Everybody Loves My Baby

With her 4th birthday only 8 sleeps away and the end of preschool only 3 sleeps away, Lulu went today for her pre-k assessment at big-girl school (where Pete goes). What that means is that she went with the psychologist, who tried to ask her some questions, while I met with the principal and told her how fantastic Lulu really is (she already knows - she's known Lulu since Lulu was 4 months old). After the meetings, I met back up with Lulu in the office where the psychologist went on and on about Lulu's "big personality" (her words) and how funny Lulu is and how hard it was to ask her questions because she was laughing so much. The psychologist said (no surprise here) that Lulu is very ready for school. Du-uh. But not only is Lulu a smart little kid, she's also funny and clever and engaging. The psychologist didn't say that exactly, but it was clear that Lulu had pulled her into Lulu Land, like she has done with people her whole life.

And I love that about her.

As a tiny baby, 6 months old, sitting on my lap at Pete's swimming lessons, Lulu would look around at the people nearby and figure out which of the adults (or teenage siblings) was most likely to play with her and then she would proceed to engage that person, whoever they were, mom or dad or grandparent or older brother, and eventually that person would be making silly faces and sounds or playing peek-a-boo or whatever like a big goofball while Lulu laughed for Lulu's amusement. She never failed to wrangle someone to play with her. Seriously. Never.

And now she plays with other children, strangers at 6:30 - friends at 6:35, during Pete's swimming lessons, and at the park or the play area at the mall (a germy place I avoid but that Husbandguy loves for some reason) she always manages to find a friend or 2. For herself and Pete to play with.

At school, her teachers marvel at her ability to bring the children together. She plays with each of the children in her class and one time even managed to organize an impromptu game of ring-around-the-rosy that had all the children, except for the one tired one, going round and round under her direction.

Everybody loves my Lulu, my little leader, peacemaker, teacher, star. I wish I had half of her dynamism.

Happy birthday (in 8 sleeps), Lulu.

Vaca Do-Over

You may recall that we went to the beach at Christmas time last year (if not, click here) and that it wasn't a ton of fun for me because Lulu was sick the whole week. We tried again last week and it was way better this time. Sometimes do-overs work out great. Like one time when we were newly dating, Husbandguy and I were playing pool and I totally miffed a shot and I batted my eyes at him and asked for a do-over and he, being all in love with me then and whatever, said okay and then I cleared the table - that was a great do-over. And this one was pretty good, too, but not great. I'll just tell you the not-great stuff up front and then we can move on. Okay?

Nana showed up at the beach with a cold. Nana is not a particularly healthy person in the first place so this cold, which would have just been a nuisance for most people, sent her to urgent care our 2nd full day there. They gave her a breathing treatment and a prescription for an antibiotic and Mucinex and sent her back to us with the instructions to come back 2 days later for a follow-up and to go to the emergency room if she got worse in the meantime. Well, she got worse, like didn't-get-out-of-bed-all-day worse, and I thought she should probably at least go back to urgent care early if not to the hospital, but it wasn't my decision. So the day she was supposed to go for the follow-up, Poppop and HG took her as soon as she was awake (and I took the girls to breakfast by myself - more about this later, probably) and the urgent care doctors sent her directly to the emergency room where she was fairly quickly (for an ER) admitted with congestive heart failure and pneumonia. And there she stayed. For the rest of her vacation. We went to visit her a couple of days later, well HG and Pete did while Lulu and I saw the ER doctor ourselves about croup. In the meantime, though, and croup aside, the rest of us had a pretty nice vacation.

We ate at a couple of buffets. HG and his family like buffets. I do not. I DO NOT. Meme very astutely pointed out that my quality over quantity preference probably has something to do with my dislike for them. There's more to it, too, though. Like, they're expensive and I don't eat nearly enough for them to be cost effective because I don't like to be uncomfortably full. Especially not uncomfortably full of fatty, lukewarm, overcooked, salty food. Buffets just don't seem sanitary, either. In fact, one time I watched someone who worked at a buffet (not at the beach - this was a long time ago) wipe lo mien noodles back into the pan from the counter thingy! EW! We haven't eaten there since. Or at any buffet, really, except for last week. Because apparently you have to eat at a buffet or 2 when you're at the beach. Bleh.

