Jonah's Race

Jonah "competed" in the Highland Festival's annual Kids Fun Run. He had to run about 50 yards to a cone, circle the cone, and run back. It was a big deal. We coached him beforehand, explaining that it was important to run in a straight line. He did well. And he was so proud of himself. You can click on the pictures to see his face close-up.

Our Little Fairy

Dentist Disaster

I go to the dentist today during Mike's lunch hour. I expect to be gone an hour. I'm at the dentist for 1 1/2 hours-- chatty hygienist, chatty doctor, chatty receptionist-- time flies when you're having fun.

I return home. There's a message on Mike's phone from the receptionist. "Traci, please call our office immediately."

I'm alarmed. I payed my bill before leaving the office. I didn't leave my purse. Hmmmm. I call.

My hygienist is on her way to the occupational health clinic. She had an accident involving a tool that was used on my teeth. Because my teeth enamel were on the instrument, I must have my blood drawn at the clinic to show that I have no diseases.

What? Are you kidding?

I call the clinic. "I have two young kids. I'll come and give my blood, but I will not wait, and someone must tend to my kids while I'm in the chair."

They oblige.

The office is filled with bleeding workers. I guess that's what "occupational health" means. Jonah is good. He's dumbfounded by the blood. He keeps staring and saying something about the "bloodstream in your legs" that he no doubt learned from the Magic School Bus video we rented from the library last week. A teenager from church works there and holds Lydia-- with her dripping nose and fever.

It shouldn't be a big deal, but when does one dental check-up ever take 3 1/2 hours to complete?

Note to Self

When you are of childbearing years, people will assume you're pregnant if wearing the style pictured below:

Pardon me, I better do some sit-ups...

Update

It's been a whirlwind. Here's a list of what we've been doing:

- We bought a house yesterday. It's a spec home. We met with the builder on Friday to sign papers. I was able to pick out a few things: the color of the wood floors, faucets, and door knobs. Everything else is finished. I guess that's a good thing. It would have overwhelmed me to choose everything!

- We've had three showings at our house while it's been "For Sale by Owner." We're listing it with a realtor tomorow. Our stress will decrease dramatically when we sell our current home. The housing market is terrible in this community.

- We've worked on improving our current home every night since we knew we were moving. It has been consuming.

- I've been working on paperwork, medical history forms, etc., for Jonah's transition to the special ed. program in our new town. I just finished emailing his new teacher. I've been told over and over and over again that I am my child's advocate, and although it's not in my nature to be aggressive, I know I must be proactive so that he gets the services he needs. I believe wholeheartedly that this will work out in the end. I've said repeatedly that "God isn't going to forget about Jonah in this moving process."

- Speaking of Jonah, he's good. He's obsessed with the tire swing on the playground and will spin on it continuously until someone tells him otherwise. He has the computer skills of a 4th grader-- printing, minimizing, pulling down the Bookmarks menu, and typing his name, my name, and Pop's name without any prompting from me. He's enjoyed watering the flowers, finding "secret treasures" in the yard (pinecones), and Dr. Seuss books. The phrase I hear him say most often is "What's that say?" He ALWAYS wants me to read words to him. I, of course, don't mind a bit!

- Lydia is, well, she's getting older. I turn my head, and she's climbing the stairs. I turn my head again, and she's stuck under the table. I turn my head again, and she's trying to lift the toilet lid. I tried to firmly tell her "no" the other day. She just grinned. It made me smile too. She loves throwing her pacifiers out of her bed, watching Jonah play with his friends, looking at simple picture books, eating tahini sandwiches, and removing everything from my wallet.

Happy Mother's Day!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

It should be no surprise to those that know me well-- my daughter doesn't like to touch anything outside.

Home Repairs

We've committed ourselves to home improvements for the next couple of weeks. I will post periodically, but for now, I must concentrate on this old house.

No Way!

Is she really this big already?

Friends

Here's Lydia with her friend, Vivian. She really likes her.

Spring?

