I wish I had better images to share, but as my daddy used to say, “ten percent of something is better than ninety percent of nothing.” Three images from last Wednesday and Friday:
Archive for September, 2010
Larry Back Home; Max Had a Fun, Busy Day
My uncle Larry is back at home tonight after going through a battery of tests on his heart and neck today. He has some puddling in the lower part of his heart, and we hope some medicine is going to help with that. He returns to his cardiologist on Friday for a follow-up. He says he feels “fair to middlin’.”
The Baybay Man had a pretty good day today. He snoozed until about 7:45 this morning, when I heard him talking quietly in his crib at that time. He wasn’t calling me, just making quiet sounds, so I wanted to see what he was doing. The little fellow was standing up in his crib, holding onto its gate, and looking out of the big upstairs window. He was glad to see me, and I changed his dipe, got him a juice bottle, a Barney video, and piled up in our bed with him.
It wasn’t long before it was time to feed him a little breakfast and get him ready for school. He was quiet on our way to school. I talked to him in the rearview mirror and he kept saying, “Papa, Papa.” I believe he may have expected to go the mall and see Grandpa there.
This morning, for the first time, he reached out to the lady who picked him up from our car at school. He let out a little bit of a whimper, but he reached out to her. When I picked him up at 12:15 I got to see Miss Amy again. She said he had another wonderful day and that the little fellow didn’t cry all day until time to form the car riders line. I hope this is just a temporary wrinkle that’ll iron itself out soon.
Baybay melted down when I strapped him into his car seat to come home. He threw a vigorous tantrum and I was glad he was strapped down because he could have hurt himself with his cast. Strangely, he settled down within a couple of minutes and even gave me a hint of a smile in the rearview mirror. He said he wanted some “goo,” so I got him some as soon as we got home. His midday “goo” is supposed to be milk. I forgot and gave him juice. He, however, didn’t forget and gave me another tantrum. This one earned him a timeout, which worked miraculously. That little timeout didn’t last four minutes, but when it was over, Baybay was calm, sweet, and affectionate. He got back into his highchair, had some lunch, watched Barney, and drank ten ounces of half-juice and half-water.
After twenty minutes or so, I took him upstairs with a ten-ounce bottle of milk. As usual, we got into our bed for him to finish it. He fell asleep while drinking his bottle, but even after he was asleep, he kept right on drinking until all ten ounces were gone. He must’ve been tired, because for the entire hour that I lay with him, he didn’t move an inch. When I had to get up, I put him in his bassinet to finish his nap, which lasted until about 4:00. When I went in to get him, he said, “I peepee. I poopoo.” He was right on both counts.
He and I played in the living room floor with the iPad, George, and his alphabetic mat that Becky’s student Karen gave him. It wasn’t too long before Becky and Granny arrived with bread and salad from The Olive Garden. And shortly after Becky and Granny joined us, Mimi and Grandpa came over to bring Granny some homemade vegetable soup and to bring me a tasty pasta dish. Mimi and Grandpa carried Max to visit the ducks and pick scuppernongs, big grapes that Max calls “balls.”
Later in the evening Granny, Becky, and Max went to Publix to score a deal on Juicy Juice. Max was in luck because Publix was having a cookie tasting. The little fellow went away from Publix having enjoyed four fresh cookies and had a balloon tied to him. Becky said he really enjoyed himself.
Becky and I gave Max a bath as soon as they got home, and the little fellow wouldn’t have it any other way than to have me join him and Becky for bedtime stories. After Becky brushed Baybay’s teeth, I came downstairs to write this and she put the little fellow to bed.
Grandpa called to see if Baybay could spend the night with him and Mimi tonight, but Becky talked him into waiting until tomorrow night.
Larry Admitted to Hospital, Max Had Good Day
I phoned my uncle Larry early this morning to see how he fared last night. He said he felt fine and he sounded fine, but it wasn’t too long before Granny phoned me, all choked up, to tell me that Larry’s doctor had sent him to the hospital in an ambulance. Larry’s fine, or at least appears to be. His heart has a slight arrhythmia, his blood pressure is a little high, and he still has some numbness on his left side, but he looks and sounds well otherwise. He’s staying in the hospital overnight, and an EKG, ultrasound of his heart, and a stress test are ordered for tomorrow. We expect him to come home tomorrow. While visiting Larry, Granny and I enjoyed the bonus of getting to visit with my aunt Shirley and uncles Bill and Jack.
