I Wanna Drive the Zamboni...

Just a quick nugget today. I finally remembered to upload the picture of Jacob on the Zamboni. Not a great picture in general, but believe it or not this pretty much fulfilled a life-long dream of Jacob's. He loves Zambonis. So, it should be here :)

Quick Weekend Roundup

So, per my post on Saturday, it ended up being an odd weekend. While the potty training vibe wasn't quite as strong on Sunday, it certainly continued. Lest I get too confident, Jacob had wet pants when we got home last night. I'm not sure if he was just too tired to notice, or too lazy to mention that he had to go or that he was uncomfortable. Like I said before, I'm not expecting miracles...we still have a very long road ahead. Nighttime will probably be an issue for a while, and naps as well. Car trips are a crap shoot, I guess. Bedtime was uneventful. This morning he woke up with a full diaper, and initally he didn't seem too bothered by it, nor did he want to sit on the potty. But he quickly changed his mind, and when I went to pull his diaper off so he could sit, I noticed there was poop. And the poop promptly dropped off his butt and on to the floor. Lovely. Still, he managed a good round of pottying, and that was that. We'll see how things go this week. I'm still not convinced he understands "holding it", and I'm in no rush to go get big boy undies, but I suppose it has to move up the list a bit. Maybe next weekend we'll look into it.

Our weekend was fun, overall. We had a low key night on Friday, and then spent Saturday morning packing up to head to Buffalo to spend the weekend with Craig's family. We hadn't done that all together since Labor Day weekend, so it was long overdue. We did some running around once we got into town (hence the mall potty experience I mentioned Saturday), then hung out at Craig's parents on Saturday night with his brother's family. Jacob had a blast playing with his cousins, particularly since Craig pulled out a little hockey net for him to use. Here he is in action...and yes, I think we will be getting him a mini goalie stick for Christmas.



Sunday we had a pleasant surprise in that Craig's parents' church was holding a pancake breakfast. So off we went for pancakes! If I haven't mentioned, Jacob loves pancakes. I've starting making them for dinner once in a while (they're fast and I know he'll eat them!), and he just inhales them. He'd eat every single one, I think, if I let him. He also enjoys sausage. We don't eat those at home, but he gets them at daycare once in a while (they like breakfast for lunch), so I was happy to see that was part of the meal. Craig and I each got a plate and we figured we'd share with Jacob. Well, once we sat down, it was readily apparent that he was ready to eat. I cut up my whole plate and put it in front of Jacob before going up for a new plate for myself. Jacob ended up eating his entire plate--two pancakes and three sausage--plus a cup of milk. I ate less than he did!

It turned out that we were going to a birthday party for Craig's cousin's daughter, so we headed out on a shopping trip for that. Jacob fell asleep along the way, and then woke up in time for a quick trip inside the Hallmark store. Craig and his brother were looking around and I was chasing Jacob through the store. He ran up an aisle at full speed, and then suddenly I heard this sudden, terrified scream. Jacob turned on a dime with absolute terror on his face, and ran back toward me. All I can figure is that as he was running up the aisle, he saw a human-sized Santa. I think it's one of those animated ones that is made to look real, though this one wasn't moving. Regardless, I'm pretty sure it's what freaked Jacob out. He was super-glued to me for the rest of the time in the store, no matter how far away we were from Santa or how many cool things I tried to show him. He was so scared that he was breathing hard! I felt so bad for him because I don't know if I've ever seen him that scared, but I couldn't help but laugh. He's seen plenty of pictures of Santa, so I have no idea why this particular figure scared him so much. He wouldn't look up until we were out of the store. Poor kid. So much for going to visit Santa this year. Perhaps I'll have to warn daycare as well, since I think Santa is coming to visit in a few weeks. Yikes.

The birthday party was at a fun center--you know, the places with arcade games, big kid games, and a towering play area with tunnels and a big slide. We haven't done too much of that sort of thing, so I was interested to see how Jacob did. They had a few Jacob-friendly games, like a cool little basketball hoop shooting game that he was awesome at, and another couple that involved throwing balls. Initially we couldn't get him into the play area with the other kids, simply because he didn't want to take off his shoes. Jacob likes wearing shoes. He wants to wear them all the time. But after a while I guess he was interested, so he let me take them off, and off he went. His big cousin Madeline did great taking him through and helping him down the big slide a couple times. It was fun to see him having so much fun, and more or less independently, and hearing his shrieks of excitement! After about 10 minutes he was out and back to playing goal in front of the play area netting, which apparently was one big hockey net to him!

