It's been almost three months since I last posted -- probably because the Roo is keeping us mighty busy. He had his 15-month checkup in March: 28 lbs; 31.5 inches. 75th-80th percentile for height and weight. He feels like he's in the 200th percentile when I pick him up, though!
His current favorite words are "car," "truck," and "vroom." He's also quite fond of saying "Yayyy!" and clapping his hands. Totally cute. Oh, and he's gotten very proficient at the word "no." Darn.
We planted strawberries in a hanging planter about a month ago, and flower seeds a couple of weeks ago. The strawberry plants are growing well, and a couple of days ago the flower seeds came up! Daddy is doing a square foot vegetable garden this summer. Fun for the whole family! A couple of weekends ago, Daddy built Roo a very fine sandbox, which will be ready after a couple of coats of sealer and some sand.
A few weeks ago I was diagnosed (after a series of MRIs) with a Chiari I Malformation. It may explain my frequent headaches, fatique, neck pain, and other annoying symptoms I've experienced since I was a teenager. I have a consult with a neurosurgeon next week.
Last weekend we visited my father, my sister and her family in Maine. I hadn't seen most of my family in 20+ years. It was a fabulous reunion -- lots of folks from both my father's and my mother's side of the family. The sad part is that I haven't gotten around to mentioning to Mom yet that I'm back in touch with everyone (it won't go well, I'm fairly sure).
Going to bed soon. It's 80 degrees here right now. It was 93 when I left work!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Walking and Talking
Well, he took his time, but Roo is pretty much a full-time walker now. Just over the past week or so he's decided that walking is more fun than crawling. Daddy and I installed a baby gate at the top of the stairs this weekend, but oh my, we have so much more babyproofing to do. Case in point: I caught Roo playing in the toilet when I left him alone for 3 seconds tonight. Eww. Grody-ness aside, it's dangerous. Must put toilet lock on.
Roo now says "Bob" ("ba"); "Scout" ("ga"); "more" ("maaaahhh"); "ball" ("baaahh"); "dada;" "mama" (only occasionally -frown-); "truck;" "tree;" and probably some more that we just haven't deciphered yet. Oh yeah, "uh-oh" ("uh!").
Tonight I made fish-in-foil (cod steamed in foil packets in the oven), steamed broccoli, and Israeli couscous with veggies mixed in. Andrew chowed down on the broccoli and fish especially. I am so proud of him! Oh, a couple of weeks ago we started with peanut butter (from a jar I'd been working on, so I'm pretty sure there was no salmonella lurking); and he did fine. There's no history of peanut allergy in the family, so I hope we continue with the PB -- a quick, nutritious protein that I don't have to cook!
We were all sick over Christmas -- we had it all: upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, stomach flu (Mommy spent Christmas day puking), ear infections (Roo's right eardrum nearly ruptured at one point). It sucked. I hope the current respite continues (everyone knock wood).
Andrew likes to shake his head "no" now, when you ask him a question. Great. Can't wait for toddlerhood...
Seriously, though, I love this child madly. Of course he does the requisite irritating toddler things, but overall (and again, knock wood), he's happy, bright, sweet, and not a holy terror. Good lord, I hope I didn't just tempt fate by typing that. Are all mothers this superstitious?
Roo now says "Bob" ("ba"); "Scout" ("ga"); "more" ("maaaahhh"); "ball" ("baaahh"); "dada;" "mama" (only occasionally -frown-); "truck;" "tree;" and probably some more that we just haven't deciphered yet. Oh yeah, "uh-oh" ("uh!").
Tonight I made fish-in-foil (cod steamed in foil packets in the oven), steamed broccoli, and Israeli couscous with veggies mixed in. Andrew chowed down on the broccoli and fish especially. I am so proud of him! Oh, a couple of weeks ago we started with peanut butter (from a jar I'd been working on, so I'm pretty sure there was no salmonella lurking); and he did fine. There's no history of peanut allergy in the family, so I hope we continue with the PB -- a quick, nutritious protein that I don't have to cook!
We were all sick over Christmas -- we had it all: upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, stomach flu (Mommy spent Christmas day puking), ear infections (Roo's right eardrum nearly ruptured at one point). It sucked. I hope the current respite continues (everyone knock wood).
Andrew likes to shake his head "no" now, when you ask him a question. Great. Can't wait for toddlerhood...
Seriously, though, I love this child madly. Of course he does the requisite irritating toddler things, but overall (and again, knock wood), he's happy, bright, sweet, and not a holy terror. Good lord, I hope I didn't just tempt fate by typing that. Are all mothers this superstitious?
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Walkies!
