's not fun to watch or fair to let the meltdown happen, but its a lesson they both have to learn. I had to learn my lessons the hard way, Mac's gotta learn his the same way. I can't keep teaching him HOW to be a dad, at some point he's got to figure some shit out on his own.
"Pick your battles" is a phrase I am constantly telling him. So far, he's not listening. Some day it will all sink in.....
Friday and Saturday were pretty much a wash, due to rain. We ran errands but that was about it. So, I mentioned taking Nixon to the zoo on Sunday so he could feed the "new" baby giraffe and the elephant. Now, I know Mac hates the Okinawa Zoo because it's habitats are sad looking (especially the big cat ones....very sad, depressed animals) but he did promise to go at least once to watch Nixon feed the animals. I figured after being cooped up all weekend and having spent the last 2 weeks recovering from his vasectomy and not being able to carry or hold Nixon at all, this seemed like a fun or potentially stupid outing. It turned out to be both.
The first part of the morning, breakfast at home, was great. I made omelets for Mac and I plus turkey bacon and pancakes. Nixon had the bacon, pancakes and yogurt. I started packing our drinks and snacks for the zoo and even though we left a little late we were on our way. The zoo was far less crowded than the last time I visited on a weekend (which is a plus because Mac hates crowds) so parking was a breeze. Nixon fell asleep about 3 blocks from the zoo, but as soon as he got out of the car and saw where we were he exclaimed "Monkey!! Zoo!!" and proceeded to try to run away from me towards the elevator...Mac was not impressed.
We made it by the ride area, without an epic meltdown! Mostly, in part, due to me carrying Nixon and explaining to him we had a big surprise for him we HAD to get to, so if he was extra well-behaved we'd ride the rides after his surprise. He just pointed to the motorcycle ride-on we rode on together last time at the zoo, "dat one, momma I ride dat one" and the train and the "notty fire truck, momma, dat one" as we walked by. But no fit. I was impressed, but I think Mac was waiting for Nixon to start screaming in protest. We managed to herd him to the kangaroos, so he could show Mac the baby "roos". He took off, running his little Nixon excited lope, and I let him go knowing I was watching him and there wasn't anyone around. Mac, wanted Nixon to stay right next to us. Nixon slowed down and started pointing out the kangaroos to Mac as we walked by the habitat and I pointed out a baby kangaroo to Nixon, who said "bye bye kangloroos" as we left the area.
Now, here is the one really amazing thing that I will miss about Okinawa and it's something that not even my glass half-empty husband can complain about: For the dollar equivalent of $3.60 in yen, Nixon got to feed 3 giraffes, by hand, including the new one year-old baby giraffe! He got up close and even had his hand licked by the baby giraffe as she (I think it's a she) took the greens from his hand. As a mom, I got to see my son RUN up a sidewalk excited because he knew what was inside the building and he couldn't wait to go feed the giraffes! Plus, Mac was with him, so Mac got to see and help Nixon feed the giraffes.
After the giraffes we went to feed the elephant. For a little more (about $4.80....the yet exchange rate is 79yen to $1.00, it was 200yen each to feed the elephant) Nixon got to feed an elephant long green shoots of bamboo looking things. I took pictures and Mac got to help him feed the elephant too. We tried getting a family picture in front of the elephant, but Nixon saw the other elephant in the enclosure next to us and freaked out screaming "baby elephant!!" so no family picture in front of the elephant for me. (I openly and selfishly admit to being disappointed over this, I really wanted this photo of the 3 of us, but I can't force Nixon to sit still and stop screaming when he wants to go see something else).
The hardest part about being the stay-at-home parent vs. the working parent is parenting technique. I know Nixon, so I'm okay with letting him run off some energy at the zoo, even if it means he's a little scattered and flip flopping in what he wants to do. He's 2.5 years old, he's naturally got a short attention span to begin with. I'm used to that. Mac....not so much. And his impatience and annoyance with Nixon's behavior took a toll not only on Nixon, but also on me and ultimately our whole day. It's very hard for me to not snap at him and tell him he's being an asshole by being overbearing or trying to control the entire situation. Instead I stepped back and let the two of them battle it out, because Nixon and I have had plenty of time to "battle it out" without Mac's interference and I really think it's the only way he (Mac) is ever going to find his parenting groove. But damned if I don't feel like I'm giving up at times and failing Nixon, when I know this is actually the right thing to do.