We did quite a few potty runs while we were there, with mixed success, and by the end of our time there he was getting difficult--running away, throwing things that weren't his--so it was a bit of a relief to get in the car and start working our way toward home. But all in all it was a fun weekend in spite of some odd sleeping patterns for all of us. Needless to say, we all came home pretty tired but generally happy. Monday morning brought with it the usual resistance against going to daycare (and quite frankly, despite putting a major pain of a project behind me last week, I was none too thrilled about heading to work myself, and I'm sure Craig was much the same). But we made it through and even took a trip back into the city tonight so Jacob could meet the Knighthawks' new goalie at a press conference to introduce him. He did, and only shot his lacrosse ball into a crowd once or twice ;-) We actually had a pretty good time, and fun when we were at home as well. Good night overall...thankfully. Just one more full week, and then a short week and before a couple days off...it's coming!

Potty Training Suprise

Warning: This post is all about bodily fluids. Discontinue reading if poop is not your thing.

Ok, so have I mentioned here that I didn't think Jacob would be ready for potty training for a while? I pondered doing it during my week off at Christmas, but we probably won't be home for a good part of it so I'm not sure that would work anyway. I had figured that we'd work on transitioning to a big boy bed during that week, and maybe I'd use some of my extra vacation days next year to do some intense potty training in the late winter-early spring, if he seemed ready. But then came this week.

Until now, Jacob had only slight interest in potty training. He'd sit on the potty if prompted, and sometimes he'd even pee. He didn't have a problem pooping, and even asked to poop once in a while if we happened to show up when he felt the urge. So fortunately, fear of the potty hasn't been a problem. He's fine with both potty chairs and big potties, and I think going at daycare has been a big help, as well. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing at this stage, for so many reasons. The big issue was that he didn't seem particularly bothered by dirty diapers. Once in a while a poopy one would get to him, but wet didn't phase him at all.

I'll admit that I'm a bit lazy about the potty training thing. While I'm getting to the point of not wanting to buy diapers, I still don't mind changing them. I like the convenience of not needing to stop every 10 minutes to find a bathroom, and I don't have any desperate need to run out and buy big boy undies (and do the associated laundry). I don't want to spend every waking moment taking timed trips to the bathroom, nor do I relish the thought of taking four extra pairs of pants and underwear along on every outing, just in case (and with my luck, at least one of those extras should be for me). Long story short, I wasn't in a rush. It'll be nice when it's over, but I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around the transition.

Already I've run into questions. How do I wipe a kid who clenches his butt cheeks? And is it possible to teach him to effectively wipe himself at this point? How do I get him to sit so he's pointing down into the toilet and not spraying back on his pants or on me? Is it going to set him back if I tell him to pee in his diaper in the middle of the Thruway so we don't have to stop? Once he's wearing big boy undies, what do we do if we can't find a bathroom right away? I have no memory of potty training myself, and only vague memories of post-potty training accidents. I just don't remember how it's supposed to work. And with a stubborn, one-track-minded child, I have no idea how much I can trust him once we start hardcore training with real undies. I did hear a suggestion to put the real undies under pull-ups. Uncomfortable wet feeling for him, no mess for me...well, assuming he goes #1.

So that brings us to this week. Suddenly he started whining a bunch about his diaper, wanting to change it, saying he'd pooped, and asking a lot to go to the potty. Sometimes he'd go, sometimes he wouldn't, sometimes his diaper was full, sometimes it wasn't. The signs were confusing, at least, so I couldn't tell if this was just a phase or if it was a real start of something. Maybe his diaper was bothering him for some reason. Maybe he finally decided he didn't like poop.

Last night he kept asking for a change even though his diaper was dry. I let him sit on the potty once and nothing happened, but then as I was cooking dinner (and Craig wasn't home yet) he gave me the look and said he needed to go potty. Sure enough, he put out a good poop. We did an awkward wipe and hand-washing, and I went back to cooking. By bedtime he was asking again, and he did a nice pee with a tiny little poop (he called it a "jelly bean"--he compares his poops to food, which is super gross). Today he's been asking a lot again, including multiple times on our trip to Buffalo and then an impassioned plea in the middle of the mall. Our first stop post-Thruway became a bit of a mess as he ended up somehow peeing all over his pants while on the toilet. The mall trip led us on a long walk through Sears to find the closest bathroom. Things went a little better at Craig's parents' house late this afternoon. I'm not going to say his diapers are all dry when we take them off, but they're close. So all of a sudden, he's doing well. I have no idea where this came from.

