Little Talker

Since getting her tubes, Kate has become a full-on conversationalist.  There's no denying the connection anymore.  She talks more openly with people she doesn't know and holds full-on conversations with us now.

Yesterday, on the way home, she wanted to call Daddy P.  She got on the phone (she knows how to unlock and call from my phone, of course), and told him we were coming home from school.  She then says...

"We are coming home and have groceries.  Have a good day at work Daddy!  I will see you tonight.  Bye bye!"

For some I suppose this wouldn't be too remarkable, but considering that two weeks ago she was talking in phrases and now is using full paragraphs with good enunciation.  Ah, ear tubes.  I guess six months of ear infections will hinder your ability to hear and speak some...

Dr. Suess

I really don't like Dr. Suess books.  They are long, some of them are just weird, and they are hard to read.

Toddlers, I have learned, love them.  At least, my toddler.  In fact, we have read them so many times that at night I will read it once and then she will "read" it once.  Yes, that many times.

This is a second hand story... but too cute not to share... I had made mac N cheese for Paul and Kate while I was out of town thinking this would be a sure-win dinner since Kate LOVES mac N cheese.  Well, apparently Mom can't compete with the box.  (Granted I added bacon for Paul and beans for some umph...)  Kate told Paul that she didn't like it.  Paul tried his best to convince her that she did in fact like Mac N Cheese... but Kate was insistent.  So she says to him:

"I do not like it, not in a car, not in a train, just let me be!"

Which, for those of you distanced from toddler-land, is a "Green Eggs and Ham" reference.

Apparently she missed the whole point of the story, that being that he does in the end try Green Eggs and Ham and find out he likes them... we'll work on theme later...

Kate's other similar habit is to associate a word that she is using and sing a song that has that word in it.  We will be talking about something and if it jogs her memory she'll start singing a related song.  It can be a little confusing if you don't get what's happening, but it is also positively hilarious to watch her spontaneously break out in a song related to what we're talking about.

New Nephew

No news on the home front today because I am in colder weather chilling with my new nephew.  Sounds like the homestead is falling apart without me though and I may be forbidden from ever leaving again...

Next week we start childbirth classes since we haven't had to do this labor thing before. Should be interesting...

Manicures for Everyone!

Volleyball Training

Kate LOVED watching dad play volleyball. Although she was more interested in learning everyone's name instead of learning what was going on in the game.

Rodeo!

Kate loved the rodeo!  Did she love the petting zoo?  Nah, not so much.  Didn't want to go in.  The pig races?  They were okay, she liked the pigs, but there were too many people and it was too noisy for her.  Watching the cows get judged in the Junior Livestock Show?  She LOVED it.  We sat and watched cow after cow, heifer after heifer, get judged.  I now know when I "really need to appreciate the structure of the cow's spine, her ratio with horns, her feminine neck"... 

Her other favorite was watching the horses compete.  Obviously going to take after her grandpa (who probably wouldn't have been caught dead sitting in the stands for a half hour watching these horses pull these farmers).

Potty update:  we have had a week of no accidents!  Still using a pull-up at night, and has had some "poopy accidents" but is consistently using the potty for potty which is a nice relief.  The side effect has been her trying to exert control every which way she can in life, but we get it, and are doing our best to support her.  She also hasn't adjusted to daylight savings time (getting up at 7, but falling asleep at 9pm no matter when we put her to bed... ) which is making life fun at home.  :)

We are having a baby.

I had a moment of this today.  The receptionist was scheduling all of my appointments after my session this morning and I realized this kid is three months away.  Or less if he's anything like Kate.  I've been telling everyone "Oh, due in June, got a LONG ways to go" which was true two months ago but is getting progressively less true.

Anyway, it prompted me to contact the doula to set up some appointments and figure out how this labor thing works.

All is good.  Had an ultrasound this morning and my placenta (which had started out completely covering my cervix) is now out of the way and VBAC friendly!  Yay!  Baby is head down and I have been instructed to not do anything remotely resembling going upside down so he stays that way (since Kate was breech).  No more of my fav yoga moves... Very sad... Not sure how I'm going to cope with that...

I was also told I need to get my butt in gear and work out.  Less from a weight perspective and more from a "if you really want a VBAC you better get yourself in shape" perspective.  So, I re-ordered our netflix subscription and plan on getting up early to do some streaming workout videos before Kate wakes up.  I'll let you know if that really happens...

In the meantime, we have a kid with pink eye.  She was up last night because her eyes were caked shut, and she's been a mess today.  We've been watching a lot of Blue's clues because I have two reports I have to finish today or else I'm really in the crapper, so thank goodness for a little help from the TV.  Plus she's cranky as all get out, and I'm really tired of reading "Cat in the Hat."...

Congrats to my sister and brother-in-law who have a new baby boy today!

