So, tonight, Sarah and Michael were walking with Zachary attached to Michael, and Peter Quast and I were trailing behind with Edwin.  Peter wished to go home, which meant saying goodbye. So, I yelled out to Michael, "Miiiiiichaeeeeel!!!" and Edwin goes, "Miiiiiichaeeeeeellll", and I tickle him and tell him, "No, Michael to me, but Daddy to YOU" and he starts in on this, "MIIIIIICHAEEEEEELLLL!!!!  Daddy to you.  MIIIICHAEEEEELLLLL!!!!  Daddy to you."  and he's been saying it all night.  It's pretty funny.  He also has taken to saying "Pee out yer penis" and "Poop out yer butt." Just randomly like that while playing. 

Jurassic Anatomy

Edwin and I were reading the childrens' book Dinosaur Roar last night. He knows most of this book by heart now, and will "read" almost any given page correctly. After going through this book for a while, he got a funny glint in his eye, pointed to the appropriate portion of dinosaur anatomy and informed me "Dinosaur has a butt".

Just dropping in to say I'm sorry to anyone who's reading this and I'm sorry to the kids for not writing too much lately.  We've been happy but oh so busy!!!  We did see the leaves and we even got leaves here in Philly, Cecily was right.  We do get leaves in Philly, just not quite as many red Maples as we're used to.  But they're alive and well fairly nearby!  In any case, we even get dustings of snow occasionally.

Well, the semester is drawing quickly to a close, and I'm busy finishing up while trying already not to get behind on next semester!

So, I'm home today with a not-quite-so-sick Edwin who managed to crack
a fever yesterday and is not allowed back to daycare until tomorrow.
That's how that happens. In daycare *while* sick, then home *not*
sick. Oh well. It gives me time to catch up on posting photos and
other such important things!

I can NOT believe it's STILL WARM here! People have decided it's cold
or something, but like right now, it's 69F and let's say, Dallas Tx,
is 75F. So, yeah, it's warm here. I have most of the windows open,
trying to get some ventiliation here. It's not only that it's warm,
but I'm running the dryer, so maybe I can get fresh air.

I miss the leaves alot. But, I'm thinking of making a little
side-trip today or tomorrow to go see them. We'll see. I'll see what
Michael's up to.

Homesick. I'm missing the changing leaves something fierce right now.
They are apparently very lovely in Bloomsburgh, but I won't be there
for another two weeks. By that time, they'll probably have fallen. I
want to go to Ithaca to see them, but again, it's probably not likely
we'll get to go. I want to go so much. It's hard to juggle trips
w/two little boys who don't quite understand why they're being
strapped into seats...

Within this past week..  I forget which day.. we drove past a UHaul truck parked at a gas station.  After over a month, I'd have thought he forgot about this, but he chimes out, "Mommy Truck!"

Just now, Michael was saying "Edwin Albert Robinson" and Edwin replies, "Daddy Albert".

Today, I got him what will pass for a toddler bed for now.  I just got a 2nd crib mattress, which is what is used for toddler beds.  Since we are just sleeping on our mattress on the floor, no problem for him to do the same.  So, the pack-n-play is now packed.  Let's see how Edwin likes his new bed!

So, the thing that's been so annoying about this move...  is that everything that's supposed to 'just work'- doesn't.  Take for example, voter registration.  They got our address wrong, and only by a miracle - our cards arrived at our residence.  So, we had 10 days to call this in to fix it.  So, now we're waiting again to see if our new cards arrive, corrected, in time for the election.  Our mail doesn't always make it, or when it does, it may be drenched- unceremoniously left out during hurricanes, you know..  no big deal.. it's only mail.  It's only the paperwork stating that we paid off our house. 

And... our phone/internet did not get properly turned off, even though Verizon has records of us asking for the disconnect to occur August 6th.  Michael has already spent about 2 hours on the phone trying to resolve this issue... which they can all call up on their end/s and see what's going on... apparently this is OUR problem, and we have a mile-long to-do list to check up on the various parts of verizon.. you see it's OUR fault that THEY didn't do the work they said they'd do, now they're trying to charge us $90 for phone service we asked them to shut off.  Ok...

Plates?  Well, we went to AAA to get the new plates, and all seemed fine until a few days ago, AAA called back to our place to tell us they needed proof that we paid off the loan.  I had *asked* them while we were standing there if we needed to show them this documentation, but the woman said 'no, you've owned the car long enough'.  So, this is causing just a small run-around with the deed.  But at least AAA is good enough to call *us* to sort this one out.

HSBC has our address correct somewhere and incorrect somewhere else, even though I asked them to update.  Standard nonsense. ok.

ETS has my address correct somewhere and incorrect somewhere else, even though I asked them to update.  Standard nonsense. ok.

Our refund check for our leftover homeowners insurance was lost in the mail.  It wasn't huge, but it's one more thing we have to track down if we care about it.

When we first moved into the apartment, there was that whole week without showers or laundry which was annoying b/c we didn't have hot water and the washer was installed incorrectly.  On the plus side, the A/C worked, so we didn't need showers as often :)  We had a gas leak in the process of their trying to install the new water heater, but they fixed that quickly.

Anyhow, we are *still* trying to sort out these details which ... just soaks up hours of time randomly, and makes you feel like you haven't really done anything useful all day.. and now we're missing our 4:12 train b/c Michael's on the phone to Verizon :(  We'll have to get the kids a half-hour or so later than we had planned.  I miss you guys!!!!