The whole thing boiled down to the fishing pond. I have my way of doing the pond. I buy the carp food and give Nixon the box. Nixon feeds the ducks, fish and pigeons one or two boxes then we're usually good to go. I tend to stand back and watch or snap some pictures, occasionally tossing in some food pellets but for the most part letting Nixon do what he wants with the food.
With Mac with us, it was....different. I bought the food and gave the box to Nixon, but started taking pictures. Mac, totally meaning well, took the box and started showing Nixon how to throw the pellets into the water instead of just dropping them in. At first, Nixon was really into that. And then he wasn't. So Mac got frustrated. Then Nixon got more frustrated. Then I've got a pissed off, melting down toddler and a frustrated, annoyed daddy on my hands at the same time. I can't make it better for both of them, one of them is going to be pissed. I realized, I HAVE to back up and support Mac's decision, even if I don't agree with it. United front and all....damned shared parenting.
In the end, we went home without riding any rides. Nixon's meltdown was too epic to be rewarded with any sort of ride. Even if I knew how to avoid the meltdown, I'd have been stepping on Mac's parenting toes and he's got to earn his stripes somehow. It's not fun to watch or fair to let the meltdown happen, but its a lesson they both have to learn. I had to learn my lessons the hard way, Mac's gotta learn his the same way. I can't keep teaching him HOW to be a dad, at some point he's got to figure some shit out on his own.
"Pick your battles" is a phrase I am constantly telling him. So far, he's not listening. Some day it will all sink in.....
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
My life is pretty lovely
Mac and I pulled off the best surprise for Nixon yesterday. Thankfully the stars aligned and Nixon napped early so he was in a great mood when it came time to go too. We took him to go see Cars 2, and while it didn't look like he'd last in the beginning (when he started yelling "no popcorn no popcorn!") and wasn't going to sit still (he started saying "all done! go bye bye" before the movie even started), when the lights went down and he saw Mater and McQueen, he was hooked! Quite a few times I had to lift him back into a sitting position because he just got so comfortable he almost slouched right out of the seat! He did spend the last 20 minutes on my lap, but I'm not complaining, who knows how many more movie snuggles I'll get from him.
And I must brag on him for a minute, because he did not make a peep the whole movie and it was just over an hour and 45 minutes long (I think). That's a long time for a 2.5 year old to sit quietly and focus on anything, let alone not speak/yell/run around or do anything else disturbing. He even said good bye to the movie, the cars and Mater when the movie ended and we left the theater. I know Mac was worried about my plans to take Nixon to see this movie, but we all had a great time at the movie and it was good for him (Mac) to have something to brag about, as a dad for a change. He tends to focus on the negatives of Nixon's behaviors a lot more than the positives, so for him to see Nixon sit through an entire movie after the potentially epic meltdown in the beginning, was a very good thing.
**************************************************************************************************************************
Car ride conversation with Nixon and I today:
(light turned green, cars start to move around us)
Nixon: go mommy, go cars
me: Nixon, I can go when the other cars go
Nixon: go now cars!
me: we're all going now Nixon
Nixon: Mommy faster, go cars faster!
(I see a car in the lane next to us tailgating the car in front of him)
me: Oh c'mon there is no need for that nonsense! Just back off a bit before someone gets hurt, you moron!
Nixon: no nonsense moron! moron nonsense!
me: Nixon, that's not nice, only say "no nonsense"
Nixon: No moron nonsense
me: Yep, that was me!
But to be totally fair....it was a moron move to be tailgating, because....there was no one in the lane to the right, so the guy could have passed on the right and then moved ahead of the guy he was tailgating! I mean, it's what I would've done. And I'm pretty sure, it's what Nixon would do when he's old enough to drive too! I really wish I could drive and video our conversations in the car sometimes, THOSE are the moments I really want to remember!
