We got the keys to our new house!!! How exciting. Now the only problem is that our furniture is still in storage and they say they (whoever "they" are) can't get it to us until early next week. WHAT?!?!?! I want to live in the house, with my furniture, my own things. Sheesh. We walked through the house with the owner, her agent and our agent. It smells of fresh paint and freshly washed carpets. We're quite excited to move in. (understatement)
The boys were like caged animals let loose. They ran around the house, so happy that they had all this open space. They especially loved the basement where they could race from one end to the other. We could hear that Stellan was quite upset. Poor little guy, his shorts would slowly inch down during his cross-basement races. By the finish line they were practically around his ankles. Poor child, his mommy is too cheap to buy him new clothes. He needs to wear his stockier brother's clothes even though they are somewhat too big. Clothes-sharing is a a huge advantage of having boys 13 months apart, why would I buy a whole new wardrobe simply because Stellan is considerably smaller than Jameson was at the same age?!
The boys had a ton of fun playing on the area rug in the family room. Jameson pretended it was a basketball court. He would dribble his imaginary ball and then shoot and score. It was quite cute to watch. At one point Jameson came running from the dining room into the family room (hard to visualize if you've never seen the house) and clotheslined his brother. Out of nowhere he put his arm up and caught Stellan under the chin and knocked him to the ground. James and I happened to see the whole thing. It was quite upsetting. Stellan was very taken aback and was now on the floor bawling. James and I took care of the situation and quickly ushered the boys outside (afterall, we don't need the landlady to think the boys are going to destroy her house). I'm hoping the boys will settle down once the house is filled with furniture and they see all of their own things. Keep your fingers crossed.
Now, we're just waiting on the furniture. How frustrating?!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Oh no, not again
It was bound to happen. We had a couple of good days together but the boys completely lost it again today. They were off the wall.
I didn't drive James to work today because I knew he would be coming to pick me up to run some errands (banking, etc) later in the morning. We still needed to get out of the room so we headed over to the basketball court. This sounds easy enough but Stellan is such a pokey walker. He stops and examines things along the way. We finally got to front desk where Jameson immediately walks to the side where there is a lower window. He politely (I make sure he uses please and thank you) asks for a tennis ball and a basketball. He decides to take the tennis ball and let Stellan struggle with the basketball. Stellan always wants to please Jameson so he gladly does as he asks. It's entertaining to see but I know that Jameson is well aware of the fact that Stellan is his little puppet. He knows how to manipulate him and often does it, just for kicks.
We got to the basketball court and Jameson started tossing the tennis ball into the net. No lie, he can make it in. I'm impressed. Stellan started complaining because he didn't have a ball. Uh, duh, that was my oversight. It's typically James who takes them so I forgot to bring our ball. So the three of us headed back to the room to get the ball. What should have been a five minute round trip easily took 10 minutes thanks to pokey. It doens't help that Jameson insists on being doorman so he always has to unlock the door. Stellan started feeling left out so he insisted on opening the door leading to our hallway. It's all about independence and competition.
We got back to the court and Jameson gladly resumed his game of basket/tennisball. Stellan, not athletic by nature, decided that he wanted to play the ever popular game of throwing the ball in the bush and then finding it. Woo hoo! He was quite entertained but I didn't like the idea of him rifling through the bushes. Now we started throwing the tennis ball to (not at) each other across the tennis net. I always tried to throw the ball so that it would hit just in front of Jameson and then bounce, giving him a chance to catch it. Well, I misjudged my throw and hit him right in the lower lip. Oops. (I honestly think someone is going to call child protective services on me. I can legitimately explain every single bruise on their bodies. Afterall, spend an afternoon with us and you'd see why they look abused, they are constantly throwing themselves down and running into things.) Well, this caused quite a loud screaming session (completely justified for once). Thankfully the courts are at the back of the hotel so only the cleaning crew could hear the commotion. Well, sad to say, Jameson now has a purple lip. It looks like he sucked on a marker (I only know this because he has actually done that in the past) and it left a slight stain. Poor guy.
Well, shortly thereafter, I decided it was time to head back since I was expecting James to come at any time. We went back to the clubhouse to return the balls. On the way Jameson remembered that he forgot his sunglasses at the courts. After dropping off the balls we headed back to the court. We then proceeded to the room only to find that our key didn't work. We headed back to the club house to get it reprogrammed. Back to the room. Key still didn't work. Back to the clubhouse. New key. Back to the room. It worked. Keep in mind that Pokey was with us slowing us down and even insisted on being carried (I was carrying a ball, sunglasses and a cup of coffee at the same time; no easy feat).
