Keeping Track of Lauren & Jack » October 2006 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Sun, Oct 29, 2006 11:13 PM
Today we went to a playgroup/outdoor party that a neighbor whom we met at Music Together class was having just a few streets away. They had a bouncy slide, a ball pit, a little manual roller coaster thing, and there were tons of little cars and trikes and things to push around. The cutest thing was Jack pushing Lauren in one of the cars! When we got home Mike tried carving pumpkins with Lauren, but she wasn't really into all the messy goop, and Jack just tried to eat the seeds, so it was sort of a wash!

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Sat, Oct 28, 2006 10:56 PM
Thursday we went to the park for Lauren's playgroup and we happened to see Taylor and Allison there, so the girls stuck together and went down the tunnel slide about 100 times. That was lucky because Jack kept running off in the opposite direction. When Lauren announced she had to go potty I realized the only option was a port-a-potty which was located about a hundred yards away by the baseball field. Luckily Lauren doesn't have any issues going on public toilets, and thankfully it was very clean and did not stink like they usually do!

Friday I received a note from Lauren's school asking me to pay fines for being late twice. I was sort of miffed because one of the times they stated it was by 3 minutes. It can take that long to get into her room which is literally the size of a closet, with 9 other parents trying to all collect their kids at the same time. A lot of the other Moms are absolutely furious and were saying they weren't going to pay the fines. One even said she's looking for a new school. I didn't feel that strongly, I just didn't like the way the letter was written. They said they noticed a "consistent lateness" which is just not true. I am actually consistently early and there have been plenty of times when I get there at the early part of the 10 minute window we're allowed and her teacher isn't ready with homework assignments or something else we need to take home with us. But no more. From now on I'm gettin there at 11:20 and wisking her out of there ASAP!

Today was actually cool and it felt like Fall! I finally dressed Jack in jeans for the first time. Somehow he looks so much more grown up with long pants and sleeves. He and I played tag today for what felt like an hour (while Lauren was still napping) which was fairly hilarious. He just shrieks with delight. He also has become quite adept at pushing the many small vehicles we have around the house. He can steer and everything.

Lauren is completely obsessed with Peter Pan now and it's all my fault! It was my idea to get that Tinker Bell costume and I just had to order the movie didn't I? We have now watched it about 30 times and we've only had it a few days! I could probably recite it word for word by now!

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Wed, Oct 25, 2006 10:39 PM
Lauren came home from preschool Monday saying that she'd lost her voice and that she needed tea! She did sound a bit hoarse, and I think that's what her teacher must have told her happened. It was cracking me up though!

Yesterday it was actually cool (well,high 60's-Low 70's)for the first time this year, and we took a glorious walk to the playground. It was so odd to see them both in long pants and sweatshirts. While out there though I noticed Lauren had a runny nose and later in the afternoon it developed into a little cough. So we kept her home from preschool today.

She seemed to be feeling a lot better this afternoon though, so I consented to let her go to the Mom's Club Halloween party at the park. They both looked so cute! Jack was Superman and I slicked his hair with some gel and he just ran around everywehre with his red cape trailing out behind him. Lauren was Tinkerbell and she looked just adorable with her gorgeous curls and her floral headpiece. She was so excited to finally get to hold her wand which I'd been putting off because I didn't want her to wreck or lose it before Halloween. It's perfect because it has a bell on it, so we could keep track of her whereabouts just from the sound of it!

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Sun, Oct 22, 2006 11:00 PM
Friday I finally got Jack to the lab to have his blood drawn for more tests fot the G/I specialist. We had to get an extra nurse in there to help me hold him still. He seemed to dislike being held down more than the actual needle, and he recovered pretty quickly once we fianlly let go. Phew! Glad we don't have to go that too often!

