Category Archives: Bean

Feb10

Love Thursday: Grateful

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My pregnancy with the Bean wasn’t at all expected.  We fought long and hard to get pregnant with Scorch, so I never thought we’d be the couple to have a whoops baby.  I still remember the nagging feeling in the back of my head before I confirmed my pregnancy- the suspicion and nerves that I never shared with the Hubs.  The day I tested and got that bright pink second line, I came as close as I ever have to having  a panic attack.

You see- I didn’t know if I wanted a second child at that point. Scorch was- is– perfect in just about every way. He was sweet and gorgeous and good natured and funny and bright.  How in the world were we going to be able to do better than that?

While I was pregnant with the Bean, I more or less ignored the fact that there was (God willing) going to be real live baby coming at the end of the 9 months.  I had more then enough going on to keep me busy- Scorch, my full time job and our new small business- so it wasn’t too hard until the very end.  But once my due date got really close, I freaked. What were we thinking?! What if Baby #2 cried all the? What is s/he was the complete opposite of Scorch? What if we couldn’t love her/him as much as we loved Scorch? What if Scorch thought we didn’t love him anymore since we were having a new baby?  These worries, along with the Bean using my bladder as her personal trampoline, kept me up many, many nights.

Then the Bean arrive. She came quickly and furiously and she cried for 3  hours straight after she was born. That was our first clue that we did in fact have a baby who was the opposite of Scorch.  Beaner is feisty and head strong.  She’s hysterically funny and never stays where you put her. She views all orders from us as mere suggestions and she really couldn’t give a hoot if you’re not pleased with her.  In short, she’s absolutely, 100% perfect.

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For the first time in a long time, I had the Bean all to myself today for bedtime.  She’s been on a huge Daddy kick for weeks now, so he’s been handling bedtime and I’ve just been called in for one final kiss before he lays her down. Tonight’s one-on-one time to read books, get her dressed into her PJs and to rock her before bed was a rare welcome treat.  As we snuggled, singing “Bust a Move” (don’t judge me) in the dark and laughing ourselves silly I was overcome with this huge wave of gratefulness. Grateful that God gave us this child even if we weren’t ready.  Grateful that the Bean is the child we have.  Grateful to be living the life I am with the people I’m sharing it with.

Just plain grateful.

Feb7

Makin’ Whoopie

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A few months back, the Hubs went to the store to pick up a few things- light bulbs, garbage bags. You know, the boring things you need to pick up on a Saturday morning before working around the house.  He came home with all that plus something extra for the kids.

Whoopie cushions.

Naturally, the kids thought they were awesome.  There is nothing funnier when you’re 2 & 4 then bodily functions- and a toy that sounds like toots?? It’s like hitting the jackpot.

Then, like with all toys, the kids lost interests and moved on.  Until today.

Today the kids discovered that they could “trick” someone into sitting on a whoopie cushion and pretending that the noise was real.  When I came in from work today, the kids had a chair set up with a pillow on it and a blanket over the seat with a suspicious looking bulge under it.  They invited me to take a seat after my long day of sitting in front of my computer, so I did.  When the whoopie cushion made its noise, the kiddos laughed so hard they got tears in their eyes.  When the Hubs got home some 15 minutes later, it was even funnier.

Since then they have been trying to slip cushions under everything to surprise us- there is no escaping them. Consider this fair warning if you come to our house!

Feb3

Like Wrestling a Greased Pig

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After a fitful night’s sleep, the Bean woke up yesterday and immediately yelled out “My ear hurt.”  Poor pumpkin was a crying, clingy mess for about an hour after she woke up. She didn’t want to eat, she didn’t want to watch TV or read a book, she just wanted to cuddle.

I put in a call to her pediatrician at 8:31 am (I figured I’d give them that extra minute to turn their phones on) only to find out the office was closed due to bad weather.  Wonderful.  So I bundled the kids up and took them to the walk-in.  Thankfully we were there early enough to get right in and seen. The Bean was a champ with the nurse and the doctors- letting them look in her mouth, noses, eyes & ears.

The diagnosis?  Ear infection & pink eye.

When we got home from the pharmacy, I had to give Beaner her first dose of antibiotics.  I had gotten it grape flavored AND I bribed her with M&M’s so I figured it wouldn’t be that hard.  She said she was a big girl and wanted her meds in a little cup, so that is what I gave her.  She promptly took one sip and declared it too yucky.

