Kicking a Bad Habit

One the last times he used his favorite chewy soother.

Gaby is off the chupete (choo-pay-tay)/pacifier! We left all his chupetes for the Chupete Fairy, and Gaby kissed each one goodbye. The next morning there was a present waiting for him. He still occasionally asks for his chupete, but we tell him they're long gone to all the babies who need them (great suggestion from 'Super Nanny'). Now if we could only get him potty trained... And today we're off to visit Nana and Papa in Tennessee. Will post more soon.

Damsel in Much Distress

I know it's Holy Week and all, but little things are getting to me today. The day started out nicely: We picked up Grandma/Mama G.G. and took her to Flying Star to meet my friend Tanya and two of her children.

Grandma enjoys holding Tristan -- Jojo is well out of that holding phase and I miss that.

Tanya and Danny

Before the winds kick in later today, we took advantage of the great weather and sat outside in the patio. After Tanya left, we took Grandma to the bird shop that Christian adores. They aren't any actual birds there for they sell wild bird seed and accessories, but the owners have a cat named Nigel who hangs around, and usually there is a pet cat waiting to be adopted in a little cage. I am not a cat person, but these cats are sweet. The ladies know us because we must stop by at least once a week. I have a sinking suspicion they are not kid people because these boys seem to worry/bother/annoy them, especially Gaby. They follow us closely each time we're there. Is it me, or do these boys sometimes run circles around me? Don't answer that.



So we did a little more window shopping on the way back to the van. Grandma recalled how she used to drive all over the city, and I reminded her that I could never find her at home when I called. She stopped driving a few years ago; she is almost 90, after all.

I love this photo of Grandma taken in the 1950's or early 1960's.

Finally, we got everyone loaded into the car and wouldn't you know the van would not start. We waited for Aunt Patsy to meet us so we could jump start the car. In the approximately 30 minutes we waited for her arrival, Gaby's hand got smashed in my door, the baby cried because he was tired (luckily I found some juice), and then Gaby got "lost"in the trunk of the van. It was a long half hour.

Aunt Patsy and I were doing well with the cables -- red is positive and black is negative. Ok, now which is the negative side on the battery? Geez, the battery shows a + sign, but where is the - sign? We wondered if we needed to keep Aunt Patsy's car running or not when attaching the cables.

Then I noticed a man watching us. With a grin he asked, "Do you need a man?" I could have used a three-year-old to help us for all I cared! He came over and said, "I didn't know whether or not to ask you if you needed help. I thought it might sound sexist." Do we live in such a P.C. world that a man is afraid to rescue a wo-man? Sometimes I believe chivalry is dead; men hold doors less for women nowadays and are afraid to pay for dinner on dates for fear of appearing sexist. What does a man think of a woman who offers her help? There have been times that I have offered the use of my cell phone to men and women whose cars have broken down in a parking lot or on a street. I may not offer a ride to a man because I don't want to compromise my and my children's safety, but if I encounter someone in a busy parking lot I don't hesitate to offer some assistance.

So we made it home and I decided to color my hair. How irritating that this happened:


Why do they not put the same size gloves in the box? The right glove was too small. This has happened before.




Well, my 20 minutes are up. Time to slather on more color and then rinse in five minutes. Adieu.

Rub A Dub Dub

I've neglected you, my little blog. The past couple of weeks have flown by, but I could not really tell you what we have been up to. Let's see: we've gone swimming at the aquatic center, visited the library a few times, met up with friends. I've been busy reading lots of interesting material from the library and that has taken time away. And because I'm still working on Resolution #1, I've been getting up around 5:30-6:00 AM to exercise.

The boys and I are off to visit the grandparents in Tennessee next week. We'll be flying, so this will be a test run for our summer trip to see how the baby handles riding in an airplane. The kids will each have a seat of their own, which for a mama travelling alone with children, is a great relief. The last time I travelled by air alone with children was when I only had two, but I learned quickly that if you ride with an infant in the lap, you better not have any other children to look after. Gaby is looking forward to riding on Papa's four-wheeler, Jojo will explore much in their backyard forest, and Christian will be busy catching fireflies if it's warm enough ('lightnin' bugs' as they're called in the South).

Christian's back in soccer and his last game will be next weekend. We are also gearing up for his end-of-year preschool graduation; I just picked up his graduation cap and gown today. Kindergarten registration happens next week, as well.

Hope all is well!

Happy Birthday Yaya!

This past weekend the month long celebration of my mom's birthday commenced. Her birthday was yesterday, but my parents were on their way back from Dallas. Over the weekend they began the birthday festivities with my brother and his family. No one loves to celebrate birthdays more than Mom: For instance, today she went to apply for Social Security. She's so excited that at age 62 she qualifies for these and other 'senior' benefits. We will continue celebrating this weekend with the family, and she has plans lined up with her friends. Never a dull moment with Yaya. We love you!

In the Hot Seat

Last week I took Christian and Gaby for their first dental appointment. Their pediatric dentist seems very nice and knows how to work with children, as do his hygienists and staff. Because Christian is so brave, he told Gaby to have his teeth X rays taken first. So Gaby obliged, sat in a child size recliner, bit down on the small X ray film, was covered in a small X ray apron with a smiley face on it, and stayed still both times for the special camera in his face. Then Christian went through the same process, except they tried putting the film inside his mouth which made him gag (he's got Mommy's gag reflex).

