Eat MOAR food

He gained 1 pound in 4 months, and grew .75 inches. The doctor was disappointed in the weight gain, although he DID gain which is a positive -- and she was glad of the height gain. Average, she said, is only 5/8 inches change, so he grew more than average.

She talked to us again about eating more, and more calorie-dense things. Adding egg to plain pasta, for example, and to milkshakes. I think I said before that it's hard for me to add the typical weight-gain things to his diet, because he doesn't LIKE creamy sauces, cheese, eggs, avocado or mayonnaise. But the doctor countered with, "Feed him what he LIKES." I feel like I have been doing that, and that he HAS been eating more. But we have to go one step further. She also told us, "more snacks." Oreos and Goldfish, she said. Carbs, carbs, carbs. Sausage with breakfast. NOT fruit. It's entirely backwards from everything else you read, everywhere, about how to feed kids healthily.

This morning he had a waffle with peanut butter and syrup. He knows HE has to do some of this work and just EAT MORE. One thing we've told him is that he needs to eat faster (stop chattering and eat!), so he can get more food down before his brain figures out that it's full. It seems a shame to tell a kid not to talk so much at the dinner table. :( That will be a difficult healthy-medium to find. But again, it's a complete mindshift from everything I know -- I, myself, have been trying to learn to slow down to get those "I'm full" clues.

Today I put fruit juice in his water bottle (in his school, all the kids are supposed have water for their snacktime). Rebel! But it's got calories, and calories are what we need.

So we have more work to do. After this tooth falls out, more taco nights. More hamburgers. Not that I mind! (Anything to avoid daily hormone shots for years and years, if we can avoid that.)

Enforced!

Today AJ's teacher emailed me to say if her warnings to the tickling-bullies wear off, to let her know and she would be the REINFORCER! All-caps, exclamation point, just like that.

And that is one of the many reasons I love our school.

 * * *

DH has the day off today. It's a furlough day, but still. Am jealous. Although, he's spending the day doing all kinds of errands, some of them for me. (And one major one for him - a new laptop. I was originally against, but came around to "for" because we have found many times that one kid is using the current laptop (which we are keeping), and another kid wants to also use a laptop -- or one of us has something to scan, which requires the laptop (not the iPad), and blahblahblahcakes we are now a two-computer family again. Huzzah!)

I had a sort-of day off yesterday. A day away from my desk. I went around and visited some of our customers, along with a group of international co-workers who are here for a visit. It was super fun and a good reminder of why we do what we do. Plus, I was allowed to be done for the day at 2:30. BOOM. I was in one of the FIRST carpool segments and that is a RARITY. I had warned AJ that I might not make it to carpool at ALL, so I came out smelling like a rose... and then took him to the bookstore after that! Why not?! My kid loves to read, folks, and I can't not encourage that because of a silly little thing called cashflow! Heh. We only bought one book. Kingdom Keepers. Based in DisneyWorld. So, so awesome -- I'm starting Book I as soon as I finish Miss Peregrine's... .Reading is fun.

 * * *

After a short break wherein I took a walk in the gorgeous sunshine (Wow, does that ever make a difference in one's mood, right?), now I'm sitting here almost finished with work, while DH and AJ are at the endocrinologist for our first follow-up. According to his text messages, only one pound was gained since November 1; I thought it was more. But he also grew .75 inches... so maybe this is a good sign. And he also lost nearly two teeth (one is hanging by a thread at the moment), so I think the doc will be pleased with that progress. I am as curious as can be about what she'll say and it feels weird not to be the parent there with him. DH had better take copious notes. I will want all the details!

No more

AJ started reporting earlier this year that some of the other boys were tickling him. He said it would start during the morning when everyone was arriving; sometimes as the boys walked by him they’d reach out and tickle him, or if they were sitting next to him. They told him, or he inferred, that they liked to hear his laugh – that it is particularly funny. All well and good, but he didn’t like it and he told them to stop. It didn’t help so he came to us with it.