Well, I knew she had to take it- rejecting her meds based on the taste just wasn’t an option.  So I loaded up the squirter and tried to corner her. She’s no dummy so she ran.  After a few mins, I had her caught and on my lap. I figured I’d squirt it in her mouth really fast and all would be well.

I figured wrong.  The child spit all her meds out so it was going down me, running down her face and into her hair.  Lovely.

I gave her a few minutes and counted out all the M&M’s she could have if she took her meds, trying really hard to entice her.  But she’s was on to me and wasn’t buying it.  She fought me with all her might but I finally got that one measly teaspoon worth of antibiotics down her through a combination of body pinning, cheers, bribery, threats & fancy maneuvering.  I’ve now given her 3 more doses since yesterday and each one is just as much fun as the first. At least I’m smart enough now to make sure we’re both in old clothes before I try!

 

Jan26

Apples & Oranges

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When I was pregnant with Scorch, we’d always sit behind the same family at Mass on Sunday.  Mom, little boy and baby sister. Baby sister was a stinker. Loud,  active and  never able to sit still.

One Sunday, baby sister was around 2 and she was acting up- she kept wanting to go into the aisle.  Finally the mom had enough and she got right down to the little girls level and hissed at her “Don’t you dare put one toe outside of this pew, young lady!”  She meant business- heck, she scared me.

Baby sister kept her eyes right on her mom and very carefully, very deliberately took her right foot and stomped it in the aisle.

The Hubs and I never laughed so hard in church- all the while praying that the baby we were having wasn’t a thing like that little girl.

And Scorch isn’t.  He listens. He stays where you tell him to. He doesn’t poke around into things he shouldn’t. And he typically asks for permission before doing anything. When he does step out of line, a stern talking to does the trick with him. He may not like it, he may cry his little eyes out, but he’ll behave himself.

The Bean? Not so much.

I never had to tell Scorch not to eat the snow off the bottom of his boots when we’re driving someplace.

Scorch never shimmed under the baby gate to get into the cat’s room, opened a bag of dirty cat litter and ran his hands all through it. (still gagging over that one)

Scorch never ran faster away from us when we yelled STOP in Target.

It’s a damn good thing that Scorch was born first otherwise there may not have been a second kid.

 

 

Jan12

Potty Mouth

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“Crap.”

Not a word I was expecting to hear out of Scorch’s mouth on the way to school today.  Not a word I expect to hear out of his mouth any day.

I asked him what he said and he repeated the word.  I told him that wasn’t a word we say and where did he hear it.

“School.”

I’m not surprised- Scorch goes to a great school but you can’t put him in a classroom with 25 other kids and expect them all to be angels.  So we talked about what the word means and how that word is unacceptable in our house.  He got it, so we moved right along.

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As Scorch gets older, I’m starting to see more and more of the peer influence on him.  Wanting the Spiderman lunch box even though he has no idea who Spiderman is. Begging to watch Ironman at night- again, even though he doesn’t know who Ironman is or what he does.  Asking me if his hair looks cool in the morning on the way to school.  Wanting to see the movie the rest of the kids in his class are talking about.

At times, this peer pressure is terrifying to me. Other times, it’s hysterical. I mean, there is nothing funnier then when your 4.5 year old asks you in all seriousness if his hair looks cool as he’s preening in front of the mirror. First, it’s the same hair cut he’s had since he was 9 months old. Second, it’s hard to look cool in sneakers that light up ever time you take a step.

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The Hubs and I were talking earlier today about Scorch’s new vocabulary word. We’re both in agreement that “crap” is not appropriate for a 4 year old to say.  Too bad we weren’t smart enough not to discuss this in front of Beaner because guess who has a new favorite word?

 

Jan11

One Small Step

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We hit a minor milestone in our house today. Two of them actually!

First, the Bean started gymnastics today! This is the first thing she’s done that’s just hers- the first activity where she hasn’t been simply tagging after Scorch.  There aren’t many structured activities out there for 2 year olds in our little town so when I heard about a gymnastics class that basically fit into our schedule, I was signed her right up. She seemed to have loved the first class and it’s so much fun for me to see her explore and make new friends!