But that was it, really, for the not-great stuff. Everything else was cool. The weather was pleasant pretty much the whole time. We stayed in a nice condo on the 21st floor with an ocean view from the balcony. We played on the beach several times. I found some pretty sea shells, and Pete took some great pictures (that's hers up above there). We went swimming in the pool. The breakfasts were all good, for the most part. I drove the girls to breakfast once so HG could help his dad with his mom. Then the 3 of us went to the aquarium, and I realized that a year ago I wouldn't have been able to do all of that as easily as I did this time because I would have been all anxious and neurotic about driving HG's car in a strange town to places I wasn't familiar with. Turns out vacation is nicer if you let yourself enjoy it instead of worrying about everything. Pete had an early birthday dinner at Planet Hollywood on New Year's Eve and then there were fireworks. And there was shopping and coffee and other wonderful things.

I think I might see if I can talk Poppop into renting a house for next year instead of the condo so high up. But if we end up there again, I won't complain. Unless we have to go to more buffets...

My Year in Review

Let's see... What did I do this year... What happened to/around me...

My husband worked hard every day at home and at work. He lost his job and found a better one. He continued doing what he does best and what irritates me the most.

My oldest daughter turned 6 and started first grade. She learned that she can read chapter books to herself and that 2+3=5 (and other "math facts") and how to write her name in cursive. She had her first guild audition and piano recital. She picked out the newest member of our family. She started mastering the elementary backstroke (which doesn't look very elementary to me - it looks complex!). She took her first trip to Ohio, my birth state. She made butter.

My younger daughter turned 2 and learned the sound that Q makes (and a bunch of other letter sounds). She made new friends everywhere she went. Literally. Everywhere. She thought about using the potty fulltime but decided it's not for her yet. She learned to count to eleventeen, but then exceeded that and counted all the way to 20. She discovered (unexpectedly, and surprising her daddy in the process) that it is fun to go underwater in the pool.

We, as a family, got a puppy and taught him to sit. Well, maybe that was mostly me, but he lives with all of us. We weathered stressful times before Husbandguy got laid off when everyone else in his office was losing their jobs and then while he was out of work. We used our season passes to our local amusement park enough to make them worth the money, but not as much as we would have liked. We went on several trips out of state and (re)connected with old friends and/or relatives we hadn't seen in forever (or ever met in some cases). We laughed and played and cried and yelled and smiled and sang and complained and glared and colored and read and slammed doors and painted walls and broke things and fixed things and kissed and hugged and grew and learned.

It seems that this post is more about what happened around me this year. I think I'll save what happened to me for a separate post. Either it would make this post too long to address it here or it wouldn't add anything and won't be missed. We'll see...

My Crush Has Been... Crushed

So I kind of had the hots (nuh-huh! it is 1984 and I can say "the hots") for the deck manager at Pete's swimming lesson. He's cute in a snuggly, soccer-player-build kind of way, and he's got dark, wavy hair and dark eyes and I'm married, not blind so why can't I have a little crush. I guarantee I'm not the only soccer-mom-type person who goes there with their kid and looks forward to the announcements. But last night he ruined it with a big, minute-long, old-lady-esque SHUSH. "SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," he said. Ew?!

The Trouble with Storms

Apparently Lulu is afraid of thunder. After Pete's swimming lesson tonight, Lulu didn't want to come in out of the rain. HG was telling her that she had a minute and then she needed to come on in when a BIG thunder sounded. Lulu shrieked, a scream worthy of a slasher movie, and scrambled to the door, clearly desperate to get in. HG let her in, and we both comforted her (while trying not to laugh). "Are you okay?" we said. She said, "No. The thunder scared me and... the thunder scared me and... the... thunder scared me!"

