![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
For everyone following this blog, I finally did something with the main page of my website. It's now a blog for our whole family (why yes, another blog...). This way I don't have to figure out the best blog to put family oriented posts on. I'll probably still write on this one from time to time, but my guess is that it will be friends locked posts only. I'll probably also write in the Little Prince and the Young Sir blog if I have something specific to share about an individual child. I also have it feeding in my nerdfamily tumblr posts, and I post there a lot more often that I write blog posts. So if you want to follow my writtings, head over there. You can subscribe to email notifiations or use the RSS feed if that makes things easier for you.
Nothing like I expected - a birth story
Oct. 15th, 2015 04:47 pmFor those who don't follow me on other social media, Benjamin Ansel was born on Saturday, October 10 at 3:24pm.
Here is my birth story:
Here is my birth story:
Benjamin’s birth was nothing at all like I expected. I figured having given birth once, I knew what I was in for. Boy was I wrong.
First, I did not expect to go early. Since LP was a week late, I figured that Bae would be at least a few days late. As I said in my “On the Clock” post, I still had lots on my to-do list to do before the baby got here. So when my water broke with the blood on Friday morning it really freaked me out (besides the OMG, blood) part.
( Read the rest on my baby blog )
Well, that was unexpected
Jun. 19th, 2015 09:32 amAs we were leaving (late) for daycare/work this morning, I was thinking to myself what a lovely sunny morning it was out. I almost tried to fish my sunglasses out of my purse while driving, but thought better of it.
As we were going south on the highway, I remember thinking, "wow, it's getting really gray and dark out. Next thing I know it's splat, splat, downpour. We hit this really heavy band of rain. The kind of heavy rain that gives no warning, but all of a sudden you have almost no visibility and you're trying to remember where all of the lights, windshield wipers, and back windshield wiper of your rental car are (Skye Captain got a bit scrapped up the other week and is in the shop until next Monday or so...so I'm borrowing a Nissan Rogue). It was crazy how hard and fast the rain was coming down. Almost like we were in New Orleans or something.
By the time we got to daycare, we had moved past the worst of the rain, or it had moved passed us, but it was still raining enough to get us pretty wet (I'd left my umbrella at home). By the time I got to work, it wasn't raining anymore.
As we were going south on the highway, I remember thinking, "wow, it's getting really gray and dark out. Next thing I know it's splat, splat, downpour. We hit this really heavy band of rain. The kind of heavy rain that gives no warning, but all of a sudden you have almost no visibility and you're trying to remember where all of the lights, windshield wipers, and back windshield wiper of your rental car are (Skye Captain got a bit scrapped up the other week and is in the shop until next Monday or so...so I'm borrowing a Nissan Rogue). It was crazy how hard and fast the rain was coming down. Almost like we were in New Orleans or something.
By the time we got to daycare, we had moved past the worst of the rain, or it had moved passed us, but it was still raining enough to get us pretty wet (I'd left my umbrella at home). By the time I got to work, it wasn't raining anymore.
Ten Years!!!!
Jun. 18th, 2015 03:37 pmTen years ago ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lordaerith and I got married. In the typical way of me with big events, I never got around to writing more than a quick note about it after the fact. And now all the pictures that I linked to don't even work anymore.
Of course one day we may actually order prints of the official pictures and maybe even go on a honeymoon. Maybe for 15 years when LP and Bae are older.
A little while ago I got an email from the front desk that I had a special delivery. Look what Aerith sent me! I've already eaten the whole top layer.
I believe the plan tonight is to order Chinese food. We'll go out to dinner as a family to celebrate on Saturday night.
lordaerith and I got married. In the typical way of me with big events, I never got around to writing more than a quick note about it after the fact. And now all the pictures that I linked to don't even work anymore.Of course one day we may actually order prints of the official pictures and maybe even go on a honeymoon. Maybe for 15 years when LP and Bae are older.
A little while ago I got an email from the front desk that I had a special delivery. Look what Aerith sent me! I've already eaten the whole top layer.
I believe the plan tonight is to order Chinese food. We'll go out to dinner as a family to celebrate on Saturday night.
Anatomy ultrasound
Jun. 5th, 2015 09:45 amWe have the anatomy ultrasound this afternoon. They're going to check out Bae and make sure everything is developing properly. We're also going to take a look at Bae's genitals to determine just how much privilege the baby will be born with.
