The Plague of 2009--Round 1

So. Hmm... It's September. I last posted in... What? May? March? No. May--the middle of May. Let me just say, I don't consider myself a 'blogger'. Anyway...

Thomas started preschool at the end of August. The following week, the germs invaded. I'm pretty sure that I have had to work from home at least once a week every week since then because at least one of the kids have been sick. The current round started last week when Caroline woke up with a fever Tuesday morning. Thomas sneezed through the week, with no other symptoms. By Thursday, Caroline was back to daycare. And I was back to work...? No. I was sick. Thanks for sharing kid. Despite a good day on Thursday, Friday found Caroline and I at the Pediatrician, immediately followed by the pharmacy for antibiotics. Ear infection.

Score? Germs: 1, Henry Family: 0

Saturday, I rallied and made it to a fun brunch with friends. Yay! The kids were napping by the time I got home, and poor Ben was putting up a brave fight against the germs. Thomas woke up from a THREE-HOUR-NAP with a fever of 102, complaining about his ear. If past history has taught us anything, it's that when Thomas finally admits pain, it's bad. I also noticed that his eyes were fairly red. Hmm. And wouldn't you know it... He woke up FIVE minutes after Urgent Care closed. I pulled out the Motrin and swiftly canceled our plans for Sunday. All day Sunday, he insisted he was fine. Temperature and visible wincing when I poked at his ears contradicted him. Monday found us back at the the pediatrician's office. And then? Pharmacy, times two. Ear infections and since he's an over achiever, infections in both eyes as well.

Score? Germs: 3, Henry Family: 0

Ben went to the doctor today. Let's check the score again, shall we?

Score? Germs: 4, Henry Family: 0

LOVING preschool so far.

The good news? This afternoon I finally found the energy to empty the dishwasher. Who knows... Tomorrow I might go wild and load it. Maybe. I'm hopeful. Also, I hear rumors that October might involve fewer germs and more time in the office.

Memory File

Sorry for the lack of posts. Something about 2 kids, a house and sitting in front of the computer for work all day seems be limiting my posting. (Not that I ever really posted all that much, but still....) For those of you looking for a quick fix, Ben posted some very old pictures to the main page--December 2007 is now available. Both kids look so little!! I'm also struck by just how much Caroline looks like baby pictures of Thomas in many of those shots. When she was 6 months old I didn't feel like she resembled him that closely, but looking back in pictures now I easily see it.

Yesterday Thomas asked me how one would get down from a hammock. I was confused and the question was out of the blue. We talked about it a little and it became clear that he thought a hammock was usually pretty high in the air. I told him that no, they weren't very high and getting out was similar to climbing out of bed in the morning--you just swing your feet over the side and get down. His response? "But when Daddy and I were in the hammock, you and Grandma and Grandpa seemed pretty low down." I suppose the fact that he didn't mention Caroline in that description should have clued me in. It didn't. "What hammock? When were you and Daddy in a hammock?"

Guesses anybody?

Yeah, that's right. "Hawaii", was his reply. And for those of you who don't have our travel history memorized, we were last in Hawaii in December 2006. Yes, SIX. Not 2008 or even 2007. Two-zero-zero-SIX. When Thomas had just turned two and I was still in the (very nauseous) first trimester of my pregnancy with Caroline. How does he store this stuff in his brain, and more importantly, how does he access it again??

Once I had the context identified, I was able to explain that he was much smaller way back then. And today a hammock wouldn't seem all that big to him.

Milestones

Just a few quick thoughts...

Wednesday morning Caroline decided that I'm no longer Mama. Instead she now calls me Mommy. It's adorable, but at the same time it is a little reminder that she is rapidly getting older by the minute. She's very chatty these days and her vocabulary is starting to expand quickly. She also just seems older these days--not sure what it is about her. Very little baby left, and now nearly 100% toddler.

