Mortimer's Mom

wordless wednesday

 

Upside-down world

Things are amiss around here.... In the last 8 months, we have rarely taken Dumpling to the restaurant. She is a much better eater now, and she eats lunch at school everyday without a fuss, but restaurants were always the last frontier. She simply couldn't behave in a restaurant. I can handle a fussy but eating child, or a calm, non-eating child, but in public, a tantrumy 4 year old who doesn't eat just doesn't fly with me. So except for the Disney trip, during which restaurants were mandatory, we have avoided restaurants meals with Dumpling. We do regularly go with BB, on nights when Dumpling is being spoiled by her grandparents.

Last night, however, was the first night that BB was going to have her own turn at dinner with the Grands at their house, so after her gym class, Hubs and I took Dumpling to a local Italian bistro that does spectacular pasta and is totally casual and no-fuss.  It was great. She was a tad high-strung, but we had discussed for many days how we expected her to either be "nice" or eat nicely. The first thing that went well was the waiter, who hadn't been there on previous visits with BB, so he was smitten with her and brought her a special mango/peach Italian juice on the house. She batted her eyelashes at him and that set everything off on the right note! He even offered to make her a half-portion, something that has never been offered to BB (though truth be told, BB can handle the whole plate!) There was only minimal coaxing during the meal, and she was rewarded with a brownie as dessert. We made a huge deal about how much we enjoyed ourselves, how fantastic it was to go to the restaurant and not argue and we asked her if she enjoyed eating out when Mommy and Daddy were so happy and relaxed, which of course, she did.

On the flip side of this little moment of bliss, BB hasn't been sleeping at the country house. At first, I thought it was a fluke, a one time thing. But it's been 3 weeks, and it's exhausting. This past weekend, she was up so late on the 2nd night (in the past, it's been a one night thing, making her so tired that the 2nd night was a non-issue) that we had to keep her from going skiing on Sunday because she was hell-on-wheels the minute she woke up from her way-too-short night. And this week, she's been acting weird. She was UBER excited for her first all-by-myself date at her grandparents' house, but today, she didn't want to go to school, then when Hubs coxed her to go, she didn't want to take off her gym clothes to reveal her beach outfit (it was Beach Party day), apparently threw fits whenever the teacher tried to leave the room and finally made a big fuss about doing her "talking class" when the speech therapist showed up this afternoon, an activity she usually loves.

So I am thrilled that Dumpling is making fabulous progress, because being able to go to a restaurant would go a LONG way in making me feel less house-bound, but I am not too thrilled about the reversal of fortune that has hit BB..... let's hope is a short phase.

One year ago tonight

I honestly cannot believe we first met Beach Ball, then known as Sprout, a year ago today..... I remember the first anniversary of Dumpling's arrival. It felt like a year. No more, no less. Beach Ball is a totally different story. On the one hand, it honestly feels like yesterday. Time just flew by. On the other hand, the girl that stands before me today is not the girl we met last year. she has come SUCH a long way....

She was so scared. Screaming her heart out, so very very fearful of what was to come. She was OK with me at first but very soon came to resent me. She didn't want anything to do with me. All those nights in the hotel in China, poor hubs had to carry around this huge bundle of nerves and tears. She wouldn't let me touch her. But as long as I stayed away, she was actually a happy child. She loved the bath from the get-go. Even tried to drown Dumpling in her exuberance to play in the water!

She hated our house. Could not wrap her head around the designated rooms: a room for eating, a room for sleeping, a room for playing.... she has spent her entire life in the same 4 walls. We had to do some major adjustments to ease her into her new life.... But adjust she did! Did she ever!

From not speaking a sound to learning words, she's now stringing 4 or 5 together and makes herself understood. My new favorite is "Mommy pick-up me (s)kook!" But pick-up is a 3 syllable word, with an eh sound in the middle... too cute! Today, with the speech therapist, she had to ask "what's in the bag?" It was like a toddler game-show host! "Whaaaaaat's in the bag?"

The thing about Beach Ball that cannot go without mentioning is the absolute cheer joy she radiates. She is always happy. OK, not always. But we have been living with Little Miss Broody for 4 years, so BB's sunny disposition is such a joy to be around. She's so very funny. She's a total jokester.

She is also such a loving little girl. The hugs and the kisses are non-stop. "Love too" is the current way she says I love you.  She must say it 25 times a day. Out of no-where, for no reason: "Mommy, love too!"

Of course, an anniversary post wouldn't be complete without mentioning the eating..... When I first posted about how much she ate, how much she seemed to enjoy it, people told me to enjoy it, that eventually, it would stop. Well, a year later, the girls still eats every bite with gusto, can be taken to any 5 star restaurant and will eat with utensils, without spilling a drop. I haven't had one food argument with her..... you cannot imagine what that does to my heart!

We had a family dinner last night in honor of the anniversary. I put her in her sister's silks, from her own previous anniversary at the same age.... I had to let out all the darts to squeeze her in there! BB wasn't built for silks!

She's been quite under the weather for a little while, was tested for pneumonia yesterday (negative) and hasn't been feeling herself, so today, just for old time's sake, she refused to let me change her diaper or even touch her, only wanted DAAAAAAAADDY! Happy Anniversary Beach Ball!

