2009_03_30 Monday

Since it was a pretty day out, I decided we'd visit the zoo in the morning. What a good idea; it wasn't crowded and lots was going on. The train was open, which was awesome. Jonathan actually enjoyed it, so that's great news. He held on to my thumbs -- like controllers -- so I think he felt like he was in charge. The loved the tunnel and pointed out lots of ducks as we passed the lake. He was so anxious to see the peacocks, frogs, and crows/ravens (why is that an exibit?!). What a combo! The turtles came in a close fourth, followed by fish (which we didn't see since it's still too cold for them to be outside). We could only stay for an hour because I was meeting a contractor at home. The entire way home, Jonathan ribbit-ed and caw-ed in pure joy. I was disappointed, though, that the contractor never showed up; he forgot me. So, we could have stayed at the zoo longer. oh well. We'll go back.

He was so excited to tell Dave about the zoo when he got home. More ribbits and all the colors he could say, although the frogs were only yellow, green, and blue. And, then a full cycle of all the animals we saw. he's a funny little guy.

2009_03_28 Saturday

We split up the family today. Dave and Jonathan went up to Steve/Vicky's for Steve's birthday party. I haven't heard much about it yet, though.

I, on the other hand, got myself primed up and drove into NYC for Sarah's birthday dinner+. I opted for driving because we were meeting up in Alphabet City, which is on the Lower East Side (not close), and it would have taken me nearly 2 hours on public transit to get there. Well, driving wasn't wise. It took me 2 hours to get 20 miles, and I was very late for dinner. I managed to find parking on the street, though, so that was a plus. I had a wonderful time; dinner was fantastic, and it was so nice to see Sarah and meet some of her friends. After dinner, we went to a local bar, which was hosting some rugby team. Boy did that bring back some college memories for all of us. I was out until midnight and got home closer to 1. Good times!

2009_03_27 Friday

Jonathan did not manage to get up in time for library story time today. That's ok. He didn't sleep so well last night -- woke up around midnight and was up for an hour or so with me.

Today's recycling! Had to race out to leave our cans as I heard the trucks coming! I decided to treat us to the diner for breakfast today. Jonathan is such a ham; he runs in screaming "Donna, Betty", and the ladies are delighted. It took us awhile to get out of the diner today since Betty introduced him to the swivvling barstools. We picked up Dave's dry cleaning and cat food, and we tried to find the cats' treats, but the store is going out of business and isn't supplying any more. ugh.

When Jonathan went down for his nap, I packed up all the rest of the stuff we had borrowed from Steve and Vicky for Dave to take with him tomorrow.

2009_03_26 Thursday

Jonathan slept miserably last night. I think this cold of his is getting bad. He woke up around 3. I rocked with him upright for 45 mins or so, and he went back to sleep pretty well. I, however, did not. I was wide awake until about 5:30. I did manage to sleep in a little bit.

What a treat we were in for today! Jonathan and I took Dave's car back for a second inspection (we failed the first one because I didn't have proof of insurance). Our adventure into Newark was just lovely. Of course, I got bad instructions, so I was in the wrong line -- luckily, the line was short. However, the real line wasn't so simple. I think it took us about an hour to get through it, and the re-inspection was no more than 2 minutes. Jonathan was a saint the whole time. And, we were finally out of there.

We also had to bail on our playdate with Aylin today. Jonathan's just too snotty and sick today. I don't want to risk her or Alanya getting this!

2009_03_25 Wednesday

I really had today jam packed with activities. Ironically, not so many of them got done.

Our first adventure was our weekly jaunt to Whole Foods for their mommy & me program. Today, we made parfaits, which doubled as the activity and the snack. It was so simple: yogurt, granola, vanilla, agave juice, and fruit (banana, blueberry, strawberry). And, Jonathan loved it. I really do enjoy going to that program and hope they continue it despite me not shopping there! doh.

Julia and Amanda opted out of visiting. They put a bid in on a house, so they're putting their house on the market today! yikes. Sounds like a lot going on for them!

Then we were going to go to Aylin's for our weekly playgroup, but Sharon's vacationing and Iris's kids are sick. So, that didn't happen.

