Oliver, detached for a while from the CPAP, August 29, 2008:
Saturday, August 29, 2009
What You Don't Know
This time a year ago we were a month away from bringing home Baby Ollie. But of course, we didn't know we were a month away. We didn't know if we were three weeks away or three months away. We hoped, but didn't know. We still had a meningitis scare, a brain bleed scare, some bedside tears, two bouts of mastitis and many nursing challenges ahead of us. Of course, we didn't know that, either. Which is good.
Oliver, detached for a while from the CPAP, August 29, 2008:
Oliver, detached for a while from the CPAP, August 29, 2008:
Peer Pressure
Big L returned from his birthday weekend (birthday morning photo at right) to start in a new preschool class this past week, moving up from "early preschool." We'll really miss his early preschool teachers, who were instrumental in keeping things "normal" for him during this past year. I'm sure they are feeling somewhat relieved at not having to repeatedly answer the question "Can we fix the light?"He moved up to the new class with several little pals from his previous class (including his buddy J), which has been helpful. Dropoff was pretty stressful this past week, as he kept marching to his old room and swinging open the door to go inside, and we had to tell him we were "just saying hi to the old gang" and then redirect him to the new room, where he was not at all happy to be left.
We have high hopes that the peer potty pressure will take a firmer hold in this class, where the majority of the class is potty trained. He has been making good progress at home (I'll spare everyone the details) but it's not a regular thing...yet. It's very uncharacteristic of me but I can't really work up much anxiety about this. I'm pretty sure he's not going to go to college in diapers. (Of course, now that I jinxed it by putting it in writing...)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sa-WHAT?
A few things I found very troublesome about last night's Top Chef. And this does not include the really, really unattractive cheftestants this year. I don't think they all need to be gorgeous but they also don't need to be distractingly unappealing. Don't any of them live near salons? Just a baseline of normal-looking would be completely fine. I mean, it's Bravo! Facials should be mandatory.
On to the culinary irritations:
Watermelon "carpaccio." Creating "twists" on dishes is only clever when it's...clever. I find myself mostly just annoyed at dishes like thinly sliced fruit called "carpaccio" and random things marinated in citrus and called "ceviche." Tofu "ceviche" = culinary fail, IMHO. This has happened before on Top Chef and has been equally annoying. Carpaccio is meat. Ceviche is seafood. And on that note, stacked-up food is not always "lasagne" and food rolled in other food is not always an "enchilada" and food on bread is not always "pizza."
Weird pronunciation of "ceviche." The first time I heard the cheftestant Jen call it "Sa-VEECH" I thought I misheard. Then she did it again. Please stop it. Even if that is correct in some remote part of Spain that only she has ever visited...please just stop.
I'm not a dessert technologist. I don't like panna cotta that much. But I respect that lots of people like it. So if I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT I suppose I would NOT MAKE IT when I'd already completed my initial dish. And I would NOT STIR IN BURNED BAY LEAVES. And then I would not stand in front of the judges and say "I'm not a dessert technologist" and "mistakes were made." The entire panna cotta situation was very odd.
Reading the blogs this morning I can see I'm not the only one baffled by the show so far this year. I'm sure things will improve.
On to the culinary irritations:
Watermelon "carpaccio." Creating "twists" on dishes is only clever when it's...clever. I find myself mostly just annoyed at dishes like thinly sliced fruit called "carpaccio" and random things marinated in citrus and called "ceviche." Tofu "ceviche" = culinary fail, IMHO. This has happened before on Top Chef and has been equally annoying. Carpaccio is meat. Ceviche is seafood. And on that note, stacked-up food is not always "lasagne" and food rolled in other food is not always an "enchilada" and food on bread is not always "pizza."
Weird pronunciation of "ceviche." The first time I heard the cheftestant Jen call it "Sa-VEECH" I thought I misheard. Then she did it again. Please stop it. Even if that is correct in some remote part of Spain that only she has ever visited...please just stop.
