Fuzzy Love

Bad, Bad Mom

Guess what was the toy of the day today at the park?

So it's too bad I was only able to read up to page 6 of the newspaper today. It's also too bad I don't watch TV in the mornings, or listen to a radio. Instead, today I got the weather report the way I always do: by looking out the window. I mean, come on, this is flatland Colorado. It's sunny. It's always sunny. And the temperature is usually pretty much the same as yesterday's (at least in my world). The gist of all this is that I had no idea that record-setting highs were expected as Liam, Olivia, and I set off for the park to meet friends. We even wore coats.

Here are the friends, dressed appropriately:

Actually, Tiffany's little jacket came off shortly after this picture was taken (Tiffany is the mom). She had on a tank top underneath. You see, temperatures reached 77 degrees today, and that's shorts-wearing weather. It was hotter here today than it was in Miami.

We were at the park for over two hours. I packed lots of water and some snacks and made Liam walk there (and back, although he kept sitting down on the way back because he was tired). He looks tired doesn't he?

So he had a good long nap. And woke up looking like this:

I did not take a picture of what Mark looked like when he saw Liam's face.

And I know, bad mom! I don't believe I let this happen to his perfect skin! I got a sunburn too, but it isn't nearly as bad as his, not because he is more fair, but (I assume) because my skin is older and has had many burns before. Olivia, at least, was kept in the shade.

Nosebleeds, Band Aids, and Giant Babies

Last night Liam woke up about ten o'clock with a nose bleed. Of course we didn't know that at first; he was yelling for me and crying, so I went up to investigate. Let me tell you, there is nothing like seeing your child's face covered in blood to stop your heart and get your brain going a mile a minute as you try to figure out what possibly could have happened to him in the two hours he'd been upstairs sound asleep. Well, it was only a nose bleed and, after cleaning him up and calming him down, Liam went right back to sleep. But then Liam had another one this morning that lasted a long time, so, in my typical paranoid fashion, I had Mark call the doctor (as I was sitting on the toilet seat with Liam on my lap, plugging his nose), but Mark promptly turned the phone over to me. You can imagine how that phone call went.

Dr: Plug his nose and wait for the bleeding to stop.
Me: That's what I am doing.
Dr: Well, sometimes it takes a while. He isn't going to loose too much blood or consciousness or anything.
Me: Oh.
Dr: Does he pick his nose?
Me: Um, well, yeah. He's two.
Dr: It's dry right now. Put a humidifier in his room.
(long silence)
Me: Okay. (pause) Thanks.
Dr: Bye.

So maybe it was a bit silly to call over a bloody nose. Liam is now sleeping upstairs with a humidifier in his room and I must point out he's very excited about the "achine."

Liam is also at that age when band-aids are great and every little "boo boo" requires one. The other day he insisted a freckle on the back of his hand needed bandaging, and who was I to argue? But about thirty seconds later, the oh-so-important-to-his-health-and-emotional-well-being band aid ended up here:

On an already cranky Olivia. And what do we do when she's super-cranky?

Doesn't the poor girl look sleepy there? And so she should, seeing as that's a vibratey seat, she's plugged, and she's got her turtle.

That brings me to another subject: Olivia is huge. She's only three months old and already she's wearing six- to twelve-month clothing. Looks like strangers will suspect my second child is stupid too (Liam's bigger than the average four-year-old, but of course acts like the average two-year-old). Already I find myself clarifying her age to people who probably expect that, judging by her size, she should be crawling or walking or talking or at least able to hold her head upright. I won't be able to tell you exactly how big she is for another few weeks (after her four-month appointment), but I do know she's a whopper.*

(Not to scale)

So she's not sitting up yet (although she loves to try), but she is laughing more and more and really getting quite good at putting things in her mouth once she gets a good grip on them.

Finally, Liam has decided he prefers showers. It started at my Mom's for some reason (could it be he liked her rain-simulating shower head?) and continues. Of course we still have to clean him, but after we're done with the business part of bathing, he can play in there for quite a while. Again, who am I to argue?

*Olivia, if you ever read this, I mean that you are tall for your age and perfectly proportioned in every possible way. And the most beautiful baby girl of all time.