When I had Jonathan on the changing table this afternoon, we learned a new body part! He pulled down his diaper and pointed. So, now he'll lay on the table and say 'penis' over and over and over. Oh boy, don't react, don't react. He'll just make this into a comedy routine if you do! Unfortunately, he's also getting it confused with his belly button...We'll have to work on that.

Dave worked a little later than usual, and by the time he got home and settled, I didn't have the energy to go to a monthly Mothers & More lecture on getting organized (ironically!).

2009_03_22 Sunday

We had brunch today with JennyB and Nate in the city! The three of us took the train in, and it was fun. They were in from CA for a wedding, so we stole some time from them before they headed home again. It was fantastic to see them. They both look great. Jenny's got such great energy; I love being around her. She wants to start a side company that is themed on pockets...That got me motivated to finally make the car seat entertainment center that mom and I had been brainstorming. After brunch, I went straight to my sewing machine and banged out a prototype. And, I drove Jonathan around with it; he got the hang of it quickly (once I put some key toys in the pockets). Now, I just need to master the design and subcontract for Jenny!

2009_03_20 Friday

What in the world!? Why is there snow on the ground??? what an unpleasant surprise, really.

Jonathan woke up last night around 1am, so I sat with him until he calmed down and fell back asleep. Interestingly, when I stood next to his crib, he leaned toward it, so I put him back in, and he fell asleep almost instantly. Good to know!

I'm guessing that we won't make it to story time at the library today, since it begins in 12 minutes, and Sir J is still sleeping.

2009_03_19 Thursday

We woke up this morning to a dreary, rainy day. boo hiss. Jonathan woke up around his normal time (9am), but was unwilling to give up his pacis. So, I left him in his crib with the lights on and window shades up for about 30 mins. He didn't seem to care.

After a quick breakfast of Barony fresh eggs and a banana, we headed out for Nana's Playgroup at the local old folks' home. I really enjoy going there. Jonathan was off his game, though, for much of it. Once he realized there were cookies, he became fixated on them and got a bit bratty. But, he captured the heart of two ladies there. One, he colored with (and on), and the other, he just charmed.

Lite lunch and off to nap. He's chatting to himself now.

2009_03_18 Wednesday

Today is our first full day back from The Barony. I have so much to do!

The day started out with a trip to Whole Foods for their weekly mom & me program. Jonathan was super excited to see Finn and Henri (who stayed home with his dad). The boys ran around the cafe area like wild children. And, I caught them hugging a couple of times. It was toooo cute. We played gently with a couple of spring flowers (snap dragons were really funny!). The art project was...finger painting! egads. I ended up taking Jonathan's shirt off for my own sanity. So, he glued brown paper to the bottom of the page to make a pot. Then, we dunked his hands in glittery yellow, blue, green, and purple to make hand-flowers. A green finger-trail made the stems. It actually was very cute, and Jonathan was remarkably clean...or maybe it was relative to the other kids there. The snack they offered was a banana (which was awesome since we were flat out of bananas!), banana juice, and clementines. Awesome!!

He napped like a champion after that, so I was able to get through a ton of my ToDo list.

2009_03_17 Tuesday

Today was a very sad day; we left the Barony. We had such a great visit, and the time really flew by.


I was able to squeeze in a desperately needed haircut. It wasn't as short as I had intended, but that just means we have to go back to the Barony sooner than later!

Before pulling out of the station, we stopped by a local farmer's market and found blueberry un-jelly for Dave. (It's actually pie filling). So, we have a couple of gifts for him.

The drive back to NJ was ok. Jonathan wasn't too interested in sleeping, and he decided to throw his pacis (all 3 of them!) across the back seat. That not only made it difficult for me to reach them, but he was unwilling to sleep without them. ugh. I had to pull over twice to retrieve them. He also kept asking about Oma, Opa, and the chickens (and their eggs). He did finally fall asleep around 8:30ish, and we got home at 10pm.