And, as I alluded to earlier, I wasn't ready for this. I am grateful for the fact he seems to be doing this all himself, because I don't think I'd have had the guts to push him for a while. If we hit his third birthday and we hadn't gotten anywhere, then yes...push away. But now? Nah, I figured he'd get there when he felt like it, and apparently he has. For now. I have a feeling it might lose its luster and he'll backtrack a bit, but maybe we'll get lucky. Even still, we have some matters to attend to now that this is happening. I need to go get some pull-ups, just because I have to think they're easier than diapers for frequent pee breaks. I am still a bit hit-or-miss with putting diapers on when he's standing up. I should probably move up my shopping trip for the big boy undies I was going to give him for Christmas. I want to put together a potty chart so he can earn stickers and eventually a prize. We also need to get a better stool for our bathroom. We have a tiny one I got at IKEA when Jacob was tiny, thinking it would be helpful for sitting on when bathing him and hoping he'd use it by this stage for potty training and handwashing. And I think it will be good in another year or so, but right now it's too short. We need something a little higher so he can get up to the potty alone (even though he does have the option of his froggy potty) and so he can wash his hands without me awkwardly holding him up to the sink. Eventually he can use it to brush his teeth, too. So that's moved up the shopping priority list by leaps and bounds this week. Finally, it looks like the big boy bed might have to move up the list a bit. He can't get out of his crib to use the potty, so once we're ready to conquer that step, I'd like to already be comfortable-ish with him being in a big boy bed so we're only jumping one hurdle at a time. And I only want to work on a big boy bed when I don't have to go to work in the morning and Jacob doesn't have to go to daycare. That way a disastrous night or two won't completely do us in. I'm still nervous about how we contain him once he's free to get up--not just for our sanity, but for his safety--but that's a post for another day.

I'm still pretty shocked at how this came out of nowhere, but with his big boy haircut and his sudden potty usage, it's looking more and more like we've got ourselves a big boy. Now if only we could lose those infantile tantrums, we'd be getting somewhere...but one thing at a time, I guess.

Three Years Ago...

Three years ago today, I found out I was pregnant. It's amazing to think that in one instant, our lives changed forever. And even though we had been trying, the pregnancy came as a huge surprise. My body was keeping us guessing, and up until the moment that test came back positive, I had no idea I was pregnant. Instead my brain floated around other less logical causes of my fatigue and general blah feeling. The test was just a last minute check before calling both my OB/GYN (to say that the cycle-regulating drugs hadn't worked) and my regular doctor (to find out why I was so exhausted)...but the only call I made after that test was to my OB/GYN to set up an "I'm Pregnant!" appointment.

I was alone when I took the test, and the simultaneous excitement and fear were something I can barely describe. It's this it's the greatest fear I've ever felt, cushioned by exhilaration. I suppose the two feelings canceled each other out to some degree, leaving me in a state of confusion and chaos. There were so many questions, so much to think about. What do I do now? Do I call a doctor? Do I call my parents? Do I hop online and figure out what I should or shouldn't be eating? When I told Craig he was obviously excited, as we'd been hoping to get to that point for a few months, but I'm not sure either of us really knew what to do next.

The month-plus that followed was ad odd time. I've said before that it was like living a double life. Out in public, I had to act completely normal, as if nothing was different. We didn't want to tell people until the first trimester was over (knowing how common miscarriages are early on), so I had to work and interact with people like it was any other day. But on the inside and when I was at home, pretty much everything revolved around being pregnant. I think the fact that I felt like crap for a good month or so was the hardest part. How do you hide the fact that you're exhausted and nauseous (though I never got sick...thank goodness!) all the time for weeks? It was especially hard on Thanksgiving. I was feeling horrible at that time, but fortunately that day I had a slight reprieve and managed to stay functional in the presence of our families. I ate like a pig, which was fun until the slow digestion I suffered from early on made it impossible to get a good night's sleep. But throughout that first trimester, fear was still a huge issue, and it was a good motivator to keep up the charade. The last thing I wanted to do was spill the beans early and then have to go back around and tell everyone bad news.

