My Heart Got Melty

This weekend, my little Munch was on the whole in a great mood--he went with the flow of a very busy weekend in which we moved in new bedroom furniture with very few meltdowns.

One meltdown involved the vacuum, which Munch LOVES, and which happened to be plugged in, so Munch kept turning it on and off, on and off. I'm less likely to stop such shenanigans, whereas Hubs is more practical and worries about things like a burnt-out vacuum motor. So, the vacuum was whisked away, and Munch stood in the middle of the room crying and saying "Vat-uum, vat-uum" over and over in the most heartbroken toddler voice you'll ever hear. A couple hours later, though, when Mommy was holding Munch up to the sink to brush his teeth, he looked at me earnestly in the mirror and said, "Vat-uum, bye-bye."

And the mommy inside me screamed, "NO, it's in my closet, not bye-bye, I'M LYING TO YOU."

Whilst the parent in me said, "Yep, vacuum went bye-bye."

Other melty moments:

• Munch asked for his bottle by leaning forward and jutting out his neck a little bit and saying, with wide eyes, "Ba-ba. Bot-tle." Like, let me repeat this very slowly for you.
• Munch discovered his old, baby-beloved exersaucer at my sister's house, where it now lives. The top of the exersaucer was on the floor, and Munch climbed right into the little seat and played with the jungle animals while alternately saying "Baby" and "'Uck" (stuck). He's been looking at a lot of pictures lately and I think he recognized that the baby we have 10,000 pictures of was often in the exersaucer.

Speaking of pictures ....

• I finally took some pictures out of cardboard boxes and put them into clear plastic photo bins (it's an improvement). Munch noticed the picture on the end and said "Mommy." This is a picture of me in the hospital, asleep, the night before my labor with him was induced. Munch looked at me and said, "Mommy," put his finger to his lips and said, "Shhh. Nigh-nigh." (That's the first time he's ever shhh'd like that.)

And yes Munch, Mommy is nigh-nigh in that picture--right before her entire life transformed the moment she saw your little eyes.

My Ca-razy Kid

I don't know what was in the water this weekend, but my kid was in quite the state. He did some things that had Hubs and I both laughing raucously and also shaking our heads.

• Goin after the boob. This is TMI, so skip this bullet if you'd like. I weaned Munch in mid-November. So, it's been nearly 3 months since he nursed. In all that time, he maybe twice held up a pillow in hopes of nursing. He's seen me topless plenty of times with barely a glance. Well, Friday night, I was changing into my PJs. Munch was standing across the room. As soon as my boobs were out, he focused on them with seriously a laser beam stare, popped his paci out of his mouth, and streaked across the room, like, "It is ON." Crazy. I covered myself quickly and kept myself covered for the rest of the weekend! I thought boob-memory would have been long relagated to the subconscious. Not so, it seems!
• Vampire baby. In keeping with the "I'm going to act strange with Mommy" theme, Munch kept diving for my neck, mouth open, to take strands of my hair in his mouth and bite them. He did this over and over. Probably my maniacal laughter didn't go far to curb the behavior.
• Interpretive dance. Munch loves dancing, from foot stomping to knee bobbing to being swung crazily up and down and all around by Daddy. This weekend, he started bobbing but also moving his arms up and down in like a wave move. Daddy and I of course mimicked and we all were quite the flower children.
• Bath/dinner time. My child refuses to sit at a table and eat for me. I'm sure some mothers out there somehow force/coerce their toddlers to sit and eat. Our strategy for dinner over the weekend was to feed him Go-Gurts and Plum Pouches in his bath. It's clean! It's efficient! It's weird. The last thing I want is my son associating the bathroom or shower with food. But the thing I want most is for this lanky kid to EAT. I will choose to believe this association, along with others, will fade if established (see bullet 1).

There was more, like the lightning fast mood swings from gleeful to completely pissed, and the complete lovefest he showered on his new stuffed Clifford. Life wasn't dull at Casa Blank this weekend, that's for sure.

Fevers and Coughs

The weekend was spent nursing a sick kid. Luckily, Munch was in good spirits for the most part. We could all take a lesson for how he conducts himself when he's feeling under the weather--if he complains, then you know it's really bad.

On Friday, it seems he came down with the respiratory thing that is sweeping the nation. He also had a fever, which drives me insane. I check it all the time, running my head over his head, cheeks, and limbs nearly constantly. I try to remember that a fever is the body's way of fighting the infection, but it still whiggs me out. I think: "What underlying problem is this fever indicating?" It used to be that a fever meant an ear infection; however, it seems the fever may have abated today, so maybe his body is just doing its work.

