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

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Fri, Apr 28, 2006 10:46 PM
Well the pool with both of them was a success! No one even swallowed a lot of water! Lauren is completely fearless and will happily bicycle her legs around in sort of treading water manuever in order to move around, without even holding on to me. She also loves to jump in from a standing position on the side. It was good role-modeling that a lot of the kids in her playgroup are strong swimmers. (Many of them are older too.) Jack wasn't too sure at first. I put him in a great little float that held him very securely. After a few minutes though he was happily splashing around like a little duck. I feel more confident about the whole pool situation and have vowed to make it a regular occurance. Of course I was completely frazzled by the time we got home and had lunch and got everyone down for a nap. It never fails that Jennifer arrives mere minutes after everyone is asleep!

Lauren has taken to throwing things to express her anger and frustration. She had many time outs today. They're only partially effective. They do succeed in calming her (and me) down, but they don't seem to prevent the behavior from reoccuring. Ah well, the terrible twos continue . . .

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Thu, Apr 27, 2006 6:21 PM
I forgot to mention that yesterday Jack clapped for the first time! It was so cute. I thought that might be coming since his hand/eye coordination is improving a lot. He can actully get those cheerios and puffs INTO his mouth more often than not these days.

Today I left Jack home with Jennifer and took Lauren to out community pool with our neighbors Allison and Taylor for a swim in the shallow pool. I was checking it out since our playgroup is meeting there tomorrow. I have this swimsuit that has these float devices tht you can put into the suit, and though it looks sort of funny, it works really well. Lauren could stay afloat pretty easily, all I had to do was keep her face out of the water. I think she liked that she could move independently of me. I know eventually we'll have to wean her off depending on those, but it will help a lot when I have both of them to contend with.

The two best things about all that swimming were A) she ate a pretty good dinner, and B) she was pretty tired and went to sleep without a fight! Of course I'm exhausted too. I kept throwing her in the air. That was a big mistake because her new favorite word is AGAIN!

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Wed, Apr 26, 2006 9:38 PM
Yesterdy we had Music Together class which was fun and Jack even sat in the stroller quietly for while so I could give Lauren my full attention. I think she's sort of getting the hang of it.

I made an excursion to the new Wild Oats store which is kind of like Whole Foods. It's about 45 min away, but it was worth the trip. I was in heaven! One-stop shopping for all my organic/natural product needs! It's actually a good thing it's not close by, because their stuff is sooo expensive. I stocked up on otmeal, shouldn't hve to go back for while.

On the drive home Jennifer called to inform me that we were having a power outtage at 5pm. She suggested I bring something home for Lauren for dinner since we couldn't cook her anything. It's incredible how life as we know it just about comes to a halt without electricity. Of course I had just bought some expensive frozen foods, so I got a bunch of ice to try to keep it cool. As it turns out, the power came back on a little after 7pm, so we didn't have to suffer for long. It's a rude awkening though for what we may go through in the event of a hurricane. Yikes!

Today we went to a puppet show at the library and then Jack's playgroup. Then we spent the rest of the day recovering Jack from his missed nap. I was afraid that he may have a fever, but couldn't get an accurate reading from the ear thermometer. Lauren hasn't eaten well in days, I'm starting to get worried about her. The only thing she almost always will eat is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I try different things every day and there is just no rhyme or reson to her preferences. One day she will pick all of the pes out of her veggies. The next she will only eat the carrots. And that's only on the rare days when she will actually deign to put any vegetble in her mouth! Ugh!

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Mon, Apr 24, 2006 6:39 PM
Yesterday felt like a weekday because Mike went into the office to do some work. Somehow it was one of those days where I managed OK all on my own. Jack napped well which helps enormously. They even played nicely together, crawling through the tunnel and in and out of the play house. At one point I heard them both shrieking and laughing, And I discovered them both admiring themselves in the mirror in Lauren's room. It was fairly hilarious.

When Mike got home, (and after Jack was asleep and Lauren had eaten dinner), I decided it would be a nice idea to take just Lauren on a brief walk with Sadie, since it hd finally cooled off but was still light out. Well, Lauren insisted on holding the leash, and we got as far as next door before Sadie pulled her right off her feet and she fell on her hands and face. It wasn't a terrible fall, she just grazed her knuckles nd bumped her forehed a little. But I felt so terrible since it hd been my big idea in the first place. That darn dog, she's so strong. Usually she's very gentle with Lauren, but I think she had some pent up energy.

