Look Who’s Talking Too
August 30, 2008 at 10:45 am | In Toeses and Noses | 1 CommentTags: Learning to Talk, Toddler
Caity’s learned a lot of new words lately. She even uses them in the correct manner, although sometimes it seems like we’ll require a translator…
“Denk!!” That means ‘thanks!’
“Howw…!” That means ‘help’
“Mavvy, gedt downn” – She’s telling the cat to move
“Down!” That means ‘up’.
“Down!” That means ‘down’ too.
“Bubbie!!” Means ‘Bottle’.
“Bubbie!!” While pointing means anything that’s currently in the microwave being heated up.
“Cookie!!” Means ‘Cookie’.
“Cookie!!” Means any pre-meal snack.
“Noooo…” While nodding means ‘yes’.
“Nooo!” While screaming and repeating ad nauseum, means ‘I want that NOW!’
“Mommy!!!!” Means me.
“Mommy!!!!” Means Daddy
“Mommy!!!!” Means Grandma
“Mommy!!!!” Means, well, anyone she’s really fond of.
“Shoe!!” Self explanatory.
“Sha-we” means George, her beloved stuffed monkey that Uncle Jeff gave to her.
“Neena” – means ‘Beana’ a.k.a. her Auntie Sabrina
“No-nee” – means her Auntie Courtney
“Leck-hee” is her big sister, Lexy
“Sawwwnn” is any male who is not her Daddy. Originally I thought it meant her Uncle Sean, but she uses it for her Uncle Robbie too.
“Nigh-Nigh” is for bed time
“LA-Oooh” is the best one of all. It means ‘love you’.
If You Go Out Into The Woods Alone…
August 30, 2008 at 8:57 am | In All Things Doodle, Toeses and Noses | 1 CommentTags: Aging, Allergies, Grandkids, Grandparents, Mosquito Bites
I took the girls and my brother to my Parents’ house yesterday for a visit. It was cloudy and threatened to rain, but it was still a nice day. My Parents enjoy the kids so much and the girls adore them. We had a nice, albeit extremely early dinner (my Mom thinks that 3:00 is a perfectly acceptable dinner hour). After dinner, my brother and I took the girls for a walk on my parents’ property. They have about three acres near Peterborough and it’s beautiful. The house is on the top of a hill and the forest is down in the valley. They have a garden where they grow vegetables for their table and are so delicious. I’ve noticed that the more aged my parents become, the smaller their vegetable garden becomes. When they first moved to this house in 1989, my parents were in their mid-sixties. The plot of land they had for their vegetables alone measured 100′ x 50′ – the vegetable garden was bigger than the entire property they had when they lived in Scarborough! Sadly I noticed yesterday that the garden has shrunk to about a 20′ square plot. My Parents are in their mid-eighties now and it’s getting very difficult for them to properly take care of this enormous backyard.
Tractor Girl Lexy
My brother moved out to Durham exactly a year ago yesterday. He lives a mere 10 minute walk (if I have the kids in tow) away. It’s been great having him so close by even though I don’t see him as much as I should. It’s been hard with two kids and an increasingly demanding job just to keep up with stuff at home, never mind visiting others. Rob’s been out of work since he moved. He quit his job of 21 years and downsized his house. For the first six months it wasn’t bad but I think he’s feeling the pinch now. Since he’s been off, Rob’s been going to our Parents’ house every long weekend and sometimes in between. He helps my parents deal with the grass, the trees and the garden. I don’t know what they’d do without him. As much as I know they love it up there I think they need to move to a smaller place. They need to find a retirement place that they are better able to handle.
My Mom has Osteoarthritis in her hip and sometimes can’t walk. She has Diabetes and survived Breast Cancer and Hitler’s Germany.
My Dad has a Retina detatching in one of his eyes and despite many treatments, the doctors don’t think there’s anything further they can do. Sometime in the not so distant future he’ll be blind in that eye. He’s been a menace on the road for years and I wish he wouldn’t drive, but because they don’t live in town, they need to drive everywhere.
My Mom has remarked on how their phone is so quiet these days. Most of their friends have either died or moved away. I think they are getting lonely.
But oh, they love the kids. My Dad is so good with Caity. He has this calmness in his voice that just draws her towards him when she’s scared of everything else. He is their Poppy. As good a Father my Dad always has been, he’s a better Grandfather. He has the patience of Job with Lexy. She climbs all over him and begs him to go downstairs and play with her. If only we could bottle their energy.
Anyway, so after dinner last night, Rob and I took the girls for a walk down the hill. We started to go in the wooded area, but the mosquitoes were dive-bombing us like the buffet just arrived. We high-tailed it out of the woods and carried on at the bottom of the hills. I caught three frogs and showed them to the girls. Lexy screamed and Caity laughed. Caity lost her shoe about 5 times. We’d be walking along, my brother and I each holding one of Caity’s hands and Rob would look down and see a bare foot, just walking in the wet grass. “Um, Mommy? I think Caity lost her shoe”. Caity would proclaim “Toe-Toe!” and keep walking.