On the whole, it was a nice, productive weekend. Hubs and I cleaned out our closets and dressers in prep for a new bedroom set coming our way in February. Finally, we'll have a queen bed! I'm sure I'll ask how I ever slept in a full-size for all this time, especially since a third body often wiggles in.

Update on Sleep

I am happy to report that for the past 6 days, Munch has adapted to our new routine. Firstly, we all go up to brush our teeth together, which Munch LOVES, then Hubs and I both go in to sway him for three lullabys at the end of which we kiss him and lie him in the crib. Then, we lie on the floor next to him until he falls asleep, which is generally within 15 minutes. The first night, he screamed for an hour, and that was hard, but I reminded myself--I am touching him through the bars, I'm right here, I don't need to pick him up. And, largely, he is sleeping, and he's sleeping longer in his crib. Of course, the illness has put a bit of a wrench in that, but only after he's initially not had an issue falling asleep. I hope this progress solidifies and continues.

One thing that really helped me was in my downtrodden post about this issue--I sort of wrote myself into an answer. It was about me feeling I have to put him to sleep rather than trusting him to put himself to sleep. It's a bit of letting go, of knowing he can do it, of being there more as quiet support and reassurance rather than active participation. This may be the story of motherhood. I know I'll need to eventually transition to not lying on the floor next to him. But this is much better than holding him for an hour and hoping he eventually falls asleep.

The best part of the weekend (or was this late last week?) was when Munch sat between Hubs and me and the floor, holding a bowl of Goldfish. Then he kissed each of us (by making a smacking sound with his lips and offering his head to our lips), then went to the front door and said, "Buh Bye!" This kid!

Resolutions are still mostly on track. I did break one last night--the reading, which was thwarted because of the late running of the Golden Globes, then the prompt wake-up of my sickly. I did read for an hour one night and 45 minutes another, so that must count for something, right? I went to the gym both Friday and Saturday and tracked food, though my meals were a bit higher than I'd like. 29 points is not very much at all, unfortunately!

"Tree. Buh Bye!"

Christmas 2012 officially ended in our household over the weekend. Munch, though not crazy about the attention Hubs and I had to give to the tree-dissembling, loved watching Daddy haul the tree out the door and even more loved watching Mommy vacuum up the leftover needles (which he then proceeded to pick off the soles of his bare feet).

Now, he points to the bare spot where the tree stood and says, "Tree. Buh Bye!" It's so cute, and, I believe, his first official sentence--two thoughts together, anyway!

But, it seems we're either in a transition period or still just having a rough-ish transition back to routine after being off from work and traveling over Christmas and New Years. Munch did so well all the way to New Year's Eve, though, napping and sleeping at mostly the appointed times, that I guess I didn't realize we had much transition to go through. Basically, sleep is sucking right now--or, rather, since we all pretty much sleep eventually, bedtime is sucking.

Confession

I didn't sleep train my son. There, I said it. I feel it's this dirty little secret I've been keeping, and reading mommy blogs where they talk about laying their babies down awake niggle into my brain as I know that Hubs or I spend 15-60 minutes swaying a 21-month-old to sleep before making the delicate transition to the crib.

I cannot let him cry. I just can't. Especially now that he inserts a desperately choke-screamed, Mommy!! when we let him sit in his crib for 5 minutes after we've unsuccessfully swayed for 60.

However, I know that there are ways to sleep train without crying it out and I just haven't fully committed to any of them. I imagined that as he grew older, he would come to understand that the crib is his bed and his bed is nice and it's there for sleeping. It would be a positive place for him. What it appears that he's learned is that the Big Bed is there for sleeping and it's much better and friendlier than his lonely crib. This also I've done to him, bringing him into the bed with us when he wakes at 1am instead of taking the time to sway him back to sleep. I've only got myself to blame, right?

And there it is: blame. I just keep saying over and over, I've done this to him, I've done this to him, I'm doing this to him. After all, he lies down by himself to sleep at day care. Mommy's presence is the X factor.

I tell myself I'm being dramatic. He'll sleep eventually, he'll get it eventually. But my mom didn't cry it out, but rather rocked me. And I have a very hard time as an adult getting to sleep. I understand I cannot say one caused the other, as I'm sure many other factors go into my adult sleeping troubles, not the least of which is my overactive, never-quiet mind.

But, the niggling thought: I'm doing this to him, setting him up for a lifetime of bad sleep.

Isn't this what we parents, but mostly we mothers, fear so much? That what we do now will have long-lasting detrimental effects. There's the old cliche: In therapy, everyone blames everything on the mothers. When we adults, or at least we adults trying to figure our shit out, take a macro look at our lives, Mother looms large. She's the one who loved us fiercest, protected us tirelessly, and helped set our course in the world.

