My brain these days operates in such a way that when I think of something, I must either act on it right away or make a note to do so. ‘Else the thought is lost for a period of time ranging from a week to infinity.
When I took Ben to the doc in October for his stomach bug, I had the forethought to ask if I could schedule his 9 month check-up. No. The December book isn’t open until November.
When I went in Novemeber, I did not think of it at the right time. I did in the waiting room, but not after the doc visit.
I called today and since his 9-month birthday is so close to Christmas and the week before is booked… I have to schedule it for January.
The January book does not open until next week. People. Throw me a bone.
What’s the point of the 9-month anyway? I hear there are no vaccinations at that one.
The new Mox passed all the city inspections. If you’re slated for Moxification post-Saturday, it’ll be in the new digs. Yay!
Ben is crawling.
I was naïve. I thought crawling wouldn’t be much different than the proto-version he was already doing (with one leg tucked under him). Nay, nay. He is so much faster now that he’s fully on hands and knees. And it means when he gets over to something, like the entertainment center or his toy chest, he’s already on his knees, so he just lifts his hands and BAM! Crawling and pulling himself up on everything.
Knew we should have baby-proofed over the Thanksgiving weekend. Oh, except that the Moxie gets everything now. All the money, all of my husband’s time. I’m beyond ready for this expansion to be complete.
I took the bumpers and mobile out of Ben’s crib last night. It was past time to do so, but it looks so barren with them gone. Where did the baby go? Who replaced him with this bigger, wiser, crawling version?
The last time we tried to do Chinese food with the Abercrombies, both Ben and Elias had melt-downs in the restaurant that led to all the boys heading to the car and Kristie and I eating alone. Yesterday, we tried a new tactic. Kristie and I took the wee ones to Casa de Catoe and sent Kris and Zach for a take-out order.
Again, both Ben and Elias had melt-downs that resulted in Kristie and I eating alone. But this time Zach and Kris were only exiled into the next room. Both babes got fussy at the same time, sleepy at the same time, woke at the same time and got hungry at the same time. Baby biorhythms.
When Ben woke, he was off to his grandparents for their usual Sunday afternoon session, so I was hanging out babyless with Kristie and Elias while Zach helped Kris paint the floors at the new Moxie. (Yes, he finally succumbed to painting the floors, but chose a more concrete look than the dark brown I was vying for.)
I can hardly remember how long Ben has been up to one thing or another, like how many weeks has it been since he started scooting around? When did he actually start eating the little puffs we put on his high chair instead of just dropping them? So it���s practically impossible to remember what Ben was like at Elias��� age (approaching 5 months).
Kristie said she���s already forgotten what it was like to be pregnant. Having a cold the last week has reminded me what it was like in my final trimester when I couldn���t breathe, especially at night.
I have been asked several times what being a mom has been like for me. As usual, I never have a good answer on hand. Maybe the answer is ���a blur.���
This may just be a potholder after all. I took my knitting with me yesterday to Kris’ grandparents house (we may have forgotten, oh, the DIAPER BAG) but I had my knitting. Never even took it out of the bag, though.
Kris’ parents kept Ben last night so that we could have a date. He took me to see Enchanted, because yes, I dug Disney princesses as a kid. (Aurora was my favorite until Ariel came along.) The movie is kind of a must-see if you like fairy tales. Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey were perfectly cast in their roles. Good date-movie fare.
Whew, holiday weeks. Ben has had a runny nose since Friday, which progressed to a cough on Monday and turned into a wet cough on Tuesday. There was never much of a fever and he acted like he felt okay, so if we could have gotten him some cough medicine, we would have just done that. But the Powers That Be have recalled all cold meds for kids under 2, so I took him to the doc yesterday. And it turns out he also has an ear infection.
After the doc, I took him to Physician’s Apothecary to pick up his ’scrips and he totally charmed the Nana behind the counter. Okay, her name is actually Ann but she has got to be somebody’s Nana. She asked if she could hold him and I’m like “why not?” Passing your kid to a stranger at the pharmacy could seem odd, but it’s a very homey place. She took him behind the counter and while my view was blocked by a Watkin’s display, I could hear female coos “look at his big eyes” and masculine queries “um, who’s baby is that?”
His two top teeth have broken through the gums, he’s learned to crawl around with one leg tucked under him. We place him in the middle of the carpet and he makes a bee-line for the entertainment center. Some of his babbling is now very conversation-like. He was yammering away yesterday and I’ll confess to not paying much attention, but Jaimie was there and she was on her game, so she pointed out “he’s trying to tell you something.” Sure enough, he was. What, I’ll never know, but he was definitely making a point.
This concludes our session of All Things Ben.
P.S. The move of the Moxie has been post-poned until next weekend because of city inspections.
For our fifth and final Halloween party on Argyle Circle, I decided to make a “real” invitation. I used a clip-art scaredy cat (and gave it a Jack-o-lanternish face) and the font Dark Ages. That’s partly why the time is “from sundown to bedtime” – the Dark Ages font doesn’t have numerals.
During last year’s holiday season, I was in the second trimester of my pregnancy. My heartburn and grossness had largely subsided and my sweet tooth and appetite were large and in charge. I remember being frustrated that the holiday season involves there always being a platter of sweets about. I resolved to not be a sweets-supplier this year.
And then I forgot and signed up to bring a pecan pie for the first holiday meal of the season. In penance, I made a stop in the veggie section, and lo, did the Lord smile on my lowliness. There was a veggie tray marked down to $4.99 because it had a sell-by date of yesterday. It was all still in perfect condition, so I snagged it.
Living in the South gives you a peculiar relationship to food and bargains. I doubt that if I worked in New York that I would feel as compelled to tell all my coworkers about my purchase, but here in Alabama, you not only tell, you receive mad props. I told no less than three coworkers about my $5 veggie tray find and all had the same exuberant response.
Eric brought creamed potatoes concocted with sour cream, butter and cream cheese. In his fam, they call them Party Potatoes. I enjoyed eating them, but even more did I enjoy getting to say “Party Potatoes” over and over. (Yes, I am that much of an alliterative nerd.)
Then Melanie went and asked “who bought the taties?” and after thinking “what? Haiti?” I now cannot wait to get to refer to some potatoes as “taties.”
In the Gadsden Times newsroom, food is not just a substance. It’s a guest at the party.
Finally! I made it to knitting on Wednesday. Ben took a nap in his carseat (which he hasn���t done in like 4 months) for the bulk of the time, so GJ���s scarf is a whole four or so rows longer, which is practically an inch! I may finish this thing by��� possibly never!
When the Benster woke up, he was in a pretty good mood, and we passed him around a bit. Jan A. was there and asked me what he���s doing so I could brag on him. It sort of stumped me. I said ���well, um, he���s������ and Liz finished that he���s scooting backwards, cause she reads the blog and was ready with a response.
Sometimes I can���t think up a good answer on command because for me his growth is all in the nuance. He was teething pretty hard last week and there is a top tooth just looming underneath the surface, but then it slowed down and so he still only has two bottom teeth. He can now scoot backwards and in a circle and sometimes perches on all fours and this morning managed to move a leg while doing so���
These assessments are a bit too detailed for someone who only sees him in passing. For me, the mom, who can only watch him for a few minutes before exclaiming how wonderful (handsome, cute, awesome, etc.) he is, they are the daily progress reports.
Let���s practice motherly sound bites. So, how���s Ben? These quick answers work this week:
���Working on getting some top teeth.���
���Nearly crawling.���
���Improving his pincer grasp!���
I could do a whole blog entry on the pincer grasp.
