It's NOT allergies

It's a cold. It's not allergies like I thought. I looked it up. My symptoms are that of a cold, and not allergies.

Last week Anna had this gunk and I didn't. I'd wipe her nose and her goopy eyes. Last Tues night I realized I'd just put my finger in my own eye around an hour after I touched hers and I realized right then that I doomed myself. If she had a cold, I just inoculated myself with it.

And it came on two days later.

I guess I was hoping it was allergies. People were telling me it was allergies.

But someone told me yesterday I should hope it is a cold because at least I know that will clear up eventually whereas allergies could drag out. She was right. I'd never thought of that. I guess I was just trying to avoid our great lack-of-illness track record we achieved through cold and flu season since last year seemed a little rough.

Alas, last week I was telling a co-worker that I know I'm jinxing myself and I am sure to get sick now from this, but we have been pretty healthy since our sinus infections last October/November. I was certain I'd get sick from the gloating.

And I guess I did. Anna too. In fact, I caught it from her.

Or I willed it. Which I tend to do, you see.

I guess I didn't think of it as a cold because no one other than me and Anna is sick right now, other than those around me who are claiming allergies. Why isn't Paul sick? Probably because he doesn't like to wipe noses and goopy eyes.

Who knows. It's a cold and compared to the flu I had last year, this is minor. It's all good. And it's settled.

Houston still sucks.

Paaauuulll!!!

Sunday night, on the changing table following Anna's bath:

Anna: I wanna watch NEEMO!

Me: OK, you'll have to tell Daddy. He just went downstairs to get I Know You.

Anna (head back, eyes closed, mouth wide, yelling): PPPAAAUUULLL!!!! PPPAAAUUUULLL!!! PPPAAAUUULLL!!!!

I almost peed on myself. Ha...

Houston Allergies SUCK (and blow... your nose)

NO WONDER I've had sinus crap going on for the last week. And Anna has, too. We've both been snotty and congested and she's had the added attraction of goopy eyes. Houston allergies SUCK. It looks like the major offender has been trees this past week. Grass is next, and then weeds was lowest. Here's the tree trend for the past week:

I didn't bother to post the grass and weeds since it's obvious they were out-done by the trees.

Houston blows. I never had allergies till I moved here. GGGrrrr....

Earning her keep

This morning as Paul was leaving for work, I told him to go make some money. Anna was sitting across from me at breakfast.

Anna: I want to go makesomemoney too!

I could hear Paul giggle from down the hall. He backs up to listen.

Me: You do?!

Anna: Uh-huh!

Me: That's great, honey! Are you going to throw newspapers, or bag groceries? (I was thinking more along the lines of cutting our grass, actually).

Anna: Ride ferris wheel!? (Head tilted, waiting, smiling)

Me: I'm not sure how much money you'll get for that, but...

Anna: And choo-choo, and boat?

Oh I see where this is going...

Rocketships

I glanced at Anna's class plans for this week and it was all about space. Particularly for today, they made rocketships. Since Paul picked her up today, I didn't see her art work. So at the dinner table I asked her if she learned about space today.

She replied: Imadearockeshep

I knew exactly what she meant! She made a rocket ship today! I told Paul she was RIGHT! She told me about her day...how cool is that?

Love it...love it...

Must be something in the air

Coincidence that this article came out just as I was posting on Anna's emerging personality?

Click here: Why Toddlers Don't Do What They're Told


This one's kinda cool too, about vocabulary explosion. I still remember Anna saying TRACTOR during our visit to the launch and Disney last summer when she was 14 months old...Also, most moms know that with the 18 month vocab explosion comes sleep disruption. We had a little bit of that around 16-17 months old I think. Anyway, it's pretty neat.

Click here: Secret to Toddler Vocabulary Explosion Revealed.

For the record, Anna's first words were book, airplane, and duck. All emerging around the same time around 13 months. I think duck was first, then book.

Before I forget

Now she only wants to wear those penguin Tevas everywhere. No interest in her new Ked tennis shoes or Striderite sandals that now fit her. Yesterday as I was forcing her Keds, she looked at me and said NNNOOOO!!! I proceeded to put her shoe on.

It's too big! She says, right at me, persuasive.

I looked accusingly at Spacedaddy, who was sitting right next to her: Did you tell her that?!

As shocked as I was, he defended himself: No! I've never said that!! (Laughing).