And then today Jack fell off the changing table while Jennifer was getting him into his PJ's. It's not especilly high, nd we do have shag carpeting in his room. He calmed down the moment he saw me, so I think he's really fine. He just seemed upset that it happened. He had a small rug burn on his forehead and I think his brow bone/eyelid is a little swollen. I know Jennifer felt terrible, but I know how gymnastic he is while getting changed these days. I think we'll have to change him on the floor from now on!

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Sat, Apr 22, 2006 8:22 PM
Today was Garage sale day in our community. We're only allowed to have them twice a year, but it's advertised in the local papers and gets a pretty good turnout. So we finally got it together to sell some of our junk. Of course I had to drive around myself and look for stuff for the kids. I got a table and a rocking horse(actually a dog) and floatation ring for the pool, and a wooden shape toy - all for about $11! And we sold about $50 worth of stuff, so that's not bad for having people take our junk off our hands!

Later on Lauren went with Mike on an excursion to Sam's club, which left me with some rare alone time with Jack. He's getting better at amusing himself, but his new favorite activity is shreiking at the top of his lungs. I guess he inherited his mommy's lack of "indoor voice"! I was drinking a glass of water and he DEMANDED to have a sip, wouldn't take no for an answer. He did better than I expected, but he still spilled a bunch all over the place. Hmm. . .sippy cups really do have an important function! I also walked him all over the house holding his hands, which he loves, and he even stood on his own for a couple seconds if I was right there next to him, but he has no interest at all in trying to walk on his own. I guess he finds crawling effective enough for the time being. Oh well, he's still technically a baby until he startes to toddle, so I'm trying to enjoy these precious last days!

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Fri, Apr 21, 2006 9:53 PM
Today we hosted Lauren's playgroup here at the house. It 's always impossible getting the house clean with my two little tornados constantly on the move plus the dog and all her chew toys and hair. But I managed to do a lot last night, and Jack thankfully took a nice long morning nap for once. Also it was a small group, which is nice because the kids don't get too crazy and you can actually manage a conversation with the other moms.

And the rest of the day wasn't too hectic. I actually got break because they were both alseep at the same time for about an hour. BLISS! It was really hot outside so we just hid indoors in the a/c. Mike also came home early, which helps a lot, because we can then divide and conquer!

I have been conducting ongoing hair product experiments in an effort to tame all of Lauren's curls. Growing up with stick straight hair myself has not really prepared me for this challenge! My favorite products so far are from California Baby, and tonight's trial is to comb the conditioner through while wet, NOT rinse it out, and not really touch it after that. Usually she wakes up looking like Einstein, so I'm hoping for slightly tamer tresses come morning!

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Thu, Apr 20, 2006 10:51 AM
Yesterday we went to a Shana Banana show in Hyde Park village. It's just this woman who sings songs and dances round, but it's cute, and she gets all the kids to participate. Plus it's free, and it's good excuse to go down there (45 min drive) becuse I love that part of town! The real danger is that there is Pottery Barn Kids there. They let the kids play with all the toys and little kitchens etc, which is smart of them because I invariably find something I just have to buy.

This time Lauren was playing with this cute doll, so I decided to get her one. She's just starting to show interest in dolls, and though we've received a few as gifts, and I still have a few from when I ws growing up,I had yet to buy her one. So that's how I justified it. I just rarely see things that I really like. Most dolls and their clothes look really tacky to me. But this one is very simple and soft and looks like one you'd want to cuddle with.

Jack is getting another tooth, the top one to the right of the middle two. Poor guy, he's not getting break at all! He doesen't seem especially bothered though, he's just gnawing on everything, especilly his own fingers. But luckily he doesn't seem to be developing thumb sucking habit like his sister.

Speaking of which, I've been avoiding starting with the thumb guard, but I need to start soon. Lauren is definitley developing buck teeth and an overbite. I need to consider how much this will save us in orthidonture down the road!

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Tue, Apr 18, 2006 8:59 PM
This morning we had Music Together class, we finally made it on the right day. There are a LOT more people in the Tuesday class, so they were both a bit overwhelmed. I feel so bad about interrrupting Jack's morning nap. If he would only nap in the stroller! I also realized that there is a very cool playground right next to the community center where tha class is held, so we spent a few minutes there before heading home again. Jack loves the swings, and Lauren is climbing like a pro.

Otherwise we had a play date this afternoon with our neighbor Taylor. Her mom Allison brought her over and they are so funny, they give each other these big bear hugs. Lauren was being a bit of a hog with her toys, but once I got down to her level and asked her quietly if she would let Taylor have a turn, she let go instantly. I have to remind myself that she's like a little being from outer space, she doesn't speak the language and she doesn't know the rules of civilized behavior. I need to calmly explain it to her, and more importantly, show her by role modeling it for her. That's the tricky part!

