We have had a string of illnesses here at Chez HOK that has left me reeling. Ella was sick last Thursday and Friday - I sent her to school on Friday only to have her teacher call me, sigh. Campbell woke up at 3:00am on Sunday with croup, which is always fun. I particularly enjoy sitting in front of an open freezer in the middle of the night with a sobbing preschooler. Then, to add insult to injury, Elizabeth spiked a fever Tuesday night and started coughing.
As a result, I've spent much of the past 7 days with a child in my lap. Even though Ella is approaching the age where she won't want to admit she knows me in public, she does still love to be mother-henned when she's sick. And Campbell and Elizabeth both turn into Velcro babies when they don't feel well.
Instead of letting myself get upset at the amount of work that needs to be done around the house and the amount of paying work I've fallen behind on, I've decided to enjoy these quiet days of snuggling and loving.
My babies are growing up so fast, as is evidenced by the fact that Ella doesn't even fit on my lap, and I need to treasure the quiet moments. Plus, being a mom is my primary job - ahead of vacuuming and doing laundry and writing continuing education modules for doctors. Nothing in my life right now is more important than taking care of my sick kids.
That having been said, if one more child gets sick, I may just lose my mind.
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Monday, October 06, 2008
Miss Elizabeth Anne Gardner Has Arrived!
This is a guest post by knittergran, grandmother of hokgardner's new daughter!
Elizabeth Anne was born at 10:38 last night (Sunday evening), and weighs four pounds, fifteen ounces.
(Eat, girl, eat!)
Yes, she was four weeks early, but hokgardner went into hard labor and the doctor said there was a reason for that and that it was time for Elizabeth to meet everyone.
hokgardner is doing fine, considering, but wants MORE DRUGS please, and Elizabeth (isn't that just the loveliest name!) is now breathing regular air rather than air with oxygen added. She needs to meet three requirements in order to come home:
1. Breathe completely on her own.
2. Eat via her mouth rather than through a tube.
3. Maintain her own body temperature.
She is currently in NICU, but not in an incubator, so that's a good sign, and she's well enough that her big sisters are visiting her this afternoon. They have to scrub up in order to meet her, and I'm sure the solemnity of all of that will quite impress them. Lily, in fact, announced no fewer than four times at breakfast that SHE had wished for a girl and that's what they have gotten.
The new mother of four will be back blogging soon, I'm sure, but wanted you all to know about the newest Gardner! Pictures to follow....
Elizabeth Anne was born at 10:38 last night (Sunday evening), and weighs four pounds, fifteen ounces.
(Eat, girl, eat!)
Yes, she was four weeks early, but hokgardner went into hard labor and the doctor said there was a reason for that and that it was time for Elizabeth to meet everyone.
hokgardner is doing fine, considering, but wants MORE DRUGS please, and Elizabeth (isn't that just the loveliest name!) is now breathing regular air rather than air with oxygen added. She needs to meet three requirements in order to come home:
1. Breathe completely on her own.
2. Eat via her mouth rather than through a tube.
3. Maintain her own body temperature.
She is currently in NICU, but not in an incubator, so that's a good sign, and she's well enough that her big sisters are visiting her this afternoon. They have to scrub up in order to meet her, and I'm sure the solemnity of all of that will quite impress them. Lily, in fact, announced no fewer than four times at breakfast that SHE had wished for a girl and that's what they have gotten.
The new mother of four will be back blogging soon, I'm sure, but wanted you all to know about the newest Gardner! Pictures to follow....
Monday, September 08, 2008
That didn't take long
We've only just begun our third week of school and already all three kids have been sick. It certainly didn't take long for the bugs to start being shared.
Campbell started the trend last Wednesday afternoon by spiking a fever of 103.5. It came down relatively quickly with Advil, but he was a mess the rest of the day. At 9:00 pm he woke up fussing, and I checked his temperature - 104.1. Time for more Advil. His fever broke at about 1:00 am, and he woke up Thursday morning without a temperature. Unfortunately, he was a cranky, clingy kid the rest of the day.
Friday afternoon Ella came home from school saying she was tired. I should have known something was wrong, because the child will NEVER admit to being tired. She had a birthday party that evening, and I asked if she was too tired to go, and of course she said no. I chalked her tiredness up to her first rock climbing team practice the night before. She climbed for two hours and then didn't get to bed until later than usual. I explained all this to the birthday girl's mom when I dropped Ella off and headed to another party with Lily. When I picked Ella up two hours later, she was mostly asleep on the sofa, despite the commotion of the party. As soon as we got in the car, she started sobbing that her head hurt. I took her temperature when we got home - 103.5. No wonder she had been so droopy before the party. I felt awful for sending her off to the party without noticing she was sick.
Ella spent most of Saturday flat on the sofa watching movies. But she rebounded with a vengeance Saturday night, bouncing off the walls with energy. She's been fine ever since.
However, it's Lily's turn now. She started complaining of a headache Sunday afternoon. So I took her temperature - 100.3 - and gave her Advil. She and I took a three-hour nap in my bed, but she was still complaining of a headache when she woke up. Today she's at home, flat on the sofa. She doesn't have a high fever, but she obviously doesn't feel well. So she's missing school and her first ballet class of the fall. I haven't even mentioned that to her because I know it will cause buckets of tears.
My hope is that neither B nor I come down with whatever this is. Although, you would think that after three kids we would have become immune to pretty much whatever they bring home.
In the meantime, we'll have another quiet day of watching PBS and drinking Sprite.
Campbell started the trend last Wednesday afternoon by spiking a fever of 103.5. It came down relatively quickly with Advil, but he was a mess the rest of the day. At 9:00 pm he woke up fussing, and I checked his temperature - 104.1. Time for more Advil. His fever broke at about 1:00 am, and he woke up Thursday morning without a temperature. Unfortunately, he was a cranky, clingy kid the rest of the day.
Friday afternoon Ella came home from school saying she was tired. I should have known something was wrong, because the child will NEVER admit to being tired. She had a birthday party that evening, and I asked if she was too tired to go, and of course she said no. I chalked her tiredness up to her first rock climbing team practice the night before. She climbed for two hours and then didn't get to bed until later than usual. I explained all this to the birthday girl's mom when I dropped Ella off and headed to another party with Lily. When I picked Ella up two hours later, she was mostly asleep on the sofa, despite the commotion of the party. As soon as we got in the car, she started sobbing that her head hurt. I took her temperature when we got home - 103.5. No wonder she had been so droopy before the party. I felt awful for sending her off to the party without noticing she was sick.
