Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Why, hello!

Pookie still likes to get up for middle of the night feedings.  On a good night, he gets up before I go to bed.  On a bad night I have just fallen asleep.  The other night he had woken up around midnight.  I picked him up and brought him into the kitchen.  Over the sink we have a mirror.  I know, it's a little awkward, but it comes in handy from time to time.  As I am moving through the kitchen, Pookie sees his reflection in the mirror.  He perks up, smiles and then waves.  As if to say, Oh, your up too?  So good to see you here.  Isn't a good time to have a midnight snack?  See you tomorrow night, same time?  Okay, bye!  My funny little guy!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is over, the house is a mess and I'm in my comfy cloths.  Life is good!  Everyone has really outdone themselves this year.  My in-laws like to give us our gifts before the 25th, even though we go to their house for Christmas day.  That way we can open our presents at home and not have to lug everything from one house to another.  This year we spent Christmas Eve at Rob's aunt and uncle's home.  Normally we spend it with my side of the family, but things got a little reorganized this year.  As we were leaving on Christmas Eve, my father-in-law transferred gifts from his car to ours.  He was a little concerned that they weren't all going to fit.  After he finished, he let us know that there were more gifts at their house.  Holy Cannoli!  How many gifts did they get?  All in all, it wasn't too bad.  My in-laws showed a lot of restraint in buying Pookie gifts.  The thing that I got the biggest chuckle out of was when my mother-in-law was opening her gifts and telling Rob that he had spent too much money.  Kettle.  Pot.  Black.  That's all I have to say about that!


Pookie opening a gift

If you press it, it makes noise!

Pookie had a great time opening gifts.  Although, by the end of the night, he was on a toy overload.  Poor kid, he just didn't know what to do with himself.  I got him a rocking moose from IKEA that seems to be a big hit with him.  The rocking moose is a little to big for him, but that's something that he can grow into. 

Daddy and Uncle helping Pookie open a gift.
By the way, Pookie is in a Christmas sweater that his Godmother picked out for him.  She likes to say it's an ugly Christmas sweater, but I think it's adorable!  I think both my guys looked very snazzy in their sweater vests!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Pookie, no!

I get a chuckle out of Rob and Pookie's interactions.  Pookie, as I have mentioned quite a few times, gets into everything.  Especially the stuff that you don't want him to get into.  That really is part and parcel with being a baby/toddler and exploring the world.  Rob really hasn't figured out yet that you have to redirect Pookies attention, when he is getting into something.  If you replace what Pookie wants to get into with something else that is even more interesting, then Pookie won't get into so much trouble. 

I've been closing doors so Pookie won't get into something that I don't want him to.  If Pookie is playing and Rob is in the office, I will encourage Rob to keep the door closed, so Pookie will stay out.  Well, earlier, Rob was keeping Pookie entertained for a minute so I could get dressed in peace.  Floating from the office I hear:
Pookie, no.
Pookie, No!
POOKIE, NO!
I peek around the corner and Rob has Pookie sitting on his lap.  The two of them are watching a video of a truck plowing snow and Pookie is trying to attack the keyboard.  It was hard to keep my laughter to myself.

The Check-out Lady

Pookie likes to make an impression on people.  He has managed to win over one of the check out ladies at the grocery store.  In fact, this particular lady (let's call her COL) has come back from break slightly early, just so she could ring me up and see Pookie.  Or Blue Eyes as she likes to call him.  COL not only remembers Pookie's name, she also remembered that I needed to ship packages back to Michigan.  This lady has quite the memory!

Now that Rob has finished the fall clean-ups, he has a little more time on his hands.  For someone who has finished the season, he is a really busy guy.  I have decided to take advantage of the fact that Rob is home a little more often.  Which means that I get to leave the house, by myself!  Woo Hoo!  That makes me feel foot loose and fancy free!  I get to do things, like grocery shopping, by myself.  Yay!  Two weeks ago I went shopping without Pookie.  I happened to get into COL's line and she was rather saddened that I had left Pookie at home.  I promised her that I would bring him the following week. 

Here I am, battling crazy holiday shoppers, with Pookie in tow.  Off to go grocery shopping.  Pookie spent a good deal of time trying to get out of the cart.  One day he is going to fall on his head and crack it open.  Although, Pookie will probably land on his feet.  He's that kind of kid.  COL was so excited to see Pookie and Pookie was quite excited to see COL.  In fact for the entire duration of checking out, Pookie was trying desperately to get out of the cart.  They had quite the love fest going on. 

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dinner, KABOOM!

Dinnertime is generally a hectic time in our household.  Pookie likes to be nursed around 5pm, which puts a small kink in my dinner making plans.  Especially considering Rob is hungry by about 5:30.  My goal is to get Pookie situated and dinner on the table by a reasonable time.  Some days are better than others.  Today, Pookie has been a little picky about what he is eating.  I can understand, finger foods generally feel different from their pureed format.  For dinner, I was making taco's for Rob and myself.  Pookie doesn't like rice, and I thought the taco's would be a little too spicy for him.  So, I figured I would make him something different.  Stop and Shop had these really cute little mini sweet potatoes.  They are just Pookie sized!  I stuck one in the microwave to heat up, while I cut up some blueberries for Pookie.  Pookie is a little on the fence about blueberries, but considering the list of red foods that he is having problems with, I'm trying to push the blueberries. 

I striped Pookie down.  That way I wouldn't have blueberry stains all over his cloths.  I plunked him in his chair, and gave him the bowl of blueberries.  I turned around to work on dinner and I heard a crash.  Apparently, Pookie had enough of the blueberries, and sent them flying.  As I was picking them up off the floor, I smelt something funny.  Yep, it was the sweet potato.  I turned around to see the microwave.  It was filled with smoke, with a plume wafting towards the ceiling.  Oh No!  I popped open the microwave, turned on the blower, turned on the ceiling fan, opened the door and flung open the window.  I turned to the microwave and pulled out this sad little potato.  It was shriveled up and smoking from one side.  It looked so sad.

With the sweet potato down the garbage, I went to the fridge and pulled out leftovers.  I re-heated some beef and vegetable potpie and gave it to Pookie.  Who proceeded to cover himself with it.  Then decided to play his favorite game of peek-a-boo, using his bib.  That was covered with bits of food, so every time he pulled it up to cover his face, food went flying.  Rob and I have decided that we need to install tile and a floor drain in a corner so we can just hose Pookie down when he finishes eating.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Checking it twice...

You may have noticed, I really love Christmas.  Not just December 25th.  I love the whole holiday season.  My jump off point is Thanksgiving.  I almost feel that Thanksgiving dinner is a relaxing day before jumping feet first into the madness that is the Christmas season.  It's not just the retailed up Christmas day, I love Advent and St. Nick's all the way through to the Epiphany.  For those of you who are not familiar with those three things, Advent is a liturgical season.  December 6th is the feast day of St. Nicholas, in many cultures it is a celebrated day.  When I grew up in Wisconsin, our neighbors introduced my mom to St. Nick's as a way to get the Christmas list from the kids and leave a little something in the stockings in return.  Some people use shoes instead of stockings.  Then the Epiphany is the 12th day of Christmas, when the Wise Men finally show up to visit Jesus and his parental units.  Traditionally Christmas is supposed to be celebrated from Dec. 25th through Jan. 6th.  However, because everyone is so burnt out from seeing Christmas decorations sense sometime in September, Christmas is done by about 6pm on the 25th.  (Okay, I'm done with my history lesson.)

