Dean at Three Months
Friday, August 20th, 2010
Our family has now started to establish a semi-routine (don't worry, we are still indulging in sleepless nights, chaotic mornings, and prolonged bouts of crying). We have decided for everyone's sanity to hire a mother's helper four days a week from 4:30- 7:30 PM to help with Sasha's bedtime rituals and to allow me to take Sasha to the pool, gymnastic, playdate, etc. Sadie is an absolute blessing. A dewy, cheerful recent graduate of highschool, she is lithe with the stamina of the Energizer bunny. Her real job is to hold Dean for four hours so he can be in drooling, baby heaven. Sadie's muscles seem to barely strain with the heft of our second-born (he is a whopping 15 pounds of cuteness) as she rocks and cuddles him. Have I mentioned that Dean does not like to be put down ever? The howls of outrage pierce eardrums should his highness ever be placed in the bassinet, bouncer, or carseat. We, his peons, serve to carry him and we should know our place.
Besides the above mentioned, Dean is a placid baby. He loves to eat every two hours and forty five minutes (even though he is supposed to be on a three hour schedule). His enthusiasm for gnoshing has given him the cutest rolls- his thighs are so edible! Our son weighs more at three months than Sasha did at six. But, I've always hated bony, scrawny babies. They should be lovely and fat.
Dean is still not into the whole sleeping thing probably because it interferes with his need for nourishment. The poor guy is going to be in for a shock when we try to sleep train him in a few months.
Sasha continues to love on Dean; she's still a bit too rough but she genuinely adores him. Our daughter pretends that milk comes out of her finger and Dean'll happily suck away. I just wish she would use a wipe before the insertion. But, I suppose it is better than the foot she wedged in our poor son's mouth (how she managed to do it while both of them were buckled tightly in their car seats is a feat of limberness and flexibility). Also, Dean has discovered his own hands and how much fun it is to cram both fists in his maw. It is rather unsightly. I hope he doesn't experiment with any other body parts soon....
So, I have to betray to my poor, thankless husband. I asked/ nagged Jimmy to put a onesie on Dean because I didn't want my son looking white trash by being clad only in a diaper. The above picture illustrates my mate's passive-aggressive tendencies. Is this what sleeplessness does to a marriage? How will I get my justified revenge????
Dean, it can be difficult getting used to our family but hopefully we will grow on you. Underneath our manic gestures and bizarre facial expressions, there is a lot of love. Besides, it is too late to escape. And, Daddy's pretty normal....Thank you for joining us.
Sasha at Three Years, 2 Months
Sunday, August 8th, 2010
Thank god for camp. It has been a savior to us this summer. Sasha finished up the arts camp (amazing program for three years olds- we are definitely sending her there next year!) and is back at the gymnastics/ dance/ swimming one. In both camps, she was busily occupied in a stimulating environment for 3- 4 hours and she thoroughly enjoyed the amusements and other kids. Yes, they may have introduced her to movies (isn't Happy Feet and Finding Nemo a little scary for preschoolers?), donuts, otter pops, Silly Bandz, and namecalling, but it was worth every penny. I have given up trying to maintain the innocence and nutrition of my over-active child; just exhaust our daughter enough so that she will keep napping for three hours each afternoon!!!! Anyway, this is how Jimmy and I have been allowed to focus on surviving an infant in the mornings.
In the afternoons, Jimmy has been watching Dean while I take Sasha swimming or on a playdate, or I figure out an activity we can do. Since it has been over 110 degrees most days, we have been cooking or coloring (indoor activities!). Sasha's enthusiasm in the kitchen has not yet waned. She loves pouring in ingredients, mixing, and licking every utensil. If not carefully supervised, Sasha will manage to stuff a good portion of the batter down her mouth. I sometimes wonder if cooking and sampling have the same meaning to my little girl. It would seem the case because I frequently hear requests to make something with lots and lots of sugar. My darling addict. We should start putting the honey under lock and key since Sasha has OFTEN tried to drink it straight from the bottle. Don't blame me; I have been trying to model good behavior by waiting until she goes to bed to devour the mango sorbet from the carton.
We just bought an egg timer to give Sasha a better idea about time (what "we are brushing your hair in five minutes" really means). At first she loved playing with the dial and setting the timer. When Sasha discovered that it forced her to do things she rather not, our daughter has come to loathe it. Fortunately the timer seems pretty indestructible.
We also have had to buy Sasha a nightlight. She has become a little afraid of the dark. Although, I suspect that she also uses it to have some visibility to play instead of sleep. In the morning we will come into her room to find her furniture (bed and trunk) pushed around, and stuffed animals and books everywhere.
I don't know if it is the heat, the disruption of the baby, or being three, but Sasha's moodiness has continued. She can be argumentative over silly things ("No, mommy, the sky is NOT blue"), reduced to hours of tears because we don't have purple popsicles, or just willfully naughty. Sasha will pretend not hear us when we ask her to pick up a mess or to brush her teeth. She'll run the other way when it's bathtime. To get a reaction, Sasha recently told me that I wasn't her friend anymore. That may be true, sweetheart, but I will always be your mother and love you deeply. And, you will always be the most important, cherished girl in my life....even when you tell me I need to take a shower because I am stinky.