And I must brag on him for a minute, because he did not make a peep the whole movie and it was just over an hour and 45 minutes long (I think). That's a long time for a 2.5 year old to sit quietly and focus on anything, let alone not speak/yell/run around or do anything else disturbing. He even said good bye to the movie, the cars and Mater when the movie ended and we left the theater. I know Mac was worried about my plans to take Nixon to see this movie, but we all had a great time at the movie and it was good for him (Mac) to have something to brag about, as a dad for a change. He tends to focus on the negatives of Nixon's behaviors a lot more than the positives, so for him to see Nixon sit through an entire movie after the potentially epic meltdown in the beginning, was a very good thing.
**************************************************************************************************************************
Car ride conversation with Nixon and I today:
(light turned green, cars start to move around us)
Nixon: go mommy, go cars
me: Nixon, I can go when the other cars go
Nixon: go now cars!
me: we're all going now Nixon
Nixon: Mommy faster, go cars faster!
(I see a car in the lane next to us tailgating the car in front of him)
me: Oh c'mon there is no need for that nonsense! Just back off a bit before someone gets hurt, you moron!
Nixon: no nonsense moron! moron nonsense!
me: Nixon, that's not nice, only say "no nonsense"
Nixon: No moron nonsense
me: Yep, that was me!
But to be totally fair....it was a moron move to be tailgating, because....there was no one in the lane to the right, so the guy could have passed on the right and then moved ahead of the guy he was tailgating! I mean, it's what I would've done. And I'm pretty sure, it's what Nixon would do when he's old enough to drive too! I really wish I could drive and video our conversations in the car sometimes, THOSE are the moments I really want to remember!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
He makes me melt...even before my cup of coffee
Nixon has a brand new way to make me melt into a pile of warm and fuzzy mommy goo. He tried it out this morning (at an almost acceptable hour of 7am).
He came into the bedroom, arms filled with toy trucks, BeBe and a dinosaur. I heard the pitter patter of little Nixon feet on our bedroom floor but I wasn't ready to open my eyes yet, so I didn't. He placed his armload on his the bed next to me and started singing a brand new song, just for me. It went like this: "Happy Mommy Happy Day, Momma. Happy Mommy Day" I opened my eyes and smiled at him. He handed me the remotes for the tv and he climbed into the bed next to me (apologizing to "Arwee" as he got in and she mewed in protest of being moved). Nixon snuggled onto my chest for a second, kissed my head and then said "Ming Ming, momma....pease". For those of you not fluent in Nixonese that translates to "Wonder Pets please momma". I, of course, honored his request because he made me melt and he lets me sleep longer as long as I switch episodes for him on the dvd. Don't knock it, it works for us!
I took a shower this morning, turned on Cars so Nixon was occupied while I cleaned the sludge of last night's sleep off my body in peace. I do this often enough that Nixon knows when I call his name, I expect him to come into the bathroom and call out "Yeah??" so I know he's still alive and okay. I did it once today and he came running into the bathroom "WHAT, mommy?" then gave me a kiss and ran back out into the living room. A few minutes later there was a large, unexpected clap of thunder. Nixon came running into the bathroom within seconds and said "Momma, what did you do?!?" When I asked him if he was okay, he said "Shhh....race cars on" rolled eyes at me and left the bathroom again. He's lucky he made me melt earlier today.
Lastly, this little mini-me/mini-Mac depending on the day, came up to me with 2 pairs of his shorts in his hands. Lately, to get him dressed faster, I'll give him 2 choices of shirts/shorts or pants/shoes and I'll say"Nixon, pick one". So this little smartass came up to me with 2 pairs of shorts, thrusts them into my face and says "Mommy, pick one! Pick one NOW!" Then grabs them both and runs away! Laughing.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
These are people in our lives....no really they are.