Ah-ha! This explains why her penguin sandals came back from school her first day all strapped super tight so they were leaving marks. And I wasn't too happy about it. Apparently, her teachers thought it's too big.

I'm sure they must know it's about that time where Anna will be coming home repeating what they say :) I'm almost scared to hear what she comes back with next.

Today I got the same shoe fight. She ended up wearing Penguin Tevas with socks, none of which matched her outfit.

I've heard about this. Here we go.

Now I know why parents buy their kids Dora undies. Elmos back-packs. Princess shoes.

But she is definitely at the stage of which she's exerting her control. I hope this passes soon (ha, right?). Everything is NOOOOO unless it's her idea. She's more difficult to persuade now and wising to the fact that she can make some of her own choices.

She got Time out twice last week. She sat in the chair for 2 minutes, each time. Both times it was for throwing something. Granted, she was beyond tired when she did it, but frankly, I am not allowed to throw crap when I'm tired and cranky. So that's the way the world works.

Yesterday Paul brought home a Toyota Scion he's thinking about buying for the clinic. When he opened the back trunk, Anna says: "Nanee's!!" She was right: it did look like the trunk of Nanee's Toyota 4Runner. Anna last saw the trunk of that 4Runner when she stayed with Paul's parents for a few days while we were in Colorado last November. I thought it was super, super cool that she remembered that.

We walked by the neighborhood pool last week and she said, "swimming pool! Splash, splash, splash!" The last time she'd been in that pool was last summer.

Babies do remember. I thought she'd forgotten all that stuff but no, it's there at least for a little while longer. I think it's amazing. Because now that she can tell us what's on her mind, she is! How cool is that? It's like wondering what your pets would say if they could talk.



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Last weekend while Paul was at work, I braved taking Anna grocery shopping with me. It's a source of anxiety for me such that the child has only come along with me on maybe 3 other occasions. Back then she was happy to sit in the cart and chew on an apple.

If you know me you know I hate grocery shopping.

I have had a fear of Anna acting like such the fool, I'd have to leave all my groceries and run out of the store before I could complete my mission.

Therefore, she usually stays home with Spacedaddy and I go at night while she's sleeping. Not exactly the most fun thing I want to be doing after a full day at work...I'd pay someone to grocery shop for me if I had the money.

Anyway, I decided that she was becoming such a big girl, that I would attempt to take her on a quick grocery run this weekend. Just enough to pick up a few things. She doesn't like to sit in the cart so much these days so Paul usually lets her push the cart when he takes her places. At our Kroger, there are the little kid metal carts. I went straight to those with her since it was just big enough for her to push the minimal stuff we needed.

She did great! She behaved herself and followed me wherever I told her to turn. She weilded that cart pretty easily. She put the stuff in the cart when I asked her to. She picked out some nacho rice cakes for herself and when she asked for other chips later, I reminded her she already picked some out. She helped to place the items on the belt for check-out.

Granted, it was only one trip but it was encouraging enough to help me over the anxiety of grocery shopping with a toddler such that I may begin to bring her along more often. I know they won't all go so well but I'd be happy with winning some, losing some.

Since that went so well, I took her to Bed Bath and Beyond and shoe shopping and out to lunch the next day. We had a full weekend. For those of you moms who are braver than me, or Stay-At-Home moms who take your kids everwhere without even thinking about it, you probably think my little achievements this weekend are kinda lame. But for me, they're pretty monumental.

I'm not sure where the shopping with baby/toddler anxiety comes from. May stem from the fact that she screamed her head off for the first 2 months of her life, which scared me badly enough that it flowed over into never being comfortable taking her anywhere (even though that was such a small part of her life)...or it may stem from the horrible tantrum stage that I know toddlers go through. You've seen it in the stores, people. She's not a major tantrum thrower on a regular basis, but she can throw one as good as any other toddler out there.

I know it will happen. The day will come when I say NO in a store and she loses it. I'll get the accusatory stares from the moms with the "good" kids, and the empathetic stares from the moms who have gone through it before. From the non-parents, I'll get the looks that I'm a bad mom, or that my kid's a spoiled brat. You get the idea.

So the grocery cart business of last weekend was a major breakthrough for me. Kudos to me! Kudos to both of us!

2-year check up

Baby did great at the Doc's office yesterday for her 2-year well child check-up.

All systems "Go!"


I spent the week talking about how fun the visit with the doc will be because she'll look into Anna's eyes and ears and check her belly and stuff. And how she'd stand on the scale like a big girl now (no more baby scale). Anna'd ask me for "more" and I'd tell her the plans all over again. I'd tell her the doctor loves her and wants to give her hugs and help.

