Friday, December 28, 2012

December Recap

December was a crazy month with little blogging. Ryan and Miller made a trip to MN to celebrate Christmas and Joann's birthday. Miller loved the snow and had a blast playing with his uncles. They made lefse, played video games (arcade style), built snowmen, had snowball fights, etc. Mason and I stayed home and had a little mommy and son time. Grandma Jean came to also enjoy some one on one time with Mason.

Mason is hopefully outgrowing his whiny troublesome phase (or at least until the next round of teeth come in). He's been much more fun to play with and his vocabulary is growing. He still doesn't say much for real words but his comprehension when you speak to him is quite good. He loved the snow globes in the house, snowmen (light-up ones are the best) and Santa (ho ho ho). He also did much better around the tree than I expected.

The one new blessing/curse Mason has discovered is tv. He started watching Thomas the Train and Fireman Sam. He loves them. I like that we can plop him on the couch and have 10-20 minutes without having to run or chase him but I hate to think he's already addicted to tv. I feel we do a pretty good job limiting the time spent watching tv with both kids except for every once and a while where a few hours is like a gift from God where Miller will sit and watch without asking us a question.

Emily and my parents came for Christmas at our house. It was the usual spoilage of kids, too much food, and elevated volume levels. The kids enjoyed their presents and time with the relatives. 

I have been crazy busy at work with end of the year projects, terms ending and other starting. I did take quite a few days off though because we have the use them or lose them policy on vacation days. Too bad most of those days were spent shopping, cleaning, or wrapping presents. Today I plan to return a couple things and then sit my butt on the couch all afternoon reading a book and doing nothing!

Ryan had some end of the year projects to wrap up too. I guess we should be thankful we are both busy at work.

We did escape for an adult Christmas party/dinner with our close friends. It was nice to have the group together without rug rats interrupting us. We enjoyed some good stories, reminisced about days pre-kids, and made it back home before the babysitters turned into pumpkins.

As for running, I took the month off trying to heal my knee/ankle. It's been touch and go but today I bit the bullet and gave it a try. I only ran a little over a mile but so far, no major pain or swelling. We will see how it looks on Monday because I would like to get back to at least running 2-3 miles a few times a week. I am not sure I will keep the constant 5K distance as my routine but I need to get some exercise in. It did help with the stress at work and I did feel better. Guess those darn doctors are right. Exercise is good for you.






Sunday, December 16, 2012

Mason Time

Ryan took Miller to MN for the past 6 days. I stayed home with Mason. Overall, he was pretty good and fun to be with. We don't get much one on one time so it was nice to give him undivided attention. It made me remember some of the things Miller used to do when he was that age.

The downside to it all...my back is killing me! Lifting him in and out of things (crib, high chair, car seat, shopping carts, changing diaper, etc.) was a bit too much for this old lady.

My mom came to hang out with us for a few days and also enjoyed time alone with Mason for the same reasons I mentioned. We took him to the Tradewinds Park holiday light show. He loved it. We put the sunroof back, opened windows, and played some Christmas tunes while we drove through. He made happy noises, pointed, laughed, etc. throughout the ride. It was priceless. He enjoyed it so much we took a detour through the neighborhood on the way home to give him a little extra.

On Saturday we took a short trip to a park close by and also a few walks. Sunday we hung out for almost 2 hours at the park with Norah and Caleb and had a picnic. It was fun to see Mason starting to act like a little boy and less of a baby. He even discovered Thomas the Train this weekend and spent several 15 minute stints with me on the couch. We pulled out Miller's train track and trains too.

Mason loves books and I can't count how many we read this weekend or how many times we read the same few over and over. We had lots of outdoor time too. Annie even got to enjoy the perks with lots of outside time, chasing bubbles, and a few walks.

In lieu of the terrible Connecticut shooting Friday, I was happy Miller called home every night to tell me about his adventures and that he was safe with Ryan. I will rest better seeing them tomorrow. I have a feeling it's going to be weird dropping them off at school knowing that it could have been their daycare or school as they get older. My heart aches for all of the teachers, children, and families involved. I will leave it at that before I get any more choked up.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Good Weekend

It is nice to report that we had a good weekend at our house. Normally, we are ready to take the kids to daycare by noon on Saturday but that was not the case this weekend. Maybe it's a sign that things are getting better with Mason...I am not holding my breath quite yet though.

Saturday the boys hung out with Ryan while I cleaned the house. The rest of the time they played well and had a decent nap. We had a babysitter Saturday (annual Christmas party with friends).

Sunday was a great day. Mason and Ryan did their usual Sunday morning trip to Publix. Miller and I colored some pictures together. When Mason got back, he and Miller decorated Christmas bags for their teachers. I was surprised at how well both did. Mason didn't even eat too many crayons or stickers!