A week ago today Mac had his vasectomy procedure done (and the crowd goes wild!!). A couple of days before the vasectomy we both realized, that with a few exceptions, we pretty much hadn't told anyone about it. Since we live half a day ahead of most of our friends and family we both posted statuses on facebook (aka the debil) to catch everyone up to speed about this, the biggest life changing event in our lives, and without fail our friends proved to be as awesome as ever. Well, mine were awesome as ever, Mac's were.....well they're his friends. I'll post some highlights after I post each of our statuses.
My status read:
"Well, we've kept this a secret long enough..... here goes: on Thursday Mac will be going in and officially making us a one & done family! He has his vasectomy appointment in the morning. Sorry to everyone back home who was out of the loop on this, that wasn't intentional, it really was something we just realized today we forgot to let people know about. Opps!!"
My friends and family responded positively and humorously, reminding us to clear the reserves before going commando! Very supportive of our choice to remain one and done. I had only 7 total comments on this status. Fewer than I'd expected but seeing as how they were all positive and supportive, I'm appreciative of those 7 comments. You'll see where I'm going with this in a moment.
Mac's status read:
Its cool cuz you can change your mind down the road and it's not hard for you up get it reversed.
This is devastating news!
Awwww no lil brother or sister for Nixon?!???! (I'm sad because I actually like this person!)
But then there were a couple wonderfully supportive friends of his who understood this was a decision made between us and who offered kind words of wisdom.
The point is, MY friends rock and Mac's not so much!! NO, I'm kidding. The point is, even now, a week after the procedure, my brother-in-law asked if Mac stored any "juices" for "you know later uses" because apparently this whole one-and-done concept is just not quite as easy to understand as we thought it would be, you know, after the vasectomy was done.
The vasectomy itself was not as easy for Mac as it was supposed to be. Big shocker, given our history as a couple and big steps. There's a story for another day, but the gist is....this is not as totally unexpected as it should be, this is our life together from day one.
Mac is recovering and Nixon is dealing with Mac not being able to lift him up. Nixon knows Mac has an "owie" and he's been okay with that he's even told me a few times "Mommy dadda have a owie" which is totally unnecessary, because I am well aware of Mac's owie and the backache lifting Nixon non-stop for a week now has given me! But that Nixon feels the need to tell me of Mac's owie is touching and sweet so I thank him for telling me and I ask him to give Mac a hug and be kind to Daddy since he has an "owie".
My status read:
"Well, we've kept this a secret long enough..... here goes: on Thursday Mac will be going in and officially making us a one & done family! He has his vasectomy appointment in the morning. Sorry to everyone back home who was out of the loop on this, that wasn't intentional, it really was something we just realized today we forgot to let people know about. Opps!!"
My friends and family responded positively and humorously, reminding us to clear the reserves before going commando! Very supportive of our choice to remain one and done. I had only 7 total comments on this status. Fewer than I'd expected but seeing as how they were all positive and supportive, I'm appreciative of those 7 comments. You'll see where I'm going with this in a moment.
Mac's status read:
Its cool cuz you can change your mind down the road and it's not hard for you up get it reversed.
This is devastating news!
Awwww no lil brother or sister for Nixon?!???! (I'm sad because I actually like this person!)
But then there were a couple wonderfully supportive friends of his who understood this was a decision made between us and who offered kind words of wisdom.
The point is, MY friends rock and Mac's not so much!! NO, I'm kidding. The point is, even now, a week after the procedure, my brother-in-law asked if Mac stored any "juices" for "you know later uses" because apparently this whole one-and-done concept is just not quite as easy to understand as we thought it would be, you know, after the vasectomy was done.
The vasectomy itself was not as easy for Mac as it was supposed to be. Big shocker, given our history as a couple and big steps. There's a story for another day, but the gist is....this is not as totally unexpected as it should be, this is our life together from day one.
Mac is recovering and Nixon is dealing with Mac not being able to lift him up. Nixon knows Mac has an "owie" and he's been okay with that he's even told me a few times "Mommy dadda have a owie" which is totally unnecessary, because I am well aware of Mac's owie and the backache lifting Nixon non-stop for a week now has given me! But that Nixon feels the need to tell me of Mac's owie is touching and sweet so I thank him for telling me and I ask him to give Mac a hug and be kind to Daddy since he has an "owie".