Secondly, because of the timing of Beaner’s class today, Scorch has to stay for lunch at school for the first time ever. He goes to preschool 5 half days a week and has been adamant that he does not want to stay for lunch- no way, no how. We have an amazing nanny that typically picks up him before lunch so he can eat at home with his sister and he likes that.  Any previous mentions of staying for lunch has ended up with him in tears, so I was a little nervous about this.  Yesterday I went out and got him a very cool Spiderman lunch bag and the Hubs and I talked up staying for lunch for a good week- how much fun it is! How he gets to talk to his friends! The chocolate milk  he can buy!

And you know what? He was a rock star today. Not a tear or a worry- off he went and he a blast.

I should be happy- and I am for the most part. I’m thrilled with Scorch’s bravery and independence. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little sad. Each time Scorch becomes more independent he’s that much closer to not needing us quite as much. To wanting to spend times with friends instead of parents. My baby is growing up- one small step at a time.

 

Jan10

The Simple Things

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I’ve shared a time or two how I’m basically the Un-Martha Stewart.  So today when I went out and got matching bedding (including quilt, shams & a bedskirt) for the Hubs & I’s room- that was a Big Deal. We haven’t had matching bedding in about 3 years due to a certain 4 year old who shall remain nameless.

On normal days, I get out of work at 5, cook dinner, we eat at 6 and we start bedtimes around 7. But today the Hubs had to go back to work, so we ate at 5 which left the kids and I a long stretch of time to fill before bed.  The kids are still young enough that they can be tricked into thinking that doing chores is fun, so I suggested we make up my bed with the new bedding.

You would have thought I had shown them a magical toy that pooped out rainbows and unicorns- they were that excited!

We rolled around on the new bedding, wrestling and tickling and flying up on my feet for over an hour!  The kids did relay races from the kitchen to my bedroom as I made up the bed, we covered each other up with the new quilt, we bopped each other with pillows and they dived bombed me trying to knock me over. At one point, the Bean jumped on me and her mouth hit my head. I asked her if she was OK and she said she was fine and kept playing. It wasn’t until she stopped for a second that we saw the blood coming out of her mouth.  Trooper that she is, she’s says “I having too much fun to stop- keep going!”  And we most likely would have had not Scorch freaked out over the sight of blood and insisted that we clean his sister up before we started playing again. I don’t think he’s going to grow up to be a doctor.

Who knew new bedding could be so much fun? Here’s hoping a new set a dish towels tomorrow is just as amusing!

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Baby Lala had a quick head scan today and the brain bleeds are the same size as they were last week. That’s really good news and we’re hoping that the next scan shows them going away! 🙂

Jan6

Love Thursday: Favorites

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Scorch has started to play the copying game- you know, the one where he repeats back everything I say. When it starts to get annoying, I purposely say things to make him laugh – things that may or may not involve potty words not typically allowed in our house. Or I say things that I know he won’t want to repeat- like “Mommy thinks Bean is the best kiddo in the whole wide world.”

This morning when I was teasing him about how Beaner is the greatest and Scorch has stinky toes, he said to me “Mommy I know you’re just joking because I’m your favorite, right?”

I gave him the pat parental answer of how they were both my favorite and how I love them both the same and all was right in the world again. But it got me thinking- do I have a favorite kid? I think I do.

Scorch is my favorite kid because he’s typically the calm in the eye of Hurrican Bean. He’s my favorite because he corrects me when I pronounce a dinosaur’s name wrong. He’s my favorite when he’s fresh out of the bath and all squirmy and giggly when we’re putting on his eczema cream. He’s my favorite at night when we’re curled up in his bed reading a funny book. He’s my favorite when he goes up to other kids at the playground- kids he doesn’t know- to see if they want to play without a second thought. He’s my favorite when he comes up just asking for a random hug during the middle of the day. He’s my favorite because he’s my first born- the first baby I held and bathed and nursed and rocked to sleep. He’s my favorite because no matter how old he gets, I can still see that baby underneath.

But Beaner’s also my favorite. She’s my favorite because of her munchable cheeks that I frequently kiss. She’s my favorite for her sassy “I do it myself” personality. She’s my favorite because she insists she does not need your help until she tries things a few times herself and then comes right up and asks  to”help please!”  She’s my favorite because she always remembers her manners and always reminds Scorch of his.  She’s my favorite because she sleeps through the night.  She’s my favorite because she’s still laughing a day later about how the dog at playgroup tooted so loudly it scared her.  She’s my favorite because she’s my baby and she still fits so perfectly in my lap when we read a night.

Yup, clearly they are my favorite!