I'm not a dessert technologist. I don't like panna cotta that much. But I respect that lots of people like it. So if I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT I suppose I would NOT MAKE IT when I'd already completed my initial dish. And I would NOT STIR IN BURNED BAY LEAVES. And then I would not stand in front of the judges and say "I'm not a dessert technologist" and "mistakes were made." The entire panna cotta situation was very odd.
Reading the blogs this morning I can see I'm not the only one baffled by the show so far this year. I'm sure things will improve.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
An Open Letter to Mother Nature
Dear Mother Nature,
I feel like we've been here before. We've had these tough conversations. I still don't agree with the way you arranged breastfeeding. And at the risk of unearthing difficult situations, we certainly talked a few times about mastitis. Tornadoes have always perplexed me. Drought. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Well, I've never tried to pin that on you. That's our fault. Lima beans...I know you have your reasons.
And Mother Nature, I'm not trying to say you've never done anything right. Not at all. The sweet potato: nice work, seriously. Lobster: genius! And the snow days, I thanked you for all of those. Kittens. The New River. The Pacific. Peaches. We've had good times and I always gave you props.
But this most recent thing, I feel like I can't hide my feelings. What is the point of four minutes of rain? It hasn't rained in Austin in weeks. It's hardly rained all summer. The wind, the thunder, and then the four minutes of rain you delivered today. At the risk of sounding trite: WTF? It made a paste of the grass and dirt we call our yard. It blew a bunch of pollen around but didn't wash it out of the air. It didn't help. It was actually kind of disgusting. I'm just not getting it.
Mother Nature, I'm not so much angry as disappointed. I expected better of you, and I'm left confused. And I'm not sure I want to ask for a "sign" at this point.
Just hoping time will heal all wounds (unless they, too, are antibiotic-resistant).
Yours,
Amy
I feel like we've been here before. We've had these tough conversations. I still don't agree with the way you arranged breastfeeding. And at the risk of unearthing difficult situations, we certainly talked a few times about mastitis. Tornadoes have always perplexed me. Drought. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Well, I've never tried to pin that on you. That's our fault. Lima beans...I know you have your reasons.
And Mother Nature, I'm not trying to say you've never done anything right. Not at all. The sweet potato: nice work, seriously. Lobster: genius! And the snow days, I thanked you for all of those. Kittens. The New River. The Pacific. Peaches. We've had good times and I always gave you props.
But this most recent thing, I feel like I can't hide my feelings. What is the point of four minutes of rain? It hasn't rained in Austin in weeks. It's hardly rained all summer. The wind, the thunder, and then the four minutes of rain you delivered today. At the risk of sounding trite: WTF? It made a paste of the grass and dirt we call our yard. It blew a bunch of pollen around but didn't wash it out of the air. It didn't help. It was actually kind of disgusting. I'm just not getting it.
Mother Nature, I'm not so much angry as disappointed. I expected better of you, and I'm left confused. And I'm not sure I want to ask for a "sign" at this point.
Just hoping time will heal all wounds (unless they, too, are antibiotic-resistant).
Yours,
Amy
Monday, August 24, 2009
Five Things That Were Horrifying
Five things that were horrifying about our trip to Sea World.
1. 3.30 am Sunday after a fun evening of swimming and a picnic supper. Oliver wakes up squalling. We offer milk, which he takes. We put him back in the pack and play. He screams and screams and screams. Embarrassed that we are waking up the entire resort, we spend the next two hours picking him up and putting him back (which makes things worse). Logan is also up, as we are all in the same room. Poor Ollie is out of sorts, not used to the pack and play and overtired after a full day. Finally at 5.30 am, Larry takes to the streets of San Antonio, driving Ollie around the area to put him to sleep. It works and we all go back to a fitful sleep until 8 am.
2. The heat. This was no surprise. It was well over 100 degrees. All of us were drenched. However, nobody got sunburned. In our pale and freckled family this is a big deal.