Sunday, June 26, 2011
C'mon mommy, like this
Nixon's become quite the bossypants lately. I believe he inherited that gene from me. The bossypants gene is very closely tied to the overbearing bitch gene, which everyone knows is my dominant gene!
Our car rides now sound like this:
"That way, Mommy"
"NOOOOOO! That way!"
"Go Mommy. Go now!" By the way, that gem was said at a red light while there were cars in front of me all waiting for the same red light to turn green. But none of that mattered to Nixon. He wanted to go.
At home Nixon is still refusing to potty train. But he does now insist that all diaper changes include BeBe (he beloved teddy bear) getting wiped and the occasional diaper on too. And heavens help us if I forget. "Mommy BeBe too! BeBe wipee too! NOW!" After I give him my best say-please-or-I'll-eat-you stare he usually says "pease BeBe wipee Momma" knowing the momma is magic in this house.
Nixon is also demanding when it comes to his dance music. Today Mac put on P!ink's "Raise Your Glass" and Nixon started his usual headbob. Then Mac joined in. Nixon noticed I wasn't doing it so he said to me "C'mon mommy, like this" and slowly shows me how to bob my head like he and Mac were doing it. He refused to stop doing it until I started doing it with them.
Since he's figured out how to open doors, he has decided everything is fair game for him. Even the closet where all his toys go when they're taken away from him. The closet that all his art supplies are in, which explains why he came to me at 8 o'clock last night and wanted to finger paint! Instead he colored with markers. I also have to make sure Mac doesn't accidentally bring both sets of keys to work with him since Nixon locked his bedroom door from the inside and couldn't unlock it. Thankfully, we have a key that unlocks all the bedroom doors...as long as I have one of the sets of keys at home with me.
Life is fun even if Nixon is battling me for most stubborn person in the house.
Our car rides now sound like this:
"That way, Mommy"
"NOOOOOO! That way!"
"Go Mommy. Go now!" By the way, that gem was said at a red light while there were cars in front of me all waiting for the same red light to turn green. But none of that mattered to Nixon. He wanted to go.
At home Nixon is still refusing to potty train. But he does now insist that all diaper changes include BeBe (he beloved teddy bear) getting wiped and the occasional diaper on too. And heavens help us if I forget. "Mommy BeBe too! BeBe wipee too! NOW!" After I give him my best say-please-or-I'll-eat-you stare he usually says "pease BeBe wipee Momma" knowing the momma is magic in this house.
Nixon is also demanding when it comes to his dance music. Today Mac put on P!ink's "Raise Your Glass" and Nixon started his usual headbob. Then Mac joined in. Nixon noticed I wasn't doing it so he said to me "C'mon mommy, like this" and slowly shows me how to bob my head like he and Mac were doing it. He refused to stop doing it until I started doing it with them.
Since he's figured out how to open doors, he has decided everything is fair game for him. Even the closet where all his toys go when they're taken away from him. The closet that all his art supplies are in, which explains why he came to me at 8 o'clock last night and wanted to finger paint! Instead he colored with markers. I also have to make sure Mac doesn't accidentally bring both sets of keys to work with him since Nixon locked his bedroom door from the inside and couldn't unlock it. Thankfully, we have a key that unlocks all the bedroom doors...as long as I have one of the sets of keys at home with me.
Life is fun even if Nixon is battling me for most stubborn person in the house.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Teething Archives
**originally written and posted May 26th, 2009**
It's just after 9pm here. Nixon is finally asleep! I'm.....well, I'm recovering. To all my mommy's-to-be, just baking babies right now...you might not want to read this. If you choose to...you've been warned and I will not be held accountable for the emotional meltdown that reading this may cause.
That being said....
The last 2 weeks I've had my routine. Nixon's gums were hard and you could see the teeth threatening to poke through. I decided to do everything I can to make it as painless as possible. That meant holding frozen teething rings for him, putting washcloths in the freezer for him to chew on, letting him chew my finger when we were in the car and even putting his bottle nipples in the freezer while I was warming up his formula just so he had a cold surface on his tender gums. I gave him Tylenol and teething tablets 3 times a day. I was golden! I was calm and prepared.