Lulu Update

By the time that Pete and HG left for Pete's swimming lesson last night, I was pretty concerned about Lulu because she hadn't eaten anything in about 30 hours and had only had 4 to 5 ounces of diluted apple juice so I told her that she needed to drink something or I was going to get the medicine "squirter" and feed her juice. Then I offered her a lollipop (I'm not a bad mom) and she said yes. Somehow, the threat and the lollipop convinced her to try the juice I had put in a Bojangles cup to make it more fun, and from there it was just a big wave of Feeling Better. She ate a piece of cheese. And then another piece of cheese. Then she tried some mashed potatoes, but they were too hot so she had yogurt instead. Then she tried the potatoes again, and they were okay. Then she wanted more, but I was afraid she'd get sick so I said, "Let's take a break," and she agreed. Not the healthiest dinner, but at least she was eating! She was still drooling like a champ (do champs drool?) and talking like her tongue hurt, but she was clearly feeling better. Whew!

This morning she's eating Cheerios and berry smoothie and not freaking out every time she puts something near her mouth. She still won't let me look, but I'm sure she'll have a fit about something later because she's Almost 2, and I'll just take a peek then.

Oh! I Have to Tell You This!

I want to tell you this before I forget.

Three cool things about Pete's swimming:
1. Pete is ready to move up to the next level and be challenged even more.
2. Since 1 of the 2 other kids in her class is also ready to move up, the school is going to move the 3rd kid to another class and just change the name and skills-to-learn of Pete's current class so we don't have to find a new teacher or time that HG might not be able to make.
3. Pete is a better swimmer than I am.

Ha! Told You So!!

Wednesday, Husbandguy said he'd go to the doctor on Thursday if he wasn't feeling better. Thursday he said, "I'm going to give it one more day." I said, "(LOUDLOUDLOUDLOUD)!" The exact words aren't important, but he's had a sore throat since last weekend and was all pasty-looking at swimming on Wednesday (Pete's doing great, by the way!), and he wasn't listening to me when I used my indoor voice, and also he was in the other room. So I talked LOUD. And know what happened? He came into the kitchen and called the doctor and made an appointment. And know what the doctor said? He has an infection, probably sinuses, and should be taking medicine. So sometimes it does help to talk loudly at someone. And also, I told you so, HG!

Our Project

Husbandguy and I worked on our kitchen table and chairs yesterday. We had hoped to be finished with it last weekend, but I was sooooo sick and HG didn't want to work on it by himself and I was okay with that.

HG's jobs are sanding the old finish off the table and pointing out what I've done wrong. He's very proficient at both.

Hopefully we'll be done with the polyurethane by Tuesday so it'll be all done for next weekend when Nana and Poppop come for Easter dinner.

Genetics

You know Pete? You know how she's been taking swimming lessons and doing really well? Well, at her last lesson, they evaluated her, and guess what! She's moved up another level, and since there aren't anymore beginner classes higher than the one she just finished, she's not a beginner anymore. She's ADVANCED! Know what that means? That means that she is a better swimmer than I am because I would definitely be in the beginner class if I signed up for lessons. But Husbandguy is soooo NOT a beginner, and so apparently swimming is genetic and she got the gene from him.

I already knew that music is genetic because of the way she's really taken to the piano. Her teacher even said at her last lesson that Pete is better at the note drills than some of her more long-time students.

So she got swimming from DH and piano from me. And she got her looks from her dad (who would have been a beautiful little girl, apparently, if he had Moomie's eyes) and her love of reading from me. And her sense of humor? Well that came from both sides, but those of you from the Grandpa's family will be pleased to know that there is definitely more than a hint of the S Sense of Humor there. Appropriate considering who she's named after...

The Perfect Week

Wow! I wish I was five. Pete is having the perfect week! First she spent all Sunday at an amusement park; then she gets two days off from school; then she gets to miss her piano lesson (although there might be some sympathetic regret since her teacher's brother died and that's why she's not having a lesson); then she gets to spend all afternoon with Moomie tomorrow; then we agreed that she could skip swimming this week to go trick-or-treating (a 2-fer!). The only way I can think of that it would be even better would be if the trip to see The Grandpa and Meme was this coming weekend. You know, like icing!

What Would You Have Thought?

The other day after Pete's swimming lesson, it was raining when we got home and I had a lot of stuff to carry. So I said to Husbandguy, "Would you get the baby?" and he said, "I have the keys," and ran off into the house.

What would you have thought?

I thought he was saying no. Especially when he took a long time turning off the alarm and so didn't come back out.