When we get into the room I had the boys sit down for, what I thought, would be a nice little snack. Well, it never quite turns out as planned. Stellan decided to squish the pear in his hand, sending pear bits all over the table. Jameson's laughter only made Stellan want to do it more. Then the peanut gallery (Jameson) encouraged Stellan to put his fish crackers in his apple juice. How entertaining..... I really don't love snack time, it always ends up being play time and a big mess results.
James finally picked us up (long story, much frustration with SS offices) and we headed out to the bank. This is one place we can actually get something done without having a SSN. Since we both needed to be there for our account, it meant having to bring the boys in. We always anticipate that this won't be fun but I was dreading this today in particular; the boys were especially antsy. We brought them into the glorified cubicle with our new banker friend (such a good friend I can't even remember his name). Everyone is initially charmed by the boys and says how cute they are. And then they quickly change their opinions. At one point Jameson was screaming so loudly (brought on by me asking him to stop crawling under the desk) that the entire bank heard his ear piercing screams (I'm not kidding). Another banker rushed in with a handful of suckers. Good timing. My schizo son was quickly placated and once again seemed sweet and charming. We got the account set up and I was quite relieved to head out and back to the van. We dropped James off at work and headed back to the hotel for lunch. Quick lunch, naps and I got to rest. ahhhhh
After naps we watched a video and then headed to James' work to pick him up. I wanted to take the boys to the park but there wasn't enough time. Stellan was quite put out by this and didn't understand why he couldn't swing. I decided to go into James' work to see the new office, a surprise to James. What a maze of cubicles! Jameson and Stellan love visiting Daddy at work so this was quite the adventure for them. The only problem is that Jameson is quite a tactile learner and insists on touching EVERYTHING in sight. The scotch tape seemed particularly engaging. Jameson taped his own mouth shut and then helped his brother with the same task. What a great first impression our troop must make. :) I met a few of James' co-workers and we were able to get everyone back to the van without any major incidents.
We headed out to the mall in our endless pursuit of a sectional sofa. The boys were given strict instructions how to behave and that walking with mommy and daddy is the only option. Once again Jameson insisted on touching everything he passed. He would then proclaim, "I like them mommy". Big problems when he gets his own credit card! Much to our dismay there was no furniture at this branch so it was a wasted trip. We headed back out, on our way to dinner. Jameson didn't want to follow the "walk with mommy and daddy" rule so he decided to try his luck and run/skip/jump/trytogetaway. Sheesh, these trips can be stressful. Can't wait until the stroller is taken off the truck so we can once again strap them in have some semblance of order and control. Quick dinner at the hotel and then off to the house.
I'll save that for the next blog, this one is already lengthy.
I didn't drive James to work today because I knew he would be coming to pick me up to run some errands (banking, etc) later in the morning. We still needed to get out of the room so we headed over to the basketball court. This sounds easy enough but Stellan is such a pokey walker. He stops and examines things along the way. We finally got to front desk where Jameson immediately walks to the side where there is a lower window. He politely (I make sure he uses please and thank you) asks for a tennis ball and a basketball. He decides to take the tennis ball and let Stellan struggle with the basketball. Stellan always wants to please Jameson so he gladly does as he asks. It's entertaining to see but I know that Jameson is well aware of the fact that Stellan is his little puppet. He knows how to manipulate him and often does it, just for kicks.
We got to the basketball court and Jameson started tossing the tennis ball into the net. No lie, he can make it in. I'm impressed. Stellan started complaining because he didn't have a ball. Uh, duh, that was my oversight. It's typically James who takes them so I forgot to bring our ball. So the three of us headed back to the room to get the ball. What should have been a five minute round trip easily took 10 minutes thanks to pokey. It doens't help that Jameson insists on being doorman so he always has to unlock the door. Stellan started feeling left out so he insisted on opening the door leading to our hallway. It's all about independence and competition.
We got back to the court and Jameson gladly resumed his game of basket/tennisball. Stellan, not athletic by nature, decided that he wanted to play the ever popular game of throwing the ball in the bush and then finding it. Woo hoo! He was quite entertained but I didn't like the idea of him rifling through the bushes. Now we started throwing the tennis ball to (not at) each other across the tennis net. I always tried to throw the ball so that it would hit just in front of Jameson and then bounce, giving him a chance to catch it. Well, I misjudged my throw and hit him right in the lower lip. Oops. (I honestly think someone is going to call child protective services on me. I can legitimately explain every single bruise on their bodies. Afterall, spend an afternoon with us and you'd see why they look abused, they are constantly throwing themselves down and running into things.) Well, this caused quite a loud screaming session (completely justified for once). Thankfully the courts are at the back of the hotel so only the cleaning crew could hear the commotion. Well, sad to say, Jameson now has a purple lip. It looks like he sucked on a marker (I only know this because he has actually done that in the past) and it left a slight stain. Poor guy.