Edwin's speech is getting better each day, unlike mine........  I've been so tired that I can't remember basic nouns lately....  But I do know this actually happened way back in college too, so I guess I'll just have to live with it!  Today is the third consecutive day that I've been basically able to pump the same amount as Zachary demands in roughly the same amount of time.  I'd been pumping about 12 oz over the course of 7am to 3pm (roughly daycare hours for him) but for the past 3 days I've been doing the following: 1) making sure to nurse him *well* before I leave him at daycare, by giving him several opportunities in the early morning and at dropoff 2) pumping *in* the *morning* as soon as I wake up and shower 3) just generally being careful to watch the clock and give myself time to pump every 2 to 3 hours.  The pumping in the morning seems to be a pretty significant key to jump-starting the pumping thing.  Otherwise, I've had to pump several times in the evening and on weekends to play catchup.  Zachary has taken 16 ounces these 3 days and also Wednesday and Thursday last week.  I'm hoping that's a stable thing for him.  It seems like it will work for me. It has been stressful waiting for his demands to stabilize into a recognisable pattern that I can respond to. 

So, my mom asked about Zachary's bottles, because of the new studies showing harmful toxins in various plastics used for baby bottles.  Well, before we left Ithaca, I stopped by Jillian's Drawers (http://www.jilliansdrawers.com) and got these glass bottles (http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/store/weegoglassbabybottles.html) one "sky" and one "ocean" one, as well as two of these safe-plastic bottles (http://www.greentogrow.com/).  So, what's Edwin drinking from?!  Sometimes his little plastic drink box (http://www0.epinions.com/content_146306666116) which is way too convenient, but more often, we try to use one of his four SIGG bottles (http://www.mysigg.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=26). Now, of course, one well-meaning activist saw us using ours and informed us that cheaper aluminium bottles exist somewhere, and that the SIGG bottles are lined with plastic... yes, they are.. but it's "better" plastics than what our plastic containers are made of...(http://www.mysigg.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=5#What%20exactly%20is%20the%20SIGG%20liner%20made%20of?) but we know that they're approved for use in Europe and they don't taste like plastic.  So, that's the best we can do for now.  Unlike Zachary, Edwin's entire meal doesn't live in bottles.  We think he's probably safe with the SIGG bottles.

Ok, Michael's putting dinner on the table now!  It's fresh pasta from Talluto's on the Italian Market (http://www.phillyitalianmarket.com/market/9thstreet.htm). Since we visited last week after church (http://www.christchurchphila.org/).

So, Zachary learned to sit up last week!  Kindof, anyhow.  He does topple, but he stays up awhile.  Did I blog that already?  I also wanted to note that today we realized we are in USDA Hardiness Zone 7.  SEVEN!  Ithaca was a balmy 5b. Can you believe it?!  No wonder Rose (our leasing agent) was amused to see us come in with snow shovels.  Just like an 7 year old carrying arond Kotex "just in case"....  You never know, do you?!  Gosh.  We are SOOO used to snow!  I guess we can send the skis and boots and heavy coats into storage or back to parents' houses.  I don't know.  The thing that's been so hard about this transition is losing things one at a time, totally unaware.  We just suddenly realize "one more thing" that we have to mourn or change.  And this time it's the snow.  We also had to come to a realization this week that we probably won't be using cloth diapers.  Although, maybe we will, but probably not.  The dryer is too inefficient.  We'd have to run the AC alot more to make up for it, too.  So, it makes little sense to spend all day running both a heater and an A/C to dry diapers.  If the weather turns out to be too dry, we can possibly hang-dry diapers, but not that we have alot of space to do that with!

Zachary kindof sits up when placed in an upright position now.  He topples over when distracted, like when he looks around at things.  Both boys have been exceedingly cute lately!  Also, Edwin is starting to say "want" instead of his own "moo moo". 

Edwin managed to find some plastic kids' sunglasses that I don't recall acquiring... anyhow... they must've been hidden in the yard at some point.  He broke out the lens just now and was unhappy they were broken.  I asked him to bring it to me so I could fix it.  He did.  I did.  He said, "Thankyou help Mommy".  He's SUCH a great kid!!!!

Zachary is eating cheerios, kindof.  I strung cheerios on a ribbon tied to a toy, like I used to do for Edwin.  It's because we're busy moving stuff around and Zachary is unhappy.  I nursed him, but he's sortof bored and perpetually hungry.  So, I figured, hey... try it...  earlier this morning he was making nice progress on attempting to eat my spaghetti too.  (Yes, spaghetti per la colatione..)  I didn't even hand him the toy, I laid it on him.  He dropped the butterfly he was playing with and managed to get these cheerios into his mouth.  I agree with what the local lactation guru (Diane) says, "When they're old enough to pick/grab it up and put it into their mouths, that's when they're ready to start solids".  However, he's just about 5 months old, and theoretically he shouldn't be on solids for at least 5 weeks.  So, Michael and I won't be spoon feeding or anything like that, but if Zachary *wants* to try nibbling on food, it will have to be things he grabs by himself.  Fair is fair. 

You'd think that now we have a buyer for the house, it would feel less like home.  Quite the opposite.  Instead, I feel liberated and more relaxed.  I can use cloth diapers again!  I can leave toys around the house and even outside!  And, oh my gosh!  I can even leave the house without making my bed in the morning if I really really want to!

Heh.  I have two renamed folders on my desktop.  One is called /IU'JJdon and one is called Oo; and I think I know who named them that way..  And he's very cute and asleep right now.  I love my little guys!

An idyllic day. The sun shines brightly on my toddler Edwin. He plays naked in the sun in the backyard with the hose as he stands on the slate brick piece of walkway. He waters the rest of the walkway. The grass is lush and green. The tall fence is deep blue. The catalpa tree hangs low to offer shade. The garden is tall and full of yummy things to eat. Everything is just as we'd planned. Happy, peaceful yard and house for kids to play in.

