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Aug 13, 2007

This Is My Daughter

August 13, 2007 By

Driving home from school last Thursday:

Me: (noticing a cut on Cordy’s knee) Cordy, how did you cut your leg?

Cordy: Leg? (pulls up leg to examine it)

Me: Yeah, how did you get the boo-boo on your knee?

Cordy: Boo-boo! (continued to look at the cut, tracing it with her finger)

At this point, I give up trying to get an answer from her and continue driving.

Cordy: Mommy! What letter?

Me: Huh? Do you see a letter somewhere?

Cordy: (very excited) What letter, mommy? What letter?

Me: (confused) Where do you see a letter?

Cordy: V!! It’s a V, mommy!

Me: Where do you see a V? (looking back at her)

Cordy: (pointing to the cut on her leg) It’s a V, mommy!

Me: (now realizing, and no longer enthused with this game) Yes, you’re right, Cordy. The cut on your leg does look like a V.

Forget the fact that she has a somewhat deep cut on her leg. Apparently she’s more interested in the shape it’s in. I go back to driving, wondering exactly where she rates on the 1 to 10 scale of creepy-weird.

Cordy: (again, very excited) What color, mommy?

Me: (not looking back) Oh, Cordy, let’s not play name-the-color-of-our-wounds, OK?

Cordy: (ignoring me, as usual) Mommy, what color?

Me: OK, fine. I give. What color?

Cordy: (practically exploding from her car seat in excitement) It’s RED! A RED V!! I have a red V!

Never mind. I know she’s an 11. Which means she fits right in with Aaron and I.

***************

Thank you to my fairy laundry godmothers for all of your advice! I’m still working on the stain (two products tried, stain won’t surrender), and will provide a full update soon after I’ve exhausted all available options, or I give up.

Filed Under: Cordy


Aug 10, 2007

Playing Together As A Family

August 10, 2007 By

Back when Aaron and I were only a family of two, we went out a lot. Movies, dinners, gaming conventions, haunted houses in October, renaissance faires, amusement parks, you name it. At home, we played video games and watched TV together. We liked to have a good time, and we liked to do it together.

Now that we have kids, we still like to have fun together, but many of our old activities aren’t feasible at the moment. A movie would be fun for us, but Cordy doesn’t have the attention span. Haunted houses would just be cruel, and both girls are still a little young to enjoy an amusement park ride.

At the moment we don’t have any video games that Cordy would enjoy as well, so that leaves watching TV or going out. On the weekends, I’m usually itching to get out of the house, and Aaron also doesn’t want to spend all weekend cooped up. But what can we do that the entire family will have fun with?

They say that play is a child’s work, right? It’s how they learn, it’s how they explore their world. Well, we’re happy to “work” right along with Cordy by spending our free time visiting playgrounds, children’s museums, and other places designed for children.

Obviously Cordy has a blast with climbing toys, slides and swings, but she’s not the only one. Going to a playground gives us permission to act like kids, too. We can go down the slide with her, swing as high as possible, and chase her around the playground while she squeals with laughter. And seeing her having fun is a reward in itself.

We’ve been to many different places, and had a great time playing as a family at each one. Some highlights from the past year:

Even Puppy gets in on the fun at this playground

Daddy assists for some sliding fun at COSI

Graeter’s has a great playground – Cordy loves the balls.

Who can resist a petting zoo? Come here, little goat.

Water tables are awesome, especially when rain coats are provided.

Another playground with multiple slides.

Driving a car at a children’s museum in Chicago

Having fun together as family is very important to us, and we’ll continue to make time for activities that involve all of us. If we don’t have fun with our kids, we’re nothing more than mean adults who tell them what to do and couldn’t care less about their interests, right? And that’s not us, because we love watching Cordy (and now Mira) grow and change through play, and the best part is getting to play right along with her.

This post is brought to you in conjunction with Parent Bloggers Network & EA’s Wii-Boogie, a family gaming experience. Shake it. Sing it. Create it.

Want to join in? Even though I really want to win that Nintendo Wii and copy of Wii-Boogie for myself, it’s only fair to spread the word: you have until midnight to put up your own post on the topic of what your family does together for fun. Details can be found here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized


Aug 9, 2007

Laundry Experts Needed!

August 9, 2007 By

OK, Internets, we had a small accident today. Actually, a not-so-small poop explosion. Mira was sitting on my lap this morning, her back against my stomach, and she let go with one massive dump. I didn’t think anything of it until I felt something warm and wet. Yep, it went out the back of the diaper, all up her back and onto me.

