oh, halo there.
Nope, not dead. Worked my ass off for most of February and first half of March. (I think I might be a bit of a workaholic, y'all.) Current events include prepping to incorporate our business (lots of loose ends to tie up), house guests and more house guests, CH is actually not dead either, but that's all I'm saying or committing to at this moment, and, oh, I'm training for a marathon. :) I've logged 7 miles in the last 4 days - would have been 8 or 9 but the never-ending-fucking-cold-ass-rain made me end today's trip early. Hoping that tomorrow's loop will bring me into the double digits. Baby steps.
Luca, where to start... almost a year and half and currently obsessed with climbing into chairs and sitting like a big boy, only not so much on the sitting part. Very nerve-wracking. Also likes to sit on his potty which we only got a week ago, so I find it rather surprising, but, hey, he's into it. (And I'm into no more diapers, one day. Patience.) Still incredibly cute and sweet if I do say so myself. :) Also, working on talking. He's been stringing these lines of sounds together that are something having to do with being a big boy (or a big boy baby, idk, there are a lot of b's) and something having to do with a lot of "yah's". Very positive, this kid. lol. And SUCH a toddler. Complete with the fake cry when he's not allowed to chew on the medicine bottle's dropper top, to being excessively happy to put a dirty diaper in the trash. He spends the majority of his time staring out the window at the cars and birds and who knows what he finds so exciting, and alternately begging to go outside. You'd think we keep him in a cage. It's RIDICULOUS - needs all caps kind of ridiculous. We went through FOUR pairs of shoes in one day thanks to the never-ending-fucking-cold-ass-rain. And the puddles. Muddy, muddy puddles are so so so much fun. I think his future involves being outside as much as possible.
Skip this if you don't want to hear about puke.
He had his most sick ever day (since being born) last month (could have been two months or more, but it was traumatic so its still fresh). After MASSIVELY puking oh me in a restaurant to where I had to gingerly take off my shirt and wear Mr. Ilke's sweatshirt out, he puked in every room of the house after we got home (in the bed twice), and finally I had what I call an "I'm really a mom now" moment, when I sat half dressed in the tub and held him while he was HYSTERICAL and still puking ungodly quantities, even from his nose. He was exhausted and it was awful. He finally passed out after a hellacious four hours. I cried.
Talking, I think is imminent. He says meow (yeeowm) for cats, grunts twice for a dog (instead of woof woof), when asked, what does a bird say, he says, "duck duck" (not sure how that got extrapolated from chirp chirp - I blame the crows). Also points at ducks and says, DUCK! Sounds like The Count from Sesame Street laughing when you ask him what a sheep says (aaH aaH aaH). And a whole bunch of other stuff I can't think of at the moment. He likes to point at us in turns and make us say, "mama" "dada" "mama" "dada" forever, but point at him and he's silent. Humph.
He laughs at anything and everything (and I suspect, often, at nothing at all, but its DAMN FUNNY). Dancing like crazy lately, The Robot Arms dance is pretty great. And the Chicken, and some strange move that reminds me of Thriller - the group marching forward part - kinda hunkered down and stomping. No idea where he got it, but I have to say, my baby definitely has rhythm. Like his Daddy. Mr. Ilke has serious moooves.
Oh and the cuddling. Holy fuck its amazing. Bedtime is the best. We co-sleep and after saying goodnight to the house (in which he waves at everything from his beloved windows to the dishwasher he lusts after, to the mysterious "upstairs" and oddly, the paintings on the walls) we get into bed with a board book. He's taken to waiting until I'm lying down, then gets in just the right position so he can lay in the curve of my shoulder. It's seriously sweet and makes my heart feel... too big, or water-logged or something.
I am a little concerned that he might be starting to have night terrors (which are, as it turns out, not like nightmares at all because he never really wakes up - just looks terrified and cries - and there is nothing that can be done but wait it out. Four out of five nights this week and one of them had me really weirded out. We'll see though, could be nothing.
Skip for more puke talk.
The other sort of concern is that he seems to have an overly sensitive gag reflex. Now, all toddlers have a sensitive gag relex - it helps keep them safe, but sometimes its too much so. When he was born, and in the nursery, they told us he had this. It was one of the reasons he had a hard time breastfeeding (or even bottle feeding) and had to be gavage fed (I'll spare you details if you don't already know). Anyway, I assumed it was something that would pass quickly. But when other babies his age were downing slices of oranges and sandwich chunks, he's spit up if a single blueberry skin hit the back of his throat. He's a pretty good eater in general, but recently the spitting up became throwing up. It's so disgusting and the clean up sucks. He doesn't seem to care too much. Seems to be ready to eat more, but if he's covered in it, he gets really upset. (Makes two of us. Three of us.) Oookay, enough of the sick talk. Sorry.
What else... he flirts with little girls. Hell, he flirts with grown women too. Likes guys, but its just different with girls. He's like... coy.
So, clearly, my life is still almost entirely consumed by Luca, as you can see. There is a lot of other stuff going on career wise and just, in our lives, but it feels like too much to talk about now. My best friend's dad was diagnosed with brain cancer (10 tumors) and given a very short amount of time to live. She also has a 1.5 year old boy and is, herself, an only child, so assuming all the care and organizing. I can't imagine how she is coping. Mr. Ilke still doesn't have a job, but with the incorporation that's really okay. I know in my heart that I need to do more around the house stuff before he breaks down (like laundry or dishes), but its so HARD. :( What the hell is wrong with me?
Of course I have photos....
Mail delivery. This was last week.
If we can't find him, its likely he's hiding in here. At least ten times a day.
I don't know what is going on here, but I like it. Luca cried like the world was ending when that girl got dropped off and made himself puke (and make Mr. Ilke a nervous wreck getting home). Alas, I wasn't there.
