Yesterday was a bit of a strange day. It was a loooong day, but for the most part good. We leisurely woke up and started to get ready for our trip to Montreal. Then Craig got word that the Knighthawks had pulled off a blockbuster trade, so he was scrambling to get a press release together, get some interviews, and notify the media. We had wanted to make a couple stops on our way out of town--the post office and bank--but I ended up doing the post office myself while he got ready and then we went to the bank to finally deposit the check from my insurance payoff on my car (they made it out to both of us so we had to both be there to sign off on it), and by the time we left it was quite a bit later than we had hoped.
The GPS sent us out Route 104 instead of the Thruway (and it was fine, but I think we'll do the Thruway on the way home) but it seemed to take forever to get to Watertown for lunch at Cici's Pizza. We heard about the school shooting on Connecticut on the way there, but didn't find out about the scope of it until I checked Facebook after lunch and saw post after post about it and realized it must have been BAD. And it was. It definitely took the joy out of having stuffed my bottomless pit of a stomach with a variety of pizzas and desserts, and cast a bit of a pall over the rest of the day.
I don't have much to add about this topic that everyone hasn't already said or thought. It's horrible, unthinkable, and beyond awful. And knowing that we're sending Jacob off to Kindergarten next year, it's scary to think that could easily have been him. Heck, there was a daycare that got terrorized a few years back (in another country, perhaps?), and that was crazy, too. I can't even imagine the horror those parents are dealing with today. They lost their innocent child. Their child's end was horrific and they weren't there to comfort them. We're now 10 days from Christmas and the gifts those parents bought for their kids will go ungiven. The holiday will never be the same, and neither will that community. I can only hope that this tragedy brings about something that will change our society for the better moving forward--be it better gun laws (though I don't think any of the weapons used here was an assault weapon), better security procedures, or better mental health treatment. I don't know...something. I will say that it was a relief to have Jacob with us yesterday, because I know based on countless Facebook posts by my friends that it was hard being apart all day.
Still, I was excited to come to Montreal. I have been here twice, though once was only passing through on my way to Quebec while in high school. The last time I was here was my junior year in college, for a long weekend during spring break with three friends. We had a great time, and I've been meaning to get back ever since. The Knighthawks' exhibition game this weekend was a great excuse, and after a long drive, here were are. Although my excitement these days is a bit different than it was back in my hockey-obsessed, French-speaking days, it was still great to see the city and wander through it last night. We decided to head to the entertainment complex that is housed in the former home of the Montreal Canadiens, the Forum, to grab some dinner and see what Canadiens' elements were left. I'll have some pictures to post later. There wasn't a ton of stuff, but there was some, and like I said in a Facebook status, that little bit was far more than Buffalo has left of the Aud. Being there and knowing what was once inside those walls just added to the surreal feeling of the day. This morning I woke up to a view of the city and the Canadiens' current home, the Bell Centre, and we'll be heading there with the Knighthawks shortly.
It should be an interesting and fun day, but yesterday definitely wins the prize for being strange and slightly surreal all around. God bless those families.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
A Little Taste of Christmas
Last Sunday Jacob had his first Sunday School Christmas program. He's done the daycare one a couple times before, and for the most part it's been fine. He did that whole microphone stealing thing last year (not sure why the video isn't coming up--ugh), but at least he hasn't been the kid running up and down the aisles or anything like that. This year, given Jacob's desire to test everyone and be generally difficult, I was a little concerned about the Sunday School program since it's a bigger audience and generally a little less familiar to him than his daycare crew. Right off the bat when he heard they'd be dressing as angels, he was less than thrilled. But eventually he seemed to warm up to the concept and I kept my fingers crossed.
When the day of the program came, I did my best to get him fed and down for a nap as early as I could, so he'd be rested enough by the time I had to get him up and out the door (Craig was working but made it in time for the performance). Well...the nap thing didn't go so well. It would have been early enough, had he actually napped. Ugh. He still seemed to be in decent spirits once he was released from his room, though, and off we went.
We had the pleasure of being joined in the audience by my Aunt Lynne and cousin Lori (Jacob's godmother), so that was nice. The program was mostly done by the Kindergarten through 5th grade kids, and they did a nice job. It's always interesting to see how these things go. The story was centered around a puzzle and there were three girls explaining to another girl what all of the symbols of Christmas mean. For each scene there was a song, and Jacob's group finally came in near the end to do their two songs.
I caught this shot of Jacob on his way in, a moment before he realized we were there...
Note the finger in his mouth in the picture above, and note that it stayed there for a good portion of the time he was up front. When he wasn't doing that, he was pointing at us, apparently trying to get us to not look at him (per what he said later). One thing he was not doing? Singing. Ugh.
He wasn't disruptive or anything, but he didn't sing and definitely didn't do the hand motions. They sang Away in a Manger and Twinkle Twinkle Special Star, then joined in with the big kids to sing the main theme song for the program. And I'm pretty sure Jacob sang almost none of it, despite singing right along at the rehearsal the day before. And to think I was annoyed because he didn't do the hand motions on Saturday! He pretty much just stood there with a goofy grin on Sunday, not doing much of anything. Ugh.
Of course, at some point he lost a bobby pin and his halo came off, which then compelled him to try to hand it off to his teacher and then come down to her where she was in front of the kids (about three steps forward, nothing too horrible) to get help. At least it wasn't super noticeable since the focus was back on the big kids by then. Later on I told him about the old adage, "The show must go on." Hopefully he'll remember that for next time. Despite that little debacle, it still wasn't as bad as it could have been, but still...arg.
After it ended we headed off to his classroom to pick him up. His halo had been reattached and I snapped this picture of my little angel...
We got his wings off without strangling him, had some snacks, and headed home. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't a total failure either since he did manage to look cute most of the time in spite of his ridiculousness. There's always next year.
Monday Jacob got a little head start on Christmas when Lori stopped by with his gift from her. She's going to be hanging out at Disney for Christmas this year with her niece, and given crazy schedules and all that, she wanted to bring Jacob's present over early. His first gift from her was a big Lego Ideas book, which I'm sure he will use for years to come as he tries to create many things with his overabundance of Legos. Between the sets he's acquired and Craig's lifelong collection, he's got quite a bit to work with--though if you ask either of the boys, they'll insist they don't have enough pieces to do what they want!
Here he is opening his second gift...
