I'm not sure which of us is taking this the hardest. This is so long overdue.
Yesterday morning we asked Teagan to decorate a large envelope. When she was finished, we addressed it to "New Babies at the Hospital". We then stuffed it with her pacifiers, sealed it, added some stamps, and clipped it out on the mailbox for the postman. Fortunately Teagan is not yet aware that the postman doesn't come on Sunday and four cents postage won't get anything anywhere. We told her that she was a big girl now and that there were lots of little babies being born that needed pacifiers. She was very agreeable with the whole process... until naptime came around.
When it was time for her nap, we started our usual routine. Pick out one book, find her blankie, and sit in the rocking chair. Part of that routine is grabbing a passy out of the bucket by her bed, but of course there were none to be found. She turned around and looked at me and said, "I want my passy, please". I had to remind her what we had done earlier. She looked at me briefly with a smile in her eyes as if to say, "I know you're joking, mom, so where's my passy?". When it finally set in that she wasn't going to get it, she burst into tears. I calmed her down, read to her as she whimpered pathetically, and then laid her down. She once again requested her passy, but I told her that the postman had come and taken it away. (He can be the bad guy!) She proceeded to cry herself to sleep.
Bedtime last night was similar and she woke up several times. It's hard to know how soothing a pacifier really is until it's gone. We had a rough night. Then she woke up at 6am and again started crying when she couldn't find her passy. I know it's our fault (mine more specifically) for letting her have it for so long, but it was kind of an addiction for me, too. Being able to see that instant calm in her eyes when she's upset about something, or seeing the eyelids start drooping as soon as she placed it in her mouth was comforting to me as well. I know we'll get through it. I just hope we don't sacrifice too much sleep in the process!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Our Pet Caterpillar
One of our favorite books to read to Teagan is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", by Eric Carle. We recently were able to see a metamorphosis up close and personal, which all three of us found to be a fascinating experience.
A couple of weeks ago, the three of us went outside to hang out on the porch so Teagan could enjoy a popsicle. We noticed a very large caterpillar resting along the siding on our house. We pointed it out to Teagan and talked about it some, but then went on our way. By the time Teagan was finished with her popsicle, the caterpillar had begun to hang upside down.
We checked on it periodically through the evening and on in through part of the next morning, and it hung like that for somewhere between 17 and 23 hours. Rog said he saw it still hanging upside down at about 11 am the next morning, but by the time I got home at 5 pm, it was safely enveloped in a shiny green cocoon.
We kept an eye on it daily just to see if we could notice any changes, but for about two weeks there wasn't much to see. This morning we finally noticed that the cocoon had cleared up, allowing us to see straight inside.
We left the house for a couple of hours to go play at the park, and by the time we came back, we were thrilled to see that our fat little caterpillar had turned into a beautiful butterfly.
It rested for a few hours, allowing its wings to dry, and the final time I checked I saw that it had left us. It made me just a little bit sad to see it go, but I will revel in the fact that we were able to personally see something like that for the first time and share it with Teagan as well.
A couple of weeks ago, the three of us went outside to hang out on the porch so Teagan could enjoy a popsicle. We noticed a very large caterpillar resting along the siding on our house. We pointed it out to Teagan and talked about it some, but then went on our way. By the time Teagan was finished with her popsicle, the caterpillar had begun to hang upside down.
We checked on it periodically through the evening and on in through part of the next morning, and it hung like that for somewhere between 17 and 23 hours. Rog said he saw it still hanging upside down at about 11 am the next morning, but by the time I got home at 5 pm, it was safely enveloped in a shiny green cocoon.
We kept an eye on it daily just to see if we could notice any changes, but for about two weeks there wasn't much to see. This morning we finally noticed that the cocoon had cleared up, allowing us to see straight inside.
We left the house for a couple of hours to go play at the park, and by the time we came back, we were thrilled to see that our fat little caterpillar had turned into a beautiful butterfly.
It rested for a few hours, allowing its wings to dry, and the final time I checked I saw that it had left us. It made me just a little bit sad to see it go, but I will revel in the fact that we were able to personally see something like that for the first time and share it with Teagan as well.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Down and Out
A little over a week and a half ago, I got called to Kansas City for a work trip. The day that we were finishing up and I was supposed to head home, I received a call from Roger who told me that he was looking for a Walgreens in which to buy a splint since he was pretty sure he had just broken his finger with a hammer.
It turned into a day long event for him since after he found the splint he decided to go to urgent care to have it checked out. With some help from my mom, Teagan was picked up from daycare and Rog was seen by a doctor, fitted with a larger splint, and referred to an orthopedic specialist the following week. After the visit to urgent care, my parents had some dinner waiting for him at their house and I was able to meet up with the entire family there upon my return from KC. Teagan informed me that Daddy had "a big, big, big baind-aid" on his arm.
