2 year old logic: Spider-man

Last night story time was rather sad for Evan. He came to the realization that he in fact is not Spider-man, yet.
Everyday when I pick him up after work, I am greeted with imaginary webs shot from imaginary web blasters. Evan has been wearing the same spiderman shirt for 2 day and 2 nights. It is not just any spidey shirt either. It is spiderman's costume and thus Evan gets to be spiderman (well he gets to me Peter Parker because he doesn't have a mask. Nothing gets past this kid.) His favorite toy in the whole world is a stretchy lizard that he has named "Dr. Curt Connors". Let's just say the boy is obsessed. There are 4 major obstacles that Evan has decided that stand in his way of being Spider-man.
1. He does not have spidey gloves and therefore he does not have web blasters. He is very upset so maybe he'll get some for his birthday, he said "I'll never be spiderman." and pouted forever.
2. He's not big and old enough. He has to grow up to be spiderman.
3. He doesn't have a mask. Without it he can only be Peter Parker, who he is also going to be.
4. He doesn't have the right blue pants like spidey. (I'm basically a horrible mom for putting him in red ones.)
Hopefully one day Evan will grow up to be spiderman and his gymnastics classes will pay off.

Extended breastfeeding: Time to Wean.

I go through periods where I hate nursing a toddler. It's way different than a baby. Sure he gets calories and nutrition but it's mostly comfort. Additionally I equate it to slim fast or ensure because it's a meal replacement and Evan is satiated at dinner time but then hungry all night.
So here is where we are. I nurse him when we get home after work cuz he is usually both stressed and misses me. It's ok and I don't hate feeding him then. I don't like feeding him every ten minutes because he wants it. When I'm off work with him, I'm an all you can eat buffet. I've finally started saying no to him and telling him milk is for night time and nap time. Then I offer him something to drink or eat. Today was one of the first times it worked.
I have tried and failed at night weaning. But we are slowly making progress there. He drinks milk for a bit then I cut him off and comfort him to sleep. He no longer nurses to sleep and that's a huge victory.
Only time will tell but weaning has officially begun. Now instead of the awkward you are still breastfeeding conversation, I can say I'm weaning.

I'm raising a genius

Evan is just 2 years old but if you ask him he'll say 6. I have to say he's pretty accurate. Everyday he does something that amazes me.
1. He knows his basic colors, and will test you on it.
2. He knows basic shapes. And combine that with the colors you have yourself a game.
3. He uses directional words like above, behind, under, etc.
4. He lies.
5. He can count to 15.
6. He uses his imagination. I love eaves dropping on conversations between his animals.
7. He has an awesome memory. I can't bribe him with the zoo or seeing someone because he'll hold me to it.
8. He follows social cues and tells you that you are pretty, or asks about your day.
9. He can dress himself (shirt and shorts).
10. He can use my phone and switch between apps, and lock it when he's done.
He still can't color in the lines but there is always tomorrow.

Sticks and stones

Evan is an amazing kid. He broke his tibia and is totally unphased by it.
He was playing in a inflatable bouncy house at a party. All day he had been jumping and flipping like a pro. He is a daredevil and a boy through and through. We were about to leave when I hear, Evan is hurt, Evan is hurt. I run over to the bouncy and he is crying hysterically. I pulled him out and consoled him. Kids get hurt all the time so I thought he just got jarred. (He had knocked the wind out of himself earlier that day and took that in stride.) We left the party and were off to the next one. We got maybe 4 blocks when I felt something was not right. He whimpering and breathing heavy. I asked him what was wrong and he lifted his leg and said, it hurts, my leg hurts. There I was believing a two year old and called grampa to see which ER to take him to.
I met the folks at Christ ER and spent the next 4 hours waiting patiently with my young patient. Nothing was swollen, nothing was bruised but something was not right. He was given a dose of ibuprofen and his pain was eased and he knocked out. He was awoken for the exam and the nice doctors did not see anything, maybe a sprain? He tried to walk and my poor baby could not make it more than a foot. Thankfully he fell fast asleep again. All the X-rays were taken while he was asleep and he was splinted and we were to follow up with orthopedics.
Sunday he woke up sore and splinted. He looked at his leg and said, uh oh I broke it. We spent all day playing on the floor while Evan mastered crawling again.
Monday came and I tried to get a damn appointment. I was met with such opposition from the receptionist. He could get in today maybe or Friday. Really? There was no compassion fo a toddler in a splint. How could it possibly last til Friday. They wouldn't schedule him with another pediatric orthopedist? I finally raised hell and got him in. I was so scared and nervous for my baby.
Despite the bad reception, the care Evan received was great and it turned out his leg was broken in 2 places. He'll be in the cast for 4 weeks. I feel so bad that his leg is broken. That being said, this is also a good parenting moment for me for trusting my gut, listening to my child and fighting for the care he deserved.