We didn’t realize it, but Lexy got bit by a few mosquitoes. She got one on her eyelid and after sleeping on it, she woke up this morning looking as though someone decked her. Her right eye is swollen shut and pretty red and purple. She said it doesn’t hurt, which I guess is a good thing. I gave her some Benedryl and put a cold cloth on it. It’s opened up somewhat but still looks nasty. I hope the swelling goes down by the time School starts on Friday. They take the Kindergarten Kids’ pictures the first day, and right now she looks like a beaten child.
Lexy we’ve discovered is allergic to bug bites. I’m going to have to get her tested soon. I hope she’s not allergic to bees or other type of stings which need an epi-pen. Last year she had a mosiquito bite on her arm and it was so red and swollen I thought she had ring worm. I think next time I’ll hose her down with Deet first and encase her in a bee-keeper’s outfit.
At least she had fun at Nanny’s and Poppy’s.
End of Summer?
August 24, 2008 at 10:49 am | In All Things Doodle, Caityisms, Sisters | Leave a CommentToday was our last swimming lessons day. Except for the first class, Caity screamed the entire time. She loved the water a lot, but when we asked her to do something, forget it. Poking her in the eye would have elicited less noise. Somehow though, Caity successfully passed her Duck course!
Lexy on the other had remains a Salamander. She needs to work on the items on the list. Next summer, I’ll re-enroll her. I think part of the problem is that I was busy with Caity and wasn’t there to get Lexy to pay attention. If she would stop fooling around, she might have passed.
Well, better to redo a class then to pass her if she’s not ready.
I hope she applies herself better in school. Lexy’s so looking forward to school. She wants to see her friends and her teacher again. She starts Senior Kindergarten in September. My little girl is so big now … sheesh that reminds me, I have to go shopping and buy her some running shoes for school, some indoor shoes. I have to take her with me because I don’t know what size her feet are anymore. Last time I bought her sandals they were a size 12. She outgrew her school shoes in the last school year by the end of May. I looked at the growth marks I have on my kitchen wall today and I noticed that since last September when school started, Lexy’s grown two inches …
Where did the time go?
Stubborn
August 22, 2008 at 7:30 pm | In Caityisms | Leave a CommentMe: “Caity, say ‘up’.”
Caity: “Downnnn!”
Me: “No, I said ‘up’.”
Caity: louder, “DOwwwnnNN!”
Me: “No, Caity. Say ‘up’!”
Caity: louder still. “DOOWWWNNN!!!”
*sigh*
Caity: “Hiiiiiiiii!!! Mavvy!!”
Me: “Caity, that’s Charlie.”
Caity: “Mavvy”
Me: “I said, Charlie, not Mavvy”
Caity: “MAAVVVYYYY!!!!”
*sigh*
Trauma-Drama
August 20, 2008 at 10:11 pm | In Caityisms | Leave a CommentTags: 18 month check up, doctor's visits, shots, Toddler
Caity had her 18-month shots today. One shot in each arm. Poor little thing, I felt so bad. I dropped Lexy off at daycare this morning and because of the Doctor’s appointment, we all got to sleep in a bit – it was heaven – I can’t wait for the school year where I’ll get to sleep in 2-3 times per week again! Anyway, I let Lex out of the car and took Caity’s bag up to the house and dropped Lexy off. By the time I got back to the car, Caity had gone ballistic. Mom-mom was no where in sight, Lexy had left the car, it looked like we were at Terri’s but she’s still stuck in the car and she’s all alone and it’s a big scary world, and, and, and …
I open her door and stroked her hair and told her it’s OK, I’m here. I handed her the little brown dog toy, Chestnut, that Lexy lets Caity hold when she’s upset while in the car. Caity smiled through her tears, grabbed Chestnut and held him tight.
As I’m driving away, Caity looks a little confused. She can’t figure out why we’re driving so fast (we’re now on the 401, instead of side streets) and why we left her beloved Terri’s. When I drive the car with the kids in the back, I put my rear-view mirror on “night” vision. You know, when you tilt the little do-thingy that’s underneath the mirror so the headlights don’t blind you at night? I found that if it’s on night mode, I can see the girls clearly and can keep an eye on them especially when Caity starts squeaking about something. So this morning I put the mirror on night mode and I couldn’t help but look at my baby, sitting in the back, clutching this toy.
She looked so vulnerable. So innocent and sweet. Her gorgeous blonde hair, skimming her face, the curls peaking at her neck. Those beautiful blue eyes, surrounded by long thick lashes, gazing at the other vehicles. Her “pet dog” providing her temendous comfort. She at once looked so lost in this big world and at the same time, so full of wonder. Her little hand holding tight to this inanimate object, Chestnut. She was calm. She was at peace.