We’re lucky we’ve had him in a martial arts class now for 18 months. In our particular studio, the 2^nd rule of engagement is “If verbally attacked, use the three T steps: Talk, Tell, Tackle.” I was able to immediately remind AJ of those and tell him the next step was to tell a teacher or other adult. Which, Duh, that is what he was doing – telling ME. But I’m not able to help him in the moment at school, so we got his teacher involved and she assured us she would keep watch on the situation.

I was diligent for a couple of weeks, but soon I stopped asking AJ every day about it – I can only imagine he was getting tired of the question, and there didn’t seem to be anything else to report. The holidays came and went, and I had hoped it was cleared up.

But Friday he got into the car and told me tearfully that he just thinks he needs new friends. It’s been happening again, along with other pestering from a couple of kids. To his credit, he has yet to “Tackle.” Well, I take it back: He says he has tried a couple of his defensive moves (it’s jiu jitsu, so it’s holds and evasive stuff, not punching or kicking)… and that they didn’t work -- or the kids laughed at him and said, ‘You don’t even know karate.’ (DUH.) He’s so small, and the real world is so different from “on the mat,” that I can picture things not going exactly how he expected them to go.

Anyway, I emailed his teacher again today and she was sorry to hear it’s still going on. I named specific kids this time. I’m tired of pussyfooting around that – I don’t care if I’m That Parent. And she told me, before my second Reply, that she’d already had words directly with the two kids mentioned, as well as with AJ: to TELL HER. He needs to speak up, and he knows this but is still hesitant to do so. I know it’s because he doesn’t want to be embarrassed or have it held against him in the future.

In thinking about the whole thing today – getting more and more “mama Bear” about it as I did – I realized DH and I need to back off the tickling, too. I admit that I’m bad to engage in it with both kids, leftover habit from when they were babies, you know? And another confession: I tend to get really mad, really fast, when DH tries to tickle me. Now: I realize our kids see us as a safe zone, and that a little lighthearted tickling before bedtime is quite different from kids on the playground, but... I just don’t want it to be a grey area. If tickling causes negative feelings at school, maybe it should be avoided at home, too. And as I told his teacher, “Stop” should mean stop in ANY physical-space situation. Boys and girls, both, need to know that, without question.

My Mom says that my Granny could never abide tickling of any kids;  now I have a reason to agree with her. Besides, they're growing up. Probably time to stop playing goochie-goo, anyway.

All the celebrations

This month marks my eighth year of blogging! I didn't really think it would go on this long. I have had the typical thoughts about my kids getting older, and my needing to censor what I put here (fewer photos, still no names, etc.)... and wondering, naturally, if it's interesting to anyone but me. Maybe I should stop. I wonder if I'll ever come back and read it when I'm older? I like to read the archives now, after all. I wonder if we'll still all be rambling on when we're retired and have grandkids running around? And our kids and grandkids will think we're so quaint because the rest of the world will have moved on from blogging long ago.

[Related: Yesterday I racked my brain trying to remember KT's toddlerhood. Her birthday's tomorrow. More on that later. It was harder to remember than I feel it should have been. I was trying to think about what she looked like, and specifically what our routine was in the afternoons, when AJ was still at the daycare with her. Did I get her from her classroom first, and carry her into his classroom? Or the other way around? I think it was the other way around but... I'm just not certain. And I couldn't remember all of her teachers, or exactly which classroom she was in, when. It's not a big deal, but memory is a funny thing, isn't it? I suppose I'm glad for 8 years of blogging, and the categories of "whole lotta nothing" and "daily round." And for posterity: She was in the infant room with Ms. Jean and Ms. Loretta, then moved over to Ms. Kathy, and then I think it was our beloved first Miss Michelle for the next 2.5 years, she moved up with KT, all the way to Ms. Penny, who was an odd treat for age 3 (!), and now we have lovely Ms. Gail and Ms. Tiffany. There.]

And today is Valentine's Day, of course. Happy happy to you and yours. Me and mine had small celebratory goings-on this morning. I had bought Snoopy-themed Whitman's Samplers for the kids, and a card for each of them, and a card for my Darling Husband, and when I got to the kitchen table at 5:30 a.m. I found a Pandora gift bag and a card with my name on it, too. So sweet. I put the kids' breakfasts on festive "heart" paper plates and let them eat a Little Debbie Valentine's treat with their pancakes. I like our little modest acknowledgement of Valentine's Day. I realize someday it won't be mine to celebrate with the kids, so I like keeping it low-key. But I also like knowing that they'll remember these things, and pass a little of the Valentine's love to their spouses and kids someday, I hope.