3. Disinterest at the Shamu show. Logan spent the entire 25-minute show obsessing over a bottle of purple Gatorade and throwing Cheerios on the floor. The arena is shaded, so it was a good chance to get Ollie out of the heat and give him a bottle. The show is pretty corny, though, so it wasn't our favorite part of the trip. It's called "Believe," if you can imagine. I really thought Logan would like it because of all the splashing, but he couldn't have cared less about poor Shamu and his gang of killer whale friends. The jellyfish and dolphins were much bigger hits with him.
4. Alligators in hiding. I was interested in seeing Alligator Alley. The alligators were interested in being almost completely submerged in cool water with only their snouts showing. Thus, we spent 4 minutes staring at a murky lake before moving on. I realize #3 and #4 are more "annoying" than "horrifying."
5. Tummy trouble. Oliver has been home since our return with a tummy virus. I can't trace it back officially to Sea World, of course...
1. 3.30 am Sunday after a fun evening of swimming and a picnic supper. Oliver wakes up squalling. We offer milk, which he takes. We put him back in the pack and play. He screams and screams and screams. Embarrassed that we are waking up the entire resort, we spend the next two hours picking him up and putting him back (which makes things worse). Logan is also up, as we are all in the same room. Poor Ollie is out of sorts, not used to the pack and play and overtired after a full day. Finally at 5.30 am, Larry takes to the streets of San Antonio, driving Ollie around the area to put him to sleep. It works and we all go back to a fitful sleep until 8 am.
2. The heat. This was no surprise. It was well over 100 degrees. All of us were drenched. However, nobody got sunburned. In our pale and freckled family this is a big deal.
3. Disinterest at the Shamu show. Logan spent the entire 25-minute show obsessing over a bottle of purple Gatorade and throwing Cheerios on the floor. The arena is shaded, so it was a good chance to get Ollie out of the heat and give him a bottle. The show is pretty corny, though, so it wasn't our favorite part of the trip. It's called "Believe," if you can imagine. I really thought Logan would like it because of all the splashing, but he couldn't have cared less about poor Shamu and his gang of killer whale friends. The jellyfish and dolphins were much bigger hits with him.
4. Alligators in hiding. I was interested in seeing Alligator Alley. The alligators were interested in being almost completely submerged in cool water with only their snouts showing. Thus, we spent 4 minutes staring at a murky lake before moving on. I realize #3 and #4 are more "annoying" than "horrifying."
5. Tummy trouble. Oliver has been home since our return with a tummy virus. I can't trace it back officially to Sea World, of course...
Five Things That Were Awesome
Five things that were awesome about our Sea World trip:
1. Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch. Three minutes from SeaWorld, adjacent to the fancy Hill Country Hyatt but totally kid friendly and beautifully landscaped. Indoor pool, outdoor pool, lazy river for tubing, little general store for when you forget your toothpaste. Fridge in the room for Ollie's milk and washer/dryers down the hall. This would be a perfect staycation for anyone in this area. I anticipate we will return for a longer stretch. It was a total find. And the service could not have been nicer. I don't think I've ever had a front desk call my room just to be sure "everything was OK."
2. Dolphins. Logan did not want to feed them but was very interested in looking at them and insisted he be allowed to go swimming with them.
3. Coral reef exhibit. While we were looking at the sharks a Sea World employee actually came over with a shark jaw to show the kids and let them touch the teeth. Our child, of course, was much too busy jumping up and down on a bench to be educated but it was nice to have a little extra tutorial. She helped us identify some of the specific sharks in the tank (we were trying to find a blacktip shark but it was hard to see).
4. Water park. I didn't realize how large the Sea World water park is. There are slides (which Logan is too small for) and a huge wave pool; complimentary life jackets (makes it a lot easier to hold the kids when the vest is doing some of the work) and a shaded shallow pool perfect for Ollie. After a brief dip in the wave pool I took Ollie back to the shady area where he had a blast splashing, swim/crawling and flirting.
5. Both kids slept almost all the way home. Logan went to sleep at 8 PM and did not awaken until 7 the next morning (other than a brief waking in which he was easily convinced to return to bed).
Later this week: Five things that were horrifying about our Sea World trip.
1. Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch. Three minutes from SeaWorld, adjacent to the fancy Hill Country Hyatt but totally kid friendly and beautifully landscaped. Indoor pool, outdoor pool, lazy river for tubing, little general store for when you forget your toothpaste. Fridge in the room for Ollie's milk and washer/dryers down the hall. This would be a perfect staycation for anyone in this area. I anticipate we will return for a longer stretch. It was a total find. And the service could not have been nicer. I don't think I've ever had a front desk call my room just to be sure "everything was OK."
2. Dolphins. Logan did not want to feed them but was very interested in looking at them and insisted he be allowed to go swimming with them.
3. Coral reef exhibit. While we were looking at the sharks a Sea World employee actually came over with a shark jaw to show the kids and let them touch the teeth. Our child, of course, was much too busy jumping up and down on a bench to be educated but it was nice to have a little extra tutorial. She helped us identify some of the specific sharks in the tank (we were trying to find a blacktip shark but it was hard to see).
4. Water park. I didn't realize how large the Sea World water park is. There are slides (which Logan is too small for) and a huge wave pool; complimentary life jackets (makes it a lot easier to hold the kids when the vest is doing some of the work) and a shaded shallow pool perfect for Ollie. After a brief dip in the wave pool I took Ollie back to the shady area where he had a blast splashing, swim/crawling and flirting.
5. Both kids slept almost all the way home. Logan went to sleep at 8 PM and did not awaken until 7 the next morning (other than a brief waking in which he was easily convinced to return to bed).
Later this week: Five things that were horrifying about our Sea World trip.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Water Signs
Our 30-hour trip to SeaWorld was more of an "adventure" than a "vacation." Much too tired to post fully about the whirlwind day and night. Please enjoy these photos and my assurance of a longer post later in the week. This longer post may include the following words and phrases, not necessarily in this order:
- Shuffleboard
- Screaming inconsolably at 3.30 a.m.
- Gatorade
- Laughing Cow cheese
- Inner tube
- Heat rash
- Shamu
- Wave pool
- Spotted eel
Logan insisted on pushing his stroller. You can image that made for a speedy trip through the park.
Guess who enjoyed the Shamu show the most of all?
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Circus
Logan and I had incredible seats this morning for the Ringling Bros. circus. I haven't been to a circus in about 30 years, so it's hard to tell whether the circus has changed, or I have. It seemed a lot smaller than I remember (that's probably about me, not the circus). It also now has video, G-rated hip-hoppish music, a lot of Cirque de Soleil-type acrobatics and protesters outside.
Logan didn't beg for a single toy (although he was looking longingly at the swirly light thingies) or gross food item. After about 15 minutes sitting on my lap he went into his own seat and had a great time. Favorite acts were the motorcycle on the tightrope and the dog catching Frisbees.
Here's the view from our seats.
We were accompanied by Logan's friend J and his mom and J's older brother, whom both Logan and J worship. He is one of the nicest early-teen I have ever met. He can actually carry on a conversation and is terrific with the little boys, who obey him without hesitation. He gives me hope for the future. We tried to get them all to pose but there was a lot going on!
Logan didn't beg for a single toy (although he was looking longingly at the swirly light thingies) or gross food item. After about 15 minutes sitting on my lap he went into his own seat and had a great time. Favorite acts were the motorcycle on the tightrope and the dog catching Frisbees.
Here's the view from our seats.
We were accompanied by Logan's friend J and his mom and J's older brother, whom both Logan and J worship. He is one of the nicest early-teen I have ever met. He can actually carry on a conversation and is terrific with the little boys, who obey him without hesitation. He gives me hope for the future. We tried to get them all to pose but there was a lot going on!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Super Soakers
We put the boys in the tub together tonight without Ollie's baby tub. They loved it. Maybe the water made it easier or maybe he was just in a good mood, but Oliver pulled up to stand a few times on the side of the tub (with one of us hovering centimeters away).
