Bunch of Stuff

Lots going on lately. Whenever I think about getting caught up on my blog, there’s so much to write it’s a little overwhelming.

Housing

I’m back to Plan A with regard to housing. I will most likely keep my townhouse as a rental and buy something else. This gives me more flexibility with regard to moving, and will actually cost less out of pocket than if I were to sell. Instead of needing to cover closing fees, a down payment and the difference between sale price and mortgage balance, I only have to come up with the down payment for the new place. I even have prospective tenants coming to see the place this weekend.

If I do need to sell, the other townhouse like mine sold fast and we’ll know how much it sold for in a couple of weeks.

Activities

Felix and I started swimming lessons again last week. I didn’t like the first lesson at all – the pool was cold, it was super crowded and chaotic. But Felix had a good time so we went again, and the second class was much calmer and warmer. Felix even “graduated” to wearing goggles because he can blow nose bubbles. He loves the water now as much as when he was a baby, even getting his ears wet.

We’ve also started going to a free music class at the library on Saturday mornings. Felix doesn’t fully participate yet, but he’s good at sitting in a circle, getting a shaker and putting it back, and listening to the teacher when she reads a story at the end. He spends lots of the class running little laps and diving into my arms, and is very close to doing full somersaults on his own, so I’m looking into tumbling classes this spring when swimming has wrapped up. 

Ready to plow me over in music class.

Even though Felix goes to daycare as does well, it’s not the same as learning to sit, listen and follow instructions. It’s been really neat to see him grow so much just by going to a couple of organized classes. The first time we went to music, he cried and cried when he had to give up his shaker. By the second class, he walked right up to the basket and put it away.

Idaho is one of a few states with no public preschool, and a legislator from my district is introducing a bill this session to launch a 3-year pilot program. The majority here argues we “can’t afford it” and “we shouldn’t let the state raise our kids”. I guess they see no connection between having the lowest rates of education and highest rates of minimum wage jobs.

Daycare Bully

Last week, Felix started crying and clinging to me when we arrived at his daycare. He’d also nervously scan the room when we walked in. Naturally this sent up a red flag for me, and it turns out there’s a new toddler who’s “a hitter and a biter”. One morning I saw her walk right up to Felix and yank his hair till he cried, and another day he came home with a bite mark on his face. His daycare provider is very aware of the issue and doing what she can to curb the behavior. Hopefully the situation resolves very soon – it’s hard to walk away from a scared, crying kid.

Language Explosion

We are finally experiencing the so-called language explosion. Over the past week Felix has been repeating numerous words, and even ventured into 3-syllable territory with “brawberry” (strawberry) last night. Coat, toes, teeth, book, sock, bowl, down, okay, pom pom, off and on are all new in the past few days. I read a tip on another blog (was it SurlyMama?) that said to allow up to one minute for your child to repeat a word to you, and sure enough, as soon as I started giving Felix more time to respond, he was repeating a lot more. I think we have a tendency to say, “Do you want more cereal?...More cereal?...Okay!” and they figure there’s no need to say the words, because we’ll do it for them in 5 seconds.

Sometimes he puts himself in timeout for fun.

Bye, Tree

I was one of those kids who felt bad if any of her stuffed animals were face down or not sitting comfortably. I talk to my plants and my car and briefly mourn wildlife road kill. I feel bad for horses and cows in fields on especially cold days. And I have to admit, it makes me a little sad to think about all the beautiful trees we chop down for Christmas every year. I wondered how I would feel about kicking our gorgeous, special tree to the curb after the holidays. It almost felt better to put a fake tree back in the garage till next year. 

Felix loved our Christmas tree. Every morning when I turned on the lights, he'd say "Woah!" We'd cuddle in the chair next to it, and he'd point to the different ornaments and hear stories about them. He'd say "Hoo! hoo!" to the owl, giggle at the ornaments with his baby pictures on them, and only occasionally gently take one down so he could try to put it back up.

It would have been easier to take the tree down during nap time, but I didn't want him to wake up and be sad it was gone. (Projecting much?) So I took it down while he "helped". When it was time for me to carry the tree outside, I said , "Say bye, tree!" And he dutifully waved and said "Bye, tee. Bye, tee."

