Taking Stock at Boop's Week 45. 11-29-12

Here's what's happening at Boop's week 45:

• Winnie has recovered from surgery, but she's started picking at herself again. I'm worried she has another UTI. She's had a few accidents in the house. I'm trying to train her (read: BRIBE her) to go outside again. We'll see how it goes.
• Boop and I both have been feeling really lousy. Boop's upchucking was the crowning glory of a hectic Thanksgiving day. Maybe I can find the time to unpack all of the things in my head that happened during our travel, but I'm still trying to sort some things out. I spent Monday night praying to the porcelain god. No sooner did my eyes drift off, until they were bolted awake with a run to the bathroom. Mercy. If Boop felt half as bad, I feel really sorry for her. Boop had a very long night last night. She wanted to nurse and nurse and nurse.
• I'm not much good as a Mommy these days. No sleep, plus looming deadlines. We made the trek to the Big City hospital and survived today, but I was pretty keyed up. My brain is a little scrambled. Another grant deadline before Christmas. What a crappy time to be sick! 

Three in the Bed... 11-11-12

…and Little Boop said, “Roll over, roll over!” So, they all rolled over and Mommy fell off. Two in the bed and Little Boop said, “Roll over, roll over!” So, they all rolled over and Winnie fell off.  That’s our version of the song.

Winnie usually wants to get under the covers about 3 or 4am. This morning, a queen sized bed, all 3 of us were on half of the bed—my half of the bed. Part of it is the pillow top that didn’t stand up very well. I got it almost 3 years ago from Sears and paid enough for it to be a good one, but the pillow top broke down in less than 2 years. So, me being the heaviest, everyone rolls to me.

But, that’s not the full story. Winnie is a heat seeker; thus, waking up cold early in the morning brings her closer to me. Plus, she likes to sleep rear end to rear end. Maybe some adaptive thing for dogs in the wild? I don’t know. So, she’s right there. I’ve gotten used to that after 10 years; although I must admit it’s nice when my mom visits. Winnie will go sleep with her.

Then, Boop is seeking milk. It’s a strange sight, I’m sure. Winnie trying to position herself near both of our rear ends.  Boop is only interested in my top half—well, really just milk. So, we’re all huddled together. I imagine that it’s much more comfortable for them than me because if I move away, there is usually a loud protest. Then, everyone finds me again.  

Hold the Phone. 11-11-12

Of all of the toys that Boop has, and she has a lot, there are 3 things that she can’t get enough of: my netbook, the TV remote control, and my cell phone. That’s a little sad, but she’s a different generation. She’ll be starting on computers at a much younger age. She already has play laptops, but she doesn’t realize they are supposed to be like mine but more fun. The remote is even better than the laptop. I caught her the other day, sitting on the futon, pointing the remote at the TV and mashing down the channel change button. She already knows. I thought she would be scared of it after she accidentally maxed out the volume one day, which left her shrieking for me. But it didn’t faze her. She still grabs for it.

Little Cindy Lou Who?? Or one of the Whos in Whoville...

Her favorite is the cell phone. It’s a flip-phone, and it’s just the right flatness to fit well in her mouth for teething. I have to keep wiping it down to try to cut down on some of the germs. Every time I pick it up, it’s dripping with her drool. She especially loves it when there’s sound coming out of it, like Grandma’s voice. It’s irresistible to her, and she has just started to figure out that she needs to talk into it. It’s all fun and games until it winds up getting closed, SNAP. Then, I have to call Mom back. Mom’s gotten used to it by now. 

Taking Stock at Boop’s Week 43. 11-15-12

Here’s what’s happening at Boop’s week 43:

• Well, Winnie made it through surgery. So glad it’s over, now I just need to try to keep her straight. She does not want to be still. She couldn’t sleep or rest; so I took her cone off her head. I’m trying to keep her from picking at her stitches. And she’s wanting to jump up on everything in spite of her surgery. It’s hard to keep her still.
• Boop is almost 10 months old! I can’t believe it. She is rambunctious, but thankfully, she isn’t falling quite as much. She gets where she wants to go for the most part, but that doesn’t keep her from wanting me to carry her everywhere. She is just chock full of separation anxiety, or maybe she’s a bit spoiled, or maybe it’s a little of both.
• I couldn’t find a babysitter for the concert I wanted to see. It was pretty low key (and low decibel). So, I decided to go ahead and take her with me. She loves to hear me sing; so I figured it was worth a shot. For the most part, she did great. She conked out during the second show. Admittedly, I was more tuned into Boop than to the concert, but it was good. 

Go-Go-Go! 11-6-12

I already knew it when I was carrying her. Boop is a busy girl. But, I never expected her next words after Ma-Ma: “Go, go, go, go!” With her being around the 90^th%ile for height and weight, you might think it would be something like “Food.”

A rare moment of calm...

When I heard it one weekend, I wasn’t sure I was really hearing what I thought I was. The next Monday, her teacher filled me in. The two older kids can walk alright on their own. So when those two are finished with lunch, the teachers help them down from the high chair and help them to walk away from the feeding area saying, “Go, go, go…” I don’t think the older kids say it very much, but for little Boop, it’s like a mantra and a motto.

So, Boop is knocking and banging around quite a lot, and unfortunately some of that banging involves her head <wince> <heart stop>. I just imagine her risk of Parkinson’s disease going up exponentially each time she takes a spill. Not sure if that’s a real risk factor (falls as an infant), but it can’t be good. I’m thankful that each time she falls, she whimpers and wants Mommy, but then she goes right back at it.

Halloween-ish. 11-2-12

Hurricane Sandy resulted in Halloween cancellations; although it wasn't that awful outside. Rain is rain, and it's unavoidable in October. Plus, it's on the cold side. Colder than usual, but it shouldn't be unexpected. So the cancellations surprised me a bit. I was beat on Halloween night. Morning meeting, late class, upset Boop. It wound up pretty similar for Thursday, the new night for Trick-or-Treating, with us rushing around. Boop was unhappy, but I was determined that she would get to go trick-or-treating.

I stuck her Tigger outfit on her, as that would allow for layering underneath. She looked a bit like the little boy in the Christmas Story, all bundled up and barely able to move. I decided I would carry her around the block and leave Winnie behind. I was hoping that we could make a quick trip around and get back in time to hand out candy. We met several of our neighbors, a few people that recently moved in to the neighborhood. Only a couple really knew us; so we heard a few, 'What a cute little boy!'s. I just smiled. Not worth correcting them at this point. I met a little lamb, with a ferocious baaa! I feel some kindred to him as Boop now owns a few of his clothes and toys after a yard sale this past summer. At the age of about 3, he kept putting candy in Boop's trick-or-treat bowl. It's nice to know that my neighbors give good candy and aren't skimpy. That must explain why we seem to import so many people into our neighborhood for trick-or-treating. 

I was prepared this year for the trick-or-treaters, and Winnie was totally at her element. I think I had about 200 pieces of candy. I gave most kids 2-3 pieces. We only gave out candy for about an hour, and we went through about half of the stash--so what is that, about 30-50 kids? The remaining candy will be distributed to my students; although Mom has asserted her claims to the mini chocolate bars. The little bit of candy that Boop collected will also be given to the students, as I explained to folks as we were trick-or-treating. I didn't want them to think I was being too greedy. What I didn't mention was the age of my students ;) So next year, Boop will be more prepared for Halloween and get to reap more of the benefits!

Halloween Morning. 11-8-12