Well, shortly thereafter, I decided it was time to head back since I was expecting James to come at any time. We went back to the clubhouse to return the balls. On the way Jameson remembered that he forgot his sunglasses at the courts. After dropping off the balls we headed back to the court. We then proceeded to the room only to find that our key didn't work. We headed back to the club house to get it reprogrammed. Back to the room. Key still didn't work. Back to the clubhouse. New key. Back to the room. It worked. Keep in mind that Pokey was with us slowing us down and even insisted on being carried (I was carrying a ball, sunglasses and a cup of coffee at the same time; no easy feat).
When we get into the room I had the boys sit down for, what I thought, would be a nice little snack. Well, it never quite turns out as planned. Stellan decided to squish the pear in his hand, sending pear bits all over the table. Jameson's laughter only made Stellan want to do it more. Then the peanut gallery (Jameson) encouraged Stellan to put his fish crackers in his apple juice. How entertaining..... I really don't love snack time, it always ends up being play time and a big mess results.
James finally picked us up (long story, much frustration with SS offices) and we headed out to the bank. This is one place we can actually get something done without having a SSN. Since we both needed to be there for our account, it meant having to bring the boys in. We always anticipate that this won't be fun but I was dreading this today in particular; the boys were especially antsy. We brought them into the glorified cubicle with our new banker friend (such a good friend I can't even remember his name). Everyone is initially charmed by the boys and says how cute they are. And then they quickly change their opinions. At one point Jameson was screaming so loudly (brought on by me asking him to stop crawling under the desk) that the entire bank heard his ear piercing screams (I'm not kidding). Another banker rushed in with a handful of suckers. Good timing. My schizo son was quickly placated and once again seemed sweet and charming. We got the account set up and I was quite relieved to head out and back to the van. We dropped James off at work and headed back to the hotel for lunch. Quick lunch, naps and I got to rest. ahhhhh
After naps we watched a video and then headed to James' work to pick him up. I wanted to take the boys to the park but there wasn't enough time. Stellan was quite put out by this and didn't understand why he couldn't swing. I decided to go into James' work to see the new office, a surprise to James. What a maze of cubicles! Jameson and Stellan love visiting Daddy at work so this was quite the adventure for them. The only problem is that Jameson is quite a tactile learner and insists on touching EVERYTHING in sight. The scotch tape seemed particularly engaging. Jameson taped his own mouth shut and then helped his brother with the same task. What a great first impression our troop must make. :) I met a few of James' co-workers and we were able to get everyone back to the van without any major incidents.
We headed out to the mall in our endless pursuit of a sectional sofa. The boys were given strict instructions how to behave and that walking with mommy and daddy is the only option. Once again Jameson insisted on touching everything he passed. He would then proclaim, "I like them mommy". Big problems when he gets his own credit card! Much to our dismay there was no furniture at this branch so it was a wasted trip. We headed back out, on our way to dinner. Jameson didn't want to follow the "walk with mommy and daddy" rule so he decided to try his luck and run/skip/jump/trytogetaway. Sheesh, these trips can be stressful. Can't wait until the stroller is taken off the truck so we can once again strap them in have some semblance of order and control. Quick dinner at the hotel and then off to the house.
I'll save that for the next blog, this one is already lengthy.
Finally, a really good day....
OK, I'm a day late but yesterday was a really good day.
We dropped James off at work and then headed out to the park on Lover's Lane in Princeton. We met Trina and Jeremy and headed over to the sandbox. This park is so amazing. There is this HUGE sandbox that is the centre of attraction. It is the biggest sandbox (short of a beach itself) that I have ever seen. The kids started playing immediately and had a blast. They would take a break and head to the swings then they'd go back and play in the sand. Trina and I had a great chance to talk and get to know each other a bit better. I'm really glad that I've met such a wonderful person and I've only been here a week. We also met several other moms and their kids. It is definitely a great place to meet other people.
We headed back to the hotel. I always think it's OK until we actually spend a bit of time there, then I hate the place all over again. Can't wait for our house......
The boys had lunch, took a nap and then we headed out to yet another park. They had a ton of fun, and were able to burn off a lot of pent up energy. Next we headed out to a class that I signed the boys up for on Wednesday evenings. Looks as if they are going to enjoy being with other kids their own ages.
At dinner time we got another call from the lady downstairs. She complained that she was trying to rest and she could hear the boys running around. Uh, yeah, that's just the way they walk. Get over it or get another room. James was sympathetic with her and tried to keep the boys from running. Hmmm....impossible task? Try to stop the running of the bulls, what happens then? Nice try but not going to happen.