Max has had a pretty good day. Grandpa said he slept well last night and I met the two of them at the mall this morning for our walk. I carried Max straight from the mall to school, and he whimpered just a little when he was picked up from our car. I was glad Miss Amy, his teacher, carried him out to our car when I picked him up. It’s fantastic to be able to get an in-person mini-conference. Miss Amy said the little fellow had a “great” day at school except for the car riders line. He shouldn’t have had to wait too long because I was seventh in line today, but I believe he may start melting down on Miss Amy and Miss April when they’re getting ready to form the car riders line.
Mimi and Grandpa kept Max after I picked him up from school so Granny and I could go see Larry in the hospital. Becky picked up Max when she got out of school, and they came over to the hospital. Becky, Max, Granny, and I went to the camera repair shop to pick up our camera and lens. They say our equipment is as good as new. It looks like it and I’m looking forward to getting back to using it. The four of us went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner and headed back to the hospital to pick up Granny’s car before heading home.
I played with Max for a short while before Becky gave him a bath, fed him a bottle, read him some bedtime stories, and put him to bed. He got a short nap this afternoon at Mimi and Grandpa’s and is very tired. I wanted him to sleep with Becky and me tonight, but it’s probably better if our little buddy sleeps in his bed tonight so he, Becky, and I can get a good night’s rest.
Today was better than yesterday. The ambulance thing was alarming, but Larry’s doctor was just being cautious and didn’t want Larry to have to wait when he got to the ER. He’s getting the help he needs to stay with us a while longer. Max gets his cast off one week from today, and other than a runny nose, he seems healthy. I’m thankful for having our camera and lens back, and I’m thankful we could afford to have those repaired.
Uncle Larry’s Medical Emergency, Freezing Max, Mall Trouble
It hasn’t been an easy day. I awoke to discover that Max had slept in his bed all night without any covers. We simply forgot to put his blankets back on him when we went to bed. He’d soaked his bed and his socks and had thrown his socks and pillows over the side of his crib. We set our thermostat on sixty-eight degrees (F) at night, so he had to have been cold. We feel bad, but all we can do at this point is to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Max and I went to the mall to meet Grandpa for our walk and stroll. Grandpa was already there and had Max’s stroller by the door waiting for us. I put Max in his stroller and began to make tracks. When we encountered Grandpa, I handed Max off to him, and along with Max I left my car keys on the stroller, too. As luck would have it, my stomach was in an uproar and called me home. I saw Grandpa and asked him for my keys. He tossed my keys to me, but his toss wasn’t exactly accurate. My keys landed atop a mall kiosk and Grandpa had to get a maintenance person to climb up there and get my keys for me.
Meanwhile, I had use the mall’s public facilities, which I hate to do. While so using said facilities, some nutjob came in there cursing up a storm and slamming a stall door repeatedly. Sometimes the man let the stall door have peace but targeted the tissue paper dispenser and the toilet seat. I didn’t know what the problem was, but I guessed the man was really upset about something. What was I to do, keep sitting and hope the guy didn’t find me and take his wrath out on me, or grab my drawers, head for the door, and hope the guy didn’t chase me? I was scared but within three or four long minutes, the guy calmed down and took a seat.
So I finally got out of there and Grandpa had my keys. I finished my walk, headed home, got a shower, and expected Grandpa and Baybay to show up any minute. When they didn’t show up after a good while, I phoned Grandpa to see where they were. Max was with Mimi and she planned to keep him until time for him to take his nap. Grandpa came down here to blow off our deck and install new washers on the hot and cold water faucets for our master tub.
While I was downstairs turning the water off and on for Grandpa, Granny phoned me. She was crying and wanted me to take my uncle Larry to the doctor because his general practitioner believed Larry may have had a mini-stroke. Before getting additional medication for hypertension, his blood pressure was high, his heart was out of rhythm, and his left side was numb. A brain scan was ordered and I took Larry to get it.