Ella spent most of Saturday flat on the sofa watching movies. But she rebounded with a vengeance Saturday night, bouncing off the walls with energy. She's been fine ever since.
However, it's Lily's turn now. She started complaining of a headache Sunday afternoon. So I took her temperature - 100.3 - and gave her Advil. She and I took a three-hour nap in my bed, but she was still complaining of a headache when she woke up. Today she's at home, flat on the sofa. She doesn't have a high fever, but she obviously doesn't feel well. So she's missing school and her first ballet class of the fall. I haven't even mentioned that to her because I know it will cause buckets of tears.
My hope is that neither B nor I come down with whatever this is. Although, you would think that after three kids we would have become immune to pretty much whatever they bring home.
In the meantime, we'll have another quiet day of watching PBS and drinking Sprite.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Midnight Party Crew
The house we're staying in at the beach is actually two separate three-bedroom apartments. We're sharing one apartment with our neighbors, the Rs. We pile all the kids (except Campbell) in one bedroom, and they have a big slumber party the whole time we're here. Turns out there's a lot more going on at night than the parents realize.
The first night we were here, at about midnight, Ella showed up in my room and woke me up to announce that she and L were awake and hungry. I told her that it was the middle of the night and that she and L needed to go back to bed.
Instead, the went into the kitchen and made themselves snacks of cereal and milk.
When I asked Ella about it the next morning, she said that I had told her it was OK to get up and get a snack. I replied that I had told her no such thing, and she said, "Oh. I guess I forgot what you said." She and L claim that they stayed awake until 2:00 am.
R, L's dad, said that he heard odd noises at 3:00 am and went into the kitchen to find Ella and M, L's little sister, sitting at the table drawing pictures. They apparently thought it was morning, just a very dark morning. He shooed them back to bed.
We've warned the kids that anymore middle-of-the-night shenanigans will result in their having to sleep in the same room as their parents. Gasp!
Fortunately, all the kids were so tired last night that they conked out and stayed asleep - all of them except Campbell, that is. But that's a complaint for a different post.
The first night we were here, at about midnight, Ella showed up in my room and woke me up to announce that she and L were awake and hungry. I told her that it was the middle of the night and that she and L needed to go back to bed.
Instead, the went into the kitchen and made themselves snacks of cereal and milk.
When I asked Ella about it the next morning, she said that I had told her it was OK to get up and get a snack. I replied that I had told her no such thing, and she said, "Oh. I guess I forgot what you said." She and L claim that they stayed awake until 2:00 am.
R, L's dad, said that he heard odd noises at 3:00 am and went into the kitchen to find Ella and M, L's little sister, sitting at the table drawing pictures. They apparently thought it was morning, just a very dark morning. He shooed them back to bed.
We've warned the kids that anymore middle-of-the-night shenanigans will result in their having to sleep in the same room as their parents. Gasp!
Fortunately, all the kids were so tired last night that they conked out and stayed asleep - all of them except Campbell, that is. But that's a complaint for a different post.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Poor little brother
It must be tough having two big sisters. You desperately want to play in their room with them, but when they do allow you in, they do things like cram you in a tutu and laugh hysterically. Or they put bows and clips and headbands in your hair, which you try to tug out on your own but end up crying because you pull your own hair in the process.
I promise, little man, that when you get older, you'll get them back with all sorts of gross boy stuff.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The toy
This is the toy that caused Ella's thermonuclear meltdown on Monday. Once she stopped asking if she could have it back, Ella started asking me to get it out of the trash and take a picture so that she'd have something to remember it by.
Finally, Wednesday night I decided that taking a picture was the least I could do since I had so obviously ruined her little life by throwing away a worn-out toy she hasn't played with in months. If any of our neighbors looked outside at about 9:30 pm, they would have seen me standing the rain, by the light of the open garage door, pulling bag after bag out of the trash looking for the one that had this thing in it. Of course, it was at the very bottom.
I found it, took a picture, snapped the little board in half, and threw it back in the trash, grumbling the whole time about how that child just doesn't understand what I'm willing to do to make her happy.
When I went inside, I showed Ella (who was still awake whimpering about the toy) the picture on the camera. She gave me the biggest smile, snuggled down in her covers, and went straight to sleep.
And she hasn't mentioned the toy since.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Barf - gross-out alert
I have a pretty strong stomach when it comes to icky kid stuff. I haven't yet met a diaper that phased me, and I can handle cuts and scrapes without a problem - except for Campbell's Thanksgiving gash (which cost us $600, by the way), but I cannot handle vomit. The smell of it makes me start gagging. I've actually thrown up while loading vomit-covered sheets into the washing machine. Normally, B handles the clean up while I comfort the child.
Last night I gave Campbell his pre-bed cup of milk and stood up to take him off to his room. He puked all over the floor. I figured it was just a really big urp and took him in his room to change his clothes. We got as far as the hallway before he threw up again, this time all over me.
I got him changed and settled him down while B did the clean up. After about 30 minutes with no more vomit, I popped Campbell into bed. Fifteen minutes later he started screaming. I went in and found him and his crib covered. So I stripped him and sent B in to pull everything out of the crib and load it in the washer.
Campbell threw up one more time, but we got him safely tucked into bed, vomit-free by about 9:00. I was mad at B and Ella, thanks to her thermonuclear meltdown over a toy, so I stomped off to bed to read.
About half an hour later, B came in to tell me that Lily had thrown up all over her bed. This time, I ended up cleaning it all up while B took Lily off to our bathroom for a shower. And when I say all over her bed, I mean it. She got the wall next to the bed, her headboard, all her pillows, most of her stuffed animals, and her various little blankets in addition to the floor. I have visions of her head spinning around as she threw up.
We finally got everything cleaned up and Lily tucked back into bed at about 10:00. B put a big pot next to her in bed as her barf bucket, which came in handy about half an hour later and again at 3:00 am.
Fortunately, we've been vomit free all morning, but between Ella's tantrum and the illness, I'm wiped out, physically and emotionally. The kids are in bed for a nap, and I think I'm going to lie down, too.
Last night I gave Campbell his pre-bed cup of milk and stood up to take him off to his room. He puked all over the floor. I figured it was just a really big urp and took him in his room to change his clothes. We got as far as the hallway before he threw up again, this time all over me.
I got him changed and settled him down while B did the clean up. After about 30 minutes with no more vomit, I popped Campbell into bed. Fifteen minutes later he started screaming. I went in and found him and his crib covered. So I stripped him and sent B in to pull everything out of the crib and load it in the washer.