My son is not a bully

Evan got picked on this weekend. He handled it better than most adults would. There we were playing at the park when kid that was probably older but was also littler than Evan came pushing past him on the slide. Chase ensued because finally there was a person his size with the same physical capabilities.  -Let me explain, Evan always wants to play with the bigger kids because they run around more than kids his age- 

Evan wanted to play with this child, I let them play then I started to notice subtle control issues, he wouldn't get off the bottom of the slide or he would climb up while Evan waited and waited at the top. At one point I just let Evan go down the slide and caught him before he could knock the kid off. (Much to the chagrin of his parents.) But my kid waited for a whole minute at the top of a big slide, which is like an eternity to a toddler.When Evan finally changed his mind about playing with kid, he was sitting at the top of the slide waiting for me to let him know I was at the bottom to catch him, the bratty kid climbed over Evan and stepped on his had. Then of course he sat at the bottom. I let Evan down the slide and took him over to another part of the park. He was sitting and playing nicely when the kid came over and stood right in front of him. Instead of retaliating, Evan calmly sat there. When the kid started swinging at Evan, he just took a step back. Then something amazing happen, instead of being a push over, Evan reclaimed half of toy panel and played beside the other child. When the bratty kid started to spaz out, I just watched Evan. He just looked at him. His dad finally stepped in and shot daggers at me for not controlling my child, but he was in control the whole time. I was so proud that Evan stood up the bully and did not even fight back. He chose to fight by standing his ground and not begetting violence with violence. 

Bullying is a hot topic in both the media and politics these days.

With all the social media outlets, it is understandable since kids now can attack others so quickly and ruin others lives in a matter of seconds. I am so very grateful that Facebook was not around in HS because I would probably be an entirely different person. 

Being bullied most of my life, I want to raise a child that is strong and can handle an attack because I was never able to. So on one end of the spectrum we have kids that are bullied into weakness and on the other we have the bullies. I want Evan to be in the middle somewhere, so if his is bullied or attacked, he can defend himself. But he will also be able to use judgement when faced with a bullying situation.

This is something I didn't expect to deal with until 3rd grade or so. But bullies come in all shapes and sizes. My sister complained the other day that a boy in her class picks on her. She is only 4 and she was teased enough to come home with a long detailed story about it, she was sooo sad. It broke my heart.

I have worried that Evan was going to have behavioral issues. At a very young age, he would go into attack baby mode and beat up other poor defenseless infants. He also became a biter for a few months. I am so thankful that has stopped. He still gets into fights like a sibling over toys and chairs (he is very territorial about sitting) with my little sister, but he shows the most empathy I have ever seen. If she cries, he comforts her, if you show sadness or pain he will try to find out what's wrong. I couldn't ask for a better child.

Extended Breastfeeding, Attachment Parenting and the Working Mom

I like to think of myself as a pretty normal mom. But breastfeeding a rather large toddler, I can see why people can see why it is extreme. Attachment parenting is hot right now, I have yet to read Mayim Bialik's book Beyond the Sling, but I follow her blog at kveller. I love her, I mean who doesn't love Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler? I like that she nurses her son beyond age 3. That is something I can see happening if Evan has his way. I agree with baby wearing, I just got a new carrier today, I was geeked and tried it on while Evan slept. I am so excited to back carry him now! It goes to 45 lbs so I can carry him til he's 4 if he wants. I also cosleep with Evan, but that came out of necessity rather than parenting style. This is where my similarities with Ms. Mayim end. She and so many others in the attached parenting camp also babyled wean, don't vaccinate, practice elimination communication, home-school, eat organically (especially vegan). All things I don't do. So does that make me a half attached parent?
I feel really strongly about vaccinations. Plain and simple, I don't want to see my child sick or hurting, especially if it could have been prevented.

The conversion of my new sling and the TIME magazine issue that comes out tomorrow has lead me to air my opinions and grievances. I subscribe to much of the attachment parenting theory, but from what I can tell, the typical attached parent has the luxury and fortitude to stay at home. What about us working parents? There is one piece in particular that struck a nerve with me. The author compares attached kids to daycare kids. I do the best for Evan but he is cared for 9 hours of each day by someone else and he spends over an hour and a half in the car commuting with me. Comparing the benefits of having an attached child to that of a child who attends daycare really labels us working moms as bad mommies. I am not a bad mom. I am doing the best I can.

My son is well loved and well cared for, even if I'm not doing the caring 24/7. I am supporting our little family and providing the best possible life for him that I can. The controversy over attachment parenting has once again striked up the mommy war of the SAHM and WOHM. Neither side is better. (I hope that squashed it.) I just know that at the end of the day, my son knows I love him and that I'll do anything for him. Even if that anything is carrying him on my back or feeding his giant self mommy milk... in public.

Things kids say

I am happy to report that Evan now speaks in full sentences. Most of his sentences are not pretty, like "Elmo, quack quack, watch it." But he is truly a social being and loves to make impressive conversation starters.
Some noteworthy things he has said lately. I must also say his enunciation and pronunciation skills are amazing as well.

• Mom, can I have a piece of cheese?
• Look, <<whispers>> the baby is crying.
• The yo gabba gabbas are sleeping.
• Oh a book, read it.
• Eww, what is this?