I felt bad not telling important people in our lives, but I was nervous enough for all of them put together, so it seemed easier to wait. Our trip to Florida in mid-December definitely made things that much more difficult. It swallowed up any time we would have had to go to Buffalo and tell family in person, and having to make excuses for why I didn't ride Space Mountain wasn't much fun either. I was nervous about flying, riding any rides, having a miscarriage while we were there, and feeling good enough to enjoy it. And add in that it was Christmas season and there were lots of preparations to be done with one less week to do them, and I'm surprised I even made it on the plane. The trip was fantastic, however. I felt good, we did some Christmas shopping while we were there, and saw all of Disney in the best weather possible. I missed out on my beloved roller coasters, but we still had a lovely time away. The trip back nearly killed me (wind in Orlando, and snow across New York--one canceled flight, two long delays, and a bumpy landing in the wee hours of the morning...not fun), but it was a great last getaway nonetheless. And once we were back, it was just another week or so until we could spill the beans.

I think one of the things that sticks out to me most about pregnancy in general was the simple knowledge that every day my body was doing something important. Even in those early days when I had no visible proof I was pregnant other than a Dollar Tree pregnancy test, I had a purpose each day--to treat my body as well as possible so that it could do its job to grow a baby. I loved that feeling, even if it was a daunting prospect. Even without much help from me, my body did this awesome thing, and you can't help but be amazed when you experience it. I could do nothing but sit on a couch all day, and my body still would have done something amazing that day. And I think that knowledge was extra important early on, when I didn't have a kicking baby or swelling belly to remind me of how special each moment was. It made even the toughest days that much more livable.

This time of year when the leaves are spent and it gets dark early, I'm sometimes taken back to that time three years ago when everything was so uncertain, so exciting, and so...different. Despite all of the unknowns, it was a simpler time when the "thing" we were so unsure about was safely concealed and easier to manage (in theory, anyway). Now that "thing" is living among us, and while we have a physical ability to impact his life, the questions still mount and the control is probably less than we'd like. But it's been an amazing ride these past three years, one I'd never give back for anything. And I look forward to doing it all over again...someday.

Great Expectations

While I try to never let myself get too excited about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, this year I'm having a bit of a hard time. I'm not sure if it's the plethora of Christmas stuff around already (though, admittedly, I get nauseous when I walk into a store and see it), or if it's because I've already got a few of Jacob's gifts done, or if I'm just that darn excited about this year, but yeah...part of me is hoping the next few weeks go quickly and we can get the Christmas show on the road.

I keep trying to tell myself that Christmas = Stress, because inevitably, I know it does. No matter how much I try to savor Christmas, by the end of it I'm always just a tad bit happy it's over. I suppose I liken it to having a child. It's a ton of work and lots of stress, but in the end it's fun and rewarding and I wouldn't give it up for anything. And I keep hoping that this year, Jacob will really enjoy it. The dark side of Christmas is that Jacob has entered the "I want" phase. He wants everything. Well, unlike most kids he's not paging through the toy catalog, but he wants pretty much every piece of sporting equipment you can imagine...even if he already has one or won't have any real use for it for a while. He wants skates, a helmet, gloves, both hockey and lacrosse goalie sticks, and who knows what else. And while I'm sure he'll love the gifts we have for him (including a net, which he's also been asking for), I'm a tad nervous we'll get through Christmas and he'll start asking about all of the stuff he didn't get. For a while now we've been using Santa--both to improve behavior and to push off his requests (i.e., "Maybe Santa will bring that to you if you're a good boy."). Not too sure how he'll feel about Santa when many of his wish list items don't show up. Hopefully he's too distracted by what he does get to care.

And while I do look forward to him opening his gifts now that he's a little older than last time (not just last Christmas, but his birthday as well), there's so much more beyond that that I'm excited about. I'm excited for him to finally notice Christmas decorations as we drive around the neighborhood. I'm excited to decorate our new house (with a real fireplace!) and see what Jacob thinks of it all (though hopefully he'll keep his hands off!). I'm excited to use some sort of Advent calendar or some other countdown like the paper chains we used to make as a kid. I would love to make Christmas cookies or even the same cinnamon ornaments I made last year and let Jacob help. I also hope to go to some sort of outdoorsy display, much like the visits to the Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls when I was young. There are so many fun traditions that go with Christmas, and I hope to introduce Jacob to as many as possible so his Christmas seasons are as enjoyable as mine always have been.

