Playing with friends!
Birthday morning pancakes!
“Happy Birthday from your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Man!”
“I’m THREE!”
Happy 3rd year, baby. We love you.
Archive for the ‘All About Baby’ Category
Pictures from Birthday Weekend! Finally!
Saturday, October 1st, 2011He’s 3 This Monday, Pictures Pending
Saturday, September 17th, 2011Today we took a train ride with a friend for Cy’s birthday. Last year’s party kind of did me in- I was all crazy about reusable party plates and eco-friendly festivities, but this year we having our celebration over three days. Today was a train ride with Liliana (Not twins, remember? Someone asked me, “Why are you celebrating your son’s birthday but not your daughter’s? NOT TWINS.), which was really fun. The kiddos liked it a lot I think. Sometimes it’s hard to tell with 2 almost 3 year olds. (Liliana will turn 3 in November, I think.) The ride was nice, we saw lots of farmy-type stuff out the windows, and they got cookies! I’m calling it good.
Tomorrow Liliana will be with us again (filling in for her regular babysitter this weekend) and we’ll bring cupcakes to nursery at church, and then Monday, although I have to work, we’re doing cake and ice cream for family. And a couple of other families. It got bigger than I thought it would- I think it’ll feel like real party. I let Cy pick out his own cake at the grocery store (Spiderman cake, of course, that I will spend money on so that I can sleep the night before the party instead of staying up crying that I can’t figure out how to make icing webs) and John and I will give him the present we bought 3 months ago (I can’t believe I held out, so proud!), and that’ll be that! Oh yeah….except for TUESDAY morning when he’s in charge of snack at preschool- we’ll do cupcakes then TOO.
Sheesh. 4 days of Cy birthday, not bad eh?
Especially since he requests Happy Birthday (the Hattaway extended version) each night before bed all year long anyway.
We like birthdays.
I felt kind of weird about this birthday, since I didn’t do months of prep- (I actually thought about it forever and then decided I didn’t want a big party- and then all these other plans just kind of happened) and I won’t be with him all day on his actual birthday. But I think our little family is just evolving, and I think this birthday will be special.
It already is, mostly because of this kid’s face, and how smooshable it is. (I should hurry up and post this picture before he’s old enough to object.)
1st Day of Preschool in Pictures
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
This last one was taken by Cy.
And after a great morning at preschool- I came home, fixed Cy lunch, and cried into a dishrag in the kitchen. I think he’s growing up faster than I am.
It was a good day :)
School Day
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011Cy and I both start school today. It’s only orientation for him, so I’ll be there the whole time. I am a little worried about how he’ll do, but I’m hoping he’ll get into the swing of things without too much nervousness. As I’ve been writing his name in his backpack and checking to make sure his sneakers still fit (crocs all summer!) I have been thinking about how much I loved school. I loved, loved school. Sure, it came with its share of social dramas, but all in all, I enjoyed it. I hope Cy feels the same way. I hope he feels safe and loved by his teachers and is able to maneuver all the tricky 3 year old social expectations. Two mornings a week. (I hope I don’t cry.)
I start classes tonight, too. Still working towards my MA in education, specializing in ESL education. I passed both MTELS this past year, so that pressure is gone. Now I just get to enjoy my classes and hopefully actually find time to do the reading.
As for my new job, I am working 25 hours a week plus teaching classes at the same business school I’ve been working at for about a year. My title is officially “Student Services Coordinator,” but my main objective right now (to be expanded as we get things rolling) is to help ATB students pass the Compass Exam. ATB (Ability to Benefit) students are people who haven’t finished high school or gotten their GED and want to continue on with their studies. They have to take the Compass to prove that they are capable of the school’s course work, and, at least so far, many of them haven’t met the passing score. My position is meant to fill in the gaps. Not that we’re sure what that means yet. So far, it’s been one-on-one tutoring. I think it’ll move into group prep classes, we just have to get people signed up. Most of my education (at least in Scranton and Amherst) has touched on themes of social justice and the circumstances surrounding the achievement gap. I’ve always wanted to do something to make the educational environment of my community better- and now- that’s my job.
So off we go! A brand new series of challenges. I won’t be snuggled in our house as the snow starts to fall this year- we’ll have to get out and keep on doing what we do. I think it’s going to be good for us. I feel like it’s the end of Cy’s real baby years- now he’s my little boy. It makes me so very sad. But I’m proud of who he is, and I can’t wait to hear about his first day at school!
Wrapped up in love and Spiderman.
Saturday, August 20th, 2011I’ve been meaning to post pictures of Cy’s new room situation. Keep in mind that I’ve never worked hard at coordinating furniture (we usually snag things that fit 3 criteria: 1) It fits a need 2) Cheap/Free 3) Real wood. So we’ve got a mismatch set of table, dresser and bed, and we REALLY NEED TO PAINT HIS ROOM. BAD. But I’m happy with how he and I set it up. I let him have some more choices. Not too many. But you know. Enough.
Mostly though, I’m proud of my Mom’s quilt.