Also on Wednesday, we went on a tour of a preschool for Thomas. The plan is to start him in a preschool in the fall and let him have a year of Pre-K before starting Kindergarten in Fall of 2010. The one we toured this week was the top choice on paper and while the tour went fine, it didn't leave me jumping up and down with joy. We have a tour of a second one scheduled for next week--I'll be curious to see how they compare. I'm not sure how much of my ambivalence is related to the general idea of him being in preschool and how much was really related to the actual school. (Does that make sense?) I suspect part of the issue for me is that we have been so happy with his daycare situation... For now I'm trying not to think about it too much and keep reminding myself that he is a very smart, sweet kid and will likely thrive in any number of preschool settings. I was worried that the tours might ruffle his feathers a bit and make him apprehensive, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Actually, I told him last night that we would do another tour next week and when he woke this morning he was very disappointed that the next tour was not TODAY. In his opinion, the quality of the preschool is directly related to the number of dinosaur toys that are visible on the tour.

Growth Spurt

Caroline just ate 2 eggs (with cheese), half a bowl of oatmeal and a slice of coffee cake for breakfast. Hungry much? It's 10:20 and she just (FINALLY) got down from the table...

Goofball

25 Random Things About Caroline

1. Caroline was born on her due date, after a VERY short labor. She weighed exactly one pound more than her brother at birth.

2. I was laughing when she was born. Not pushing. Laughing. Yes, really.

3. Her name was almost Eleanor. I wasn't 100% sure that we made the right choice, but now that I know her personality, I'm sure. She's no Eleanor.

4. Caroline is feisty, determined, gleeful, bubbly, full of joy and confidence and very shy around strangers. It's an interesting mix.

5. She was a picky eater as a baby. In fact, she never did like baby food. Currently, she prefers protein and dairy to fruits.

6. Her favorite food is cheese. She can recognize the sound of the bag of cheese in the refrigerator. If I bump the cheese when getting something else, she hears it and comes running to demand "cheeeeee?!?!"

7. Caroline is terrified of the garbage truck. I have seen her literally shaking with fear when she sees/hears it.

8. We have a recording of the SF Ballet's production of the Nutcracker. When we watch it, Caroline waltzes around the living room.

9. She is a body in motion--and it is rarely slow motion.

10. She doesn't walk. She runs, gallops or skips just about all the time.

11. She frequently will line up my purse, shoes and a jacket in the middle of the kitchen floor and then pull me over to them and say, "Bye-bye?" She loves getting ready to go anywhere.

12. Sometimes in the mornings she doesn't want to stop playing to get a fresh diaper and clothing. Offer her shoes and she'll drop everything and come running.

13. Caroline's special snuggle-buddy is a stuffed mouse with a big pink nose. She's had him her whole life. When she was teething, she would chew on his nose so we now call him Biter. She like to take Biter everywhere. Lately, I've been letting her take Biter in the car on the way to daycare in the mornings. At night, when I pick her up, she chants "Biter! Biter! Biter!" quietly to herself on the way out to the car.

14. Speaking of teething... Even now at 20 months old, she still doesn't have her four eye teeth. It gives her grin a bit of a jack-o-lantern feel.

15. She likes chaos. And noise...

16. Caroline loves TV. Every day when we get home and she walks in the door and sees the TV turned off, she says, "Uh-oh!"

17. She adores her brother. Any special toy of his is the coolest in her mind--especially dinosaurs. She doesn't like it when he is truly upset, but she also certainly doesn't mind pushing his buttons.

18. She is very mechanically inclined. She's good at anything with buttons and is already very adept at working Ben's iPhone. She's excellent with spacial problem solving.

19. The three things she will sit still for are books, food and TV.

20. Whenever Thomas finishes a meal, she has to climb up into his chair at the table and see if he's left anything good for her to snack on.

21. She smells good. After a bath her hair always smells a little like jasmine, and the scent is not from the shampoo.

22. She is not afraid to squeeze into small spaces. Under the kitchen sink... Under the dining room table with all the chairs... Bottom shelf of a book case... All places that she will hide.

23. She pronounces Thomas' name "Taa-boo". This is amusing because there isn't a single thing about Thomas that is taboo.

24. She loves the phone, and will finally talk to people when given the chance.

25. When she gives a hug, she wraps her arms around my neck. And squeezes. They are the best little kid hugs I've ever gotten.