Ine-a-sores

It is an absolutely beautiful day here in Colorado - high of 65, sunny, no wind - so we spent the entire morning inside. Actually, we spent it in the always-dark depths of the Denver Museum of Natural History exploring a bit of outer space but mostly dinosaurs. Liam has a book he likes about dinosaur bones and then one about Curious George going to the museum, and it seemed like everyone had seen some dinosaurs but him, so off we went.

He was impressed. It was also a perfect day for the museum, as everyone else decided to stay outside. And we have to go back soon too, as BodyWorks, that creepy anatomy show (where bodies are skinned and turned inside out and apparently "plastinated"), is coming in a couple of weeks. I saw a documentary on it a few years ago and wanted to go then, but of course one must wait for these exhibitions to get here. And with Liam in tow I'll only get a glimpse (that kid ran non-stop today), unless there are somehow some buttons to push.

Or moon rocks to pick up.

Most disturbing, I think, is the BodyWorks gift shop, where you can purchase such things as a set of magnets "depicting horizontal slices through the left and right foot." Or, even better, a 3-D image in glass of a man holding his own skin (I just can't wait to see that in person). Or even a t-shirt with a skinned rabbit on it. I'm all for the scientific value of this exhibition, and, hell, I will even appreciate the gruesomeness, but I won't be buying the t-shirt.

Worm Guts

Liam watched Tremors. And he's been fighting worms ever since. So now we get to hear things like: "Mommy, I killa worms!" and "Worm guts! Eeeewwwwwww!"

I swear, if there are any nightmares tonight they are Mark's problem.

"Dinner's Ready!"

As Liam likes to announce. Since Olivia has arrived, our meals have really deteriorated (not that it's her fault). Liam and I ate so much fast food one week that he actually started crying when we headed home from running errands without going through a drive through ("Mommy! Fries, chichen, anna cocklate gook!"). And for dinner, let's just say we've been eating a lot of pasta sauce from a jar. So, rather than sitting around waiting for our lives to get less stressful, we decided to try something different and a mite bit weird: one of those kitchen places where you spend a couple of hours in one day making a bunch of different meals to freeze. Take one out of the freezer in the morning and voila: a minimum of cooking will result in a fabulous and healthy meal each night. At least that's the plan.

So I went on Wednesday night. It was kind of neat: little kitchen stations had each meal's ingredients all laid out, complete with the measuring spoons and cups and pre-cut tin foil and lots of baggies. It took a little over an hour for me to make twelve meals for three people (three is the smallest meal you can make - Liam and I share and Mark takes the left-overs for lunch). Everything was spelled out and labeled and not even I could mess it up, considering the cooking left to do at home is the equivalent of making Kraft Dinner (mmmmm.....Kraft Dinner). And so for the last two nights we have eaten pretty well. The first night (Mango Mahi) was delicious, but the second night was just okay (Monterey Jack Chicken). So we'll see. But we are definitely eating less, because the portions are set. And it is very easy. And, in case you were wondering, it works out to a little over three dollars a meal.

In the meantime, Mark is watching Tremors with Liam ("Worms Daddy! More worms!"). I wonder how karma will repay him.

Meet Annaboy!

Liam has been watching The Incredibles lately and, suddenly, we are living with Incrediboy, or, as Liam puts it, "Annaboy!" Those are rocket shoes, by the way. It appears that Liam has missed some of the subtler aspects of the movie, such as the risks of wearing capes (that's a dishtowel he's got there), and the fact that Incrediboy grows up to be the villain of the movie. But Incrediboy has rocket shoes and can fly and you have to admit that's impressive.

Three Months

Can you believe we've had Olivia for three months already?

What's new? She started laughing on Sunday at Mark's sticky-up morning hair, but she also finds kisses on her neck and her legs very funny. She has just begun to grab things and to pull them into her mouth for a chew. And she loves to stand (like a little Rory Calhoun) and she loves her vibratey seat and she tolerates a swing from time to time. She loves to watch Liam do pretty much anything and she saves a big smile for her Daddy every evening.

And she's getting lots o' pudge, just like she should. And while I was composing some tastefully done bath shots of Olivia, I took this one of Liam as well.