Have I told you that my Mom is a quilter? I legit one. With a long arm quilting machine and a business bank account and such. She started quilting long ago, and had to send quilts out to be finished. Now she does them from start to finish all on her own, and they are luxurious and amazing. Cy’s first quilt (sorry, I had a better link but the pictures died? somehow? sad!) was finished by someone else, but not this one!
She did this one, start to finish all on her own. (And many others, pieced by her and others. You can mail her your tops if you want! She’s a finisher!) The fabric is Eric Carle Brown Bear fabric- which she is not allowed to sell because of copyright. But lucky us! Because that means it’s all for her grandson.
She even included something secret just for Cy on the back…
Which, of course, just reinforced that La La knows her grandson. And reduced my guilt about allowing him to pick out Spiderman sheets at “Four Dollars.” He loves them, and although they offend my sensitivities…I think it’s time for Momma to stand aside and let the little boy choose his own happiness. And I still have the beautiful, soft brown sheets I chose to compliment the “Brown Bear” theme. I’m SO READY for him to wet the bed. I have LAYERS on there, a towel to absorb it deep inside the layers…and and extra set of sheets. Yup. Am ready…and freaked that he hasn’t yet…
The rest of the room?
The toy box, Penguin named Aristotle, and the library book bin. (Also, IKEA table and chair.)
(Apparently shiny?) Dresser (mine from high school), fold up Target-type bookcase, and pictures of friends and family that I let him tape on the wall himself. The benefits of knowing you need to paint anyway!
Where the reading happens. At least, the bedroom reading anyway. It’s like a sport around here.
So that’s it. My Bubbs’s room. Where he sleeps soundly in no diaper, wrapped up in LaLa’s quilty love and in his “Fiderman” sheets. Seriously. My baby is a child now.
A post from the backyard.
Thursday, August 18th, 2011Thing 1: We’re officially out of laundry. I have no idea how I checked out of the laundry situation for so long. It’s ok. Life goes on.
Thing 2: Cy has a playmate today. My running/church/soul friend’s daughter. She “almost a first grader!” and she is quiet and funny and a good planner (train track planner, that is) and kind to my little boy. Her Mom is out of town with one older sister, and her Dad and other older sister are doing me a churchy favor today by running to the bishop’s storehouse to pick up food for local families. (RS Pres, holla.) She fits in a pair of his shorts, and he can push her in the Cozy Coupe. She’s great at helping him color and being “it” in tag every time and being a good example of a “big kid.” This makes me want two. (Ok, I already wanted two.)(Babies, that is.) She’s currently filling his hat up with water and he is busting a gut. A real belly laugh.
Thing 3: Cy is (I daresay) officially potty trained. Day and night. I think we have one diaper floating around here somewhere, but it’s upes all the way…and he hasn’t had even ONE night accident. I realized that he was ready for upes at night when I went to through the dirty diaper trash away, and saw that I have over a week’s worth of diapers in there. ”Disgusting!” I cried. Two diapers a day! For a week! In my trash can! And then I realized they were all dry. Dry dry. And the next day we didn’t put one on him for nap or overnight, and it’s been fine. Like many other milestones that I thought would be drawn out and painful, he slid right by this one like no one’s business. He’s officially a flossing, big boy bed sleeping, potty using member of the community. (And now that I’ve bragged I’m sure he’ll revert or whatever it is that parents call it when their kids are potty trained and then just….not…)
Or maybe he’ll be fine. Because he’s a superhero.
Thing 4: I’m still running! A combo of Nike + and myfitnesspal.com and a friend to run with are working out for my sticktoitedness. I’m feeling better. Stress-free-er. Still not skinnier. But I don’t want to talk about it.
I found this post…
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011I’m planning Cy’s third birthday party…and realized I never finished this post about his second? Maybe I just wrote a new one. But look! Cousin hugs!
Cy’s second birthday party went really well! We had his first one
Also, some cuteness
Monday, July 25th, 2011Because seriously.
My child. Who is uummm…12 x 3 – 2 months? (3 Years old.)(Almost.)
Thursday, July 21st, 2011I am really bad at remembering Cy’s monthly birthday lately. On the 19th of every month I say to myself, “We’re getting closer.” But I’m never sure to WHAT exactly. He’s full of mystery, that one. And I just can’t even bring myself to understand that he’ll be 3 in a couple of months.
So Cy. What can I say about Cy? He is really rather witty lately. And he REMEMBERS. Oh, how he remembers.
He got a globe beach ball at the library (for completing a certain number of hours of reading or listening) and after we blew it up he looked at it and said, “Where Russia, Mommy?”
Me: Blank stare while I remember that one of his best little friends has been visiting her grandparents in Russia this summer.
Me: “Right here, baby. The big one near the top.”
Him: “Where is America?”
Me: Again, blank stare. Maybe he got that from the fourth of July songs at church? “Well, this is the America we live in. And this is South America. And this is Mexico where Leo is from.”
Him: “This is Mexico.”
I find him alone with the globe, pointing at the countries he knows and saying their names and the people he knows that come from them.