Look what we did after dinner tonight:

No-Pain Boy

I didn't know I was raising a superhero.

It appears that my boy has a very high pain tolerance. This was confirmed a few weeks ago when we visited the allergist. I assumed his allergies weren't bad because he didn't even try to scratch the large welts on his back. The doctor was amazed. That same visit, the doctor poked at least 16 needles in Jonah's upper arm. Jonah just looked at me around #13 and said, "That hurts, Mama." No tears. No screaming. No need to physically restrain him while the doctor was completing the test. The doctor shook his head in disbelief.

We went to this same doctor today for a checkup now that he's on some allergy medications. We were in the office for three minutes. He looked at his eyes, his ears, and his throat, and immediately said, "He's got strep throat...He must have a high pain tolerance." He obviously didn't remember us from before-- but that's not the point. The point is that Jonah has a pretty nasty throat right now and has acted normal-- never once complaining that his throat hurt. I know it's all part of his sensory issues that I've talked about before.

So I've nicknamed him No-Pain Boy. This "condition" does have its benefits. He rarely cries if he's hurt, and I know if he comes running to me on the playground with tears streaming down his face, it's serious. He's not afraid to try anything, and even if he falls, he stands up and keeps running. He's brave. He's a risk-taker. He's all boy.

Yet there are some problems that arise too. Yes, that's right--he could be sick and I wouldn't even know it. He'd leap tall buildings in a single bound if I'd let him. He can't really comprehend the word "gentle."

I imagine he'll be in the Guiness Book of World Records someday-- for walking a mile over cut glass or something like that.

For now, he's my little superhero.

Epiphany

So I've decided I don't like the decorating style of my home. It's not really "me." I know, I know. This is an expensive epiphany.

While looking at Pottery Barn magazines this weekend, I found myself drawn to the airy, feminine rooms. And in those rooms, I found myself looking at items that weren't being sold in the catalogue. My eye was drawn toward unique pieces that could only be found at antique stores or flea markets.

I think back to cleaning out my in-laws' home. I wanted to keep all the table linens because I love that "old look..." I've admired my grandma's quilt for years and can't wait until I can use it in my home... I'd love to display my paternal great-grandmother's china in my dining room... My favorite part about Lydia's room is an old window frame that I adorned with my great-grandmothers' handkerchiefs.

I shared this revelation with Mike. I don't think he's opposed to it. Since our house is pretty simple, it shouldn't be that difficult to change.

So after a conversation with my personal decorating consultant, a.k.a. Molly W., I'm excited. I'll start with the living room. It's where the biggest transformation will need to take place. I want to paint the fireplace, move the television armoire, distress the coffee table, paint the rocking chair, etc. I won't begin the project until June-- just to let it simmer in my mind, collect ideas, shop, etc. It's something to look forward too, though, if I'm feeling stuck in this town.

Thank You

Thank you, Pop and Grammy, for everything you do. We love you!

Are you kidding?

Yesterday, the Schwan's man came to my home. We were perusing the catalogue, and he says, "And since it looks like you're pregnant...."

I didn't hear the rest of the sentence.

"I'm not pregnant," I say, "I have a nine month old."

Now I know my stomach sticks out disproportionately to the rest of the body, but hey, I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I'm back to my pre-pregnancy size-- my proportions are just a bit different. I accept it. I'm okay with it. And I know with a little running this spring, my stomach will probably be a little more normal too.

So my self-esteem was fine, but the part of myself that just wants to make everyone feel comfortable wondered what I should say next...

"Moron."

That's what I should have said.

"You're a moron."

My New Friend

While leaving Wal-Mart today the greeter says to me, "My, she's really getting big, isn't she? How old is she now?"

I see this man almost every time I'm in the store, but I've never given him more than a friendly nod. "Almost nine months," I reply.

"Oh, that's right. She was a summer baby, wasn't she?"

Wow! Either he's that good....or I shop at Wal-Mart way too much.

Snack Time!