2009_03_15 Sunday

We woke up after the sun today -- a nice change from yesterday. Jonathan managed to sleep in his crib for a few hours, but some time around midnight, he was talking in his sleep and decided he was done with the crib. So, I brought him back into the blow-up with me, and we snuggled just fine for the rest of the night. He's a bit of a wiggler, but we managed just fine. His cough is nearly gone; I didn't hear any last night. His nose is still a bit juicy, but it's much better than before.

After breakfast, we built some train tracks. I could tell he was getting frustrated (ie tired) when he started to cry when Thomas fell off the tracks. He's back down for a nap now. The bathroom really is the perfect spot for him, so long as we are all ok with not using it.

I think we're going to head out to a nature center after lunch.

2009_03_14 Saturday

Woke up with the sun today. Ouch. Had a nice casual breakfast of omlettes and fresh fruit. Then, Jonathan took a nap in the bathroom, which is much darker and warmer than the other rooms. I brought the humidifier along, so that serves as a white noise machine while also helping to loosen up his chest. The only downer is for the rest of us, who might need to use the facilities! Oma had a meeting, so Opa and I (and Gambol) hung out.

We headed off to the Home Show at PSU once he woke up. Opa and Jonathan met with a ton of bankers, while Oma and I checked out countertops. We shared a snack and then headed out. Then we (Jonathan and Gambol, mainly) ran around Main State to get some energy out. Campus is deserted b/c of spring break, so it was easy to park and walk around.

I can see that Jonathan has warmed up to Gambol. He actually lets him get close and even pet his back very gently. He's also learned to put his hands up to stop Gambol from licking or sniffing too closely. Gambol's just so excited to see new faces (at his level, no less!), that his energy tends to scare Jonathan a bit...so does that big tongue.

Had dinner at home. Jonathan had some (spicy!) hummus, tons of tomatoes, and some elbows. Then he was off to bed around 8. We all followed around 9.

2009_03_13 Friday

We made a last minute game-time decision to go forward with our plans to visit Oma and Opa for an extended weekend. Jonathan's croup seems to have abated. I could tell a noticable difference after even the first dosage. We took our time, but left around noon. The drive was easy, and Jonathan kept himself busy with all the trucks, tunnels, and police cars, not to mention the two bags of toys I had packed for him.

We arrived in PA around 4 (since we had to stop for lunch and gas). Oma, Opa, and "wooof" (Gambol) had been waiting patiently. After some playing, we headed out to a fish fry in a neighboring town. Great idea, since the table had plastic cloth, and it was in a fire house. Jonathan got a kick out of their "Uncle Steve" trucks. He loved the mac-n-cheese but not really the fish.

After trying to have him sleep downstairs, we opted to move him up with me on the blow-up since it was a bit chilly. Didn't have the best night's sleep, but we managed.

2009_03_12 Thursday

What a TERRIBLE night! Jonathan was up with, what we now know to be, croup! We were up from 12-3:30am and again around 6am-on. I managed to get a cold-mist humidifier going around 3:30 (yes, kudos for me for functioning at that hour!). We snuggled a lot; he seemed to do well sitting upright, but that only lasted so long for me. Then I built a nest on his floor, and we rough-ed it...well, I certainly did. He talked about his whole family and how they were sleeping, he sang his version of the ABCs, etc. Around 3:30, he popped up, walked over to his crib, and turned back to me. I put him in and he fell right asleep. Then I snuck back into bed until he woke up again around the time Dave was getting ready for work.

I got him an appointment with the pediatrician for 2, which was her first appt for the day. Then we took a walk to the grocery store, to get some cold air and Vicks. Basically, croup is an inflamation of the airways. not much you can do about it but wait it out. The ped gave him an rx for prednesoline for 3-5 days, depending on how he reacts.

I sent a note to the local moms that we've seen in the last week or so to notify them (not sure what the protocols are for that!?), and I learned that 1) croup is super common, 2) there's often a 7-day cold that follows it, 3) because croup depleates the immune system.