But, in my son's case, she's the one who aided him to sleep instead of trusting him to do it himself. She's the one who has the TV on too much and feeds him ramen every night. Sure, he won't eat anything else, but maybe a better mother could get him to. She's the one who left him at day care. I'm the one.

Anyway, clearly I'm spiraling over this sleep thing. Parenting is hard. No one who hasn't done it gets it. I feel I have a life in my hands and it's my responsibility to make it his best one. We spend a third of our lives sleeping. That's a lot of time to fuck up.

But, surely all hope is not lost. Surely, I won't be swaying a 60-pound 2nd grader to sleep every night. Surely, we can take charge of this thing and "fix" it--change the routine. It will not be easy with my strong-willed boy. But, if only for his sake, I have to give it my best shot.

Lord of the Rings

After a weekend of zooing and relaxing, I got a call this morning from day care that Munch had fallen while running around the playground and he has a scratch on his cheekbone. :( And I have to wait until I get home to see the damage. Apparently, it didn't bleed and he cried a bit, but settled down. Poor thing!

With that, the weekend wrapping:

The Highlight(s):

• The zoo on Munch's half birthday
• Munch got so into his Melissa and Doug wooden ring tower last night! It was amazing. He sat for an hour putting the rings on the rod and taking them off and clapping for himself. He was so contented and excited!

The Good:

• A nice visit with my dad and Patty. After the zoo, we just hung out at our house and played with Munch's basketball hoop and had Chipotle for dinner.
• " 'nana".
• My first trip to a Waffle House for breakfast--excellent waffles, omelet, and hashbrowns. Munch again at first refused to sit in his high chair, just stiffened up his whole body, then we had a minor victory of getting him to settle.
• A quiet Sunday just the three of us, though Hubs had to do a lot of work.
• Rocking Munch to sleep for his late-day nap and holding him while he slept (though he slept for too long, my fault). Read the whole time.
• My first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season.
• Cooler weather starting Sunday.
• Munch playing with his basketball hoop--so cute. At first he tried putting the ball up through the hoop's bottom, but he soon got the hang of it.
• NEW iPHONES--so awesome. And back to Verizon!

The What???

• News on Sunday that the National Zoo's newborn panda died. The article referenced the keepers hearing the mother's "distressed cry" and my heart broke.
• Munch didn't get to sleep last night until after 11 last night--Mommy's fault, as I let him sleep from 4-6pm.
• Never-ending housework. No matter what we do, by the end of the weekend, the kitchen is a mess and the laundry isn't done.
• The Emmys really weren't good.

Any Time in Gettysburg Is a Good Time

Weekend wrapping up on Tuesday again. An at-home weekend with some visiting thrown in.

The Highlight:

• Saturday evening, Hubs, Munch, and I went to Gettysburg to enjoy the beautiful air and get Munch some 18 month pants and long sleeves. The colder weather, especially in the mornings, crept up on us. We split up and I did some clothes shopping for myself (also much-needed) and Hubs first pushed Munch in the stroller, then I took Munch to the center of the outlets and let him push the stroller around the gazebo and sit in the rocking chairs. After Hubs was done at Game Stop, he came back and we both walked as Munch sat in my arms "pushing" the stroller around and around. He loved it.
  
  Then, as I shopped at Carter's, Munch ran in and out of the store with Daddy following behind. He interacted with a little girl who said, "What is that baby saying?" in response to Munch's intricate babbles. I was like, honey, we have no idea.
  
  Munch is definitely in the toddler "I want what I want now and I'm going to scream if I have to stop" phase. When he had to stop pushing the stroller, screamed. When it was 8:15 and time to leave and I picked him up, screamed. And, we made the mistake of buying a Melissa and Doug Trunki because we thought it would be SO CUTE for Munch to have his own luggage for Disney.
  
  Trunki claims that there will be No More Tears! in the airport, now that your toddler can have HIS OWN suitcase that he can RIDE ON WHEN HIS LEGS ARE TIRED. What say you, marketing gurus, when said miracle Trunki induces crying because my one-track-minded toddler wants ONLY to ride or push the Trunki when it's time to, say, get in the car or stow the beloved Trunki in the, um, trunk? So, Trunki has been hiding in the front seat of Daddy's car since purchase, and we're considering whether this particular toy/luggage will be waiting until Munch is perhaps older.

The Good:

• Barnes and Noble Friday night. Also, awesome chicken.
• A good day of playing on Saturday, with lots of dancing and I even took Munch out into the backyard after I mowed the jungle-lawn.
• Football! with dear friends and Red Robin, whose tagline now is, "It's good to enjoy a burger every now and now." Yep.

The What???

• Croup and breathing troubles.
• So much snot from Munch's continuously runny nose.
• Teething, oh teething.
• Munch ate exactly 6 bites of cereal and goldfish all day Sunday.

