David counted his fingers this morning. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 fingers on one hand, and 1, 2, on the other...sigh. He's a bit more aware...And he's turned into a parrot...repeating everything I'm saying...and he's expressive! He told me he's sad that we can't go fast in our neighborhood. He also will lay in bed with me, and he'll say, "I lwove you, daddy."Or, "I'm so happy!"
Today has been cold, in the 40's...and we went shopping today. I hate hate hate clothes shopping especially for him, but we got a few things, 3 sets of jammies, and a shirt, and something else...I remember it was 5 things...
And two quick hits: I asked him what he's doing, and he says, "Pooping" and I'm like, "Right now?" And he says, "yeah"...so we went to the potty, and he pooped in the potty! And then promptly reminded me that he gets 5 candies! I laughed at that and gave him his 5 candies. Woohoo!
The other thing is that we played a live version of Blues Clues today, because in the back yard he finds a maple leaf (several now, actually), and from there we start trying to find the tree that it goes with , and not much success. But the process of finding a matching leaf has been fun. And he calls it a clue leaf. :-)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
David Weekly, #35
David is sick today, Friday...He woke me up at 5 AM, crying. Poor kid. I gave him some cough medicine, and we went outside to watch the rain. It made him feel better. But he wouldn't stop coughing so we went inside to give him another nebulizer treatement. He was mad when I told him to go back to sleep after that, though, because he didn't want to! And he knew that it was night-night time because it was stil dark outside. Eventually, I set him up with Finding Nemo, and he fell asleep on the floor in a few minutes. This is the second time this week that he's done that. This time it's simply because of the hour, and that he's sick. We've done the nebulizer for two days now, and he's getting better about taking it again. I say that because has good days and bad ones for taking it. Partially it's because he doesn't do it that often. Earlier this week he fell asleep in front of the TV just watching one of his shows. He never does that. I should have seen the sickness coming. Maybe it's a week's delay from the flu shot? I'm not totally sure.
As I review the week in my mind, I think about all the things that David is, and does. His speech is more and more clear, every day. We went to the park the other day, and a bigger kid ran into him...this is the park next to the elementary school...(it was an accident, too) and he said how it hurt. So I told him he should stay away from the bigger kids, because there more of them, and they aren't so careful of littler kids like him. So he learned his lesson and stayed away from them. We still had lots of fun, and played for a while.
Also, the Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series! One night after bringing him home I wanted to watch the tail end of the first game, and he saw that the TV was on, which is not our usual routine when we get home, so he asked if he could watch the game with me. So I said sure. And we watched about two innings or so of the game, just him and me, two guys on the couch watching the game together. It was a wonderful thing. Of course, him being so young, he didn't really sit there for two innings, but kind of came and went. He was really excited to see the guys hitting the ball with the bat, or just swinging it!
And lately, David's entered another stage: Collecting things! Like rocks, or sticks, or acorns. He just carries them in his hands, puts them in the house, or in the car, anywhere convenient...
So this is a short weekly, but that just means things are well, and that he's just being the little boy that he's supposed to be.
Rusty
As I review the week in my mind, I think about all the things that David is, and does. His speech is more and more clear, every day. We went to the park the other day, and a bigger kid ran into him...this is the park next to the elementary school...(it was an accident, too) and he said how it hurt. So I told him he should stay away from the bigger kids, because there more of them, and they aren't so careful of littler kids like him. So he learned his lesson and stayed away from them. We still had lots of fun, and played for a while.
Also, the Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series! One night after bringing him home I wanted to watch the tail end of the first game, and he saw that the TV was on, which is not our usual routine when we get home, so he asked if he could watch the game with me. So I said sure. And we watched about two innings or so of the game, just him and me, two guys on the couch watching the game together. It was a wonderful thing. Of course, him being so young, he didn't really sit there for two innings, but kind of came and went. He was really excited to see the guys hitting the ball with the bat, or just swinging it!
And lately, David's entered another stage: Collecting things! Like rocks, or sticks, or acorns. He just carries them in his hands, puts them in the house, or in the car, anywhere convenient...
So this is a short weekly, but that just means things are well, and that he's just being the little boy that he's supposed to be.