After his visit with the specialist on Wednesday morning, he returned home with a big, big, bigger "baind-aid", a cast covering his entire arm below the elbow and orders not to use that hand for two weeks. Later that same night, Teagan was playing and ran into her room. She managed to trip and land face first into the frame of her bed. Neither of us actually saw it happen, but the immediate wail following the rather loud thump caused us to get into the room pretty quickly. It was our first real semi-emergency situation involving Teagan and a notable amount of blood. We ended up calling everyone we knew to figure out how concerned we needed to be and if we needed to get to the ER, consult a doctor and/or a dentist. We have been very blessed with good and knowledgeable friends who called us back quickly and offered their advice and expertise while we waited for a return call from the doctor's exchange. One of our friends from church, a pediatric dentist, actually insisted on abandoning her evening plans to see Teagan for herself. She came to our house and quickly put our minds at ease after earning Teagan's trust and being allowed access to look inside her mouth. She told us Teagan would be sore for a few days and needed to eat softer foods, but that we really didn't need to be very concerned and she should heal nicely. After a somewhat rough night of intermittent sleeping, she woke up in some pain and I decided to stay home and keep an eye on both of the patients. (Mostly the little one. The bigger one handles himself pretty well.) We spoiled her with popsicles and jello, and by the end of the day she was mostly back to her regular self, with just occasional episodes of tears and soreness. So, it's been a rougher sort of week, but if this is as bad as it gets, I think we've been pretty fortunate.
A couple of funnies from the mouth of Teagan to end with:
caterpillar = pallapitter or pillacatter
Singing what she calls "The Barney Song":
I lub shoes (I love you)
I lub shoes (You love me?)
Eh fam-i-lee (We're a happy family)
Gig hug an inna kiss from me to you (With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you)
Shu say you lub me too (Won't you say you love me too?)
To Chappy:
"My mommy Aimee and my daddy Rosher. What your name, Dappy?"
It turned into a day long event for him since after he found the splint he decided to go to urgent care to have it checked out. With some help from my mom, Teagan was picked up from daycare and Rog was seen by a doctor, fitted with a larger splint, and referred to an orthopedic specialist the following week. After the visit to urgent care, my parents had some dinner waiting for him at their house and I was able to meet up with the entire family there upon my return from KC. Teagan informed me that Daddy had "a big, big, big baind-aid" on his arm.
After his visit with the specialist on Wednesday morning, he returned home with a big, big, bigger "baind-aid", a cast covering his entire arm below the elbow and orders not to use that hand for two weeks. Later that same night, Teagan was playing and ran into her room. She managed to trip and land face first into the frame of her bed. Neither of us actually saw it happen, but the immediate wail following the rather loud thump caused us to get into the room pretty quickly. It was our first real semi-emergency situation involving Teagan and a notable amount of blood. We ended up calling everyone we knew to figure out how concerned we needed to be and if we needed to get to the ER, consult a doctor and/or a dentist. We have been very blessed with good and knowledgeable friends who called us back quickly and offered their advice and expertise while we waited for a return call from the doctor's exchange. One of our friends from church, a pediatric dentist, actually insisted on abandoning her evening plans to see Teagan for herself. She came to our house and quickly put our minds at ease after earning Teagan's trust and being allowed access to look inside her mouth. She told us Teagan would be sore for a few days and needed to eat softer foods, but that we really didn't need to be very concerned and she should heal nicely. After a somewhat rough night of intermittent sleeping, she woke up in some pain and I decided to stay home and keep an eye on both of the patients. (Mostly the little one. The bigger one handles himself pretty well.) We spoiled her with popsicles and jello, and by the end of the day she was mostly back to her regular self, with just occasional episodes of tears and soreness. So, it's been a rougher sort of week, but if this is as bad as it gets, I think we've been pretty fortunate.
A couple of funnies from the mouth of Teagan to end with:
caterpillar = pallapitter or pillacatter
Singing what she calls "The Barney Song":
I lub shoes (I love you)
I lub shoes (You love me?)
Eh fam-i-lee (We're a happy family)
Gig hug an inna kiss from me to you (With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you)
Shu say you lub me too (Won't you say you love me too?)
To Chappy:
"My mommy Aimee and my daddy Rosher. What your name, Dappy?"
Monday, July 13, 2009
New Game
Teagan discovered this new game this weekend. Her inflection at the end of the video makes us laugh every time.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A Week Off
We have had a very busy but very fun week. My friend Sandy came in town. Since I only get to see her once a year, I decided to take the week off so I could be available whenever she was. Monday evening Teagan was able to spend time at the pool with her buddies Quinn and Sadie. Tuesday was a day for downtime. A group of us got together with our combined total of seven kiddos at the zoo on Wednesday. It was hectic, but we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day and we made it two and a half hours before some of the kids started getting grouchy and tired. We were able to cover a respectable portion of the zoo with no major meltdowns from anyone.
