girlfiend

My summer has been relaxing and drama-free thus far, leaving me with precious little to blog about other than the kids. But just like after the Fiendling was born, my immune system is revolting and I’m a bit of a wreck physically. I’ve had a rash that comes and goes for weeks now. It shows up on my arms or legs, itches like a motherfucker, then disappears only to show up someplace else. Yesterday I woke up with the rash on my outer arms. It migrated to my legs and left elbow by nighttime. The dermatologist says there’s nothing to do but treat the symptoms. Awesome.

Then I got this thing on my back. I assumed it was a zit or a bug bite. I’ve never had a zit on my back, but it was reddish and hurt. I asked Boyfiend for his expert opinion and he told me that it was a zit. The following day the zit was bigger, redder and owier. Boyfiend tried to pop it and came to the conclusion that it was not, in fact, a zit and I needed to see a doctor about it. Sweet. And sexy on the beach.

Speaking of sexy, I ended up buying two new pairs of Reef flip flops this year because I was so grossed out by the old ones. They were blue to begin with and three summers of wearing them 90% fo the time turned them dingy and brown.  I figured with two new pairs of flip flops I could alternate and they wouldn’t get so nasty. But then (since I’m neurotic) I went ahead and gave cleaning the old ones a shot. I went to work with Dawn and a toothbrush and the results were incredible.

I could have saved myself the money and cleaned them to begin with. Oh well. You can never have too many pairs of comfortable flip flops.

The baby is two months old, and yes, he still needs a blog name.

He’s very strong, and can push up on his arms now when he’s on his belly. He also holds his head up straight when we hold him upright. The other day we were at the pool at my dad’s condo and I was holding the baby so that he was looking intently at something over my shoulder. My dad wanted to show him off to a friend and asked me to turn around so she could see his dark blue eyes. As soon as I turned he turned his head back to what he was looking at. I turned again and again he turned his head. My dad’s friend moved to see him better.

We had his two month appointment the other day. Our pediatrician is in the process of moving into a new office/new health care system so we had to see the guy who bought out her previous practice. The office was a mess and the doctor was a douche, but we did learn his height and weight and get him one of five vaccinations. The doctor, who may have been insane, lifted the baby in his arms, holding him up superman style. He sort of flew him back and forth over the exam table. The baby looked confused and a little bit stricken and he was as stiff as a board up there, wide-eyed and flailing his arms. I don’t know what the fuck that was about, but the doctor said, “Good, he passed,” and put him down.

Sleeping is good. I don’t expect it to last forever, but I’m still enjoying it while it does. He naps in a crib by himself when the day allows it and he sleeps by himself in a crib at night. His long stretch of sleep is usually between 10 or 11 and 6 am. He wakes then to nurse and goes back to sleep for another hour or so. If I remember to put him back in his crib instead of leaving him in bed beside me he’ll sleep for even longer. I am surprisingly well rested.

He’s not so great in the car. He was fine for weeks, but for the last several he mostly cries if he can’t fall asleep. It’s one of the only times he screams. Today he didn’t fall asleep in the car and he didn’t scream either. I’m hoping that’s a sign that he’s becoming more tolerant and a ride to the shore won’t be torture on the ears.

He spends more and more time awake each day and though he still spends most of his awake time nursing, the rest of the time he’s alert and aware, examining the world around him. He’s discovered his arms and likes to wave them about. He gurgles and coos and likes when I repeat the sounds. He plays, which means he makes funny faces and flails his arms, and he smiles. The smiles are brilliant- charming and goofy all at the same time. He sometimes winks when he smiles, like we’re sharing an inside joke.

He’s perfect. Really. I am completely smitten.

When I last posted about the Fiendling I was distraught. I didn’t recognize him anymore and didn’t know how to help him. I was scared I’d lost him. Just a few days after the 27month update he came around. A few good days in a row led to a few more. Since then we’ve had some typical toddler meltdowns, nastiness and tantrums, but my sweet boy has returned. Boyfiend and I agree that he pretty much stopped developing and regressed during the first five weeks of the baby’s life. By week six, the Fiendling’s brain kicked back in and now his vocabulary, sentence structure, and ability to communicate returned full force.

He uses pronouns properly now and corrects himself if he accidentally says, ‘carry you’ instead of ‘carry me.” His sentences have grown more complex and he’s often unintentionally hilarious saying things like, “No I won’t say cheese, I’m playing with trains,” when we try to take his picture. Now he’s getting too smart for us and we have to be careful about what we say around him. It’s not just that he repeats what he hears, it’s that he’s able to draw conclusions. He knows who we’re speaking with on the phone and can figure out what plans we’re making. He also knows when we find something funny and tries to repeat it.

One night he was running around naked after his bath and Boyfiend was taking pictures and videos. Of course he peed on the floor. It didn’t occur to either of us to put a diaper on him as I cleaned up the mess and Boyfiend continued to record him running in circles around the train table and playing with his trains. In mid-recording I looked up and realized he was peeing on the floor again. We laughed and laughed. The next night after his bath Boyfiend tried to get him in a diaper. The Fiendling yelled, “No! I’m going to run and pee on the rug.”

The Fiendling is much better with the baby, even helping me burp him and change diapers. He’s been gentle and understands that he’s not supposed to hit, kick or bite the baby, though he does climb on him and squish him a bit now and again. He’s also been much better with me and tells me he loves me and gives me kisses unprompted.

He sings to himself often, sometimes even in tune. His repertoire consists mainly of songs from Thomas the Tank Engine though Baby Beluga has been a recent favorite. He plays imaginatively for real now, and his trains talk to each other and even argue- “No, I’m not a green engine, I’m a blue engine.” or “Don’t pull this tender, it’s my tender, not your tender.”

His favorite activity is still playing with trains but he loves the playground and the sprinklers and the library. He loves to run, and will run around the block rather than walk or ride in the stroller.

He’s still bossy, telling me to stop singing or stop talking when he’s tired, cranky or just wants my undivided attention. He’s also still a toddler which means he’s unpredictable and insists on doing things all by himself which leads to screams and tantrums.

He’s so big. He’s lost his baby roundness- he’s now this sticky, dirty, skinny little boy running around with skinned knees demanding cookies and popsicles.

But he’s back. He’s sweet and smart and funny and lovable, and spending time with him is fun again.