Since we did it for LP, what sex do you think Bae is? (We will, of course, let Bae decide on their gender as they wish).
See poll results.
Since we did it for LP, what sex do you think Bae is? (We will, of course, let Bae decide on their gender as they wish).
See poll results.
NT scan post
Apr. 23rd, 2015 10:25 pmHey, I posted in my Bae blog. Not cross-posting to here, because that's not working well for my LP blog anymore.
Stomach upset
Mar. 31st, 2015 08:24 pmI came down with a stomach bug yesterday evening.
( Unpleasant details just for you. )
I'm pretty sure this is the universe getting back at me for not having any morning sickness with either pregnancy.
( Unpleasant details just for you. )
I'm pretty sure this is the universe getting back at me for not having any morning sickness with either pregnancy.
Another life form detected!
Mar. 23rd, 2015 06:59 am
That's right,
lordaerith and I are expecting another child. I am currently 9 weeks and 2 days pregnant, with a 40-week mark of 10/24/15 (I hate the term due date). We're calling it "Bae" for now (get it? get it?).So far everything is going really well. I'm mostly just exhausted and have to pee a lot. Little Prince knows and is very excited to get a sibling.
There was a little bit of a scare when I went in to see the midwife two weeks ago because my tilted uterus made it hard to get a good abdominal ultrasound. But I went in to see the ultrasound tech the next day and we found a heartbeat and everything looked perfect and was measuring right on target.
That little circle above Bae is the yolk sac. How cool is that?
So far not showing yet (so no belly pics), but this being my second pregnancy, I expect that to change soon.
When I went for my Invisalign appointment three weeks ago, the tech mentioned to me that if by the second week it is really easy to pop my trays on and off, then I can move up to switching once a week, instead of once every other week. I did two weeks with the third set of trays, but I did notice that there wasn't much pressure after the first week. So I called up the orthodontist after I switched to the fourth set (two weeks) and the person I talked to said to switch to the fifth after one week and see how that goes.
So since I could get the fourth set on easily again after a week, I switched to the fifth trays yesterday. Ouch. This is what the pressure of the trays should feel like. My lower tooth that sticks out a bit is certainly not happy today. But it's still not as bad as the pain with the first set. So we'll see what happens next week.
So since I could get the fourth set on easily again after a week, I switched to the fifth trays yesterday. Ouch. This is what the pressure of the trays should feel like. My lower tooth that sticks out a bit is certainly not happy today. But it's still not as bad as the pain with the first set. So we'll see what happens next week.
Invisalign Week One
Jan. 30th, 2015 02:32 pmA week ago Monday I went to the orthodontist and picked up my Invisalign trays. I'd gotten evaluated for them a while ago and was finally able to get fitted for them right before the winter holidays.
I had braces as a teenager and my teeth are still mostly straight, but I have this one lower tooth that was rotating so far forward it was started to push the root into my mouth. It put so much pressure on the permanent retainer bar I'd had since I was 18 or so, that it started to torque an opposite tooth into my mouth and it actually ended up snapping the little bonded retainer bar. I figured it was better to fix it now than have some sort of really horrible problem with that tooth later.
I think the treatment will last about a year. I have to switch the trays to new trays every two weeks.
The first day or two (or five) were pretty hard. My teeth hurt a lot. I ended up having to take Advil so I didn't rip the trays out of my mouth. They also felt unnatural and it took a bit to get used to them. Good thing I've been wearing a nightguard for years or it would have been a totally foreign experience for me. I also found out that when my teeth hurt a lot I get rather irritated and irrationally angry (now how babies react when they are teething makes sense). Now a week and a half later, it's better. My teeth only ache a little while I'm eating, except for on the back right, which still really hurts on and off. I guess I clench my teeth a lot more than I thought I did. We'll see what happens when I switch trays next week.
In terms of comfort, it's weird. Now if I don't have them in, I feel strange (although sometimes I have to convince myself to get up, brush my teeth, and put them back in). The trays are a bit rough and so I have to file them down in places. My tongue is bearing the worst of it. This is unlike braces where my inner lips and cheeks were permanently irritated from the brackets.
I like that I can eat anything I want, I just have to take out the trays first, then brush my teeth and the trays and put them back in. This has actually let to less snacking on my part as I don't often want to deal with the full hassle of it. I don't like that I can't bite my nails. I'm not a big nail biter (anymore), but I like to do it a bit when my nails get too long. Well, maybe this will cure me of that habit.