Jan4

Reentry

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We are now two days back into real life after 12 days off.  12 days where we could sleep in as late as we wanted, where we didn’t have to rush anywhere in the morning, where naps could happen at whatever time they needed to to suit the Bean.

They were a great 12 days.

Day 1 of real life went smoother then I hoped for. Scorch was excited to get back to school and the Bean wasn’t any more difficult then normal.  Last night was super low-key and things rolled along well. This morning was down right pleasant! Smiling kids, enough time in our schedule, clear roads- the Gods were smiling on us.

Then came tonight.

The earlier wake ups and the stricter schedule caught up with both kids and there were meltdowns galore. The best was Beaners absolute freakout out over what piece of bread she wanted with her pasta. No, not that one. Nope, not that one either. Sorry, try again. And so on until we got to the last piece in the loaf and that was the one she wanted. Until it wasn’t and she threw it on the ground.

Then there was Scorch’s uber meltdown because I wouldn’t let him watch an Ironman cartoon. I have never, ever let him watch an Ironman cartoon- why 1) does he think I would let him tonight and 2) is it such a stinking big deal when he’s never seen it before? Obviously he can’t love it nearly as much as he professes to given that he has absolutely no idea what Ironman is about. He just knows the kids in his class like it so it must be cool.

Needless to say, everyone went to bed early tonight. But Beaner didn’t go down without a fight. Instead of singing our typically songs before bed (You are my Sunshine & Twinkle, Twinkle) she insisted I sing a song called “Pee-pee Poopy.”  Where in the world did that come from?? I haven’t a clue, but she was royally pissed off that I wouldn’t oblige her and made sure I, and the whole neighborhood, knew it.

Thankfully everyone is asleep now and I have 10 hours and 50 minutes until the fun starts all over again.

Jan3

Happy 2011!

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Dear Kiddos-

Happy New Year! Yes, I realize it’s 3 days into the new year and I’m late.  As you get older, this will not surprise you at all.

2010 was a good year for us! Our extended family weathered some health scares, but everyone is still here in 2011. Our immediate family had 3 fun bouts with a stomach bug (I blame you, Scorch, and your germy classmates for that) but that was the worst of it.

There were a lot of first this year. Scorch going to school 5 days a week. Our amazing trip to the OBX. Renting a camper for our trip to Lake Ontario. Scorch’s first trip the ER. Bean’s first conversations. T-ball. Your first new baby cousin- Beaner isn’t the youngest any more!  Your first Yankee’s game and show at Madison Square Garden. Looking back on it, we had a lot of fun in 2010!

Moving forward, I have a lot of high hopes for 2011.  There will most likely be a lot of changes this year. One way or another, The Hubs is getting a new job.  One of the job possibilities- the one we’re praying for- will keep us here. The other will love us 350 miles away.  Either way, I’m ready to be out of this limbo.  A move would be really, really hard on all of us- but I have a feeling it would turn out just fine.

You’ll turn 5 this year, Scorch. Do you know what that means? The whole wide world of sports- everything you’ve wanted to play- is now open up to you.  Football, lacrosse, basketball, martial arts and golf.  You have interest in them all, so I have no idea how we’re going to narrow this down.  That’s a good problem to have!  In the fall, you’ll also start kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN!!!! You may be ready for that, but I promise you I won’t be.  I look at you now and I see a boy- not a baby, not even a toddler. A tall, skinny boy with more imagination in one pinkie then I have in my whole body.

Beaner- you’ll turn 3 this year!  You’ll also start school full time in the fall- a wonderful Pre-K program that we eased Scorch into bit by bit.  But you, sweetpea, you don’t need to be eased into anything. You’ll be jumping in with both feet come September and I have a feeling you’ll love every stinking minute of it.  You’re also going to start gymnastics as we try to figure out what you like to do. Right now it’s simply whatever Scorch does sports-wise, but I have a feeling that will change!

As for me, well- come September I’ll have an empty house for the first time since Scorch was born. Your father and I may have to start having serious discussions on getting you guys a sibling just to make me feel better.

There will be lots of changes this year- some little, some seismic. But all of them- all of them– will be made in the hopes of making your life better.  We love you two so much and would give you the moon if we could. For now though you’ll have to settle for a more stable job for your Dad, maybe a new house and the one thing that will never change no matter what the date- love, and lots of it.

Happy new years, kiddos! Can’t wait to see what’s coming!

Love,

Mommy