And we know that in less than a month, by some mechanism or another, we'll have to leave. We are really scared. We need to sell or rent. Fast. I am hoping hoping hoping for a job interview to yield an offer. If it doesn't, we have a plan B, but it's not quite as nice. We've told our agent as of last night that we're willing to sell the house for free... that is.. what we have left on the mortgage plus closing costs. Just get us out of here. And we'll be thrilled to exchange what amounts to a huge lump of money for the peace of mind that we can leave our lovely home in which we feel so happy - which we'd never ever leave if we could find equivalent jobs nearby...

It's of little comfort that we're not alone. There is another house I keep an eye on, a house we viewed in Lansdowne when we were under the false illusion that we would be owning there soon. They're also academics needing to move. They keep dropping their price, as does literally every other home on the market. Great time to buy. Not to sell. It would make sense to do both, but we're essentially doing neither. We're putting up a "FREE" sign on our house. Still, who's going to buy it? You never own land in Ithaca. You rent it at a high cost from the city. I don't know what we're going to do. This is really emotionally draining for all of us. Michael and me b/c we understand what's happening to our lives and we're scared enough that we are not going to be able to pull this off, and the kids b/c they just sense stress for no reason.

Zachary just rolled from facing down on his belly to facing up!

Zachary rolled over today.  He would've done it yesterday except Edwin got in his way.

Edwin is now climbing all over Daddy saying, "Daddy Ma" meaning "Daddy Milk".  He knows Mommy makes milk, but he doesn't understand that Daddy doesn't and he doesn't.

He's taken to saying "Donna Dietz" and "Dr. Dietz".  I think he got "Donna Dietz" b/c sometimes he hears me say my own name on the phone or something.  I don't know.   But "Dr. Dietz" I have no idea!  So, I said, "What about Michael?" and he replied, "Michael Dietz".  He also says "Enna Dietz" and "Reh-row Dietz".  (His pet name for himself is still Enn-nnah and for Zachary is REH-row, even though he is perfectly able to say both names when he's thinking about it.)  The stroller is "Sur-REE".  He says "Mommy work" and "Daddy work" and "Ronin work" (Robyn).  He thinks "work" means "away", I believe.  When Daddy's at work, I tell him, so he thinks everyone is "work" when they're away. He says hi on the phone like, "Hi Grindaddy" and "Hi Grammy" and "Hi Crissy" etc.  He apparently says "Mommy sleep". 

Since it's public knowledge, I can now blog this...  Michael finally got an offer for a postdoc at UPenn.  Yippee!!  And since that day in June, our lives have been upside down trying to make this transition.  So, our house has been up on the market for over a month now, so we lowered the price.  We'll see if we get a buyer soon.  Cross your fingers!

So, the housebreaking saga continues...  I know he knows what's up now!  So, he squats to poo and he stands w/his legs slightly bent in order to pee.  He does this naturally, and I suspect it will be harder for him to translate that to a toilet, which is presumably not his natural instinct.  But I'm cool with that.  He's been told repeatedly he can do his business "ah-side" or "shower" (yeah, I don't care if he goes in the tub b/c I can clean it up fairly easily there) or "baf-roooom" or "di-dap" (diaper), but he decided that since it was raining, he'd rather pee in the kitchen.  I grabbed him and sent him outside, scolding "NOOOOO!!!!  pee pee OUTSIDE!!!" and as I was cleaning up his pee, I heard him repeat, "nooo... pee pee ah-side... pee pee ah-side.."  But he decided to test me so he did the same exact thing again, while I was on the phone!  Just like 10 mintues later, even!  So, I was really mad, b/c I KNEW he understood.  So, while he was in the bathtub (shortly thereafter) I said, "I need to have a talk with you...  pee pee outside."  He replied, "pee pee shower".  So I said, "Yes, that's ok, pee pee shower, pee pee outside, pee pee potty, pee pee diaper, but NOOOO Pee Pee Kitchen!"  And, I asked him to repeat it.  He said, "Noooo.... pee pee kitchen... pee pee kitchen.. pee pee kitchen..." and he smiled... b/c he'd gotten away with saying 'pee pee kitchen'.  I said, "pee pee kitchen, you go to the CRIB" and he just smiled and said "pee pee kitchen!".  So I had to grab the phone and tell Michael, b/c even if he's being naughty, he's mighty cute!

Zachary is finally 15 lbs!  16 wks.

Before I forget *everything*..  Edwin has said some pretty darned cute things of late!  He called 9-1-1 in the Hotel when he had the phone for just a millisecond and before we unplugged it.  My fault!  So, Michael and I were... not dressed at all...  and the police came knocking on our door.  It was kindof embarassing yet funny.  How would you react if you were him.. he should've been laughing...  I'm inside saying, "Just a second!" like some kind of teenager... and "Where are my pants?!?!"  ANYhow, for future reference, the hotel phones have a one-button access to 9-1-1, so we don't have any slack time anymore with that!

 

While we were house-hunting, the last house we looked at on Saturday was purely dreadful, due to an excessive amount of horrific carpet and wallpaper.  This is not your ordinary two-men-painted-everything-too-colorful "bad" color scheme.  Edwin indicated he wanted to go upstairs, but upon going only partway, seemed to see the upstairs decor and declared "all-done!".

 

This weekend, he also cracked us up by asking for a "new di-dap" and attempting to give us a swim diaper to install.  "I'm just so glad he's learning to tell us exactly what he wants!  Thank-you Edwin, for telling us what you want!" And the next thing he said was "New Kie".  (Kie is his word for car, the first bit of the word "kite".)

 

Our house is being seen today, so we are trying to stay clear of it.  I took Edwin to the Carousel Mall again, and to the "horse".  He really enjoys that carousel, I'll tell you!  He kept saying "moo moo horse!" repeatedly before and then after riding.  On our way out of the mall, he kept saying it and I had to try to distract him by saying, "moo moo water!" which worked temporarily.  He also said "moo moo see daddy" today at 2pm, just out of the blue.

