Ricky's Drawing of a.....a....ummm

The other night we were all sitting around the TV and Ricky was drawing and coloring. He proudly showed us this drawing. Mark and I laughed til we cried and he told us what this is - but you know what this really looks like! This is a picture of a walker on Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back. See the guy sitting up top?

Mark sent this pic out to our friends and family to see if anyone could correctly guess what this was - and nobody got it. It's hard!! hahahaha!!

A Lesson on Race

Our local outdoor shopping mall has a mini park that's hilly where kids love to run around. The other day we all ventured out there because I had some presents to buy. I left the boys with Mark and went on my way. Teddy slept in the stroller and Ricky played in that park for about an hour.

When we were going home, I asked Ricky about the park and asked him who he played with.  

Ricky said, "I played with a boy, but I didn't ask his name. He didn't look like any of my friends."

I said, "Oh really? Who did he look like?"

Ricky said, "The boy I played with looked like James Brown!"

I tried not to laugh and later found out from Mark that the boy Ricky played with was Indian. We talked about race in a car for a little bit - as long as a four year old boy was interested.

Timber!!!

We've had some crazy weather in Chicago the past few days. Thunderstorms and tons of rain. Last night it came back again and the wind was pretty bad. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but we're actually in the process of moving to my mom's house this summer - she moved to a condo - and we're going to buy her house once we sell ours and Mark is employed.

Anyways, the storm uprooted this huge pine tree in the backyard. The neighbors say there was a big microburst. This tree is enormous - and it's been there for about 50  years or so. It was this large when we moved in - in 1979 and it's pretty much watched me and my sister grow up. I'm not a big tree hugger or anything, but I must admit I feel sad about it - like my family lost an old friend.

We just went over there to check it out and see what can be done. The utility guys are there, trying to restore power. The tree took out the electricity for the whole block - since last night - and they are having a block party there right now. I should charge admission and have Ricky set up a lemonade stand - there are neighbors from that block and other blocks coming over to take a look. 

We feel bad for the neighbors' garage - it had some damage to it. I guess their insurance has to pay for it under their homeowners policy because it was an act of God. My mom already talked to them and got it figured out. We're just glad nobody got hurt. 

Anyways, the yard is already large, but without the tree, it is mammoth and kind of bare. Should we plant another tree? 

Sleep & My Latest Read

For once in several weeks, I actually feel well rested. It finally worked! After about 3 nights of hardcore putting Teddy down to bed after nursing, he is finally not crying and putting himself to sleep!!! yay! Thank god all the crying is over - it was driving us all nutts. He only got up twice last night to eat. Then again, I would burp him and rock him for about 5-10 minutes and then put him in his crib and leave the room. No crying. I could kiss Dr. Weissbluth's book. 

On the day to day front, we have a birthday party to go to at dinnertime and I still don't have a gift. It's raining here and I hate dragging the boys out in good weather, let alone crappy weather. My mom might be able to watch them during her lunchtime so I can go out and get a present quickly. 

I just finished a light read - kind of chick lit book called, "The Undomestic Goddess" by Sophie Kinsella. A librarian I work with recommended it to me. I had asked her for a book that was light, easy to read, and enjoyable. This book was exactly what this stay-at-home-mom needed to read. The book is about a high powered lawyer in London who is working her ass off to be partner and things happen and she ends up as a housekeeper. It's a nice story - and pretty funny. I could see a movie being made - like her Shopaholic book - which of course, I checked out of the library to read next. 

When do I read? When the boys nap, when Ricky is playing video games and ignoring me anyway, and any time I find myself on the couch - like 10 minutes after eating lunch or dinner, I'll read a few pages. I used to be *such* a bookworm my entire life and it's been really hard for me to keep up that hobby. 

Anyway, I'm going to steal 15 minutes now to watch more of an "L Word" episode now. I love that show, and no, you don't have to be a lesbian to relate. It's about a bunch of girlfriends. And yeah, they kiss and have sex once in a while but who cares. I totally recommend it. 

A Whole Lot of Rambling

Well, it's been a week and things are slightly better. I still need to nurse Teddy to sleep when I put him down for the night, but he still gets up 5 to 6 times a night screaming for me to nurse him again. Last night I was so tired and fed up by 3a.m. that I turned my monitor down and let him cry. I had already been in there every hour. This baby is so stubborn - if you let him cry, he will cry for HOURS and HOURS. It's heartbreaking and horrible to listen to because you feel so bad. He sounds like someone is murdering him - it's awful. 

Well I reserved the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" from the library because my copy is at the other house and I have to freaking clue where it is. If I get 3 hours of sleep straight, I feel golden - isn't that pathetic? Luckily Ricky can sleep through the bloodcurdling shrieks - I have no clue how this is possible. They are in separate rooms but next door to each other. 

Mark got a freelancing gig last week and it's for this week too. I am tempted to nurse to shush up Teddy all the more so he doesn't wake Mark. And poor Mark, I have been so freaking tired, that any other activities (wink wink) are on the backburner. 

As for nursing, I am on fenugreek but haven't been so good with the pumping. Teddy is a chunker - already wearing 12 months clothes and he's only 5 months old. So he's not starving...