Tomorrow is KT's 5th birthday. She has been (sshhhh, don't tell anyone or we'll jinx it) super good the last few days. We had one spectacular meltdown (she and I both) the other night when she refused to go to bed, and that made me resolve to give up yelling for Lent (the shame!) -- but otherwise she has been very interested in helping, very sweet with her brother, and very excited about being five. Part of the thing about yelling is that I think she's finally at the age where me saying, "I'm so disappointed in your choice, KT," will make her feel REALLY sad. I mean, hanged head and leaving the room and everything. Remorse! It's what's for dinner! But let's just hope the good behavior continues and none of that will need to be used on her, anyway. Ya-ya-ma and Papa J. are coming up to celebrate the weekend with us, and her party is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Oh, and I'm supposed to take donut holes to her classroom in the morning. (Future self, you can remember THAT classroom appearance because now it's documented!)

We got her a bike so she would stop riding AJ's and making him mad. Well, I grabbed her a Disney princesses bike-in-a-box which we subsequently deemed too small. So I'm exchanging it today on my lunch break.(It is SO handy to have an office located between a Target and a Toys R Us. Suburbia, man.) Maybe I'll find one that doesn't need assembling. Also got her a $2.99 kite for this spring, and a new pencil case for my little artiste, and a jewelry-making kit. I think she'll be happy with those things.

Good grief, this post isn't over yet! Because we're also celebrating our third Pinewood Derby on Saturday. I'm excited because my parents get to experience it. Not that it's fancy -- it's metal folding chairs in a school cafeteria! But there's community there, and heck, the racing is FUN to watch, no matter if you know anyone or not. During the same morning, over in the school library, KT has her Kindergarten testing. I know she'll be nervous but I also know she'll be fine. Gosh, I'm so happy she'll be in the right place next year, near to her brother every day, in our church home and chosen school family. I have been laughing at how I know the Kindergarten teachers are going to shape her into a proper young lady -- and probably put her "on yellow" a few times there in the beginning, too.

I should shut up and get to work. Life is pretty good, though, you know?

Desk-Breakfast

There's no question that having breakfast at my desk every weekday sucks. I would much rather sit with hot coffee, in front of my kitchen window, and enjoy a quiet moment as the world wakens. I would have cereal with milk, or a toasted bagel, or cheese grits. Mmmm, cheese grits.

Maybe when I retire.

Here's what I have learned about desk-breakfasts.

I still don't ever CRAVE yogurt, but I can now officially say that I like it: Fruit on the Bottom ONLY, with extra fruit added in (blueberries, usually), and with Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, or a crushed-up granola bar, mixed in as well. I like it for desk-breakfast about once a week, although I wouldn't choose it -- and never choose it, when it's in my fridge -- for a weekend breakfast. While I eat it, I usually hear my mind saying, "MMM, this is so GOOD!"

Never thought I'd hear my mind saying THAT.

Also, I used to buy the 4-oz. cups of cottage cheese and loved having them (instead of yogurt), for a delicious protein/dairy breakfast. They just don't sound appealing to me lately and I haven't bought them in ages. Weird.

Sometimes I have the Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage and Egg White "McMuffins" from the frozen aisle. I like them with a LOT of salt and pepper. And they're best with orange juice, but I never have it.

If I'm desperate for a breakfast item, I'll take a packet of oatmeal. Even though I really like some of the Quaker Bakery flavors -- especially Banana Nut Bread -- they're kind-of a last resort. It's just so unsatisfying to walk all the way over to the coffee area to only get hot water for oatmeal, and then the  packet-sized portion is gone in about 5 minutes. Plus, I have to walk BACK in order to wipe out my coffee mug of any bits of oats, with a paper towel, before washing it in our non-disposal sink. Gross. The whole process is Un-Fun.