Daddy Time and Good Screaming

This weekend was another great one, with Munch being in a good mood for most of it. My mom, sisters, and grandma were in for my cousin's baby shower on Saturday, so Daddy spent a good deal of alone time with Munch.

The Highlight:

• The Saturday night visit, during which Munch was in such a good mood. He seemed a bit shy when they came in, pulling slightly back into Daddy, but quickly warmed and spent the evening screaming for us all to imitate him, playing with the origin star from Carlisle, which now hangs on my doorknob, knocking blocks over, and having us sing "Wheels."

The Good:

• 2.5 cupcakes on Saturday. (This is both good and bad.) BW3's on Friday (again, good and bad).
• Seeing a new and quaint part of Baltimore, near the "Fells Point" area. Gorgeous area right on the Bay, lots of sailboats and massive Navy ships.
• Spending so much time with my younger sister, whom I've missed a lot since she moved to Pittsburgh. Spending quality one-on-one time with my older sister as well, and enjoying some good-natured ribbing.
• Nursery rhyme worksheets at the shower, which resulted in a $15 Starbucks card.
• Munch running up and down the length of the living room, screaming and smiling and delighting as I screamed back.
• The continuous "star search." We've discovered stars on several more toys. Munch also stared at a quilt with a large starburst in the middle, thinking, I could see, that it could possibly be a star, but it's unlike those he normally likes.
• Football!
• The glorious fall-like weather after the storm on Saturday, walking around the lake at the Rio with Hubs and Munch on Sunday.
• Got my new bathing suit and I think it'll be cute for Disney.
• Chipotle twice.
• Finished A Study in Scarlet and started an awesome mommy memoir.

The What???

• 75 minutes on hold with Verizon Fios.
• Teething--another molar coming in, and some discomfort at night.
• Another "mommy fail": I let Munch play on the kitchen counter last night and he was playing with the Keurig and toaster. Of course, it went a little too far and he started putting his finger inside the Keurig, where the little needle is that pokes the hole in the top of the K-cup, so that ended that, and he screamed and obsessed and wouldn't get over it until Daddy finally just took him to bed. He fell asleep immediately, so he was clearly overtired, but once again, he was so upset because I let him do something, then had to abruptly stop him from doing it, and he can't understand why. He doesn't have the capacity. I need to remember that when he wants to do something that he shouldn't but that seems okay on the surface. I am the mommy and need to be stronger in this regard.

Labor Day Away

I realize I'm doing my weekend wrapup on Thursday, but if I don't do it, this will be second missed week in a row and that's not acceptable! This is also my first post of September!

I came back to work after the long weekend with a lot on my plate and also in the midst of an emotional time that caused me not to be able to focus, so here it is a few days after the weekend, which was largely great.

The Highlight:

• The first "vacation" Hubs, Munch, and I have taken just the three of us. It wasn't anything elaborate or long, but it was wonderful! We went to a Hampton Inn in Front Royal, VA, just about 1.5 hours from home and at the entrance to the Shenandoah National Park.
  
  Basically, our one requirement was a pool for Munch. He went swimming three times, each for about 20 minutes before he started shivering and turning blue--literally blue-lipped. We took him straight to a warm bath afterwards. There were some other kids in the pool, and he watched them and splashed when they splashed. He "swam" in my arms and "jumped" off the side of the pool.
  
  (Having grown up a bigger kid with quite a bit of padding, this quick-chill for my skinny baby is foreign to me! He loves to swim and he cried so hard when we had to leave. But it's not like he'll sit wrapped in a towel until he warms up. This makes me wonder what he'll be like in Disney.)
  
  It was a relaxing weekend during which Munch slept fantastically--on Friday from 11pm to 7am in the crib and then in the king-size bed until 9am, then from 7:15pm for nearly 12 hours on Saturday. He enjoyed eating breakfast down in the common area, which served hot breakfast for FREE every morning. We timed our drive of Skyline Drive through the national park during Munch's nap, and that worked out pretty well.
  
  Front Royal is not nearly as pretty as it sounds, in fact, it was rather hole-ish, rather than being a beautiful, quaint small town. The hotel shared a McDonald's parking lot, and I indulged in two filets-o-fish, and man, were they insanely good.

The Good:

• Having 3 days with Munch!
• Getting home on Sunday so we had Monday to relax.
• Seeing Tony and Myrna for dinner on Sunday.
• Munch's crying evolved to something so cute and heart-wrenching at the same time. Instead of just crying--for instance when he is put down and doesn't want to be, when he feels thwarted in anything, for any real reason--he started wailing, "Mama, MAMA, mama." Over and over.

The What???