This one was recommended to her by me after our last shopping trip to Target. It's a box, of sorts, that has a Lego plate base on one side, a drawer to store Legos inside, and a carrying handle. I thought it might be a great little device for him for two reasons. First, he often wants to bring Legos with him when we travel, but for obvious reasons that is not a great idea. However, this might make it a little more doable. Second, once baby #2 is mobile, all of the Legos will need to be locked away in Jacob's room. However, if he wants to sometime bring some down to work with when he knows his brother won't have a chance to get into them, he could just throw the ones he wants into the drawer and they'll stay mostly contained. It's worth a try, anyway, and regardless, he'll love having another base plate to work with.
The Lego "thing" in our house is crazy, but I have a hard time discouraging it entirely because he plays independently so nicely with them and it's better than him playing video games, watching TV, or being into any other number of annoying things the stores are hawking these days. It's taking a lot of effort to keep it under control (i.e., not have the entire living room floor scattered with tiny foot torture devices), but we're doing what we can. Note the dark red mini bin behind the gift--we got that at the dollar store the other day to give the loose Legos that are often scattered on the floor a nighttime home. Figured it was worth a buck to give it a shot.
We've got a busy couple weeks ahead of us now. We're off to Montreal this weekend, have Craig's work Christmas party one night next week, and Jacob's daycare Christmas program another night. We still have some buying to do, and a lot of wrapping, before heading out late next weekend to start our Christmas celebrations. Wow, this month is going FAST! Hopefully lots to report soon!
Oh, and one more thing to celebrate--this is post #900! Holy cow!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
BIG
In the past few days, I've really started feeling big. I don't know if it has something to do with having that week off of work, where the change from before to after is easier to notice, but perhaps I really did just expand quite a bit and it's extra noticeable now. I know that the baby is getting rapidly bigger (he's up to over two pounds now), so I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, but there are moments I look at myself and wonder how crazy it's going to be two months from now!
That said, I like what I'm seeing right now. My belly may be big, but it balances out my curves quite well. Everything is still in proportion, and while I'm sure everything has expanded, nothing seems to have expanded beyond what I'd reasonably expect. I can look head on into a mirror and not feel like I look huge. I still have curves where they're supposed to be--a pleasant hourglass, if you will. The belly is a little more than a basketball, but it's all still pretty focused in that area. My chest is considerably bigger than it used to be, which has its good and bad points, but again, everything is in balance so I can deal.
Comfort-wise things are getting a little harder. Sleeping is a definite challenge because I just can't seem to get comfortable. I wrap myself around a body pillow, but every time I turn over to my other side (back and belly are off-limits, of course), I have to reposition the pillow which means I have to wake up a bit to do it. Plus I'm having crazy dreams every night (nothing particularly bad, just random and vivid), so inevitably I wake up in the middle of the night to turn over and end up pondering whatever dream I just woke up from. Sometimes it's even uncomfortable sitting in a chair. Round ligament pain (discomfort in the area directly under the belly) is really my big complaint at this point. It gets sore relatively easily, particularly after a lot of activity like a lot of walking or a workout.
So far walking and other normal activities have been fine, but my workouts are definitely getting harder. I'm still more than a month away from the point where I stopped working out last time, but I don't think I'm going to make it. As a friend of mine (in her mid-60s) reminded me today, I'm five years older this time around and my muscles have changed, so there's no guarantee I could do what I did last time. I'm really starting to have to do a lot of substitutions during my class, because I can't do ab workouts, lay on my belly, or spend too much time on my back. I appreciate the upper body workout and stuff like squats and lunges that I get from the first part of class, but most of the second half I spend doing different things than everyone else. My stuff is fine, but it's getting harder to feel like I should stick around. Cardio bores me, but I know I'm getting closer to the time where that's all I can do.
The baby is moving a lot these days, though he definitely has specific active periods. I've never been good at identifying body parts, but it usually feels like there's a butt or head sticking out a good chunk of the time...and most of the time it's on my right side. Jacob hung out there, too. I don't really enjoy when he migrates down low and pushes out right around my waistband, because that's just uncomfortable. But the rest of the movement is pretty fun! (Of course, just as I finished typing that, I think he turned himself to a position where he was simultaneously kicking me in the back and pushing his way out the front. That HURT.) The one thing he hasn't done yet is get a case of hiccups, but I assume those should be coming any day now since my most recently weekly email mentioned they might be happening now.
I haven't had to deal with leg cramps (knock on wood) like I did last time (yet), and I've never really had issues with getting kicked in the ribs. On the other hand--and this may be too much information--I don't so much enjoy the gaseousness or constipation that comes with pregnancy. That's pretty much a given and while it's not crazy bad in my case, it's not particularly comfortable at times. I also have to pee a LOT, which is getting downright annoying. I don't know if it's a product of the constipation, the baby's position, or what, but it drives me nuts at times.
I don't mind my wardrobe too much right now, and I'm enjoying being able to utilize non-maternity tank tops and cardigan sweaters in addition to my normal maternity wear. I love my skinny jeans, and anything that emphasizes the bump in a curvy way (as opposed to the tent method) is great. I did have to buy a cheap tank top on clearance the other day so I had something long enough to wear to bed, since the bulk of my current PJ tops were creeping halfway up my belly most of the time. As a whole, my belly isn't really in the way yet, but I have caught myself having more trouble getting up from the floor or even getting out of a chair. I'm sure the phase of bumping into everything with it (doors, shopping cart handles, either side of a tight space) is just around the corner. I did notice it butting up against my desk today, which isn't a good sign since we have a bit to go yet. The good news is that I have a week off after Christmas so that's one less week to manage!
As a whole I'm still feeling pretty good and trying to enjoy this experience since it will most likely be the last time I do this. It's not always easy, but I keep trying to remind myself that babies are easier to take care of inside than out! Still, I'm looking forward to meeting him, yet I am completely content to keep him in there as long as I can for now! We have too much to do in the next couple months to rush anything!
That said, I like what I'm seeing right now. My belly may be big, but it balances out my curves quite well. Everything is still in proportion, and while I'm sure everything has expanded, nothing seems to have expanded beyond what I'd reasonably expect. I can look head on into a mirror and not feel like I look huge. I still have curves where they're supposed to be--a pleasant hourglass, if you will. The belly is a little more than a basketball, but it's all still pretty focused in that area. My chest is considerably bigger than it used to be, which has its good and bad points, but again, everything is in balance so I can deal.