It hasn't effected my speech, that I can tell. And unless I tell people I have Invisalign, everyone has said they can't even tell.
So, so far so good. I'm very convinced that I made the right decision.
I had braces as a teenager and my teeth are still mostly straight, but I have this one lower tooth that was rotating so far forward it was started to push the root into my mouth. It put so much pressure on the permanent retainer bar I'd had since I was 18 or so, that it started to torque an opposite tooth into my mouth and it actually ended up snapping the little bonded retainer bar. I figured it was better to fix it now than have some sort of really horrible problem with that tooth later.
I think the treatment will last about a year. I have to switch the trays to new trays every two weeks.
The first day or two (or five) were pretty hard. My teeth hurt a lot. I ended up having to take Advil so I didn't rip the trays out of my mouth. They also felt unnatural and it took a bit to get used to them. Good thing I've been wearing a nightguard for years or it would have been a totally foreign experience for me. I also found out that when my teeth hurt a lot I get rather irritated and irrationally angry (now how babies react when they are teething makes sense). Now a week and a half later, it's better. My teeth only ache a little while I'm eating, except for on the back right, which still really hurts on and off. I guess I clench my teeth a lot more than I thought I did. We'll see what happens when I switch trays next week.
In terms of comfort, it's weird. Now if I don't have them in, I feel strange (although sometimes I have to convince myself to get up, brush my teeth, and put them back in). The trays are a bit rough and so I have to file them down in places. My tongue is bearing the worst of it. This is unlike braces where my inner lips and cheeks were permanently irritated from the brackets.
I like that I can eat anything I want, I just have to take out the trays first, then brush my teeth and the trays and put them back in. This has actually let to less snacking on my part as I don't often want to deal with the full hassle of it. I don't like that I can't bite my nails. I'm not a big nail biter (anymore), but I like to do it a bit when my nails get too long. Well, maybe this will cure me of that habit.
It hasn't effected my speech, that I can tell. And unless I tell people I have Invisalign, everyone has said they can't even tell.
So, so far so good. I'm very convinced that I made the right decision.
To Do Today
Dec. 4th, 2014 09:16 amToday is a work from home day. Here is my to do list for today:
-
Get kiddo up and to daycare- This is proved more difficult than normal. Second attempt of waking him up did not work, but he finally got up on his own. Got him out the door quickly and was not too late to daycare. -
Finish work project that has been dragging on too long.- DONE (pending review from coworker and manager) -
Work on other work projects Wash sheet and blanket from kiddos bed (he had an accident last night).and kiddo's bed already has new sheets on it.-
Wash kiddo's primary car seat(he had an accident in it yesterday, good think we already had our secondary one in the car due to carpooling that morning). - Seat cover washed. Rest of seat washed down with warm water and mild soap. Just need to put it back together. Get cold wash in laundry, including all of kiddo's peed on clothing.Bake a cake for godson's birthday- done, made while work computer running a long processBake frozen lasagna for dinner?- decided to go out to eat instead.Eat lunch- done.- Do dishes, if time. - Emptied dishrack. Cleaned most of items I used to make cake while lunch was heating up. However, dirty dish count is now higher than this morning.
Reading at Daycare
Sep. 26th, 2014 01:40 pmSince they mentioned at Little Prince’s Parent-Teacher’s Night that we could come in and read to the kiddos right before their lunch time, I wanted to do it. So as soon as they put up the sign-up sheet, I signed up for the very first slot.
So today I showed up at LP’s daycare around 11am. The kids were just coming in from outside and were all going to the potty and washing their hands. LP was super excited to see me. He took my hand and led me over to the rug where the teachers/adults sit and then went to sit at his place on the rug. I was really impressed with this because I thought he’d want to sit by me. Soon I was surrounded by almost 20 three-year-olds with their full attention focused on me. We read three books. LP had asked for Mama’s Milk and Cinderella. I figured if I had to read Cinderella, then I was going to read The Paper Bag Princess too.
The kids seemed to like Mama’s Milk. I made sure to name all of the animals and their babies and we all counted how many babies each one had. I did skip the facts page at the end since the pictures on that page are very small. But I did ask LP what color kangaroo milk is (it’s pink!).
I think the kids were pretty familiar with the story of Cinderella. They seemed to like it. At least they were quiet while I read it, mostly.