He says a great many things right now, but I can't wait til he until he is 3 or 4. Preschoolers say the best stuff.

In the past couple weeks, I have been able to spend a lot of time with my little little sister and what she says amazes me too. I wish I could remember it all.

• My dad has a lot of medals and trophies, he is very lucky.
• When Evan bit her (we are still working on that.) She said "It's ok, I'll just have to get used to it."
• She turned on the lights for me, and said "Is that the spot?" Meaning is that good, not that we were looking for a spot.

Extended Breastfeeding: Go the F*ck to sleep.

You just nursed for 2 hours, you're not hungry get off me, now go the fuck to sleep.

I wish the book included that line, but it seriously does not describe the worst night Evan and I have had in his young life. Early this week, his 16th tooth came in and according to baby books, it should be smooth sailing. When he is not teething, he sleeps well. (He can even sleep from 10 to 5 without milk.) I was so delighted to no longer have hour long night nursing sessions and looking forward to better sleep.
Insert, growth spurt and no nap. Well I'm not 100% sure but judging by his appetite for both food and milk, overall crankiness and poor sleep, I came to the conclusion. Also when my child does not nap, he sleeps too early.

The calm before the storm.

Despite the 2 hour super late nap, he did go to bed at his normal time. Then at 12:00 all hell broke loose. Last night my child was attached to the boob for 6 hours with 15 minute breaks. At one point I turned on TV so he could be entertained while I hid my boobs. I needed to sleep, but what I really wanted to do is take a shower. I wanted him to sleep long enough for me to sneak out of bed and wash my hair. Plan did not work and I ended up taking him to the shower with me so I didn't look like a dirty wreck at work today.
Some moment of clarity made me get him dressed at 5 am since we were already up. He finally went to sleep after the shower. So I had one hour of rest.
The poor guy wanted to sleep in this morning, mommy doesn't care. Time for you to sleep in a crib. (In a perfect world)

My son is a fish... and also a genius.

A few weekends ago, we took a trip to Madison, besides offering free beer every night (amazing, I know) the hotel also had a pool. Evan loved the pool. He has an amazing kick that is almost straight legged. That isn't saying much but as a former swim lessons teacher, getting a kid at any age to kick with straight legs is no easy task, and my kid is a natural. I had known that Evan was obsessed with water but he created sentences to describe it. After our first trip to the pool, he was hooked. Every time we went into the lobby, he would go up to the window and look at the water. If you were not paying attention to him looking at the water, he would bring you over to convince you to go swimming. He would say, "Water place". Then we taught him the word pool and that caught on immediately. With language development we have have to repeat stuff a million times for it to sick, but not so with pool.

His love for swimming and all things water stuck with him and now, baths are nearly an hour long. I can't even say the words bath or tub without him ripping his clothes off. In the last week Evan has started to try to float on his back. He will push all his toys to one side and lie on his back with only his little face sticking out. He then kicks his feet and splashes. This ends with me panicking and pulling him up. He thinks it's hilarious. He even puts his face in the water and turns to the side to take a breath. This kid needs swim lessons.

Aside from "water place", Evan's verbal and cognitive skills have taken off exponentially. Not a day goes by where he doesn't practice sentences. His grammar sucks but he's getting there. Today he said "Me get dada" and he got dada. He recites chunks of his alphabet and will repeat individual letters and sounds when we practice with his leapfrog fridge phonics. But the greatest thing he has done lately is count! Yes, my child who is just shy of one and a half can count! My sister and I were reading him a book where the penguin counts to four. We stopped at four and heard this tiny voice say five, six. It was one of the most amazing moments of mommyhood thus far. While he can't line up 6 things and count them, he loves having 2 of the same thing and will count one-two, which is also amazing.

One of my biggest worries as working mom, was being able to practice things like counting and reading, but I've set my worries aside because we are getting there.