At one point she asked to go to the doctor now. I explained we had to wait till Tuesday.

Yesterday at the appointment, Paul and I played hand-off between our work schedules. He sat with her in the waiting room for about the hour the doc was behind. I came in and he left and so I was the one in the doc's office with her. While waiting in the exam room, I played with the doc's eye and ear scopes, hoping to get Anna familiar with what the doc was about to do. She didn't even want to touch either! She was more interested in the books in the room. I asked if she was ready to see the doctor. "Noooo!" she replied. Ugh.

Doc P came in all smiles and talking to Anna. Anna was hesitant. But then Anna showed Doc P her new Penguin shoes and there they bonded :) Anna let the doc look into her eyes and ears, and listen to her heart and belly while she giggled. As for opening her mouth: the doc got about as far as I usually do. We had to pry it open!! The doc confirmed it was a drag I had to literally hold Anna down to brush her teeth, but it was necessary. Actually her response was, "Oh, how unlucky you have one of those!!" She sympathized in a tone of voice that reminded me there are lots of other moms unlucky in this area too. Cool.

She said the top final molars were still coming in (WHAT?!) and the lower gums may be a little swollen...

TIME OUT. I thought we were done with the top molars and starting on the bottom.

Crap. I hate teething. It will never end.

The whole appointment went really well. Till the nice doctor left and the mean nurse showed up with a syringe full of Hep A vaccine.

Injection.
Screams.

Leaving the exam room with wails till I remembered where the sticker box was.

Then SpaceDaddy showed up for extra hugs and a hand-off so I could get back to work in time for a meeting. She was rewarded with Chic-Fil-A and Daddy Day.

Last night I got home just in time to read her a bedtime story (and administer new eye drops as a preventative for what may either be pink eye or allergies. Oh SUPER, SUPER fun.).

I read to her about Whinny the Pooh. She asked if she could have some honey. I told her she could have some on her waffles :) I didn't remind her she hated it.

We talked again about the doc's visit because she totally dug the review. She asked to go to her bed (tired!) and I sang her a few rounds of Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald ("E-I-O"), and I Know You (Sleeping Beauty, still her favorite movie). Usually she asks me to kiss both hands and both feet, give high fives, fist bumps, hugs and then kisses before exchanges of "I love you" and "Night night" as I leave the room (it's a process, you know). Last night I think she was half asleep at the first hand kiss and offered up nothing else :)

BTW, Spacetoddler is 75th percentile for both weight and height. That's my girl!

Obama talks to ISS

Today, Obama and a group of school kids (and some Congress members) talked to the ISS crew (and combined STS-119 crew) on orbit. It was pretty neat.

Yes, I am aware of the "Special Olympics" blunder on Leno. Give me a break. That Leno interview was really fun, though...I couldn't believe I was watching a sitting president on a late night talk show. Plus I love Leno. He rocked that interview. And to end it with Garth? Very cool. That was admittedly fun to watch.

Listening to Obama talk about being the president is fun. He talks about it in a way like you or I would. But the man is also smart. I get that too when he talks. What a nice combo.

Anyway, here's the ISS interview.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Hand Sanitizer

I get enough junk email on a regular basis that can be discounted as a hoax or just simply misinformation spread as scare tactics around the internet. For most of these, I look them up on Snopes.com for accuracy. If they're accurate, I'll pass them on. If not, I'll usually pop back at the sender with words that let them know that they're circulating misinformation (and this really, really bugs me to no end).

The one I received today turns out to be true by Snopes.com. In a nutshell, keep hand sanitizers away from kids because they can deliver a fatal (or near-fatal) dose of alcohol. I know I'm re-thinking the use of them myself.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp

Cheesy Pictures

This morning I pulled out the camera before work to take pictures of the new Teva's I bought Anna over the weekend.

Here they are...purple with Penguins.

By the way, bad mommy: before yesterday, Anna was wearing size 4-5 Tevas and 5.5 Keds tennis shoes. I brought her in to get measured for new shoes yesterday and holy cow, she's a size 6.5! BAD MOMMY! In my defense, I was checking her toe marks regularly and she does have a little room left in those size 5.5 Keds. So she wasn't suffering... Anyway...

Then she wanted to see the picture I just took, so I showed her. She couldn't get enough. She went out in front of the camera and said: CHEESE!!! While she posed. OK, so I was super amused and snapped off a shot. She wanted to see it. This went on for about 5-6 pictures.