At bed time Jameson was settling into bed and ended up bonking his head off my front tooth. He started screaming so loudly. I'm sure the lady downstairs really appreciated the ruckus during her rest. He had an immediate goose egg and my tooth still hurts. Poor kid. :(
I headed out funiture shopping once again once the kids were in bed. What a tiresome activity. Can't wait until we're all settled in. Have to pick out a mattress soon though, James and I have no where to sleep once we move in....
We dropped James off at work and then headed out to the park on Lover's Lane in Princeton. We met Trina and Jeremy and headed over to the sandbox. This park is so amazing. There is this HUGE sandbox that is the centre of attraction. It is the biggest sandbox (short of a beach itself) that I have ever seen. The kids started playing immediately and had a blast. They would take a break and head to the swings then they'd go back and play in the sand. Trina and I had a great chance to talk and get to know each other a bit better. I'm really glad that I've met such a wonderful person and I've only been here a week. We also met several other moms and their kids. It is definitely a great place to meet other people.
We headed back to the hotel. I always think it's OK until we actually spend a bit of time there, then I hate the place all over again. Can't wait for our house......
The boys had lunch, took a nap and then we headed out to yet another park. They had a ton of fun, and were able to burn off a lot of pent up energy. Next we headed out to a class that I signed the boys up for on Wednesday evenings. Looks as if they are going to enjoy being with other kids their own ages.
At dinner time we got another call from the lady downstairs. She complained that she was trying to rest and she could hear the boys running around. Uh, yeah, that's just the way they walk. Get over it or get another room. James was sympathetic with her and tried to keep the boys from running. Hmmm....impossible task? Try to stop the running of the bulls, what happens then? Nice try but not going to happen.
At bed time Jameson was settling into bed and ended up bonking his head off my front tooth. He started screaming so loudly. I'm sure the lady downstairs really appreciated the ruckus during her rest. He had an immediate goose egg and my tooth still hurts. Poor kid. :(
I headed out funiture shopping once again once the kids were in bed. What a tiresome activity. Can't wait until we're all settled in. Have to pick out a mattress soon though, James and I have no where to sleep once we move in....
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Diapers, please.
Who would have thought that I would actually wish that my three year old was back in diapers. Go figure!
We were out and about getting acquainted with our new area once again this afternoon. I had a map with me this time, just not very detailed. Had to fill in many blanks and guess more than once. I was driving down a road (I have no idea which one) when I heard, "Mommy, I have to pee". That usually means I still have some time before it's an emergency.
"OK Jameson, we'll go pee when we pick daddy up from work."
"Mommy, hurry up, I NEED to pee!!"
"Sweetie, I told you we will go when we get to daddy's work. Can you wait?"
"OK. Mommy, I need to poo."
This sent waves of panic right through me. This normally wouldn't be such a problem except for the fact that he had, shall we say, the "runs" earlier in the day. Adults can barely control that urge let alone a three year old, newly potty trained boy. I panicked. Here I am in the middle of no where. I'm lost, well, misplaced, and have no idea where a public washroom might be located. Thoughts of having my son squat at the side of the road danced through my head. A right here, a left there and all of a sudden I spotted it; a Dunkin Donuts. (The American equivalent to Tim Hortons.) I made a sharp turn into the parking lot and hastily parked the car. I quickly put on Jameson's crocs (he always insists on taking them off in the car. Contrary to popular belief, you feet can stink in a pair of crocs. Unbelievable but true, three year old feet can stink enough to fill up a mini van with their stench. But that's another story....). We dashed into the DD and headed toward the washroom.
Now, before proceeding, let me remind you that I hate/despise/avoidatallcosts public washrooms.
When we opened the door Jameson freaked out because he's afraid of public toilets. A totally different fear than mine (germs), he's afraid that they're too loud. (He was traumatized by the toilet at Chapter's in Devonshire.) I quickly lined the seat with toilet paper and promised not to flush until he left the room. With much hesitation he hoisted himself onto the seat and did the deed. (I promised myself that he would die even though he touched the seat with his hands at one point.)
Another freak out moment when Jameson thought I was going to flush. We quickly washed his hands and I opened the door with stern warning to wait while I flushed the toilet. After flushing and then washing my own hands, I went out to find that he had wandered toward the door. Little stinker, sure knows how to cause slight panic in his mother.
All was said and done and we were all safe and relieved. We headed back into the van and continued our search for James' work. (A glance at the NJ map told me roughly where to go. I made it with no further problems.)
Once we got to work Stellan was saying he was wet. That was an understatement. I must not have realized how much he had to drink today because he successfully filled a diaper to overflowing. His shorts were drenched along with his recently washed car seat. (That was during our last trip to NJ when he puked in the van, all over the car seat.) I changed his diaper in the back of the van but ended up reneging on a visit to see Daddy in the office. I figured I couldn't present our family to James' new co-workers with a child who wasn't wearing any shorts.