This year I am determined to get my shopping done relatively early.  Especially with Pookie in tow.  Plus, I need to mail stuff out, and it would be nice if things actually made it to there destinations by Christmas.  I don't have the excuse that I'm working in retail this year.  So the other day I took stock of what I had purchased already and figured out what I still needed to get.  I realized that my list was a little longer than I thought.  Oops.  The best day to go shopping is Tuesday, because Tuesday's are the quietest day of the week.  So I shoved Pookie into his car seat, and off we went.  Poor kid, I had him all over the place.  Anytime he squawked, I would give him a snack.  That seemed to appease the crankiness.  After dragging him to at least 8 different stores and about 6 hours later, we finally made it home.  I am almost all done, I just need two more items and I am all set.  I just need to wrap up the goods and make a trip to the post office, and I am good to go.  My hubby on the other hand, has one gift.  The one I bought for myself and told him to give to me from Pookie.  I'm not too worried, Rob is an excellent Christmas Eve shopper!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Tree hunting


Pookie thinking that this is rather fun!

My husband's family has the tradition of cutting down your own tree, followed by lunch.  Seeing as it's Pookie's first Christmas, Rob was especially excited about getting a tree.  Our living room isn't very big.  And, I will admit it, we have a lot of furniture in the living room.  I've put the tree in different parts of the room, trying to figure out what spot works best.  This year, I have decided to squash the tree in a corner.  That way Pookie has fewer opportunities to pull it over.  Also, I can put a baby gate in front of it, if need be.  The corner that I put the tree in, isn't very big.  So before going to the tree farm, I gave Rob dimensions that the tree can not exceed.  Generally you have an idea of how big a tree you would like.  But when you actually get to the farm, all sense of space disappears.  Then you end up with a tree that over takes the room! 

This year I made sure Rob knew that we were looking for a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  Of course, when I find the perfect tree, I hear faint grumblings of are you sure that's not too small.  Nope, it's perfect!
Our tree

Our tree all done up
 I decided to have a kid proof tree this year.  Well, as kid proof as you can make a tree, that is.  I made the garland as well as some of the ornaments.  Most of the ornaments are made of either felt or yarn.  However, I did make some out of orange slices.  It almost looks like stained glass if there is a light behind it.  I think that is pretty nifty!  I did go through some of the ornaments that I already had and I purchased a few others to get the look I was going for.

So far Pookie will go up to the tree and pat it.  I don't think he really knows what to make of it.  He really likes the lights though.  There is a section at the bottom that he keeps pulling down.  Then at night I tuck everything back into place. 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Swish

Pookie likes to try to eat anything that he can find.  Considering Rob tracks in a lot of debris, Pookie has options to chose from.  I try to stay on top of vacuuming, but Pookie will inevitably find that one thing that I missed.  The other day he was chomping on something.  So I swished my finger through his mouth to get out what ever he was attempting to eat.  Now that Pookie has acquired teeth, it is becoming increasingly difficult to swish out items.  I thought I did a good job trying to locate the item, but I was unable to find anything.  I figured that he had swallowed whatever it was that he was chewing on.  Pookie proceeded to give me a look.  Nothing like that look of ha ha mom, I pulled one over on you.  Then reached into his mouth and pulled out a twig.  Thank you, Pookie. 

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Stuff

Everyone comes with stuff.  I sometimes think that it would be wonderful to get rid of all my stuff.  But there are some things that just hold so much sentimental value, I have a hard time letting go.  When I moved to the greater Boston area almost nine years ago, I only brought what I could fit in my car.  There were several boxes that got left behind.  Things that had sentimental value, but that I didn't need right away.  Over the years I was able to pick some of it up.  But there were several boxes and a trunk that were in the a attic.

Over the past few months my father has been busy re-doing the half-bath downstairs.  Somehow this project triggered his need to re-wire the house, and while he was at it, he decided to wire for ceiling fans in the bedrooms.  When he went up into the attic, he noticed my boxes, and not knowing what they were, he pulled them down.  After realizing that they were mine, he so thoughtfully decided to mail them to me, the week of Thanksgiving. 

Considering these boxes were packed to be stored, not shipped, there were several items that were broken.  I can deal with broken chotchkies, and even some of my ceramic bowls that I made in college.  The thing that got me was my doll house.  My mom put it together for me.  It took her two years to put it together.  She would work on it for a little while and take a break.  The doll house was in a box that was too small for it, to begin with.  Then to ship it half way across the country, did it in.  Rob told me that he could try to put it back together for me.  Unfortunately, it is broken beyond repair.  I almost wished that my father had just thrown it all away.  After all, it is just stuff. 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Zoo!

Pookie and I meet up with two of my friends to go to the Franklin Park Zoo.  I have never officially been inside the zoo, and I was rather excited to go.  K wanted to see the exhibit of baby red pandas.  They are only on exhibit for a few hours during the day.  Let me tell you, they are ADORABLE!  While we were there, the zoo keepers were baby-proofing the exhibit.  I find that hilarious.  Apparently they can climb up, but they don't know how to climb down yet.  That sounds rather familiar.  Pookie will get himself somewhere, and not know how to get out.  I guess baby's are baby's and get in sticky situations regardless of what species they are.  The poor mama red panda was tucked away in the enclosure.  I don't think she was too happy to be so separated from her babies.  One of the zoo keepers shared a lot of information about the red pandas.  It was kind of fun being able to ask questions, and get extra info.

We also got to see the gorillas.  There was some form of a class going on when we first went to see them.  As we were watching the gorillas, I was telling my friends how Pookie had turned to eating cardboard.  Especially now that I have limited his amount of wood intake.  The lady who worked for the zoo piped up that sometimes the gorillas will eat cardboard.  Basically, wood pulp is part of their diet, and cardboard is wood pulp.  Just in a corrugated format.  Yum.  I guess a little corrugation never hurt anyone. 

Over all we had a fun day, even if it was a little chilly out.  I was kind of bummed that the giraffes weren't out.  We are going to have to go back during the warmer months to see everything that was closed due to weather. 

Friday, November 18, 2011

Oop's

Today I needed to run a few random errands.  I like to keep a pouch of baby food in my bag for when Pookie gets hungry.  I like mango's or the spinach, mango and pear combo from HappyBaby.  Both of those are fairly liquidus and Pookie can suck it down like a smoothie.  It helps that the pouches don't take up a lot of room in my bag.  With both the mango and the spinach combo, I don't need to worry about having a spoon with me.  For the most part, they are fairly mess free.  Although, sometimes Pookie likes to "help," and squeezes the middle.  In that case, mango get's everywhere. 

I pulled into the Target parking lot and Pookie was getting a little restless.  So I figured I would hop in the back seat and feed him lunch.  I fiugred while I was feeding him his mango's, I would unbuckle him.  Give him a little more wiggle room.  Pookie thoroughly enjoyed his mango's, and he sucked it down in no time.  I figured he should be safe enough while I grab the stroller and get everything set up.  I got the stroller all situated and I walked to the front passenger seat to grab my bag.  As I go by, I look in the back seat window, and there is Pookie.  Standing up and waving hi.  Oy vey.  He sat down so I could open the door to get him.  I don't think I will be making that mistake again.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Making a list

I have a list of things to do, and I have until December 24th to get them done.  Luckily, I'm no longer working in retail, and I actually have some time to get things done.  Well, as much time as someone with a 10 month old can have.  There is some debate about where Thanksgiving will be celebrated this year.  Whether it should be here or up north.  If it is up north, I need to head to IKEA sooner rather than later, so I can by a crib.  Seeing as the last time I tried to put Pookie in his bed, he fell out, I would prefer not to have a repeat.  On Sunday, I started to create a list of what needs to happen, and in what order.  I realized that a trip to visit Santa was in order.  I figured that I better bring Pookie there before the end of November.  That way Santa has ample time to work on Pookie's request.  Tuesdays are generally the slowest day of the week in retail, so today was the day!

I packed Pookie up and off to the Mall we went.  I'm rushing along because I want to beat out any after school crowd.  I really didn't need to worry because there was no line.  Go figure.  I wheeled Pookie up to where Santa was sitting, and I got a slightly panicked look from the photo lady.  Followed by "is he a crier?", as long as Pookie can see me, he is good to go.  I plunked Pookie on Santa's lap, stood in my designated spot, and Pookie behaved himself.  (Yay!)  He didn't smile, but the photo lady got a great shot of Santa and Pookie looking at each other.  Of course by the time we got to the sales portion of things, Pookie was all smiles.  He was charming the ladies that were helping us with our pictures. 