Had a good visit with grandma and grandpa over the weekend, including a trip to the children's museum, where they have an awesome craft project and Logan was accidentally bopped in the head with a piece of one of the exhibits by a kid whose mom looked on placidly and didn't suggest that her child say "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry." It doesn't really matter whether you're at Wal-Mart or the children's museum...there are just all kinds of parenting "styles" out there. My rule is, I don't judge you until your kid hits mine with a piece of metal and you can't be bothered to respond.
Here, a book is read (I'm not sure who was reading).
Had a good visit with grandma and grandpa over the weekend, including a trip to the children's museum, where they have an awesome craft project and Logan was accidentally bopped in the head with a piece of one of the exhibits by a kid whose mom looked on placidly and didn't suggest that her child say "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry." It doesn't really matter whether you're at Wal-Mart or the children's museum...there are just all kinds of parenting "styles" out there. My rule is, I don't judge you until your kid hits mine with a piece of metal and you can't be bothered to respond.
Here, a book is read (I'm not sure who was reading).
Big Day for a Big Boy
Logan, do you know whose birthday it is on Sunday?
My birthday.
How old are you going to be?
I'm going to be three! And Ollie's one!
Three is a big deal, isn't it?
I'm a big deal. And Ollie's a little deal.
My birthday.
How old are you going to be?
I'm going to be three! And Ollie's one!
Three is a big deal, isn't it?
I'm a big deal. And Ollie's a little deal.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Wrapped Up
Another photo from the archives of this time last year. I actually found that little cap when I was cleaning out Oliver's drawers yesterday. I'd put it in a Ziploc and it smelled like NICU. Talk about sense memory overload. Sheesh. I almost said "Oh, no you DINT!" to the Ziploc when I got a whiff, but managed to pull myself back to reality and put it away.
By the way, not trying to make people sad or anxious by posting these photos. Look at big fat Oliver now (and these fellows and this guy) and clearly what I'm providing here is a record of good things in the world.
By the way, not trying to make people sad or anxious by posting these photos. Look at big fat Oliver now (and these fellows and this guy) and clearly what I'm providing here is a record of good things in the world.
Web 2.0 Parenting
For those of you no longer dealing with babies, here's how we Web 2.0 parents communicate when the one-year-old wakes up at 2 AM struggling for air with a cough that sounds like a seal barking and does not respond to the nebulizer or a steamy bathroom. What did we do before text messaging? What did we do before cell phones??
3:39 AM: We're here*. Checked in and waiting. Pulse ox** 96.
3:39 AM: Oh, boy. You were right to take him please text when they see him.
4:02 AM: Lungs are clear. Seems to be from the throat up.
4:58 AM: Good.
Anyway, Oliver is fine after a day home with Grammy. I thought we would not be worrying about croup until winter but evidently it is still possible to develop a "croup like cough" in summer. Oh, Ollie!
*Dell Children's.
**Pulse oximeter, measures oxygen saturation in blood.
3:39 AM: We're here*. Checked in and waiting. Pulse ox** 96.
3:39 AM: Oh, boy. You were right to take him please text when they see him.
4:02 AM: Lungs are clear. Seems to be from the throat up.
4:58 AM: Good.
Anyway, Oliver is fine after a day home with Grammy. I thought we would not be worrying about croup until winter but evidently it is still possible to develop a "croup like cough" in summer. Oh, Ollie!
*Dell Children's.
**Pulse oximeter, measures oxygen saturation in blood.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Things That Should Not Have to Be Said
Things that should not have to be said (but are):
- Kitty does not like strawberries.
- Baby brother does not go in the laundry basket.
- Baby brother does not go in the dryer.
- Baby brother does not go in the dishwasher.
- What do you mean, "Let's go clean the wall?"
- We do not have black ice cream.
- Cheese is not for playing.
- "Water" with olives is just for Mommy.