Dave awesomely (is that a word?) brought home dinner and fed and bathed Jonathan, and he cleaned up J's mess. I've tried chicken broth/soup with him in a sippy cup, but he was not interested. I had some eucalypus oil, so I put that in his room. Just poured it into his bath and set up the Vicks vapors along with the humidifier. We'll see how tonight goes. [yawn]

2009_03_11 Wednesday

We had such an awesome day today!!!

We started out with a mom & me event at the local, new Whole Foods store. I think they're trying to appeal to moms to shop. But, they had a bubbly girl coordinator, who had us meet in their hydroponic herb room; we sang some songs there, and then moved into their cafe to make organic, natural glue and paste tissue onto shamrock paper (along with organic crayons). Iris/Finn/Henri came along, and we had a really good time. We also got Irish soda bread, organic animal crackers, and organic apple juice boxes. And, a mom taught me to flip up the sides of the box ("The Wings") and have kiddies hold that rather than the actual box. This avoids squeezes and juice overflows. Genius!

Then we came home for a good nap.

THEN, we drove into shady (err, up-and-coming) Newark to see SchoolHouse Rocks! at a branch library. They were really fantastic. Iris/Finn/Henri came too, although a bit late. I never got to watch the program as a kid, but I think I would have liked it. Very catchy tunes, and high energy. All our kids were enthralled, much to our surprise, for the full 60+ minutes of the show. Now, getting out of Newark was a trick.

Overall, though, it really was a fantastic day!! Oh, and I got to catch up with Mo in VA for the first time in awhile. :o)

2009_03_10 Tuesday

Gesh, Jonathan woke up at 11am today!! no joke. I think Daylight Savings has really screwed up his internal clock, which was set to California time as it was!!

And, he took a 4+ hour nap in the afternoon!!

Really, that was too much, but I got a ton of ToDos done, so I can't complain. He did, of course, have a really tough time getting to bed for the night. And, he seems to have developed a bit of a runny nose; that's probably not helping him sleep. So, we agreed to cap his naps at 3 hours -- that's more than reasonable, we think!

2009_03_09 Monday

We finally got to host our babysitting coop play date today. I had tried last week, but we got that darn snow storm, so I postponed. Of course, it's raining now. We were supposed to do it when we first got started, but our den was under renovation, so I didn't think it was a good idea at the time: 1) messy house, and 2) no kiddy space.

So, 3 mom/kid sets made it: Leena/Evan, Leemor/Ariela, and Sharon/Griffin, who I hadn't met yet, so that was really nice. The kids -- well, everyone, I think -- had a good time. Lots of toys, lots of snacks, lots of mommy talk. I really enjoyed it.

Jonathan must have too because he sacked out for a couple of hours once everyone left. Then, by the time he had had lunch, it was too late to go to an indoor playground that the mom's group had arranged. Really wanted to try it out (lower $ for us today), but it wasn't worth it to rush over for a short time. We'll get there some day.

Happy Birthday GG!

2009_03_08 Sunday

This is my 100th post!!!

Today, I had to nudge Jonathan up since it was Daylight Savings and we had a breakfast date with the Brogans! We had a lovely brunch in Clark with them before they headed back to VA. She's starting to show; how exciting!!!!

2009_03_07 Saturday

Today, I had a baby-free day, which was really very strange for me. I drove to Atlantic City to meet up with the MD Hardwick ladies. I met them around noon and stayed until after dinner. While I didn't gamble at all, I had a great time watching them win at Blackjack (Alice even got us two comp-ed dinners). I had a few drinks, we had dinner at one of their buffets, and before they ladies got back in the groove, I figured I better mosey out. They all stayed the night since Mom Hardwick had a comp-ed room.

Meanwhile, the boys spent the day together. I didn't get too many details, other than the visited the NY Hardwicks.

2009_03_06 Friday

We participated in the town's Restaurant Week for lunch today. We had a really nice time with Iris/Finn, Aylin/Alanya, and Sharon/Marco. The kids did remarkably well too. It was funny that their meals were almost as expensive as our 4-course lunch!

After a nap, we headed off to Toys-R-Us to spend the gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket. We got a real puzzle of trucks (one that doesn't have knobs!) and a coloring book with fancy markers that only work on that paper. We also visited Omaha Steaks for their huge sale. The manager there recognized Jonathan (or at least remembered his cheeks). :o) Our freezer is packed now!!