Comfort-wise things are getting a little harder. Sleeping is a definite challenge because I just can't seem to get comfortable. I wrap myself around a body pillow, but every time I turn over to my other side (back and belly are off-limits, of course), I have to reposition the pillow which means I have to wake up a bit to do it. Plus I'm having crazy dreams every night (nothing particularly bad, just random and vivid), so inevitably I wake up in the middle of the night to turn over and end up pondering whatever dream I just woke up from. Sometimes it's even uncomfortable sitting in a chair. Round ligament pain (discomfort in the area directly under the belly) is really my big complaint at this point. It gets sore relatively easily, particularly after a lot of activity like a lot of walking or a workout.
So far walking and other normal activities have been fine, but my workouts are definitely getting harder. I'm still more than a month away from the point where I stopped working out last time, but I don't think I'm going to make it. As a friend of mine (in her mid-60s) reminded me today, I'm five years older this time around and my muscles have changed, so there's no guarantee I could do what I did last time. I'm really starting to have to do a lot of substitutions during my class, because I can't do ab workouts, lay on my belly, or spend too much time on my back. I appreciate the upper body workout and stuff like squats and lunges that I get from the first part of class, but most of the second half I spend doing different things than everyone else. My stuff is fine, but it's getting harder to feel like I should stick around. Cardio bores me, but I know I'm getting closer to the time where that's all I can do.
The baby is moving a lot these days, though he definitely has specific active periods. I've never been good at identifying body parts, but it usually feels like there's a butt or head sticking out a good chunk of the time...and most of the time it's on my right side. Jacob hung out there, too. I don't really enjoy when he migrates down low and pushes out right around my waistband, because that's just uncomfortable. But the rest of the movement is pretty fun! (Of course, just as I finished typing that, I think he turned himself to a position where he was simultaneously kicking me in the back and pushing his way out the front. That HURT.) The one thing he hasn't done yet is get a case of hiccups, but I assume those should be coming any day now since my most recently weekly email mentioned they might be happening now.
I haven't had to deal with leg cramps (knock on wood) like I did last time (yet), and I've never really had issues with getting kicked in the ribs. On the other hand--and this may be too much information--I don't so much enjoy the gaseousness or constipation that comes with pregnancy. That's pretty much a given and while it's not crazy bad in my case, it's not particularly comfortable at times. I also have to pee a LOT, which is getting downright annoying. I don't know if it's a product of the constipation, the baby's position, or what, but it drives me nuts at times.
I don't mind my wardrobe too much right now, and I'm enjoying being able to utilize non-maternity tank tops and cardigan sweaters in addition to my normal maternity wear. I love my skinny jeans, and anything that emphasizes the bump in a curvy way (as opposed to the tent method) is great. I did have to buy a cheap tank top on clearance the other day so I had something long enough to wear to bed, since the bulk of my current PJ tops were creeping halfway up my belly most of the time. As a whole, my belly isn't really in the way yet, but I have caught myself having more trouble getting up from the floor or even getting out of a chair. I'm sure the phase of bumping into everything with it (doors, shopping cart handles, either side of a tight space) is just around the corner. I did notice it butting up against my desk today, which isn't a good sign since we have a bit to go yet. The good news is that I have a week off after Christmas so that's one less week to manage!
As a whole I'm still feeling pretty good and trying to enjoy this experience since it will most likely be the last time I do this. It's not always easy, but I keep trying to remind myself that babies are easier to take care of inside than out! Still, I'm looking forward to meeting him, yet I am completely content to keep him in there as long as I can for now! We have too much to do in the next couple months to rush anything!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Sizes
This week when I was running around like a madwoman trying to complete as much Christmas shopping as possible, I noticed something funny when it came to shopping for boys clothes. Primarily I was shopping for Jacob, but I was also looking for an outfit for my year-old nephew and in the process glancing at the tiny baby clothes for baby boy #2. It was so weird looking at so many different sections of the boys department. No matter where I was, there was always someone to be shopping for!
While I can sometimes pull off 5T clothes for Jacob at this point, I'm mostly looking in the big boys section now. He fits just about perfectly in a boys' XS, but in some cases I'm not sure that will fit for long as he already fits in some size smalls! It boggles my mind to think he's totally past the little boys section now. Those long arms and legs will no doubt plague us for years to come. Craig was pretty much at his present height by by the beginning of high school, so we can only imagine what the next 10 years have in store for Jacob!
As I was venturing back into the baby section to look for a Christmas gift for my nephew Max, my eyes certainly glanced over to the tiny baby stuff. While this baby boy is going to be pretty well-stocked with clothes once he hits the 2T range, there may be some seasonal differences until that point since Jacob and the new baby will be about three months off, which is the same span that little baby clothes are sized in. So, while certain seasons may have a little overlap, some won't. Most of Jacob's 0-3 month clothes were onesies because it was too hot to wear much else during that time of year. As a result, this baby isn't going to have much to start out with aside from any gifts we get. I've browsed some clearance and sales racks looking for some deals to fortify his wardrobe a bit (or at least buy something cute to come home in), but I'm having a tough time buying anything. Sizes generally shift from newborn to 0-3 months around the 8 lb. mark, which is a tough spot. Everyone knows that no one stays in newborn sizes for long, but it might be worth having one for the ride home at the very least. But Jacob was long and skinny (just under 7 lbs.) and he was born in summer so sleeve and pant lengths were less important. I'd hate to have the baby swimming in his first day home outfit (of course, he wouldn't be the first!), but then again it's not like I can do any shopping when the time comes so I should be prepared either way. Hmmm. I guess I should just get some of both from a place with a good return policy!
Looking at the sizes in between has been funny, because having such a big boy has skewed my perceptions a bit. I look at the 18 month sizes and can't believe he was still so tiny at that point. The clothes look shockingly small! And to think I thought he was such a big boy then! The newborn clothes are just laughable, but I know to just assume a newborn is going to be shockingly small. The years in between must be a bit of a blur, because I no longer have any concept of how big or small he was at any of those stages. It's sure going to be interesting doing this all over again because there's plenty we've forgotten!