I know that his experiences at daycare will play into that as well. I think some of my best holiday preparation memories came from school. I loved making a paper chain every year, making gifts for my parents, our class Christmas party, and even to some degree, prepping for our Christmas programs. That tended to be boring, but at least we got to miss classes for it! Rehearsal for our Sunday School program first thing on Saturday morning, though, which was not so fun. Still, the activities all centered your mind on the holiday, and whether they got you thinking about the true reason for Christmas, or the act of giving, or just the plain fun of it all, it all added up to make Christmas more than just a day. As much as we loved Jacob's old daycare (and still miss it!), one thing I didn't love was that they weren't into the stereotypical holiday projects. No paper pumpkins, no tinsel-decorated paper tree. Projects may have been seasonal, but they weren't the stereotypical stuff that I did as a kid. And I sort of wanted that paper pumpkin. This daycare does do those sorts of things, and this year I'm interested to see what projects Jacob brings home for Christmas...and I hope he understands why he's doing them. It's all part of the experience.

Speaking of Christmas programs, I do look forward to Jacob going to Sunday School and getting involved in those. I always worried about what would happen if we went to a church like the one I grew up in, where the big Christmas program was on Christmas Eve. Even though I absolutely loved being able to enjoy that program on such a special night (I still miss that and the candlelight service that followed it), I often wondered how it would work with all of our traveling and family commitments. We're never home on Christmas Eve anymore, so would Jacob miss out? Thankfully, our church does it earlier in Advent so we should be all set. I can't wait to see him up there, hopefully singing like an angel...and hopefully not being the kid who runs off with Baby Jesus, downs some scenery, or screams bloody murder. We have a year or two before we see which, though.

I just hope to see some wonder in his eyes, assuming he slows down long enough to take it all in. And perhaps that's good advice for me as well. Here's hoping...

Well...

It was a weekend of mixed success. Great behavior one moment, disaster the next. While I suppose I'm grateful for the great moments we do get, I find myself baffled as to why the switch has to flip, leaving us with a crazy child.

Friday night turned out about as good as it could have. Of course, it started out with a quick but disasterous stop at Wegmans--literally less than 10 minutes. The first half was fine. I got Jacob to help me push my cart (like a character in one of his favorite books), and we picked up just a few items that we needed for the weekend. But by the time we got to the register, he was impossible. He wouldn't walk, he was sprawled on the floor, and I was literally dragging him through the checkout. I was trying to hold onto him with one hand and pay with the other. Never again do I not put him in a cart. Embarrassing.

The concert was fantastic, and although there were a couple hiccups, having Jacob with us really wasn't too bad. I prepared myself for the worst, and while there were split seconds of it, it wasn't an all-night thing. The standing show actually turned out to be a great thing. Jacob had room to move, which most of the time was good. While we were waiting for the show to start, he was playing hockey in the area around us. I did have to remind him to keep his stick down, stay nearby, and not shoot his hockey puck too hard (it was a soft puck), but he was pretty good. But the second the music started he was petrified. I had to hold him and he wouldn't look up for anything. He reacted much the same to the circus last weekend. I don't know if it's the noise, the darkness, or something else, but it was a carbon copy. He remained attached to me for the full 20-30 minutes of the first act, though somewhere in there he fell asleep. My arms were aching but I managed to make it through. He woke up at the intermission, and by then we had found ourselves a place to sit on the floor. I gave him a drink and a snack, and he seemed to relax a bit. When the music started again, we sat for a bit, then stood so he could see, and he was fine. Eventually he wanted to get down and play, and for a while he did very well. Then he wanted to run and got a little rowdy (during the worship part of the band's set...ugh), so we ended up exploring a bit--the open area near the entrance, the lobby, etc.--and from then on we alternated between nice play, rowdy play, and running around. He's got no fear running away in a crowd, which is a scary thing. No matter how many times we explain the dangers, he doesn't quite get it. Ugh. It ended up being a late night, but it was a great show and bedtime still went smoothly, so all things considered it was fine.