Every evening we look forward to our nightly snack. It always, without question, includes a fruit smoothie. Mike is the expert smoothie maker. His recipe is simple:

a little orange juice
a little plain non-fat yogurt
a handful of frozen strawberries
a handful of frozen mixed fruit
a banana

Mmmmm, good!

Deep Thoughts by Jonah

Jonah decided to count freckles on my arm tonight. This is what I heard:

"...seven, eight...Mama, you're soft...Daddy's hard...you guys are bumpy."

Hmmm...perhaps he's been studying textures in school???

Mom my Ride

I've Never Laughed So Hard

fun at the skate park

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October Road.

Is anyone else watching this show? I love it. Mike was making fun of me for my "girly sigh" while tuning in last night. It has a late time slot, but I'm hooked. I think I'd rather watch it than Grey's Anatomy; it's much cleaner these days, that's for sure.

Photoshoot

My friend, Molly, suggested we have a photo session today. I thought it was a great idea since I don't really have any good pictures with the kids.

Jonah is in this phase where he says "cheese" but refuses to look at the camera (even when bribed with a lollipop), and Lydia was just a little sad this afternoon--she's had cold. So, these are the best we got...

SmackDown

LIBRARY VS. ME

I've got on my fancy spandex. I've entered the ring. I'm prepared to fight.

Let me explain why.

I'm not one to lose sleep over trivial things, but I recently woke up angry in the middle of the night. I tossed. I turned. I groaned. Why? The library. I lost sleep over the local library. Go figure.

Our library just had a complete overhaul. It used to be cramped and severely outdated, so for the past year I've watched and anxiously anticipated the grand opening of a brand new facility.

I visited this beautiful place a few weeks ago and was shocked to find there was no section designated for children. Think back to any local library you've ever visited. There's always a special place for kids to sit and read, isn't there? It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but I don't really believe it's practical for kids and adult books to be in a shared space-- especially if you're designing a brand new facility! I remembered the old Pataskala library kids' section was a room behind the circulation desk. Heck, if Pataskala could get in right in 1980 then you would think this small town could figure it out today.

So I got mad.

I shared my frustration with Mike (yes, we had a conversation at 2 a.m. about the library). Apparently, the library director had come to a rotary meeting with the new plans, and when Mike asked what they were providing for children, everyone laughed.

Hmmmmm....I certainly don't live in a community with many young professional families, do I? You know, as long as they have a new room for the quilt club and a few tables for the old folk to come and read the daily newspaper, I guess they've supposedly met the needs of the community.

But my fight has only just begun.

Tune in to Smack Down next Friday night on the CW channel.

It just might be me you see.

A Lot Alike

I was just looking at old pictures of Jonah. I think this was taken when he was the same age that Lydia is now. They look alike, don't they?

Praise God

I had a bit of a scare this afternoon. Lydia started choking while eating lunch. I didn't panic initially-- when it has happened with the kids before, I know they just need to work it out by themselves (as long as they're still breathing). But as I was watching her and holding up an arm (a neighbor just told me about that last week), she stopped breathing and started turning purple. Thankfully, in the quick instance that I started to remove her from the high chair, she worked it out. It was a Disney DVD Bingo chip. The game was intact on the shelf so a chip must have found its way into one of her baskets of toys. And she obviously had it tucked in her cheek when I placed her in the high chair for lunch. Swallowing pears with a bingo chip doesn't work too well--

So scary.

I just put her to bed for the night. While rocking and looking at her precious face, I was reminded of what could have happened. Thank you, Jesus. Thanks for my little girl-- and thanks for protecting her.

I'm Just a Mom

Contrary to popular belief in this house, I'm not Wonderwoman. I can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, I can't be two places at the same time, a net doesn't fly out of my hands when I need something in another room, I don't bust out of my shirt and turn green when I'm trying to carry Jonah and Lydia simultaneously, and on occasion, I just may need to stop and rest.

I'm not a superhero--

And I would never wear those red boots.