I was wrong!
This morning, while giving him his teething tablets (moms-to-be stock up on these things, they are a life saver!!!) I felt something that hadn't been there before. Nixon's first tooth came through!!! I saw the white amid the pink of his gums. I'd done it! I was the most amazing mother ever!! My son broke his first tooth and didn't even notice!!! Man, I was ready to have 1000 more babies, cause I now had motherhood down!
We ran errands, had lunch out and came home. Nix went down for a nap and so did Mac. I watched Gilmore Girls and just reveled in my skills as a mother.
Nixon started getting a little fussy around 730pm after Mac left for work. I took him into our bedroom while I worked in there for a bit. About 5 minutes later,my smiling happy baby boy was abducted and a screaming monster child was left in his place! His face was bright red and he was taking huge gulps of air between screams! I picked him up and tried everything that usually relaxes and calms him. Nothing was working. "Uncle" David Bowie failed me. Swinging him side to side, failed me. Making silly faces and sounds, failed me. Chewing my finger, failed me. No matter what I did he wasn't being comforted.
All my newfound mommy confidence went out the window and it was replaced by a desperate need to comfort my son and make the pain stop. In a last ditch effort, I left him in our pompasan chair and RAN into the laundry room to get Beary (who was in the wash because earlier today Nixon threw him on the driveway) and brought him out to Nixon. Nixon (usually very happy and throwing arms out to get Beary) sat there, tears still rolling down his cheeks, bottom lip out and quivering, looked at me and Beary....and screamed some more! I put Beary in Nixon's arms and his ear near Nixon's open mouth. During a break from screaming to take a big deep breath, Nixon's mouth closed on Beary's ear. Nixon stopped crying! He still whimpered and sighed, but no screaming. I took advantage and made him a bottle, the nipple had been in the freezer for 15 minutes now.
Around 845pm he was quiet.
I picked up my somber baby and went to the loveseat to give him his bottle. Beary never left our arms! Nixon settled in for the bottle....and all hell broke loose again! The screaming, crying and red face all reappeared! I grabbed the Tylenol and gave him some. I put the teething tablets in his mouth and rubbed the resulting paste on his gums. He relaxed enough to take half his bottle. I held him, stroked his arm softly, sang my silly nonsensical songs to him and also sang "twinkle, twinkle little star"more times than I can count. That song has a magical calming spell on my son. I have his aquarium mobile set to that song, I have a toy lion that plays that song and I will sing that song a million times, if that's what it takes to get him to calm down!
Finally, by 9pm on the dot, his eyes were drooping, his tears were dry and we had survived! I gave him kisses, put his diaper clad self in his crib and turned on his aquarium. I also left Beary with him, cause you never know when a teething child will need something to bite on.
I realized one thing tonight. Despite my recent thoughts of wanting another child....it will never happen...NEVER!!! I couldn't handle going through that again. The sleepless nights, the completely helpless infant stage, the back labor, the constant kicking in the same spot, the morning sickness...these are all things that I consider every time I think of wanting another one. But tonight...that's the deciding moment. I felt so helpless just letting my poor pain ridden child cry and scream knowing there was NOTHING I could do to make any of it better. I can't do that again, and shipping a teething child to grandma's house hardly seems fair, so not an option.
Nixon's been asleep for almost an hour now..One more cup of coffee and I should be fine.
Good goddess above....I have no idea what I'm doing as a mother! But the good thing is...Nixon doesn't know that. That's why he smiles when he sees me in the morning, giggles when we play our diaper game and reaches for me when he's been out of my arms for too long. I'm his mother, his rock, his whole world....and I'm pretty damned good at it!
It's just after 9pm here. Nixon is finally asleep! I'm.....well, I'm recovering. To all my mommy's-to-be, just baking babies right now...you might not want to read this. If you choose to...you've been warned and I will not be held accountable for the emotional meltdown that reading this may cause.
That being said....