Saturday Jacob woke up happy and Craig took him to the arena for the Amerks' morning skate, figuring it would give Mary and me some uninterrupted chat time. They had a lot of fun and Jacob has been talking about it ever since. He even got to sit on the Zamboni and honk the horn! I have a picture of it, but I don't have access to it at the moment :( We met them for an early lunch and that experience was less than ideal. Jacob is going through a phase where he thinks it's funny to throw things on the floor at restaurants--napkins, coasters, food--and he was in rare form for this meal. Of course, before our food ever came, Jacob got this "look" on his face, followed quickly by some very obvious pushing. He had to poop and wanted to go to the bathroom (progress!). I took him in and I knew he had already pooped a bit, but he said there was more and he wanted to sit on the toilet. So, I carefully pulled off his diaper and awkwardly sat him on the toilet. I couldn't get his legs apart enough to point his penis down, so I was praying he didn't have to pee until I could do that. He pooped quite a bit, and then we had the awkward dance of trying to wipe him. I still have no idea how it's supposed to work. He clenches his butt cheeks, I can't see anything, and it's all just weird. I tried to put his new diaper on standing up, but that did not work so it was back to the changing table to finish up. Oh, and then handwashing was just awkward because I have to lift him and wash both our hands at the same time. Places should have to put in kid sinks and toilets. Seriously. It could have been a movie, I swear.

Jacob's behavior was bad enough that we didn't even do our usual stop at the PetSmart near the restaurant. We just went home and put him in bed. And then he SLEPT. After over three hours (and naps for the two of us as well), I went up to wake him a little before 5pm. We had a low key evening, but thanks to the long, late nap, Jacob was awake late (relatively quiet and in his crib, but awake).

I read a blogger (or rather, a guest post from the blogger's husband) over the weekend who stated that time changes as a parent are reverse what they were before, and I couldn't agree more. Pre-parenthood, spring forward and its loss of an hour were tough (still are), but if the worst thing that happens to your kid now is a late bedtime, it could be worse. At least there's the chance that they'll sleep in. If they're not tired yet, there's nothing you can do. Fall back used to be great thanks to that extra hour of sleep, but with a child, they wake up an hour earlier regardless so your extra hour of sleep is worthless. Jacob woke up at 6:30 on Sunday, even with his relatively late bedtime (or at least, when he actually fell asleep). He's never up before 7am, so this was a tough pill to swallow on a morning when we were supposed to wake up pleasantly refreshed. Boo.

Craig had to work, so Jacob and I were on our own for church. The first half was fine. He ate, drank and drew relatively quietly. The second half was our usual nightmarish behavior--rolling around on the floor, yelling, trying to draw on things other than paper, running around, throwing a door stop--and I was instantly on edge. We made one quick stop on our way home to pick up the massive pack of printed pictures from our summer (50% off at Walgreens!), which had its own annoying moments of him needing to be carried and not wanting to walk nicely, and then he briefly fell asleep on the way home. He woke up the second I put him in his crib (of course), so instead we headed down to lunch. I planned to do an early lunch and dinner so we could have a normal dinner before the hockey game at 5pm, so his waking up worked out okay. Lunch was a bit rough but manageable, but eventually he was spending more time playing with his food than eating it, so it was up to bed. He took another marathon nap, and after the two-hour point I woke him up so we could head out for a couple stops before a quick dinner and the Amerks game.

We first headed to get his hair cut. Jacob hasn't had a haircut since August, I think. He got it cut pretty short that time, so it has lasted a while. But his sideburns were getting pretty bad and his hair kept falling over his collar. Usually we leave it longer on top because of a nasty cowlick, but this time the woman just buzzed it all off short. It might grow out a little funny, but for now it's ok. He looks super cute, as usual. And it would have been perfect timing since Jacob's school pictures are tomorrow, but alas...he fell on his face (literally) on Friday and has a major brushburn on his nose. Ugh...one of these years we'll get one worth buying. Anyway, he did great for the whole haircut...just chatting about the sports on TV and the sports equipment that hangs on the walls of the shop. Even still, I would LOVE to figure out how to use clippers enough to do that myself!