Believe it or not, I was relieved to hear those symptoms. When Granny called crying and began talking about Larry, I immediately thought of the worst-case scenario. Larry is feeling a little better now that his blood pressure is back to normal, but his heart is still out of rhythm and his left side is still numb. He returns to his doctor tomorrow for more testing, and hopefully to find out the results of today’s brain scan.
So Mimi and Grandpa had Max all day. Grandpa said Max behaved very well at Bojangles this morning. The little fellow napped for less than two hours again today, and he was a little irritable when I finally met up with him late this afternoon, when we had dinner at Mimi and Grandpa’s. He definitely had plenty of sweet moments, though. He said, “quack quack” in response to asking him what sound a duck makes. A bug of some sort bit Baybay on his upper-left temple and left a large bump, and Baybay was saying “bug” today, too. Our little buddy gave us both a few hugs throughout the evening.
Grandpa brought him home on the golf cart, and Becky gave him a bath. He played with his toys and iPad for an hour or so, and then Grandpa came back to get the little fellow to spend the night with him and Mimi. I guess we’re all going walking before I take Max to school tomorrow.
I hope our little fellow sleeps well tonight. He sleeps better at home, well, when we don’t freeze him, and we want him to have a good night’s sleep before going to school. School is still a new experience for our little man, and we want his frustration tolerance to be high for the three hours he’s at school.
I’ve missed my little buddy today and hope to have a much more peaceful day tomorrow. Maybe Larry’s doctor will identify both the problem and its solution, and maybe Baybay will have a great day at school. One thing is for sure, and that’s that Max won’t freeze tonight. Mimi and Grandpa keep their thermostat set on eighty-two.
Runny Nose, Short Nap, Meltdowns
Max awoke this morning when Grandpa called at 7:45. Then the morning routine began. Max and I enjoyed snuggling this morning. We especially loved playing peek-a-boo. That’s our favorite game. Not long after getting up we headed to Granny’s for breakfast. Max had a meltdown shortly after we began eating and had to serve a timeout. He had a better attitude after timeout. Before coming home we let Max play in Granny’s front yard. He loves running around her big yard. When we got home we played for a while before Max went down for his afternoon nap.
His nap was cut way short due to needing a diaper change. When he got up we were sure he’d need another nap because he’d napped for just an hour-and-a-half, but he never finished his nap. He’s had a few meltdowns this afternoon that are partially due to his not getting a good nap. Our lil’ buddy requires his beauty rest.
Max and I got out and ran a few errands this afternoon. One was to the grocery store. Max was fine while there except when we hit the checkout line. Something about lines drives the boy crazy. When we left there we went to CVS and then home. When we got home he looked super-tired, and we put him down, knowing a nap would do the trick. No dice. The lil’ fellow wasn’t going for that. We gave him about twenty minutes to go to sleep and he never did. So Max and I headed off on the golf cart to see the neighborhood ducks. That seemed to make him happy. We tried to stop and visit Mimi and Grandpa, and but Max wanted to keep rolling.
Max finally ran out of steam around 7:00 this evening, so we gave him dinner, a bath, and goo (a milk bottle). We three enjoyed a few bedtime stories before our lil’ buddy finally decided to rest. He has a runny nose and a little cough, and we believe this could be keeping him from resting normally. His cold symptoms could be from preschool, or he could have seasonal allergies, just as Jaddie and I do. Between his meltdowns he’s been very affectionate and chipper, but we hope he rests well tonight and has a much better day tomorrow.
Meltdown at Bojangles, Broken/New iPhone, Suwanee Day
Max slept right under me again last night and didn’t give us any mercy at 7:00 this morning. He wanted his bottle and Barney, and we threw in a fresh diaper for no extra charge. I made my iTunes playlist for walking and got ready to leave, and Max didn’t want to head down to our car without Becky. Becky carried him down and he was fine with her putting him into his car seat and not going with us. Then he started saying, “Papa, Papa.” (That’s the way it’s spelled, but he pronounces it “Pawpaw.”)