Adventures in Extended Breastfeeding: The Lactivist

Tonight Evan went to bed without nursing. About 2, maybe 3 nights a week, he will just snuggle to sleep. I am perfectly ok with that. It means there isn't a struggle, he can calm down without a boob, and he doesn't do his crazy half hour nursing ritual where he switches sides like 8 times. But if you tell that to a lactivist... you are doing it all wrong.
I may be a crazy hippy mom that still nurses her toddler but I'm not a pusher. I'm cool with breastfeeding, I think every baby should get a good 6 weeks of the good stuff, but it's not for everyone and can be really hard. I  don't see not breastfeeding as a failure. There are perfectly healthy kids out there that *gasp* drank formula. Even Evan has had a little supplementation of formula and now that I have ended my my sordid relationship with my pump he gets cow milk. It takes more than shelling out your hard earned money for formula to make you a bad parent.
One of my dear friends had run ins with lactivists when her son was very little. They gave her a really hard time for not breastfeeding in public, among other things. I felt so sad for her. I was fortunate enough to not encounter  too many lactivists until just recently. (See my post on why I hate lactation consultants here.) Recently I joined a FB group for breastfeeding moms hoping to get more information about extended breastfeeding, what I got was a ton of super opinionated weirdos. Everyone has crazy ideas, my suggestions are always wrong, even if they are words of encouragement and they are militant. Drives me nuts.
Here are the top 3 strangest things I read in the past couple of weeks (I'm summarizing here.)
1.Use your breastmilk for other things. If your baby has a diaper rash put breastmilk on it. Eye infection? try breastmilk. Sore throat? take a swig. Constipated older kid? Have a glass of the good stuff.
Really? really? I'm all for the magical boobie milk but last time I checked, it was food.
2. Pacifiers lead to early weaning, you should really comfort nurse. Before Evan was born, I was antipacifier because I read it inhibits a good latch. Well in the beginning it's always a struggle pacifier or not. Evan loves his pacifier but he's also a milk junkie and won't give up either. And the comfort nursing thing, I can list 10 million other things I would rather do than have my boob in my kid's mouth all day because he wants it. Banging my head against a wall is on my list of things I'd rather do before becoming a human pacifier.
3. Give your milk to an older child, even if its not your own. This woman gave milk to her 4 y/o nephew because he was not feeling well. I think its gross. I doubt that if preschooler Evan wasn't feeling well and I had a lil nursling, I would give him milk. I would reach for the Robitussin before the milk supply. There is a reason kids wean, besides I'm not going to give him milk til he's 20, at least I hope not.

Adventures in extended breastfeeding: Mil? Get baby boob.

Evan uses a lot of sentences now. But mostly they are ones he learns from us and they are conversational. He has the typical Look over there and I did it. And do you want this? And my favorite... Bite? Try it. But today he put together a sentence himself, well it was more of a question followed by a command. "Mil? Get baby boob." He couldn't have been clearer. Usually he just says "Mil" or Milkie, when he wants milk.
Since I made my decision to breastfeed I have heard opinions and "suggestions" that when they are old enough to ask for it then it's time to wean. Evan not only asks for it, he often just gets it himself. He sit in my lap and pull up my shirt and nurse. Now we have entered a new phase of breastfeeding.
Today, Evan has not left my side, and he has nursed like crazy. He might be teething, I always think he's teething when he nurses like crazy, either that or some developmental milestone, growth spurt, or illness. When we are home on the weekends, he nurses so much that he barely eats food. It does leave me physically drained sometimes, but it is what it is.

When I began, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed for at least a year. I was going to try to wean at the year mark but we have gone well beyond that. Lactation information tells you there is no age that you should wean and that breastfeeding should continue as long as mutually desired. Sometimes the feeling is not mutual, but we joke that if it were up to Evan he would breastfeed well into his twenties. So here we are at 17 months and still going strong. I feel like his need for breastmilk is stronger than ever, actually.
Since I no longer pump and he is not with me most of the day, he makes up for lost time at night and on the weekends. This is called, reverse cycling. It's where a baby will satisfy most of his milk needs at night to make up for lack of milk during the day. I think it happens to a lot of working moms. I was told by one ped that I shouldn't give into it and he needs his sleep, and I should not be guilted into nursing all night. Too late. He will probably nurse all night until we officially wean and I don't see that happening anytime soon. Sure he needs sleep but he also needs milk. Could he survive without it? Sure. But that is not to say that my milk is not filling a nutritional void and he needs the calcium and whatever other nutrients and antibodies that are in my milk. (I really don't know what the nutrient content is, I'm a scientist but not that kind of scientist.)
I don't know how long we will go and I feel like this is just the beginning of extended breastfeeding. He still needs mama's milk even if its just for comfort. But we all have comfort food.

Oh it's a new year?

Considering Evan came home from the sitter yesterday covered in glitter, apparently from a raucous mid-day new year's eve party reenactment, I feel like its not too late for my year in review/new year blog post. We had a lovely 2011/2012 stomach bug, I have an excuse for not posting.
I have to say that last year was a pretty good year for Evan and in turn I had a good year as well.
Sure 2010 was great because Evan was born but the rest of that year he was pretty much a baby (Eat, sleep, poop). In 2011, he became a mobile baby and a crazy toddler.
Evan's milestones:

• February 2, he rolled over for the first time. I remember the day not only because it was during the great blizzard of 2011 but it is also my favorite holiday.
• Evan got a lot teeth. Between February and the end of the year he grew 12 of them... that is the majority of all his childhood teeth in a year. And we as adults need to shut up about wisdom teeth.
• He learned to sit sometime in Late Feb/ Early March. (Yeah that was around 6-7 months... we have a late bloomer.)
• He started crawling around May or June (or sometime right before we moved, I forgot that quickly.)
• He started climbing shortly after that. 
• He started talking somewhere in here. 
• He gave up baby food at 10 months (psuedo-babyled weaning if you are one of those hippie moms)
• He turned one!
• He started walking at the end of his 13th month. (Just like my mom predicted)
• Started running shortly after, and became a kid and not a baby anymore.
• He discovered m&ms around Christmas and our lives will never be the same.

There were some other cool things that I did as a mom this year. We started using cloth diapers in August. There was a big learning curve washing those things but we love using cloth. I've also made other attempts to "go green" by cleaning with steam instead of chemical whenever possible.