Part of the package that I got, was a stuffed bear.  No, I don't want the bear, but it comes with everything else.  I have no use for yet another stuffed toy.  I know down the road, we'll be inundated with them, but for right now, forget it.  I figured I would just donate it to Toy's for Tot's.  We get home and I pile up the bags on a kitchen chair, with the bear on top.  Pookie goes over, pulls over the pile, grabs the bear, and heads for the hills.  By the time I catch him, he has started chewing on the bear.  Pookie has decided that the bear is his new favorite toy.  It looks like we have a new acquisition. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Ode to a stinky dog

I am not a pet person.  Well, that's not totally true.  I like low maintenance pets.  Like fish or a tortoise.  I like cat's too, but I'm allergic to them.  I am not a dog person.  I never have been, and I don't think I ever will be.  I like other peoples dogs.  It's kind of like other peoples kids.  You go over, play with them for awhile, rile them all up and then go home.  I should say that I don't want the responsibility of owning a dog.

However, my wonderful honey-pie, came with a dog.  It's like a step-child, only furry, on four legs and without the baggage.  I almost didn't date Rob because he had a dog.  I then thought that it probably wouldn't last, so I thought why not.  Go figure.  It's now almost five years later, with a kid to boot.  Bailey is a pug.  He's so ugly he's cute, the stinky little thing.  The pooch and I have come to an understanding.  He doesn't pee on the floor on my side of the bed, and I make sure he's taken care of.  We've had our ups and downs, but we tolerate each other fairly well. 

Bailey had had tumors on and off for the past 8 years.  The latest one is about the size of a large biscuit on his shoulder.  A few weeks ago it, for a lack of a better word, burst.  I've managed to jerry rig a bandage with a couple of socks.  Luckily Rob has quite the collection of socks.  Bailey is really good during the bandage changes, but you can tell he's in a lot of pain.  Rob finally decided it's time to put Bailey down.  He made an appointment for Friday.  Rob finally realized it was time, when he took Bailey outside over this past weekend.  When Bailey was done with his business, he laid down in the snow.  Bailey, the pooch who doesn't like to be either cold or wet, decided that a small snow bank was a nice place to plunk himself.  That spoke volumes. 

It's funny, now that Bailey's time with us is coming to an end, I'm feeling the loss.  No, this does not mean that I want another dog.  It's just when you have something that's been part of your life for the past 4 1/2 years, you are going to miss it when it's gone.  This is definitely the right decision.  All I can smell when I walk into the house is blood and something unhealthy.  To bring Bailey outside is a process, to say the least.  You can tell that he is in a lot of pain.  I must say, that through all of this, Bailey has been wonderful with Pookie.  With all of the poking and prodding that Pookie does, Bailey just looks at him and when he's had enough, he moves.  He's had a wonderful 12 years with Rob and now it's time to go to the big farm on the flip side. 
  Goodbye pooch, you stinky dog, you'll be missed.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Over the river

Seeing as it was a beautiful day out, and there won't be too many left like today, I decided to take Pookie and go for a walk.  Not just around the block.  I decided to run errands.  Growing up we only had one car.  More often than not, my dad had it.  Every so often we would drop him off at work so mom could use the car.  Generally if mom and I needed to go somewhere it was either on foot or by bus.  Seeing as my mom like to go for walks, we went on quite a few adventures on foot.  Well, in my case I was in a stroller or back-pack carrier, until I got big enough to walk along.  The two of us had quite a few adventures going on those walks. 

I love the fall weather.  Over the summer it was too hot and humid to go very far.  But the crisp air has been calling to me.  I've been trying to get out as much as possible.  Lately I have been thinking about the walks that my mom and I went on.  Why can't Pookie and I go for those long rambling walks, too?  For the most part we have been making laps around the neighborhood.  If I'm feeling fancy, I'll pack us up and go around Hond Pond.  But as I was making laps around the neighborhood on Sunday, I started getting a little itchy.  There are a few shops relatively close by, why not venture forth.  Today I needed to run some errands, so I figured I might as well walk there.  I packed lunch and a few snacks for Pookie and away we went. 

There were a few places where the sidewalk disappeared.  But for the most part it was smooth sailing.  I took my time, went to a few stores and decided to get lunch.  It was great.  Pookie loves looking around, I got some exercise and my errands got done.  As I was walking along, I found a small stream that is near my house.  I have traveled that way every day for work, and I have never noticed it.  Nothing like a small wake-up call about stopping to smell the roses. 

When Rob got home from work, I told him what Pookie and I were up to today.  He was astounded to find out where I had walked to.  I had to remind him that when I worked at the bookstore, I was on my feet all day and I probably walked further than that on a regular basis.  Just making loops around the store, doing my job.  Now that I've set out on one errand seeking walk, I'm planning out the next one.  Hopefully I have awhile before the snow sets in and I head to the mall to get walks in.  Although there's nothing like window shopping...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

What IS that?

Pookie apparently has a thing for "older" ladies.  Pookie managed to grab the attention of a rather cute little girl a week or so ago.  Pookie and I were attending an event at a relatives house.  There were a lot of people from the husband's side of the family there.  Kids were running amok, it was great!  But this one little girl thought Pookie was just the bee's knees.  She wanted to hold him, and play with him.  I must say, she was an excellent helper.  As the day went on, she announced that Pookie had done peepee's in his pants.  Considering it had been a while sense I changed him, I felt that she was spot on.  So, I got my self all set up, plunked Pookie on the floor and proceeded to change him.  Of course the little girl wanted to get in on the action.  As I was going along, she piped up, "what is that?".  Um, ya, about that.  I'm thinking to myself, what in god's green earth do I say?  Should I go the anatomically correct route?  Or should I go with something else.  The last thing I want is the parent to come up to me asking what I have been teaching the little girl.  Ugh.  Luckily for me, the little girl saved the day.  She piped up "is that his private parts?", you betcha!  I got out of that one by the skin of my teeth!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Cool mom on the block...?

Who doesn't want to be the cool mom?  Driving the snazzy SUV, dressing appropiately cute, and trying not to embarrass the kids too badly.  I will freely admit, I have done something I feel is a little silly.  Rather practical, but still a little, well, floofy.  I got Mommy Cards.  They are basically business cards, but have all of your contact info on them instead.  This way, if you are out an about, you don't need to worry about finding a pen and paper.  You can just whip out one of your cards and it has all the pertinent information on it.  In reality, business cards derived from calling cards.  If you went to call on someone and they were not at home, you would leave a calling card with your name on it.  Frankly, I'm not sure if the mommy cards fall under the category of "cool mom" or not.  But they are rather cute, if I do say so myself.
 
Rob and I were in the car driving along, and we were discussing my new vehicle.  One day I will get a new car.  I don't know when, but someday.  There has been a lot of debate over the kind of vehicle to get.  I'm thinking long term, when we have 3 or *cough* 4 *cough* kids and we are going on a road trip and need space.  Or just the thought of the kids and a friend or two driving around town.  I need a big car.  I was thinking along the lines of a Suburban.  Rob's thinking Tahoe.  As we are driving along we see a Escalade ESV, which is the equivalent to the Suburban.  I told Rob that maybe that's the car I should get, because after all, he does want me to be the coolest mom on the block, right?  I think he is still laughing over that one. 

Regardless of what happens, I will completely blow any chance I have at the "cool mom" status because I will be the lady shouting "GIVE ME A KISS BEFORE YOU GO!" followed by "I LOVE YOU!  HAVE A GREAT DAY!".  Oh, and don't forget about using spit as a cleaner.  Let me just get a little spit on a kleenex (that I have tucked up my sleeve), and I'll clean you right up.  Oh, Pookie has no idea what's instore for him! 

Friday, November 4, 2011

Lion, ROAR!