I bought Lauren the Little Mermaid DVD recently, and there was this flyer in the cover that had a sweepstakes to win a Little Mermaid birthday party. So now, that's all Lauren can talk about! Which helps me out a lot, because I'd been having trouble trying to think of what to do. So I finally decided to stop trying to re-invent the wheel and booked this Kidz Club place where they do a treasure hunt and I even bought the invitations. I know it's still a few months away, but since it's the first weekend after she gets back from vacation at preschool, I need to have the invitations ready by mid-December, and with Thanksgiving coming up in-between, that doesn't leave a lot of time. Yikes!

Saturday was our big community garage sale and I went around looking for stuff for the kids. I found a little ride-on fire truck, a beautiful hand-made doll house that looks so real (we're saving that for Xmas I think), books, toys, things to decorate Lauren's room. But the best deal was the 2 pairs of Stride Rite shoes in great shape I got for a total of $1.50! I also got these gate things so I can cordon off parts of the house. That should come in handy during playgroups.

The worst thing about yesterday was Jack falling off of the bench in Lauren's room onto his head. He has a bruise/rug burn from where he landed on his temple. It really has not been a good week for him! It was so awful. I was trying to get Lauren down for her nap, and he was wandering about her room. As he headed for the bench I said "Jack,No!", but before I could get to him he had climbed up and fell over the side. He is such a danger to himself right now because he's becoming more independent but he's still so uncoorinated. But he's also really strong, and he can pull himself up onto things, and things down on top of himself too. I have a million mini-heart attacks every day!

Today we went to the pumpkin patch only to find it closed. I didn't realize it was associated with a church. Oops! So we decided to have lunch at a buffet place which was interesting now that Jack is eating more finger food. But once he wouldn't eat anymore, all he wanted to do was run around the restaurant, so we had to eat quick before he had a complete meltdown! Lauren on the other hand, was fairly well behaved! At least today they didn't act-up at the same time. She tried jello for the first time in a while and loved it. I should make her some at home sometime. I bet those jigglers would really crack her up!

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Thu, Oct 19, 2006 7:13 PM
It's been a little hectic around here. Preschool, playgroup, shopping for pumpkins, and that was just Wednesday!

Today we went to the park for Lauren's playgroup and Jack ran into Lauren's knee as she was swinging in an infant swing. I was standing right there and wasn't able to react quickly enough. I felt terrible, but after a little crying, and the intitial shock wore off, he seemed to be fine, climbing up the stairs and launching himself down the big spiral slide. He barely has a bruise too. I was going on about how he could be bleeding internally, and the other Moms there (of older boys) were reassuring me that he would be acting differently if that were the case.

Then we went to a craft class at Michael's Craft store where Lauren decorated an orange canvas bag which I suppose she can use for candy on Halloween. Luckily Jack was happy to sit in the stroller for the majority of the time because it's very hands on, you can't just give Lauren the materials and then let her do it. She still needs a lot of guidance, although I noticed she's much more independent, and I'm sure that's because of school.

I called the G/I specialist because I think Jack is stooling more frequently due to the fiber supplements, and I'm not sure if that's an improvement. It certainly doesn't seem like it to me. Plus tonight he vomitted a little. I have a suspicion that he's allergic to mango, which is something we fed him for dinner. Of course the doctor is away on a conference so I have to call back Monday. In the meantime we'll take him for bloodwork tomorrow. Hope those results will tell us something. Anything, please!

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Tue, Oct 17, 2006 11:39 PM
Today we went to the Aquarium. Our attempts to leave the house were hampered by our ongoing problems with our garage door opener. Argh! Jack's buddy Darren from music class (and his Mom Lisa) invited us to go with them. First of all, she's a Tampa native, so she showed us a shortcut that we didn't know about. We made it in time for the "parade of penguins" in the lobby. Turns out the parade was just one, but he was very cute! Lauren was very excited, and Jack just wanted to chase him around. I was cracking up because I think Jack sort of loks like a penguin, so it was hilarious to see them side by side! The regular exhibits and lunch were sort of trying because Jack's not as content to sit in the stroller anymore and they invariably run in oposite directions. But then we hit the water park area and Lauren had such a blast on the slide and climbing up the net on the pirate ship. Jack enjoyed it too, but it was nap time so he was a little dazed and confused. Of course he fell asleep in the car but did not tranfer to his crib, so he was quite cranky in the afternoon.