Tubes, Diapers and Play Therapy

Kate got tubes on Friday.  It was the easiest thing I could have imagined.  I was nervous.  Very.  About everything.  But Kate and I packed up early and headed out to get there by 6:45am.  She couldn't eat or drink anything after getting up, but for some magical reason didn't notice the restriction.  I waited until the last minute to tell her I couldn't go back in the office with her.  She was upset, asked me to sit with her for two more minutes (which we had) and then went with the nurses reluctantly but without protest.  The first day she had to be held down for us to put her antibiotic drops in her ears, the second day bribery worked, and now she will remind me we have to do it.  So, things are going well.

Saturday Paul and Kate went to protest all the ridiculousness going on here in Texas regarding education and marched on the capitol while I went to work.  We also "threw out" diapers on Saturday.  Kate asked to go to the potty while at the march but they didn't make it to the port-a-potty in time.

Sunday we had a little insight into Kate's view of the potty training process.  If anyone ever wonders why we therapists do play therapy all they have to do is watch my daughter play.  Kate is sitting in the den with her baby doll.  She asked me to hold up the legs so she could wipe baby doll "because she went poop."  After that she explained that baby doll was sad.  I asked why and she said, "because she had an accident and now she has to take a nap."  So, we worked together on explaining to baby doll that everyone has accidents, it's no big deal and we still love her.

Monday we didn't have any potty accidents (yay) and managed that by setting the phone timer for every hour after consulting with potty-training expert-moms.  This made it not mom telling her to sit on the potty but the phone, and seemed to make it all okay.  She did, however, channel all and any control issues into pooping, resulting in her holding it in all day yesterday, and then having multiple (yucky) intentional panty-poops today.

Oh, but let me tell you my favorite part of today:  15 minutes straight of my daughter brushing my hair.  First sitting up, then I was instructed to lie down and close my eyes, then I had to open my eyes (she thought I was going to sleep), and then sit up again.  It was so relaxing.  Ah, pampering.  :)

Logic Puzzle

Mom: Kate, put your dish on the counter.
Kate: I don't want to.
Mom: Before you play you have to put your dish away.
Kate: (walks over to couch, picks up kitty cat, picks up horsey) I can't. my hands are full.

Geesh! This kid is too logical.

Daddy Response Time

Being a mother gives you super-human abilities.  One of them is the fastest reflexes of any human on Earth.  Daddy P denies this.  We get in heated arguments about it.  Our latest heated argument revolves around my very worst fear in the whole wide world:  Kate drowning.  I know other moms have other fears:  their child being kidnapped or assaulted, car accidents, so on.  Mine is her slipping into dark water and that being the end of it.  (Thus I am going to do whatever is humanly possible to repay my dear dear friend for her plan to teach Kate to swim this summer.)

Anyway, there is a fear of mine that my mommy responses will not be of benefit this summer because I will be encumbered with a newborn and that daddy response-time in this feared scenario are not sufficient.  Daddy responses are limited by a) awareness there is a problem, and b) speed.  Even when daddies are made aware there is a problem, moms are still faster at acting.  It just is.  It's like trying to deny that men have stronger arms than women.  You can't:  it's biology.  No judgment, just fact.

I have evidence to back this up, for you skeptics.  I have been around two infants choking.  The most recent was a 1 year old this weekend.  She was coughing at first but only managed to wedge everything further in her airway and suddenly was sitting there, red faced, mouth open, not moving one bit.  The three women at the table moved instantly to do something about it or instruct the fathers (on either side of said choking baby) to do something.  Everything turned out fine -- mommy responses won and the food was pounded out of the baby with a few swift hits to her back.  But the dads never made a move from their seats.

As I'm writing this I'm wondering why I gave up on making Daddy P attend CPR training... hm... I also gave up on making my parents do it even though I require it for all other babysitters.  And we all know that old person response time is even slower than daddy response time...

Gives me something to think about as baby #2 is getting ready to enter our lives. 

I'm not judging you daddies of the world.  I trust you to act as quickly as you are able.  You are just slowed by your Y chromosome.  You can't help it.  Just don't judge me for preferring to hold the baby at the lake and laughing when you try to.

Growing up!

Kate's learning to pedal on her tricycle.  We're spending every day outside these days since we've gotten out of the 50s.  Home from daycare, then straight outside to run with the dogs and then play a bit.  It's a nice routine and we're all enjoying the time outdoors and giving the yard some attention.

Meanwhile... baby brother's growing, too!  The kid hardly ever stops kicking me.  I never understood women who couldn't fall asleep from the baby moving until now.  Sometimes I press up against Paul to sleep because that's the only thing that stops this kid from tossing and turning.  I guess he knows what Dad says goes.

Sexism

They do not make Thomas the Train panties.  We are one week away from throwing out diapers and I need something exciting to make panties fun, and unfortunately Thomas is THE THING in our house.

So, yes.  Next week, my daughter starts wearing briefs.

That is the way this world works.