Notice the drool. Evidence of teething. Almost done!


Also notice those short, hacked bangs. I could kill Cool Cuts for that one. I didn't need to pay someone to do that when I could have hacked them myself...

On the last few, she asked me to wait while she picked up Pooh and then she posed with her buddies. No lie, this was freaking cute. And funny. I've never seen her pull her buddies into the picture to join her.

Needless to say, I was a little late for work.

Butterfly

I was cleaning the house today as fast as I could during Anna's nap. Somewhere during that "thinking" time, my mind wandered AGAIN to how much my life has changed since having Anna.

I was kinda grousing about not being able to go to a concert with LW today because Paul's working and I have no babysitter. So once again my mind went to thinking that pre-Anna, I'd have been able to go without even thinking about it.

I was kinda bummed about it. Though again, it's not even a concert I'd go out of my way to see on my own or anything. It's just the point that since Anna's come along, my life is not completely my own. Don't get me wrong, she's my baby girl but not a day goes by that I at least don't think SOMEHOW about how my whole life gets worked around her needs...it's not wrong, it's just the case. It's the case for all parents.

I looked out the kitchen window while I was rinsing my sponge and saw a pretty organge butterfly perched on the flowers right outside our window.

MY first thought: Anna should see this!

Thank you everyone, now donate for Paul!

Hey all,
I've almost met my $450 requirement in fundraising for the MS150, thanks to 3 people: mom, dad, and Traci. The people who truly love me.

That means the rest of you slackers can take some hard-earned cash that's so desperately needed in this sucky economy and hand it over to Paul in the name of helping those with Multiple Sclerosis. Because if you think this economy's crippling, try the effects of MS. (But for God's sake, if it came to the choice of donating to us or feeding your kid, please feed your kid. We'd understand).

Because my plan is just to meet my minimum $450 requirement this year (in the name of sparing friends/family additional financial stress these days), I've removed the link to my MS donation site and replaced it with Paul's because he's got ZERO dollars in donations... So click there ---->
(the link at the top right-hand side of my blog).

When your day feels crappy (and as I am whining in pain along the 180 mile bike trail in a few weeks because I chose this week to do zero training), remind yourself that
MS is worse.

Flying Lessons

Lately, out of the blue, for no real reason at all, I've been feeling like finally pursuing my pilot's license. I haven't ever really been that interested since the last time I started (and accumulated 10 hours) in Colorado but never finished. I think now I'm interested again...don't really know why.

I had lunch with an astronaut friend a few weeks ago. I mentioned that I was thinking about getting my pilot's license but I have admittedly become more risk-adverse since becoming a mom. So the whole risk of dying in a little plane crash wasn't worth the benefit of me getting a pilot's license. I half expected him to give me a little grief about it, but instead he said that he too has become more risk-adverse since becoming a dad (despite the whole high-risk astronaut thing...) and didn't blame me at all. So he didn't even blink or give me any grief over my irrational fear and I felt pretty good about that. Since becoming a parent, there's just a little new switch that clicks on every time I think about doing something a little risky, whereas pre-Anna I'd jump at a chance. The little switch asks me what my benefit is over the risk and if it's something I really WANT to do.

The recent events of Natasha Richardson remind me why I've opted for piano lessons instead...

This is why I KNOW for a fact that Anna's role in my life has shown me empathy. I didn't even know who Natasha Richardson was but I can only imagine what her family is going through. And feel a little sad for them.

That would totally, totally suck.

Choo choo and boat

We slept in till 7:30am. I was watching her roll around on the monitor when the light in her room suddenly just popped on. She looked around, confused, waiting to see mommy or daddy. Then she started sneezing (the light was so bright...can't you imagine it? She's always sneezed in bright light/sunlight since she was a baby). I told Paul that her light just came on so I should go up there. He was like: what???

Yeah, it was weird. It's the second time it's happened. Once before when Paul was out of town and I was reading her a book.

She was happy to see me despite the bright light in her face. Then for the second morning in a row proceeded to tell me about how she sees an umbrella "over there"...points to nothing...and that she kicks this umbrella over and over.

She tells me over and over about kicking that umbrella. She must be telling me about her dreams...?

**************

Later. This morning's conversation with Anna (while I was ironing my clothes):

Spacemama: Hey, baby what's up!

Anna: I ate all! Blah blah...waffles...and...syrup...and...juice!