• Hubs getting a massive sinus infection (probably from Munch) on Friday night, causing him to be ill most of the weekend.
• Having to give Munch his antibiotic, which resulted in a horrible screaming fit twice a day.
• HORMONES.
• Munch biting my wrist so that I think he burst a capillary or something, causing a huge bruise to form on the ball of my thumb, and a resulting hypochondriacial reaction about blood clots.

Home Sweet Home

This weekend was a blissfully unplanned, open weekend that we spent mostly at our house. Poor Hubs had to work quite a bit, ensconsed upstairs on the bed. It was a Mommy-and-Me Saturday, with more family time on Sunday.

The Highlight:

• Splash Zone.

The Good:

• Complete lack of obligations and plans. We haven't had a weekend like this in a long time, and it was much needed.
• Friday night at the chicken place, with Munch playing with toys at B&N.
• Frank and straightforward conversations.
• Munch in a fabulous mood almost the entire weekend. Just happy and playful.
• 45 minutes at the gym, complete with treadmill and hand weights.
• Munch mimicking some funny stuff--my "surprise face," sucking in air and making his mouth a little O, then laughing. Wagging a finger no-no, serious faced, at Daddy. Babbling into his "phone" held to his ear and I know I heard a 'lo?
• Munch playing with his new V-Tech vacuum and books with sound.
• Panera breakfast, Munch even behaved the whole time.
• Fro-yo.
• Friday Night Lights, Season 1.

The What???

• Munch ate almost nothing on Saturday--Goldfish all the way.
• He fought going to sleep last night, but it wasn't too bad.
• Cat puke. Ugh.

Fair Game

This weekend was a varied activity stay-at-home weekend, and it was largely great.

The Highlight:

• Hard to choose between my all-time favorite outdoor event of the year, the Montgomery County Fair, and Saturday evening at the Gettysburg outlets and dinner. So, we'll go with both!
• Highlight 1: Meeting my mom and sister in Gettysburg was wonderful. Munch loved running around the gazebo and testing all the wooden rockers, and my family got some much-needed quiet time with him while Hubs and I did some much-needed shopping. Munch and Hubs got new shoes that they very much needed and I got new purple sandals that Hubs wanted me to get as well as a cool heart necklace.
  
  Dinner at Gettysburg Eddie's was terrific, complete with frozen mango margurita. Munch behaved pretty well until, as we were waiting for the check, our waitress was facing away from us, bent over to take another table's order, and there goes Munch's pointer finger toward that heiny. Hubs said, No no, very sternly. Munch paused, let the pac fall from his mouth, and then crumpled his face up in a devestated how-could-he-say-that-to-me cry. Then, after a cuddle from mommy and pac back in. The pointer finger moved ever so slightly the same way. Repeat. Repeat. This little game was so funny!
• Highlight 2: The fair. The weather was lovely, though hot in the sun, not humid. We ate the usual, corn dogs, ice cream, cinnamon almonds, yum. Munch enjoyed looking at the animals (my favorite, the baby piglets nursing), and he pointed at every balloon we saw. He only lasted about 2 hours, though, as he got very hot, wanted to squish his balloon to his chest, and play with his stroller when he got out.

The Good:

• Just being home in the mornings and having Munch take his nap at home. These quiet spaces, when Munch is in such a good mood and just playing, and then sleeping restfully, are the best parts of my week.
• Panera bagels on Sunday morning.
• Watching Sherlock Holmes 2 with Hubs on Friday night. Or was it Saturday? Who knows.
• Finishing Gone Girl. Wild! (Ah yes, so the movie must have been Friday. Who cares??)
• Seeing Lara and Laura for our 8 of 8 see-you-at-least-once-a-month 2012 plan.
• Getting some cleaning done.

The What???

• Munch is back to being very sniffly and coughing. I know it's post-nasal drip coughing, but these are the moments I feel the most helpless as a mother. I want to help him, and there's very little I can do.
• Consequently, Munch napped very fitfully and shortly on Sunday and coughed himself awake at 5am this morning. He was in the sweetest mood, just lying around with us from 5-7am, but boy does that start the week out roughly.
• Munch is boundary-pushing, big time, and I am the boundary setter, and a poor one. Okay, not poor yet, I won't judge myself quite yet, but boundaries are tough for me in general. Welcome to parenthood of a toddler. I feel like I have confused him, now that he wants to move from playing with the answering machine (an activity he and I both enjoy) to messing with lamps and the mug tree. Now, this whole thing has to stop, and last night he cried so hard because I wouldn't let him do his normal fiddling. He's strong-willed, my boy, and it'll take some time for him to get over this. He is not easily diverted or distracted. What's that saying, Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. And when I'm exhausted, that doesn't help.
• Gettysburg Eddie's did not have a changing table. What?? Luckily, Munch just had a major pee that we changed lying out in the grass by the parking lot, but what if he'd had a blow-out, as he is wont to do in restaurants?