Pookie loves to growl.  It's quite funny actually, to hear this little person growling.  We were at the grocery store, checking out and I think Pookie had hit his limit for the day.  He was sitting in the cart growling.  The cashier, who was a teenager, thought it was hilarious.  He asked if we taught Pookie to do that.  Nope, he just started it all on his own.  

For Halloween, Pookie was a lion.  The costume was a little too big for him.  When the hood was up, he had problems seeing.  The poor thing would run into things.  It was quite funny to watch!  After I had a chuckle, I would fix it so he could see again. 
Where are the kids?
The funny thing was, he refused to growl while in costume.  The one time when it was completely appropriate to growl, and nothing.  Rob and I were both growling at Pookie, trying to get him to do it back.  Pookie just stared at us, like we were off out rockers.  That's generally the way, when you want someone to do something, they don't.  Rob brought him to a couple of the neighbors houses to do Trick-or-Treating.  Apparently he was quite the hit.  I managed to pass out most of the candy.  I think over all it was a rather successful Halloween!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

My little Beaver

Apparently I'm not giving Pookie enough fiber.  He has decided that gnawing on wood should be a new staple in his diet.  He got his first 4 teeth in during the middle of September.  One morning I went into his room to get him and he had all these brown flecks on his face.  He had chewed about a foot long section of the crib railing.  My beautiful crib, it forever will have Pookie's stamp on it.  When I got him from his afternoon nap there was another section further down that was gnawed upon.  Ugh.  So I decided to get crafty and came up with this.
Yep, those are Rob's socks tied in knots all the way down the railing.  Luckily Rob has quite the plethora of socks.  I then proceeded to go on Amazon and order covers for the railing.  You can kind of see the one on the back railing.  They are made of a soft brown material that is tied onto the railing.  It's not going anywhere, any time soon.

Now that I have taken the crib railings away from Pookie, he has had to find new ways to sneak wood into his diet.  He has gnawed on the kitchen table, his high chair and a poor polar bear.

I looked over and Pookie had white flakes from the paint.  Thank god the paint is non-toxic.  Then last but not least, we were trying out the Little Gym, where we live.  One of the exercises was to have the child grab hold of the bar and help the child swing on it.  Only Pookie decided it looked yummy and did a chin-up and started gnawing on the bar.  I don't think he left teeth marks in it though. 

I'm thinking for Christmas to get Pookie blocks of wood.  That way he can gnaw to his hearts content.  I was thinking of getting a piece of 2x4 and cutting it up and sanding the pieces.  I don't want to buy a block set, because I know Pookie will gnaw his way through it. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Applesauce

Last year I had a plethora of apples left over from apple picking, so I decided to make applesauce and can what I hadn't eaten.  Oh, the brilliant ideas you get while pregnant!  I bought all the equipment and made the applesauce.  I ended up with 6 large jars of applesauce, barely enough to get passed around to the family.  This year we got a bushel of apples, I figured I would use small jars to make the applesauce go a little further.  What I didn't count on was the fact that Pookie is allergic to apples, which means that I can't eat apples.  This is very sad.  I rather enjoy apples and I love applesauce!  Do to the fact that only a few of the apples were eaten, I had a TON of apples to make sauce with.  So many apples in fact, I was able to make three different versions.

waiting to be sliced up

all the cores and peels

My little "helper"

before

after

water bath

lids

versions 2 & 3

My mom wasn't thrilled with the amount of spice in last years version, so I made a mild one for her.  Then Rob's grandpa can't have sugar, so I made a plain one. 

Filling the large pot for the water bath was entertaining.  I can't fit in in the sink, so I have to fill a jug with water and dump it into the pot.  It was quite a juggle at the end, because everything needs to remain hot for everything to work, and only two of the burners work on the stove-top.  Let's just say I got very creative.  Rob was wonderful at keeping Pookie occupied while I was busy.  Especially considering the entire process took so long.  Rob was very thoughtful and suggested that we order out for dinner that night.  A suggestion that I eagerly agreed with!  I completely underestimated the time that this would take.  I kind of forgot that I twice as many apples from the year before!  The good news is, I have enough to spread around this year!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

My little monster

I love my wonderful little boy.  Except, I really should have made his middle name Trouble.  Seeing as he gets into EVERYTHING.  This past weekend, Pookie and I went up to the Shack with my aunt and uncle and their highly energetic dog, Max.  Max's name should be Trouble, too.  Both Max and Pookie were into everything, and of course they want to spend quality time together.  Too bad that Max is a highly energetic boxer that is about four times the size of Pookie, and he likes to lick, and bounce.  You know how Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, bounces?  Maxwell, bounces.  Really, it's kind of funny to watch.  Although with Pookie on the floor, it's a bit disconcerting.  That's why my aunt requested that I bring the play-pen up with me.  Although by Sunday, Max wasn't too bad, he had calmed down quite a bit. 

Pookie and I had a wonderful time.  The only glitch was the fact that Pookie refused to sleep in his bed.  I wasn't able to get a crib when we went up in August, so we got a toddler bed.  But now that Pookie can pull himself up, we have a bit of a problem.  Then to add in the fact that Pookie still hasn't developed depth perception yet, that caused another bit of a problem.  The first night that we were there, I plopped him in bed.  Of course he fell out and landed on his head.  And landed right in front of the door to boot.  Ugh.  It's a good thing Pookie has a hard head.  So I thought about it, and figured the safest thing was to have him sleep with me.  It actually worked out quite well.  Naps, however, were horrendous.  Luckily we decided to go out and about, and Pookie ended up sleeping in the car.  I'm going to have to figure something out for the next time we go, because this isn't working.  I did try to have Pookie sleep in the play-pen, but that didn't work.  I think mainly because it was in the middle of the living room.  Maybe another trip to IKEA is in order.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Topsfield Fair

Over the weekend we were able to go to the Topsfield Fair.  People put so much time and energy into growing and caring for the animals and vegetables.  It's nice to see people put pride into their work.  My favorite part is seeing the horses.  Oh, and the Kettle Corn is really yummy, too.  Which is only to be outdone by the fried dough.  One of the things that I really miss about the Midwest is the bratwurst.  Whenever you go to a cookout or a fair there is always brats and sauerkraut.  In New England all I can find are Italian sausage with peppers.  I know, it's a regional thing.  Plus, I know I'm completely dissing my Italian heritage, but I don't like Italian sausage.  It's the anise seeds, I'm not a fan of licorice.  I had a very yummy pulled pork sandwich to make up for the missing brats! 

Pookie had a wonderful time.  We almost didn't make it, because I pushed back his nap so he would sleep in the car.  That led to a rather frustrated hubby and a cranky baby.  Good thing the cranky baby was taken care of by a nice nap in the car.  Pookie was a real trouper.  He only fussed once at the fair, and that was because he was rather hungry.  Pookie had a great time looking at all of the animals.  He got to pet a Clydesdale horse, named Jay.  We then went on to check out a goat with really small ears.  Then at the end of the day we got to watch the six horse hitch finals.  Pookie got a real kick out of seeing all the teams going by.  I'm not sure if he was more excited about the horses or the sea of people.  Pookie loves to people watch!

I think the most wonderful thing about the fair, was the nursing mothers' lounge.  I don't mind feeding Pookie in public.  Pookie however, has different plans in mind.  He has the attention span of a goldfish and he gets distracted very easily.  Which makes feeding him a bit of a pain.  I was kind of excited about checking out the mothers' lounge, I'm not going to kid you.  It was rather basic, with padded bench seating and it was hot as hades in there.  One of the really wonderful things was the lady standing outside, making sure that you were going in to nurse and keeping the guys out.  The thing that really wowed me however, was the table with handmade bears on it.  There was a sign above the table saying to take one for the baby, as well as one for any siblings of the baby.  That completely restored my faith in humanity.  Lord knows how many of these bears were made.  One of the other mom's said that this was her third time using the lounge, and the first time she actually saw bears on the table.  I grabbed one for Pookie.  It's nothing fancy, but it makes me smile every time that I look at it! 

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Deck the halls!