After Jack was down for the night, Lauren and I played out in the yard, at first with Sadie, and then catch (with each other)with a big plastic ball. It's so nice that it's finally cool enough to do that. For once I remembered the bug spray so we weren't eaten alive!

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Mon, Oct 16, 2006 10:18 PM
We had a pretty good weekend. On Saturday they were having an open house down the road to promote the condos they're building. We could see a hot air balloon out our kitchen window, so Lauren and I went to check it out while Jack was having lunch with Daddy. Well, not only was the hot air balloon exciting, but there was a bouncy house, face painting (she got Tinkerbelle on her arm of course) and a man playing a steel drum we had to dance to, and after all that we had some cool water and cookies! Then later, after naps, Jennifer took both kids on a walk and they were taking down this huge collection of helium balloons which they gave to Lauren and she dragged them all the way home. They were bigger than she was!

Today I had an audition in Orlando, and Jennifer couldn't come, so Mike got some idea of what it's like to have both kids all day without a break. He didn't seem as exhausted as I usually am after a day like that, so maybe I shouldn't worry about it so much. I think he manages both his time and stress much better than I do!

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Fri, Oct 13, 2006 8:42 PM
Happy Bithday Auntie Tatiana (Lisa's best friend in NYC, soon LA)!

We're trying the fiber supplement in Jack's food and bottles. So far we haven't seen any improvement, but I don't think we can expect an immediate result.

Lauren seemed to have fun at Preschool. They are doing a rainforest theme and today they had a visit at the school from the local zoo. They saw a tarantula , kinkajou (a sort of tree monkey) tortoise, and a big parrot. Apparently they all sat and listened very nicely which is a relief because you never know with Lauren. I suspect she's actually better behaved when I'm not there, which is a little alarming. I'm haunted by the thoughts of all the mistakes I'm making!

Jack said what sounded like "up" this morning with upstreched arms, but I couldn't get him to repeat it. He also played fetch with a ball by himself for quite some time, all the while babbling "Bah!" And when he rides in his wagon his new expression is "Weeeee!!!"

Oh yeah, and we had a playdate with Taylor this afternoon. They were very cute having a tea party, but there were also some tantrums and three time outs for Lauren, so it was also a little crazy. Next time we're going to try to hit the park now that it's cooler so they can run and scream to their hearts content.

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Thu, Oct 12, 2006 3:43 PM
We went to the G/I specialist for Jack and she now wants to do some bloodwork, just to rule out things like Celiac disease which is a gluten intolerance. She's also recommending a fiber supplement in his diet. She wants him to have 20g of fiber a day, which sounds like a lot, so hopefully the supplement will help. Otherwise I'm not too worried about him, he gained another pound in a month, so he's still thriving. His diaper rash seems a lot better too.

Of course now I've been searching the web for information on Celiac disease and making myself all freaked out. But he doesn't actually have any of the other symptoms, so I'm thinking it's not too likely. I must try not to get too far ahead of myslef. First let's get the bloodwork done.

Mike has now been invited for a job talk in Chicago, and he actually just suggested that he fly from Buffalo,NY where we'll be for Thanksgiving, leaving me to fly back alone with both kids. Ummmm. . . I DON"T THINK SO! I'm all for supporting him on this job search but I'm not completely nuts!

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Wed, Oct 11, 2006 11:40 PM
This morning I forgot to set my alarm clock to wake me at 7AM, and of course this would be the day that Jack sleeps until 7:45! So we were in a terrible rush to get Lauren off to preschool. In the end we weren't even really late but her hair looked fairly unruly. Lauren does not have the kind of hair you can just leave and it looks fine. It requires serious TAMING. But oh well, it's not the worst thing in the world. Appearances aren't everything, right?