After that, I took Miller to Sugar Sand Park in Boca. We played for about 1.5 hours. It was officially time to go after Miller got clocked in the face by an adult swinging shoes. Miller had run behind him and he backed up at the same time. Miller cut his lip and was sad. The guy didn't speak english and I don't think he realized how hard he hit Miller.

We headed out to Wendy's to have lunch and of course, some ice cream for the cut lip. Miller ate his lunch like a champion so he could have ice cream afterwards. When we got home he went down for a short nap and about 30 minutes later, Mason was up. Go figure.

Mason and I played for about an hour and then switched with Ryan. We tag teamed back and forth the rest of the afternoon. Mason did more coloring and stickers with me in the afternoon and all boys played football. There were bike rides, walks, etc.

Before dinner, we had Miller babysit Mason (he plays with him in his room) so Ryan could cook and I could get a few work items started. They played for about 30+ minutes without any whining or fighting. Ahhh!

The other cute thing is we pulled out the Christmas bear statue. Mason keeps giving him hugs but of course, we never have a camera ready to capture it.

All and all, great weekend with the boys. Let's hope this is the beginning of an easier time with Mason.

Friday, December 07, 2012

Mason Stats (15 months)

Mason had his 15 month checkup today. He's the size of the average 22 month old. Still a little shorter than his brother in comparison but what he lacks in height he makes up for in weight.

Height: 33 3/4 inches (about an inch shorter than Miller at the same checkup)
Weight: 29 lbs 12 oz (almost 2 full pounds heavier than Miller at the same checkup)

He isn't saying as many words as Miller was at this time but he's definitely comprehending things and starting to obey commands (when he wants to). He was a giggle ball at the doctor's office until he got his shots. He let out a few screams (pierced a few ear drums) and then we were on our way out. He also had his first round of the flu vaccine today. We go back in a month for round 2.

I can't wait until we get on the yearly appointment schedule. At least it's down to every 3 months (except for the vaccine).

Hopefully he has a good day at school. He grabbed a book, backed into the teacher's lap, and the other kids all gathered around. He must be the ring leader in the Snails room. No one wanted to read a different book or do anything else (probably fearing he would sit on them or use his new biting skill).

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Ankle Update and Observation

My ankle is starting to feel a little better. I have chosen to skip the doctor unless it rears it's ugly head again. I figure I won't push it and wait until Monday to jump back on the running wagon.

My observation has been that with over a week off of running, I am a crabby bitch who gets annoyed with a lot of things. Clearly the health benefits of torture; I mean exercise, were making a difference. Currently I feel like a fat slob although the scale hasn't moved upwards and as I mentioned, everything annoys me. It's not "that time of the month" so I know it's my lack of movement. Darn all those doctors and clinical studies. They are correct, exercise does help mentally and physically.

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Ankle Injury and Ankle Biters

My right ankle has been bothering me since before the Turkey Trot. It's officially swollen and hurts. I am guessing I have a minor strain or sprain or something. I am bummed. I knew I would take a few days off of running but I didn't plan on taking more than a week. I felt good Wednesday, ran 2 miles, and by evening I had a "cankle." Argh! Chasing kids and shopping aggravated it some more also. Any tips other than raising it and icing it?

On the ankle biter note, we were invited to a neighbor kid's birthday party today. We decided why not, let's go. We bought a gift and Miller made a nice card (he wrote Happy Birthday Mario and signed his name and Mason's plus a plethora of stickers were applied). We headed the few houses down the street and stepped into another world.

One, the kids were super into Beyblades. Miller had no idea at first how to operate them and struggled to get in with the experts. These were clearly kids who have been playing them for a while and also knew each other well. For a social kid, he was the one kid playing by himself most of the time. No one wanted to play superheroes or transformers. He was frustrated because he wasn't good at Beyblades. Mason had more luck than Miller!

With over 25 kids there, of course we met a few that were down right mean and the parents were oblivious. I get so frustrated because I want my kid to be nice and fair but near the end I was rooting for my kid to push the other kid down or be nasty to him. Luckily, both Miller and I knew better.

Two, the crew didn't drink. I have been to plenty kid parties in the middle of the day where there was no liquor but this one surprised me. I was dying for a beer and no one was drinking. It made me wonder how they make it through the chaos because believe me, there was chaos with a million little ankle biters running around.

Three, I think I know why the group didn't drink. They had nothing to worry about. The house was a kids house. Every room in the house had minimal furniture, no knick knacks, all kid friendly. It was cool for the kids but for me, I will be darned if I worked this hard to turn my house into a 2500 square foot playroom.

Even with being out of our element, the people we met were fun and nice. I think some of the kids will be in Miller's school next year (kindergarten) based on most living near by. It's nice to know we are making friends in the neighborhood with kids too. Hopefully the kids will have some playdates together in the future.