Ricky finished his 3 year old preschool last week. They had an end of the school year picnic. The parents of the class  clown named Ryan - the worst behaved boy I have ever seen - was laying it on thick and asking me to have playdates with their son. I felt like a total asshole, but I said thanks but never said anything like Ryan is also welcome in our home, let's get together at the park this summer, here is my phone number, etc. I DO NOT want Ricky playing with him. Bad behavior feels contagious.... do you think that's totally overprotective?

I'm meeting 2 of my girlfriends for lunch tomorrow. Mark is working so I have to bring the boys. It will be great to see my buddies. One is married with 3 kids and the other is newly divorced with a boyfriend and has 2 kids. I've been friends with them for about 12 years. (shit has it been that long???)

Help- My Uniboober Baby Won't Let Me Sleep

I've been up all night the last 3 nights with Teddy and it's all my fault. He is happy during the day but then he's been up 10+ times a night screaming.  It's a combination of a few bad habits all rolled up together. Here are my problems:

1. I've been nursing exclusively, and my right boob stopped making milk almost completely (less than 1 ounce a day)

2. Teddy hates bottles, binkies, basically he's just a boob man.

3. For the first 4 months of his life, he was sleeping in our room in his pack n play next to our bed. Whenever he would cry, I would be afraid he's wake Ricky or Mark, and immediately pick him up in my sleep and put him to my breast - without looking at the clock to see if it was feeding time. So as a result, when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he wants boobie to put him back to sleep - even if he's not hungry. Just a comfort thing. 

4. I'm a stay at home mother, and would just nurse on demand. On demand has turned into every 1.5 hours and it's driving me nutts. He nurses for 5 minutes and has basically brought my milk supply down. He is snacking all day long. (my baby is very chubby so loves to eat). 

5. He has very bad eczema all over his body - gotta be itchy! He scratches all the time. He has it on his head, and pulls his hair and scratches and screams about it. I tell him to stop pulling his hair but not sure if he understands me..... so fun

6. He loves to roll, but doesn't know how to get back - he gets stuck and cries his head off until someone comes in and helps him get back. The more he cries, the hotter he becomes - and then he gets more eczema!!! Aaaaaaack!!! 

So I took Teddy to the doctor this morning to make sure all is well - and that he doesn't have an ear infection or any other problems causing him to be up all night. I also called my lactation consultant at the hospital. Basically, this is my game plan:

1. Feed every 3 hours, no less. If he seems like he needs more, give him a bottle after nursing.

2. I need to pump. The lactation consultant and pediatrician think my left boob went down in production as well. If he eats every 1.5  hours, it's not enough. Pediatrician suggests formula because it's thicker and stays in the tummy longer. The lactation consultant wants me to give pumped milk as the supplement and refuses to say the word "formula." heehehe...

3. He has to cry. The pediatrician and one of my favorite nurses told me to let him cry and that they let their own kids cry for hours at this age. It's just hard to hear.... 

Well, I nursed him at noon and gave him 2 ounces of formula in a bottle and he took it. I also put him in the crib and let him cry. I had to go in there twice to give him a binky suggestively and I let him cry. He is now fast asleep. YAY!!! Now let's see how tonight goes. 

Am seriously feeling like I'm drunk....so out of it. I gave Ricky a sippy cup with no cover on it.... 

Is there such a thing as the Terrible 4's?

Ricky is no angel but is usually a pretty good kid. In his preschool class, his teacher and all the kids' parents have always told us that Ricky is the best behaved in school. The school year is almost over and -knock on wood - he almost finished this year without being "bad" once. Bad meaning bad enough that the teacher has to tell me he did something in school. In the beginning I was happy about it but kind of freaked out that maybe he wasn't normal - I always thought little boys were supposed to be troublemakers by nature. 

Well ever since we had Teddy, it's been hard for Ricky to adjust. This weekend was hard because we really didn't leave the house much. Mark has come down with some virus that he's on antibiotics for and we've stayed home a lot. Mark is unemployed at the moment too - so both parents are home. He loves playing video games with his dad. 

So yesterday I told my family that we had to get out of the house. We pored over the internet looking up museums and all kinds of things to do. But everything was either too expensive or too crowded - we thought - due to the holiday weekend. So we decided to make it simple and do a little shopping and get out for lunch.

God was Ricky so bad. Not listening, and doing the opposite of what we ask to a dangerous level - like leaving us in the store to run around or run to the other parent when he/she isn't aware - hello kidnapper!! Pulling his hand away while walking in busy parking lots - like he wants to run and get hit by a car.  It was so bad that Mark spanked him in the parking lot of Old Navy. Thankfully nobody saw - that I was aware of. Before I had kids I always tsked people for doing that in public and thought they were really shitty parents. Now I know why that happens. Ricky hasn't been spanked in about 3 months - his last spanking was because he whipped a piece of cardboard very hard on his baby brother's head. Teddy was about 1 month old. 

We've tried really hard to spend quality time with Ricky whenever we can. I played Legos with him for a few hours over the weekend and I always try to read books before naptime and bedtime. I struggle with this and also keeping a tidy house and all the million other things I have to do around the house. 

Well whatever the heck is going on, I hope it stops because this really sucks.