I love Christmas!  It is my absolutely favorite time of the year.  Well, holiday wise, that is.  Because Fall is really my favorite time.  Nothing like the cool days and crisp nights.  Ooh, and apple picking with cider doughnuts.  Yum!  I digress...  I was thinking big thoughts while brushing my teeth the other night.  I come up with the most interesting ideas while brushing my teeth.  I started thinking about the holidays, and how they were quickly approaching.  Then I realized that Pookie gets into EVERYTHING, and I figured that I better come up with a battle plan now. 

I have started with the stockings.  I love my stocking.  It is hand knit, with my name on it and a Santa going down a chimney.  My grandmother had a friend who made them, so all of my cousins, my brothers and I have matching stockings.  There is a lot of history with that stocking.  Rob has a stocking from his childhood, it's much simpler than mine.  I started looking for a stocking for Pookie, and then I got thinking.  Maybe we should all get new stockings.  Something that coordinates.  I went onto Pottery Barn Kids, and found three very cute stockings and had our names put on them.  I went with something where new designs come in, but the overall line has been around for awhile.  That way as we add onto our family all the stockings can coordinate!  See, I'm thinking ahead.  Also, I thought the stockings were reasonably priced.  That way if I do change my mind about the design, I don't feel bad about getting new ones. 

I then realized that Pookie is really on the move, and gets into EVERYTHING.  The tree needs to be baby-proofed.  I have started to think about how to tether the tree to the house.  I don't think that Rob will really like any of my ideas on that subject.  Seeing as they involve a masonry drill bit, and holes in the fireplace.  So I came up with Plan B: to have soft, indestructible items on the tree.  I had a brilliant idea for making garland, that will use up some of my yarn stash.  I have also been looking for basic templates to make ornaments from.  This is going to be a home-style Christmas tree this year!  I am so excited about it!  I'll have to post pictures of the finished product!

Monday, October 3, 2011

My favorite time of day

I am a night owl, through and through.  I love being up at night.  It's calm, the world is quiet, and I feel like I can think.  I come up with some of my best ideas while brushing my teeth.  Mornings on the other hand, are horrible.  I don't want to talk to you, everything is a blur and everything is too loud.  Anyone I have ever lived with knows to give me a wide birth in the morning, and not to talk to me.  I will not answer you.  I might grunt at you though, if what you have said requires some form of response.  I don't really wake up until 10 am.  There is a visible shift in my personality that happens then.  It's quite remarkable.  All of a sudden, I'm more awake. 

Seeing as I have a 8 1/2 month old, my schedule is on it's head.  Luckily, Pookie is a night owl like me.  Things could be a lot worse!  So, all of those hormones that are currently wreaking havoc on my life.  Some of them actually come in handy with the whole, "being a mother" bit.  One of the benefits that I've noticed, is the ability to wake up out of a sound sleep and the smallest peep out of Pookie.  Followed by the ability to be rather intelligent at those 4 am wake up calls.  Biology helps you out in really funny ways. 

I have almost come to love the middle of the night (aka early morning) feedings.  The house is quiet.  Everyone is sleeping, except for Pookie and me.  The only light is coming from the small light over the sink.  Everything is calm.  I feel like we are in this bubble.  Sometimes Rob is just getting up as Pookie and I are going back to bed.    Pookie is sleeping through the night on more of a regular basis.  There are still some nights that he might wake up once or twice.  But sometimes he sleeps right through.  Because those middle of the night feedings are becoming slightly less frequent, I am cherishing them more.  Now, of course now that I've said this, Pookie will be up all night for the next week!  I know that the day will come when the night feedings stop completely.  It will be nice to have uninterrupted sleep.  However, until that day arrives, I will try to enjoy the ones I have left. 

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Warning!

Pookie had a small procedure done last week.  He's doing well, and no, I am not going into details.  Mainly because I am somewhat upset over it, and I feel very stupid for being upset.  Also, there are some things that really don't need to be broadcasted to the world.  There are some general details that I don't mind sharing however.  Pookie had to go under general anesthesia to have this procedure done.  Of course I have to sign my life away before anything can be done.  It's astounding how many doctors and nurses you come into contact with.  I was talking to a doctor that I thought was an anesthesiologist, but he was actually assisting Pookie's doctor.  Go figure.  I got sent back to the waiting room while the procedure took place.  Luckily for me, a friend and her little girl came with me to help keep me occupied. 

After the procedure was finished and Pookie was waking up, I was brought back to the recovery area.  One of the lovely nurses was going over all the information that I needed to know.  I had a few questions, and to help answer them, the nurse pulled out an envelope.  Before taking out the contents, the nurse warned me that the images were of a graphic nature.  Now, not for nothing, I have a fairly strong stomach.  The visual doesn't do me in.  It's the smell.  In fact, I have no idea how I got through high school Biology, because I was dry-heaving every couple of minutes.  I was really good at dissecting things though!  By the end of the year, my lab partner was just laughing at me!  In addition to having a fairly strong stomach, I happen to be going home with a baby that has just had this procedure done.  I will be having to look at something of "a graphic nature" for the next couple of weeks while it heals up.  Not only am I going to have to be looking at it, I'm the one who's taking care of it!  People crack me up! 

Pookie has been healing well.  It has been fun times in our household, between Pookie's teeth coming in and the after effects of the procedure.  Tylenol has been my friend!  Luckily Pookie is really good about taking medication!  Pookie is going back to see the doctor in a week to get everything check out.  We are going to have to go into Boston for this appointment, so this should be interesting!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Ooh, somthing shiny!


I have no attention span.  I used to have one, then I became pregnant with Pookie.  Everything flew out the window at that point.  I used to be able to multitask.  At my old job at the bookstore, I needed to be able to do several things at once, and do them all well.  If I do say so myself, I was rather good at my job.  Outside of work I tried to keep the multitasking to a minimum.  I was so fried from doing it at work, I needed a break at home. But I still had an attention span.  Then I got knocked up.  By the time that it got rather bad, I was obviously pregnant, and I couldn't go three sentences without talking about food.  I still was good at my job, but not quite as good as I used to be.  I didn't care too much, because I knew I wasn't coming back after my maternity leave.  It also helps that people give pregnant ladies a lot of extra slack.


Then I had Pookie.  Any bit of brain I still had left, decided to take a vacation.  I can't seem to keep a straight thought in my head.  If someone is talking to me, I have to stop everything that I'm doing to pay attention to what they are saying.  Otherwise, forget it.  Rob makes fun of me because I will pause the TV if he is talking to me.  I keep telling him that I am trying to pay attention to what he has to say, and the TV is too much of a distraction.  It drives me nuts when I am trying to get Pookie to latch on and Rob is telling me something important.  I can only do one thing at a time.  Otherwise, if I have to prioritize, Pookie is coming first.


To top it all off, I'm forgetting things.  I know I'm sleep deprived.  I get very cranky when I don't get enough sleep, and I haven't gotten enough sleep in over 8 months.  The sleep deprivation is a component, but I'm blaming a lot of this on Mommy Brain.  There is a constant stream of: Where's Pookie, is he okay, does he need to be feed, when is the last time he ate, is his diaper wet, what is he getting into, is he bothering the dog, is he getting into the ant traps, is he getting into the trash, are his teeth bothering him, does he need a nap, what is he pulling him self up on, what is he grabbing for, what trouble is he getting into now?  That is a lot of things to think about all at the same time.  I know it crowds out some of the other thoughts in my head.  I like it when he's asleep, because it narrows the thoughts down to, is he asleep yet and is he awake yet?