A week ago, on Saturday, December 13, Roo took 2 steps to his daddy! Since then, he's managed to take a few more steps, but he's by no means stable on his feet. He's getting there, though. I would have posted this news sooner, but I've been ridiculously sick. Went to the doctor yesterday afternoon (finally) and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection and bronchitis. And now Roo and I both have to occasionally use Albuterol (I got a puffer yesterday). Yay. So, that's my one illness for the winter. I only allow myself one. So we're done with illness. For the winter. Right??? So why do I still wake up with a splitting sinus headache every morning?
We had a big old snowstorm yesterday afternoon/evening, so we're looking forward to putting Andrew in his snow clothes and letting him roll around in the snowdrifts :-) Hopefully we'll get some good pictures.
We had a big old snowstorm yesterday afternoon/evening, so we're looking forward to putting Andrew in his snow clothes and letting him roll around in the snowdrifts :-) Hopefully we'll get some good pictures.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Andy-Roo Update
Roo turned 1 on November 28. We made a cake and even got to hang out with Grammy and some neighbors, and with Nan and Aunt K over the computer! Roo has been taking some spins around the neighborhood in his new big-boy Radio Flyer wagon from Daddy, and he cruises around the house behind his "bike" from grammy (a push toy for toddlers).
Roo isn't walking quite yet, but he can stand on his own for a few seconds at a time, when he feels like it. He'll walk when he's darn good and ready, and I'm fine with that (in fact, there's some evidence that suggests that babies who crawl longer have higher IQs later in life...something about using opposing arm/leg movements and how it helps the 2 halves of the brain work together...). He's happy, healthy (knock on wood) and getting quite vocal. He can reliably sign "more" and "dog," and he's working on "kitty." He can say "Dada," but for some reason I'm "Baba." He actuallly can say "Mama," but I guess he prefers the letter "B." I think it's adorable.
He loves the song "If You're Happy and You Know It," and he'll actually clap his hands or stomp his feet in response to the song and your actions. If you say "Peekaboo," he'll cover up his eyes with his hands. If you ask him where his belly is, he'll point to it, but if you ask him where is nose is, he'll point to yours. I think because he can't see it, he doesn't realize that he actually has a nose of his own!
He is an ebullient, flirty baby who loves being around people. In fact, sometimes it's a challenge finding a way to put him down for a few minutes. This evening, though, he contented himself with playing with some spare (clean) oven racks on the kitchen floor while I put his school dishes in the sink to soak and prepared supper. It's nice now that he doesn't scream each and every time we turn our backs for more than 5 seconds.
He's in a phase wherein he hates having his diaper changed, but screeches this loud, fake screech in protest. It's not his "hurt" cry. It's interesting -- he's getting to the point when he knows what he wants, anticipates getting it...and is VERY unhappy when he doesn't end up getting it! I guess they would call that "getting a personality," which is actually kind of exciting.
We gave up bottles just after his first birthday. He still nurses first thing in the morning and right before bed, and anytime he wants to when we're together, but otherwise when he's at school or it's daytime on weekends, it's sippy-cup only (organic whole cow's milk).* Woo hoo -- no more scrubbing and sterilizing nipples! More about Roo's diet and nutrition in another post...
At his one-year checkup, Roo weighed 25 pounds, 7.5 ounces and was 30.5 inches long. He's 50th-75th percentile for height, 75th-90th for weight, and 50th for head circumference. He amused the nurses with big belly-laughs when I blew raspberries on his tummy -- in fact, they told me he was the first happy baby they'd had all day. The poor things -- it was 4:00 p.m.!
Roo loves books. He'll actually say "Buhh" when picking up a book in the nursery in the morning or at night. This is not to be confused with "Booff," which is what he says when you ask him what the dog says. Then again, if you ask him what a kitty says, or what a cow says, or what a sheep says, the answer will invariably be "Boofff." I tell you, this kid loves the letter "B." And dogs, apparently.
He likes to point at things, especially lights, and it being Christmas, it's a good season for it. Every morning as we're leaving the nursery and I'm carrying him on my hip, I ask him to help Mommy by turning off the light switch. He knows he's supposed to touch it, but he hasn't quite mastered the concept of actually turning it off. All in good time, I suppose. I can imagine at some point, after trying to get him to give up turning the switch on and off for the 1,000th time, rueing the day I ever taught him what a light switch does...
When Andy-Roo smiles, it lights up his whole face. And the whole room. And our hearts. We are so lucky!
*Clarification: Roo still gets a bottle at night if he's being put to bed by someone other than Mommy (i.e. Daddy or a babysitter). I'm OK with it. He gets the bottle while being snuggled and rocked in the rocking chair; he's never ever taken a bottle to bed in the crib.