Once I got the tree outside I realized I didn't know what to do with it, so I laid it down in a space near my garage. We walk by it at least twice a day now, and every time, Felix waves and says, "Bye, tee."  I suppose of all the things we can pass on to our children, an abundance of misplaced empathy probably isn't the worst. 

2014, Ready or Not

A few minutes after the clock struck midnight and I toasted friends with champagne, I decided I wasn't ready for 2014. I need more time to solidify my plans for the year.

My big goals are very tentative, based on some things out of my control. I still want to sell my house this spring and move into something bigger, but another townhouse like mine just went on the market for $10k less than I'm hoping to get, and it's completely updated inside. Hopefully it'll sell fast and the market will move up a bit before March, so they won't be competition for me.

Most of my minor repairs and updates are done, so there isn't much else to do to prepare for listing until late February, when I'll get a storage unit to clear this place out and make it look roomier. And if I go through all that and can't sell for a decent price, or interest rates skyrocket...ugh. But I'll try not to worry about that unless it actually happens.

This summer I feel like I really need to take a trip to visit our family in the Midwest (10+ different households). Our grandparents aren't traveling anymore and they've all had a few recent health scares. To see everyone I'd need to fly into WI and out of ND, renting a car to drive in between. If I go before Felix turns two I don't need a ticket for him, but that could conflict with house selling and moving. And rental cars are really expensive! I don't mind using a credit card for a trip like that, but it would be dumb to rack up bills while I'm trying to get approved for a new mortgage. So I might be better off waiting till later in the summer and just buying Felix his own ticket.

The other goal hanging over my head is starting the adoption process again. Today I'm not ready for that, but I can't imagine pushing it back to 2015, either. So there's nothing I can do, or want to do, to work toward that goal yet.

The good news is that my little garage gym is working out great. The treadmill is perfect and I picked up a used TV to watch while I'm out there. My favorite time to work out is 8 or 9 PM, something I haven't been able to do since Felix was born.

On the 15th we're starting swimming lessons, and I already have a few events on the calendar for the next couple of months. 2014 is happening whether we're ready or not!

Playing a funny basket game on grandpa's head.

Skyping with Great Grandma on New Year's Day.

Plenty of Christmas

My first few years in college, the holidays were disappointing. Suddenly it would be Thanksgiving or Christmas and 24 hours later it would all be over. I couldn't figure out why they were so anticlimactic compared to my childhood.

Eventually I realized it was because there was no build up to the big day. As a kid, you have school projects, special rehearsals and programs, church pageants, tree decorating and all kinds of things before the actual holiday. On my own, it was just school and work every day until the actual holiday came around. I definitely wasn't making sugar cookies and I don't think I ever had a Christmas tree of my own.

So for the past few years I've made an effort to participate in all kinds of holiday events in order to fully take in the season. This year Felix and I did all kinds of fun stuff, from a "Welcome Santa" party at the mall to house parties and lots of family get-togethers. We hosted a dessert party and make afternoons out of things like getting a Christmas tree, or going out to lunch after shopping all morning.

When Christmas Eve rolled around, we were definitely ready for crab legs and opening presents and the chaos of a full house. We're up to 7 adults, 4 kids and 3 dogs, and the whole two-day affair was funny and exhausting, a never-ending rotation of eating, pictures, gifts, games, movies and naps. And removing things from toddler mouths.

I took the 26th off and got to work cleaning the garage to make room for my new treadmill, purchased on consignment for a steal. (Yep, yet another plan for getting regular exercise.) I sorted through Felix's toys and weeded out a few to donate and a few to store for "next time". I'm so ready for the new year and getting this place in order to sell this spring! And all because we got plenty of Christmas.

Handsome boys! Felix insisted on wearing his tie.

Christmas Eve with my boy.

In their coordinating Christmas jammies. My dad called them Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Bike from Santa! Felix grabbed the bike handles, threw one leg over and started walking. He made it about 2 feet.

Updated to add: Felix's new words this month are tree, snow, bike, boots, bite and mine. He also started shaking his head for yes, gives smacky kisses, and pats the spot next to him when he wants someone or a pet to sit next to him.