Rusty
Friday, October 17, 2008
David Weekly, #34
This has been quite an active week!
Saturday night after work, David and I went to the park, and walked along the boardwalk that follows the shore of a lake. Because David introduces randomness to my world, we met up with some people who were also walking along the boardwalk. One of the adults mentioned to me about remembering being that small where you can just weave in and out and under people who are in your way, which is what David was doing...so we struck up a conversation. When we got to the end of the boardwalk, the father (whose name is David) was telling me how there was a trail that we could follow along...since I'd never been, I asked if they minded if I tag along, and they were open to it, so off we went! It turned out to be a 45 minute walk, with me holding David most of the way. It was really wonderful, though. He enjoyed being around the other kids (7 in all, plus one other adult, and then him and me for a total of 9 people all together), and the walk was refreshing. After we got back from the walk, I introduced myself to the father's wife (oddly, I never told any of the people I was with my name...it never came up), and she said that her father-in-law's name is Russell...so by this odd coincidence, I meet a man named David, whose father is named Russell. What are the odds??
Sunday, we went to a soccer game...I'm considering joining the league, and I wanted to check it out...David of course has no interest at all in this activity...so we end up at the playground instead. It was still a good Sunday.
Monday was a doctor appointment with Dr. Sams, and he still weighs 35 pounds, and is 39 inches tall. The purpose of this appointment is to get his flu shot. We talked a bit about his eczema, since he had several different places on his body that looked like ringworm...but she told me to use the prescription hydrocortisone cream that we have, just to see if it would respond or not...and it did. The little patches went away rather quickly. Then he got his flu shot. I told him that it would hurt for just a minute then be done...so when the nurse came to give him a shot, he was a little bit afraid, and he knew it would hurt, but not over the top scared or acting too upset. He got the shot in his leg, and it hurt...later on as we were checking out he saw the nurse again and said to her, "You hurt me!" She said she was sorry, and offered him a sticker. He then demanded a sticker, but I told him to ask nicely: "May I have a sticker, please." The doctor said his speech is perfect. I asked her about potty training and she said that her own son didn't do it unitl he was three and a half, so I'm not feeling so bad. Other parents I've talked to say that boys are harder than girls, and they just have to want to do it. David does not. Dot says he goes for her, but somehow I just don't know if I believe her.
He asks why all the time now. At one point on our walk he was asking why for everything, and I was throwing out all the big words I could think of, just to expose him to them, but he accepted as an answer to why as, "Because it's academic." I really got a kick out of that...how it made him stop asking why, and he says, "Oh." Too funny.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were school days...he eats all of his lunch there at the school. Thursday, though, he at all the lunch there and then was begging me for more food when he got home! Wednesday we had a strange night after I got off work. First, he wakes up at Dot's and comes running to me (which he always does if he wakes up), but then he wouldn't go back to sleep! I usually stay up until about 1 AM or so, and he stay up with me. I tried everything I could think of to get him to go to bed, and go to sleep, but that just didn't happen! So, to help him get into a bed time rhythm, he asks me to help him clean up his room...so I'm reluctant at first, but then I agree to help...and a fairly large spider comes running across the wall! So naturally I have to kill it -- can't have a spider running around my kid's bedroom, even though it's harmless -- the cool thing is that David didn't freak out. He was very upset when I wouldn't let him hold the flashlight, though. I needed it to find the spider! However, he was a big help, since he was looking for the spider, too, and saw it before I did...he's short and small so he can see where I can't...so I got the RAID and sprayed the poor thing until it died. I told David I don't like killing spiders, but in this case, because of how fast it moved, and how big it was, I had to. At this point, David was yawning, so I put him in my bed, and he went to sleep...at about 1:30 AM...it was a long night. Then he woke me up early Thursday morning...at 7:30 or so. He's not liking how he wakes up at the same time in the mornings now, but it's still dark outside. I'm telling him not to get up until it's light outside, and that's no fun for him.