At Jack's playgroup we were discusing why our group leader has quit the Mom's club. Apparently there were some politics involved. This is the kind of thing that makes me hate being in an organization of all women because it can become like a sorority and get all catty. I mean it's just PLAYGROUP, ladies, for goodness sake! Urgh!

Lauren would not nap despite being in her room for 2 hours, so she was very cranky this evening and threw one tantrum after another, with huge tears and throwing things and lots of screaming. I know it's just the terrible two's and this to will pass, but tonight all I could think was "Oh. . . Calgon, take me away!"

Mike is going out to Oregon for a Job talk which is basically an interview, so he's apparently a top candidate. He's not terribly eager to move, but I'm not opposed to the Pacific Northwest. We'll have to see what he says once he's actually been there in early December.

I found out tonight my Dad's sister Geneveieve passed away last night. She had been ill for quite some time so it wasn't unexpected. I didn't know her well, but my Dad loved her dearly. Good night, sweet Aunt Genevieve. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

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Tue, Oct 10, 2006 9:10 PM
Mike sent me a link about a story stating that unstructured play is what kids really need the most. I'm trying to keep that in mind on days like today when I didn't manage to get anyone dressed before 11AM, including myself! Just as I was finishing up with Jack I found Lauren in her closet pooping into her nice clean underwear and shorts that I had JUST put on her mere minutes before. Things like that make me wonder why I bother! That whole fiasco and the fact that Jack woke up late from his nap put us completely off schedule. By the time Jennifer arrived at 3PM I had to go lie down! I then decided I needed a mental health day and I fled the house for a little time to myself. I knew if I stayed in the house I would just get caught up in housework. On the way out I saw Lauren and Jack returning from a walk to the playground in their wagon with Jennifer, and I felt such a twinge of guilt for needing to escape from my adorable progeny. But after saying a quick hello I made myself keep going and I'm so glad I did. It's amazing what a few hours alone (and away from the house) will do to recharge the batteries.

Jack has a terrible diaper rash all of a sudden since the weekend which is the worst I've seen on either child. It's so bad it makes him cry at diaper changes. The prescription antifungal Nystatin didn't seem to be helping, so I tried my old standby of Neosporin and Lamasil as well as our usual Boudreux's Butt Paste, but nothing seems to help. I've also tried the Aveeno oatmeal bath treatment, and that seesm to help a bit but it's temporary. We go for a follow-up appointment with the G/I specialist on Thursday. I'm hoping she'll have something to suggest. I know they say that it's best to air out, preferably without a diaper at all, but with the diarrhea I just don't think that's an option. I have enough messes to clean up as it is!

Oh yeah, and Jack's molar on the bottom left seems to be poking through. I put an investigatory finger in there to check it out and he inevitably bit me! Hard. Ouch!

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Mon, Oct 9, 2006 11:26 PM
I only realized late last night that there was no school for Lauren today. That required some juggling so that Mike could stay home with Lauren while I took Jack to Music class. He's finally feeling well enough to be out in public. As it turns out it would have been fine with the teacher to bring her, but I appreciated having some time with just Jack, especially as he was very clingy today.

They have both been throwing a lot of tantrums lately. Jack lays down on the floor and sort of flails about in protest and Lauren had been doing the same in imitation. They don't often happen at the same time, but there are moments! I usually try to ignore them if I can. I don't want them to think that it's an effective way to get what they want. With Jack I usually leave the room. It's sort of funny to hear him slowly realize that his performance is wasted because his audience has departed! He then gets up and finds me as if nothing had happened. With Lauren I try to get her to use words to explain what she wants. Usually it's something simple and silly to be pitching a fit over. The are both very willful kids. I guess it's payback time since I suspect I was the same, or worse. My poor mother, the things she had to put up with!

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Sat, Oct 7, 2006 9:07 PM
Today was a relay marathon with Mike and I alternating taking care of the kids and going to lay down ourselves. The kids seem to be doing a lot better but we're both still in a fog.