Let's have a Rave

well..... just as I start drafting my first anniversary post for Beach Ball, exalting the virtues of what a good girl she is, how far along she's come, how sunny and good natured she is.... She has decided that she will not sleep at the cottage. Everything was fine, we were here for a long time over the holidays and she didn't give us one bit of trouble. Except for the talking after we put them to bed, but you put a 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old in a room in the dark, you have to expect a bit of chatter before they close their eyes.

Last weekend though, even if Dumpling was fast asleep, exhausted from hours outside breathing in the fresh air, Beach Ball just wouldn't stop talking, moving around the room, reading books.... anything and everything but sleeping. Eventually, it occurred to me that all the dolls she had taken to bed lacked one thing: a pointy corner to stick in her nose. Don't ask, she's got this weird thing about sticking something "pointy" like the tail or ear of her rag cat in her nose when she falls asleep. So I procured her Lamb, with floppy, pointy ears, but it didn't help. She was still up after we went to bed, didn't fall asleep til near midnight and woke up several times, finally demanding to get up at 5 am. Then, she was a piss all day!

Last night, we had a repeat performance. Except this time, we didn't kid around. I don't want her waking up Dumpling, so at 10 pm, when she was showing no signs of slowing down, we threatened her with the worst threat to this toddler: close your eyes or go in the crib in our room...... 10 minutes later, she was strolling around again, so off to the crib she went. Miraculously, she was asleep when I went to bed an hour later, but she was up at 4 am, begging to be let out of the crib to roam around. I don't know what he did/said, but hubs eventually got her coaxed back down to sleep, but this is not fun....

I don't know what it could be. the routine is the same, we come every week, it's predictable, she has her stuff, her blanket, her rag cat, but for some reason, she just won't go to sleep. And she only does it here, not in the city....... aaaarrrrgghhhh!

I'm too old to be raving all night.

PS: on a cinema note.... hated There Will Be Blood..... too long, extremely boring. Well acted, beautiful cinematography, but really..... boring. Hubs didn't like it either.

desperatly seeking poo-related assvice

Things with Beach Ball are taking a turn for the bizarre and if you know how to help, please let me know!

By and far, we have avoided big messes in our house: no puke, no runny poos, etc. Lately though, Dumpling has been having crazy nosebleeds that have required an ER visit. She is fine, we just need a major humidifier in her room and lots of polysporin. But as if spewing blood all over the main floor wasn't enough, we are now faced with smearing of poo.....

Over the last 3 days, Beach Ball will wander off, poo in her diaper, and then proceed to reach in, take it out, smear it all over her arms, legs, belly, and then whatever she can reach: floor, walls, counter, etc. It is, frankly, gross beyond words. She isn't upset, she isn't mad, she just reaches in and goes for it. (not if we are there. If we are there and smell the poo, we change her before any thing happens, but she sort of likes to hide now, a new thing). When she does start to freak out is when we have to wash her afterward. Oh my lord. The bath/shower just sends her into a tizzy. I tried to explain to her that if she doesn't touch the poo, I won't have to do this, but have you ever tried reasoning with a 2 year old?

OK, armchair psychologists and seasoned parents, go for it. Tell me what's going on, how to deal with this. Because poo, on the walls... yeah, not so much!

Buzy Buzy!

A 3 day weekend.... what to do, what to do????

First off, Dumpling now eats lunch at school, and they asked for a cloth placemat daily. Since it's a Kosher environment, I figured she would need 2, one for meat, one for dairy. I was just going to take a big placemat and cut it in half, but then, I figured I could do better. For the details, head over to the craft blog.

 

We also took the kiddos to the farmers market. it's always buzy there, like during berry season, but I have NEVER seen it as buzy as during TOMATO season. Wow! the italian families buying vats and vats of tomatoes, filling the trunks of the cars! I simplly couldn't resist and came home with this small 30+ pound bag of roma tomatoes. It took me about 4 hours of prep and 2 hours of cooking, along with the biggest plant of basil I have ever seen (it was as tall as Dumpling and as wide as Beach Ball!!!) to turn these tomatoes into a 10-container batch of homemade tomato sauce. We had it for dinner, it was delicious.

Corn is also in season. Beach Ball likes corn....

Meeee Keeeew!

it's now Day 5 and I'm happy to report that I have managed to wash my face morning and night every single day. Last night, I forgot. I was tucked in bed with the ipod, about to watch the first episode of The Tudors, but I dragged  my sorry behind to the bathroom and scrubbed. I haven't added the moisturizer yet because I haven't had a minute to go buy any.

Sooooo. Bionic Granddad is doing great and walked in the hallway today with a walker. He should go home this weekend. And Dumpling already likes her new school/class. It's not entirely new, as it is attached to the Synagogue where she attended the morning nursery program these past two years, and lots of the kids are the same kids. But it's in the Big Building, with the Big Kids. And parents can't go into the classroom. We bring them to their cubby and then say our goodbyes. She did OK with that. And she ate lunch at school today, for the first time ever. Surprisingly, she ate a good 75% of what I sent her. Sure, I started with hard boiled eggs and cucumber slices, something she would never turn down, but still, I wasn't there to coax her to eat it!

What isn't going so well however is Beach Ball and her reaction to her sister being gone half the day.... She is JEALOUS! She wants to go! the first hour after Dumpling leaves, all we hear is Meeeee Kew (that's School in BB speak). Me! KEEEEEWWWW!

Let's see how she likes it when we actually try to bring her next week!!!!