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Mon, Apr 17, 2006 6:56 PM
Sunday was a pretty relaxed Easter for us. Mike led the morning's activities with coloring hard boiled eggs with Lauren, followed by making some outrageous chocolate chip - banana - blueberry -walnut pancakes and sausages for brunch. Even Jack had his own little pancake, (just blueberry). Jack is actully enjoying little bites of real food these days. He hardly ever gags the way he used to. He even ate a few bites of sausage, which is more than I can say for the picky princess!

In potty news, Lauren had an incident today, or I guess I should call it an accident. She seems to want to have some privacy, so I left her alone for while and was just round the corner in the kitchen feeding Jack in his highchair. I thought I would hear her open the bathroom door, but obviously not, because the next thing I know, she's calling me and pointing to the poop she had made on the dining room floor! Luckily it was solid so it was an easy clean up. (And since we have a dog, I'm used to picking up poop!) I had to stop myself from laughing at Lauren though. I actually take this as progress because she obviously knew she had to poop and didn't do it in her diaper. Now if I could just get SOMETHING to land in the actual potty! I don't know, maybe she'd prefer the big toilet. I'll try anything if it helps! I have read that at some point you just have to stop using diapers and put them in underwear, but I don't think we're ready for that yet, because it's supposed to be a bad idea to go back and forth.

I also tried out her Kettler tricycle again today. This time she managed to keep her feet on the pedals, but she lost interest about halfway around the cul-de-sac, (which is not very big!) Luckily that trike has a parent pole that allows you to push it from a standing position.

While on our little walk we saw a huge turtle meandering along the sidewalk. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I didn't have my camera with me. Lauren was very excited, but didn't really understand that her delighted squeals of "HI TUHTUL!!!" were scaring him into his shell. Just one of the joys of living in a swamp!

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Sun, Apr 16, 2006 9:29 PM
Dada perspective on family dinner outing:

I still have butter in my ear. Lauren kept getting up from her booster chair, and with her dirty hands and full bib, jumping on me. At one point, she managed to get a hand full of butter right into my ear. And she wasn't the only one running around the restaurant. She would run down one side and into the staff areas, and while I was chasing her, Jack would crawl away into the kitchen. Half the restaurant was helping me, while the other half watched. Dinner at home from here on out. Meatloaf for four from Boston Market, me thinks.

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Sat, Apr 15, 2006 6:18 PM
Friday we had another Music Together class. Jack did OK, but he was tired as it was his naptime. Lauren is getting very good at following along. Her favorite part seemed to be the tamborines and drums. Oh, and also the part where I was on all fours and she rode on my back, that really cracked her up!

Afterward we went to playgroup at the park which no-one turned up to, (holiday weekend) which was a shame because I woke Jack up from sleeping in his car-seat. Poor guy, he was so exhausted. I thought he may go back to sleep in the stroller, but no way! I have yet to get him from the car-set into the stroller without waking him up. And he hasn't fallen asleep in the stroller for months now, there's just too many distractions! He did have a lot of fun on the infant swings though. The higher I pushed him, the more he squealed in delight. Lauren can climb a very high ladder now that leads to a spiral slide. She's quite the dare-devil these days.

Unfortunately she didn't want to come with me when it was time to leave. I've tried reverse psychology, and that usually works. "OK bye, we're leaving." Usually she comes running right away, not wanting to be left behind. But she just said "Bye!" and stayed where she was. No convincing could persuade her to come willingly. Hmmm, not quite sure what to do now. She's in very defiant/asserting her independence phase. At least I hope it's a phase!

Jack is getting another tooth, his bottom one to the right of the middle two. I'm not exactly sure when it really started poking through because he won't let me look in his mouth anymore. And when I do get a clean finger in there to feel, he's taken to biting me! And it hurts!

Today I left Jack home napping with Mike and took Lauren for a girls shopping day at the mall. It was actually really fun. It's really nice to spend some time alone with her. She even ate most of her lunch and rode the carousel. We found Jack a hat with a chin strap(the only kind that he won't pull off), more footed cotton pj's, and we even found my favorite mary jane Keds for Lauren. Oh, and my new discovery is these little antibcaterial instant hand foams from Bath and Body Works in kid fragrances. I like the apple one the best. Anything that will make Lauren enthusiastic about getting her hands clean!