Weekend Wrapup: Visiting and Moving

We spent last weekend in Pittsburgh, visiting Hub's brother and my sister.

The Highlight:

• After a few hours of unloading the moving truck at Tina's, Hub's jumped in the shower. Munch also was a sweaty mess from running around the backyard (trying to get puppy Scully while I held the two of them apart). So he took his first shower! Daddy held him and Munch laughed as the water pelted him. He loved it! We do have a water baby.

The Good:

• Munch's overall mood. He was just a happy guy the whole time. He sat on my lap most of Friday night, just hanging out while the adults conversed
• Munch eating Honey Smacks (what I knew as Sugar Smacks in my youth). He sat on my lap while Grandma T fed them to him. This meant a great deal to her, as her mom always gave them to us.
• Munch being so enthralled with Zachary. He played with Grandma T and a video game car at dinner, with Zach next to him, and he kept looking at him and clearly wanting to mimic him.
• Munch doing this little laugh now when he sees something he wants or that excites him.
• Munch in the car. We timed both rides at his nap time and he slept for hours. If not for some traffic difficulties on the way back, he would have slept the entire way. This seems the way to go.
• Nate's place. Gorgeous inside, very welcoming, and a wonderful place to stay. King-sized bed and all.
• Ah, food. Domino's Cheesy Bread. It lives up to the commercial. And Key Lime Pancakes for breakfast. The wings at Primanti Bros--carmelized and crunchy.
• Watching Nate play Minecraft--such a silly game, hilarious how into it he is.
• Munch's ease of going to sleep for naps and bedtime. It was a welcome change!
• So much time reading, as my Hubs drove the entire way back.
• Rain! It rained Sunday, and I wanted it to.

The What???

• By now you can guess: The heat and humidity. Ugh.
• Houses with faulty A/C. Nate's downstairs was wonderfully cool, but in the bedrooms, it was pretty hot. We had fans (which fascinated Munch), but it just didn't cut it.

Weekend Wrapup: Varied But Relaxed

A weekend on the homefront, which was needed by all.

The Highlight:

• A wonderfully quiet Sunday with lots of tiny highlights: Munch turning his face up to me after I put him in his high chair, his eyes closed and his lips turned in a smile; Munch playing in the church nursery and chasing bubbles; and Munch nursing quietly to sleep last night for the first time in a very long time.

The Good:

• Eating Nando's chicken on Friday night (although it was sticky and warm in the restaurant), complete with Portugese wine.
• Going on an afternoon double date with Adam and Jamie to see the gloriously stupid Ted.
• Playing "Where's Monkey?" in Munch's room, as I put the blanket over Monkey and Munch tore it off him.
• Lots of Munch-style dancing, with his head bent to one shoulder.
• Jersey Mike's on Saturday night.
• Increasingly fun bathtimes, as Munch eats the bubbles despite my best efforts to stop him, throws the toys in himself, and says "bye-bye" to the water afterwards.
• Panera on Sunday night, with Munch eating a good dinner, then walking around the thankfully empty room, and our walk around the neighborhood afterwards.
• Reading a creepy, well-written thriller, despite that it did keep me up a little on Saturday night.

The What???

• Feeling stressed over planning issues.
• Feeling on edge during my first time in a movie theater since the CO shooting--but I made it through and that is good.
• The same sleep problems (but hearing from Dr. H that all is normal and what we're doing is not going to damn Munch to a lifetime of sleep difficulties--this was good).
• Still not cleaning up the house as much as we should.

Cold Outside, Cold Inside

Okay, “cold” might be a stretch. But the 70-degree, lack of humidity on Saturday certainly felt cold. And by “cold inside,” I mean inside my little Munch’s body. Boo.

The Highlight:

Dinner with my family at Fiddler’s Bar and Grill at Carlisle’s May Apple Golf Club. It was crazy good. The warm rolls with melted butter were amazing. I had a fabulous fried haddock with salad and fries (and a pina colada that I was less than impressed with; more of a shake than a drink). Hubs was quite impressed by his cheese steak sandwich. Reviews were good all around.

We sat outside despite a little dampness, and the patio was perfect for Munch. He ate his pouches, rusks, and fish, and then was able to walk around and push an empty chair to his heart’s content, without bothering anyone, as most people were eating inside. We had a lovely view of the course.