We went to Florida in February. Evan saw the ocean. We went to a ton of museums, zoos and parks in the spring/summer. I sorta stopped doing all that in August but with a mobile tot, I anticipate several outings this winter. We took Evan camping for the first time this fall. He also ate dirt and started walking on that trip. (Both were very exciting). 

All in all, it was a pretty good year.

I don't have any resolutions. New Year's isn't ever that exciting for me, probably because I'm not much of a drinker and this year I was in bed by 10. Besides there isn't much to resolve, I don't feel like I need to better myself in a major way, and if I did, it wouldn't be a resolution. Sure we could all be a little more active and I'm sure Evan will help me get out more (at least on the weekends) as he becomes more of a toddler. 

Well maybe this year, I will craft a little bit more if I can. I have a ton of unfinished scarves waiting to get out of limbo. And I hope to blog a little bit more. You can look forward to a few posts I'm planning about breastfeed a toddler, hopefully weaning said toddler, bedsharing and getting a kid out of your bed. And anything else Evan brings up. Cheers.

A dreaded GI illness

Warning: This post contains some graphic content and may not be suitable for the weak stomach and non parents.

It started innocently enough, Evan wasn't too keen on nursing, which was strange, but acceptable. He came up to me and gave me a hug and then puked down my leg and then I picked him up he threw up down my shirt. Poor baby. I thought maybe he just had gotten too excited because there were people over and had a little tummy ache. Boy was I wrong and it was the beginning of a GI illness of exorcist proportions. He put that pea soup scene to shame.

From that moment he was throwing up about every 10 to 20 minutes for about an hour or so. It is absolutely heart wrenching when your toddler dry heaves and doesn't comprehend why and just wants you to hold him and nurse him. He was unbearably sick. He fell asleep in my arms which in itself is rare because going to bed usually takes at least 30 minutes of nursing. He was just too sick.

Thankfully, my mom who is the worst at handling vomit, convinced me to stay at her house. She was a great help, bringing me liquids, towels and shirts.

When it was actually time for bed, my poor child wanted milk. I couldn't deny it from him. Cue the exorcist. Full tummy of milk vs. mom. Mom lost.

At 6:30 he woke up and asked for milk. It was a repeat of bedtime milk but more epic. Again heart breaking.
Dealing with this was probably the most heart breaking thing I have dealt with thus far. He has had a few episodes of vomiting in his life but nothing like this. The poor thing just wanted fluids (which was great... but not great.)

He was sick for a whole 12 hours, somehow this morning, he drank a whole sippy cup of pedialyte and gatorade with a dash of seven up and some toast and oatmeal. He has held that down for over 2 hours and even nursed some. 7 towels, 4 mommy shirts and 3 Evan shirts later, I am totally exhausted. He has diarrhea now, which is way more manageable than last night.

I am very grateful for my mother's help because I don't how I'd do it without her.

We have a biter...

This week Evan has bitten 2 four year olds, a baby, his sitter, a pediatrician and a little kid in the waiting room at a doctor's office. His bites are pure evil too. He will look at you afterwards like he has done a good deed, like that person really needed to be bitten. Most of the bites are completely random and unwarranted. These people usually don't do anything to provoke the bite. I say usually because I have seen kids get bitten after ripping a toy out of my child's hands. That being said, biting is never ok. 

When you have a biter, people look at you like you are the worst mom in the world. I didn't do anything to cause this and I don't encourage the behavior. I knew Evan was going to be a handful when he started throwing tantrums at 7 months. Here we are 9 months later and those baby tantrums are a thing of the past. People keep telling me to ignore the behavior, correct the behavior, give a time out, and punish the kid. All that is easier said than done. And all the advice? Totally inconsistent. When he bites at home I cover his mouth, but he thinks that is fun. When he has a tantrum I usually try to ignore it, but he usually wants to be picked up. If you don't pick him up at the right moment, he will hit or bite you because you took too long to tend to his needs. By nature toddlers are selfish beings, the world revolves around them and their needs.

I am not seeking advice here, but sharing a real parenting challenge that I am facing. I can see why parents choose to spank their kids even though its controversial. A quick swat on the butt could work for the defiant/evil/selfish baby. Ok, I'll admit it. He has been spanked twice, over the diaper and pants. Once was today when he started hitting and pulling my hair as I put him in his car seat. It was after I tried talking him into sitting down in my gentle and then stern voice to no avail. Well one swift, not painful but probably scary, swat on the butt and it was a miracle and he sat down looked at me with sad-I'm-so-sorry-mommy eyes and let me buckle him in. I hugged him and said sorry. And he looked at me like he understood why he got spanked and wasn't mad. It made everything calm. 

Now I know what "they" say about hitting. Spanking will teach your child to hit. Evan already hits and no one taught him to hit when he's mad. I did not beat my child within an inch of his life there was no switch or paddle involved. He didn't hit me back when he got spanked and he was not angry as a result of it. People, even doctors, say that when your kid bites you, bite him back. But hitting.... oh no! call "the people". Frankly, I find biting to be much more painful than hitting. Spanking is about discipline and not hitting.  An occasional spank probably won't send him into years of therapy. 