Speaking of things forgotten.  We went out to dinner tonight.  Pookie had a long day and his nap schedule was completely off.  We sat in a booth at the restaurant and the had this booster seat contraption instead of a regular high chair.  Pookie spent most of the night rummaging through my bag.  We get home, and wouldn't you know it, Sophie the giraffe is missing.  Luckily the restaurant found it, so we just need to pick it up.  But to top it off, while we were at dinner, I was looking though my bag for the snack container.  I couldn't find it.  When we got home, I went searching, and I have yet to be able to find it at home.  Good lord only knows were it is.  Hopefully it will turn up soon.  It's a rather cute snack container.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Tactical Errors

Things have been a little crazy in our household.  Pookie's teeth are coming in.  Seeing as Pookie likes to do several milestones all at once.  Both the top two and the bottom two teeth are coming in.  All at the same time.  Ugh.  One night he woke up 6 times.  I ended up bringing him into my bed, just so I could get a little sleep.  I think all together I got about 3 1/2 hours of sleep that night.  The next morning I realized that I had made a tactical error.  Pookie was waking up because his nose was so clogged, he couldn't breath.  I pulled out the humidifier and put a pillow under Pookie's mattress and Pookie was good to go.  He's slept beautifully sense I have done that! 

When I went grocery shopping last week, I thought it was a good idea to buy teething biscuits.  I couldn't remember the brand that my mom used, so I got Earth's Best teething biscuits.  Which was tactical error number two.  When Rob, Pookie and I sat down for dinner that night, I gave him a biscuit to chew on while Rob and I were eating.  After chewing on it for a few minutes, Pookie proceeded to take a chunk off.  I got part of the chunk, but he swallowed the other half.  Then proceeded to choke on it.  I know how to do the Heimlich maneuver on babies, and luckily I didn't have to use that skill.  I went on to give him a Mum-Mum, which is a rice cracker that melts in your mouth.  Pookie proceeded to choke on that as well.  Then for dinner I gave him a stage 3 meal.  Which has chunks of food in it and was tactical error number three.  Pookie is used to inhaling the pureed baby food.  He was rather thrown off by the larger pieces of food, and proceeded to choke his way through his dinner.  I gave up about half way through and gave him regular sweet potatoes.  The funny thing is I give him small bites of food off my plate and he never has a problem with that.  Oh well.  I'm chalking it up to a texture thing.  After dinner was over, I decided to try one of the teething biscuits.  They were actually quite yummy.  I think they would be great with a cup of tea or coffee to dunk them in.  I don't think anyone would realize what they are if they were artfully arranged on a nice plate! 

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Visitors

The other day I looked out my window to see a visitor in my back yard. 


A rather cute groundhog.

And a bunny.

At least now I know what's eating my plants.  I have decided to name the groundhog Larry.  I think he looks a lot like a Larry, but that's just my opinion.  In addition to Larry and the multiple bunnies, we also have a turkey and her three babies.  The momma turkey walks with a limp, but she seems to do okay for herself.  I get a chuckle out of the wildlife that traipse through my back yard.  I live in a rather suburban area, but there is some open space behind our yard.  We get quite the variety of wildlife. 

In other happenings, I visited the store that I used to work.  I needed to return a book that I borrowed from a co-worker of mine.  She had lent it to me while I was still pregnant.  Seeing as Pookie will be 8 months on Sunday, the book really needed to get back to it's owner.  I completely lucked out, because as I was getting out of my car, I ran into N.  Excellent, that meant I didn't have to go into the store.  However, because I hadn't visited in a while, I decided to go in.  There is no such thing as a quick in and out.  Over an hour later Pookie and I finally made it out of there.  The funny part comes in when my friend decided to take Pookie and tease another co-worker with him.  As they departed I was looking at the paperbacks.  About a minute later I could hear this high-pitched screaming.  Holy Mackerel, it's my child.  I go booking it for the breakroom and L comes rushing out with Pookie, who is not only crying but has tears running down his face.  What happened?  Did you pinch the baby?  Nope, apparently Pookie was fine until L handed Pookie over to the other co-worker.  Then Pookie lost it.  Yep, that's my child.  Happy as a clam as long as he can see me.  As soon as I go missing, forget it. 

It was really nice being back at the store for a visit.  In a way, I really miss working there.  I miss seeing new people on a daily basis.  Hearing my co-workers stories.  Having that comradery of having to deal with crappy customers.  On the other hand, I don't miss having to deal with those same crappy customers.  Or having to meet various goals.  Or trying to juggle three things at once.  I will say that with the juggling, I could always call someone else to help out.  While now, I'm juggling and back-up isn't always there. 

Speaking of back-up, Rob was having issues today.  We went out to dinner tonight.  As I was getting Pookie's stuff together, Rob was being helpful and changed Pookie's diaper.  Well, considering that Pookie is now 8 months old, and is a very active little boy, diaper changes have turned into a sport.  How quickly can Pookie's diaper get changed with the minimal amount of damage?  He tries to roll one way, he grabs for the curtains, he decides to have an itch where the sun doesn't shine and, oh, don't start on the leg kicks.  Add a poopy diaper on top of that, and you can have quite the mess on your hands.  I'm in the kitchen and all of a sudden I hear Rob yelling followed by Pookie crying.  So I go down to investigate.  Calm Pookie down.  Calm Rob down.  Dispose of the poopy diaper remains and return to the kitchen.  Not a minute later, I hear Pookie crying again.  Go back down to investigate.  Now Rob is trying to snap Pookie back up.  I calm Pookie down, then calm Rob down and everything gets soothed over.  We finally make it to the car and as we are driving to the restaurant, Rob is explaining that he is cranky.  I reminded him that he is the adult and Pookie is the baby.  Unfortunately that means that as the adult, we need to remain calm so the baby remains calm.  I also reminded him that Pookie is teething and is more cranky than usual.  I gave him some tips to make diaper changing easier and he apologized that he yelled at Pookie.  The important thing is that Pookie had a clean diaper, regardless of how it got there!  I have to give Rob a lot of credit.  He works some crazy hours and doesn't get to spend as much time with Pookie as he would like.  The time that the do spend together is generally play time.  Rob doesn't get a lot of the day to day practice with things like bottles, diapers and clothing changes. 

Monday, September 12, 2011

Pearly whites

Pookie is working on his first tooth!  Now in addition to getting into everything, he can start to leave his mark where ever he goes.  Last week was a rough week all around.  Rob is self employed.  That has a lot of perks as well as some headaches.  Last week was quite a headache for Rob.  Generally when one person is cranky, the crankiness spreads it's self around. Needless to say, there was a lot of crankiness going around our house last week.  Normally Pookie goes to bed sometime between 9 - 10 pm.  I aim for 9, but some days it's a little later.  This past week, there were some nights I would put him down and the crying would escalate.  I would feed him again and put him back down.  At this point it would be closer to 10:30.  Pookie then would wake up at 11:20, which is fairly normal for him.  But to top it all of he would wake up sometime between 3 - 5 am.  At first I thought that Pookie was just picking up on that crankiness, then he started chewing on my finger.  I soon realized that his crankiness was from a tooth trying to come in.

All in all, Pookie hasn't been too bad so far.  There have been a couple of episodes that he was really irked.  But on the whole, we've been lucky.  Now, of course because I said the above statements out loud, things should start rolling downhill shortly.  Generally once you say something about your child, they go and prove you wrong. Hopefully Pookie won't try too hard to prove me wrong.

Earlier today Pookie had a rough time waking up from his nap.  Rob came in with me to get him.  As I was opening the curtains up he grabbed Pookie.  Because Pookie seemed more irked than usual, I decided to give him some baby Tylenol.  As I was giving the Tylenol to Pookie, Rob said, "why are you still giving that to Pookie?"  "What are you talking about?" I replied.  Apparently Rob thought that the Tylenol was another medication that we had been giving to Pookie and was completely confused as to why I would be giving it to Pookie now.  Nope, I'm just trying to make Pookie feel better, and maybe not be quite so cranky.  Here's hoping anyways!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

All by myself!

Everyone needs a little time to themselves every so often.  As an introvert, I crave it.  Good thing I'm a night owl.  After the guys go to bed, I have some time to myself.  This is great for catching up on Facebook and emails.  The challenge comes when I need to get out of the house by myself.  Rob works generally 6 days a week and has erratic hours.  My MIL is great and can help out here and there.  It's just trying to mesh schedules together.  I've found that sometimes it's just easier to bring Pookie with me rather than trying to find someone to watch him.  It's gotten to the point where in my dreams I'm toting him along and I get worried if he's not there.  This has lead to some crazy dreams!