Friday was our visit to the Shriners. The appoint was 2:30, and we were there early...They took xrays of his hand, which I've attached below...he was afraid of the machine until we told him it was a camera, then it was all okay. The pictures are from my cell phone from a computer monitor. Not sure how to get the originals, but at least you have an idea...the doctor that looked at his hand was very impressed with his mobility and utility, and really said that there was no issue with it...we have another appointment for 2 years from now. Most of the questions I have aren't age appropriate, such as tying his shoes, or some social aspects, but the doctor was also liking how comfortable David is with his hand...when the doctor was leaving, he shook my hand (Dr. Hess, by the way), and David insisted that the doctor shake his hand, too. "Shakes hand!" he said. Everyone liked how not shy he is. Very expressive, very full of energy, curiosity, and willing to talk to anyone. He was talking the other kids in the waiting areas, too...he doesn't ask names, he just says, "Girl" or "Boy" when addressing them. I tell him to ask their names, and to say his...which he does. He just forgets.
So this has been a busy week. Tomorrow we go to Jesse's wedding, the girl (now 22 years old) who babysits on Saturdays is getting married...of course, David asks why...I again, get a kick out of this. So in consideration of this wedding, I hope that your life is full of bright hopes, and lots of promise.
Rusty
Saturday night after work, David and I went to the park, and walked along the boardwalk that follows the shore of a lake. Because David introduces randomness to my world, we met up with some people who were also walking along the boardwalk. One of the adults mentioned to me about remembering being that small where you can just weave in and out and under people who are in your way, which is what David was doing...so we struck up a conversation. When we got to the end of the boardwalk, the father (whose name is David) was telling me how there was a trail that we could follow along...since I'd never been, I asked if they minded if I tag along, and they were open to it, so off we went! It turned out to be a 45 minute walk, with me holding David most of the way. It was really wonderful, though. He enjoyed being around the other kids (7 in all, plus one other adult, and then him and me for a total of 9 people all together), and the walk was refreshing. After we got back from the walk, I introduced myself to the father's wife (oddly, I never told any of the people I was with my name...it never came up), and she said that her father-in-law's name is Russell...so by this odd coincidence, I meet a man named David, whose father is named Russell. What are the odds??
Sunday, we went to a soccer game...I'm considering joining the league, and I wanted to check it out...David of course has no interest at all in this activity...so we end up at the playground instead. It was still a good Sunday.
Monday was a doctor appointment with Dr. Sams, and he still weighs 35 pounds, and is 39 inches tall. The purpose of this appointment is to get his flu shot. We talked a bit about his eczema, since he had several different places on his body that looked like ringworm...but she told me to use the prescription hydrocortisone cream that we have, just to see if it would respond or not...and it did. The little patches went away rather quickly. Then he got his flu shot. I told him that it would hurt for just a minute then be done...so when the nurse came to give him a shot, he was a little bit afraid, and he knew it would hurt, but not over the top scared or acting too upset. He got the shot in his leg, and it hurt...later on as we were checking out he saw the nurse again and said to her, "You hurt me!" She said she was sorry, and offered him a sticker. He then demanded a sticker, but I told him to ask nicely: "May I have a sticker, please." The doctor said his speech is perfect. I asked her about potty training and she said that her own son didn't do it unitl he was three and a half, so I'm not feeling so bad. Other parents I've talked to say that boys are harder than girls, and they just have to want to do it. David does not. Dot says he goes for her, but somehow I just don't know if I believe her.
He asks why all the time now. At one point on our walk he was asking why for everything, and I was throwing out all the big words I could think of, just to expose him to them, but he accepted as an answer to why as, "Because it's academic." I really got a kick out of that...how it made him stop asking why, and he says, "Oh." Too funny.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were school days...he eats all of his lunch there at the school. Thursday, though, he at all the lunch there and then was begging me for more food when he got home! Wednesday we had a strange night after I got off work. First, he wakes up at Dot's and comes running to me (which he always does if he wakes up), but then he wouldn't go back to sleep! I usually stay up until about 1 AM or so, and he stay up with me. I tried everything I could think of to get him to go to bed, and go to sleep, but that just didn't happen! So, to help him get into a bed time rhythm, he asks me to help him clean up his room...so I'm reluctant at first, but then I agree to help...and a fairly large spider comes running across the wall! So naturally I have to kill it -- can't have a spider running around my kid's bedroom, even though it's harmless -- the cool thing is that David didn't freak out. He was very upset when I wouldn't let him hold the flashlight, though. I needed it to find the spider! However, he was a big help, since he was looking for the spider, too, and saw it before I did...he's short and small so he can see where I can't...so I got the RAID and sprayed the poor thing until it died. I told David I don't like killing spiders, but in this case, because of how fast it moved, and how big it was, I had to. At this point, David was yawning, so I put him in my bed, and he went to sleep...at about 1:30 AM...it was a long night. Then he woke me up early Thursday morning...at 7:30 or so. He's not liking how he wakes up at the same time in the mornings now, but it's still dark outside. I'm telling him not to get up until it's light outside, and that's no fun for him.
