Hiking

Well, I took Little P on his first hiking trip with a friend of mine, and wow is mommy tired!!! Mommy has this really great backpack by Snugli that she got for Little P on his baby shower that has been used here and there for the past several months, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to load it up and get out doors. I packed all the essentials into the every available pouch and we drove up to Steven's Trail in Colfax, Ca. Then I stuffed Little P into the seat of this backpack and we began our trek through the forest.
For about the first mile everything was great. P rode for a while, and where the trail was wide enough I let him walk so I could have a rest (the pack with him in it weighed at least 50lbs). About another 1/2 mile in mommy started feeling the weight, so it was time to turn back and head out... up hill... for 1 1/2 miles... with 50 lbs on my back... IT SEEMED LIKE 100!!! Now, mommy is not too out of shape, although I could use a few hours at the gym, but good grief! I did not know anything could gain twice it's weight in an hour!!!
My Tiny P became a really heavy P and by the time we got back to the car mommy needed a shower and a nap BIG time! Honestly, if you are planning a hike with a kid to observe nature and get out of the house, know your limits!!! I am glad I did not continue too much longer because I would probably be lying dead in the forest right now. It has been two days and my calves are still killing me.
Anyway, Paul had a GREAT time! He "sang" almost the entire time we were walking, and he especially loved getting out and running around (although mommy was nervous regarding poison oak and such). He picked up rocks and tried to eat them, looked in the sky for birds and airplanes, practiced saying "trees" over and over again, and enjoyed being outside overall. I am glad that we went, for his sake, and I have to admit it was great exercise for mommy!

Meetups and playgroups

Paul and I were members of this Roseville playgroup for a few weeks and it was really great, but it was too far to drive every week with the gas prices as high as they are. Besides that, I am pretty sure I did not fit in and the moms did not like me that well. So I started my own playgroup. Check it out at meetup.com I have had three ladies join already and I am very excited bacause Paul will still be able to make friends and become part of a social structure without me spending ten billion dollars for gas to drive him to his playdates.

Anyway, Paul is finally better and is becoming his silly old self again. He has started eating the entire world again and wants to run and play outside. I am happy because I love to see him exploring. Secretly I am most happy because the kid is not whining and begging to be held and wanting bottles all day! Yes, I am emotionally a "fair-weather" mommy. Sorry to admit... my son is great, but he is more great when he is not crying!!!

Easter Egg Hunt!

Little P is in this really great playgorup with a lot of other kids around his age so that he can learn social skills like sharing, etc. Today our playgroup had an Easter egg hunt at my house. Now, we go to playgorups and events all the time and Paul does not have a problem sharing toys or playing with other youngsters... Except for in his own house. I did not know this, but my son, my precious Little P, does not like to share his toys.

About four young kids came to our house today and Paul very nicely took them all to his room to pick out toys to play with before the egg hunt. One girl went right up to his little shopping cart and pushed it out of the room... if looks could kill... Little P gave the dirtiest look I have ever seen him give in his tiny life. Another girl walked up to his car and got inside and left the room... if looks could kill... Suddenly I hear "maaaamaaaa" and my baby is looking at me with tears in his eyes, and I end up holding and consoling him for nearly the rest of the playgroup. He was seriously jealous because kids were playing with his toys! I could not believe it!

The rest of the day went pretty well, and he finally got down to play with the kids for a few minutes before they left. He was quite happy when everyone was gone and he had his house back, though. I think I have to either hold many more playgroups at my house to show him how to share, or hold off for a while until he is a little older and understands sharing his space. What do you think???

P.S. About 15 minutes after everyone left Paul was sound asleep. Sharing is hard on the emotions and tends to wear one out!

Icky

And I was worried about little P... Daddy J and mommy are way more sick than P... Yuck! The flu is going around, but this is strange. All the aches, pains and vomiting that goes with flu, but no fever. Is this a new bug? There are so many nasty things going around; any ideas about how to relieve the symptoms so I can get back to being mommy?