Grandpa had a breakfast bar waiting for him when we arrived at the mall for our walk and stroll. They went to Bojangles after walking, and Baybay had a big meltdown. Grandpa had to leave. He said he was embarrassed by Max’s throwing food and knocking his cast on the table. He suggested that we spank him, but we’re going to hold off on that for a while. I’ve never seen any credible research that recommends spanking a two-year-old. Plus, our pediatrician, Susan Smiley, has a degree in psychology, as do I, and she recommends ignoring such behavior. That’s what we’re going to do, at least for now.
Grandpa brought Max home early this morning, and the little fellow was in an amicable mood when I hoisted him from Grandpa’s golf cart. He came inside and played with the iPad and my iPhone. Becky brought us some breakfast, and when we went into the kitchen to eat, she picked up Max to put him in his highchair. He was holding my iPhone and dropped it onto our hardwood floor. He’s dropped it and thrown it dozens of times, but this time was a doozy. This time he broke the phone’s external speaker, effectively muting it unless headphones were plugged in. I power-cycled the phone, toggled the Silent Mode switch, and adjusted the ringer volume. Nothing worked.
Becky took my phone to the Apple Store at the mall to see if anything could save it. As it turned out, there was a solution: US$200. For US$200 they’d swap the innards of the phone, which would solve our problem. But a new 32GB iPhone costs just US$300, so I got a new one. I had planned to wait until next June or July to get a new iPhone, but my plan changed when my fourteen-month-old iPhone couldn’t produce a ring.
Between dropping our camera, lens, and iPhone, we have US$800 in repair and replacement costs over the past three weeks. I’ve been in a bad mood all day, but I know it’ll pass. But, my goodness, I certainly hope nothing else gets broken anytime soon!
Maybe Baybay didn’t sleep too well last night. He melted down at 11:30 this morning, so I gave him a bottle of milk and put him down for his nap. He napped for less than three hours but was in a good mood when he awoke.
Mimi, Grandpa, Becky, and Max went to Suwanee Day late this afternoon. The city of Suwanee holds a big annual celebration that’s always a big hit for families. I wish I had felt like going so I could have taken some pictures. They said Max had a big time running around and dancing to the live music.
Becky went to get us some dinner, and I fed Baybay some veggie sticks and half of a peanut butter sandwich. He stuck his cast in the peanut butter and I didn’t know how to solve that problem. I decided to use a damp dishrag to wipe it off as best I could. Our little buddy gets to shed that cast in ten days, and that day won’t get here soon enough.
After dinner Becky bathed the little fellow, gave him another bottle of milk, read him some bedtime stories, and put him to bed. He’s going to sleep in his bed tonight. I believe we all sleep better when he’s in his bed, but we’ll miss him.
Lots of Play & a Trip to Bogan Park
Max slept right under me last night and kept a lot of pressure on the two of us. When I moved the slightest bit to decrease the contact pressure, he moved toward me to reapply and maintain it.
I sleep on my side, primarily my right side, but I need to roll over to my left throughout the night. Rolling over to my left with Baybay in the bed with us requires me to move a good portion of my body off the side of the bed, spin quickly to my left side, move him back to where he was (for he will have moved toward me a little during this maneuver), and get comfortable again. Later, when I roll back to my right side, he rolls with me. We still sleep with queen pillows even though we have a king bed, and believe it or not, Baybay shares my pillow with me.
This is both sweet and difficult. I don’t have an answer yet, but I bet it’ll work itself out, or I’ll figure out an answer later. For now, I can deal with it.
Our little buddy awoke around 7:00 am and we did our standard routine: fresh dipe, juice bottle, and Barney.
We headed to the mall to meet Grandpa, and after our walk and stroll, they went to Bojangles for breakfast, to see the ducks at the Wigleys’ pond, and to pick a few muscadines. Grandpa brought the little fellow home around 10:00 am.
Max and I played with the iPad, my iPhone, and his toy garage for about twenty minutes before he went to our backdoor and indicated that he wanted to go outside. I put some sandals on him, my sandals on me, grabbed my camera, and we headed out.
Baybay didn’t want to stay in our yard and driveway. He wanted to walk to Mimi and Grandpa’s, so that’s what we did. For about twenty minutes we played with one of Grandpa’s overhead doors to his shop. Max is fascinated with raising and lowering that door. Then he and I played with a few of the muscadines he and Grandpa had picked at the Wigleys’. Max accidentally stepped on one of those and said, “book” (means broke, rhymes with spook).