Our next stop was the library. I had been wanting to take Jacob to the library for a while, but it just never happened. Now that he's getting into certain books at daycare, I figured it might be fun to go get some of those, as well as some new ones I've been thinking about getting him, and give them a test run. Against my better judgment I let him bring a hockey stick in with us. Sometimes he's really good with it, just doing his moves and holding it nicely, enough to keep him distracted and prevent him from screaming that he wants his hockey stick. But sometimes he's a maniac and runs around like a "hockey guy", at which point I regret letting him have it at all. Unfortunately the library visit was more like the latter. At one point he was screaming bloody murder in the middle of the library and I just wanted to die right there. Hello, incompetent parent. Or at least, that's what it felt like everyone was thinking. We were in line, so it was just awkward to leave because, realistically, we'd either have to wait in line all over again, or if we left, I wasn't sure when or if we'd ever want to go back. We were there and I wanted to get it done. He'd been so good for his haircut that I had been optimistic, but no. Not good. He also ran away a lot, and as a result, I had to make good on my threat to skip the hockey game. He was acting horribly, and I wasn't going to take him there like that even if I knew he'd probably be an angel once we were there. Now he has to wait another two weeks before we can go to a game. Hopefully he understands why we didn't go. I did explain it to him and he was even mentioning it when he was talking on his toy cell phone (to Daddy, maybe?) and to the doctor this morning. Lovely. Hopefully it sinks in. I doubt it, since he was running away and acting crazy at the doctor's this morning, too, even after I reminded him about last night.

Regardless, I pushed through and we got five books. Two are "Llama Llama" books that Jacob loves. He can recite whole parts of them perfectly. One of them, "Llama Llama Mad at Mama" seems to be a particular favorite. I don't know if it's because he relates to it (you know, being trapped on errand runs with me), or if he just likes the visual of a cranky llama throwing Cheezee Puffs on the floor of the Shop-O-Rama. I also got two Dr. Seuss books--Horton Hears a Who and one about a moose. I wanted to get the classics (Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) but couldn't find them. The library seems to have a lot of special displays (by character, themes, holidays) so maybe they were there. Needless to say I wasn't high on patience to search. I also got The Runaway Bunny, by the people who did Goodnight Moon and My World, both of which Jacob enjoys. I really want him to grasp the central concept of the book that no matter how much he tries to run away, I will always catch him, so he might as well just stay with me instead, but I think it might still be a little beyond his comprehension. He seemed to like it, though, so we'll see. As a whole I really like the concept of the library. More variety to our evening reading, an encouragement to love books, and an opportunity to "test drive" any I think we might like. I tend to forget how much I loved the library as a kid, and I want to instill that in Jacob as well. The sheer volume of books is a little overwhelming, and I'm a little annoyed that our library isn't exactly close--at least a good 10 minute drive. I was spoiled as a kid, having it within easy bike riding distance and on my way home from school, but if we end up sending Jacob to the Christian elementary school I'd like to send him to, it's a very quick drive from there. That's still a while away, though, so for now I just need to force myself to make it a priority...and get the books back on time!

One last thing for today. I mentioned earlier that we went to the doctor this morning. It was for his now-bi-annual visit to the pediatric pulmonary specialist. We hadn't been there in six months and we won't have to go back for another six. She's feeling confident that the reflux symptoms aren't an issue anymore and he's just dealing with normal kid sickness issues now, but he's going to stick with his current meds until we get through cold season. It's ok, because he takes them easily and they're currently free. Still, she noticed that his ears were looking iffy, so we're on to another round of antibiotics. We'll have to follow up with his pediatrician in a couple weeks to make sure it's gone, and there's still a chance that he'll end up with tubes. We'd done so well for so long, but now he's had three ear infections within a few months. He really does seem to get a perma-cold this time of year, with a consistent runny nose and a bit of a cough. When he's truly sick the cough gets painfully worse and the nose runs constantly, but it's tough to notice when one cold ends and another begins, or when another ear infection takes over. Jacob isn't easily affected by all of this (thank God), but it always makes me feel horrible when he gets another diagnosis that we had no idea about. It seems like something is constantly draining, which is why the perma-cold never seems to go away. Hopefully someday we'll get it worked out and he'll just be a normal kid.