The Good: 

• Spending non-scheduled time with my mom and sisters at Carlisle. They got to see Munch walking around for the first time, and he of course charmed them with his smiles.
• Munch's 16-month birthday!
• Nana and Munch sitting together and drinking their drinks (Diet Pepsi for her, bottle for him) as he got to punch the keys on her laptop.
• Scully the puppy—such a sweetheart! Very well-behaved for a 9-week-old baby girl. Tina and I took a walk with her around the neighborhood and it was great seeing her little ears flopping.
• Cupcakes (key lime) and Leo’s (chocolate malt)! And of course Long Johns.
• Wonderful anniversary gifts, and Hubs loved his birthday gifts as well.
• Munch pounding on Pooh’s belly when Nana taught him to “get Pooh’s belly!” He continued to do that the rest of the weekend.
• Justin winning Food Network Star!
• Munch’s mouth circled with pink frosting as he sampled his first real cupcake.
• Particularly awesome cappuccino at B&N on Friday night.
• The drive to Carlisle and back was nice with Hubs.

The What??? 

• Throughout the weekend, I continued to be bothered by the Batman movie shooting in Colorado. Hard to just enjoy yourself when such a horror went on.
• Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Munch refused to nap on Saturday, though he was so tired, then he had a very hard time going to sleep and staying asleep both that night and Sunday.
• It doesn’t help that he now has a full-fledged, snot-flying-out-the-nose, chesty-cough cold. Poor him. I’m on alert for fevers and the need to head to the doctor.
• No air conditioning. Luckily, it wasn’t 100 degrees. But it certainly didn’t help the sleep situation. What is with all the A/C problems people are having right now?
• Though all the food was good, I’m feeling the hangover physically and mentally.

Quiet, But Cranked: A Weekend at Home

This weekend, we had no plans, and it was glorious after a couple of busy weekends.

The Highlight:

·         Munch pushing the music button on his fridge toy to start the songs and his little toddle-dance quick step and huge smile. He did this over and over again. Hubs and I danced along.

The Good:

·         Friday night at Guapo’s—yummy pineapple and avocado tacos and a mango frozen margarita.

·         Not leaving the house once on Saturday.

·         Rainstorms on Sunday evening.

·         Munch blowing kisses at Grandma and Aunt Jenn on Skype. Also seeing puppy Scully on Skype!

·         The new Panera is open and awesome! Woot!

·         Reading quite a bit.

·         Watching Munch put his Fisher Price records into the basketball hoop.

·         Watching The Help finally and rocking Munch.

·         Cookie dough!

·         Munch taking off at his toys at a run while pushing his walker.

The What???

·         I think Munch isn’t feeling well. We believe his belly is the culprit. Loose stools (ew) for the past few days, a rumbly tummy. He looks pale. No fever, but I’m still concerned. Lots of cranking and wanting to be held and even rocked on Sunday. Totally not acting himself.

·         As a consequence, his sleep difficulties continue. All three nights, he was up every 2 hours or so. He doesn’t seem to be able to stay deeply asleep. And every morning, he was up before 8am. Mostly in a good mood, but still up. I am exhausted. And this has been the pattern for the past couple weeks, so I fear it will remain until whatever is going on eases.

A Weekend Away

We had a family-visit weekend to the Hub’s grandparents’ in Erie, PA, with MIL.

The Highlight:

·         Munch swimming in Lake Erie. He loved it. He wasn’t scared at all. He walked along the shoreline and sat and let the waves pummel him. Then, he wanted to be held in the water as he “swam.” When he got cold, Hubs and I took him to the blanket to dry off and he played with the beach bucket and shovel his uncle gave him and ate Goldfish.

The Good:

·         Having so much time with Munch and Hubbaland. We left in the afternoon on Friday and returned on Monday. I love being with Munch for so many straight days!

·         The Munch walking around so much. He seemed to gain confidence with each hour. He pushed his farm walker all over the house (sometimes to the detriment of the ancient Italian Greyhound Lizzy). He also walked with his nose up in the air on Saturday morning. It was as if to say, “I can’t be bothered with looking at you, and please don’t look at me either.”

·         Hiding behind the chair in the living room and having Munch walk to find me. And as Munch walked, Hubbaland crept behind him. When Munch realized, he screamed and laughed. Then, Munch turned and charged Hubs. Repeat. It was precious.

·         Dinner out with Uncle N at Cheddar’s. It was good food ("grown up grilled cheese) at a good price. Munch was fascinated by a massive ceiling fan and a beautiful aquarium. He also stood on the booth and screamed in delight (and to my delight, if not to the delight of other diners).

·         Saturday afternoon playing with cousin A, a little 1-year-old cherub of a girl. Munch didn’t quite know what to think of her. When she pushed his walker, he cried and took it from her. I think he is used to holding his own at day care. They shared Goldfish. She tried to kiss him, but Munch didn’t quite get the concept.

·         Watching Munch topple empty yogurt cups as MIL and Gma set them up over and over.

·         4th-meal 5 Guys on Saturday night.

·         Giving Munchkin time with extended family is good for him, and for them.

The What???