Perhaps this baby is coming along at just the right time, to make sure I'm not too wistful as Jacob officially moves out of the baby-toddler-preschooler stage. Even though it feels like he's been around for ages, it still blows my mind a bit that there's a five-year span between these two and a lot of time has passed since we went through this the first time! There's a lot of ground we've covered, and now we're going to do it again...all while managing a whole new set of stages as Jacob continues to grow up. There are moments where it's all overwhelming, but we'll get through it the same way we did the first time around--one step at a time--only with a little more multitasking this time around. Three months to go...or less!
While I can sometimes pull off 5T clothes for Jacob at this point, I'm mostly looking in the big boys section now. He fits just about perfectly in a boys' XS, but in some cases I'm not sure that will fit for long as he already fits in some size smalls! It boggles my mind to think he's totally past the little boys section now. Those long arms and legs will no doubt plague us for years to come. Craig was pretty much at his present height by by the beginning of high school, so we can only imagine what the next 10 years have in store for Jacob!
As I was venturing back into the baby section to look for a Christmas gift for my nephew Max, my eyes certainly glanced over to the tiny baby stuff. While this baby boy is going to be pretty well-stocked with clothes once he hits the 2T range, there may be some seasonal differences until that point since Jacob and the new baby will be about three months off, which is the same span that little baby clothes are sized in. So, while certain seasons may have a little overlap, some won't. Most of Jacob's 0-3 month clothes were onesies because it was too hot to wear much else during that time of year. As a result, this baby isn't going to have much to start out with aside from any gifts we get. I've browsed some clearance and sales racks looking for some deals to fortify his wardrobe a bit (or at least buy something cute to come home in), but I'm having a tough time buying anything. Sizes generally shift from newborn to 0-3 months around the 8 lb. mark, which is a tough spot. Everyone knows that no one stays in newborn sizes for long, but it might be worth having one for the ride home at the very least. But Jacob was long and skinny (just under 7 lbs.) and he was born in summer so sleeve and pant lengths were less important. I'd hate to have the baby swimming in his first day home outfit (of course, he wouldn't be the first!), but then again it's not like I can do any shopping when the time comes so I should be prepared either way. Hmmm. I guess I should just get some of both from a place with a good return policy!
Looking at the sizes in between has been funny, because having such a big boy has skewed my perceptions a bit. I look at the 18 month sizes and can't believe he was still so tiny at that point. The clothes look shockingly small! And to think I thought he was such a big boy then! The newborn clothes are just laughable, but I know to just assume a newborn is going to be shockingly small. The years in between must be a bit of a blur, because I no longer have any concept of how big or small he was at any of those stages. It's sure going to be interesting doing this all over again because there's plenty we've forgotten!
Perhaps this baby is coming along at just the right time, to make sure I'm not too wistful as Jacob officially moves out of the baby-toddler-preschooler stage. Even though it feels like he's been around for ages, it still blows my mind a bit that there's a five-year span between these two and a lot of time has passed since we went through this the first time! There's a lot of ground we've covered, and now we're going to do it again...all while managing a whole new set of stages as Jacob continues to grow up. There are moments where it's all overwhelming, but we'll get through it the same way we did the first time around--one step at a time--only with a little more multitasking this time around. Three months to go...or less!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Way It's Supposed to Be...
So...today was the day I took Jacob to Strong National Museum of Play. I'd been promising a day like this since, oh, early this year, I think. Craig pulled Jacob out of daycare early and took him to the museum, where his cousins were on a field trip. Since I didn't get to go that time, I told Jacob someday I'd take him myself. I thought about it over the summer, but the right day never came and I sort of dreaded taking him when kids were off school. The place is a madhouse on days like that. The times I've been there have been under those circumstances, and I can see the place from my office so I'm well aware of the madness that ensues in the parking lot alone on holidays. But today was perfect--a random weekday off.
We got there later than I'd hoped, about an hour after it opened. The parking lot looked busy, but ultimately it wasn't bad inside. To be able to roam freely and not have to wait forever to do any of the activities was heavenly. The kids that were there were mostly well-behaved, which was a pleasant surprise given that most of the times I've been there have been full of cranky kids. Chalk it up to being with the stay-at-home mom crowd, perhaps. The kids were also mostly on the younger side, since most older kids were in school. We also had the benefit of eating lunch later--it was hard to pull Jacob away from the activities--so the usually busy food court was downright deserted when we got there. All of these elements created a very blissful setting. In addition, I had convinced myself that this was Jacob's day, so while I did need to keep things moving a bit to ensure we didn't miss anything important, I tried not to rush him. Keeping that thought in mind (and, of course, physically needing a rest here and there) helped me stay patient.
Jacob was, for the most part, a very good boy. There were a couple times he didn't want to move on, but for the most part we had a very good day. And considering he didn't have a nap, it was pretty much miraculous that things went so well. We saw and did so much, and really had a great time. As a whole today really was as things are supposed to be (per today's title)...a museum that was at our full disposal, a little boy who was actually a pleasure to hang out with...it was such a nice change of pace!
Here's a bit of a photo rundown of our day, interspersed with tidbits about other things we did that didn't photograph so well...
One of the main exhibits at the museum is Sesame Street...and here's Jacob on the steps of 123 Sesame Street...
In one section there's a vendor cart full of fake food. Even though half of Jacob's face is blocked by my ice cream order, I still happen to like this shot...
Jacob's favorite part of the day, by far, was part of a visiting exhibit featuring Dora the Explorer, which is ironic since he's not into Dora (or Diego) at all. How we dodged that bullet, I don't know, but I'm grateful :) Anyway, he loved this animal rescue station where you could treat sick animals. There were 12 cubbies that held stuffed animals. You'd grab an animal and put it in an MRI-ish scanner, which told you what kind of animal it was (microchip?) and what was wrong with the animal. The illnesses changed each time, and each had a recommended treatment. There were doctor tools there (the standard Fisher-Price doctor kit), as well as an ace bandage. Here's Jacob in his outfit, complete with stethoscope, ace bandage, and his favorite animal, the otter.
Sometimes the animal was deemed to be fine but the scanner recommended giving it a bath. There was a tub of fake water, and working dryers.
Jacob probably played in this section for at least a half hour in three different stints. I took the chance to sit and rest, and at one point chatted with another pregnant mom who was two weeks away from her due date. She has an 11-year-old boy and a little girl who looked to be just a little younger than Jacob. She's a first grade teacher, and she's just about ready to be done! I can't even imagine working a job where you spend most of the day on your feet!