Friday Update

Despite it being a busy and rather quick week, I don't have a lot to report. On Tuesday night we headed to Buffalo for Election night, as Craig's brother was running for state assembly. We dropped Jacob off at my parents, then headed to the southtowns to cheer him on. Jacob had a hard time letting go--lots of crying and screaming and reaching out--but was fine once we were gone, as usual. Unfortunately, Craig's brother didn't win. Definitely a loss for the voters, in my opinion...and that's coming from a Republican talking about a Democrat :) We slept at Craig's parents' that night, and headed out around 10am to retrieve Jacob. After lunch with my parents and a little playtime, we headed back to Rochester to enjoy the rest of our day off. Jacob and I went out after dinner to buy him a new coat, and it went surprisingly well. His teachers at daycare requested a heavier jacket than the fleecy one he's been wearing (the same style in a bigger size of what he wore all last winter) because they go outside to play, even on cold days, and he was chilly last week. We made a couple stops at the mall, tried on a couple coats, and Jacob only ran away once while he was out of the stroller. I'll take it. While I'm not excited about spending $30 on a coat for him knowing that he's got a full snowsuit waiting in the wings, at least I won't have to feel guilty or wonder if he's cold when we're running errands. And the bonus? He looks incredibly cute in it.

Yesterday Jacob got to go to the Strong Museum of Play on a field trip. His daycare has a membership so it's a freebie for us. I looked out my office window longingly, hoping to catch a glimpse of their bus. I can see part of the museum (not the cool part, unfortunately) and part of the parking lot from my desk, and I felt a little bummed that I wasn't there to see him enjoy it. I hope to go on a field trip or two next year, when I pick up an extra week of vacation upon my fifth anniversary at my job. This year, especially with the move, my vacation days are just too tight. Of course, knowing how stressful our last trip there was, I suppose it's not a bad thing to let other people take him for now! We'll undoubtedly try again one of these days now that he's past the two-year-old threshold that seemed to make all the difference for many other people. I can't believe he wasn't even two the last time we went there! This year has officially flown.

Tonight my college roommate Mary is coming into town to go to another concert (one we found about about at the last concert we went to last month). Child care didn't work out quite as well this time, so Jacob is coming with us. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad thing that it's a standing show with some bleacher seating. On the bright side, we're not hemmed into one little theater seat where he can get antsy. On the not-so-bright side, there may be room to run (read: be hyper and potentially get lost), and his attention may not be captured quite as effectively if we had, say, fantastic seats like at the last show. I think he might be at least vaguely interested in what he'll see and hear, though I am concerned about the noise level. I'm also concerned about the process of getting into the venue (the last time I went to a concert like this there, we were stuck in line outside in this exact same weather--cold and rainy) and not melting or collapsing once we're inside as a result of wearing or carrying winter coats. I'm also a bit concerned I'll be spending more time chasing Jacob and playing hockey in a dark corner than listening to the music and hanging out with Mary, but I really do want to go to this show for a number of reasons. One, I've heard of and generally enjoy all three bands, even if I don't own any of their CDs and might not even be able to identify them if I heard them on the radio. While I love Christian music, the one good station we have here in town is a bit repetitive, so inevitably I end up listening to my CDs more than anything...which makes it a little hard to find new bands whose CDs I'd like to buy. However, I've enjoyed Sanctus Real (the headline act) for years and have always been looking for an excuse to buy their stuff--usually I either get one CD as a gift and decide I need to hear more, or I go to a concert like this one. Maybe this concert will do it. Second, the lead singer of Sanctus Real is the guy I mentioned a few weeks ago that blogs about his baby boy and his congential heart defect. Now that I know a bit about him, I really want to hear him sing and even discuss what he's been through in the past few months. And I suppose if he discusses that stuff, that any stress I have from chasing after Jacob will pale in comparison, eh? I really want to go and while I'm hoping Jacob will get in his "zone" that he gets into when we go to sporting events (or the circus), I'm still preparing myself for a decent dose of stress in trying to contain him. The website said the concert is two hours, so hopefully I can manage.

Tomorrow is up in the air, which isn't a bad thing. Craig is off, and I don't think Mary's staying long because she's got report cards to do and horse racing to watch (though I did invite her to camp out in the basement family room where we'll leave her alone), so I guess we'll see how the day goes. Sunday is another hockey game, and since Jacob has been waiting (somewhat) patiently for two weeks, we'll be going. He's usually pretty well-behaved at hockey games, though I know one of these times I'll have to let him play hockey with all the other little kids and their ministicks. I'm not sure how that will go. He's a bit younger than most of them, but then again, the kid's got skills and might surprise them a bit. However, he's also too young to understand about not hogging the puck and playing well with others, so that concerns me a bit. Maybe I should just let him and see how it goes. If he hates it, he won't want to go back. If he loves it, it's only for 15 minutes each intermission, right?

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!