Then they took turns sitting in another recliner to have their teeth brushed by the hygienist named Beth. They played with and were allowed to put the 'spit sucker upper' inside their mouths. They weren't too crazy about the water streamed into their mouths, though. Afterwards, Christian had fluoride brushed onto his teeth; Gaby didn't because he was too tired.

Finally, the dentist came in and counted their teeth and looked for cavities. He found three cavities in Christian's mouth!! No cavities in Gaby's, luckily. So we go back in June to have those filled and Christian gets to try the 'laughing gas'. I think he'll be a sport; he'll be having too much fun not to. Gaby has a thick membrane between the front teeth which gives him that endearing gap-tooth smile. He may have that clipped sometime in the next couple years to help the permanent teeth come in closer. Of course, the biggest problem with Gaby's teeth is the incorrect bite due to his pacifier habit. The 'chupete fairy' is going to take all his pacifiers and leave him a gift real soon.

I am going to try to teach Christian to floss with his new flosser gadget. They got all sorts of exciting goodies when we left: new toothbrushes, toothpaste, stickers, and flossers. Their first dental visit was stress-free for them. We're off to a good start.

Happy 'O Day!

I think the Irish woman was freed from slavery by bingo .... They can go out now, dressed up, with their handbags and have a drink and play bingo. And they deserve it."John B. Keane

St. Patrick's Day is big around here. Today is Aunt Patsy's birthday; Yes, she would have been named for the saint had been born a boy. Since she usually spends the day breakfasting/lunching/bingoing/dinnering/more bingoing with her friends on her special day (free bingo for birthday boys and girls at the casino), we celebrated last weekend.

Happy birthday, Aunt Patsy!

Is There a Nurse in the House? Oh Wait, That's Me.

This week has been filled with little accidents and incidents. I made my biannual call to Poison Control because Gaby found the bottle of allergy medication tucked away behind the spice rack as he was searching for the candy. I had kept/hidden the bottle in that spot to have it handy for Christian later in the day. Silly me, I forgot that everything hidden will be found by Weasel Tot #2, even if it were tucked away underneath a pile of blankets in the most remote corner of the house. Lesson #1: Never forget to put away medicine in a safe place, even if you know you are going to use it within five minutes, because if you have Adult ADD (it's contagious among women with small children) you'll forget why you left there in the first place. Lesson #2: Never leave Weasel Tot #2 alone downstairs alone with if there is a stash of sweets somewhere that is (a) visible and/or (b) within reach, even if it is on top of a refrigerator. Lesson #3: Never leave Gaby unattended - EVER. More and that later.

So I thought it was unusually quiet when I came downstairs. Gaby had sticky fingers and then I saw the puddle of medicine on the floor in the kitchen. There was also a teaspoon sitting on the counter. I realized he had opened the medicine and tried to pour it onto the spoon, just as he has seen me do many times before.

"Did you drink any of that medicine, Gaby" I asked.

"Yeah, I deeed. It's in my tummy."

"Did you drink any out of the bottle or from the spoon."

"Yeah, I deed dat."

"Which was it?! Did you drink? Yes? Did you drink from the teaspoon? Yes?" I panicked a little.

I called Gail first, one of my good friends who's also a pharmacist and who has received too many inquiries from me over the years. Like the time I worked for the semi-insane couple in NJ and whose wife expected me to take care of him while she went away to a funeral, including administering his medication at the correct times (I was their 'marketing specialist') and feeding their damned cats, and when I read the names of the many medications to Gail she responded, "Oh, Elena. Be careful with that man; he's psychotic." But I digress.

So I could not reach Gail at home, so I then I called Poison Control. Their number is memorized because on average I call twice a year: 800-222-1222. Gail used to work there, too, when she was fresh out of Pharmacy School. Poison Control is very good about checking back within four hours to see that everything is ok.

On Friday Jojo had a scary accident that involved lots of bleeding. That coffee table glass that was ruined last fall was replaced by Plexiglas for now (very classy). Jojo has now learned to climb on top of the table, and several times that morning I had removed him from the table. I should have removed the table instead. The moment I went into the kitchen Jojo got back onto the table and fell off, only this time his finger was caught between the Plexiglas and the frame which resulted in a good chunk of skin that was ripped up the side of his left pinky finger.

Blood makes me nervous, and after ten minutes of applying pressure to the wound I called my parents in a panic because I was afraid I'd have to take Jojo to the urgent care for stitches. Less than ten minutes later the blood stopped flowing as my dad was en route to our house. He checked it and saw that the wound was healing on its own and we decided not to go urgent care. Stitches and a shot would have been very painful for the little guy. As of today, it seems to be healing, although there is a little swelling. I'll take him to urgent care if it's still swollen tomorrow in case there is a fracture.

Other accidents to report: Jojo fell out of the crib after apparently climbing onto the pile of clothes that Gaby had thrown into the crib. I have already removed all toys from the room since Gaby has a terrible habit of throwing toys into the crib, which ended up putting a gash into Jojo's head. I may also have to remove all books and anything loose in that room. Either that or remove Jojo, but there'd be less room in Christian's room which means that I would have to move Christian into Gaby's room and move Gaby into Christian's. I'd rather remove all loose objects from Gaby and Jojo's room for now.

The only time I experienced labor pain was with Weasel Tot #2; he also kicked much when he was in my stomach. That should have been warning enough that this one was going to test my outer limits.