Why can’t adults ever reach that state?
I can’t describe the emotions I was feeling at that point. I am so full of love for my children that sometimes just looking at the sweet things they do makes me cry. I know it’s silly, but I do.
Maybe that’s the look she was conveying in its most absolute purity – it was sweetness.
I really hope she never outgrows that wonderful quality. With Cait being Cait, nothing phases her for long. She’s an Aquarian. She has a great heart, a wonderful capacity for love. She adorns me with baby kisses that I simply can’t get enough of. This morning before I got out of bed, I could hear her in her crib, making kissy sounds. “Mmmmwwwwaaa”. “Mmmmwwwwaaa”. “Mmmmwwwwaaa”. I imagine she was probably kissing George or Purple Puppy (her crib-mates), but I thought, wow, you’re very kissy this morning and wished I was the object of her affection…
We got to the Doctor’s and after some intial squeaking, Caity decided to walk all the way to the office. She would have preferred that I carry her, but 30 pounds of able-bodied toddler is a lot, especially across a parking lot and up the ever-lasting staircase. She played nicely in the waiting room and even when we went into the “baby” room to wait for the doctor. She wanted none of the scales and even when I tried to show her what to do – forget it. I had to weigh myself and her and then subtract my weight. Note to self: Lose about 2 stone …
When the Doctor finally came in, he asked some questions about her general health and what “tricks” she was doing. That’s his way of assessing if she’s progressing normally for her age. Caity’s very tall. She’s almost as tall as Lexy was when she was already two years old! And she weighs more than Lexy did at two as well. When the Doctor tried to listen to her chest, Cait started to squeak. She objected more strenuously when he tried to listen to her from the back of her chest. She screamed when he tried to look in her ears.
And then he got the shots ready and I tried to distract her with “ooh look, Big Bird and Elmo!”. The Doctor snuck up on her and gave her a shot. She screamed. Then another shot. She screamed louder. My poor little thing. She looked rather accusingly at me, sort of a combination of “how could you let him do this to me” and “make this stop hurting!” Poor baby …
Then when we got to Terri’s and I handed her over, she starts crying again and babbling at the same time. I think she was trying to tell Terri all her sorrows and her terrible experience earlier that morning, and how mean her Mommy was and what that bad Doctor did to her and. And. And.
*sigh* my little Drama Queen.
Tonight when I took her upstairs for bed, I said to Caity, “say goodnight to Daddy”. She paused, put her head on my shoulder, waved at Alex and said “Nigh Nigh Dadda”.
How could you want anything more?
Yes I’m Talking to You
August 16, 2008 at 10:25 am | In Caityisms, Daddy-O | Leave a CommentA few minutes ago, while playing…
Caity: “Dada?!”
him: “Yes?”
Caity: “Dada?!”
him: “Yes?”
Caity: “Dada?!”
him: “Yes?”
Caity: “Hi…”
Massive giggles ensue …. my kid’s a comedian …
Can’t Talk… Eating
August 16, 2008 at 9:56 am | In Caityisms, Toeses and Noses | Leave a CommentTags: babies, Bottle-feeding, Feeding, Quirks, Social Graces, toddlers
Ever since Caity was born, she required total silence when she ate. No one must talk, move, or look at her while she eats – especially when she was having a bottle. It was almost as if she needed total concentration to eat. It was pretty funny. She also wouldn’t let anyone feed her except me which got pretty annoying after a while. Even her Dad, whom she saw all the time and loved when he’d hold her and play with her, wasn’t allowed to feed her. She’d scream. And scream. And scream.
It was a lot of fun if we were out and it was time for a feeding. Cait would scream for food but wouldn’t take any of it because there was too much ambient noise. How dare other people speak? Didn’t they know it was time for a bubby? Sheesh. We went to the Toronto Zoo when Caity was three months old. We were there all day and she only drank two ounces because it was too noisy. That was a lot of fun. When we got home, she ate – boy did she. I think she downed that bottle faster than a College student chugs a beer.
Sometimes I’d be out with Grandma a the mall or just over at her house. We had to stop our conversation because her Highness didn’t approve. Any time we’d start talking Caity’d start grumping. Her grumping would get louder and louder and if we didn’t get the hint the first twelve times, she’d start screaming.
I admit, sometimes I’d talk just to annoy her and risk the wrath of Cait. She’s better now, thankfully. I was a bit worried when she started daycare because if she would only take a bottle from me, in absolute silence, how was she going to take a bottle from Terri in the chaos that’s the daycare?