Friday was our visit to the Shriners. The appoint was 2:30, and we were there early...They took xrays of his hand, which I've attached below...he was afraid of the machine until we told him it was a camera, then it was all okay. The pictures are from my cell phone from a computer monitor. Not sure how to get the originals, but at least you have an idea...the doctor that looked at his hand was very impressed with his mobility and utility, and really said that there was no issue with it...we have another appointment for 2 years from now. Most of the questions I have aren't age appropriate, such as tying his shoes, or some social aspects, but the doctor was also liking how comfortable David is with his hand...when the doctor was leaving, he shook my hand (Dr. Hess, by the way), and David insisted that the doctor shake his hand, too. "Shakes hand!" he said. Everyone liked how not shy he is. Very expressive, very full of energy, curiosity, and willing to talk to anyone. He was talking the other kids in the waiting areas, too...he doesn't ask names, he just says, "Girl" or "Boy" when addressing them. I tell him to ask their names, and to say his...which he does. He just forgets.
So this has been a busy week. Tomorrow we go to Jesse's wedding, the girl (now 22 years old) who babysits on Saturdays is getting married...of course, David asks why...I again, get a kick out of this. So in consideration of this wedding, I hope that your life is full of bright hopes, and lots of promise.
Rusty
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Insomnia! and Spiders!
So last night was fun. I go to pick up David like normal, and he's wide awake! I get him home, like normal, put him in bed like normal...and he does not go to sleep like normal. Instead, he keeps getting out of bed, wanting to hang out with me, and this goes on for over an hour...but then, as part of him going to bed he wants to clean up his room. Talk about a delay tactic! So we're in there, cleaning up, putting things away, and a spider pops out of nowhere! And runs across the wall, really fast! I think it was a wolf spider, and it was big! So I get the bug spray, and a flashlight, because it ran behind a shelf...David was really great about the whole thing. He helped me look for the spider, but was unhappy when I wouldn't give him the flashlight, since he didn't understand how serious it was to kill the spider. I told him that I don't want to kill the spider, but in this case I had no choice. It moves too quickly for me to catch it for one thing...so I spray it, it runs, and I can't find it, but David saw it, and pointed it out, and I sprayed it again. The cool part is he didn't freak out, and he was not afraid. Of course, I acted pretty calm and cool myself, so hopefully it was him being cool all by himself, and taking some example from me.
He would not sleep in his bed, and would not sleep in my bed, and he just wanted to play! After the spider episode, he went to sleep in my room, that at some point he went back in his bed...he likes to switch back and forth once in a while. He's not overly fond of my bed, but it's nice for him to be there sometimes...though it's easier for me when he doesn't sleep in my bed.
I asked him to kiss me, you know, put your lips on my cheek, and *smack*...and he did it! Yay!!! But then he decided to kiss me on my lips. Ick. So I tell him only the cheek. I kiss him on his head, or his forehead, and he says, "NO! You're not supposed to..." He's so funny. He really makes me laugh. I can't imagine missing all of this. I'm so glad I have him here with me.
And he's reaching that point of "Why?" for everything. I ask him why and he says because...but if he asks me why, no explanation is good enough...though one time I told him, "It's academic." And that was acceptable. I was using all the $5 words I could come up with to answer his Why questions. Philosophical, tyranical...anything I could come up with...feed him vocabulary...lots of new words. He'll hear them, but so what if he has no idea of their meaning. The other thing he does is if he wants something, and I say why, he says "Because I want it"...sigh. What a great kid.