We made it home, had a relatively uneventful dinner (are any dinners uneventful when you have a 2 year old and a 3 year old?!?!), James played basketball with the boys while I did the grocery shopping, and then they went to bed. All in all, a much better day than yesterday. Here's hoping to continue the trend and have an even better day tomorrow.
We were out and about getting acquainted with our new area once again this afternoon. I had a map with me this time, just not very detailed. Had to fill in many blanks and guess more than once. I was driving down a road (I have no idea which one) when I heard, "Mommy, I have to pee". That usually means I still have some time before it's an emergency.
"OK Jameson, we'll go pee when we pick daddy up from work."
"Mommy, hurry up, I NEED to pee!!"
"Sweetie, I told you we will go when we get to daddy's work. Can you wait?"
"OK. Mommy, I need to poo."
This sent waves of panic right through me. This normally wouldn't be such a problem except for the fact that he had, shall we say, the "runs" earlier in the day. Adults can barely control that urge let alone a three year old, newly potty trained boy. I panicked. Here I am in the middle of no where. I'm lost, well, misplaced, and have no idea where a public washroom might be located. Thoughts of having my son squat at the side of the road danced through my head. A right here, a left there and all of a sudden I spotted it; a Dunkin Donuts. (The American equivalent to Tim Hortons.) I made a sharp turn into the parking lot and hastily parked the car. I quickly put on Jameson's crocs (he always insists on taking them off in the car. Contrary to popular belief, you feet can stink in a pair of crocs. Unbelievable but true, three year old feet can stink enough to fill up a mini van with their stench. But that's another story....). We dashed into the DD and headed toward the washroom.
Now, before proceeding, let me remind you that I hate/despise/avoidatallcosts public washrooms.
When we opened the door Jameson freaked out because he's afraid of public toilets. A totally different fear than mine (germs), he's afraid that they're too loud. (He was traumatized by the toilet at Chapter's in Devonshire.) I quickly lined the seat with toilet paper and promised not to flush until he left the room. With much hesitation he hoisted himself onto the seat and did the deed. (I promised myself that he would die even though he touched the seat with his hands at one point.)
Another freak out moment when Jameson thought I was going to flush. We quickly washed his hands and I opened the door with stern warning to wait while I flushed the toilet. After flushing and then washing my own hands, I went out to find that he had wandered toward the door. Little stinker, sure knows how to cause slight panic in his mother.
All was said and done and we were all safe and relieved. We headed back into the van and continued our search for James' work. (A glance at the NJ map told me roughly where to go. I made it with no further problems.)
Once we got to work Stellan was saying he was wet. That was an understatement. I must not have realized how much he had to drink today because he successfully filled a diaper to overflowing. His shorts were drenched along with his recently washed car seat. (That was during our last trip to NJ when he puked in the van, all over the car seat.) I changed his diaper in the back of the van but ended up reneging on a visit to see Daddy in the office. I figured I couldn't present our family to James' new co-workers with a child who wasn't wearing any shorts.
We made it home, had a relatively uneventful dinner (are any dinners uneventful when you have a 2 year old and a 3 year old?!?!), James played basketball with the boys while I did the grocery shopping, and then they went to bed. All in all, a much better day than yesterday. Here's hoping to continue the trend and have an even better day tomorrow.
Play date
Yippee! I'm so excited! I have a play date tomorrow with Jeremey and his mom Trina. We're going to the gigantic sand box at the park on Lover's Lane. Isn't that a great name for a street? Would you love to live there? Imagine putting that on all of your address labels. :)
Glad that I'm meeting new mom friends. Glad the boys are meeting new friends. Hope they'll be friendly. ;)
Glad that I'm meeting new mom friends. Glad the boys are meeting new friends. Hope they'll be friendly. ;)
Exploring
Good idea: exploring our new neighbourhood
Bad idea: not bringing a map
Good thing I have a pretty good sense of direction; I eventually made it back.
Bad idea: not bringing a map
Good thing I have a pretty good sense of direction; I eventually made it back.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Can't wait for the house....
Day one without James.
James officially started work today. Orientation in New York City. Long day for him but he's quite excited to get things going. Long story short; he took the train to New York, jumped on the subway at Penn Station. Missed his stop (World Trade Center). Ended up in Brooklyn. A bit scared for his life. Got back on and went to the right place. Half an hour late for his first day. What a way to start the day let alone his new job.
I took the boys to MOPS this morning. I'm really looking forward to these bi-monthly gatherings. I met a lot of moms and hope to make some friends so we can start having play dates. The boys were babysat for two hours. I'm sure they enjoyed being with other little people and I definitely enjoyed being with other moms. Granted, they really were with "little" people. Someone directed me to the wrong area so Jameson and Stellan got to spend the morning with a group of infants. Oops. Thought the toys looked a little young for my boys. Maybe the cribs should have been a dead giveaway. Oh well, next time they'll go in the right room.