Snow and Swim

With our shopping done and the semester over, Felix and I had today wide open. We took our time with breakfast (left over apple cobbler counts as a healthy breakfast, right?), then went upstairs to sort through his clothes.

At one point, Felix decided he wanted to wear his snow boots. For the past 3 months he's been refusing, so I quickly put them on before he could change his mind. Then I put on my own boots and took him to the second-floor patio off my bedroom, which had quite a few inches of fresh snow on it. We were both still in pajamas and he quickly learned how fun it was to stomp and kick the snow, and I showed him how to throw snowballs, which we did bare-handed for the next 15 or 20 minutes. The dog even came out and jumped around and snapped at our snowballs, adding to the sight I'm sure we were. Felix was adorable with his skinny legs, Buddha belly, penguin jammies and big boots. (I didn't get any pictures because my phone was downstairs and I couldn't tear myself away from the moment.)

After lunch I decided we should go swimming at the local Y. We did a few lessons last winter and swam a few times this summer, but I guess he forgot how much he loved it. As soon as we were in the water, he freaked a little bit and had a death grip on me. For the first 5 minutes I couldn't even move him to my other hip because he was so scared. So I did the warm up song we learned last year, and little by little he relaxed. By the end of our session he was back floating with his ears in the water, front floating and paddling with arms, kicking his legs, and jumping off the edge of the pool into my arms! (As much as he can "jump" at this age.) I couldn't believe it. And he had the hugest grin on his face the entire time.We will definitely have to go more often so he doesn't forget his love of the water before next summer.

No pictures of swimming, either, so I'll post this one of us at lunch yesterday. He stared at the camera for the first few shots, then very deliberately made this face:

Bathroom Makeover: After Pics

Today was my self-imposed deadline to have the bathroom project done, and I met it by about 45 minutes. My mom came early for my pie party and helped me get the frame put together and hung.

The counter top is far from perfect - you can see brush strokes where the light hits it - but it's still way better than the original.

So, here are the before and afters! I'm loving the new look.

Original counter top from 1977, after I tiled the floor in 2008.

The first refinish was coated with Polyacrylic and it yellowed and stained almost immediately.

 

This month, before painting or adding mirror frame; counter top partially re-refinished.

Done! New color on the walls, counter top and mirror frame painted and sealed.

The mirror frame is hung on the mirror with some little J-shaped brackets from Home Depot.

Lovely Long Weekend

Felix and I had a pretty near perfect Thanksgiving weekend. It was so nice to lounge around the house 4 mornings in a row - what a luxury!

Eating french toast while wrapped in two beloved blankies.

My family put together the most delicious Thanksgiving dinner ever, and afterwards we hung around and talked, drank wine, watched movies and ate pie until way past (the toddlers') bedtime. Felix didn't care for any part of the Thanksgiving meal except grandpa's homemade cranberry sauce and grandma's cherry pie, both of which he devoured like an animal. 

Pre-nap attempt at a cousin Christmas card photo.

My Black Friday strategy has always been to venture out around 10 AM when all the crazies have gone home to nap. It paid off again this year, and I got lots of great deals on stuff I really wanted/needed to buy anyway, and the lines were short. On Saturday I shopped locally and found more great gifts, and met up with a friend for lunch. Felix was amazingly patient and entertained by his food, so we had plenty of time to chat.

On Saturday we also bought our first real Christmas tree. I was pretty proud of myself for driving home (verrrrrry slowly), unloading the tree and getting it inside. Felix helped me put the three stand together, then ate a mini candy cane in his high chair while I decorated. After he went to bed, I wrapped a bunch of gifts and the whole place looked and smelled very Christmasy.

"You're putting a tree up there? You're brave!" said the tree lot guy.

I also found time to clean the house, finish sealing the bathroom counter top, and buy, paint and miter frame parts for the large mirror. Felix was very observant and wanted to help every step of the way. He thought the miter box was especially cool.

Yes, by the end of the long weekend I was feeling a bit like Super Mom. The feeling was short-lived however, as the Christmas tree tipped over Monday morning and I found myself cleaning, rewrapping soaked gifts, arranging lights and decorating all over again (only after my parents came by to get the tree straight and steady again. Story for another time.)

The boys dancing to my simple rendition of Deck the Halls.