Today I got lucky.  I went out of the house, by myself, and got a mani and a pedi!  Rob and I are going to a wedding on Saturday, so I got the shellac on my nails.  Shellac freaks me out.  But it lasts for two weeks, which is wonderful.  Especially considering that I generally mess up my mani about 5 minutes after I have left the salon.  It felt so wonderful to get out of the house all by myself.  To only carry my cell phone, wristlet and keys.  Pure heaven.  Normally I have Pookie on one side, the diaper bag on the other.  Maybe a stroller to boot.  Oh, and don't forget trying to get ready to leave the house.  How is the diaper supply?  Do I need to bring some form of solids for Pookie?  Do I need a bottle?  Do I have appropriate toys to keep him occupied?  It can be an ordeal to get out of the house. 

Part of being a good mom is being a happy mom.  As one of my aunts likes to tell me, it's very important to take time for one's self.  She's 100% right.  How can I properly take care of another person, if I'm not taking at least a little time for myself.  Everyone needs a break, especially from something that is 24/7.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love Pookie with all my heart.  It's astounding how much you can love another person.  I think one of the best things about getting out of the house by myself is when I come home.  To see the joy and happiness on Pookie's face, it makes everything worthwhile. 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Magnet Baby?

It never ceases to amaze me the kind of attention that Pookie receives.  I think that he's adorable, but I'm his mom.  Of course I think that he is the most beautiful and wonderful baby out there.  For some reason I find it almost odd the amount of attention that he receives.  Not only from adults, but from other kids.  The kids like to check Pookie out.  The adults like to comment on how cute and well behaved Pookie is.  I know a lot of it has to do with the fact that he's a baby.  Every body loves babies.  Well, not everyone, but most people. 

As it was a holiday weekend, we were out and about.  There was a cookout on Saturday that we went to.  As I found out, Pookie does not seem to like grass that much.  I don't think he knows what to make of it.  Whenever we've been out side I've always put him on a blanket.  This time I figured that because Pookie's on the move, he wouldn't stay on the blanket.  Silly me.  Beach blankets were brought out and they saved the day!  There was a little girl that decided that Pookie was adorable, and came over and played with him.  Her little sister made her way over too.  The two girls were adorable!  Their mom came over and told them to be gentle with Pookie.  She told me to send the girls back over to her if they were too disruptive.  I told her not to worry, seeing as Pookie is a rough and tumble kid.  He'll be fine.  The younger of the two girls wandered back and forth, but the older one had a ball with Pookie and his toys!  She was a little sad when I had to pack up.  I'm not sure if it was because Pookie was leaving or Pookie's toys were going.

Today we went for a drive to Gloucester.  We then went to Essex and had dinner at Woodman's.  I had a very yummy lobster roll.  Pookie being his usual charming self, ended up holding hands with a guy standing next to out table.  Luckily the gentleman was a good sport about it!  As we were eating dinner, there was a little boy that came over and wanted to say 'hi' to Pookie.  He proceeded to get into the booth and stare at Pookie with a smile on his face.  After a minute his mom came over to retrieve him.  Apparently the little boy had been eyeballing Pookie for a little while.  Rob was impressed that it took him that long before coming over.  Things like this definitely keep going out to dinner entertaining! 

Sunday, September 4, 2011

The ants go marching...

We have had a small infestation of ants going on.  This drives me nuts.  When my family was living in Wisconsin, we had an infestation of carpenter ants.  The Orkin man came on a regular basis, but they were never able to find where the nest was located.  After a rather long period of time, the ants decided to find a new home.  This experience really made me hate bugs in the house.  I don't think it helped that the Orkin man told me how carpenter ants can bite, and he mentioned how in one case they got into a babies crib and bit the baby.  Ugh!  I am prone to nightmares as it is, and this sent me over the edge.  I had nightmares of ants invading my bed and carrying me off. 

All homes have ants from time to time.  Apparently, they find my house rather enjoyable starting in July and going into September.  We have a few different kinds of ants.  They come in various sizes.  I'm not worried that we have carpenter ants.  But they are beyond annoying.  We have sprayed around the house and set up ant traps where we find them the most.  But I generally end up having to kill several during the day.  Pookie has gotten in on the act.  The other day he was scooting around.  Well, he sat on one and squished it.  Score one for Pookie! 

The danger comes in the ant traps themselves.  The other night I was chatting with Rob in the living room.  Pookie had scooted into the kitchen and I could hear him playing with his bowl and wooden spoon.  Then things got quiet.  You know what quiet means.  The child is getting into trouble.  Well, Pookie had an ant trap in each hand and had decided to try to gnaw on one.  I grabbed Pookie, popped the ant traps out of his hands and rushed him to the bathroom to hose him down.  While I was doing that Rob cleaned up the mess.  Don't worry, Pookie didn't ingest any poison.  Or at least there haven't been any side effects.  Hopefully he didn't eat any ants, but as my mom said in an attempt to reassure me, "it's just a little extra protein."  Yep, thanks mom.  I know that there are much worse things that Pookie could eat, other than ants.  Hopefully he won't get any bright ideas!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Baby Olympics

I really think that the Olympics should add a baby division.  Who can properly diaper and clothe a child the fastest?  Who can feed a baby solids with the least amount of mess and the most food in the mouth?  Then there should be the car seat dash.  Which would involve getting the baby into the car seat, picking up the baby in the car seat and running to the car and then properly installing the car seat in the base.  Oh, and don't forget the save the baby sprint.  That would involve sprinting to a baby that was reaching for something harmful.  The Olympics could have a whole sub-division called the Mommy Games.

Rob is always amazed at my ability to diaper Pookie while half asleep.  This, however, is not always a good thing.  This morning I was having a few technical difficulties and I could have sworn that Pookie was awake.  I was out of bed and to the hall before realizing that Pookie was still sound asleep.  However, Rob was getting ready for work.  He thought I woke up to make a pit stop to the bathroom, but was surprised that I turned around and headed back to bed without making a pit stop.  I'm sure one day he'll find me making a bottle and trying to give it to the dog.  I think as long as I'm not trying to nurse the dog, everything will be okay.

Speaking of the dog.  He's been having accidents in the house.  Again.  I mentioned to Rob that we could cut a hole in Pookie’s diapers for the tail and put them on the dog.  Rob didn't think that was too funny.  Although, they do make diapers for dogs.  Maybe we should invest.

(I'm sorry this post isn't very cohesive.  I really need to get more sleep!)

As an aside.  I just wanted to update everyone about the hurricane.  On Sunday Rob decided that he needed to go to Dunkins to get himself a coffee and sandwich.  He was very thoughtful and bought me munchkins.  I was impressed that Dunkins was open, but Dunkins is always open.  Rob likes to get coffee from them when he's out plowing during the winter.  Then Rob decided that his truck was in need of a bath and washed his truck.  (Rob washed it in the garage.)  We never lost power.  Although there was a brown out for all of 30 seconds, in the middle of the day.  There are some downed branches and leaves everywhere.  There are some tree limbs that need to be looked at, but technically they are not on our property.  It's city owned.  More than likely Rob will take them down.  There was some tree damage in our neighborhood.  But I don't think there was anything too severe.  Where we live is like a bubble.  We get weather, but the bad stuff goes around us.  Considering that there is almost nothing I love more than a good storm, this does sadden me a little.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Chicken, anyone?