Last week I successfully made a scrambled egg in the microwave before I left for work, and put it inside a small tortilla with 3 Little Smokies beef sausages and some cheddar cheese. (I had bought the Smokies for our Super Bowl party pigs-in-blankets.) I wrapped it in foil and by the time I got to work, the cheese was perfectly melted. YUM. I loved that and wanted to make a whole batch of them to keep frozen, but after I added up the calories, I decided maybe I needed to buy some turkey sausage instead. Heh.

Ten minutes

The last 2 days, we have come home from school pickups and taken ten minutes to sit, have a snack, and talk about our “homework” (KT’s collection of papers and art is what she calls her homework, and she loves to tell me about each drawing and worksheet). I want us to do this EVERY DAY. Whoever is home first. We eat dinner all together nearly every night, and I know what a rarity that is, but I don't think there's anything wrong with one more daily chance at quality time. And then after ten minutes, I want the kids to go “unwind” in front of the TV so that I can get dinner started. Heh. “Quality time is finished, kids, now get out of my kitchen.”

Actually it ended up being more than ten minutes yesterday, because we got to laughing about something... what was it? Oh, right, it was “my poopy-dommy mommy.” My Granny invented that phrase as part of her storytelling. It stuck with me as a child because it sounds so silly, and now it tickles my kids. Yesterday I told them that my Mom has never liked it or thought it was funny. They laughed and laughed, every time we said it, and every time I wrinkled my nose at it, “like Grandmommy does.”

Anyway, the ten minutes is clearly worth it. They thought so, too, because they got to eat Little Bites brownies.

[Also: I read recently (again) that just ten minutes of exercise will make a difference. Maybe you’ve heard my sad stack of excuses before...? I consistently go in spurts, working out 3 times a week for about 2 weeks, and then it falls off again like a rock off a ledge. I would say I’m sick to death of it, but “to death” sounds like an unintended invitation – especially with as much as I read and write (for work) about breast cancer and women’s health. Things are preventable! Exercise helps Everything! Ten other minutes. *she says with authority* Maybe while dinner's working.]

I'm giving up on A Tale of Two Cities. I gave it a go; I really wanted to sink into it again. But life's too short, you know? I've read it before and I know, I remember, that I loved it then. Plus it has felt very inaccessible to my brain in its "busy-mom" state, with ten minutes left for reading at 10:50 pm. I need fluff. Or at least something that's going to grab me and not make me work so hard for it. So. Brisk clap! Thank you, Mr. Dickens, be on your way.

Feeling blucky about stuff

I'm feeling discouraged about our house/real estate project. It is stalled out because the first contractor I met with completely blew me off after I let him walk through my whole house. He never followed up at all -- sent no estimate like he promised. I realize this is minor, and maybe I don't want anyone irresponsible working in my house. And I actually received a useful book of names/reviews of all the top-ranked service people in our county - general contractors, roofers, plumbers, etc. Nice, right? Just showed up in the mailbox, out of the blue. Pretty good timing. So I'm going to call one or two of them on Monday and re-start. But Urgh. I just feel like all the things we need to do won't get done. And I heard today that some friends of ours also want to move, and they have their "punch-list" of projects, and now I'm fearing that THEY will DO all of their stuff, and we won't, and come spring, they'll have a nice fixed-up house to sell, similar to ours and in a similar neighborhood, and either we won't, or we might but theirs will be nicer and therefore will prevent ours from selling. It's unfounded fears, I know, but that's where my mind is at the moment. (My mind also goes back and forth from "we have all we need," and "what would we even DO with a bigger/newer house?" and "I won't even feel confident/smart enough to live in a nicer house" to Want Want Want Want Want, so there's that.) One thing I have decided is that the extra income I get that is not my salary (I have a couple of sources, like my cantoring at church) is going to be put toward buying the things I want to buy. New extra-tall shower curtain and rod for master bath. New chandelier for dining room. Possibly for kitchen, too. 6 sets of 30.6" window blinds and one set of 22". And I want to get started soon, doing some of the projects I CAN do without having to wait for the contractor. Like painting the trim. I'd start tomorrow if it weren't for the Super Bowl. Hrmph.