Campbell threw up one more time, but we got him safely tucked into bed, vomit-free by about 9:00. I was mad at B and Ella, thanks to her thermonuclear meltdown over a toy, so I stomped off to bed to read.
About half an hour later, B came in to tell me that Lily had thrown up all over her bed. This time, I ended up cleaning it all up while B took Lily off to our bathroom for a shower. And when I say all over her bed, I mean it. She got the wall next to the bed, her headboard, all her pillows, most of her stuffed animals, and her various little blankets in addition to the floor. I have visions of her head spinning around as she threw up.
We finally got everything cleaned up and Lily tucked back into bed at about 10:00. B put a big pot next to her in bed as her barf bucket, which came in handy about half an hour later and again at 3:00 am.
Fortunately, we've been vomit free all morning, but between Ella's tantrum and the illness, I'm wiped out, physically and emotionally. The kids are in bed for a nap, and I think I'm going to lie down, too.
Monday, January 21, 2008
It's going to be one of those days
I can tell already that it is going to be one of those days. Ella and Lily both have the day off of school due to the holiday. I had planned to test out my new bike rack and take all the kids and our bikes and bike trailer down to the Trail for a ride. It would have been Lily's first trip down there to ride without training wheels. The girls were THRILLED when I said we'd do it.
But that plan is not to be.
First, it's raining, so no bike riding.
Second, Lily and Campbell are sick. Campbell just has a runny nose and a bad attitude. He's smart enough now to run away whenever he sees me coming with a Kleenex, so he has a perpetual trail of slime on his face. Ick.
Lily is worse off. She's running a fever and complaining of a sore throat, which worries me. Apparently, strep throat is making the rounds of preschools. One of Lily's friends, with whom she had a play date last week, has strep, and I'm afraid germs may have been shared before our little friend was showing any signs of being ill. When she's sick, Lily just turns puny and whiny, and she wants to be in my lap constantly, which isn't convenient when I'm trying to clean up the house and get some work done.
Ella, however, is healthy, and I'm predicting lots of complaints about boredom today. I'm hesitant to call in reinforcements and send her off to a friend's house because maybe she's on the verge of having whatever Lily has. I'd hate to be "that" mom who sends her sick kid off to play. I think I may have to resort to letting Ella watch the fourth Harry Potter movie, which Lily isn't allowed to watch, while Lily is napping. The promise of the special movie is usually enough to buy a fair amount of cooperation from Ella.
Fortunately, I started the day with a good, if damp, run. It's the first time in weeks that I haven't come home borderline hypothermic. With any luck, the endorphins from the run will enable me, and the children, to survive the day.
But that plan is not to be.
First, it's raining, so no bike riding.
Second, Lily and Campbell are sick. Campbell just has a runny nose and a bad attitude. He's smart enough now to run away whenever he sees me coming with a Kleenex, so he has a perpetual trail of slime on his face. Ick.
Lily is worse off. She's running a fever and complaining of a sore throat, which worries me. Apparently, strep throat is making the rounds of preschools. One of Lily's friends, with whom she had a play date last week, has strep, and I'm afraid germs may have been shared before our little friend was showing any signs of being ill. When she's sick, Lily just turns puny and whiny, and she wants to be in my lap constantly, which isn't convenient when I'm trying to clean up the house and get some work done.
Ella, however, is healthy, and I'm predicting lots of complaints about boredom today. I'm hesitant to call in reinforcements and send her off to a friend's house because maybe she's on the verge of having whatever Lily has. I'd hate to be "that" mom who sends her sick kid off to play. I think I may have to resort to letting Ella watch the fourth Harry Potter movie, which Lily isn't allowed to watch, while Lily is napping. The promise of the special movie is usually enough to buy a fair amount of cooperation from Ella.
Fortunately, I started the day with a good, if damp, run. It's the first time in weeks that I haven't come home borderline hypothermic. With any luck, the endorphins from the run will enable me, and the children, to survive the day.
Friday, January 11, 2008
"You're spoiling him!"
That's what B said to me last night when he found me snuggling with Campbell on the sofa at 8:30. Campbell has been working on giving up one of his naps, and the days when he only takes one nap, he goes to bed without a problem. However, on the days when he takes two naps, like he did yesterday, he has a hard time going to bed. Last night I put him in his crib and made Pigeon give him some kisses and gave him his lovie and left the room, like I always do. Campbell was quiet for an hour, then he started crying. I went in and patted him and tucked him back in, but that only made him scream more. I gave him a few more minutes of crying before I went in to get him.
Don't worry - I'm not spoiling him to the point where he's not learning the meaning of the word "No," and I'm not letting him bite me or his sisters, like he wants to. I'm just spoiling him with love.
We snuggled on the sofa together while he drank a little more milk. Even after he finished his milk, Campbell was content to just sit quietly in my lap. He's figured out that if he's quiet and cuddly, I'll let him stay up, but that once he starts wiggling or trying to play he gets packed off to bed. We were sitting quietly watching Law and Order when B found us and accused me of spoiling him.
I couldn't argue with B; I am spoiling Campbell a little. But I can't help myself. Those sweet, quiet moments with Campbell are so rare these days. He's in constant motion during the day, and he won't sit in my lap for more than a moment. Plus, I know he's my last baby, so I need to enjoy the baby snuggles while I can.
Campbell is also in a particularly cute phase, destructive tendencies aside. Lately he's taken to climbing onto the sofa and flinging himself in my lap to give me wet slobbery kisses all over my face. He won't stop kissing me until I make a smacking noise and give him a kiss back. As soon as I do that, he slithers off my lap and takes off to destroy something new.
Besides, how can you not want to spoil someone who's so darn cute?
Don't worry - I'm not spoiling him to the point where he's not learning the meaning of the word "No," and I'm not letting him bite me or his sisters, like he wants to. I'm just spoiling him with love.
Friday, January 04, 2008
One the perks of the job
This afternoon Ella was at a playdate and Campbell was down for a nap (he didn't sleep, though), so Lily and I settled down to watch a movie together. I had promised her a movie to make up for the insult of not being invited to the big girls' playtime. I told Lily she could pick any movie she wanted, and of course she selected "Arielthelittlemermaid."
As we snuggled down under the blanket on the sofa, I started thinking about all the stuff that needed to be done - lunch dishes were still on the counter, laundry was waiting in the dryer, work-related e-mails and work tasks were sitting in my in-box. I almost got up to do all those things while Lily was occupied with the movie, but then I remembered that I had promised I would watch the movie WITH her.
That's when it hit me - my primary job is being mommy; it's not being housekeeper or freelancer. Part of my job as mommy, one of the best parts, is spending time with my kids without multi-tasking. So I settled in and watched the movie with Lily. We both dozed off for a little bit in the middle, but it was a great way to spend an hour with her.