The parachute at book babies. TUMMY!
Same shirt three months earlier. I just love this pic.
Okay, my sincerest apologies for all the sick talk. I hope you can forgive me. I also hope you are all well. Miss you.
Thanks to emtp6811 for making me post this. :)
Luca, where to start... almost a year and half and currently obsessed with climbing into chairs and sitting like a big boy, only not so much on the sitting part. Very nerve-wracking. Also likes to sit on his potty which we only got a week ago, so I find it rather surprising, but, hey, he's into it. (And I'm into no more diapers, one day. Patience.) Still incredibly cute and sweet if I do say so myself. :) Also, working on talking. He's been stringing these lines of sounds together that are something having to do with being a big boy (or a big boy baby, idk, there are a lot of b's) and something having to do with a lot of "yah's". Very positive, this kid. lol. And SUCH a toddler. Complete with the fake cry when he's not allowed to chew on the medicine bottle's dropper top, to being excessively happy to put a dirty diaper in the trash. He spends the majority of his time staring out the window at the cars and birds and who knows what he finds so exciting, and alternately begging to go outside. You'd think we keep him in a cage. It's RIDICULOUS - needs all caps kind of ridiculous. We went through FOUR pairs of shoes in one day thanks to the never-ending-fucking-cold-ass-rain. And the puddles. Muddy, muddy puddles are so so so much fun. I think his future involves being outside as much as possible.
Skip this if you don't want to hear about puke.
He had his most sick ever day (since being born) last month (could have been two months or more, but it was traumatic so its still fresh). After MASSIVELY puking oh me in a restaurant to where I had to gingerly take off my shirt and wear Mr. Ilke's sweatshirt out, he puked in every room of the house after we got home (in the bed twice), and finally I had what I call an "I'm really a mom now" moment, when I sat half dressed in the tub and held him while he was HYSTERICAL and still puking ungodly quantities, even from his nose. He was exhausted and it was awful. He finally passed out after a hellacious four hours. I cried.
Talking, I think is imminent. He says meow (yeeowm) for cats, grunts twice for a dog (instead of woof woof), when asked, what does a bird say, he says, "duck duck" (not sure how that got extrapolated from chirp chirp - I blame the crows). Also points at ducks and says, DUCK! Sounds like The Count from Sesame Street laughing when you ask him what a sheep says (aaH aaH aaH). And a whole bunch of other stuff I can't think of at the moment. He likes to point at us in turns and make us say, "mama" "dada" "mama" "dada" forever, but point at him and he's silent. Humph.
He laughs at anything and everything (and I suspect, often, at nothing at all, but its DAMN FUNNY). Dancing like crazy lately, The Robot Arms dance is pretty great. And the Chicken, and some strange move that reminds me of Thriller - the group marching forward part - kinda hunkered down and stomping. No idea where he got it, but I have to say, my baby definitely has rhythm. Like his Daddy. Mr. Ilke has serious moooves.
Oh and the cuddling. Holy fuck its amazing. Bedtime is the best. We co-sleep and after saying goodnight to the house (in which he waves at everything from his beloved windows to the dishwasher he lusts after, to the mysterious "upstairs" and oddly, the paintings on the walls) we get into bed with a board book. He's taken to waiting until I'm lying down, then gets in just the right position so he can lay in the curve of my shoulder. It's seriously sweet and makes my heart feel... too big, or water-logged or something.
I am a little concerned that he might be starting to have night terrors (which are, as it turns out, not like nightmares at all because he never really wakes up - just looks terrified and cries - and there is nothing that can be done but wait it out. Four out of five nights this week and one of them had me really weirded out. We'll see though, could be nothing.
Skip for more puke talk.
The other sort of concern is that he seems to have an overly sensitive gag reflex. Now, all toddlers have a sensitive gag relex - it helps keep them safe, but sometimes its too much so. When he was born, and in the nursery, they told us he had this. It was one of the reasons he had a hard time breastfeeding (or even bottle feeding) and had to be gavage fed (I'll spare you details if you don't already know). Anyway, I assumed it was something that would pass quickly. But when other babies his age were downing slices of oranges and sandwich chunks, he's spit up if a single blueberry skin hit the back of his throat. He's a pretty good eater in general, but recently the spitting up became throwing up. It's so disgusting and the clean up sucks. He doesn't seem to care too much. Seems to be ready to eat more, but if he's covered in it, he gets really upset. (Makes two of us. Three of us.) Oookay, enough of the sick talk. Sorry.
What else... he flirts with little girls. Hell, he flirts with grown women too. Likes guys, but its just different with girls. He's like... coy.
So, clearly, my life is still almost entirely consumed by Luca, as you can see. There is a lot of other stuff going on career wise and just, in our lives, but it feels like too much to talk about now. My best friend's dad was diagnosed with brain cancer (10 tumors) and given a very short amount of time to live. She also has a 1.5 year old boy and is, herself, an only child, so assuming all the care and organizing. I can't imagine how she is coping. Mr. Ilke still doesn't have a job, but with the incorporation that's really okay. I know in my heart that I need to do more around the house stuff before he breaks down (like laundry or dishes), but its so HARD. :( What the hell is wrong with me?
Of course I have photos....
Mail delivery. This was last week.
If we can't find him, its likely he's hiding in here. At least ten times a day.
I don't know what is going on here, but I like it. Luca cried like the world was ending when that girl got dropped off and made himself puke (and make Mr. Ilke a nervous wreck getting home). Alas, I wasn't there.
The parachute at book babies. TUMMY!
Same shirt three months earlier. I just love this pic.
Okay, my sincerest apologies for all the sick talk. I hope you can forgive me. I also hope you are all well. Miss you.
Thanks to emtp6811 for making me post this. :)