After lunch and a nap, we met up again later at the park with some more old friends from high school so we could catch up while the kids played on the playground. The next day we had an adults only night at the ballpark and brought in a win against the Giants. Friday was another day of downtime and a nice relaxing girls only lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday. Saturday we woke up to pouring rain and our plans of the Kirkwood Kids' Parade and/or the pool were shot, but our spirits lifted when friends called and asked us to meet them up at Monkey Joe's. From there on, everything worked according to the master plan. Teagan had a blast at Monkey Joe's, the rain tapered off, she ate a good lunch and went down for a planned late nap. We knew that she would be up late for the fireworks.
The rain stayed away well enough to continue to the park to meet up with friends again and Teagan was able to see and enjoy her first real fireworks display.
One quote to end this post. As Teagan was sitting on Rog's lap getting ready to watch the fireworks, there were neighbors shooting some off as well.
Roger: "Look Teagan. Those fireworks are loud, aren't they?" Teagan: "Yeah!"
Roger: "And they're pretty, too, aren't they?"
Teagan: "Yeah!"
Roger: "Just like Teagan. Loud and pretty, right?"
Teagan: "I not youd!"
After lunch and a nap, we met up again later at the park with some more old friends from high school so we could catch up while the kids played on the playground. The next day we had an adults only night at the ballpark and brought in a win against the Giants. Friday was another day of downtime and a nice relaxing girls only lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday. Saturday we woke up to pouring rain and our plans of the Kirkwood Kids' Parade and/or the pool were shot, but our spirits lifted when friends called and asked us to meet them up at Monkey Joe's. From there on, everything worked according to the master plan. Teagan had a blast at Monkey Joe's, the rain tapered off, she ate a good lunch and went down for a planned late nap. We knew that she would be up late for the fireworks.
The rain stayed away well enough to continue to the park to meet up with friends again and Teagan was able to see and enjoy her first real fireworks display.
One quote to end this post. As Teagan was sitting on Rog's lap getting ready to watch the fireworks, there were neighbors shooting some off as well.
Roger: "Look Teagan. Those fireworks are loud, aren't they?" Teagan: "Yeah!"
Roger: "And they're pretty, too, aren't they?"
Teagan: "Yeah!"
Roger: "Just like Teagan. Loud and pretty, right?"
Teagan: "I not youd!"
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Master of Manipulation
Teagan got on an antibiotic for her infected eye and within a couple of doses it looked much better.
Last week we had a lot going on and weren't really able to get her to bed on time any night. It seemed to catch up with us this week. She was exceptionally feisty and stubborn. We dealt with many meltdowns and tantrums.
She's also learning very well how to manipulate, delay her bedtime, and milk her "boo-boos" for the maximum amount of sympathy. Bedtime has started to go like this:
Us: "Ok Teagan, time to get ready for bed"
Teagan: "I hungry"
Us: "No, you already had dinner, let's go."
Teagan: "I need drink water"
Us: "Ok, drink some water and then go brush your teeth."
Teagan: "I gotta go potty." (Keep in mind that we've barely scratched the surface of potty training and more often than not she's just trying to change the subject.)
Us: "No you don't, you just went. Let's go brush your teeth."
Teagan "I GOTTA GO POTTY!!!" (Insert complete meltdown here.)
Once the calm has set back in, after the routine teeth brushing and the book reading and three songs, it starts again.
Teagan: "I wanna hear Barney song". (If it were up to Rog and I, she wouldn't know who Barney is, but she learned at daycare.)
Me: "Ok" (Sing "Barney" song). "Time for bed."
Teagan: "I need drink water."
Me: "No you don't. Get in bed."
Teagan: "I want book."
Me: "Ok, get a book and take it to bed."
The other day, she tripped on the sidewalk and scraped up her knee. Each time this happens (and it seems to happen a lot), you would think that her world is crashing down on her. She is such a drama queen.
Well, this particular night, the same day she scraped up her knee and after we had gone through the usual ordeal of getting her to bed, saying her prayers and kissing goodnight, I started to leave. Then I heard her say “My boo boo hurt”. I replied by kissing her boo boo and saying “You’re fine, goodnight, I love you.”
I then shut the door and could actually hear her working up tears. It was the fake, slow crying which slowly mounted to full blown actual sobbing in between, “Owee, my boo boo hurt!”