My hope is that she won't remember wearing wrinkled clothing or that the dishes weren't always done, but that she will remember the times when we snuggled on the sofa together. I know I will.
As we snuggled down under the blanket on the sofa, I started thinking about all the stuff that needed to be done - lunch dishes were still on the counter, laundry was waiting in the dryer, work-related e-mails and work tasks were sitting in my in-box. I almost got up to do all those things while Lily was occupied with the movie, but then I remembered that I had promised I would watch the movie WITH her.
That's when it hit me - my primary job is being mommy; it's not being housekeeper or freelancer. Part of my job as mommy, one of the best parts, is spending time with my kids without multi-tasking. So I settled in and watched the movie with Lily. We both dozed off for a little bit in the middle, but it was a great way to spend an hour with her.
My hope is that she won't remember wearing wrinkled clothing or that the dishes weren't always done, but that she will remember the times when we snuggled on the sofa together. I know I will.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Farewell, Target
I'm cutting Target out of my life for the next 30 days. As I've written before, I love going to Target. There's just something about all those shelves of brightly colored stuff. But I've been feeling the need to downsize our collection of clutter. I tried very hard at Christmas to give only non-cluttery gifts, and I think I did pretty well. It's been a week since Christmas, and I haven't tripped over any new plastic junk yet. Even better, we're getting lots of use out of the presents we did get. The girls have been going on daily bike rides with me or B. And we've been towing Campbell along in the new bike trailer.
I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, but then I read this blog, and it got me thinking. I'm not ready to give up buying things for a year - I'm not sure I could do without new books and new yarn and new running shoes. But I am willing to give up Target for a month again. Maybe I'll be able to stretch it out longer than that.
In anticipation of this change of lifestyle, I made one last trip to SoooopeeeerrrTarget today, to pick up a few last things and say good-bye. I'm really proud of myself. I made it out of the store without any extra stuff. We bought three bike helmets - one for me, one for Lily, and one for Campbell - which I had planned on, but that was it other than groceries. I didn't even buy any junk food groceries, despite the girls' plea for ice cream.
I wavered in the DVD section, though. The other night we watched the new Pixar Shorts collection at our neighbors' house, and we all loved it. I had looked for it before Christmas, but it was out of stock then. I almost bought it today, but then Ella and Lily got in a debate about the new Harry Potter DVD. I didn't want to buy two new movies, but I didn't feel right about buying one that we won't let Lily watch yet. So I told the girls we weren't going to buy any movies this trip.
Ella started the waterworks, crying about how much she loved Harry Potter and how I had promised that she could watch the movie when it came out on DVD and she's been waiting since December 11 for it and she wanted it for Christmas and didn't get it and it isn't fair. Sob. I asked her if she loved Harry Potter enough to pay for half of the cost out of her own money. That question stopped the tears pretty quickly. I explained that my parents had made me help pay for things I really wanted, and that it had helped me learn to really think about what I wanted to buy. In the end, she decided to go home and count her loot to see how much she would have left if we bought the DVD. I was pleased with her response. Ella loves to save her money and almost never spends any of it. I'm glad the lure of Harry Potter hasn't changed that trait in her.
So now for 30 days without Target. I won't even go in for the bag of dog food I forgot to buy today.
I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, but then I read this blog, and it got me thinking. I'm not ready to give up buying things for a year - I'm not sure I could do without new books and new yarn and new running shoes. But I am willing to give up Target for a month again. Maybe I'll be able to stretch it out longer than that.
In anticipation of this change of lifestyle, I made one last trip to SoooopeeeerrrTarget today, to pick up a few last things and say good-bye. I'm really proud of myself. I made it out of the store without any extra stuff. We bought three bike helmets - one for me, one for Lily, and one for Campbell - which I had planned on, but that was it other than groceries. I didn't even buy any junk food groceries, despite the girls' plea for ice cream.
I wavered in the DVD section, though. The other night we watched the new Pixar Shorts collection at our neighbors' house, and we all loved it. I had looked for it before Christmas, but it was out of stock then. I almost bought it today, but then Ella and Lily got in a debate about the new Harry Potter DVD. I didn't want to buy two new movies, but I didn't feel right about buying one that we won't let Lily watch yet. So I told the girls we weren't going to buy any movies this trip.
Ella started the waterworks, crying about how much she loved Harry Potter and how I had promised that she could watch the movie when it came out on DVD and she's been waiting since December 11 for it and she wanted it for Christmas and didn't get it and it isn't fair. Sob. I asked her if she loved Harry Potter enough to pay for half of the cost out of her own money. That question stopped the tears pretty quickly. I explained that my parents had made me help pay for things I really wanted, and that it had helped me learn to really think about what I wanted to buy. In the end, she decided to go home and count her loot to see how much she would have left if we bought the DVD. I was pleased with her response. Ella loves to save her money and almost never spends any of it. I'm glad the lure of Harry Potter hasn't changed that trait in her.
So now for 30 days without Target. I won't even go in for the bag of dog food I forgot to buy today.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
I made CNN.com
My last post about the mother who got her daughter to write a phony essay about a dead dad to win Hannah Montana tickets made the blog roll on CNN.com. I've already had 27 people link to the post this morning from the article. One of them left me a nasty, and poorly written, flame. Whee! I've hit the big-time baby.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Lily "Crash" Gardner
My father, while he was here for Christmas, took the girls up to the neighborhood park on their bikes, following behind on my bike. During the ride, he noticed that Lily wasn't really using her training wheels to balance and that she was riding a good deal of the time on two wheels. So on Christmas Day, he put her on the bike Ella had outgrown and started teaching her to ride. I thought for sure that dad was being overly optimistic in his efforts, but I was wrong. By the end of Christmas Day, Lily was riding small stretches on her own. The day after Christmas, dad worked with her again, and when B and I returned from his doctor's appointment, we turned onto the street to see Lily cruising along without a problem, even turning in big circles. I was absolutely flabberghasted.
Teaching Ella to ride without training wheels was a multi-year project with lots of starts and stops. We'd take her training wheels off, give it a try for a week or two until she'd get frustrated and demand that we put the training wheels back on. After a six-month break, we'd try again, and then take another six-month break. She'd go for weeks without riding her bike. B finally got her going this summer by taking her up to her school and letting her ride around the empty parking lot for an hour. As soon as she figured it out, Ella took off like a shot, which is what we knew would happen.