Sick, sick, sick

Peanut has never been sick before and I am freaking out, but trying to be the cool mama that does not freak out. He vomited every two hours all night on Friday night and has had icky diapers and no appetite for two days. I do not think it warrants a trip to the ER, but I am sad that his doctor is not available to check him out. I am trying to get him to drink Pedialyte, but he flatly refuses to take even one sip of the stuff. Anything else work to get babies back on their feet after a couple bad days???
He does not have a fever, just no appetite and icky diapers. Sound familiar? Ear infection or teething? I just want to help my little P get up and running around like a crazy man again!

Inside Play

Being spring in Northern California, the weather is normally so beautiful; that is to say, perfect for a toddler to play outside in. Today it rained, and P was very upset that he could not go outside. Mommy tried so hard to entertain baby P. We tried to read books, we tried to play blocks, tried to play with balloons, tried to play with various toys in P's room, tried to play with the vaccuum cleaner and other usually off-limits "toys", all to no avail. Finally mommy turned on the TV to BabyFirst TV, which does not usually happen. TV is reserved for Sundays when mommy is working and daddy is taking care of P.

Anyway, BabyFirst TV is a channel steeped in babyness. From the giant talking mice to the babies crawling aimlessly around the screen to the dancing computer generated orchestral instruments, it is meant to capture the attention of babies stuck inside due to rain. It works!!! It is like watching a Baby Einstein DVD all day long (except you do not have to put in a new one or push play every 20 minutes). Mommy does not usually resort to the rectangle babysitter, but once in a while it is worth it so I can pick up the mess of toys and books that could not make Little P happy and maybe wash the dishes.

Anyone who has Dish Network TV can check out channel 126 for some baby entertainment when all else fails. It gives great tips for teaching baby language and motor skills, and encourages adult and baby interaction so it keeps the TV active and involves the family. Not too bad, for TV.

Oh, the pain!!!

My little P, who is normally the sweetest, happiest person I know, is getting new molars. He is no longer the sweetest, happiest person I know; instead he is a whining, chewing crying maniac. He is interested only in trying to eat the dog food instead of biting a teething ring, and refuses to be held and consoled, instead opting to cause as much trouble as he possibly can in the shortest amount of time:

Eat dog food, step in dog water, step in cat water, spill smoothy all over the floor, use the training toilet as a ladder to the big toilet (a story for later), turn the remote control ceiling fan on high and watch it spin rediculously fast... Oh, the joy of it all! I know he sounds like a typical toddler, but he is definitely not like this on a regular basis. These days make me crazy!

sleepy

I just spoke with daddy J to find out if P went to sleep OK tonight. Apparently P cried and cried until he finally just fell asleep. He has been doing that lately whenever I am not at home, and it saddens me deeply. I know it will not hurt him to CIO, but I feel guilty because I am at work instead of home cuddling my tiny one. Mommy and baby both have separation anxiety! After 14 months! I went back to work when he was a month old and this has never been an issue until now. What's up?

Too Much Love?

We were at the cell phone store today when a mommy and her two boys walked in. Oh no!!!! I am not afraid because I think P is going to do something horrible to these boys; on the contrary, he has never hit, kicked, spit at or taken a toy from another child. Mommy is afraid because P is going to give these boys a hug! I turn around and run to him just as he reaches the older of the two boys and plants a big kiss on his chest. Mom looks at me like there is a snake on her baby, and I apologize for my son's behavior. OMG! My baby hugged your baby! I am sorry to say that people honestly get offended by kids giving hugs to other kids. Now, it is not like I let little P run wild throughout the world hugging everyone; I try to catch him before he reaches the other kids out of respect for personal space. However, I have to say that a hug is better than a poke in the eye any day... I do not want to teach P to love discriminately, but how do I teach him when it OK to give hugs and when to stand back and just chat? He is 14 months old, so I am not sure it can be done, but if he has been taught to love I suppose he can be taught not to love...