Came home for lunch and a nap. Split the boys up again so they would sleep better. Jameson fell asleep quite well but Stellan decided to be a little stinker. He was upstairs in our room so I decided to lie down for a rest as well. Stellan decided to take the sheets of his crib and throw everything out. Then he started pouting, "I want blankets". Uh, don't take them off in the first place and this wouldn't be a problem son. So, I put them back on. That lasted for a few minutes and then he tossed them out again. After playing with his "tractor ride" (toy tractor that he often calls Grandpa) for a bit, he eventually fell asleep.
Once they got up we went to the basketball net to "shoot the ball". Even though it was sweltering hot and so humid you could practically drink the air, the boys still played for a while. Jameson wanted me to lift him so he could shoot the big ball. He's 34 pounds, I can only lift him so high. Apparently it wasn't high enough. He tried to tell me exactly how to lift him but apparently I didn't quite get it. This resulted in a full screaming and flailing tantrum. Oh how lovely. Time to go. I picked up the balls and headed out. Jameson was a bit upset that he didn't get the attention he was after so he proceeded to crank it up a notch. Stellan was a bit confused by the whole thing but decided it would be best to follow mommy. We eventually made it back to the room in one piece.
The afternoon went down hill, very fast, from that point on. Jameson did the exact opposite of everything I asked. He was running around the room and jumping on the bed. (I'm sure that pleased the complainer on the first floor to no end.) Stellan followed his big brother's lead and started throwing toys all over the place, literally. That includes throwing the room key and some toy discs down a grate. No idea what comes out of that grate or where it leads. Just know that my room key is lost forever. Oh well, replacements are easy to come by. At one point each boy was assigned to a corner of the couch and told to sit. Don't lie down, don't lean, just sit and wait for daddy. That shouldn't have been so bad except James was an hour later than I expected. (Before you jump to conclusions, I didn't make the kids sit for an hour. They were allowed to get off, eventually.) The new rule was to sit and read until daddy got home. No playing, no walking, no running, nothing but reading. Thankfully daddy walked in the door and saved the day.
Dinner, bath, bed. What a glorious combination. Jameson and I had a little mom to son chat and I asked why he was not listening to mommy and daddy. "Because I don't ever want to mommy." How encouraging.
Let's hope sleep straightens him out. That and a new home filled with all of his stuff might help.
Day one without James, when does vacation start?
James officially started work today. Orientation in New York City. Long day for him but he's quite excited to get things going. Long story short; he took the train to New York, jumped on the subway at Penn Station. Missed his stop (World Trade Center). Ended up in Brooklyn. A bit scared for his life. Got back on and went to the right place. Half an hour late for his first day. What a way to start the day let alone his new job.
I took the boys to MOPS this morning. I'm really looking forward to these bi-monthly gatherings. I met a lot of moms and hope to make some friends so we can start having play dates. The boys were babysat for two hours. I'm sure they enjoyed being with other little people and I definitely enjoyed being with other moms. Granted, they really were with "little" people. Someone directed me to the wrong area so Jameson and Stellan got to spend the morning with a group of infants. Oops. Thought the toys looked a little young for my boys. Maybe the cribs should have been a dead giveaway. Oh well, next time they'll go in the right room.
Came home for lunch and a nap. Split the boys up again so they would sleep better. Jameson fell asleep quite well but Stellan decided to be a little stinker. He was upstairs in our room so I decided to lie down for a rest as well. Stellan decided to take the sheets of his crib and throw everything out. Then he started pouting, "I want blankets". Uh, don't take them off in the first place and this wouldn't be a problem son. So, I put them back on. That lasted for a few minutes and then he tossed them out again. After playing with his "tractor ride" (toy tractor that he often calls Grandpa) for a bit, he eventually fell asleep.
Once they got up we went to the basketball net to "shoot the ball". Even though it was sweltering hot and so humid you could practically drink the air, the boys still played for a while. Jameson wanted me to lift him so he could shoot the big ball. He's 34 pounds, I can only lift him so high. Apparently it wasn't high enough. He tried to tell me exactly how to lift him but apparently I didn't quite get it. This resulted in a full screaming and flailing tantrum. Oh how lovely. Time to go. I picked up the balls and headed out. Jameson was a bit upset that he didn't get the attention he was after so he proceeded to crank it up a notch. Stellan was a bit confused by the whole thing but decided it would be best to follow mommy. We eventually made it back to the room in one piece.