And if that wasn't enough for one day, we also went out to dinner at Circles, which was pretty much a disaster, because Lauren had not really napped at all except a few minutes in the car. She just wanted to run around the restaurant. Luckily they all thought she was adorable, so it didn't seem as disruptive as it could have been. Oh well, they say it will get better. Or easier anyway. I just keep wondering . . . when exactly will that be?

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Thu, Apr 13, 2006 10:30 PM
I don't know why I thought today would be any easier! But actually, for once Jack napped really well. Of course that meant I didn't go anywhere all day! I did get one load of laundry done, but that was it.

I had sort of a scare with Jack, I thought that he seemed to be rubbing his left eye a lot before his afternon nap. When he woke up, it seemed like there was a little bit of eye junk sort of stuck to the surface of his eyeball. I tried to rub his eye a little, but it didn't come off. So I called the doctor and he said to use some saline to see if it would wash out. Which, of course, HAD occured to me. I thought for some reason that would not be enough and was worried he was in danger of scratching his cornea or something. But it actually washed right out, so I then I felt a little foolish. Oh well, better too paranoid than not careful enough I suppose!

All day long we were dancing around to the new CD that came yesterday in the package from Tante Reinhild. Between that and the Kids Bop karyoke thing, I was tuckered out by lunchtime! I seem to need a nap much more than they ever do!

We had one final farewell dinner for the cast and crew of my play, and since Jennifer is gone this week, I asked my good friend Allison down the street if she would come and babysit once I had then both in bed until Mike got home from his class. It was only about an hour and a half. I hope that she'll let me return the favor one of these days. She actually took care of Lauren last year when we were in the hopsital having Jack. I already owe her big time!

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Wed, Apr 12, 2006 9:27 PM
Tday was a 12 hour marathon, 7AM-7PM when Mike took over! Phew!

We had story time at the library, and I left Jack home with Mike again, which really helps a lot. The new lady who "runs" it is pretty useless though. She's not that animated at reading and didn't know the tunes or the words to any of the songs. And that's all there IS to story time, so I wonder if it's even worth bothering with now. I've been trying to go because I think it helps Lauren to learn to focus and listen.

Then I went to the Hand in Hand Academy, the preschool I had Lauren waitlisted on. She 's got a spot in the three mornings a week class, and I'm still waitlisted for the two mornings a week class. I'm hopeful thast will still come through, but maybe she'll be ok with it. I just think three mornings a week doesn't leave room for any more activities. I dropped off my registration check, so I guess that's it, we've decided on the school anyway for Fall. We really need to work on potty training between now and then!

Then I stopped off at Super-Target to get some bread on the way home, which was surprisingly easy this time. I think it's because for once it was a really quick trip. Then there was the blur of lunch/naps etc. Of course Jack woke up as soon as I out Lauren down, so I didn't have a minute to relax in-between!

Oh well, they are asleep for the night now, and I survived my first day without Jennifer, who is away for the rest of the week. Tomorrow should be interesting. Mike will be gone early and get back late. I really need to get to bed in preparation!

BTW, I've updated the photos in case you haven't seen them yet!

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Tue, Apr 11, 2006 8:00 PM
Friday we had Lauren's first Music Together class. It went pretty well, except that at the end she kept wandering off and throwing little fits when she didn't get her way. Jack seemed to enjoy it, even though the class went right through his morning naptime. Then we had playgroup at the park, where Lauren finally got to work off some steam.

Saturday was the Easter egg hunt at the community center. I refused to wake up Jack since he was such a good sport on Friday and Lauren and I went ahead. Mike waited until he awoke and joined us a little later. It was fun! Not only does she get the concept of picking up the eggs and putting them in her basket, she understands that they are full of sugarey treats! The big Easter bunny. . .not so much. It was worse than with Santa! This time she wouldn't even sit on his lap. Oh well. She did consent to get a butterfly painted on her cheek, and she had fun having snacks with her pal Tobin from playgroup. Oh yeah, and there was coloring pictures with crayons too. Plenty to keep her busy while we schmoozed with neighbors and tried to keep Jack from crawling into the pool!

Sunday I discovered that Lauren is now saying Red! She used to insist that it was NIK. I think she was lumping all pinks and reds in one category. Also, she's been having truoble with her R sounds. Like when you ask her her name, she says Lau-lie. But it's getting better every day.

I sang a Broadway song for the Taste of New Tampa which is a big local event where all the local restaurants let you have free samples of their wares. I guess the song went OK. I hammed it up for the kids that were watching. My play also closed on Sunday with a last great performance. I am already experiencing withdrawal!

Monday we had a playdate with Taylor down the street where Lauren proceeded to terrorize thier two poor cats. They have this great bubble machine and it was so cute to see them running around chasing after them.