Now, overall, we have been very lucky these past two and a half years. Teagan has always gone to bed very easily until this new phase began. In the past, if she has cried, I’ve let it go and it usually stops quickly. But when I heard this actual crying, I couldn’t help myself, so I went back in there. What a sucker I am. I came in, wiped her tears, kissed her knee again, and the tears stopped almost instantly.
Teagan: “I wanna sing.”
Me: “Ok, but you’re staying in bed, we’re not going to rock. What song?”
Teagan: “Barney song.” (Ugh… again??)
So, I proceeded to sing that song again, but couldn’t cover her with her sheet afterwards because her boo boo apparently hurt too much.
FINALLY she let me leave with a “Lushyoutoo, mommy”. Then she was sound asleep within minutes. I just don’t understand why kids fight the sleep when they’re clearly so tired!
Last week we had a lot going on and weren't really able to get her to bed on time any night. It seemed to catch up with us this week. She was exceptionally feisty and stubborn. We dealt with many meltdowns and tantrums.
She's also learning very well how to manipulate, delay her bedtime, and milk her "boo-boos" for the maximum amount of sympathy. Bedtime has started to go like this:
Us: "Ok Teagan, time to get ready for bed"
Teagan: "I hungry"
Us: "No, you already had dinner, let's go."
Teagan: "I need drink water"
Us: "Ok, drink some water and then go brush your teeth."
Teagan: "I gotta go potty." (Keep in mind that we've barely scratched the surface of potty training and more often than not she's just trying to change the subject.)
Us: "No you don't, you just went. Let's go brush your teeth."
Teagan "I GOTTA GO POTTY!!!" (Insert complete meltdown here.)
Once the calm has set back in, after the routine teeth brushing and the book reading and three songs, it starts again.
Teagan: "I wanna hear Barney song". (If it were up to Rog and I, she wouldn't know who Barney is, but she learned at daycare.)
Me: "Ok" (Sing "Barney" song). "Time for bed."
Teagan: "I need drink water."
Me: "No you don't. Get in bed."
Teagan: "I want book."
Me: "Ok, get a book and take it to bed."
The other day, she tripped on the sidewalk and scraped up her knee. Each time this happens (and it seems to happen a lot), you would think that her world is crashing down on her. She is such a drama queen.
Well, this particular night, the same day she scraped up her knee and after we had gone through the usual ordeal of getting her to bed, saying her prayers and kissing goodnight, I started to leave. Then I heard her say “My boo boo hurt”. I replied by kissing her boo boo and saying “You’re fine, goodnight, I love you.”
I then shut the door and could actually hear her working up tears. It was the fake, slow crying which slowly mounted to full blown actual sobbing in between, “Owee, my boo boo hurt!”
Now, overall, we have been very lucky these past two and a half years. Teagan has always gone to bed very easily until this new phase began. In the past, if she has cried, I’ve let it go and it usually stops quickly. But when I heard this actual crying, I couldn’t help myself, so I went back in there. What a sucker I am. I came in, wiped her tears, kissed her knee again, and the tears stopped almost instantly.
Teagan: “I wanna sing.”
Me: “Ok, but you’re staying in bed, we’re not going to rock. What song?”
Teagan: “Barney song.” (Ugh… again??)
So, I proceeded to sing that song again, but couldn’t cover her with her sheet afterwards because her boo boo apparently hurt too much.
FINALLY she let me leave with a “Lushyoutoo, mommy”. Then she was sound asleep within minutes. I just don’t understand why kids fight the sleep when they’re clearly so tired!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
What a Shiner
Saturday evening, Teagan was bitten on the arm and near the eye by a mosquito. She's always had sensitive skin, so insect bites tend to swell to larger than normal size. Sunday morning she woke up with a mountain on her arm and one eye almost swelled shut. It didn't seem to bother her much and we didn't want her to miss out on her buddy Quinn's third birthday party that day. So we took her to the party and explained to everyone what had happened. It was a beach party theme and she had a blast. They had containers filled with sand and shells, and they set up the slide to go into the little wading pool. There were minimal disagreements and a lot of laughing and squealing. They finished up the party by decorating cupcakes and then returning to the pool. Teagan stuck out the lower lip and tried her best to squeeze out some tears when it was time to go, but once we got her in the car she began to zone out. That night we tried a few things to alleviate the itching of her eye, but nothing seemed to make much of a difference. The next morning, her eye looked worse and she could barely open it. We iced it down and got an appointment at the doctor. I took the day off just so I could be there with both Teagan and Rog. As it turns out, it had become infected so we were prescribed an antibiotic. After the visit, she perked up so we took her to lunch and generally had a nice family day. I was a little nervous taking her out in public because of the swollen eye, but if anyone asked, we just told them what happened. After two doses of the antibiotic her eye already looked much better when she woke up this morning. Despite the doctor's office visit, we had a pretty nice three day weekend.
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