But she's a lot like me in temperament. If I can't do something well after my first few attempts, I'm liable to throw my hands up in disgust and walk away. I absolutely do not like not being able to something the right way. It's why my mom's insistence that I take tennis lessons was so frustrating to me. When I was ten and eleven, my lack of skill didn't bother me much, but by the time I was 16 and leaving swim practice early to go to tennis I had had it. I would get beyond frustrated when I would hit 19 perfect forehands and then send the 20th sailing over the side fence. I just don't have the patience for things like that, which is why I've never attempted golf. I'd end up pitching my clubs into the lake by the fourth hole.
Lily, on the other hand, has a surprising amount of stick-to-it-ness. She fell countless times while riding with my dad, but each time she'd pop right up again, calling out, "I'm OK!" Then she'd hop back on the bike and give it another go. She spent hours doing this. My poor dad must have run five miles back and forth with her, but she got it. Ella would have given up after the first couple of falls.
While Lily has now mastered riding her bike, she's still not so good at the stopping part. Instead of using her brakes or putting her feet down, she tends to aim for grass and tip over, always announcing that she's ok. She also needs to work on her steering. She's still in the phase where she runs smack into the things she wants to avoid. I'm trying to teach her to not look at trees and bushes and curbs, but it's slow going. So now we've started calling Lily "Crash," which she and Ella think is tremendously funny.
My goal is to get her stopping, starting and steering skills to the point where I can take both her and Ella down to the Trail and let them ride while I tow Campbell in my new trailer. I can't think of a better way to spend time outdoors with them.
Teaching Ella to ride without training wheels was a multi-year project with lots of starts and stops. We'd take her training wheels off, give it a try for a week or two until she'd get frustrated and demand that we put the training wheels back on. After a six-month break, we'd try again, and then take another six-month break. She'd go for weeks without riding her bike. B finally got her going this summer by taking her up to her school and letting her ride around the empty parking lot for an hour. As soon as she figured it out, Ella took off like a shot, which is what we knew would happen.
But she's a lot like me in temperament. If I can't do something well after my first few attempts, I'm liable to throw my hands up in disgust and walk away. I absolutely do not like not being able to something the right way. It's why my mom's insistence that I take tennis lessons was so frustrating to me. When I was ten and eleven, my lack of skill didn't bother me much, but by the time I was 16 and leaving swim practice early to go to tennis I had had it. I would get beyond frustrated when I would hit 19 perfect forehands and then send the 20th sailing over the side fence. I just don't have the patience for things like that, which is why I've never attempted golf. I'd end up pitching my clubs into the lake by the fourth hole.
Lily, on the other hand, has a surprising amount of stick-to-it-ness. She fell countless times while riding with my dad, but each time she'd pop right up again, calling out, "I'm OK!" Then she'd hop back on the bike and give it another go. She spent hours doing this. My poor dad must have run five miles back and forth with her, but she got it. Ella would have given up after the first couple of falls.
While Lily has now mastered riding her bike, she's still not so good at the stopping part. Instead of using her brakes or putting her feet down, she tends to aim for grass and tip over, always announcing that she's ok. She also needs to work on her steering. She's still in the phase where she runs smack into the things she wants to avoid. I'm trying to teach her to not look at trees and bushes and curbs, but it's slow going. So now we've started calling Lily "Crash," which she and Ella think is tremendously funny.
My goal is to get her stopping, starting and steering skills to the point where I can take both her and Ella down to the Trail and let them ride while I tow Campbell in my new trailer. I can't think of a better way to spend time outdoors with them.
Friday, December 14, 2007
OK, you're forgiven
To say that Campbell has been a handful lately would be an understatement. He is into and on top of everything these days. Yesterday the girls caught him splishing in the toilet with one of their toothbrushes. Ew. I've found his toys inside pots and pans in the cupboard. He makes escape attempts from the house every time someone opens the front door. He's also made a developmental leap in his problem-solving skills, which means he's thinking about how to make a mess or get something I've put out of his reach. By noon most days, I'm ready to pull my hair out in frustration. I can't get anything done when Campbell's awake because I can't take my eyes off him for a second.
Just when I'm really about to lose it, he does something so irresistibly cute that I just melt. This morning Campbell had been noodling around the bathroom while B and I were getting dressed, emptying the contents of our bathroom drawers. I went out into the bedroom to put on my shoes, and I heard Lily start laughing hysterically. I turned around to see Campbell wearing a kleenex box for a shoe and ran for my camera. He waddled all the way across my room and out to the hall before sitting down to take off the box. Lily and I were both laughing so hard we were just about crying.
This one little stunt bought him a day's worth of forgiveness for all the messes he's getting into.
Just when I'm really about to lose it, he does something so irresistibly cute that I just melt. This morning Campbell had been noodling around the bathroom while B and I were getting dressed, emptying the contents of our bathroom drawers. I went out into the bedroom to put on my shoes, and I heard Lily start laughing hysterically. I turned around to see Campbell wearing a kleenex box for a shoe and ran for my camera. He waddled all the way across my room and out to the hall before sitting down to take off the box. Lily and I were both laughing so hard we were just about crying.
This one little stunt bought him a day's worth of forgiveness for all the messes he's getting into.Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Liar, liar, pants on fire!
Lily and Ella have both started lying to us. Lily is the more frequent offender, however. They're so funny about it, though. They think they're so clever, telling us these little fibs, like there's no way we'll know. Fortunately, B and I are smarter and wileyer (is that even a word?) than they.
One night I asked Ella if she had finished clearing the table and put everything in the dishwasher. There was a pause before she said yes, so I went to take a look. Plates were all over the counter. I made her load the dishwasher and then sent her straight off to bed. She also lied one night about having brushed her teeth. I made her let me sniff her breath, which smelled of spaghetti, not toothpase, so I sent her back into the bathroom and then off to bed. Those two incidents were enough to convince Ella that we would figure her out if she lied, and she hasn't done it since.
Lily hasn't quite had the same revelation yet. She repeatedly lies about having brushed her teeth - with toothpaste - and about washing her hair and about washing her hands with soap. Again, a quick sniff test by me of B reveals the truth and she gets sent to re-do whatever it was she didn't do correctly and then she's sent to bed without stories. Yet she persists in lying to us. I just don't get it. At what point will she figure out that we catch her every time in these lies? Tonight she brushed her teeth and used toothpaste, but she used her finger rather than her toothbrush because she doesn't like the color of her toothbrush. B and I both suspected something was up, so we kept asking questions until we got to the truth of the matter. Ella's willingness to rat her sister out helped us too. So Lily got sent to bed, again, without a story after she brushed her teeth correctly.
When will she learn?