The afternoon went down hill, very fast, from that point on. Jameson did the exact opposite of everything I asked. He was running around the room and jumping on the bed. (I'm sure that pleased the complainer on the first floor to no end.) Stellan followed his big brother's lead and started throwing toys all over the place, literally. That includes throwing the room key and some toy discs down a grate. No idea what comes out of that grate or where it leads. Just know that my room key is lost forever. Oh well, replacements are easy to come by. At one point each boy was assigned to a corner of the couch and told to sit. Don't lie down, don't lean, just sit and wait for daddy. That shouldn't have been so bad except James was an hour later than I expected. (Before you jump to conclusions, I didn't make the kids sit for an hour. They were allowed to get off, eventually.) The new rule was to sit and read until daddy got home. No playing, no walking, no running, nothing but reading. Thankfully daddy walked in the door and saved the day.
Dinner, bath, bed. What a glorious combination. Jameson and I had a little mom to son chat and I asked why he was not listening to mommy and daddy. "Because I don't ever want to mommy." How encouraging.
Let's hope sleep straightens him out. That and a new home filled with all of his stuff might help.
Day one without James, when does vacation start?
Housekeeping again
Alright, I thought it through. Poor housekeeping is better than having to do it myself isn't it? I'm still going to complain though.
Housekeeping
Hmmm...doesn't the "later please" tag on our door mean, oh, I don't know, "Later please"? As in, "Not right now", "Another time would be better", "Please clean my room when I'm not in it", "Leave me alone, my kids are trying to sleep". Maybe I should put post-its on the door instead with specific instructions. Here's one, "Maybe you could clean my room in the morning when I'm not here. That way you don't have to interrupt nap time." How about, "Hey, it's really convenient that you leave the cleaning until now. My kids are sleeping and when they wake up housekeeping is gone for the day."
I guess I'll have to call front desk and complain. Wouldn't be the first time, most likely won't be the last.
This is really irritating.
I guess I'll have to call front desk and complain. Wouldn't be the first time, most likely won't be the last.
This is really irritating.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
The Weekend....
Overall, not a very exciting weekend. On Saturday morning we ran some errands and then ended up at the park. This park is actually located in our development. Nice park but no shade. It was around 100 degrees so, needless to say, I was melting. Amazing how the kids can manage to play and run, seemingly unaffected. Although, I wouldn't mind it so much if someone was pushing me in a swing; it does get pretty breezy as you're flying through the air. Met some people from the neighbourhood, good to see that there are other kids around. Although, they were all little girls. Guess the boys will be the neighbourhood studs. :)
We were invited to stay the night at the Zeug's so we wouldn't have to drive so far to get to church on Sunday morning. This was a bit stressful for me because I never know how the boys will behave. We expected about a hour to an hour and a half drive. More like 2 hours..... There was a lot of construction, right in the area where our car broke down the first time we were here in NJ. Such fond memories.
With at least a half an hour to go we heard, "Mommy, I need to pee. Daddy, hurry up. Drive faster". Oh the joys of having a toilet trained toddler. Thankfully he has pretty good control and was able to hold it for the rest of the journey.
We arrived at the Zeug's and, much to Jameson's pure joy, they had a basketball net. Of course, peeing could wait, he wanted to play basketball.
Jameson and Stellan immediately like "Uncle John" and "Auntie Mary Lou". John won huge bonus points by taking the boys to the basement and showing them his train set. I'm not talking Thomas, I'm talking big-boy train set. Guess what the boys wanted to do all weekend?! Guess who had a small heart attack everytime they got near the train set?! Thankfully they behaved themselves and the train remains intact.
Jameson slept in a big boy bed (I know, most 3 year olds are in big boy beds, he just really loves his crib. He'll be out before kindergarten.) At some point in the night I awoke to a thud and crying from the other room. Shopping list: bed rails. He doesn't do so well in a big boy bed.
The boys attended our new church for the first time. Jameson was quite excited, he loves going to church. He was surprised by his new Sunday school, considerably smaller than his class in Windsor. Stellan also got to join in for the first time. Granted, he was more interested in playing with his Elmo train, not sure if he got too much out of the lesson.
We went back to the Zeug's for lunch. We decided to put the boys down for a nap, with the promise of seeing the trains again when they woke up. John heard Jameson about an hour after he went to bed. A bit short but better than nothing. I had a strange suspicion that he didn't actually sleep, just "rested". James brought him downstairs. Before long he quietly slipped away. I was afraid he went to the basement to check out the trains. (Another heart attack.) Went down, no Jameson. (Yet another heart attack.) Quickly figured out where he was; upstairs. I got up there but not soon enough.
"Hehe, wake up Stewan. Stewan, wake up."
I opened the door to find Jameson in Stellan's playpen making sure he was wide awake. If left alone, Stellan would probably have slept for another hour or so.