Roo isn't walking quite yet, but he can stand on his own for a few seconds at a time, when he feels like it. He'll walk when he's darn good and ready, and I'm fine with that (in fact, there's some evidence that suggests that babies who crawl longer have higher IQs later in life...something about using opposing arm/leg movements and how it helps the 2 halves of the brain work together...). He's happy, healthy (knock on wood) and getting quite vocal. He can reliably sign "more" and "dog," and he's working on "kitty." He can say "Dada," but for some reason I'm "Baba." He actuallly can say "Mama," but I guess he prefers the letter "B." I think it's adorable.
He loves the song "If You're Happy and You Know It," and he'll actually clap his hands or stomp his feet in response to the song and your actions. If you say "Peekaboo," he'll cover up his eyes with his hands. If you ask him where his belly is, he'll point to it, but if you ask him where is nose is, he'll point to yours. I think because he can't see it, he doesn't realize that he actually has a nose of his own!
He is an ebullient, flirty baby who loves being around people. In fact, sometimes it's a challenge finding a way to put him down for a few minutes. This evening, though, he contented himself with playing with some spare (clean) oven racks on the kitchen floor while I put his school dishes in the sink to soak and prepared supper. It's nice now that he doesn't scream each and every time we turn our backs for more than 5 seconds.
He's in a phase wherein he hates having his diaper changed, but screeches this loud, fake screech in protest. It's not his "hurt" cry. It's interesting -- he's getting to the point when he knows what he wants, anticipates getting it...and is VERY unhappy when he doesn't end up getting it! I guess they would call that "getting a personality," which is actually kind of exciting.
We gave up bottles just after his first birthday. He still nurses first thing in the morning and right before bed, and anytime he wants to when we're together, but otherwise when he's at school or it's daytime on weekends, it's sippy-cup only (organic whole cow's milk).* Woo hoo -- no more scrubbing and sterilizing nipples! More about Roo's diet and nutrition in another post...
At his one-year checkup, Roo weighed 25 pounds, 7.5 ounces and was 30.5 inches long. He's 50th-75th percentile for height, 75th-90th for weight, and 50th for head circumference. He amused the nurses with big belly-laughs when I blew raspberries on his tummy -- in fact, they told me he was the first happy baby they'd had all day. The poor things -- it was 4:00 p.m.!
Roo loves books. He'll actually say "Buhh" when picking up a book in the nursery in the morning or at night. This is not to be confused with "Booff," which is what he says when you ask him what the dog says. Then again, if you ask him what a kitty says, or what a cow says, or what a sheep says, the answer will invariably be "Boofff." I tell you, this kid loves the letter "B." And dogs, apparently.
He likes to point at things, especially lights, and it being Christmas, it's a good season for it. Every morning as we're leaving the nursery and I'm carrying him on my hip, I ask him to help Mommy by turning off the light switch. He knows he's supposed to touch it, but he hasn't quite mastered the concept of actually turning it off. All in good time, I suppose. I can imagine at some point, after trying to get him to give up turning the switch on and off for the 1,000th time, rueing the day I ever taught him what a light switch does...
When Andy-Roo smiles, it lights up his whole face. And the whole room. And our hearts. We are so lucky!
*Clarification: Roo still gets a bottle at night if he's being put to bed by someone other than Mommy (i.e. Daddy or a babysitter). I'm OK with it. He gets the bottle while being snuggled and rocked in the rocking chair; he's never ever taken a bottle to bed in the crib.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Milestones, 11 Months
The other morning, Andrew signed "more." He was in his high chair as I was flitting about the kitchen getting ready for work/daycare, and had apparently finished the handful of Cheerios I'd given him and was still hungry. I heard him whining a bit but didn't think much of it (he's frequently anxious to get going in the mornings), until I turned around and saw him putting his fingertips together in the sign for "more." I asked him if he wanted more...and he signed "more" again! Brilliant! Of course, he hasn't done it again since then...
He can say "Bob." Or, more accurately, "Bah." Still, he reliably says it when Bob is around, or when he's looking for or at Bob. Totally cute. Oh, and I'm convinced he tries to say "book" when we're looking at a book. And if you ask him what a cow says, he'll reply "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm." Close enough.
Another favorite vocalization is "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Not sure what it means (his teacher at daycare swears it means "eat," which wouldn't surprise me given how much food this kid can hoover down in the course of a day).
He seems to be weaning himself gradually. For the past week, including Saturday and Sunday, we haven't nursed during the day. He just doesn't seem that interested. He does still very much want to nurse first thing in the morning and right before bed, though, and I don't plan on giving those sessions up for the foreseeable future.