Spacemama: Oh, you ate your waffles with syrup and juice?

Anna: Uh-huh! (all smiles and nodding)

Spacemama: That's great, baby! Are you going to hang out with Daddy today?

Anna: Uh-huh!

Spacemama: What are you and daddy going to do today?

Anna: Ummmm...(looks around, thinks)... Ride choo-choo and boat!

And they say she's too young to remember Disney...

Spacemama: Oh my, that sounds like fun!!! Go tell Daddy!

I can hear her run to Paul in the living room:

Anna to Spacedaddy: Blah...blah...blah...choo-choo and boat!

Spacedaddy: What, baby?

They come into the bathroom where I'm ironing my clothes.

Anna repeats something to Paul about a boat and choo-choo. Spacedaddy sort of gets it...

Spacedaddy: What's this about a choo-choo and boat?

I tell him it wasn't my idea. Really. I tell him his best bet is Kemah. Even though Kemah was not in his plans for the day. But as far as I know, when I left this morning they were talking about going at least for the choo-choo ride. In fact, he should probably follow through on that since we used it to bribe her into putting her shoes on and getting her hair up.


**********

Last night we had a fun dinner with TJ and C and C's parents and LW. They're super cool!! Just like TJ's parents are. TJ made a great dinner as usual and the kids were jamming to ACDC upstairs with Paul and C until I spoiled the party at 9pm when it was time to get Anna home and to bed wayyyy past her usual bedtime. She was rocking to ACDC with the rest of them. Little booger.

Thanks for the fun time!!!

************

Over the weekend I took Anna to AS's 2nd year birthday party. It was really fun. We were making little art projects that CS had laid out on the table for the kids, when the pizza showed up. Anna looks up from her glue stick: "PIZZA???"

Then, after the pizza: "CAKE?"

She's her mother's child.

At one point she did mistake the glue stick for chap stick and when I gently stopped her from putting it on her lips, she looked around at all the people who saw this and started bawling like I smacked her. I think she was *embarrassed* which I believe is a first. And I am telling the truth when I say it wasn't like I fussed her or anything! Something about it got to her. Bless her little heart.

*************

On Sunday, my mom, sis, and cousins were in town to hang with Anna while Paul and I struggled on a 52 mile bike ride (The Great Escape). We suffered when we shouldn't be at this point in training. But I digress.

Anna had SO MUCH FUN with them. She played like she was a big girl and they got her the Hungry Hippos game (she plays it alot now) and a little chipmunk that moves and squeaks, which she also loves. They also bough her some clothes, which for some reason, she is not cool with these days. She tried to throw the clothes out of the shopping cart!!! She did the same thing with a birthday gift her uncle got her last week. She looked into the bag, pulled out the clothes and said "NO CLOTHES! NO CLOTHES!!" and threw them out of the bag!! WTH? I have ZERO idea where it is coming from.

Anyway, it was super cool to see her hanging out with her big cousins, just like a big girl. She is asking about everyone now, and where they all went. I tell her they went home and she's OK with it.

Paci updates: We cut her paci's in the cars. She repeated to us that it was broken! Broken! "Need fix it!" She asked for her water. I handed it to her. She turned it upside down and tried to sprinkle her water onto her paci in a sad attempt to fix it. Didn't work and she got mad that instead her pants got wet. Bummer. Then she held it out and said "You cut it?" Oops. Overall, though, for the past few car rides, she'll ask about it, repeat over and over it's broken while we acknowledge, and then she'll give it to me to hold. So hopefully we're on to another good start. Even though I have no idea where we stand with the whole teething thing.

And no, she's not potty trained yet. She used to like to sit on the potty at home and she even went a few times but these days she says NO! when you ask her so we're not pushing yet. But when someone leaves the room (anyone!) and she asks where they went, we always tell her they went to pee-pee on the potty. It's actually humorous.

One last thing that I find super funny but probably shouldn't. She was rough-housing with me the other night. As she'd get up to climb onto my stomach to prepare to jump (yeah, I'm tough, see?), she'd giggle and say "DAMN!" in the cutest little giggly-girly-toddler voice you can imagine. So much so I couldn't stop her. She did it over and over. I kept listening close to be sure I wasn't getting it wrong. But no, I think I heard it right.

Where'd it come from? Beats me, but I think Paul does say DAMN every time she super body-slams him...I think? Subconsciously... It's either that or some booger-nose in her classroom is saying it.