Things I'd Somehow Forgotten

1. Babies go through a phase during which they take 45 minute naps.

2. Toddlers are horrible at changing time zones.

3. If you give Liam enough of a food that he really really likes, he'll eat until he throws up.

4. Mark doesn't need a whole lot of sleep, but if he doesn't get enough, he's really really cranky.

5. The kind of cough medicine that can be taken while nursing doesn't work.

6. Every little baby poo must be investigated immediately, even if the baby is sleeping. Otherwise the poo works its way up the back to the neck and the baby will need a bath.

Monsters! Yikes!

I am going to make Liam a monster hat. I have a knitting pattern for a fuzzy wild and crazy monster hat and, since I want Liam to have lots of dress up clothes, I decided to pick up the yarn to make it (it will even have big googly eyes). So, I came through the door the other day with a bag and announced to Liam that I was going to make him a monster hat. Of course he wanted to see what was in the bag.

Monsters, apparently. Monsters that promptly attacked him: "Yikes!"

Fortunately, Buzz Lightyear (his new favorite) was there to kick some monster butt. Buzz, or, as Liam knows him, Fuzz Wite Ear, was a present from Uncle James, along with Woody. At the same time James was buying a Fuzz, Mark was picking up another Fuzz, so now Liam has two. And Fuzz, Big Fuzz, and Udy go everywhere with us now. They are even tucked into bed next to Liam each night, although I haven't had to kiss them (yet).

Big Fuzz has buttons to push that say things like, "Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!" so of course Liam is saying things like that now too. And, in the middle of the night last night, Mark and I were both surprised to hear, "To infinity and beyond!" coming from Liam's room. I think Liam just rolled over on him, because he certainly wasn't awake.

As for Olivia, she hasn't quite caught up on her sleep since the day of airplane travel, so she's been a bit cranky lately. But today she agreed to show off her strawberry hat.

We're Back

Barely. I'm still exhausted. But we had a nice visit. We got to spend lots of time with my Mom, even though we brought lots of chaos into her life and I think we made her tired, she still insists that she misses us. We miss her. And here's the reason why we went:

(stamps on noses) and

(cuddles while bowling) and just

That middle picture of my mom with Olivia was taken while bowling (hey, we thought it sounded like fun) right after we had our portraits done. We were all in black tops and jeans (except my brother, who had the good sense to get changed), so we must have looked like a very inept and dorky bowling team. Even Olivia had a little black t-shirt, which I thought would be hard to find in baby sizes, but it wasn't.

But I must record for prosperity what happened on our flight home. Getting from there to here takes a long time and two airplanes and a layover. Liam was a good little guy, but by the end of the second flight he was still napless and a bit cranky, so I did my usual fill-him-up-with-milk thing just to keep him quiet for a minute. And so he was quiet and what happened happened without warning. So, about forty-five minutes out of DIA, he was standing in front of his chair, playing with something, when he suddenly threw up all over himself and the chair and the floor. Then he did it again. And again. It took me a second to process what I was seeing and remember the barf bags in the seat back, so by the time I had one out and open, he was done and puke was everywhere and Liam was trying not to panic and saying, "Yucky Mommy!"

So you know what you do when your toddler throws up all over an airplane? You strip your toddler down to his diaper and his socks and you send him to the back of the plane, where your husband stands with your baby and pretends he doesn't know you. Each flight attendant brings you one or two damp paper towels with which you are expected to clean up about a gallon of puke. When you lock yourself and your son into the bathroom to give him a sponge bath, the flight attendants remove your seats (the whole thing) and switch it out with the back row that's always empty. And they sprinkle the floor with coffee grounds, which does a surprisingly good job of disguising the smell.

And, as it always is on airplanes, some people are incredibly sympathetic and others look at you as if they wish a trap door in the floor would open beneath your feet so you would fall to your death.

Moral of this story: watch what your kid eats when you travel. And always pack an extra outfit in your carry on.

Anyway, I have a few pictures that were taken at an excellent children's museum in Halifax that I can't remember the name of. It's one of those hands-on places. (The Discovery Centre, Mark tells me).

Liam loved it there. Olivia slept through the whole thing.

And I leave you with Liam in a bubble.