2009_03_04 Wednesday

Well, we took a nice drive today into lovely industrial Newark to get Dave's car -- the stick -- inspected. It took about an hour, and I'll get to go back soon because our insurance had expired, and although I renewed it, I have no proof of insurance from the company. So, I get to go back within 45 days. oh, what fun. They were jerks, too. But, Jonathan loved watching the trains go by and 'vrrrumm'-ing and 'beeep beeep'-ing at all the cars being checked out. Oh, and for the record, I did really well in the stick, which I haven't driven in nearly a year.

But, we were in the general area for a Freecycle pick-up, so that made it worthwhile, I suppose. Jonathan polished off a couple of cinnamon graham crackers en route home. While driving, I saw an empty lot with a sign that read: "to late. leased." ugh!

We had a quick lunch of PB sandwich, fruit, and juice and then off to nap. In the meantime, I have been able to knock out a bunch of HoneyDos. And, we've got a date this afternoon with Erin/Jake and Tracey/Kyle that we've tried to do twice before. It really will happen this time.

Oh, and Happy National Grammar Day!!! What a great day!

2009_03_03 Tuesday

Jonathan woke up around 1am and was up for about 30-45 mins. Of course, I was up for another hour after that. So, we both slept in a bit. In fact, he's still asleep (it's 10am).

Our 1s&2s playgroup is going sledding today, but I think we may pass since 1) we don't own a sled, 2) it's so cold out, and 3) Jonathan may sleep through it all!

We did stroll to the library to find some teen magazines that I could write for. I only found one of the two publications I was hoping for, but they are actually owned by the same company, so I'm guessing they aren't too different. I need examples of their past stories, so I can write a proposal to do some myself. It's also Restaurant Week in town, so we splurged on lunch today at a caterer I hadn't been to before. Plus, we returned our movies.

And, then I convinced Dave to have a 4-course dinner at the diner for $13/person! whahoo. Unfortunately, they are renovating, so the whole place smelled like wet paint. That was a bit of a bummer, and Dave really wanted to leave. I insisted, though. We made an interesting discovery over dinner: We think Jonathan may have Dave's shellfish allergy. I gave him some bites of my mushroom/shrimp bisque and he got red marks around his mouth. I also had fish with crab, but opted against offering it to him. We didn't see any swelling, and he didn't seem irritated by it, but it's alarming. We'll mention it at his next dr's appt (July).

Then we moozied home for an uneventful bedtime routine.

2009_03_02 Monday

Today is Read Across America Day (and Dr Seuss's birthday too), and I had hoped to write an article about it, but my editor didn't get back to me about it.
We woke up to snow falling and temps dropping considerably. And, it didn't really stop all day. We were supposed to host a playgroup this morning, but due to the wx, I cancelled it. That was a disappointment, since I was looking forward to seeing these women and having some grown-up interaction. But, I've rescheduled for next week.
Instead, Jonathan and I shoveled most of the driveway, the front walk, and the back porch. Snow was light and fluffy, so it was a bit easier than other times. But, since it was so cold out, we didn't venture outside after that. Instead, we colored, we danced, and we played with trucks.
I also got a bunch of window treatment samples in the mail. So, they are spread across the den for some decision making!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AUNT ALICE!

2009_03_01 Sunday

What a fun day we had!! We started off the day at the diner. Then, we went as a family to the Newark Museum's circus party. They had the Ringling Bros circus with shows and demos for kids. We tried to watch a clown show, but the volume freaked Jonathan out, so we only lasted a few minutes. Then, we showed Dave their mini-zoo, which Jonathan really likes. And, he got a balloon animal: a catepiller, we think. We played with the magnet board that we found last time. And, then, we found a tight rope demo that he did (mostly), and face painting! So, rather than risk it, we had them draw a ball and a snake on each hand. He loved it! Then we moozied back to the atrium for a juggling demo, which he sat through for a while, but grew bored of fairly quickly. By then, we had already passed naptime, so we needed get going.
What a fun day!