Coxsackie virus...

Evan has acquired a coxsackie virus, hand foot and mouth. It apparently is a common childhood illness. It causes blisters on the hands, feet and mouth. The worst symptom is ulcers/lesions/blisters on the hard palate (roof of the mouth). I have no idea how he got it but he was bounced around to many sitters last week while his main sitter was home with her own sick kids. It started simple enough with a fever and cold symptoms on Thursday. He was laid up on the couch when I picked him up on Thursday while a ton of kids played around him. Sorry to those kids and moms who had extreme toddler exposure. I hope they have strong immune systems.
That night and the previous one were plagued with terrible sleep. He was up all night restless and wanting to nurse like crazy. I was delirious. He was miserable on Saturday and had an even worse nights sleep and didn't want to take a nap. After a brief 20 minute nap he woke up screaming and noticed blisters around his mouth. I felt like a terrible mom because I didn't notice when they happened but it seemed like they just popped up (they probably did.) Then as I was looking at his mouth, I got a peak at the roof of his mouth. He had a dark sore and the rest of his mouth was gray. I panicked and rushed him to the ER. He got the diagnosis of hand, foot and mouth and lo and behold he also a tiny blister on his hand and few on his feet. Since it is a virus, there is little that can be done except ease the symptoms, keep him hydrated and give him lots of popsicles.

The doctor warned me that he would probably develop diarrhea and the blisters will probably get worse. Thankfully that has not happened and this appears to be a mild case. I guess he's like his mom and gets mild childhood diseases. When I had chicken pox, I don't remember being covered with pox. But my sister and brother had them so bad that they got them on their eyelids. I probably was just a spotted, itchy kid that was visibly sick but just wanted to play. Barbie was calling my name. That is what Evan has been up to. He hadn't eaten all weekend, was crabby because he only sleeps if he has a full tummy, and he just wanted to play (not with Barbie). If anything he was in pain and stir crazy because he has been cooped up in the house forever. 

Last night he finally ate some yogurt and slept. He only woke up twice to nurse which is normal for him. He ate breakfast today, and is taking his morning nap. We are still avoiding other children because the coxsackie virus like all other childhood illnesses can have dangerous sequelae, i.e. meningitis. So even though his is mild, the next kid could have something worse.

My name is Evan... I like to dance

Evan's verbal skills have grown by leaps and bounds and it seems like it has happened overnight.
Evan was being bad and colored on some stuff around the house. He said, "I colored it." How can I even be mad. I said, yes you did color it. Ok, in our house coloring on paper is encouraged but coloring on stuff is not reprimanded, he is just brought back to the paper.
Last night he was following dogs around a park howling at them. And this morning when somebaby woke up at five, we watched a little baby Einsteins and he said every animal that was on the screen (including bear which I didn't know he knew). He also learned that owls say hoot. The kid is brilliant. He has at least 10 animals in his word bank and 3 include sounds.
People tell me that they only mimic at this age, but when you pull together a sentence, with proper tense mind you, it's cognition and memory there. But the mimic thing still happens but now its funner. I am teaching him to say my name is Evan. I like to dance (Yo gabba gabba reference. It's our new favorite show, I have gotten over the fact that the red one looks like an adult toy. Brobee won me over.)

Baby Rampage

During dinner tonight Evan decided he had had enough and thus begun his reign of terror. He threw his food everywhere, which is not unusual but this was with anger. I was upset that he didn't eat much, he was just upset.
I gave him a bath to calm him down. Usually he is in there a good 20 minutes, I put extra bubbles in so he could be distracted and play. No use. He climbed out mid hair washing and said "bye". I had to torture him to rinse his hair. Bye.
He brought me shoes and needed to run around naked with only shoes on for 20 or so minutes.
I was still worried that he hadn't eaten because it would mean no sleep for me because he would want to nurse all night long. I gave him a yogurt and he ate half of it before trying to rip the spoon out of my hands. He then yelled "I do it, Mommy!" First sentence? Ended with mommy? How could I resist. He also tried to give me bites of yogurt so there was a moment of sharing. We got covered in yogurt but it was totally worth for both the sentence and the independence.
Bedtime was a challenge. The child would not calm down. After putting him to bed twice, I resorted to a movie. He sat still for 15 minutes, grabbed my hair and went to sleep. And thus the baby rampage was over, 2 hours after it had begun.