Interactive blogging! Add your own!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Memory Lane Is Kind of Rocky
Went to Central Market to pick up lunch today and passed by a few people in scrubs. This is normal for Central Market at midday because Seton, the Heart Hospital and many medical buildings are nearby and of course, St. David's is five minutes away. Seeing people in scrubs gave me a momentary jolt as I was transported back to the times I would stop by on my way home from my afternoon NICU shift to make sure we had. I'm amazed Central Market isn't totally ruined for me as an experience. I'm pretty sure I will never eat Rold Gold pretzels again, for example. The sense memory connection of opening the bag, which I would often eat as a snack when the nurses kicked us out for rounds, would be overwhelming.
Even more jarring is the photo folder on our home computer. Our digital photos are saved by date, so as I save new photos I'm now seeing all of the ones from exactly a year ago.
Even more jarring is the photo folder on our home computer. Our digital photos are saved by date, so as I save new photos I'm now seeing all of the ones from exactly a year ago.
Monday, August 3, 2009
A Well Check Goes Well
Ollie's well check went very...um, well. He's in the lowest percentiles for weight and height, but at least he's on the chart! His lil' noggin is in the 50th percentile.
Dr. P said there were "no neurological red flags" and that he looked "perfect." He also said "good work to Mom and Dad!" which made me love him just a little.
We are cleared to move him to whole milk, which will be such a relief. No more smelly formula, no more mixing bottles. Although I have to say, thank you, Neosure and then regular Enfamil, for helping us make sure Ollie got what he needed. You were worth every penny.
We are also OK'd to have Ollie's skin tags checked out. We will probably start with the ENT who did Logan's tubes. I'm sure there will be many updates on that.
Dr. P said there were "no neurological red flags" and that he looked "perfect." He also said "good work to Mom and Dad!" which made me love him just a little.
We are cleared to move him to whole milk, which will be such a relief. No more smelly formula, no more mixing bottles. Although I have to say, thank you, Neosure and then regular Enfamil, for helping us make sure Ollie got what he needed. You were worth every penny.
We are also OK'd to have Ollie's skin tags checked out. We will probably start with the ENT who did Logan's tubes. I'm sure there will be many updates on that.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
The Big Well Check Is Tomorrow
Baby Ollie has a big day tomorrow: his 1-year well check. For term babies this is a pretty standard appointment, of course. For Ollie, well, it's a little bit of a big deal because we'll get an official read on how much he's "caught up" and if there are any red flags we need to worry about.
I don't think there are. I think he's doing great. Even though he is not quite hitting 1-year milestones, he is making steady progress. Nonetheless, it will be a long time before I can shake the "expect anxiety" feeling of Oliver's medical monitoring and thus I am remaining cautiously optimistic.
Things I hope to discuss:
Switching to whole milk. Since I weaned Ollie in May he's been on formula for two months. It's stinky and expensive and I'd love to be done with it. But, if we need a few more months, that's OK.
The ear tags. Oliver was born with skin tags near his ears. This is not uncommon, although it was a little scary. Skin tags near the ears can be a signal of kidney problems, the NICU docs told us--with Ollie that was not the case. We had two of them removed in the doctor's office about 6 months ago. The others are more complicated and will require surgery. We agreed we didn't want to put him through anything like that until he was at least 1, so tomorrow I will probably get a referral at least to have someone take a look and tell us what's what.
I don't think there are. I think he's doing great. Even though he is not quite hitting 1-year milestones, he is making steady progress. Nonetheless, it will be a long time before I can shake the "expect anxiety" feeling of Oliver's medical monitoring and thus I am remaining cautiously optimistic.
Things I hope to discuss:
Switching to whole milk. Since I weaned Ollie in May he's been on formula for two months. It's stinky and expensive and I'd love to be done with it. But, if we need a few more months, that's OK.
The ear tags. Oliver was born with skin tags near his ears. This is not uncommon, although it was a little scary. Skin tags near the ears can be a signal of kidney problems, the NICU docs told us--with Ollie that was not the case. We had two of them removed in the doctor's office about 6 months ago. The others are more complicated and will require surgery. We agreed we didn't want to put him through anything like that until he was at least 1, so tomorrow I will probably get a referral at least to have someone take a look and tell us what's what.
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