Luckily for the most part she’s gotten over her little quirk. Now she only grumps at us if she’s eating her cereal after she just woke up. Grandma’s come over to drop off or pick up Lexy and tried to say hi to Cait while she’s in her highchair, eating. “Hi Cai…” she’d start. “NOOOOO!!!” Cait would finish.
*sigh* I hope my daughter learns some social graces when she gets older or she’ll have a hard time on dates …
Now Where Did Those Ark Blueprints Go?
August 11, 2008 at 9:02 pm | In All Things Doodle, Miscellaneous Crap | Leave a CommentTags: Ark, Centre Island, Centreville, climatologist, rain, Toronto Island
Guess what? It’s raining. Again. At the beginning of the year the weather climatologists predicted this would be a very hot, dry summer. So far in Toronto, it’s been the wettest summer in 70 years. So far this year we’ve had 1.16 feet of rain. It’s more impressive if you say it in millimetres – all 354.2 of them.
We went to Centre Island on Saturday to my company’s picnic. It rained on the ride down there. It rained when we got there. It got sunny for two minutes. It rained when we ate lunch. Then the thunder started, the skies grew black and the heavens opened up. We high-tailed it to the ferry and got soaked on the way. We dried off a bit on the ferry ride to the mainland, but then we had to walk to the car.
Here’s a hint. If you go to the Toronto Island, bring an umbrella.
It’s a good thing we didn’t bring Caity because she probably would have drowned. We stepped in puddles up to our ankles (Lexy’s calves). It’s the wettest I’ve ever been with clothes on. We didn’t get to go to Centreville because of the rain, but on the bright side we have a children’s all day pass for another day that’s good until the end of September. Maybe next time we’ll bring Grandma… and an umbrella!
Click Here
August 7, 2008 at 9:35 pm | In Toeses and Noses | Leave a CommentTags: Air Miles, Contests
The Unnamed Post
August 7, 2008 at 1:51 pm | In All Things Doodle, Miscellaneous Crap | Leave a CommentTags: men are pigs
Yesterday was a sad, stressful day.
It started out with the United Way Campaign at my work. At the launch yesterday, we had speakers from the UW share stories of hardship and triumph, and the speeches were followed by their 5 minute DVD.
I hate those DVDs.
When we first started with the UW Campaigns, I was about 4 months pregnant with Caity. I had to leave the room when they showed the movie because I was bawling. I blamed it on the hormones. I was an effective fundraiser though – because of the hormones again – instead of asking if an employee would make a donation, I simply asked them how much they were giving. Hey, it worked. No one was messing with the pregnoid.
This year during the movie, I started to tear up again. I’m sure that’s the effect they were looking for, the more upset you are, the more you’ll probably give. I guess it worked, they’re getting my donation. I’m still not crazy about the UW, but what the heck. I hear conflicting stories about how much of each dollar goes to administration and I don’t know what to believe. I would still rather give my money directly to the charity I want than route it through the UW.
Then on the way home from the sitter yesterday, I got to break my daughter’s heart. I’ve never heard her cry like that before. Lexy asked where her Grandpa was. It’s a long story, but to summarize, he’s not living with Grandma anymore. He made his choice, now he can live with the damage he’s done. My poor girl asked me where he was and I said he wasn’t living with Grandma anymore. She started sobbing as she tried to understand what I was saying. Grandpa has been gone since April and we’ve been avoiding telling Lexy because frankly, a five year old doesn’t need to know the gritty details. Any time she would go visit Grandma and ask about him, we just told her he was out or over at a friend’s house.
They used to be the best of friends. Lexy worshipped him. They would spend so much time with each other and then he dropped her like a hot potato. Actually he dropped everyone. He didn’t care who he hurt and there are several victims here. I don’t understand how someone could be so selfish to rip a child’s heart out like that.
Lexy was inconsolable. She sobbed “but Mommy, I love him.” It’s got me crying just writing this post. She said “Wasn’t Grandma sad?” I told her that yes, Grandma was sad at first but she’s feeling better now. “Will I ever see Grandpa again?” she asked me through her racking sobs. I told her that maybe someday she would. “But Mommy, I want to give him a picture, I love him”. At this point, I’m crying too and because Caity was in the car with us, she got scared by Lexy’s reaction and she started crying too.
I told her that even though Grandpa was gone, the rest of us, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, her Aunties and Uncles all loved her very, very much. At the end of the drive she calmed down a bit. I told her that if she want to, we could talk some more when we got in the house. I hope she doesn’t think that just because Grandpa left, that her Mom or Dad would leave her some day too. She’s at that age where apparently kids learn about death and abandonment and it worries them.
Lexy’s reaction in the car was as if Grandpa died.
I don’t want to go through something like that again.
If he ever reads this (I doubt that he will), I hope he knows what he did to his little Doodle. The rest of us will survive because we are adults, but maybe someday he can tell her why he thought she wasn’t worth it to have in his life.
The bastard.
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