So after waiting a moment I stuffed as much as I could into the diaper bag and slung it over my shoulder and, with cold raindrops pricking me on the back between the bottom of my t-shirt and the top of my not-mom-jeans (thank you very much), unbuckled Lulu and got her most of the way out of the car before DH reappeared and said, "I'll get her," in a tone that implied he had intended to all along. Um, now? Really? It's a little late. Then we said this:

DH: I was coming to get her.
MN: It didn't sound like it.
DH: Do you want me to get her?
MN: It's kind of late now.
DH: Did you really think I wasn't coming to get her?
MN: You said, 'I have the keys!' and disappeared. What was I supposed to think?

That went on for a little longer, but you get the picture. Don't we sound like a smart, loving couple? Poor Lulu.

She's A Swimmer!

Last night the whole family went to Pete's swimming lesson. And last night Pete did the most amazing thing at her swimming lesson. She's in a class with two little boys, and for most of the lesson they were all swimming the same distance, about 2/3 across the pool to where the teacher had positioned the little PVC pipe island thingy. But when I walked away for a minute, the teacher pushed the island (with the little boys on it) off to the side, out of the way, so Pete could swim all the way across the pool. And she did! I missed the trip across but saw the return trip. It was so cool! Her legs and arms were moving smoothly and steadily, just like when her dad swims, and she rolled over a took a breath about halfway, then rolled back and kept going, and when she got to the side she came up and peeked out at us, and I thought she'd look all proud and happy for herself, but the look on her face clearly said, "Yeah. No big deal. I've always been able to do that," with just the littlest bit of, "Eat my wake," mixed in. Holy crap! That kid can swim!! If those boys weren't inspired by that awesome display of swimming expertise, they weren't paying attention. I tell you what. If that school offered grown-up classes, I'd be in the pool in a minute!

SO - as soon as they evaluate her the next time, which I hope will be next week (and should have been yesterday), she will be officially done with the Beginner classes. My big girl? She's an ADVANCED swimmer now.

Finally! A Real Lesson!

So, in the past month, Pete has had three new swimming teachers. The first was because school started and she couldn't keep going at 10:00 on Monday morning. The second was because the first new teacher hurt her ankle and had to give up all her classes. Apparently when they give a child a new teacher they don't bother to tell the teacher what that child already knows because those two teachers had Pete swimming at a level she passed mid-summer. I encouraged Pete to speak up for herself, and she did once, telling new teacher #2 that she didn't need help floating on her back, but it didn't make a difference.

Last night, though, Pete started with another new teacher. It was our choice to switch again because we were having trouble getting to her class on time. And I am SOOOOO glad we did. Her newest teacher had been at Family Swim Night last Friday and had seen Pete swimming and had been very impressed and apparently remembered. Husbandguy, who took Pete to her lesson, said the teacher had Pete and her classmate swimming pretty much the whole width of the pool, which she had been doing during the summer but hadn't been challenged to do in a month. And DH said she did "awesome." That's really what he said. And Pete seemed very proud of herself.

Hooray for the new teacher! Hooray for Pete! Now we're finally getting Nana and PopPop's money's-worth again.

Promoted!

Not me. I haven't been promoted. I don't think I can get much higher up here.

It's Boss 1. She found out yesterday that she has mastered all the skills in her current level of swimming (remember? personal enrichment?) and has been promoted to the next level. That took no time at all! She's pretty proud of herself. We'll have to have a little celebration, I think.

Boss 1's Afternoons

Boss 1 is taking some personal enrichment courses a couple of afternoons a week, and I have been really very impressed with how quickly she is becoming Enriched.

She has taken up swimming, but not in the way your boss might take it up for exercise and whatever. She had never had swimming lessons before this! She's only been going for a few months and has already impressed her instructor with how quickly she is picking it up. I understand her father is a great swimmer and even swam competitively when he was younger so maybe she comes by it naturally. At first I thought she was just interested in it because it meant getting a new swim suit, but she seems to genuinely enjoy it and is really proud of herself.

The other course she is taking is an art course. She seems to have a real talent for that too.

It makes me want to take some courses. If I could ever find a time I wasn't needed at work...