I really enjoyed reading The Paper Bag Princess. Then again, I always enjoy reading that book. There’s a girl in LP’s class named Elizabeth. The very first line is “Elizabeth was a beautiful princess.” When I said that, I then asked if anyone was named Elizabeth. She got so cute and shy when I called her out. I hope I didn’t embarrass her. I got the kids involved in the story by having them help knock on the door and by breathing fire. It was super cute. And when I yelled “Hey Dragon,” they all yelled it right after me. I think that LP’s teacher really like the book. She said that she wouldn’t get married to Ronald either.
After that I had about 5 minutes to kill until lunch time. The teachers asked me if I wanted to tell a story. So, with LP on my lap, I told the story of when he was only about 6 months old and picked out his Cthlooloo doll from the Dragon’s Lair.
Unfortunately, when it was time for me to go, LP didn’t want me to leave and had a total break down. Everyone else was waiting for him so they could start lunch. I’m sure as soon as I left, he was fine and probably at everything no problem.
Things I learned for next time:
- When they say they want you to read from 11-11:30, they mean it so bring a few extra books.
- Having almost twenty pairs of three-year-old eyes on you is very nerve-wracking.
- Making sure that you’re holding their attention, that everyone can see the book, and that you are reading the book well is even more nerve-wracking.
- Using the “I like the way so-in-so is sitting” works amazingly well for getting them all to sit down.
- Prep kiddo more beforehand for the leaving after reading part.
- Have one of the teachers take a picture.
I can’t wait to do it again, but I’m going to be good and let other parents have a chance before I volunteer again.
Super proud of the hubby!
Sep. 3rd, 2014 03:00 pmWe'd known for a few months now that it was pretty likely that the business lordaerith has been working for for the past seven years was going to go under/get sold. He'd started looking around at other places and throwing out a few applications, but places either didn't have open positions or the openings they had were not for his skills/salary requirements.
Well, last week we got the official word that his big boss was selling the company. Everyone went down to the place the boss was selling to and filled out an application to work there. Some people heard on Friday that they were hired. We were starting to get nervous. Then the guy who Aerith would be working for said he'd call yesterday and it took him until almost 4:30 to call, so we were really nervous. However, when he called, he made Aerith a great offer and so Aerith went down this morning to sign papers and ended up starting today. Also, right after the call offering him a job, he had another call from another shop wanting to talk to him. He's a hot commodity. :)
Anyway, I'm super proud of him and how well he's been handling things and how he was officially unemployed for only one day.
lordaerith has been working for for the past seven years was going to go under/get sold. He'd started looking around at other places and throwing out a few applications, but places either didn't have open positions or the openings they had were not for his skills/salary requirements.Well, last week we got the official word that his big boss was selling the company. Everyone went down to the place the boss was selling to and filled out an application to work there. Some people heard on Friday that they were hired. We were starting to get nervous. Then the guy who Aerith would be working for said he'd call yesterday and it took him until almost 4:30 to call, so we were really nervous. However, when he called, he made Aerith a great offer and so Aerith went down this morning to sign papers and ended up starting today. Also, right after the call offering him a job, he had another call from another shop wanting to talk to him. He's a hot commodity. :)
Anyway, I'm super proud of him and how well he's been handling things and how he was officially unemployed for only one day.
InvaderCon: Final DOOM!
Jul. 27th, 2014 10:27 pmLast summer there was a Kickstarter for InvaderCon III: Final Doom. I had been following the InvaderCons since they were a concept on Facebook back in 2009 or 2010, but hadn't been able to go to either of the other ones because of reasons. This one was going to be in Austin, so of course we backed it. And it funded. And then we found out that it was going to happen only 10 min from our house, which was even better.
InvaderCon III: Final Doom happened this weekend. It was awesome. Since nothing was really happening until the afternoon on Saturday, we got up and Aerith got some yard work done while I took Little Prince to go grocery shopping. Then we had lunch and went over to the con hotel. It was a pretty small con. I think the vendor room had all of three vendors. We mostly hung out in the back of the main room so LP could run around while we listened to the Q&As or let LP run around the main lobby of the hotel with a three year old girl who was also there for the con. Aerith was surprised that there wasn't a room showing the episodes of Zim to the public. I liked the Q&As because I like listening to the actors talk about their craft. At around 3:45, we rounded up LP and took him home. KR came over and he got to have LP and KR time and Aerith and I got to go back to the con. Yay.