We checked out the superhero section, played a full-body video game controlled by tilting a board we were standing on (very trippy!), and Jacob played on a giant table full of wooden cars, roads, and trees. He also played in a fake sand box (tiny plastic beads), where we ran into the one nasty kid we encountered today. She was possibly on a field trip and was momentarily unsupervised. She threw "sand" against the wall for a bit, and then threw it right at Jacob, on purpose. I don't like to yell at other people's kids, but I didn't hesitate to tell her than wasn't very nice. After that, I finally convinced Jacob that it was time for lunch. We shared a yummy lunch at the Pizza Hut Express in the food court, and headed back out.
Our first stop was the mini-Wegmans. It's really a cute thing. You take a tiny cart at the entrance, and pick up five items from the shelves around the store. A lot of the shelves are full of empty boxes and bottles. However, the produce, meat, and bakery sections have very realistic looking food, which was the most fun to play with. Here's part of the produce section...
Everything in the store has a barcode on it, and when the five items have been chosen, the kid gets to play cashier with a real, working register, right down to the conveyor belt. You get a real receipt, too!
He then checked out a big boat and lighthouse-styled lookout, and visited a Berenstain Bears exhibit. He had been talking about this "egg" thing, and it turned out it was there. You could take the eggs from the chickens and see how they rated. There was also a thing where you cranked produce up a belt and it tumbled down a series of ramps on the other side, and a place to play dentist on a giant mouth. He also really enjoyed the restaurant, where he and a couple other kids were serving up all sorts of play food at a diner counter.
Later, Jacob got to run around on a giant ship. He then discovered a dress-up play stage, and got in a dragon suit. This silly picture was taken just as he darted out from behind the curtain at me!
He then spent some time in a fairy tale house (part Snow White, part Hansel & Gretel), before we headed up to play a giant version of Connect Four and check out a massive chess set. We ran back on the big ship, where Jacob put on a captain's coat and practiced writing and drawing. Eventually we moved on to the Toy Hall of Fame, where we played with Slinkies, a giant magnetic Mr. Potato Head, and sat down for a couple games on an Atari--bowling and Asteroids! What a blast from the past!
We moved on to the new video game section, which was pretty awesome. Jacob and I played a giant version of Pong on a lighted floor...
...and I spent a buck to get six tokens (yay for six!!) so we could play some of the classic video games. I played a giant version of Tetris, old-school Paperboy and Q*Bert, and Addams Family pinball. Jacob played a driving game and Guitar Hero. It was cool to see all of the old games, along with displays featuring old home video games like Atari consoles, original Nintendo, and one of those 80s tabletop arcade games complete with a tiny joystick and video display. We took a quick walk through the museum displays of old toys (dolls, army guys, trains, Barbies, and every other pop culture icon-type toy you can imagine). It's always fun to see things you own(ed) sitting behind museum glass!
Once we finished up there, we headed back down to redo some of Jacob's favorites. That meant we were back to the animal rescue station, Wegmans, and Sesame Street. Here's Jacob playing cabbie to Cookie Monster and Elmo...
I practically had to drag him out of Sesame Street as they were giving us the "15 minutes to close" message. It had been a long day, but considering how well it went, I was feeling pretty good. Not too fatigued, and certainly not like we'd spent six hours there! Everything just felt...good.
Today was the kid-parent equivalent of taking time to smell the roses. We took our time (mostly) and I let him discover things on his own as much as possible. I know that this is probably one of the last times Jacob will get that kind of one-on-one, uninterrupted attention, particularly with his baby brother arriving in a matter of three (very busy) months. I marveled at the big boy he's become (even more apparent in contrast to the younger kids around him today) since the last time I was there with him. Despite all of the crazy things he's been pulling lately, he has turned into quite the big boy. You should see his school pictures...and when I get the CD and copyright release for the one I ordered, hopefully I can share one here. He looks so grown up. I can hardly believe he's just six months shy of turning five, and kindergarten is really not that far off now. It's mind-boggling that it's been that long since I was pregnant with him. In spite of all we've been through, it just doesn't seem possible it was that long ago.
When he's behaving, he can be the most amazing kid ever...smart, clever, loving, charming, silly, and creative, among other things. While I often hope this new baby isn't quite the defiant child his big brother is, I hope the lack of that trait doesn't come at the expense of any of these other traits. It's hard to believe that in a few months we'll start this crazy journey all over again with another child, that we'll have another little boy to get to know as he grows up. And we'll still have Jacob around to continue to get to know as he grows up. By the time his brother is his age, he'll be nine and heading into 4th grade. Holy cow.
Well, this post is long enough and before I lose my mind thinking ahead, suffice it to say it was a pretty fantastic day. Now hopefully I have a couple productive days ahead...and tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment and we celebrate Craig's 40th birthday, too! What a week!
We got there later than I'd hoped, about an hour after it opened. The parking lot looked busy, but ultimately it wasn't bad inside. To be able to roam freely and not have to wait forever to do any of the activities was heavenly. The kids that were there were mostly well-behaved, which was a pleasant surprise given that most of the times I've been there have been full of cranky kids. Chalk it up to being with the stay-at-home mom crowd, perhaps. The kids were also mostly on the younger side, since most older kids were in school. We also had the benefit of eating lunch later--it was hard to pull Jacob away from the activities--so the usually busy food court was downright deserted when we got there. All of these elements created a very blissful setting. In addition, I had convinced myself that this was Jacob's day, so while I did need to keep things moving a bit to ensure we didn't miss anything important, I tried not to rush him. Keeping that thought in mind (and, of course, physically needing a rest here and there) helped me stay patient.
Jacob was, for the most part, a very good boy. There were a couple times he didn't want to move on, but for the most part we had a very good day. And considering he didn't have a nap, it was pretty much miraculous that things went so well. We saw and did so much, and really had a great time. As a whole today really was as things are supposed to be (per today's title)...a museum that was at our full disposal, a little boy who was actually a pleasure to hang out with...it was such a nice change of pace!
Here's a bit of a photo rundown of our day, interspersed with tidbits about other things we did that didn't photograph so well...
One of the main exhibits at the museum is Sesame Street...and here's Jacob on the steps of 123 Sesame Street...
In one section there's a vendor cart full of fake food. Even though half of Jacob's face is blocked by my ice cream order, I still happen to like this shot...
Jacob's favorite part of the day, by far, was part of a visiting exhibit featuring Dora the Explorer, which is ironic since he's not into Dora (or Diego) at all. How we dodged that bullet, I don't know, but I'm grateful :) Anyway, he loved this animal rescue station where you could treat sick animals. There were 12 cubbies that held stuffed animals. You'd grab an animal and put it in an MRI-ish scanner, which told you what kind of animal it was (microchip?) and what was wrong with the animal. The illnesses changed each time, and each had a recommended treatment. There were doctor tools there (the standard Fisher-Price doctor kit), as well as an ace bandage. Here's Jacob in his outfit, complete with stethoscope, ace bandage, and his favorite animal, the otter.
Sometimes the animal was deemed to be fine but the scanner recommended giving it a bath. There was a tub of fake water, and working dryers.
Jacob probably played in this section for at least a half hour in three different stints. I took the chance to sit and rest, and at one point chatted with another pregnant mom who was two weeks away from her due date. She has an 11-year-old boy and a little girl who looked to be just a little younger than Jacob. She's a first grade teacher, and she's just about ready to be done! I can't even imagine working a job where you spend most of the day on your feet!
We checked out the superhero section, played a full-body video game controlled by tilting a board we were standing on (very trippy!), and Jacob played on a giant table full of wooden cars, roads, and trees. He also played in a fake sand box (tiny plastic beads), where we ran into the one nasty kid we encountered today. She was possibly on a field trip and was momentarily unsupervised. She threw "sand" against the wall for a bit, and then threw it right at Jacob, on purpose. I don't like to yell at other people's kids, but I didn't hesitate to tell her than wasn't very nice. After that, I finally convinced Jacob that it was time for lunch. We shared a yummy lunch at the Pizza Hut Express in the food court, and headed back out.
Our first stop was the mini-Wegmans. It's really a cute thing. You take a tiny cart at the entrance, and pick up five items from the shelves around the store. A lot of the shelves are full of empty boxes and bottles. However, the produce, meat, and bakery sections have very realistic looking food, which was the most fun to play with. Here's part of the produce section...
Everything in the store has a barcode on it, and when the five items have been chosen, the kid gets to play cashier with a real, working register, right down to the conveyor belt. You get a real receipt, too!
He then checked out a big boat and lighthouse-styled lookout, and visited a Berenstain Bears exhibit. He had been talking about this "egg" thing, and it turned out it was there. You could take the eggs from the chickens and see how they rated. There was also a thing where you cranked produce up a belt and it tumbled down a series of ramps on the other side, and a place to play dentist on a giant mouth. He also really enjoyed the restaurant, where he and a couple other kids were serving up all sorts of play food at a diner counter.
Later, Jacob got to run around on a giant ship. He then discovered a dress-up play stage, and got in a dragon suit. This silly picture was taken just as he darted out from behind the curtain at me!
He then spent some time in a fairy tale house (part Snow White, part Hansel & Gretel), before we headed up to play a giant version of Connect Four and check out a massive chess set. We ran back on the big ship, where Jacob put on a captain's coat and practiced writing and drawing. Eventually we moved on to the Toy Hall of Fame, where we played with Slinkies, a giant magnetic Mr. Potato Head, and sat down for a couple games on an Atari--bowling and Asteroids! What a blast from the past!
We moved on to the new video game section, which was pretty awesome. Jacob and I played a giant version of Pong on a lighted floor...
...and I spent a buck to get six tokens (yay for six!!) so we could play some of the classic video games. I played a giant version of Tetris, old-school Paperboy and Q*Bert, and Addams Family pinball. Jacob played a driving game and Guitar Hero. It was cool to see all of the old games, along with displays featuring old home video games like Atari consoles, original Nintendo, and one of those 80s tabletop arcade games complete with a tiny joystick and video display. We took a quick walk through the museum displays of old toys (dolls, army guys, trains, Barbies, and every other pop culture icon-type toy you can imagine). It's always fun to see things you own(ed) sitting behind museum glass!
Once we finished up there, we headed back down to redo some of Jacob's favorites. That meant we were back to the animal rescue station, Wegmans, and Sesame Street. Here's Jacob playing cabbie to Cookie Monster and Elmo...
I practically had to drag him out of Sesame Street as they were giving us the "15 minutes to close" message. It had been a long day, but considering how well it went, I was feeling pretty good. Not too fatigued, and certainly not like we'd spent six hours there! Everything just felt...good.
Today was the kid-parent equivalent of taking time to smell the roses. We took our time (mostly) and I let him discover things on his own as much as possible. I know that this is probably one of the last times Jacob will get that kind of one-on-one, uninterrupted attention, particularly with his baby brother arriving in a matter of three (very busy) months. I marveled at the big boy he's become (even more apparent in contrast to the younger kids around him today) since the last time I was there with him. Despite all of the crazy things he's been pulling lately, he has turned into quite the big boy. You should see his school pictures...and when I get the CD and copyright release for the one I ordered, hopefully I can share one here. He looks so grown up. I can hardly believe he's just six months shy of turning five, and kindergarten is really not that far off now. It's mind-boggling that it's been that long since I was pregnant with him. In spite of all we've been through, it just doesn't seem possible it was that long ago.
When he's behaving, he can be the most amazing kid ever...smart, clever, loving, charming, silly, and creative, among other things. While I often hope this new baby isn't quite the defiant child his big brother is, I hope the lack of that trait doesn't come at the expense of any of these other traits. It's hard to believe that in a few months we'll start this crazy journey all over again with another child, that we'll have another little boy to get to know as he grows up. And we'll still have Jacob around to continue to get to know as he grows up. By the time his brother is his age, he'll be nine and heading into 4th grade. Holy cow.
Well, this post is long enough and before I lose my mind thinking ahead, suffice it to say it was a pretty fantastic day. Now hopefully I have a couple productive days ahead...and tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment and we celebrate Craig's 40th birthday, too! What a week!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Tuesday Randoms
- I forgot to post this picture the other day with the Thanksgiving photos because it was on a different computer. It's a family shot with our friend, the Champions Cup!