I can handle a stain on my shirt, since it’s just your average t-shirt. But Mira was wearing a cute white onesie with pink elephants that Cordy had once worn as a newborn. You know, one of those clothing pieces I planned to give Cordy when she was older to remind her of how small she was, so she could roll her eyes at me and tell me to accept that she’s a grown up now and geez, mom, get over it already. But it was so cute that I couldn’t bear to see it not worn again, and I knew Mira would look adorable in it. Which of course means this had to be the one time she had a massive diaper blowout.

Now, I’ve never been good with stain removal. I had to deal with formula poop blowouts with Cordy, having some success with stain removal, but breast milk poop is entirely different. White onesie + bright yellow-orange poop = serious stain problem.

So to all of you laundry goddesses out there: how do I get this stain out? I soaked the onesie in hot water as soon as I took it off of Mira. I’ve since gone back and rinsed it again and soaked it in fresh hot water with a little laundry detergent. It’s still bright yellow-orange all across the back of the onesie.

I have yet to try any intensive remedies, because I don’t know where to start. But surely someone out there knows the trick to getting breast milk poop stains out of clothing, right?

Help a (domestically challenged) fellow mama in need out, won’t you? I’ll even give you my prized Butterball potholder if you can save this onesie!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:


Aug 8, 2007

Morning Drop Off and a Bottle Opener

August 8, 2007 By

Amazingly, Cordy wanted to go to school today. Actually came up to me at home and said, “School?” and then rushed me to get everything together and get out the door. She really wanted to get there! That is, until we actually got there. Then she changed her mind and wailed as if I was leaving her with Britney Spears as a babysitter. Ah well, it’s a little progress, right?

While trying to say goodbye, one teacher pointed out her shirt was on inside out. Oops. I could blame it on her trying to dress herself, but they would only laugh at me, knowing she would sooner explain Einstein’s theory of relativity than take any steps to put on her own clothing. No, mommy is clearly unable to pay attention to how she’s dressing her child.

Still, I’m impressed that she actually asked to go to school this morning, and even carried her backpack out to the car.

We received a call from our county early intervention contact, letting us know that the school district has decided to move up her evaluation one week to September 5. The thought of a public agency calling to move a scheduled date sooner rather than later is mind boggling.

Knowing they want to get her in as soon as possible is reassuring. Especially since yesterday we went to lunch at Bob Evans, where Cordy spent most of the meal under the table because a fly was bothering her. Actually, she’s starting retreating under the table more now when a restaurant is too loud or the lights are too bright or the stars aren’t aligned just so.

Today Cordy calmed down a little at school when I went through our goodbye routine, asking for a hug and a kiss, and reminding her that mommy and daddy always come back. Plus she had brought an item from home to hold, as she does most days.

Having something from home is a comfort to her when something sets her off, and helps the tantrums not last as long. The school normally doesn’t allow kids to bring toys with them, but they understand her particular temperament and make an exception for her. It usually goes into her backpack once she’s calmed down, and only brought out if she’s having a particularly bad day.

Of course, this morning Cordy decided to bring this with her as her comfort object. (Thanks, Sarah!) I can only imagine what they must think of us.

Filed Under: Cordy


Aug 7, 2007

Can’t Take The Heat Anymore

August 7, 2007 By

Summer in Ohio is much like winter in Ohio: the weather is so unbearable that you only go outside if you have to.

It seems that while I was away in Chicago for BlogHer, a heatwave snuck into Ohio and sat its big hot ass down on the state (and most of the Midwest) for a long stay. Highs in the mid-90’s, with a heat index well over 100. Sure, those of you from the West might remind me that 90’s are nothing, but unlike you, we don’t have dry heat. We have soupy thick, air quality alert, hurts to breathe, humid air – a sauna that can only be escaped by finding air conditioning.

So just like those cold days of winter, I’ve been biding my time indoors for over a week. And much like those dark January days, I’m slowly going insane trapped in my own little summer version of the Overlook Hotel.

Enter my mother and grandmother – ever the outdoors-women – who swooped in today, told me “oh please, it’s not that bad in the shade,” and insisted we use the water toys sitting in our backyard.

So Cordy put on her “babee-suit” and took Mira’s “sun-gun-asses” and outside we went. And you know what?

It was fun.

Filed Under: Cordy, family time, Mira