Baybay and I headed out on Grandpa’s golf cart. We went to see the ducks, pick a muscadine or two, and tour the neighborhood before coming home. Once home I fed him some breakfast quiche, veggie sticks, crackers, and milk, and, as usual, he watched Barney on the iPad while he had lunch. I took him upstairs a few minutes after noon to finish his bottle and to lie down for his nap.
I heard him moving around in his bassinet at 3:40 pm. As was the case most of the days of last week, a soiled diaper cut his nap short.
Becky came home shortly and then headed to Costco to get us some pizza and yogurt. The three of us had an early dinner together.
We went into our living room after dinner and watched Max play for a few minutes. Usually, he insists on our sitting in the floor and playing with him, but this afternoon he seemed fine with having us watch him play. We brought out the yogurt and Max went back and forth between Becky and me for his share. He got chocolate from Becky and vanilla from me. The little fellow loves Costco’s yogurt about as much as we do.
Then Becky took Max to see the ducks again, and they stopped by Mimi and Grandpa’s. Mimi and Becky took Max to Bogan Park to play. Becky said Max said “pool” as soon as they entered the park. Bogan Park is where we took Max for swimming lessons in early July. Becky said he played hard this evening and that he wanted to hold their fingers when he slid down the slide. That worked out well, because if he hadn’t held their fingers, they wouldn’t have let him slide due to his broken arm.
They went back to Mimi and Grandpa’s and gave Max a bath before coming home. Becky gave him a bottle of milk and lead him upstairs. He ran straight to me once he made it upstairs. I joined him and Becky for a few bedtime stories. Becky read aloud, “The end” at the end of one of Max’s books, and now he’s learned to say it, too. It sounds more like one word when he says it, but it’s clear that “the end” is what he’s trying to say.
Becky put the little fellow to bed and he didn’t make a peep. We’ll scoop him up when we go to bed and let him sleep with us again tonight.
Rough Night, But Another Great Day at Preschool
Baybay’s sleepover with Mimi and Grandpa didn’t go too smoothly last night. Grandpa said the little fellow tossed and tumbled beginning around 3:30 am and didn’t stop until he gave Max a bottle and something to eat an hour-and-a-half later. Max was still asleep when walking/strolling time rolled around, so Mimi said she’d keep Max and Grandpa went to the mall for his walk.
After my walk I picked up Max at Mimi and Grandpa’s and carried him to school. Mimi had the little fellow looking handsome in a collared navy blue one-piece outfit. She had his hair combed neatly, and he looked as if he weren’t capable of causing any trouble. I was afraid of what kind of day he was going to have at school because of his not sleeping well, but he seemed to be in a jovial mood when I picked him up.
As we sat in the drop-off line, the little fellow played Baa Baa Black Sheep on my iPhone. Miss Anna, his preschool’s director, hoisted him from his car seat, and he let out one little whimper that I could hear. So, he wasn’t too upset.
I arrived in the pick-up line at 11:48 am and was third in line. There were twenty-seven minutes remaining until dismissal, so why was I not first in line? Oh, well, I’m sure I was close enough for Baybay not to have to wait.
Like yesterday, Miss Amy came out toting Max with a smile on her face, but he had a distressed look on his. She said our little Baybay Man had a “great” day all day until about noon, when it got time to wrap up the day and start the dismissal procedure, which includes the car riders line.
That distressed look on Max’s face disappeared within thirty seconds of our trip home. He and I talked to one another and made faces at each other in the rearview mirror. He smiled and laughed several times, but I could tell he was tired. When we got home, he got some lunch, a pint of chocolate milk, and ten ounces of two-percent milk before settling down for a three-and-a-half-hour nap.
When he awoke, Becky went upstairs to get him, and she and I played with him for a good while in our living room. He wanted me to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to him, but I talked Becky into reading it to him. When she finished reading it to him, he demanded a second reading. And then he cajoled me into reading The Wheels on the Bus to him. He played games on the iPad and my iPhone, and he played with his ball popper, castle, and garage. He was talking up a storm as he played. We don’t know what he was saying, but he was saying a lot.