Last weekend he drank a little cow's milk from a cup. A big boy cup, without a sippy spout. He spilled most of it, of course, but he totally understands what a cup is for.
He eats just about everything now, except for the possibly allergenic/dangerous foods. He even tried a tiny bite of dill pickle last weekend -- and liked it, of course! Pasta, cheese, toast, cut up fruit and cooked vegetables are favorites.
He's still cruising -- not standing on his own, without support, but I'm honestly not anxious to see that happen yet -- I haven't completely babyproofed the house!
He can say "Bob." Or, more accurately, "Bah." Still, he reliably says it when Bob is around, or when he's looking for or at Bob. Totally cute. Oh, and I'm convinced he tries to say "book" when we're looking at a book. And if you ask him what a cow says, he'll reply "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm." Close enough.
Another favorite vocalization is "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Not sure what it means (his teacher at daycare swears it means "eat," which wouldn't surprise me given how much food this kid can hoover down in the course of a day).
He seems to be weaning himself gradually. For the past week, including Saturday and Sunday, we haven't nursed during the day. He just doesn't seem that interested. He does still very much want to nurse first thing in the morning and right before bed, though, and I don't plan on giving those sessions up for the foreseeable future.
Last weekend he drank a little cow's milk from a cup. A big boy cup, without a sippy spout. He spilled most of it, of course, but he totally understands what a cup is for.
He eats just about everything now, except for the possibly allergenic/dangerous foods. He even tried a tiny bite of dill pickle last weekend -- and liked it, of course! Pasta, cheese, toast, cut up fruit and cooked vegetables are favorites.
He's still cruising -- not standing on his own, without support, but I'm honestly not anxious to see that happen yet -- I haven't completely babyproofed the house!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Economy
I've been looking at ways to save money lately, given the state of the economy. I've always been big on clipping coupons, and I love to frequent my local Goodwill store -- that store recently moved to a bigger building and has a huge selection of near-new clothing. I feel like when I buy gently used clothing I'm not only saving money, but saving on waste and helping the environment. Plus, it's a total thrill to get a snazzy Baby Gap sweater for only $2.00!
I have no problem substituting generics for brand-names, particularly when it comes to medicines (adult and baby ibuprofen, for example). For the staples that I buy a lot of (think diapers and wipes), I shop at BJ's -- I share a membership with a coworker, so it only costs me $12.95 a year to belong.
I canceled the maid service. Sorry, house.
I started buying Purina cat food instead of Nutro. And I don't buy poor Bob treats nearly as often. Then again, with Andrew eating finger foods, and dropping pieces on the floor here and there, Bob's making out just fine all the same.
I transferred high-interest credit card balances to cards with lower introductory rates.
My mortgage is (was) held by Countrywide, which was acquired by Bank of America, which is now offering "financial hardship" deals for Countrywide customers who are in danger of falling behind in mortgage payments. I'm going to call them soon to see if there's anything they can do for me. My mortgage eats 49% of my take-home pay. It was hard enough to keep up with that _before_ Roo came along, and with him the expense of daycare, diapers, etc. If BofA is able to do something about my mortgage, perhaps I can pay off those credit card debts sooner rather than later.
Speaking of daycare, I contribute the annual maximum of $5,000 to my health savings account, pre-tax, for dependent care. I also save all of my receipts for charities, donations, etc. for tax purposes. Not that I was able to contribute much this year.
I'm winterizing the house big-time this fall: Plastic sheeting on the windows (although I'm afraid to do it in Roo's room for some whacko first-time mommy fear of suffocation; I know, it's completely irrational). Thermal drapes on the sliding glass doors in the den. Space heaters in the 2 bedrooms rather than heating the entire house. Draft-dodgers on the entry doors. I'm even thinking about those light-switch insulation kits (apparently those leak heat like a sieve).
I use reusable canvas bags at the grocery store -- for each bag you bring in, you get 5 cents off your grocery order.
I've taken to bathing Andrew only every other night, on average, rather than every night. Not only does it save on hot water, but it's better for his skin, as he tends toward sensitive skin like I do. Unless I'm scummy, I only shower every other day, particularly in fall/winter when I haven't been sweating.
Here are some areas that I really could/should cut:
1. Hairdresser. Although it's my one "splurge," I don't _need_ to spend what I spend, every 6-8 weeks. But I happen to know that my hairdresser is in more dire financial straits than I am, so I would feel bad about depriving her of business.
2. Fast food. Amazing how $4-5 here and there adds up. And I only do it because I've neglected to prepare breakfast the night before, to eat in the car. It's not hard to make a peanut butter sandwich, idiot. Even some store-bought muffins or bagels would be cheaper and relatively healthier.
3. Magazine subscriptions. I love my food magazines, but who has time to cook fancy food anymore? (Sigh). And then they just pile up before getting tossed in the recycling. Actually, who am I kidding? I never recycle the food ones. They live with me permanently. All other magazines go, though.
4. Get rid of the land line and go cell-only. The only ramification that I can think of would be that the babysitter would have to bring her cell phone with her rather than wait for me to call my home phone when I leave work on Board meeting nights.
5. Cancel Netflix.
6. Cancel World of Warcraft.
7. I desperate measures are called for, cancel cable and TiVo (nnnoooooooooo!!!!!!)
These things would help me operate with a monthly surplus, rather than a deficit. Then again, there are things that I should be doing (i.e. purchasing a life insurance plan that would actually pay off my mortgage should I die) that just aren't in the mix right now at all.
Of course, there's always the option of selling the house, assuming a) it's still worth more than I owe on it, after real estate commissions and taxes, and b) it would actually sell. Not so sure about either of those.
I have no problem substituting generics for brand-names, particularly when it comes to medicines (adult and baby ibuprofen, for example). For the staples that I buy a lot of (think diapers and wipes), I shop at BJ's -- I share a membership with a coworker, so it only costs me $12.95 a year to belong.
I canceled the maid service. Sorry, house.
I started buying Purina cat food instead of Nutro. And I don't buy poor Bob treats nearly as often. Then again, with Andrew eating finger foods, and dropping pieces on the floor here and there, Bob's making out just fine all the same.
I transferred high-interest credit card balances to cards with lower introductory rates.
My mortgage is (was) held by Countrywide, which was acquired by Bank of America, which is now offering "financial hardship" deals for Countrywide customers who are in danger of falling behind in mortgage payments. I'm going to call them soon to see if there's anything they can do for me. My mortgage eats 49% of my take-home pay. It was hard enough to keep up with that _before_ Roo came along, and with him the expense of daycare, diapers, etc. If BofA is able to do something about my mortgage, perhaps I can pay off those credit card debts sooner rather than later.
Speaking of daycare, I contribute the annual maximum of $5,000 to my health savings account, pre-tax, for dependent care. I also save all of my receipts for charities, donations, etc. for tax purposes. Not that I was able to contribute much this year.
I'm winterizing the house big-time this fall: Plastic sheeting on the windows (although I'm afraid to do it in Roo's room for some whacko first-time mommy fear of suffocation; I know, it's completely irrational). Thermal drapes on the sliding glass doors in the den. Space heaters in the 2 bedrooms rather than heating the entire house. Draft-dodgers on the entry doors. I'm even thinking about those light-switch insulation kits (apparently those leak heat like a sieve).
I use reusable canvas bags at the grocery store -- for each bag you bring in, you get 5 cents off your grocery order.
I've taken to bathing Andrew only every other night, on average, rather than every night. Not only does it save on hot water, but it's better for his skin, as he tends toward sensitive skin like I do. Unless I'm scummy, I only shower every other day, particularly in fall/winter when I haven't been sweating.
Here are some areas that I really could/should cut:
1. Hairdresser. Although it's my one "splurge," I don't _need_ to spend what I spend, every 6-8 weeks. But I happen to know that my hairdresser is in more dire financial straits than I am, so I would feel bad about depriving her of business.
2. Fast food. Amazing how $4-5 here and there adds up. And I only do it because I've neglected to prepare breakfast the night before, to eat in the car. It's not hard to make a peanut butter sandwich, idiot. Even some store-bought muffins or bagels would be cheaper and relatively healthier.
3. Magazine subscriptions. I love my food magazines, but who has time to cook fancy food anymore? (Sigh). And then they just pile up before getting tossed in the recycling. Actually, who am I kidding? I never recycle the food ones. They live with me permanently. All other magazines go, though.
4. Get rid of the land line and go cell-only. The only ramification that I can think of would be that the babysitter would have to bring her cell phone with her rather than wait for me to call my home phone when I leave work on Board meeting nights.
5. Cancel Netflix.
6. Cancel World of Warcraft.
7. I desperate measures are called for, cancel cable and TiVo (nnnoooooooooo!!!!!!)
These things would help me operate with a monthly surplus, rather than a deficit. Then again, there are things that I should be doing (i.e. purchasing a life insurance plan that would actually pay off my mortgage should I die) that just aren't in the mix right now at all.
Of course, there's always the option of selling the house, assuming a) it's still worth more than I owe on it, after real estate commissions and taxes, and b) it would actually sell. Not so sure about either of those.
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