The Bottomless Pit

a.k.a. Little Miss Lydia

Would you believe she ate half of a large sweet potato, a whole kiwi, and a chunk of cheese for lunch? Someone is growing...

Tap

I hate to miss tap class. So when I walked into class tonight, I taped my teacher performing the step they learned last week when I was gone. Thankfully, it's very simple.

For those of you that wonder what I do, here's a sample look at a step slowed down DRASTICALLY.


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I'm expecting a large cheering section at recital this year. Actually, that's a lie. I adore my class, but I could do without the performance.

At least I won't be eight months pregnant...

She's Officially Crawling...

...and doesn't know whether to laugh or cry!

My Sensational Boy

A whole new world has opened up for me this past week. Last Thursday night I attended Jonah's school conference. I was a little nervous at first-- worried that they were going to recommend Jonah stay in the special education program. They do want him to stay another year, but I was assured by his teacher that they're hoping to teach him to "self-regulate" next year so that he could move into regular education. She acknowledged that he was bright and capable, and for that, I am grateful. But I left the meeting realizing that, on a daily basis, we forget to acknowledge how much of his behavior is out of his control. When I'm trying to fix dinner and feed Lydia and Jonah is climbing, yet again, on top of the kitchen counter, it's easy to forget that he needs to climb. So it was perfect timing that we discovered the latest book about Sensory Integration Dysfuction (now called Sensory Processing Disorder) called "Sensational Kids."

My eyes were opened. As I read, tears filled my eyes. I was encouraged, relieved, and overwhelmed.

It feels like the whole book was written about Jonah. We knew he was sensitive to noise and lights, but I learned that Jonah is primarily considered a "sensory seeker." Of course! It all makes sense!

"Some degree of sensory seeking is normal in children as they learn, grow, and try to master new challenges, but children like [Jonah] are extreme in their quest. On a playground or in an amusement park, they may seek out a scary ride that other children approach with apprehension, and then gleefully return to it over and over, as if they can't get enough stimulation. At school, they clown around by throwing themselves against a wall and falling to the floor with such violence that supervising adults worry they'll hurt themselves. When their quest for sensation is thwarted, children who crave sensation can become extremely demanding-- even explosive. Most children can be a little wild at times, but the thrill-seeking of these children is well beyond average...[they are] not 'mean' or 'bad,' but people sometimes apply these labels because such children behave in ways that distress those around them....The dichotomy between [the child's] aggressive and upsetting sensation seeking and his equally energetic and endearing affection creates conflict in the people around him. Sensory seekers are often responsive, creative, and fun to be around. They can be immensely enjoyable. But when their drive for sensory stimulation is running their lives and running the lives of those around them, they can be overhelming, too."

Can you believe how perfectly this describes my son? It makes so much sense. No wonder he's bored at home. No wonder he's such an angel with new experiences. No wonder he rides big roller coasters five times in a row at the amusement park. No wonder he can be difficult and endearing at the same time. No wonder he's a daredevil in the skatepark. No wonder he wants to swing and play in the rain and spin in circles... He's seeking to fulfill sensory needs.

So after discovering this new information, we've tried some new techniques the past couple of days when it's not practical to leave the house. I've made him carry groceries, wear his weighted vest, carry large books, knock me over, jump on the couch/bed, etc. And it's worked wonderfully!

He certainly is a sensational kid!

Dirt Be Gone

Mike has dreamed of owning a Dyson vacuum cleaner for the past year. His dream came true on Sunday. The allergist informed us last week that Jonah has a serious allergy to dust mites so Mike finally had a good excuse to spend the money.

Let me just say, we have never been so excited to vacuum our home. The picture shows what the Dyson picked up in our bedroom after the carpet was freshly vacuumed with our Hoover Wind Tunnel. Can you believe it? That's the dirt it picked up in ONE room!! This clean freak is giddy!