 

Zachary is crying his little eyes out now for some random reason.. just woke up I guess.  He woke up Edwin I think.. now we are all awake.

Thanks Panera for internet!

 

 

Edwin peed in the little potty chair last night at 5:30pm and again at 10:00pm for Daddy.  I hope this is the start of something good!

A few items..  Zachary was 14 lbs last Thursday when he was 12 weeks old.  I'm predicting he'll match Edwin's 15 lbs on week 15.  That's really odd.  We'll see how that goes.  And, we 4 went to UML to see Amanda graduate!  Yippeee!!!  What a blast!  I got to see some old prof/friends from UML.  Very very exciting!  Zachary got to swim for the first time last weekend in Albany and again this weekend in MA. 

 

Edwin's speech is increasing daily.  He was lying down in the grass with Michael and Michael asked if he was having fun.  Edwin said "fun".  Then he said "All Done Fun" and got up. 

 

Zachary is much 'needier' than Edwin was at this age, and unfortunately, he only has an interest in ME.  Michael isn't good enough.  If Michael were good enough, we could meet Zachary's needs much more easily- by taking turns.. the old fashioned way.  And Edwin deserves Mommy time also..so sometimes I have to just let Zachary cry it out. Like right now.  Poor kid.  But it makes me feel guilty, apparently, and I try to avoid it whenever I can. 

 

Last night I had a bad dream which was rather creative to this point.  I dreamed that I was with Edwin and Zachary in the car and I went to go visit some people.  I took Edwin into the house, but somehow forgot Zachary.  It was about 5 to 10 minutes later that I'd realized I'd left Zachary in the car, but I was afraid if I just simply went out to get him, that the others would know this horrible thing I'd done and think I was a horrible mother.  (Of course, at this point, I felt like I was a horrible mother also, but I was also worried about what they'd think.)  So, I figured out that I would go get Zachary and simply tell them I'd pre-arranged for Michael to swing by and drop off Zachary, and that he'd just dropped by.  Ok... so I went out to the car to "meet Michael" to get Zachary... and the car had been towed away!  There was a NO PARKING sign where I'd been parked.  This was just horrible.  Now I was going to have to admit not only to my friends but now to the police that I'd forgotten to take my baby out of the car!!!  Horrors!  I wondered if it was a dream, but I was sure it was real b/c I asked myself if I knew what day it was and replied to myself that it was surely March, and since I knew that, it must not be a dream.

 

(By the way, this demonstrates why you usually can't determine if YOU are alert and oriented.  If you aren't alert and oriented, how do you know if your own answers are correct?  Duh! You can only assess OTHER people!!!!)

So, Zachary has his definite preferences for milk vintage.  I tried to leave him home while I went to choir last Thursday...  actually I succeeded, but Zachary didn't.  He was ok while asleep or being fed (total 30 min) but screamed otherwise (90 min).  But, the milk he did take was 2 weeks old.  He refused to get interested in the 6 week old milk.  Michael even taste-tested it, and there was nothing 'wrong' with it!

Edwin gives nice kisses now- he has for about a month maybe?

Just for the record, Zachary is now 13 lbs.  Here's the weights he's been ...
Born: 3/6 at 9-7.5
Discharged: 3/8 at 8-13
1 wk: 3/13 at 9-7.5
3/16 at 9-10
3/20 at 10-0.5
3/24 at 10-4.5
3/31 at 11-0
4/6 at 11-6.5
4/13 at 11-15
4/16 at 12-1
4/28 at 12-8.5
5/1 at 12-10
5/4 at 13-0

It doesn't look like I have Edwin's weights in this blog.  I'll have to look for them.  But, I do know Edwin was 15 lbs at 15 wks and was born at 7-10.  Edwin is now about 24-8 or something like that.  24 1/2 lbs at 24 1/2 months. :)

The pace of life is vastly slower these days.  I'm so happy to get a few moments to myself! It's very weird for me to adjust to not having any semblance of goals.

My neck is sore.  Last night at LLL on the way out of Diane's house, I tripped somehow and tumbled down the stairs to her house.  They're wooden.  I fell nicely and Zachary didn't even really notice, I don't think.  But, this morning I have a fairly sore neck muscle.  Advil is a nice invention, but it's still sore.  Monday, Edwin got his hand pinched in a door which I was (unknowingly) attempting to close.  That looked horrible but he was totally fine.  It didn't even really bruise, b/c he whined quickly and I realized and stopped quickly.  Just the initial reaction was "Oh MY, did he break his fingers???  All 4 of them!??!?"  But when I offered him jellybeans as a consolation food, he took them with his injured fingers.  So, now I'm guessing he's right-handed b/c otherwise he'd prefer the non-injured left hand.  Friday, at Onandaga park, Edwin fell off one of the play-structures and got his first bloody nose.  That made me feel AWFUL!  Again, he was cute and totally ok.  It was a very hard split-moment decision on my part not to prevent a potential fall, so I feel guilty.  I'd told him "no" to doing what he was about to do, but I am often wrong in guessing what his limits are- so I decided to let him deal with the consequences himself.  Furthermore, he's been very curious about such ledges on similar play structures and sooner or later he was going to have to figure out how careful to be on them.  Many ledges are higher, so I'd rather have him learn on a lower one - and he did have a good shot of actually not-falling.  So, somehow, I made the decision to let him just "be a boy" and live with the fall if it happened.  I recall my Dad had a big fall when he was a kid and he hurt himself very badly and never told his mom.  I don't want Edwin to hide his falls from me.  I want him to know that even if he disobeys me and gets hurt, I will be the first person to run to help him. 

So, my other son is now calling.  I had placed him in the bathroom with the fan and lights (which often calms him, but at least drowns out his wailing) so I could have 10 minutes to cook breakfast and eat- a rather vital part of my day if I'm to nurse him.  He quickly went to sleep, giving me unanticipated time after eating to use the computer.  But, alas, I must go see what he wants now.  Gee... I wonder...

Yesterday was Michael's third cello lesson, and all 4 of us were there!  One thing Edwin got to hear for the first time was French Folk Song. That's song #2 in the Suzuki cello literature.  It's in place of Lightly Row which is #2 in the violin literature, which he's very familiar with.

Last night, as I was getting Edwin to sleep, I sang him French Folk Song.  He happily commented, "Pappa"...  and drifted off to sleep soon thereafter.

Edwin has cool words for things, although I'd rather he uses ours...  He called ice-cream "ae' tna" and Edwin is "Anna".  Cello is "Papa" and viola is "bia" while violin is "ba AHH  ah"

The other day, I was able to bribe him to walk fast (in order to return to the group- Robyn, me, Michael, HP, and Zachary) by using the word chocolate.  Of course I had to deliver the goods.  :)

Another funny thing yesterday, right before Michael's defense...  he was outside and did NOT want to come in, but DID wish to have water, which was poised near the door.  He knew it was a ploy to get him to come inside and that I was likely to shut the door behind him.  So, he carefully laid down on the floor so that his feet remained outside while his body was inside.  He was just the exact size to reach the bottle.

What would a 2 year old do with playdoh if not "shown"?  Well, I'd assume eat it, squish it, get it dirty???  Well, Edwin thought it would make good grass-seed.  He decided to wander out into the yard, scattering bits of it around.  Pink goes great with the lawn, right?

Already today, he's used most of a piece of chalk, coloring the porch, the stones, the fence, the house, door, screen door..  and he found this stand thing of Michael's under the porch (for tomatoes) and he played with that.  He's abused the lilac and pulled up some purple flowers (the ones the squirrels like to eat anyhow) and he also chalked up the door to the rear shed.  It's going to be a long summer....  I hope it's a warm one!

I'll set him up w/the toy pool so he can get all wet ... of course he's outside now in his dirty diaper.  At some point, I'll have to clean him up.  Hmmm...  And all this on just under an hour of napping, I think???  I'm beginning to feel like a zoo-animal.  I just sit around and only have a few things to do, nothing urgent or time-critical.  That's pretty much how I assume zoo-animals feel.  Just sitting around like a panda munching on bamboo.  I need more bamboo to munch though.  I have some whole wheat crackers in the oven, unless Zachary takes this opportunity to wake up and cry just when they need to come out....

Blogging again... maybe?

It's 3pm (Although, my computer thinks it's 4pm.  Thanks, Bush!) and both my SONS are asleep! :)  HAHAHA So, why don't I start in on my HUGE to-do list instead of blogging?  No clue.

I'm not planning to blog extensively about the birth.  I've just decided some things don't belong on a blog.  I should print out my little story for posterity and put it with the other sentimental things I collect, but it doesn't need to go up online.  Just a summary, though, for continuity... 

We started Tuesday, the 4th of March with contractions, but I'd had lots of contractions.. no biggie.  But, they seemed not to be connected to my activity patterns as in the past.  A slight but subtle difference.  They got stronger, but no biggie, b/c they'd *been* getting stronger and weaker and still on and off again.  In fact, the previous Thursday, I'd had what I felt then was a 2 minute strong, exhausting, contraction.  Now, after the fact, I still think my observation may have been correct.  My body seemed to have been trying to go into labor for days before the labor.  By 5pm, we called to inform people we thought it was real.  By midnight, roughly, Gail (doula) was here.  By 2am, Monica and her gang were here, getting ready to catch.  No baby.  Just more on-and-off-again labor patterns.  This rambled on until Thursday afternoon around 5pm, where we'd been stuck at 7cm since the previous night, even with good strong "effective" contractions all morning and afternoon Thursday.  We chose to go to Schuyler for a c-section w/Dr. Saks.  There was never an emergency or any problem of any sort, other than "we got stuck".  Healthy mom, healthy baby, just stuck.  I was very glad for every contraction (except for the last 15 minutes while I had a catheter in me and had to stand upright and stand still) and for the 48+ hours of trying.  My recovery has been swift.  I had no post-op pain meds other than ibuprofen, and I was discharged on Saturday and actually showed up to the PotLuck at church on Sunday, where we met up with Sera Smolin and that started something...

I started emailing her over the next 2 weeks and arranged with her to get a nice cello for Michael.  Then, I arranged with Robyn to 'randomly' go for a walk when Zachary was 13 days old, and just 'randomly' wind up in front to Sera's house.  But it wasn't random at all.  It took alot of planning to make it look random.  It was Michael's first cello lesson, and the surprise worked like a charm. 

So, what have my days been like since then?  With Michael here, all is different, but this is now my 6th full day alone w/the 2 boys, I suppose.  I'm struggling to figure out how to get non-boy-related things accomplished while attending to them, or how to get 'out' of the house to do nice things with Edwin.  He's not quite as excited about the Sciencenter as I'd like him to be, but maybe when it gets warmer out, he'll enjoy their outdoor play area.

As with just Edwin, now with both boys, I'm amazed at both my ability to do certain things as well as my inability to do other certain things.  Right now, I have a few precious minutes alone, as they are both asleep in different places.  In the first few days alone, I would be asleep with both of them, all 3 of us in bed.  I may use that again at some point, but I've had coffee (and am having it) and boy is it gooooood right now!  So, I'm not all that tired, or at least I don't think I am. :)  But, knowing that I could actually sleep with Edwin during his nap was a blessing!

I hear Zachary, this will either be short or I'll have to relocate or both...

Things I can do...  laundry (wow!!!) but not always folded.. but at least it's all cleaned!  I can pack up the boys with Edwin in one of 2 strollers and Zachary in a carrier- and go to Gimme!  I'm sure I could go to ABC or elsewhere, but why?  I can meet up with people, but whom?  But at least I know that's an option.  I can get 2 boys into and out of the car by myself.  That's tricky sometimes. 

It's easier leaving than returning b/c on the way back, I usually have more crud in the car that needs to come out.  Going to stores is pretty easy b/c I park near a cart return.  I can load up Edwin in the cart and then load up Zachary in a sling or vice versa.  That's ok.  Buying stuff is REALLY easy, unfortunately.  To get stuff into the house, I have to resort to locking the boys in the car :( and unloading the car first, then the boys.  What else can I do?  It's really the only place for them both to be- restrained and safe. They both must be confined if I'm to unload, and the car must be locked for their safety as well.  But if Michael is home, that's not a problem, as he can help with either task, so they boys don't have to stay in the car while I unload.  I'm never away from them for more than 15 seconds, though.  I think we've all heard so much about "never leave a child in a locked car!!!" and horror stories about kids actually being "left" in cars, that we're conditioned NEVER to do it. So, I hate doing it, even though logically, it's the safest place for them.  And, I unload as quickly as possible- the only stuff that really needs to come out is groceries anyhow, and that only needs to get as far as the hallway, so that can be done very quickly.  Once I get the boys back inside, I can deal with the mess inside the house :)  What would I do if I lived in an apartment complex!?  I have no freaking clue.  What a mess!  I might not buy groceries then!  What *do* people do?  I guess I'd feel better if I had a garage.  Then, I could leave the car unlocked and the doors wide open, boys still in the carseats, but it would all be kosher then.

Whatever do other people do?!?!  How do other people juggle a newborn and a 2yr old?  I guess I'm doing ok for being new at this.  I will surely learn tricks each day, and by the time Zachary can walk, hopefully Edwin can talk and maybe even take verbal bribes for good behavior.  Ha! ;)  Edwin is SUCH a good kid.  I think Zachary will be as well.  Right now, he's a good baby, but I think he'll turn out ok as a kid as well.

Wow!  A whole half hour.  What a luxury!!!  I feel bad for being grateful for this time.  I wanted kids, now I have them, and now I am excited when they're both asleep and I'm awake.  Blah.  What's that all about?  :)  Anyhow, I do have tasks.  I should attempt to do one or more of them for 3 minutes before Zachary wakes up hungry again.  :)

Edwin weighs 24 lbs 8 oz today.  Zachary was 11 lbs 0.5 oz yesterday.  If they remain on their respective growth curves, Zachary will weigh more than Edwin sometime between age 1 and 2 (for Zachary). 

Tonight (late), Edwin first requested his 'hat', then he went over to the sliding glass door and asked to go out, using some word such as "aaatin" which has meant various things I guess...  Michael put on his 'clogs' and hat and carried Edwin outside into the cold backyard... and introduced him to the "moom".  This is the first instance of Edwin recognising a celestial body. :)  As I type this, Edwin is playing his violin with his bow. 

Zachary is 9 LBS 7.5 oz tonight! Back to his birthweight after just a week! I finally know why they call it "nursing on demand".  (Edwin nursed "upon request". )

Just an update on today.  We are all doing great and my stamina is returning.  I still take naps randomly, which feels just wonderful.  We walked to Zachary's appointment with Jamie. Zachary is gaining weight well already!  He had lost 10 ounces between birth and discharge, and he's regained at least half of that already.  (It's hard to tell on a variety of scales, but all scales show a gain, and our scale at home shows a gain of at least 7 ounces since we got home.)  Michael carried Edwin, and I carried Zachary and a backpack.  Heidi saw us and said I looked really great, and that she was happy to see me walking upright!  Then, we went to Mama Goose to get long-sleeved outfits for Zachary.  We came home, and I got to nap with my sweet Edwin, which I haven't gotten to do in quite awhile.  Michael was watching Zachary while we did that. After we woke up, I decided I felt like walking to ABC cafe for dinner, so we all packed ourselves up and did that.  Edwin walked about halfway there before Michael had to carry him.  It seems like suddenly there are alot of coats, shoes, socks, and carriers to be contended with when we're trying to get out the door, and it seems like there is alot of laundry suddenly.  But other than that, life seems just sweet and fun.  We really feel like we're on a "babymoon".  We really needed this time together, and it feels great to have it. 

So, the surgery was 7:15pm to around 8:00pm and by 5:00am Friday, I could feel my strength begin to return in force.  I was ready to walk, but didn't want to wake Michael.  Once he was awake, I think I was up and moving.  By Saturday morning I had already been walking around the hospital and was ready to actually pick up Edwin!  We were discharged Saturday at 3pm.  Sunday was the start of EDT which we didn't realize, so we missed hearing the choir sing the John Rutter piece :(  What a bummer!  But instead, we walked to church (13 min walk usually) and stayed for potluck, got to sit/chat w/the cellist (Sera Smolen) and then returned.  That was the better thing to do anyhow, as all the people and kids were excited to see the little baby.  One little girl asked, "Did you have him this morning???"  Another man said, "I'm so used to my wife- she had C-sections and it took so long for her to recover...." and he was shocked that I was up and about already.   Gail had laryngitis and couldn't come, but she 'yelled' at me through Jennifer and Mark- trying to get me to go home.  Yesterday was Monday. We went to Viva's for lunch yesterday.

This is a note to say I'm planning to blog about the birth, but not yet, so we'll be getting out of date-sequence...   Zachary Ignatius Robinson as born by Csection at 7:31pm Thursday, March 6th 2008 in Montour Falls at Schuyler Hospital by Dr. Saks.

This is a list of the words Edwin consistently uses:

hi
no
water (also refers to cups)
juice
mem (milk)
sausage
bread
rice
mitmo (oatmeal)
up
down
baby
mommy
daddy
book
tractor
bus
car
ball
hot
puppy
bear
chocolate
vaaaa (violin)
via (viola)
bow
rosin
guitar
eggs
tomato
onion
dee? (I want it/do you want it?)
shoe
socks
hat
diaper
phone
feef (fish)
clock
light
snow
open
close
zip (when operating zippers)
hair
all gone
all done
fire engine (somewhat difficult to hear)
uh-oh
ah-no!
on
off
brother
hippo
monkey
purple
yellow
apple
nonanno (banana)
choo-choo (train)
again
(all upper case letters)
(12356789)

Just for the record, no new baby yet... but I have to say, Wednesday I was still able to carry Edwin in the framepack and still bend down to tie my shoes erstwhile!  Sunday night of this week was my last fly-workout.  I was so tired the next day, I had 3 naps.  It was a combination of many things, but I think I'll save fly for postpartum now.  I'm kindof sad.  I miss it already.  The other 3 strokes do not pack a punch like fly does.  I don't even feel like I'm exercizing.  Swimming the other 3 strokes feels for me the way yoga looks... very boring and just about flexibility and breathing now...  I know yoga *can* be intense, but I have yet to see it 'advertised' as such.

Yesterday, Edwin pooped in the tub.  (Yeah, it happens.)  He looked at his poops and proclaimed, "sausage".

So, last night, Edwin and I were awake until 2am. One lovely thing we did, besides fixing the stereo together, was to review the alphabet.  He was in the mood to cooperate for some reason, and I was very impressed by his mastery of the letters in the book I made him.  (I photographed his foam letters from Aunt Carolyn and had Shutterfly make them into a snapbook for him.)  He knew: A, B, C, D (after first calling it an F, and then correcting himself), E, F, G, H (which he calls "8"), I, (He missed J and K, but often confuses K and X), L, M (He missed N), O, (He missed P), Q, R, S, T, (He missed U) V, W (He has his own special word for W, but we know what it is...), X, Y, (and he missed Z).  Just for reference, he's learning to say "one" and can say "two" and "three".  Michael says to him "One, Two, Three" and he'll repeat "Two, Two, Three!".  However, if I say "One, Two, Three, Four, Five", and hold up my fingers, he'll say "One" and hold up one finger.  A couple of weeks ago, Michael was with Edwin at an ELEVATOR.  Edwin apparently looked up and said "E-I-E-I-O".  I suspect he will read before he can really speak.  That's kindof funny.  He is learning many new nouns, though.  He's working hard to get the sounds right in "Water" and he frequently makes use of this request.

Last night at dinner, Edwin was very hungry, but Michael correctly figured out the reason he wouldn't eat was that he was thirsty, despite having water available.  I figured it was b/c it was so hard to get any significant water flow out of those sippy cups, so I took the lid off as an experiment.  It was water anyhow!  So, he now can officially drink out of a hard plastic cup without a lid.  He was soooo excited.  The rest of the meal was wonderful (Michael had made middleeastern couscous like we had eaten in Marseillle), and Edwin had plenty to drink and then of course, plenty to eat!  Then at the end, of COURSE he dumped the rest of the water.  (This is why he only had small amounts at a time, heheh.)

Monday, I figured out finally how to deal with Edwin's hair, I think. The first time we tried to trim Edwin's hair, it was a bit of a disaster, although his hair didn't sustain too much damage.  So, I figured out that I can just use a standard razor (like I use on my legs or Michael uses on his beard).  Edwin's hair is so soft, I just need to outline the hairline for him and leave the internal hair alone.  That way, he can keep his most natural look without looking totally untended.  I figure that should work for awhile anyhow.  I did nick him a bit with the blade though. :(  Oh well, he didn't even notice, and neither did I - until he was out of the bath.  So, it's not like he got hurt.  But still... :(

Edwin has so many words, letters, and some numbers now!  One of our favorite is that he says oatmeal, or at least tries.  It comes out sounding like "Mitmo" or "Atmo".  His word for water is slowly becoming correct.  It started as "moyle" which ... I am certain he would NOT be asking for a moyle if only he knew....  but then it became "oil" which was better.  Now it's getting closer to "wadeh".  When he's hungry or begging off you, he'll say "Bite-ey!".  He can say 'sausage' in a convincing way and he's started eating scrambled eggs.  (Good for me, so he can eat them with me!!!) It's really nice, because now I have a clue when he's hungry or thirsty!  He won't ALWAYS tell me, but it's moving in that direction!  He is starting to get the word "Car" pretty well, too. 

He gets many letters occasionally, and particularly when he's in the mood for it.  He gets Q, Y, 9, 2, for example.  He seems to know BOTH M and W, but not other letters/numbers which get flipped. He knows O apart from Q.  He realizes I may or may not have serifs, so it's not suprising that he's still having trouble figuring out why T isn't an I also!!!  Gosh, how to explain fonts to a 21 month old!???  Blah!

He also responds to sentences like, "Go get in your highchair!" and "Let's go downstairs" by taking the requested action.

This is insane, but fun!  Edwin is starting to learn letters.  The other day, Michael was showing him the ABC book I made him (by photographing all his foam letters from Carolyn and printing them out into a booklet using Shutterfly), and he was able to identify 6 letters before he started missing them.  He got I, O, A, T, V, and P I think.  He's still shaky on them, but he usually gets O and the others he kindof is getting.  A and I sound alike, and he likes to call T an I still.  B, V, P (and Z?) are so similar to say also.  What fun!