He would not sleep in his bed, and would not sleep in my bed, and he just wanted to play! After the spider episode, he went to sleep in my room, that at some point he went back in his bed...he likes to switch back and forth once in a while. He's not overly fond of my bed, but it's nice for him to be there sometimes...though it's easier for me when he doesn't sleep in my bed.
I asked him to kiss me, you know, put your lips on my cheek, and *smack*...and he did it! Yay!!! But then he decided to kiss me on my lips. Ick. So I tell him only the cheek. I kiss him on his head, or his forehead, and he says, "NO! You're not supposed to..." He's so funny. He really makes me laugh. I can't imagine missing all of this. I'm so glad I have him here with me.
And he's reaching that point of "Why?" for everything. I ask him why and he says because...but if he asks me why, no explanation is good enough...though one time I told him, "It's academic." And that was acceptable. I was using all the $5 words I could come up with to answer his Why questions. Philosophical, tyranical...anything I could come up with...feed him vocabulary...lots of new words. He'll hear them, but so what if he has no idea of their meaning. The other thing he does is if he wants something, and I say why, he says "Because I want it"...sigh. What a great kid.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Reminiscence
About 4 years ago, or so, David was conceived in the basement of his grand-parents' house. Too bad the sex wasn't that good, and too bad we didn't have a lot of pregnant sex, either. Amanda was spotting, and we freaked that she wouldn't be able to keep this baby...9 months later, or so, David was born to the world. I guess it's the time of year. The world series is soon...the reason I'm thinking about this I suppose. Middle October, baseball's "high season" as it were. The playoffs, divisional series...all that. St Louis won the year I was in St Louis, making a baby, in the basement. And not having any fun doing it. And the weather changing...It was a beautiful time we had up there. Just not the sex part. Every year around this time, I'll look at David, a few months after his birthday, and remember a trip to St Louis, to see Amanda's parents...and all the details that go with it.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Dr. Appt
Dr. Sams says it's okay that David hasn't potty trained yet. He'll do it when he's ready. Amanda says it's "my fault" that I insisted on him potty training, but she means that I chose the hard course, not the fun course, because I'm the custodial parent.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Hike
So I'm at the park w/ David yesterday after work...He can make friends with other kids now, sortof...really he can just interact with them...when he's going up the ladder for the slide he asks if the other kids are coming with him...at some point we decide to go on the boardwalk, and it just so happens that a small group of people (it turns out to be 7 kids, and two adults...who seem to be part of a larger group)...so we're walking along the boardwalk, and David, being a little kid, squeezes himself through the two adults walking, and the two adults and I start talking a little bit about the boy, and when we ourselves were small. We get to the end of the boardwalk and the dad says that there's a trail...and I've never heard of this trail, so I'm wanting to go along with them on the trail...and I've ingratiated myself to them enough that I ask if I can go w/ them, and they say sure...so we go on this trail...and it turns into a 45 minute walk! It was really interesting, though! The trail was nice. The people were nice. And they didn't think I was a weirdo! Of course, I had David. That helped. Actually, without David, I wouldn't have been anywhere close to that park...The kids pretty much accepted me, and David and I brought up the rear of the group. A couple of the younger kids said they were scared, lost, etc...and we three adults helped calm them down, as we say, "We're not lost..." and I talked about being Boy Scout and such. That helped. I tried to say things that would be seen as helpful, useful, and make me seem "safe". It would be strange if I was part of a group and some strange guy just showed up the way I did. I felt extremely accepted by them, though. We had a blast on this little hike. And after we got back to the park, some of the other members of the group began talking to me, too...I never did ask how they all knew each other, or try to get to know them more. Hmmm...gotta work on that. This was a chance to make real friends. The last thing is that I find out the dad's name is David, and that his father's name is Russell. Wow. They were all impressed by that. I had no idea...I just introduced myself to David's wife, and she says, "Oh, that's my father in law's name." Wow. It was a great day out at the park. I don't have to keep so close a watch on David anymore...he's much more self sufficient.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)