25 Random Things

This was (is) a 'meme' going around on FaceBook and after resisting for a while, I finally caved and did it. And it was fun! And once I was done, I kept thinking of other things I should have put on my list... But I don't want the FaceBook world to know that I'm self-centered enough to think that I really warrant TWO lists of 25 random things. Also, the current host of list items popping up now seem to have a fairly negative tone to them. So, in the interest of turning things around, I'm doing what every self-respecting parent would do. Put the focus on my kids. Haha!! Anyway, I figured I'd try to do 25 things for each of them. Thomas first because he's oldest. (And probably easier.) And yes, most of this is not new information and it's possible that I've reused a few items from my FaceBook list. ;-)

25 Random Things About Thomas

1. Thomas was born exactly a month before his due date. We were not ready. He was.

2. When Thomas was a baby, he was absolutely adorable. And I wasn't the only one who thought so. Now, he's good looking kid.

3. He has always been a very happy and laid back kid. Even as infant, and even (although not quite as much) as a two year old. At four, Thomas is still happy and mellow as long as he has all the necessary information. He's an interesting combination that works out to be a quiet but very outgoing guy.

4. He loves to color but hates to draw. He's really good at coloring pictures from coloring books, and pays close attention to staying within the lines. But, when it comes to drawing his own pictures on a blank page, he refuses.

5. I think he has the auditory equivalent of a photographic memory. (OK. Not 100%, but sometimes it really seems like it.) If you tell him a story one time, he will remember. And ask for it again. And correct you when you alter the telling AT ALL.

6. He has most of his books memorized, and corrects me when my tired brain substitutes words. "No Mommy! It says SEA, not OCEAN!"

7. He knows what he likes, how he likes. And expects things to go his way. And why not? Frankly, the kid has lead a pretty charmed life so far. It's good to be Thomas.

8. Last year, his favorite book was 'Little Fur Family'. I am not exaggerating when I say that he picked that one for his bedtime story for 4 months straight. I still have it memorized... "There was a little fur family, warm as toast, smaller than most..."

9. He is a creature of habit. If the standard operating procedures are going to be changed, you had better warn him in advance. Well in advance. And standard operation procedures are defined the first time you do something. Doing a new activity? The way you set it up the first time instantly becomes the expected setup for all future instances. We call him "high maintenance"... ;-)

10. We had to talk about converting his crib to a toddler bed for SIX months before he was OK with the idea. Finally, one day when I brought it up, he said, "Yeah, OK. I think that sounds like a good idea." The next night he was sleeping in a toddler bed. Before too long he'll be too tall for his little mattress--I've already started prepping him for the idea of a new "big" bed.

11. When at home, he prefers to nap in the "Extra Room" and sleep in his room at night. But every once in a while he changes it up and asks to nap in his room--mostly when he is sick.

12. Even now, at 4 years old, he still will nap up to 3 hours in the afternoon. He gets this from me I think--I always was a big napper--still am when given the chance.

13. Last night he cried when I told him that I didn't have any clean laundry for him to help me sort.

14. This morning I threw a load in the machine to avoid another weeping boy tonight. I figure if he wants to help with the laundry that badly I should probably take advantage of it, right? Or am I just spoiling him?

15. He remembers events the way he remembers stories. In detail, and from WAAAAAY back. He remembers things from before Caroline was born. He remembers things about my Grandfather who passed away before Thomas turned two. I treasure the fact that he remembers Grampy.

16. Generally, if I don't remember something and Thomas tells me that it happened, I believe him. He told me several weeks ago that he remembers how Mommy and Daddy went to IHOP right before he was born and then we knew it was time for him to be born. I do not think he really remembers this. ;-) Although, for the record, he is right. That's pretty much how it went down.

17. When he was born, all the nurses at the hospital called him the "IHOP Baby". They also all commented on how long his eyelashes were for a newborn.

18. Thomas loves dinosaurs. Loves is really an understatement of how he feels about them. EVERYTHING is about dinosaurs for him. The obsession has lasted for 16 months so far. He's been to see "Walking with Dinosaurs" twice--a year apart. I'm told that during his second viewing he spent the whole time telling Ben in hushed tones which dinosaur would be coming out next. He REMEMBERS things--I'm not kidding.