Now that Pookie is on the move, he has started to terrorise the dog.  Bailey, the dog, and I have an interesting love/hate relationship.  I put up with him, he puts up with me.  I am not a pet person.  If I do have a pet, it's more along the line of a tortoise, bird or cat.  Cats however, I am rather allergic to.  I am to dogs as well, but to a lesser extent.  On the whole, I'm not a big fan of dogs.  I almost didn't date Rob because he had one.  But then I didn't think we would end up married with a child either, but that's another story.  My mom is terrified of dogs, so I have cultivated a healthy distance between dogs and myself.  I tolerate Bailey because he's Rob's dog.  Bailey is 12, so there may be another year or two still in him.  Now that I have all the animal lovers out there cringing, I'm sorry about that, back to the story.  The other day was very busy.  I vacuumed, made a few phone calls, brought Bailey to the groomers, went to see Rob at a job site, got a tour of a house, went grocery shopping, picked Bailey up from the groomers, got gas for my car, and went to Babies'R'Us.  Luckily Rob was home by the time I got back.  He was a doll and brought in the groceries while I feed a very hungry Pookie.

When I go grocery shopping, I like to pick up a roasted chicken.  I love roasted chickens!  One, I don't have to touch raw chicken, and two, I can get two dinners out of one chicken!  I'm all for that!  Whenever I'm cooking, Bailey likes to sit near me in hopes that I will drop something.  Nothing like a free snack.  Well, Pookie likes to be close to me as well.  Sometimes even sitting on my feet.  Pookie has started to try to pet Bailey.  Bailey will put up with it for a while, but other times, not so much.  Well, Pookie decided to go for Bailey's tag's on his collar.  Bailey didn't think too much of that, so he went to my other side.  Unfortunately for Bailey, that was a bit of a tactical error.  He was sitting between a shelving unit and the cupboards, and there wasn't a lot of space to maneuver.  Of course Pookie had to go over and start playing with the tag's again.  So to try to prevent a bit of a disaster, I took a few pieces of chicken and put them in Bailey's bowl.  For an old dog, Bailey can move very quickly when he wants to.  By the time I took the three steps to get to the food dish, Bailey was right there waiting for it and then it came.  CRASH!  Followed by the ear-piercing cry.  I turn around and there is Pookie, splayed out on top of the cooling racks.  The cooling racks live on the shelving unit.  I swoop up Pookie, trying not to get chicken bits on him, and calm him down.  I'm not entirely sure what happened.  My guess is that Bailey decided to go over Pookie as apposed to around him, taking out the cooling racks along the way.  Never get between Bailey and food!  I have no idea what I'm going to do once Pookie starts eating Cheerio's.  Especially considering that Cheerios's are Bailey's treats. 

Friday, August 26, 2011

Channeling

When I moved to Massachusetts, I lived with my paternal grandparents, Louise and Vic.  They were a funny pair.  They had gotten into that rhythm that happens after two people have been together for years.  It drove me nuts if I had to be a passenger in a car with one of them driving.  Vic would be driving, Louise would be in the passenger seat, and I was in the back, with my eyes closed.  I had very good reason to keep my eyes either closed or adverted.  Louise would look to the right and say "all clear".  Vic would look to the left and say "all clear" and Louise would say "GO".  Mind you, Vic was the one driving.  Ugh.  I was in the back saying Hail Mary's, hoping that my number wasn't on the call list at the pearly white gates.  I don't know how they managed it, but they never got into an accident. 

The other day Rob and I were driving along.  I was driving and Rob was in the passenger seat.  We came to an intersection and I asked "all clear?", to which he replied "yep."  Holy mackerel, I'm channeling my grandparents.  As a side note, I did double check to make sure no one was coming from the right side before going.  However, I've noticed that it's not just that.  There are other little things.  Random stuff.  I didn't even notice some of it at first.  One of my aunts pointed out a few things.  I know part of it is when you live with people for an extended period of time, you pick up their habits.  It just makes me chuckle knowing that in several years Pookie and his siblings will be in the back seat saying Hail Mary's.  Hoping that their parents don't crash the car.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

100 years

My Grandpa turned 100 years old yesterday.  Could you imagine, being alive for that length of time?  Think of all the things that he has witnessed in his lifetime.  The thought of living that long is almost mind boggling to me.   If I lived that long, I would be seeing the tail end of the 2070's.  For some reason, I can't get past the date 2020.  Anytime after that I feel is like Science Fiction.  Something that is outside of my lifetime.  Something that you can only find in books.  Maybe this is just part of getting older.  I hope I live a long life.  I always tease Rob about being old farts together.  I'm looking forward to the scooter races around the nursing home.  I'm sure his will be all suped up with a nitrous boost.  But mine will be pretty.  Maybe a lovely shade of pink, with a cute basket. 

The very wonderful thing about Grandpa's birthday is that all 5 of his children are there.  That doesn't happen too often, I think the last time that happened was when my Grandma passed away.  The siblings were all together for my wedding, but Grandpa wasn't there.  I would have loved to go down to be with him for his birthday.  However, that wasn't in the cards.  I was talking to Rob this evening, and I had mentioned how wonderful it would have been if the entire family could have gotten together.  I don't think that has ever happened. 

I definitely feel connected to Grandpa.  Pookie was born on what would have been my Grandma's 100th birthday.  Pookie is named after her father, well, his first name that is.  It's funny how things cycle around.  Grandpa is a very clever and resourceful guy.  I hope Pookie has managed to inherit at least some of those genes!  A cousin of mine had her baby at the beginning of August.  My aunt was joking with her about how wonderful it would be if she could have held out until the 23rd.  Seeing as she was due at the beginning of the month, that would have been quite the stretch.  No one wants to go past their due date, especially at the end of the summer!  It would have been very nifty if both of the babies born this year landed on both of my grandparents birthdays! 

Monday, August 22, 2011

Mommy Brain

Pregnancy Brain was tough.  All I could actually focus on was:
1. Where is my next meal coming from?
2. Where is the closest bathroom? 
Fortuitously for me, my good friend Amy was pregnant at the same time I was.  We had long conversations about what we had for breakfast and lunch, and then what we were planning on for dinner.  We talked about what are co-workers were eating, and what we had been craving that day.  Through out my entire day, food was constantly on my mind.  Oh, and don't get me started on snacks!  Yum, snacks!  I found it hard to focus on anything because all I could think about was when I was going to be able to eat again.  Rob would have to wait until I finished eating if he needed to tell me something important.  I don't know what he found worse.  My obsession with food, or having to go the bathroom every 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.  I didn't really care, because as I've mentioned, all I could think about was food and the bathroom. 

I had hoped things would get better after Pookie was born.  No such luck.  It's just moved onto Mommy Brain.  I can't seem remember anything if I don't write it down.  The funny thing is, I don't really care.  Well, maybe a little.  As one of my aunts said, "You are so focused on your child, there isn't that much room left over for other thoughts."  She has a very good point.  For example, is Pookie awake or asleep?  If he's asleep, is he still breathing, is it too warm in his room, how much longer is he going to sleep for, I think I heard a noise emanating from his room is he waking up and how much time do I have until he's fully awake?   Then if he's awake, is he hungry, is he poopy, is his diaper wet, does he want to play in the Jumperoo, does he want to play with his toys on the floor, is he pulling the dog's tail, what did he just put in his mouth, where did he go he was just by me a second ago, OH MY GOD HE'S BY THE FLOOR LAMP!  Is he going to get brained by the lamp, the coffee table, the TV, the plant, the bookcase, the fill-in-the-blank?  As an FYI, the floor lamp is broken and is not very stable.  I'm on the market for a new one.  Also, there are all the bumps that come along.  The more tired Pookie is, the more he falls over.  This is fine on the carpet, but wood floors can be hard.  Then to top it all off, he is trying to pull himself up using the furniture.  Luckily Pookie has only been successful with that endeavor twice, and both things he used were somewhat low to the ground.  However, he tried pulling himself up using the sofa and that resounded in a large crash.   

You may ask why I'm going on about this.  Well, I had a thought for a post this morning.  I thought it was rather witty.  Do you think that I have any clue as to what it is now?  Um, that would be NO!  I have completely forgotten what it was.  Hopefully I think of it tomorrow.  It's bugging me that I can't think of it.  Hopefully one day I'll have my brain back.  I miss it.  Maybe I'll get a postcard from wherever it's having a vacation.