The last 2 weeks I've had my routine. Nixon's gums were hard and you could see the teeth threatening to poke through. I decided to do everything I can to make it as painless as possible. That meant holding frozen teething rings for him, putting washcloths in the freezer for him to chew on, letting him chew my finger when we were in the car and even putting his bottle nipples in the freezer while I was warming up his formula just so he had a cold surface on his tender gums. I gave him Tylenol and teething tablets 3 times a day. I was golden! I was calm and prepared.
I was wrong!
This morning, while giving him his teething tablets (moms-to-be stock up on these things, they are a life saver!!!) I felt something that hadn't been there before. Nixon's first tooth came through!!! I saw the white amid the pink of his gums. I'd done it! I was the most amazing mother ever!! My son broke his first tooth and didn't even notice!!! Man, I was ready to have 1000 more babies, cause I now had motherhood down!
We ran errands, had lunch out and came home. Nix went down for a nap and so did Mac. I watched Gilmore Girls and just reveled in my skills as a mother.
Nixon started getting a little fussy around 730pm after Mac left for work. I took him into our bedroom while I worked in there for a bit. About 5 minutes later,my smiling happy baby boy was abducted and a screaming monster child was left in his place! His face was bright red and he was taking huge gulps of air between screams! I picked him up and tried everything that usually relaxes and calms him. Nothing was working. "Uncle" David Bowie failed me. Swinging him side to side, failed me. Making silly faces and sounds, failed me. Chewing my finger, failed me. No matter what I did he wasn't being comforted.
All my newfound mommy confidence went out the window and it was replaced by a desperate need to comfort my son and make the pain stop. In a last ditch effort, I left him in our pompasan chair and RAN into the laundry room to get Beary (who was in the wash because earlier today Nixon threw him on the driveway) and brought him out to Nixon. Nixon (usually very happy and throwing arms out to get Beary) sat there, tears still rolling down his cheeks, bottom lip out and quivering, looked at me and Beary....and screamed some more! I put Beary in Nixon's arms and his ear near Nixon's open mouth. During a break from screaming to take a big deep breath, Nixon's mouth closed on Beary's ear. Nixon stopped crying! He still whimpered and sighed, but no screaming. I took advantage and made him a bottle, the nipple had been in the freezer for 15 minutes now.
Around 845pm he was quiet.
I picked up my somber baby and went to the loveseat to give him his bottle. Beary never left our arms! Nixon settled in for the bottle....and all hell broke loose again! The screaming, crying and red face all reappeared! I grabbed the Tylenol and gave him some. I put the teething tablets in his mouth and rubbed the resulting paste on his gums. He relaxed enough to take half his bottle. I held him, stroked his arm softly, sang my silly nonsensical songs to him and also sang "twinkle, twinkle little star"more times than I can count. That song has a magical calming spell on my son. I have his aquarium mobile set to that song, I have a toy lion that plays that song and I will sing that song a million times, if that's what it takes to get him to calm down!
Finally, by 9pm on the dot, his eyes were drooping, his tears were dry and we had survived! I gave him kisses, put his diaper clad self in his crib and turned on his aquarium. I also left Beary with him, cause you never know when a teething child will need something to bite on.
I realized one thing tonight. Despite my recent thoughts of wanting another child....it will never happen...NEVER!!! I couldn't handle going through that again. The sleepless nights, the completely helpless infant stage, the back labor, the constant kicking in the same spot, the morning sickness...these are all things that I consider every time I think of wanting another one. But tonight...that's the deciding moment. I felt so helpless just letting my poor pain ridden child cry and scream knowing there was NOTHING I could do to make any of it better. I can't do that again, and shipping a teething child to grandma's house hardly seems fair, so not an option.
Nixon's been asleep for almost an hour now..One more cup of coffee and I should be fine.
Good goddess above....I have no idea what I'm doing as a mother! But the good thing is...Nixon doesn't know that. That's why he smiles when he sees me in the morning, giggles when we play our diaper game and reaches for me when he's been out of my arms for too long. I'm his mother, his rock, his whole world....and I'm pretty damned good at it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)