"OK mommy, we can go play with the trains, Stellan's awake."
Little stinker!!!
We said goodbye to the trains and the Zeug's and headed "home", this time headed down an alternate route. Thankfully we made it to the hotel in an hour. What a relief!
After dinner we got a call from from desk saying that the people in the room below us were complaining about excessive noise, possibly running in the room. Hmmm....let me see. There is a two year old and a three year old in this room, yep, I'd say there was some running. That's just how they get around. It's not exactly running, just really fast walking. Was a bit paranoid for a bit but then decided that the people downstairs either need to live with it or find another room; there is no way I can get my kids to stop running short of strapping them to a chair.
Put the kids to bed, took them forever to fall asleep. So glad they don't have to share a room in the new house. Can't wait to get in.
James starts his new job tomorrow. He's excited, I'm nervous. He's headed to New York City for orientation. Sounds pretty cool but I'm still anxious. He is somewhat familiar with the area, has been there before. The cab comes at 6:15 in the morning to take him to the train station. I'm not going to drive him that early and there is no way he is driving to New York. I hope and pray that all goes well.
The boys and I are off to MOPS tomorrow. I'm excited for this and hope we'll enjoy the group.
It's late, time to go to bed. I'll write more tomorrow.
We were invited to stay the night at the Zeug's so we wouldn't have to drive so far to get to church on Sunday morning. This was a bit stressful for me because I never know how the boys will behave. We expected about a hour to an hour and a half drive. More like 2 hours..... There was a lot of construction, right in the area where our car broke down the first time we were here in NJ. Such fond memories.
With at least a half an hour to go we heard, "Mommy, I need to pee. Daddy, hurry up. Drive faster". Oh the joys of having a toilet trained toddler. Thankfully he has pretty good control and was able to hold it for the rest of the journey.
We arrived at the Zeug's and, much to Jameson's pure joy, they had a basketball net. Of course, peeing could wait, he wanted to play basketball.
Jameson and Stellan immediately like "Uncle John" and "Auntie Mary Lou". John won huge bonus points by taking the boys to the basement and showing them his train set. I'm not talking Thomas, I'm talking big-boy train set. Guess what the boys wanted to do all weekend?! Guess who had a small heart attack everytime they got near the train set?! Thankfully they behaved themselves and the train remains intact.
Jameson slept in a big boy bed (I know, most 3 year olds are in big boy beds, he just really loves his crib. He'll be out before kindergarten.) At some point in the night I awoke to a thud and crying from the other room. Shopping list: bed rails. He doesn't do so well in a big boy bed.
The boys attended our new church for the first time. Jameson was quite excited, he loves going to church. He was surprised by his new Sunday school, considerably smaller than his class in Windsor. Stellan also got to join in for the first time. Granted, he was more interested in playing with his Elmo train, not sure if he got too much out of the lesson.
We went back to the Zeug's for lunch. We decided to put the boys down for a nap, with the promise of seeing the trains again when they woke up. John heard Jameson about an hour after he went to bed. A bit short but better than nothing. I had a strange suspicion that he didn't actually sleep, just "rested". James brought him downstairs. Before long he quietly slipped away. I was afraid he went to the basement to check out the trains. (Another heart attack.) Went down, no Jameson. (Yet another heart attack.) Quickly figured out where he was; upstairs. I got up there but not soon enough.
"Hehe, wake up Stewan. Stewan, wake up."
I opened the door to find Jameson in Stellan's playpen making sure he was wide awake. If left alone, Stellan would probably have slept for another hour or so.
"OK mommy, we can go play with the trains, Stellan's awake."
Little stinker!!!
We said goodbye to the trains and the Zeug's and headed "home", this time headed down an alternate route. Thankfully we made it to the hotel in an hour. What a relief!
After dinner we got a call from from desk saying that the people in the room below us were complaining about excessive noise, possibly running in the room. Hmmm....let me see. There is a two year old and a three year old in this room, yep, I'd say there was some running. That's just how they get around. It's not exactly running, just really fast walking. Was a bit paranoid for a bit but then decided that the people downstairs either need to live with it or find another room; there is no way I can get my kids to stop running short of strapping them to a chair.
Put the kids to bed, took them forever to fall asleep. So glad they don't have to share a room in the new house. Can't wait to get in.
James starts his new job tomorrow. He's excited, I'm nervous. He's headed to New York City for orientation. Sounds pretty cool but I'm still anxious. He is somewhat familiar with the area, has been there before. The cab comes at 6:15 in the morning to take him to the train station. I'm not going to drive him that early and there is no way he is driving to New York. I hope and pray that all goes well.
The boys and I are off to MOPS tomorrow. I'm excited for this and hope we'll enjoy the group.
It's late, time to go to bed. I'll write more tomorrow.
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