- Today is my first of four days off. I had to use vacation time since I didn't use it for Florida. I worked yesterday to get some usual Monday stuff out of the way, but am off the rest of the week. I have a list a mile long of random stuff to take care of and shop for, and I'm already trying to check things off. I got my glucose test done this morning, which was nice to get out of the way without having to worry about work or Jacob. I came home and did some carpet cleaning. I know it's probably not an ideal activity for a woman who's six months pregnant, but I did my best to take it easy. I just did a couple high traffic areas that needed to be done. Today was perfect, too, because not only am I alone in the house, but it is 65 degrees outside (!) and it's nice to be able to have the windows open, the breeze blowing in, and the ceiling fans keeping air circulating, in hopes that the carpet will be dry by this evening when the boys get home. I have a couple other must-dos today, like changing some light bulbs outside, and then tomorrow Jacob and I are going to go to Strong Museum for the day. I've been promising to take him for months, and it seems perfect to go when everyone else is in school. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday, which is Craig's 40th birthday, and I'm planning on doing some shopping on Friday. I have a ton of little things to do in between, from organizing Jacob's overflowing artwork, to filing a ton of paperwork, to going through the stuff in my car that's still in the same tote I threw it in immediately after the accident. I want to check a couple more stores for big boy furniture for Jacob, and pick up a few more Christmas presents. It's going to be a busy week, but hopefully it will be a much needed mental health improvement.
- I'm rapidly approaching 27 weeks, and still feeling pretty good. My belly is pretty formidable these days. It's definitely rounded out and it's pretty solid. My belly button is becoming shallower (it never popped last time, in case you were wondering), and the skin has been a little itchy the last couple days, which probably means it's all stretching. Cocoa butter, you better do your thing! Looking back at posts from the last time around, things seem to be pretty much status quo. My energy comes and goes, but if I give myself time to take breaks, things seem to go pretty smoothly. The baby is moving and kicking quite a bit these days. He, like his brother, favors the right side of my belly and is frequently sticking a head or a butt in that area and driving me a little nuts when it's low enough to hit my waistband, which is just uncomfortable. It's nice to know he's in there and moving. Craig can feel the movements pretty easily now, but Jacob is not very patient so I'm not sure if he's managed to feel much yet. I'm just trying to enjoy as much of this as I can, since I know how quickly it's going!
- Craig's office is apparently going to throw us a small shower in January. That means that I need to start thinking about doing some sort of registry. There isn't a lot that we need, though there are a few things I'd like to refresh or replace, like our monitor. We can always use diapers, I suppose, and this baby will need some warm winter clothes because Jacob's 0-3 month clothes are mostly onesies, given that our house was perpetually in the 80-90 degree range for most of the first couple months of his life. So...I have to start thinking about that.
Well, it looks like the weather is starting to take a turn for the worse and I need to get those outside light bulbs changed before that happens. Off I go to work on that to do list...
- I'm rapidly approaching 27 weeks, and still feeling pretty good. My belly is pretty formidable these days. It's definitely rounded out and it's pretty solid. My belly button is becoming shallower (it never popped last time, in case you were wondering), and the skin has been a little itchy the last couple days, which probably means it's all stretching. Cocoa butter, you better do your thing! Looking back at posts from the last time around, things seem to be pretty much status quo. My energy comes and goes, but if I give myself time to take breaks, things seem to go pretty smoothly. The baby is moving and kicking quite a bit these days. He, like his brother, favors the right side of my belly and is frequently sticking a head or a butt in that area and driving me a little nuts when it's low enough to hit my waistband, which is just uncomfortable. It's nice to know he's in there and moving. Craig can feel the movements pretty easily now, but Jacob is not very patient so I'm not sure if he's managed to feel much yet. I'm just trying to enjoy as much of this as I can, since I know how quickly it's going!
- Craig's office is apparently going to throw us a small shower in January. That means that I need to start thinking about doing some sort of registry. There isn't a lot that we need, though there are a few things I'd like to refresh or replace, like our monitor. We can always use diapers, I suppose, and this baby will need some warm winter clothes because Jacob's 0-3 month clothes are mostly onesies, given that our house was perpetually in the 80-90 degree range for most of the first couple months of his life. So...I have to start thinking about that.
Well, it looks like the weather is starting to take a turn for the worse and I need to get those outside light bulbs changed before that happens. Off I go to work on that to do list...
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Santa's Year Off?
I know December just started, but Christmas is already looking problematic this year. A few weeks ago I told the story about Jacob calling me out on the whole Santa thing, asking why he got gifts last year even though he wasn't a good boy. Well...let's just say that this year, that might not be happening. I know it sounds extreme, but Santa may not be visiting our house this year. It's extra disappointing in light of the fact that we could have done a pseudo-Christmas morning this year, since we'll be home the morning of the 23rd, which is a weekend day. Instead of having Santa come to our house while we're at work/daycare and cramming last-minute wrapping, gift opening, dinner, and travels to Buffalo into one evening, we could wake up like it's Christmas morning and take our time. It would have been lovely.
But at the moment, part of me is leaning toward Santa not visiting at all. It seems cruel considering Jacob's only 4, but he's been bad enough at times that we're honestly not sure what else to do. A couple weeks ago I did a video on the Portable North Pole. It's a site where you enter in some info about your kid, upload a couple pictures, and get sent a free video of Santa talking to your child. Santa seems to know a lot of important details, and when I did it two years ago, Jacob totally freaked out because Santa knew too much. I skipped it last year, but this year we needed a scare tactic so I jumped on that right away. Even though the video told Jacob he was on the naughty list, it didn't really seem to phase him. Since then we've been reminding him that Santa said he had some work to do in order to get on the good list. It doesn't seem to be working, though.
Part of me wonders if the only way to get through to him is to have Santa not show up. Don't worry, we'll still give him gifts from us, but what if he got nothing (or some coal (candy)) from Santa? I know it seems drastic, but we're getting desperate. And this may be the only year we could do this without significant damage. Think about it--he's old enough to get it but not old enough that it seems like it would scar him forever. Next year he'll have a baby brother who will get gifts from Santa and it would be even more crushing if Santa left something for his brother and not for him. I've also been pondering giving him a tablet, which is pricey, so I wasn't planning on getting him a ton of stuff anyway...which means Santa wouldn't have been able to bring much anyway.
I don't want to suck the fun out of Christmas, but I'm at a loss to teach him to be grateful for what he has and stop complaining about everything. Tonight we went to the mall. Craig went to work the Knighthawks booth setup for a bit, and Jacob and I shopped. He was quite difficult at times and was complaining about not getting some of the things we were looking at because he was convinced that Santa wouldn't know which one he wanted, even though I told him Santa knows and isn't afraid to ask parents if he's not sure. He didn't believe me and continued to whine.