·         The heat. And not just outside. Poor Munch sweated so much when he was trying to go to sleep each night and nap.

·         Families are complicated and drama may ensue.

·         Twin beds.

·         Munch didn’t sleep terribly well on Friday night; he got better as he got used to his new surroundings, but it still was rough going.

·         Munch was a champ on the 6-hour drive there and back, but he gets so bored. He just wants to play, and I fear this will worsen as he gets older. He slept about halfway home, then he was okay to be entertained for a bit. Then, there was no helping him. It was like he felt he couldn’t get his message across either. He would tip his head back, make his eyes very wide, and make his pleading little sounds. Like, if I just make myself earnest enough, she’ll get me out of this blasted seat.

Erie Peninsula, via http://wherervnow.us/presque-isle-state-park-erie-pa/78/

Lightning Crashes

Via http://cosmicconvergence.org/?p=1109

The weekend didn't exactly turn out as we'd anticipated, as the DC area was walloped with a type of storm called a derecho on Friday night. It was no ordinary storm, and pretty much everybody in the area experienced some lack of power ... except, luckily, for my MIL, so we were over there Friday night and much of Saturday. Our power came back on by Saturday night.

The Highlight:

• Taking a nap in the same room as The Munch. I find it incredibly peaceful to sleep in the same room as Munch is sleeping. I love to hear his soft breath and little sighs and when he shifts to a new position. He had woken up around 7:30am on Saturday, despite a very late bedtime because of the storm, so by 10am, he was ready for a nap (as was I). He slept in his pack n play and I in the bed nearby. 

We kept Munch in our room much longer than the required 6 weeks after he was born. He slept in a pack n play, all swaddled up in a tight burrito. He would lay there next to our bed and simply fall asleep. By 3 months old, he was breaking the swaddle and rolling onto his side, but still he remained in our room. We moved him to his crib when he was about 6 months old. He made the transition easily, and I went in to check him only once before heading to bed myself.

It wasn't that I couldn't sleep without Munch near me; it was that I didn't think 6 weeks was near old enough to send him off into his own space, a mere 20 feet though it may be. This little being had spent over 9 months in me; then I and he were expected to quickly move to separate rooms? I just wasn't ready. I still check him most every night before going to sleep.

The Good:

• Spending Friday evening in Hershey with the Hubbaland for the last Dave Matthews concert of the season. It was hot, but overcast with a small breeze, so it wasn't too sweltering. We had a wonderful dinner at Red Robin (I'm always amazed that there's hardly any wait on concert days and in the summer with families coming from the amusement park; they must staff to the hilt), then we went to our traditional go through Chocolate World before going into the stadium for the concert.

It was a better concert than Nissan, but we ended up missing the encore (luckily, it was Ants Marching, which we've heard plenty) because the lightning started pretty hard core near the end of the concert and the Hubbaland got nervous. Many people started streaming out once a huge lighting tree went down to the ground nearby. Nervous Nelly (me) wasn't scared at all, but I followed Hub's lead as he had a bad feeling about the whole scene. We ran to the car, all the way down at the outlets, and got on the road just as the rain started.

• Despite leaving the concert early, still seeing Dave's tour buses leaving and getting a glimpse of Carter and Jeff.
• Spending a quiet day at the MIL's on Saturday and eating (too many of) her fabulous oat bars.
• Watching The Munch chase Hubbaland around the living room with his various walkers.
• Doing Wheels on the Bus at Munch's continued insistence.
• Lunch at Panera on Sunday with Hubs and Munch.

The What?

• The storm knocking out all of the traffic lights, making it a hazard driving anywhere, especially since it seemed like the heat and lack of power brought out the reckless in everyone.

Short on Sleep, But Together

The weekend was quite nice. Mainly quiet and relaxing.

The Highlight:

• The Munch played in his little blowup pool outside on Sunday. The pool is very little, he can't even stretch out in it, but it does the job. He splashed and also climbed in and out and laid on his belly. He also had a great time on his slide again, climbing up and going down headfirst like a wet seal.

The Good:

• The Munch was in a great mood most of the time. He played and laughed and woke up happy.
• Lunch on Saturday at Seasons 52 with friends was wonderful.
• I finally cleaned up the kitchen and Munch's toys and Swiftered the floors.
• Watching "True Blood" and "Next Food Network Star" with Hubbaland is always a great way to end the weekend.

The What??

• Munch is having a very rough time sleeping. Sunday night, he woke up literally every hour until I finally gave him Advil and brought him to sleep in our bed at 11:30. He slept well until he started tossing and turning around 4, and I put him back in his crib until the morning. He slept restlessly on Friday and Saturday as well, so consequently, I'm feeling drained. The culprit: Teeth? Right ear, which he keeps fiddling with? We may never know.