We got there part way through Rikki's panel. I got to ask him about his kitties, since I really like his comic TaviCat, which is all about them. Then there was the Kickstarter Only panel. It was some giving away of things via a raffle and then the rest of the time was Rikki (GIr) and Richard (Zim) on their ukeleles being silly. We called it #irkenrock. After that there was the guests read a script panel. They read "10 Minutes to Doom", which was awesome. What was even cooler was that the actor who played Dib wasn't there, so they had three audience members audition for the role. The guy who won actually got to go up on stage and read along with the rest of the cast. He was beside himself with joy and he actually did a very good Dib. I didn't take any video of this reading, but other people did, so I'm sure it will so up online at some point soon. Then they had some time left to kill, so they read the opening of Amok Time from Star Trek: TOS. They were supposed to do it as their Invader ZIm characters, but decided to all be William Shatner instead. I did get that on video.
Then Aerith and I and a friend of ours that we ran into at the con went to get dinner at Five Guys cause we were hungry and stopped at a local video game store to check things out on the way back to the Con. We got back to the Con just in time to see the winners of the costume contest announced. There were lots of people in cool costumes, so I'm sure it was hard to judge it. Then we hung out for a while. We stopped into the ZIm Against Humanity panel and I played a round, but it was awkward. Then we poked our head into the Dance Like a Money party, but someone was wearing too much perfume for Aerith, so we left. We were getting tired anyway.
Best part about having a con 10 min away is being able to sleep in your own bed at night.
This morning we woke up and hung out at home. We showed Little Prince Dispicalbe Me for the first time. He loves the Minions (he's seen the shorts) and I think he really liked the movie. After lunch we went to the park for a while, where it was REALLY hot and then back to the con. I got to talk to Rikki and his wife Tavi about cats for a bit. Then we said hi to Richard and Melissa. Richard really seemed taken by LP. Since Melissa is also a musical theatre person and has a four year old, I tried to get LP to sing his version of "Let it Go" for her, but he decided to be shy.
Then LP got a Captain America shield painted on his arm by the person doing face-painting, which went well with the Avengers overalls he was wearing. We hung out in the lobby for a bit and then hit up the Panel of Doom (a full cast Q&A) and the Closing Ceremonies, which was basically a big "I love you all" from the attendees to the con staff and back. We left part way through to go get chinese takeout for dinner.
So that was our InvaderCon experience. I was surprised that so many people there seemed to be teenagers, but I guess if the show came out 13 years ago, if you were six when you first saw it, you'd be 19 now. I wish we could have spent a bit more time hanging out and getting to know people, but that's the drawback of having a kid with you, I guess. I did like the intimacy of the smaller con and the fact that everyone there was soooooo into this one thing. Overall, had a great time and super glad we funded the project and went to the con. Especially since they'll probably not do another one.
InvaderCon III: Final Doom happened this weekend. It was awesome. Since nothing was really happening until the afternoon on Saturday, we got up and Aerith got some yard work done while I took Little Prince to go grocery shopping. Then we had lunch and went over to the con hotel. It was a pretty small con. I think the vendor room had all of three vendors. We mostly hung out in the back of the main room so LP could run around while we listened to the Q&As or let LP run around the main lobby of the hotel with a three year old girl who was also there for the con. Aerith was surprised that there wasn't a room showing the episodes of Zim to the public. I liked the Q&As because I like listening to the actors talk about their craft. At around 3:45, we rounded up LP and took him home. KR came over and he got to have LP and KR time and Aerith and I got to go back to the con. Yay.
We got there part way through Rikki's panel. I got to ask him about his kitties, since I really like his comic TaviCat, which is all about them. Then there was the Kickstarter Only panel. It was some giving away of things via a raffle and then the rest of the time was Rikki (GIr) and Richard (Zim) on their ukeleles being silly. We called it #irkenrock. After that there was the guests read a script panel. They read "10 Minutes to Doom", which was awesome. What was even cooler was that the actor who played Dib wasn't there, so they had three audience members audition for the role. The guy who won actually got to go up on stage and read along with the rest of the cast. He was beside himself with joy and he actually did a very good Dib. I didn't take any video of this reading, but other people did, so I'm sure it will so up online at some point soon. Then they had some time left to kill, so they read the opening of Amok Time from Star Trek: TOS. They were supposed to do it as their Invader ZIm characters, but decided to all be William Shatner instead. I did get that on video.