Today we went to the beach with Jack's playgroup and it was a lot of fun, but entirely exhausting for all of us! I brought Jennifer along THANK GOODNESS because Mike hjad to work and I never would have managed alone. Lauren loves the ocean, and wanted to stay in long after she was shivering and turning a litle blue! Jack was not so sure about the water but loved the sand and crawled around happily investigating all the shovels buckets and other beach paraphanalia. The parents of one of the Moms have a condo right next to the beach, so we were able to bathe the kids and change ourselves before the long drive home. Early bedtimes for everyone tonight, including me I think!

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Thu, Apr 6, 2006 4:20 PM
Wow, these last few days have wizzed by. Yesterday I left Jack home naping with Mike and got to take Lauren alone to storytime at the library. She did relly well, and even sat and listened to about half of a story! This is indeed progress. She also seems to remember some of the songs, and was dancing gleefully along. Afterwards she discovered that her new favorite activity is running and hiding is the rows of bookshelves, which was not as much fun, (for me, that is)! We came home just as Jack was waking up, which was perfect timing. I love it when that happens!

Today Lauren was begging me to open up her tunnel and the funniest surprise was Jack crawling through it with a delighted squeal! The two of them were chasing each other through it, it was so funny!

We received an Easter package from Grandma Irene today, which was very exciting! There were cute outfits for both kids, as well as chocolates and goodies for all of us. It's getting harder and harder to keep sweets from Lauren, so we'll have to unpack the basket and hide it all away after she's gone to bed!

We also received the thumb guard already in the mail. It looks a little ominous. I don't think Lauren's going to like it at all. It's designed for 3-4 year olds, so I'm worried that it will be too big. Oh well, it's worth a try anyway. I can tell that her thumb sucking is causing her front teeth to go crooked, and I think she's developing an overbite. I'm not looking forward to the long painful process of getting her to stop sucking her thumb. She's been doing it so long, I'm not sure what else she will do as a coping mechanism.

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Mon, Apr 3, 2006 9:59 PM
Today Jack napped pretty well which is the only thing that kept me sane!! Lauren has been saying that the blister on her thumb hurts, (which is almost always there from her thumb sucking) and it does look more raw than usual. I called the doctor and he didn't have much to reccommend. Apparently there are little plastic thumb guards, and then there is the nasty tasting stuff you can put on there. I went to CVS and Walgreens and Walmart(only because someone said they had the thumb guards there). Couldn't find it anywhere. I'm going to hve to look online. I'm getting to the point where it's not even worth my time to shop in the actual stores anymore!

After Jack went to sleep tonight Lauren and I spent a rare uninterrupted hour or so in the playroom. She kept bringing me play food. She would prepare it at the counter of her little kitchen, then bring it to her toy microwave, where she would punch in 90 seconds and then start. After it beeps she would take it out and serve it to me very carefully. And she really enjoyed telling me what everything was. "PIE!!" and she got kick out of me pretending that I was eating it too. It was so cute. I cherish these little pockets of time when we're not struggling over meals or baths or getting dressed or diapers or the potty or attacking the dog or wrestling Jack. It's sad that they are so few and far between these days!

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Sun, Apr 2, 2006 7:48 PM
I was asleep most of the morning, then I had a matinee of my show, so I was not really around the kids lot today. Mike got Lauren dressed in an impressively cute outfit all on his own, but he still refuses to touch her hair and she looked liked Medusa most of the day. At least they didn't go anywhere!

I did get home in time to put Jack down to bed, thanks to daylight savings time. As I was taking him off I said "Say goodnight to Daddy, thank you for taking care of me today." And I swear he waved! He's been doing these sort of Jazz hands lately, where he makes fists and them opens his palms wide, but he definitley semed to be waving this time! Even Mike thought so!

Lauren has been indicating she wants to go to the potty as a way of delaying going to sleep, both for naps and at night. It's sort of alarming, because I think I should respond positivley anytime she wants to use the potty. But she's only asking to go there when she doesn't want to do something. I'm not quite sure what to do about it. I need to do some more reading. Maybe I can find something online. I wonder if there is a pottytraining.com?

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Sat, Apr 1, 2006 10:25 AM
Jack is definitely teething. He BIT me yesterday! TWICE!! On the shoulder. The teeth marks look like I was attacked by vampire. OUCH!! It really hurt! He's getting his teeth next to the top middle ones. That explains lot of recent fussiness and drooling.

My show finally opened last night! No great disasters nd we actually had some laughs. I'm totally exhausted though. We have 2 shows today so Mike is on baby patrol. Good luck Dada!!

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