19. He knows (and can pronounce!) more dinos than I can count. Protoceratops, Torosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Pachycephalosaurus, and Kentrosaurus are some of my favorites on his list. He can tell you a whole host of information including diet, (sometimes) time period and what cool "features" they had. I especially enjoy his discussions about what happened to the dinosaurs. Also, he LOVES to watch "dino tribute videos" on YouTube.

20. He gets really upset when we suggest that he might want to be a paleontologist and study dinosaurs when he grows up. He always says, "I don't WANT to be a paleontologist! I just want to be THOMAS!!" I've tried explaining that he WILL be Thomas, that he can be Thomas and do whatever he wants... "See, look at Grandpa! He's a marine biologist AND he's STILL Grandpa!" But, Thomas hasn't budged on this.

21. His favorite dinosaur is T-Rex, and he has several plastic T-Rex toys that have practically become family members. He claims to like T-Rex because they were meat eaters and HE is a meat eater. He is NOT a meat eater. He prefers fruits and vegetables over all protien sources.

22. For the last four days, Thomas has insisted that we call him "Mommy T-Rex". He says that Caroline is his baby T-Rex. I get into fights with him by insisting that she is actually MY baby.

23. The current favorite dinosaur of his brood is named "Big Blueberry", she's about 2 feet tall and at night Thomas likes for her to sleep in a pillow 'cage', under a baby blanket in the extra room. After I check on him at night, I am now instructed to check on Blueberry, make sure she has her blanket and that her light is turned off and her door is closed.

24. Thomas has a very detailed bedtime routine. And very long. And I'm pretty sure that he's intentionally stretching it out. Here's how it currently goes:

• Potty, wash hands, brush and floss teeth.
• Pick out and put on jammies.
• Pick out and read a book.
• Snuggle for a few minutes.
• Dash into his room--it should be a race and he should always win.
• Get in bed and put socks on.
• Get Ben's iPhone plugged in and navigate to the iPod section, find the 'Bedtime' playlist and start it.
• Remove the paper ring for the day from his weekly chain. (Yep, still using this system and it's working GREAT!)
  
• Night light on, lights out.
• Once we leave the room, I have to go back to check on him.
• Then it's Ben's turn to check on him. (And the "checks" must be executed in this order.)
  
• Finish listening to his music. The playlist is: Juke Box Hero by Foreigner, What's So Scary About That by the Backyardigans, Real Gone from the Cars Soundtrack, Life is a Highway from the Cars Soundtrack and finally Sloop John B. by the Beach Boys.
• Finally, when the playlist has ended, Ben is called back to get the iPhone.
• In the process of getting the iPhone, Thomas likes to scroll through all the songs/albums and pick a random one for Ben to listen to as he leaves the room.

25. Thomas frequently (out of the blue and in the middle of other conversations) tells me that he loves me. Last week, he even told me that he loves me more than dinosaurs. The feeling is mutual.

Caroline in Action

Four Years Old

Now that Thomas has been sleeping in a "big boy bed" for a while, we have finally convinced him that it's OK for him to get out of bed by himself in the mornings. I'm guessing this is probably not an action you would want to take with most four year olds. But, Thomas is... well... Special. :-) (In my completely unbiased opinion.) Anyway, I was tired of having to drag myself out of bed in the mornings when he woke up to "give him permission" to get up and go to the bathroom. So now, he knows it's alright for him to get up by himself.

My absolute favorite part of this is that when he gets up in the mornings now, he comes quietly into our room and climbs into bed with us to snuggle and wake up. He's all elbows and knees and warm fleece jammies. This morning, as he was burrowing under the covers and wrapping my arms around himself, he was very eager to skip ahead to the part where he climbs back out of bed and goes to play (with new birthday dinos!!) while I try to get the day started. I whispered "Happy Birthday!" to him, and his face broke into a huge grin. Then, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Mommy? I have a very special job for you to do. Are you ready? Here's your job. Before I get down, I need you to give me a super BIIIIIG hug!" and he leaned in to me. Does it get any sweeter than that? Can't imagine how it could...

Today is his special day. His birthday. He has the sweetest most gentle heart. I can't imagine life before Thomas and at the same time, I struggle to wrap my head around the idea that it has already been four whole years. Already four?? And only four??