Then Aerith and I and a friend of ours that we ran into at the con went to get dinner at Five Guys cause we were hungry and stopped at a local video game store to check things out on the way back to the Con. We got back to the Con just in time to see the winners of the costume contest announced. There were lots of people in cool costumes, so I'm sure it was hard to judge it. Then we hung out for a while. We stopped into the ZIm Against Humanity panel and I played a round, but it was awkward. Then we poked our head into the Dance Like a Money party, but someone was wearing too much perfume for Aerith, so we left. We were getting tired anyway.
Best part about having a con 10 min away is being able to sleep in your own bed at night.
This morning we woke up and hung out at home. We showed Little Prince Dispicalbe Me for the first time. He loves the Minions (he's seen the shorts) and I think he really liked the movie. After lunch we went to the park for a while, where it was REALLY hot and then back to the con. I got to talk to Rikki and his wife Tavi about cats for a bit. Then we said hi to Richard and Melissa. Richard really seemed taken by LP. Since Melissa is also a musical theatre person and has a four year old, I tried to get LP to sing his version of "Let it Go" for her, but he decided to be shy.
Then LP got a Captain America shield painted on his arm by the person doing face-painting, which went well with the Avengers overalls he was wearing. We hung out in the lobby for a bit and then hit up the Panel of Doom (a full cast Q&A) and the Closing Ceremonies, which was basically a big "I love you all" from the attendees to the con staff and back. We left part way through to go get chinese takeout for dinner.
So that was our InvaderCon experience. I was surprised that so many people there seemed to be teenagers, but I guess if the show came out 13 years ago, if you were six when you first saw it, you'd be 19 now. I wish we could have spent a bit more time hanging out and getting to know people, but that's the drawback of having a kid with you, I guess. I did like the intimacy of the smaller con and the fact that everyone there was soooooo into this one thing. Overall, had a great time and super glad we funded the project and went to the con. Especially since they'll probably not do another one.
Little Prince’s Busy Day
Jul. 14th, 2014 04:00 pmYesterday Little Prince had a very busy day.
It started around 7:30 with Little Prince not wanting to wake up.
After he finally woke up, we got ready to go out and got kolatchies and donuts for breakfast. Then we headed out to the park.
At the park, we met up with friends, B and R, and their daughter, EB. We got EB and LP changed into special Marvel print outfits that B had made and did a little photo-shoot with the two of them.
B runs the company Geek-A-Bye Baby and she wanted to get pictures of the overalls and the dress for her website. The kiddos did really well and had a great time. They were awesome about posing and smiling and taking pictures. They really liked it when we moved from the trees and let them play on the playground for a while.
Then we changed into bathing suits and let them run around the splash pad that was there. Ok, I ran around with them a lot too. 
After a good long time playing in the water, it was a pause for snacks, then changing back into regular clothing and back over to the park again. They played there for a little while and then it looked like EB was running on about 5% battery power, so we said our good-byes and headed home. I thought LP would fall asleep in the car on the way home, but he didn’t. He was super cranky during lunch and didn’t eat too much. We were all pretty exhausted after lunch so we all got into bed together took a 1.5 hour family nap.
Then it was time to get up and get moving again. I’d made sure to get LP’s swim suit and towel into the washer before our nap and quickly got it drying. Then we let LP watch one episode of one of his new favorite shows, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, (the other being Daniel Tiger) while Darius and I switched off showering and getting ready. Then we walked over to CR, AR, VR, and ER’s house for VR’s birthday party. There LP had fun showing off his overalls again. The party was good and low-key. All kids from VR and LP’s daycare class and two older siblings. They played in the pool and the sand-pit and ran through the sprinkler and had cake. Darius and I could tell near the end of the party that CR and AR could use some help, so we invited them back over to our house after the party was over with an offer to make dinner.
Back home I gave LP a quick bath/shower and tried to get some of the sandbox sand out of his hair, which mostly worked… We made pasta with sauce and broccoli for dinner for the seven of us. LP was annoying/funny in that toddler way, claiming that he didn’t like broccoli, but finally when I got him to eat a piece, declaring that he said that he likes broccoli and eating a few more pieces (but he only eats the stems).
After dinner, LP got to do what he really wanted to do, which was take VR out for a ride in his Jeep.
VR was both terrified and thrilled and couldn’t quite figure out how it worked. ER had fun driving it, but at a tall 6, she almost didn’t fit. Finally it was time for our friends to go home. We let LP drive around a bit more on his own and then it was time to go inside. He played a bit more and then we got him ready for bed. I thought he would fall asleep quickly, but he didn’t. He finally did fall asleep, though.