And the story telling is killing me. I LOVE to hear him “re-tell” the days events as he remembers them.
We went to swim class last week and he told John all about how his teacher helped him swim, and how I showed him how to go under water while he held the side of the pool. It went something like this.
“I went swimming. SWIM SWIM with arms, SWIM SWIM with legs! And Miss Teacher Lisa say, “GOOD GOB CY!” and Mommy goes UNDERWATER and I hold the side. And Mommy goes UNDERWATER AGAIN and I hold on the side. And I get ALL THE DUCKS!”
Or this recap of his weekend after I got back from Jersey.
“Daddy and Cy watch FIDERMAN! And we EAT KIPS! on the COUCH! and make a DOGGY HOUSE IN LIVING ROOM!” (Translation: they watched Spiderman, ate chips, and put up a tent to play in.)
He’s been saying more and more, “I need a Mommy cuddle” and yesterday he fell asleep right on me. He’s still doing great at potty training (accidents here and there) and like to earn play doh whenever he poops in the potty. Yesterday he asked my brother to help him potty, which cracked me right up. I was proud of both of them actually.
We were in the bookstore the other day (milk and cookies time) and I told him he could have a book, but no stuffed animal. He picked out a little Boots doll thing that he wanted, and told John, “I want Boots! No Book!” and put the book he had chosen back on the shelf. A woman standing behind them raised her eyebrow, obviously bracing themselves for the meltdown. John leaned down and said, “We decided today that we were going to buy a book for Cy. You can have a book if you want, but no Boots today.” Cy looked at Boots, at the book, traded the doll for the book which he stuck under his arm and asked, “Cookie time?” I was SO IMPRESSED with him. He still has his tantrums, for sure, but I love how he listens and reasons and thinks.
I also love how he answers in complete sentences.
My Mom ”Would you like to bring your Spiderman toy into the grocery store?”
Cy: “Yes, peese. I want to bring Spiderman into the grocery store.”
or how he uses adjectives:
“I saw a great, big, giant BEAR on the TV!”
Or how he tells me things:
“Mommy, I want a Toy Story birthday in STEPTEMPBER. (There goes my cute owl theme.) And, I want a big silly hat with a STAR!”
We’ll do just that baby. :)
On to the pictures! All from my phone, and repeats from twitter.
Cy loves to help. Makes Mommy nervous.
Play-doh reward system, still working pretty well.
Stress reduction for the Bubbs and me.
Waiting for his friends.
The heatwave drove us indoors. The puppy needed a bath.
and then Cy jumped in. Why not?
Meanwhile…this is my new personal goal. Wish me luck :)
Deflated.
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011So.
Today pretty much crapped out sometime in the afternoon. We spent a nice morning at the library, seeing everyone we know come and go and picking out fun books. Then it was back home to hide from the humidity until my doctor’s appointment this afternoon.
Today was THE DAY! The day that I go off the medication that is too dangerous to take while pregnant. We had (have?) finally decided that we’re ready and it feels right for another small Hattaway to come into the world. I’m well, I’m strong, I feel happy. It’s time!
And then I went and found out that the doctor doesn’t want me off the meeds. He says I need them to stay well. (Do you remember me sick?) And that if I want to be pregnant, I need to take the risk. So I call my OBGYN, who told me in no uncertain terms that this medication is a Class D med and that no one should be pregnant on this medication. Not me. Not anyone.
So either way, either decision, I’m going AMA.
And that’s the really, really short version of the story. I intend to follow up with both doctors, try to find a way. Figure out a way that I’m not risking a dozen or more scary things for this baby, or letting myself just become sick. Again. So sick that I can’t take care of the baby that I have.
And here comes the disclaimer that I know my problems are small compared to many, but then comes the claim that they are big. To me. And to my family. And that I’m just so sad that I can’t just get pregnant like so many others. I know I’m in a big group, women who want babies, who for whatever reason can’t have them easily, or at all. And I have a feeling I’ll get some semblance of what I want, someday. But I’m human, and a FEMALE human at that. Which means I’m going to cry about this and feel scared for awhile.
What do I choose? I’m hoping there’s a miraculous option C. Some way that both the baby and I can be safe and well. You know, that baby that I’m not allowed to conceive.
Big breath….
When I came home from the appointment I found Cy playing in his room with my Mom. I tried to tell her what happened, and of course just ended up crying. And Cy came up to me and said, “Mommy, you sad?” I said “Yes, I feel sad.” He said, “I get you a KISSYOU!” And ran out of the room. He came back with one square of toilet paper, a “kissyou,” or tissue…and watched as I wiped my eyes. He then snatched it back and ran into the bathroom, where I heard him flush it down the toilet.
Later when we were on the way to pick John up at work Cy asked, “Mommy, you still sad?” And then after John was in the car he told him, “Mommy was crying at Cy’s house.”
The poor kid. He is my sweetness. And as much as he fills my heart so full that I think just sitting next to his bed and smelling his hair and listening to his breath is all I ever need to be happy forever, I want another one. Because he’d be such, such a good brother.