Nashvegas

Although exhausted from a long travel day, the weekend was refreshing. Some highlights for me include:

- shopping
- sleeping without interruption
- straightening my hair :)
- conversations with friends
- long dinners

I learned a few things this weekend. I learned that I still don't like to stay out late (every party needs a pooper). I learned that my friend Becky is the coolest chic on the planet. I learned that I regress to my college personality when I'm with my college friends. I learned that our environment has shaped who we have become.

And I learned that I miss my kids when I'm not with them.

Recess

"You've probably heard analogies about life being like a book, with each stage of development occupying its own chapter. During your early life, you eagerly scribbled out your contribution on the clean pages of the first few chapters. But with the arrival of children, your own journaling changes its focus some, and also offers the time and space for you to help your child hold his crayon, poised and eager to write in his book of days....Rather than setting your own journal completely aide for these next few years of child rearing, why not carefully slot time to record a few paragraphs-- perhaps a single page and even a whole chapter?"

I read this quote last week in a book entitled "What Every Mom Needs" (okay, the English teacher in me is wincing at the fact that I just put that book in quotes instead of underlining it, but I don't know how to underline through this program on my Mac). It was perfect timing. I intend to write a paragraph in my life book this weekend when I fly to Nashville to spend time with college friends.

We've planned an annual girls' weekend since 1996. There's something easy about spending time with girls who knew me during those college years. Sure, we're different people than we were 11 years ago, but it doesn't matter.

We never have a definite plan of what we're going to do, but some of the potential activities, according to our lovely hostess, include:

shopping
a special art exhibit
manicures
Justin Timberlake concert

So pardon my blogging recess. I'm going to write a paragraph in MY book-- I'll be a better mom when I return.

Mr. Princess

I've said recently that at this stage in Jonah's life, he's a follower. If the kids around him are behaving, than he'll behave too. If the boys are aggressive, than he'll be aggressive too. If the girls are playing dress-up, than he'll play dress-up too!

Where's the Gun?

I am the antithesis of an animal lover. I never had a pet, and I'm allergic to them. I literally lose my appetite when I think about animals. (I had a student once that bought me Dixie cups with cats on them just to be funny. I didn't find much humor in it.)

As a child I was bit by a dog while walking home from Leslie Wetherington's house. The way I remember it, the dog had a dead animal in its mouth at the time it gnashed its teeth into my leg. I didn't go to the emergency room so the wound probably wasn't that bad, but the point is, I remember telling Mike before our engagement, "It's either me or a pet, because, honey, you'll never have one if you're married to me.

So when I was awakened this morning at 6:00 a.m. by human-like cries of some mangy white cat that's been hanging out on our front porch, I was less than thrilled. "Where's the gun?" I asked Mike. He didn't answer.

I guess I have a bit of my grandpa lurking in the depths of me. I'd like to bury this cat alive.

*****
Okay animal lovers, can we still be friends?

Watch out World!

Lydia is eight months old today...and she's on a mission! It's amazing how inquisitive she's become in the past week. Her latest interests include: playing with diapers, crawling backwards, feeding herself grapes (peeled and quartered, of course), playing peek-a-boo by herself, holding her arms high to say that she's "so big," and constantly moving when Mommy is trying to take pictures.

Banned

I hate Spongebob Squarepants. I refuse to let Jonah watch it. If he's going to watch television than I'd much rather him watch Blues Clues or Dora the Explorer. That got me thinking about shows my parents wouldn't let me watch. Would you believe that my mom, for a time, woudn't let me watch Growing Pains. Hello? Didn't Kirk Cameron grow up to play Buck in the Left Behind series?

What's greatly ironic about this is that I watched Three's Company every day after school. My mom was obviously making dinner and not very aware of the show's content. So I wonder... what awful thing would I have learned from the Seaver family?

Now Hiring

I've decided I want a laundry maid. My life would be so much easier. I wouldn't need to take 20 trips down the basement stairs, I woudn't spend every "free" moment folding clothes, and Mike would always have neatly ironed shirts (I'm assuming my laundry maid would do the ironing too).

Resumes will be accepted until 3/18/2007.