This morning he was very hard to wake up, poor guy. I’m glad I’d washed his overalls last night, because he wanted to wear them to school this morning.
Originally published at my Little Prince blog. Please leave any comments there.
Little Prince turned 3!
Jun. 22nd, 2014 10:34 pmOn May 28, my Little Prince turned 3 years old!
At his three year doctor’s appointment he measured 24.6lbs and 34.2″ tall. Still a small guy, but growing right along his curve. His pediatrician said that he looks good and that he should be in print (seriously, if we only had time to take him on auditions, we would!).
For months now LP has been asking us for a Batman cake and a Justice League birthday party. So, on Sunday June 1, that is exactly what we threw him. I worked really hard to find JL decorations, bags, etc that included both the men and women of the Justice League together. Do you know how hard it is today to find that? Lots of eBay searching. But I think I did a good job.
We invited his whole class and some of our friends and neighbors to the party and had a great time. We rented a Justice League bounce house, which the kids (and adults) loved and was totally worth it.
My mom had gotten me the old Superman/Batman cake pan and I think that his cake turned out really well.
We also had push-pops to help everyone cool off and Darius made an awesome fruit salad that we served inside of the hollowed out watermelon.
LP got lots of great stuff. I think it helped that I included in the eVite a list of things that he’s currently into.
For a long time now, when LP has said he wants something, I’ve replied that I want a million dollars and a pony. So he started responded that he wants a million dollars, a pony, and Batman boots. For his birthday I got him a Darth Vader lunch box with fake money in it (a million dollars), a Rainbow Dash doll (My Little PONY), and, of course, Batman rain boots. I thought that I’d done really well with the gifts.
But Darius got LP the best gift of all. He’d saved his overtime pay for months and surprised LP (and me) a Power Wheels Jeep. See, LP has been obsessed with Jeeps lately. And he kept saying that he had a black and chrome Jeep, but it was broken and he and daddy were going to fix it. So Darius got him a black Jeep that came disassembled. And the day after his party, they “fixed” it together and then LP got to take it for it’s first ride around the cul.
Video from the party. Blame all cheesy effects on Tante:
Lots more pictures from the party can be found in the LP’s Third Birthday Party Photo Gallery.
Originally published at my Little Prince blog. Please leave any comments there.
Teaching consent
Apr. 30th, 2014 09:51 pmThe other day Little Prince was playing outside with our neighbor’s son, E, who is almost four and probably a head and shoulders taller than LP. E had a beach ball and the two boys were throwing it back and forth and up in the air. At some point the game became grab the ball on the ground, but really it turned into wrestling a bit. E’s mom starts up with the “Be careful of LP. He’s smaller than you.” It’s the first time I really started worrying about how others will see him because of his small size (he’s in the single digits for height and weight and always has been). I’m thinking that LP can totally hold his own, especially since most of the noises coming from the boys is giggling. Then something happens and LP cries out unhappily. E’s mom repeats the “be careful with LP” line. After checking LP was fine, he was, I go over to the boys and look at them both. I tell them, “You can keep playing like that, but keep it on the grass. But if you hear ‘ouch,’ ‘stop,’ or a cry from the other one, you have to stop right then. Got it.” I’m not sure they totally did, but they went back to playing. And there were a few cries and we had to remind them to stop at that moment, but mostly they were silly and happy and giggling.
Yesterday when I was dropping LP off at daycare, one of his good friends was not having the best morning. He went over to her and tried to give her a paint brush she had dropped, but she kept moving away from him and sort of whining. He kept trying to be nice and hand her the paint brush, but she backed away and hid behind their teacher. I went over to LP and explained to him that she seemed upset and while I know he was trying to comfort her and that she’s his friend, if she is saying no, ouch, or backing away, he needs to respect that and stop, even if he’s trying to be helpful.
And that is how I’m starting to teach my son consent at a young age.
Originally published at my Little Prince blog. Please leave any comments there.
How we ended up with a new microwave
Apr. 29th, 2014 10:42 pmLast week lordaerith and I (mostly Aerith) installed our new microwave. It is pretty and shiny and matches our stove. It also is a convection oven, which is strange but cool.
We didn't set out to buy a new microwave this year. It certainly wasn't in the plan. Our old one was working just fine. But then...