After dinner we all went to the Lego store. A while back before we had a Lego store here, Craig built a baseball minifigure at a Lego store somewhere else. Later he regretted not making more since Jacob has been trying to build a baseball field out of Lego. Tonight we discovered that they had the baseball player parts again. We decided to let him build one, but since you have to do three, we said that he could have the one and he'd have to wait for the rest. He was very particular about how he wanted to build his guys, and had a couple difficult moments in the midst of it. Then, when we had them nearly built, he started changing things again. He kept trying to pick pieces that we didn't need (like a helmet we already had, rather than something that would have been more useful--and when you're paying for these guys, giving in and ending up with more of what we already have is just dumb), but when we tried to steer him back to the other carefully selected pieces he had a total meltdown. At that point I said we wouldn't be getting anything, and of course he got worse. As I dragged him out of the store (leaving Craig behind to secretly finish building and buying the guys for Christmas), he hit me in the stomach. Not. Good. He lost some privileges as a result of his behavior and yet he still obsessed over it the rest of the night.
Earlier today he didn't get dressed when I told him to (a recurring issue in the morning), even though I told him he couldn't play on my iPod later if he didn't. He still asked to play on my iPod the rest of the day. Eventually I told him that if he was a good listener all day and didn't get into trouble he could earn it back before bedtime, but he wasn't even close. Now he's lost it for a full week because of his outburst tonight. And yet it still won't do any good. It never does. So maybe Santa's all we've got. It seems like the only thing big enough to make an impact. I know it seems wrong and dishonest and not in the spirit of the season, but we're just not sure what else to do. The constant potty talk, name-calling, and talking back is really wearing on us. Nothing seems to help and I have a feeling the kids at daycare just validate it all in his mind. He compares himself to them and is convinced he's fine because the other kids are just like him. No matter how many times we tell him to worry about himself and remind him that even though other kids are like that, he needs to be better, he just doesn't seem to understand the seriousness of what he's doing. I know he's only four, but at what point does he need to be responsible for his response to discipline and his behavior in general? How do we get him to understand I'm not just a "mean mommy" because he needs to go to bed at a certain time? We just feel stuck and right now Santa seems like the most impactful tool we have.
I hate that it's come to this. But what if it works?
But at the moment, part of me is leaning toward Santa not visiting at all. It seems cruel considering Jacob's only 4, but he's been bad enough at times that we're honestly not sure what else to do. A couple weeks ago I did a video on the Portable North Pole. It's a site where you enter in some info about your kid, upload a couple pictures, and get sent a free video of Santa talking to your child. Santa seems to know a lot of important details, and when I did it two years ago, Jacob totally freaked out because Santa knew too much. I skipped it last year, but this year we needed a scare tactic so I jumped on that right away. Even though the video told Jacob he was on the naughty list, it didn't really seem to phase him. Since then we've been reminding him that Santa said he had some work to do in order to get on the good list. It doesn't seem to be working, though.
Part of me wonders if the only way to get through to him is to have Santa not show up. Don't worry, we'll still give him gifts from us, but what if he got nothing (or some coal (candy)) from Santa? I know it seems drastic, but we're getting desperate. And this may be the only year we could do this without significant damage. Think about it--he's old enough to get it but not old enough that it seems like it would scar him forever. Next year he'll have a baby brother who will get gifts from Santa and it would be even more crushing if Santa left something for his brother and not for him. I've also been pondering giving him a tablet, which is pricey, so I wasn't planning on getting him a ton of stuff anyway...which means Santa wouldn't have been able to bring much anyway.
I don't want to suck the fun out of Christmas, but I'm at a loss to teach him to be grateful for what he has and stop complaining about everything. Tonight we went to the mall. Craig went to work the Knighthawks booth setup for a bit, and Jacob and I shopped. He was quite difficult at times and was complaining about not getting some of the things we were looking at because he was convinced that Santa wouldn't know which one he wanted, even though I told him Santa knows and isn't afraid to ask parents if he's not sure. He didn't believe me and continued to whine.
After dinner we all went to the Lego store. A while back before we had a Lego store here, Craig built a baseball minifigure at a Lego store somewhere else. Later he regretted not making more since Jacob has been trying to build a baseball field out of Lego. Tonight we discovered that they had the baseball player parts again. We decided to let him build one, but since you have to do three, we said that he could have the one and he'd have to wait for the rest. He was very particular about how he wanted to build his guys, and had a couple difficult moments in the midst of it. Then, when we had them nearly built, he started changing things again. He kept trying to pick pieces that we didn't need (like a helmet we already had, rather than something that would have been more useful--and when you're paying for these guys, giving in and ending up with more of what we already have is just dumb), but when we tried to steer him back to the other carefully selected pieces he had a total meltdown. At that point I said we wouldn't be getting anything, and of course he got worse. As I dragged him out of the store (leaving Craig behind to secretly finish building and buying the guys for Christmas), he hit me in the stomach. Not. Good. He lost some privileges as a result of his behavior and yet he still obsessed over it the rest of the night.
Earlier today he didn't get dressed when I told him to (a recurring issue in the morning), even though I told him he couldn't play on my iPod later if he didn't. He still asked to play on my iPod the rest of the day. Eventually I told him that if he was a good listener all day and didn't get into trouble he could earn it back before bedtime, but he wasn't even close. Now he's lost it for a full week because of his outburst tonight. And yet it still won't do any good. It never does. So maybe Santa's all we've got. It seems like the only thing big enough to make an impact. I know it seems wrong and dishonest and not in the spirit of the season, but we're just not sure what else to do. The constant potty talk, name-calling, and talking back is really wearing on us. Nothing seems to help and I have a feeling the kids at daycare just validate it all in his mind. He compares himself to them and is convinced he's fine because the other kids are just like him. No matter how many times we tell him to worry about himself and remind him that even though other kids are like that, he needs to be better, he just doesn't seem to understand the seriousness of what he's doing. I know he's only four, but at what point does he need to be responsible for his response to discipline and his behavior in general? How do we get him to understand I'm not just a "mean mommy" because he needs to go to bed at a certain time? We just feel stuck and right now Santa seems like the most impactful tool we have.
I hate that it's come to this. But what if it works?
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