Lauren actually ate today. Willingly! I mean, she requested things and everything. She also got a hold of Jack's bedtime bottle and said she wanted to drink it. We don't give her bottles anymore, but I decided that if it meant that she would drink regular milk that maybe it would be worth it. She then asked for more, so altogether she had 10 ounces! I usually can't get her to drink milk at all unless it's chocolate or strawberry flavored. I don't want her to feel deprived of something that Jack is having. She often requests to eat his rice cereal too. I just act as if it's no big deal and I'm hoping it's a phase she'll move through sooner or later.

Jack has his first molar coming through! The lower one on his right side. I'm hoping this will increase his interest in regular people food. He's been very fickle in what he will actually put in his mouth. It changes every day, even within the same meal. I will be so happy to finally be done with baby food!

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Fri, Oct 6, 2006 11:00 PM
Now Jack had the cough, and he's been vomitting a little, I think because he's trying to cough stuff up. Poor little guy. He seems in remarkably good spirits considering. I, on the other hand have been doing tons of laundry and cleaning up messes on the carpet, on his rocking chair, all over the place! And I don't feel great either. Mike also seems to have come down with this cold, so it seems to be a family affair.

I've been trying to get Hallowen costumes together. I still need to get a fairy wand for Lauren. She's going to be Tinker Bell. I finally found a Superman costume for Jack. I was going to have him be a baseball player since we already had an outfit for that, but I just know he won't keep the hat on. And superman is good because it won't be too hot and it doesn't require a mask or makeup or anything. These are big considerations here in Florida! Maybe we'll do both, we'll probably have a couple of different parties/costume parades to go to. Now if Mike and I could just figure out something easy for ourselves!

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Tue, Oct 3, 2006 11:21 PM
We have ben plagued by potty set-backs with Lauren. She has been having accidents almost daily. I think it's a control issue more than a BLADDER control issue. Today was an all-time low, she pooped in her pull-up, pulled it off and proceeded to smear it all over the bed, the walls, and then the carpet. As fate would have it, I wasn't home and timed my arrival precisely when Jennifer had just finished cleaning it all up. Lauren just seemed amused by the whole thing. I tried chastizing her, but I think it's like with a puppy, if you don't catch them in the act, they don't really make the connection, they live so in the moment. It's very discouraging, because she had been doing so well.

Jack has caught her cough, but he doesn't have a fever or the sniffles, so it doesn't seem quite as bad.

Today they were playing with those color wonder markers which only color the special paper. It was the only way I can let Lauren color with Jack around grabbing everything. Eventually, after much screaming on both parts they actually shared them for a few minutes. Sometimes they are so sweet together. Jack gives Lauren these bear hugs (really more like body tackles,) and Lauren like to kiss him on the forehead when I'm changing him (the changing matt is on the floor now). It's interesting, because I don't remember Lauren being this engaged with her playgroup buddies when she was his age. Jack just adores her and always wants to be doing whatever she's doing. I see them developing this amazing bond where they become partners in crime in their mischief. Soon they'll be ganging up to outwit me!

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Mon, Oct 2, 2006 8:14 PM
It was a weekend of dealing with Lauren's cold. We've basically been stuck in the house since Thursday and we're all getting a bit stir-crazy! But I still didn't think she should go to preschool today, as she was still coughing quite a bit. But we put a humidifier in her room last night and I think that helped a lot. Her sniffles are gone, so I think she's on the mend. Of course now Jack has developed a little cough, so we missed his music class. I hope to make it up on Friday.

My new epiphany is that I've realized that Jack looks like a penguin at the moment, because he leads with his head, he waddles back and forth, and he flaps his arms out straight, just like a penguin! And he has a low center of gravity too.

Mike has decided that we just have to paint the kids' bathroom very soon, so now we're looking through paint swatches trying to decide on a color. There are actually two rooms,one with the bathtub and toilet and the other with the sinks and linen closet. We'll probably paint them different but complimentary colors. Now I'm trying to decide if we want to get rid of all our accesories and start over from scratch, or if we need to work with what we already have. Ahh, decisions, decisions. . .

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