One night I asked Ella if she had finished clearing the table and put everything in the dishwasher. There was a pause before she said yes, so I went to take a look. Plates were all over the counter. I made her load the dishwasher and then sent her straight off to bed. She also lied one night about having brushed her teeth. I made her let me sniff her breath, which smelled of spaghetti, not toothpase, so I sent her back into the bathroom and then off to bed. Those two incidents were enough to convince Ella that we would figure her out if she lied, and she hasn't done it since.
Lily hasn't quite had the same revelation yet. She repeatedly lies about having brushed her teeth - with toothpaste - and about washing her hair and about washing her hands with soap. Again, a quick sniff test by me of B reveals the truth and she gets sent to re-do whatever it was she didn't do correctly and then she's sent to bed without stories. Yet she persists in lying to us. I just don't get it. At what point will she figure out that we catch her every time in these lies? Tonight she brushed her teeth and used toothpaste, but she used her finger rather than her toothbrush because she doesn't like the color of her toothbrush. B and I both suspected something was up, so we kept asking questions until we got to the truth of the matter. Ella's willingness to rat her sister out helped us too. So Lily got sent to bed, again, without a story after she brushed her teeth correctly.
When will she learn?
Friday, November 30, 2007
37 posts in 30 days
I did it! I made it through NaBloPoMo, with posts to spare. I am so proud of myself for sticking with it.
And now for something completely different.
I spent an hour this morning at Ella's school helping the librarian and two other volunteers set up for the Scholastic Book Fair, and it brought back some wonderful memories of 3rd grade - actually, this is pretty much the only good memory from that year of school - when, for the first time, I went to a school that had a book fair.
We had just moved to Sarasota, Florida from Albany, New York, by way of Westfield, Massachussetts, where we lived for 18 months. I was a bit lost in my new school and missing my friends and family up north pretty badly. I didn't like the school I was in or the teacher I had. I had gone to a combination of private and Montessori-like schools up north, and I didn't deal well with the new public school I attended in Florida for one year before moving on to magical Pine View (Which at that time was a ramshackle collection of portable classrooms, with no cafeteria or gymnasium. We called it Camp Pine View.).
Anyway, fairly soon after I started there, the school had a book fair, and I just loved it. I love books, pure and simple, so getting to shop for books at school and put together a wish list for my parents was such a treat. I don't remember what books I picked out, but I do remember the one my mom bought for me - Strawberry Girl by Lois Lensky. It was an appropriate book for me because it was about a little girl living in the pine scrub area of Central Florida on her family's strawberry farm. Florida was such an alien place to me and reading about it helped me to adjust. The little girl played in palmetto bushes, just like we had behind our house. And she dug in the sandy soil just like I did when playing outside. That book made a new and scary place seem less scary.
Behold the power of literature!
So this morning I looked around at the books being set out and wondered which books Ella would pick. She's been banned from including anything related to Pokemon and High School Musical on her wish list. I would love for Ella to find that one book that reaches her the way Strawberry Girl did me. I'm going back in next week to volunteer. I'll take some time then to look more closely at the books to see if I can pick a magical book for her.
And now for something completely different.
I spent an hour this morning at Ella's school helping the librarian and two other volunteers set up for the Scholastic Book Fair, and it brought back some wonderful memories of 3rd grade - actually, this is pretty much the only good memory from that year of school - when, for the first time, I went to a school that had a book fair.
We had just moved to Sarasota, Florida from Albany, New York, by way of Westfield, Massachussetts, where we lived for 18 months. I was a bit lost in my new school and missing my friends and family up north pretty badly. I didn't like the school I was in or the teacher I had. I had gone to a combination of private and Montessori-like schools up north, and I didn't deal well with the new public school I attended in Florida for one year before moving on to magical Pine View (Which at that time was a ramshackle collection of portable classrooms, with no cafeteria or gymnasium. We called it Camp Pine View.).
Anyway, fairly soon after I started there, the school had a book fair, and I just loved it. I love books, pure and simple, so getting to shop for books at school and put together a wish list for my parents was such a treat. I don't remember what books I picked out, but I do remember the one my mom bought for me - Strawberry Girl by Lois Lensky. It was an appropriate book for me because it was about a little girl living in the pine scrub area of Central Florida on her family's strawberry farm. Florida was such an alien place to me and reading about it helped me to adjust. The little girl played in palmetto bushes, just like we had behind our house. And she dug in the sandy soil just like I did when playing outside. That book made a new and scary place seem less scary.
Behold the power of literature!
So this morning I looked around at the books being set out and wondered which books Ella would pick. She's been banned from including anything related to Pokemon and High School Musical on her wish list. I would love for Ella to find that one book that reaches her the way Strawberry Girl did me. I'm going back in next week to volunteer. I'll take some time then to look more closely at the books to see if I can pick a magical book for her.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
I should have waited 10 minutes
I did a meme as my last post because I didn't have anything to write about. It turns out I should have waited 10 minutes, because my darling daughters put on a little show that had me laughing before I confined them to separate bedrooms for time out.
To set the scene - Ella is in the living room taking off her tights and her turtleneck because she's hot. To do this, she also had to take off her dress.
Lily: I see London, I see France, I see Ella's underpants!
Ella: Lily, stop singing that. It's embarassing.
Lily: I see London, I see France, I see Ella's underpants!
Ella: Lily! I said STOP SINGING THAT!
Lily: I see London, I see France, I see Ella's underpants!
Ella: MOOOOOMMMM!! I've told Lily to stop singing that because she's embarassing me.
Me: Ella, if you don't want to be embarassed, you could always go in your bedroom to do that instead of the living room.
Ella: But I don't want to go in my room.
Me: Then deal with it.
Lily: I see London, I see Fr-owwwwww. Ella kicked me!
Me: Ella go in Campbell's room. Lily, go in your room. You're fighting too much, so you need to be apart from each other until dinner.
Ella and Lily (in harmony): But we'll be looonnneeellllyyy.
I heartlessly sent them on to separate quarters, where they both wailed about the injustice of the world.
I have an aunt who is a middle child, and she worries a great deal about Lily's being the middle child. Based on how quickly Lily can wind Ella up like this, I don't think I need to worry about her being lost in the shuffle.
To set the scene - Ella is in the living room taking off her tights and her turtleneck because she's hot. To do this, she also had to take off her dress.
Lily: I see London, I see France, I see Ella's underpants!
Ella: Lily, stop singing that. It's embarassing.
Lily: I see London, I see France, I see Ella's underpants!
Ella: Lily! I said STOP SINGING THAT!
Lily: I see London, I see France, I see Ella's underpants!
Ella: MOOOOOMMMM!! I've told Lily to stop singing that because she's embarassing me.
Me: Ella, if you don't want to be embarassed, you could always go in your bedroom to do that instead of the living room.
Ella: But I don't want to go in my room.
Me: Then deal with it.
Lily: I see London, I see Fr-owwwwww. Ella kicked me!
Me: Ella go in Campbell's room. Lily, go in your room. You're fighting too much, so you need to be apart from each other until dinner.
Ella and Lily (in harmony): But we'll be looonnneeellllyyy.
I heartlessly sent them on to separate quarters, where they both wailed about the injustice of the world.
I have an aunt who is a middle child, and she worries a great deal about Lily's being the middle child. Based on how quickly Lily can wind Ella up like this, I don't think I need to worry about her being lost in the shuffle.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The best 15 minutes of my day
It's been a day for the books, that's for sure. Nothing big has gone particularly wrong, but little things have piled up on me, to the point that I've almost been in tears several times today.
Campbell is continuing his destructo-baby phase, and he is demolishing the house a piece at a time. His favorite thing is to play in our kitchen pantry, which doesn't have a door on it, so I have no way of closing it off to him. I came around the corner to see him in the process of throwing out every single thing on the bottom shelf of the pantry. He was so proud of himself. Later in the day he got his hands on a box of 200 zip-lock sandwich bags and shoved about 100 of them into the recycling bag. I'm finding it impossible to baby proof for him, because he does things I never in my wildest dreams think he would do.
As the day progressed, I started feeling worse and worse -bad enough that I took my temperature. At 5:00 it was 100.1, which is high for me. I almost never run a fever, not even the time I had mastitis and the time I had a sinus infection.
I still managed to put dinner on the table, and that's when I really lost it. B and I are big proponents of family dinner time. We really believe in the value of everyone gathering at the table to share stories of the day and visit. After tonight's dinner, however, I think I may be switching to an every-man-for-himself dinner plan.
Ella wasn't sitting properly in her chair, and just as I was about to ask her to sit correctly, she managed to flip her plate over and onto the floor, hitting her lap and her chair on the way down. Great hilarity among the kids ensued. B and I weren't as amused. Just as we got Ella focused on her task of cleaning up the mess, Lily knocked over her cup of milk, covering the table. She and Ella had another good laugh at the mess before Lily headed off to get a towel to wipe everything up.
At that point I asked to be excused.
But I didn't get away without one more problem. As I was getting Campbell out of his seat to take him to bath time, he chucked his cup of water off the table, hitting Ella, who was lying on the floor still cleaning up her mess, square in the back. Campbell thought it was hysterical; Ella, not so much.
Campbell had a blast in the tub, as he usually does, and I called my mom so that she could listen to the racket he was making. It was fun and games until he leaned over to pick up a toy and donked his already bruised head on the side of the tub. Sigh.
Finally, after wrestling him into jammies, Campbell and I snuggled down on the sofa for his bedtime cup of milk. And that's when he did something he hasn't done since he stopped nursing - he just cuddled with me. When he was done with his milk, he handed me his cup, and I prepared for the usual wriggling that follows his evening drink. Instead, he just laid here, head on my shoulder. I scootched down on the sofa so that I was stretched out, and we just snuggled. It was the calmest 15 minutes I've had all day. I could have easily fallen asleep like that - feeling the rise and fall of his chest, smelling his wonderful baby hair. I think he might have drifted off if it hadn't been for his sisters, who picked that moment to come crashing into the living room to tell on each other.
Sigh.
I put Campbell in his crib and dangled over the rail for a minute just stroking his back as he drifted off. I wish every day could end so calmly. It made up for all the mess and noise of the day. Now if I could only find a way to not get sick.
Campbell is continuing his destructo-baby phase, and he is demolishing the house a piece at a time. His favorite thing is to play in our kitchen pantry, which doesn't have a door on it, so I have no way of closing it off to him. I came around the corner to see him in the process of throwing out every single thing on the bottom shelf of the pantry. He was so proud of himself. Later in the day he got his hands on a box of 200 zip-lock sandwich bags and shoved about 100 of them into the recycling bag. I'm finding it impossible to baby proof for him, because he does things I never in my wildest dreams think he would do.
As the day progressed, I started feeling worse and worse -bad enough that I took my temperature. At 5:00 it was 100.1, which is high for me. I almost never run a fever, not even the time I had mastitis and the time I had a sinus infection.
I still managed to put dinner on the table, and that's when I really lost it. B and I are big proponents of family dinner time. We really believe in the value of everyone gathering at the table to share stories of the day and visit. After tonight's dinner, however, I think I may be switching to an every-man-for-himself dinner plan.
Ella wasn't sitting properly in her chair, and just as I was about to ask her to sit correctly, she managed to flip her plate over and onto the floor, hitting her lap and her chair on the way down. Great hilarity among the kids ensued. B and I weren't as amused. Just as we got Ella focused on her task of cleaning up the mess, Lily knocked over her cup of milk, covering the table. She and Ella had another good laugh at the mess before Lily headed off to get a towel to wipe everything up.
At that point I asked to be excused.
But I didn't get away without one more problem. As I was getting Campbell out of his seat to take him to bath time, he chucked his cup of water off the table, hitting Ella, who was lying on the floor still cleaning up her mess, square in the back. Campbell thought it was hysterical; Ella, not so much.
Campbell had a blast in the tub, as he usually does, and I called my mom so that she could listen to the racket he was making. It was fun and games until he leaned over to pick up a toy and donked his already bruised head on the side of the tub. Sigh.
Finally, after wrestling him into jammies, Campbell and I snuggled down on the sofa for his bedtime cup of milk. And that's when he did something he hasn't done since he stopped nursing - he just cuddled with me. When he was done with his milk, he handed me his cup, and I prepared for the usual wriggling that follows his evening drink. Instead, he just laid here, head on my shoulder. I scootched down on the sofa so that I was stretched out, and we just snuggled. It was the calmest 15 minutes I've had all day. I could have easily fallen asleep like that - feeling the rise and fall of his chest, smelling his wonderful baby hair. I think he might have drifted off if it hadn't been for his sisters, who picked that moment to come crashing into the living room to tell on each other.
Sigh.
I put Campbell in his crib and dangled over the rail for a minute just stroking his back as he drifted off. I wish every day could end so calmly. It made up for all the mess and noise of the day. Now if I could only find a way to not get sick.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Poor choice, Ella
B and I are big believers in making the girls face the consequences of their actions. We are very upfront with them about what they can expect - if you do X, Q will happen. Most of the time the girls realize that we mean business and pay attention to our words.
Last night, not so much. At least not with Ella. She always sits in the chair right next to Campbell at the table. It used to be B's seat, but she made him move so she could be closer to her brother. Lily sits at the end of the table, still next to Campbell, but around the corner from him. As we were setting the table for dinner last night, Lily asked if she could sit in Ella's usual seat because she felt it was her turn. She asked very politely and reasonably, so I said yes and asked Ella to sit in Lily's chair. In the process, I explained to Ella that it was only fair that she and her sister take turns with the favorite chair. Ella wasn't interested in listening to me.
She crawled under the table until I told her that if she didn't get her bottom in her seat and sit politely at the table, she'd be sent to bed immediately without dinner. Ella sat in her new seat, but she pulled her jacket over her face and refused to show us her face. When B told her one more time to move her jacket, she said, "I just want to be alone!" We granted her wish and sent her off to her room.
After dinner was over, I went in to try and talk to Ella, but she refused to look at me and squiggled away when I sat in front of her. I told her she was allowed to be angry but she wasn't allowed to be rude and disrespectful to me, but she still wouldn't look at me. So I ordered her into bed and turned out the light.
I went in later, and she'd written a letter to her best friend about how she wished there was a secret world that only the two of them knew about where they could go and hide and no one would know where they were. When I told her it was time to stop writing letters and reading because she was in trouble, the waterworks started. She started crying about the unfairness of the situation, I reminded her that she had created it by being rude at the table and again to me later, that everything that had happened had been her choice. Then I walked out, leaving her to cry.
The tears lasted about 15 minutes before she passed out cold. I knew that much of her behavior was caused by sheer exhaustion. Ella and Lily had spent the night with their grandmother, and I know that they never get to bed early there. On top of that, Ella had had a busy holiday weekend with later than usual bedtimes, but still, being tired is no excuse for being rude to me.
Ella woke up at about 9:30 pm and staggered into the bathroom to pee. As she headed back to her room, I called her into the living room and gave her a big hug, telling her that I loved her no matter what. She gave me a big hug back and went to bed.
Maybe Ella learned a lesson last night, maybe she didn't. Either way, B and I will have had plenty of practice enforcing consequences by the time she turns into a teenager and the stakes are higher.
Last night, not so much. At least not with Ella. She always sits in the chair right next to Campbell at the table. It used to be B's seat, but she made him move so she could be closer to her brother. Lily sits at the end of the table, still next to Campbell, but around the corner from him. As we were setting the table for dinner last night, Lily asked if she could sit in Ella's usual seat because she felt it was her turn. She asked very politely and reasonably, so I said yes and asked Ella to sit in Lily's chair. In the process, I explained to Ella that it was only fair that she and her sister take turns with the favorite chair. Ella wasn't interested in listening to me.
She crawled under the table until I told her that if she didn't get her bottom in her seat and sit politely at the table, she'd be sent to bed immediately without dinner. Ella sat in her new seat, but she pulled her jacket over her face and refused to show us her face. When B told her one more time to move her jacket, she said, "I just want to be alone!" We granted her wish and sent her off to her room.
After dinner was over, I went in to try and talk to Ella, but she refused to look at me and squiggled away when I sat in front of her. I told her she was allowed to be angry but she wasn't allowed to be rude and disrespectful to me, but she still wouldn't look at me. So I ordered her into bed and turned out the light.
I went in later, and she'd written a letter to her best friend about how she wished there was a secret world that only the two of them knew about where they could go and hide and no one would know where they were. When I told her it was time to stop writing letters and reading because she was in trouble, the waterworks started. She started crying about the unfairness of the situation, I reminded her that she had created it by being rude at the table and again to me later, that everything that had happened had been her choice. Then I walked out, leaving her to cry.
The tears lasted about 15 minutes before she passed out cold. I knew that much of her behavior was caused by sheer exhaustion. Ella and Lily had spent the night with their grandmother, and I know that they never get to bed early there. On top of that, Ella had had a busy holiday weekend with later than usual bedtimes, but still, being tired is no excuse for being rude to me.
Ella woke up at about 9:30 pm and staggered into the bathroom to pee. As she headed back to her room, I called her into the living room and gave her a big hug, telling her that I loved her no matter what. She gave me a big hug back and went to bed.
Maybe Ella learned a lesson last night, maybe she didn't. Either way, B and I will have had plenty of practice enforcing consequences by the time she turns into a teenager and the stakes are higher.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
At least as smart as the dog
My dad was asking me all sorts of questions about Campbell the other day - like does he say any words, how much is he walking, what does he do, etc. I told dad that Campbell knows who everyone in the house is, gives kisses on command, and knows what "no" means. But when I told dad that Campbell bolts for the front door anytime anyone says the word "outside," dad's response was, "Well, he's at least as smart as the dog." I was offended until I realized dad was right.
Campbell knows who we all are and he responds to certain words - like outside, milk, yucky, no, ball, and down - just like our dog.
Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have the common sense that our dog does. If she does something and gets hurt, she doesn't do it again. I can't say the same for Campbell. Today, Campbell stood up facing backwards on one of the chairs in Lily's classroom. As the teacher and another mother reached for him in slow motion, the chair and Campbell fell over, leaving him with a large bump on his forehead. I held him and apoligized for not paying more attention and cried a little bit until he stopped screaming and started wiggling to get down. What did he do as soon as I put him down? He headed right back to the chair and climbed up in it. I grabbed him, kissed Lily good-bye and headed out the door. I didn't need a repeat of the tumble.
I guess I should be happy that Campbell is at least as smart as Mollie-dog; she's a pretty smart dog. I just hope he doesn't turn out to be selectively obedient, which is what she is.
Campbell knows who we all are and he responds to certain words - like outside, milk, yucky, no, ball, and down - just like our dog.
Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have the common sense that our dog does. If she does something and gets hurt, she doesn't do it again. I can't say the same for Campbell. Today, Campbell stood up facing backwards on one of the chairs in Lily's classroom. As the teacher and another mother reached for him in slow motion, the chair and Campbell fell over, leaving him with a large bump on his forehead. I held him and apoligized for not paying more attention and cried a little bit until he stopped screaming and started wiggling to get down. What did he do as soon as I put him down? He headed right back to the chair and climbed up in it. I grabbed him, kissed Lily good-bye and headed out the door. I didn't need a repeat of the tumble.
I guess I should be happy that Campbell is at least as smart as Mollie-dog; she's a pretty smart dog. I just hope he doesn't turn out to be selectively obedient, which is what she is.
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