The 21st Century Baby

I get this all the time. Kids these days are so advanced. Well your baby has good head control because he's an advanced 21st century baby. WTH? I really don't get it. I mean people say stupid crap to me all the time, but this one is by far the most nonsensical. Trying to reason with people that say these things is an utter waste of time. I get it, we live in the digital age, yes Evan can perform basic functions on my iPhone. But you know what I bet a chimp could too.
I am pretty sure that Evan came into this world with the same MO as any other baby in the history of babies. Eat. Sleep. Poop.
When Evan was about a week old, I got my first "advanced". He had his eyes open and was looking around. To my knowledge this is an all babies in the history of babies thing. Human are not puppies and do not have sealed eyes for the first week or so.
Then around 2 months when Evan had remarkable head and neck control I got another "advanced". Again totally normal.
I kept getting "advanced" remarks off and on when Evan gabbed.
He scored poorly in subsequent "advanced" motor skills. He mastered head movement, pacifier return, and a spectacular sitting to belly swoop move early but hit all the rest of his milestones a tad bit late in the spectrum. Was my kid no longer advanced? When I talk about walking, its the early walkers that get the "advanced". But anecdotally,  I hear about many people older than me walking at 7,8,9 months. But they are not so advanced now. What happened? Were they ever regarded as advanced?

When do babies/kids stop being advanced? The first time they wreck something or show signs of laziness. When they don't live up to their potential? The way people are saying the word advanced; they use at as the kids are growing up too fast. Evan? he's right on track. He talks and jokes more than the average baby his age but he is still your average baby who doesn't know how to read or do long division. Kids are arguably not advanced at all. Test scores are down. No one under the age of 25 can spell worth a damn. I grew up without spell check. We had video games but we also played outside. With 2/3 of the adult population overweight or obese. We are not advanced. We are stagnant and worse backsliding.

Evan is an awesome kid, who knows maybe he'll become an entrepreneur. I don't think kids these days are advanced, they are just in a new normal of lazy/fat people that can work a computer better than anything else in their lives. You just don't see kids writing their first composition at 7 anymore, that my friends would be advanced.

Observing Evan

Evan is at stage where he investigates everything. He is learning cause and effect and independence. I love it. Between dinner and bedtime he did so much.

• At dinner I gave him soup and a sandwich. He dunked his sandwich in his soup and tried to self feed the soup. I was so impressed by his concentration.
• During bathtime (because he was covered in soup) he broke a toy. He tried so hard to put it back together. He spent nearly five minutes, which is a lot for a baby, trying to put it back together. He knew how the piece was supposed to fit. 
• He found his stuffed bunny before bed and immediately said bunny and cuddled it. We haven't practiced the word bunny in 2 weeks, since the last time he played with bunny.

I am impressed everyday by him. As he moves from being a baby to child, I am finally over the I-miss-him-being-little and I look forward to what he learns next.

Facebook Project: First Trimester

Here is what happened during my first trimester. I really like some of the statuses before I found out I was pregnant. I had tummy aches and toothaches.
Most frequent activity: Puking and having colds and being grumpy
Weird symptom of pregnancy: Rage and being fuzzy
Favorite/only food: Froot Loops

I wish my tummy didn't hurt so much.

November 21, 2009 at 7:27pm

I hate being sick... And I start my new job tomorrow. I hope UIC will take my new insurance so I can see my old GI doctor.

November 22, 2009 at 4:14pm

toothache... I get dental next tuesday!

November 25, 2009 at 7:58pm

i'm sick... i hate this.

November 29, 2009 at 3:34pm

why am I sick and I work for the department of public health? its like a disaster. I need to get vaccinated urgently.

November 30, 2009 at 1:22pm

chips and bloody marys for dinner!

November 30, 2009 at 7:32pm

 

Ok here's the news... I can't hide it forever... and secrets are hard to keep... I made a BABY!!! (If i currently work with you... please don't talk amongst yourselves... keep it to the std unit only)

December 12, 2009 at 7:23pm

Trying not to puke at work... this really really sucks.

December 14, 2009 at 9:01am

Grumpy, queasy, and tired for a long, long, time.

December 16, 2009 at 4:20pm

I did not puke my guts out this morning... and I feel ok so far!

December 17, 2009 at 8:41am

I hate wrapping presents... especially when my tummy hurts. All the time.

 · December 19, 2009 at 8:13pm

i puked on my foot... i'm ready to be done being pregnant...

 · December 24, 2009 at 3:18pm

I miss old school mega man.

 · December 27, 2009 at 9:06pm

SO GRUMPY...

 · December 28, 2009 at 3:17pm

not too sure if this baby is gonna like the egg nog I just drank... what was I thinking?

 · December 29, 2009 at 6:55pm

Rudolph's shiny new year! its my favorite. Might be baby new year's ears...

 · December 29, 2009 at 7:04pm

The baby does NOT like oreos.

 · December 30, 2009 at 9:06am

I have to wait a whole year to go iceskating now. I really really wanted to finally go this winter. Silly baby. Ruining all my plans... now and probably for the rest of my life.

 · December 30, 2009 at 3:05pm

Its official... i'm starting to show... I have a little baby bump. It looks like i'm smuggling a fanny pack!

 · January 3, 2010 at 7:00pm

I am outta Froot Loops... the baby is sad.

 · January 4, 2010 at 6:53pm

I now have 4 boxes of froot loops in my "pantry" and I have eaten 3 bowls already... the baby is happy now.

 · January 6, 2010 at 9:10am

I am sooooo sick. I just want to go home and sleep. Sucks that all I can take is tylenol too, cuz that really don't work too well on aches.