My mother was visiting us from New Orleans for Passover/Easter weekend. It was Saturday morning and we were prepping for our monthly game day and Passover Seder that night. Mom decided to bake a sweet potato in, you guessed it, the microwave. So she put it in for 30 minutes, intentionally, and went to take a shower. I think her thought process was that if the sweet potato would take 90 min in a regular oven, it should take a third of the time in the microwave. I guess she didn't notice the microwave actually had a potato setting. She also didn't poke any holes in it.
So she's taking a shower and Aerith and I are watching something with Little Prince when we start to smell something burning. We go downstairs and there's a few inches of smoke at the ceiling, and the smoke detector isn't even going off. We start freaking out that something is on fire but we can't figure out where the smoke is coming from. I get LP downstairs in case there is a fire and we have to get him out and run upstairs to tell mom. While she's getting out of the shower she tells me that she had the potato in the microwave. Go back down stairs and sure enough, there is a nice lump of charcoal in the microwave and the microwave itself isn't looking too good. So we open all the windows, burn incense, Febreeze things and work on making the house smell better. Aerith and I take out the old microwave and he does some research with mom and then goes out to Home Depot to order a new microwave.
It's amazing how much we've come to depend on the microwave. Just a few days without one made me realize that. The new one got delivered last Wed (and they took away the old one) and Aerith and I (ok, mostly Aerith again) installed it on Thursday. This past weekend he baked banana bread in it. Now the house smells much less like smoke and much more like banana bread.
In conclusion, sweet potatoes are not to go in the microwave for more than 5-6 minutes and always poke holes in them first. Also, still no idea why the smoke detector didn't go off as we tested it and it seems to be working fine. But no one was hurt and we can tease mom about this for years to come.
lordaerith and I (mostly Aerith) installed our new microwave. It is pretty and shiny and matches our stove. It also is a convection oven, which is strange but cool.
We didn't set out to buy a new microwave this year. It certainly wasn't in the plan. Our old one was working just fine. But then...
My mother was visiting us from New Orleans for Passover/Easter weekend. It was Saturday morning and we were prepping for our monthly game day and Passover Seder that night. Mom decided to bake a sweet potato in, you guessed it, the microwave. So she put it in for 30 minutes, intentionally, and went to take a shower. I think her thought process was that if the sweet potato would take 90 min in a regular oven, it should take a third of the time in the microwave. I guess she didn't notice the microwave actually had a potato setting. She also didn't poke any holes in it.
So she's taking a shower and Aerith and I are watching something with Little Prince when we start to smell something burning. We go downstairs and there's a few inches of smoke at the ceiling, and the smoke detector isn't even going off. We start freaking out that something is on fire but we can't figure out where the smoke is coming from. I get LP downstairs in case there is a fire and we have to get him out and run upstairs to tell mom. While she's getting out of the shower she tells me that she had the potato in the microwave. Go back down stairs and sure enough, there is a nice lump of charcoal in the microwave and the microwave itself isn't looking too good. So we open all the windows, burn incense, Febreeze things and work on making the house smell better. Aerith and I take out the old microwave and he does some research with mom and then goes out to Home Depot to order a new microwave.
It's amazing how much we've come to depend on the microwave. Just a few days without one made me realize that. The new one got delivered last Wed (and they took away the old one) and Aerith and I (ok, mostly Aerith again) installed it on Thursday. This past weekend he baked banana bread in it. Now the house smells much less like smoke and much more like banana bread.
In conclusion, sweet potatoes are not to go in the microwave for more than 5-6 minutes and always poke holes in them first. Also, still no idea why the smoke detector didn't go off as we tested it and it seems to be working fine. But no one was hurt and we can tease mom about this for years to come.
Yesterday was my five year anniversary at Convio/Blackbaud. I can't believe I've been here five years. Before this, the longest I'd ever worked somewhere that wasn't a college/grad school job was almost 2 years and the first 6 months of that job were part-time.
So far only one co-worker has acknowledge it. She brought me a cupcake. So it feels a bit like 16 Candles, but at least I got a cupcake. The other co-worker that I told directly was happy for me, but I still wish someone, not me, had said something. Cause to me, it's a big deal.
So far only one co-worker has acknowledge it. She brought me a cupcake. So it feels a bit like 16 Candles, but at least I got a cupcake. The other co-worker that I told directly was happy for me, but I still wish someone, not me, had said something. Cause to me, it's a big deal.