Warning: this has nothing to do with Edwin:  I was at Gimme! today and Madonna's "Material Girl" was playing.  It struck me that I love this song as well as "Captain Jack" (Billy Joel) and "Margaritaville" (Jimmy Buffet) and there are probably lots more that I'm forgetting.  When I was a teenager, I took the lyrics to these and similar songs too literally and was totally disgusted by their very existence.  I could not believe anybody would write or sing such a thing!  But, I realize that these artists are making fun of society, even as they make fun of their very fans, and I find this so completely amusing now!  I just couldn't help but note this...

So much to say!  He is learning to say letter names rather quickly and accurately now, although it's sortof hit or miss on recognition of most letters.  He usually gets O right though, confusing T and I. 

The other day, he wanted to get up to the counter where I was working in the kitchen, and he went all the way over to the table to get a chair, drag it around the 'bar' and over to the counter, and climbed up on the chair so he could reach the counter. 

He says "socks" for his mittens, which is not something we taught him!  He says "shoe" nicely.

At Sangam's today, a musician noted to us that Edwin was singing nicely in tune, copying Mommy.  ("E-I-E-I-O").  He had to say Bye-Bye to two tables of people by the time we left (a family of 5 and a couple) because he'd managed to flirt with them all over dinner.

A couple days ago, when I turned my back for 10 seconds, he started unplugging and plugging-in the electric blanket (which was off).  He was doing it totally correctly.  It was so hard to ask him to stop, because I was so proud of him doing it and doing it correctly!!!  But he nicely redirected his energy elsewhere.

He eats sliced apples now and even ate half of an uncut apple today!

So, I was visiting Lauren and her family, who are about to leave the country for awhile...  And one of Lauren's friends is a speech therapist/pathologist.  So, I asked her how you know if your child is having issues.  I asked her how you know when a word 'counts'.. and she asked if other people would be able to recognize the word.  I said, "How do you know which people count???  Do grandparents count???" and she said they did. She was encouraging of using the free assessment offered by the county, and as we were talking, Edwin picked up a magnetic capital letter I from the fridge and cutely said "I".  She replied that that was pretty impressive.  I guess he's pretty amazing...  He knows "I" and "O" now, on his foam letters.  How awesome!!!

He also says open/close for many objects, including lights and water faucets.  This is cool to me, because Irene used to do that, since the Greek language does that.  Yesterday, he picked up his mittens and said "Socks".  (He says "shoe" and "sock/s" appropriately.)

Today, at the LLL meeting, we were in the hall coming back from the bathroom, and he stops at this guy's office and looks at him and says, "HI!!!".  The guy starts asking him something and Edwin says, "Yeah."
appropriately. 

I'm starting to think he may actually be talking...

We have had this most incredible day!  It's nearly 11pm and it's still around 50F here.  The record high for Jan 7 is now broken.  It was 45-61F according to the records (64 in Syracuse), but our thermometers all read higher, with the one upstairs reading over 70 (but it's often a bit high).  I turned the heat off and opened the upstairs windows from noon to about 6:30pm and I put up the little tent and had Edwin take his nap (4pm to 6:30) in the tent.  What fun!  I raked from 4-5pm in the backyard while he slept.  The heat is 'back on' but the thermostat still hasn't triggered.  The upstairs smells fresh for a change - instead of just the kindof stale air.

We also met up with Anne today for lunch, yipppeee!!!  She is also planning an HBAC, with her baby due mid-May. 

And...  I think Edwin tried to say his name today!  I was saying "Mommy, Edwin" and pointing, and I think he said "Edin".  Sooo cute!  He's playing on his comptuer now right next to me on mine.

Well, I need to update the little guy's photo, don't I???  In any case, I should make note of some of his doings of late.

He made his first transmission on 146.58 (Ham 2m band) last night.  I don't think anybody heard us.  He was tired enough that it was okay to bring him into the geek room, and he was tired enough that if I *didn't*, he would cry rather than play.  He played with Michael's oscilliscope, although it was off.  Then, he played with a keyboard and finally turned on Lambda (an old Intel sitting around).  Then, he wandered over to the milk-crate full of HT's and managed to find the only rig with any amount of juice in it.  I didn't even know the Alinco had anything left in it!  (It's a little 300 mW.)  So, I had to go ahead and ID just in case the rats downstairs were listening.  (No, we don't think we have rats anymore, but we constantly joke as if they were still there...)

Also, yesterday, after dropping Michael off in Syracuse, Edwin and I headed out to Babies R Us to look for a new carseat for his sibbling.  A very nice gentleman (who has a 12 year old and a 1 month old at home) assisted us in trying to figure out which seat would best fit into the car.  Funny thing, though, I had been talking with him for probably close to 10 or 15 minutes and even though he'd been very helpful, he kept trying to sell me a stage 2-3 carseat and asking how old Edwin was and which way he was facing etc...  When we got to the car to test out the fit of the floor-model in the car, he handed it to me facing the wrong way, and suddenly I understood what was going on.  "You said he's 20 months old and 26 pounds, so isn't he facing forwards?"  heheheh...  Then I said, "Yes, *he* is.  But, I'm pregnant."  "Ohhhhhhhhh!!!!!   I know what you're doing now!  I know which carseat I want  you to try now, I'll be right back with it!"  And off he went to bring back the other model.  He said I didn't look pregnant at all.  Hehehehhe...  Even Jean, a Gimme! regular, has said this whenever I'm wearing one of my baggy coats.  My RPI Ambulance jacket is large and  so is the one I got in San Francisco- and people don't even know I'm pregnant in them.  But, I'm getting rather large, I think.  Not like 9 months, but hey, I'm almost 7 1/2 months now!