 · January 6, 2010 at 11:48am

I feel like crap... this cold is sooooooooo bad.

 · January 7, 2010 at 10:39am

Wake me up when this cold is over and everything is ok. I am miserable.

 · January 8, 2010 at 3:53pm

I want to go to Tokyo.

 · January 9, 2010 at 1:26pm

I miss the montgomery ward catalog...

 · January 9, 2010 at 5:18pm

So my cold is better but morning sickness is back with a vengeance! I can't even eat my breakfast.

 · January 11, 2010 at 8:59am

Why do they say 9 months when its really like 10? Which month doesn't count? This baby won't be outta me til august and I've been pregnant for just over 2 months... grr.

 · January 11, 2010 at 12:24pm

I miss Wendy's Chili... stupid stupid food allergy. (Don't say it mom... or I will have the pepper experiment at your house and you will have to take care of your poor miserable daughter.)

 · January 12, 2010 at 4:30pm

So I forgot to brush my hair before work this morning... whoops. Maybe i'll get around to it but probably not.

 · January 14, 2010 at 8:52am

Yesterday I saw this chick walking down the street in pajama pants and a t-shirt... and then I noticed she was also wearing rubber gloves... and she looked at me like what the F? Umm miss you are the one that is crazy.

 · January 16, 2010 at 1:09pm

Dammit... i started watching Jersey Shore... Its addictive.

 · January 18, 2010 at 8:05pm

So lately I've wanted to hurt people (like beat them up) and break/throw things at the drop of a hat. I hope these murderous rages are caused by hormones and not because I'm becoming a murderer.

 · January 19, 2010 at 8:55am

Muther F. I almost got into a car accident today. This bastard was up on my ass and honking, I couldn't see the oncoming traffic because some genius parked a truck ON the corner which I thought was illegal. Then I pulled up, some guy swerved barely missing me, and then the ass behind me just went around me. I wanted to jump out of my car, and open his car door and pull his hair so hard that scalp came with it.

 · January 20, 2010 at 11:15am

So I have this intense craving for baby food right now. (The fruit variety.) So I googled it to see if it was normal. And women actually go on baby food diets to lose weight. Really you are gonna eat baby food instead of a meal. Crazy.

 · January 21, 2010 at 11:03am

This baby is making me fuzzy and pimply... I'm a teenage boy right now. No one ever tells you this stuff. Pimples maybe but fur suit no.

 · January 21, 2010 at 7:39pm

I have the worst heartburn in the world right now... and what am I craving? Spicy tomato juice.

 · January 22, 2010 at 6:55pm

First prenatal appointment later today... its an hour long. But its about time I have one. Maybe I learn something about my baby.

 · January 25, 2010 at 8:22am

If i were a dude... i'd totally rock Pauly D's blow out.

 · January 25, 2010 at 1:02pm

My baby (there is probably only one... yes!) has a heartbeat! 157 beats per min.

 · January 25, 2010 at 7:05pm

horrible sleep and a bad bad commute to work... i hate morning sickness! It needs to go away not get worse.

 · January 26, 2010 at 8:54am

Rehydrating after yesterday. If I was anyone else you'd think this post was about too much drinking but alas its about a morning sickness-migraine combo.

 · January 27, 2010 at 9:50am

Day 3 of the pregnancy headache from hell tat i had hoped to avoid... atleast now its just a headache and not a puke fest.

 · January 28, 2010 at 8:37am

I can eat! I can eat! Yay!!!! No more liquid diet!!! Shout out to coffee and tylenol for curing my headache. Big ups to my tummy for finally cooperating. For anyone I forgot... thanks to you too.

 · January 28, 2010 at 12:57pm

i'm in desparate need of berry blue Kool-Aid.

 · January 29, 2010 at 8:57pm

I just had a sudden wave of grumpiness come over. It sucks cuz today is one of my favorite holidays.

 · February 2, 2010 at 3:02pm

I hate when people put a "shmear" on their bagels... call it what it is! Its cream cheese! OK?!

 · February 3, 2010 at 9:16am

I had a dream that I had really tan feet and ankles. And no amount of sun would tan the rest of me.

 · February 4, 2010 at 9:04am

Today, I got my first "Are you pregnant?"

 · February 5, 2010 at 7:32pm

I might take down the christmas tree today!

 · February 6, 2010 at 1:19pm

I had my first pregnancy glass of wine last night (very small one, say 3 to 4 oz, my baby's father made sure of it.) But now I have the worst headache ever. Maybe it was not the best idea ever but it was fun while it lasted.

 · February 6, 2010 at 3:44pm

Does this mean i need to make Super Bowl food? The baby hates cooking.

 · February 7, 2010 at 9:21am

Just when I thought it was safe... morning sickness strikes again. Shoot me.

 · February 8, 2010 at 8:46am

GROSS! I have pee in my belly. Just floating around. Baby Center told me "His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth."

 · February 8, 2010 at 9:15am

I'm throw up...

 · February 8, 2010 at 6:24pm