We put him in his highchair to have dinner while Becky went to get dinner for the two of us. While she was gone Mimi and Grandpa came over on the golf cart to pick up Baybay for a ride through the neighborhood.
Becky phoned Mimi and Grandpa once we finished dinner to let them know she was heading over to pick up Max, but Grandpa wanted the little fellow to spend the night with them again tonight. Becky protested and it looks like Baybay will be staying with us tonight. Mimi and Becky gave the little fellow a bath at Mimi and Grandpa’s, and Grandpa just brought Becky and Max back home. The little fellow smells like baby lotion, his hair is clean and neat, and he’s working on a bottle of milk. He and Becky just went upstairs, and Becky is reading stories to him.
Even though we know the night probably would go more smoothly if Baybay slept in his bed tonight, we’re going to take our chances and let him sleep with us. We’re going to head to bed early to try to offset the impact of being awakened during the night.
“Great” Day at Preschool; Staying with Mimi & Grandpa Tonight
Baybay slept with Becky and me last night and was a good bedfellow—well, until Becky’s alarm sounded at 6:40 am. Then he wanted his “goo,” so our morning routine commenced: a fresh dipe, juice bottle, and Barney.
We skipped walking and watched two Barney videos instead. Max tossed and tumbled over me most of the time Barney was on, and we came downstairs and played a bit before I dressed him for school. Grandpa had ironed the little fellow four or five outfits, and Becky had picked out his cute red overalls with his red-and-white checked shirt. The button-down shirt had sharp creases in its short sleeves, and the legs of his overalls felt as though they were injection molded. Baybay ventured off to preschool this morning as a sharp-dressed man.
As we motored to school I noticed Max nodding off in my rearview mirror. It’s just a five- to seven-minute trip, so I was afraid Max was tired and might be headed for a bad day at school. Miss April lifted Max from his car seat, and he looked as though he was going to cry. But he didn’t, at least not that I could hear. That’s the best he’s been so far for preschool drop-off. Maybe tomorrow will be even better.
I came home from Max’s preschool, did a few things on the computer, including processing the three images from last Saturday (below), took a shower, and it was time to head back to school to pick up my favorite little buddy. I arrived at the school at 11:57 am, and he breaks loose at 12:15 pm. I figured I’d be the first one in line, but I was about fifteenth. Afraid his teachers might look out at the car riders line and not see me, I texted Miss Amy to let her know I was there. At about 12:18 out Miss Amy came out toting the handsomest little boy in the world. Like yesterday, though, he had a distressed look on his face, but, unlike yesterday, Miss Amy had a happy look on hers. She said he’d had a “great” day except for the car riders line. She said Max wouldn’t let her put him down. I don’t know if she meant he was affectionate during the school day, or if he wouldn’t let her put him down to wait in the car riders line. I still take Miss Amy’s comments about our little buddy as an improvement in his adjustment to becoming a preschooler.
I passed the time in line by reading the book Digging into WordPress on our iPad. (WordPress is a blogging and content management system.) We have more than a dozen other books on our iPad, too, so I’ll just have to arrive even earlier to pick up Max so I can take advantage of what Zig Ziglar refers to as “Automobile University.”
Max smiled and giggled on our way home, and once we arrived I gave him a fresh dipe, a snack, and a bottle of milk. When he stood up in his highchair, I figured he was finished eating and took him upstairs to finish his bottle and take a nap. Today’s nap lasted just two-and-a-half hours due to a number-two.
I got the little fellow cleaned up, and he got his own goldfish crackers from his diaper bag, escorted me into the living room to play with him, and then asked for some “goo.” Becky came home shortly, fed Max a snack, and played with us.
Yesterday, Grandpa called dibs on our little buddy for tonight, and came to pick him up on the golf cart around 7:30 this evening. They were going to visit the ducks and get some “balls” (muscadine grapes, actually) before heading to Mimi and Grandpa’s for the night.
I’ll catch up with Little Mr Dodd and Grandpa in the morning at the mall.
Annual Neighborhood Picnic Images
Three from last Saturday’s annual neighborhood picnic:
