Geek is Sexy!

I think Daniel might end up potty training earlier than Joey did. Part of that is having the example of two other males in the house, which Joey didn't have. Another part is that he seems aware of his bodily functions and the potty. He already automatically goes to sit on the potty before bathtime, without being told. Sometimes he pees, sometimes he doesn't. He has also started bringing me a diaper and laying down on the floor after he poops. Also, if you ask him if he's pooping he'll tell you...although he's usually hiding when he does it. So he obviously knows what he's doing and that he needs to be changed afterward. He's definitely consistent about it. He pooped three times this morning (I think he had a bit of an upset tummy) and brought me a diaper every time, without me even mentioning it. I think awareness is a step in the right direction. Now if I could just catch him before he does it...

Today I participated in something that I hope to never have to see again, but at the same time it was a beautiful moment. Last weekend, a 21 year old soldier from Purcellville was killed along with six others in his unit defending his base in Afghanistan. Today his body was flown to Leesburg Executive Airport and then escorted to the funeral home here in town in preparation for his funeral tomorrow. The mayor, the town paper and Joey's cub scout pack (and probably many others) requested people to come out and line the route through town to show our respect and support for the fallen soldier, SPC Stephan Mace, and his family.

Joey and I went out this morning and met up with his pack on Main Street. We probably waited about 45 minutes before the procession came through, and it was really a sight to see. I could see hundreds upon hundreds of people with flags lining the roads, and it's possible there could have been much more than that out of my sight up and down the road. Flags were put up on the lightposts, on cars and even hung from a crane over the road. People had signs saying things like "Thank You Stephan" and "God Bless the Mace Family." The police came through and stopped traffic in both directions and the boys all stood at attention and saluted as the procession came down the road. You could have heard a pin drop. The hearse and family vehicles were escorted by dozens of police cars and motorcyles, fire engines, etc...and then came the motorcycles. There were probably around a hundred members of the Patriot Guard on motorcycles providing escort.

It was definitely a moment I'll never forget. I was so proud of Joey and of the townspeople today. I was in tears as much for the grace and respect of the people there as for the young solider who lost his life and the family who mourns him. I don't think I've ever been so touched. So I'll add my thanks and gratitude here. Thank you Stephan. I didn't know you, but I thank you and may angels wing you to your rest.

It is amazing to me how quickly Daniel is growing. Every day is something new. Some new word or new development. I just can't keep up and every little milestone makes me both happy and sad that my baby is growing up. Last night Patrick and I were getting him ready for bed and (as always when I change his diaper upstairs) I asked him if he wanted to go sit on the potty. He said "Pah! Pah!" which is his way of saying potty. So Patrick sat him on it and he promptly peed...not all of which made it into the potty, but still...gah! I'm glad he knows what it is for, but sad that we're headed down that path already.

This morning I was trying to get him to finger paint, which is pretty much a losing battle with him. He's just not into it. He'll swish the paint around for a minute and then he's done. So we went outside to color with sidewalk chalk. He LOVED that. He take them in and out of the bucket and scribble on the ground and hand them to me to color with. Then he'd get up and do laps around the neighbor's tree and come color more. So while he was occupied I decided to water my plants. Well he decided that looked like fun so he came over and splashed in the puddles on the porch steps. Then he went back to coloring. So by now he was covered in chalk, dirt, water, mud, etc. I looked at him and said "You are going to need a bath." He looked up, dropped the chalk in his hands, took off running for the steps, while hollering "Baah! Baah!" I was scrambling to clean up while he was already up the steps, banging on the front door. I let him in the house, and sure enough, he took off for his bathroom and tried to pull off his clothes. I really don't understand why that child loves baths so much. So he was quite thrilled to splash around in there for a while.

After his bath, I was drying him off and he starts covering his eyes. So I said "Are you playing peek-a-boo?" He took his hands off his eyes and said "Pee-boo!" and then continued to do it over and over. Then when he was dressed he pointed to his comb. So I gave it to him and he started trying to comb his hair. Then he pointed at his crib. I put him in there gave him a kiss and his binky, covered him up and he waved bye-bye to me. Like "Go away, Mom, it's naptime."

The end result of all this is just astonishment on my part. When did he get so smart and so big? He's not my baby anymore. He's a full-on toddler.

The Lightening Thief

Look at that cast! Even if I hadn't read the book I'd see it just to see that ensemble. However, I am reading the book at the moment and I love it so...yeah. I want to see it.

Daniel had his 15 month check up yesterday and it went as well as could be expected when you have shots. He was 23 pounds (50%) and 32.5 inches tall (90%). So he's tall and skinny. Apparently he's the height of an average 19 month old. Too funny. Anyway, the doctor said he was developing well physically and VERY well developmentally. He is using signs and language to communicate and is pointing to what he wants, which she said is huge. Also, looking people in the eyes and engaging with them...he was actually flirting with the doctor...is a really good developmental indicator.

He could have gotten any of the four shots he was due for, but as I only ever do two we had to discuss the pros and cons of what to do now and what to do at 18 months. I knew I absolutely wanted him to have the flu shot now and I knew the HiB could wait since he's already had a few doses of that so it was really down to Chicken Pox and the MMR. I worried about exposure to both with Joey starting school soon and bringing home germs. I was nervous about the MMR but Dr. Chamberlain took the time to talk with me about my worries and the various implications of each shot. She talked about preservatives and antigens and the various theories about shots and complications and how developmental stages coincide with various shots, etc. She also talked about Daniel's health and how it related to getting each of the diseases we were considering vaccinating.

Such as, Daniel is a healthy kid and he would probably handle chicken pox fine if he did end up exposed to it. Flu is questionable at his age and could potentially be made worse if compounded by an outbreak of swine flu. No, this shot won't protect against swine flu but it could help prevent against compromising his system with the regular flu and then picking up the other. Plus, 36,000 people die every year from the regular flu, which the media seems to ignore. Measles is much more dangerous, and as she put it "Loudoun County is an outbreak waiting to happen." I knew that, but it was interesting to hear her confirm it. It's a combo of a high immigrant population, foreign adoptions, and lots of people who choose not to vaccinate. Apparently the "herd immunity" in this area is dipping pretty low, which makes us ripe for a measles outbreak. So I decided to get him the MMR and flu and put the HiB and Chicken Pox off until 18 months. I felt pretty good about it, although I worried about Daniel getting sick and cranky over the weekend. Oh, and he also had a finger prick to test for anemia, which is apparently a big problem for toddlers. He passed just fine. So he was pretty pissed with all the pricking when we left. I had given him some tylenol before we left and he did okay. He was kind of cranky in the afternoon but slept fine last night and has been his happy self all day today.

We also talked about weaning Daniel off the Pepcid we've had him on for reflux. If we can't get him off it by 18 months she wants him to see a GI doctor to make sure he doesn't have damage to his esophagus or something more serious causing symptoms. She told us to pick a calm week when he isn't teething and doesn't have a lot going on, take him off the pepcid, and make sure he eats mostly bland foods. No citrus, dairy, chocolate or spicy foods. If he handles it okay, we can stop giving him the pepcid and see how each food group sets him off.

So all in all my big boy is doing really well. Well, duh. :-D

Hold me up to all whom you've deceived
Promises you break you still believe
And all your weight
It falls on me
It brings me down

THIS is why I really need to have a girl.

Beach was fun. Kids had blast. Need to finish uploading pictures. More later. :-D

* So the dentist basically said I need some $$$ work done. I have some gum disease so I need to be numbed and get a deep cleaning, which after insurance would still be about $201. I also need my wisdom teeth pulled, for which I need to see an oral surgeon. The one that is bothering me is completely perpendicular to the molar next to it, which is why it is hurting and inflaming the gum around it. Another two are also coming in at weird angles, including one which has a cavity because it's angled so that it can't be brushed. The last one is fine, but she said I might as well get it out since it won't have anything to bite against. I'm sure that won't be cheap, especially with anathesia. Lovely. You can pretty much guess how that went over, although he didn't freak out quite as much as I expected. Although I did get a "your teeth are fine...other than that one, obviously."

* Which leads to...I have a phone interview in the morning for a babysitting job. Three mornings a week for a 3 year old boy in Leesburg whose mom works from home. I figure the extra cash would come in handy getting all this dental work done, plus Patrick's birthday and Christmas are rapidly approaching, not to mention Joey is going to need some fall clothes since he is growing like a weed. And it's good for Daniel to get out of the house and play with other kids. The woman I have been babysitting for said she'd give me a reference any time I need it, and although she still wants me to keep some open slots for her, she's only needed me twice this summer so I can't count on it. I hope this pans out!

* Daniel got his first haircut last night from my Aunt Shelly, a former hairdresser. She came over with her bag of tools and trimmed him up. He looks like a real little man now. Sniff! His little wispy baby curls are gone! I took pictures, which I need to get around to uploading so I can post them. I didn't cry though! That's progress. I bawled when Joey got his first cut. It's just another sign that my baby isn't a baby anymore.

* Three days until the kids and I leave for the beach! Mom has totally forbidden me, my sister and brother from posting anything about it on Facebook because she read some article about a guy whose house was broken into because he posted that he was on vacation. The three of us just kind of looked at each other and rolled our eyes. I mean, I understand her point but my statuses are only visible to my friends...who are all people I actually know and mostly family anyway. So...I love her to pieces but sometimes her caution verges on paranoia. Anyway, I'm REALLY looking forward to going, although I'm dreading the drive because Daniel is not a fan of being locked up in his carseat.

My mouth is killing me. My left lower wisdom tooth area started bothering me yesterday but I figured I had just been messing with it too much with my tongue and it would go away if I left it alone. Not so much. It felt a lot worse when I got up this morning and it's been getting progressively worse all day, to the point where I don't want to eat. It even feels tender from the outside. If I put pressure on my face on that side it bothers me. It's not excruciating, but it definitely is sore. I think the gum around the tooth may be infected back there because it is only partially erupted and kind of tilted so it was bound to have a problem eventually. I made an appointment for Wednesday to get it checked out.

The worst part of the whole thing isn't how much it hurts or how terrified of the dentist I am (which I totally am. I go, but I always freak out)...it's my husband. He doesn't go to the dentist (EVER) and doesn't believe in dentistry. He rolls his eyes over the kids going but lets me have my way, but I know he thinks I'm being ridiculous for going. I called to tell him that his Mom is coming out to watch the kids so I can go...speaking of which, she's awesome. I volunteered to bring the kids out to her in Warrenton, but she said she would drive out here to us because my house is closer to the dentist and the kids would be more comfortable in their own home. How cool is that? Anyway, when I called he said "okay" but I could totally hear that "oh for the love of pete" tone in his voice. His opinion of the dentist is basically how I feel about him going to the chiropractor for years and not getting any better and still having back pain all the time. I thought he should see an orthopedic surgeon instead. If he doesn't want to go to the dentist, I think he's stupid but it's his mouth so whatever. To each his own. But I don't want to constantly worry about me or the kids going.

So I guess I want to know how I do what I know is right for me and the kids without worrying about the fact that I'm going to piss off my husband. I go through that a lot. I have the same issue with most of my relationships - family, friends, etc. I always hesitate to follow my own instincts because of how someone else will react. In this case it's a little different because I don't work, so he gets ultimate veto power on what I want to spend money on...but the same issue applies to pretty much everyone. I think it's part of my issues with abandonment. I mean, let's face it, I pissed my father off and he just cut me out of his life. So I worry someone else I care about will do that too, so I just tend to suck things up and not push issues. It's really not healthy.

Last night Patrick and I kept smelling something kinda nasty in the kitchen but we couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Well today I found it. The garbage disposal has been leaking for a while and there was a nasty, disgusting mess under there warping the cabinet floor. It was like someone had puked and left it for a month. I almost got sick cleaning it out. I put some towels down to catch the drips until Patrick can take a look at it. Oh the joys of being a homeowner.

My brilliant 14 month old peed on the potty today. I've been sitting him on it right before he gets in the tub, just more for habit than anything else. Tonight he watched Joey pee in the toilet and then he sat on it and peed. He looked about as surprised as I was, but Joey and I went nuts yelling "Yay for Danny!" and clapping. I told him we'd get him his own potty but he shook his head no at me. So I have no illusions that he's going to be potty trained early, but it was still exciting.

Which...how sad is that? We got so excited over pee?

I've noticed that Daniel is starting to hide when he poops. He'll go under the end table or walk around behind the dining room table where I can't see him to poop. What is that about?

Joey left for Boston this morning with Jenny and it's weird knowing he won't be here for an entire week. He's spent a fair amount of time with Mike this summer, but never more than 2 nights. In fact, the only time in his entire life we've been apart that long is when Patrick and I went on the first cruise. And then I was rather distracted by everything we had going on. Being at home without him is just weird. So it's just Daniel and me during the days this week. It's like having just one kid again, which definitely takes some getting used to. I've made a "To Do" list of stuff I want to work on while he's gone and Daniel naps, but I'm not sure how much I'll actually get to.

Today we went up to the library to see Mr. Brian and the Boppets, a musical puppet show. It was more music than puppet show, but that's perfect for Daniel anyway. For the first half hour he just sat there like a statue. He was totally glued to the show. He'd dance and wiggle from time to time, but that's about it. After that he started to get fidgety and tired. He was still listening but wanted me to hold him and feed him snacks. It was a cute show and managed to keep both of us entertained for an hour. The Loudoun County library system does some great, free stuff for kids.

After the show we went to the grocery store because I had to get him some more soy milk. Since we weren't getting much, I let him use the little car with the car attached to it. Oh my goodness. He LOVED it. He sat in there and honked the horn and spun the wheel around and had a blast. I think we may be in trouble next time we go to shop and don't use it. Oh well.

Gakked from auntiegrizelda

This was absolutely brilliant. What an awesome way to celebrate. I could totally see Elizabeth doing something like this.

Took the kids to our new pool this morning. It's not as good for kids as our old pool, but it's better than nothing and both kids had fun. Daniel kept trying to drown himself, but loved every minute.

Came home and saw the new sneak peeks for New Moon (including shirtless Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson) and basically lost my shit. Holy cow. I can't freaking wait to see that movie. I know...I'm a big dork.

My sister Laura and her BF Ryan may be stopping by this afternoon, which will be fun. Patrick is playing night golf tonight so after Daniel goes to bed I'm going to try beating my Star Wars: Force Unleashed game.

Eagerly anticipating Torchwood: Children of the Earth Day Five tonight. This series has been freaking amazing. Awesome acting, freaking INCREDIBLE plot! I can't wait to see how it ends. Yes, it's been a little scary, thought-provoking, and heartwrenching...but that's what good stories can do to you.

Daniel randomly decided today was the day he was going to start eating with a fork. He asked for one and then proceeded to eat most of his dinner with it. *gasp*